Chapter 34 Nico
NICO
“One thing I just can’t get my head around,” I said. We were sitting around the fireplace after getting off the phone with Luis.
“What is it?” Kenneth asked.
“Maddy’s blood. Why are they still after it?”
“What do you mean?” Maddy looked as confused as I did.
“Well, during the first attack there was…well, there was a ton of blood. Why didn’t they just take it then? They had plenty of opportunity. Why isn’t this all over? I mean, either her blood works or it doesn’t. Or am I not thinking this through?”
“I think you’re on the right track, but you’re forgetting something,” Kenneth said.
Maddy sat up straight and put a hand to her lips.
“The suppressants. Remember what Doc said? He said my blood now looks totally different from my blood the night of the attack. They did take my blood; it just didn’t work.
But now that the drug is completely out of my system, it probably will.
That has to be it. My wolf was dormant, now it isn’t. ”
I frowned and ran a hand across the stubble on my cheeks. “It doesn’t make sense, that’s what I’m saying. Yes, I get that your blood is different now. But how the fuck do the royals know that?”
Maddy and Kenneth’s eyes both went distant as the implication sank in on them.
They understood where I was going with my train of thought.
If they had taken her blood, and it hadn’t opened the vault, why were they still pursuing her?
Did they really want all the descendants dead?
Maybe, but their real mission was finding the blood that would open the vault.
Unless someone had told them about the suppressants.
I glanced at Kenneth, but brushed away the possibility that it was him.
He wouldn’t do something like this to his only family, would he?
Especially since the royals killed his brother.
What about Doc? Could they have something on him like they did his nurse?
How many people knew? Just my inner circle.
Could one of my best friends be working with the royals behind my back? The thought made me sick to my stomach.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” I said and excused myself.
As soon as I was locked away, I pulled my phone out and texted Luis.
Me: I think we have a mole. Someone is informing the royals.
Luis: I was thinking the same thing.
Me: It’s not you or Felipe or Sebastian. I’d bet my life on it.
Luis: Wow, I love you too, bro. Who does that leave?
Me: It leaves Kenneth or Doc. They’re the only other ones who know.
Luis: You need to watch your ass around Kenneth. Doc is a ten-hour flight away. If it’s him, he’ll have limited info to give them.
Me: Okay. Stay safe. I’ll keep my eye on Kenneth. I’ll let you know if anything gets weird.
Luis: Got it.
The next couple days were pretty stressful.
I was living in a house with a guy who might be helping the people who were trying to kill me.
That was not a comfortable place to be. It was even worse because it seemed like Maddy and Kenneth were growing closer each day.
That relationship and the way he acted with her made me doubt his involvement even more.
The original plan had been to stay at Kenneth’s cabin until the vial was found.
Now that we knew that the royals were guarding it, our timeline had changed.
Plus, I was nervous about staying there.
The thought that we were being set up for a trap wouldn’t stop nagging at my mind.
Luis and I had been texting back and forth, trying to come up with a plan to get into the tombs undetected.
We went through what felt like a hundred scenarios before coming to one we thought would work.
Luis had the idea to orchestrate a massive diversion that would get the guards out of the graveyard long enough for him to get in.
It sounded like it might work, but there was always the possibility it wouldn’t.
We couldn’t wait any longer. My wolf felt like it was getting boxed in.
Every sense I had was cranked up to DEFCON one.
We had to make a move, and this was the best we had.
I gave Luis the go-ahead to do some up-close recon and see how many guards were actually there, if there was some type of security system—anything that could give us the information we’d need.
If he felt good about it, Maddy and I would join him in Norway and make our attempt.
Now, I had to sit and wait for Luis to tell me what he found.
Unfortunately, I got more than I bargained for. The day after I told Luis to move in for his recon, he called me. I was sitting at the kitchen table, finishing dinner with Kenneth and Maddy, when the call came in.
“This is Nico.”
“Bro, are you alone?” It was Luis, and he sounded like he was out of breath.
“Hang on, let me get somewhere.” I covered the speaker and looked across the table. “I’ll be right back.”
“Is everything okay?” Maddy asked.
“Yeah, all good.”
I went to the back porch and closed the door behind me. “Luis? I’m here.”
“Nico, you and Maddy have to get out of the cabin. As soon as possible.”
“What did you find?” Dread seeped into my bones. Dread and fear.
“I got into the cemetery without anyone noticing me. I snuck behind one of the tombs and a few of the guys guarding it had grouped up on the other side. They were on a phone call. I heard him, bro. It was Kenneth. He was telling them they needed to come for Maddy. He said her blood was viable now. It’s Kenneth!
He’s fucked us. He’s the mole, dude. Get the fuck out now. ”
Breath hissed in and out of my nose, and I gripped phone hard enough to make the glass and plastic creak.
My rage was almost too much to hold in. I turned and looked back over my shoulder through the window.
Maddy and Kenneth were talking. Maddy was laughing.
Kenneth was also laughing, but I caught him sending a nervous glance up to the window.
Our eyes met through the glass and the smile on his face slipped away. That fucking motherfucker.
“I’m on it,” I said to Luis. “I’ll call you when we’re safely out.”
I shoved the phone back into my pocket and slammed the door open as I stepped back inside. “Maddy, grab your stuff. We’re leaving.”
She jumped, startled by the anger in my voice. “What’s going on?”
“Just got off the phone with Luis. We’re making our move. Gotta hit the road. Come on.” It was easier than trying to explain in front of Kenneth. I’d break the news to her once we were driving away from this place.
Kenneth held his hands up and gave me a brittle smile. “Hey, now. I think it might be safer to wait until morning, right? Go in fully rested?”
I glared at him. I didn’t say a word, but the look in my eyes broadcasted everything that needed to be said.
Kenneth swallowed hard and clamped his lips together.
Maddy glanced back and forth between the two of us.
Her brow furrowed, and I could see horror dawning on her face. She was starting to put it together.
I pointed at the bedroom. “Maddy, grab your stuff. Come on.”
Before she could even make a move for the bedroom, Kenneth jumped out of his chair and backed up against the front door. He pulled a gun from inside his jacket and aimed it at us. “You can’t go,” he said. The barrel of the gun wobbled in the air as he pointed it.
Maddy let out a sigh that was closer to a sob. “Kenneth? You?”
“Hush, Maddy, just hush. Okay? I can’t let you go. Not until the royals get here.”
“Why?” Maddy cried out. The word was both a question and an accusation.
He winced like he was in pain and grunted in anger.
“You don’t know what it was like. I was the older brother, but I was always second in my father’s eyes.
I was the offspring of some drunken fuck-fest. Something to be ashamed of.
David was the golden boy. I was less than a half-breed in my father’s eyes.
Neither of us could shift, but at least he knew David was a full-blooded shifter.
That was all that mattered to him—a secret that I was never privy to.
Even all those years ago, my father couldn’t be bothered to give the poor bastard son all the information.
“I’ve been searching for the vault for my entire life.
All I want is to open it and take a drop of that blood.
Then I can finally be what I was always supposed to be.
” Anger laced every word as his voice rose in volume.
The gun weaved dangerously in the air as he lost himself in a fury that had been building up inside him over the last few decades.
Maddy took a step toward him, heedless of the weapon. “Did you get David killed?” Her lip curled in disgust as she asked the question.
“That’s not the point—”
“The hell it’s not!” Maddy shouted. “Did you get him killed?”
Kenneth sucked on his teeth for a moment, then gave a humorless chuckle.
“I hated my brother. It’s true. I loved your mother, Maddy.
I loved her from the moment David introduced us.
I loved her in a way a man shouldn’t love his brother’s fiancée.
I didn’t call the royals. I can swear that to you.
They found him on their own. I took the chance to save your mother.
I got her out, and I made sure I got her baby to a safe place. ”
My disgust with the man grew with each passing second.
I couldn’t help but think that there might have been a moment all those years ago that he could have helped Maddy’s father get away.
He said he didn’t call the royals, but did he truly do everything he could to save his brother?
I had a sneaking suspicion that he hadn’t.
“If you loved her and wanted her baby safe, why are you betraying me now?” Maddy asked, tears streaming down her face.
“I only helped them once I found out what you were. Once I knew that David had been a full-blooded wolf, I knew how valuable you would be to them. I want the power that is owed to me. I’m the firstborn son. I should be what I was meant to be.”
“You son of a bitch! You’ve killed me! I’m going to die and it’s all because of you,” Maddy wailed.
I growled and stepped beside her, putting an arm around her.
She was vibrating with fury. I couldn’t imagine the betrayal she felt.
This man, who had slowly become a member of her family, a connection to her past, a man who she thought was growing to love her, had slammed a knife into her back for his own greed.
“No!” Kenneth said, shaking his head. “I don’t want you dead, Maddy.
I lied to the royals. I gave them false information.
They won’t be here for at least another day.
I just need your blood. Now that Luis found the vault, I can use your blood to get in and take the vial of Edemas’s blood.
I can finally become a shifter. My blood isn’t pure enough to become a werewolf, but that’s not what I care about.
I just want to be what I was born to be.
You and Nico will be able to get away safely.
I’d never break my promise to your mother.
I loved her too much to help them kill her child. ”
“You’re a traitor,” I said, stabbing a finger in his direction. “How can you expect us to believe you? You’re only telling us what we want to hear.”
Kenneth shook his head vehemently. He tossed his gun across the room where it bounced safely on the sofa.
He held his hands up and shrugged. “I promise, I don’t want you dead.
You just can’t leave until I have her blood.
” Tears dripped from his eyes. “Please, Maddy. I loved your mother. I love you because you are your mother’s daughter. Please believe me.”
“He’s telling the truth,” Maddy said. She sounded confused, dejected, and sad. “I can feel it.”
I turned to look at her, unable to believe what I was hearing. “What?”
“I can’t explain it. We can talk about it later.” She turned back to Kenneth. “I’ll make you a promise, Uncle. Cut off all contact with the royals. Put your trust in me and Nico. If you do that and stay out of our way, I’ll make sure you finally meet your dormant wolf. Do we have a deal?”
Kenneth stared at her for several seconds, then I witnessed a grown man breaking down.
His face crumpled, and he slowly sagged down to his knees.
He was sobbing like a baby. “Thank you. I’m so sorry.
I never meant for things to get so out of hand.
I’ll go back into hiding. I have another safe house.
I promise you, the royals will never hear from me again.
” He glanced over at me, and even though I still wanted to rip his head off, I let him speak.
“Nico? I’m sorry. I never wanted Maddy hurt. ”
I shook my head. “Kenneth, it—”
I never got to finish that sentence. A burst of air slammed through the cabin—the sizzling, buzzing sound of a bullet.
It crashed through the back window, crossed the room, and slammed into Kenneth’s forehead.
A neat little black hole appeared like magic between his eyes.
A spray of red-and-gray gore splattered on the wall behind him.
Kenneth’s eyes rolled to the back of his head and his body fell forward.
His head bounced lifelessly on the floor.
Maddy’s scream ripped through the air.