by Lara Adrian
He’d been through a similar song and dance twice already tonight at other clubs, seeking out the places where members of the Breed tended to gather and hunt for blood, looking for someone who could point him toward a vampire elder named Sergei Yakut.
It wasn’t easy finding someone who didn’t want to be found, especially a secretive, nomadic individual like Yakut. He was in Montreal, that much Nikolai was sure of. He’d spoken to the reclusive vampire by phone as recent as a couple of weeks earlier, when he’d tracked Yakut down to inform him of a threat that seemed aimed at the Breed’s most powerful, rarest members—the twenty or so individuals still in existence who were born of the first generation.
Someone was targeting Gen Ones for extinction. Several had been slain within the past month, and for Niko and his brothers-in-arms back in Boston—a small cadre of highly trained, highly lethal warriors known as the Order—the business of rooting out and shutting down the elusive Gen One assassins was mission critical. For that, the Order had decided to contact all of the known Gen Ones remaining in the Breed population and enlist their cooperation.
Sergei Yakut had been less than enthusiastic to get involved. He feared no one, and he had his own personal clan to protect him. He’d declined the Order’s invitation to come to Boston and talk, so Nikolai had been dispatched to Montreal to persuade him. Once Yakut was made aware of the scope of the current threat—the stunning truth of what the Order and all of the Breed were now up against—Nikolai was certain the Gen One would be willing to come on board.
First he had to find the cagey son of a bitch.
So far his inquiries around the city had turned up nothing. Patience wasn’t exactly his strong suit, but he had all night, and he’d keep searching. Sooner or later, someone might give him the answer he was looking for. And if he kept coming up dry, maybe if he asked enough questions, Sergei Yakut would come looking for him instead.
“I need to find someone,” Nikolai told the four Breed youths. “A vampire out of Russia. Siberia, to be exact.”
“That where you’re from?” asked the soul-patched mouthpiece of the group. He’d evidently picked up on the slight tinge of an accent that Nikolai hadn’t lost in the long years he’d been living in the States with the Order.
Niko let his glacial blue eyes speak to his own origins. “Do you know this individual?”
“No, man. I don’t know him.”
Two other heads shook in immediate denial, but the last of the four youths, the sullen one who was slouched low in the booth, shot an anxious look up at Nikolai from across the banquette table.
Niko caught that telling gaze and held it. “What about you? Any idea who I’m talking about?”
At first, he didn’t think the vampire was going to answer. Hooded eyes held his in silence, then, finally, the kid lifted one shoulder in a shrug and exhaled a curse.
“Sergei Yakut,” he murmured.
The name was hardly audible, but Nikolai heard it. And from the periphery of his vision, he noticed that an ebony-haired woman seated at the bar nearby heard it too. He could tell she had from the sudden rigidity of her spine beneath her long-sleeved black top, and from the way her head snapped briefly to the side as though pulled there by the power of that name alone.
“You know him?” Nikolai asked the Breed male, while keeping the brunette at the bar well within his sights.
“I know of him, that’s all. He doesn’t live in the Darkhavens,” said the youth, referring to the secured communities that housed most of the Breed civilian populations throughout North America and Europe. “Dude’s one nasty mofo from what I’ve heard.”
Yeah, he was, Nikolai acknowledged inwardly. “Any idea where I might find him?”
“No.”
“You sure about that?” Niko asked, watching as the woman at the bar slid off her stool and prepared to leave. She still had more than half a cocktail in her glass, but at the mere mention of Yakut’s name, she seemed suddenly in a big hurry to get out of the place.
The Breed youth shook his head. “I don’t know where to find the dude. Don’t know why anyone would willingly look for him, either, unless you got some kind of death wish.”
Nikolai glanced over his shoulder as the tall brunette started edging her way through the crowd gathered near the bar. On impulse, she turned to look at him then, her jade-green gaze piercing beneath the fringe of dark lashes and the glossy swing of her sleek, chin-length bob. There was a note of fear in her eyes as she stared back at him, a naked fear she didn’t even attempt to hide.
“I’ll be damned,” Niko muttered.
She knew something about Sergei Yakut.
Something more than just a passing knowledge, he was guessing. That startled, panicked look as she turned and broke for an escape said it all.
Nikolai took off after her. He weaved through the thicket of humans filling the club, his eyes trained on the silky black hair of his quarry. The female was quick, as fleet and agile as a gazelle, her dark clothes and hair letting her practically disappear into her surroundings.
But Niko was Breed, and there was no human in existence who could outrun one of his kind. She ducked out the club door and made a fast right onto the street outside. Nikolai followed. She must have sensed him hard on her heels because she pivoted her head around to gauge his pursuit and those pale green eyes locked on to him like lasers.
She ran faster now, turning the corner at the end of the block. Not two seconds later, Niko was there too. He grinned as he caught sight of her a few yards ahead of him. The alley she’d entered between two tall brick buildings was narrow and dark—a dead end sealed off by a dented metal Dumpster and a chain link fence that climbed some ten feet up from the ground.
The woman spun around on the spiked heels of her black boots, panting hard, eyes trained on him, watching his every move.
Nikolai took a few steps into the lightless alley, then paused, his hands held benevolently out to his sides. “It’s okay,” he told her. “No need to run. I just want to talk to you.”
She stared in silence.
“I want to ask you about Sergei Yakut.”
She swallowed visibly, her smooth white throat flexing.
“You know him, don’t you.”
The edge of her mouth quirked only a fraction, but enough to tell him that he was correct—she was familiar with the reclusive Gen One. Whether or not she could lead Niko to him was another matter. Right now, she was his best, possibly his only, hope.
“Tell me where he is. I need to find him.”
At her sides, her hands balled into fists. Her feet were braced slightly apart as if she were prepared to bolt. Niko saw her glance subtly toward a battered door to her left.
She lunged for it.
Niko hissed a curse and flew after her with all the speed he possessed. By the time she’d thrown the door open on its groaning hinges, Nikolai was standing in front of her at the threshold, blocking her path into the darkness on the other side. He chuckled at the ease of it.
“I said there’s no need to run,” he said, shrugging lightly as she backed a step away from him. He let the door fall closed behind him as he followed her slow retreat into the alley.
Jesus, she was breathtaking. He’d only gotten a glimpse of her in the club, but now, standing just a couple of feet from her, he realized that she was absolutely stunning. Tall and lean, willowy beneath her fitted black clothing, with flawless milk-white skin and luminous almond-shaped eyes. Her heart-shaped face was a mesmerizing combination of strength and softness, her beauty equal parts light and dark. Nikolai knew he was gaping, but damn if he could help it.
“Talk to me,” he said. “Tell me your name.”
He reached for her, an easy non-threatening move of his hand. He sensed the jolt of adrenaline that shot into her bloodstream—he could smell the citrusy tang of it in the air, in fact—but he didn’t see the roundhouse kick coming at him until he took the sharp heel of her boot squarely in his chest.
Go
ddamn.
He rocked back, more surprised than unfooted.
It was all the break she needed. The woman leapt for the door again, this time managing to disappear into the darkened building before Niko could wheel around and stop her. He gave chase, thundering in behind her.
The place was empty, just a lot of naked concrete beneath his feet, bare bricks and exposed rafters all around him. Some fleeting sense of foreboding prickled at the back of his neck as he strode deeper into the darkness, but the bulk of his attention was focused on the female standing in the center of the vacant space. She stared him down as he approached, every muscle in her slim body seeming tensed for attack.
Nikolai held that sharp stare as he drew up in front of her. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I know.” She smiled, just a slight curve of her lips. “You won’t get that chance.”
Her voice was velvety smooth, but the glint in her light green eyes took on a cold edge. Without warning, Niko felt a sudden, shattering tightness in his head. A high-frequency sound cranked up in his ears, louder than he could bear. Then louder still. He felt his legs give out beneath him. He dropped to his knees, his vision swimming while his head felt on the verge of exploding.
Distantly, he registered the sound of booted feet coming toward him—several pairs, belonging to sizable males, vampires all of them. Muted voices buzzed above him as he suffered out the sudden, debilitating assault on his mind.
It was a trap.
The bitch led him there deliberately, knowing he’d follow her.
“Good work, Renata,” said one of the Breed males who’d entered the room. “You can release him now.”
Some of the pain in Nikolai’s head subsided with the command. He glanced up in time to see the beautiful face of his attacker staring down at him where he lay near her feet.
“Get him out of here before his strength returns,” she said to her companions.
Nikolai sputtered a few ripe curses at her, but his voice strangled in his throat, and she was already walking away, the thin spikes of her heels clicking over the field of cold concrete underneath him.
Also by Lara Adrian
KISS OF MIDNIGHT
KISS OF CRIMSON
MIDNIGHT AWAKENING
PRAISE FOR LARA ADRIAN’S
MIDNIGHT BREED SERIES
MIDNIGHT RISING
“Fans are in for a treat…. Ms. Adrian has a gift for
drawing her readers deeper and deeper into the
amazing world she creates…. I eagerly await the
next installment of this entertaining series!”
—Fresh Fiction
“Packed with danger and action, this book
also explores the tumultuous emotions of guilt,
anger, betrayal and forgiveness. Adrian has
hit on an unbeatable story mix.”
—Romantic Times
MIDNIGHT AWAKENING
“This is one of the best paranormal series around. Compelling characters and good world-building make this a must-read series.”
—Fresh Fiction
“One of the Top 10 Best Romance Novels of 2007.”
—Selected by the Editors at Amazon.com
“Ms. Adrian’s series just gets better and
better…. Midnight Awakening was exactly what I hoped
it would be, then so much more…. I’m intrigued and
without a doubt completely hooked.”
—Romance Junkies
“Vengeance is the driving force behind this entry in the
intense Midnight Breed series. Things look bad for the
characters, but for the readers it’s nothing but net!”
—Romantic Times
KISS OF CRIMSON
“Vibrant writing heightens the suspense, and hidden
secrets provide many twists. This dark and steamy
tale … is a winner and will have readers eager for the
next Midnight Breed story.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Hot sensuality with emotional drama and high-stakes
danger… [Adrian] ensures that her latest is terrific
supernatural entertainment.”
—Romantic Times
“[Adrian] pens hot erotic scenes and vivid action
sequences.” —Romantic Reader
KISS OF MIDNIGHT
“Evocative, enticing, erotic. Enter Lara Adrian’s
vampire world and be enchanted!”
—J. R. Ward, bestselling author
“Kiss of Midnight is dark, edgy and passionate, an irresistible vampire romance.”
—Chicago Tribune
“Lara Adrian delivers a fast-paced, sexy
romantic suspense that… stands above the
rest. A gripping, sensual love story.”
—Romance Reader
“Gritty and dangerous, this terrific launch book
sets up an alternate reality filled with treachery
and loss. The Midnight Breed series is poised
to deliver outstanding supernatural thrills.”
—Romantic Times
Also by Lara Adrian
KISS OF MIDNIGHT
KISS OF CRIMSON
MIDNIGHT AWAKENING
MIDNIGHT RISING
VEIL OF MIDNIGHT
A Dell Book /January 2009
Published by Bantam Dell
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents
either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events,
or locales is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2008 by Lara Adrian, LLG
Dell is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.,
and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.
eISBN: 978-0-440-33817-8
www.bantamdell.com
v3.0_r1
Contents
Main Table of Contents
Cover
Praise for Lara Adrian s Midnight Breed Series
Also by Lara Adrian
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
About the Author
For Lindsey,
steel magnolia with a heart of solid gold.
This one is for you, in hope of better, brighter days.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It bears repeating (again and again) that I am very grateful to so many for the privilege of being able to wake up each day and do something I genuinely love. A debt of thanks to: my fabulous agent, Karen Solem, and my wonderful editor, Shauna Summers, for getting me into print; to my awesome readers for keeping me there; to the booksellers, librarians, a
nd bloggers who’ve so generously spread the word about my books; to my friends and family for all the love.
And to my husband, cherished friend, beloved partner, keeper of my heart. Thank you for every moment of this life together.
CHAPTER
One