Vampires' Embrace [Southern Supernatural Alphas] (Siren Publishing Menage Amour)

by Sara Anderson

  “What about Addy? That is a lot of memory to tamper with. Will he take her away from my mom and dad?” Rachel stared into his eyes, knowing it was a possibility. Marcus had kept her as a guest for a while. She’d been free to walk around town with an escort for her protection, but they monitored every phone call, text, email, and move she made on social media. They were always kind, but she knew she was not free to leave for months until they were sure she was safe. If Devon hadn’t come for her, would Marcus have sent an enforcer to bring her back? She wasn’t sure, but she knew they were very serious when it came to the protection of the Lycan packs. She had Anna and unlimited contact with her parents, so she didn’t mind.

  “It is easy to blunt memories that are older if they aren’t harsh. Her fearful memories are fresh. It will be easy to manipulate them so she barely remembers what happened, and block anything supernatural from her memory completely.”

  The door opened and her mom walked in, looking golden from the sun and happy. Rachel’s heart squeezed once again. “Hi, Mom.” She smiled as if there weren’t a lot of big men in the house.

  Her mom stopped and glanced around, her smile wavered a bit, but never fully dropped. That was her mom, though, always welcoming of guests, even strangers. “Who are our guests?”

  “Sam Dalton, ma’am, I am with the Texas Rangers. There was a problem last night with some cattle rustlers and a gunfight between the men you hired, and the rustlers.”

  Karen stopped with her mouth open. “Are you serious?” Her gaze jerked over to Devon and Kieran. “Are you two okay? You didn’t get hurt, did you?”

  “Not bad enough to worry about.” Kieran gave her one of his charming smiles and Rachel thought she saw her mom melt right there.

  “Karen! Someone was shooting out here.” Dean stomped on the mat before walking in.

  “Yes, Dean, cattle rustlers tried to take some cattle. Devon and Kieran stopped them. The police are here.”

  Dean’s face split into a grin. “Well, it’s about time we finally got some digs into those assholes. Did you get ’em, son?”

  Rachel didn’t miss the way her dad beamed with pride at the two Vampires.

  Sam cleared his throat. “Yes, he did hit several and they’ve been taken away for questioning. Unfortunately…” Sam’s face fell. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but Addy is missing.”

  “What!” Karen yelled and Rachel started crying again. “Where is she?”

  “We’re tracking her phone right now. It seems the gunfight scared her and she ran outside and vanished. We believe she has it and her location is on. My detective that works with the tech unit is trying to get a signal with her right now.”

  Dean wrapped his arms around Karen and Devon held Rachel. “I am so sorry I let you down. I will do everything in my power to get her back.” Sincerity ran in Devon’s voice as Rachel held him.

  Dean met his stare and nodded. “I don’t blame you. You were fighting criminals and Addy does scare easy. She puts up a strong front, but she is a delicate girl.”

  * * * *

  Devon laid Rachel down for some sleep while they worked to try and find Addy. Mortef wouldn’t try too hard to hide her, he wanted her to be found and then offer a trade, or as bait to ambush them. He knew how his uncle worked.

  While he walked to the dining room to check on the trace, he found Dylan standing in the hallway staring at her picture. Devon walked up behind him and stopped. “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “You asked me to protect her while you were gone, and I failed. It is my fault. She is just a child and suffering because of me.”

  Devon shook his head. “How could anyone have foreseen a Lycan and Vampire attack here? We thought they planned to attack at the airport and the girl would be safe.”

  “She’s just a kid, and alone with that monster.”

  Devon knew what Dylan wasn’t saying. Despite her childish crush on Dylan, he’d grown fond of the girl. It was hard to be annoyed with her as she stared at Dylan as if he’d hung the stars by himself, but too shy to do more than follow him. It worked out perfectly to assign him as her guardian since she already tried to find any excuse to be in the same room with him.

  “Don’t let her hear you call her that. She’ll be as mad at you as she was at Rachel.”

  Dylan shook his head as he stared at her picture. “She’s a child. She will get over her little crush on me and find a nice human to mate with once she’s an adult.”

  Devon opened his mouth to respond when someone slapped the table. “Found her,” Kieran yelled, “or at least her phone. She’s at an abandoned farmhouse about five miles from here.”

  Rachel stood up from the couch and swayed. Her eyes were unfocused as she stared at Devon and then Kieran. “I’m going.”

  “No, you are not!” Devon said hotly. “This is most likely a trap.”

  Rachel stood her ground and kept eye contact with Devon. “Yes, I am. She’s probably terrified and you need me. I will do anything you say. I will hide when you say hide, and run when you say run, but I am going.”

  “No, I won’t lose you!” Devon yelled.

  “Do you think staying here will help? He can find me anywhere. I am safer with you than hiding here at the house.”

  “No.” She could see that he was not going to bend at all and she felt hot tears sting her eyes. Soft hands wrapped around her. When Rachel glanced over, her mom stood behind her, looking as forlorn as she felt.

  “Mama.” Rachel turned and held her mom close.

  “Come and sit with me, baby girl. Let the police get to finding your sister.”

  * * * *

  The blazing sun baked the ground in the pounding Texas heat. The ground cracked as every last bit of moisture baked out of the ground, leaving most of the grass wilted or dead. Kieran stared at the ramshackle house they’d traced Addy’s GPS signal to. It was a large house at one time, but now the peeling paint on the clapboard siding made the house look as if it was weeping and longing for its glory days.

  They approached the house unconcerned about any Vampires or demons seeing their approach. The blazing sun would keep them away from the windows. Even with the filter of a glass, the UV rays would still cause them painful burns.

  Devon pointed to the back door and the side door. Everyone nodded and split up into groups. They would storm the house at once, and hopefully find Addy alive and they could kill the demon Mortef was controlling once and for all. Once the demon was dead, the hellhounds would die, as well. He didn’t sense any Vampires close, but the house did stink of demon rot. Damn, did Mortef summon more than one? His thoughts were confirmed when he heard the screams of at least two demons. They returned to their master for protection while they entered a near coma state during the day. At night, they were hard to catch and even harder to kill. During the day, when they were defenseless, was the best time to kill them.

  An odor like a weed field filled the rooms though. Kieran couldn’t place it, but he knew that scent was supernatural. Perhaps it was leftover scent of another supernatural? A gray lump in the corner moved, and Kieran moved swiftly toward it.

  He recognized Addy’s gray robe, a sticky substance coated her that had the same overpowering scent.

  She was crying so hard, every word she tried to speak came out incoherent. He wasn’t good at reading thoughts, but he felt her emotions. She’d resigned herself to the fact she was going to die. The hopelessness she felt nearly drove him to his knees. “It’s okay, little one. I’ve got you.”

  She shook her head frantically, and her fear increased. A single thought blasted through his own mind. Explosion!

  It hit him at once. Almace. He was smelling the supernatural accelerant that burned hot enough to incinerate every supernatural being. It was a trap to lure them into the house. Mortef thought to eliminate them and then he’d be free to claim their mate.

  Get out of the house, now! It’s a trap. Mortef poured Almace everywhere.

  I just found a bunch of it. />
  Just as he turned toward the window, a ghoul ran into the room. Kieran could not protect Addy and fight the ghoul. Just as the thought hit him to push her out the window, knowing Yerel could heal her broken bones, Dylan was there. His dark eyes widened and then his clothing exploded off him as his wolf burst out.

  Addy screamed and he felt her terror and confusion as her mind grappled with what she’d just witnessed. “He’s a—he’s not—oh my god.” Her random terror filled thoughts broadcast out, and all Kieran could do was try to flood her with some comforting energy. It was only a split second, and then the ghoul was dead. Its master was long gone, so it had no real fight. Whatever the vampire’s last implanted orders were, was all the ghoul would have done until it died.

  The ghoul was dead by the time Kieran got to the massive floor to ceiling window. Dylan crashed through it, and then Kieran used his booted foot to break out the dangerous shards of glass. Holding Addy close to him, he leapt from the house. Just as he was airborne, the house lit up into a ball of flames.

  He hit the ground and ignored the searing pain on his back. He could feel the skin blistering, but he would heal. His Vampire blood wouldn’t even leave a scar.

  He stopped next to Raeff and Dylan as one of their nest handed Dylan a trench coat. The wolf nodded its head and he shifted back to his human self and put on the coat.

  “Was anyone home?” he asked as Devon approached, smoking slightly himself.

  “Just the demons,” he replied. “They’re all dead now, though.”

  Kieran watched the house burn while he continued to sooth Addy. “There will be no trace of them, so your case with the Vampire council will go nowhere.”

  Dylan’s gaze landed on her and she cringed as she squirmed to get away.

  Addy stared back at him with fear shining in her eyes.“You’re one of them. I saw you change the same way the others did!” Addy’s voice was shrill with fear as she tried to twist away from Kieran

  Kieran looked at Dylan. “We can’t leave her like this. There is no way we can take her home. Even if she suffers some unintended memory loss, she won’t ever be the same or grow into the woman she was meant to be.”

  “Most of her memories are only hours old, and the worst are just minutes. I think I can erase the ones that would cause her the most distress, but I may end up getting larger chunks of her memory.”

  Addy apparently overheard their conversation. As soon as Kieran set her down for Dylan, she surprised him by slipping away and running. “Help! Somebody help me!”

  “Addy, stop!” he yelled, but she was past listening to any of them. Her thoughts were jumbled and she was running on fear and adrenaline. There would be no getting through her panic induced flight.

  Devon leapt into the air and landed directly in her path. He wrapped his arms around her while she screamed and kicked. Dylan whispered, “Stand still, Addison.”

  Her body shook like a street sign in a hurricane, but Dylan’s gaze caught hers and she stood still, even though she panted in terror. Dylan held her paralyzed with his eyes. “You woke up to an intruder in your house. You ran away in fear and you have been hiding, too frightened to come out on your own.”

  Addy’s terrified expression melted and her eyes turned blank. She nodded as her body relaxed.

  “Good girl. Now, you’re going to go to sleep, and not wake up until I command it. Once you are awake, you will forget all about Dylan and the demons that have frightened you.” She went limp and her eyes closed.

  Dylan tenderly stroked her hair. “You’re going to grow up and find a nice man one day. If he dares hurt you or mistreat you in any way, your Lycan protector will be sure to teach him some manners.”

  Devon smiled at Dylan. “Clever. Let’s get her home and get the hell out of Texas. Your pack can handle the rest of the cleanup.”

  Kieran was all for that. He did enjoy his mate’s family, but he missed Tennessee. Hopefully Rachel would want to go back, as well. They had a lot to do there, like finding their forever home, and file Rachel as their mate at the club.

  Chapter Eighteen

  A couple of days later, Rachel sat on the front porch at Sam’s house in Shadetree. Sam was closing up the case file he would send to the supernatural council on everything that had happened with her family. Since he had made alterations to her parents’ and Addy’s memories, he’d made a file on them.

  “I will add your family to our list of protected families. My enforcers will patrol your family’s lands regularly. They will only see a large dog and think nothing of it.”

  “Hopefully, Matt doesn’t shoot them. Ranchers get kind of trigger happy with dogs around their cattle.”

  “No worries. I only send my enforcers who have strong compulsion skills. They’ve protected human ranchers for many years. They will be able to take care of themselves.”

  Car doors slamming drew Rachel’s attention toward the window. The two-story house across from Sam, that was in need of a lot of TLC, had people standing on the front porch. A young woman pulled the real estate sign from the front yard.

  “Looks like you have new neighbors.” She wondered if they were human or supernatural. It was odd being in a Lycan town that had so many unaware humans.

  “Huh, last I heard they’d pulled it from the market. Miss Emma went to a nursing home, so the property’s been caught up in legal stuff. It is probably an agent.”

  Rachel stood up to get a better look at the agent, who was staring at the property, and holding the sign.

  Shrugging, she turned back to Sam. “So, what did you call us out here for?”

  Sam smiled, but it had a hint of sadness. “I found your family, your real family.”

  Rachel’s breath caught in her throat. “Where? Are they here?”

  Sam pulled out a file that had a police symbol on it. “I found an old file that was also filed with the Alpha in the Oklahoma territory. The police report claims a robbery gone wrong. They were shot and burned in a motel fire outside of Broken Arrow. The police saw it as some sort of drug hit. The Alpha knew of a witch and warlock couple who had been asking about protection spells for their infant. Then that couple turns up dead, and the infant was gone. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together. They weren’t from his territory though, so his investigation never got far. Yerel got some of the DNA the police sampled and tested it against one of your blood samples. They were your parents, Erin and Bradly Warren.

  “Rarely, a witch and warlock make a channel. I think they were hiding in that motel, but whoever wanted you killed them, took you, and obviously ended up here in Texas. When they didn’t see the magical energy in you, they tried to kill you, as well.”

  Tears filled Rachel’s eyes. Her parents loved her enough to try and hide what she was. They didn’t leave her in a burning building to die, they’d died trying to protect her. “Thank you for telling me.”

  Devon pulled her to him. “I told you, supernaturals are close to their young. I knew there was no way your parents willingly left you to die in a fire. Her spell protected you though, and kept you safe until I found you.”

  Rachel wrapped her arms around Devon and listened to the steady rhythm of his heart. Kieran joined them and they held one another. Tears fell as she mourned the parents she’d never known. She hoped they were able to look down at her and know she’d had a happy childhood with loving parents. When her eyes opened, she stared out the window and watched the young blonde woman stare up at the old house.

  * * * *

  Three months later, Rachel glided through the house in Tennessee that they’d picked out together. It was a lovely home on a five-acre plot. She had her heart set on exactly how she wanted it decorated, but Kieran was a wannabe interior decorator. She’d banished him to the basement only. He couldn’t match colors to save his life.

  She walked through the rooms and inhaled the fresh scents of the Tennessee fall. Her sense of smell was oddly sensitive lately. Some scents soured her stomach.

  Her m
om sent her a text about Addy’s latest award for her research project on the Roman Empire. Her sister had no memory of what had happened or of Dylan. It was for the best. She needed to grow up in her safe little world of high school drama, not demons, Vampires, and Lycans.

  That’s great. Tell her congratulations for me. I will see you for Thanksgiving. I am closing on a new house for a client.

  I can’t wait, baby girl. You can meet Addy’s first boyfriend, Gavin. His family has a cattle and horse ranch closer to Paris. I am not sure if she loves the horses or the boy more.

  She smiled. Sam had decided her parents shouldn’t remember Dylan or Addy’s crush on him. The memories hadn’t been fresh, but he’d been able to blunt them. As long as nobody brought him up, they wouldn’t remember her crush. They would only remember him as a law enforcement officer that helped with the cattle problem.

  I can’t wait, mama. I will see you soon.

  She heard Devon talking with someone from the supernatural council in the den. Since Mortef had raised demons from hell, that had really put Mortef in their cross hairs. The Vampire council never believed them. Devon agreed with her that Solan most likely betrayed him, and the council could not be trusted at all anymore. The supernatural council, who consisted of Lycans, Elves, and some Vampires, did believe and wanted Mortef captured.

  “We found the Alpha who killed the humans in his territory. His execution has already been carried out.”

  Rachel wondered why a Lycan would turn on his own like that one did. Not only did he not get a place in some new paranormal world order, but they were now hunted by council enforcers. Once caught, they were swiftly executed.

  “I’m sorry you had to do that. I know it is not an easy thing to take another’s life.”

  “It never is, and if it ever becomes easy, then I need to resign from the council and spend my days catching fish.”