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Chapter Nineteen
Hugh
Ipaced around the tiny shithole of an apartment I had moved into.I had no one to blame but myself.I was angry at the world, and I couldn’t understand why I was acting the way I was.I didn’t want to hurt Kristin or our child, but I couldn’t stand being here.I hated not knowing what was going on with Angelina, which was driving my insanity off the cliff.
I felt like I had been in a constant circle of emotions since the moment that I stepped in front of Kristin while doing my job.I’d been high, low, knocked around sideways, and then back in the saddle again to do it all over.My once stable life had gone to hell.
I knew that Kristin and our daughter were safe—would be safe.Isaac would make sure that our child was protected, and with Kristin’s power, there wasn’t anyone who could get to her—especially now as she lived comfortably in this compound.But what living arrangements was Angelina dealing with?
I had never been a jealous man.Never a possessive man—until now.Now, I was hell-bent on getting out of here and finding the woman I loved.I had to get to her, find out if she mated with this other man for power or love.If she loved him, would she not want me?What would happen if that were the case?
I knew the moment that I left, Kristin would mate with Zander.While I wanted to punch the guy in the face, I knew he was right for her, and I wanted her to be happy.I honestly did.I couldn’t deny the connection those two had.You had to be blind and stupid not to feel it in the air when they were in the same room.It was constantly crackling under the surface, and when they looked at one another—bam!It got even more substantial.
But I couldn’t seem to control my frustrations and kept taking them out on everyone else.It’s a wonder someone hadn’t staked me already.
As I paced for the hundredth time, there was a knock on the door, and I opened it, expecting it to be Novah, but it was Cameron.“Kristin needs to see you.”
“Why?”
“Because there has been a development, and she knew you would want to be made aware.”
I sighed.“Fine.I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Hugh.”He paused, searching my face for a moment.“It’s about Angelina.You might want to come now.”
The minute he said her name, my heart began to gallop, and all other thoughts left my mind.As we climbed the stairs, I tried to find out what it was about, but he said he didn’t know.He just knew something had happened.
Upstairs in the main conference room, all the elders were gathered, along with many others.Zander stood beside Kristin, his hand on her lower back as she glared at the screen.Her face was a mask of fury.
There was a news report on the primary virtual screen, and the ticker along the bottom said the military had targeted a vampire compound in Detroit.My stomach dropped.“What happened?”
Kristin spun toward me and held her hand out to me.“I’m not sure, Hugh.Isn’t that where you thought she might be?”
“Yeah,” I breathed as I took her hand and stood beside her.All my anger at Kristin had vanished as my concern for Angelina’s safety consumed me, and we listened to the woman on the screen.
“As I reported before, the streets were flooded where a suspected den of vampires was living.The military used electricity to energize the water to take down the den.It is our understanding that at least eighty vampires have been confirmed dead.Of course that doesn’t take into account any that might have turned to dust during the course of events so that number might even be higher.”I wanted to vomit at her eager expression and voice as she spoke.
“Holy fuck!”I gasped and thought my legs might give out.Kristin squeezed my hand tightly and leaned against me.
The newscaster continued.“The bodies of the vampires recovered were badly burned due to the electrical currents used.Officials stated that some creatures were located outside the den, but many had still been inside.Officials have also stated that another nineteen bodies were recovered outside the designated area, where the military had taken them down and staked them while trying to escape.”
“Jesus Christ,” someone in the room muttered as the women continued.
“These pictures that we are about to show you are vivid and could be distressing for some of our viewers.These are some of the vicious vampires that were recovered after the assault.”
The screen changed, and a series of images came up.Many of the faces were barely recognizable, others not at all.I heard someone rush from the room after they said they were going to vomit, but I kept waiting for a picture of Angelina.
Once the pictures finished, the newscaster returned to the screen to discuss the assault and how the military did it.
“Her picture wasn’t there,” Zander said.“That’s a good thing.Maybe she escaped.”
“Or maybe she was one of those we couldn’t recognize,” Kristin said softly.
I sank into a chair as the woman began to repeat some of the information that she had already said.Was Angelina dead?Had I lost everything?
Kristin stood in front of me, taking my face in her hands to make me look up at her.“We don’t know that she’s dead, Hugh.Don’t lose faith.If there is anyone who could have gotten out, it is my sister.”
“Yeah,” I said, but did I honestly believe it?Not really.The reporter said this was a sneak attack, and they think they killed about ninety percent of the inhabitants.
