Vanth closed her eyes, and the energy hummed around the room. As they got dressed, they waited for the answer.
“Death said you got what you asked for, and she’s not taking any reneges on the deal.”
Jolie sighed. “I’m not asking for take backs. I’m asking for clarification on the outcome.”
“Whose child is Jolie having?” Flynn asked. “Is she having mine, or has Jacques somehow gotten into the game on this one?”
They braced for it.
Vanth stared at Flynn.
“Yours.”
At the words, the pain was clearly in Jacques’s eyes. Here, he’d hoped that maybe he’d catch a break, but that miracle just slid away.
Vanth faced the vampyre. “She’s carrying yours too. You both managed to impregnate Jolie.”
She gasped.
“Are you serious?” Flynn asked, making sure.
Vanth placed her hand on Jolie’s midsection, and warmth began spreading through her body. She closed her eyes, as if concentrating. “There are two sparks, not one. Death confirmed it. Since Jolie didn't specify which mate, our mistress was very literal. This is common when dealing with someone who likes to play with fate.”
They stared at Jolie.
“I told you to be careful when dealing with our mistress. She likes a loophole.”
Jolie was thrilled.
“Are you kidding?” she practically shouted, right before throwing herself against the men. “This is a gift. I can’t believe how lucky we just got.”
The men agreed.
“We need to celebrate,” Flynn stated, kissing his mate.
Jacques agreed as he wrapped his arms around both of them. “We should retire to our room.”
Jolie didn't fight them when Flynn swept her off her feet. “I can’t believe we got this precious gift.”
As they left, they didn't notice that Vanth didn't look so sure.
Death could be tricky… and this smelled off to her.
∞ Chapter Seven ∞
Wednesday Morning
Quietly, the humans crept into the house to invite the undead into Mistress Harcourte’s sanctuary. With the only human servant in Jolie’s employment running errands for the day, they needed to make their move, and fast.
In one room, they found their first vampyre out for the count. Making very little sound, they placed him in the silver manacles.
Once he was secured, they knew the next two would be the more dangerous prisoners. This young one, even if he were to wake, wouldn’t cause them an ounce of trouble.
They’d done their research on all three men.
One was a child.
One was a human.
And the last was the guardian they feared.
The oldest of their kind pointed at the undead vampyre. Immediately, one intruder swung him up over his shoulder and made his trek out of the sanctuary.
Signaling the other guardians, they got ready.
This is where it would be tricky.
Opening the door and staring in, they saw the targets. The two men, surrounding the one beautiful woman, were to be taken unharmed.
Containing the men for their master was the primary mission. The four remaining guardians moved silently toward the bed, but when they were just about there, the male to the left quickly sat up. Pointing his gun at one of the guardians, he pulled the trigger. The bullet shocked them all, especially since it was a direct hit to the vampyre’s heart.
He crumbled to the ground and didn't get up.
This changed everything.
There was about to be a fight.
Flynn’s heart was pounding in his chest as he heard the almost silent creatures sneak into their room. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to wake Jolie in time before he was forced to pull his gun and shoot one of them. Just as he was preparing to take out the next assassin, so he could protect Jolie, there was intense pain and his world went black.
Flynn fell into the darkness, screaming to his mates beside him.
Yet, they didn't hear him.
The remaining guardians placed the last two males in manacles before dropping the note beside the dead woman. She would understand the letter when she woke for the day. Until then, they needed to get the human and vampyres back to their master for tonight’s sentencing.
There would be death and punishment.
The council had declared a death warrant out on the Harcourte family.
Tonight, someone would die.
* * * H a r c o u r t e * * *
Wednesday
Early Evening
Jolie knew the difference between waking on her own, and being hurriedly pulled from death. This felt like the latter, and that meant something was wrong. As soon as her eyes opened, she knew her instincts were right. Chloe stood above Jolie trying desperately to wake her.
“What’s happened?” Jolie asked, sitting upright in her bed. Immediately, she noticed that both of her mates were gone.
“Mistress, I came upstairs to wake Mathew, and he wasn’t in his bed. I scanned for him, and there’s no trace of him. As I came in here to tell you, I saw both Flynn and Jacques were also missing too.”
Her heart kicked in her chest.
Then, suddenly, Jolie wanted to hurt something.
No, make that someone.
There was no doubt in her mind who had taken them.
Jolie reached for her mates’ minds and wasn’t able to connect. It was as if they were still with death and blocked from her. When she reached for Mathew, Jolie sensed his pain.
“This was on Jacques’s pillow, Mistress,” said Chloe, handing her the piece of paper.
Jolie read the message, her heart pounding in her chest. She looked at the symbols, and immediately knew that they were taken by the council.
“There’s going to be an execution,” she stated, jumping out of bed.
Yes, they’d been ratted out to the council. Damn Zola! She should have killed that bitch along with her worthless mate when she had the chance.
“It’s bad, isn’t it, Mistress?” asked Chloe.
“We entered the city against our agreement. They’re claiming our lives are null and void. They’ll start with Flynn and end with Jacques if I don’t show up,” she stated.
They didn't have much time.
“I have to go.”
Chloe looked worried. “Mistress, they’ll kill you.”
They could try. Jolie had an ace up her sleeve. Nowhere in the message did it say to come alone. That was their miscalculation, and her victory.
“Chloe, I really need Vanth.”
The woman understood. When she closed her blue eyes, there was a quick changed to her face. As she focused on Jolie, the black swirling vortexes were there.
“You called, Mistress?”
Jolie told her what happened. She handed her demoness the note.
“They’re going to torture them.”
She was well aware. Now it came down to getting to the men before that happened. If they started with Flynn, he wouldn’t last very long. Jolie had seen the council killing sessions. They were brutal. Since her mate was more like them, it would last a horribly long time, making him suffer.
They’d figure out that he was far stronger than the average human and love every second of abusing him to get revenge.
She couldn’t let that happen to her Flynn.
He needed her.
“We’re going to have to stop them,” she stated. “It looks like you and I are on a rescue mission.”
The demoness smiled. “I get to kill? Really? It’s been so long, Mistress. Please let me go in at your side. I can take them all out.”
Jolie didn't doubt that. “You can go in with me, but I don’t want it fast. They’ve insulted me. They’ve touched what’s mine. Tonight, I’ll be the one peeling their flesh from their bones.”
Vanth chortled.
It sent goose bumps across Jolie’s flesh.
“We should get dressed.”
&
nbsp; Vanth could handle that too. With a snap of her delicate fingers, both women were clothed in fighting gear.
“Well, that was handy.”
Jolie stared down at her head to toe leather. There were silver knives in her boot sheathes, and she could feel one of Flynn’s gun’s tucked into the back of her pants.
Perfect.
Chloe looked the same, only she’d grown a few inches. Jolie wanted to laugh. She was a demoness that the council had never seen the likes of before. She could kill them at half this size.
“What’s the plan?”
“We go in strong, I scare the shit out of the council, and we bring home our family. Got it?”
“Can I eat them?”
Jolie paused. “Who? My mates and Mathew?”
Vanth laughed. “No, silly. I want the ones who did this.”
Jolie had this conversation with Vanth once before when she first came to them. “You know the rules. No eating the vampyres.”
She pouted. “Please?”
Jolie sighed.
“Maybe one, if we get them out of there without anyone getting hurt, but not in front of Flynn. You know that’s going to freak him right out.”
She clapped like a little child. “Let’s go. I’m hungry.”
“Vanth?” she called, as the woman headed toward the door.
“Yes?”
“I meant it. Not in front of Flynn.”
She laughed. “I don’t think he’ll mind. Master Flynn knows that a demon has to have fun every now and again.”
Jolie simply shook her head.
“This is going to be interesting.”
That was an understatement.
* * * H a r c o u r t e * * *
Jacques slowly woke to complete and total pain throughout his body. Immediately, he scanned his surroundings to figure out what was wrong. He could sense Mathew and Flynn beside him, but not Jolie.
Well, that was probably a good thing.
She was safe.
If they only had the three of them, there was no doubt in his mind that their mate would be on her way there. Jolie wasn’t going to be happy that her house was invaded, her mates swiped from her bed, and that they were injured in the process.
Jacques didn't open his eyes. He could sense the thirty vampyres surrounding them. He could feel the gentle touch of Flynn reaching for his mind.
‘Are you awake?’
‘Yes, but what the hell happened, and where are we?’ asked Jacques.
‘I don’t know where, but I awoke in our bed, and we had a room full of guardians creeping around. I only killed one before they knocked me out.’
‘Is Mathew hurt?’
‘I think he’s more terrified than wounded. They’re using silver on us. Which, really doesn’t hurt my arms, but I still can’t get free. Every time I move, one of those big assholes cracks me in the skull. I think my brain is mush.’
‘Don’t move, Flynn. You’re going to be the one they focus on first,’ he warned.
‘I am?’
‘Yeah, they start with the human mate first. They’ll know that Jolie will be weakest if you go down. It’s not going to be pretty,’ he offered.
‘Great. Torture. I really hate councils.’
Jacques agreed with him there.
Reaching for Mathew’s mind, he wanted to make sure their young vampyre was safe. While they were all screwed, Jacques knew that Mathew would be the most afraid. He was accustomed to Delina’s horror filled torture games.
‘Mathew, are you okay?’
There was no answer for a few seconds.
‘I think so, Jacques. The chains are burning my arms, but I’m afraid to open my eyes. They’re beating on Flynn, and I can’t help him. The mistress is going to be angry if we let him get damaged.’
Jacques could hear the grunts from his mate as he took a few rib shots. It infuriated him to the point he opened his eyes and hissed at them.
It didn't stop the guardians. Instead, they tried to hurt the human more.
‘Hang in there, Flynn,’ he whispered.
Flynn didn't reply. He was too busy trying to keep his ribs intact. Already, he could feel the splintering of bone. Thankfully, he was more undead than human, or he’d be a shit mess.
When they buried their claws in his flesh, Flynn finally screamed in pain. It was probably a good thing because the guardians temporarily took a break.
It gave Flynn a few seconds to heal and regroup.
All three listened to their conversations.
Like Jacques had suspected, they were going to be tried, executed, and made an example of that night. He could hear the families arriving at the clearing, and some were overjoyed at the show that would be going on later.
‘Shit!’ hissed Flynn, as one of the guardians slid a silver blade down his side. It sliced into his flesh, causing him to bleed.
Jacques went to reach for him, as far as the silver manacles would let him.
It was useless.
He was too far away. Their fingertips barely touched.
‘We’re going to die,’ whispered Mathew. His voice was full of fear. ‘Oh, God! We’re going to die!’
Flynn could hear it over the blood pounding in his ears. ‘Stay calm, Mathew. We’ll get out of this.’
‘We’re screwed,’ he stated in borderline hysteria.
Sadly, they probably were.
Councils, and the shitty odds, were rarely in their favor, and they all knew it.
A boot connected with his ribs, across the bleeding wound, and this time, Flynn couldn’t keep the pain in. He howled in agony.
There was more laughter.
Jacques spoke to his mate’s mind, ‘I need you to pretend you’re passed out. They usually unchain the human because they assume he’s harmless against a gathering of undead. If you pretend you’re out cold, they won’t bleed you to make you weak.’
He understood the plan.
Dramatically, Flynn let his eyes roll up into his head. When they kicked him again, he fought not to flinch.
If this would save his life, he’d do it.
As soon as the chains were off, he was going to kill them all.
‘Jolie will be here soon.’
Somehow, that didn't make Flynn feel any better. He was thinking about what had happened the previous night, and how she might just be pregnant.
Death wouldn’t lie, right?
‘As her mates, we can’t let her get hurt,’ Flynn stated. He blocked Mathew from their conversation. ‘If she’s with children, this is something we have to stop. They’ll hurt her.’
Jacques looked at it from a different prospective. A pissed off mistress was a dangerous thing, and he doubted that Jolie would be coming into this alone.
She’d bring help.
Vanth.
‘She’ll be okay,’ he promised. ‘Right now, I need you to be safe. I can’t watch you die. You have to hang in there, Flynn. Promise me.’
He made the silent vow to his mate.
In the back of his mind, Flynn hoped that everything Jacques was thinking was right. This wasn’t boding well for him.
His gut was screaming.
Before Flynn could say anything more, the guardians started working him over again.
In their minds, Flynn screamed in pain.
Jacques hated that they were torturing him. He loved this man, and with each strike to his body, Jacques wanted blood.
‘Hang in there, Flynn. We’re going to get out of this, I swear.’
He only hoped his mate and friend was right.
This sucked, and frankly, he was getting damn sick of councils and this bullshit.
∞ Chapter Eight ∞
Wednesday Night
On the way there in the Hummer, Jolie and Vanth talked strategy. They had their game plan down, and they were ready for anything the council threw at them.
What it came down to was getting her mates and Mathew out of there safely.
Oh, and burning that counc
il to the ground.
As they pulled into the clearing, Jolie could feel the wards against any black magick or Voodoo that the council had placed all around. They were expecting Jolie, and since they were from New Orleans, they expected her to dabble in the occult.
Well, she had news for them.
They were screwed.
“They’re trying to keep magick out,” Vanth warned.
“Is it affecting you?”
She laughed. “No. I’m not magick. I’m death. You can’t keep that away with the strongest of spells.”
“Good. I want them to suffer for touching my mates. If they hurt them, I’m going to make someone bleed.”
Vanth glanced over at her, and there were wicked fangs in her mouth. They were like nothing the undead had. There were rows of them.
“Ouch.”
“The better for eating you, Little Red,” she said, making Jolie laugh.
“I love the big bad wolf. He got a bad rap,” Jolie stated, hopping out of the Hummer.
The second her feet hit the ground, Vanth was at her side. The tendrils of Death began floating from her body, covering her like a thin veil of mist.
If they weren’t afraid when she arrived, they would be as soon as they saw her. Jolie was packing the big guns, and that was going to be her advantage.
“Death doesn’t care if you’re helping me, does she?” Jolie asked.
Vanth cocked her head. “Our mistress told me to do as you asked, unless you were crossing the line.”
Jolie paused. “What exactly would constitute crossing ‘the line’?” she asked.
“Think third world coup.”
That made Jolie laugh. “Like that’s possible.”
Vanth didn't speak. It wasn’t her place to tell Jolie what was in her arsenal, if only she asked.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, Mistress.”
“Well, then let’s go kick someone’s ass, get my men back, and get the hell out of here. I really hate Philadelphia.”
“Yeah, it’s not really the city of brotherly love.”
Dangerous Retaliation (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 4) Page 11