Say You'll Be Mine

by Megs Pritchard

  “And we know others were involved. Other families.”

  “Yes, there was.” Jacques knew for certain others were involved but he couldn’t say anything and risk the lives of the other blood slaves still out there.

  “So, that means blood slaves numbers have increased over the years. But, why? I don’t understand? And the council must know something about it. How could they not, with the number of families and slaves involved? Unless...” Sacha stared at him, his lips parting in surprise.

  Jacques finished for him. “Unless they themselves are involved.” He ran his fingers over the scars again, feeling the damaged skin under the tips. A reminder that would never go away.

  Sacha reached across the table and squeezed Jacques’ hand. “What do you know, Jacques? Please tell me something. Anything. You can’t keep protecting them.”

  “I didn’t see much. I only heard voices. I wasn’t allowed to look anyone in the face. I had to keep my eyes on the floor at all times, no matter what was happening.”

  “But you recognized some of the voices you heard.” Jacques nodded. “But didn’t see faces so if you said anything they could deny it and move or kill the slaves. Destroy any and all proof.” Sacha shook his head. “This is a mess. How are we supposed to help them? As soon as we show anyone what we know, they could kill innocent humans. Hide all evidence and wait until it all died down and then pick up where they had left off. What’s the ultimate goal here? Shit, Jacques.”

  “Yeah, you get it.” Jacques paused, then added, “It’s bigger than you realize.”

  Sacha stared at him for a few seconds, then blew out a breath. “Right then. Tell me what you suspect, and we’ll go from there. Jared and the guys can work some surveillance stuff out.” Sacha waved a hand in the air. “Don’t ask me what, because I don’t know.”

  “What about Alessio? Won’t he want to be involved?”

  “I’ll tell Father. He can go and see what he can find out without letting them know we’re on to them. I wonder if it’s one member, a few, or all of them?”

  “Does it matter?” Jacques didn’t think it did. If one was involved, then they must all know. There was no way a member could keep that hidden. The amount of organization involved to keep, transport or kill slaves and hide the evidence… More than one member was involved. Jacques was certain of it.

  “I think it does. Some members have been on the council for years, others not so long, but your experience with them is different to mine.”

  Jacques furrowed his brow. “When a member retired, wouldn’t his knowledge and council possessions be passed on? So, wouldn’t the newer members know?”

  “No, I don’t think so.” Sacha shook his head in disbelief. “The entire council corrupt? I just can’t imagine it and if they were, what does that say about us as a species? I know there are vampires who have moved on and followed both sets of laws, vampire and human, but to have an entire council complicit in the keeping and enslaving of humans as blood slaves? They would have to choose their new members carefully.”

  “Can you imagine what would happen if the humans found out? What they would do to us?”

  Sacha stared in shock, the color draining from his face. “They’d hunt us down or lock us up. Make us live in designated areas. Say some shit like it would be for our safety. Marshal law would be brought in just for us. We’d die out, Jacques. With no mates, our species would die out in a few generations.”

  Jacques body shook at the implication of what Sacha said sunk in. “I’m scared, Sacha. The implications if this got out...”

  Sacha stood quickly, the chair rocking on its legs. “Yes. I need to speak to Father.”

  “Go. I’ll keep reading these.”

  Sacha pushed the pen and pad towards Jacques. “Write down what you know. No names, nothing that will give the identity away, but numbers, slaves, any locations you overheard. We’re still going through all the information we found at Graham’s.” Sacha gently touched Jacques scar. “Don’t forget your number too, Jacques.”

  He trailed his fingers over the scars again. “I’ll try.”

  Squeezing his hand, Sacha said, “That’s all I ask. I’m going to call Father now. Don’t be surprised if he visits later.” Sacha stepped away from the table and then spun back around. “My Father knows your family. He was upset when he heard what happened to you.”

  Jacques sucked in a sharp breath. “Does he want me to leave?” Please say no.

  “What? No, of course not, but we’re Italian and Greek so you might get a hug from him. He might make you a member of the family too.”

  “Oh, okay.” Jacques exhaled heavily. He might be able to handle that.

  “Right, let me make this call and I’ll let you know what he says.”

  Jacques stared at the paperwork on the table in front of him. Blood slaves, the council, infertility, and mates. How were they linked? Were they even linked? More importantly, if the council was hiding this, what else could they be hiding from them?

  ❊❊❊

  Spencer read the data in front of him, frowning as his eyes skimmed the page.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, everything is going to plan.”

  “Good. He’ll be pleased to hear this. We need to keep to our schedule. Everything must be in place by the time we are ready to make our move. Nothing can go wrong. We will only have one chance at this. If they find out what we’re up to, then all will be lost.”

  “Pathetic humans can’t see what’s right in front of them.” The vampire sneered. “They’re only good to feed and fuck.”

  Spencer grunted. “I hear you. They’re a disease on this planet and we need to eradicate them. The sooner, the better.”

  “We’re not far off now. Soon, all this will be ours, the way it was always meant to be.”

  “I can’t wait, Spencer. Rivers of blood will flow beneath our feet as we stand in glory.”

  “I hope not. That would be such a waste. We’ll drain them first. No point keeping them alive, is there? Why waste money on them when all we need is their blood, and the occasional hole to fuck.”

  “So, we keep some of the pretty ones as toys.”

  “Enough to keep us going. Kill the rest, but keep some for breeding purposes. We wouldn’t want to run out, would we?”

  “Not at all.”

  Spencer waved the papers in his hand. “I’ll pass this information on. He’ll be pleased with this.”

  Smiling, Spencer left the room. Yes, everything was going to plan. Not long now and the world would be theirs for the taking.

  Chapter Six

  The sun shone brightly and Miguel adjusted his shades. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and shrugged the bag off his shoulders. Dropping it to the ground, he unzipped it and pulled his water bottle free. Taking a long drink, he lowered it and surveyed the area.

  They were surrounded by grassland with the occasional tree dotted around. Hot and humid, the sweat ran down his back. There was barely a cloud in the sky. Nothing to stop the relentless heat. He couldn’t wait to be somewhere cool with AC.

  Chester stopped next to him, also having a drink. Next to him stood Jensen Lamb, hands on hips staring out in front of them.

  “I think we should look at that cave network we found yesterday,” Jensen said. “It hasn’t been thoroughly searched from all accounts. The last thing we want to do is not search it and later find out that’s where they were.”

  Miguel gulped and busied himself by putting his bottle away. He would never tell anyone, but him and caves didn’t get on. He was terrified of small, dark places and caves fit in with that description.

  Ever since he was a boy and had fallen through the floor of an abandoned house, he’d been scared. It had taken hours before someone had found him. Hours alone and trapped in the dark. His fear had never left him, but he had become great at covering it up. If he could avoid going into the caves, all the better, but if they were to locate the missing children, he’d need to suck
it up and get on with it.

  “Chester, what does Ale think?”

  Ale was in command relaying information to them as he received it. He’d know how far the search had come in this direction and whether the caves had been searched thoroughly or not.

  Chester pulled his cell free and quickly called for an update. Within a minute, Ale responded, and Miguel’s stomach dropped. They needed to search the caves.

  Shrugging his bag back onto his shoulders, Miguel followed Jensen towards the caves. He could hear Chester talking on the radio to Donnie, then Jared, and he knew at some point their teams would head this way.

  The cave network was large and extensive and would take all of them to search. Nine of them were out in the field, including the three other new members, and from what Miguel overheard, they would all meet at the caves once they had ensured their search areas had been completed.

  Caves. Just great. Fucking caves.

  Sucking in a lungful of air, Miguel continued on towards the caves, dread filling him with every step that took him closer to his own personal hell.

  “No news from the other teams, Chester?” Miguel asked, trying to distract himself from what lay ahead.

  “No, nothing. The area around their last known location has been searched repeatedly in case something was missed. Five kids on their own out here,” Chester shook his head. “We have to find them soon. Three days missing. Most if not all their supplies will be gone. The bigger question is why no one has called in? They all have cell phones.”

  “Reception issues? What’s the coverage like in this area?”

  “Patchy, the further away from town,” Jensen answered. “I checked before we left and made sure to pack the sat phone.”

  “How far out are we?”

  Jensen stopped to check the map and said, “From the caves, five clicks.”

  Miguel grunted. “Great.”

  “Not a fan of caves myself,” Chester told him as he walked past.

  “Yeah, me either. So, don’t worry, Miguel.” Jensen grinned at him, showing off perfect white teeth. “I’ll hold your hand.”

  “Fuck off.”

  Jensen laughed, his pale green eyes sparkling. He swiped a hand through his spiky red hair, then shook it off, grimacing. “Shit, it’s hot.”

  “Lucky you don’t have the pale skin to go with that red hair.”

  “Irish and Italian background.”

  Sighing, Chester interrupted. “Right you two. The others are going to meet us there and then we will split up and search the caves. There are several entrances that need to be searched.”

  “Just great,” Miguel muttered. “I can’t wait.”

  “Yeah, I’m not overjoyed either,” Chester agreed.

  “At least you can talk to Silas while we search.”

  Chester grinned. “There is that.”

  “I hope I have a mate. The connection sounds amazing.” Jensen sighed. “My last relationship didn’t end too well.”

  “Yeah?” Miguel didn’t know Jensen and wanted to find out about his colleague. “He or she?”

  “She. We’d been together for five years. Guess she had enough of me always being away.”

  “Shit, I’m sorry to hear that.”

  Jensen shrugged, sighing as he did. “Time to move on. How are things with your mate? Jacques, isn’t it?”

  “Slow. Really slow, but he’s talking to me and after everything he’s been through, it’s a step in the right direction.”

  “But he still speaks to you?” Jensen frowned. “He’s giving it a chance, right? I mean, I only know what you’ve said, other than that I know fuck all. I grew up in an area with no vampires. Rescue Inc is the first real chance I’ve had to know any.”

  “None in your unit?” Chester asked, stepping close to them.

  “No, which isn’t that strange, given the numbers.”

  “Yeah, I suppose so. I never thought about it.”

  “You were the only one in your unit?”

  “No, there was another one and Ale was there too. That’s where we met.”

  “And now he’s your son-in-law,” Jensen said. “Does it feel strange?”

  Chester shrugged. “Not for me. I’m a vampire and so I know how important a mate is. I can’t say the same for Silas. Even after all these months, he’s still not one hundred percent happy.”

  “Troy’s happy though,” Miguel asked. “I saw him at yours recently. They both look happy.”

  “They are, and I think that pisses Silas off too. Don’t get me wrong, he’s happy for Troy. After all that shit, he’s found his mate and is settled, college is going well too. But, Ale is older than him and even though Silas likes him, he wanted Troy to live a little, go out and see the world before he mated.”

  “He can still do all those things. Having a mate doesn’t take those choices away.”

  “We know that--”, Chester pointed between them all, “--but it’s Silas who is being stubborn about it. Troy’s his only son. He knows he’s being stupid, but he can’t seem to move past it.” Chester shrugged. “Give it a decade or so.”

  “Makes me glad not to have any kids,” Jensen commented.

  “I love Troy. He’s my son but I have a different perspective on the situation. Ale loves Troy and would do anything to keep him happy, but he fucked up and hurt Troy and Silas hasn’t totally forgiven him for it.”

  Miguel nodded. He’d been new to the team, still getting to know everyone and almost losing Chester during his first rescue mission with them. He’d witnessed Silas’ struggle with having a vampire for a mate, but he knew they were close and loved each other deeply.

  Then to have Troy mate within months of everything settling down and to a much older man in Ale. A man who had seen death and destruction. But when he thought about them together and put aside the age difference, he could see how good they were together. They fit.

  Troy made Ale live more, and Ale calmed Troy and was the support he needed. Yeah, they fit. He said as much to Chester and Jensen.

  “They do,” Chester agreed. “Ale has helped Troy tremendously and Troy makes Ale live life more rather than just go along with it. I can honestly say I’ve seen Ale laugh more since he’s mated Troy than I can ever remember.”

  Miguel’s cell beeped in his pocket and he pulled it out. He paused when he saw Jacques’ name on the screen. He’d never initiated contact between them. Miguel was the one who called or texted.

  Opening the message, he smiled when he read it.

  Hi.

  Hi, Jacques. How are you?

  Good, thanks. I was wondering how it’s going. You’re looking for some missing children, aren’t you?

  Miguel’s smile turned into a grin. Jacques was showing an interest in him and what he was doing. It was a start, a move in the right direction.

  No luck so far. We’re all heading towards a cave system. It’s the last place in this area to check.

  Caves? I love caves.

  Yeah? I hate them. Terrified of them.

  Will you be okay?

  I’ll manage. Have to suck it up and get on with it. I never know where I’ll end up, so I have to be prepared for anything.

  Boy scout?

  I was actually. What are you doing?

  Helping Sacha.

  How’s it going?

  Slow, but good. Found some interesting stuff. I have to go.

  Okay. Thanks for getting in touch.

  When he didn’t get a reply, Miguel put his cell away and quickly got up with the other two, having fallen behind when texting with Jacques.

  “Your mate?” Chester asked when he reached them.

  Miguel grinned again. “Yeah. It’s the first time he’s texted me.”

  “That’s great.” Chester smiled. “Small steps, Miguel, but you’ll get there, eventually. The wait is worth it.” Chester knew all about waiting, considering he waited months for Silas.

  “He’s doing better than I thought he would be, given what he’s been
through.”

  “It’s a lot to overcome,” Jensen muttered, a dark expression on his face.

  Furrowing his brow, Miguel asked, “You know something about this?”

  “My sister. Took months of therapy to help her move on. A date gone bad.” Jensen shook his head, glancing away into the distance. “When he got out, I paid him a visit.”

  “Good,” Chester muttered. “Not that I think we should take the law into our own hands, but when something like that happens, it takes years for the victim to overcome and they always carry it with them. The perp gets a nice comfy cell and is out a few years later.”

  Jensen nodded but added nothing more to the conversation and they walked in silence. When they eventually reached the caves, Miguel swallowed, staring into the dark entrance. The cold, dark entrance that seemed to reach out and try to pull him in.

  Jared, Hunter, and Tank were already there, with Dodge searching the ground. Tank pointed and said, “Footsteps heading in. Several by the looks of it.”

  “Okay. Let’s wait for the others and then we’ll head in.” Glancing at Miguel, Chester said, “Miguel, you can stay here.”

  Miguel nodded, sighing in relief, thankful he didn’t have to go in after all.

  There was a flurry of activity as the others arrived and they set up their equipment and then Miguel was left alone, watching them split up into teams to search the various cave entrances. Even though footsteps had been seen here, they had to check the others to be sure they were all clear.

  A long hour later and word reached Miguel that they had found the children. They were dehydrated and cold, but otherwise in good shape. Miguel called Ale and from the noise in the background, he knew Ale had told everyone else.

  A few hours later and the whole team was sat in a pub, celebrating with the local police force and volunteers. Miguel sent Jacques a text to let him know they had found the missing children.

  That must be a relief for the families.

  It is. They’ll be fine in a day or two and back home. I imagine once the families recover, the children will be grounded.

  If it was my child, they would be grounded too. You coming back?

  I should be back tomorrow. Can I come and see you?