Ganriel

by D. B. Reynolds

  He stopped in front of Kato this time. “You’re sure she has power? Hana, I mean.”

  Kato shrugged. “Enough. I’m not sure what it is, though, and Gabriel would have decked me if I’d tried to examine her. But she could see my sheathed sword despite the camo spell.”

  “Fuck me. I need more information. Who the hell’s after her and why? And where the mother-loving fuck is—”

  The double doors behind Damian opened five seconds after he’d stepped away and spun to face whoever was there, gun in hand. The god of war had embraced modern weaponry with a vengeance.

  Nick wasn’t stupid. He knew his enemies, and he knew the giant twin vampires who stood outside the doors. Juro and Ken’ichi. Close to seven feet tall and three hundred pounds each, completely identical except, currently, for the expressions on their faces. One was expressionless. A stone statue had more emotion. But the other—who the fuck knew or cared which one it was—was eyeing Damian’s Colt 1911 American Eagle .45 handgun with amusement, as if the heavily modified weapon—Damian wasn’t a god of war for nothing—was no threat. Hell, maybe it wasn’t. If a vamp was powerful enough and old enough in his power, he could take a few rounds and survive, as long as it didn’t pulverize his heart or take off his head. Now there was a pretty thought—Raphael’s bloody head falling into the dirt. He wiped the smile from his face before aiming a cold stare at the two vamps.

  “Lord Raphael will see you now,” said the amused one.

  Lord Raphael, Nick thought viciously. Fucking vampires. He waited until Kato joined Damian at his back, then walked through the open doorway without a word. He was being rude. Who cared? It was rude of them to make him hang around their damn drawing room. Fucking pretentious pricks.

  Both vampires preceded him up the stairs, apparently not worried about what might be happening at their backs. And why should they? There were no fewer than ten vamps lurking in the sizable foyer at the foot of the stairs, and vampires moved fast. So up the stairs they all went, then down a long, empty hallway. A magical parade of enemies. All they were missing was a marching tune. Something cheerful. Or maybe full of doom instead.

  They stopped at a pair of huge doors, made of black wood—he didn’t know or care what kind—each of them was five or six feet wide, and more than twelve feet high, with bronze inlays and elaborately carvings of. . . . He peered closer. Yeah, definitely doom. He’d bet those doors had been stolen from an ancient cathedral where they’d given worshippers a glimpse into the hellish darkness that awaited sinners. The doors swung slowly open on their own.

  Oooh, big magic trick. He rolled his eyes. He could do that shit by the time he was four.

  Following his escort, he strode into what was obviously Raphael’s office. There were lots of bookcases to one side, and moonlight glinted on the wide expanse of ocean visible through floor-to-ceiling windows on the back wall. Raphael sat behind his desk, with the ocean behind him, and his lieutenant Jared standing to one side. Nick scanned the office. No Cyn. Why not? Had something happened to her? Was she sick? Injured? She was always throwing herself into dangerous sit­uations, but he’d be damned if he’d ask that fucking vampire about it. Shit.

  Raphael didn’t say a word, just matched his own cold stare. They might have stayed that way for hours if Jared hadn’t spoken up.

  “Gentlemen, have a seat.” He gestured at the three chairs positioned in front of the desk. Apparently, he and the twins would remain standing. Nick glanced at his two warriors, then took the center chair. But Damian and Kato remained standing, a little off center so that they were positioned to face all three of Raphael’s vampires. One of the twins joined Jared to Raphael’s left, but the other took up a stance blocking the door. As if Nick couldn’t blast his way out if he wanted to. Pfft.

  No one spoke. Nick had begun to long for the drawing room, when the muffled sound of smoothly grinding gears filtered into the room. He turned his head just in time to see a pair of cleverly camouflaged elevator doors open to reveal . . . Cyn. She was visibly armed, her favorite Glock holstered in a shoulder rig, which he knew she’d had modified to accommodate a pair of truly lovely breasts. He smiled privately, thinking how unhappy the vampire would be if he could read minds. Actually, he probably could read some minds, but Nick wasn’t a powerful fucking sorcerer for nothing.

  Cyn came to a sudden halt and searched the room quickly, then strode directly over to stand right next to Raphael, her hip almost touching his shoulder. The fucking vampire immediately reached out and ran a hand up the back of her leg, his fingers closing around her thigh in a blatant show of possession, while his smug gaze remained locked on Nick.

  Nick couldn’t help it. His jaw clenched as he forced himself to remember why he was here. Gabriel. He was here to save his warrior from these fucking bloodsuckers.

  Cyn rested a hand on Raphael’s shoulder and squeezed slightly. Whether she’d intended or not, it had the effect of lowering the tension in the room enough to prompt the vampire into using his words.

  “If you’re waiting for a welcome speech, you might as well leave now.”

  Nick bared his teeth. “Fine with me. Give me back what’s mine, and I’ll go.”

  “Yours?” Raphael sneered, nodding at Kato and Damian. “Your men are possessions now? And you think vampires are uncivilized.”

  “One doesn’t expect civility from animals,” Nick growled. “Or from vicious brutes.”

  “Nick!” Cyn snapped.

  Nick shifted his gaze to her and smiled warmly. “Hey, baby.”

  Raphael’s power exploded, with Nick’s less than a second behind him. Walls groaned, and windows vibrated as the pressure grew, books and other objects falling from the shelves, papers flying around the room. The doors burst open, and four more vampires rushed in, submachine guns raised, their eyes glowing as they scanned the room, choosing targets.

  “Stop it!” Cyn shouted. “Raphael, please,” she said more softly, leaning her whole body against his side.

  Raphael stilled, then lifted a single hand. The four guard vamps lowered their weapons and backed out of the room, closing the door as they went.

  “Don’t make this worse than it has to be, Nick,” Cyn scolded. “What do you want?”

  “You know what I want,” he said, adding a sensuous note that gave it a double meaning.

  “Watch your words, sorcerer,” Raphael said coldly.

  “Fine, Lord Raphael. You’re holding Gabriel here. I’ve come to free him.” One of the big doors opened on his last word, and he jumped to his feet, expecting another attack. But that wasn’t who it was.

  GABRIEL TURNED THE corner from the stairs in time to see four heavily armed vampires leaving Raphael’s office. That wasn’t the first indication of trouble, either. When he and Hana had entered from the courtyard, there’d been obvious signs of tension, with guards openly displaying weapons that they typically carried concealed. He’d gotten a few warning looks as they’d made their way to the main staircase, where Elke had been standing guard.

  “What’s going on?” he’d asked.

  “Had a bit of trouble, but it’s calm now,” she told him.

  “Trouble? Anything I need to know?”

  “No one’s dead or bleeding, which I take as a good sign. I figure by now they’re just checking to see whose dick is bigger.”

  “Probably mine,” Gabriel said, eliciting a surprised laugh from Hana.

  Elke rolled her eyes. “Raphael dismissed the guards I sent up when things got tense, but they’ve taken positions in the hall, just in case. Jared, Juro, and Ken’ichi are inside the office, and so’s Cyn, of course.”

  “Who else?”

  “Your friends and their boss, Nick Katsaros.”

  “Great,” Gabriel muttered as they made their way to the second floor, just in time to see the guards spreading down the hall ou
tside Raphael’s office. “Gentlemen,” he said, and received acknowledging nods in return.

  “You’ll want to keep your lady close,” one of them warned. “Things are a mite stressed in there.”

  “Thanks.” One of the doors swung open, and Gabriel stepped in front of Hana, holding her behind him as he took in the scene. “Nico,” he said, smiling.

  “Gabriel.” Nico’s voice was filled with emotion as he strode over and pulled Gabriel into a hard embrace. “Damn, it’s good to see you.” When he pulled back, his eyes were shining with unshed tears.

  “You, too,” Gabriel said, returning the embrace. He looked around, then pulled Hana to his side. “Nico, this is Hana Himura. Hana, Nicodemus Katsaros.”

  “Nico, or Nick, if you prefer,” Nico corrected, with a smile. “Thank you for bringing my warrior back to me, Hana.”

  Hana studied Nico, her fingers clasped tightly with Gabriel’s. “I brought him back for me, but Gabriel’s told me a lot about you,” she said.

  “All of it good, I hope.”

  She didn’t reply, gazing up at him with her dark eyes.

  Gabriel took a step to the side and gave Raphael a respectful nod. “My lord.”

  “Gabriel,” Raphael said smoothly. “Why don’t you and Hana join us?”

  “Thank you, my lord.” Giving Hana’s hand a warning squeeze, he walked the two of them around Nico to stand to the right of Raphael’s desk. When he turned, he caught a flash of dismay on Nico’s face, before his gaze shuttered into blankness. “Damian, Kato,” Gabriel said, acknowledging his friends. He wanted to ask what the so-called stress had been, and if it had involved him, but that seemed too egotistical. After all, the two powerful males already hated each other for reasons that had nothing to do with Gabriel.

  “I’ve come to take you home, where you belong,” Nico said, his voice perfectly flat, no emotion at all. “With your brothers, and with me.”

  Gabriel glanced at Raphael, who nodded, indicating he should respond. “Nico. I am grateful for your care and for all you did to help me survive when we fought together. But I am not that warrior anymore. I am Vampire.”

  “You don’t need to return to that life,” Nico said fervently. I know the spell has been broken, but I—”

  “You don’t understand. I hated what I was because of my Sire and the criminal life he forced upon me. You gave me back my honor, when I’d all but given up on it, and I will always be grateful for that. But I am no longer the man you saved. It’s been millennia, Nico. That’s how long I was trapped in a damn stone prison, much of it buried and in darkness, until Hana’s ancestors brought me into the light. And they didn’t abandon me, even then. Her great-grandfather and his son, Hana’s grandfather, taught me about this world. And while I dwelt in my prison and learned, I contemplated my place in this new reality. This is not the world we left. In this time and place, I can have a good life with Hana, a productive life, without denying who and what I am. I am a vampire. I belong with my own people, and I am honored by Lord Raphael’s trust in me.”

  Nico’s expression changed, going hard. “He’s brainwashed you.” He spun away from Gabriel to confront Raphael, who came to his feet, shoving his chair back and stepping in front of Cyn. “Release him.” Nico demanded.

  “I’m not the one who claimed him like a thing to be owned, sor­cerer,” Raphael responded smoothly. “That was you. Gabriel’s a fully adult male, intelligent and capable. He made a choice, and I honored it. I don’t need magic to make people want to work with me.”

  Gabriel heard the implied insult, and so did Nico, whose hands came up as his lips began moving in a silent chant. Raphael’s power flared into a shield surrounding him and Cyn, even as the others— Juro, Ken’ichi, and Jared—all brought their own shields to the fore, all three powerful vampires in their own right. Gabriel hadn’t learned to shield yet, had barely learned to call up the magic that lived inside him as a vampire. It was Hana who wrapped her arms around his waist and dropped what felt like a bubble of pressure over them both. He circled her shoulders with his arms and pulled them back a few steps, away from the danger zone between the two powerful men. He was concerned not for himself, but for Hana. She might have magic, but physically she was still human, and she healed like one. Or didn’t. A severe enough injury could kill her, whether it was intentional or not.

  The temperature seemed to drop several degrees as everyone sucked power into their shields. Nico and Raphael were at the center of the fury. Gabriel had to fight against the pull of their conflict, sworn as he was to protect Raphael. The two of them were like a tornado, sucking everything into the maelstrom. Hana moaned softly in his arms, squeezing him more tightly with every minute, as if she was afraid he’d be pulled away from her. And then, without any warning at all, she gave an angry shout and shoved him away. She stepped up and confronted Nico, teeth bared, and a snarl rolling from her soft lips.

  HANA KNEW IT WAS a risk. Her gift had the power to magnify another’s magic, but if she focused, she could contain that ability and hold her magic all to herself. She did that now, taking a chance, hoping Nico would see reason before she lost control and gave him even more power to use against Raphael. Nico was far, far older than she was. Wily and cruel. She didn’t judge him for that. Cruelty was sometimes necessary in battle, but too much of it and it became temptingly easy to use. She didn’t know where Nico fell on that scale, but Gabriel trusted him and believed he was a good man. And she trusted Gabriel.

  “Stop,” she growled. “Gabriel’s had enough pain in his life. He doesn’t deserve more.”

  Nico stared at her, as if she were speaking a foreign language. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, child. I searched the world for centuries, trying to find him, wanting to free him.”

  “You nearly killed him,” she screamed. “He was dying when I brought him here. Your spell was draining his life, minute by minute. It was Raphael who saved him,” she practically screeched, fighting to make sense while struggling to control her own power.

  The pressure in the room dropped slowly, as Nico pulled back his magic, glaring at Raphael, daring the vampire lord to do the same. Raphael ignored him, but his power backed off as he checked Cyn first, and then Gabriel. “Gabriel,” he said, gripping his shoulder. “Take care of Hana.”

  Gabriel was by her side an instant later, Raphael’s touch having broken through the weak shield she’d wrapped around him. She was sure some others could have shielded Gabriel and confronted Nico at the same time with no problem. But it had taken every ounce of strength that she had. When Gabriel’s arms came around her, she slumped against him, physically drained by the confrontation.

  “What’s she talking about, Gabriel?” Nico asked. “Were you really dying?”

  “It’s as Hana said. Your spell collapsed when the curse was broken. With every day, I became weaker. When I finally gave in and drank some blood, it helped only a little. By the time we arrived here, I truly was dying. Lord Raphael gave me his blood and his protection, something I didn’t even know I needed. The bastard who sired me never bothered to teach me how to be a vampire.”

  Pain creased Nico’s face. “I didn’t know the spell would—”

  “How could you know?” Gabriel asked practically. “How could you have even considered the possibility? None of us knew what Sotiris was plotting until after he pulled it off.”

  Nick drew a deep breath and let it out slowly, nodding. “You’re grateful to Raphael. I get it. You think you owe him, and—”

  “No. It’s not simply gratitude, though I am thankful for my life. Hear what I’m saying, Nico. You will always be my brother, and so will the others. But I am a vampire, and I want to live as one. I have pledged my liege to Lord Raphael, and I have no regrets. I know you hate him, but those feelings are yours, not mine. He is an honorable lord, and I am honored to serve him.”


  “Gabriel,” Hana whispered suddenly, her head swiveling as she searched the dark ocean moving restlessly outside the house. “Gabriel,” she said louder, when he didn’t seem to hear her. Grasping his arm with both hands, she pulled on him to get his attention. “Some­thing . . . someone . . . he’s out there.” She screamed and fell to her knees, her hands buried in her hair as she clutched her head, struggling to hold herself together against the evil that was suddenly trying to steal her magic, to suck her brain from her head until there was nothing left.

  A wave of cool power washed over her, sweeping away the blackness and the pressure, leaving her with a pounding headache, but an intact brain. She would have collapsed to the floor then, but Gabriel swept her up and into his arms, holding her against his broad chest, her head on his shoulder.

  “HANA,” GABRIEL murmured, kissing her forehead, trying not to show the terror that had seized him when she’d screamed.

  “I’m okay,” she managed to whisper. “I just need to—”

  “Rest,” he said, then lifted his head to take in the others. “I’m taking her downstairs. She’ll be safer there.” He turned to Raphael. “My lord, I am yours. But the enemy is after Hana. Sotiris is not only our enemy, nor Nico’s. His evil threatens all of us, and I respectfully suggest the two of you put aside your hatred and deal with it together.”

  He strode for the door, grateful when it opened before him, the gesture a tacit approval from Raphael.

  “What happened?” one of the hall guards demanded, casting a worried glance at Hana. “We tried, but couldn’t get the damn doors open.”

  “Too much power being thrown around,” he said vaguely. “I’m taking her downstairs. You can check for yourself,” he added, lifting his chin to indicate the open door behind him. He turned toward the hall where Hana’s daytime room was located. He wasn’t taking her there, but the hall had a less-used staircase at its end, one that went all the way to the basement. He didn’t want to parade her down the main stairs for everyone to gawk at, nor did he want to answer the questions that Elke was sure to have. All he cared about was making Hana safe.