by Tara Sampson
“Yes, but they won’t bother themselves with one stupid human. They would probably look down on us because we couldn’t get rid her of her ourselves. This is something that we need to deal with; and the sooner it’s handled, the better.”
Ric sat forward, his elbows leaning on the desk.
“What if she’s part of the Prophecy?”
“She’s not part of the Prophecy,” Isabella started and then stopped, turning to Ric. “Oh my God, you don’t think she is, do you?”
A smile curled up at the edge of his lips.
“Madame, I don’t think. I know. She wears the witch’s consecration locket.”
This was too much for Isabella to take in.
“I need to sit down.” She walked over to the chair in the front of the desk and pristinely took a seat. Bringing her fisted hand to her mouth, she glanced back at Ric. “You know what this means. We have to go to the Council. She can’t be allowed to live.”
Ric smiled again.
“Yes, Madame, I know this. Will you take this before the Council?”
Isabella abruptly stood up from her chair, her skirt swaying with the effort.
“Hell yes, I will. Now, it’s not just my son who’s at risk, but it’s our whole world. I would be a traitor to our own society if I didn’t do something about this.” She pivoted and headed for the door, only stopping when she put her hand on the knob. “Ric?”
“Yes, Madame.”
“You do know where they are honeymooning, right?” Her nose lifted in disgust at the mere thought of her purebred son consorting with a turned human.
“Of course, Madame.” His own smile grew by the second.
“Good,” she said. “Don’t say anything to anyone until I get back. Do you understand me Ric?”
He obediently nodded his head.
“Yes, Madame. My lips are sealed.”
“I always did favor you, Ric. You were always so true to my husband. I’m sure that he would be so happy with you, knowing all that you are doing for our kind.”
“Thank you, Madame. That is great praise.”
She let out a nostalgic breath and turned back around.
“Alright, that’s enough,” she said haughtily. “I’ve got a Council to call. I’ll be back soon.”
Ric watched as the decadent Mrs. Isabella Risso disappeared in a cloud of dust. He should have thought of going to her in the first place. Some of those Council members were being asses about the deal, worried about messing up the balance of fate. Mrs. Risso knew how to gain attention. She would make sure that what needed to be done was handled. He sat back in the chair and propped his legs up on the table. There was nothing like a Vampiress on a mission and hell hath no fury on anyone who decides to get in her way.
Chapter 25
Isabella stood in front of three members of the prestigious Vampiric Council. She had known all three of the men for many years now because they had been both close friends and confidants of her husband’s. She also knew their wives, walked in their social circles and she even knew their children as well as their respective spouses. These were her people; people that she’d lived and socialized with for over a century now and she hoped that the bond between them all would be enough to finally put an end to Shelby Tanner and that cursed prophecy as well.
This was it. This was her time to make them see what had to be done, not just for herself and Leo but for their kind as a whole. The Prophecy couldn’t be allowed to come to fruition. It was up to them to stop it and the easiest way to stop it was to cut the problem off at the head. In this case, getting rid of that mongrel bitch that had managed to put a spell on her son was what was needed—once and for all.
Isabella neatly folded her hands in her lap and met the gazes of each vampire before her.
“So as you can see, my dear friends, there really is only one way to handle this situation.”
Mr. Dardonte was the first one to speak. Ever since he received that phone call from Mr. Risso’s servant, he’d had a bad feeling about what lay ahead for the future of their kind. Albert Risso was a good friend of his and before he left this realm, he would have wholeheartedly agreed with anything that he had said. But now, he wasn’t all too sure about it. He had a feeling that this was about more than just a prophecy.
He brought his hand to his throat and made a subtle effort to clear it.
“And what way is that, Mrs. Risso? What is it that you suppose we do?”
She pinned him with her stare.
“That’s easy, Alex. We kill her. The Prophecy can’t happen if she’s no longer here to make it happen, now can it?”
“Isn’t this woman bound to your son?” Marko cut in before Alex could respond. “Aren’t they life bonded?”
She waved her hand in the air as if dismissing the claim in general.
“He says he is and he may think he is, but she’s not pure. She’s a simple human that he turned and without the proper lineage, I refuse to accept the bond regardless of what he says.”
Alex Dardonte sat up and leaned forward so that his elbows rested on his knees.
“But if they’re bound Mrs. Risso,” he queried, “surely, you know that Leo will not stand idly by and let us just execute his new bride?”
Isabella felt her anger spark. She didn’t like the way that this conversation was going. Why couldn’t they just take it at face value and agree to the execution? It wasn’t that big of a deal. The girl was nothing more than a stupid little human.
Running her hands up and down the length of her pencil-shaped skirt, she had to work hard to hold on to her composure.
“You misunderstand me, Alex. Leo is blinded right now with nothing more than a play toy. Once she’s out of the picture, then Tatiana will be his true bride. Once they are bonded, he will forget all about the pesky girl.”
It was all starting to make sense now. Alex Dardonte was starting to get the big picture. This was no more about the Prophecy than it was about her son’s choice of brides.
“I believe you’re the one that’s blinded Mrs. Risso. Leo chose her for a reason. Sometimes, as parents we don’t understand our children’s choices. It is then that we have to trust in the beliefs that we brought them up on to see through their eternities.”
Isabella was livid. She stood up so fast from her chair that it crashed to the floor. She glanced at the other two Council members.
“Do you agree with him?” she demanded in outrage. “Do both of you think that this human,” she spat out the word as if it had left a bad taste in her mouth, “is worth the unveiling of the Prophecy?”
Victor, who had yet to speak, stood up and addressed Isabella.
“What I know is that your husband had a vision; a vision that I shared with him. We are superior to the human maggots that walk the streets and the ones that get turned are only a step above them in my eyes. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again; we should be the ruling class. We shouldn’t be hiding under our cloaks of night. The humans should learn to cower and bow in our presence. If this girl is truly the one that the Prophecy speaks of then she should be exterminated.”
“Thank you,” Isabella interrupted with a big smile on her face. At least one person around here was seeing the light.
“But,” Victor held up his hand to show her that he wasn’t quite finished and the smile started to fall from Isabella’s face. “But,” he repeated, “I think we need to be able to prove that this girl is the one that the Prophecy speaks of before we issue an execution.” His beady black eyes locked onto Isabella’s. “She is bound to a royal and that means that she can breed. I am not inclined to kill a female that has the capacity to stretch our line.”
“But Tatiana could do the same thing, Victor.” Isabella was getting desperate now. She had to make them understand. She had to make them see. Leo belonged with Tatiana; not the human waste. Why couldn’t they just do what she asked of them?
She reigned in what was left of her control and looked to Marko for some assis
tance.
“She and Leo could start a pure line that our generation would be safe to see us through in the future. Any spawn with the human is nothing more than a half-breed and I for one, will not lay claim to any of them. Would you?”
Marko looked away from her.
“We can do this one of two ways. We could summon her in for questioning and determine whether or not she is the one that the Prophecy speaks of or we can issue the girls immediate execution. Why don’t we put this to a vote, fellows? All in favor of the summons, say I.”
Three simultaneous I’s sounded in the room.
“No!” Isabella raged, throwing her hands up in the air. “You can’t agree to this. Don’t you see? She has to be executed. Leo will never let you near her.”
Very calmly, Alex leaned back in his chair and stroked the goatee on his chin. He openly stared at his dead best friend’s wife and couldn’t get over how out of control she was. It was high time that she saw the situation for was it really was.
“And if you think that Leo is going to act that way about his bride, then what does that tell you Mrs. Risso?”
She dropped her voice so low that it almost sounded menacing.
“You can’t seriously be suggesting that this human is the right one for my son Alex, are you? You know as well as I do how important lineage and blood is to our kind. He needs to bind himself with Tatiana.”
“Isabella?” Victor walked over and took her hands in his. “Leo is already bound, you need to accept this. Until she is brought here and questioned, she is to be treated as a Royal; one with respect. That is the least we can do to honor your husband’s memory.”
“No!” She screamed and stomped her foot. “You’ve all gone mad; completely and utterly mad. My Albert would never have allowed this to happen.” She spun around in a frantic frenzy. “You’re just jealous,” she wildly accused. “You’re jealous because my Albert was the leader of the Counsel. You don’t want my Leo to take his rightful place.”
“No, that isn’t true,” Alex said, not bothering to get up. “We loved and respected Albert Risso. He was a brilliant man and would have done anything for our race. We are only waiting the day that Leo will step into his shoes.”
“You lie,” she pointed a long slender finger in Alex’s direction. “You all lie. You want to see my Leo fail. Well, let me tell the three of you something right now. I will not allow this travesty to happen. I will not let that human ruin my son’s life. If I have to, I’ll kill the bitch myself. One way or the other, she will be gone.”
Pivoting around, Isabella hastily exited the room. She had plans to make; big plans because if the Council wouldn’t help her, then she’d see to the dirty deed herself. Shelby Tanner’s time was running out.
“Isabella?”
Already halfway down the hall, she stopped at the sound of Marko’s voice. Her back stiffened but she didn’t dare to turn around.
Marko quickly closed the distance between them. He pressed his hand on her shoulder and leaned in close to her ear.
“Meet me at midnight at the bell tower in the old abandoned Abby on the South side of town. I agree with you, something more drastic has to be done. We can’t chance the prophecy coming to light.”
She still didn’t turn around to face him but a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. With Marko on her side, there would be others as well. She gave him a curt nod in acknowledgement and felt the weight from his hand leave her shoulder. She stood there a minute and listened to his retreating footsteps as he walked away.
Soon, she told herself, very soon Shelby Tanner would in fact die a very lonely death. With that last thought in mind, she straightened her shoulders and lifted her head, striding forward once again.
Shelby woke up feeling very sore, very well used and both fully and completely sated. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled when they met Leo’s hungry gaze.
“Good evening, love.” His low voice warmed her insides like a good cup of brandy.
“Evening?” she asked, not realizing that they had slept most of the day away.
He bent over her and pressed a soft kiss against her lips.
“Yes love, the moon is upon us and may I say that you look magnificent basking in its glow.”
Shelby’s cheeks brightened with color. She reached her hand up and palmed his stubble covered cheek.
“You really are the charming one, aren’t you, Leonardo Risso?”
“I like to think so; especially when it comes to charming you, my sweet.” Unable to hold himself back, he dipped his head and sipped at her lips again and again, enjoying the natural taste that was so unique to his beautiful bride. So long he had waited for her, watching her and now she was finally there with him.
He pulled himself from the sanction of her lips and hovered just above her face, drinking in each and every one of the features that made her who she was. Lost in the depths of her midnight-black eyes, he knew then that all of the waiting had been well worth it.
“What?” Shelby asked, searching his face. He was looking at her so intensely that it unnerved her just a bit.
His face softened and he smiled.
“You are just so beautiful,” he told her honestly, “that you threaten to steal the very breath from my chest.”
“My, oh my,” she replied and wound her hands around his neck. “You really are pulling out all of the big guns on this honeymoon, aren’t you husband of mine?”
“I only speak the truth,” he insisted. “In my eyes, no one can compare to you.”
She thought of the beautiful girl that she met back at his home. Her beauty was truly over the top. There was no way that she compared to her.
“Oh you do my, love,” Leo announced out loud. She looked at him confused, and he lightly tapped the side of her head. “You’re an open book to me. I can read your thoughts so easily now and you, my bride are heads above the elusive Tatiana. You,” he nibbled playfully at her ear, “are a goddess.”
She chuckled.
“You exaggerate, Leo,” she told him and then once again met his burning gaze, “but you flatter me as well.”
“Hmm,” he started to nip at her neck just under her chin. She shivered and he smiled against her skin. Lifting his head, he glanced down at her. “I want to show you something.”
“You do?”
“Yes, do you trust me?” he asked, rubbing the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip. “Always,” she replied a little breathless.
“Close your eyes then, my sweet.”
She hesitated for a split second before doing as he asked, and closed her eyes.
She waited for him to speak and after a long minute passed with no words being spoken, she opened her mouth only to have it hungrily captured by his lips. They joined in a passionate kiss, one that molded their thoughts and said everything that needed to be said without any words. At the end of the heated kiss, Leo lifted his head and cupped her face.
“Open your eyes now, love and see my gift to you.”
Chapter 26
Shelby took her time when she opened her eyes. It took a good long second for her vision to adjust to the dimness of the cavern that they were now in. The temperature felt warm and humid against her naked skin and she could almost taste the sulfur that permeated the air. When her vision sharpened, the first thing that she spotted was the clearest pool of topaz water that she had ever seen.
“What is this place?” she asked in complete awe.
Leo settled his hand at the small of her back and pushed her towards the bubbling waters.
“It’s a hot spring. I found this place about fifty years ago. It’s secluded and the water here is heated naturally. It works very much like a man made Jacuzzi. I used to come here alone when I just needed to get away from everyone. I found it-” he said and his lips quirked, “rather relaxing. Now,” he added, turning around and framing his bride’s face with his broad palms, “I want to share my special spot with you.”
In the span of a wee
k, her life had changed so dramatically. One moment she was a clueless girl, not at all to sure where her life was headed. The next, this tall and dark stranger entered her life, changing both it and her forever.
Shelby smiled up at him and Leo bent his head to drop a kiss on her nose.
“This place is so beautiful,” she said, leaning in to rest her head against his chest. She loved how good it felt just to be next to him like this. He was so strong, so sturdy. In a world of chaos, he had quickly become her solid rock.
Leo lifted his hand and ran it through the thick curtain of her hair. He loved touching the golden locks that framed her face. They were his sunlight. Bright shining rays that lit up his life, and when his fingers touched the silky softness, his insides literally warmed.
While he played with her hair, he watched the different expressions dance across her face. Surprise, joy, confusion… and he silently wondered what all was going on in that head of hers. He was determined to stay out of her mind, unless she invited him in but his curiosity was quickly getting the better of him.
“What are you thinking about so hard, my sweet?”
Shelby shrugged and stared down at the ground. She had a million thoughts flitting through her head but they all circled to one pertinent truth. Change. Difference. And who or rather what she has become today.
“Just how different everything is now. How different I am.”
He grabbed her chin and pulled her face up so that their eyes met.
“Shelby, you’ve always been different.” He swooped in and gave her a soft kiss on her lips. “A good different, though. When I first found you all those years ago, broken and bleeding on the ground, I knew then that you were special. The moment that I chose to save you, gifting you with my blood was the moment that I was re-born.” He closed his eyes and with a feather light touch he caressed her cheek, remembering that particular evening. “Even then, being so young, you were inquisitive and trusting.”