Age of Vampyre Series Box Set

by Sophia North

  "We call it The Rotunda. No one has been able to properly date when it was dug but there has been an OO Motherhouse at this location since Roman times. Maybe even before, we cannot be sure."

  "The shelf you need is over there," she said, pointing in the direction Hannah needed to go. "And as we are here, there are a couple of scrolls I'd like to check out. When you've found what you are looking for, meet me at the tables in the centre."

  Hannah quickly made her way there. Eager to find the door and retrieve whatever was inside, she spotted it easily. Slipping the key into the lock, it clicked and she drew the two doors open. Nestled inside was the bowl and Gabe's family's cylinder. The OO had taken it!

  Depositing them into the deep pockets of her Burberry trench coat, she closed the door and locked it up again. Going over to the nearby shelf, she retrieved the manuscript.

  Meeting Melinda at the appointed spot, Hannah presented it to her. "Here you are, as promised. I hope it has the answers to your questions."

  Melinda took the book from her hands. Caressing its gilded leather surface, she smiled at it tenderly before looking up to meet Hannah's gaze. "Thank you for this, I've been searching for it for ages. Now, I need you to do two things for me."

  Hannah's puzzled gaze followed Melinda as she crossed over to a large bookcase lining the outer rim of The Rotunda. She pulled a tome like a lever on the lowest shelf to reveal a secret passage and waved for Hannah to join her.

  "Melinda..." Hannah started to say until her mentor shushed her.

  "Are you willing to do as I say?"

  Hannah nodded her head in agreement.

  "Firstly, when you reach the end of this tunnel I want you to run as fast as you can from here and don't look back. Harry is waiting nearby. Ring him when you are free of the grounds - I believe he gave you his number."

  Hannah gaped. What the hell was going on? "Melinda, I don't understand..."

  "I don't have to explain Hannah. You need to trust me."

  Trust her? She couldn't be serious. Why the hell should she?

  She speaks the truth, Hannah, Margaret's voice whispered in her head. Trust her.

  "How will I manage my way across the estate without getting caught?" Hannah asked, accepting Margaret's advice.

  "Listen to your instincts, Margaret informs me they are excellent. Now for your final task. Hit me...hard."

  GABE'S ROAMING HAND searched for Hannah in the bed, as he slowly surfaced from what was a surprisingly restful slumber. Sleep, why had he fallen asleep? He did not usually require much rest. Being a Praetor usually came with long spells lying dormant in the earth.

  Jerking his head up, he looked beside him. Hannah was gone. In a panic, Gabe got out of the bed and stalked into the living area, buck naked without a care in the world about it. Hannah wasn't there either.

  Streaking back to the bedroom he was dressed within a matter of seconds and about to head out to find her, when a carefully folded note caught his attention.

  It was Hannah's writing.

  Good morning, my love,

  Firstly, according to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which if you haven't read yet, you must. It's one of my favourites and is famous for its sage advice of 'Don't Panic'. I am safe and well. Just needed to run a few errands, but expect you to bring dinner. I haven't forgotten you still owe me Sunday roast.

  To ensure you don't do anything stupid and try to deny our love again, I've taken my necklace with me...and will be wearing it, and only it, until you come home.

  Hx

  Gabe's heart slowed back to a steady beat. He wasn't thrilled with her stunt, but at least she'd not been stolen from right under his nose in the middle of the night. Glancing at the mantle clock above the fire, he noted it was long past noon. Fuck, he'd been asleep for hours.

  If Hannah was not at her house when he got there, there'd be hell to pay. His plan was to go, tell her straight that it was over, probably make love to her again and then... haul her sweet ass back to Simone's where she would be safe.

  Content with the order of events in store, he walked to the door. Flinging it open, he was greeted by a posse of guests. Vlad's hand frozen as if he was just about to knock.

  "Shit mate, what time do you call this? I've being ringing you for hours. We’ve got a problem and it's not going to wait."

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  GABE'S SUITE WAS PACKED to the rafters with the crew Vlad had brought along with him, although to be fair, one actually belonged to him. Lash Codona had returned from the States, his quest completed. Dante Polidori had been rescued and now sat on the couch with his arm around his wife, Simone.

  The two sat so close to one another it was hard to tell if they were actually sentient beings in their own right. But Gabe could sympathise, if he could have Hannah safely tucked next to him, he'd never let her go again. As it was, it took every ounce of will power he had to stop himself from telling the group he could care less about Warlocks until he knew Hannah was safe.

  Vlad came off the phone and announced, "Penny is insisting she go over and collect Hannah on her way here." He quickly raised a hand at Gabe. "Save it, I may be somewhat soft when it comes to pleasing my wife, but I am far from stupid. There is a small Praetorian army accompanying her. They will be well protected."

  The reassurance did not please Gabe as much as he thought it would. He wanted Hannah with him as soon as possible. Was that so unreasonable? Perhaps. But he didn't give a damn.

  After Lash's recount of his American adventures, Gabe's blood was boiling. These fucking warlocks needed to be dealt with pronto. Their growing influence in the Serpent Brotherhood was beginning to make inroads in shifting the balance of power in Haan's favour.

  "Gabe, at first it looked like the Lockwood coven were the responsible party behind Dante being taken hostage. But shit changed fast and we are no longer convinced they're the brains behind the operation. And believe me, I ran down every possible lead trying to figure out who was," Lash explained.

  "That doesn't explain the inordinate amount of time it took to send further word on your progress. I was beginning to believe you'd once again, got yourself into hot water and were avoiding making contact. I know how much you like it when I remind you how your mouth gets you into shit every single time."

  At that, rich laughter spilled forth from Dante, drawing everyone's attention. Lash sheepishly avoided making eye contact with the vamp he'd rescued. "He's got you there, my friend," Dante said, implying there was more to the story that matched Gabe's assessment, yet was kind enough not to elaborate.

  Gabe would not be appeased. "What path of destruction have you left?"

  Lash's handsome face tried to look innocent but utterly failed. His Romany Brat Princeling ways were legendary. "Look boss, it's like this - Woodville women are a pain in the ass. Surely you are with me on this?" he claimed, gesturing a sense of brotherhood between them. "I mean, if Hannah is anything like her sister, you are in serious trouble."

  Displeased by Lash's copping out of coming clean about his fuck-ups and overly familiar tone about his private life, Gabriel scowled at his Prefect. He hadn't even known Hannah had another sister other than the precocious Rebeka - and that was enough for him to take at the moment.

  Recognising he'd gone too far with his Legatus, Lash scrambled to redeem himself by throwing out a tasty morsel. "On a positive note, an excellent diplomatic breakthrough occurred whilst I was stateside. The dismantling of the Lockwood operation in freeing Mr. Doesn't Know When to Keep His Mouth Shut earned the Praetorian Guard the undying devotion of one Xavier Montgomery."

  Gabe didn't bite. "Never heard of the vamp, is there some reason I should?" he barked, his eye on the clock. Five minutes had passed, shouldn't Penny and Hannah be here by now?

  Lash elaborated. "He sits as one the head families on the Council of Thirteen, you know the governing body of the US colony."

  Gabe shrugged dismissively. "I've never much cared for dealing with middle management."
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  Lash rolled his eyes, his Legatus could really be an arrogant prick at times. "He's a bit more than that, and having his loyalty is important. You have no idea how fucked up it is across the pond. Even the fucking Canadians are getting into it! And they're suppose to the nice ones. Let me tell you, that fine upstanding reputation of theirs is this close," he held up two fingers to demonstrate the distance, "to being permanently tarnished."

  "Do you not have anything productive to add to this discussion?" Gabe asked Dante, tiring of having to deal with his Prefect.

  Dante raised an elegant brow. "To be honest with you, mate, the only reason I am here, and not where I'd like to be, is because of Vlad's insistence. He seems to think it's important. I, on the other hand, am beginning to have my doubts on the matter."

  Simone’s secret smile left little to the imagination as to where Dante wanted to be right now. "Darling, it is important for Gabe to hear what you know. But once it's been said, you and I will be free to go."

  Dante rubbed his wife's pert buttock. He'd not been back ten minutes before Vlad had been pounding on the library door, demanding to speak to him. Just like old times. But honestly, his brother could really do with improving his timing. Simone had been half undressed when he was so rudely interrupted.

  If not for the news that Penny was expecting, Dante might have seriously harmed his closest friend. But by the time Vlad got to the part where he'd been human again for a short time, and was now a Praetor, Dante had conceded and agreed to come.

  "For you, my love, I'll be reasonable. As for what I know, I'll be succinct. There may be another force at work behind the Lockwoods, because in my estimation they are not pulling the strings. My theory is that Haan is up to his old tricks again, and this Serpent Brotherhood of his are gaining strength in America, as your vamp stated."

  "But according to Vlad, Mariam has encased Darius in ice, with Haan trapped inside. Are you saying he’s still in operation?"

  "Someone is...and whoever he is, he paid me a visit. Didn't say anything, was more the heavy breathing sort. I tried to explain I wasn't his type," Dante rubbed his jaw in memory. "He didn't appreciate my wit."

  "Did you get a good look at him?"

  "Unfortunately, no. They'd plucked out my eyes at that point. However, what I lacked in vision was made up by my senses, and strangely I detected a faint smell of burnt flesh emanating from my mysterious jailor."

  Simone gasped in horror and drew closer to him. Dante squeezed her hand. "Don't fret love, as you can see my eyes are back and in perfect working order. Thanks to Abby Woodville. And so, on that note," he said, looking at Gabe, "I offer you my assistance in any way I can to ensure Hannah Woodville comes to no harm. I owe that much to her sister."

  The doorbell rang.

  Finally, Hannah was here. Gabe had his hand on the handle in seconds. But on the other side was not the face he was expecting. It was Marcus Lang and his brother Ethan. The urge to punch the arrogant grin on the Alpha wolf's face made Gabe's hand twitch. But there were appearances one had to keep in establishments like Claridge's. It wouldn't do to bloody the halls.

  Peering over Gabe's shoulder, Marcus drawled, "Looks like a party, my invitation must have got lost in the post. Royal Mail's not like it was since the Conmen sold it off. Good investment though, when it first went on the market."

  "Jesus, what the fuck do you want?" Vlad bellowed, coming over to investigate and displeased by what he discovered..

  "To extend a peace offering," Marcus replied wryly. "My intel on the Consul made me reconsider my position, as suggested. And we Langs are no fools. May I?"

  Gabe stood aside to let the two wolves in. Suite destruction was a whole other matter when it came to management turning a blind eye and keeping the questions to a minimum. This offering of theirs had better be good, or things might get ugly.

  The atmosphere took on a distinct chill as everyone got the feel of each other. Marcus smiled warmly at Simone. "Dr. Radcliffe. You are looking as ravishing as ever. The next time your husband decides to take an extended holiday, know you will always be a welcome addition at any of my clubs."

  Dante gritted his teeth. He and the wolf had history involving his wife. History he'd preferred buried...permanently. "Lang, the Consul may want to hear you out, but unless you get on with it soon, I may be forced to knock the teeth from your dense wolf head," he threatened.

  Ethan may have had his reservations about being there, and thought his brother mad for attempting an alliance with vampyres, but regardless of all that, he took exception to the way the vamp spoke to his brother. "You'll have to go through me first," he growled, his wolf eyes flashing.

  Amazed by the heat being exchanged without his being at the centre of it, Gabe took control of the escalating situation. "This exchange is going nowhere and the timer on my patience is ticking, gentlemen. You have two minutes before I'm going to find Hannah."

  Marcus reached into his suit pocket and pulled out an envelope. Presenting it to Gabe, he said, "The Warlock you've been looking for...and believe me, it makes an interesting read."

  Vlad had his mobile out and was dialling Penny's. "Don't ruin the moment, mate. I'll just check in with the Missus before the big reveal. I have a feeling she won't want to miss it. And you can cool your jets about finding Hannah. I have no doubt she's in the car with Penny and they're on their way here."

  HANNAH STARED OUT THE window of the cab, happy to be back in London. As it turned out, her instincts were really rather good. She'd managed to find her way across the Motherhouse's estate without running into anyone. Tingling sensations led her along various paths in the woods until she emerged somewhere along the main road where Harry had been waiting nearby. Just as Melinda had promised.

  Hitting Melinda had not been as hard as she'd first thought it might be. Perhaps it was all the pent up anger she'd been repressing over the OO's treatment of her...and Gabriel. Discovering they were behind the theft of Gabe's cylinder and the Rudston bowl convinced her they were not to be trusted.

  Harry had driven her to the train station in Hever, where, as luck would have it, the next train to the capital was only minutes away.

  Glancing at her watch, Hannah worried about the late hour. Her trip to Kent had eaten away her morning, and it had just gone two. Lord, she hoped Gabe was a deep sleeper, she did not relish the idea of finding him waiting for her at the house. He'd be furious enough about her sneaking out of the suite, lord only knew how he'd react if he found out she'd gone to the OO Motherhouse...alone.

  Paying the driver, Hannah stepped out onto the pavement and was immediately greeted by Penny. Waving enthusiastically as she crossed the street from her parked limo, she called out: "Hannah, thank the goddess. Where have you been? I've was beginning to wonder how the hell I was going to explain your MIA status to Vlad. He's been ringing incessantly but I've ignored him."

  All of a sudden a white van screeched from nowhere and stopped between the two women. A balaclava wearing team emerged and grabbed them both before either knew what was happening. Within a matter of moments, they were jostled into the back of the van and driven off. The parked limo joined the high speed getaway.

  In the middle of the street, Penny's mobile laid on the ground ringing, having fallen from her hand in the commotion of the abduction. But thankfully there was a witness close by to answer it.

  Lawrence had been walking up the street to check on Hannah when the two women were taken. He'd tried to get there in time to stop it, but had been too far away. And despite running at full-tilt, he didn't even come close to intervening.

  Bent over with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath, Lawrence noticed the phone on the ground ringing. The image of the caller on the screen was rather risqué. A half-naked gorgeous blond hunk appeared to be ringing.

  Swiping it to answer, Lawrence held it to his ear. "Mr. Penny?" he asked tentatively, unable to remember Vlad's name but recognising those pecs of his anywhere.

  "Who the fuck is th
is? And where the fuck is my wife?" Vlad’s voice boomed. Speaker phone not required, the entire street would have surely heard him.

  "She's...she's been taken!"

  Deadly silence ensued.

  "She's been fucking what?!" Vlad exploded.

  Lawrence nearly dropped the phone from the force of his anger. The situation then got decidedly worse when a deadly calm voice came on.

  "Good afternoon. I apologise for my...friend's outburst. Could you please elaborate on what you said? He's seems to have lost the ability to speak."

  Lawrence recognised the sultry tones of Gabriel Rosetti instantly. He was not an easy man to forget either. "Mr. Rosetti, it's Lawrence! Hannah's Boy Friday. Whoever took Penny has her as well!"

  "Stay where you are. I shall be there momentarily." Click, hum. He was gone.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  GABE STOOD ON THE STREET, staring down its length, trying not to lose his cool. Not an easy feat with Vlad's lion-in-a-cage routine going on beside him.

  "Where the fuck are they? I thought Praetors were meant to be the Ultimate vampyres, which makes them what? The Ultimate fuck-ups when it comes to protecting two women," Vlad cursed. Pacing furiously, he brutally eyed the scene of Penny's abduction. He swore when he got her back, she was going to stay locked away at Dante's until the bunker he had planned was constructed at their home in Buckinghamshire. He never should have bent to Penny's will and stopped it's construction.

  Trying not to show alarm over his Guard's conspicuous absence, and what it possibly meant, Gabe answered sternly. "In pursuit, as they are trained to do. Now for the love of the Creator, would you stop pacing. You are disturbing the scene, not to mention creating one."

  Vlad stopped pacing briefly to launch into another tirade, seemingly oblivious to Gabe's comment. "And where the fuck is Lawrence? I met him the other night at Hannah's party. And let me put it this way, he's not the sort who'd take off in hot pursuit, ready to do battle with a bunch of fucking Warlocks."