Page 117

Colin

C olin opened his mouth, but before he could—what, exactly? Scream? Cuss her out?—Serena was in front of him, black eyes boring into his. “You will not scream. You will not fight. You will not run away.”

Colin shut his mouth. Or, more like, his mouth shut for him, like it was acting on its own volition.

Was this compulsion? He’d thought maybe it put you into some kind of hazy, dreamlike state.

But his mind felt sharp enough; it was just his body that was hindered.

Then again, she hadn’t told him anything to affect him mentally—hadn’t told him not to be afraid or anything.

Just not to scream, fight, or run. Maybe that changed things.

Jesus, dude. Now is not the time to be analyzing vampire abilities.

But fuck, he’d never been compelled before. Jay didn’t like it, not even for demonstration, and Colin had never gotten around to asking the twins to try it on him.

Fuck. The twins.

Panic laced through Colin’s veins as Serena grabbed his arm and tugged him, not inside after all, but onto the porch swing. Had she done something to Fox and Dane? If she’d hurt them, Colin was going to rip her goddamn eyeballs out.

How he’d do that while under compulsion, he had no idea, but he’d find a fucking way.

She was scanning the street now, as if looking for someone. Colin felt the briefest flicker of hope. Maybe the twins were on her tail after all. Although why the fuck she’d be settling in for a sit-down if they were was beyond him.

She glanced at him and must have caught whatever stupid expression was on his face, because she sneered.

“Your saviors aren’t coming, sweetie.” She laughed at the clear panic her words caused.

“They’re not dead . More’s the pity. Just…

occupied.” She searched the street again. “Now where is he,” she muttered.

Revulsion washed through Colin as realization dawned on him. “You’re looking for your husband.” His stomach churned when she didn’t deny it. “You were in on it the whole time. The kids. How could you do that?”

“I told you,” she said, pausing her search to look at Colin. The calm in her face was disturbing. “I wanted a family. I wasn’t lying about how I was turned—I didn’t ask for any of this.” Her eyes flashed. “I’m owed .”

“You’re never owed somebody else’s life .”

She turned back to the street, like Colin’s words were completely inconsequential. “Tell me where he is.”

Colin stared at her blankly. “Who? Your partner? How the fuck would I know?”

She tightened her grip on his arm, hard enough he would have cried out in pain if he could. You will not scream. “The child . Riley. Where is he?”

“What?” Colin’s body felt hot, and his mind kept racing, trying to follow her rapidly changing direction. He couldn’t get a grasp on what the fuck was going on with this woman, but he knew she was dangerous. He couldn’t afford to trip up.

“I handpicked that child,” Serena said coolly. “He was mine, turned for me . But he ran before Robert could deliver him to me. And apparently you know where he is.” Her gaze landed on him again. “You said he’s doing well.”

Colin laughed, maybe a smidge hysterically, but who could really blame him. “ That’s why you want me? I don’t know where the fuck he is. I’m not in contact with him. I’ve never even met the kid.”

“But someone in your life does,” Serena insisted.

“And unlike those you spend your time with, you, my dear, are incredibly breakable.” She shook his arm, as if in demonstration.

“One of your friends will give up the location, or we’ll start sending them pieces of you until they do.

What length do you think your two vampires will go to, to save their precious pet? ”

Colin didn’t even have to think. “I think they’ll rip you in fucking half, you psycho.”

She pulled out her phone, unimpressed with his threat.

“Ten minutes until I’m supposed to meet them.

How long will they wait until they even start to think I’ve reneged on our deal?

We’ll be long gone. You know how hard it is to track when modern technology gets involved?

Cars? Planes? We’ll take you where they can’t reach. And then you’ll give me what I want.”

“What if I can’t?” It wasn’t like Colin had been lying—he had no idea where Riley was. Not that he’d tell her if he did—he wouldn’t do that to a kid, vampire or not. He’d rather have a literal viper for a mother than this woman.

“Then we’ll kill you and turn another child.

” She leaned in close, conspiratorial. “The thing is the other children we’ve tried haven’t done so well with the transition.

Riley was the exception, I’m afraid. So not only will you be dead, you’ll be responsible for another loss of life.

” She pursed her lips in mock sympathy as Colin’s blood ran cold. “Ouch.”

They’d turned more children than Riley? Kids who hadn’t made it? Could anyone really be that callous? Colin wanted so desperately to scream, but his throat wouldn’t let him. He settled for pissing her off. “Were you always this much of a monster, or is it the vampire in you, do you think?”

She tightened her grip on his arm again, but this time, she twisted. Pure fire raced down his limb, and every cell in Colin’s body urged him to cry out, but once again, something wouldn’t let him.

Tears streamed down his face. Holy shit. Did she just break his arm?

Serena’s face lit up as a compact car pulled alongside the house. “Ah, there we are.”

She dragged Colin down by his injured arm—and fuck , did that hurt—and tossed him into the back seat before making her way to the front. Colin sucked in a sharp breath as he got his bearings. Oh no. No, no, no.

There was a kid in the back seat with him. A little boy, maybe eight years old.

Colin swallowed hard. Fuck he had to be brave now, didn’t he? It wasn’t just his life on the line. “H-Hey, buddy,” he greeted, as gentle as he could. “You okay there?”

The kid just looked at him with wide eyes. They were shiny and wet, full of unshed tears. Had they compelled him not to cry?

Colin glanced to the front seat, where Serena was conferring with some bland-looking dude. Her husband, Robert, presumably. Colin kicked at her seat. “ Hey . If you’re looking for Riley, why do you even need this kid? Let him go.”

“Didn’t I explain? We need a plan B.” She shot a sickeningly sweet look at the clearly terrified boy.

“Isn’t that right, sweetie?” She turned to her companion, the sweet look transforming to one of contempt, and the complete one-eighty had chills running down Colin’s spine.

Real Jekyll and Hyde, this lady. “Although, it certainly took you long enough.”

“I’m sorry, my love.” Robert was gazing at her with a hideous mix of naked devotion and complete subservience. Colin was pretty sure if Serena told him to run himself over with this car, he would do it in a second.

These two were fucked up beyond belief, and Colin couldn’t keep his mouth shut. “This isn’t how you make a family, you know. Anything you create this way will be poison.”

“And how is that different from any other dysfunctional family in America?” Serena asked, gesturing for Robert to pull into the street.

The car started moving.

Colin turned to the little boy, buckling him into his seat.

“It is different. You have each other. You have immortality, for fuck’s sake.

You could make your life whatever you want.

And while I may not have had a mom for a while, I remember enough to know you aren’t mother material, you selfish, conniving, psychotic bitch . ”

Oh, that was a real nice look of rage on her face.

But Colin didn’t give a shit anymore. The lady clearly didn’t have a great grip on her temper, and if he was going to die, he’d rather it be now.

He wasn’t built for torture. Because he knew no one in Hyde Park was going to give Riley up.

Maybe the twins would have—maybe the devotion they had for Colin was selfish enough for that—but they didn’t know where Riley was.

And maybe in the time it took for Serena to do away with him, someone would come and help this poor kid. Because no way in hell were either of them going to survive this pair taking them to a second location.

“You little—” Serena twisted in her seat, lunging back toward Colin.

The car jolted with a sharp screech of brakes and a loud-as-fuck crunch of metal. Serena was jerked back to the front, her hand grasping at air.

Colin’s head hit the seat in front of him with a hard smack. His vision blurred—was that blood in his eyes? But he could just make out two hulking figures in front of the car.

Oh fuck, these assholes were in for it now.

Fox and Dane were already here.