by Rayne Reilly
"Your father was upset that he lost your mother during your birth, that is all. One day he will come around...You will see."
"I wish I could believe that. Nothing I do is ever good enough. I asked him once when I was very young...I asked him if I had a mother. Do you know what he told me?"
Oroc shook his head.
"That she was just a stupid human because she died giving birth to me. He told me I remind him of her." Xander looked out the window lost in thought. He had never known what it was like to have a mother and so wished he had known her.
Oroc placed a hand on his shoulder. "Your father is a complicated man. For far too long, he harbors feelings that he should not. I am glad you are more like your mother in that way."
Xander looked up at Oroc with surprise.
"It is true. You look like your mother and you have the forgiving and gentle heart that she did. She was the only human that accepted your father and loved him the way he was...as a Pure One."
"I did not know that" Xander frowned.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Present Day
The sun was beaming into the bedroom, warming the already comfortable space and making Julie feel the urge to check the clock. She didn't open her eyes right away, she wanted to savor the feeling of being in Xander's arms.
For several minutes she lay thinking about how glad she was that she had allowed her feelings for him to show. The attraction to him was undeniable. They appeared to have a bond that she had never experienced before. She grinned at the very idea of it but knew in her heart it was true; he was her mate. Her true fated mate. As Xander continued to sleep, she carefully pulled away from him and turned to check the clock on her bedside table.
"Oh my God is that really the time?" Julie exclaimed in a whisper, moving to sit up. They had stayed up until sunrise talking among other things, until they had finally fallen asleep in each other's arms.
She glanced over at Xander and bit her lip. They had been working together for a while now and had gotten to know one another but the past twenty-four hours had escalated their relationship from a good night kiss to sleeping together. She hoped he would not regret it; she certainly didn't.
Xander rubbed his eyes and turned to face Julie. He smiled warmly.
"Good Morning," he said.
Julie smiled. "Hi. Did you sleep okay?"
Xander laughed lightly and sat up with his back to the headboard. "Yes. Very well."
"Good. Me too. I hope you don't find this awkward...I mean I was feeling a little...out of sorts with all..." Julie began to say.
Xander put up a hand to stop her. "Last night was great...I mean once we got back here. I don't regret anything we did. I invited myself over to make sure you were safe. I didn't expect this but I'm not complaining," he said earnestly.
Julie felt her cheeks burn a little and she tucked her hair behind her ears.
"Good. I didn't want you to think I jump into bed with every vampire that I see."
Xander laughed and moved toward her touching her arm and stroking it tenderly.
"I hope you don't regret last night?" He asked softly while looking at her with his big brown eyes.
Julie shook her head and gave a small smile.
"No regret whatsoever," she murmured.
Julie threw back the blanket and prepared to get up. It was early afternoon and they had slept most of the day. Before she could get out of bed, Xander spoke.
"We don't have to work today, what's the rush?" He asked casually as he continued to stroke her.
Julie grinned back at him. The way he was looking at her left her longing to fall back under the blankets with him. He was so damn hot and sexy.
"I know, but Jake wanted me to call him and I have a few other things I would like to do today. Aren't you the least bit curious how the rest of the interrogations went last night? I want to know if any of the scientists from that facility we raided know where Doctor Green is. Or better yet, the location of the lab where the experiments are taking place."
Xander sat back up against the headboard and ran a hand through his hair while turning his head to gaze at her. She watched as he glanced at her naked chest and then her face. He licked his lips and she felt her insides turn to mush.
His voice was slightly hoarse as he spoke,"You're right. It's just a little difficult for me to think of work when you are sitting up in bed revealing so much of your beautiful naked self...that's all."
His mouth curled into a sexy grin and for a moment, Julie wanted to lose herself in his arms all over again. With both of them having heightened senses it was impossible to hide their want for one another.
Quickly, she pulled the sheet up to cover her breasts and stuck out her tongue at him. Xander laughed. Reluctantly, he moved to get out of bed.
"Fine. Have it your way. I suppose we should get up," he admitted.
Julie cast her feet over the side of the bed while still holding the sheet partly over herself. She dropped it and walked toward the bathroom. "I'm going to have a quick shower. Would you mind making us some coffee?" she winked at Xander as she glanced over her shoulder. He looked back at her longingly.
Minutes later as the warm shower and citrus of her bath foam began to wake Julie, she thought back to the night she had just had with Xander. He was an incredible lover just as she suspected he would be. It felt so good to be with a man who took care of her needs as well as his own.
She had fallen hard for the sexy vampire and felt as though he had fallen for her. During the moments of conversation the night before, they had discussed the fact that the leaders of the vampires and shifters would not like the two of them being involved. To Julie, it seemed the most natural and perfect fit she could ever have with a man. Her forever-mate was part human and part vampire but she didn't care. Xander was respectful, tender and thoughtful. His treatment of her made her forget that he was part vampire.
Finding out that his father was a Pure One had been a shock but it didn't make her think any less of Xander. Dimitri Megalos was a deranged ancient pure blooded vampire that hated shifters and didn't want them to exist, while his son couldn't be any more different.
She wondered what Dimitri would think if he knew that his son had slept with a shifter. He certainly didn't hold back his feelings about her when she and Xander went to question him. His actions against her kind were abominable. Dimitri had to be dealt with. The question was how?
***
Xander was busy searching Julie's kitchen cupboard for coffee. He couldn't help but smile to himself as he looked through the cupboards grabbing a couple of mugs and placing them on the counter. He was in the apartment of the most incredible woman he had ever met after spending the night with her. Could life get any better than this?
His cell phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket and answered. The call display told him who was calling.
"Hello, Oroc. What's up?"
Oroc's voice came over the phone deep as usual. His tone was serious and filled with concern.
"I have just heard from my friend on the Vampire High Council. Dimitri has called an emergency meeting for this evening. They have requested I be there along with all the rest of the Council members. He knows about last night's raid on his facility. I am calling to tell you that my friend on the Council mentioned that Dimitri is looking for you, as well. Perhaps it would be safer for you and your friend Julie to leave the area until Dimitri is dealt with?"
Xander shook his head. "No. I won't leave town. I'm not afraid of him. Besides, we are close to finding the facility where the abducted shifters are being held. We found a handful of shifters last night and a few scientists as well. If they know anything, Jake will find out about it. Dimitri is just scared because he knows he is all but caught now."
Oroc groaned audibly over the phone. "He has turned-vampires who work for him in the FBI and elsewhere. If he has his way, he will make sure that your partner suffers and that you witness it. You know what he is capable of?"
&nb
sp; Xander stood tall and gazed down absently at the empty mugs on the counter. He didn't want to endanger Julie but he knew she would not leave without also finding the lab. Xander paused for a moment.
"I do know what he is capable of and that's why I'm going to face him tonight. He can't be allowed to continue the things he has been doing."
There was a loud sigh from Oroc. "Okay. If that is how you feel, come to my home and we will discuss how we can confront Dimitri. There is something I need to tell you anyway. I will not go to meet the Council without you at my side."
Xander smiled. He knew that Oroc cared about him. He had always felt that Oroc was more of a father figure than Dimitri ever had been. His loyalty was something that Xander appreciated and admired.
"Thank you. I will be there soon." Xander said hanging up and putting the phone back into his pocket. He was still standing in the kitchen lost in thought when Julie entered, freshly showered and dressed. She was towel drying her hair as she approached him.
"Who was that on the phone?" she asked.
"Oroc. He says that Dimitri has called an emergency Council meeting and apparently he is looking for me. Oroc feels we are in danger if we remain in the area. I'm going over to his house shortly and we will devise a plan to confront my father."
Julie stood at the kitchen counter gazing at Xander with concern on her face. She stopped drying her hair and sat the towel on the counter. "But isn't it dangerous to confront him? You said that Pure Ones are immortal. What if he hurts you?"
"He is immortal in the sense that he will not age any further and is immune to illness. Make no mistake, he can be killed." Xander said narrowing his eyes he looked past Julie. He knew his father would not allow himself to be arrested or questioned by the FBI.
"How can Pure Ones be killed?" Julie's brow furrowed.
"The only way to ensure that Pure Ones remains dead is to remove their heads after incapacitating them. They cannot regenerate this way and will remain deceased. Any form of killing the body works temporarily but the head must be removed immediately."
Julie grimaced and put a hand to her throat, swallowing hard. "That's horrible. Wouldn't it be easier to just imprison him?"
Xander put his palms down on the counter and looked at Julie. "Where? Human prisons aren't equipped to house vampires and what would they think when their prisoner never ages or dies? The Shifter Alliance Council rehabilitation facilities are only for shifters. They would never allow a vampire to live or even set foot in one of those places. I'm afraid there is only one fate for Pure Ones when they break our laws." Xander cast his gaze away as he continued. "It is death."
He felt Julie's shock and out of the corner of his eye, he saw her shudder. He frowned as she wrapped her arms around herself. "I see," she said rather sadly.
Xander hoped that the revelation about vampires and their type of 'justice' did not put her off of being in a relationship with him. He moved around the counter and put a hand to her damp hair, stroking it.
"Dimitri is responsible for the murder of those two shifters, even if not at his direct hand. He can no longer be trusted and should not be on the Council. "
"But he's your father," she said softly.
"That may be so but it does not mean he should get away with everything he has done and is still doing."
Julie looked thoughtful and Xander hoped she would come to understand the vampire laws and ideals. Though there were not many Pure Ones left on the planet, they still had a set of rules by which they were to live. He didn't pretend to understand all there was to know about Pure Ones but he knew enough to see what Dimitri's fate would be.
Julie sighed and shrugged. "I agree that he should pay for what he's done. It's just too bad that there isn't some other way to punish him."
"I know. If he hadn't have taken lives, he might have been spared and just removed from the Council. Pure Ones stopped killing humans hundreds of years ago and a law was passed that they are no longer allowed to take human lives. He knows this and he knows the punishment for his crimes."
"He didn't kill the shifters directly. He had others do it. Doesn't that count for something?" Julie asked.
"Perhaps. I am not on the Council. You make a valid point. I will bring it up when I see Oroc," Xander said.
Julie sounded curious as she asked quickly, "Are turned vampires killed the same way as Pure Ones?"
Xander bit his lip before responding. There was still so much to tell her about his world. "Yes. Although they are half human, they still heal quickly from injury. They don't age once they are turned by the Pure Ones that have bitten them so they are technically immortal, as well. Oroc told me long ago that the reason for creating turned-vampires was so that the Pure Ones would have loyal servants to do their bidding. What makes you ask about the killing of turned-vampires?" he queried.
"I don't know...just curious I guess. I wish I knew more about you and the Pure Ones. It's still all so mysterious to me. I want to be able to help solve this case with Dimitri but the idea of killing to do so...it's not something I look forward to doing." She said.
Xander shook his head. "Nor will I."
He glanced at his watch and back at Julie. "I'm afraid I have to get going. Sorry I didn't get the coffee made. I couldn't find it." He gave a faint smile.
Julie smiled back and stood putting her arms around his neck. "It's okay, don't worry about the coffee. You have way bigger things to deal with. I have to make a few calls and will see you later."
Xander leaned down and kissed her sweetly on the lips. He felt his body respond to her and stepped back quickly. He had to get going before he changed his mind.
She smiled up at him and he could see from the look on her face that she felt the same way he did.
"Call me later so I can meet up with you and Oroc. I didn't get much of a chance to speak with him last night...It was all so chaotic. I'd like to spend some time getting to know him better. I still have a lot of questions for both of you and I would like to have a chance to ask them."
"I'll call you later." Xander gave a small wave as he headed toward the door and closed it behind him.
Julie headed to her bedroom to comb her hair. Moments later, there was a knock on her door. She smiled to herself as she headed toward it. Expecting to see Xander smiling back at her, she opened the door quickly as she asked, "What did you forget?"
She saw the barrel of a strange looking gun and felt something sharp pierce her chest. Everything went black.
CHAPTER TWENTY
It was a couple of hours before sunset when Xander parked his car in Oroc's driveway and approached the house. From the outside, Oroc's home looked somewhat old-fashioned. The house sat on a ten-acre private estate with front gates that were manned by security cameras.
An elderly human butler answered the door. Oroc had brought the butler's grand-parents from England with him when he came to America. George, the butler, had grown up on these grounds and spent his entire life in the servitude of Oroc. His parents had died at the ripe old ages of eighty-five and ninety. George was loyal to Oroc and though he had been offered his freedom as a child, he chose to stay close to the Pure One that he considered family.
"Good Afternoon, Mr. Bachman. Nice to see you." George said warmly.
"Nice to see you, too, George. I'm here to see Oroc," Xander said as he was welcomed inside.
"He has informed me. He's waiting for you in his study," George remarked and gave a slight bow.
The house was quiet as Xander headed to Oroc's study. It was one of the rooms in the large mansion that remained old-fashioned with plenty of antiques and paintings. Xander preferred the more modern rooms and found the study too stuffy and old.
Approaching the room, he knew that Oroc would know that he had arrived and would be waiting patiently for him. He had often wished he had Oroc's talent of telepathy. It had always fascinated him.
Instead he had been given the ability to feel emotion or empathy. This left him more human than Pure O
ne, and felt alienating at times. He wasn't quite Pure One and he wasn't completely human. Xander had never felt sure where he belonged until he met Julie. Her complete acceptance of him and what he was made his heart feel light.
The wide door to the study was hand carved with intricate images of animals and trees. It was open enough that Xander could see Oroc seated on a high-backed Edwardian chair staring outside into the gardens. The net curtains muted the light but allowed Oroc to see the outside without the pain that the sunlight would cause if he stood in it.
"Welcome," Oroc's said in his deep voice without turning to see Xander enter the room.
Xander smiled and moved to take a seat on a small sofa just across from where Oroc sat. His mentor turned his head to face him. His arms were draped across the arms of the chair and he sat perfectly upright.
"Have you heard anything further from Dimitri since we spoke?" Xander asked.
"No. My informant told me that he would be reporting to the Council headquarters at sunset so I am sure that he and the others are making preparations to do so. I advised them that I would not be attending. I don't expect this to bode well with Dimitri." Oroc frowned slightly.
Xander nodded.
"I was thinking on the way over that our odds may be better with the help of the FBI task force," Xander mentioned confidently.
"Are you sure they can be trusted? You know that your father has people on staff there who report back to him?"
"Yes, I know. But not Jake. He is a good man...er...shifter. I trust him. I was thinking that if he and a few of the shifters on the task force were to show up, we would have a fighting chance at capturing Dimitri and any others who are in agreement with him in trying to wipe out the shifters."
"You mean to capture your father?" Oroc spoke with a brow raised.
"Well, yes. As Julie pointed out, he hasn't killed anyone directly. He has had others do it for him. Maybe if he is removed from the Council, that will be punishment enough. He won't have the power he has now."