“Oh God,” she whispered in panic.
“Now, Jolie, don’t jump to conclusions. Maybe the detective is having an affair with a woman. Since he’s arriving during the day, it might not even be a vampyre. Your brother and his mate are likely with death,” Jacques offered, trying to help her calm down.
“Yeah, this is probably all going on behind his back,” Flynn added, trying to lessen her fear.
“Oh God! That means he’s being betrayed, and that isn’t any better!”
Flynn slid off the bed to sit beside her. “Come on, baby. It’ll be okay.” He took her hand in his.
“This is bad,” she whispered again. “There’s no way this is going to end well. Once the council finds out about this, they’re going to order their destruction. Since I’m the one who volunteered to handle this, I’m going to have to kill my own brother.”
Jacques knelt in front of her, taking her other hand. “Well, we’ll have to stay one step ahead of the council. I can ask Jasmine and William to remain quiet until we buy your brother more time to sort it all out.”
Jolie dropped her head to her knees and felt ill. “I don’t know why I care, since he walked away from me. I haven’t even heard from him since we talked, but I still love him.”
They each gave her a kiss.
“I may have not seen him in centuries, but I know what kind of man he was, and is. I can’t imagine he knows that his mate is having sex with a human hunter.”
“We don’t know it’s his mate,” Flynn offered. “It may be a donor or someone else.”
She shook her head. “When I was in his mind, I could feel the manipulation of a vampyre. He’s going there to shack up with one of the undead. I’d bet on it.”
Jacques agreed.
Jolie wanted to be sick. “This is the worst possible outcome, Flynn. We can’t side with the hunters--no matter what’s happening in his home. Our law dictates that anyone caught harming their own kind should be… handled. Alexzandre is responsible for his mate’s actions, and vice versa.”
Both men squeezed their joined hands, offering her peace. “We’ll take care of this together.”
“Then what happens, Jacques? We lie and cover for him? Then guess who they’ll say was fraternizing and protecting the hunters? US!”
“So, it’s let them die or die ourselves?” asked Flynn. If so, the answer was clear in his mind. “Baby, we’ll handle this, so you don’t have to deal with it. The less you know, the better. They won’t ever suspect to question us, since you're the primus. If they read your memories, we can bury this.”
Jolie shook her head emphatically. There was no way she’d let the men in her life bear this burden. This was a stain on her soul, not theirs.
“No. I’ll handle it. It’s my responsibility.”
“So, it’s decided. Tonight, we evade the topic of your family and the hunters. Afterward, we go to your brother, find out what he knows, and then kill Montclair and his helper.”
Yeah, Flynn didn't like this.
Jolie nodded.
“Lastly, we do the most important thing. As soon as this mess is handled, we get out of France. While the council back home is scared of us, they won’t allow anyone to make a move on their turf,” stated Flynn, outlining their game plan.
She couldn’t believe this. Not only were there hunters, but now there was the chance her own brother had something to do with the killing of their kind. She wasn’t sure she could even save him, and suddenly, she found herself wishing she never knew he was alive.
“I told you we should have gone to Disneyland,” added Flynn. “They have a whole section that looks like France, but with a lot less vampyres.”
Jolie and Jacques both stared at him.
Clearly, this time, he wasn’t joking.
* * * H a r c o u r t e * * *
The entire trip to council, there was this little nagging feeling in her gut. It was making Jolie wary that something bad was definitely going to happen.
This was more than the ‘kill her brother’ issue. It all just felt off, and yet, she couldn’t put her finger on it. There appeared to be no way out of this, no matter how many possible scenarios she replayed.
There was no way she was going to risk her family, or her two mates, for a brother who walked out of her life. While he couldn’t handle the guilt of what Goethe had done to her that wasn’t Jolie’s problem.
It was Alexzandre’s.
There came a time where blood wasn’t thicker than water, and this was it. Love had to come first. The men in the car were her family now, and her allegiance was to them. Jolie would stand between them and what was coming, no matter what, even if she had to die.
“It’ll be okay, Jolie,” reassured Flynn. He could feel her anxiety.
“Yes, I know, but I’m still uneasy about this evening.”
“Well, we’ll work it out one way or another, because we’re here, and it’s show time,” said Flynn, pulling his guns from their holsters, flicking off the safety, and then sliding them back into place.
She knew he was right.
They could do this.
Jolie slid two silver daggers into the concealed sheaths in the back of her leather pants. When she glanced over, even Jacques had knives with him--a sure sign that he expected they were going to be royally screwed.
Great.
What more could possibly happen to them?
Then they saw her.
“Oh God,” gasped Jolie, staring to the left.
Both men turned.
Neither looked happy.
There stood Death’s little mop haired messenger. None of them moved. They couldn’t. There was fear over what this meant, as the little cherub’s emerald green eyes stared right through them.
She didn't speak or move.
Instead, she stood there watching them watch her.
“Well, someone is obviously dying tonight,” stated Jolie. This was a bad omen. One of them was marked.
“Shit,” muttered Flynn, moving closer to her side.
“I just want to tell you both that I love you more than you know. If anything happens to me, get the hell out of France. Screw Belladonna and Arian. Just run for it!”
“Jolie,” said Flynn, taking her hand. “I love you.”
Jacques took her other hand and kissed her fingers. “I love you, mon amour. Flynn, I’ll see you on the other side of battle, my friend,” he stated, nodding at his mate.
Together all three walked into the council, knowing that someone in there would not be leaving tonight. All three held hands for what could be their last time, ignoring the stares of the other vampyres.
Old world manners be damned, this superseded their rules.
Once inside the circle, Master Viktor approached them. “Mistress, we hoped you’d join us tonight. We’re looking forward to hearing all about the progress you’re making with killing the hunter.”
She smiled serenely, despite the storm brewing in her gut. “Absolutely. I’d be more than happy to update you. We’re close to ending this.”
“Jolie, that’s amazing. We’ll get started as soon as the family who called the meeting arrives. I was pleased that Mistress Arian has taken a personal interest in this situation. It’s generally not her thing.”
Hearing the woman’s name set her on alert. Immediately, Jolie glanced over at her mates. “Oh shit,” she said. “Viktor, we have to get out of here right now!”
“But, Jolie, I don’t understand. What’s wrong?”
It was too late.
Jolie sensed the energy as it flowed from the surrounding trees. “It’s a trap! We’re all going to die! Everyone run!” she screamed, as the families stood to make their escape. At that exact moment, Detective Montclair moved into the clearing with an automatic weapon slung over his shoulder and a twisted look on his face.
He was there to kill them all.
They’d been set up by one of their own.
Jolie heard the spray of bullets and turned t
o get ready to fight. She noticed that Montclair was gunning for his partner and Jasmine.
They were going to die first.
Jolie had no choice. She had to save them.
‘I love you both,’ she whispered before moving into action. She rushed forward, knocking Jasmine off her feet just as Montclair began firing into the family.
Jolie allowed herself to land on William, riding him to the ground. The entire fall, she covered his body with her own, trying to keep him safe from the spray of silver bullets.
William looked stunned as he stared up into Jolie’s face. Her eyes had bled black and her fangs were fully extended.
“Stay here, William. Pretend that you’re dead. He’s going to be gunning for you for fraternizing with the undead,” she whispered, rolling to her feet in time to see two other men walk into the clearing also caring guns.
They had to be stopped. Jolie sought out her mates, knowing they would be ready for the next wave of hunters.
Flynn saw the threat and pulled his guns. Without hesitation, he began firing at the closest man.
When his bullets didn't do any damage, he knew the truth. He reached for his mates,
‘Bad news! They’re wearing body armor. We’re going to have to kill them up close or with head shots.’
They got the message--up close it was.
Jacques took that as his cue. He moved into the crowd of scattering society members and toward the second man. The gun toting madman fired into Jacques’s body, but he kept moving. It burned like hell, but to stop meant to die. Once he reached him, Jacques wrenched the gun from his hand.
The killer looked scared. So much, in fact, that he pulled out a crucifix and a vial of holy water.
Then he waited for him to catch on fire.
“You’re an idiot,” he hissed. “You should have studied your prey better. We’re immune to it.”
With that, he snapped the man’s neck, ending his life.
Jolie moved toward Montclair as he fired into the families of the weaker society members. Once in front of him, she raised her hand, and he froze in place.
Already, she could tell he was under the influence of vampyre compulsion. His eyes were dead.
“Hello, Detective Montclair.”
“Doctor Harcourte, what a complete surprise. Now I have to kill you. You’re one of the undead and have to be executed.”
It was said with little emotion.
The man was officially out of his mind as someone stronger ran the sick, twisted show.
Jolie heard her other mate’s hoarse scream, yet she couldn’t look away. This was her duty.
It was time to end it.
“Here’s your hunter,” she shouted above the hysteria. “By the rights of my people, I sentence you to die.”
With that, Death reared its dark head.
The tendrils wrapped around him, and Montclair screamed in pain. Making sure it was gory enough, she pulled a blade and sliced through his throat.
Blood bubbled.
To end it, she surged all her energy into him. The man went up like a bonfire. His flesh crackled and popped as he turned to ash.
“Jolie,” yelled Jasmine, getting her attention.
Now, she could look.
Jacques’s sister stood not far from Flynn, trying to get her attention.
“Your mate!” she yelled, being held back by William.
Jolie saw the most horrific sight of her life. The third killer had Flynn pinned to the ground with knives as he eviscerated him. The sick bastard was yanking her mate’s entrails out through his stomach.
Jolie raced toward him--as did Jacques.
She didn't get a chance to kill him, since her mate tackled him off the downed man. Once to the ground, she heard him scream.
He was dead.
Jolie dropped to her knees.
“Oh God! It hurts so much,” he whispered through clenched teeth.
Jolie took his hand in hers to take some of the pain.
“He was using silver,” Flynn hissed. “It took me down.”
Jolie noticed the bullet holes in his upper torso were already pushing the offensive metal from his body, much like it did with theirs.
It was a good thing.
“I can’t look. It’s bad,” he admitted. Flynn knew death. He’d seen many a crime scene where the scent was present. He could smell bowel, and that meant one thing.
He was turning inside out.
Jolie knew this was going to be close. She doubted that she could save him. He’d lost a lot of blood, had been sliced open with a silver dagger, and his intestines were curling out of his body.
“I love you,” he whispered. “I’m sorry. I’m going to die. The messenger was warning me.”
She couldn’t let that happen.
“I need you to trust me. I’m going to save you, but it’s going to hurt.”
He struggled to stay awake. His vision was graying at the edges.
Jacques dropped to his mate’s side. “Do whatever it takes to save him,” he stated. If they lost Flynn, they were lost too.
“Yes! I trust you.”
Jolie knew how dire it was. The silver wounds wouldn’t heal fast enough. There was only one option left.
“Jacques, help me put his guts back inside.”
Together, they tried to put him together again. When he screamed in horrific pain, Jolie took as much as she could from him as she fought to remain coherent.
Jacques knew they didn't have long.
Flynn was going gray. His flesh was losing its healthy color. Death was coming.
Jolie called for her mistress, trying to bargain. She felt darkness reach up through her in wave after wave of starving desperation.
‘Death, I offer you three victims now’ and more tonight for his life.’
Silence.
‘Help me save him, and I’ll give you more deaths tonight--gory, horrible deaths.’
‘DO YOU SWEAR ON HIS SOUL?’ the voice asked from within her.
‘Yes, I swear on his soul and the souls of the men I just offered.’
Jolie could feel the tendrils releasing her mate. Apparently, they had bought themselves more time.
Unfortunately, Jolie had just outted herself even more in front of the council.
There were whispers. Not only could she reap for Death, but she could offer life.
“She healed him,” someone hissed.
“Heal our fallen!” someone else called.
Jolie stayed beside Flynn. “You’re going to be okay, my love,” she whispered. They could point fingers and talk all they wanted. Jolie needed him alive.
Viktor knelt beside them. “I think you need to explain a few things to us, if you don’t mind.”
She assumed as much. “Let me help my mates first, and I’ll answer your questions.”
Viktor agreed to give her some time. Standing, he moved everyone back. There were plenty of society members who needed tending to. This could have been a bloodbath, instead only a few had been lost.
Jacques touched her shoulder. “Are you hit, Jolie?”
“Yes. I have a few bullet wounds. They’re healing. I’ll be fine,” she stated.
For now, Flynn mattered most. At that moment, he was resting comfortably. Death not only healed but took away the pain.
Jasmine and William rushed toward her, giving Jolie no time to stop her. Immediately, Death sensed more food, and reared its cold head.
The other vampyre pulled away. “Ouch.”
Yeah, she was aware. This was the story of her life.
“Death?” Jasmine asked.
Jolie nodded.
Flynn moaned, getting their attention. He became everyone’s focus.
“Are you feeling better, my sexy cop?” Jolie asked, stroking a few silky strands of hair from his forehead.
“Yeah, I do. Thank you,” he said, hoarsely.
Jolie leaned down to kiss him. “We’re going to get you home, and then we have to head to Arian’s
house. I’m going to rip her to pieces and feed her to our mistress.”
They all felt the glee surge from the darkness which surrounded them.
“No! I’m going with you,” he said, struggling to sit up. While the pain wasn’t nearly as bad, it was still difficult to focus. He’d nearly died.
Again.
He didn't like how this was getting to be a habit.
“Flynn, I was just elbow deep in your internal organs. You’re going home, and we’ll be there shortly. Death kept you from dying, but you’re still going to need to heal.”
She had a point.
“One promise,” he said, clinging to her hand.
“Anything you ask, my love.”
“You’ll come home safe--both of you,” he stated.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Jacques.
He glanced over at his sister. “I need a favor. Can you take Flynn home and watch over him until we get there?”
Jasmine nodded enthusiastically. How could she say no? They were family, plus Jolie had saved her mate.
“Absolutely.”
Jolie added, “Has Belladonna or Arian ever been in your home?”
“Oui,” she said after thinking about it. “I hosted a society meeting at one time. I believe they were both there.”
“Don’t go home. After this failed mess, they may try for you. They’ll want revenge.”
Jasmine touched Flynn’s shoulder. “We’ll take care of you,” she promised. “Can you walk?”
He nodded.
Jacques stood, offering him his hand. Gently, he pulled Flynn to his feet. Jolie joined them. All three embraced, holding on to each other. They could feel all eyes on them, but they didn't care.
“Be safe,” Flynn ordered.
“You do the same,” Jolie stated. “Watch your back.”
“I’d rather watch yours. Your ass is mesmerizing.”
Jolie laughed. “You’ll definitely live.”
“He certainly will. Our mate is thinking about sex. Good to see some things never change.”
Flynn tried not to laugh. It hurt too much. “I’ll see you later. Jacques, keep her safe,” he said, dropping his arm over William’s shoulders to be led away.
Dangerous Misery (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 3) Page 41