by Eva Brandt
Behind her, two witches dressed in white fidgeted in discomfort. Had they realized the truth? Probably not. They might have been able to if the soulmate summoning ritual had worked as I’d planned it, but this frustrating in-between situation did have one advantage. My bride was, for the most part, safe from all doubt.
“Then what is the problem?” my mate asked, a little shakily. “Whatever it is, I’m willing to do anything to make this work. I can’t keep going like this. My new powers are all over the place. At this rate, I’ll hurt someone.”
“And that’s the last thing you want, I take it.”
“Of course. I’ve never wanted to hurt people.”
“Never?” the coven mother repeated. “Now I know that’s a lie. You were a huntress. You’ve been hurting people for years, ever since you took up the blade.”
“That’s unfair and you know it,” Xander’s enforcer—the White Wolf—snapped. “Imogen was only protecting humans from the undead.”
“That may well be,” Mother Dora answered, “but she was still doing it by hurting people. Undead have nerve endings too. They feel pain, sorrow, and loss just as keenly as we do, if not more so. Immortality is a difficult burden to carry.”
Xander’s demonic Omega, Ulysses, let out a slow, exasperated breath. “I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation. I thought you agreed undead were a dangerous plague.”
“Mother Dora, let’s not play word games,” Xander piped up. “I understand your position and I know that sometimes, you have to dance a very thin line between what is right and what is wrong, between the living and the dead. I also know you didn’t want the Popovic coven here and you were very relieved when we destroyed them and their demon allies. Don’t pretend otherwise because it is beneath you.”
“That’s fair enough, Alpha Brooks. Their presence was indeed an anomaly that hindered us. But that doesn’t mean we want to get involved any further in this conflict. If anything, the opposite is the case.”
“Alpha, you should have allowed the demon to take what he came for,” one of the other witches whispered. “He won’t stop, no matter what you try. She won’t ever be safe and neither will your pack, as long as she is here.”
Wow. This had to be my lucky day. The witches agreed with me. Then again, it could be because they’d sensed the echo of my ritual in my bride and that might backfire badly, if I wasn’t careful.
“How dare you?” Xander growled, taking a threatening step forward. “How can you possibly say that? Imogen hasn’t done anything wrong!”
Mother Dora extended her palm, her fingertips starting to glow with a threatening light. “Your mate—”
I already knew what she was going to say. Maybe I should have allowed it, revealed the truth once and for all. But if I did that now, my bride might be in even more danger than before. She needed at least a little stability, now that Roman was hunting her. Once she found out the truth, her existence would once again be torn asunder. I’d be there to pick up the pieces, but I couldn’t do that if I was fighting a war with the undead.
Decision made, I willed my magic to surge out of me, cutting the witch off mid-sentence. Mother Dora gasped and my bride turned toward me, her eyes as wide as saucers. “Well, this is a cozy little gathering,” I said. “I didn’t know you kept company with such intelligent friends, Alpha Brooks. I might have underestimated you.”
Ulysses and Byron stepped in front of my mate, shielding her from my sight. “Get away from her, you bastard!” Byron snarled. “Haven’t you done enough?”
“Obviously not, since she’s still here with you. But I assure you that’s going to change soon. Even the witches know that.”
“Over my dead body,” the Alpha said coldly.
I laughed. “That can be arranged. In fact, that’s exactly why I’m here, to let you know you’re all about to become corpses. And you know what? I’m not the one you have to worry about right now.”
* * *
Imogen
Seeing Daimon again was… unexpected. After what had happened mere hours before, I should have been terrified of him. He’d taken over my mind and had turned my own consciousness against me.
But when I looked at him, I felt no wariness. He didn’t seem hostile toward me. If he blamed me for my decision or for turning him away in the past, he didn’t show it. It was baffling and things got even more confusing after that.
“I’m not the one you have to worry about right now,” he said. “You’re in far more trouble than you realize and because of your stupidity, so is my bride. And as luck would have it, so are these lovely ladies here.”
The latter words were directed at the witches. Mother Dora went rigid. She’d already been reluctant to help me. Having Daimon show up here to threaten them had obliterated any chances I might have had of them offering me a solution.
But even so, this wasn’t just about me. Daimon had attacked the Brooks pack because they’d kept me safe. I couldn’t allow him to hurt the coven too.
“Leave them out of this, Daimon,” I said, walking around Byron and Ulysses to face him. “They didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Neither did you and yet, here we are,” Daimon replied. “But don’t worry about that. Like I said, I’m not the one you should be afraid of.”
“Stop being so cryptic. If you’re not the threat here, who is?”
“Oh, my beautiful bride… I know it’s very easy to focus on my involvement in that ritual. I’m flattered, really, I am. But you and your werewolf companions seem to have forgotten there was someone else there. The leader of a certain vampire coven. An ancient vampire—which you killed.”
“Vladimir Popovic died because of you and his own magic,” Byron answered.
“Did he?” Daimon smirked. “I always did wonder how you killed him. You’re going to have to tell me the details another time. For the purpose of this conversation, they don’t matter anyway. What matters is that he’s dead and his brother didn’t take it well. And guess what that means? He’s coming for you.”
“You can’t possibly expect us to believe that,” Xander said. “If Popovic is dead, his coven is most likely in disarray. Everyone will be warring over its carcass. Vampires don’t avenge their leaders. They have no loyalty to those who can no longer be of use to them.”
Daimon snorted. “Shows what you know. Your understanding of the undead is superficial, Alpha Brooks, not that I blame you for it. To be fair, it’s unusual for vampires to form lasting bonds. But when they do, when it does happen, those bonds are strong enough to last millennia. And as luck would have it, Vladimir was a person who did have strong relationships, with several people.
“It’s true that there was a bit of a power struggle, but my sources tell me that’s been dealt with. Roman Popovic has been his brother’s right hand for centuries so between that, and the fact that he’s frankly a very powerful vampire, he has next to no opposition. And now, he’s after you, to avenge his brother.”
I wished I could believe that he was lying, that this was all another twisted game. But something in my heart whispered that no, he was being completely honest.
“Why are you even telling us all this?” I asked, and was proud when my voice didn’t shake. “Aren’t demons and vampires allies?”
“In a way, yes, but not this time. He’s not happy with me either. But even if he had been, I wouldn’t have cared.” Daimon’s smug smile melted into a serious expression. “Come now, my darling. You must realize why I’m here. I don’t care about them, but I do care about you. And as long as you’re here, you’re in the line of fire too.”
So that was his angle. He expected me to take him up on his word and just run away. “I appreciate the warning,” I said, clenching my jaw. “It’ll come in handy for fighting Roman Popovic off.”
Daimon narrowed his eyes at me. “Do you really think you can do that? The Brooks pack might have fought off Vladimir’s guards and a small part of my horde, but that was a skirmish. You don’t hav
e the numbers or the strength to stand against a full coven. You’ll only get yourself and everyone else here killed. Is that what you want, my beautiful bride?”
The certainty in his voice made me hesitate. No, that wasn’t what I wanted. But I didn’t have a real solution either. I could leave, yes, but then what? Roman Popovic would still attack the pack. Being here would allow me to provide them with reinforcements, assuming I could use my powers, at least.
I wanted to tell him just that, to point out that I belonged here, fighting side by side with my pack. Ulysses stepped in before I could do so. And he started laughing. It was a sharp, brittle sound, and it reached into my very soul and squeezed.
“You must think we’re idiots, Daimon Rossi. After everything you’ve done to Genny, you show up here and claim you want to protect her? You’ve attacked her and abused her time and time again. A few hours ago, you were using her mind as your plaything. You’re doing it again now, as a focus for your little spell. The only thing you want is to enslave her and we’ll never allow it.”
“You might be telling the truth about Roman Popovic,” Xander said coldly. “We’ll figure it out, one way or another. But no one here needs or wants your help.”
Daimon tilted his head at us curiously. “I’ve never done anything to my bride that she didn’t enjoy. If she claimed otherwise, she’s lying. Are you lying to your pet beasts, my love? What a naughty girl you are.”
His words reminded me of those dreadful, yet sinfully beautiful moments we’d spent together. I kept telling myself that he’d manipulated my mind and body into responding to him, but every time we saw one another like this, it felt more and more like a lie.
Then again, Ulysses wasn’t talking about that, was he? Daimon might have made me feel good when we’d had sex, but he certainly hadn’t been thinking of my pleasure earlier today.
“They’re not beasts. They’re my mates, not my pets. And I’m not your love. I’m not your anything and I never will be. You more than made sure of that.”
“You really believe that, don’t you?” Daimon asked, pursing his lips in displeasure. “Have these creatures twisted your mind so badly? How can you not see that I’m the only one for you?”
He sounded angry and frustrated, but it was nothing compared to the anger I felt. How dare he accuse my mates of twisting my mind when he was the one who’d done that? He was the one who’d torn me apart and turned my world into fear and darkness.
No more. I wouldn’t hide from him again. I wouldn’t let him use me again. I’d had enough.
I gripped my necklace in my fist and glared at Daimon. “You’re the one who refuses to see and understand. I don’t belong to you. I choose Xander, Byron, and Ulysses. You can never take their place in my heart. No matter what spells you cast, no matter what you say or do, you will only ever be my enemy. And I don’t want you here.”
It was a simple sentence, the simplest part of my little speech. But it echoed against the very center of my being.
For the first time since I’d woken up in that room at the vampire compound, still trapped, with two werewolves and a demon fighting over me, I felt like things were making sense. Desire was power. My wants and needs mattered. I didn’t have to deny myself. There was nothing wrong with me or with the gift I’d been given.
If this magic was a result of the ritual, like my werewolves had said, so be it. That spell had taken my old life from me, but I couldn’t reject my new self because of it.
On the contrary, I was stronger now than I’d ever been. As the huntress Imogen Julius, I could have never taken out dozens of undead on my own and weaponless. I’d snapped a vampire’s neck with my bare hands. I’d blasted them away from me with elemental magic. And later, when Daimon had come for me, I’d willed him to stop his attack. This was true power and with it, I could be so much more than I had been.
“I don’t want you here,” I said again and this time, I was calm.
Magic bloomed around me like a flower opening to the sunlight. Daimon’s eyes widened. “My love…”
“Don’t call me that!” I shouted.
The gentle wave of power exploded into a violent blast. It zeroed in on Daimon with the intensity and ferocity of a volcanic eruption. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.
Now that he’d vanished, I could feel the part of my mind he’d used to come here in his astral form. Furious with myself for missing it, I did my best to seal the opening. If he tried to invade my consciousness again, he was going to run into a big surprise.
Once I was done, I turned toward my mates and the still waiting witches. “Are you okay, Genny?” Xander asked.
“Fine. Just a little angry. What about you?”
“Not a scratch,” Ulysses replied. “That was really impressive. I wasn’t aware you could control your power like that.”
“That makes two of us. I suppose I just needed to be reminded of who I truly am and what I’m fighting for.”
“Do you really remember it?” Mother Dora asked softly. “Do you know who you are?”
I suppressed the urge to sneer. I never should have come to see the witch. We didn’t need her. She was puny and weak compared to me. She pretended to be better than my mates, but in reality, she was just afraid. She didn’t have the courage to pick a side and support it. Xander had been right. We couldn’t trust her.
“Of course I know. I’m a warrior and a protector. And first and foremost, I’m a woman who will defend her loved ones. But I don’t think that’s something you can understand. People like you are beyond love and passion. And because of that, you will never know the true meaning of life and of power.”
With that, I turned on my heel and headed back the way I’d come. My mates followed me without a word.
My epiphany hadn’t solved any of our problems. I still needed to make sure my powers were stable and would obey me when I had to fight. My mind was apparently clear of any curses, and I hoped I’d be able to hold Daimon off now. But if Daimon was to be believed, Roman Popovic was hunting us.
Even so, at that moment, I wasn’t afraid. I knew what I had to do. I had my mates by my side. Together, we could beat this—and we were not alone.
Chapter Six
The Committee for Inter-Species Cooperation is the main decision-making body governing international relations in the 21th century. Created through the Paranormal-Human Pact, it was originally called the Paranormal-Human Council. However, in recent years, the name received some censure, as it was argued that many paranormal species are subdivisions of the larger human race.
While the biology of such species still remains a mystery, it was decided to modify the name. The choice was also based on the fact that the original title bore a striking resemblance to the unofficial governing body of human hunters, the Council of Hunters, something which caused both confusion and unrest. (…)
The Committee for Inter-Species Cooperation is based in Vienna, Austria, and has branches in many major cities in the world. It can provide financial and military aid to the signatory countries of the original treaty. Many times, armed interventions from the CISC kept paranormal conflicts from escalating into lethal disasters.
- From, ‘The Committee for Inter-Species Cooperation”, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia -
* * *
Xander
“A vampire attack? But you said that wasn’t going to happen now that the coven leader is dead!”
“Who even gave you this information?”
“This is horrible! If vampires attack, our whole union is at risk.”
Suppressing my irritation, I waited for the elders to blow off some steam. I’d known they wouldn’t take the news well, but that didn’t mean it didn’t frustrate me to have to waste time on arguing with them. I could have been doing far more useful things instead of explaining this to them.
“Silence!” I snapped, finally losing my patience. “I’m well aware of what I said and of the potential dangers of the situation. That’s exactly why I broug
ht this information to you, even if the source wasn’t very reliable.”
“What do you mean, Alpha?” Deacon asked.
“Earlier today, while I was away to meet with Mother Dora, the demon who attacked the pack dropped by again. He claimed he came ‘in peace’ to deliver this warning.”
“And you believe him?” Edward inquired, his voice thick with disbelief. “Alpha, with all due respect…”
I wanted to laugh, because he didn’t respect me. He never had and my recent choices hadn’t changed that. My relationship with Byron would always annoy him. But I decided not to address the elephant in the room. The wellbeing of our union was more important than the grudge Byron’s dad had on me. “It doesn’t matter if I believe him or not. He may very well be lying. But if there’s even the slightest chance that he’s telling the truth, we have to take it seriously.
“As we know and as we’ve previously discussed, vampires do not seek retaliation for fallen coven leaders. They see exterior conflict as a way to advance themselves. But there are exceptions from every rule. And let’s face it, they’re so secretive that what we do know about them may be inaccurate.”
“So what do we do now?” Sylvia asked. “Do we evacuate?”
“I’m considering it, yes,” I replied. “I’d like to send at least the pups and the elderly to a haven. But I have to discuss it with the Committee first and you know how they are. They drag their feet for the smallest details. I’ll have to go to Washington myself if I want to get anything done. But I don’t know how long it’ll take me, so in my absence, you and Byron will have to make sure the lair is as safe as it can be.”
“Of course, Alpha,” Deacon answered. “But do you really think the Committee will help us? You yourself said that we can no longer rely on the hunters.”
Yes, and I still believed that. After the fight with Imogen’s family, the humans wouldn’t be very inclined to give us a hand now that we were in trouble. But I had to try anyway. “Alan Lee might have a grudge on us because of what happened with Imogen, but in the big picture, he’s not that important. He’s just the leader of one hunter clan. An important hunter clan, yes, but not the only one. There are many other people involved in the Committee, and they’ve seemed inclined to help us in the past. The humans aren’t the ones who have a voice here. Remember that, Elder Reyes.”