by R. E. Butler
* * * * *
A week after the March full moon, Griegs was inducted into the ranks of the Hunters, joining me as my teammate. A broadcast, sent to every member of the Hunters, stated that Ohio was now the territory of Sabrina and Griegs Stalking Horse, and any issues within the borders were to be handled through us directly. In all my eighty years, I’d never done anything but take orders from Etienne and others in stations above me. Now, for the first time, I had some autonomy in my career, and it was all thanks to Griegs’ influence.
When we returned to the den just after his induction, our tent within the den was finished. It was a simple animal hide tent, furnished with his things from storage. We brought all of my belongings with us, which I had kept in trunks in my small office in Chicago. The three-bedroom home above ground was halfway done, so we moved into the den until it was completed.
On the day of the full moon in April, Griegs rolled on top of me as I came awake at sunset; his chest vibrated with a low growl. My hands swept up his broad back as I opened my legs, and he settled into the cradle of my hips.
“Hello.” I smiled at him.
“I always want to say good morning, but it’s not morning.” He let a small smile curl over his lips, and he leaned forward and traced the bottom edge of my lower lip with his tongue. My fingers followed the muscles in his back as he nipped and kissed across my jaw to my ear and then down my neck.
“Someone’s a little feisty,” I chuckled.
He snarled and his eyes darkened. “Feisty is for kittens, milani. You’re in bed with a bear.”
His knees spread my legs further apart swiftly as his hands pinned my wrists to the mattress. “I haven’t forgotten.” I eased my legs up his powerful thighs and curved them around his lower back. “My big, strong, warrior bear.”
He thrust into me so hard and fast my back bowed with pleasure, and I arched under him, my nails digging into my palms. “Beloved,” he growled, pulling back and surging forward.
“Mine,” I gasped, and I met his pounding thrusts with my own, riding the passion of our joining until our panting moans of bliss rose to a fevered pitch and we came together, cresting the wave of pleasure and falling from the heavens, together.
* * * * *
“You’ll stay here in the den with Elizabeth and Shaylee, and the babies,” he announced as he pulled on a pair of well-worn jeans and left them unbuttoned.
“Oh, will I?” I arched a brow at him.
He huffed. “Yes. You’re a trained fighter. You wouldn’t hesitate to kill to protect those you care for. For the first time, my entire family is going out to hunt, and it’s only because you are here to help keep watch over my sisters. Your sisters.”
“Oh, that’s cool.” I felt incredibly touched by the faith his family had in me to keep not only my sisters-in-law safe, but also my nephews.
He nodded and watched me dress. “It is. I suggested it last night, and they didn’t even hesitate in answering. Up to this point, one of my brothers has always stayed here in the den and shifted but not gone hunting.”
I finished dressing and slipped on a pair of moccasins that Shaylee had given me. They were decorated with an intricate beaded pattern. “Do you have to hunt on the full moon?”
“No, but we always have. Our kind grow anxious if we don’t free our beasts from time to time, and hunting once a month is how we manage the more primal part of ourselves. We’re not tied to the moon the way that the wolves are, but when the moon is high in the sky, it’s like everything is heightened, awakened in a way that it’s not during other times.” His voice dropped, and he took my hand. “When I was captive and wasn’t allowed to shift, if I could see the moon from my cell, I always felt a little connected to my family, even though I couldn’t shift and join them.”
“I’m happy to stay.”
We joined his family outside of the barn, and Shaylee, Elizabeth, and I watched as every bear in the den stripped and shifted. It was incredible to watch the human bodies change into the furry bulk of the bears. Five very large black bears lumbered over to us. Elizabeth’s twins toddled straight to the two on the right, and the bears lowered their heads as their sons grabbed their ears like handles. The one in the middle came right for me, and I let my hand smooth across the velvet soft fur on the top of his head. I scratched behind his ear until he made a humming sound and his tongue snaked out and caught my upper arm. I laughed and kissed his nose, wishing him a good hunt and watching him and his brothers plod off into the woods in search of game.
“I’m going to put the kids to bed. You guys want to join me for some girl talk?” Elizabeth said.
I picked up Bodaway, and he grabbed hold of my hair in his little fist and said, “Dada bear.”
“You got it, kiddo. Your daddy’s a bear.” I laughed.
Shaylee and I sat down on a comfortable suede couch in Elizabeth’s tent. It was sparsely decorated because they only spent the night of the full moon underground. Shaylee and her husbands lived underground full-time and really loved it. Griegs seemed inclined to live underground only as long as it took for our home to be finished, and I was okay with that. Although the den provided unparalleled protection against the sun, I preferred to be above ground where it was quiet while we rested. Many days while we slept, Griegs had been woken up by activity in the den and he was, literally, as grumpy as a bear when he hadn’t gotten a decent rest. It was fun to tease him, though.
“Tavian said your house will be ready before the next full moon. Are you excited to move out of the den?” Shaylee asked, brushing her long, raven-black hair over her shoulder. She had at one time been a fairy of royal lineage but had given up her wings so she could remain with her bears. The sacrifice had taken her fairy power and left her as a healing nymph and also turned her red hair black and her green eyes brown.
“It’ll just be nice to actually have a place to call home.” I smiled at Elizabeth as she walked through the curtained area at the back and went to a small stove and put on a kettle.
“Griegs was telling Ash the other day about your mom. I can empathize.”
Griegs had told me that Elizabeth’s mother turned her back on her when she embraced her wiccan nature.
Shaylee smiled encouragingly. “We can take comfort in knowing our own children will grow up with their mothers loving them.”
I nodded. Elizabeth pulled the whistling kettle from the stove and filled two mugs. She handed one to Shaylee and sat down on my other side. After taking a small sip, she said, “What will yours and Griegs’ children be like, Sabrina? Will they be able to shift? Will they be immortal?”
It was a discussion Griegs and I had shortly after our bonding night. “Yes, they’ll be immortal, but like your own children, whether they’ll go furry or not depends on if they take after him or me. The curious thing about beloved children is that regardless of whether they shift or not, they won’t be blood drinkers unless they also become beloved mates to a vampire, so they’ll eat human food.”
Elizabeth cast her eyes back towards where her children lay sleeping. “The boys want our sons to be bears. It’s a macho thing. I just want my babies to be happy.”
Shaylee reached around me to squeeze her hand. “They will be. Wiccan, were, or whatever the great spirits have willed for them.”
We talked late into the night, sharing stories of our childhoods, laughing about our men, and enjoying each other’s company. As an only child, I’d never had a sister to talk to, and Lara had been the closest thing to family that I’d known until now. I’d put her spirit to rest, in a way, when I avenged her death, and now my own spirit was resting in the sweetness of family who I’d found myself surrounded by, underground in the den.
I met Griegs in the barn as the bears came back from their hunt. He shifted and tugged on the jeans I’d brought for him. Then he hauled me over his shoulder and carried me down to our tent, caveman-style.
Later, as I felt the sun begin to rise from its slumber and my eyes grew heavy, I snuggled
up against my mate. “Did you catch anything fun on your hunt?”
“Deer.” He yawned and pulled the blanket up higher around us. “I think the herd was pretty surprised when the entire den came barreling through the woods.”
“Are there were-deers?”
He laughed. “Are you serious?”
“Well, I don’t know. There are lots of things out there that look human but change into something else. Maybe Bambi’s mom was the queen of her herd, or whatever, and the poor little guy didn’t know he could go human.”
He tipped my chin up. “Milani, there are no were-deers.”
“Says you. You probably ate someone’s dad tonight.”
He chuckled and kissed the tip of my nose. “Go to bed, beloved.”
“Yes, deer.”
Chapter 7
Our home was completed mid-May, shortly after we were married in a ceremony in the den. As a housewarming gift, Axe built a bedroom set for us: a king-size bed, dresser, and matching nightstands. Ash gifted us with our first set of matching full moon celebration clothes: decorative leather vests and trousers. Since I was completely lost in the kitchen, Elizabeth, Shaylee, and Filene filled the freezer with meals for Griegs.
Griegs carried me over the threshold of our new home and kissed me soundly as he kicked the door shut behind him and carried me towards the bedroom.
“I thought you were giving me a tour of our new house?” I teased, stroking my fingers through the short, soft hair over his ear.
His eyes danced. “My tour will be more fun.”
Just as we passed through the front room, we heard a loud pounding at the front door. He put me down, and we walked back to the door and opened it to find Adriel, nailing a strange object to the wood.
Stepping back, Griegs’ father nodded. “It’s a talisman. It will keep your home free of evil spirits.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Griegs smiled at his father, and I echoed the sentiment. Without another word, Adriel nodded at us again and walked back towards the barn.
I reached out to touch it. I could feel its power, as if someone had breathed power over it, woven it inside. It was old power, though, and I knew it hadn’t come from Elizabeth, but had come from Adriel himself.
The wreath was small, only about eight inches around, made of tightly woven strips of rough wood. Red thread wrapped the wood in a criss-cross pattern. Imbedded in the top of the wreath was a small blue stone, surrounded by three thick, black claws.
“The wood is from the neem tree, it’s thought to ward off ghosts. Our people are superstitious about ghosts, milani. They are meant to rest in the spirit world and not hang around the living.” He fell quiet and I let him have his silence. Then he started speaking again, adding, “The red thread is for protection against evil. The blue stone is the eye of bara stone, which is a symbol of the guardian of our people. It’s believed that where bara is, no harm can befall the inhabitants. And the claws are for the three strongholds of our people: strength, family, loyalty.”
His arm rested around my shoulders and I hugged his waist. “It’s really cool of your dad to make that for us. I like the traditions of your people.”
With one last look at the wreath, he shut the door. “Our people, milani.”
“Ours.”
* * * * *
I crouched in the shadow of a semi on Ninth Street in front of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. A group of five rogue vampires had terrorized downtown Cleveland over the last few days, and Griegs and I finally tracked them. I peeked around the truck at the giant triangular glass building and watched the unaware humans as they walked in the darkness towards the museum.
I could feel the heat of Griegs’ body behind me, and I was comforted by the knowledge that he was with me. I was beginning to feel a bit invincible with him by my side, and I reminded myself that getting arrogant was a good way to get myself killed, or Griegs. This particular group of rogue vampires had been created by a vampire who turned humans for profit. A mob boss by the name of Pauli Giavani thought having a few of his people turned into vampires would be good for business. He hadn’t expected them to turn against him in the throes of their early bloodlust and wipe out everyone. The vampire who had sired them had not trained them at all, had given them no instruction, and had not brought them into his own coven. He’d simply set them loose on the boss and his people. After he collected his money, of course. Turning-for-profit was strictly against vampire law, but the vampire escaped out of Ohio and was now someone else’s problem.
When I received the call a few days ago that a group of rogues was terrorizing downtown Cleveland and had killed a dozen people so far, Griegs and I tracked them using our newly granted access to the local police force’s database. Using traffic cameras linked to the onboard computer in our SUV, we followed the rogues until they stopped at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and began attacking humans as they entered and exited the museum.
Griegs exhaled slowly and whispered, “Do you want me to shift?”
I kept my eyes on the rogues as they stalked a group of three young women who were unaware they were about to become dinner. “Not unless you have to.”
Easing forward, I palmed two wooden stakes, sited the two closest vampires and let the stakes fly from my hands. The first one hit true, sinking deep into the heart of one of the vampires as he was about to leap onto one of the humans. As his body shriveled, the second stake missed slightly, embedding in the shoulder of one of the other males, who shrieked in fury.
The three women screamed and bolted, tottering wildly on their high heels as they tried to escape. I wasn’t sure they really understood what they were trying to get away from, but as long as they did actually get away, that was the most important thing.
The four remaining males turned on us as we came out from hiding, Griegs brandishing the two swords that his brother Lynk made special for him.
Overhead flood lights illuminated the youthful faces of the newly turned vampires as they pulled back their lips to reveal long fangs. My warning was uttered with a steely voice. “Surrender or die.”
One of the males with dark red hair and brilliant blue eyes snarled, “Who are you to order us? We’re vampires. We own the night.”
“Ohio is my territory, asshole. If your sire had an ounce of brains, he would have explained that it’s against vampire law to go around killing humans for sport. I am Hunter of his region, responsible for ensuring that bad little vampires tow the line. I’ll say it once more: Surrender to my authority or go to ash like your friend.”
Two more stakes filled my hands as the rogues in front of us seemed to consider their options. The redhead’s friends shuffled uneasily behind him, one of them nursing his wounded shoulder. It was only because I had been in enough scuffles with vampires to recognize when one was going to attack that I was prepared. Their bodies went very still, and their eyes narrowed slightly. The overhead lights cast shadows on their features, making them seem more menacing then they actually were. In that moment, I knew their choice, and it wasn’t to surrender quietly like good little vampires, but to go out in a blaze of flame and ash.
They rushed us, plowing through the remains of their friend, fangs bared, fingers curled like claws. Griegs roared and the sound from his throat was unlike any that a human should be able to make. He brandished the swords, stepping in front of me as he engaged the redhead and the wounded one. His swords flew through the air in too-fast-to-follow arcs, and I kept my eyes locked on the two remaining males.
The stakes were warm in my hand, like something alive. “You should have surrendered,” I said coldly before barreling into the stomach of the closet one and taking him to the ground. As I rolled him hard against the concrete, we knocked over his friend, who yelped in surprise and tried to scramble away. I flipped the male under me once more and jammed the stake into his chest. His brows rose in surprise and his mouth opened, but no words came out as he died, reduced to ash and brittle bones.
“Shit. Shit!” the other
male yelled. I leapt to my feet as he turned and bolted away, plowing through the row of spectators who had gathered around us.
“Aw, don’t run, damn it!” I groused, checking on Griegs who brought both blades down in a crossing motion, severing the head of the final standing vampire, the redheaded leader.
I caught Griegs’ eye and took off for the rogue, racing between the humans who watched the proceedings as if it were a car accident on the freeway. Did humans have no idea how dangerous the situation was for them? If Griegs and I had lost the battle, they would have been sitting ducks, all lined up for slaughter like lambs without wool.
The rogue raced down the middle of Ninth Street, screaming like an idiot and begging for mercy. He was two blocks ahead of me, and I reached for the dart gun hidden at my back and stopped, raising the gun to aim. Specially made for just this thing, the Stinger 750 was a powerful but small gun that shot long, wooden silver-tipped darts five hundred feet per second. I let out a slow breath and squeezed the trigger.
The rogue howled as the dart pierced his right shoulder, stumbling and losing momentum. A second dart hit the back of his leg through his jeans, and he twisted as he fell, his arms pinwheeling as he collapsed on the pavement. I covered the distance between us quickly as the silver began to work through his system, slowly poisoning him. Kicking him to his back, I aimed the gun at his chest and ignored his moaning pleas for mercy, and shot him in the heart.
Kicking his skull from his body, I watched dispassionately as the last part of him dissolved into gray ash, scattered by the slight breeze. Turning, I tucked the gun back into the holster and strode down the middle of Ninth Street. Traffic was light at this hour, and the few cars on the road had stopped to gawk. I knew we’d wind up on the news, judging by the number of cell phones pointed in my direction when I joined Griegs. All the bodies were destroyed, and already the police were keeping people back from the ashy mess on the concrete.