the knowledge that he could not help his mate and that she believed that he had discarded and forsaken
her? He could not fathom being forced to endure such a cruel fate. He knew the weight of it must be
crushing him. Demetri could end Sara’s suffering by killing Mary but, since he loved her, doing so would
toss him into a pit of the most unimaginable form of eternal damnation and suffering. He would never
escape it. His guilt would never allow him to follow her. “You are wrong. It matters enough for me to
help you get her back.”
“I do not need your help for my mate’s sake. I need you to take care of what belongs to you.”
“We have a common enemy? Is it Mary?”
“In a roundabout way. She is working with a group of repulsive individuals that happen to have
possession of something you had given up all hope of ever finding again.” Demetri held out and opened
his hand to reveal an amber stone. “I cannot and I will not say anything more.”
“Thank you. You have said enough.” Tobias wanted more details about how the group had taken
Amber, his sister, and what they were doing with and to her, but he knew that getting any more
information from Demetri was not going to happen.
“You are welcome.” Demetri shifted away.
Nothing trumped the importance of a demon’s mate. Tobias respected the fact that Demetri would
never put Sara’s wellbeing on the line for any reason even if Amber was the reason. “Where is the group
located?” he asked.
“We have not found it because there is not a single location,” Joseph said. “Most are very well
hidden. Those that we have sited seem to be newly established and disorganized.”
“We have only been able to discover a few of the gathering places and destroy a handful of the
individuals calling themselves the Evolved. There are many and they inhabit several places around the
world.” Nikolas shrugged his shoulders. “But we do know that each place leads back to Wicked
Sensations.”
“That is Mary Tate’s club, right?” Tobias asked.
“It is.” Nikolas nodded.
“Did you know about Amber?”
“Not until just now. I had not expected Demetri to show up here today at all.”
“What about you, Joseph?”
“I had no idea.”
“It is an odd coincidence for him to show up here at the same time as you two with the only news
that could ever compel me to do a damn thing to help you.”
“Stranger things have happened.” Nikolas said.
“That’s true,” Joseph agreed. “But I do not trust him.”
Tobias believed that they were being honest just as much as he believed the group had taken Amber,
but he was not stupid enough to believe that Demetri had showed up with the news to help anyone other
than Sara. “You shouldn’t. As long as Demetri’s mate is separated from him he is more of a threat to you
and the ones you love than if he had simply decided that being good was no longer entertaining enough to
occupy his time.”
“You are wrong if you believe he lied about your sister. I am sure he took a risk by coming here to
do it.” Nikolas said.
“He did not come here for Amber’s sake or for mine. You would be wise to always keep in mind that
every word he speaks, every decision and action he makes and every breath he takes is fully dedicated to
finding Sara.”
“Once he has ensured her safety or he is convinced that she is dead no one that has had anything to
do with keeping her from him or hurting her will destroyed. The idiots that call themselves the Evolved
will achieve transformation, but it will be far from what the illustrious status they are aiming for. They
will simply become extinct. None will be able to escape him once he is free to remind them that he is a
very pissed off ten thousand year old demon.”
“Since I have found my mate I understand what he is capable of doing to protect and avenge her. I
would expect nothing less from him,” Nikolas stated.
“Then you understand that he is more dangerous now than if he was free to go on a bloody
rampage?” Tobias didn’t believe Nikolas and Joseph were ignorant to the facts, but it occurred to him that
the ominous reality of the nightmare Demetri was living through hadn’t been completely sifted through
and thoroughly examined.
“When I found Demetri at Carl’s home he was so broken and crushed over the thought of Sara being
killed by a human monster. I felt the intensity of the terrible grief and sadness he was suffering. In that
moment revenge meant nothing to him. It was over. He was just done. Then, he realized she was still
alive. I felt his relief but his anguish was deeper. It was much more profound.”
Tobias had heard the story about Carl, a human serial murderer that had nearly killed Nikolas’ mate.
“He is not fighting to run off into the sunset with her. He might pretend now and then to help him cope,
but he has no true expectation of sharing a happily ever after with her. There is not a single cell in his
body that believes he is worthy of receiving her love. In his mind he has already failed her.”
Nikolas glanced to the side and gave Joseph a look of frustration.
Joseph nodded. “Tobias is right. You have placed too much trust in Demetri. You need to hear him
out.”
Clearly irritated Nikolas frowned as he faced Tobias. “It is only natural for him to keep fighting for
her freedom.”
Tobias nodded. “That’s right. All that has happened has managed to do the impossible. It has aged
him. Her death would have allowed him to let go of existence you should expect him to use any weapon
or strategy to win her freedom. Being that death would have set her free it’s no wonder his anguish was
greater than his relief when he realized she was not dead.”
“One look at him clearly proves that he is beyond physically and emotionally exhausted,” Joseph
said.
“It’s the fear and the guilt he holds for being incapable of finding and protecting her, it is too much
for any of us to endure for as long as he has,” Tobias agreed. “Her death would have delivered him from
his current existence, but he would not have found peace. His torment would have survived for eternity if
she had died.”
“Regardless of his belief that his failure to protect her has made him unworthy of her love he would
have followed her. He simply would not have a choice. He was created to love her just as completely as
she was fashioned to love him.” Nikolas sighed. “How does he keep going?”
“You have found your mate and you don’t know? It’s love. His love for her is forcing and enabling
him to endure the cruelest form of torture any of us could ever imagine. No matter how long it takes he
will keep fighting until the end. In the meantime, I have no doubt that he will do his best to look out for us
all, but his love for her will cause him to turn on anyone of us if he has any reason to believe doing so
could save her.” Tobias knew he could not fully understand the fear, the guilt, the sadness and the
uncertainty Demetri was toting around because he did not have a mate. All that he knew was that it was
naturally far greater than what he had been carrying from the day his sister disappeared. He knew that he
had pushed her away by being overbearing.
“I must admit that until this moment I failed to contemplate the
danger Demetri’s love for Sara
presents to us all.”
“It’s sort of alarming when you take a deep look at the situation, isn’t it?” Tobias asked.
“Not sort of.”
“Your mate is his mate’s sister, right?”
“Yes.” Nikolas’ gaze narrowed as if suspicious. “He believes the only way he will ever be able to
locate Sara is through the blood bond she shares with Brianna.”
“I know. I saw it in his mind. He is right, and he is willing to use and sacrifice Brianna to save Sara.
If he ever finds his mate before she is killed it will be through the blood link she shares with your mate.”
Tobias did not know why he felt compelled to point out what should have been obvious to Nikolas, but he
decided to paint an even clearer picture. “That’s why I highly recommend that before you give him
anymore access to your mate in hopes of finding his that you take an honest look at what your love for
Brianna would lead you to do in a comparable situation.”
“He is an ancient. How could you or anyone else get into his mind and see anything?” Nikolas
asked.
“We all have our special talents. One of mine happens to be seeing and hearing things I would rather
not know. As a general rule I refrain from sharing what I learn from thoughts of others that should be kept
private.”
“Why share now?”
“I owe you. Being in debt to anyone for any reason is not something that appeals to me. Giving you
information that might help you pull your head out of your ass and prevent you from continuing to put
Brianna’s life in danger wipes the slate clean.”
“This is great,” Joseph laughed. “I am beyond thrilled to be here today. I cannot believe how close I
came to missing out on this. Convincing Nikolas that placing so much faith in Demetri was a mistake
seemed impossible until now. You have a brilliant way of getting your point across.”
“Why do you feel you owe me?”
“I don’t anymore.”
“Okay. Why did you believe that you were indebted to me?”
“On October seventeenth in sixteen forty two you saved my life.”
Clearly searching his memory, Nikolas frowned as he stared at him for several seconds. Then, he
shook his head. “We were fighting to protect a village of humans from tainted vampires. You were
singled out and attacked by the majority of them. You were seriously injured.”
“It is true. I would have died from the wounds I sustained if not for your aid.”
“You’re immortal.”
“It’s an insignificant element of a major incident. The fact is that when I was in need you went out of
your way to come to my aid. No one else remained to help me. You also could have turned your back on
me and walked away. You even brought me to your home and watched over me until my strength
returned.”
“I alone witnessed what had happened to you that day. None of our warriors would have left you
behind. You know it’s true. And it was one night. The next morning we left to destroy the vampires that
slipped away. You also know that if the situation had been reversed you would have done the same for
me.”
“I just did. We are even now.” Tobias reached out to finalize the transaction with a handshake.
Nodding, Nikolas took his hand. “Very well. We are even.”
“What about your sister?” Joseph asked. “We need to figure out a way to get to her.”
Tobias wondered if Joseph had heard a single word he had said. “You tend to the needs of what
belongs to you, and I will take care of what is mine.”
“Like it or not you need our help. There are too many for you to take on and defeat on your own,”
Joseph cautioned.
“I am confident that I will do just fine.”
“He is right. You cannot do it alone.”
Nikolas’ hasty statement made it obvious that he had forgotten what they were and what they were
capable of doing. In light of the fact that he had paid his debt he had no desire to waste anymore time
trying to open his eyes and wake him up again. “Our little get together has come to an end. Do not return.
My debt to you is paid. You will not be pleased with the welcome that will be waiting for you.”
The moment he had given them a fair warning, he turned around and made his way toward his home.
Conjuring up an exceptional aged bottle of whiskey, he walked slowly and sipped the liquor rather than to
rush and ruin the pleasure by shifting. Besides, he needed to clear his head enough to put his brain to
good use.
He agreed that he needed to come up with a plan to save Amber even though she likely did not want
to be rescued. Being so well acquainted with her rebellious nature he understood the high probability that
being smack dab in the middle of a provocatively salacious movement to change the old ways of their
kind was right where she wanted to be. He expected her to be mad as hell when he removed her from it,
but that was perfectly fine with him. One day she would know how lucky she was to have such a caring
brother. He had no problem with the idea of her hating him. He would lock her away until she matured to
~TWO~
JESSIE KRAAI WOKE up suddenly to the sound of someone pounding on her front door. Turning her
head toward the nightstand, she blinked and squinted in an effort bring the glowing red numbers on her
alarm clock into focus. Once she realized it was three in morning she threw the blanket away from her
and leapt out of the bed. Her fiancé, Milton, had disappeared two days ago. It alone was not out of the
ordinary, but she knew something was wrong after a visit from a federal investigator the day before.
Knowing Milton had left his keys behind she figured it had to him. Besides, no one else ever showed up
at such late hour.
She was about to unlock the door when an unexpected foreboding feeling came over her. It was not
Milton. She stared at the door as the pounding continued for a few seconds. Getting up onto the tips of her
toes, she looked out through the peephole. “What the hell?” she whispered beneath her breath. A visit
from Nathan Burns in the middle of the night could not be a good sign. He was the federal investigator
that showed up and tipped her off that Milton was in trouble. Figuring there was no way to get out of
doing it, and hoping to learn more about what Milton was up to, she unlocked the door and opened it.
“Is he here?” Nathan walked inside. Rather than stand at the entrance, he kept moving until he was
able to shut the door.
“No.” To avoid being mowed over, she was forced to take a few steps back. “I haven’t heard from
him at all.” Using his large, solid muscular frame as a method of intimidation, he continued to advance
and force her to retreat until her back was against the wall. “I do not have any idea where he is at.”
Taking her face in his hands and gripping with enough pressure to cause her pain, he tilted her head
back. Once her gaze met his he released her face. “I want you to ask yourself if lying to me to protect him
is worth your life.”
The blatant warning confirmed her suspicion. During his earlier visit she felt extremely unsettled.
His behavior was not even slightly threatening, but she saw something dark and sinister in his eyes. “I
answered every one of your questio
ns truthfully to the best of my ability. If I knew anything more I would
tell you. I have no reason to lie to you.”
“Milton is an idiot. My preliminary assessment of you led me to conclude that you are a fairly
intelligent woman. After spending the better part of the day questioning the people closest to you, the
validity of my initial evaluation of you was confirmed. As a matter of fact, all things considered, it
occurred to me that you are many times smarter than he could ever hope to be. Can you tell me why that
would cause me to doubt whether or not you were being truthful when you answered my questions?”
“How can I? I have never considered myself to be superior to him,” she lied. Being deceptive to a
federal investigator was the last thing she wanted to do, but she knew there was no way he would believe
the truth. It was pathetic. She had been too young to understand what she wanted when she met Milton.
She had never really fallen in love with him. She’d come close to breaking off their engagement many
times, but a mixture of guilt and the hope she would fall in love with him stopped her.
His lips slowly curved up in a cruel smile that touched his eyes. The message they were intended to
deliver was unmistakable. He was not simply capable of hurting her to get what he wanted. He was
looking forward to inflicting as much excruciating pain and anguish as possible to get it. “At this point
your attempt to tell me such an obvious lie leads me to believe that you have no fear of me. Considering
that I am a federal investigator your false sense of security is an understandable mistake. To be fair I will
allow that one lie to go unpunished. All you need to do is keep in mind that, despite the shiny badge, I
will kill you. I will not tolerate another lie from you. Do you understand me?”
“Yes.” Looking into the eyes of her soon to be killer caused a chill to move from the top of her head
to the tips of her toes until it enveloped her entire body. He wasn’t going to believe the truth, but it didn’t
matter. He didn’t plan to let her live.
Giving her a small measure of relief, he stepped away and turned his back to her. “I want you to tell
me why you are engaged to a loser.”
“When I was young my judgment lacked perception and commonsense. My ability to think things