by S. C. Storm
“Yeah, I know how you feel there. I guess we are simple kids, really. We both go to school here on the islands. We are juniors in high school. We like to hang out with our friends, practice our magick, things like that,” Draven told him.
“What about sports or other activities?” Ryden asked, already completely intrigued.
“I dance. I used to be a cheerleader, but dance just seemed more my thing. I also play basketball. I love it,” Giana told him.
“I play basketball and football,” Draven answered.
“It must be hard controlling your strength while playing,” a voice said from the doorway. “Sorry to interrupt,” Rian said as he and Ryder both entered the room.
“Sometimes it is,” Draven replied as he watched them both.
“Draven, Giana, these are my brothers, Ryder and Rian. Your uncles,” Ryden told them as both his brothers came forward greeting the children. “Do you mind if they join us as well?”
“No,” Draven answered as Giana nodded her head.
“Thank you, little ones,” Ryder answered as he and Rian took seats.
“You keep calling us little ones. We aren’t that little anymore,” Giana spoke proudly. “How old are you?” she asked abruptly, bringing a round of laughter from the others.
“Ryder and I are seven hundred thirty-five. Rian is seven hundred thirty-three,” Ryden answered, smirking at the look that came across her face.
“Wow, all three of you are older than mom,” she smirked. “She’s only three hundred forty-six. That’s old, but nowhere near as old as all of you.”
Ryden nodded. “No, no it isn’t. Your mom is still quite young to be honest.”
“Do you hate her?” Giana asked, taking all of them by surprise. She looked around at her new uncles. “Do any of you hate our mom for not telling you about us?”
Sighing, Ryden leaned back in the chair. “No. I do not hate her. I am quite upset. I have lost sixteen years of your lives. That would be enough to upset anyone. I do understand her reasons, however. I just hope, from this point on, we can all become a family.”
“That’s how I feel about it too. What’s done is done. Now we have to try and build a relationship with the two of you,” Rian added.
Feeling all their eyes on him, Ryder exhaled the breath he had been holding. “I am angry that you were kept from Ryden, all of us, to be honest. We do not have much family left, and it would have been nice to have seen the two of you grow up.”
“Our mom did what she thought best. She’s raised us on her own, teaching us to be guardians as well as a priest and priestess,” Draven said defensively.
Lifting his hand, Ryder shook his head. “I am not trying to anger you, little one. I am just being honest. I said I was angry. I never said I hated your mother, but I am glad the two of you have been brought up how you have. Still, we would have enjoyed teaching you things as well.”
“There’s still time for that,” Draven added.
“Yes, there is.” Ryden smiled at his son. “Now, let’s show you around the house. There is much to tell about your family home as well as your family,” he told them, seeing the excitement on their faces. He could not wait to share his history with them as he got to know them better. In that moment, he realized just how important the children already were to him, hell, to all of them.
Chapter 18
Obsidian Island, Langford House
After a visit from Sebastian and Aric concerning the vacated council seats, Arthur had contacted the council demanding a meeting. Once finished, he had reached out to Sebastian and Aric letting them know things were set. As expected, Richard had not liked the idea of Arthur’s calling a meeting on behalf of Sebastian, but at this point he no longer cared what Richard thought. No, it was quite clear to Arthur that Richard had a plan to disrupt things on the islands, and he for one was in no hurry to bear witness to it.
Settling himself in his chair in the library, he glanced up just in time to see Raymond rushing in. “Sir, we have company. The Fontenay brothers are here to see you.”
“Really? Then please let them in,” he told Raymond as he wondered why he would be visited by the Fontenays. He had never been that close to them. They were guardians, of course, good ones from what he had been told, although rumors of their barbaric methods had become legendary. The four brothers seemed to be quite good at killing anything that got in their way.
Entering the room, Anton Fontenay took in his surroundings. He did not wish to fool with such idiocies as having to deal with Arthur, but he had promised his business partner he would stop by and announce the family’s presence so not to cause issues among the council. “Hello, Arthur,” he said as his eyes caught the vision of the man across the room. It was clear to see the changes in him. Arthur was no longer a formidable elder. “How have you been?”
“I am good, Anton,” Arthur answered as Anton led the way, and his three brothers Paul, Gerard, and Pierre followed suit. “How are all of you?”
“We are well,” Anton answered for them all. The other brothers nodded in agreement. “We just arrived on the island and wanted to touch base with the council. Have things been quiet here?”
“Yes, as of late. No reapers if that is what you mean,” Arthur told them as Raymond offered drinks. Once they were served he scurried out of the room. “I hear things are building out on the main front, however.”
“Yes, yes they are. Reapers are roaming quite rampantly. They do seem to be migrating toward these islands. I would not be surprised if you weren’t seeing them sooner than any of us truly want,” Anton said as he took a seat across from the elder.
“I had that feeling,” Arthur told him as he watched the other brothers. Paul, who had the reputation of cruelty when it came to his kills, paced the room like he wanted to be elsewhere. Pierre, always the calmer of the brothers, took a seat and took in the collection of books to his left. Gerard, the one known for his abusive mannerisms with the ladies, lurked behind Anton’s chair, clearly on guard. Anton himself seemed quite annoyed to even be in the position to have to speak to another about his goings on. No matter their faults, however, they were needed by their race. “Hopefully the ascension will be over by the time they make it here, giving us even more help in the fight.”
Sighing, Anton shook his head. “The Athertons, of course. Everyone seems to be placing their hopes on those three. I myself find it hard to imagine those arrogant bastards as the saviors of the vampire race.”
“I never said saviors, Anton. But they are vital. Look at me. It is clear the legends are true. Without pure-blooded guardians ascending, we will all be effected.” Arthur spoke confidently. He would not be dragged into another debate as to the importance of the Athertons in this situation.
“Clearly, you have suffered, Arthur,” Anton said. He found himself having to force back a smile at the slow demise of the fool who had long had a hand in running the vampire world. “I do hope your trust in them is not misguided. We have heard quite a bit about them during our travels. Then, of course, there is the firsthand knowledge we all have. For all our sakes, I do hope they can be trusted.”
Hearing the hatred in his voice, Arthur nodded. “We all do, Anton. We all do.”
As the brothers finished their drinks, the conversation ventured back to the reapers and their drive toward the islands. One thing Arthur had to give them was their no-nonsense views on ridding the world of those bastards. It would seem they even enjoyed being on the hunt. Perhaps that was a good thing. Killing reapers was their job, and they excelled at it. As the conversation came to an end, good-byes were exchanged, and the Fontenay’s let themselves out. Once again alone, Arthur let some of the things they mentioned stir in his mind. Something was bringing the reapers closer. Their fear was gone. Things were clearly about to change.
Outside the Langford home, Anton let out the laughter he had been holding in. “The old fool looks as if he is on his last legs. Richard is right. Now is the time to move.”
; Pierre tried to warn his brother. “I do not know about this, Anton. This alliance with Richard seems to be crossing a line that maybe we shouldn’t.”
“Enough with that, little brother. I make the decisions here. Helping Richard assume the power that has been kept from us all is the move we are making. In the end, we will be stronger than any other vampires. We will crush our enemies and rule our people. What more could we ask for?” Anton finished with a laugh as he vanished.
With no argument, Paul and Gerard followed suit.
With a sigh, Pierre followed his brothers, although he feared what they were all about to unleash.
***
Moonstone Island
Dashing down the beach, Erin fought to keep up with her sister. She had to admit that, in wolf form, Alexandra was quicker than she was. Hell, she was quicker than Jason. Giving a final push, she closed in on her older sister’s flank. Knowing she wouldn’t take her sister in the race, a thought occurred to her. Reaching over, she nudged her just right and watched as her sister stumbled, trying to stay on all fours. It did not take long till her legs flew out from under her. Seeing the tumble her sister took, Erin could not help herself. She fell to the ground laughing hard.
What the hell was that for? Alexandra called out telepathically as she got up and shook her fur out. The sand was caked all over her. Noticing her sister could not stop laughing, she waited. Erin, she said, seeing the light brown wolf practically rolling in the sand. In her head, she could hear Erin’s echoes of laughter. With a shake of her head, she began to laugh herself. It’s not that funny.
It was, Erin moaned. It really was, Lex. You looked like an animal out of a cartoon. You kept stumbling, then nose-dived.
All right, shut up about it, Alexandra demanded, still chuckling herself. Shaking herself once more, she made her way toward her younger sister who was finally getting back to her feet. As she began to mentally speak once more, a sound caught her attention. She turned quickly. The scent that assaulted her was unmistakable. A reaper on Moonstone, she said, seeing Erin quickly take a defensive stance.
The reaper that emerged from the edge of the water was clearly hungry.
Great. Alexandra moaned as a growl ran through her. As the eyes of the reaper fell on them both, she and Erin lunged for it. The reaper hissed as Alexandra’s jaws caught hold of its arm. She saw Erin jump, catching it in the face. The other arm came up to claw at Erin. Alexandra let go and went for the reaper’s throat, tearing it out. Between her and Erin, the reaper was torn to bits. They stepped back, watching as the remains shriveled into dust. Alexandra knew there weren’t any more reapers around. Reaching out with her mind, she let Jason and Kane know what had happened. She and Erin shifted back. Going into the water, they cleaned the blood off themselves. They went to the woods where they had left their clothes, dressed, and waited for their alphas.
Looking down on the remains of the reaper, neither Kane nor Jason spoke a word. Watching them both, Alexandra finally stepped over. They all knew what this meant. For ages, the efforts of all guardians had kept the reapers at bay. One had not made it onto the islands in fifty years. They all knew it would happen again someday. None of them had wanted it, however. Fighting on neutral territory was ideal.
“It’s because of the Athertons.” Kane sighed as the twins looked at him. “I am not blaming them. It’s word of their arrival here. It is traveling far and wide. Our side is not the only side to hear it, I am sure,” he said with a shake of his head. “Making a move now is the most strategic. If by some chance their ascension can be stopped or at least prolonged, then the vampire race will begin to lose elders. They will weaken greatly.”
With a sigh, Jason shook his head. “We will begin around the clock patrols of the islands. I will send fighters out to the mainland to try and fend off what is headed our way,” he told Kane as he stared out at the homes in the distance.
“No, keep the guardians closer. The island will make them a force to be reckoned with. If anything breaches, they will face fully-charged guardians with an overbearing instinct to kill,” Kane explained. “I will put teams in place on the mainland. They may not be able to stop the reapers from coming, but they damn sure will try.”
“And we’ll know they are coming. It won’t be like this,” Jason said, looking around. “There is no telling what could have happened if they hadn’t been spotted.”
“True. Luckily the girls were there,” Kane said, glancing around the island. “We are fortunate there were no little ones in the area. We will reach out to all with young and let them know the risks of being out alone. Mothers and fathers will do what they need to. We know this.”
With a nod of her head, Erin looked up at the two alphas. “Yes, they will. I know the two of you are worried. I feel it. This is only going to get worse.”
“The ascension cannot get here fast enough,” Jason muttered with a low growl.
“I agree. Take care of setting the patrols into motion. Reach out to all guardian wolves. We make no call when it comes to the vampires. I will go to Arthur and let him know what is happening. Hopefully they can all put aside their ancient politics and bullshit to do something to help protect the islands,” Kane told them as he turned. Before he could shift, he heard Alexandra speak up.
“What if they can’t? What if all the things that have hindered them from doing their part still interfere?” she asked.
“Then we do it ourselves,” Jason answered, seeing Kane nod his head. “Vamps or no vamps, we will protect our home and the power of the goddess.”
“Exactly,” Kane agreed, and he shifted, taking off in a flash of light.
“I don’t like this, Jason.” Alexandra sighed. “I want to fight. I want to kill those bastards, but knowing they are so close. It’s…I don’t know. It’s not right.”
“I know, sis. Believe me, I know, but we knew this could happen someday. It took a lot for the last generation to rid the islands of reapers. Dad, Kane, Ricky, they all suffered doing it, but it was done. We’ll do it again.”
Looking at her brother, Alexandra saw the determination on his face. She smiled. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that her brother would do whatever it took to keep everyone on the islands safe. “We’ll let Mom and Dad know what’s going on. You do what you need to,” she told her brother. He nodded his head as she motioned to Erin, and they took off.
***
Obsidian Island, Myddleton Manor
As the council members took seats around the antique dining table, Sebastian paced leisurely about the room. After all the time he had spent in this house, the attention to detail his great grandmother had spent during its construction still amazed him. This house had been her pride and joy. Her wish to pass it down amongst the family had been honored. In his younger years, he had assumed his sister Cassandra would be the one to take the house. He imagined her with young all about, hearing laughter fill the house, seeing the smiles. It was a dream he had truly wished could have come to pass. Unfortunately, his sister’s destiny had been written. Her story was not one he fully understood, but he had enough information to know that both the Winthrops and the Athertons were involved. Never being able to hear the truth from Cassandra herself, all he could do was take the word of a man he detested and the brother of his best mate. Neither story ever coincided. Fortunately for himself, they did not need to. The results were always the same. Cassandra would never raise a family in her rightful home, and he was destined to roam the halls of the majestic manor with all his questions still unanswered.
“Did you call us here to witness your pacing first-hand, or would you like our assistance?” Richard asked, obviously annoyed with waiting. His son Deacon snickered at his side.
Pulling his thoughts back together, Sebastian faced them all then smiled. “Ah, Richard, you and your lack of patience is truly a tiring attribute. Alas, we must all deal with it unfortunately,” he said as he stepped to the head of the table by Arthur. “My reason for calling you all here is to add
ress the issue with our vacated council seats.”
“There is no issue. The council is fully functional.” Richard began to stand. “So therefore, I see no reason to be discussing this.”
“Ah, that is your opinion. It seems as though it is not the opinion of all council members,” Sebastian told him with a smirk. “I myself do not like the idea of vacated seats. Families should be represented who have earned that right. Of course, the family I speak of is the Atherton family. Both Mason Atherton and Elizabeth Boyette Atherton held the respective council seats of their family lines. Upon their murders, those seats became vacant. I do believe it is time to invite both families back into our folds as they should have been all along.”
“This is preposterous.” Richard all but growled as he slid his chair forcefully back into place. “I refuse to condone this discussion. Deacon, let us take our leave.”
Before Deacon could reach his feet, Sebastian appeared directly in front of Richard. “You will condone this discussion. You see, I am no fool, Richard. I have had the histories searched. You have no right to deny the Athertons their seat. They have committed no crime against our community. It is their birthright, and I do plan on asking them to accept both seats.”
“I will not serve with those murdering bastards,” Richard said angrily. “Or have you forgotten what they are, Sebastian?”
“Ryden did what he was ordered to do, Richard. You can blame him for that all you want, but had your son not been planning to assassinate the king, his death would never have occurred,” he explained, seeing Deacon come to his feet.
“My son was no traitor. I do not care what anyone says,” Richard said, turning his head. He looked back once again. “And what of Ryder? He may as well be considered a murderer like his brother. You know what he took from both you and my Deacon.”
“He took nothing. Cassandra chose to leave us on her own. If Ryder had murdered my sister, I would have already killed him myself. She took her own life, Richard. His role in what led up to that has no bearing on his right to be on this council,” Sebastian explained, trying to avoid allowing Richard to instigate anything with him.