Release (The Protector Book 3)

by M. R. Merrick

  The tap of heels on the pavement came closer and she was near enough now that I could feel her breath. It was warm and carried the scent of copper. “But you’re not just any hunter. Are you, my sweet?” I shivered at the sound of her voice; the deep, demonic tones had been replaced by warm, entrancing ones. “No…you’re something much more than that. I can smell the power on your blood.”

  “Leave him,” Vincent commanded, standing to his feet.

  “I beg your pardon?” Alessia turned to face him. “Perhaps I am not here for you at all. Perhaps I came to see what all the fuss is about with the anointed Protector.”

  Alessia lifted her hand and slid her fingers down my cheek. Her black glove was torn where her claws had come out but otherwise felt like silk. She tapped her fingers lightly along my chin, gently pulling my face towards her.

  I tried to resist but my body worked against me. It wanted to look at her. I craved the depths of her heated stare, and as such, I succumbed to her touch, meeting her eyes with my own.

  “Oh yes,” she whispered, leaning closer. The stench on her breath was thick, but it didn’t disgust me like it should have. Instead, I wanted to taste it. I wanted to lick the stale blood that had coated her lips and bask in the revival it had given her.

  “Mother, stop this.” Vincent’s voice held a warning, but he did not move.

  “Get your hands off him,” Rayna said, and she stepped forward, but a pulse of influence filled the air and she stopped in her tracks, suddenly looking confused.

  “How dare you!” Vincent moved over to Rayna, gripping her shoulders and looking into her eyes.

  Alessia ignored them both and I didn’t even care. I wanted her attention—all of it. “You are very desirable,” she said, leaning in closer to me. I could feel the edge of her lips when her body was suddenly torn away from me.

  “I said enough,” Vincent growled. His milky flesh flashed briefly to its transparent counterpart and black veins spread across his face.

  “My son, let us not fight,” she said, smiling at me and turning away. The cold power that filled my mind vanished, and the moment was gone. “I wish you no more heartache, my sweet Vincent. I’ve come to offer immunity.”

  “The Sovereign wishes to excuse my actions? Do you take me for a fool?”

  Alessia shook her head. “I want no more war between us. You’ve been absent from my life for far too long. I miss my son. You should be at my side, ruling the Sovereign with us.”

  “You are in no place to make this offer. Father would never allow it, and even if he did, the rest of the elders would laugh at such a notion.”

  “Have you forgotten who you’re speaking to? I am not so naïve as to make such a claim wildly. Your father, along with our peers, has agreed.”

  “On what terms?”

  Alessia stepped away, and the sound of heels tapped beneath her cloak. “They ask very little of you, my child. Simply for you to extend the respect to them you once considered obligatory.”

  “What, exactly, am I expected to do?”

  “For full immunity from your past transgressions against the council, all they request is that you take a knee. Acknowledge their rule over the vampiric world, request your status as prince be reinstated, and surrender your half-breed counterparts.”

  “Surrender my half-breed—” Vincent cut himself off and growled. He paced back and forth, hands on his hips, dry blood coating his body. “You wish me to forfeit the lives of my family?”

  Alessia’s smirk faded and a frown creased her unblemished skin. “How dare you use such a term for those filthy unborns.” The demonic tone returned to her voice, but she quickly withdrew it. Clearing her throat, she took a breath and paused. “Vincent, my son. I am your family. The Sovereign, they are your family. These…creations of yours are a desperate attempt at replacing R—”

  “Don’t you dare!” Vincent snapped, and his fangs dropped as he spoke, slightly slurring his words. “You will never speak her name.”

  “Four centuries, and still you are angry with me. She was not one of us. You are a part of our bloodline, Vincent. Neither she nor these petty creatures you surround yourself with will change that. You are a Lazzario. A prince among vampires, and potential future king. Do not continue to mock your heritage with these abominations. You are better than that.”

  “I am better than many things, but those abominations are my family. The only family I have.”

  Alessia moved in a blur of cloak and pale skin, and her hand wrapped around Vincent’s throat before I could blink. She stared into his eyes and took a long, deep breath. “You are my son, so I will forgive that blasphemous comment. It’s been far too long since we’ve shared an embrace, and this should not be how it befalls us.” She released him and stepped away. “This was a surprise to you, me coming here. I must take this into consideration. I give you this scarf, Vincent Lazzario, as a sign of our offered truce.” She pulled the scarf from around her neck and placed it around Vincent’s. “As per Sovereign rule, you have seven days in which to respond. I do trust you’ll make the right decision.”

  Her black cloak drifted around her as she moved toward Rayna. Rayna reached for her whip, but power immersed the street and she froze, her green eyes locked on Alessia. “I see,” she said. “Rozeilia is gone, so you’ve found yourself a look alike. Interesting.” She walked in a circle around her and a pang throbbed in my stomach. “Astonishing, actually. With the exception of the eyes and this silly red hair, she’s almost a replica.”

  Vincent moved through Alessia’s power as though he was unaffected and took a stand between her and Rayna. “You are no longer welcome in my company.”

  Alessia smiled. “Calm your anger, Vincent. It will do you no good. I shall bid you farewell this eve, but I do hope you’ll consider this offer. I want nothing more than to have my son back.”

  Vincent didn’t respond. Long fangs bit at his bottom lip and he watched her with unmoving determination.

  I waited for more, but when I blinked, Alessia had vanished. A soft breeze left the scent of coppery death in the air, but in a moment, it too was gone.

  The power around us collapsed and my muscles relaxed, free to move once again. I took a deep breath and sucked in the night air.

  Rayna’s eyes were filled with anger, Tiki looked exhausted, and Vincent’s fierce stare had left his face. He dropped to the ground, crossed his legs, and ran his hands through his thickly styled hair.

  “So…that’s your mom,” I said.

  “Save it, hunter. I’m not in the mood.” Vincent’s fangs had retracted and his face was as serious as I’d ever seen it.

  “You'd better get in the mood.” Rayna glared at Vincent. “You’ve got major explaining to do.”

  Chapter 20

  “I will explain nothing to you!” Vincent snapped. He paced the library and Marcus watched him with concern.

  “Vincent, if we are to help you, it is best if we know exactly what we’re getting into.”

  “I do not care. Those details are not important, and as such, I do not feel the need to share them. The reason I came to be in this position does not help in any manner. What matters is that you are educated on the members of the Sovereign and what they’re capable of. For this, I am more than happy to accommodate.”

  “Alessia said something about Rayna being a replica,” I said.

  “Mr. Williams, I understand that you are a bit slower than the rest, so for this, you are forgiven. However, if I must repeat myself and explain that these details are not important one more time, you may see a different side of me.”

  “You know what, Vince,” I said, and he cringed at the name. “I’m tired of all this. Your games, you choosing what information we get and don’t get. It’s old now. Either you tell us everything and we’ll help you, or you can leave.”

  Silence filled the room, and Vincent turned to Rayna, then back to Marcus. “Marcus?”

  “Marcus isn’t in charge,” I said. “This is a group e
ffort, it affects all of us, and I’m calling you out. If you want our help, you need to tell us what’s going on.”

  “Chase is right,” Jax said, leaning against the iron railing with both arms crossed. “You’ve given us no reason to trust you, and based on your track record with most of the people here, nothing says we should. If you expect assistance, I don’t think his request is unwarranted.”

  “I will do no such thing.”

  “Vincent,” Chief said. “Tiki has already vowed to help you, regardless of anyone else’s assistance. However, he is only one creature.”

  “Yes, Vincent,” Tiki said. “Please consider this. Your mother has very…powerful abilities that I am not immune to.”

  “She is an expert in persuasion. She can make you crave even the most horrific death, without a touch. Such is the power of the Sovereign. They are the most adept of my kind. If we spend more time discussing these abilities and developing a plan, we will be much better off.”

  “Not until you tell us why,” I said. “Tell us what we’ll be fighting for.”

  “You’ll be fighting for my family. The half-vampires that don’t have a chance against them will be killed, simply because they are not born vampires.”

  “But why your half-vampires specifically? What did you do to earn the target on your back? Tell us that.”

  Vincent’s gaze locked with mine and I could feel his power ripping inside him. He wanted to crush me right now, and I knew he had the ability to do it, but he needed me.

  Grinding his teeth together, his skin grew transparent for a brief moment. “No.”

  “Then I can’t help you.” I stood and started towards the stairwell.

  “Fine,” he said. “I have seven days. That’s more than enough time to check the safe house and hopefully help any survivors escape.”

  “And then what?” Rayna asked. “Are you just going to keep on running? Go find another town to set up shop in? How long until they find you then?”

  Vincent didn’t respond.

  “There is always the truce they offered,” Jax suggested.

  “How dare you suggest such a thing! I will not be the guiding hand that takes my family’s lives.”

  “Then what?” I asked, stopping at the stairwell. “You can’t save them alone, you said so yourself. You’ve got an entire room full of people here who are willing to help, and all you have to do is tell us the truth. Whoever they think Rayna looks like, they killed once already. What’s to say she’s not in danger now?”

  “They won’t touch her.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because I won’t let them!” Vincent screamed. The room went silent and the tension was thick. “Forget it.” Vincent jumped the iron railing overlooking the main floor. His feet were silent as he landed, and a moment later the door slammed shut.

  The tension didn’t fade from the room. Everyone stood quietly, staring at the floor. After a few moments passed, Tiki moved for the stairwell.

  “Just leave him,” I said. “We’ve got more important things to deal with.”

  “I made a vow, Chase Williams.”

  “And didn’t you make one to me too, or has that been forgotten?”

  Tiki stared at me for a long moment and shook his head. “You’re right. I also have a commitment to you.”

  I took a deep breath and quelled the anger that roared inside of me. “No you don’t. It was wrong for me to throw that in your face.”

  “I made a vow to both of you, and I will find a way to maintain each of them. For now, I will remain here for our discussion.” Tiki’s warm features had gone cold and his expression was neutral.

  I knew Tiki owed me nothing. Whatever commitment he’d made was solely his own, and I’d just shoved that down this throat. He didn’t deserve that. Once again my anger had taken over, but at least I had an opportunity to correct it before it was too late.

  “Tiki…” I looked around at everyone watching me. Their eyes made me feel even worse for what I’d said. “None of what we’ve accomplished would even be possible without you, and I know that. What I said was childish. If you need to go, I understand, and I’ll fill you in later.”

  Tiki’s orange eyes moved back and forth over my face. I tried to offer a smile, but at best it was a fake smirk.

  “Are you sure?”

  I nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Thank you, Chase Williams. I shall return shortly,” Tiki said, descending the first steps on the stairwell.

  “Hey, Tiki?” I asked. He turned quietly and looked up at me. “I hope you know I appreciate everything you’ve done. I really am sorry for what I said.”

  Tiki nodded, and quietly left the room.

  “Sorry,” I said, turning to the others. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on me still. “I lost my head a little.”

  “What else is new?” Grams snapped as she stomped up the stairs, her banana yellow shoes tapping along the floor. “Let’s get this meeting over with. I’ve got to apply another dose of medicine to Kate, and there are poultices to make for the rest. Speaking of which, I’ll need your help, kitty cat,” she said, glaring at Rayna. “We need to figure out this magic issue of yours, otherwise you’re no damn use as a witch.”

  “Kate doing well then?” Jax asked.

  “Venom the likes of which I’ve never seen ate away half her stomach. I’d hardly say she’s doing well.” Grams’s voice was hoarse and angry. She reached into the giant purse hanging over her shoulder and pulled out a cigarette.

  Marcus cleared his throat just as she was about to light it, and Grams grumbled, throwing the cigarette on the table next to her. “Oh right, I’d hate to corrupt the innocents,” she said. “I’m a busy woman, so can we get to the point of this meeting?”

  “Most of the shifters are healing nicely. They should be back on their feet in the next few days,” Jax said. “But our numbers are down, and from what I’ve heard, we have a lead on the soul piece. But unless we can find Eric, we don’t have the people to go diving into another world and still keep this one safe.”

  “That’s all we have right now,” I said.

  “There aren’t enough of us,” Jax repeated. “Against Riley and the Brothers, right now our strength is in numbers.”

  “Jax is right,” Chief said. “We’ve already lost more than half our allies to their attacks. If we don’t get the soul pieces and we have to fight, we need everyone we can get.”

  “It’s not going to come to that,” I said. “We will get the soul piece, and we will destroy it. After that, Riley can’t finish the invocation and this is over.”

  “And how do you plan on destroying it?” Jax asked. “If I’m not mistaken, it takes a soul piece to destroy one. Before we go guns blazing into one of Ithreal’s worlds, we should make sure we can do something with it once we have it. Not to mention, once we enter his dimension, we still don’t know where to go.”

  I didn’t want to agree with him, but he was right. We didn’t have a clue where the soul piece was, and I hadn’t heard Elyas’s voice since Theral. Even with her guidance to find the soul piece, once we got it, Riley would be all over us. We needed to make sure we could destroy it, and without another soul piece, we couldn’t do that.

  “Then we need to find a second piece,” Rayna said. “We found Ithreal’s dagger, we can find the rest.”

  Grams laughed. “You’d need the gods’ help for that, or a huge stroke of luck. From what I’ve seen, this kid ain’t lucky, and those assholes up there aren’t exactly straightforward,” Grams said, looking up at the ceiling. “And even if they would help, this one squandered away the ring, so you can’t even ask ‘em.”

  I wanted to respond, but again she was right. I was the reason we lost the ring, and that was more than a little setback. All I could do was sit back and nod my head. I had nothing else to offer.

  “We’ll find another way,” Marcus said.

  Grams snorted. “Sure we will, and while we’re waiting, I’ll go make us a ma
gic eight ball that has all the answers.” She turned and snatched her cigarette off the table. “After I smoke.”

  Strange energy filled the room and the bookshelves began to shake. Grams stopped at the top of the stairs and we all braced ourselves as the condo quaked. Books flew off the shelves, the fireplace ignited in a wash of orange flames, and even with the heat of the fire, the room dropped drastically in temperature.

  When the tremor stopped, the room was still, silence filling the voids between us. Eyes panned from face to face, questioning what just happened. White air puffed from everyone’s lips and a chill fell over my skin as the smell of fresh rain came into the room. “You are wasting time!” a man’s deep voice shouted.

  I turned to the voice and found Rayna staring back at me. Both her eyes had been swallowed by a sparkling emerald green with a glint of a silver pupil in the center.

  My chest tightened, my gaze locked on her. I was torn between reaching for my daggers and calling my elements, but something told me neither would help.

  The energy in the room swelled as Rayna’s body shuddered. The green and silver eyes lit up like a flashlight held behind a gem. Her hands grabbed her head, pulling it to the side. Cracks sounded as bones popped down her spine and she stretched out her body.

  “It has been many years since I occupied a mortal form. It is strange and restricting,” the voice said. Rayna’s body moved toward me, hips swaying and heels clacking against the floor. “I only invade this frail creature and endure discomfort because it is necessary, so I will make this brief.”

  Everyone remained still and silent. I didn’t know who was talking to us, but his power was intense and it vibrated against my skin.

  “First, you will show respect for the gods,” he said, pointing to Grams. “I have sat idly long enough, listening to the contempt that your kind delivers. You are but a puppet compared to our powers. Should I demonstrate this?” His power swallowed the room and focused on Grams.

  Grams stood with eyes wide open. She clutched the cigarette in her fingers, and as it snapped, brown leaves of tobacco fluttered to the floor. She opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it and shook her head.