Vampire's Crucible

by Yvette Bostic

  “You’re ruthless, little mage,” Braden said, his features softening.

  “I wasn’t always this way,” I mumbled. “I’d like to go back to hiding in my apartment and being alone.”

  “I don’t believe you.” The vampire straightened in his seat and pulled the car back onto the road.

  We spent the remainder of the short trip in silence, my mind analyzing the information I had. Braden had tons of reasons to hate Jack. The fact that he hid it so well scared me. I remembered him in my first interview with the vampire council. He was so laid back and nonchalant about everything in the room. I never would’ve guessed he harbored these feelings.

  I was also surprised he shared it with me. My ability to suck the blood from vampires wasn’t a secret. Or was it? Sergey’s vampires witnessed my ability, not Ernesto’s. Had the Russian really disappeared with his army? Could I find a way to ask Braden without revealing my own knowledge of his survival? Or should I just tell Braden? Sergey could be another ally. I didn’t know the answer, and our arrival at a large iron gate took my opportunity to ask.

  The gate slid open as we approached, then slid closed after we passed through. The pre-dawn twilight silhouetted a sprawling estate. Several brick homes made a half circle around a two-story mansion that had Braden written all over it. Its long lines, square windows, and tall spires on the corners fit their owner perfectly.

  “It’s Elizabethan architecture,” Braden said. “It was my least favorite era, but they built the most beautiful homes.”

  “That surprises me about you,” I commented. “You didn’t strike me as a neat freak.”

  He wrinkled his nose and parked in front of the sweeping steps leading to a dark wood-paneled door.

  “Remember what I said. No confrontations.”

  “Got it, but it’s hard to look like the mage queen when I’m being an obedient little follower.”

  “You lost queen status when you put on those leggings.”

  I laughed, and he smiled. I didn’t wait for him to open the door as I slid out, grabbing my phone from the charger on the way. I fell in step beside him and tried not to look like a tourist as the door opened into a grand foyer. It was the only appropriate word for it. The room made the castle’s foyer look like a cheap hotel.

  Dark parquet wood floors stretched the length of the room. Sand-colored walls provided a muted backdrop for dozens of colorful paintings. All landscapes. Not a single piece of furniture obscured the beauty.

  “Master Braden, this is a first,” a deep voice echoed across the empty space. A tall, muscular man emerged from an open door at the far end of the room. “You’ve never brought us dinner.”

  Two other men followed him. As he got closer, I noticed his fangs protruding from his lips and his deep red eyes ran the length of my body. I tried to contain my fear but was pretty sure I failed.

  “Not dinner, then,” he continued. “Has our illustrious leader finally found a pet?”

  Braden growled, drawing my attention. A deep furrow ran between his red eyes. “In the library, now,” he ordered.

  I stayed by his side as we entered the first door on the left. Library was too modest a description. Like everything else ‘Braden,’ it was beautiful. Dark gray stones covered the floor. Strategically placed seating arrangements filled the corners of the large room, with a white fluffy carpet beneath each of them. Most importantly, every wall was covered with books.

  A hand on my lower back brought me out of tourist mode. A dark-skinned man with long braids pushed me towards the settee where Braden dropped his elegant butt. Was I jealous of his wealth? Yep, and maybe just a little bitter. I felt like a clown in a room full of royalty. The men around me wore tailored shirts and pants with leather shoes. Everything about them said, ‘Look at me. I have tons of money.’ While I wore yoga pants, no panties, and a man’s dress shirt with the ugliest pink flip flops on the planet. I sat down next to Braden and scowled.

  “What’s happened since yesterday?” Braden asked after the other three men joined us.

  “King William has threatened to withdraw from our trade agreements,” the man with dreadlocks said. “Your CEO has managed to convince him it would be a financial disaster if he did, but I’m not sure William is listening.”

  “Thank you, Gordon. Bryce?”

  The man sitting next to Gordon nodded, the thick, dark curls on his head bouncing with the movement. He glanced at me, then Braden. “Sergey wants to speak with you today. I tried to put him off until tonight, but he insists his information cannot wait.” Bryce looked at me again.

  “Yes, this is the Magister,” Braden said. “You can speak in front of her. I’m sure she already knows everything about Sergey’s position.”

  My eyebrows rose. Apparently they did know the Russian survived.

  Bryce cleared his throat and nodded again. “He’s concerned about King William’s stance. He has reason to believe that William and Thomas were working together.”

  That little tidbit should’ve surprised me, but it didn’t. It would explain why William left early with his son and why he’d changed his clothes. Did Kellen know the king was part of the attack? I had to assume not, or he would’ve told me.

  “Paxton?” Braden turned to the large man sitting in a chair between me and Gordon.

  “Jack won’t be happy about Thomas’ death,” the big man said.

  “You haven’t already told him?” Braden asked.

  “No, I was waiting for you to return so I could make a proper report.”

  “Stop toying with me, child,” the elder hissed. “Make your demands.” Paxton glanced at me much like Bryce had, and Braden chuckled. “I told you, she already knows, and her knowledge didn’t come from me. She is adept at getting people to talk to her.”

  Paxton straightened his shoulders and stood. “I want the Mediterranean.”

  “Of course you do.” Braden waved his hand in the air. “The ports control most of our trade. What will you do when I refuse?”

  The big man pushed out his chest. “I’ll tell Jack all of your plans.”

  The elder vampire leaned back and stretched his arm across the back of the settee behind me. “Why wouldn’t I just kill you?”

  “Because you need me to coordinate the shipping channels,” he replied. “No one else has the connections to make it happen as efficiently as I do.”

  I stifled my snort of disbelief with a sneeze. His reason sounded stupid even to me, and I didn’t know anything about trade or shipping. Anyone should be able to learn how to do it.

  “I see we are in agreement,” Braden said, his fingers rubbing my neck. Tingles ran down my spine, and I knew I blushed. “Tell me, Alisandra. What do you find so funny?”

  I looked at him and raised my eyebrows. He nodded.

  “Well, I’m not an expert in trade, but coordinating shipments shouldn’t be that difficult,” I replied. “Anyone with decent training and a modicum of intelligence should be able to pick it up pretty quickly. People come and go in that field pretty regularly, don’t they?”

  “Our trade partners are not typical,” Paxton hissed.

  “But you have a product they want,” I countered. “I suspect they’ll deal with whoever they have to in order to get it. Your boss isn’t stupid. He’d likely handle the partners himself until a suitable replacement for you is found. No one is irreplaceable.”

  The big man growled, his fingers elongating into claws. “You bring her here to insult us?” he asked, the seams of his shirt straining against his widening shoulders.

  “No, I’m testing her fortitude and intelligence,” Braden replied. “And so far, she’s done very well pointing out the obvious despite knowing very little about our business.”

  Paxton’s frame continued to grow, and his expensive shirt ripped across his chest. Gordon and Bryce tensed but didn’t move from their spot on the sofa across from me.

  “I will not be insulted by you or this stupid little girl!” the vampire bellowed, his w
ords slurred by the protrusion of his long fangs.

  He lunged at me, and I rolled into Braden’s lap, flinging my arms out. Paxton hit a wall of air and fell back. I reached for the blood pulsing in his veins and pulled, yanking my hands down to Braden’s knees. Streams of deep red oozed from his body, and the vampire howled in pain.

  I thought about Göksu’s instructions for creating a weapon with the blood. I needed Kellen to solidify it, but my vampire friends didn’t know that. Braden would have his demonstration. I wove my fingers together, twisting the streams of blood into a slender spear as Paxton collapsed on the floor. Gasps from all three men made me smile. I held my new weapon above Paxton’s shriveled body, slowly turning it in a circle to point at the elder vampire. Braden chuckled. Yep, a nervous twitch.

  “He’s still alive, barely,” I said. “I can’t put the blood back into his body, but you might be able to feed it to him.”

  “And you call me a monster,” Braden whispered.

  “It’s all in the eye of the beholder,” I said, scooting back into my side of the settee. “The first vampire who tried to bite me created this monster. Where do you want his blood?”

  “Gordon, empty a vase for our mage. I don’t want to ruin the carpet.”

  A few minutes later, I funneled the gory mess into a beautiful waist-high vase, trying to avoid the mummy on the floor. Soft moans drifted from Paxton. I hated doing that.

  “You should end his suffering,” I said, trying not to make it a command.

  “You care if he suffers?” Bryce asked.

  “I’m human,” I snapped. “Of course I care. It’s an unnecessary cruelty to leave him.”

  Gordon frowned. “Then why did you do it?”

  “Because I asked her to,” Braden replied before I could speak. “I didn’t believe the rumors coming from Sergey’s men.” He pointed at the dying man. “Kill him.”

  Gordon pulled a long knife from a pocket at his knee. I hadn’t even noticed it until he reached for the blade. I looked away but couldn’t block out the sound of his blade slicing through the hardened flesh.

  “What is our next move?” Bryce asked.

  “We need to get the Magister home,” Braden replied. “Then I need to report to Jack.”

  “I can’t go home,” I said, drawing the attention of all three men. “William cannot convince the other mage families that I killed his son. If he does, he ensures we’re divided.” I tried not to play with the buttons on my shirt under their intense gazes. “If he is in league with Jack, he’ll try to convince the others to join him.”

  “Where would you go?” Braden asked. “By yourself, no less.”

  “To the nearest mage family who might be influenced by William. I need to reach them as soon as possible,” I replied. “I won’t be alone. Kellen has agreed to meet me as soon as I tell him where I’ll be.”

  “I’ve monitored your phone, little mage,” he continued, a smile spreading across his face. “When did you make all these arrangements?”

  “Shall we make another deal?” I asked in return.

  “No, my dear, we will not.” He laughed and turned to his men. “She is almost as devious as I.”

  “So, where to?” Bryce asked, not smiling.

  “Egypt would be best, if Kellen is meeting you there,” Braden replied to his vampire but didn’t look away from me. “You can stay with his family.”

  “I’ll have the plane ready tonight,” Bryce said, standing. “Is there anything else you need from me before I retire?”

  “Yes. Tell Sergey he’s welcome to come to the estate anytime, but we’re not meeting until six this evening.” Braden pointed at the shriveled body on the floor. “Take that with you, when you go.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Bryce was gone before I could blink and so was Paxton.

  Gordon stood as well, but Braden wasn’t done with him. “I need you to go with her,” he said, remaining in his relaxed pose.

  Gordon’s nostril’s flared. He obviously wasn’t happy about it. Neither was I. Having an unknown vampire hanging around wasn’t my idea of fun.

  “It’s not necessary,” I said. “I don’t need a protector.” Which was a lie that Braden surely recognized.

  “He will stay with you until Kellen arrives.”

  “Like Kellen’s family will allow a vampire among them,” I argued. “I’ll be fine.”

  “No, you won’t,” Gordon interrupted. “A woman should not be unescorted there. We’ll stay at the safe house in Alexandria until your partner shows up.”

  “Thank you,” Braden said, pushing himself from the settee as if the matter were settled and I had no say. “The library is yours to peruse, Alisandra, until this evening. Gordon will stay with you to ensure no one disturbs your studies.”

  My new babysitter flared his nostrils again, but Braden ignored him. The door slammed shut, leaving me with a hostile vampire who had no desire to stay up all day. I sighed.

  “You can sleep on one of the sofas if you like. I’ll put a chair in front of the door so we have warning if someone’s coming,” I suggested. “I don’t need a keeper, but I understand the rank structure.”

  “Braden will kill me if I sleep.” He eyed the spot where Paxton died. “Or give me to you.”

  “We’re already stuck together,” I said. “I’m not stupid enough to wander around the estate. Besides, I love to read, and there’s more than enough here to keep me busy.”

  He eyed me warily, then picked up the nearest chair, bracing the edge under the door. I wandered around the shelves, looking for books about the fae. He’d either lay down and sleep or not. I couldn’t make him. Well, maybe I could, but I wouldn’t.

  It took me half an hour to find what I wanted. A smile spread across my face when I stumbled into an entire section about supernatural beings. “Perfect.” I pulled six books off the shelf and looked around. Only one of the seating arrangements had a table. I crossed the room and dropped my treasures.

  “What are you looking for?” Gordon asked, startling me.

  “Don’t do that,” I hissed. “I know nothing about the supernatural families. Since I have all day, I figured it was the perfect time to educate myself.” I smiled and headed back to the bookshelf. “I don’t suppose you know where the stuff about ogres is, do you?” I called over my shoulder. “I also want the shifters, and oooohhhh!” I stopped at the shelf just before the fae. “Elves? Really?” My babysitter laughed and I turned on him. “What?”

  “You are not at all what I expected,” he said.

  I waved my hand at him. “Whatever. I get that a lot. Reach up to the top shelf and get me those five,” I said, trying not to make it a command. It might not work on Braden, but it definitely worked on Fiona.

  “These?” he asked, reaching the top shelf easily.

  “Yep. Thank you much.” I added them to my pile. Who didn’t want to read about elves?

  “Anymore top shelf items before I relax?”

  I ran back to the fae section. They were all on the bottom shelves, but several books about merfolk were on the top.

  “Those ones,” I pointed up at them and he took them down without comment. “Thank you for your help. I’ll try not to bug you.”

  I took the books from him and went back to my new pile of reading material. I didn’t want to open the fae books first, so I picked one about the elves and got comfortable.

  “How did you do that?” Gordon asked, still standing next to the book shelf.

  “Do what?” I asked, thinking back over our last few minutes. What had I done?

  “Mages don’t move that quick,” he replied.

  “Yes, well, that’s a long, complicated story,” I replied. “I’m usually better at hiding it.”

  “I see.”

  He leaned against the bookshelf, his dark brown eyes staring at me. I stared back. He wasn’t lean like Logan, but he wasn’t wide and muscular like Kellen either. His braided hair fell below his shoulders, but he pulled it back with a wide
band. It looked good on him.

  “Does Braden know of your little talent?”

  “Is there anything he doesn’t know?” I countered.

  Gordon smiled. “I suppose not.”

  “Get some rest and I’ll get educated,” I suggested.

  He pushed off the bookshelf and settled into a sofa in the nearest grouping. I went back to my book about elves. It didn’t take long for me to get sucked into the elves’ lore. An hour passed quickly, and I looked up to find Gordon’s legs hanging over one end of the sofa and his head resting against the other. His eyes were closed, but I wasn’t assuming he was sleeping. I swapped out books, picking up the first one about the fae. The vampire didn’t stir with my movement. Maybe he was sleeping.

  I dug through the titles looking for something that didn’t have pictures of little fairies. Even in my ignorance, I was pretty sure my dad wasn’t a little pixie with wings. Two of my selections looked promising, so I flipped through the first one. It had pictures every few pages, making me stop to read the descriptions. Trees with faces, deer with human torsos, little bugs with shimmering wings, dark shadows with long claws and sharp fangs. I got lost in the book.

  Regardless of the fairy’s form, its magic was similar. They could communicate telepathically and had a natural affinity to nature. They were all immortal, sort of. They could be killed, but without a fatal wound, they would live forever. They were also closely connected to the elements. The trait that worried me the most was one I didn’t want to accept. They could change their appearance at will into whoever or whatever they wanted. My dad could be in my life right now, and I wouldn’t know it.

  I sighed. None of that explained why I would be so dangerous, though. I already talked to my elementals in my head. I couldn’t imagine anyone being closer to them than I was. Immortality was cool, but not dangerous. Being able to change my appearance would also be cool and good if I were into espionage, but still not very dangerous. It didn’t add up. I was missing something.

  Which brought about other questions. Why didn’t my elementals tell me? They had to know about the fae, if they were also connected to the elements. Did they know I was part fae, or did Braden lie about it? I didn’t think he had, but I knew nothing about a blood oath. Maybe I should look for a book about that, too.