by Janelle Peel
She snickered, “Throne room, seriously? Like a medieval castle or something?”
He chuckled, “Something like that. I should go, though. I’ll call you once I’m finished?”
“Yes, please,” she sang. “I miss you.”
He purred his reply, pleased to hear her emotions mirror his own. “Me too, Love. Bye.”
“Bye,” she sniffled and disconnected.
God, he hated this. Newly bonded Mates should never be separated during the first few months. Their choices were limited, though. He had to do everything in his power to keep her, and their Clutch, safe.
A door creaked open and who he assumed to be Zane entered the room. He wore a full black cloak with the hood down across his narrow shoulders. Bright blue eyes rimmed with coal stared down a strong nose and the corners of his thin lips lifted into a smirk.
“Blaze,” he uttered softly. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” Bobbing his half-shaved head, his raven chin length hair flopped forward as he stepped onto the dais and seated himself on the ridiculous throne.
It didn’t escape his notice that Zane did not address him formally, so he replied in kind with his deep bass, “Zane, well met. War of course.”
Zane’s brows dipped at the snub. Lifting a hand, he tucked his hair behind one ear and attempted a deeper tenor, “A war?”
Blaze smiled internally. “Yes. War is coming to SoCal,” he paused. “With the Mage Council, among others.”
Zane’s eyes widened and a note of fear entered his voice, “Why would the Council come?”
This is where Blaze had to be careful. He couldn’t lay all of his cards on the table without first guaranteeing aide. Making a cutting motion with his hand, he said, “It doesn’t matter. I’ve come to warn you, and possibly entertain a treaty between our two Clutch’s.”
Zane chortled for a moment before shaking his head and replying with a sneer, “You cannot be serious. Why would I make an alliance with you?”
Blaze smiled devilishly and met his eyes, “Because I have something you want,” he paused dramatically. “I know the key to make females of our kind.”
Zane stood and flashed to him. His shorter stature placed the top of his head just below Blaze’s shoulder. His eyes widened and he hissed, “You lie.”
Blaze looked down his nose at the smaller Vampire. With a short jerk of his head, he replied, “I do not. We have successfully turned a female bitten by a Wolf Shifter.” He leaned down to whisper into Zane’s ear, “On a full moon.”
“Impossible!” Zane spat, stepping back.
Blaze bared his teeth and stood his full height. His pupils dilated, overtaking the blue of his iris. “I swear it. On my Maker.”
Zane turned and began pacing in irritation. His robe flapped behind him in tandem with the jerky movements, trailing across the red carpet.
Satisfied he had the upper hand, Blaze clasped his hands behind his back and adopted a relaxed military pose to wait him out.
Zane stopped abruptly at the dais and looked up at the throne with his back to Blaze. “We have no females,” he whispered.
What? Surely, they had at least one. His Clutch now had 3, plus Sora, a dhampir mage hybrid. He had another four from his Menagerie, already requesting to be turned.
A few minutes passed while he waited for Zane’s decision.
His shoulders rounded and he answered in a defeated voice, “Master Blaze, I accept your proposal. We shall perform the ceremony tomorrow evening.” Turning, Zane continued without meeting his eyes, “I assume you’ll want it performed at your Compound?”
Blaze nodded, “Of course.”
“Marco!” Zane’s shout echoed around the room.
The butler immediately opened the double doors from the foyer and bowed deeply. “Yes, Master?”
He waved a hand at Blaze, “See that our guest wants for nothing. Master Blaze is to have his pick from the Menagerie.”
Blaze cleared his throat, “That is not necessary. I require only rooms for my Protectors, Felidae, and myself.”
Zane’s brows dipped in silent question.
He rumbled, “I have a Mate.”
Zane’s eyes widened, “A Mate?”
Blaze growled a warning; unwilling to delve into his private life.
He nodded in comprehension and addressed Marco again. “Master Blaze and his convoy will rest here with us for the day. Make plans for the whole Clutch and Menagerie to travel south to San Diego County this evening.”
Marco abruptly straightened. His mouth opened and closed in a most undignified manner, “The whole Clutch, Sire?”
Zane’s face turned glacial and he bit out, “NOW.”
Marco’s teeth snapped closed with a click. “As you wish, Master.” Bowing, he turned, “Master Blaze, would you follow me please?”
Blaze nodded to Zane and followed Marco out of the room.
He needed to call Jackson and Sora, ASAP.
Chapter 2
Sora
Turns out, I had a knack for banking the 8.
Thunk! The ball dropped into the corner pocket as the cue rolled to a stop on the opposing bank. Stepping back, I propped my stick against my shoulder and took in Viv’s stunned face. “Eat it, hooker.”
She guffawed for a moment. Her eyes zig zagged across the table in disbelief, trying to figure out how I hadn’t sunk the cue. Throwing her hands up in defeat, she tipped her head to me, “Okay, I’ll pour.”
I shook my head, the thought of vodka left a queasy feeling in my stomach. “Two fingers of whiskey, please. Nothing else sounds good.”
She tossed me a queer look as she made her way around the bar, “You’re not hiding anything from me are you, Sora? You preggers?”
I guffawed, “Umm, no. Vampires are sterile… Blaze is nearly a millennium…”, my voice trailed off in thought. I’d never entertained the idea of having children.
Picking up on my hesitation, Viv turned away and grabbed two rocks glasses from behind the bar. “And before Fang Boy?”
My ears turned pink and I addressed the pool table, “No one before.”
I waited for a solid minute before I pivoted toward her, ready to defend against any mockery of my previous virginity.
Viv stood frozen, reaching for an aged bottle of whiskey, seemingly caught in an enchantment.
I lifted a single finger and called to the well of magic at my center. A blue bolt of lightning zipped from my outstretched tip, charring a scorch mark directly in the center of her right cheek.
She jumped with a shriek and rubbed her butt, “Ow, bitch! What the fuck?”
I giggled, “Sorry. You seemed to be stuck in a stupor.”
Viv twisted at the waist and fingered the charred fabric of her black shorts. Glaring at me, she muttered, “Dammit Sora, I loved these ones.” Sobering, she faced me and continued in an incredulous tone, “So you’re saying you were, like…” her hand waved about the room, searching for the word. “A nun or something?”
I barked a quick laugh. Of all the things she could have said, she went with a convent. “No. I just couldn’t open up to anyone long enough to have a relationship.” My thoughts drifted back to the Vampire who had captured my heart and given me the world in return. Rolling my shoulders, I met her shimmering green and cobalt eyes, “I love him.”
Viv busied herself with pouring with her brows scrunched low in thought, “I don’t know if I’ve ever really been in love.”
I sighed, “You would know, Babe. Trust me on that.” My bare feet sank into the thick black carpet as I walked around the bar and wrapped my arms around her waist from behind. “So,” I whispered into her ear. “What about Jackson?”
Her shoulders tensed for a beat, then relaxed as she tucked her head beneath my chin. In a lost voice, she replied with a sigh, “It’s complicated.”
I gave her a squeeze and released her, “It’s really not.” Padding back around the bar, I settled myself on a stool and leaned my elbows onto the polished oak. “You’re o
verthinking things, and Blaze thinks that Jackson just doesn’t know how to talk to you.” I waved my hand up and down at her body, “You’re smoking hot and intimidating as hell.” Lowering my hand, I pinched my thumb and forefinger together, “You just need to open up a little bit.”
She took a sip of whiskey and stared hard at the remaining contents. “He holds me at night. I wake up with nightmares from the Shifter attack. I know I thrash around,” the whiskey trembled in her glass as a tremor racked her small frame. “I know I’m dreaming, but I can’t change anything. It happens repeatedly. Then he’s there… and it’s better.” She lifted and dropped a shoulder in a half shrug, “I don’t know. It’s nice, though.”
I smiled, “Good. Is that why you’ve been training?”
She nodded, “It was his idea. He took me there after he saw my first nightmare. That’s when he first tried to get me to open up.”
Cradling my glass in my hands, I took a moment and searched for the right words to say. “Don’t be too hard on yourself. You barely knew him at that point. I almost killed Blaze in the beginning of our relationship, so by my standards, you're doing way better than me.”
Viv tipped her head to the side with a curious expression and studied me. “And?” She shook her head incredulously, “You can’t just drop that shit and leave it there.” Her fingers curled as she gestured in an ‘out with it’ motion.
I grinned at her change in attitude, “Well, I didn’t want to be around him and he didn’t want to leave me alone. I was still trying to figure out how I felt about everything. He had just told me that he’d bitten me.” I shrugged, “He approached me, I threw my hand out to stop him and lost control of my magic. I almost torched him with dire-fire.” My cheeks heated in embarrassment at the memory.
She laughed long and loud for a few minutes. “Ah, God! That’s great. Really.” Her lashes were wet with tears as she struggled to control herself. “P-P-pyro,” she slapped her hand on the bar and snorted a chuckle through her nose.
I chuckled at her response when my phone chimed from the shoulder strap of my sports bra. Checking the caller ID, I lifted a finger to my lips for her to shush and whispered, “It’s Blaze.”
She nodded and instantly quieted before flashing over to the entertainment center to give me some privacy.
I thumbed the accept icon over and brought the shiny phone to my ear, “Hey. How’s it going?”
His deep bass vibrated the small hairs of my ear through the small speaker, “Good, actually. I met with Zane. He’s agreed to an alliance. I refused to give him details on how we found the key to turning females until after the fealty ceremony.”
I sucked in a sharp breath, “The females will be willing, right?”
He chuckled at my worried tone, “Of course, Love. I would never allow anyone, male or female, to be turned against their will.”
I sighed in relief, “Okay, good. Are you doing the ceremony there, or…?”
“No. Their entire Clutch is coming to the mansion after we rest here for the day. I’ll be back with them around,” he paused, mentally calculating the time, “8 tonight.”
I smiled, “That’s great.”
“One more thing,” he said. “Can you get Julian and Jackson together to make accommodations?”
I nodded.
“Sora?” he questioned.
“Yes, I’ll do it now.” My cheeks pinked, “Sorry, I was nodding.”
He laughed quietly. “I’d better go, it’s almost dawn. I love you.”
“Love you, too.” I replied.
I disconnected and rotated on the stool. “Viv?”
She popped up from behind the pool table with the wooden triangle dangling from her fingers. “Yeah?”
“You get all that?” I tipped my head to the phone in my hand.
She nodded, “Yup, sorry. Vampire hearing.”
I waved a hand, “It’s fine. Can you find Jackson while I get Julian? Meet me in the ballroom in 10?”
“Sure.” She smiled and zipped off.
Damn, I thought. How the hell was I going to tackle this enormous task?
Five minutes later, I was flashing through hallways all over the mansion in search of Julian.
I stopped off in the smaller second kitchen for a bite to eat when I finally ran into him.
“Hey, Julian.” I beamed, wagging my brows at the Head of the House for our Clutch, “I need a favor.”
His shiny dress shoes squeaked on the silver flecked travertine floor as he turned from the pantry and tucked his ever-present clipboard underneath one arm. Bowing his standard greeting, he creased the pressed lines of his black Dockers. “Yes, Mistr-,” he cleared his throat, knowing my dislike for the title. “Sora. How may I be of assistance?”
I studied his white polo for a beat before meeting his brown eyed gaze. “Blaze called, the LA Clutch is coming this evening to form an alliance, or, um,” I waved my hand, searching for the right word, “fealty, ceremony, thing.”
His thinning brown hair shifted as he nodded his head expectantly, “Of course.”
I fidgeted, “Blaze asked me to get you and Jackson to help set it up.” My nose scrunched, “To prepare,” I lifted my fingers and air quoted, “accommodations.”
He smiled at my nervousness, “Ah, I see. Where is Jackson?”
I walked across the kitchen and snagged a blueberry muffin off the stainless-steel bar. “I asked Viv to get him and meet us in the ballroom. Is that okay?”
“Certainly,” he nodded. “I will meet you there in just a moment. Is that acceptable?”
I smiled in gratitude and bobbed my head.
He issued his half bow once more as I turned and began peeling the paper wrapper from my prize. “Thanks, Julian,” I called over my shoulder and exited the room via the swinging door.
I took a bite and almost moaned. Mmm, still warm on the inside and oh so good.
Viv
I found Jackson in what was supposed to be my room, but had quickly become ours. As my Maker, it was his job to keep an eye on me. Whatever, I thought, rolling my eyes.
“Hey, Sora needs your help in the ballroom.” I said, flopping onto the king-sized bed.
Jackson lifted a perfectly sculpted brow, his cobalt eyes sparkled with interest, “For?”
I shrugged a shoulder, “The alliance ceremony, fealty thing, whatever.”
His eyes widened in shock, “Blaze got them to agree?”
My brows furrowed at his reaction, “Um, yeah?”
Jackson began pacing the room. His shitkickers left imprints in the black carpet while my gaze traveled the hard lines of his thighs; clearly visible beneath his black fatigues. The grey tee he wore showcased the sculpted planes of his chest, and barely fit over his thickly corded biceps. I never went for a man in uniform, but damn. His dirty blonde, military styled hair, strong jawline… I sighed internally as butterflies flew around in my stomach.
Focus, Viv!
My nose wrinkled in distaste at my one-tracked mind. “Sora said to meet her and Julian in the ballroom, like now.”
He stopped pacing and grouched, “Now?”
I sat up at the change in his tone, “Yes? They’re coming tonight.”
He barked a quick unhappy laugh and shouted, “Fuck!”
I snickered at his outburst. Jackson was usually so calm and in control, it was a nice change to see him rattled. “Is that bad?”
Turning on his heel, he stalked toward the bed and towered over my seated frame.
I didn’t like that one bit. Standing in one smooth motion, I barely met his shoulder. My eyes dilated at the menace rolling off him in waves. I squared my shoulders in preparation for whatever had caused his abrupt change in mood.
Jackson’s eyes softened for a moment, briefly flickering to a sky blue before darkening to black. “You are to stay in this room tonight. Do you understand?” He rumbled, “That’s an order.”
My fangs clicked down at his demand. Who the hell did he think he was?! I hisse
d through my clenched teeth, “No.”
He let out a growl of pure frustration and stepped closer, bumping his chest into mine. “Yes, you will.”
I balled my fists at my sides. No one threatened me. My words came out slightly distorted as I bit out, “Make. Me.”
His jaw cracked while he struggled to control himself. Inhaling a sharp breath, the fight visibly drained from him as quickly as it had come.
My brow wrinkled in confusion and my fangs retreated, “What the fuck, Jackson?”
He turned away and began pacing the room once more.
I stood by the bed, completely flabbergasted by the entire ordeal.
On his third pass, I decided I’d had enough. I padded over, placing myself in his way with my hands braced on my hips.
Jackson stopped. Lifting his right hand, he traced my cheek with the featherlight touch of his fingertips.
His irises were the lightest blue, similar to the sky at dawn. He looked so vulnerable in that moment that I found myself leaning my cheek into his palm.
“I can’t lose you,” he whispered.
My nose scrunched. Lose me? How? “What?”
He clenched me to his sculpted chest in a move too fast to follow with his thick arms. I stood frozen against him, stunned by the emotional display.
Jackson inhaled in short bursts against my crown, taking in my scent. His lips moved against the messy spikes of my hair as he struggled for words. “They have no females, Viv. That is the only reason they would want to ally with us. Sora can make that happen for them.” He paused again and his arms tightened around me.
Lifting a hand tentatively, I rubbed the defined muscles of his back in a soothing motion. My whispered reply was barely audible, muffled by his shirt, “I don’t understand.”
Slowly, he began to relax. He took another deep breath… then he purred.
The vibrations did delicious things to my core and my nipples hardened against him. I almost moaned in delight. Damn, he felt so good.
The purring cut off.
We were both deathly silent, waiting for the other to make a move.