Vampire Hook: Angler, #6

By Annie Nicholas

Island living in Greece is a far cry from Connie's NYC roots. She's gone from vampire bait to their king's consort. She's found love, a home, and started a family with Rurik—and their lover, Tane. But as the king's power has grown, so has the caliber of his enemies, and there are those eager to dethrone him.

When vampires attack their home, Connie is stripped of everything. Now she's on her own, a soccer mom with rusty slayer skills, a city girl lost in the Carpathian Mountains. With both of her lovers MIA, she has no choice but to mount a rescue with the aid of the unlikeliest of partners.

She knows there's little chance she'll survive, but family is everything, and she would risk it all for her men and their daughter.

Warning: Hang onto the edge of the cliff...hanger

• Language: English
• Publisher: Annie Nicholas
• Release date: May 20, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201619800

Book preview

Chapter One

I opened the spice cabinet, pulled out the vinegar bottle and took a swig. Don’t make that face. I had replaced the liquid with vodka. You’re still not allowed to make that face.

Bare feet slapped on the tile floor, announcing my husband’s pending arrival in the kitchen. I capped the bottle and placed it among the many dusty spice bottles before he spotted what I had been drinking. He didn’t know my dry spell had ended. What would he think if he caught me swigging from a vinegar bottle? I had to find a better way to hide my liquor.

What is this? My husband of twenty years held out his hand. He wore only black sleeping pants.

Not this again. Toilet paper. Sighing, I eyed the spice cabinet with longing. This was why I couldn’t confide in Rurik. If he picked an argument over toiletry, how would he react when I confessed I’d picked up my drinking habit again? Better to stay quiet and keep what little peace I could find.

It’s one ply, Connie. Rurik, once a vampire and overlord of Budapest, was the sexiest man alive and had creature comfort issues. First world problems, my daughter would say.

That’s all they had at the market. Restraining my eye roll made my lids twitch. At least, he had toilet paper. He’d grown up in a time when it hadn’t existed, so what was the big deal? Next time I’ll leave you a bag of poison ivy leaves to use. I turned my back on him and stared out the window over the stainless-steel sink. Night blanketed our property, making it difficult to see the Mediterranean Sea.

Every few months, we had what Rurik would call a conversation about my shopping skills. I called them arguments and pointed out that if he found the groceries lacking, he should buy them, but ancient beings—namely Rurik—would rather die than do a woman’s task. My knuckles turned white, and I relaxed my fist before I used it. He was my husband, and I loved him. Love him. We live on an island. I’d buy what’s available. Steady voice. I gave myself a secret high five.

You have all the resources of the Vampire Nation at your fingertips. He set the roll on the white, marble counter next to the sink, his hot breath on my neck.

A sea breeze fluttered the curtains apart, and a shadow darted between the bougainvillea growing in my garden. Better not be the neighbor’s dog marking his territory. The werewolves would piss on my flowers to reclaim it again.

And I’m not using it for toilet paper. I make an order once a month from the mainland. If we run low at the end of the month—

—we make do. He finished with a growl.

We house and feed at least six werewolves. I miscalculated how much goes in their stomachs and in consequence how much they sh—

Rurik pressed his hands on my shoulders. I get your point. He forced me to face him.

I crossed my arms. You grew up without indoor plumbing. What is it with you and your ass? You would think with all the issues plaguing the world, both human and vampire, we would discover something more meaningful to argue about.

I was a vampire during that era. I had no use for my ass then, he shouted.

Through a strange series of events, my husband had returned to his human state twenty years ago—the first known vampire to succeed. Before that, he’d been immortal for hundreds of years. Rurik never admitted he missed being a vampire. His go-to response when asked was, Then we wouldn’t have Maggie. Our daughter. Our only child. At first, I’d found the answer endearing, but as the years passed, it sounded increasingly more practiced.

Our little girl was a woman now. After tonight’s dinner, she’d made it clear she didn’t want us to treat her like a child, then she’d stormed to her room and slammed the door, which had sent me to the kitchen seeking my vinegar bottle.

I hung my head, resting it on his shoulder. We have to stop arguing like this.

Rurik kissed the top of my hair.

I miss Tane.

I miss him, too. We were both blood bound to Tane, the vampire king.

It’s not just that. We had heard nothing from Tane in weeks, which was highly unusual. I shrugged. I don’t know. Our whole family dynamic seems off. Tane’s been distant, Maggie is on a hormonal rampage, and you’re...

Me? he prompted.

I lifted my head and met his ice-blue eyes. The color hadn’t changed when he’d become human. Little miracles. You’re restless. Like a tiger trapped in a cage, and when I tried to soothe him, I got bitten. Maybe next time I should use two-ply toilet paper.

Let’s make another baby. He released my long, blonde hair from its makeshift bun and allowed it to pour down my back.

I slapped his chest half-heartedly. We’ve been trying for years. With nothing to show for it.

Not that much. He leaned in for a kiss, but I tossed him a don’t-go-there look. Rurik grunted and leaned back. You only seem interested in taking off your clothes when Tane visits.

Tane was more than our vampire master, and I used the term master loosely—he was our husband. We functioned as a threesome, or at least, we tried our best to be. Tane couldn’t live with us on our little Greek island paradise. He ruled the Vampire Nation with an iron fist and sacrificed a lot to keep our family safe.

It broke my heart.

I shrugged off Rurik’s hand. He doesn’t make me feel like a broodmare.

I wanted another child, an army of them, but we weren’t like other humans. We had Nosferatu blood in ours. The longer we were blood slaves, the less chance we had to conceive. I rubbed at the ache in my chest. Maggie might be our only baby. Child. Uh, woman.

Connie— Rurik pulled me against him, squeezing me in a bone creaking hug.

A crash in the front room had us breaking apart and spinning toward the noise. Glass broke and shots rang out in the yard. The inhuman snarls of werewolves followed.

I was short of breath as terror gripped my lungs. Maggie.

Rurik grabbed my upper arm and dragged me from the kitchen. Get Maggie. He echoed my thoughts.

I staggered toward her bedroom. What’s going on? I asked, dazed. Consciously, I knew what was happening, but I didn’t want to believe it. We’d practiced strike drills since our daughter had been born, but that’s all they’d ever been. Drills.

We’re under attack. Rurik ran in the opposite direction, toward the fighting.

Rurik. My hands fluttered to my throat. Be careful.

Maggie’s bedroom door crashed open. She stormed into the hallway sword in one hand and a handgun tucked in her jeans waistband. She hated her slight stature and face that mirrored mine, but her colors belonged to Rurik. Where my hair was pale blonde and my eyes gray as a stormy sky, Maggie had midnight curls and an ice blue gaze.

She shoved me behind her. Stay close.

I stumbled over my own feet. Do you have a weapon for me?

The look she tossed over her shoulder stung. No, I want to survive this.

We crept through the wide sparse hall that split our home and past the eat-in kitchen where I grabbed two of my best kitchen knives. She tossed me a concerned glance but remained silent. My prowess on the fighting mats caused my family fits of laughter. I was more likely to stab myself than my assailant, but my daughter wasn’t walking into a battle without me. I had the spirit of a mama bear riding me hard.

Rurik, barefoot and bare-chested, carried two worn sabers, the edges sharp with his personal care. He herded us toward the secret exit built into our home. As wife and husband to Tane, we knew there was a target painted on our backs. Whoever was attacking was in for a surprise. Our home was built like a small fortress and had its own werewolf security twenty-four seven.

In the distance, the front door crashed open, and I squelched the urge to scream. Rurik stole a kiss from my lips before pushing me toward the exit with Maggie. I’ll hold them off and give you as much time as I can.

No... I slid my hand over his shoulder, sensing the tension in his muscles.

Sadness clouded his gaze for a second. I love you. Get Maggie off the island.

I caressed his face and mouthed I love you, too before shoving our daughter through the escape tunnel.

Daddy, no! Maggie called past me.

I cupped her face and forced her to meet my glare. Enough. Focus. Your dad is making this sacrifice so we can get help. We’ll call Tane and come back. You got me?

Maggie’s big blue eyes were wide as she gave me a sharp nod. She raised her weapons and followed me through the narrow tunnel toward the sea. The island was too close to sea level for the tunnel to reach all the way to the hidden dock. Under the cover of night, we would have to sprint to the boat.

I cracked the tunnel door open and peeked outside. The gunshots and werewolf snarls were fainter. The fighting was still up by the house. We might make it.

On silent feet, we tiptoed out onto the manicured garden path. My heart thundered in my ears as I tightened my grip around the handles of the kitchen knives. Rurik’s knife fighting instructions floated up from my memories. I’d been no good, but he didn’t stop trying to teach me how to defend myself.

Mom? Maggie whispered. If we’re attacked, remember to drop to your knees so I don’t shoot you.

I nodded then realized she couldn’t see me. Understood. Maggie had trained with Tane’s werewolf soldiers for most of her life. In all honesty, she would do a better job at protecting me than the other way around.

The sound of running footsteps reached my ears and as one we twisted to face the oncoming assailants. From the bushes sprang one of our wolf shifter residents still in human form. A cut over his eye bled, and he was unarmed. He raised his hands at the sight of Maggie’s weapon pointed at his head. "We need to get you to the boat. Now." He spoke with a thick Brazilian accent.

Two other werewolves appeared in beast form, panting and bloody. One of them glanced over his shoulder.

I followed his gaze and spotted the dark forms rushing toward us. Without a second thought, I shoved my child at the wolves. Protect her at all cost. I wasn’t a fool. This attack wasn’t about money or riches. It was about power. They wanted to use us against Tane and we were useless dead.

But they would have to go through me before they reached our daughter.

Our lives for hers, Consort. The three echoed each other in a practiced response. I had never heard it regarding Maggie though. It had always been said to Tane. The wolves grabbed my struggling daughter and dragged her toward the dock.

She dropped her gun as she reached for me. Mom. Even that desperate cry was whispered.

I picked up her discarded weapon and marched toward the dark shapes invading my gardens. I raised the gun and pulled the trigger, running to draw them away from Maggie. It had been decades since I’d played this dangerous game. Then, I had baited my quarry into a trap, but this time, I was luring them away from their goal.

Maggie was a fine prize. There was nothing that Rurik, Tane, or I wouldn’t do for our daughter. As I raced past the pool house, where the werewolves made their home, a familiar feeling of being prey settled on my shoulders. Except this time, I had claws.

I leaped over a stone wall for cover and took aim. I was better with bullets than with sharp objects. Even better with a shotgun, but hell, who wasn’t?

The high-powered shots deafened my ears as the automatic weapon went off, leaving my shoulder numb and my ears ringing. The three chasing me jerked as I hit all three targets.

Yes! I did it. Neither Maggie nor Rurik would ever believe me though.

The three invaders rose to their feet as swiftly as they had gone down.

Motherfucker. Vampires. I should have known, and me with no wooden stake. I ran once more. The only reason they hadn’t caught me was because of my familiarity with the area and the tight confines of my garden path. I knew every olive tree, bougainvillea, and cypress. I rounded at the house in time to watch Rurik cut his way out of the front door.

Blood streamed over his skin. How much of it was his? He practiced every morning with all sorts of swords, going through the stances like a deadly ballet, but there were so many vampires and just one of him.

I stood there, doing a quick headcount, arms hanging at my sides. I stopped at twenty. We were bound to the most powerful vampire in the world—however, that didn’t make us strong enough to fight off ten vampires each and survive.

That was the goal now that Maggie was on the boat. Survive. We wouldn’t escape.

A cold hand rested on the back of my neck, thumb tracing my jugular. Connie Bence, I presume. The masculine voice caressed my ear.

I nodded, not trusting my brain-mouth filter. This wasn’t the time to be a smart ass when my husband’s life depended on these vampires’ mercy. Their kind wasn’t merciful.

Rurik was on the ground now, pinned by three bloodsuckers. Our gazes met and I understood the look on his face. I silently said goodbye.

The vampire dragged me away, twisting my arms behind my back and zipped tied my wrists together.

Chapter Two

None too gently, I was dumped onto the bottom of a black inflated raft. Three vampires climbed in after me. At first, I was flattered that they thought I warranted so much muscle then two of them picked up paddles. No wonder the wolves hadn’t been alerted to the vampire armada that had attacked our home. They’d come in with the tide, making no noise.

More boats joined us, moving silently to a large dark ship with no running lights. If not for the sound of the water lapping at its hull, I might have missed it completely. This was no pleasure yacht. It was created for stealth.

Whoever was behind this had money. One of the vampires tossed me over his shoulder like a bag of dirty laundry before leaping aboard the ship. For the past twenty years, I had lived among humans and had forgotten what it was like to be amid the undead. When Tane visited, he played at being human, moving at our speed and with our strengths.

I was flung onto the deck and landed with a loud oomph. I used to have a lot more padding, but for the past five years, I had been training for marathons with my daughter. It was the only passion we shared. She might look like me but she had Rurik’s keen intelligence and Tane’s drive for power. I glanced over the water at our little island. She must have escaped. She and the shifters had been so close to the boat when we parted ways.

"I said unharmed." A vampire knelt next to me. He cut the zip tie around my wrists and helped me to my feet. He brushed my yoga pants free of dirt before straightening and meeting my gaze with his clear green one.

Short salt and pepper hair. Sharp cheekbones. The sly smile.

Son of a bitch. I stumbled away. This couldn’t be. Tane told me you were dead.

Eric slowly showed his fangs. Technically, I am.

Vampire. The inside of my chest ached from the beating it took from my heart. Tane’s long dead human lover was standing in front of me. Tane had owned Eric when I first met him. Why would my husband lie about his death? Sure, when he had told me of Eric’s passing we hadn’t exactly been friends, but he'd had years to reveal the truth. I didn’t know what shocked me more—Eric’s existence or Tane’s lie.

I shook my head. What was I thinking? There wasn’t any reason for him to lie. He probably didn’t know. I reached out with my mind to my vampire husband. The vast distance between us didn’t matter since Tane was the most powerful Nosferatu vampire alive. Our minds were capable of touching through his power and our blood bond.

Nosferatu weren’t like regular vampires. Only twelve existed at one time, creating their small brotherhood. Their primary directive was to keep vampire kind a secret, using their vast mental powers to clean up messes when a vampire made a mistake. They were judge, jury, and executioner rolled into one. Nobody wanted to attract their attention; it never ended well when a Nosferatu arrived in a territory. They were the nightmare that other monsters feared. My husband was their leader, which made him king.

He had been quiet though. Hadn’t contacted us in days.

Tane? We’re under attack.

Nothing.

Tane!I shouted mentally. He never ignored me. Even in the middle of meetings or executions, he still responded with his dry humor. I had always envied his ability to divide his attention.

Flames sprouted from the house. They licked over the roof and roared out of the broken windows. My home, the one Tane had given me, the only one I’d had. Maybe he couldn’t hear me because I was so scattered and unfocused. Spine straight and hands fisted, I asked Eric, What do you want?

You. He brushed the back of his knuckles over my cheek, wiping away a single tear that had escaped my control. Eric looked the same as he had twenty-five years ago when I had met him in Budapest. It was too dark to see if his vampirism had healed his multiple bite scars that had once covered his beautiful body. Scars Tane had given him.

You have me. There’s no point in destroying my house. Maybe Rurik was still free. He could find Maggie and hide her somewhere safe.

Eric lifted his chin and stared at the island, a small smile tugging at his lips. It’s a shame. This was one of my favorites of Tane’s secret homes. We always spent time here when we sailed the Mediterranean. He would have me bask in the sun during the day just so he could taste its heat on my skin.

I swallowed with a throat gone dry. Tane had me do the same thing. My heart was breaking.

A vampire leaped onto the deck from a raft. He strode over and dropped a body at Eric’s feet.

The face was unrecognizable. The man had been beaten, his features swollen and bruised—however, I knew every inch of that body.

Rurik.

I fell to my knees by my human husband and felt for a pulse. It beat strongly under my fingertips and I bit back a sob. They’d hurt him and he was unconscious.

Where is the girl? Though Eric spoke softly, his voice held a sharp edge.

The other vampire looked away. She escaped.

Yes. I gripped Rurik’s hand. That was our girl. She’d done it.

You had one thing to do. Eric held up a finger under the other vampire’s nose.

She had a whole werewolf pack guarding her and this sword-wielding demon blocking her retreat. The other vampire kicked Rurik in the side and my husband groaned.

Stop it. I knocked away a second kick. My daughter had only three werewolves the last time I’d seen her and they had managed to get her to the escape boat. Rurik’s plan had worked. Our daughter was free. That was all that mattered.

I’m not sure why this attack surprised me so much. Honestly, it should have happened sooner. It was no secret that Tane had feelings for me even after banishing me from the vampire court for fifty years. He’d publicly announced our marriage, claimed me as his consort and Maggie as his adopted daughter, making her a princess of the vampire court. Others saw my exile as punishment, but it had been a relief. It had left me free to stay with Rurik, who under no circumstances could expose his existence to other vampires. The Nation thought him dead.

This time I slowed my breathing and focused before calling Tane again. I followed the mental threads that connected us. They wove us together, growing thicker and abundant the longer we’d been attached. Then I hit a wall.

Smashed against it was more like it. My head rang and my ears popped. He hadn’t blocked me so effectively since we had first discovered our blood bond. He had been protecting me from sensing his physical pain while he was being tortured. Not a good sign.

Rubbing my temples, I blinked my eyes open until my vision stopped blurring. He’d left the capital in Rio a couple of weeks ago to hunt the remaining traces of a drug to which vampires were susceptible. It blocked their mental powers and weakened them. Tane had fallen prey to it twice. He had also used it to kill the previous king. The hunt had him busy, and he’d infrequently spoken to either me or Rurik through our bonds. When had been the last time?

They want the women. Eric nudged Rurik with a toe. They don’t care about the sperm donor.

I shoved Eric’s foot away. You hurt him enough. I cradled Rurik’s head on my lap and wiped the blood from his lips with the hem of my oversized, gray T-shirt. The rumors we had cultivated were that I had married a local fisherman. That he resembled my dead vampire lover, Rurik, should come to no shock to anyone. It wasn’t a secret how much Tane and I had loved Rurik. Not only that, but I had been pregnant. Tane’s tolerance of my marriage was accepted once he made it clear that he considered Maggie his daughter. Even vampires craved children, and not only for breakfast.

No way this one is just human. The other vampire pointed at my unconscious husband. He moves and fights like an old blood slave. If only the bloodsucker knew how close to the truth he was. "I would advise against killing him. His vampire master will realize something is amiss if his bond vanishes. We would