It didn't take much to conjure the image back into his head. Oh, hell no, not much at all. That picture was as good as permanently burned into his memory and all of his senses. Nikolai willed his thrumming pulse to calm. Called his raging hard-on to heel.
"What did Mira show your attacker last week?" he asked, desperate to turn the attention away from himself now.
Yakut shrugged. "Only he can know. The girl has no knowledge of what her eyes reflect."
Thank God for that. Niko hated to think of the education she might have just gotten otherwise.
"Whatever the bastard saw," Yakut added, "it was enough to make him hesitate and give me a chance to escape the death he came to deliver." The Gen One smirked. "The future can be startling, especially when you are not expecting it, yeah?" "Yeah," Nikolai murmured. "I suppose it can be."
He'd just gotten a decent dose of that knowledge firsthand.
Because the woman who'd been wrapped around him, na**d and writhing so passionately in his arms? It was none other than cold, beautiful Renata.
Chapter Five
Those carnal, all-too-real images dogged Nikolai for the next couple of moonlit hours as he prowled the forested grounds of the lodge, looking for any evidence that might remain from the aborted attack on Sergei Yakut. He checked the perimeter of the main house but found nothing. Not even a single trace footprint in the loamy, muddy soil.
The trail, if the intruder had left one, was dead cold now. Still, it wasn't difficult to guess how the assailant might have gotten close to his target. This deep in the woods, without security fences, cameras, or motion detectors to alert the household of trespassers on the property, Yakut's attacker could have hidden out in the surrounding forest most of the night, waiting for the best chance to strike. Or he might have chosen a more brazen location, Nikolai thought, his gaze settling on a small barn that sat a few yards from the back of the lodge.
He strode over to it, figuring the outbuilding to be a recent addition to the property. The wood was dark, not from natural weathering like the rest of the place, but from a walnut stain that made it blend into its surroundings. There were no windows on any side of it, and the wide paneled door in front was reinforced with a Z of two-by-fours and outfitted with a large steel lock. Through the oily stink of the varnished wood, Nikolai could have sworn he caught a vague whiff of copper.
Human blood?
He dragged in another breath, sifting the taste of it through his teeth, over the sensitive glands of his tongue. It was definitely blood, and definitely human. Not very much had been spilled on the other side of the door, and by the faint tickle it put in his nostrils, he judged it to be long dried and aging probably several months or more. He couldn't be certain unless he had a look inside.
Curious now, he palmed the big lock and was about to yank it loose when the snap of a twig behind him drew his attention. As he turned to meet the noise, he reached for one of his guns - and cursed to remember that Yakut was still holding all of his weapons.
He looked up to find Alexei glaring at him from where he stood at the corner of the barn. Judging by the contempt sparking in his eyes, it appeared his bruised pride hadn't yet recovered from their confronation in the city. Not that Niko cared. He had little use for strutting dickhead civilians, especially those with entitlement issues and delicate egos.
"You got a key for this lock?" he asked, his hand still curved around the cold lump of reinforced steel. If he wanted to, being Breed, he could tear the thing loose with a flex of his wrist. Cleaner still, he could flex his mind and open the lock with a mental command. But it was more interesting to piss in Alexei's direction for the time being. "You mind opening this door, or maybe you need to get permission from your papa first."
Alexei grunted at the barb, arms folded over his chest. "Why should I open it for you? There's nothing of interest in there. It's just a storage barn. Empty besides."
"Yeah?" Niko let the lock fall from his hand, the metal thumping heavily against the wood panels. "Smells like you've been storing humans in there. Bloody ones. The stench of hemoglobin just about knocked me over the closer I got."
An exaggeration, but he wanted to see Alexei's reaction.
The young vampire frowned and threw a cautious look at the barred door. He slowly shook his head. "You don't know what you're talking about. The only humans who ever stepped foot in this barn were the local carpenters who built it a few years ago." "Then you won't mind if I have a look," Nikolai prompted.
Alexei chuckled low under his breath. "What are you really doing here, warrior?"
"Looking to figure out who tried to kill your father. I want to know how the intruder might have gotten close enough to strike and where he might have fled afterward."
"Pardon my surprise," Alexei said, no apology in his tone, "but I find it hard to believe that one failed attack - even on a Breed elder like my father - is enough to bring out a member of the Order for a personal visit."
"Your father was lucky. There've been five other Gen Ones within the population who weren't so fortunate."
Alexei's smug look faded, replaced with a somber gravity. "There have been other attacks? Other killings?"
Nikolai gave a grim nod. "Two in Europe, the others in the States. Too many to be random, and too expert to be anything but the work of a professional. And it doesn't seem to be a solo effort either. For the past weeks, once we learned of the first couple of assassinations, the Order has been contacting all of the known Gen Ones to warn them of what's been going down. They need to understand the potential danger so they can take appropriate security measures. Your father didn't tell you?" Alexei's scowl furrowed his dark brow. "He said nothing of this. Damn it, I would have guarded him personally."