Illusions (Night Roamers) Book Four by Kristen Middleton Page A

ripped out a girl’s throat.
    “What?” he asked.
    “Just thinking that you look so normal, making that sandwich.”
    “I feel normal,” he replied, opening up the bread.
    “Do you?”
    He nodded. “Yes. In fact, part of me can’t decide if what happened was a dream, or someone slipped me drugs, making me hallucinate.”
    “Believe me, I’ve been there.”
    “Yep.”
    “So, obviously the lycan that bit you infected you.”
    “ Appears that way,” he replied. He stepped back from the counter, leaned down, and rolled up the leg of his jeans. “And, check this out – the bite is completely gone.”
    Sure enough, his leg was completely healed.  “At least your leg isn’t any hairier,” I joked. “It already needs a weed-wacker.”
    “Ha ha…” he replied, standing back up.
    “So, what exactly happened?”
    “You first,” he replied, opening up the mayonnaise.
    I sat down on the stool. “Well, I followed Faye to that house I was telling you about. Shocked the hell out of me. I had no idea she owned a ranch home.”
    “Maybe she’s borrowing it.”
    “Maybe.”
    “Then what happened?”
    I ran a hand through my hair. It definitely needed a washing. “She confronted me. Knew that I was following her.”
    “Was she naked?”
    My eyes widened. “First of all – how did you know? And second of all – why were you thinking about it?”
    He grinned sheepishly. “I don’t know. I guess I’m really a dog now, huh?”
    I rolled my eyes. “Great. Anyway, yes. Obviously when she or you lycans change, you need to make sure there’s a change of clothing nearby. If I ever have to see you naked again, I’m going to rip out my own throat.”
    “Good thing it was cold and you couldn’t see much,” he joked.
    “You’re sick, Nathan. Anyway, moving away from this disturbing subject and back to Faye… she basically said that she had Duncan in her home and asked if I wanted to go in and see him.”
    “A trap.”
    “I’m sure.”
    He licked the mayo from his finger and covered his sandwich with the other slice of bread. “Either way, Duncan is missing and she obviously had something to do with it. So, what shoul d we do? Go back there and raid the ranch?”
    “ No. I think we should watch for her to leave it, and then go in.”
    “ Why would she leave if she has a hostage?”
    “I don’t know. She did before, obviously.”
    “Then she has someone posted there. To keep guard.”
    “Yeah, but I’d rather face whoever is inside of that place, instead of her. She’s pretty hard to take down.”
    He took a bite of his sandwich. “What if it’s Ethan?” he asked, his mouth full of food.
    “God, don’t talk with your mouth full.”
    He swallowed. “Sorry. But, like I said – what if it’s Ethan who’s helping her? Are you going to be able to fight him?”
    “Of course,” I replied. “I had to do it before. Besides, we still have your gun.” I walked over to the wastebasket I’d taken from Faye’s office, which was sitting in the corner, by the door. I pulled out the gun.
    “It’s not going to stop vampires,” he replied, taking another bite.
    “How do you know? I thought you were all gung-ho on trying this before.” 
    He finished chewing. “Because Celeste told me. Before I turned into a werewolf and killed her,” he replied.
    “You mean a lycan?”
    He grabbed a glass from the cupboard and began filling it with water. “Whatever the hell I am now. I mean, I’m sure it would slow them down, but I think I’d be much better to you if was one of them. Look at what I was able to do to Celeste.”
    I rubbed my forehead. “ Yeah, maybe. But… doesn’t being a lycan scare you?”
    “Scare me?” His face turned serious. “It freaks the hell out of me, but right now, mom and Duncan are in danger, and I’m trying not to think too hard about what just happened at the club. There’s no more time for feeling sorry for ourselves. We save them and then worry about this shit