Home for the Holidays: A Night Huntress Novella Read Online Free

Maynard, who did indeed become a whore. But not until after she bore the Duke of Rutland’s illegitimate son. That son was raised in a London whorehouse and sentenced to deportation for thievery in 1789. He died in the New South Wales penal colonies a year later, but he didn’t stay dead.” Wraith’s gaze slid to the man behind him. “Any of this sound familiar to you?”
    Each word hammered into Bones like physical blows, I could tell from the emotions weaving into my subconscious. While I’d heard the story of Bones’s past, it wasn’t common knowledge, and Wraith had been spot-on with the dates and details. Plus, there was the resemblance. Both men had those high, chiseled cheekbones, thick brows, full yet firm mouths, and tall, proudly arrogant stances. Bones was a brown-eyed brunet and Wraith a blue-eyed blond, but if Wraith dyed his hair and got dark contacts, even a casual observer could guess they were related. Half-brothers, if what Wraith said was true.
    “Close, but my mother’s surname was Russell, not Maynard,” Bones stated. “And neither she nor any of the women I grew up with even hinted that they knew who my father was. Now, over two hundred years later, you expect me to believe this tale of dukes and you being my long-lost brother?” His arm tightened around Wraith’s neck. “Sorry, mate. I don’t.”
    “I . . . ave . . . oof.” The words were garbled from the pressure Bones put on the vampire’s throat.
    “Proof?” Bones asked, loosening his grip.
    Wraith managed a nod. “If you stop throttling me, I’ll show you.”
    F ABIAN FOLLOWED US at a discreet distance as we walked down the winding gravel road that led to the bottom of the hill. If Wraith noticed the ghost flitting above the tree tops, he didn’t comment. In fact, he seemed relaxed. Cheerful even, but I didn’t let down my guard. I’d had people smile the whole time they attempted to kill me, so a jolly disposition might indicate good intentions if you were Santa Claus, but the same didn’t go for vampires.
    “How did you find my house?” Bones asked. He also hadn’t lost an inch of his wariness, as the currents swirling around him indicated.
    “I followed you from the hotel,” Wraith replied.
    I stopped short. “You’re admitting you’re the asshole who carved up Annette?” Brother-in-law or not, he’d pay if he was.
    Wraith sighed. “I rescued Annette by chasing that vampire off. Didn’t catch him, though. By the time I returned to check on her, you were loading her into the car, and the lot of you looked angry enough to kill first and ask questions later.”
    Ian had said he’d heard a vampire when he first arrived. He’d thought it was the perpetrator fleeing the scene, but could it have been Wraith chasing after the real attacker?
    “If that’s true, why wouldn’t Annette mention you when we arrived? And more importantly, where were you when some sod was painting the walls with her blood?”
    Wraith cast a sideways glance at the flatness in Bones’s tone. He wouldn’t need to be linked to his emotions to know that Bones didn’t believe this version of events.
    “I was on my way to see her. You can check her mobile; the call she received right before she was attacked was me telling her I was running late. When I arrived, I heard something odd. Her door was unlocked, so I entered in time to see someone dash out the window. After checking that Annette was still alive, I chased him. As for why she didn’t mention me, I can only guess it was due to a misguided attempt to keep the surprise.”
    “What surprise?” Bones and I asked in unison.
    “That you have a brother,” Wraith replied softly. “The news was to be Annette’s birthday present to you.”
    Even with their similarity in appearance, it still seemed impossible to think that Wraith was Bones’s brother. From the disbelief threading into my subconscious, Bones felt the same way.
    “This vampire you chased, did you get a good look at