The Blood and Light Series (Six Books Boxed Set)

by Rue Volley

  Josh shook his head at him.

  “Oh, I remember Rome.”

  Theo looked at him and raised his finger to him.

  “I thanked you then; I do not owe you now.”

  Josh shook his head yes.

  “Oh, you do. This is all new mess you created here; it is always you and some crazy boy.”

  “Jonah… I might tell you, he is not like a Roman. He is very endearing and only wanted to feel his morality! Who am I to deny him of that?” Theo asked.

  Josh stood there and picked up his shirt and started to put it on.

  “I don’t have time for this shit; I am going to track down Rue and Kai,” Josh said, as he pulled his leather and started to strap it up.

  Theo pushed himself up and stared at him.

  “I will remind you that I am eldest, and I said you should investigate the psychic,” he said.

  Josh grinned.

  “And I will remind you that I am a third born, and I find it hilarious that the person who created this mess is suddenly trying to give orders,” Josh said, as he half laughed at him.

  “Joshua Barrington,” Theo said.

  Josh stopped and looked at him like he wasn’t going to listen to anything he had to say.

  “You hurt my feelings,” Theo muttered.

  Josh sighed.

  “Oh for crap sake,” he muttered back to him.

  They both turned when Sam flashed in.

  “Oh, okay… there you are!” she yelled.

  Josh smiled and raised his eyebrows at Theo.

  “She is going to kick your ass,” he whispered to Theo.

  Theo shook his head and stepped around him.

  “My dear Samantha, I apologize for all the mess,” he said.

  Josh stopped and rolled his eyes.

  “Oh, of course you would apologize to her… not to me,” he muttered, as he leaned down, picked up his blades, and started to holster them on his back.

  “Theodore… my boyfriend is running around out there, and I am having trouble tracking him!” Sam said in a half panic.

  Theo stepped up to her and touched her face.

  “Yes love, I fear that the trial of bonding has been quite harsh on us all… much more so than I anticipated.”

  Josh turned and straightened his shoulders.

  “You didn’t anticipate anything, except getting your freak on with a rogue,” Josh said.

  Theo turned to him and crinkled his eyebrows.

  “What?” Josh said to him, as he cracked his neck and stretched his shoulders out.

  Theo turned back to Sam and smiled.

  “I am going to remedy this right away. Will you make some tea?” he asked her.

  Sam raised her eyebrows, and Josh crossed his arms on his chest waiting for her to deck Theo.

  “Okay,” she said.

  Josh raised his arms up and yelled out.

  “What the hell?”

  Sam leaned around Theo and stared him down like the devil.

  “You should have been nicer to Rue,” she said.

  Josh snorted, as he placed his hands on his head.

  “Really...? Oh okay, I guess that I was the reason that all this happened?” he asked her.

  “The reason is so not the point; we need to get to the solution.”

  Theo smiled at her and shook his head.

  “Very grown up of you, love,” he said.

  “Oh yea, grown up… alright I am going now,” Josh said.

  Sam stepped around Theo and stared him down.

  “You better bring them back in one piece,” she said.

  “Yea, okay. I am sure that Kai will come on his own, but Rue will probably be swung over my shoulder stabbing me in the back with her blade.”

  Theo laughed, and Josh shot him a look.

  Theo raised his hand to him.

  “I apologize,” he muttered to him.

  Josh looked at him and then to Sam.

  “You better talk to Lilly; she seems to know about this psychic.”

  Sam looked at him and tilted her head.

  “Knows what?” she asked.

  Theo touched her arm.

  “Oh and yea, you better check on her soon, because Rue and I put her in bed with Sophie,” Josh added, as he pulled his shoes on.

  “Joshua Barrington!” Theo yelled.

  Josh looked up and grinned.

  “Sorry, we both hoped that Lilly would wake up and eat her.”

  “Oh, that is just great!” Sam yelled, as she flashed from the tent.

  Theo turned to Josh, and he stood up and smiled at Theo.

  “What?” Josh asked.

  “Just retrieve the Volleys,” Theo said.

  “Will do… you get your spell casted to break this bond.”

  Theo nodded, and Josh flashed past him and away from the carnival hoping that he could guess where they had gone, since he was still unable to track effectively.

  Josh flashed across the green fields and came to the entrance of the forest. He stopped for a moment before he entered, pausing to look up at the gray clouds forming.

  “Awesome… another storm, just perfect,” he whispered, as he pushed into the forest and headed in the only direction he could guess was the right one… towards Calvary.

  Chapter 6

  Defiant and Cute

  Bailey woke up next to Clytie under the fur blankets. He rolled over and looked at her face, beautiful and peaceful as she slept. It had been so long since he had been with a woman… that he almost felt as if it had been the first time for him again. He reached out to touch her cheek, and she opened her eyes quickly, scaring him. He clinched his fist, as she stared at his hand and then into his eyes.

  “Good morning,” she said.

  Bailey looked at her and lowered his hand.

  “Good morning,” he said.

  Clytie pushed herself up on her side and let the fur fall from the front part of her, exposing her breasts to him. Bailey tried to keep his eyes locked on hers, but it was near to impossible to do. Clytie’s skin looked even more amazing in the morning sunlight then in the moonlight the night before. Clytie watched his face and then reached out and touched it.

  “You have come to surprise me,” she whispered to him.

  Bailey grinned at her and rolled over; he stood up and pulled his pants on.

  He stumbled and caught his balance.

  “Well, you are not obligated to sleep with me. We are even now,” he said to her.

  Clytie stood up behind him and placed her hands around him, gently touching his chest.

  “I find you endearing and much gentler than expected.”

  Bailey turned to her and shook his head.

  “I am a rogue, a cannibal by nature. I know that you don’t really want to be with me,” he said to her.

  Clytie smiled and leaned in slowly, gently kissing him on the mouth.

  “Do not dabble in guess work when it comes to a woman’s heart, it will deceive you every time,” she said.

  Bailey stood there confused for a moment and tilted his head at her.

  “You are the most beautiful creature that I have ever seen. I also know that you are a siren by nature… so what do you want?” he asked her.

  “Oh, I would have hoped that you would have found me endearing… seems that you trust no one,” she said, as she turned and started to walk to the creek bed.

  Bailey watched her and quickly picked up his blades, sliding them on his back as he followed her. Clytie walked through the trees and peeked back at him until she stood at the water’s edge, and then she turned to him. Bailey stopped and looked at her perfect body against the beautiful backdrop of rocks and rippling water. Clytie grinned, as she turned and jumped into the water disappearing under the surface.

  Bailey waited, and when she did not resurface after a minute or so, he walked up to the edge and looked out into the water, waiting to see bubbles or anything that would alert him to the fact that she swam under the surface. He scratched
his head and looked down at his reflection. He looked tired; he needed to feed badly and had forgone his usual feeding the night before as he lay with Clytie.

  Suddenly, Clytie materialized in his reflection under the surface, and he stumbled back from her. She raised her hand out of the water and let her hand gently wave to him. He slowly walked towards her and looked over the edge. She floated there right under the surface, and then she grinned at him. Bailey tilted his head and pointed to himself, and she nodded slowly under the water, as her hair slowly floated around her head like bright red fire. Bailey grinned and started to take his shirt off. Clytie shook her head and reached up to him. He knelt down on his knees and leaned over to look at her face, and then his eyes wandered down her body.

  She suddenly grabbed his head and pulled him under the surface. Bailey kicked and struggled to pull free of her, but she held him to her until his eyes started to roll in his head and his body went limp. Clytie let him go and watched his body slowly sink into blackness under her. She slowly raised her head out of the water and grinned, as she started to reach up for the edge. She pulled herself out of the water and stood, as she stretched her arms out and yawned.

  Clytie started to walk towards the campsite, and then she remembered that Bailey had his blades on him. She turned and shook her head.

  “Always an irritation, these vampires,” she muttered.

  She turned and walked back to the water’s edge and looked in.

  She dove in, barely even making any ripples on the surface of the water. She swam down quickly and spotted Bailey lying on his side on the bottom of the creek bed, looking like he was in a deep sleep. Clytie knew that he was not dead, but she also knew that he could lie in these waters for an eternity if no one knew where he was. Her knowing his resting place may come in handy at some point along the way, especially if she ran into his bratty companion, Mia, again. She would surely not harm Clytie if she knew that the only way she would ever see Bailey again was if Clytie led her to him.

  Clytie turned him on his stomach, placed her foot on his back, and pulled his blades out. She successfully retrieved them and turned to kick her way to the surface. She suddenly felt a tight grip on her ankle and looked back to see Bailey gripping her ankle, with a look of hatred on his face. Clytie shook her head at him. He dug his nails into her ankle, and the blood started to roll out under his hand into the water. Clytie pulled the blade to her side and then pushed downward with as much force as she could, ramming it through his stomach and pinning him to the bottom. Clytie could hear him cry out in the water in a blood-curdling scream.

  She kicked towards the surface and glanced back, as she saw the blood floating up from the wound she had inflicted on him. Clytie broke the surface and hissed, as she felt the sting of the wound on her ankle. She pulled herself out and pulled her leg up to her and stared at the blackening ring around her ankle. She slammed her hand against the ground and shook her head.

  “What a nuisance!” she yelled out.

  Clytie slammed the blade into the ground and pushed herself up, trying to step on the foot that was rapidly becoming sorer by the moment. She hissed when she tried to put her weight on it.

  “Oh, this is just wonderful,” she muttered to herself, as she looked through the trees and could see their campsite.

  Unfortunately, it seemed much further than it had to her before she had become wounded. Clytie looked around, spotted a long staff lying on the ground, and lowered herself slowly. She reached out, making a slight moaning sound as she twisted her injured ankle to the side of her. She finally gripped the staff in her hand and sighed with relief, as she pulled it to her.

  “I swear to the gods; I will kill every vampire on this earth,” she said through her gritted teeth, as she started to pull herself back to the camp that was now a murder scene.

  ***

  Sia Noble stood in the garden of Valon and watched all the flowers pulsate with color. She had spent her entire life behind these walls, although for a short period of time she had wished to be out in the world as most protectors do at some point in life. After her brother Clark had left, she spent years trying to earn her place there… feeling the weight of his treachery heavy on her heart. She stood almost as still as a beautiful statue, until she felt a presence approach her, and she looked down at her hands to watch the color swirl erratically. She knew it was Caine Graph come to pay her visit, but she did not turn to greet him.

  “Sia Noble, I see that you found a place that matched your beauty,” Caine said.

  Sia turned to see him standing there in his brilliant white battle gear with the beloved Tree of the creator etched into his chest.

  “Lord Caine,” Sia said, as she nodded to him.

  Caine walked towards her slowly and minded his feelings, not wanting to give her pause.

  “I spent many hours here myself watching life pulsate through this garden, dreaming of the world,” Caine said to her.

  Sia looked at him and slowly shook her head.

  “I abandoned my dreams of leaving long ago, unlike my brother,” Sia said.

  “It is a pity; you would enjoy the freedom that it holds.”

  Sia looked out over the flowers and watched them sway in the wind.

  “What is it that you want?” Sia asked him.

  Caine grinned and walked up next to her and watched the flowers sway too.

  “Just council, my dear,” Caine said, as he glanced at her.

  Sia looked up at the sky and turned to him.

  “I fear that you confuse me with my brother; I have nothing to offer you.”

  Caine looked into her flawless face and grinned.

  Sia stared into his black eyes and then interlaced her fingers and held them in front of her. Caine glanced at her hands and smiled.

  “You have grown to be quite the beauty; I find it hard to believe that no one has approached you as a mate,” Caine said.

  Sia looked down at her hands and moved a little. Obviously Caine had struck a chord with her, and he knew it. She looked back up and sighed.

  “No one finds me desirable here in Valon, seems that the curse of my family endures the test of time,” she said.

  “And yet they allow you to sit on the council,” Caine said.

  Sia looked at him and softened her facial expression.

  “Lord Caine, I am only on the council because your mother Sophia thought it was due to my lineage,” she said.

  Caine grinned and reached towards her face. Sia stepped back from him and stared him down. Caine lowered his hand and tilted his head.

  “Do you find me disgusting?” Caine asked her.

  “I find you quite intriguing, only because you dispensed of my brother,” she said.

  “Ah, I see… so you do feel?” Caine asked her.

  Sia looked out over the garden.

  “Only in that matter, other things do not sway me,” Sia said.

  Caine stepped up next to her and leaned in.

  “You do know that I am the Lord of Valon, rightful and placed by the hand of the creator.”

  “I know that you are Lord by your own hand,” Sia said quietly.

  Caine raised his eyebrows and grinned.

  “You seem quite clever.”

  “Clark was power hungry. I, on the other hand, spent my time observing,” Sia said.

  “And what have you concluded about me...? Other than my apparent rise to power by my own will?” Caine asked her.

  Sia turned to him and stared at his face.

  “I know that Sophia was cruel to you. I know that you were brought into this world against your will and had to fend for yourself,” she said to him.

  Caine looked at her hair and reached out and touched it.

  “You almost sound sympathetic to me… as if I was an animal.”

  Sia grinned.

  “Are we not all animals?” she asked him.

  Caine stopped and took his hand from her hair.

  “What spell do you weave?” he asked h
er.

  Sia smiled at him.

  “I would like to know what your intentions are,” she said.

  “I am afraid that I do not know what you speak of,” Caine said.

  Sia started to walk, and he kept up with her, now completely interested in her questioning.

  “I know that your mate is still wandering the world; I find it hard to believe that you are not troubled by this,” she said to him.

  Caine stopped and straightened his shoulders.

  “The business of my mate falls upon me,” he said to her.

  Sia turned and smiled at him.

  “She is not what she appears to be,” Sia said.

  Caine tilted his head, and the corner of his mouth pulled up to reveal a wicked grin to her.

  “What does she appear to be to you?” Caine asked her.

  “A pawn,” Sia said.

  Caine flashed in front of her, and she stopped walking.

  “I would be mindful of what you say,” Caine said, as he leaned in to her.

  “Oh, I have no need to discuss my beliefs with anyone but you, my Lord,” she said, as she remained calm.

  Caine looked around and then back to her.

  “What my Lord...? Did you think that I was under your spell, as you have all of Valon?” Sia said.

  Caine stepped back from her and smiled.

  “A woman’s venomous nature never ceases to amaze me,” Caine said, as he cleared his throat.

  Sia raised her eyebrows.

  “I am far from venomous, my Lord. I only wish to see the world,” she said to him.

  “Oh I see we are now at the bartering table are we?” Caine asked her.

  “I want you to tell the council that you have sent me out on an errand,” she said.

  Caine smiled.

  “What assurance do I have that you will return to me?” Caine asked her.

  “That of a broken heart,” Sia said, as she looked into his eyes.

  “What heart do you speak of?” Caine asked her.

  “My heart, my Lord, the one that Joshua Barrington laid to waste,” she said.

  Caine laughed and looked out over the garden.

  “Ah, I see.”

  Sia waited and then Caine looked at her.

  “My brother only became a traitor at my bidding; I wanted him to suffer as I.”