The Black Rose Chronicles, Battle and Betrayal: Book 3

by A. K. Michaels

  “How so?” Valentine asked.

  “I’m not shy of hard work, honestly, or I would never have got in. But things have changed recently and not for the good. I’m not the only one thinking of a change of career.”

  “What do you mean?” Valentine prodded softly.

  “Mr. Ryn, and yes that’s what we all have to call him, that or Master, well, he seems very preoccupied with something and snaps at the least thing. He and Francois used to hold daily meetings with us, letting us know the schedule, where we were going, stuff like that. Not anymore. Francois still meets with us, but rarely has a lot to say as he seems to be in the dark too. I’m definitely rethinking my future, that’s for sure. But I made a pact when I joined and until I’ve left, I’ll work my ass off to do what I was hired to.”

  “Interesting.” Valentine cocked his head to the side, sizing Sydney up. There was absolutely no sign of deceit and he was certain she spoke the truth. “Can I be candid with you?”

  “Sure, what’s up?” Tucking her legs beneath her, she got comfortable.

  “I need your word that this won’t leave this room, strictly between you and me. For now anyway.”

  Sydney looked thoughtful for a moment, squinting her eyes over at him. “You’ve got my interest piqued now.”

  “I mean it Sydney.” Valentine crossed his arms. “I need your word before I say anything else.”

  “All right, you’ve got it.” Sydney waved a hand. “Now, out with it, whatever it is.”

  “Cassius has some concerns regarding Calix, and the truth is,” Valentine’s steely stare pinned Sydney in place, “and this is the bit you do not repeat,” he waited as she nodded. “He is concerned that Calix is not here in the capacity to assist us. Have you heard anything that would support that? Have you received any orders that would alarm me?”

  “Jeez.” Sydney huffed out a long breath. “I can tell you that I’ve definitely not heard anything like that. In fact, Francois has told us he’ll skin us alive if we don’t protect Calix, Rose and Cassius, from danger. If there are any doubts about Calix, I’d bet my soul that Francois isn’t involved.”

  “That’s good to know.” Valentine uncrossed his arms, leaning forward to stare intently at Sydney. “Now here’s my next question. If you hear anything at all that could be conceived as a threat to Cassius or Rose, would you tell me?”

  Sydney shifted on the chair before getting up and pacing back and forth. She remained silent and so did Valentine, his eyes never leaving her to gauge her body language. When she finally stopped, she plonked down on the edge of the large four-poster bed, ran her hands through her still wet hair, and then looked at him. “Shit, you sure know how to put someone on the spot, don’t ya?”

  “We have an important mission coming up,” Valentine said with a determined voice. “One that is vital to the continuing wellbeing of everyone that lives here, Supernaturals and humans alike. If we fail, then nobody, and I mean nobody, would ever be safe again. We cannot let that happen, Sydney.”

  “I know,” she replied quietly. “But you’re asking me to break my vow as one of the elite guard.”

  “I understand that and the difficult position I’ve put you in.” Valentine shrugged. “I have to ask, Sydney, I need to know if there’s a threat that I can deal with it and ensure we aren’t left vulnerable.”

  “I get that, Val.” Sydney wrapped her arms around herself. “I feel very strongly about why we’re here. I realize how important this is. I have human friends and the thought of Demons having free reign here, shit, that scares the beejezus out of me.”

  “So you appreciate why I have to do what I can to help us win this battle we face?”

  “I do.” She nodded, her eyes full of emotion as she looked at him. “I also understand that if I tell you something and it gets back to Calix Ryn, that I won’t last long after that. He’ll make sure I’m taken care of, and it won’t be pretty, Val.”

  He couldn’t help smiling as she used the shortened version of his name. Very few people did and it sounded good on her lips. “If you come to me with information, I’ll personally take you under my guard. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you. I promise.”

  “How?” She raised an eyebrow. “Calix is one of the strongest Vampires alive, and he’s deadly. I’ve seen him at work and he’s brutal when the need arises.”

  “I’m aware of that too.” Valentine moved over to sit next to her on the bed. “There’s only a few Vampires alive that can take him down, Sydney, and you just happen to be looking at one of them. Cassius is also strong enough to deal with Calix, if the need arises.”

  “You?” Sydney’s eyes widened in shock. “I don’t mean to be besmirch your abilities, but are you sure?”

  Valentine chuckled, an arm reaching around Sydney’s shoulder to pull her to his side. “I promise, I most definitely can take care of Calix Ryn, and he knows it. I’m not just a pretty face you know.”

  “I’m beginning to understand that.” She smiled up at him, her luscious lips mesmerizing as he looked down at her.

  “Now we’ve got that little piece of business out of the way, maybe we can get to know each other a little better.”

  “I’d like that.” Sydney tilted her head back, licking her lips, after a few seconds she frowned. “For goodness sake, Val, kiss me!”

  He didn’t need telling twice, his lips covering hers quickly in a heated kiss. “I’ll go speak to Francois next,” he thought as he pulled Sydney tighter against him. “In a little while. Ten minutes won’t make a difference,” he told himself as his cock hardened in his jeans.

  Basilius glowered at Orthon, his eyes burning fiery red. “You still can’t find her?”

  “My apologies.” Orthon quaked before Basilius’ anger. “I’ve had no sightings of her, confirmed or otherwise. It’s as if she’s disappeared completely, Master.”

  “One thing.” Basilius stormed. “One fucking thing I ask you to do and you can’t even do that. Tell me, Orthon, just why the fuck do I keep you around?”

  Orthon kept quiet, knowing anything he said would only fuel the Demon’s ire. He waited, holding his breath, as Basilius strode back and forth before stopping in front of his desk. “Are you seriously telling me that we can’t even track her? We have things she’s handled, Orthon, we should be able to find her.”

  “I know, but it’s as if she is shielded in some way, there is no sign of her at all.” Orthon held his hands up in defeat. “I don’t know what to tell you, Master, we are blinded from seeing her.”

  Basilius stepped forward, his hand patted Orthon’s shoulder, causing him to shiver in fearful anticipation. “Orthon.” Basilius’ soft tone surprised Orthon. “I know you’ve been working hard on finding the little bitch, and I suspect that fucker who contacted us, is somehow hiding her from sight. It’s rather annoying, but we’ll get her in the end, don’t worry. Now, I have another task for you. I need you to contact the Demons on this list and give them the details of where I’m to meet and deal with this upstart. Tell them they’ve to be there, or else.”

  Orthon watched as Basilius snapped his fingers, producing a sheet of paper with around two dozen names. Taking it, he looked it over, his eyes widening in alarm. “You want all of these?”

  “Yes,” Basilius sneered evilly. “I’m taking no chances and I plan on going in hard with as much force as possible. Those,” he pointed to the paper in Orthon’s hands, “are the strongest Demons beneath me, so they’ll fucking well come and help me, or I’ll torture them for centuries before finally putting them out of their misery.”

  Orthon gulped. “Certainly, sir, I’ll get on it now.”

  As he turned to leave Basilius stopped him. “Oh yes, Orthon, please tell them word for word what will happen if they don’t show up.”

  “I will, absolutely, Master.” Orthon scuttled away, relief flooding him as he’d thought earlier that Basilius was going to punish him for not locating Rose. His body shook as he sat down, taking deep breaths to
calm himself before he started his task. “This is going to be a blood bath.” He thought as he perused the list of names. Demons who were powerful, dangerous, and deadly, were being summoned and he wondered fearfully what the outcome would be.

  “Nothing I can do now,” he murmured as he went to work.

  Sue glanced over at Seth as he worked in the rooftop garden, his face and body more relaxed than he’d been since he arrived. With the impending fight, she was pleased that he seemed to be enjoying working with her, because she was happy to have his help and he sure as hell needed to relax.

  His hands worked swiftly and with a good knowledge of the plants and herbs he was working with. She noted even her special plants, ones used for healing, appeared to be known to him. “You like working with plants, don’t you?” she asked quietly, not wanting to ruffle the calmness he now had.

  Seth turned and shrugged. “I guess I do. I’ve been self-sufficient for a long time, well, before the war. I like to be able to survive without relying on outside resources. I’ve had a large plot with fruit, vegetables, and herbs for as long as I can remember, and I’ve always enjoyed pottering about in it.”

  “I can see you have an affinity with the earth.” Sue smiled, joining him and handing over some seedlings to plant. “I appreciate the help, Seth. I’m usually on my own here.”

  “Nobody else helps?” he asked with an eyebrow raised.

  “Not really, sometimes I ask Valentine to assign me a few of his men when it’s crop time, for potatoes and the like. It’s a lot of backbreaking work and they can do it so much faster than I can. But other than that, I usually do everything myself, it’s nice to have company.”

  “None of the Vampires are interested?” he queried as he gently started to plant what she handed him.

  “Nope, afraid not.” She shook her head. “There are some other Shifters here but they tend to help me with the upkeep of the rooms, laundry, stuff like that. None of them are remotely attracted to gardening, though they’ll scoff down whatever I produce quickly enough.”

  “I bet they do.” Seth grinned. “Home grown produce always tastes better, in my opinion anyway.”

  “Mine too.” Sue knelt down beside him. “I can sense you’re not quite as sad today.”

  Seth huffed out a long breath then inclined his head as he looked over. “I suppose not. I’m slowly coming to terms with Rose being with Cassius. I’m happy for her, I am, but the loss hit me harder than I’d thought it would.”

  “So you were expecting her to find someone else?”

  “I was.” Seth went back to planting. “I’ve known for a long time that we weren’t meant to be together long term, but it still came as a shock when she and Cassius got together.”

  “I see.” Sue patted his arm. “I think you’re handling it well.”

  “I wouldn’t say that.” Seth chuckled. “For the first day or so, all I wanted to do was attack Cassius and rip him apart.”

  Sue threw her head back and laughed loudly. “Well,” she stuttered, “you hide it well and I wouldn’t recommend that course of action. Mr. Allarde is rather powerful.”

  “I know.” Seth laughed as well. “I took that into consideration when the urge overtook me. Plus, it’s a relief that the man she’s meant to be with is so strong and capable. It means she’ll be looked after and in good hands.”

  “Yes, she will.” Sue bumped his shoulder with hers. “I’m pretty sure every Vampire under Valentine’s charge has been ordered to keep her safe. She’s got a veritable army looking out for her, Seth, she’ll be fine.”

  “I get that impression too.” Seth gave her a smile, one that wasn’t laced with sadness. “I’ve been thinking about what you said, and after the battle, I may just stay on for a bit. Just to make sure she’s okay.”

  “That’d be nice, Seth.” Sue grinned. “I’d be very happy to have help with this lot.” Her arm waved around the large rooftop.

  “I’ll be happy to help.” Seth stopped planting, his eyes scrutinizing her. “You’re a remarkable woman, Susan, and if you don’t mind me saying, your eyes are extremely beautiful. They remind me of my favorite chocolate.”

  Sue blushed, her face growing hotter as he gazed at her. “Thank you for the compliment, but I never took you for a man who’d indulge in candy.”

  Seth sniggered. “I love chocolate, but that’s a state secret, don’t let it get out.”

  “Your secret’s safe with me.” Sue laughed. “I think I’ll make you a nice chocolate dessert later, as a thank you for helping me.”

  “You don’t need to go to that trouble just for me.” Seth looked surprised. “I should be thanking you, working here has helped me relax and put things in perspective. If it weren’t for the damn fight we’ve got looming over us, I’d be positively happy.”

  “Seth,” Sue reached over, quickly running a finger along his jaw before snatching it back. “I’m glad you’re here, not just because you’re great with plants, but because you’re a good man. One that’s gone through a lot and come out the other end, and you’re not exactly ecstatic, but you’re so much better than you were. I’d really like to cook you something special later, please?”

  “Thank you.” He nodded slowly. “I’ll look forward to it.”

  “Good.” She stood. “I’ll see you around six, if that time’s all right for you?”

  “Sure,” Seth replied as she turned to walk away.

  She was certain he was watching her, so she snuck a glance behind, and there he was, his eyes glued to her ass. When he saw she’d caught him, he shrugged, shouting, “Hey, I’m a man, and you’ve got a great ass, shoot me.”

  Sue laughed lightly. “Why thank you for the compliment. I’ll make sure to wear some nice tight jeans later.”

  Seth grinned. “Not too tight or I won’t be able to concentrate on the food.”

  “Men!” Sue threw over her shoulder as she continued, her heart beating a little faster as she thought on him gaping at her dirt stained backside.

  Calix’s anxiety grew, stomping over the plush carpet in his suite, waiting on his satellite phone ringing. Glaring at the screen he willed it to ring, cursing when he saw the time was ten minutes past the agreed time for contact. “Fuck it.” His grip tightened on the phone and he forced himself to loosen his fingers. Crushing his phone would not be a good idea at this point; the point of no return.

  He’d been working towards this moment for a long time, far longer than he would’ve liked. He’d wanted to deal with the situation several years ago, but he didn’t have the strength, or the manpower, to take on the mighty Cassius Allarde.

  The “golden boy” that had everything, wealth, good looks, charm, and the power to obliterate Calix from existence.

  Now the tables were turned, Calix has the most powerful being on earth in his corner, and soon the mighty Vampire King would be destroyed. Then he, Calix, could take up his rightful position and lead the Vampires in a killing spree the likes of which had never been seen before.

  His heart sped up with excitement at the mere thought of roaming free and feeding whenever, and on whomever, he wished. “Dammit, call!” He shook his phone, desperate for the confirmation he was waiting on.

  Finally, the screen lit up and he answered before the first ring was finished. “Hello?”

  “The time and place has been set, two days from now at noon, and it’s to be on the Great Plains.” The cold as ice voice spoke fast and clipped. “I assume you know what to do?”

  “Yes, of course I do.” Calix’s voice just as clipped in reply. “I’m not a fool, and I’ll make damn sure I stick to him like glue. When I get my chance, I’ll do what’s required.”

  “I hope you do, Calix,” the voice spat out. “Because if you fail to do as agreed, I promise you one thing: you’ll suffer for eternity with no chance of respite.”

  “I said I’d do it so I will.” Calix voice stammered at the threat.

  “I’ve got another call, I’ll call you back in a few min
utes. I want to make sure you know exactly what’s expected.”

  Calix didn’t have the chance to argue as the line went dead. He was so focused on his phone that he actually jumped when there was a knock on his door, and he shouted harshly, “Who is it?”

  Francois’ head poked around the door. “Just me, I wanted to see if you wished to discuss our role in the upcoming fight.”

  Calix forced himself to smile. “Come in.”

  His second in command entered, looking around the extravagant suite. “Nice, as usual.”

  “Of course,” Calix agreed. “It’s only fitting that I have one of the best suites in the hotel.”

  “Certainly,” Francois said quietly, staring at Calix.

  “I’m waiting on an important call, so if my phone rings, please give me some privacy.” Calix held his phone out, shaking it before him.

  “All right, Sir.” Francois’ eyes stayed locked on Calix.

  “Are the guards ready for the fight that’s looming?” Calix asked, his eyebrow raising as he continued. “Two days isn’t long to make sure they’re prepared.”

  As soon as he said it, he knew by the look on Francois’ face that he’d slipped up. Francois’ eyes squinted over at him. “Two days?”

  “I mean–” Calix turned away, backtracking. “I expect it to be soon, in the next few days, not two.”

  Francois didn’t look convinced. “I see, well, they’re ready to go right now if need be, so no need to worry.”

  “Good.” Calix turned, giving Francois a big smile. “Thank you, Francois, you’re always on top of things. Now . . .”

  His phone rang and he pointed at the door, watching until Francois disappeared before answering. “Yes.”

  “What took you so long to answer?”

  “Someone was with me, they’re gone now,” Calix explained.

  “A Vampire?”

  “Yes, my second in command,” Calix advised.

  “Okay, well, I’m not going to stay on long, or have you discuss anything, fucking Vampire ears can hear things even through closed doors. So, Calix, all I need from you is one word. Are you prepared to do what is necessary in two days’ time?”