One of the Superiors guarding Russo began bleeding from every pore and opening on his body until he vomited huge amounts of blood. The blood slaves scrambled to one corner of the room as the Superiors fell one after the other.
“What the fuck?” Russo exclaimed.
“Vicq!” She ran for him. She couldn’t help it. When she threw herself up against him, his magic vibrated against her, reminding her of the way she’d felt when Mercer saved her. It felt as though his presence was right there in the room, but Mercer was nowhere to be found. This was all Vicq’s doing.
He kissed her face and the top of her head, but his magic never waned. “Let me take care of this. I promise you that I’ll make up for all the bad things that happened to you here.”
She nodded and backed up against the wall with Russo’s blood slaves.
More vampires filed into the room, but they did nothing to help Russo nor stop Vicq. Either they were scared out of their mind, or floored by the power that only a Master should have.
“I should have known you wouldn’t stop, that you would come back and take her,” Russo said, scrambling to the opposite corner of the room. “But the rogues!” He spat. “You brought the rogues back in here?”
“Yes, Russo. This is no illusion. Not only did I come to take her. I came to take my Court, as well.”
“Your Court?”
“It will be. Kneel.”
Russo folded over, clutching at his torso. He knelt to the floor without much hesitation.
“Consider your rights to the Court relinquished. Do you have anything to say before I carry out your sentence?”
“What sentence?”
“Death.”
A knife used to carve the ham levitated from the floor and sailed swiftly through the air. Russo didn’t see the blade coming until it was too late.
There was a moment of silence in which Vicq stood utterly still as the powers that Russo once possessed as Master took root within Vicq, joining those he already had.
Elaina came from the opposite corner of the room and wrapped her arms around Vicq. He hugged her back, instantly wrapping her in love. Rage still rolled off of him in waves, but his touch was nothing but loving and gentle. She’d missed that.
She pressed her face against his chest, feeling protected in his arms even after the dangerous offense that he’d just committed on behalf of the Court.
As she hoped he would do, he lifted her chin, titled his head down, and kissed her. She couldn’t get enough of him.
She pulled back and searched his gaze. “What happened?”
“Mercer,” he said. “Mercer’s gone.”
“What did you do?”
“He wanted to be free. I ended him at his request. His powers are mine now.”
“I’m sorry.”
“We’ll grieve and reconnect later, but first, there is something I must do.”
Elaina knew what that something was.
Vicq picked up Russo’s head and exited the dining hall. Dresdan parted to let him through in his path to the courtyard. They even followed him.
Vicq brought the head of Russo into the square, leaving a trail of blood as he ascended the steps to the throne. Right before he sat, he gazed out at the residents of the Court as they knelt to show their allegiance to him.
He held out his hand to her, palm up. “Come and rule with me,” he said.
She smiled and ascended.
“Always,” she said. “I’ll always be with you.”
He set the severed head down on the stoop near the throne and took his rightful place as the Master of the Dresdan Court. All kneeled before their new Master, both Dresdan and human alike.
“Do you see this, Russo,” Vicq said to the head. “Do you see how easily sides can be won?”
Yes, he’d won. They had both won in the end—her by taking down D5, and him winning back his Court—but now they had their work cut out for them.
“My life-long mission is a unified Court,” Vicq announced, raising his voice over the din of the crowd. “Only then can we be strongest. Only then can we rise above the human stigma of predator or expendable asset. Only then can we build an empire.” The Court rose and cheered him on. “I’ll devote myself to this task no matter how long it takes. Stand with me now and we’ll stand together for eternity.”
Epilogue
Two weeks later
“How does it feel, Emory?” Elaina asked, pausing next to him as he sat near the water feature just outside the courtyard. “To be Dresdan and not just in transition.”
Emory smiled. “It’s all that I expected and more. I should’ve let Vicq change me sooner.”
She gave his shoulder a reassuring pat. “Have no regrets. I think it all worked out for the best, don’t you?”
“You’re right.”
They shared a brief moment of silence as they looked out across the front lawn at the many Dresdan joining in the celebration. Vicq had just made his official announcement to lead a unified Court. There was music and dancing and laughter. All the things they’d always enjoyed whenever Leila planned an event. Melrose had gathered up a band of musicians and they brought the party to life with their upbeat hard rock tunes. Eli, Mark, and Brandon had long disappeared to mingled in with the crowd, eager to reconnect with other Dresdan brethren.
Elaina smiled. This was her family and this was her new life. A life she’d come to love.
She spotted Vicq across the lawn as he exited the courtyard with one of his Superiors. The two men were deep in conversation until Vicq met Elaina’s gaze. Not one minute later, he hurried across the lawn to her.
“There you are. I thought you were right by my side and when I turned around you were gone,” he said, then looked back and forth from her to Emory. “Is Emory telling you stories about him and me?”
Emory laughed. “Not yet, but prepare yourself. It’s only a matter of time before I tell her all the little things you’ve been keeping to yourself, especially about how you crashed that first Aston Martin I gave to you.”
“Someone crashed into me,” Vicq countered.
“Mm-hmm. Just admit it. You were in dire need of several driver’s ed courses before you met me.”
“All right. Fine. You got me.”
Emory stood. “No worries.” He clapped Vicq on the back. “You and I both know the real truth. I needed you more than you needed me.” Before Vicq could get a word in he said, “Now, I’m very hungry with me being a new vampire and all, and there was this pretty little brunette that was so excited about getting together tonight. Catch you two later.”
“At least he’s excited.” Elaina laughed softly and rose. She brushed his lips over his, gentle at first. There was something about the way he led his new Court with respect and dignity. She loved this confident side to him. “Don’t you have more business to conduct tonight, Master?”
“I like to tackle one agenda at a time, but you, Queen, have always been my first priority.”
“That’s nice to know,” she said. “Because while you were away, I got a little hungry myself.”
“I guess it’s time you ate, then,” he said, tipping her chin.
“Not that kind of hungry,” she said suggestively.
He grinned. “Why don’t we indulge both sides of our hunger? Like we always do.”
She grabbed Vicq by the forearm and pulled him in for a long, fate-sealing kiss.
Dresdan Coven Glossary
THE DRESDAN COURT
Dresdan: an ancient race of vampires whose origins date back to 2 BC. They are the most deadliest and ruthless of all vampire species in the world.
Master: Head vampire that leads his race or coven. Possesses great knowledge, experience, and power.
Superior: High ranking member of the Dresdan Court. Assists the Master in his duties. Possesses great knowledge, experience, and power.
Soldier: Carries out the duties of the Master and the Superior(s). Possesses experience and power based on the number of blood kill
s and age.
Fledgling: A young vampire who is immature and inexperienced in his abilities and powers. They can later become a Soldier but must earn that ranking through years of service and sacrifice.
Donor: A human whose only purpose is to serve the needs of a specific Dresdan indefinitely or for an undetermined period of time.
Blood Slave: A human whose only purpose is to serve the needs of the Dresdan.
Coven: A circle of vampires. Usually 13 or more.
DISTRICT 5 INC.
District 5: an underground secret organization whose mission is to create a new species of human (hybrid between vampire and human DNA). Also known as D5 or the District.
Host: A human capable of sustaining the vampire agent without a complete transformation or dying (aka, Human-in-Stasis).
Recruiter: Employed by District 5 to recruit those who will sign a lifelong employment contract to serve the mission of the organization.
Tracker: Employed by District 5 to hunt down, capture, and/or execute the Dresdan.
The Five (5): A mark emblazoned in the flesh of District 5 members who’ve pledged their life to serve the mission of the organization. It usually appears on their necks, arms, or shoulders.
Requiem (Dresdan Coven)
Copyright © May 2016 by Amber Ella Monroe
Published by Obsidian Gem Publishing LLC
Edited by Michelle Olson (Literally Addicted to Detail)
Cover Design by Kellie Dennis, Book Cover By Designs
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. The characters, places, incidents, and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or person, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
ISBN: 978-1-5333-7899-6
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