A Vampire's Battle

by Raven Steele

  Angel, who must’ve sensed Mateo’s arrival, appeared next to us.

  “What is happening?” I asked him.

  “The Wild Dogs Pack showed up about an hour ago,” Angel explained, his expression bored. “Everything was good at first, but then Luke’s mother insulted Briar one time too many, and she decked her. From there, it was chaos.”

  “Why aren’t you trying to stop it?” Mateo asked him.

  He snorted. “I’m not getting involved in this. They’ve got to work out their own shit.”

  “Why doesn’t Luke order his pack to stand down?”

  Angel stared at me, his hand going to his neck like a noose.

  “You’re not going to help him?”

  He raised his eyebrow. “Should I?”

  I lowered my gaze, realizing he was right. If Luke was going to be Alpha, he needed to learn to control his own pack. Otherwise, someone would rise up and kill him. I scanned the crowd. “Where’s Lynx?”

  “She’s inside with Roma and the others. She’s doing well.”

  I walked past him to go see Lynx, but the sounds of fighting and the smell of blood in the air was too much for the Kiss to pass up. Excitement overwhelmed me. Grinning, I dived into the fray, swinging at anything that moved. It was a good thing I didn’t have my swords with me or it would be a blood bath.

  “Hey!” a familiar voice called.

  I peeked over several heads. Briar glared at me. “You’re hitting my men!”

  I shrugged and continuing swinging, knocking several unconscious. I didn’t care if they were Silver Claws or Wild Dogs. With every crunch of bone under my closed fist, I grew more and more bloodthirsty.

  Sensing movement coming up behind me, I spun and caught a hand holding a knife midair a second before it reached my shoulder. A woman’s blue eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed. With her long brown hair tied back into a ponytail, it took me a second to recognize her.

  “Trick,” I seethed. “Are you the one who created this mess?”

  She swung her free hand at me, but I caught this also and head-butted her. She stumbled back. Briar appeared next to me to finish her off, clocking her in the jaw. She fell over backwards, arms wide.

  Briar stared down at her, panting hard. “Such a waste.”

  Richard, her right hand man, dropped to his knees by her side He looked up at Briar and me. “What did you do?”

  “Taught the bitch a lesson,” Briar snapped. “Nobody comes into my house and insults me or my pack.”

  “Briar,” a voice said.

  She turned around slowly to face Luke. He had a cut above his left eye. The other one bled regret and sadness.

  “As for you,” she shook her head at him. “I don’t even know what to say, and I always know what to say.”

  “We came to help.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “You call this helping?” Her expression darkened and she turned to me. “I need to talk to you.”

  Luke’s jaw flexed and his nostrils flared, but he didn’t challenger her. Instead, he yelled over the fighting, his voice a roar above the noise. “Anastasia! Matt! Stop this nonsense and round up your groups. Tatiana! You know that’s not allowed. You’ll be punished later, when I have time to deal with your shit.”

  His eyes scanned the crowd, which had slowly grown still at his words. He finally found who he was looking for. “Delilah, come heal my mother.”

  A girl with sweat pooled under her arms and at her chest, stepped forward. She had a cut on her cheekbone but was otherwise okay. She eyed Luke’s mom, who was stirring on the ground. No one else moved though, they all stared at Luke like he’d grown two heads.

  He growled. “Do I need to reassert my authority over this pack?”

  Everyone scattered.

  “Samira!”

  I sighed and swiveled around to face Briar, who was still waiting for me.

  “Are you coming?”

  I moved to follow after, the Kiss excited by the displays of power, but Mateo grabbed my arm. “Are you okay?”

  All around us, shifters began to divide up. The Silver Claws returned to the house to nurse their wounds, while the Wild Dogs gathered around Trick and Delilah. Trick sat up, rubbing at her face.

  “Other than starving for warm blood, I’m fine.”

  He searched my eyes. “You come find me if you need to get out of here.”

  “Or need to screw?”

  He leaned close, his lips brushing mine, sending a shot of electricity through my body. “Anything.”

  Heat spread through my lower abdomen. I might’ve taken him right then and there, but Briar yelled, “Samira!”

  Groaning, I turned around and followed after. As soon as I stepped inside, she jerked me to the side. “What the hell was that out there? You were hit—” She froze and narrowed her eyes. “Oh shit. You did it, didn’t you?”

  The Kiss inside me wanted to walk away and not bother responding. I owed her nothing. But since I’d been with Mateo, the light inside him was strong enough to allow me to ignore the Kiss’s desires.

  “The Kiss and I are one again.”

  “I need a drink.” Briar reached for a half-empty beer bottle on the counter. I doubted it was hers.

  She glanced over my shoulder. I followed her gaze toward Detrand who was sitting on a couch with Adelade talking to Aris and Lynx. “Do you need Detrand to teach you how to control it again? You looked pretty ragey out there.”

  She guzzled the beer.

  “I don’t think I’ll need him this time. Mateo is helping me. We’re having lots of intense sex.”

  Briar spit out the contents in her mouth. I barely had time to get out of the way before I was doused. She stared at me, mouth open, then began to laugh.

  “Does that amuse you?”

  She dragged her fingers down my face. “There it is. Ms. Deadpan is back, but maybe all your sex will help with that.”

  “Something’s going on outside,” Marge said from the dining room. She stood near the window, peeking through the blinds.

  Several of us hurried to the windows. I picked the spot at the back door and scanned the backyard. All the Wild Dogs were lined up, including Trick and Richard. Luke paced in front of the shifters, his hands clasped behind his back, chest out.

  I tilted my head to better hear what he was saying. Luke was scolding each one, authority dripping from his voice. Even with a window between us, I detected his Alpha powers. It made me shiver.

  “He’s bitching them out!” Briar said, hearing the same thing as me. She sighed. “That is so hot.”

  “Shit!” Samantha said. “They’re coming this way.”

  Everyone darted a hundred different ways. I hurried over to Lynx and leaned against the wall all casual like, my heart beating fast. The Kiss loved this excitement.

  Detrand glanced up at me and narrowed his eyes. “Is it done?”

  I nodded.

  “And?”

  The back door flew open and Luke’s large body filled the doorway. He scanned the living room. “Briar?”

  She looked up from her seated spot on a recliner, a book in her hand as if she were reading it. It was upside down. “Yes?”

  “I have someone who wants to speak to you.” He stepped to the side. Trick, his mother, walked past him, her eyes dark and face red.

  Briar jumped to her feet, the book falling to the ground.

  Trick slowly approached her. “I apologize for my earlier behavior. It was rude. You are pack Alpha here, and I must obey your rules.”

  Briar folded her arms. “Damn right.”

  “From now on, we will do what you say … as long as we are in Rouen.”

  “I’m glad you said that, because our toilets haven’t been cleaned—”

  “Briar,” Lynx warned.

  Briar rolled her eyes. “Fine. All is forgiven. Besides, you might be my mother-in-law one day, and it wouldn’t be cool if your daughter-in-law kicked your ass every time she saw you. It’s best we get along.”
>
  “Yes. We should get along,” Trick said, the words sounding forced.

  Briar stretched out her arms. “Hug it out?”

  Trick wrinkled her nose. “Hell no.”

  “I wasn’t talking to you.” Briar’s gaze darted to Luke. He smiled and crossed the room in three steps and swept her up, laughing. He nipped at her neck and kissed her fiercely. The sight of them spread heat throughout my lower stomach. I looked away from them and found Mateo in the doorway. By the look in his hooded eyes, he knew exactly what I was feeling.

  Briar pulled away from Luke. “Let’s celebrate! Marge, break out our finest wine!”

  “Beer it is!” Marge yelled.

  Everyone laughed, and what had once been a contentious fight turned into a raging party. With alcohol in everyone’s system, it didn’t take long for the two packs to make amends.

  Mateo, sensing my needs, gripped my arm, leading me outside. I fed on him, then he took me against the side of the house so hard it made my knees wobble. I still couldn’t believe I’d been afraid to get close to him before for fear the Kiss might harm him. I could never have imagined how Mateo, my soul mate, could’ve tamed it.

  Feeling as if the Kiss had gone to sleep inside me, I returned inside to seek out Lynx. I hadn’t had a chance to speak with her since Zane had injured her. I found her talking quietly with Aris on a couch in the corner of the living room. She looked better, but still had dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn’t slept for weeks. Whatever Zane had done to her, it had affected her greatly.

  When Aris saw me approaching, he left us alone, nodding at me in passing.

  I lowered on sofa next to her. “How are you?”

  She exhaled a slow breath. “Just when I think I’ve gotten stronger, someone comes along and humbles me.”

  “A temporary problem,” I assured her. “I have a feeling you’ll come into your true power soon enough.”

  She scoffed. “I think this is it. My abilities have peaked. Sure, I can keep practicing to hone my skills, but I’ll never be as powerful as Zane.”

  Maybe it was the Kiss of Eternal Night inside me, or maybe I was just tired of keeping a huge secret about one of my best friends, but I leaned in and whispered in her ear, “You haven’t even touched your true powers. I can feel it. They come from your father.”

  She reared back. “My father? But I’ve already learned what I could from the Morgans.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” I smiled. “He wasn’t your father.”

  Her mouth fell open. “What?”

  “I don’t know much, not even who he is, but I have a feeling he was extremely powerful. Speak to your mother.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “I’ve suspected it for a while. Your powers don’t fit your lineage. Your mother confirmed it.”

  Her expression darkened. “I can’t believe she would keep something like that from me.”

  I lifted an eyebrow. We both knew it was exactly the kind of thing Cassandra would do.

  She growled. “I’m going to kill her.”

  The Kiss purred inside of me, liking the sound of that very much. “Wait until you find out your father’s name.”

  Her lips tightened and she nodded. “I need a drink.”

  She stormed away, fists balled tight.

  Aris joined me on the couch, watching Lynx with worry in his eyes. “What did you say to her?”

  “Only the truth.” I left him alone, not wanting to explain. I’d probably said enough already.

  Searching the crowded living room, I didn’t see Briar or Luke. They’d probably snuck off together, too. Angel was speaking to Mateo near Detrand, and Adelade and Loxley were speaking quietly in the corner. It was good Adelade had taken her under her wing. I’d suspected Loxley for a long time of possibly being the Phoenix, but not anymore. Adelade recognized her as one of her own. She’d earned my trust.

  And yet, someone among us could easily be Ivona in disguise or even working with her. As the Phoenix, she always seemed to be one step ahead of us. Korin sure seemed to know we were coming. And having his magic suddenly disappear from his private quarters before we arrived was highly suspicious. It was that one detail that had made us attack Winter’s Cove. We thought we’d have the upper hand. Had someone told him about the spell Lynx and Roma performed in the graveyard?

  My gaze wandered to Roma at the kitchen table. She was in the middle of a drinking game with Marge, Samantha, and a few others. Roma had been helping us since the beginning, helping us more times than we deserved, and Marge was just Marge. I don’t think anyone could pretend to be her. Then there was Samantha. I would never have suspected her before, but she had been acting funny lately. Then again, she had also lost many friends. We all had.

  I groaned, eyeing everyone in the room, vampires and shifters. She could be anyone. As much as we tried to keep some of our actions secrets, it was just too difficult with this many people. We needed to narrow down the crowd with the more sensitive information to try and find the person betraying us.

  Without warning, the front door flew open and two large shifters held an even larger man in their grips.

  “Get the hell off me,” Rocky snapped, shoving at both of them, but they kept a firm grip and led him into the house.

  “Where’s Briar?” one of them asked. “We caught this human sniffing around outside.”

  Rocky snorted. “I don’t sniff. I walk right up and get what I want. Right now, I want to talk to Samira.”

  “Let him go,” I ordered and joined him.

  “What’s going on?” Briar asked, emerging from the hallway where her office was. Luke stood behind her, his hair ruffled.

  “We found an intruder,” the tallest of the security guards said.

  Briar looked Rocky up and down. “What are you doing here?”

  “I have important information I thought Samira,” his eyes darted to me, “and probably you would want to hear.”

  “Let’s go somewhere private,” I said, keeping my voice low.

  Briar motioned her head back into the hallway. “Follow me.” Before she turned, she made eyes with our friends. “Usual peeps want to join us?”

  I walked next to Rocky toward Briar’s office, whispering, “This must be bad for you to show up here.”

  “Tell me about it. I thought those two animals were going to kill me. And you say my crew is blood-thirsty.” He looked at me, really looked, and frowned. “Something’s different about you.”

  “Everything’s different.”

  Briar opened the door and ushered us inside. Mateo stood with me in the corner of the room, while Aris and Lynx took the couch. Luke stood near Briar, behind her desk, while Angel lowered next to Aris.

  I expected to see Detrand, Adelade, and Loxley, but they never came in. Roma, however, did.

  “After what happened at Winter’s Cove,” she said, “I want to make sure you guys make smart and safe decisions.”

  “We don’t even know what this is.” Briar looked at Rocky. “What’s this about?”

  He turned to me, oblivious of everyone else in the room. “Normally I don’t get involved in supernatural business, but you saved my life. And I think you’re badass, a title I don’t give to many.”

  “What’s happened?” I asked, growing bored. As much as I respected him, the Kiss wanted to leave this room as soon as possible and go screw Mateo. Again.

  “Just after dark, a couple of my men happened to overhear a conversation between that asshole Korin, and a vampire with silver eyes.”

  Zane. My nostrils flared. “What did they say?”

  His voice lowered, and he eyed everyone in the room. “They were making plans to attack Blutel Estate.”

  Chapter 33

  No one said anything for several long seconds. I wondered if their hearts were pounding as hard as mine. Blutel Estate hadn’t been attacked in over two hundred years.

  “Why?” I asked. I had to speak to Sersi as soon as possible. Were
they going there for Oz? How did they know he was there?

  “They said they were looking for some kind of special blood. Abey-something.”

  I froze, and Briar sucked in a breath.

  “How did your men come across this intel?” Aris asked. “Zane’s a hard one to sneak up on, especially for a human.”

  Rocky snorted. “Typical supernatural. Underestimating humans. I’m not going to tell you how we uncover your secrets, one of the few defenses we have against you freaks, no offense.”

  “None taken,” Aris said dryly.

  “Look, I came as a courtesy to Samira. She convinced me we’re on the same side, at least in this war. So don’t question me. I don’t know what this Aby-something is, but I know if crazy silver-eyes wants it, then it’s got to be bad.”

  “You were right to come here,” I said.

  “What do you know about Blutel Estate?” Aris asked him.

  “Not much. Some sort of special place for supernaturals. Never had any troubles with them.” He scratched at his beard.

  I glanced at Briar as I asked Rocky, “How long do you think we have?”

  “They didn’t say, but whatever they’re planning, it’s going to happen soon.”

  “How did they know it was there?” Briar asked echoing my thoughts, her voice high.

  Rocky shrugged. “I’m just the messenger. Now that I’ve delivered it, I’m out.”

  Roma spoke up, eyeing him suspiciously. “How do we know this isn’t a trick?”

  “Look lady, do what you want with the information.” He turned, his hand on the door to leave. His gaze shifted to mine, and he winked. “Don’t be a stranger.”

  Mateo frowned, but Rocky quickly left the room, finding his own way out. Mateo leaned into me, making me aware of his warm presence. “You hid the Abydos at Blutel. I wondered where it went to. That was smart.”

  Briar groaned and leaned back in her chair. “Not really. Not if they found out where it was. How did they, anyway?”