by Aliya DalRae
This was so different. In this kiss I felt every emotion, every feeling I had ever experienced with Raven. The good, the bad, the amazing, the horrible…they all mixed together in the joining of our lips, exploding inside of me, showing me the past and the future. The here and the now.
Raven’s tongue touched my lips and I opened for him, letting him inside as I wrapped my arms around his neck. With Raven in his boxers and me in jeans and my bra, there was plenty of bare skin touching bare skin. The blood that saturated us both was sticky and somehow still warm.
We both kept our eyes open, not wanting to close off the kaleidoscopic show taking place around us, not wanting to miss a moment of this magical reunion.
Raven scraped his tongue across one of my fangs, and his blood filled my mouth with the taste of copper, the taste of Raven. I swallowed, and electric shivers sizzled through my body, awakening parts of me that had been dormant since the day Malcolm died.
I reached for Raven’s boxers and found he was as excited about this as I was. I held him through the cloth, and he shuddered against me, a soft moan escaping him and mingling in my mouth with the taste of his blood.
He reached around to unclasp my bra, and I heard someone clear their throat.
Chapter Eighty-Three
“K ythryn, what the hell were you thinking, girl?”
Kythryn was sitting on the sofa in her father’s living room, her head between her knees as she fought the urge to pass out, throw up or both. She tried to speak, but another wave of nausea hit which had her doing deep breathing exercises from her already precarious position.
“Brandt is going to be here any minute now, and he’s going to want answers. What are we going to tell him? I know you were fond of the boy, but Christ Jesus, could you not have just bashed the Vampire in the balls a few times and called it a night?” Seamus resumed his pacing, both hands buried in his thick hair as he struggled not to pull it out.
Kythryn sat up, ignoring the spinning in her head long enough to glare at her father.
“It wasn’t about that, Daddy, and you’ve got a lot of room to talk. What the hell were you thinking, pulling a knife on that lady? She didn’t even do anything to us, and you threaten her like that?”
“Well, I wasn’t about to let them take my daughter. I’d have killed the woman to protect you, and you know it.”
Kythryn sighed, returning her head to its previous position. “I know, Daddy,” she said to the floor. “But two wrongs don’t make a right. Now we’re both in trouble. If we’re lucky, the Overlord will just kick us out. If not?” Kythryn let that one hang.
“Christ Jesus,” Seamus said again at the sound of tires on gravel in the driveway. “Just let me do the talking.”
Seamus had the door open before the Overlord knocked, and Kythryn did her best to sit up and look respectable.
When Leonard Brandt entered their home he was all business, refusing Seamus’ offer of coffee or something stronger. Instead, he walked directly to Kythryn and knelt on the floor in front of her. Brandt wasn’t a tall man, not like those Vampires were, but this action put them nearly at eye level.
Kythryn swallowed the bile that had risen in her throat and faced her leader with as much courage as she could muster.
“Talk to me,” he said.
“Mr. Brandt, Leonard, I swear to you, Kythryn didn’t mean—”
“I wasn’t speaking to you Seamus. I was speaking to the girl.”
“Yes, sir, but I—”
“You have your own questions to answer, Seamus. I suggest you save your explanations until I ask for them.”
“Yes, sir,” Seamus said with a long look at his daughter.
“Kythryn?” Brandt continued.
Kythryn’s eyes filled with tears, and before she knew it she was blubbering like a little kid, incoherent words spilling from her mouth as she tried to explain. She told the Overlord that she had absolutely no idea how she’d come to be planting a scalpel—an actual surgical instrument—into the eye of that poor Vampire. He wasn’t even the one she wanted to pummel, not really. But she would have, just to feel she’d had her moment of justice, by Clowder law, anyway.
Instead, she’d held back. For the first two days of the ritual she’d walked herself right up to that barn, and just stood there. Stood there on the outside, listening to the Vampires’ roars of pain and the cheers and taunts from her fellow Clowder members. Then she’d turned around and gone home, never even going into the barn, let alone taking her turn as the laws said she was due.
This time was different though. She’d arrived early, practically at the beginning of the session, and had hovered by the door as Shifter after Shifter entered. Some were in there a long time, while others were in and out quick-like, as if they’d done their duty but didn’t have the stomach to stick around for the duration.
“I almost turned around and came home again,” she told the Overlord. “I tried a couple of times, but just couldn’t seem to make my feet move. Then the next thing I knew, I had that big, stupid Vampire on top of me and everyone was yelling and screaming and…and…” Kythryn’s lungs weren’t working right, and the world had just tilted, so she stuck her head between her knees again and clapped her hands over her mouth to try and stop the hyperventilating.
“You don’t remember stabbing the Vampire?”
“Can’t you see she’s distressed?” Seamus interrupted, but Kythryn waved him off.
“No,” she muttered into her palms as her breathing eased. “I didn’t even know what I’d done until my dad told me. I thought Harrier was just being an ass.”
“You know Harrier?” Brandt asked, and Kythryn tried sitting up again.
“We’ve met,” was all the answer she was willing to give on that subject. “I know I’ve screwed up, bad, Mr. Brandt and I understand if you need me to leave the Clowder. But please don’t blame my dad. He was just trying to protect me.”
“I’ll have words with your father soon enough. Until we get to the bottom of this, I won’t be throwing either one of you to the wolves, or Vampires as the case may be. If you remember anything, contact me immediately. Right now, I need to call the Legion and see what’s to be done about this mess.”
Brandt stood to go but Seamus intercepted him at the door.
“You’ll not be turning her over to them, Leonard. I’ll die before I let you take her.”
“You’ve made your position perfectly clear, Seamus, and as much as I’d like to kick your sorry ass from here to Kalamazoo, I’ll wait for clearer minds to prevail. Until I get things straightened out with the Vampires, though, I think it best you two stick close to home. Understood?”
“Yessir,” Kythryn muttered, throwing a warning glance at her dad.
“Yes, sir,” Seamus added before showing their guest to the door.
Chapter Eighty-Four
M ason stood in the control room with Merlin, Tas, and the Soldier, Martin. He’d ordered Merlin to cut the feeds to the monitors broadcasting Raven to the Clowder. However, he was keeping an eye on the Warrior himself via Merlin’s wall of information as Jessica Sweet tended to the male in his cell.
Nox was back on the Compound in Allon’s charge. With his two males in good hands, Mason’s attention returned to the person responsible for this disaster.
“He’s made his move, gentlemen. We’ve seen this before—using someone else to do their dirty work. First Nox, and now this cat.”
“How is Nox?” Tas asked. The Aussie was leaning against a bare piece of wall, several strands of blond curls escaping the tail he had hastily pulled them into when everything had gone to shit. His drawn face and dull eyes evidenced the extreme amount of energy he’d expended in trying to keep the peace with the Clowder.
“Still with Allon,” Mason answered his question. “Haven’t had an update in a while, but it doesn’t look good.”
Martin cleared his throat. “Umm…”
All eyes turned to the Soldier, and he pointed to the screen displaying Raven’s cel
l. Raven and Jessica were in a passionate embrace, purple and white light from their sparking eyes mixing and swirling, giving the room an ethereal glow.
“Is that normal?” Martin asked.
“For chrissakes, Merlin, turn that off.”
Merlin, who had been bouncing glances between the screen and Martin, flipped the switch. When the display darkened, his eyes remained briefly on the Soldier before he returned his attention to his laptop.
“So, what’s the move, boss?” Tas asked.
“Martin here has some information. I don’t know if it will be enough to bag this son of a bitch, but it’s more than we had to go on before. Martin?”
~~~~~
A ll eyes turned to Martin. He shifted his feet, then squared his shoulders, prepared to give his report. “Well,” he said, and swallowed. Would he ever get used to attending these meetings with the Warriors? He glanced around the room and pushed down the discomfort he felt in reporting to the Legion’s finest.
That tech guy, Merlin, was watching him again. The way the Warrior studied him did nothing to ease Martin’s nerves, and when their eyes met, Martin glanced away. The male’s intense scrutiny gave him that “don’t belong” feeling, and he didn’t need that kind of negativity.
He cleared his throat and tried again. “I found that homeless man who was almost the kids’ last meal,” he said, focusing on Tas, the most approachable of the Warriors in the room. Talking to him made it easier for Martin to warm to his tale, and it put the tech dude’s peculiar attention out of his mind.
“I removed the compulsion Perry had placed on him that night, and once I did he was more than happy to talk. At least after some food and the promise of more.”
“Go on,” Mason said.
“Well, it seems my new friend, Frank, is quite the town gossip. He’s out there every day, every night, begging for coins, and it just so happens he’s an observant little fu–human.” Martin coughed, regrouped, and continued.
“Seems he’d noticed the people around him were disappearing. I have a list of who they were, and a bit of information about each of them which I’ll submit to you, Mason, but he knew about them all. He also happens to be curious, so when he saw this strange man hanging around the homeless population, he began following him. I have an address over on River Street, where, according to Frank, this guy has been holing up. I checked it out, and it looks like someone has definitely been there.”
“You have an address?” Merlin spoke for the first time.
“Yeah, 257.”
Merlin turned to his laptop and pecked on a few keys before pulling up a picture of the house on the wall’s largest monitor.
“This it?”
“Yes, sir,” Martin said. Merlin resumed his typing, long, graceful fingers speeding across the keyboard, even as he raised a hand to tuck a stray lock of ink-black hair behind his ear. Martin swallowed again, shifting his attention from the male back to the monitor where it belonged.
“Says here this place is owned by a Mr. Todd Manson, but it’s been empty for months.”
“Our guy’s known to be a squatter,” Tas said.
“True,” Mason added. “Merlin, print out a picture of that house. I want to show it to those kids. Martin, you gather a group of Soldiers—daywalkers, too. I want twenty-four-hour surveillance on that place. If the Sorcerer so much as blinks, I want to know about it ASAP. I want to know where he goes, who he talks to, what he has for breakfast. I’ve got some sorting out to do with the Clowder. Keep me posted.”
Martin managed not to flinch when the Warlord cuffed his shoulder on the way out the door, Tas close on his heels. He caught a glimpse of a smile from the tech guy in the corner, but when he turned to see what the male found so amusing, Merlin was fully immersed in his e-geekery.
Martin shrugged and exited the control room, any prior discomfort he might have felt a distant memory. His Warlord had entrusted him to organize a mission and he was eager to carry out those orders.
Chapter Eighty-Five
R aven and Jessica whipped their heads around. Allon had entered the room, obviously unaware that they were at present in flagrante delicto.
Raven grabbed Jessica’s bloody shirt and attempted to cover the evidence of his raging desire, while Jessica crawled behind him to hide her own. She must have closed her eyes, because the room suddenly seemed dark and gloomy.
Allon, however, was the consummate professional, and he behaved as though he had not just walked in on the two of them nine or ten inches away from consummating their reunion.
“I see you’re getting your strength back,” Allon said as he approached the two of them, presumably to examine Raven. In an act of chivalry, the doc removed his white coat and held it out to Jessica.
“Thank you,” she muttered as she took the item and stood to put it on.
Raven stood as well, only then glancing around the room at the dozen or so tiny squares that lined the wall near the ceiling. Those gods damned cameras were transmitting everything that happened in this room to the command center, and to the fucking cats. Christ, how much had they seen? The thought of dozens of men watching his Jessica had his fangs descending again.
“Calm down, son,” Allon said, not at all affected by any of Raven’s posturing. I’m sure our Merlin has turned the cameras off by now, at least as far as the Clowder is concerned. Otherwise, I sincerely doubt the male has any interest in the two of you or your carnal activities.” Jessica whimpered, and Raven growled, but Allon ignored them both.
The doctor pulled out a pen light, flashed it into Raven’s eyes, and quickly pulled it away. Then he did it again. “How is your vision?”
“It’s fine,” Raven said, though he hadn’t bothered to confirm the fact. He just wanted to get rid of Allon and back to Jessica.
“Hmm,” the doctor muttered. “Cover your right eye and tell me how many fingers I’m holding up.”
Raven dropped the t-shirt he’d been holding, as its presence was no longer required, and did as the doctor ordered. “Two,” he said, then frowned. “But I guess it’s not as clear as it should be. What the hell happened out there?”
“I’m afraid our Sorcerer friends are back, and this one is well versed in the same spell that was used on you.” The doctor nodded at Raven’s chest, and Raven’s heart fell into his stomach.
“What did they do?” It was more growl than actual speech, but if what Allon was saying were true, then everything made sense.
“I’m afraid our Nox was stabbed in the eye with a cursed scalpel.”
“And that’s why I bled. The curse was somehow transmitted through our familial bond.”
“That is the consensus, yes,” Allon said. “I’ll need to do a full eye exam. I am hopeful that the effect on your vision will be temporary as you were a secondary victim to the curse. However, we need to keep a close watch to ensure that nothing sneaks up on us unawares.”
“And Nox?” Jessica asked what Raven couldn’t. “Were you able to save his eye?”
“I’m sorry, Miss Sweet, but as with Raven’s injuries, it was beyond my talents.”
“So, he’s blind?” she whispered.
“In the one eye, yes,” Allon said, “but he still has one good eye, and I was able to get the infection before it spread to his brain. He should still have full use of his impressive abilities, and I’m hopeful that the rest of the injuries incurred during this ordeal will heal without incident.
“Can we see him?” Jessica again.
“I’m afraid he hasn’t awoken yet, but when he does, I will certainly let him know that you would like to pay him a call. You,” he added, turning to Raven, “will need to come to my office for that exam.” Allon glanced between the two of them and said, “Tomorrow will be soon enough. Oh, and Jessica,” he added as he opened the door to leave. “Do see that he feeds. Solid food would be a good idea, as well.”
Chapter Eighty-Six
R aven and I exchanged a glance as the door closed behind Allon. When
we heard the snick of the latch engage, we both exhaled loudly. It was horrible news about Nox, but I couldn’t help a slightly mortified smile as our eyes met. Raven shook his head, then pulled me into his arms, which only served to remind me where we left off.
Now that I had Allon’s doctor’s coat, I was prepared to take our little party back to Raven’s suite. The Legion would be dealing with the Clowder, there was nothing we could do for Nox while he slept, and I had the urgent desire to reacquaint myself with the Vampire standing before me.
“Let’s get out of here.” Raven must have been reading my mind, which had me thinking…
“Raven? Can you still see my thoughts?”
Raven scratched his arm and shrugged. “Don’t know. I haven’t really tried.”
“What am I thinking now?”
Raven looked into my eyes, those sapphire orbs boring into me, sinking, delving, then widening. “It’s gone,” he said. “I mean, I can still feel the Link, the emotions and such, but to hear your actual thoughts? It’s completely gone.”
I don’t know why this made me sad, but it did. I mean, I was forever scolding him for digging inside my head. For one thing, it made my brain itch. For another, I guess at the time I thought it was rude. However, now that my Vampire genes had taken a front seat in my genetic makeup, I was just like any other Vampire to Raven. He could no more read my mind than he could theirs.
“Don’t be sad, amante. It had been fading for some time anyway. But now we have something even more special, a connection that will bind us forever.”
“The Link?” I asked, and he smiled.
“Yes, the Link.” I returned his smile, but I suppose mine was still a little sad. The more things changed, the more they stayed changed. I couldn’t help wishing that a little more of the old could hang around with us for a while.
~~~~~