CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

N ikolay leaned against the glass and watched the two vampires as they slept. They really were impossible to differentiate from humans.

Fangs aside.

But the protective mother had been very smart so far, not threatening him and watching him like a hawk when he was present.

He knew without a doubt, if he opened the door, she would kill him in seconds.

Possibly faster. He had no idea how fast they could move or the potential of their true power.

God, he wanted to, though.

If he could persuade one of them to work for him, then it would truly change the odds.

Still, she got under his skin. Nikolay ordered the lights to be dimmed in the room after the scientist had told them the baby was not doing well.

Now he was somewhat regretting it. The vampires had Elizabeth. He'd lied when he said he didn't care. He did. She was carrying his fucking child.

His heir to the Bratva.

So they were at a stalemate, and he was trying to work out what hand to play.

Or if he had one.

Brayden Moretti would kill him if he found him. Or could reach him. So he wouldn't let that happen. The vampires couldn't get into this facility. The downside of that was that Nikolay couldn't leave.

That was assuming they knew where he was.

He was confident they didn't.

A few of his soldiers had been killed in Manhattan this week, which meant they were still searching there. So he was still ahead of the game.

Aside from the fact they had Elizabeth.

Fuck it.

In the beginning she was nothing more than a hot pussy. Now she was so much more, and he wanted her back. But he also had to protect their production plans.

If this all fell over, he would be dead in months.

Assuming he got out of this little mess alive.

He could return the princesses, but that would show weakness.

The video footage of the two large vampires murdering his men in the penthouse and taking Elizabeth was disturbing. It was possible he had underestimated them.

Willow's eyes flickered opened and stared right at him.

Jesus Christ.

A slight smile formed on her lips. As if she knew what he was thinking. As if waiting for her rescuers to come and tear him to pieces.

She shouldn't mistake his recent kindness for weakness.

Nikolay narrowed his eyes and pushed away from the glass. "Turn the lights up."

The cell brightened. Willow sat up immediately and covered the baby with her body, lifting her hand behind her to give him the bird.

He let out a sharp growl.

There was a confidence about her today that she hadn't had yesterday. Could she sense, like some damn animal, that her mate was returning?

Nikolay went back over what they knew about the vampire species. Xander's initial team had learned as much as they could when they had the first sample in here.

But of course, it was impossible to torture a vampire, so he'd learned. You cut them up, they grew another limb. Semi-immortal, the scientists had called it.

There was so much they didn't know.

He stepped out of the room and pulled out his phone. "Alexis."

"Pakham," his second answered.

"Any news?"

"We believe they flew to Seattle on a private flight," Alexis said. "If we are right, then they are in Washington now."

Ice ran through his body, but it wasn't just fear, it was also excitement.

There was a chance he could capture more of them. If he was successful, he could leverage his prisoners and it would give him proof he needed to reveal the vampire race.

Then, governments around the world would need the serum to control the predators.

Fuck the oil industry.

Nikolay would become the wealthiest individual to walk the earth.

It was capture, run, or die.

Those were the options.

Because if he killed the Moretti prince, the king would start at war that would be unlike anything the world had ever seen.

His lips stretched into a smile.

"Get over here. And bring as many men and serum guns as you can," Nikolay said.