Huntress Claimed

by Eva Brandt

  But it could still be a pain in the ass, especially after we woke up from our post-dying ‘nap’.

  I opened my eyes in a dark, windowless room, naked, sore, and stiff in all the wrong ways. I had a headache and my muscles felt weak and rigid. But as my heart started beating again, my body began to adjust, returning to its previous state.

  Overall, this was a strikingly good result to the almost disastrous expedition. “Well, that’s a surprise,” I said as I got off the ritual slab. “No one tried to take advantage of my untimely demise. Interesting.”

  During those final moments, before my death had settled in, I’d wondered if Yuli, Latarra, or some other enterprising vampire, would take advantage of this to steal the coven from me. I hadn’t thought it would stick, of course. Mostly, I’d believed that I’d wake up buried under ten tons of concrete and have to spend the next decade chipping my way through the stone.

  It had happened a few times to other ancients, although less so, as of late. People were beginning to learn that the ‘bury them and they’ll just go away’ method didn’t work as well as they had hoped.

  There were two humans in the corner of the room. I smelled Yuli on them. How kind. He’d brought me a snack. I’d have to remember to find a way to thank him properly.

  My fangs lengthened as my body remembered it needed nutrients to fully recover from what had happened. It would have been so easy to allow myself to surrender to the beast inside me. But I didn’t have time to waste, not even with that.

  I walked up to the first human, buried my fangs in his throat, and drank. It was a swift, efficient process, and a bit of a waste of good blood. The human was a young, healthy male. He didn’t smoke and he had very few other vices. That was very rare in this day and age, and normally, I’d have taken my time to enjoy the treat.

  But I’d found something far rarer and more important than blood.

  I finished draining the first human and went on to the second one—a female. She was older, but her blood had aged like fine wine. Yuli must have put some effort into tracking down these two. It was a shame that I wasn’t in the mood to appreciate it.

  I dropped the second dead body to the floor and licked my lips. Turning around, I faced Yuli.

  He was now standing in the doorway, watching me eat in silence. I’d heard him come in earlier, but I’d ignored him in favor of finishing my meal. He hadn’t interrupted me and he made no comment on my choice of dining style. “My Lord, you’re awake. I was making preparations for our counterattack on the Brooks pack. We are ready to strike again at your command.”

  Ah. So he believed I’d been extra fast so that we could move in again and obliterate the werewolves. It was a shame I had to disappoint him. “I’m sure you are, Yuli. But I’ve had a bit of an epiphany. I finally understand why my brother is dead.”

  Yuli narrowed his eyes at me and I remembered that he was only being so helpful because he wanted revenge for Vladimir. He wouldn’t react well to what I had to say. But he deserved to know and he was the only one I could tentatively trust. Latarra would never understand.

  “Were you aware Vladimir could see into the future?”

  “I knew, yes,” Yuli told me. “But he always refused to share what he saw. He said it was all vague and unclear. He didn’t want to trouble me with things that wouldn’t come to pass. I always wondered if perhaps…”

  “If he saw his own death coming? He did. In fact, I think he was actively searching for it.”

  “No!” Yuli shook his head adamantly, hissing like a snake. “He never would have done that. He wouldn’t have left me. We’d sworn an oath to each other. He wouldn’t have betrayed me in this way.”

  “I know. That’s why I didn’t share this theory with you before, because it didn’t make any sense. But now it finally does. That girl… The girl who is at the Brooks pack… She’s important. She’s not just a random huntress.”

  Yuli’s eyes flashed with poorly concealed hope. “I knew I could sense a strange power on you. Can we use her to bring him back?”

  “It’s possible.” Truth be told, I had no idea, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. “For the moment, we need to wait and get her to come with us. If she doesn’t cooperate, we might lose our chance.”

  “But I don’t understand. Why would Vladimir do this? Why is she so important? Why would he sacrifice his life for her?”

  “I can’t answer that, Yuli. But Daimon Rossi might know. If there’s anyone who can tell us who that woman truly is, it’s him.”

  “He betrayed us. He warned the werewolves that we were coming.”

  “Yes, and if I’m right, he must have done it for that woman. He was the one who brought her to life. There’s no one else to ask, Yuli.”

  Yuli might have had his issues with Daimon, but he’d always been practical. As expected, he prioritized Vladimir’s potential return over everything else. “Very well then. How do you wish to approach this, My Lord?”

  “I think it would be best to send him a message and we can meet in a neutral area, just us. I don’t want to involve his horde.”

  “Do you really think that’s safe? He might try to stab you in the back again.”

  I smiled, flashing Yuli a hint of fang. “Oh, I’m pretty sure he’ll want to. That man detests being told what to do. But this time, he’ll cooperate, because we’ll provide him with a way to get what he wants.”

  “The woman.”

  “The woman.”

  It was all about her, the mysterious Genny. She was an unknowing captive of the Brooks pack. Daimon knew, just like I did, that she didn’t belong with the werewolves. If she stayed there, she’d just destroy herself and that was unacceptable. Because she was also my soulmate.

  Distantly, I wondered if Vladimir had known about my connection to her. It could have been the reason why he’d tried so hard to find her. I supposed it didn’t matter anymore.

  Somehow, Daimon and Vladimir had managed to capture a star and had trapped it in a mortal shell. That was all well and good, but some things couldn’t be contained in human flesh. And I would turn myself into dust and ash before I allowed the shifters’ stupidity and blindness to doom her.

  “Go for now,” I told Yuli. “Tell the others we’ll be reassessing our plan. Send out scouts and keep an eye on the werewolves. I want information on what they’re up to. I’ll handle Daimon.”

  “Yes, My Lord,” Yuli replied, bowing in front of me.

  By the time Yuli left, I already had a plan in mind. I would find out the truth about the mysterious Genny. Then I’d talk to Daimon about my idea. Once he agreed to cooperate—and he would—I’d capture my soulmate and bring her to my side, where she belonged.

  She was a beautiful, immortal diamond and she could not stay in the dirt, with the treacherous wolves. She was mine and I would claim her.

  * * *

  Daimon

  When the second letter arrived from Roman, I was surprised. My spies had told me about what had happened during Roman’s fight with the Brooks pack. I didn’t know all the details, but I didn’t need to. By now, Roman must have guessed I had told Xander Brooks about the imminent vampire attack.

  And yet, Roman’s missive seemed less hostile than his first one. It would have amused me if not for the underlining meaning of his words.

  Esteemed Lord Rossi,

  I’m writing with regard to our shared conflict with Xander Brooks and his pack. As you might already be aware, my forces recently clashed with theirs. He received reinforcements from the Committee, but it wasn’t enough to thwart us.

  However, new information has led me to take a step back from this conflict and reassess my approach. It would appear there is an added factor in this battle that I wasn’t aware of, something you have a great interest in. Or better said, someone.

  I will not mince words, Lord Rossi. I know. I know about your secret, about the lovely woman you’ve been hiding. And as luck would have it, I find her quite intriguing as well.

&n
bsp; I believe we can help each other in this. If you are truly interested in claiming her for yourself, you will meet me tomorrow evening, at the Maliorum Church.

  Regards,

  Roman Popovic

  Blood Count of the Popovic Coven

  I squeezed the letter in my fist and hissed in irritation. In front of me, Kade gave me a look of concern. “Everything okay?”

  “No, everything is not okay. This asshole is threatening my bride.”

  Kade took the paper from me and scanned it with curious eyes. “Hmm. It doesn’t sound like he’s planning to kill her. In fact, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say his interest is…”

  “Sexual. Romantic. Yes, I’m aware. He wouldn’t have picked the Maliorum Church as a meeting place otherwise.”

  The church was one of the oldest buildings on the American continent. Originally, it had been a Mayan temple, although to this day, humans weren’t aware of the extent of paranormal involvement in the ancient religion. Vampires and demons had traveled between the continents long before the first settlers had decided to set up camp on American soil.

  Now, the church was hidden, protected by vampyr wards from all outside interference. The building itself was visible from satellites, but the only thing humans could see was a harmless ruin.

  It was anything but harmless. Once, the Maliorum Church had been a favored spot for vampire mating rituals. In fact, it was the Eastern European vampires who had named it that way, even if it wasn’t a church in any shape or form. Just by asking me to come there, Roman was already giving me a huge clue.

  “You don’t really think he has his eye on your bride, do you?” Kade asked.

  “Stranger things have happened and there are only so many people who can sustain a mate bond with an ancient vampire,” I told him. “Unfortunately, she’s one of them.”

  “Yes, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he wants her, right? She might be capable of bonding with the undead, but Roman wouldn’t be so reckless and shallow in his interest.”

  “I know. It doesn’t make any sense. But then, there’s this letter… It just gives me a bad feeling.”

  “You’ll go, won’t you? Alone?”

  I nodded. “I have to. If this is about her, I need to know what’s going on, what card he has up his sleeve.”

  And so, the day after I received the letter, I left my horde’s den and headed to Mexico. It was easy enough to get there, despite all the human border patrols. If there was anything I loved about the mortals, it was their greed. My money instantly made everyone very friendly. Humans often suspected me of being involved in sketchy things, but they didn’t care, as long as they received compensation for their services.

  Many things had changed since the time of the Roman Empire, but that had stayed the same. It was almost comforting, or it would have been, if not for the damn letter that still weighed so heavily on my mind.

  I landed my small private plane in a small field a few miles away from the church. There was another plane there already, undoubtedly Roman’s. He was already here and not trying to hide it. It didn’t bode well for how this meeting was going to go. He must have felt very sure of himself if he wasn’t even trying to hide.

  Already wary, I made my way through the undergrowth, toward the temple. I walked through the wards with ease. The ancient magic rippled as I touched it, but let me pass. The stone gate was still there, the engraved symbols almost invisible now, wiped away by the hand of time. But the power of spilled blood still pulsed in the ground, almost as potent as it had been all those centuries ago.

  Shaped like a pyramid, the church was much smaller than other places of worship. There was only one great chamber, accessible through a set of great stone stairs. The moment I walked inside, I saw Roman, sitting cross-legged on the floor. His hands were on the still bloodstained altar and his eyes closed. In the dim moonlight, his pale complexion made him look almost ethereal. When he turned and looked toward me, his crimson gaze seared my flesh.

  “Blood Count Popovic,” I greeted him.

  “Lord Rossi,” he replied with a sharp smile. “It’s been a while.”

  “Not long enough, by our standards. What do you want? Why did you ask me to come here?”

  “Straight to the point.” Roman got up and brushed his hands off on his black pants. “I can appreciate that, although I also think you’re well aware of the answer.”

  “Imogen. You have some kind of interest in her.”

  “Not the huntress. Well, not just her. Tell me something, Lord Rossi. Daimon. Is she your soulmate? The woman you shoved into Imogen’s body?”

  “Obviously. But you already knew that.”

  “I did, yes, although, granted, not all of it was easy to figure out. Imogen Julius, huh? Not bad at all. I have to congratulate you on your choice of vessel.”

  Technically speaking, that part had been Vladimir’s idea, but I didn’t think mentioning it would be all that helpful right now. Instead, I decided to focus on what mattered more—Roman’s interest in my bride. “I’m so happy you approve. And what about you? Is she your mate too?”

  “Good guess. But then, I made it very easy for you, didn’t I?”

  He had. Vampires were said to not have soulmates, but that wasn’t true. Humans claimed undead didn’t have souls, so a deep bond like that was impossible. But in reality, most immortals had trouble finding their other halves. It was just extra difficult for vampires, because the powers of death often worked against them, keeping them from tracking down their mate.

  Vladimir, for example, could have never cast the soulmate summoning ritual, because his vampiric power would have clashed with the essence of the spell. In fact, people like him and his brother were more likely to meet their soulmate and lose them immediately, by their own hand.

  It wasn’t unusual for vampires to kill their mates and only realize who the person had been after it was too late. And to make matters worse, in situations like that, necromancy just didn’t work properly and the soul refused to return.

  But in those rare cases when vampire did find their mates, they dug their fangs in and refused to let go. I hadn’t wanted to believe it when I’d read the letter, but I couldn’t deny it, not anymore.

  “I suppose you didn’t exactly hide it, not from me, at least. But you have to understand I’m not going to just let you take her. Why did you say we have something in common and we can help each other?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” Roman curled his lip in distaste. “Those blasted werewolves. They don’t deserve her and don’t even understand what they have.”

  “I know,” I answered with a sigh. “But my efforts to extract her from there haven’t gone well. She’s convinced she belongs with the pack and she has to protect them.”

  “What happened, Daimon?” Roman asked, now completely serious. “What went wrong?”

  I sat down and for the first time in what felt like ages, allowed my fatigue to show. “The Beta… He interrupted the soulmate summoning ritual. Vladimir was supposed to watch the corridor, but something happened. For what it’s worth, Roman, I didn’t mean for him to get hurt.”

  “I know,” he answered. “I think he did too. He wouldn’t have helped you otherwise. He knew it would happen and that she would come. He believed she was important for some reason.”

  Wait, what? Vladimir had never mentioned that little detail to me. “What do you mean?”

  “Your mate. He said she was going to change everything. Do you know what he meant?”

  I shook my head, baffled. It wasn’t a good idea to show the extent of my confusion to Roman, but in this, we were on the same side. “He simply told me the huntress was an appropriate vessel for my bride and that the ritual would work if I used her.”

  Roman pursed his lips in displeasure. “Tell me something, Daimon, and be honest. Do you even know who she is? Where she came from?”

  And therein lay the crux of the problem. “I have no idea. I might be able to find out, if I had th
e physical form she inhabits, but as you can see, that hasn’t worked.”

  “Well, I suppose it doesn’t really matter. Our little demoness will handle the situation on her own.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked with a frown.

  “You don’t know?” Roman shot me a look of disbelief. “Mate bonds with demons are poison for mortals.”

  “Well, yes, but…”

  I trailed off as realization struck me. Shifters might be paranormal beings, but they weren’t like me and Roman. Their bodies were fundamentally different from ours. They were mortal. They aged. They died.

  How hadn’t I realized it? If the werewolves claimed my bride like they wanted to, they would destroy themselves in the process. And they had no idea what they were doing.

  By now, they must have noticed she had demonic powers. It was impossible to hide. But Imogen Julius had been a human, not a demon, and humans didn’t become demons. You either were a demon, or you were not. Demons could not be created. At most, the huntress could only ever be a hybrid, like Ulysses Barnett.

  She wasn’t, though, and no one, not even the half-demon Omega realized it.

  “All we have to do is wait,” I said, smirking. “She’ll kill them herself. And when she does, she’ll come straight to us. She won’t have a choice.”

  “Precisely.”

  I didn’t even have to think about it. I extended my hand, offering a true alliance to Roman. “You have a deal, Blood Count Popovic. We will claim our mate together and take her from the betrayers.”

  “I knew you’d see things my way.” Roman smirked and his fangs glinted with a dark promise. “You always were among the wisest of your people. Although there is still something we can do while we wait.

  “Vladimir went to his death for this woman. I believe this means there must be a way to bring him back, perhaps through her. Do you have any thoughts on that?”

  I mused over his words and quickly went through everything that had happened since the battle at the compound. Bringing a lost one back was very difficult, if not impossible, but our situation might just allow us to do it.