by Sarah Marsh
Halle was shocked and horrified as she watched the young shifter’s life slip out of his eyes as his blood spread out on the floor around him. It was terrifying to think that it had been her throat in Conrad’s grip, not moments before. That it so easily could have been her lying there dying on the cold marble. This wasn’t the way things were supposed to happen today. They were supposed to have their mating registered, and then go back home to Viktor’s house to celebrate it in bed.
Could this really be happening?
Chapter Twenty-Four
Viktor watched as the true nature of his nemesis was revealed in his fury. The madness in Conrad’s eyes as he attacked the young enforcer brought back memories from before his turning of what Melisandre’s coven was capable of, memories that Viktor had hoped to forget forever.
Part of him wanted to flee with Halle, to take her somewhere safe away from his enemies, but the other part knew that meant leaving Burton, his enforcers, and Goddess knew how many other innocent lives to Conrad’s madness—and he couldn’t do it. He was shocked to realize that his relentless pursuit of vengeance against Conrad that had been plaguing him for his entire undead lifetime wasn’t even a consideration in his decision-making. He did come to the conclusion, however, that the only way he could guarantee Halle’s safety from Conrad once and for all would be to ensure that he was nothing more than ashes in the wind.
Viktor watched as Burton got back up and charged towards the vampire, only to be sent flying through the air and into the wall next to them. Viktor pushed Halle back to where the large man was now crumpled on the floor and he turned to Conrad, baring his fangs.
There was nothing pretty or clean about vampires fighting in hand-to-hand combat. Claws and teeth were sharp and swift, and when he collided with his enemy they were both moving at top speed, slashing at everything they could reach. Conrad was at least a century older than Viktor, and that meant he was faster and supernaturally stronger than Viktor, but he wasn’t a soldier. He wasn’t battle trained and warrior-bred—not like Viktor was.
Viktor much preferred to fight with his blades, but he was taking his time, methodically attacking Conrad’s weakest points, enjoying each hiss of pain the other man relinquished while trying to ignore the sting of his own wounds.
He grunted as his opponent got in a lucky strike and Viktor felt the deep furrows from Conrad’s claws open across his chest and dropped to one knee. Conrad must have been at the end of his energy because he tried to take advantage of Viktor’s distraction by turning back to lunge in Halle’s direction. He was no doubt hoping to use her as leverage to get out of this situation with his life, even if his role as Coven Master would be over.
Viktor saw Burton yell and toss a blade towards him. Viktor didn’t even think, in a burst of adrenaline he leaped into the air, grabbing the knife before landing in front of his mate and slashing the metal with all his vampire strength at his target.
****
Halle gasped when she saw her mate fall to one knee, bright red marks seeping through his shirt, across his chest.
“Viktor!” she screamed as fear tightened her throat, and then suddenly the blur that was Conrad stopped and turned, stalking straight for her.
She heard Burton yell out beside her to Viktor. Halle saw him throw something in the air as her mate leaped in their direction, and then suddenly she couldn’t see anything at all, except a wide back because she found herself shoved between Viktor and the elevator door.
She did, however, hear the grossest sound of thick blood spatter hitting the walls around her, and, for a second, she was frozen in fear that the blood belonged to the man she loved. Panic gripped her, and she struggled to keep control of her body as her leopard fought to take over and protect them both.
Then, as suddenly as the violence had erupted, it was over, and the lobby was as quiet as a tomb in the aftermath.
“Holy hell, Krescech.” Burton whistled as he slowly got to his feet and walked over to where Viktor and Halle were now standing in front of Conrad’s headless body. “You had me worried there for a little bit. I wasn’t sure we were going to be able to pull this off. But once you had that blade you just lopped off his head like he was standing still.”
“Yes, well, Conrad may have been older than me, but he was never much of a fighter,” Viktor answered, as he checked Halle over to see if she was all right. “He had always been too arrogant to train and work for anything. His specialty was always running away and hiding behind others.”
Suddenly, the entire lobby swarmed with enforcers.
“Where the hell have you been, Garreth?” Burton snarled at the large wolf shifter as they knelt down to their fallen men. “Get a healer here now. Kent’s still alive.”
“Yes, sir. Belinda’s right behind me. We were delayed by Conrad’s men. They set up a distraction at the East entrance to the building,” the other man said, as a small female pushed him out of the way and began to heal the man on the ground.
“Take care of this mess. I’ll get them upstairs,” was all Burton said before he looked back at them.
“That’s just creepy as hell,” Burton muttered, bringing Viktor’s attention back to the body at their feet that was just slowly beginning to turn to ash starting from the edges of the wounds inwards. “Why is it going so slowly compared to the other two?”
“Vampires that are as old as Conrad are full of power and magic, and as the Goddess takes back what was given after death, the aging process catches up with the cells. The older the vampire, the more magic must be reabsorbed, so the longer it takes the body to break down.”
“I’ve never seen that before.” The other man seemed transfixed as he watched Conrad’s body turn to ash, layer by layer.
“Most of the ancients know better than to get themselves killed in front of a crowd,” Viktor sighed. “The others will not be impressed that I did this here with so many witnesses.”
“Better him than us, my friend.” Burton finally seemed to be able to take his eyes away from Conrad’s fading body.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Halle!”
Viktor tensed and shoved Halle behind him until he seemed to recognize that it was her brother yelling out for her as he tried to push his way through the crowd of onlookers.
“Tavin?” Burton cringed when he saw the tattered and bloodstained clothes her brother was in as he gathered his sister into a tight hug, “Good Goddess, you look like shit. What in the hell happened to you?”
“That’s how Dair got his hands back on Halle this morning as we were coming to our appointment. He was threatening to kill Tavin unless she came and signed the papers with him,” Viktor explained.
“I had wondered about that when I saw them listed in the appointment book. I have to find out who that bastard bribed to get in here this morning.” Burton frowned and looked towards the body of his fallen comrade laying on the stone floor. “Someone will pay for this, Jackson was a good man.”
“I’m so glad you’re okay, Tavin.” Halle ran her hands over her brother’s arms, checking to see that his wounds were beginning to heal. “You need to go home and rest.”
“Burton, do you have someone that can take Tavin home?” her mate asked, and she rewarded him for his thoughtfulness with a smile.
The Council member called over a couple of enforcers to help and escort Tavin home, and as soon as she watched her brother safely leave the building Halle was burrowed back into his arms once again. She noticed that Viktor turned her away from what was left of Conrad’s body, which was just fine. She didn’t want to have to look at that bastard ever again.
“Well, shall we go upstairs and complete your registration?” Burton asked, rubbing his hands together like they weren’t talking over the decapitated corpse of an evil sociopath that was slowly turning to ash. “I think I’ve got a business proposition for you, Viktor.”
“Do you have somewhere we can clean up first?” Viktor asked, frowning at her. He appeared to be fixated on
the amount of blood spatter that had hit Halle, not to mention the healing wounds that were still showing on her throat from Conrad’s claws. Her hand moved back up to her throat as she remembered his nails digging into her skin. When she brushed against the amulet that Molly had given her at breakfast, another small wave of magic flowed from it—but this time it was a soothing balm on her tattered nerves. She certainly couldn’t claim to understand the wild nature of the Brownie’s magic, but she was thankful for it all the same.
The elevator doors dinged open, and Dori was already standing inside, causing the two men to curse and Halle to jump in surprise. Damned tricky fairies.
“Goddess, Pandora, I told you that you can’t just pop into the Council building. You shouldn’t even have the ability to do that with the wards we’ve paid for around here!” Burton yelled at the little goth fairy in a tone that clearly implied that he’d known her for some time, as the three of them joined her in the elevator to go upstairs.
“Sure thing, Huggie Bear. I’m just here to take care of my charges and I’ll be right out of your hair,” she answered with a wink before she waved her little wand that looked suspiciously like a riding crop.
Halle had to stifle a grin at the look that crossed Burton’s face when he noticed what Dori was waving at him. It was a bizarre mixture of sexual interest, embarrassment, and then confusion. She knew that Dori didn’t need a wand to use her magic, as she hadn’t had one at any other time that Halle had seen her use her abilities, so she assumed that the prop was for the handsome bear shifter’s benefit … or simply for her own amusement.
Seconds later, she felt Dori’s magic roll through the entire space of the elevator, and suddenly she found herself in a brand-new dress. Once again sans undergarments—cheeky fairy. When she looked over at Viktor, she had to do a double take, as he was now dressed in tight black leather pants and a body molding black t-shirt. Since she’d only seen him wear dress shirts and slacks, this bad-boy version of her mate really kicked up her libido. The look on his face once he realized what Dori had done was the best part, though. He looked down and cringed as he flexed a little in his new pants.
“Was this really necessary, Fairy?” Viktor growled out, as he tried to casually find a comfortable way to stand in the skin-tight leather pants.
“As the female contingent in this elevator can attest to, hell yeah it was necessary. I’ve been fantasizing about you in skin-tight leather ever since I first saw you in the bar,” Dori said with a wink.
“Hey!”
Halle turned her eyes away from her delectable mate just long enough to protest the statement and hear Burton’s laugh at the red flush that flared across Viktor’s cheeks.
“Relax, sweets,” the fairy answered her with hands up. “I had him tagged for you right from the start. I never would’ve touched!”
****
“Why are you here, Fairy?” Viktor asked, as the elevator doors swung open, and they all walked out into the council chamber foyer, his head still spinning from how quickly everything had just happened. It was almost too good to believe that Conrad was finally dead and Halle was safe and relatively unharmed.
“You’ve just been Fairy Godmothered, hotness. No need to thank me.” Pandora stood looking very impressed with herself. “Welcome to your Happy Ever After, Viktor.”
With those final words, the odd little woman magically popped back out of the room, leaving Burton once again cursing and yelling down the hall to his tech witches about the damn wards and how useless they were if a tiny fairy could get in and out at will.
Halle’s delicate snort of laughter brought his attention back to her, and he pulled her into his arms. When he ran his hands down her back, he couldn’t stifle the growl when he noticed that she wasn’t wearing any bra or panties.
“We need to leave,” he whispered in her ear, as he lightly nibbled on her delicate neck.
“What? We just got up here, Viktor,” she giggled as he must have hit a ticklish spot. “And after all that, we still have to see the council and complete our registration. Then we can go home and lock ourselves in your bedroom for a couple of days.”
“Burton! Hurry up!” Viktor yelled down the hall as he yanked Halle into the council chambers.
The big bear came running back down the hall and around the corner.
“Bad news, guys, the council was evacuated when the alarm was triggered at Conrad’s attack. But the good news is that I can file your paperwork on my own once you sign it, now that he’s out of the picture and there’s no one to contest your mating.”
“Then why are we still here?” Viktor growled as he signed the forms Burton gave them, then handed the pen to Halle to do the same, while the shifter stood grinning in front of them.
“You guys can go on home now,” Burton answered, still smiling at him for some unknown reason. “But I still have that proposition for you that we need to discuss, so I’ll call you next week, okay?”
“Fine, let’s go home, Halle,” Viktor said, as he swept Halle off her feet and carried her back out to the elevator.
When the elevator doors closed leaving the too cheery bear on the other side, Viktor pulled Halle in close for a slow kiss. He had no idea why he’d been given such a gift as to have her as his mate, but never would he take it for granted. As they continued to kiss, his hands wandered down to her ass and once again he was reminded that she wasn’t wearing any panties. He moaned and pushed her back against the wall, letting her feel what she did to his body.
“It’s nice to see that my undergarments weren’t the only ones that ridiculous Fairy forgot when she conjured our new clothing,” he whispered, nibbling on her neck again as she rubbed herself against his hard shaft.
“Ugh, that’s the second time she’s done that to me! Dori seems to think it’s hilarious. But to tell you the truth, I don’t mind so much at the moment,” she said with a mischievous smile, as she slid her fingers down the front of his pants, teasing him.
“I guess I can’t fault the fairy for her results, can I?” he whispered an inch away from her lips.
“Nope, now let’s see if you can give me a ‘happy ending’ before we reach the lobby,” Halle whispered back before she grabbed Viktor’s hand and slid it up her thigh, under the hem of her dress to where she was aching for him.
“Anything for you, mate,” was his answer before he brought his lips back to hers.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Dori may have still been eavesdropping on the delectable male she loved to vex when she had the time to drop by, so when she heard him muttering her name to himself in the now empty foyer, she popped back in front of him.
“Dori! How are you even able to get through the wards in here?” Burton yelled before he spotted the blonde witch trying to sneak down the hall unseen. “You! How come this fairy can get through the wards we pay you to maintain?”
“Um, she can't,” the witch stuttered. “She must be getting inside help from another witch, or an empowered object of some type. Hey—why don't I stay late and we can try to figure this out together?”
Dori didn't like the way the witch sidled up to Burton, batting her lashes and pushing her cleavage together.
“You skank!”
How dare this ho make a play for the bear I’ve tentatively set aside for when I am maybe ready to settle down…
“This power,” Dori ran her hands down her black corset top and was well rewarded as Burton’s eyes moved along with them, “is one hundred percent natural, biotch, unlike some things…”
Dori nodded towards the ridiculous double d's threatening to capsize the petite blonde. The witch’s eyes darted towards the man in between them, her mouth dropping open in shock.
“What? I'd know a pair of magically enhanced tatas from a mile away,” Dori sneered as her eyes narrowed in threat towards the other woman, “Now beat it. He's not interested in what you've got on 'mark down', Wicca Barbie.”
She kept her eyes on the witch as she retreated down the
hallway from which she came—one never could be too careful with those shifty witches, especially when you just insulted said witch. That sort of thing usually got you a hex thrown your way as soon as you turned your back.
“What was that?” Burton’s tone was no longer angry. In fact, it seemed curious, and if she had to guess, rather amused.
“What?” She tried to brush off her little territorial slap-fight. “Human Resources around here should really rethink their sexual harassment orientations. That was very inappropriate.”
His annoyingly perfect eyebrows lifted even further up his forehead. “Were you jealous?”
“Jealous? Hah, who knows which of her cheesy lines you would have fallen for if I hadn’t been here.” She pretended to study her nails. “Those witches are sexual predators.”
“Hmm, want to keep me all to yourself, do you?” The small smile that crept onto his lips was utterly adorable and temporarily distracted her from what he had said—but then it hit her.
Eeeks! The bear knows too much! Retreat! Retreat!
Dori took a big step back and told herself that clearly, with such a wildly successful launch of her new business, she didn’t have the time or energy to play with handsome bear shifters—especially busybody, know-it-all bear shifters that held a seat on the Para Council.
“Oh wow, would you look at that time?” She glanced down at the studded leather wraparound bracelet that adorned her left wrist. “Super busy with my new career, gotta jet. I’ll send you some business cards for referrals. Thanks, Burton!”
She looked up a fraction of a second before she used her magic to take her back home, and Dori hated the fact that the knowing smile on that bear’s face made her heartbeat stutter in her chest.
That one’s going to be trouble, I just know it.