by Maggie Mundy
“Are our brothers going to meet us there?” Vincent asked.
“Yes. As soon as the sun goes down we should feed and then get this over and done with.”
~ ~ ~
Two hours later, Vincent pulled up at the mansion owned by the head of the Elect in the U.K., nestled in the Kent countryside and filled with antique furniture and paintings. The other members of their small band were waiting in the library. The butler who admitted them was one of the Elects’ feeders, since the Elect drank human blood from people whose families had served them for centuries.
There were ten Elect families in the U.K., with most other countries around the world operating similarly. The Elect only married with other Elects, and children were rare. The Elect were not turned, but the result of a genetic mutation happening over thousands of years.
Rushton had been one of them originally but it wasn’t discussed, at least not with Vincent’s group. Maybe inbreeding had made Rushton the way he was. Henry could live long, but could also die like anyone else with a stake through his heart.
Vincent and his friends never drank human blood, and had no intention of starting now. One of the members of their group, Callum, studied molecular biology and was convinced their band could find mates as well.
The only issue? The necessity of turning chosen mates to become vampires.
There was no way in hell a female member of the Elect would join with them. Neither Vincent, nor any of his friends would pair with the haughty females anyway. The Elect stated they didn’t know why Rushton had become defective, but Vincent and his group remained certain secrets were being kept.
Tristan stood at the front of their little band. “I see we’re relegated to the library, as usual. I assume it's so we won’t contaminate the rest of them.” He flexed his hands as if ready for a fight. “Have any of you heard more of the London attacks?”
Callum raised two fingers. “The police found a body down by the Thames. The neck had been ripped to shreds. They’re blaming it on an animal attack and telling the public the man blacked out and fell into the river.”
Vincent shook his head. “It’s a bad sign when Rushton and his gang aren’t even trying to hide their victims. He’s always wanted to keep away from human law enforcement. There have been two attacks near Bath as well. The Witch Hunters dealt with them.”
Tristan sent Vincent a sideways nod which was not lost on his friends. The group needed to know what he was doing if they were to be safe.
“I’ve found a woman I like, but she’s one of the Witch Hunter’s Guild. As you can imagine, it’s highly unlikely anything will come of the relationship.”
Callum laughed. “After all these years, you choose a woman who can kill you, and with ease I might add. I’d say rough days are ahead, my friend. You have never walked the easy path.”
“For now, I’ll put aside my feelings. We need to deal with this situation,” Vincent began, as the door open behind him.
Hugo strolled in. Tall, handsome, and reputedly five hundred years old. The Elect often disappeared for a few years and then came back as their own descendant, so the general public wouldn’t suspect.
Hugo always seemed to look down his nose when he met them. If Rushton turned up at the Elect’s door, trying to kill their families, Hugo would want Vincent’s group here, no matter what.
“Thank you for coming so promptly. It would appear Mr. Rushton is becoming careless about his victims. We can’t have him drawing attention to the Elect.” Hugo studied his fingernails to avoid looking at anyone’s face in the room. “We would like you to deal with the issue,” he added.
Vincent raised an eyebrow in disgust, then stood and approached him. “What’s in it for us? Why should we keep risking our lives to protect you?” He’d never pushed the issue before, but neither was he willing to die for the Elect, now that he’d found Adele.
Hugo's left eye twitched as he fisted his hands. The Elect member wouldn’t fight, though. It would be beneath any of their ilk to do such a thing. “We’ve discovered the fault in Rushton’s genetic makeup and we have a vaccine. If you get rid of him, we’d be willing to share it with you. It could mean you might be able to find some human willing to mate with one of your kind.”
Vincent attempted to control the fury bubbling up inside him. “You mean you have a cure for our defect, and you never told us? I can’t believe you’re willing to withhold it from us now.”
“We’re still not sure how well the vaccine will work. The Elect wouldn’t want one of you to die.”
Hugo was lying. The Elect wouldn’t give up the knowledge until they were safe from Rushton. Vincent turned toward Tristan and his fellow colleagues, catching their unanimous nods. For now, his group would go along with this, though he vowed this would be the last time he would do the Elects’ bidding. If they wanted to exile him, then so be it.
“We agree. So, what can you tell us we don’t already know?” Tristan asked with a sneer.
“We’ve discovered Rushton is getting weaker and changing more humans. To increase his ranks as well as to feed off them. He’s been taking the homeless from different cities, but some of his changelings have realized he’s using them, and they’ve branched away. The Wiccan Council informed us of four attacks. Two in the Midlands, and two near Bath.” Hugo paused. “The Elect don’t want the Wiccan Council to turn their attention to us.”
With the way Adele fought, Hugo wouldn’t last long before a stake went through his heart.
“If Rushton’s dying, that’s good. Isn’t it?” Vincent pointed out.
“It would be if he wasn’t creating an army. He’ll alert humans to our existence and we can’t allow that.”
Tristan strode forward. “We’ll deal with him. Once we return, you had better have the information for us, or Rushton won’t be your only problem.”
“Is that a threat?” Hugo curled his lip in a snarl.
Tristin stood face to face with the Elect. “I’m glad you picked up on that. You should know Rushton isn’t the only one tired of this situation.”
Tristan stormed out of the room. Silently, Vincent and the rest of their group followed. A minute later they gathered in the moonlight at the front of the mansion.
“I can’t believe the bastard has knowledge and isn’t telling us,” Tristan said, through gritted teeth.
Vincent sneered. “I’m surprised he told us now. The Elect must be worried, or they would’ve kept quiet and hoped Rushton and all of us died as well. I see no point in delaying this and giving Rushton any longer time. I say we attack tonight.”
Callum grinned. “I need a fight. I’ve been getting too comfortable in my laboratory.”
“All right then.” Vincent took out his pocket watch. “We meet down near the warehouse where Rushton’s been seen. Let’s say, two hours from now.”
The group checked their own watches and headed back to their cars. Vincent sighed as a sense of dread washed over him. He had waited all these years to meet Adele, and might die before he found love.
~ ~ ~
Callum was standing in the front of the warehouse when he and Tristan pulled up. Vincent had watched Adele kill a vampire a few days before, but tonight would be brutal. No stakes, just beheadings.
Vincent and his brothers in arms were ready with swords strapped to their backs. The team wore leather reinforced with Kevlar. There were advantages to working in the tailoring industry. The band looked damned good as well as being protected.
Vincent loved the thrill of the fight. Every cell in his body tingled with the adrenaline.
Taking charge, Tristan whispered to the others, “While Vincent and I enter from the cellar out the front, the rest of you go with Callum. He’ll be entering on the second floor facing the river, where they winch in goods. You know the plan. Kill all changelings a
nd get to Rushton.”
There were trap doors at the front of the building where owners dropped produce into the cellar to be taken to the dock. Vincent opened the doors and peered into the darkness below, then followed Tristan and Julian as they jumped into the basement. The three of them landed, ready to fight, hands reaching back to the hilts of their swords.
The room was empty. Tristan moved forward and motioned for them to follow him up the stairs out of the cellar.
He opened the door at the top of the steps and peered out. Vincent paced behind him down a corridor to the back of the building. It opened into a large storage space, ripe with the smell of mold and blood.
Any chance of creeping up on these guys was gone when Vincent surveyed the scene before him. Both he and his group needed to act quickly, or lives would be lost.
Two young boys who looked no more than fifteen were tied to chairs in the middle of the room. One screamed while the other had tears streaming down his face. Four vampires circled, taunting them, darting forward to lick the young boys’ necks. More bloodsuckers jeered from a walkway about ten feet above.
Vincent and the others charged forward. In one swift movement, he decapitated the vampire nearest him. The head rolled across the ground with the grimacing face still showing its fangs. A moment later the body turned to dust, blowing away.
Tristan and Julian dispatched another two predators as the young captives screamed even louder. The vampires from the walkway jumped down and landed before them to join the battle. The other members of Vincent’s group arrived to assist the fight, swords drawn.
Rushton’s men didn’t have weapons. These tainted leeches obviously thought they’d have little need of them when exsanguinating their victims. It didn’t mean these lost souls weren’t prepared to fight to the death, as they grabbed chairs, poles, and ropes.
Vincent and the others might have swords, but they were outnumbered. He stabbed the vampire in front of him as a chair flew at his head, raising his arm to block it. The pain shot into his shoulder as his sword tumbled to the ground, his hand spasming.
His attacker dove for the weapon, but Vincent rolled, grabbed his sword, and aimed it upward. It sliced into the vampire’s chest with ease. Blood seeped from the leech’s mouth and he fell sideways, but the injury wouldn’t kill him.
Vincent leaped up, pulling his sword free, and brought it down, severing the head from the body in one fell swoop.
His friends still fought on, gaining the upper hand. Vincent focused on the walkway, spotting Rushton, now a gaunt version of the man he’d known. Vincent dashed toward the stairs to the landing as Rushton hurried to an opening at the back of the building.
Suddenly a rope whipped around Vincent’s neck, pulling tight. He grabbed at it with both hands, trying to loosen it before he choked. The world blurred as he fought to suck air into his lungs. Then Tristan was before him, aiming his sword for the bastard’s neck. “Don’t miss,” Vincent managed to gasp, before the world around him faded.
He passed out.
~ ~ ~
Someone called his name and slapped his cheek. Vincent opened his eyes to see Tristan grinning. “I’ll take that as a good sign,” he croaked.
He gave the warehouse a fast perusal. Only his friends and the two young men remained.
“I owe you my life many times over,” he vowed, as Tristan helped him to his feet.
“You’ve saved me also when needed. I don’t have any good news though. Rushton got away.”
“I saw him before he dove into the Thames. He’s become weak, clutching at straws. I fear he sees his own demise, and it makes him more dangerous.” Vincent rubbed the back of his neck, frustrated.
“You should go home and rest. I’ll visit Hugo and report what we did here. Rushton will need to rebuild his group after tonight. If nothing else, we have a respite, but we’ll keep searching.”
Vincent was too tired to argue as the rest of the team untied the boys. No doubt the teens wouldn’t have been so thankful if they knew their rescuers could suck their blood as well.
An hour later the group dropped the boys off to their parents. Their minds couldn’t be cleared completely, but now they’d believe the drugs they took gave them the worst hallucinations ever.
Callum told the parents he found the boys wandering down by the docks and brought them home. Vincent would’ve liked to think the parents cared, but they were both drunk and more annoyed the boys were back. It was a sad world where this attitude made it easy for Rushton to acquire new fodder for his army.
Right now Vincent needed rest. Tomorrow’s soon enough to think about anything more.
Chapter 6
“Norway, here we come,” Carla squealed.
Standing beside Carla as they booked in at the airport, Adele rolled her eyes. “People are staring.”
She double checked her ticket. Yep, business class. She’d never been up front of the plane before. She wanted more assignments with the big end of town if traveling business class was part of the contract.
The models would be arriving in Norway today, and work would start in earnest tomorrow. The shoot needed to be completed by the end of the week so the photos could be ready for Fashion Week in London.
Adele broke out in a cold sweat. Can I do this?
She still had qualms about going away and leaving Jake to sort out the vampires. He’d said she needed a holiday, and to get lost and take Carla with her. She wasn’t sure how much of a holiday it would be. Vincent and Tristan were paying her a lot of money, and she needed to come up with the goods more than she ever had before.
Once their luggage went through, Adele headed to the duty-free area, on the hunt for expensive perfume, the type she could never justify splurging on. Carla threaded her arm through hers as they entered the business class lounge. There were couches, a bar, and food, but Adele perched on the edge of one of the couches ready to run, in case someone said they shouldn’t be in here.
Carla returned from the bar with two glasses of red wine before heading to the food counter. Adele had just picked up her glass and taken a gulp, when Vincent walked in. The wine caught in her throat, and she started coughing.
He might not have seen her in the corner before, but with her making such a racket, he stared straight at her. Whenever she saw this man, he made her heart flutter like little butterflies lodged in her chest.
Vincent grabbed a bottle of water off the counter. “Are you all right? Drink this.”
Adele unscrewed the cap and gulped down half the bottle, needing a moment to collect her thoughts. Why was he here? It hadn’t occurred to her he would be going on the photo shoot as well. She assumed he’d stay in London, running the business. Also, how could she have forgotten how handsome he was?
A thick lock of hair fell over his forehead, and his blue eyes appeared to be full of concern. If he wanted to kiss her right here in the airport lounge, she wouldn’t stop him. Every time they met, her mind went into overdrive as to what sex would be like with him. She’d never had thoughts like this with anyone else.
Heat wafted over her. Any second now, her skin would flame bright red. Say something instead of sitting here like some gormless fool. This was her business colleague after all. Get a grip, woman.
Adele finally managed to form actual words. “Vincent, I didn’t realize you were coming with us, or are you flying somewhere else for a business meeting?”
“I like to oversee most projects of the business. I love Norway. It’s an amazing and beautiful country and I thought I’d join you there.”
Adele gulped more water, though she wanted to down the whole glass of wine instead. Being drunk on the first day of work wouldn’t look good.
“I’m surprised you were willing to come near me with liquid of any sort.” Adele could have kicked herself for bringing t
hat night up.
Carla walked back over with a plate of snacks. Her eyes widened when she saw Vincent. “This is my Personal Assistant, Carla Woodford. Carla, meet Vincent Blake.”
Vincent turned his charming smile on Carla.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Vincent. Will your partner Tristan be coming as well?”
Adele sighed at Carla’s lack of subtlety. Her cousin was usually on the prowl for a new conquest. Adele didn’t mind as long as she wasn’t interested in Vincent. The truth was, she didn’t think there would be a repeat performance of their kissing, especially after the wine-soaked pants incident. She always seemed to miss her moments. Story of my life.
Vincent offered a smile. “Tristan is busy at the moment, trying to find an old friend of ours. If he’s successful, he may join us later.”
The announcement came for them to board the plane and Vincent sat in a cocoon seat in the row behind them.
Carla leaned over as Adele strapped herself in. “Do you want me to swap seats with him? You could suggest joining the mile-high club,” she whispered.
“Don’t you dare. This is business, Carla, and I intend to keep it that way.”
“You keep telling yourself that. By the way, he’s more handsome in real life than the pictures. Let’s hope Tristan is too.”
The flight took off, and Adele flipped through her notes for the week ahead. The crew and the models would be staying in Oslo, but she wanted to go out to one of the Fiords. She also wanted to check out the Northern Lights. It would be challenging work due to the midnight sun issue.
She tried not to think of Vincent, in the seat behind her, but he kept intruding into her thoughts and making her feel hot and flustered. Carla jumped up to use the rest room. Adele rubbed her temples as she stared at her laptop. There wasn’t much more she could do in the way of planning until she arrived. Plus, having a really sexy man seated behind her was distracting to say the least.