The Veiled Monarch

by Shae Bryant

  Brian hugged Erin close, "We'll figure it out, babe. We always do."

  "Louis wants us to meet at The Veiled Monarch offices. Can you bring Faulkner, Raina?" Catherine bent her head down to answer Louis. Of course I would bring him.

  Much to Faulkner's displeasure, Louis had found his private number and given it to me. While he threatened all sorts of things if I called him again, I reminded him that we had a deal. Protection means we need to know where he is. He reluctantly agreed I might be right. If he refused to go to The Veiled Monarch with me, I was liable to drag him there by his sandy blond hair.

  Every street light that passed by my window was another second that we were losing. Isaac was missing along with Chloe, Leo and Vince. Community leaders and those close to them had been taken. This was a repeat of what happened here years ago. Except, I was still here. Did they think Ronan was still in charge?

  I shot a text to Ronan, "How are you?"

  If he didn't answer, I'd know. If he did answer, I didn't need to alarm him. Moments later, I got the text. "Settling in."

  Ronan had moved to Central Florida after Kevin died. The Iron Oath must have known I had taken over temporarily. Ronan was out of harm's way. So, why didn't they grab me? Because, I wasn't where I should have been. I was not at my home or Vince's.

  A horrible feeling of guilt swept over me. I could have been in the same situation as Isaac, Chloe, Leo and Vince. We had to find them as quickly as possible. Vince was right, I couldn't bear to watch this happen again. Nor could anyone else in South Florida.

  Louis waited for us in The Veiled Monarch offices, doing a quick check to make certain none of us had a bug or a wire on us. After the discovery of Catherine's radio bug months ago, he was extra cautious. Once he was satisfied that no one was able to listen in, he ushered us to a closed conference room. When the door closed, Faulkner started laughing.

  "What is so funny?" Erin whirled around to face him.

  "That is it!" Brian balled up his fists, taking a few steps towards Faulkner with his arm ready to throw a punch.

  "Wait! No!" Catherine moved in between them, "Please. We can't fight right now."

  Faulkner tried to stifle his laughter with his hand. It was a futile attempt. He leaned his head back and howled, "I am sorry, but this is all too funny. I can't believe Stuart is getting this desperate. He took community leaders? What an idiot."

  He was right. The Iron Oath was trying to draw Faulkner out. By taking the community leaders, they would have a bargaining chip. Trade Faulkner for them. But, they wouldn't stop if we handed Faulkner over to them.

  If we agreed to their trade, they'd take us all with him. Every one of us would disappear. Our bodies would be found months later dumped somewhere along with a few piles of ash. In this case, Faulkner still had the upper hand. He knew where they operated in Florida. Which meant we had the upper hand too.

  If he could give us the information, we could start to check the activity in various places. Our best bet was a group of warehouses near St. Cloud. The Iron Oath had been operating out of them for a while. They wouldn't have ample time to move an operation that large.

  Louis sat at the conference table, drawing out maps on his tablet. He had a great picture of the warehouses, and where the closest roads were. Our escape routes were going to be easy. The hard part would be getting in and out fast enough. The moment we go in, we'll be seen on camera. Then, they'd come for us.

  However, we still had the advantage. First, the absence of Faulkner would infuriate the Iron Oath. They would expect us to bring him and offer a trade. Second, if we found them, so could the authorities. We could easily call for help and blow their operation wide open. All of this hinged on the hope that they were still operating out of these warehouses.

  Louis opted to remain at The Veiled Monarch with Faulkner. The rest of us had a plan to follow. I would drive while Brian and Erin took their bikes. Once we arrive, Catherine and Brian would go together. Erin and I would follow. The Iron Oath liked to grab families. Having Brian and Erin separate would be safer for them.

  We left that afternoon. I drove like a madwoman, following Brian and Erin along the stretch of highway towards Central Florida. Catherine was hidden in my back seat under a makeshift tent.

  Our exit found us on a narrow road in a sleepy neighborhood. The houses gave way to farms whose fields stretched along the road. The fence lines ended, and we turned into a quiet industrial zone that was separate from the rest of the small town.

  The warehouses on the left were our target. From the outside, they looked like any other warehouse — a group of five or six were slapped together surrounding a loading area that was big enough for trucks to move through. The first warehouse had been converted into a small office with a single window looking over the parking lot.

  I parked the Jeep at the end of the road while Brian and Erin moved a little further in. Security cameras on each building glowed with a red light that warned us we had already been spotted. We had minutes to get in and out. The sun was setting, and a full moon would be out tonight.

  Catherine moved between the buildings, listening for signs of life inside. She pointed two out to us. They were directly across from each other in the loading zone.

  "We need to move quickly!" Erin was already moving towards one of the buildings, "Brian and I have to find a Sanctuary soon."

  Catherine used her strength to break the locks on both doors. Then, we split up.

  The first metal door slid open with a crash. Catherine and Brian were greeted by what looked more like a hospital than a warehouse. Beds lined the back of the building, surrounded by monitors and IV poles. Three desks grouped together in the front with multiple screens and towers shared between them. Towering cabinets held a variety of medical supplies including some odd vials that no one recognized.

  Two of the beds were occupied. Chloe sat upright in one, swaying back and forth with a funny grin spread across her face. Her pupils were a pin point, and her eyes were glazed over. She turned her head, giving Catherine a wave and a quiet giggle.

  "Chloe!" Brian reached the bed in two long strides, "Come on kid! What's happened to you?"

  "I'm shifting Dad." She giggled, waving her hand in front of her, "Shifting. Look. So fast too. Isn't it pretty?"

  Brian pulled Chloe close to his chest, looking around the room until he found a camera. He screamed towards it, "You sons of bitches!"

  A man was lying on the other bed. He raised his hands towards Brian and Catherine, croaking out a noise from his dry throat. Both of his eyes were swollen shut, and his nose was broken in more than one place. His lips were swollen, and dried blood smeared across his face.

  Catherine clutched the outstretched hand, "Isaac! Oh God! Isaac!"

  "Oh no..." Brian whispered.

  Brian blinked towards the opened door. The sun had gone down, and night was settling over the area. They had to move fast. He put his hands under Chloe's arms, trying to pick her up off of the bed. Her legs buckled underneath her, and she fell to the floor like a giggling rag doll.

  "Shifting." she grinned, "Leo's right here, Dad. It's cool."

  Brian wrapped his arms around Chloe, resting his cheek on the top of her head, "I think she's OK. Just drugged."

  "Isaac is not OK." Catherine tried to pick him up, but she stopped abruptly when Isaac groaned in pain, "We need to get him to a hospital!"

  "It's too late, Cat." He took a deep breath, "The sun's set. I can feel it starting."

  Catherine groaned, "Oh no. Not now."

  Erin and I were greeted by a similar hospital-like room across the loading area. We stood still for a few moments, staring in shock at the scene in front of us. I regained my senses when I saw Leo sitting up in a bed against the far wall. He glared towards the door with his arms crossed over his chest. Heavy leather restraints held him tight to the bed, and an IV was attached to his hand.

  "Leo!" I yelled.

  Erin reached him first. Her fingers shook while she
tried to let Leo out of the restraints. "Where is Chloe? What did they do to you? Are you OK!?"

  "I'm fine!" He gritted his teeth, "Get me out of this stupid bed!"

  "Watch that IV." I cautioned them. Leo was waving his arms around once Erin set him free, which caused the IV to tug and pull at his skin.

  After inspecting the bag, I realized it was nothing more than normal saline with d5w. That is an IV reserved for restoring fluids and blood sugar levels. Why would Leo have something like this?

  "I don't need any help!" he waved his hands towards a shadowed area of the room, "Vince does!"

  I didn't recognize the Vampire sitting in the chair. The shadows partially covered the gaunt and sunken face that looked at Erin and I. Leather restraints held down a pair of withered hands with long, claw-like fingernails. Then, I met the gaze of the familiar smoky black eyes. He was Vince.

  He spoke to us in a raspy and quiet voice, "Raina. Erin. Good to see you both."

  Erin went to help Vince, while I grabbed a pair of gloves from the cabinet. I wasn't sure how to take out an IV needle, but I was about to try. While I held Leo's hand, I looked between the two of them.

  "What happened to you both?"

  "They drained Vince of all the blood they could until he was starving. Then they forced him to..."

  "Feed from Leo." Vince interrupted him, "I've broken my solemn promise. I would rather starve to death than do this to him."

  Leo watched me work on the needle embedded in his hand. "They only gave him enough to stay lucid. He's too weak to...ow!"

  "Sorry." I winced.

  Leo jumped out of the bed, kicking the IV pole onto the floor. He rushed over to help Erin get Vince out of the chair. Erin ran away from them with some urgency in her steps. She wrapped her arms around her body, gritting her teeth when she doubled over.

  "Ugh! The sun set! I can feel it starting!"

  "Oh shit." Leo groaned.

  In the other building, Catherine was struggling to come up with a plan. Brian knelt on the floor, holding Chloe close while he tried to keep their bodies calm. The moon was starting to rise. Brian could not hold the shift off for much longer.

  His thick forearms began to shrink, and his hands started to curl under. Hair sprouted on the back of his neck, and around his ears. Chloe's eyes flashed a bright gold, and her body was starting to cover itself in a silvery fur.

  "What do I do?!" Catherine was desperate to get Isaac's limp body off of the bed.

  Brian opened his eyes, flashing a pair of yellow orbs at Catherine. He growled at her, "Run. Run fast. These doors aren't secure."

  "Isaac isn't shifting!"

  "He's too weak to shift. Take him, Cat!"

  Catherine used her strength to pick Isaac up and toss him over her shoulder. The two of them disappeared into the night.

  With Catherine and Isaac out of harm's way, it was safe for Brian and Chloe to let go. He laid Chloe on the floor, and threw the door open wide, letting the moonlight stream inside of the building. They both crawled towards the brightest beam of light, basking in it while their forms changed from Human to two large wolves.

  Once the shift had completed, both of the wolves jumped on each other with happy growls of recognition. Chloe rubbed her head against her Dad's cheek in a silent thanks for saving her. Brian pawed and sniffed at Chloe, making sure she was well again. The drugs in her Human body had been pushed out of her system with the strength of her shifted form. Chloe was alert, awake and ready to run with her pack. The two of them bolted into the woods nearby, stopping to bray at the moon.

  The howls pierced through the electronic hums in the building. Leo and I both lifted our heads to stare at the open door. Erin curled into a ball on the floor, taking slow and deep breaths, trying to control herself just a little longer.

  "I know those howls!" Her voice was low and feral, "It's Brian and Chloe! I have to join them. I can't hold it much longer!"

  Leo frantically pointed to the other side of the room, "Uhh...door! Door! That's a closet!"

  A closet with a padlock hanging off of the metal door wouldn't hold a shifted Werewolf for long, but it was worth a try.

  "Do it!" Erin roared.

  "Leo, help me push her in!" I grabbed Erin by the shoulders. "Sorry Erin!"

  Both of us pushed her backwards until she fell into the closet. The doors banged shut, and the padlock was placed on the handles. A low growl came from inside of the closet. Claws scraped along the concrete floor. There was a loud clang when a huge paw slammed against the metal, making two large dents on the outside.

  Leo walked between the cabinet and Vince, trying to find something that might help him. "It won't hold long!"

  I had to think of a way to save Vince and Leo both. Vince was far too weak to fight a shifted Werewolf. Erin will claw her way out of that closet soon, and she will be ready for a hunt. If I were Vince, would I save Leo or him? Vince would choose Leo's life over his.

  The metal doors of the closet started to bow under the assault of the caged wolf. I grabbed Leo's arm, pulling him towards the door. "We need to run!"

  "No!" Leo pulled away from me. "We can't leave Vince!"

  "Leo, I don't know what to do. I can't carry him! He can't stand right now!" I put my head in my hands, looking back and forth between Vince and the open door.

  Leo dropped on his knees next to Vince, offering his arm. "Vince you have to. Come on! You need strength."

  Vince batted Leo's arm away with a weak swat. "I will not do it again. I promised. You must run!"

  Wait a moment. Vince was starving. If he had the means to gain his strength back, he could get Leo and I both out of there without a problem. He wouldn't take it from Leo, but he might take it from someone else.

  "Take it from me." I knelt down next to Vince, taking off my jacket.

  "You?" Vince gulped. He was staring at that small point where a Vampire can see a strong pulse running through the neck.

  "Yes. Do it and hurry! We don't have time!"

  When Vince leaned over me, I squeezed my eyes shut. I had said multiple times I would never be a donor. When will I learn to stop saying I'll 'never' do something? He cupped my face in his hand, pushing it to one side; I took a deep breath in preparation.

  A sharp and stabbing pain traveled through my neck, coursing over my shoulders and into my chest. The pair of fangs that dug into my skin were shooting straight into my heart. I sucked in a quick breath, pushing my palms into the chair to make certain I wouldn't pull away from Vince.

  Leo stood there with a look of awe and disgust, "This is my first time seeing my Dad do this, and I am so uncomfortable right now."

  "Oh, shut up Leo!" I was about to utter a few choice words, but that pain hit me in the chest again, "That really hurts!"

  Vince blinked at me with his mouth full. "Sorry!"

  Frequent donors have told me that it's very common to faint the first few times you give blood. I always wondered if they were telling the truth. They are. The room spun around me, and my vision grew fuzzy.

  "This is the...dumbest thing I've..." I closed my eyes, trying to stay alert. "I'm so..."

  Everything went black for me. I found out later that Vince regained his strength seconds after I passed out. He leaned back against the chair, sighing with satisfaction while I was sprawled over his lap.

  "I truly appreciate this, Raina." He carefully picked me up in one arm, grabbing Leo with the other.

  "Can you carry both of us?" Leo looked at the closet door. Erin's claws were cutting through the metal now. She would be free any second.

  "Of course."

  The three of us disappeared from the warehouses in a blur. Less than a minute after we left, Erin broke through the door, and dashed towards the woods. Her howls joined along with the distant cries of the other two Werewolves.

  Vince carried both Leo and I near the farms that bordered the small town. He laid me down on the grass, and sat next to me. He folded his hands over one knee, and watched the road
with anticipation. A few moments later, Catherine appeared next to us, still holding Isaac.

  "You learned to follow trails. Good." Vince smiled at her.

  Leo stared at the man Catherine was holding, "Who is that!?"

  "It's Isaac." She pointed towards the road, "Vince, he needs a hospital! I have to take him."

  Catherine glanced at me, but she could hear my heart beating. It was strong and steady. Whatever happened to me was far less of a concern than Isaac was.

  "We'll all go." Vince said, "The further we get from three Werewolves, the better."

  Catherine took off with Isaac, but Leo hesitated. "Vince? Won't it be better for Raina and I to go in separately?"

  "Why?" He looked at Leo.

  "Isn't it illegal to do what you did?"

  Vince chuckled, "No. She consented. She'll wake up soon enough. Come along, Leo. We need to see to Isaac."

  Catherine found the hospital before Vince did. The doors of the Emergency Room blasted open in a gust of wind. A woman stood in the doorway with someone slung over her shoulder. She screamed for the shocked staff to help her while she grabbed a stretcher near the door and placed Isaac on it.

  Nurses and techs jumped into a flurry of activity, running the stretcher through the double doors. Catherine casually walked to the waiting room, and plopped down next to a surprised elderly woman. She gave the woman a weary smile, and propped her elbows on the chair to wait.

  By the time we arrived, Police had been dispatched to the hospital, and they were questioning Catherine. Leo would later tell me that the response to our arrival was one of the most amusing things he had ever seen. Police, Nurses and waiting patients all turned to watch Vince carry me inside. He smiled at them, offering a greeting to the nearest person, and laid me down in a chair. Then, he calmly told a Nurse I could use some help. According to Leo, the Nurse almost fainted too.

  My eyes opened to a bright halogen light above me, and a kind looking woman in scrubs. My head began to throb right away. Once the Nurses confirmed I was awake and alert, they bid me to stay still while the Doctor came in to see me. After that, I'd need to speak with the Police.