Apocalypse

by Toni L. Meilleur

  “Apparently it is how the Triumvirate functions.” Khaelen gave an uncharacteristic snort.

  “In other words, I am the main point in this group thing, right?” Allantra asked sweetly with her hands on her hips. Both men nodded. “Good. Then right now, the fighting stops. I know this is hard for you two. But right now we have those daemon things bearing down on us. Surely this little boy spat can wait until later?”

  “I do not like to be spoken to with such disrespect, Allantra.”

  “I hate to agree with the shifter, but he is right. We are your mates and should be treated with the ultimate respect.”

  “Think of that the next time the two of you are pulling on me like taffy. I’m not property. Now, these daemons, run it by me again how we’re supposed to kill them without magic.”

  Chapter Ten

  Dominica frantically searched for the right crystal. For the last hour she had been trying to pinpoint where the sudden burst of power had transpired. She stomped over to the map; holding on to the cord, she let the crystal hang freely. Still it did nothing. Dammit! She flung the crystal across the room and closed her eyes. They were planning something. That mangy bitch shifter, the wizard, and her good-for-nothing bloodmate … She closed her thoughts about Masque. He was of no consequence. He should have died years ago.

  Eyes still closed, she concentrated. OgBlud, what’s happening? Dominica waited to hear from the Dwarf daemon prince. After several moments, she could feel his touch in her mind. Dominica shivered; she hated the dirty mongrel. He dared think he was near her equal. She had summoned him. That gave her power over him, whether he was a prince or not.

  Dominica.

  You will address me as Mistress Dominica. There was a slight pause before the prince responded.

  Mistress Dominica. It was practically growled in her mind. What can I do for you?

  How close are you to the Executioner’s estate?

  Very close. In moments we will overwhelm them.

  Did you feel the source of power earlier?

  Yes.

  From where did it come, OgBlud? Dominica balled her fists in frustration. She hated talking to simple creatures.

  It came from—

  Dominica waited for him to finish the sentence. OgBlud? She waited and she received no answer. Dominica howled in anger.

  *

  Concentrate! Dharean snapped. Allantra could feel the sweat pouring down her back. The smell of burned Dwarf daemon was not pleasant. She wrinkled her nose, trying not to gag on the smell of burned rotting flesh. All around her she could hear them growling, trying to get at them. The stone on her forehead was warm and comforting against her skin. She could do this.

  Allantra heeded the command and concentrated as she felt the power faltering. She stood on the roof of Khaelen’s home, connected to both men, who each took a post on the roof on each end of the house. They both needed to go down in the mob of daemons; she needed to provide them with the energy. How could they ask this of her knowing how inexperienced she was?

  Claws raked the side of the house as the daemons tried to get at them. With Masque on air duty, none could slip past. But Allantra couldn’t help but worry that maybe they had forgotten something. A small window perhaps? A hidden door? Dharean had assured her that Masque was very observant and nothing would get past him. But unease still trickled down her spine. Even with Minn guarding the boys and her mother, she still had a horrible feeling that somehow, something was overlooked.

  *

  OgBlud! Dominica attempted yet again to touch the mind of her minion. She paced to the mirror in the corner of the room. Midnight black bangs drew attention to the large, equally dark eyes. Her straight hair hung just above ivory shoulders. Stark red lips smirked back at her. How many kisses had Masque trailed along her neck? For just a second she allowed her memory to surface when they both had been happy, when she had been foolish. Never again! Though her first attempt to wipe out the shifters had failed, she had certainly come close enough to annihilating the vile race. This time she would not fail.

  The wizard could prove to be a bit troublesome. The vampire, well, who knew better the weaknesses of a vampire than another vampire? And that stupid street whore Allantra was more than a pain in the ass. She could be dealt with easily enough. The shifters will fall this time.

  OgBlud! She tried contact again.

  Mistress Dominica.

  Dominica breathed a small sigh of relief. What’s going on? I’ve been trying to get in touch you with you.

  Something unforeseen. Our numbers are being decimated.

  How? There are more of you than those infidels.

  See, Mistress Dominica, see.

  Dominica followed OgBlud’s line of vision mentally. Her eyes widened in surprise at the multitude of burned daemons strewn along the ground. As the prince daemon looked around, Dominica saw the three of them on the roof. Though she couldn’t quite make out exactly what was happening, a sickening realization settled into her stomach. They were working as a team. A triad. The Triumvirate. Look to the sky, she ordered the prince. The prince did as directed and she spotted Masque. In his natural form, no doubt somehow connected to the three of them. “How clever,” she murmured to herself.

  She used the eyes of the daemon, and had to admire the work of her blood mate. Nothing got past him. She instructed the prince to scour the grounds in the nearby woods. They were clever but she was sure she would find a flaw. She could feel the instinct in the prince to refuse her command but he had no choice. After a few minutes, she saw it.

  Clear that area of debris.

  OgBlud growled low but did as he was told. Oh yes, a vampire always had an avenue of escape and Dominica had just found Khaelen’s. OgBlud, gather a few of your daemons. I have an opening for you.

  *

  Do you see that? Allantra asked Dharean.

  Be at ease, flammulae. Perhaps they are retreating.

  The knot in Allantra’s stomach coiled tighter. Something wasn’t right. A small section of the daemons had broken off and were retreating to the woods. Maybe Dharean was right. Maybe she was being overly cautious. After all, she had two strong men by her side.

  What is worrying you, little one? Khaelen’s voice had a calmness that belied the violence.

  I’m being silly.

  About?

  A section of the daemons broke off into the woods. Dharean thinks perhaps they are retreating. She waited for Khaelen to reassure her. A moment of silence passed. Khaelen?

  In which direction did they go?

  East.

  Damn!

  What is it? Her heart flared in alarm. Now she didn’t think she was being paranoid.

  It’s the secret entrance. They’ve found it!

  It was then that Allantra remembered the entrance she and Khaelen had used after their encounter with the Elder Council. It would be a matter of moments before Minn was overwhelmed. Her mother was in a coma and the boys were too young to fight.

  Dharean!

  I heard! Before he even finished answering her, he had changed into his jaguar form and, with a bloodcurdling growl, leapt off the roof of the building and onto the writhing mass of daemons below.

  Dharean! Allantra called out to him telepathically. Her heart stopped as the jaguar seemed to have been swallowed by the daemons. She could hear him growling below, but could not see the glossy black fur.

  Show-off. Khaelen’s voice entered her mind, bringing with it a wave of calm. He will be fine, young one. He is merely posturing.

  They will kill him.

  Is he not protected from their magic by those markings?

  Allantra thought about it for a second. Still, worry clouded her mind until she saw the jaguar pounce out of the maggot-like crowd of daemons. They may not be able to use magic on him, but they could still inflict wounds. They pulled and clawed at him, some of them astride his body, and Allantra knew they were causing him great pain.

  Then heal him.

  What?r />
  Heal his wounds; send him the energy he needs to heal.

  I haven’t conquered this pow—

  Stop whining. Do it. You’ve done it before.

  I am not whining.

  You are too. While you resist what I tell you, your shifter is being mauled. Khaelen nodded his head in the direction the jaguar was still trying to go. His progress was slowing as the wounds became too numerous. Would you let me suffer as well? She looked around frantically as Khaelen teleported off the roof and into the mass below. Now they were both in the thick of it and it was up to her to provide them with the power they needed to kill the daemons.

  She could do this. So much depended on her, and her ability to control her new power. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the screeches from the daemons below, the stench of supernatural flesh, and the howl of the jaguar as he fought. She couldn’t bear to think of what could possibly be happening to Khaelen. The stone was heated against her skin. All she had to do was concentrate. If she could give power by accident, surely she could do it on purpose.

  The power slowly surged through her body. She could feel every molecule heat up. Allantra visualized the link between Dharean, Khaelen, and herself and directed the building heat toward them. Immediately she began to feel a cooling effect as the power left her body. It began to build and build as she pulled the power from around her. Her breathing increased as wave after wave of energy was harvested.

  Allantra tried to slow it down, but couldn’t stop it. Flammulae, it is too much! Dharean’s voice traveled down the link. You must control it; I cannot handle this quantity of power. Khaelen’s voice seemed strained. She had to stop the harvesting; she could hurt the very people she was trying to help.

  Her breathing sped up even more from the strain of trying to control the power. There was one thing she could do successfully: she shut down the link between herself and her mates. She could feel them trying to tear down the barrier she put up. It wouldn’t be long before they were able to do so. She had to find a way to stop the rivulets of energy. Her body shook from the strain. It felt as if the energy wanted to tear her body apart. Hot light pierced her from the inside. Allantra screamed as the power won out, shutting down her brain.

  Chapter Eleven

  The silence became a blanket of eeriness, only usurped by the slew of dead bodies. Burned bodies littered the ground around him. Khaelen looked around with nothing short of awe. Not one creature took a breath. All were dead. In one fell swoop the daemons had shaken violently, then fallen to the ground. It was then upon closer inspection he noticed the state of the bodies.

  Each body seemed to be shriveled, as if all the moisture had been siphoned out. He dropped the body of the daemon of which he had been about to snap the neck. A sick feeling went through him. He reached out to Allantra. When she didn’t respond, he teleported to the roof of the compound.

  She lay still upon the roof. A wisp of smoke trailed from her nose. His heart slammed inside of his chest as he rushed to her.

  Allantra. He gently picked her up and cradled her in his arms. Allantra. Perhaps he had pushed her too far, too fast. He reached out to her again and still he met with silence. Khaelen fought back the rage that consumed him. This war between the shifters and the vampires caused too much pain, too much death.

  I’m not dead. Allantra’s sarcastic reply cut into his thoughts. A wave of relief went through him as he detected the rise and fall of her chest. Seriously? You were already counting me for dead? Her eyes popped open, and Khaelen could do nothing but kiss her. The taste of her caused his desire to rise. The relief that she was alive further ignited it. She responded to him immediately and he couldn’t help a smug feeling from surfacing. She was his. At that thought, Allantra gently broke the kiss.

  “I belong to both of you.” She struggled to sit up.

  “Take a moment to rest. You don’t know what damage you might have caused yourself.”

  “I’m fine, just feeling a little well-done on the inside.”

  “We must find the shifter.”

  “You know his name, Khaelen. Oh my God! The daemons.” Allantra managed to wrestle herself from his hold and stood. He was by her side quickly as she looked down at the makeshift graveyard. “What happened?” She turned inquisitive eyes to him.

  “You.”

  “Me?”

  “I believe so. I can only guess that since you gathered energy from the atmosphere around you, that you literally pulled the energy from the bodies of these Dwarf daemons.”

  “No, that can’t be. I can only divert power to you and Dharean. This doesn’t make sense.”

  “You lost control. Naturally, the shifter and I were protected as your mates. I believe the overload of power came from these creatures as you depleted them.”

  “We have to find Dharean.”

  “Come.” Khaelen held out his hand and teleported to the entrance of the hidden escape route. Burned lifeless bodies also littered the path inside the house. Khaelen had to admit to himself that he was more than a little disturbed by what Allantra was capable of. If she didn’t learn to control her power, she could not only hurt herself but innocents as well.

  What if there were more than daemons about? She could have killed other shifters, humans even. As much as he hated the idea, he and the shifter would have to work together quickly to train Allantra. He thought briefly about the mating that bonded them together. It had been hard, watching Dharean give pleasure to Allantra. How he would handle sharing Allantra was beyond him. But right now the Triumvirate was about more than just him. They would have plenty of time later to figure things out.

  As they got deeper into the house the growl of the jaguar could be heard. Allantra looked at him for just a second before she broke into a run. Khaelen was beside her, keeping a sharp eye for any hidden dangers.

  As they got closer to the scene, his hackles rose. The jaguar was now transformed back into the shifter. Still he crouched low, an almost animal-like growl emitting from him. He then saw what the shifter growled at. Barely seen because of the shadows were the shades of the Elder Council. Though in no danger of being hurt by the shifter, something about him kept them at bay.

  “Vampire, are these not the shades of your Elder Council?”

  “They are.” Khaelen ignored the contempt in the question.

  “They betray us. I found them here when I found the daemons had breached the escape route.”

  “We warned you of the Dwarf prince before he attacked you,” a wispy voice said cautiously.

  “A Dwarf prince poses no harm to me,” Dharean spat. “I think they betray us, Allantra. They come here with the daemons. Perhaps it was their plan to gather our blood as we lay dying.”

  “We came here to ensure your victory. Your victory frees us. We gain nothing from aligning ourselves with Dominica,” a strong voice defended.

  “I know the state you are in; you can control the will of others.” Dharean practically hissed. “Perhaps you come here in an attempt to control our will from this end, ensuring Dominica’s victory.”

  “Nonsense!” the shade responded. “While it is true we have no love lost for your kind, Allantra has more than proven that you can be trusted more than Dominica. She would leave us in our present state and have total control.”

  “Ah, I see.” Dharean smirked.

  “Elder Council, to whom are we speaking? How many of you are on our side?” Khaelen came closer as he spoke, trying to count the shadows as they flitted about.

  “Before that question is answered, who is this shifter? He is most powerful. His tattoos repel us.”

  “I am Dharean, Noir Brujo. Next in line to be the True Blood Leader.” Dharean’s voice rang with pride. “My tattoos repel the effects of dark magic.”

  “So what Dominica has spoken of is true. She says that your mission is to eradicate the Vampyre.” The voice dropped an octave as suspicion laced his words.

  “You’ve spoken to Dominica since she has become corporea
l?” Khaelen asked.

  “Yes.”

  “She tells you half the truth. A great prophecy foretells of this day when the shifters shall rise again. The aim here, Elder Council, is the same as before. To reconstruct the government so that it is fair to all. A representative of each majority people. The lesser beings will have a human to represent their needs. And a human shall sit on the council in representation of their people. Are we still in agreement with that?”

  “We have lost some of our numbers to Dominica, though going by the last meeting that should not come as a great surprise to you.”

  “No, it does not. How many have defected to her side?” Khaelen frowned. Dominica alone was formidable. Having ancient Elders on her side was definitely a turn for the worse.

  “Out of twelve, seven have defected,” an Elder responded. “She promised them she had the means to bring them back to their former glory.”

  “I am curious.” Allantra spoke up. “Why did you all not accept her offer?”

  “Because as we said before, it is time for a change. We no longer have a taste for bloodshed. Too long we have been shut off from the world. We have no desire to go from one prison to another. Which is what it will be like, with Dominica ruling over us. There is much you don’t know.”

  “Fine, let us go inside; we shall discuss the matters at hand.” Khaelen held out a hand in welcome to the Council.

  “I will dispose of the bodies of the daemons. Masque and I will do a sweep. Please refrain from meeting until we are done.” Dharean looked pointedly at Khaelen as he walked over to Allantra and kissed her solidly on the mouth. “I will see you soon, flammulae,” he whispered, loud enough for Khaelen to hear.

  Allantra tried to quell the irritation and desire that flared inside of her. Soon her mates would have to talk and work things out. She couldn’t possibly deal with a lifetime of sparring male egos.

  * * * *

  “What is it, old friend?” Dharean asked as Masque fell in step alongside him. The last of the bodies were burned. The area told of no battle just hours ago. The sun was setting on the horizon, turning the sky an almost blood red. Dharean felt it was a harbinger of what was to come.