Shon (The Seeker Series Book 2) by Ditter Kellen

the conversation between Laura and her mother Irene earlier that morning. Ending with, “Which is why Irene used Mabel’s name in the message. She knew that Laura would realize something had happened to her.”
    “And you’re sure it’s Gina that took them?”
    Vlad merely lifted an eyebrow.
    “Sorry. I forget who you are sometimes.” Shon turned to go, nearly running into Vlad at the foot of the stairs. He hadn’t seen or felt the vampire move. “Is there a problem?”
    “Where are you going?”
    “To get Laura’s parents back.”
    Vlad rested a hand on Shon’s arm. “Gina will not relinquish Laura’s parents until you have delivered my heart to her. And probably not then either.”
    Shon went completely still. “How…”
    “It matters not how I know. Suffice it to say, it does not surprise me.”
    “She has my brother,” Shon ground out between clenched teeth.”
    “I am aware.”
    “Calimari will have John killed if I don’t produce your heart.”
    Vlad returned the hood to his head, hiding his face from view. “How long did she give you?”
    “Five days,” Shon rasped.
    “Not much time.” The elder vampire leisurely strolled to the bottom of the stairs.
    “Time for what?” Shon questioned, following tight on Vlad’s heels.
    “To figure out where Gina is holding Laura’s parents.”
    “And then what?”
    Vlad stopped in the parking lot, his back to Shon. “I remove her head.”
     
    * * * *
    Angel gently laid his sleeping son in his crib before returning to the living room and taking a seat next to his beautiful wife.
    “His sleeping pattern has been disturbed,” Ember whispered, laying a hand on Angel’s knee.
    “It could have something to do with my presence,” Nita murmured from her position at the bar.
    Angel glanced at the shifter’s profile, watching as she held a wineglass up to the light, seemingly fascinated by the ruby liquid swirling in its depths. “Why would you think that?”
    Nita set her glass on the bar and swiveled her stool around to face him. “Because, I am a shifter, his natural-born enemy. Perhaps he can sense that in me.”
    “But he took right to you,” Ember pointed out. “I can tell that he’s comfortable with you.”
    Nita sent her a soft smile. “His heart and his nature are two very different things. His mind tells him that I am friend, yet his instincts suggest I am foe.”
    “Are you?” Ember quietly asked.
    “I am not your enemy, Ember Dimitrov. Your husband saved my life, and for that, I am in his debt.”
    Angel rested a booted foot over his knee. “Your people might not agree with your sentiments, Nita. Mine too, for that matter.”
    Nita shifted her gaze toward the door. “You refer to the Impaler?”
    “Among others,” Angel muttered, placing his arm around Ember’s shoulder and pulling her close.
    Nita chuckled, a soft, throaty sound that complemented her warm personality. “Vlad does not scare me, Angelo.”
    “He should,” Angel insisted, pinning her with a concerned look. “You have no idea how powerful he truly is, Nita. He could wipe out an entire coven of alert witches without sounding the first alarm.”
    Maybe so, but I am not without a certain amount of power myself. Do not underestimate me, my friend.”
    Angel blew out a breath. “I am well aware of your strength, Nita. But I also witnessed you nearly die at the hands of my kind.”
    Nita slowly stood, anger seeping from her in waves. “I was but a child, Angelo, fighting at least a dozen vampires—”
    “Thirteen. There were thirteen,” Angel quickly amended. “I meant no offense. I’m merely pointing out that Vlad possesses more power chained, drained, and maimed than a large group of seasoned vampires.”
    Something flickered in Nita’s eyes, but she didn’t back down. “I’m not afraid of him, Angel. And I am not leaving here until I am certain the Seeker has been destroyed.”
    “That could be a long time,” Ember suggested, getting to her feet.