by SF Benson
Murmured voices echoed around the room.
The strongest came from Cassandra—a flaxen-haired witch from the Trojan empire fond of low-cut blouses, ridiculously tight jeans, and sky-high heels—spoke first. “I don’t understand. Why would Morgan kill Clint?”
Crossing my arms, I tilted my head and stared at Kragen. How would he explain that?
A few minutes passed before he answered. “She blamed Clint for assaulting her son.”
More gasps went around the room as my jaw dropped.
Sadly, when I glanced over at Ace, a hardened expression had etched into his face. His nostrils flared, and his hands fisted. I’d never seen him so angry. Well, at least not at me.
“Ace, none of that happened. Kragen’s lying.”
My mate… My husband didn’t respond. He just glared at me as if he’d rip me from limb to limb.
Cassandra, a flirtatious female who had her eye on me, stared in my direction. “If the girl is responsible, then why not throw her in Gehenna Penitentiary?”
The girl?
Until recently, the witch—not carrying that I was married—had been trying to get me into bed. I snarled at her. Gee. Thanks for the show of support, wench.
The answer came from the viper who slithered into the room. Bishop clasped his hands behind his back and smiled. “Trust me, Council wanted Morgan behind bars.” His lips spread farther as he looked in my direction. “But Julien and Deianira didn’t want their precious daughter sent away. They recommended deactivating her instead.”
Liar!
Ace gave me a tight stare.
I clenched my jaw to keep my chin from trembling. Allowing Bishop to see my hurt wouldn’t happen. No one in that room, other than Ace, would know about my mental anguish. Thankfully, my son wasn’t attending the meeting. Colby would never forgive me if he thought I killed Clint. What would happen if someone from the BGS mentioned what happened between Colby and Clint? I would be royally fucked.
Then reality hit me. All the lies fulfilled Bishop’s goal. If the BGS thought my parents were showing favoritism, the agents and the Elders would turn against my family. Tavi Mercier, his mother, had wanted the society dissolved. The hateful woman, forever jealous of the Vladislavs, wanted to annul my family’s status too. Bishop’s blatant falsehood would go a long way in ensuring that.
Cassandra pursed her lips. She scoffed and said snidely, “The Vladislav privilege strikes again. They never pay for their crimes.”
Bishop nodded. “I’m afraid you’re right.” He turned to the fat flunky at his side. “Council has a solution, I presume?”
What a pompous ass! Of course Council had a solution. Otherwise, the woman, a lesser demon, wouldn’t be there.
The female said in a nasal tone as she flipped through a tablet, “We have worked out an arrangement that should appease to everyone.”
Not the Vladislavs.
“An investigation into the BlackGuard Society shall begin immediately. Council will determine whether the organization is guilty of improper conduct.” She smirked.
That cow!
Despite the botched hair dye and the too-tight clothing, I recognized her smirk. She was a hack witch serving Melisande Mercier. Her name didn’t matter, but her willingness to do anything to screw over my mother did. Mother didn’t like the female or her sketchy spells. When the mediocre witch wanted to join the coven, Deianira refused her on merit. The troublemaker swore she’d get even. Payback really can be a bitch.
“Until our inquiry is complete,” she continued, “Mr. Mercier will take over running the BlackGuard. If any of you wish to step down, please feel free to do so.”
Glancing up at Ace, I attempted to read his flat expression. Heat wafted off his body. I could only assume he was furious with me, Bishop, and the whole damn situation. Rather than speak his voice, the Alpha stood as stiff as one of the statues in Jackson Square.
Rodrigo stated, “Leadership of the BGS is an Elders’ problem.”
Bishop’s pet witch countered, “Usually, but given the disparities among the Elders—”
Etienne jumped to his feet. “What damn disparities?”
The outburst didn’t faze the Council member. “Mr. Mercier has brought certain instances to our attention.” She grinned as her gaze darted between Etienne and Rodrigo. “Aiding and abetting Morgan’s recklessness for one.”
Fuck! Council held them accountable for helping me when my latent vampirism took hold.
“In light of his information, I’m afraid your role will change too,” the witch said.
“In what way?” Angéle asked.
The female held up her fat chin and exposed her neck. Someone should do us all a favor and tear her throat out. “Council is always in need of a good historian. I understand you’ve been around for a long, long time.”
“Fuck that!” Etienne, still standing, shook his fist in the air. “Use the goddamned library if you want history.”
She looked up from her screen, her finger poised over the device. “Shall I assume you’ll no longer be actively engaged as an Elder, Mr. Bettancourt?”
“Damn straight. Come on, Rodrigo.” The vampires blurred from the room.
Bishop straightened his lapels and asked, “Anyone else?”
Seconds later, Angéle departed as well as a handful of agents. Then Edwina stalked over to Bishop. He looked down his nose at the witch slash vampire.
“What do you have to say, Mrs. Richards?”
No one addressed Edwina like that. She preferred maintaining the image of a single woman lacking a family. The falsehood supposedly kept her husband and child safe.
“My name’s Edwina. Try not to forget that. Ya can count me out of the BlackGuard. Permanently. I didn’t want to come back in the first damn place.”
Bishop sneered. “Good to know.” He cocked an eyebrow. “I would think you had other pressing matters to attend to, anyway. Isn’t Melisande in charge of your leash?”
Edwina lifted her hand, and her fingers curled. “Trust me, when I’m done helping ya cousin, I’m coming for ya ass.”
He shook his head. “Although I look forward to playing with you, this isn’t the time or the place.”
The hybrid gave him the finger. “I don’t play games. Try to remember that too.” She glanced at me. “We’ll talk later.”
Minutes later, the room cleared. Not even Ace said a word to me before leaving. I started after him when Bishop cleared his throat.
“Morgan, we’re not finished.”
Facing him, I said, “Are you satisfied? You got what you want.”
“Not everything. When your family is groveling… When no one gives a flying fuck about the Vladislav name, then I’ll be satisfied.” He closed the distance between us and ran a cold finger across my cheek. “And when you renounce your sham of a marriage and take your place in my bed, hopefully you’ll be satisfied as well.”
Bile threatened to shoot out my mouth and land on his shiny Italian loafers.
“I don’t have time for this,” said Kragen, clenching and unclenching his jaw. “When do I see Clint?”
“He’ll be waiting for you overseas,” Bishop informed.
“Overseas?” The angular vamp blinked twice and scratched his head. “Are ya banishing me from my home?”
The sorcerer looked around the room. “Yes. I need a place to stay, and I don’t care to share a space with Melisande. You have forty-eight hours to pack up your shit. Make arrangements to get rid of these antiquated furnishings too. Be sure to take that dreadful manservant too. Anything left behind will be torched.” On that note, Bishop headed for the exit.
Kragen slumped in his seat. “This is ya damned fault, Morgan.”
“My fault?”
“Ya recklessness caused this. Harming Alexander was forbidden.”
I dropped on the chair facing Kragen. “Have you forgotten that he ripped out Tabitha’s heart?”
“So what! She was one individual. Ya action affects more th
an one person. Bishop running the BlackGuard will ruin the organization.”
I remained quiet.
“May the Celestials take pity on the humans in this town and send help from up above.”
Agreed.
The BlackGuard Society: Blood Fury
is scheduled for release Summer of 2021.
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Thank You For Reading!
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed The BlackGuard Society: Bloodshed. This novel started out as a short story for an anthology. Back then, it was entitled The Sweetest Bite and only mentioned the BlackGuard Society. When the story wasn’t accepted, I decided to use the narrative as part of this series. I hope you enjoyed the character of Tabitha as much as I did in crafting her.
Authors love feedback, and I’m no exception. Let me know how you like the series. I even want to know what you’d like to read more of. You can send me a direct message at [email protected] and visit me on the web at www.authorsfbenson.com.
Finally, I need to ask a favor. If you’re so inclined, I’d love it if you’d post a review of Bloodshed. Loved it, hated it—I just want to hear your feedback. Reviews are tough to come by these days. Readers can make or break a book. If you have the time, please consider writing one.
Thank you, once again, for reading Bloodshed!
* * *
Gratefully yours,
SF Benson
Acknowledgments
As always, I give a shout-out to those who continue to support me on this crazy journey. First mention belongs to my husband for believing in me. My daughter deserves recognition for listening to the various passages as I wrote them.
A special thanks to Stacey Rourke, the Blurb Doctor. You hit the description out of the park on the first try!
I definitely can’t forget my editor, Tia Silverthorne Bach—she makes sure the words flow and make sense. Thanks for suggesting the addition of the prologue pieces.
And of course, a special thank you goes to my cover designer, Deranged Doctor Design, for another gorgeous cover.
Of course, I thank Mom and Dad. Without you, where would I be?
Other Books By SF Benson
Urban Fantasy
The Spell Caster Diaries
Inception
Dark Intent
Dark Bonds (coming Fall 2021)
* * *
The BlackGuard Society
Blood Vendetta
Blood Fury (coming Summer 2021)
* * *
Paranormal Romance
Hearts Duology
Cursed Hearts
Blessed Hearts
Hallowed Holiday: A Christmas Hearts Novella
* * *
Another Falls Creek Romance series
Worth the Fight
Finding Me
Letting Go
Something More
Broken Faith
Unexpected Love
* * *
The Keepers of Knowledge
The Crimson Cure
* * *
Paranormal Academy, Young Adult Series
Lorelei’s School of Deviltry, Semester One
* * *
SF Benson is the author of the paranormal suspense series, The Spell Caster Diaries. Although she knows everything about Falls Creek, New York, and the supernaturals living there, she resides with her husband and daughter in a suburb north of Atlanta. When she’s not writing about strong heroes and heroines conquering the odds, she spends her time either reading romance and fantasy novels or binge-watching her favorite DC Universe shows or Marvel movies.
About the Author
SF Benson is the author of the paranormal suspense series, The Spell Caster Diaries. Although she knows everything about Falls Creek, New York, and the supernaturals living there, she resides with her husband and daughter in a suburb north of Atlanta. When she’s not writing about strong heroes and heroines conquering the odds, she spends her time either reading romance and fantasy novels or binge-watching her favorite DC Universe shows or Marvel movies.
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