by Quinn Loftis
Alston had known that eventually the tension between them would come to a head. There was too much at stake and they each knew it. Whoever ended up on top would rule completely, not just their own race, but other supernaturals and humans as well.
“I don’t think it would be wise for us to begin fighting amongst ourselves when we have enemies who are still a threat,” Alston said, keeping his tone reasonable, despite the fact that he really wanted to end the three males in front of him. He’d never liked Ludcarab. The elf king had always been a pompous ass, bloated on power. Sincaro had, for the most part, kept to himself. After all, he had charge over a herd of vampires across the world that kept him busy. Granted, he had men like Cain who helped govern the covens and kept them in check. But now, as Sincaro stood before him like a puffed-up peacock attempting to intimidate Alston, he saw that the vampire king was every bit as power hungry as Ludcarab and himself.
“He’s right,” Cain spoke up. “If we begin to divide our ranks because of our own ambitions, we won’t have a chance against the other supernaturals. Vasile Lupei is no one to be trifled with. He is powerful, and he is able to gain the loyalty of not only Canis lupus but other supernaturals as well. This is not going to be an easy fight.”
“We have their pups,” Ludcarab said.
“And you honestly think we will be able to hold onto them?” Cain smirked.
“Why wouldn’t we?” Sincaro asked.
“They have Perizada, and she’s probably recruited the other high fae.”
Alston shook his head. “Peri abandoned them on the battlefield. I’ll bet she’s in the faerie realm cursing the fact that she ever involved herself with the human realm.”
“As a high fae, you of all people should not be so quick to dismiss her,” Sincaro warned.
Alston could feel his face getting red as his anger rose. His hatred for Perizada had grown like a rumbling volcano, and he was very close to erupting. “I’m not just a high fae. I happen to be the leader of the high fae in case you’ve forgotten. My power is beyond Perizada’s.”
Sincaro shook his head. “You were the leader. You left that life, and now you’re a traitor to them. Isn’t the fae power linked to their realm? And can’t it be linked to other fae if they allow it?”
Alston wasn’t surprised the vampire knew so much about their kind. He was old, and old beings learned things over time. It’s how they stayed alive. How they adapted. “In case you have forgotten, I have fae here in the Order who are loyal to me. If I ever need more power than I already have, they are at my beck and call.”
Sincaro did not look convinced, which bothered Alston. Did he know something about the goings on within their organization that he did not? Was there division not only in the leadership but in the soldiers as well?
Sincaro held up his hand when Cain began to speak again. “I agree with Alston. This is not the right time to be challenging one another.” He looked at the elf king. “We have recognized your leadership and vision for the Order for a long time. Maybe it’s time we sat down with the heads of each of the supernatural leaders who support the Order, and you can lay out the direction you believe our organization needs to go once this battle is over. We need to know that we all are on the same page.”
Ludcarab glanced at the three of them, his eyes staying on Alston the longest, and then finally nodded. “Of course. I would not expect anyone to follow me blindly. Though I do believe that I have proven myself in the past to be worthy of the position I hold.”
“You have,” Sincaro said. “Show us that you still deserve to be in that position.”
“Now that we have that out of the way,” Alston said, “we need to discuss the next step regarding the healer.”
“We still don’t have all of the supernaturals represented,” Sincaro pointed out.
Alston had been trying to figure out how they were going to recruit the supernaturals they’d yet to bring into their cause. He hadn’t come up with a solution he thought might actually work.
“I have taken care of part of that,” Ludcarab said, his voice full of self-indulgence.
“You’ve got a djinn?” Cain asked, eyes wide as he leaned forward with intense interest.
Alston’s brow shot up. This was quite a surprise and a game changer. The djinn had been the race he’d believed would be the most difficult to recruit.
“I do,” said Ludcarab.
“Where is he?” Alston asked, still not believing that it was possible. Of all the supernaturals, with the possible exception of the sprites, the djinn were the ones who stayed out of everything, but then he’d seen them during the battle, so apparently the djinn were more reclusive.
“Not a he,” the elf king answered. “A she, and she will be here soon.”
“Is she coming of her own free will?” Sincaro crossed his arms in front of his chest and gave Ludcarab a skeptical look.
Ludcarab nodded. “She is. I believe she will be very eager to help us.”
“Why?” Alston frowned.
“Because she’s in the human realm for a reason. And it doesn’t appear to be anything that has to do with the djinn that is working with the wolves.
“How do you know?” asked Cain.
“Because she would have been there fighting with him,” Ludcarab said. “Regardless, she’s on her way here. I’ve got some of your people watching her,” he said to Cain. “In the meantime, we need to see just how powerful the healer is.”
“Her mate is with her,” Alston said. “He’s not going to leave her.”
“Then use the child to make him comply,” Ludcarab said, his voice dropping low. “I realize we have to keep her mutt of a mate alive, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make sure he falls into line.”
“I don’t think we should send any wolves to retrieve her,” Alston said. “If he is more dominant, then he will be able to control them.”
“Send some fae then.” Ludcarab gave Alston a look that made the high fae want to burn the elf king to ash. “Since your kind are so powerful, they should have no problem. Right?”
“Of course,” Alston ground out through gritted teeth.
“Excellent.” Ludcarab rubbed his hands together. “Let me know when you’ve got her in the interrogation room. Sincaro, Cain.” He looked at the two vampires. “It’s time to get ourselves a sprite representative. There’s gotta be some in hiding leftover from when we were active centuries ago. We had several sprite members that should still be around, unless they’ve died since then.
“They might not have heard that the Order is operating once again,” Cain pointed out.
“Then it’s time to get the word out,” Ludcarab said.
Alston nodded. On this, he could agree. “It’s time to send out the call to our followers who’ve yet to rejoin us.”
“Exactly.” Ludcarab’s eyes lost focus, as if he were thinking. He snapped his fingers. “Use the pixies.”
“Good idea,” Sincaro said. “They tend to know where supernaturals can be found within the human realm.”
“Because they’re damn nosy,” Cain muttered.
“Looks like we have a plan.” Ludcarab headed for the door. “Let’s get it done so we can move on. And we will plan to have that meeting with the leaders tomorrow night after we’ve managed to deal with the healer.”
Alston watched as the elf king left, and the two vampires followed. There was no sense in worrying about the fact that he had no plan of sharing power with anyone. If he was lucky, they’d be killed in one of the battles to come. There would likely be many because there was no way the alpha of the Romanian wolves was going to step aside and let the Order take over. He would fight until his last breath, and those who followed him would do the same.
He mentally reached out to his fae and commanded them to go and retrieve the healer and bring her to the main building of the compound.
“If her mate resists?” Stratton asked.
“Use whatever power is necessary, but do not kill him or t
he child.”
Alston thought back to the day that he’d taken Sally Miklos’s memories and life away. He wondered if she would wilt under the pressure of what she was about to face. Or would she be able to put aside her fears and fight back? He hoped she’d fight. It was always more satisfying to win after a good struggle. For some reason, he had a feeling she was going to be a challenge. Alston smiled to himself. He relished the thought. “Prepare yourself, young healer,” he said quietly into the empty room. “Things are about to get uncomfortable.”
Ludcarab stared up at the large beast. The draheim was young, but it was still huge. He smiled. He’d managed to get his hands on an old spell that made the draheim obey him. It was quite remarkable what you could get out of people with the right motivation. He wasn’t about to tell anyone. Let them think that he was so powerful he was able to bring the beast to heel using only his will.
“You rang,” a voice said from behind him.
Ludcarab turned to look at the vampire. “Scott,” he said, thinking about the fact that a vampire named Scott seemed so boring. Vampires were supposed to be scary, at least to humans. Would anyone be scared of a Scott? He didn’t think so, but then, as long as the vampire could get his job done, Ludcarab supposed his name didn’t matter. “Have you been keeping an eye on the djinn?”
Scott nodded. “I’ve had two of my guys on her since she left the other djinn’s home. She’s just walking and running places. She’s taken a few cabs. Don’t know how she’s paying for things, but whatever.”
“Is she headed this direction?” Ludcarab asked.
“She’s moving west, but not toward Arizona. It’s almost as if she’s sightseeing,” he said with a huff of laughter. “She’s definitely not spent much time in the human realm, if any.”
“It’s time to bring her in,” Ludcarab told the vampire.
“That’s not going to be easy to do.” Scott held up his hands and took a step back. “I’m just saying. She fights like nothing or no one I’ve ever seen.”
“Take as many people as you think you will need to bring her in. Not just vampires,” Ludcarab added. “Take fae and elves as well.”
Scott nodded. “What’s our time frame?”
“Less than a week.” The elf king turned back to look at the subdued draheim. “I want to be ready to attack Vasile’s people in a week's time. Their morale will be low, and I don’t know where Perizada has run off to, but if we could attack without her in the picture, then all the better.”
He didn’t bother to see if Scott had left. He was too focused on the sleeping beast. After the battle, he’d brought the draheim into the largest of the warehouses. He’d simply commanded him to sleep, and as obedient as a trained dog, the dragon had laid down and went right to sleep.
Ludcarab let out a sigh. It was good to be king. His eyes narrowed as he thought about Alston’s words. The fool thought that he could take Ludcarab’s place? Not a chance in seven hells. Ludcarab had made the Order what it is, and he wasn’t about to step aside for a damn fae on an ego trip. No. That was not going to happen. He would just have to make sure that before the end of everything, before the Order was in control of the supernatural and human worlds, that Alston was removed from the picture. He was pretty sure he could get Cain to fall in line. Despite being king of the vampires, he’d never really acted like he wanted more responsibility. Ludcarab figured he’d only offered up the challenge today to save face. And if he couldn’t get Sincaro on board, then there would be a new vampire king—one who knew what the score was.
Chapter 6
“To lead is to sacrifice. To lead any other way is a path to destruction, not only for the ruler but for those who are under their care.” ~Vasile
* * *
“What are you looking for?” Zara asked as she sat down next to Wadim. They were holed up in a room the pair had converted into a workspace for the historian, and he’d hardly left since they’d arrived at the Keep. Zara had remained quiet, letting him work and bringing him food but otherwise just letting him do whatever it was he was doing. She didn’t want to get in his way or annoy him.
“You could never get in my way or annoy me,” he said through their bond, obviously having heard her thoughts.
“See if you can say the same thing in a decade or two,” she teased. “See if you can say the same thing in a decade or two,” she teased. “And your shirt says otherwise.” She pointed at the t-shirt he’d been wearing for two days. It said, ‘if you can read this, you’re too damn close. If you’re too damn close, I’m annoyed. When I’m annoyed, I start eating those who got too damn close.’ She’d snort laughed when she’d read it the first time and it still made her snort laugh two days later.
Wadim took his eyes off the computer screen he’d been staring at for the better part of fifteen hours and looked at her. She could see the exhaustion in his unusual gold eyes. They were bright in the center, and they darkened toward the outer edge. Zara could get lost in them if she let herself.
“I apologize if I’ve been neglecting you,” he said, his voice filled with concern.
Zara immediately shook her head. “Nah-uh. I’m not that girl. You don’t need to cater to me in order for me to feel secure in our relationship. I’m just curious, but I also don’t want to keep you from doing something important. So if you can’t take time to explain it, not that you won’t, but you seriously can’t, I get it and I’m okay.”
To her surprise, he reached out, took her face in his hands, and pressed his lips to hers. It was a firm but brief kiss, one she was becoming accustomed to because he did it so often. Apparently, Wadim liked kissing her.
“You’re amazing,” he said when he pulled back. He ran a thumb across her cheek and simply stared at her for a few heartbeats before finally dropping his hands. He grabbed the arm of the chair she sat in, pulled her closer to him, and then pointed to the screen. “Right now, I am simply going through any and all records I can. The problem is I only have the history of the wolves. I don’t have the records of all the supernaturals like the djinn do.”
“The djinn have all the history?” Zara’s eyes widened. “As in all, all?”
He nodded. “They are the history keepers of the supernatural races. I know it’s mind blowing because it seems impossible. But how is it possible that I am a man who can turn into a wolf? How is it possible vampires exist?”
“Do they have an archive system the way you do?”
He shook his head. “As far as I know, they have history keepers who have an ability, supernatural obviously, to keep all the information in their minds. I don’t even know if they fully understand how they can possess so much in their minds. Maybe their brain structure is different, and therefore they process and store information in a way the rest of us can’t understand.”
Zara considered his words and thought it was as good an explanation as they were going to get without asking a djinn. “So what are you looking for in the Canis lupus archives?”
He scrolled through the pages of information, which was written in a language she didn’t know. When Zara looked at his face, she saw his eyes moving inhumanly fast across the screen. He was reading at an unbelievable speed.
“I need to figure out why they want Sally so badly, or a healer in general. And do they need other supernaturals just as badly,” he answered. “Is there something that makes it important for them to have the power of certain supernaturals, or all of them, or what?” She heard the frustration in his voice growing as he scanned the pages. “I can’t believe I’m unable to find anything in all the information we have recorded. If we knew why they wanted her, then maybe it would give us an advantage. We could predict how they are going to try and use her. Maybe we can do something to prevent it.”
“Are there historians in other packs?” Zara had no clue how the packs were organized. She was still learning how the Romanian pack worked, so she hoped it wasn’t a stupid question, but she really wanted to help him. She didn’t like seeing him so str
essed, feeling as though the fate of everything depended on him finding the right information.
“I’m an idiot,” Wadim said as he dropped his head down.
“I’m going to have to disagree with that, sir,” Zara said as she poked his side. He was very ticklish, and she loved to exploit it when she could.
“Why didn’t I think of asking the other historians to look through their archives?” He groaned as he pulled out his cell phone. His fingers moved swiftly across the keys.
Zara smiled. She liked that she’d been able to do something useful. Short of feeding him, she had no clue what she could do. Now, maybe she’d done something with the small suggestion that would take a bit of pressure off his shoulders.
“Thank you,” he said as he set the phone down and laid a hand on her leg, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I was so focused on what I needed to do that I didn’t even consider asking others for help.”
“I’m glad I could help,” Zara said.
“You help by simply being here.” His eyes began to glow as he looked at her. His wolf wanted to assert his opinion. “You’re everything, mate.” His voice was rougher than usual, and there was a slight growl. “Just having you nearby helps us focus. When you aren’t close, we are constantly thinking about where you are and if you are safe.”
Zara reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. Along with the tickling, she’d also discovered that Wadim and his wolf loved it when she stroked his hair. “Then I am glad I am here if that’s what you need.”
Wadim leaned into her touch and closed his eyes. He hummed his enjoyment, and Zara grinned. Sometimes, even in his human form, he seemed more animal than man. When his eyes opened, they no longer glowed. “I sent a text to the historians in the Colorado, Missouri, and Italian packs. If we don’t have anything in the next twenty-four hours, I’ll reach out to some of the others. I don’t want to get everyone worked up by reaching out to all of them. Vasile has enough people looking to him to fix this issue. He doesn’t need the other alphas around the world giving their two cents.”