Wulf's Redemption (Borne Vampires Book 3)

by W. M. Petzler

  Alex’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Waters, I grow tired of your banter. Why are you here?”

  Instead of being angered, Jeremy glanced around him nervously. “My mistress is quite miffed at losing her creations and has placed a bounty on your head. We’re here to collect it.”

  Snorting, she won a glare from both Alex and Jeremy. “Bullshit. You’re here to hunt down Lisle and bring her back to Angel before she ruins her plans, especially after she’d turned children — children we had to put down!”

  “I was told you lost your ability to read minds!” Suddenly, he wasn’t as cocky and definitely was nervous now.

  Alex replied for her, “It doesn’t take a psychic to figure out why you’re after Lisle. Angel won’t be miffed at the mess Lisle has created for her, especially after the police are involved with the Skaggin family and the vampire hunters she tossed at my people. Angel will want to tear you apart for allowing Lisle to get out of control.”

  “You called in the police? Why? Why did you involve humans in our business?”

  “To protect them from the likes of you,” Kai answered. “And the vampire hunters and that crazy bitch out there running wild and killing, is why we called in the humans.”

  “You had no—” Off to their right came a high-pitched scream, startling them. Jeremy and the two vampires who had stayed to guard him quickly set their machine guns, scanning the woods. Another scream followed, this time from their left.

  Jeremy snarled, aiming his gun at her and Alex. “Who is out there?” he demanded, his human face slipping to expose the demon beneath.

  Alex stepped in front of her, protecting her. “Take a guess.”

  “No! That bitch wouldn’t dare! Would she?” An unearthly howl broke the eerie quiet.

  The sound sent the hair on her arms standing on end. “Alex, she’s doing it again!”

  “Shit! Waters, call your men back!”

  “Son-of-a-bitch!” Jeremy yelled, “Everyone, get back here now!” The sound of running feet and suddenly he was surrounded by his men, who were afraid. Not a good sign when mercenary demon vamps were scared.

  “What the hell is that?” Jeremy shouted, aiming his gun at the woods.

  “Boss, I think it’s her,” the man closest to Jeremy replied.

  “Walker, what is Lisa doing?” Jeremy demanded. “Well?”

  “Lisa?” Alex sneered, “No, she’s not Lisa, nor Lisle, anymore. Gentlemen, you are about to meet the Wolf of Magdeburg.”

  “She wouldn’t—”

  “Wouldn’t what,” Alex interrupted him. “Fall back on old habits? Because of you and your stupidity in releasing her once again onto the world, we and the humans are all in danger now!”

  Grinding his teeth, Jeremy growled, “I don’t care what Angel says, take the crazy bitch out.” He ordered to his men, “Kill her!”

  Through the trees, Kai saw a flash of silver. “Alex, she’s here!”

  Checking the gypsies, who were standing at the opened windows, their rifles were trained on the woods. The demon vamps made a semi-circle. Searching the forest for Lisle, Kai stumbled back, caught by Alex, as the silver-furred wolf dropped out of the sky, right on top of Jeremy and his men. Standing on two legs, the wolf-creature slashed at them with her long claws, tore into them with huge teeth. Those able to escape her claws started shooting at her. Unfortunately, Lisle had her back to her and Alex and bullets hit the right pillar the gate was attached to. Sparks flew as the bullets hit the gates themselves. Alex shoved her down to the ground, covering her with his body. Unfazed as the bullets hit her, Lisle tore into the demon vamps with renewed fury. Arms, legs, and heads flew everywhere, mostly hitting the damaged SUV. Dark green blood painted the crumpled hood and pooled onto the road. Apparently coming to the realization they couldn’t bring Lisle down, despite the bullets slamming her, Jeremy yelled at the three who were still alive to retreat.

  “Run! Get out of here.” They flew away, abandoning their fallen friends.

  Jumping to his feet, Alex helped her on her own. Kai watched in disgust and horror as Lisle began to feed on those still clinging to life, her own kind. After she finished, Lisle advanced on her and Alex, eyes red, her fur soaked with blackish-green blood, growling until she hit the invisible wall. Pissed, she lifted her muzzle and roared, venting her fury. Abruptly, Lisle stopped and stretched out her paws, tentatively touching the invisible wall preventing her from coming any closer to them. Trailing her claws against the barrier, making a screeching’ sound that made Kai wince.

  “Alex,” it said in a rough, gravelly voice, “you have betrayed me for the last time. Your whore will suffer far worse than these pathetic excuses for vampires.”

  Alex’s eyes narrowed, he shouted back, “Me betray you? Lisle, you took my brother from me, destroyed my world all because I would not be yours!”

  A raspy laugh escaped Lisle as she snaked her huge head back and forth. “I merely repaid your indifference to my offered love by taking away what you cherished. I will do so again when I rip Kai’s heart out and feast upon her weak flesh.”

  Kai moved beside him, shaking her head at the wolf glaring at her. “Sorry, but she isn’t going to die anytime soon. However, you are screwed!”

  “How am I ‘screwed’ as you say? I am invincible; none are as strong as I am!”

  “Oh, yes there is.” Lisle tilted her head at her, looking confused. “You just killed Angel’s henchmen. She’s gonna be pissed, more pissed than in London when you were killing your kind and leaving them for the humans to find. Hell, I’d lay bet that she’ll be coming for you personally to finish you off. I’d start running if I were you.”

  Uncertainty dimmed Lisle’s anger. “I will deal with Angel, if she should dare take me to task,” she boldly replied, standing taller and lifted her blood-soaked muzzle proudly.

  Shaking her head, Kai snorted at the false bravado the vampiress demonstrated. “Right. I’ve seen Angel in action, and she is one unforgiving bitch when it comes to someone betraying her. Just ask Sin Dracula.”

  “I care not about the one who released me. I only want my Alex returned to me.” The wolf shifted, becoming the beautiful woman she’d seen in Alex’s dreams. Long, silvery-blonde, curling hair cascaded over her narrow shoulders, eyes so blue and vibrant it hurt to look at them too long. The green blood covering her disappeared. Her gown was a filmy nightrail, accenting her large, voluptuous breasts and tiny waist.

  “Please, Alex,” Lisle held out her pale arms to him, “return to me. Love me as you once did long ago.”

  “I never loved you, Lisle. Hated is all that I feel for you.”

  “No!” Lisle screamed, sobbing. She collapsed onto her knees, tears of dark green blood trickled down her white cheeks. “Why? Why do you deny me after what I’ve suffered for you?”

  “You suffered?” he repeated in disbelief. “I was falsely accused of being soulless, watched as a Slayer murdered my brother! Thinking I deserved to be punished, I spent two hundred years in the service of the Damned. All because of you!”

  A cunning, twisted light gleamed in her eyes as she slowly rose to her feet. “We could be a family. I can search for the perfect child as I did before … to complete us. There are more to choose from than there were in 1819.”

  “Lisle,” Alex growled, “stay away from the children! This war is between you and me. Leave the innocent alone!”

  The madness returned, and she hissed at him, her beauty faded to the twisted demon she was. Rows of jagged, yellowed teeth filled her mouth, skin pasty white, her eyes darkened to red and she narrowed them to slits. Slurring out past a mouthful of teeth, Lisle growled, “Run, Kai, run. I’ll be hunting you soon. I’ll taste your flesh, eat out your heart. I will bath in your blood.” Giggling, Lisle disappeared. The sound of her high-pitched, hysterical laughter echoed through the swaying trees.

  “Alex, she’s going after the children! We have to stop her!” Sickened at the thought of more children ending up like those in 1
819, how were they going to stop a vamp gone insane, a ‘completely gone off the deep end’ insane one!

  “Dear Lord in Heaven,” she whispered. “What do we do?”

  “Get me the Holy water out of your rucksack. The dead need to be taken care of.”

  She nodded and jogged back to the manor. The front door opened and Herrick handed her the backpack. Nodding her thanks, she ran back to Alex, digging out the water bottle. Handing it to him, Alex took it and carefully stepped across the powder. Nothing happened to him. He began sprinkling Holy water on the corpses. As she watched the bodies catch fire and the ashes floated into the air, she realized there was only recourse for them to take to stop Lisle Breber. Something Alex wanted to avoid, wanting no one to know about his past, except someone did know — the Damned.

  “Alex, we need to call in the Slayers. We can’t do this on our own. We need more men to hunt her down and stop her from killing more people.”

  Returning the empty bottle to her, he said wearily, “Make the call. Tell Faeroes to send as many Slayers as he can spare. We’ll hunt her down.”

  Jeremy stepped out of the shadows. “There is no need to call in the King of the Borne to hunt down Lisle.”

  “And why is that? Alex asked, eyeing the demon vampire suspiciously.

  “Because we, the Damned, will help you stop Lisle Breber.”

  Chapter Ten

  The Damned wanted to help clean up a mess they had created?

  “What’s the catch?” she demanded, eyeing her mother’s former fiancé suspiciously.

  “We, the Damned, are naturally compelled to be sadistic and yes, we use humans for food and entertainment. However, that being said, we do not kill children and turning them is vile, punishable by death. I’ve called my mistress and told her what Lisle had done to the Skaggin children. Angel has ordered her put down. Besides, it will take time to get the Slayers here, and time is not on our side. Lisle has gone hunting and the body count will rise. I have the men, and you have the skill in hunting this kind of psycho. Together, we can stop the crazy bitch from further killing my kind and the children, who we both know she’ll start collecting, like she had in 1819.”

  Before she could respond, Alex holstered his gun. “Waters, send the best of your men to track Lisle down. Do not engage her. Keep her running. As long as she is distracted, she won’t have time to harm people.”

  “Why don’t we go after her?” Jeremy asked, mistrustful of Alex’s order. So was she.

  “After what she did to your men tonight, you want to try to take her down now she’s worked up?” Alex arched his eyebrow as he indicated with his chin at the three surviving vamps as they nervously stood guard behind Jeremy. “Do you really want to go another round with her?”

  They shook their heads, looking guiltily at Jeremy for not waiting for him to reply.

  Sighing, Jeremy conceded. “Do you have a plan?”

  “I do. Call your people and give them their instructions. I need to speak with my people and gather our things, and then we’ll return to Magdeburg with you.”

  “On it.” Jeremy dug his cellphone out of the inner pocket of his leather jacket.

  Walking back to the manor, Kai whispered, “Alex, I’ve done a lot of crazy things in my life but working with the Damned has never been on that list!” She glanced back at Jeremy, who had his back turned to them. “I don’t want to work with that son-of-a-bitch! I’d rather put a bullet between his eyes and cut off his head for injecting me and Mina with dead man’s blood!”

  Cold intensity transformed his handsome visage into a hard mask of deadly purpose. “Kai, I’m not thrilled with working with the Damned again either. Conversely, we need their cooperation, not their interference in stopping Lisle. Sometimes, we have to bury our need for revenge to save others. The children have to be protected, and if that means us uniting forces with the enemy, then we do it.”

  “Fine. I’ll put up with him while we hunt that nutty bitch. After we put her down, I kill him. Agreed?”

  “Agreed.”

  Opening the kitchen door for her, he followed her inside. “I’m calling Faeroes.” Taking his cellphone and disconnected it from the charger, Kai stopped him before he made the call.

  “Alex, text him, just in case we’re being listened in on.” She looked out the window and saw the vamps protecting Jeremy eyeing the manor nervously.

  “They’re probably afraid we’ll change our minds and slay them rather than work with them,” Alex replied with an amused smile.

  “I’d rather be hunting them than Lisle,” she grumbled. “What are you going to tell Faeroes?”

  “That we need help.”

  “That’s an understatement. I need to speak to Gaeta and Mary.” Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, she left the kitchen and found Herrick and his family gathered in the foyer. Needless to say, they were in shock.

  “Merciful Father, protect us sinners,” Gaeta said shakily as she clutched the silver cross she wore. “The Wolf of Magdeburg has returned.”

  Mary held onto her mother, Sarah pulled her closer. “Sh-she killed her own kind. What vampire does that?”

  “Lisle is not like any of the Undead I’ve fought or encountered in my seven years of being a Slayer. Even the Damned is afraid of her.”

  “How do you fight such evil?” Mary sniffed, eyes wide, glistening, as she fought not to cry.

  “We take the fight to Lisle,” Kai stated with firm resolve.

  Anxious, Herrick asked her, “What do we do? Should we search for her?”

  “No,” Alex said as he joined them. “You and your family should stay within the protection of the powder Gaeta made, especially since we know it works quite well at keeping the Damned out. Kai, I want you to stay here while I go with Jeremy to Magdeburg.”

  “The hell I’m staying behind! You need me to protect your back. The Damned hate you, remember?”

  “I can’t risk you being hurt by them or Lisle.”

  “Bullshit. You’re trying to be a martyr. We go together or you don’t go.” Folding her arms, she glared at him, refusing to be intimidated when he scowled back at her.

  “Kai, you don’t understand—”

  “Waters is waiting,” she said brusquely. “We need to leave now before I change my mind and kill the bastard for what he did to me and Mina.”

  “Why?” Mary cried out. “Why must you leave us?”

  Resigned, Alex explained to her, “Lisle has trapped you here with us. If we leave, she will follow us. Her fight is with me, not you and your family. Once we are gone, you’ll be safe.”

  Herrick held out his hand to Alex, who took it in a firm handshake. “Despite what has transpired in the last couple of days, my heart is glad to know you survived the terrible ordeal thrust upon you so many years ago.”

  “As I am for you, my friend. My boss is aware of what is happening here and is sending help to you. Stay at Wulf Manor and do not allow anyone within the grounds, unless they show proof they were sent by Faeroes Romulas.”

  “Mother, can you make more of the powder?” Herrick asked.

  “Yes, my son. We have plenty of ingredients to make enough to keep us safe for a week.” Gaeta took her hand and held it in a painful grip. “Be careful, Slayer. Lisle is the least of your worries.”

  “I know. Watch over Mary. If the Damned catch wind she is like me, they will take her and convert her.”

  “I understand. We shall protect her.”

  She tilted her head as the conversation she had with Angel in the dungeon came to her. “Gaeta, have you heard of a prophecy concerning a psychic who is Gypsy and vampire? Angel wanted me to be turned Damned badly, as did my uncle, Jarrod Draco.”

  “No, I have not heard about this prophecy. I will make calls to the other clans and inquire if any have heard of it.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

  “Kai, go with God’s protection.” Gaeta pulled her to her and hugged her.

  “We need to leave, K
ai,” Alex placed his hand on her shoulder, nodding to the old Gypsy woman when she released her.

  “Master, be strong. You have the heart and might of a Borne. Do not allow your fears and doubts cloud your judgment or diminish what you have achieved in the last seven years. You are a Slayer. Stand firm and set Lisle free.”

  Guilt and doubt briefly shadowed his gorgeous features. “I will try, Gaeta.”

  Gaeta pulled him to her and threw her arms around his waist, hugging him. Embarrassed, Alex stood there with his hands raised, looking unsure what he should do. Slowly, he embraced the old, gypsy woman back.

  “Thank you, Omi, for your wise advice to a lost soul.”

  An indelicate snort escaped Gaeta as she stepped back, patting him motherly on the cheek. “Omi my ass. You are far older than me, Master.”

  Chuckling, he bent to press a kiss on her leathery cheek. “You are lovely still, Gaeta.”

  Blushing, she waved her hand at him, giggling. “Flatterer. Best be for you and Kai to leave. The one you spoke to is waiting impatiently to return to Magdeburg.”

  Alex addressed the gypsies, “As soon as this is over, I promise to deed Wulf Manor to you and your future generations. Herrick, I cannot thank you enough for rescuing me and Kai. It is a debt I cannot repay enough.”

  “Our gratitude, Master, for giving us Wulf Manor.” Herrick gave him a short bow. “We are your loyal servants, forever bound to you.”

  “No, Herrick, you and your family are not servants, you are my friends, just as your grandfather was mine.”

  “Successful hunting, Alex. Take care, Miss Kai.”

  “Thank you, Herrick. Be safe.” Kai smiled at the crying Mary. “We will return, Mary. I promise.”

  “Watch yourselves and trust no one!” Mary warned, sniffing back her tears.

  Alex took her hand in his as he opened the front door. “Let’s get this over with.”

  ✝✝✝

  Walking away from Wulf Manor was a burden lifted off his shoulders in a way Alex thought not possible after years bearing guilt and anger toward the manor. Holding Kai’s slender hand in his, feeling her grasp his firmly, he felt free for the first time in centuries.