Creatus

her entire body, or was she drowning? The icy, dark water engulfed her.

That’s right, she remembered. She’d jumped off the Tobin Bridge, and she would die. It had all been a dream. None of it had been real.  Derrick… his name… her Dark Angel had a name. He was real. Derrick, she repeated. Though again, she wasn’t sure if the word escaped her lips. She had to believe; she had to hold on for Derrick.

Chapter Thirty-four

Michael called Victoria, but she didn’t answer. Next he called Jonas, ready to confront him. He didn’t have a problem with him being back, but they needed to make a decision. He had no intention of fighting with his best friend over Victoria’s affection. And Ry, well, he could just give it up. He was too young anyway. And Vic thought nothing of him but a kid brother. Hell, she probably thought of Michael as a brother too, but he could remedy that.

Jonas’ cell phone went to voicemail as well. “Damn!” He hated thinking what that might mean. He searched his phone contacts and found Ry’s number and touched the name.

“Yo, what’s up, Mike?” Ryan answered. “I was just in the middle of something.”

Michael heard Ry’s car door slam. “Have you seen your brother?”

“Nah. Not since last night. We pulling same shifts tonight?”

“Yeah,” Michael answered. “How about Vic? I can’t reach her either.”

Ry laughed through the phone line. “Oh, I get it. You think they’re together. That maybe Jonas is comforting her after telling her where the newlyweds went.”

Michael stopped walking toward his vehicle. “How do you know where they went?”

“We overheard them yesterday after the meeting. I think since Derrick is with a human, he forgets that we can hear him.”

Continuing his tread to the car, Michael hopped in, irritated. “Hey, you want to go out tonight, Ry? I have one thing I have to handle, but then I can meet you downtown around ten-ish.”

“What about watching?”

“I don’t think we’ll see any action tonight, but come dressed though.”

Ry clucked his tongue. “I’m in the middle of something. I’ll call you later this afternoon if I have time.”

“Sounds good,” Michael told him. “As I said, I won’t be available until ten-ish anyway.” Michael looked at the time on his phone. One-thirty, he had just enough time.

At ten o’clock, Michael turned his phone on. He had several missed calls from Derrick and his father, but he wasn’t in the mood. It’d been a long day. He tried again to reach Ry, Vic, or Jonas. What the hell were they doing, he wondered. He needed company, preferably of the female persuasion. He lifted his phone and searched through the contacts again, Rebecca would do well. She was fun, cute, and she generally wanted to be with him.

The thought that Victoria could be off with Jonas somewhere burned his insides. He thought he could just let her go if Jonas wanted her, but now he felt otherwise. The current situation he was in allowed no time for screwing around, he knew, but if he didn’t act quickly, he could lose her forever.

Would jealousy work? he wondered. Jonas had told her last night of both their interests, so maybe…

Rebecca picked up on the first ring. “I was hoping you’d call,” she drawled. He wasn’t certain where she’d picked up her slight southern drawl, but he had to admit, he liked it.

“Hey, Rebecca,” he chirped back. “You still up for that drink?”

“Sure,” she answered without hesitation. Too hastily. No challenge. He sighed inwardly, wondering why he needed a challenge.

“Meet me at the pub at ten-thirty.”

“I’ll be there.”

As soon as he hung up, he clicked Victoria’s number again. No answer, of course. Maybe she and Jonas had skipped town together. “Hey. Meet me at the pub round ten-thirty, so we can discuss this evening’s route.” He clicked end, ran his vehicle through a car wash, and then headed to meet Rebecca. He hated even the slightest bit of dust on his Charger. She was his baby, the one woman who could do no wrong.

Chapter Thirty-five

Vic sat across from Jonas, thinking how good he looked, wondering why she couldn’t fall. They sure gave it a good shot. And it’s not to say that she could never fall for him, but evidently, she had to get her head screwed on straight first. Still, she did appreciate what a good-looking man he was. She hated to think it was true, but after her attraction to Derrick, and Ry’s confession, she had to believe that their heritage is what drew her to them, even though a human man had never turned her on. She could never be attracted to a man who was weaker than she was.

“Ry told me about you—”

His eyes bolted up from his plate. “What? About us?”

“Yes. It’s okay.”

Jonas shook his head. “No, it’s not. He had no right.”

Vic raised her hands in confusion. “I don’t understand. Why is it such a big secret? Everyone thinks Derrick and Michael are an anomaly—”

“And yet, Ry and I also have a human parent. In fact, I think Ry is stronger than Derrick. He’s younger and doesn’t know as many moves, but he’s strong.”

“So, why don’t you want anyone to know? What’s the big deal?”

Jonas pursed his lips, staring out the window for a few seconds before turning back to her, his eyes cold and blank. “Because our father hated us when he found out we weren’t all human. My parents had been together for years, but my mother had hidden what she was.” He bit down on his lip. “But she didn’t think about kids, about the fact that she couldn’t hide the eating habits and strength of a creatus child. He’d been in the military, so he missed a lot of our rearing. But when he was stationed in the states permanently, he saw me.” Jonas inhaled a deep breath. “Ry had thrown a ball up on the roof by accident, and I being the big brother went up to get it. When my father saw me jump off the roof, he flipped. Scared at first, but then he was excited. Thought he had some superkid for a child. My mother assumed as many years as they’d been together, he’d accept her.”

Vic reached across the table and squeezed his hand. Ryan hadn’t told her this part of the story. Maybe he hadn’t known since he was obviously younger.

Jonas shook his head. “He—my father—treated us like pariahs. He didn’t think twice about picking up the phone right in front of my mother. She had no choice. That S.O.B. was going to call his superiors in the army and turn us in as aliens. Can you believe that?”

“No,” Vic responded. She’d never been fond of humans, but his own children?

“She killed him. Right there in front of me. She snapped my father’s neck. Then she brought us here, where she said we had family. The family forged papers for us, and she stayed out of sight from all authorities.”

“I’m so sorry, Jonas,” Vic said, but he pulled his hand out from under hers.

Jonas pushed his chair away from the table and stood, throwing his napkin on his plate. “Don’t feel sorry for me. I don’t want your pity. I think I made that clear last night.” He skirted the table and pulled her to her feet. “Did you think about it? Are you gonna try? Will you leave with me and start a new family?”

She exhaled a deep breath. “I—”

“Enough said, Victoria. I get it. You’re still hung up on Derrick. Fine.” He stormed off, slamming the door behind him.

Jonas had left so quickly that his absence seemed to leave an empty vacuum in her apartment, dead space