by R M Taylor
“Excellent Isobel, we will see you soon, Vesike will be so happy for your help. I suspect he has missed you and will love to have you back in his coven. If all goes to plan Aris should be here to be her knight in shining armour soon enough, and you will have your revenge” Marius was still smiling at Lucy.
“Wonderful, see you soon my dear” Marius sounded overjoyed and Lucy’s stomach turned so badly she thought she would vomit at any second.
“It wouldn’t be all bad you know Lucy, us joining would strengthen our line, our children would expand our clan, we would have to have many, to guarantee our clan’s future. I hope you see the wisdom in agreeing. If you refuse I will be forced to hold you prisoner and use medical means to produce offspring. Sedatives will keep you compliant enough for me to put a baby in your belly. There is no need for you to appear much in public, but my changeling friend can help me there if the need arises. You really have no choice here” Marius was confident he had looked at things from every angle.
“You’re a rapist like your father then? It doesn’t surprise me, my grandmother was right, you are scum and not deserving of our family name. Delarossa’s are meant to be good, decent and honourable, a family with a reputation for wonderful things. You would only bring us shame” Lucy glared at him. His fist connected with her cheek bone a split second later and she felt the explosion of pain flash across her face and behind her eye, so badly she shouted out in pain. Her vision wavered, and she saw spots, and seconds later there was blackness.
Chapter 33
She woke a while later lying on the floor, still tied to the chair. The sounds of fighting were loud in her ears, people were really going at it. She heard a woman shouting, Marius screaming, and another man speaking but she couldn’t make out the words he was saying. Her head swam from the concussion and her pulse was loud in her ears, louder even than the noise around her. She recognised Will's voice, he was talking urgently to someone. Others were fighting, and she heard furniture break and grunts and shouts of someone being beaten. The door to the room opened, and she tried to raise her head to see who it was. Will stood in the doorway, and she let go of the breath she was holding and exhaled a sigh of relief. Her head hurt so much she couldn’t lift it.
“Is Aris ok? Isobel is involved, she was talking to Marius, there is another man, a vampire, someone….” She gushed out the explanation, hoping her garbled words made sense to Will, who was nodding and helping her to her feet as she tried to communicate.
“It is fine, we know, this is not just about you, this man Vesike Vatin is an old enemy” Will explained. “It will be fine; our enforcers have dispatched the enemies and we have restrained Marius. We will track down this Vesike Vatin, and he will be dealt with” Will hugged her around her shoulders, giving her reassurance that she badly needed. She was shaking in shock, too much had happened, and she was reeling.
“Aris?” She asked.
“He is in pursuit of Isobel” Will led her back to the main room, a larger office by the looks of it. She could see as well as smell the huge amount of blood that had been spilled. Marius was pinned to the floor, unconscious, restrained by thick metal chains the width of her arm. She looked around and recognised Lina.
“Aris has gone to find Isobel, we tracked her phone, it looks like she was on her way here but changed direction at the entrance, likely she saw we were here and she was rumbled. We have a team of friends airborne, flight shifters who are good friends of ours, it won’t be long until we find her” Lina explained, her anger clear in her expression. Lucy doubted Isobel would survive her punishment.
“We will go back home, we will protect you, and we will find Vesike, that fucker is a dead man. He or Isobel killed Matt and who knows who else. I will not allow him to live this time, but he will not be easy to kill, we may need your help, if you can be airborne when we attack it will give us an edge” Lina was asking for Lucy’s help, and there was no hesitation when Lucy agreed. These people had rescued her, she was completely in their debt and would protect them any way she could.
“Absolutely, you can count on me, thank you so much for today, you have no idea how sick Marius is, the things he wants, there is something very wrong with him” Lucy exhaled a shaky breath as the tension and fear started to subside.
“I can imagine, I know his type, entitled, sick and evil. Ruthless and perverted. The same as Vesike. They both will meet their end, I promise you that”
Lina’s confidence made Lucy feel better. She was a good leader, and her confidence was infectious. They made to leave, Lucy followed Lina and her enforcers back to the SUV’s waiting. Two of them carried Marius, and several began spreading fuel that Lucy assumed was petrol around the rooms. To get rid of the bodies she realised. It was dark outside as she got into the car, and she could smell the burning as it caught hold in the building. She hoped Aris had caught Isobel, she wanted to slap that bitch herself. Traitorous woman deserved whatever she got, what had motivated her to act like this? It couldn’t be just the dislike of Lucy, the woman was crazy, but it struck Lucy as odd that she would do this just because of that. Either way she should be punished, what she had done was not only against human laws but also a total betrayal of her family. Whatever punishment Isobel received, Lucy only hoped she would be there to see it. Her dragon paced in her mind, wanting out, wanting to hurt the people who were at fault for all of this. She could feel her pushing, wanting to change. She had to keep her shit together, there was no way a pissed off dragon was going to help matters right now.
Chapter 34
He was almost there now, he could see her ahead clearly, and by the looks of things she was tiring finally. Aris had been in pursuit for miles now, and they were both deep in the forest. He could just see Isobel’s hair whipping in the wind ahead of him and he pushed himself to close the gap and grab her. His speed was much faster than normal, Lucy’s blood had boosted his abilities big time, or he would not have been able to catch up to Isobel as easily. She had a significant head start since she arrived before him. Rain was falling heavily, the downpour soaking him to the bone, his feet sliding in the mud. His hands made purchase and he grabbed her hair tightly, yanking back as hard as he could. They both fell together, her weight toppling him off balance as she tried to turn out of the pull. They landed on the forest floor, the debris of leaves and pine needles mixing with thick mud, and they landed heavily.
Before she could react, Aris had her on her front in a choke hold, pinning her to the floor with his legs and arms. All he could feel was rage, and he felt bone break in her wrist under his grasp. He was growling, he wanted to rip her throat out, and he was struggling to remember why it was a bad idea.
“Aris stop! Please, please!” Isobel screamed.
“Why the fuck should I? You’re a traitor you fucking bitch!” His voice was feral, barely human.
“I had to, I had no choice, I need to go back to the old coven, and he would not let me back unless I gave him information and helped. When I told him of the dragon he demanded I help him to capture her. I needed her gone, not just because of you but because her family has stolen from my family. You were meant to be mine, your refusal has led to this, it is your own fault” Isobel screeched at him, while trying to roll out of his hold on her.
“What about Matt, and the other people missing? Why did he have to die? Why did you allow this to happen to your family?”
“Collateral damage, Aris. The attacks, the break ins, the vandalism, Lina had to take the threat seriously or she would not surrender the territory. He wanted to take the whole territory, but I tried convincing him sharing would be best, he would not hear it. So, I gave him information in exchange for my place amongst his coven, and after you rejected me yet again, for the privilege of watching you and that little bitch die!” She screamed at him, nails clawing at his hand as she tried to squirm free.
“Where is he? Where is Vesike Vatin?” Aris growled at her, the wind and rain making it hard to see and hear now, it was rapidly becomi
ng a storm.
“As if I would tell you, what have I to lose now?” She smiled wide and laughed, she had finally lost it then. Aris knew trying to interrogate her here was pointless, so he pulled them to their feet and dragged her swiftly back in the direction of the car.
“Where is she? Is she alive? Or do you not know because Marius has her?” Isobel asked with a smile.
“I’m not answering your questions, you can talk with Lina. If it was up to me I would kill you right now. But it isn’t, and unlike you I think of my coven, Lina wants you back alive” Aris’ jaw was tensed as he continued to drag her.
Aris would also prefer Lina to be the one to end her life, for Isla’s sake. He would not wish further pain for his daughter, and her father killing her mother would be a lot to cope with. Talk about needing therapy. The rain was coming down heavily as they made their way through the forest. The darkness was no problem since they had advanced eyesight, but even a vampire could fall on their ass if they slipped.
“You would not kill me. I know you Aris, you are wretchedly moral about such things. Well, except for when you killed Sofia, but then, that was not entirely your fault was it?” Isobel laughed bitterly.
“What are you talking about Isobel?”
“Marius is Sofia’s brother. Lucy is Sofia’s daughter. Connect the dots Aris. I am sure the little book you have been translating for her has revealed such things” She huffed another sharp laugh.
“Yes, I’m aware Isobel, that’s why he was trying to kill Lucy, to get the estate, he’s the rejected son, and a murderer to boot I would bet, I have no doubt he killed Lucy’s grandmother” Aris snapped at her.
“Yes, but he was also the reason you killed Sofia. He spiked her drink with Anandaine. No vampire could resist that, especially not a new vampire. Especially not a turned vampire” She croaked out.
His grip squeezing her throat so hard she was straining to breathe. Aris stopped walking and stood still, searching her eyes for the truth. She wasn’t lying. He loosened his grip and let her speak.
“You could join the new coven, you could be with me and Isla, we could leave Lina and the others, you have a choice here Aris. You owe her nothing, it was not your fault” Isobel was persistent.
“You think I want Lucy because I owe her? I want to be with her because I like her, maybe even love her a little. I won’t ever be with you again Isobel. You can forget any ideas you have of us running off together. You’re coming back with me and you’re going to answer for all of this. I won’t believe a word of what you say until I hear it backed up by someone else”
He yanked her forward again, picking up speed, but he couldn’t get her words out of his head. He wouldn’t put it past her to lie to get out of this, but she sounded genuine. It wouldn’t excuse him, but it would explain why he lost it. That alone would bring him some peace about it all. They reached the cars they had left abandoned in the chase and he flung Isobel roughly into the boot of his car, slammed the lid, then rooted around for his mobile to call Lina. He found it, but it was soaking, off, and cracked, and wouldn’t respond to touch. Fuck. He had to get home and find out if Lucy was ok. He took off at speed towards the west of town, back to the coven house. With any luck they would have both Vesike and Marius already.
Chapter 35
People she didn’t know were everywhere, Lucy sat alone at the oval table in the seat next to where Lina had sat before she went off to talk to yet another person. The table was large, big enough to seat 20. She had returned to Aris’ room to shower and change since her face and clothes were blood soaked from when Marius hit her. The fucker had broken her nose and eye socket, she had bled heavily. Thank goodness for shifter healing, although it was still very sore the bruising was changing from purple to yellow swiftly as time went on. Lina had called a team leader and council meeting, but many others had turned up wanting answers, some of the parents she guessed by the odd word she caught. Worry permeated the air, and everyone was tense and over alert, emotions were high, and she could almost taste the desperation from the parents. Will came over and sat next to her, asking if she was ok and if she needed anything.
“I’m fine, I grabbed something quick to eat when I got showered and changed. Have you heard anything from Aris?” She asked.
“Not yet, we have called many times, but it is turned off or out of signal range. We tried tracking it, but the signal was lost a few miles east of the place where they kept you” Will said wearily.
“So, we have no idea where he could be now? I could change and go search, it’s going to be dawn soon, the vampires will have to come back anyway” She said.
“Our raven and eagle shifter friends have just come back, there are no signs of Vesike or Aris around the warehouse, or the coven house. But, they are going off a description of Vatin from over a 100 years ago, who knows what he looks like now, he has kept a very low profile and Marius will not talk. Compulsion is not working. It would seem he has employed a fae, witch or very old vampire to entrench wards in his mind that we cannot breach. It will take time to make him talk. There are trackers on our vehicles, so Dante is tracing them now to try and locate Aris and Isobel” Will explained. “He will be fine, he is resourceful and strong. The vampire who made him was very old and powerful, so he inherited many abilities” Will smiled kindly at Lucy.
He reminded her of Susana’s dad, Mike, a decent guy who was so positive and encouraging. He had insisted on both himself and Susana’s mum co-parenting equally. They were both working almost full-time from home, but both hands on parents too. They were lucky to be able to do that, and it worked so well. Will seemed like he would be that kind of dad too, hands on and just as nurturing as the mum.
“Who was his maker?” She asked.
“That is a story for him to tell you, not me. But when he does I would ask you to remember that the things he inherited were abilities and attributes, but not as parents pass to their children, it is much more a transfer of skills. One can have a brilliant maker, a decent and righteous person who is good to the core, who turns someone who is bad on the inside, resulting in a progeny who is unpredictable and volatile. It can also work the other way. The maker and the made are not related in the traditional sense, they are linked but not in a familial way. It is complicated, and the actions of new vampires are not a reflection of who they really are, new vampires are without control. It takes time to become disciplined, they are feral in the beginning. That is the case for all turned vampires, therefore, mentors are incredibly important.” Will explained carefully. Lucy could see why he was a great mentor.
“Why does the maker not mentor the new vampire? Why need someone else to do it?” She asked.
“It is considered wrong for maker and the made to enter a romantic relationship and being close due to the transference puts them both in a position of vulnerability. It can create powerful feelings. So, to avoid that kind of bond developing, an unrelated person is best to lead the new vampire. Despite the relationship not being familial, it is sort of like a teacher student situation, or as a therapist and a patient, so is considered unwise for a romantic relationship to develop. Unless it was there first, such as when a vampire falls in love with a human then turns them, it is something we tend to discourage, although it can be commonplace with some covens” Will explained. Lucy nodded, sort of understanding it but not.
“Do halflings eat food?” Lucy blurted “I was wondering about that earlier, before everything, when I found food in Aris’s fridge. I guessed maybe Isla was able to eat food since she is half vampire?”
“Good guess. Yes, halflings can ingest everything a human can, but with a couple of exceptions. If they are injured in any way blood is the most important treatment and will heal them faster than food. Every now and then they will have to drink blood to maintain their supernatural abilities. I do not know why. I am sure there are many reasons that someone knowledgeable can explain” Will smiled, then frowned as he looked at her hands shaking.
“My dr
agon is getting antsy, she really needs to know if he’s ok. She’s an impatient bitch when she’s stressed” Lucy said, “Talking with you is helping” She smiled, linking her hands together to reduce the shaking.
“I am happy to help, if you feel like you need fresh air please say and I will take you up to the roof. I believe you are familiar with it?” He smiled wryly, and she laughed quietly.
“I will, but I’m not at risk of changing, don’t worry. My dragon is normally placid, I think I’m just still running on adrenaline and she won’t be happy until she knows everyone is OK. She would also like to watch while Isobel gets a slap” Lucy smiled at the thought.
“Yes, Isobel will most likely be executed. Her betrayal is too great, Lina will not allow her to live” Will said quietly.
“Executed? Vampires don’t do prison then?” She asked.
“Absolutely we do, in the right circumstances. Someone who has been foolhardy and less than discreet with their personal life for example, if they have brought embarrassment to their coven could potentially be punished by being imprisoned. It very much depends on the crime. This one however, has resulted in death to a coven member. At least one. Maybe more, we do not know yet. It was a purposeful act of violence and done without coven permission. If the leader and council sanction an execution then it is permitted just like with humans convicted of a grave crime, Isobel has committed murder. That is unforgivable, it was without due cause” Will said sombrely.
“I really know very little about you all, just a google search to be honest, and I doubted the accuracy of the results, some seemed so ridiculous. Like one said if you became a vampire and drank other vampires blood then you could fly” She laughed.
“That does sound ridiculous does it not? Not exactly true. One can experience transient abilities if one drinks from one vampire regularly over a period of time though. Sometimes it can activate some latent abilities. But that is a story for another time. I believe this is Aris”