All Chapters of Stolen by The Vampire King: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

My eyes were dry, though. I slammed every door I walked through, harder and harder until I was opening doors back up just to slam them closed again, daring the old house to so much as crack beneath my rage.It consumed me.Fucking Nic. There was no way Dad had just upped and left his rehab…right? At least, not without his stuff. And sure, he was an addict, but he wasn’t heartless. Surely, he wouldn’t just have left without telling me.I sat at a random piano I’d uncovered in a large bedroom and pressed one of the yellowed-ivory keys, listening to the high-pitched plink, plink sound. Somehow the pitch suited my mood better than any discordant crash I could evoke by smashing the keys at the other end.Anger at Nic kept my disappointment in Dad at bay. If I didn’t think too hard about what my father was capable of, I didn’t have to believe he might have left on his own. And I couldn’t believe that anyway. Not until I’d explored and dismissed every other possibility.Francois had kept me

But I shook my head, the movement abrupt. “Not anywhere close to needing to talk about that, Nic. Not now. Maybe not ever. I have many other priorities.” Despite the allure of being stronger, becoming a fucking vampire sounded like a nightmare—and not one I was willing to face today. I wrapped my arms around myself, cold without Nic’s proximity, and he drew a blanket over me, tucking it around my shoulders.He opened his mouth like he might push the subject, but he didn’t, and I returned the conversation to the subject of my dad.“It’s like this,” I said. “If Francois has Dad, he could be doing anything to him. He could be bleeding him a little bit each day. He could be draining him right now. We might already be too late, but I have to try. I have to be involved. He’s the last family I have left. If he’s with Francois, I can’t leave him there. No one deserves to rot in that house.” My breath shuddered as I drew in a deep inhale. “Maybe not even Francois. It’s an exercise in decay.”N

I hissed, already imagining how that was going to feel. It would hurt like a bastard. “Get Jason, then. Not Kyle. I swear his heart hasn’t beat since he turned.”He was pure mercenary, untouched by pain, and he didn’t understand it in others. Jason, at least, knew to respect his sire.And fuck, I was pissed.“Nic?” Jason stepped out of the door, uncharacteristic worry marring his face. “Thank fuck you’re home. You need to come see this footage.”“What is it?” I took Leia’s hand as I moved rapidly up the steps.Jason hesitated, his gaze raking my face. “And we need to do something about that. You’re starting to heal already.”“Fuck my face.” Jason would just have to open it up again. “What’s on the recording?”He hesitated again. “You should probably watch it yourself.”“And I will, but tell me.”He glanced at Leia, his mouth tightening into a flat line. “It wasn’t a random demand. Francois has made his move.”“The fucker. What did he say?” Sending a suicide bomber to make his demand k

He nodded. “I can have my men escort you from here.” He glanced around the interior of the bar, his gaze resting on Ben for a moment, like he was also sizing up the vampire presence I had with me.He probably was. Because a good alpha should, and Conri seemed like a good alpha.“This is about the human?”I nodded, unsure how much to disclose now he’d agreed to the use of his safe house so readily.He huffed an unexpected sigh. “They’re a fragile, stubborn breed.” Something suspiciously like pain flashed through his eyes, and I sensed a story I didn’t necessarily want to know.“And can I rely on additional protection from your men?” This probably wasn’t something Jason had mentioned might form part of our negotiations, but I’d be a dumbfuck not to ask.The shifters were superior trackers, equal to vampire speed in animal form, and they had at least twice our numbers. They also knew the woods and local bayous better than anyone else.As I’d expected, Conri narrowed his eyes. Then he shi

And maybe if I could help get Dad back, I could go home. I glanced at Nic. He was a good man. I didn’t doubt that any longer. And… I hesitated, unwilling to even think the words that might cement how I felt in case they trapped me by his side, burdening him further. What if I explored my feelings, and I found myself unable to leave him?And maybe I needed to leave him.To save him.That thought hurt. But ever since I’d entered his life, it seemed to have been consumed by violence or by saving me. I couldn’t live like that. Nic couldn’t live like that. How could I expect him to?Innocent people had died when my dad’s exchange for me was demanded. Innocent fucking people. I couldn’t risk anyone else.I touched Nic’s hand briefly and he glanced down at me, his smile quick to take control of his lips as he met my gaze.I couldn’t risk him.The boat jolted gently as we nudged up against a new jetty, this one looking even more dilapidated than the one where we’d found the skiff, the wooden