By Blood Sworn

by Jones, Janice

  Michael was glad to hear Alex was safe and on the way home. He settled down in his bed and tried to rest. His phone buzzed just as he was about to drop off. He glanced at the name and FaceTime image as it blazed on his screen.

  “Fallon,” he yawned. “You have to worst timing ever.”

  “Sorry, Michael,” she giggled from the screen. “I have a report from the medical examiner.”

  He sat up. “Well?”

  Fallon rolled her eyes as she began. “The compound is a combination of silver and something cryogenic in nature. He can’t identify that yet. He says it’s some next level scifi stuff,” she laughed. “His exact words. The other chemicals haven’t been seen in modern medicine in centuries.”

  “It took him almost a week to come up with ‘centuries old chemicals’ as an explanation? I could have done that. Besides, all chemicals are centuries old.” Michael picked up the glass of blood on the night stand and emptied it. “And why would silver have any effect on a shifter? They’re not allergic to it.”

  “I said that,” she replied. “He says it’s not the silver by itself that’s lethal. It’s the combination of the cryogenic stuff that’s the kicker. Until he can identify all the chemicals, he can’t come up with an antidote.”

  “Great,” Michael hissed. “Thank you for the update. I need you in New York by tonight.”

  “Sure. Why?”

  “Alex and the team will arrive in a few hours. She’s lost two team members so far. Maybe we can help with the hunt for Tristan Ambrose.”

  Fallon frowned then replaced it with a wicked smile. Her green eyes danced and she looked like she wanted to do a jig. “Ambrose? Seriously? I thought they had him locked away for good. I mean, I’ve heard the story and all, but I didn’t think he would ever get out.”

  “Well, he did and she’s going after him,” Michael replied. “I think we can convince her to let you join the team, temporarily.”

  “Cool,” Fallon smiled.

  “Our jet will pick you up in three hours,” Michael continued. “I’ll send you the location of the private airfield. Don’t be late.”

  “Aye aye, Captain,” she barked and gave him a sloppy salute with the wrong hand.

  He shook his head and disconnected. After he made arrangements for a jet and sent her the address, he tried to sleep again. It was no good. Too many questions rambled around in his head. He sat up and listened to see if anyone else was up yet. Conner had insisted he stay at the penthouse last night. They were all going to DC in a few hours to meet with the Secretary and watch Alex and the team debrief.

  There was movement in the kitchen. He climbed from the rumpled bed, slipped on a t-shirt and socks, then made his way downstairs. Drew sat at the high bar with the New York Post in one hand and a spoon of Cap’n Crunch in the other. His mouth covered the spoon as Michael walked in.

  “You’re up early,” Drew mumbled as he stared at the newspaper.

  “So are you,” Michael replied. “How come?”

  “Just got back from a run,” Drew answered and dropped the paper. “What’s your excuse?”

  Michael noticed a slight hint of fresh cold air and sweat around the kitchen and his school hoodie draped over the other stool at the bar. Shoes were stacked one on the other at the small table behind him. A bright orange watch cap and his phone had been tossed absently on top of that same table.

  He stood on the other side and stared at his little brother. His brown hair was kind of spikey from sweat and snow, his cheeks still bright red from the cold air of New York.

  “Going to DC in a few hours,” Michael answered. “Fallon woke me with a report.”

  Drew was well aware of what his brothers did aside from working at their father’s company. He’d begged Michael to take him on a recon mission once, but Conner nixed that.

  “He’s too young,” Conner said as Michael and Drew stood in his office that day. Drew was fifteen. “What if something goes wrong—as it so often does when you go on recon?”

  “I can take care of myself,” Drew’s voice broke and both Michael and Conner smiled.

  “Con, I’ll look out for the little bastard. It’ll be fine.”

  “Not this time,” Conner shook his head.

  Drew didn’t speak to anyone for weeks after that.

  “She’s sooo hot,” Drew’s voice stopped the memory. “You sleeping with her yet?”

  “Jeez, Drew,” Michael frowned at him. “A gentleman never kisses and tells.”

  “That’s a no then,” he grinned and took another spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

  “I’m not her type, little brother,” Michael smirked.

  Drew looked confused then the lightbulb popped on. “Damn,” he sighed. “That’s too bad. Guess I’ll have to settle for the fantasy then.”

  Michael laughed. “Please keep that to yourself.”

  “Whatever. So what’s the assignment this time? Unicorn uprising?”

  “Shut up,” Michael chuckled.

  When the coffee pot clicked on, they both laughed. Its digital clock read 7:00 a.m. In a few minutes, the kitchen would be filled with the aroma of fresh coffee. Conner would be down shortly.

  True to his routine, he entered the kitchen in a robe and messy hair.

  “Good morning, Con,” they sang in unison.

  “Good morning, my sons,” he laughed as he poured hot coffee into a black mug then poured a vial of blood in it for taste. “Why is everyone up so early?”

  “He went for a run in a blizzard,” Michael offered as Conner handed him the first mug then took down another.

  “He couldn’t sleep ‘cause the hottie woke him,” Drew replied.

  “Hottie,” Conner mused.

  “Fallon,” Michael sighed, then shot Drew the finger when Conner turned his back.

  “Oh. What did she want?”

  Conner sat down next to Drew at the bar. Before he took his first sip, he leaned over and kissed his forehead.

  “The medical examiner in Texas found a compound he can’t identify in the shifter. The base is something cryogenic in nature and silver, but the others are too rare for him to recognize right now. I should have the full list by the time we reach DC.”

  “We know what to look for,” Conner replied. “Send the list to lab once you get it.”

  “Have you heard anything else about Alex?”

  Michael noticed that Drew had tuned them out until he mentioned Alex.

  “She’s fine, Michael,” Conner said. “But Cooper did get away.”

  “If he went back to Tristan, we’ll find him.”

  “What about Alex?” Drew said. “Alex Stone, right?”

  “Yes,” Conner said with a wink at Michael. “His current crush, I believe.”

  “She’s a vampire,” Drew gushed.

  “No,” they both answered.

  “Then she really is screwing that Jason dude? Ugh!”

  “She’s not,” Michael frowned, but Conner stopped him before he gave away any other information. “Eat your cereal.”

  “Will she be in DC?”

  “Drew, don’t you have plans with your friends today? I thought you were going to a concert tonight,” Conner interrupted.

  “Yeah, but that’s tonight. And if I get to meet Alex Stone then I’m not going. I’m going to DC with you guys,” he smiled at them.

  “You’re not going to DC,” Michael grinned. “It’s Council stuff, little brother.”

  “So?” Drew frowned at his brother. “I’ve been to Council stuff before.”

  “Not this kind,” Michael frowned back. “This is not a fundraiser or a social function.”

  “Dad,” Drew said as he rolled his eyes at Michael. “Can I?”

  Conner was quiet for a few minutes. They watched him go back to the coffee pot and refresh his mug.
When he was seated again, they looked like they were on pins and needles. Michael thought his hesitation was Conner trying to figure out a way to let his youngest son down easy. It wasn’t.

  “Yes,” he finally said. “I think you should go with us.”

  “Really?” they both squealed.

  “Yes, really. It can’t hurt. Go get ready,” Conner said to Drew.

  He jumped from the stool and ran out of the kitchen and upstairs. When they heard the door slam, Michael looked at Conner with surprise.

  “Con, are you rethinking your position? I mean, about not turning him when he turns eighteen?”

  “Not at all, but he needs to be sure being turned is what he wants, more than anything else. If he wants in, he needs to see what that means.”

  “I guess, but starting him with this assignment,” Michael shook his head. “This really is high profile stuff.”

  “Yes, it is,” Conner agreed, “but right now there’s nothing going on that he can’t be privy to. He just wants to see what we do outside of the company. What could it hurt to show him the boring stuff?”

  Michael just shrugged and left Conner to his morning routine. Upstairs, as he passed Drew’s room, music blared and the shower was running. If he focused, he could hear Drew singing in shower.

  He rushed to answer his mobile as it chimed on the nightstand. He glanced at the call screen; it was Alex.

  “Hey, long time no hear from,” he tried to say nonchalantly. He wasn’t supposed to know where or what she was doing. She sounded cheery.

  “Yeah, just getting back into US airspace,” she replied. “Did I wake you?”

  “No,” he sighed. “Early bird, you know?”

  She laughed and it made him feel good. The way Conner spoke last night, he expected her to sound weak and worn out from the ordeal. Instead, she had a light tone to her voice.

  “Yeah, well, I would expect nothing less from an heir apparent,” she giggled. “Don’t wanna miss any important goings-on in the world, now would you?”

  Michael dropped his head, and the pit of his stomach dropped too.

  “I can explain,” he said.

  “What’s to explain?” Alex replied, still with that lightness to her voice. “You played me at the manor. Let me make a complete fool of myself, as a matter of fact. Did you and ‘Daddy’ have a nice laugh at my expense?”

  “That’s not what happened,” Michael replied. “I didn’t even know you would be there that night. And I didn’t have a laugh at your expense with anyone.”

  She was silent, and he couldn’t really tell if she was still there until she exhaled.

  “You could have been straight with me,” she finally said. “That’s all I’m saying.”

  “You’re right and I’m sorry,” he answered.

  It was silent again, an awkward silence he didn’t want to have between them. They were going to have to get past this fast. It would make it harder to work with her if she didn’t trust him.

  “Alex?”

  “Yes.”

  “I didn’t intend to deceive you, I swear,” he said softly. “I just wanted you to relax. I wanted you to trust me.”

  “But you did deceive me and I don’t trust you. Why didn’t you just tell me the truth that night at the batting cages? Why didn’t you tell me the truth when I called you afterward? I don’t like being used, Michael.”

  Michael couldn’t answer without sounding like a complete tool. Orders were orders, right? This was an assignment now despite the way he felt about keeping her in the dark. He figured she would just go with it and this would be over. “I’m not using you. We’re trying to help you.”

  “When did I ask for your help? I took this job because I wanted to find out who killed my friends and I did!”

  “You still need us,” he snapped at her. “You’re not going to get to Tristan without us. And even if you do, you can’t kill him! He belongs to us, and we decide how he dies, not you!”

  He swallowed hard and stifled the urge to punch something.

  Alex began to laugh again. “It’s you who’s not going to get Tristan without me! I bet you don’t have the first clue as to where he is, do you?” He was silent. “I thought so. Neither of us will find him until he wants to be found. And when he surfaces, you can bet your ass I’ll be the one to take him out! Don’t get in my way.”

  “Or what?” Michael hissed. “Big bad Alex Stone is going to take on one of the oldest vampires in existence by herself and win? Don’t be a fool, Alex!”

  “I did it before,” she replied.

  “And we know how that turned out,” Michael chuckled. “He broke you so bad that you spent three months in a mental ward! He’s had five years to decide what he’s going to do when he faces you again. You’ve been selling underwear and sleeping with athletes in your spare time! You’re not ready for him, Alex—trust me. You need our help, our resources.”

  It was her time to be silent. Michael reeled in his temper during the lull.

  “I have my own,” she said, “of both. And you’re right—I failed back then, but that was then. Things change. I’ve changed, and I was trying to convince myself I hadn’t. I know what I’m doing. I know who I’m dealing with. I’ll be ready for him, and you, if it comes to that.”

  Michael took a deep cleansing breath. He steadied the pounding in his chest and closed his eyes. “We are not your enemies, Alex. You’re not the only one with a reason to see Tristan captured and brought to justice for his crimes. Be smart about this!”

  “Matt and Ben are dead,” she hissed. “I’m bringing three bodies home with me! Three people who are gone! One of them by my hand!”

  “Three,” he sighed.

  “Kai died an hour ago.”

  “I’m sorry . . .”

  “Don’t tell me you’re sorry,” she snipped. “Don’t tell me to be patient and trust you and to be smart. Tell me you will do everything you can to help me find him. Tell me when we do, he dies!”

  Michael frowned. “I can’t do that. I can only tell you we will help you find him and he will answer for his crimes. That’s all I know for sure.”

  “Fine.”

  “Alex,” Michael took another deep breath. “Tristan is a threat to all of us. You’re not in this alone. Please believe me when I say we are with you. But, make no mistake, my father wants him brought in alive. Get good with that. I know what my father does to his enemies. I’ve helped him do it.”

  The line went dead and Michael tossed the phone back on the nightstand instead of crushing it in his fist.

  Chapter 29

  As they stood on the tarmac—Alex, Xavier, Sebastian, and David—the northern air of Washington DC cut through Alex like a knife. Even with everything the uniforms and fabric did to keep them comfortable under almost any weather condition, the coldness inside was not quelled by the technology.

  Three coffins, carried by military personnel, were placed on a tram for transport to the next aircraft they would board. The Boeing C-17A Globemaster would escort them from Nellis to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland in five hours. It would be late afternoon by the time they landed in DC for debriefing. It would be well past dinner before they finished at this rate.

  As they walked behind the procession to the transport, Alex led what remained of her team. People watched at attention as the coffins rolled toward the open cargo bay wrapped in white parachute-like material—even Erin’s. No one would ever know she was a traitor. No one would ever know she didn’t deserve this attention.

  Erin’s parents refused to let 51 keep the body. They had that right. They did agree to blood and tissues samples being examined—not that the real results would be released to them, but they didn’t know that. David brought Alex a blood sample after he took Erin’s head anyway. Alex would have someone she could trust examine it when they got back to Texas.


  They watched from the top of the ramp as the coffins were secured. Each taking a jump seat, they strapped in as the engines whined to life. David closed his eyes immediately. Xavier put on headphones and Sebastian sipped on a bottle of blood as he stared at Alex. He gave her a weak grin and she returned it. The ramp rose slowly then locked into place for take-off.

  Once they were in the air, Alex took out her tablet and checked her email. Tons of updates on the summer launch filled the virtual box. Some junk mail too. As she separated the trash from work, she came upon a message from Jason. The timestamp showed he’d sent it early that morning. Her finger hovered over the touchpad. The cursor sat on the message. All she had to do was click it and read. Part of her wanted to. Part of her had already put him behind her. She clicked anyway.

  Thank you for all of your hard work. As per our agreement, you and your team have received final payment for your services. Kai’s share was transferred to his brother. Amy’s to the Warrens to be distributed to Amy’s last known relatives, if they can find them. Erin’s was donated to the charity you indicated. Nikki sends her thanks again and Adam as well.

  Yours,

  Jason

  P.S. Be careful.

  She slid the device back in her pack.

  “How are you?” Jason asked as he closed his laptop. Nikki walked over clad in a robe with a towel wrapped around her head. She had just finished a long, hot bath. He could smell expensive bath soap.

  “Better,” she sighed as she eased down on the bed next to him. “Much, much better.”

  “Good,” he said with a pat to her leg. “You look better, but the doctor said you should rest more.”

  She unwrapped her head and let her hair fall loose. It was still wet but shiny again. As she dried the long strands with the towel, Jason looked on in relief. She did look much better. Everything about her seemed renewed. Maybe it was the blood.

  “What do you remember about being held?” Jason asked.

  She shrugged and shook her head. “Just those idiots, Jesse Cooper and Creed, and the girl. I mean, they didn’t really ask anything. It was strange.”

  “How so?”