The Progeny (The Progeny Series)

by Laynne, Ashlynne

  Her pulse gave a gentle thud as the flow slowed. It was his cue to stop and he struggled to disengage his fangs, but they refused to retract. They wanted more—He wanted more. His mind knew what it needed to do, but his body was so unwilling.

  Her eyes clouded, her body convulsing beneath him.

  He was killing her, and there was no one there to stop him. Disengage, damn it. Stop! He cursed within his mind as if his fangs would somehow hear his thoughts and respond. The flow picked up again, flooding his lips with more of her essence. Ascher clamped his lips, closing his eyes to concentrate. He thought about what she meant to him—of his life before her, the loneliness, the longing. He loved her and couldn’t imagine his life without her.

  His fangs retracted, the demonic daggers slipping back into their sheaths.

  Shauna glanced down, the look of an unselfish angel on her sweet face then her eyes rolled up as she fainted.

  He maneuvered himself behind her, grabbing her head before it contacted the ground. He felt for her pulse. It was surprisingly steady. She was strong enough for him to her leave for a second.

  Skylar’s preoccupation with fighting Quinn left his mind wide open. With new strength flowing through his veins, Ascher locked in on his mind and hurled subliminals at him. His hold on Quinn’s neck loosened. Wrapping his huge arms around and applying pressure to a chokehold, Quinn looked to be attempting to break Skylar’s neck.

  “Don’t kill him,” Ascher warned. “We need him to take a message back to Clive.”

  Quinn released his grip, throwing Skylar to the ground like a ragdoll.

  Ascher stood over him, channeling the last of the vision. The girl appeared, this time without obstructions veiling her identity. “Shit! They have Katy.”

  “Then let’s do away with them. For blood of Shauna’s blood, let’s avenge her. You know they’ll kill her. Let’s just do this!” Quinn snarled, reaching for Skylar to finish him.

  Ascher grabbed his arm. “I know you want justice for Shauna and Tris, but we need them to take a message back. Clive sent them, hoping we’d kill them.” His stare probing Skylar’s weak eyes, Ascher connected with his mind. I have a couple of messages for you to take back. Tell Clive that we know about Katy and that we’ll avenge her. Also, tell Ursula that I’m coming for her, and I’ll show no mercy. He left Skylar’s limp body lying on the cliff floor and ran over to Shauna, hauling her into his arms.

  They descended the mountain to the mansion. Halfway through the descent, Shauna awoke, startling like a frightened infant.

  “I’ve got you.” He held her tighter. “It’s okay, love.”

  “The dreams I had— visions of Tristan and those creatures.” She paused. “Tristan?”

  “He’s going to be all right. He just needs some tending, and Quinn will take care of him when we get to Bonheur.”

  “What did you say? Where are we going?”

  “Bonheur is French for happiness. It’s the name of the estate.”

  “Oh.” Shauna gave him another worried stare. “Quinn can take care of him?”

  “He has three medical degrees. I’d say that he’s more than capable of patching Tristan up.”

  “I can barely pass my classes once, and he’s a doctor three times over?”

  “You can always get a tutor,” he teased. “I think I know a pretty good one.”

  She giggled.

  Ascher nuzzled her neck. “We’re almost there. You can sleep if you need to.” His nose nestling against her head, he inhaled the incredible sweetness of her. This must be what heaven is like. If a silver spike were to impale him, right this minute, he’d die a happy man. Having told her the truth and knowing that she truly loved him, despite his horrific origins, he was as content as current circumstances allowed.

  There was always the possibility that they might find Katy dead when they arrived in Romania. Ascher didn’t trust Gabe and would never accept anything that he channeled from his mind as the absolute truth. He shuddered, thinking of what such a revelation would do to Shauna.

  Fifteen ~ Bonheur

  Ascher carried Shauna’s sleeping body in his arms, headed to the infirmary. He hated to put her down, but Quinn needed his help. Depositing her in the bed by the window, he rested her head on a pillow.

  Quinn switched on the radio to create background noise, so she couldn’t hear the commotion surrounding her.

  Tristan’s body convulsed and shook as he writhed in pain. “Burning,” he groaned. “It hurts like fucking hell.”

  Ascher observed the wounds on his cheeks and chest. There was an odd familiarity to the patterns of the burns. Closing his eyes, he channeled Tristan’s tired mind, experiencing the horrific fight as if he were in Tristan’s body. Skylar drew back his hand to slash his face. A low rumbling started in Ascher’s belly, inching up to his throat and ending in a growl that escaped his pursed lips.

  Quinn glanced at his younger brother. “What’s wrong, Ash?”

  “I think I know why Tristan is so sick. I channeled his mind and went back to his memories of the fight. Skylar had something reflective lodged into his claws.”

  “Silver,” Quinn snapped, baring his fangs. “Goddamn it!”

  Ascher nodded and rubbed Tristan’s cold hand. “How long do we have?”

  “These wounds are superficial. We’re lucky he didn’t get a better swipe at him. The poison is progressing slowly enough that a blood drip should help him heal.”

  “Somebody has to tell Kara.”

  Ascher sighed. “I’ll channel her.”

  “What about her?” Quinn questioned, glancing over at Shauna.

  “I’ll take her up to my room to sleep. We wouldn’t want to tempt Kara.”

  “I agree. She’s already going to be mad as hell.”

  Ascher scooped Shauna up and flew to the servant’s steps leading to the back of the mansion. As he laid her across his bed, his keen ears made out Kara’s contemptuous, pain-filled growl from the infirmary.

  Five hours passed, within that time, Ascher checked on his brother twice, endured a grueling meeting about the Romania plans and got some things for Shauna to eat.

  He couldn’t sleep. All he could think about was Katy, his family’s safety and the inevitable war brewing. He glanced at Shauna and found new strength within himself. They had to be victorious and right the wrongs they’d suffered. Katy’s life depended on it. They had to avenge Tristan. No way, would he let the shedding of Rousseau blood go unpunished. He knew that he’d never be able to love Shauna and give her the peaceful life she deserved, if they didn’t make a stand.

  * * * *

  Dawn broke and the bright sun crept in through the closed shutters, slits of slashed sunlight cascading into the room. Shauna fought to open her eyes, battling heavy lids to wakefulness.

  Her last memories were of their descent down the mountain. She imagined that they looked like the painting on the foyer wall. She sighed, remembering the combination of his tight embrace and warm touch. She’d plunged into a deep sleep, cuddling in his arms and listening to the steady beating of his heart.

  Ascher lay in the bed beside her. He’d fallen asleep with one arm cuddling her and the other holding a book. Her slight movement woke him and his gaze locked with hers as she looked up. She was happy that his face was the first thing she was seeing. Her joints ached, but she felt good. Righting her head on two pillows, he offered her a platter of fruits, cheeses, and pastries.

  Her eyes widened. “All of this is for me?”

  “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I had Lucy give me everything that she had. I hope you’re pleased. I’ll feel much better once you eat.”

  He studied her while she ate her way through all of the grapes and raspberries, two cheese Danish and a few pieces of white cheddar cheese. When she was done, he took the platter and asked her what she wanted to do.

  Glancing at her watch, she sighed. “I should be getting home. Gypsy needs feeding. I left her alone all night, and I feel so guilty.”<
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  “Shauna, we need to talk about something important.”

  At his serious tone, she sat up higher in the bed.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea that you go back home. I had a vision last night.”

  “What kind of vision?”

  “I think Ursula has Katy. I saw her, and it wasn’t good.”

  “Why would she want my sister?”

  “Revenge most likely. I’m sure she blames you for the failed sealing.”

  Shauna’s eyes filled with tears as a cold wave of misery coursed her body. The pain in her head grew, intensifying into a throbbing pulsation in her forehead. “No! I’ll kill her! I’ll murder that bitch!”

  Everything that was breakable imploded simultaneously sending plumes of glass into the air. The shards cascaded with sparkles of energy and fell to the floor like a shower of diamonds.

  “Shauna,” he whispered, clutching her arm. “Please calm down.”

  She struggled against his hold, the rage flowing through her body, boiling her blood. “Who does she think she is? Katy has nothing to do with this!”

  His eyes caught hers, and the intense gaze burned at her. A dizzying calm saturated her body as the rage dissipated from her trembling form. She slumped down on the bed. Ascher continued to speak to her. She listened and tried to respond, but her mind was cloudy. It hovered outside her conscience in a true out of body experience.

  “Ursula has violated the covenants.” His expression hardened into an evil mask over his smooth, sweet face. “She’ll get what’s coming to her.”

  “Katy’s all that I have.”

  “I know how much you love her. We’ll go to Romania and bring her back.”

  The clarity of her thoughts flooded back with the revelation. “Romania? That’s where she is?”

  “Shauna, you can’t go back to live at your apartment. You’ll stay here. It’s safer. My father and brothers don’t sleep. They’ll keep watch during the nights while we sleep.”

  “They don’t sleep?”

  “Vampire’s don’t require sleep.”

  “What do they do all night?”

  “Father reads. He has multi-lingual collections of novels that he enjoys. This one came from his library.”

  Shauna opened the book to the first page and sighed with frustration. “I can’t read this, Ash. It’s in French.”

  “Don’t worry. You’ll be speaking it in no time.”

  “I doubt that. What about your brothers?”

  “Quinn is a martial arts enthusiast. He gets a thrill from that kind of stuff. Tristan’s nights are full, I’d imagine. He does have a mate.”

  “That brings me to another question. A mate is like a wife and a sealing is like a wedding. Why don’t you just say wife and wedding?”

  “Weddings are for humans. A sealing is different.”

  “Aggie wouldn’t tell me how it was different.”

  “You talked to Ags about this?”

  “While we were apart, she and I spent a lot of time together. She’s teaching me the craft. She was your cheerleader and practically begged me to give you another chance.”

  “That’s hard to believe.”

  “You aren’t irresistible, Ascher. A woman can get over you.”

  “I thought being irresistible was one of my many charms,” he teased.

  “Don’t flatter yourself. I want to know about a sealing. Tell me what it means.”

  Ascher sat next to her on the bed. She could tell that he was uncomfortable talking about it, but curiosity had the best of her. She sat, her eyes focused intently on him.

  “A sealing is much like a human’s wedding. While I don’t exactly believe in the religious implications of those ceremonies, I am a believer in monogamy. I believe there is a perfect mate for everyone.” He gave her his stunning smile and pinched the tip of her nose. “Vampires mostly mate for eternity. A sealing is an eternal commitment where death is not the ending, just as death is the beginning of immortality.”

  “Do you think that—?”

  He placed his hand over her mouth. “Sweetheart, I don’t know if that’s in the cards for us.”

  “Why?”

  “There are too many boundaries.”

  “Such as?”

  “You want children, and I may not be able to give them to you.”

  “This is the reason you doubt that you’ll have children. You’re a half-bloodling. If you’re half human, maybe babies are possible.”

  “Shauna, I’d never ask you to endure the pain my mother went through. Having children is not important to me, but you are. Even if it were possible and not so dangerous for you, what would they be like? Would they be monsters?”

  “Nothing coming from you could ever be a monster, Ascher. They would be beautiful… just like their father.”

  “Enough questions for now,” he stated, lifting her up and landing her squarely on her feet. “I want you moved in before the sun goes down. The sunlight is your best friend right now.”

  “One more question.”

  He sighed impatiently. “Okay, one more question and then off to the shower with you.”

  “If we aren’t going to be sealed—will we ever make love?”

  Ascher motioned her toward the bathroom. “I’ve never seen someone so anxious to lose their virginity to a hopelessly dammed immortal.”

  * * * *

  Ascher was anxious.

  The constant highs and lows of Shauna’s moods couldn’t be good for her. She’d experienced two bouts of witch rage and both incidents drained her, with each episode worse than the last. As a psychiatrist, he knew that she was close to a break.

  He glanced over at her, and an empty, blank stare peered back from a withdrawn face. She looked completely removed from reality.

  “I can’t take much more,” she warned, still looking straight ahead.

  He didn’t know how to answer that. Medical training taught him how to handle an array of situations, but nothing he’d learned, seen or experienced taught him how to handle this. He didn’t know how to counsel the woman he loved. The ride had been silent and he’d heard her thoughts the entire way. Shauna, for the most part, thought about Katy, various scenes from their childhood playing in her head.

  Quinn sat in the back seat, waiting on any trouble that might arise. The smirk on his face exposed him. He was a real hot head who lived for the fight. Ascher hated to admit it, but Shauna seemed to cause a fair amount of excitement these days.

  Ascher parked and waited for her to check the mailbox. Afterward, they all walked up the five flights of stairs to her apartment—Quinn in front of her and Ascher behind her keeping his arms secured around her waist.

  Moving Quinn aside, Ascher released a sound much like an angry rattlesnake. His steps were cautious as he moved toward her door. Someone has been here. It smells like the darklings, so we need to be careful.

  Quinn nodded.

  Ascher approached the door with dread, the stench of darklings burning his nose and boiling his blood. It was certain that Ian and Skylar had been there, and his body tensed as he turned the doorknob. At first glance, the living room looked the same as the last time he’d been there.

  Quinn sniffed the air and growled.

  Shauna stopped in her tracks and glanced at him. “What’s with you, Quinn? Is something wrong?”

  Ascher needed to get her out of the apartment without scaring her. “We’ll get Gypsy and take her out for a walk.”

  “Nobody walks a cat, Ash.” Shauna called three times, without a response from her beloved pet. She gave him a suspicious stare. “Are you trying to get me out of here? Quinn is growling and you’re acting strangely. I want to know—” She halted and let out a scream.

  Ascher grabbed her. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  She pointed to the window ledge.

  Both vampire brothers growled, as they noticed Gypsy lying motionless, her stiff body over a piece of paper.

  “Those bastards!” A
scher growled, grabbing Shauna closer. His claws extended, the rage escalating to the next level. “We have to go.”

  He pulled her from the apartment. Ascher didn’t care about getting her things—that would have to wait. His mind was too full of anger and disgust to think of anything but getting her back to Bonheur—back to safety, or at least away from the scene of such a horrific deed.

  Shauna sat at the Gazebo outside of her apartment, hugging her legs to her chest. Her face buried in her hands, loud sobs and cries escaped the confines of her shaking palms.

  Quinn glanced at Shauna then at his brother. “This isn’t going to end well. The sister will be dead soon. I’m really sorry man.”

  Ascher sighed. “I know. So much for our peaceful period.”

  “Are you going to change her?”

  “I can’t commit her to damnation.”

  “What if she wanted it?”

  Ascher’s brow rose. “Did she say something to you?”

  “No, but if she stays human, she’s more vulnerable. You love her, right?”

  “You know I do.”

  “You might want to think about that,” Quinn advised.

  They buried Gypsy in her favorite sunny spot beside the gazebo. Ascher stared at Shauna, certain she’d lose it at any moment. That same blind love still existed in her eyes, along with a newfound fear. Holding her, he allowed her to weep out her grief.

  Quinn tapped his brother’s shoulder. “I’ll drive, so you can comfort Shauna.”

  Ascher smirked as he glimpsed the smallest inkling of humanity coming from his brother. They settled into the backseat, his arm around her with his face buried in her hair. He closed his eyes and tormented Quinn. You had better watch out, I might actually believe that you care. Now who has a sympathetic heart?

  Quinn glanced in the mirror and glowered. “Get some sleep half-blood. You were up most of the night.”

  Thanks for everything bro, I wouldn’t have made it today without you.