The Fabled

by S. L. Gavyn

  I knocked on the door and tried not to fidget while I waited for him to answer. A moment later the door opened and a shirtless Doyle stood in front of me.

  “My Sun. You look stunning tonight. As is the usual.”

  I looked down at myself briefly. I had worn tight black leather pants, a black camisole and knee-high black boots. Simple but sexy.

  “Thanks Doyle. Are you going to let me in?”

  “I could never turn away such a beautiful woman. Please.” He motioned toward the inside of his home. “You know where everything is.”

  I walked in and looked around. “Yes, it looks just like the last time I was here.”

  He moved closer and put his hands on my hips. “You look just as I remember too. Och, it has been so long since I’ve had a taste.” He bent down slightly and touched his lips to mine before pulling back and licking his lips. “That Vampere has tainted you.”

  “Aren’t you going to give me a chance to greet our guest?”

  I looked behind Doyle to find Desiree standing there in a negligée and long, flowing robe.

  “Doyle?” I looked at him questioningly and he closed his eyes as if in pain.

  “I’m sorry, Sun. She is my mistress. The last time I betrayed her…you know how it turned out.”

  “I see.” I turned to Desiree. “So what is the plan? Lure me here and kill me? I don’t think you have the guts. You certainly couldn’t take care of it before. Why should now be different?”

  “Oh, you have grossly underestimated me little girl.” She looked at Doyle. “I think it’s time to show her your newest toy, Doyle. I think she’ll like it.” She ran her finger down his nose, across his lips, over his chin and down his neck before pushing him slightly on the chest. “Tie her up.”

  He nodded and turned to me.

  I backed away a couple of steps. Not that there was anywhere to go. “Doyle, please. We’re friends.”

  He grabbed my wrists and I tried to fight back but I couldn’t steal his magic. He was the only one I have ever met that could block me from stealing his magic. I’m sure all demon are that way but since I’ve never tried to steal any other demon’s magic before I don’t know for sure. The thought of having demon magic inside me just creeped me out. Doyle would have been the exception if I could have taken from him.

  “No, Sun. We were friends. We were happy together until you returned to that Vampere. Don’t you see? You were the reason I was placed in that coffin in the first place. I thought fate had brought us together again. But you would never stay with me and then, then you chose him. You flaunted it in front of everyone and you told me to just find someone else.”

  “And he came running right back to me. I tried to tell him you weren’t worth it but he wouldn’t listen. It’s amazing what a few decades in a coffin will teach you,” Desiree said over his shoulder.

  Doyle dragged me over to the corner of the room where a pair of handcuffs hung from the ceiling. There were also cuffs coming up from the floor.

  “Doyle please don’t do this. She is going to kill me.”

  He began cuffing my hands but he stopped to look at me.

  “Maybe this is for the best, Sun. Without you I can go back to the way I was before. I didn’t care about anyone or anything except feeding my hunger. I used to bath in the lust of my victims. This is no way to live. Only getting just enough to survive. Except you. Feeding from you was the only time I felt full. Like I was really alive again. And then you took that away too.”

  He finished cuffing my arms and both of my ankles so that I was standing there unable to move. Then he grabbed my face and kissed me hard. When he pulled back there was a tear on his cheek.

  “I love you, Sun. I always will.”

  He released my face and I tried my best to pull on the cuffs. Doyle moved back and Desiree took his place with a huge smile on her face.

  “You like these?” She reached up and stroked one of the chains attached to a cuff. “Doyle had these installed just for our little ménage a trois tonight. I do love bondage. Don’t you?”

  “Roman isn’t really into the BDSM scene. Maybe that’s why he never wanted you. You’re just too submissive.”

  She slapped me and I smiled at her. “Oh, you’ll have to do better than that. What? Daddy didn’t teach you how to fight when he was teaching you how to fuck?”

  She screamed in frustration and I laughed. Damn, she was just too easy. I hadn’t even gotten started.

  “You know. Me and Neil had a little heart to heart in between torture and he told me a little secret about you. Would you like to know what is was?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “I’m sure Neil wouldn’t tell you anything about our arrangement.”

  “Sure he would. He thought I was going to spend the rest of my short life with him there at his facility. He told me about your little plan to…now what was it he said? Oh, yes, cull the crop. We had a good laugh when he told me you actually thought you would rule the remaining Vamps. He was laughing because he didn’t plan for there to be a single Vamp left when he finished. I laughed because the thought of some slut like you ruling anything was just damned funny.”

  She grabbed me around the throat and began choking me. Finally. I thought that bitch would never touch me. I began pulling her magic into me as quickly as I could and I concentrated on trying to pull in the information I wanted concerning the Caduceus but she didn’t hold on for long. As I suspected, she didn’t want to just kill me. She wanted to play with me for a bit. I was cool with that. We did have all night after all.

  “You know. I just don’t understand why you would turn to a group of crazy Humans. I mean, it seems like you have Augustus whipped. Why not just use him? You could rule at his side then off him when you couldn’t stand him anymore.”

  “Unlike most hierarchies Vampere have to take the throne of leadership. If Augustus died, there would be fighting to take over his place.”

  “Ah, and we both know what a pussy you are. But why the Humans? I mean, they weren’t what you would call cream of the crop. I’m sure Neil was smart enough but you should have seen that doctor he employed. Psycho.” I said that last in a high pitched voice.

  “You know nothing about the Caduceus. No Fabled do. They will free us of all those weak Fabled until all that is left are those worthy of the gifts they have been given.”

  “And you think you’re one of the worthy?” I may have sounded slightly disbelieving.

  “I am more worthy than some Human whore who was created by dark magic. Oops. I bet dear old daddy never told you that little tid bit.”

  I narrowed my eyes and she smiled. I let that comment go since I knew she was just trying to rile me.

  “Well now they’re all dead. So what will you do?”

  She laughed.

  “It will take a lot more than burning one facility to end the Caduceus. Didn’t Neil tell you while you were having your heartfelt conversations? They are everywhere. There are facilities in every major country in the world. You think Neil was the only billionaire on their team? He was just one of many.”

  “I don’t suppose you know any specifics?”

  She just looked at me.

  “That’s what I was afraid of.”

  “Why would that concern you now? I’m sure you could think of other things to fear. Maybe your death?”

  I smiled at her. “I was afraid because I really hoped to get some information about the Caduceus during this little ménage a trois, as you call it.” I looked up at the cuffs holding my hands. “You know, I do like these chains. I’ll have to thank Doyle for these later.”

  Her eyes narrowed and as I pushed the buttons that released the mechanism on the cuffs her eyes slowly widened. I stepped out of the cuffs around my ankles and approached her. She turned toward the door to find Roman standing there with Lucian beside him. Panic crossed her face.

  “Desiree Antonia Maria Severus, you are found guilty of treason in the eyes of the Council of Elders. For the deaths of t
wo Vampere and the capture of a council agent you are to be put to death post haste.” Lucian looked at me and gave a slight nod.

  Desiree looked from Lucian to me then back to Roman. “Brother. Please. You can’t let them do this to me. I’ve suffered so much. You know what was done to me. How can you allow them to just kill me? You could save me. I know you could. If you just love me, I will be better. Please, save me.”

  “I am saving you, sister. From yourself. You will suffer no more.”

  A tear fell from his eye and I wanted to comfort him but there would be no comfort until this is done. I released the concealment on my sword and pulled it from its sheath. She looked at the sword then turned back to Roman to plead more but I swung my blade through her neck before she could make him regret his decision of making her pay for her sins. He would have enough of a cross to bear as it is. Her head fell to the floor before the rest of her and her blood began to pool on the floor in front of me.

  I found no pleasure in her death because one look at Roman showed me the pain he was in at seeing his sibling die. I ran to him and embraced him as hard as I could hoping it would be enough to help him through this.

  After a while I released him and looked into his eyes. The truth is I was afraid of what I would see there. Would he always see me as his sister’s murder? But what I found was the same thing I always found when I looked into his eyes. Love. It was always love.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  “Meeting the Grampses”

  “What are you waiting for? He’s going to love you.”

  I looked at my son.

  “I don’t know. What if he doesn’t like me?”

  “You’re kidding, right? Everyone loves you.”

  “And I have yet to figure out why.”

  “Come on.” He began pushing me toward the door of the house we were currently standing on the front porch of.

  I turned to him uncertain but Roman grabbed my hand and pulled me into the house. A gentleman who appeared to be in his early forties stood before me. He had dark hair and even darker eyes.

  “So you’re the abomination.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. Instantly my insecurities vanished. “So you’re the shut-in.”

  He smiled. “I guess we’ve both heard much about each other.”

  “I guess we have.”

  “You are welcome here, Thief.” He winked at me and I rolled my eyes.

  Gods save me from Roman’s grandsire.

  ******

  “Alright. Here’s the plan. If this guy’s a total douchebag, you kick him in the nuts while I run for the car.”

  “Why do I have to be the one to castrate your grandfather?”

  “Hello. Look at these boots. I was on poop duty with baby Phae for six hours to earn the money to buy these. There’s no way I’m scuffing them up on some old dude’s balls.”

  I just looked at Brennan. “You realize that old dude is your maternal grandfather. You just talked about your grandfather’s balls.”

  Her face progressively became more disgusted until she shivered. “Okay, let’s forget about kicking him in the…there. You just hold him off while I make a run for it.”

  We were parked on the side of the road about a block from Brennan’s grandfather’s home. I had stopped to have a final talk with her before she met her last remaining family member.

  “Alright. Now that we have plan B in place let’s discuss what the plan is if he isn’t bad. What if he’s, I dare to say it, nice? He might be genuine. He might actually like you and you him. What then?”

  She looked even more horrified than before. “I don’t know, Sunny. I don’t know what to do.”

  “Okay, this is the plan. We go and talk to him for a while and get to know him. Afterward you can decide whether or not you want to see him again and then we go home. After that, we’ll deal with this one step at a time. But promise me this Brennan.”

  She nodded.

  “Give him a chance. His relationship with your mom doesn’t seem to be all his fault. I’m sure it was hard for her being raised by a Wizard when she had no magic at all. Things will be different with you so give him the benefit of the doubt. Alright?”

  “Alright, Sunny. But you just know you’re not getting rid of me so easily. I’m not just going to forget you and move in with the dude like that.” She snapped her fingers and I rolled my eyes.

  “Like I would let you get away with that. I’m sorry sister but you’re stuck with me.”

  She smiled. “Good. Um, while I’m thinking about us and our relationship and all. This doesn’t mean Tristan’s my brother does it.”

  I closed my eyes and tried my best to forget the last five seconds but it didn’t work. “Tristan is off limits Brennan. Do you hear me?”

  “Why? It’s not like he’s my brother or anything. Right?”

  “Do I have to go into detail about how you’re only seventeen and he’s twenty-five. He’s a new Vamp who has a lot to work on right now. Besides, I hate to burst your bubble but I think he’s got a thing for Carly.”

  “Damn. I was hoping that was my imagination.”

  “Sorry chica. What happened to that cute Jotunn from the wedding?”

  “Ugh. He’s like my stalker. That’s what I get for giving a guy my number.”

  “Why don’t you try talking to him? You might find you really like him.”

  She shrugged. “I guess I could try that.”

  “Excellent, and if he steps out of line, burn his ass.”

  She laughed and I started the car.

  Mr. Shane was standing on the front porch of his ranch style house when we arrived. He was kind of short with red hair and hazel eyes that weren’t unkind. We introduced ourselves and he just stared at Brennan.

  “You look just like your mother. She took after Martha, my late wife. You definitely have her look about you.”

  “Uh, okay.”

  “Well, come in. I’ll make some tea.”

  We followed him toward the house and Brennan leaned closer to me. “What is it with old guys and tea?”

  I raised my brows and shrugged. “Hell if I know.”

  “It cleans the mind. Keeps it sharp. Doesn’t do a damned thing for the hearing though. Luckily, mine is as keen as ever.”

  He smiled at us and winked at Brennan. She smiled back. It looked like Brennan might have just met her match.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  “Ah, fishy fishy”

  “What is his status today?”

  “He’s healing at a rate twenty times that of an average Human but it will take some time. I’ll keep him under sedation until the remainder of his burns are healed. Terribly painful burns are.”

  “And the changes?”

  “So far what I have found are minor but I did notice this yesterday.”

  The doctor moved closer to the large tank filled with a blue liquid and a human body to show his findings.

  “There is one behind each ear. It first appeared as a small pustule but has since opened. I had an x-ray taken last night and it appears there is a tube of some sort forming between the opening and his trachea.”

  “What is your hypothesis?”

  The doctor took off his glasses and cleaned them before returning them to his face. It was a nervous habit he could never break. “It appears to be gills of some kind. That is the only explanation I can think of. Perhaps it is an adaptation formation. He is submerged in this tank to help his healing process. It seems his body is compensating for that.”

  “Will these effects be reversible?”

  “I won’t be able to tell for sure until after he is removed from the liquid. They may remain dormant until he needs them.”

  “Or he might turn in to a fish and have to live underwater for the rest of his life. I need him to heal. He is the head of our American division and I really do not want to have to replace him. As soon as the burns are healed he comes out of that tank.”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Keep
me comprised of any new developments.

  Mr. Curry turned and left the room. He hated having to resort to using serums on his partner that were gained from experiments but it was the only way to save his life and he needed Neil Niobe alive.

  He left the facility and entered the limousine waiting for him.

  “It seems our time schedule has been elevated. It is horrible timing since we may have to eliminate our partner.”

  “Should I do it?”

  “No. There will be no action until we know for certain. I would prefer to keep him in place for now.”

  “What would you like me to do in the meantime?”

  “Return to your post.” Mr. Curry smiled at the Vampere sitting across from him. “Don’t you have a Vampere leader to guard?”

  Drake smiled. “Yes, I wouldn’t want anything to happen to him. What of the Thief?”

  “We received what we needed while she was in captivity. If Neil survives, I’m sure he will have his own plans for her. For now, return to your post.”

  Mr. Curry raised his brows and Drake nodded once before leaving the limo. Mr. Curry pulled out his cell and made a call.

  “It is time. You will send me all intel regarding the Fabled living in your fine city. The Watch will determine which ones are to be gathered and which to be exterminated.”

  “Yes sir.”

  Soon. It would not be long now and all the work his ancestors have done will come to fruition. Soon.

  ###

  Thank you for reading The Fabled Book One of The Fabled series. Read on for a preview of Fable City, the next book in the series coming Fall 2014.