Blood Secret

by L. J. Langdon

  I was still dumbfounded. My pack was here. I wasn’t alone.

  Aric had dark circles under his eyes and I realized he must have used his gift to locate me. That didn’t explain the cut on his cheek that was almost healed.

  “What happened to your face?”

  “Gresham and I had a minor disagreement after he smashed my phone against the wall instead of just hanging up on you. Once he allowed me to explain that you’d found your fated mate and were consumed with worry, he insisted we come to you and help.”

  I turned to Gresham and frowned. He shrugged.

  “You didn’t mention you were protecting your mate from a Blood Demon. Did you kill it? The one Hamish thought smelled funny?”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and fixed Gresham with a hard stare.

  “That funny-smelling Blood Demon is my mate. But she’s not a real Blood Demon. Her name is Emma. She’s not tainted with evil and she has a human soul. So, you can’t harm her.”

  Gresham raised one eyebrow. “I can’t?”

  “Her father created her and is trying to get her back. I think he wants to control her powers. She’s not evil, and she doesn’t want to accept the darkness in her.”

  “If she has a soul, then she has a choice and it’s not our job to interfere.”

  “It is our job to eliminate the corruptive influence of Blood Demons.” I sighed. “Right now, she’s under corruptive influence. I can feel it through our bond. Please, I have to get her back before her father harms her. She’s my mate, I have to protect her.”

  Gresham considered my words for a moment.

  “Okay.” He nodded. “We’ll help you get your mate back, and then I’ll decide if she is evil or not.”

  Well, at least I didn’t have to beg Gresham for help. He was offering it. And I knew Emma wasn’t evil, but would Gresham come to the same conclusion?

  “She’s not evil,” I repeated, just in case he hadn’t heard me all the other times I’d said it.

  “Guess I’ll find out.”

  Gresham was safer than Emma’s father, and what other choice did I have?

  “All right.” I pointed across the street. “She’s inside that manor.”

  “The one covered in Blood Demons?” Gresham said dryly. “Hmm, it’s kind of obvious, pup.”

  I gritted my teeth at Gresham’s continued use of that nickname.

  Hamish walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder. “We will hunt and kill together this time. Yes?”

  Hamish stood beside me, willing to die rescuing my mate. I scanned my packmates, new and old. There were at least two dozen, some in wolf form ready to hunt, some in their human form, but all willing to die. Why had I ever thought I needed to fight on my own? How had I been so blind to their unwavering support?

  My throat grew tight with emotion; talking was difficult.

  “Okay.” I swallowed hard and smirked at Hamish. “But are you sure you’re not too old for this? There are a lot of them.”

  “You have a lot to learn about the value of experience, pup.”

  He knew I hated being called that. He’d observed my reaction with Gresham enough times to know I didn’t like it. The slight twist of his lips was the only sign he was teasing. We could all die in this fight and he picked now to show me he had a sense of humor? Every other day I’d known him, the man barely had facial expressions.

  “All right, that’s enough,” Gresham chided.

  He raised his hand to silence everyone.

  “Listen, this is what’s going to happen. Hamish, Kristof, Aric, and I will focus on entering the house to find Emma. The place is teeming with Blood Demons, too many for just the four of us, so I need the rest of the pack to spearhead the attack and clear a path. Destroy any demon that gets in your way. We’ll search the ashes afterward for any medallions. Finding Kristof’s mate is our priority.”

  It was a logical but straightforward plan. I liked it.

  Gresham didn’t allow time for doubt or fear. He transformed into a huge black wolf, threw back his head, and howled.

  The rest of the pack followed, wolf after wolf, throwing their heads back and answering our alpha.

  Emotion swamped me as I dropped to all fours and joined them.

  The hunt was on.

  We were going to get my mate back.

  Chapter 16

  Emma

  * * *

  Father led me into the basement. Black candles lined the walls. They flickered against the aged stone, making the room look more like a dungeon than a basement, but I didn’t care. I was riding the high of energy and power dancing through me. The dark force swirled around me, whipping and turning, in and out, a part of me, then separate, then a part of me again. I wanted to soak it up, keep it all in, but it wasn’t stable enough to hold on to … yet.

  “Stand there.” Father pointed to a space marked in the center of the room. Beside it sat a small brazier filled with hot coals. Resting to one side were three branding irons.

  I paused, trying to remember why I shouldn’t do as Father ordered.

  “I said, stand there,” Father repeated, then whispered words I could only feel. My palms seared as the net tightened and power flooded me.

  As though in a haze, I walked over and stood where I’d been told, and then I watched and waited.

  He went over to a bench where his Bible lay open. No, not a Bible. In his journal Father referred to it as a grimoire.

  Beside it were a large bronze bowl and matching jug. More candles scattered the benchtop around the items. He poured liquid from the jug into the bowl, and it flowed thick and black, like old blood. Then he added herbs from various jars as he chanted under his breath.

  Mother emerged out of the shadows, her black robe flowing around her ankles as she joined him. Her face was a mask of cold indifference as she combined her voice with his and they continued the chant together.

  The air grew thick with magic as dark shadows crept along the walls. They flowed along the stone like obsidian rivers, absorbing the candlelight as they moved. Only the faint scrape of claws as the dark stain spread gave them away. Not shadows, Blood Demons. In hunting form.

  The chanting became louder, then ceased as one by one, the shadows materialized into their true form and stepped away from the wall to stand like frozen sentinels in a perimeter around the room.

  Father scanned his army and nodded, satisfied with the result.

  He walked to the edge of the room. Mother brought the bowl to him and held it while he dipped something into the liquid, then he bent down and started to draw the first circle.

  A shiver ran up my spine. I remembered this part. There would be seven circles, each within the other, each lined with symbols.

  With each circle Father drew, the power pulsed in the air around me. It was a ward, a wall of power, meant to keep me secure inside.

  My palms burned and power pulsed through me. I was high on it. I let my head fall back and I closed my eyes, focusing on the sensations filling me.

  So good.

  “It’s time.”

  My eyes snapped open and Father stood before me. The brands rested in the coals. He must have placed them there while I’d been riding my high. There were three—one for the final sigil, one that would cover the tattoos, then the final brand that would go over my heart.

  I blinked slowly, like trying to come out of a deep sleep.

  “I … I don’t think …”

  “Shh, don’t think, Emma. Just obey. Now open your hands and hold them out.”

  Something wasn’t right, but still, I couldn’t stop myself from following his command. I held out my hands. Mother stepped forward and gripped the back of my hands, forcing my palms to face up.

  “Don’t move,” Father commanded, then he reached for the first brand, lined it up to the correct position, and pressed it down.

  I screamed as searing heat burned into my flesh. I tried to pull away, but it was useless. Between the brand pressing down and Mother’s
firm hold, my hand was sandwiched in place.

  As quick as it started, it ended, and before I could ready myself, he was branding the other hand.

  I screamed again, the sound echoing against the bare stone walls. Shadows moved on the outside of the circle as my screams drew more Blood Demons into the room.

  I was panting and sweating. My whole body shook. This was not right.

  “Stop, no …”

  “Shh.” Father chanted again, giving him the opportunity to grab the other brand and press it onto my tattoos and forever mark the design on my palm.

  Something inside me clicked and I relaxed as all resistance fell away.

  “Yes, that’s it,” he murmured as he gently branded the circle on my other palm.

  The pain was a distant hum. I was vibrating in a bubble. An observer floating above the events unfolding before me. I witnessed Father sprinkle salt on my burns. They smoked and sizzled, then sealed shut, healing before my eyes.

  “Now we must test her before the final brand,” he stated.

  Father’s butler entered, leading a woman wearing a thick fur coat.

  “This way my dear,” he encouraged.

  The woman scanned the room, a frown on her face. Then she turned and met my gaze.

  Greeeed.

  It was the woman from the street. The one that wanted wealth and status. My fangs ached with anticipation. I could give her that. I wanted her promise and her blood. I caught her in my gaze as Father led her into the circle.

  “Emma, I have a gift. This woman has the honor of being your first. Do you want her soul?”

  “Yeesss,” I hissed.

  “Then you know what to do,” he replied. “Start the process now.”

  Father stepped back and waited.

  “Do you want what I offer?” I asked.

  I didn’t have to explain what I was offering. She knew, but still, I wanted clarification.

  “I can give you wealth and social status. All you have to do is agree.”

  “Agree?” She seemed confused about the price. That wouldn’t do. The rules stated she must know the cost she must pay.

  “Give me your soul and you will have wealth beyond your dreams. You will be accepted into any social circle you desire. You will be the social circle all others desire.”

  I reached out to cradle her cheek as I gazed into her eyes, feeding her greed with my power.

  She hesitated. “My soul?”

  I caressed her face and then held onto the back of her head and neck. I leaned in and whispered into her ear as a single tear fell in a slow trail down her cheek.

  “Thrice done and your soul is mine. But just this once and you can glimpse your potential future. Just this once and you can see your life as it should be.”

  My power wrapped around her, caressing her, seducing her. I let it spread until it permeated every bone of her body.

  Just this once, she wouldn’t have to struggle to pay bills.

  Just this once, she could own whatever she wanted without financial burden and everyone would envy her.

  “Just this once.” She nodded.

  I tightened my hand at the back of her neck and felt my claws pierce her skin. Then I pulled her head back to expose her neck and struck, sinking my fangs deep into her throat.

  My lips closed around her skin and I drew her blood deep into my mouth. The coppery liquid tasted better than the sweetest ambrosia. When I’d taken enough, I released my bite, ran my tongue up her neck, and drew away.

  I offered up my forearm as I released her from my grip, then I drew one clawed nail across my wrist. Thick red blood welled along the cut.

  “Drink,” I ordered.

  She hesitated for only a moment, then closed her eyes and drank.

  I stroked the back of her head and when she’d taken enough, I tugged on her hair, encouraging her to stop.

  Her gaze met mine and she smiled. She looked dazed, drunk almost.

  I licked my lips. I could still taste her blood. I smiled back at her. Just two more bites to go and she’d be mine.

  “Emma, no!”

  I turned toward the voice and hissed, fangs and claws extended.

  Glacial blue eyes pierced into me. I stumbled back as his horror-filled gaze hit me. Then blinked in confusion as recognition fought through the fog of power surrounding me.

  Kristof?

  Kristof looked at the woman beside me, at the blood trailing down her neck. Then I followed his gaze to my wrist.

  “Oh, no, Emmalein, baby, what have you done?”

  Chapter 17

  Kristof

  * * *

  My wolf retreated as soon as I ran into the basement. I skidded to a stop as Emma licked her bloody lips and encouraged a woman in a fur coat to continue to suckle from her wrist. This couldn’t be happening. The woman pulled away and Emma smiled at her with glowing golden eyes.

  “Emma, no!”

  She turned and hissed at me, her claws and fangs out ready to attack.

  Something flickered in her gaze, giving me hope, but then I took in the blood trailing down the woman’s neck and the open gash on Emma’s wrist. She’d done a blood exchange. She was taking that woman’s soul and creating a Blood Sworn.

  “Oh, no, Emmalein, baby, what have you done?”

  “That’s your mate? I thought you said she wasn’t evil,” growled Gresham from beside me.

  I growled back. “Stay away from her.”

  Aric appeared at my other side in wolf form, Hamish just behind him. Three other wolves guarded our rear. The wolves kept their attention on the Blood Demons lining the perimeter of the room. The demons were so still, like they didn’t know we were there. It was unnatural and eerie.

  “She’s a Blood Demon. She has to die,” Gresham snarled.

  “No. She still has a soul. She still has a choice.”

  “Look at her. She’s made her choice.” Gresham stepped forward to enter the circle, then yelped and jumped back when he couldn’t. He paced back and forth along the painted line of the outer circle, growling and snarling, despite his human form.

  A man next to Emma smirked. “It’s warded. You can’t enter unless Emma invites you in.”

  He placed his hand on her shoulder and stroked down her back, again and again, like she was his favorite pet.

  Emma didn’t react to his touch; her attention was focused on me.

  The man leaned forward and looked at Emma’s face, then he followed her gaze to me.

  Our eyes met and I recognized the evil taint that permeated him. He was more than just a Blood Sworn. I didn’t know what, but he was more.

  “You like that one,” he whispered in her ear. “Why don’t you invite him in? He can be the first Soul Guardian to be enthralled by a Blood Demon.”

  Then he whispered a chant, the words too soft to decipher, but the rhythm distinguishable.

  “Yes, Father.”

  Another man pulled Emma’s new Blood Sworn toward the back of the room. As they hid in the shadows behind the brazier, the woman in the black robe stepped forward to stand beside Emma’s father and joined his incantation.

  The Blood Demons around the perimeter of the room shifted. Their unusual frozen state broke and their familiar birdlike motions returned as they melded with the shadows and began to crawl toward us along the walls.

  “The room is full of Blood Demons. Kill them,” Gresham ordered.

  Aric, Hamish, and the other wolves stalked forward in unison. Hunters, sighting their prey, they fanned out, lowered themselves to the ground, and watched the approaching threat. Through our pack bond, I knew the position each wolf would take in the formation of their assault. It would be swift and merciless.

  Gresham turned to me, hitting me with his full alpha power as he looked me directly in the eyes. “Deal with your mate. You have until we’ve killed this lot, then, if it’s not obvious to me that she’s made the right choice, I will kill her last.”

  Before I could object, he shifted into h
is wolf and took off with an enraged growl that spurred the others to follow. He tore out the throat of the first Blood Demon and ash filled the air. Then more ash littered the ground as the others followed his example. This would be a short fight. I didn’t have much time.

  My gaze returned to Emma. She stood alone at the edge of the inner circle. Her father and the woman in black had disappeared. She watched me with glowing eyes, a hint of fangs glistening between her parted lips. She looked hungry, and she was waiting for me.

  “You only have to ask,” she whispered.

  I felt her power brush against me as I stared into the depths of her golden eyes. She was trying to use Blood Demon power on me, but it didn’t work. There was no wrath for her to pull on. There was no lust, or pride, or greed, or any of the other deadly sins. Only love, unconditional love. She was my mate and she could take whatever she wanted because I loved her.

  “May I come in?” I asked.

  “You may enter.”

  My skin buzzed and stung as I stepped across the boundary of the outer circle. My wolf growled in warning. The evil taint was repulsive, its bitter taste filling my mouth with each step toward her. Seven steps later, I had crossed all the circles and stood before my mate. I tried to swallow away the bitterness, but my mouth was too dry.

  “I know what you want, Kristof.” She stroked my cheek with a cool finger. The taint of Blood Demon power left a cold burning trail in its wake.

  “What is it you think I want, Emma?”

  “The medallion that was stolen when Ferdie died. I can give it to you. For a price.”

  The sinister smile was so foreign on her lips. Who was she?

  I drew in a deep breath, trying to find a sign of my mate hidden within the woman before me. Nothing but the sting of sulfur filled my nostrils. No spring fields. No hint of my mate. Just Blood Demon. Was Gresham right? Had she made her choice?

  “I don’t want the medallion, Emma. I want you.”

  She frowned, like the words didn’t make sense.

  Then her power punched into me, surrounded me, and I felt the old wounds of grief and rage stir within me. Wrath and the need for revenge rose to the surface. She could give me that. She could give me the life of every Blood Demon in the city. She could give me the medallion too.