She reached out and placed her little hand on his shoulder, shaking him hard and fast in an attempt to wake him. Her heart jumped with hope at his moaned response.
“Uncle Jared? Please wake up, Uncle Jared,” Chloe begged; hearing another groan from the backseat.
“Ugh; what happened, kid?” the Elite soldier asked while he struggled to lift his heavy body.
“I, I don’t know. Everyone just, stopped,” she responded; her voice shaky.
Tilly let out a little whimper and her eyelids fluttered as she started to move beneath Chloe’s feet.
“Chloe, are you okay?” Jared moaned; as he started to come to.
More tears began to flow down her cheeks as he sat up, but this time they were tears of relief.
“What happened?” Erikson asked groggily from the driver’s seat. The Elite soldier climbed from the back of the car and stumbled to the infected vampire who remained unconscious, lying across the open door. Grabbing the back of his shirt, the soldier slid his limp body down to the asphalt.
“Who knows, but we’re not waiting around to find out,” the soldier replied; gripping his Glock firmly and taking aim at the vampire’s head. “Turn around and close your eyes, kid,” he commanded softly, looking at Chloe.
She did as requested, jumping as the quiet shot penetrated the air. Jared, now fully conscious, pulled Chloe into his arms and watched with amazement as Tilly struggled to sit up on her long, wobbly legs.
He held her close, stroking her soft hair and whispering words of comfort while the soldier walked around the vehicle and deposited silver bullets into the heads of two more of the infected. Jared’s eyes darted away in a panic as he searched for Cami, whom he was relieved to find walking shakily towards him, weapon in hand. He let out a long sigh and watched her step carefully over the body of another infected. The disoriented vampire made the mistake of groaning, drawing her attention as he struggled to move. Without looking down, Cami shot twice, both bullets finding purchase in the vampire’s skull.
Black wisps of smoke clouded the air surrounding the disintegrating bodies of the infected that were lying on the sidewalk and in the street; apparently another, and rather convenient, side effect of Lucias’s virus which made cleaning up the messy scene in the quiet neighborhood a lot simpler.
“Get them the fuck out of here now,” Cami ordered the soldier. As she locked eyes with Jared, an overwhelming sense of relief washed over her as she stared into his eyes. With a great deal of willpower, she tore her gaze away and rushed to Commander Claesson, who had managed to take out three more infected, all while leaning against the front vehicle just to keep himself upright.
“Nope, climb to the other side,” the soldier said; obeying Cami’s command as he pushed Erikson, who was attempting to climb down out of the vehicle, towards the passenger seat. “We’re leaving.”
“What about the others?” Erikson asked; moving slowly, still not fully recovered from whatever the hell had just happened.
“They’re covered,” the soldier replied; as he attempted to start the car. “Fuck,” he said, turning to Jared. “Change of plans; we have to get everyone to the other car, like yesterday,” he stated; before climbing out to help them.
They filed out of the SUV as Cami glared at the soldier. “I told you to get them out of here,” she growled.
“Car’s fucked. Won’t start, so we’re going to have to fit who we can into that one and the rest will have to hoof it,” he said; indicating the last functioning vehicle.
“Shit; this mess needs to get cleaned up. We can’t just leave our men out here for the humans to find,” she said; holding her arms out toward the carnage that surrounded them, “But, for all we know, there could be more of those red-eyed fuckers on their way as we speak.”
“Perhaps we could be of some assistance with that,” Ariel said; as she and Tara stepped cautiously through their front door. “We’ve already ensured that all of our neighbors are safely asleep for the night, and the rest of our coven will be arriving shortly to help us protect our home. We will take your fallen inside, so send men to retrieve them and give them a proper burial when it is safe. Even if more of those creatures attempt to come here, they will not be able to find the way.”
Cami looked to Claesson, who nodded. “All right; thank you,” she replied; as she helped a disoriented Tilly climb into the back of the SUV.
“Yes, ladies; as always, The Elite are in your debt,” Commander Claesson said, with gratitude, before climbing into the driver’s seat.
CHAPTER 3 - Dreams & Death
Alexa moaned and ground her hips against Ethan while she straddled him shamelessly, taking full advantage of the privacy their secluded beach paradise afforded as he tugged on the flimsy string tied at the base of her neck. He delved his tongue into her mouth, giving the string one final pull before sliding his hands to the tie at the middle of her back. Just as the second knot was coming loose, he heard a dolphin call not far off shore, and as much as he wanted to expose the hard dusty-pink nipples concealed by those thin teal triangles, he couldn’t forgo the opportunity to see the look of pure joy which lit Alexa’s face whenever she was near the friendly animals.
He re-tied her top without breaking the kiss and pulled back to look up at her. Her bottom lip poked out reflexively in response, as it almost always did when he moved away from her. She strained towards him with her eyes still closed, searching for his mouth again, but he slid his hands onto her shoulders and held her away.
Alexa’s lids lifted, revealing stormy gray eyes full of lust as they searched Ethan’s face, wondering why he was pulling away from her.
“What are you doing?” she asked, breathily.
“At the moment, I am just enjoying the magnificent view, Amor,” he responded, watching her as she continued to grind in slow circles against him. Her body jerked slightly as the rotation of her hips pushed his hard cock against her engorged clit. The force of her desire never ceased to amaze and excite him, making him reconsider the break he intended to take, but before he could think better of it, a loud smack in the water behind them pulled her focus. She turned her head just in time to see a dolphin breach the water and come down on its side again.
Ethan laughed and shook his head at the resounding squeal which came from Alexa, as she leapt up and took off toward the bay their villa overlooked.
He leaned back on his elbows in the sand and watched Alexa enter the water. He considered joining her, but his erection seemed to have other ideas, so he decided to stay on the beach to enjoy watching her instead. Lucky for him, the small pod of dolphins didn’t remain in the bay for long, sending Alexa back to him after only a few minutes.
He sat up for a better view as she started to come up out of the water, pausing briefly to dunk her head back and smooth her hair. Standing again, she began to strut mischievously up the beach towards him. His mouth went dry at the sight of her sun-kissed body shimmering in the sunlight against a backdrop of white sand and brilliant blue water. The scraps of material which were intended to pass for a bikini were doing a rather poor job concealing her ample curves.
His eyes raked over her body, pausing to enjoy the gentle sway of her breasts for a few steps before continuing up and locking on the bottom lip she was gripping between her teeth. Ethan groaned as her tongue appeared and swept across her already kiss-swollen mouth.
As she drew closer, the sky behind Alexa suddenly grew dark. The wind picked up and swirled violently around Ethan, throwing sand in every direction, blinding him as he tried to rush to Alexa. He struggled to his knees only to fall back into the sand as if his limbs had been bound to the ground. He laid there, paralyzed, as he started to sink into the liquid sand and was forced to watch Alexa, naked and bleeding, being pulled back into the water by an invisible force. She smiled at him sadly, with eyes full of love and understanding as she moved further and further away into waves which had turned the color of blood.
Ethan roared at the sky and suddenly fo
und himself right in front of Alexa, standing frozen on the surface of the bloody water, watching helplessly as another vampire ravaged her neck while she continued to smile back at him. After what felt like ten excruciating lifetimes, the light disappeared from her eyes, her head falling limply onto the attacker’s shoulder. The stranger carelessly dropped her lifeless body, standing with his back to Ethan as she disappeared into the ocean of red.
Ethan, too, began to sink as the strange man turned. More and more of stranger’s face was revealed the further Ethan descended, until he was almost completely submerged. Just before he was swallowed by the depths, the man faced him directly, a wicked sneer plastered on his face. Ethan recognized his own red-eyed face staring back at him as he fell below the surface of the water into complete darkness.
✧
“I hope you have good news for me, Anton,” Lucias said in lieu of a greeting, as he put the phone to his ear; despite the fact that he already knew the mission had failed.
“Sire, forgive me; I don’t know what happened,” the man rushed out, his voice panicked. “We found them, right where the seer said they would be. Twelve men went in initially, while the rest of us hung back, exactly as you instructed. Everything was going according to plan; we took out two of their men and one of ours was about to grab the child. But then I heard her scream and the next thing I knew, we all woke up on the ground right where we’d been waiting. They were gone and the twelve were dead.”
“I see,” Lucias said, his tone devoid of emotion. “Are the other men with you now?”
“Yes, Sire; we returned to the safe house Kaleb arranged for us.”
“Anton, put me on speaker and pass the phone to the man nearest to you,” Lucias commanded calmly. After a few moments, he continued. “Anton, you are to stand completely still, precisely where you are right now; do not move or speak again. To whom has he given the phone?”
“Me, Sire; Nathan,” the somewhat confused vampire holding the phone responded.
“Excellent. Nathan, you are now in charge of the unit. Take out one of your guns and place a bullet directly between Anton’s incompetent eyes,” he hissed.
There was no response, as Lucias listened expectantly, hearing a slight rustling, followed by a click, and finally, a single satisfying gunshot.
“Nathan, I hope you prove to be a more effective leader than your predecessor. Return home with your unit immediately. They are bringing the child to Boston,” he said, and hung up.
Lucias paced the space in front of his desk, the exhilaration which always came from a demonstration of his supreme power quickly dissipating as he considered how he had just contributed to the reduction in the ranks of his army. Though thirteen out of nearly a thousand wasn’t a significant blow, it was a setback, nonetheless. He had it on very good authority that his forces outnumbered The Elite nearly two to one and, thanks to his virus, they were stronger and faster. Of course, the price of the virus, the side effects which banished his men to the night and made them vulnerable to silver, closed the gap; which was precisely why he needed the child, Chloe.
Asana had been clear; she saw nothing of the child or any of the family beyond their time in the home of the witches. Of course that would be the case; he’d known the window of opportunity would be brief the moment he’d sent the human soldiers to kill the Klines’ pet witch.
He scrolled back to the message he’d received moments before Anton’s phone call.
From: Restricted
Men failed to acquire, flying to Boston immediately.
No access to flight info. Will contact when safe.
Lucias smiled and slipped the phone into the pocket of his blazer. His informant had proven most useful over the years, but never so much so as in the last few weeks. The spy’s information had given him Ethan Kellar, along with his new bride, and the Klines’ witch. Not to mention, all of the information about the child, her ever increasing abilities, her rapid growth, even her favorite blood type. Creating the forbidden blood bond all those years ago turned out to be one of his most effective strategies in his fight for power. Though his attraction to men had initially been an impulse of curiosity, things changed when he met Christopher. His feelings for him were far stronger than anything he’d ever felt for Kaleb’s mother, a companion he’d taken only for appearance’s sake, and he was in no doubt of Christopher’s reciprocation of those feelings. Yes, the vampire loved him; so much so that he was willing to betray everything and everyone he believed in.
Lucias felt himself begin to lengthen in his pants, as he considered what it would be like to share his pet human, Molly, with his bonded mate. The circumstances being what they were, Lucias hadn’t actually laid eyes on the man in many years. A separation necessary for the achievement of Lucias’s goals, but it would soon be over. In the meantime, Lucias would continue to entertain himself with Molly and the humans she brought home for him.
His thoughts turning to the human woman, Lucias ran his hand lightly over his growing erection through the supple material of his expensive trousers. She was out hunting for the night, no doubt selecting the perfect little plaything for him to enjoy, the thought of which made him even harder. In just a few short hours she would return, providing a much needed release and distraction.
Like his spy, Molly had proven to be a very useful addition to his world. Her lust for pain and blood made her a nearly ideal companion, but her fragile human body had its limits. On more than one occasion, Lucias had nearly ended her life by mistake. How he wished she could be made vampire. Blessed with enhanced strength and accelerated healing, there would be almost no limit to the dangerous games they could play together.
She would make an exceptional vampire, Lucias thought to himself. Even constrained by the limitations of human strength, she’d singlehandedly captured the great Ethan Kellar, and his new bride, Alexa; an accomplishment which had eluded more than one of his vampire soldiers over the years. The brief thought of Alexa sparked a new idea, causing a wicked smile to spread across his face before he leaned over his desk and touched a button on the telephone system anchored there.
“Bring Kaleb to me at once,” he said into the air.
CHAPTER 4 - Journey to Boston
“I don’t give a fuck about your rules, Claesson! We were just attacked and I lost a damn good man, so don’t try to tell me there’s no danger in your precious compound! Where the High Commander goes, we go; no exceptions!” Erikson yelled, completely irate, his face mere inches away from that of the commander of The Elite, as they stood in the hangar which housed the jet they would take to Boston in less than ten minutes.
“I don’t think I need to remind you that you’re not the only one who lost a man tonight, considering you’re still wearing half of him! My compound is the most secure facility in the country; hell, in the goddamn world! We have a leak, and you and your men are on a very short list of people who could be the source. So, as far as I’m concerned, you and your team of guards can shove your demands up your asses!” Commander Claesson retorted, equally as angry.
“Are you implying one of my men is feeding information to that filthy traitor? You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve! How do we know it’s not one of your precious Elite? From what I hear, some of them are itching for a little action. Nothing like starting a war to combat decades of boredom, serving under an asshole like you!” Erikson responded, pushing his chest into the large vampire who had him by at least two inches and a good fifty pounds of muscle, not to mention he was several centuries older, meaning he had him on brute strength as well.
Unlike humans, a vampire’s strength increased with age. But Erikson had the law on his side. Attacking one of the High Commander’s personal guards was considered the same as attacking the High Commander himself, an offense punishable by imprisonment, or even death, if the High Commander deemed it so. Erikson would have liked nothing more than for Claesson to take a shot at him. With Claesson out of the way, Erikson was next in line to lead The Elite, a highly c
oveted position amongst their kind.
Being captain of the High Commander’s personal guard was a prestigious position as well, but Erikson ached for the notoriety which came with commanding a force of hundreds of the most powerful beings in existence instead of his modest team of twenty. He was ready for it, and he had been grooming O’Mally, his first lieutenant, for years to step into his place if and when the need arose. A planner by nature, he knew he would not be allowed to leave his post with the guard without a suitable replacement in place.
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