Werewolf and Vampire Mate [Book 1 Complete]

chapter eight.

"Tell me about the Nightcrawlers," I request as Nik steps on the accelerator of his Aston Martin. We fly down his driveway and onto the road.

His lithe fingers shift on the steering wheel. "When a vampire is first turned, for some years they are sensitive to the sun. Eventually, as they're exposed to it more, they become more resistant until it is little more than a nuisance."

"Right, so all these vampires are freshly turned?"

He takes in a steady breath and glances at me from the corner of his eye. "Nightcrawlers are vampires that haven't been exposed to the sun—through choice or force, it's hard to say—and thus, they haven't built up any tolerance to it. They could be older than you think."

"Which means they're more powerful," I murmur. He shrugs.

"They'd be less than a century certainly. At a certain point, the immunity to sunlight will kick in regardless of exposure. But don't worry," he looks at me again, for a long beat, "you're safe with me, April."

Feeling heat creep up my neck, I turn and stare out the window, fiddling with the bottom of the shirt I wear.

"Why did they attack us? The Council of Elders promised us peace," I whisper.

I can practically feel Nik's irritability from across the car's console. "The Council of Elders can no more make promises for all vampire-kind than your Government can make a promise for the entirety of America. They're an archaic ruling body. Sure, most vampires listen to them, in part due to a deep respect for tradition, but there are always plenty who disagree with their decisions."

"Like Sebastien?"

Nik's posture tightens, his jaw clenching. "Like Sebastien."

I think back to that night, when Sebastien showed up at Nik's penthouse in New York. I kissed Nik that night. He also fed from me.

Just thinking about it sends a shiver down my spine. Nik must be thinking about the same thing because his eyes linger a moment too long on my exposed neck before he is staring resolutely out the windshield once more.

"Who's turning these vampires and sending them to attack werewolves?" I ask, trying to keep the conversation focused on the task at hand.

"I have my suspicions."

"Care to share?"

"Not right now, no. You should try and get an hour of sleep. You're exhausted."

I huff indignantly. "I'm fine. How do you even know where the pack house is?"

He doesn't reply.

"Nik," I warn.

"What do you want to hear, April? That I've been spying on you? Fine, yes. I tracked some werewolves back to the pack house so I could ensure you were alright. Sue me."

"Unlawful stalking is a criminal offense, not civil," I mutter under my breath.

"Thank God we have a legal expert here. Perhaps you can use that legal knowledge to free your boyfriend."

I whip around to glare at him. "You know what? If you don't want to help, then why don't you just pull over the car now and I'll do this myself?"

"You're going to fight perhaps several hundred vampires and somehow free the moron werewolf by yourself?"

"If I have to, yes!"

"So you would die for him?"

"Without hesitating!" It shocks even me; the vehemence with which I say it, the depth with which I mean it. I would die for Reed, just as I know he would die for me. My cheeks flushed, I cross my arms like a sullen child and stare out the window.

Nik is silent. I seem to have managed to shut him up.

Eventually, when the hot anger has receded, I doze off fitfully. When I wake, we're deep in the forest, trees surrounding every side of the road.

Nik's expression is pensive when I sneak a glance, his posture stiff.

"You love him," he states, so quietly I almost don't hear.

There seems to be a tennis ball lodged in my throat. I try to swallow around it and fail. "Yes," I admit.

Defeat trickles into him slowly. His eyes dull, his jaw ticks, his shoulders slump.

An ache radiates from my chest down to my stomach. The truth I won't admit aloud is that I do love Reed, but I also have deep feelings for Nik that never quite leave me. Even when I am furious with him, even when he is terrible and insufferable and the worst person alive, my heart beats for him.

The asphalt road turns to dirt and we bump along toward the pack house. When the car rolls to a stop, I take in the absolute carnage littering the clearing before us.

It's devastating.

Dead bodies, pools of blood. The house has all but collapsed; it is just charred wood now.

Tears spring forth and I put a hand over my mouth to keep from sobbing loudly.

"Stay in the car," Nik tells me, opening the door.

"It's fine," I choke out. "I'm ok–"

"April," he interrupts and when I meet his gaze, his eyes are soft. Almost compassionate. "Stay here."

I do as he says, putting my feet on the seat of the car and burying my face in my knees.

I try to block it all out, to keep myself from drowning in the terrible memories of last night. After fifteen or so minutes, my car door is pulled open and I look up.

"I picked up their scent. Come on." Nik holds his hand out for me.

A single moment of hesitation...and then I take it. He tucks me beneath his arm, using his tall body to shield me from the destruction and death as we venture into the woods. I know it's wrong and I know Reed would be jealous, but I lean into Nik. I let him support me. In this moment, I need it.

"I'm going to pick you up now," Nik warns me.

"What?" I am alarmed. "Why?"

He gives me a withering look. "Do you want to spend the next three hours trekking slowly through the forest or do you want to go and save your boyfriend?"

My mouth twists in displeasure, but I let him take me into his arms. My hands clasp behind his neck. "He's my mate," I say. "Not my boyfriend."

Nik rolls his eyes. "The theatrics don't suit you, April."

"Shut up and run."

We take off. I almost forgot what this felt like; it's a rush of adrenaline mixed with fear. Like the take-off of a plane or a rollercoaster. My eyes water and I squeeze them shut and bury my face in Nik's neck.

Minutes pass. I want to ask him how much further, but the howling of the wind is too loud.

Finally, he slows down. Everything quiets. I blink my eyes open, sunlight filtering in through the leaves.

I look up at Nik, gazing into gunmetal gray. "You can put me down now," I breathe, but his arms only tighten. His chest rises and falls beneath the press of my shoulder. Warmth floods me from head to toe.

His face dips till our foreheads nearly touch.

Why does he have to make it so hard to hate him?

"Nik," I whisper. "Please."

His arms squeeze me once more and then he slowly lets me slide down his body till my feet touch the ground.

I step back, putting some much needed distance between us. "Why did we stop here?" I wonder.

His hands go to my shoulders and he turns me around. I come face to face with the gaping, dark mouth of a cave.

When he speaks, his breath touches the hair over my ear. "They're in there."

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