Page 22 of Bound by Vengeance
“Get laid?”
“Yes,” Nathan lied. He didn’t like keepingthe truth from his friend, but it was easier to lie right now.Asher wouldn’t approve of him hunting Joseph on his own, and hewasn’t ready to share Vicky with anyone yet.
“Good for you.” Asher rubbed the apple onthe front of his shirt before taking a bite of it. He climbed thestairs to join Nathan. “It’s been a while. I thought you werebecoming a monk or something.”
Nathan fell into step beside Asher. “Ifbecoming a monk would make it so everyone here had to take a vow ofsilence too, I’d gladly join a monastery.”
Asher chuckled. “’Fraid not, my friend.They’re going to hound you until the day you die, or your son takesover.”
Nathan winced at the reminder he would soonbe expected to take a wife and set to work on producing an heir.Nathan pulled at the collar of his shirt as a noose seemed to cincharound his neck.
Maybe he could override the engagementceremony. It was so archaic that it made the pyramids look brandnew, but he knew he couldn’t alter it after disregarding the eldersso recently. He was in charge, but he was no dictator.
He couldn’t change thousands of years oftradition to suit himself. The elders and other hunters might tossaside thousands of years of tradition and oust him, or hang him fortreason if he did. His alliance with Ronan and the added safety itbrought his people was far more important than avoiding an unwantedmarriage.
“How are things here?” he asked to distracthimself.
“Same as always. Construction and debatesover aligning with the vampires. Some of the anger has died downsince the vamps haven’t torn out our throats in the three monthswe’ve been hunting with them. It helps that things seem to beworking with our groups.”
“Seem to be? You still have doubts?’
“Every day,” Asher replied honestly. “I alsothink it’s the right choice. I do keep waiting for one of them toturn on us and kill us, but I kind of like Declan, and there’s nodenying Ronan is in love with Kadence.”
“I agree with you on both accounts. Not afan of Killean.”
“Not at all,” Asher agreed, “and Lucien is abit of an asshole, but Saxon’s not bad. And let’s face it, Loganhas been an asshole too since Kadence rode the crazy train out ofhis life.”
Nathan agreed. “Where is Logan?”
“The gym.”
“Am I on the schedule to hunt tonight?” heasked.
“You’re off until tomorrow night. Guess thatmeans you can go get laid again.” Asher clapped him on the back andturned to go into his room.
Nathan walked down a few more doors, slippedinto his room, and closed the door. Leaning against the door, hefound himself growing aroused at the thought of seeing Vicky againtonight.
He pulled his clothes off as he headed forthe shower. He didn’t bother trying to douse his erection with coldwater. Instead, he recalled Vicky’s scent while stroking himself tocompletion, yet he felt oddly unsatisfied after.
CHAPTER 11
Vicky had removed Nathan’s newspaperarticles from the wall and spread them across the floor around her.She’d spent the past eight hours trying to find some thread of aconnection between them. Despite her rapid healing ability, herneck and back ached so bad from sitting hunched over for hours,that she was a little afraid she’d never walk again.
Shifting some of the newspaper clippingsaround, she examined the dates before pushing them back to wherethey’d been.
Leaning back, she rubbed her eyes andyawned. Her gaze fell on her phone, plugged into the wall. It wasalready six thirty. Nathan texted earlier to say he didn’t have tohunt tonight and would meet her here, but he didn’t say whattime.
She wished he’d get here soon; she couldn’tdeny she was eager to see him again.
Her attention returned to the clippings oncemore. She’d tried arranging them by dates, then locations, and evenby similar words in the articles. She was sure Nathan probablytried all the same things, but she was resolved to find somepattern to reveal what Joseph was doing.
This may have started as Nathan’s mission,but she would help put an end to Joseph’s torment of others. Shewas determined to make it so no one else suffered as she had whilein captivity.
Rising, she cracked her back before pacingaway from the articles. The clear plastic she’d bought at ahardware store and hammered into place over the broken kitchenwindow crinkled in the slight breeze blowing outside. She tuckedthe strands of hair falling free from her ponytail behind her earas she pondered a new way to look at everything. Stopping, shegazed across the sea of newspapers as an idea struck her.
Grabbing her phone, she started separatingthe missing people articles from the violent deaths and googlingthe names. Another two hours passed before she heard a key slidinginto the lock.
Vicky looked up from the mess surroundingher as the door swung open and Nathan stepped inside. She almostjumped up and hugged him before recalling their relationship wasstrictly business.
