Chapter Twenty Two

Natalie drank back her shot as she stared around the crowded club. She was still having a hard time believing that he owned this place and her heart raced with the idea that he could be there and she could very well see him walking around..

"are you sure, I mean it doesnt seem like" she began as Victor cut her off..

"trust me he is here" he said as he finished off his drink..He leaned back over the bar and waved for the bartender to come over as natalie glanced around the club. I mean even if he was there this place was so packed she didnt know if she could spot him or not..Victor looked to her after having a word with the bartender.."You see up there" he pointed to what looked like a VIP area up on the second floor and she looked up.."thats where he is"

Natalie suddenly felt ill, maybe she shouldnt of even come here, maybe she should of just let things be because if what victor said was right, well then this changed everything and definitely not in a good way.. Suddenly her legs didnt want to move from that spot as Victor began walking and then stopped as he turned and looked at her.."are you coming?"

"yeah" she forced the words out and she forced her legs to move, apparently it was now or never..

Trying to get to the second floor of the club was even more difficult than she imagined. People were bumping into her as they danced and mingled. So many faces painted white and some painted a mixture of white and black, honestly she was starting to feel a bit closterphobic as she walked and looked around.."You need to take charge, push them out of the way" Victor said to her as he grabbed her arm and began leading her through the tightly packed club, normally she would of cringed to have him holding onto her arm but right about now she was grateful for the direction. Her heart was racing dangerously fast and as they finally got to the bottom of the stairs she froze as Victor looked at her.."now is not the time to panic" he said dryly..

"Maybe we shouldnt of come after all" she said with a lump in her throat as he rolled his eyes..

"Oh were going" he said as he began to pull on her as they walked up the stairs. What would she even say to him when she saw him. Would he be happy to see her, would he even remember her? She thought of Victoria, she should be home with her daughter and she was sure right about now Bo had put an APB out on her, especially after the guys got in touch with him.."pick up the pace" Victor snapped her out of her thoughts as they got to the second floor, it was almost as packed as the first as they looked around.."Over here" Victor said as he continued to pull her and then she saw him.

For a moment she thought that maybe she was seeing things. It seemed so unreal but it was definitely him, he looked the same, maybe his hair was a bit longer but she couldnt miss his features if she wanted too, suddenly she stopped as Victor looked at her..

"I cant do this" she said with anxiety racing through her..

"we came all the way here" Victor began..

"I ..i just" she began to feel like she would hyperventilate, he was right there, like across the room, sitting on a large leather couch with a drink in his hand. He hadnt looked at her, he just stared aimlessly as some girl danced in front of him..He looked unaffected by the girls dancing.."i need another drink" she felt like she was going to be sick..

"Listen you wanted to see him, I brought you to him now go over and say something" he said quickly..

"I cant" she said quietly.."he seems so...different" she said honestly, its not that he was dressed any different, actually if anything he looked so much better then she had imagined. He wore a black button down shirt that was unbuttoned some, black slacks and black boots but his eyes, god his eyes looked empty. She fought the urge to cry right then and there..

"look at me ok" Victor said as he got in front of her.."i told you he was different but that doesnt mean that somewhere in him is the guy you know"

"i dont even know why you are trying to help me, you cant stand me" she said quickly, her eyes darting back and forth to John as he continued to sit there and sip his drink..

"i already told you, I think if anyone can fix this it is you" he said seriously.."Unless your up for dying soon" he said dryly..

"i just dont..." she began as her voice shook and then she watched as a leggy brunette walked over to him, she leaned down, her dark hair touching his face and then she was kissing him and he was kissing her, natalie backed up in shock..

"Oh...i guess he has company" Victor began as he looked at him.."and definitely not the good kind"

"do you know who she is" she said as she backed up some..

"unfortunately yes" he said dryly..."that is someone you definitely dont want to mess with, that is Evangeline or as she is referred to, the queen of darkness" he said as they both looked at her and then John as she took a seat next to him..

"Im sorry what" Natalie began as Victor pulled her aside...

"that woman if you can call her that is the mother of everything evil" he said seriously.." she is one bad ass mother" he began as Natalie shook her head..

"i got it ok, but what is she doing with him" her heart raced even more..

"apparently helping him out but not in a good way" he said almost nervously as she looked at him.."she is as old as creation itself, and to be honest I thought she was only a myth but now"

"Oh great so he is mingling with some evil bitch" she said sarcastically. This honestly felt like a nightmare but she knew that it wasnt one she would wake up from soon..

"yeah it looks a bit more than that, we should hang low" he said as he backed up but just as he did John looked in their direction, his eyes landing on Natalie as she stood there, completely frozen. He gave her a look but it wasnt one of recognition and then he looked at Victor.."i think we should go" he said quickly.."natalie, right now" Victor said quickly as she was snapped from her staring and then he had her arm again as he quickly led her towards the stairs..

"But wait you said" she began quickly..

"Yeah well I didnt know she would be here" he began quickly as he stopped.."she can kill anyone at anytime, if you thought that book was powerful well, it doesnt have anything on her" he said with concern in his voice..

"that doesnt sound good" natalie swallowed hard..

"trust me, it isnt" he began and then he glanced past natalie.."shit...he's walking over here"...natalie's eyes got wide as she turned her head slightly and he wasnt kidding, John was coming over.."just act normal" he said quickly as Natalie looked back at Victor.."follow my lead"

Natalie felt absolutely frantic as John got closer but then just as he was a few feet away another girl came in front of him, flirting and gushing as she said something to him but he was looking at natalie and victor now..

"nows our chance, lets go" Victor damn near dragged her down the stairs as she quickly kept up the pace, she felt sick and she wondered if she would throw up. Victor began pulling her through the club as they got to the first floor.."i dont think we should of come here" he began to say as they pushed past people and made a mad dash for the front door of the club but just as they got to it, John stood there, a very perplexed look on his face..

"leaving so soon" he said as he stared at them and Natalie felt faint as she stood there, suddenly she was happy to have Victor standing there. The realization hit quick that John didnt recognize her..

"Oh hey um you must be" Victor began as he put his hand out to John but Natalie definitely heard fear in his voice and if Victor was worried than this was definitely not a good thing..

"John..the owner of this club and you are" he said as he shook Victors hand but he kept staring at Natalie..

"im vic and this is uh, Gloria" Victor said quickly as Natalie looked at him a bit in shock..

"Gloria?" John said as he looked at her and she swallowed hard.."pleasure to meet you" he said with dark eyes as he looked at Natalie and she couldnt help the way she trembled, his eyes were so dark, almost black, she went to say something but just then that same woman, the mother of all evil, Evangeline came walking over and quickly went to his side..

"mingling with the guests?" she said to John with a sweet smile..

"this is Vic and, Gloria is it?" he said almost as if he didnt believe...

"we actually were just leaving" Victor said quickly as Evangeline narrowed her eyes onto Natalie. My god this woman made her skin crawl and john was in cohoots with her?

"Leaving" John cocked his head to the side and then stared at Natalie, she swallowed hard as she was compelled to stare back, he looked perplexed. Victor was beginning to panic as he looked at Evangeline, she was studying him, she knew what he was and curiosity filled her.. The sound of screaming broke the silence as Natalie tore her eyes from John and looked behind her as a brawl began to break out, within seconds John and Evangeline were quickly heading over there..

Victor didnt waste a second as he grabbed her arm and rushed her out of there, very much to her surprise.."what are you doing" she snapped at him as they got outside..

"were leaving" he said quickly..

"what? No, we came here for a reason and...and" her heart was racing so fast that she felt like she may actually have a heart attack..

"listen to me, evangeline was trying to get into my head, its too dangerous in there" he said with a bit of fear in his voice.."i saw her thoughts and if she figures out the truth"

"we cant just leave him in there with her" Natalie began quickly..

"dont you get it, that guy in there isnt even him and evangeline is not someone to mess with" he said with a shake of his head..

"thats even more reason to" she began as he grabbed both of her upper arms and forced her to look at him..

"she will kill you" he said deadly serious as she swallowed hard.."we got to do this another way, she is already questioning in her head why a vamp is hanging around a mortal girl"

"did she read my mind" she suddenly felt scared, what if she saw Victoria, what if she did something to her daughter..

"I doubt it, I cant even read your mind" he said honestly as Natalie stared at him in shock, she was sure that he had read her thoughts, especially when she was back at his place with the guys.."we dont have time" he said nervously as he began to walk fast with his hand on her arm..

"Listen just stop for a second ok" she halted as he spun and looked at her.."i saw something in his eyes, I think he remembered me"

"I seriously doubt that Natalie, he's an empty shell" he said with a shake of his head.. The sound of the front doors opening made him look.."time to go" he said and then he was grabbing her as they whipped through the air as she gasped in shock..

By the time they stopped Natalie nearly fell over.."You have got to stop doing that" she snapped at him as she coughed and tried to catch her breath..The sight of the bridge in the distance made her eyes get wide.."were still here" she said in shock..

"Yeah well like I said we have to go about this a different way, come on" he said as he began to walk and she followed him..

Victor had got them a room in a motel, Natalie hadnt said a word to him since they got there, her mind was still on John, she was sure he remembered her, he had looked at her in such a way..Victor began to pace back and forth.."what did you mean by you cant read my thoughts, I was under the impression that all vamps could" she finally asked..

"i dunno, its like you have some kind of wall up but that doesnt matter, its a good thing cause if I cant read it then Evangeline cant either" he said seriously..

"why is she with him" she said with a shake of her head..

"i think she is using him to help her bring on the apocolypse" he said chillingly..

"but if she is that powerful than why cant she just bring it on herself, I mean you said she was the mother of all evil" Natalie said with confusion..

"you dont understand my world Natalie, we are always at our strongest with a mate and apparently she found one in him, it may be too late already" he said as he paced..

"too late? no...i dont believe that" she said as he looked at her..

"well you better start" he said seriously..

"Listen you said we could stop this, we could fix it" she said as she shook her head.."cant we just get his soul back, cant we just" she began to ramble..She couldnt fathom that this is the way it would all turn out, she tried to save him once already, she could do it again..

"do you really think its that easy" he said sarcastically.."to rip a soul out of ones body is nearly impossible but Mitch was able to do it and who knows where he stashed it before he bit the bullet" Victor said seriously.."we should just go, I have a very bad feeling about all of this"

"you can go if you want to but im staying" she said matter of factly..

"your either really incredibly stupid or your a genius" he said with a shake of his head..

"I just need to get him alone, without her around" Natalie said quickly even though the idea of being alone with him scared the shit out of her, she didnt know what he was capable of now..

"and how exactlly do you plan on doing that? I dont think you understand the magnitude of the situation, this isnt a game natalie, evangeline is your worst nightmare and whatever tie she has on him, well lets just say I dont see her leaving his side" he said as he stopped pacing..

"well then we will just have to make her" Natalie said as the wheels in her head began spinning..

"we? Sorry sista but I dont have a death wish" he rolled his eyes..

"we still have a deal here" she snapped at him..

"yeah well when it ends with my head on a damn platter then the rules change" he snapped back at her..

"it doesnt have to be like that, we just need a plan" she said as she sat on the bed now..

He walked around the bed now and looked at her.."lets hear your plan"

"I dont have one yet" she sighed.."but I will"

"how did you get involved with him anyway" he asked as she shrugged her shoulders.."I mean for as much as you hate evil, to hook up with him in the first place"

"he wasnt evil" she began..

He rolled his eyes now.."dont even say he was misunderstood"

"well he was" she said quickly..

"and yet you cant even look past what I am" he said sarcastically..

"He didnt kill my parents" she said bitterly..

"and like I told you before, its a dog eat dog world, I was defending myself" he shook his head..

"lets not have this conversation" she said as she stood now..

"why not, if were gonna be in this together" he said as he looked at her and she walked past him.."you know I left you and your brother alone, I could of went after you" he said dryly..

"Oh so now what? I should be grateful, forget it" she snapped at him..

"Maybe you could just be understanding" he said as she shook her head now..

"Understanding? You know what we shouldnt even go there" she said dryly now..

"Listen I am what I am, and what is done cant be changed, so either you get over that fact and we do this or you keep holding onto your anger" he walked away from her..

"do you know what its like to be a child and to see your parents get killed, to be left alone in this world" she snapped at him..

"actually I do" he said surprisingly.."I didnt make myself this way and I sure as hell didnt want to watch everyone I love die" he snapped at her.."you think its easy being immortal" he walked past her once more..

"ok so maybe you didnt choose this life" she began as he turned and looked at her..

"my entire family was murdered, my wife, my kids, everything I loved was gone and I was left with absolutely nothing and then to make matters worse I find myself on the verge of dying only to be turned into this, so dont tell me about death, I have seen my fair share of it" he snapped at her as she stood there and swallowed hard, she hated to admit it but she kind of felt bad now.."You know what, you just live in your little bubble" he walked past her.."and do you know what really sucks, when you finally took me down that day, for the first time in forever I felt like I would finally get some peace and than that mother fucker brings me back and has me under lock and key" he snapped angrily..

"I thought you were happy to be back" she said honestly..

"happy? Apparently you have a sick version of what happy means" he said dryly..

"i dont know what to say" she said honestly..

"Of course you wouldnt cause you shoot first and ask questions later" he went to the door.." I need some air" he said and then he was gone as she sat there. So victor was just as much a pawn in all of this as she was..

Meanwhile in a beach house across town, John came in with Evangeline..She immediately headed into the kitchen as he tossed his coat onto the couch but his mind was anything but empty. The redheaded girl at the club, there was something about her, something he just couldnt place his finger on. She seemed oddly familiar to him..

"so I was thinking" Evangeline said as she came in the room with two glasses in her hand and it snapped him from his thoughts.."that we could head over to Milan this weekend, there is a few things at the house there that I would like to get" she said as she handed him the drink..

"sure, fine" he said nonchalantly as he took a seat on the couch and she walked over to him..

"whats bothering you" she asked as she studied him and he sipped his drink..

"bothering me? Nothing bothers me" he said dryly..

"well you seem a bit off" Evangeline sat down next to him.."did you find it odd that that vamp was hanging with a mortal girl?" she asked as he shrugged his shoulders..

"it happens all the time, she is probably just his meals on wheels" he said with a smirk but something nagged at him about that..

"true but still, he seemed familiar" she began as she sat in heavy thought..

"yeah well anyway if were gonna be heading to Milan then lets do it early" John said as he sipped his drink..

"whatever you want" she smiled and then ran her hand up and down his arm.."Just think as soon as we get the last items we need, this world will be all ours" she smiled at him..

Johns current life started abruptly about a year ago, well atleast that is all he could remember, everything else was like fragments and blurs. Evangeline had told him that his life up until that point had been meaningless and that he wasnt at his full power until then, that his life would never be the same and that was more than true..

He had very little cares in this world besides his alcohol and the anger that ran through his veins kept him up at night, making sleep nearly impossible. He wasnt sure if the images he saw were real or nightmares, he didnt speak of it to anyone, not even Evangeline.

They had made a plan, one that would leave him in ultimate power and the humans begging for mercy, it was the only thing that gave him any pleasure at all. The club was a cover for experiments, ones that he allowed her to run on the weak creatures called humans. They were building an army, one that they would need very soon and one that surpassed the demons of the world. He never did like them, they were self serving and egotistical and there was room for only one person like that, himself..

But tonight was different than the other nights, it was that girl, there was definitely something about her, he had even tried to rake her thoughts only to come up empty handed and that never happened. He felt frustrated and annoyed, what was it with her? The vamp on the other hand had had practice of blocking his thoughts from anyone but he detected something in him, something odd, it was fear. Vamps were never afraid, up until lately they had been at the top of the food chain, coming and going as they please, feeding at whim but this vamp reaked of fear, why? It didnt make sense..

"so what do you think?" Evangeline said as she looked at him, snapping him from his thoughts once more..

"thats fine" he said even though he hadnt been listening to her, he stood now.."im gonna take a shower" he said as he left the room, his mind racing with thoughts..

Evangeline sat on the couch, a fake smile plastered on her face as she watched him head down the hall. He had been thinking of the girl, the red headed one, the same one she couldnt read any thoughts on. She grabbed her phone and dialed quick, making sure that he was not in hearing distance, a man answered almost immediately.."we have a problem" she began..

"besides the fact that it is nearly 2 am?" the annoyed male said on the other end..

"it doesnt matter if it is 4 am" she snapped as she stood now.."i need you to get some information for me, on a girl"

"information? Dont you think it would be much easier to just force it from whoever it is" the man laughed..

"do I sound like I am joking" she snapped angrily as the man stopped laughing.."meet me tomorrow at 7am, and dont be late" she snapped once more and then hung up as she sipped on her drink..John didnt have time to be stressing over some girl, too many things were at stake here, she needed him to be completely focused, he had a huge part to play in all of this and she had waited too long already..

Natalie must of fell asleep cause the next thing she remembered was waking up in a cold sweat as she screamed out into the night. The room was dark and empty as she looked around and finally realized that she was indeed dreaming. Victor was still gone and for that she was grateful, the last thing she needed was him hounding her with questions, she decided to make a call, might as well let Bo know she was alive and well before he had an all out panic..

She went to dial her cell when a gust of wind made her look up as Michael stood there, a look of concern on his face but she didnt care, she was now pissed once more.."your uncle has been worried to death about you" he said with concern.."what are you doing here"

"I could ask you the same thing" she got out of the bed now as she walked over to him and then surprisingly slapped him hard in the face.."thats for lying to me you son of a bitch" she yelled at him as he stared at her in shock..

"Lying?" he began as she shook her head..

"dont even attempt to deny it, I saw him, you knew all along and you didnt say a thing!" she yelled at him..He didnt say anything as he looked at her.."How could you sleep at night, you watched me cry myself to sleep and he was alive this entire time!"

"he's a monster Natalie, thats why I didnt tell you, I didnt want you to go looking for him" he said quickly as she rolled her eyes...

"Oh so now you know whats best for me huh!" she was furious as she looked at him.."You said he was dead!"

"yeah well he might as well be" he said softly..

"you really just dont even give a shit about him, do you" she said in shock..

"he is my brother, I love him" he said loud now..

"Love? How the hell can you love him, did you even try to save him, did you!" she jumped at him but within seconds Victor was infront of her, restraining her as she yelled out.."let me go!"

"Have you lost your mind, what the hell are you doing" Victor yelled at her as he held onto her..

Michael stared a bit in shock.."so now your hanging with him?" he said a bit stunned..

"Oh please, I just saved your angel ass" Victor said dryly..

"let go" Natalie finished as she hit against Victor and he let go of her now.."You dont have the right to hold me back" she snapped at him..

"wow I feel the love from all around" Victor shook his head..

"why are you with him" Michael said again as she looked at him...

"I dunno maybe because he finally told me the truth" Natalie snapped at Michael..

"yeah for his own selfish reasons" Michael began..

"Oh lets not start bringing up selfish reasons there angel boy" Victor said sarcastically..

"I want to know why, why you didnt tell me, why you didnt try and save him" natalie snapped at Michael who just stood there.."tell me, I have a right to know"

"fine" Michael finally said quickly.."You want to know why I didnt tell you cause he cant be saved, I tried ok, what Mitch did to him, it cannot be reversed and you were with child"

Victors eyes got wide as he stood there.."what? You have a child?"

Natalie ignored him, she would deal with him later.."so you just thought it would be better this way, do you know that he is working with Evangeline!" she yelled and he didnt answer as her eyes got wide now..

"wait hold on a second, you have a child, with him?" Victor continued and she ignored him..

"yes I know" Michael nodded his head now..

"wow, your just unbelievable" Natalie spun and began to pace the room..

"How is this even possible, angels can reproduce, well fallen ones that is?" Victor said as he looked at Michael..

Michael ignored him too.."You have a child to think about, were working hard on fixing the situation at hand with John"

"oh really now and how exactlly do you plan on doing that" Natalie said bitterly..

"can someone please explain this to me" Victor said again..

"shut up Victor" Natalie snapped at him and then looked at Michael.."he has no soul Michael, I saw him tonight" she began..

"You what? no...you must stay away from him" Michael said with concern..

"too late there buddy, maybe you should of told her sooner so that she wouldnt of had to find out from me" Victor said to him..

"Listen to me natalie, he is dangerous ok, even more so than mitch ever was" Michael began..

"I just want to know how you could just give up on him, we could of found a way, we could of fixed this a long time ago" Natalie snapped at him..

"he doesnt want to fix this natalie" Victor finally said as she looked at him.."aint that right angel boy" he looked at Michael now..

"stop going in my head" Michael snapped at Victor..

"why cause you got a bunch of crazy going on in there, you really are a sadistic fuck and here I thought I was the bad one" Victor began..

"You shut your mouth you vile, worthless" Michael began to yell..

Victor looked at Natalie.."if you want to know where John soul is then ask him, he has it" he said as Natalie's eyes got wide..

"what?" she said in shock but before she could confront Michael even more so, he disappeared.."you get back here, right now" she yelled out but it was futile, Michael was gone..

"wow, that guy has issues, seriously" Victor said as Natalie looked at him..

"what do you mean he has johns soul" she said damn near hyperventilating..

"i saw something, before he booted me out of his head" Victor began.."he has johns soul, he has had it since day one"

"how?" Natalie said in shock..

"do I look like I have all the answers" Victor said sarcastically.."Im telling you what I saw, he has johns soul but there was something else, I dont know quite what it was, but it was big, very big"