He left the horses a short distance into the trees and approached the clearing carefully. He could see and smell fresh blood on the snow in front of the cabin. He listened but heard nothing. When he emerged from the trees he could see that the fresh snow had been torn up by some kind of struggle, and there appeared to be partial animal tracks in the chaos. There was a lot of blood and a trail of it led into the trees opposite him. He let himself into the cabin, but it was clear Aurora and the others had moved on. There was little left in the place, and the fire was completely cold. No sign anyone had been there in days except for whatever had just happened out front.
He wanted to worry, the classic frown on his face already, but logic told him that the others had moved somewhere, not been injured or taken. Otherwise, they would not have packed up everything and taken it with them. It was going to be dark soon, and the snow was not stopping. He wasn’t bothered much by the cold, but the horses were struggling in the weather. He brought them to the cabin. They shied and snorted when they smelled the blood and the scent of the animals that had caused it. He calmed them and led them inside the one room cabin. He lit a low fire to warm the room and let the horses rest inside out of the weather. He took the stool that was left and put it outside the front door to sit and keep watch for whatever had been there so recently.
Sometime early in the morning, with at least an hour or two left before dawn, Alex thought he saw a dark shadow moving in the trees. It was only one shadow among other shadows, and while his vision was excellent at night, the blowing snow made it difficult to make anything out. He watched until he was sure that there was something moving, and he stayed frozen, where he was. He was covered with a light dusting of snow, and he knew it would make him difficult to spot. The shadow moved across the clearing, near the bloody battleground, which was no longer showing much in the fresh snow. Then whatever it was stumbled and fell. It was not moving at all, but Alex waited for some time before he approached. He found an enormous black wolf lying still in the snow. He could see there were nasty wounds on the animals shoulder and back. He was sure by the scent that the wolf was Ryan, but he couldn’t carry him into the cabin in wolf form. Even if he could carry the enormous creature the horses would panic. He needed Ryan to shift back; he needed him to wake up. He wanted to slap his face, but where on a wolf muzzle could you slap to wake him. He tried shaking and yelling, but nothing was working. Finally, he thought, I’m going to regret this I’m sure, but he extended his fangs and bit the wolf on the nose. He let go immediately and sat back, which was lucky since the wolf roared awake and struck out instinctively. The huge mouth full of razor sharp teeth snapped closed less than an inch in front of Alex’s face.
“Ryan, It’s Alex!” he shouted. “Shift back! It’s Alex! Shift back!” The snarling wolf was right in his face, and he thought he was going to have to fight for his life. His hand wrapped around the hilt of the silver sword at his belt. Just then the wolf abruptly backed off and dropped his head. Alex got to watch the transformation up close for the first time and a little slower than usual. Fascinating, he thought as he watched the hair recede into the skin of the man as if growing in reverse. As soon as the change was complete the man fell back into the snow where he was sitting. Alex grabbed him.
“Ryan,” he called.
“Alex,” Ryan’s speech was slurred and he was squinting at Alex. “Congrachoolashins” Ryan managed and passed out again.
Alex carried the Were into the cabin, now that he was in human form. The others hadn’t left much in the cabin, and he had to use a horse blanket to lay Ryan on. As he put the young man down, he noticed the blood on his hand when he pulled it out from under Ryan. He remembered the wounds he’d seen on the beast and he rolled Ryan over so he could examine the damage. Like Vampires, Weres also healed fast, but these wounds were horrible. Alex could see Ryan’s ribs showing between the gaping edges of a slice down his back. His shoulder wasn’t much better, and there were dozens of smaller wounds. He could see that Ryan’s body was struggling to heal, but he’d lost so much blood. Only the smallest wounds were trying to close and even then, they weren’t healing very fast.
Alex bit the fleshy part of his own palm and held the wound open until his hand was full of blood. He never tried to heal a Were before, and he didn’t know if it would work. On top of that, his healing powers were diminished. He saw how long it took when Aurora used her blood on Sara in the walnut grove. Here goes nothing. He smeared his own blood directly into the gaping wound down Ryan’s back. Immediately, red strands of muscle started to cover over the white bones that had been showing in the wound. The progress was slow, but it was working and the bleeding was slowing considerably. He repeated the process on the shoulder wound. He watched the flesh slowly knitting, and he made his finger bleed and drew little lines of blood over all of the small cuts he could find on Ryan’s skin.
It was mid morning before Ryan regained consciousness for a little bit. He was still pretty out of it.
“Ryan, can you hear me? How are you feeling?” Alex was leaning over him looking in Ryan’s face for a sign of recognition.
“Alex?” Ryan’s voice sounded harsh and scratchy. Alex made a mental note to melt some snow for water. Ryan reached up and touched Alex’s face hovering over his. “Alex yer sssooo dammm bootifall.”
Okay then, he’s got the euphoria, so I guess the blood works pretty well on Weres. The Vampire blood Alex had given Ryan to heal him had a similar effect as the saliva from a Vampire bite. It had a tendency to make the recipient euphoric and kind of horny. Alex chuckled. It’s a good thing he’s not likely to remember this, or he might hate himself when he wakes up.
“Yes, Ryan, I’m a sexy man. Now close your eyes and get some more rest.” Alex said still laughing quietly.
Alex woke Ryan just enough to give him a little water in the afternoon, but then Ryan slept until nearly dawn of the next day. Alex was dozing, sitting up against the wall next to Ryan’s head, when Ryan woke up fully for the first time.
“Alex? Where are we?” Ryan’s voice was like sandpaper.
Alex snapped awake. “We’re in the cabin.”
Ryan was trying to push himself up to sit against the wall next to Alex.
“Take it easy.” He helped Ryan sit up and held his shoulder to steady him.
One of the horses snorted in the middle of the room. Ryan looked at it and blinked his eyes a few times to make sure he was not seeing things. The horse chose that moment to drop an impressive load on the hardwood floor with a huge plop. Ryan looked at Alex and gave him that signature Ryan smile. “Holy shit, Batman! Aurora’s going to kill you.”
Well he is obviously feeling better.
Ryan was laughing at his own joke, “Oh c’mon now. You have to admit that was a little funny. Vampire… Batman… get it? Oh my god! You are a hopeless sourpuss.”
“I got it,” Alex said. “You are a laugh riot, especially after you nearly bit my face off as a wolf and then tried to bleed out all over my cabin floor. That always puts me in a humorous mood.”
“You mean bleed out on your barn floor from the looks of it, and I vaguely remember that you were the one who bit my face. Hmm?”
Alex cracked a smile. “Okay, Okay. You got me. I did bite you, and the whole thing was a little comical, especially when you told me how beautiful I am.”
“What?! I never !”
“Oh, but you did. Yes, sir, it was very touching.”
“So I guess that means I don’t get to tell Aurora about the horse shit on the floor.” Ryan pretended to be disappointed.
“In all seriousness, Ryan, what the hell happened to you out there? And, if it’s not too much trouble, can you tell me where my wife is?”
“Oh, buddy. Have we got a lot to talk about. I’m going to need a little something. I left a pack out by the trees to the west of the clearing when I got here, yesterday. I don’t suppose you could find it?”
Ryan felt better when he had his clothes on again and took
a nip from a flask he dug out of the pack.
“Just something for the cold,” he said.
“If you’re all comfy and cozy now, do you think you could tell me what’s going on?”
“Before we waste a lot of time, I heard about where you’ve been recently,” Ryan said. “So, I’m going to assume you know about most of what’s happening out there. What you don’t know, I think you might want to sit down for.”
“Chrissakes, Ryan! Spit it out!” Alex’s patience was worn thin.
“Aurora’s pregnant.” Ryan paused and waited.
“What did you just say?”
“Aurora is preg-nant”
“That’s not possible.” Alex sat down on the stool with a thud.
“It is now, and she’s not the only one. I took her and Sara to a lodge near here. They are safe.” Ryan said.
“What lodge?”
“About half a day to the Southwest of here.
“I think I know it.” Alex felt like his head was spinning. “Wait, what do you mean, she’s not the only one.”
“Apparently, at least four other Vampires in the villages are pregnant.” Ryan shrugged.
“That is insane. I need to see Aurora as soon as possible and get back to Syracuse to investigate the meaning of this.” Alex stood and started pacing.
“Whoa. Slow down. I think you better hear the rest of this before you decide to go rushing back.”
“What else?” Alex stopped pacing.
“A few days ago, I understand you met a Were by the name of McPherson.”
“Yes, I did. But, how did you know that?”
“Never mind that for a minute. McPherson started following your buddy Gates around, and Gates met with a panther merc.”
Alex said. “Gates is not my buddy, and I asked Mac to check up on him. He told me that Gates was meeting mercs.” He waved his hand impatiently gesturing for more.
“McPherson followed the panther from the meeting.”
“Damn. I told him to stay on Gates.”
“He put someone else on Gates.” Ryan said.
“What do you mean? Who else? He told me there were no other--Never mind, just finish.” Alex was growing more agitated.
“McPherson followed the merc who was following you.”
“Me?” Alex dropped onto the stool again.
“The panther followed you toward the cabin for a couple of days and then he skipped ahead of you. Probably felt all he needed was a direction. The guy’s some kind of genius tracker/ assassin. McPherson lost him after that and turned back to Syracuse. He reported to his Alpha who passed
it on to mine, and they sent a message to me.”
“I guessed, after our conversations, that your pack was somewhere close to here.” Alex was still shaking his head.
“Well they warned me early enough that I moved us all out of here four days ago, and the snow hid our trail long before the panther got here. I didn’t know if he would stick around after finding the place empty. I came back to watch for him and for you. He got the drop on me, literally. He was waiting on the roof and hit my back before I even knew he was here.”
“I heard the fight from a half mile away, but I couldn’t walk any faster in this snow.”
“I’m just glad you were here when I got back. I think you saved my life.” Ryan said.
“That makes up for one of the times you saved mine, but I think I’m still down one.” Alex answered. “What happened to the panther?”
“I lost him, but he was badly injured too so I don’t think he’ll be back for a while.”
Alex nodded thoughtfully. “I really need to see Aurora. When do you think you can travel?”
“Let’s go,” Ryan said, hopping to his feet. He stretched, popped his sore shoulder, and grabbed his pack.
The snow continued to fall, and they were slower than a half day, but they still made it to the lodge before dark. Ryan watched both Aurora and Sara, light up when they saw Alex behind him striding along on his snowshoes. Ryan had travelled most of the way as a wolf as it was easier on him.
Aurora and Sara were waiting for them in the main room, with the massive fireplace blazing. Ryan noticed Tyler standing near the fire, looking a little uncomfortable in the presence of the Vampires.
Alex stepped directly in front of Aurora and dropped to his knees. He laid his cheek on her abdomen and looked up at her in awe, when he heard the heartbeat. “It’s alive. How can that be?” he asked.
“I don’t have any answers, my darling,” Aurora said, putting her hands in his hair.
He hugged her tight and then stood and pulled her close for a deep kiss. He embraced her again and reached out pulling Sara, who was just standing there, into the embrace, as well.
Ryan wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, but he figured that it was Alex’s turn. He’d spent a lot of time in the last couple of months with his ear to Aurora’s belly.
When they finally released each other, Ryan looked away and turned to Tyler.
Tyler seemed grateful for the notice. “I need to speak with you, sir.”
“You can talk here, Tyler. These people are our allies.”
Tyler cleared his throat nervously but continued. “Another runner came in from Syracuse. McPherson was arrested by the Vampire, Gates.”
“What for?” demanded Alex.
“Well, I guess there were three Vampires that were supposed to be part of a new council and they turned up dead. Gates is accusing wolves and is arresting McPherson for murder and spying.” He hesitated and looked almost ill.
“And?” Ryan prompted.
“And, Gates is also saying he has evidence that Mr. Lake is involved with McPherson too and that he was in on the murder plot. He is declaring martial law and has issued a warrant for Lake.” He looked bravely at Alex. “He says you had McPherson spying for you.”
“I only…” Alex turned away and started pacing.
“Thanks, Tyler. Would you tell the L.T. that we are safe here and that the panther was injured but got away?”
When they were alone again, they all took seats near the fire and made sure they were close enough to touch. It was comforting to be in their makeshift family group again, and they reached out often with a pat or a squeeze.
“I need to talk to your Alpha or that L.T. you mentioned. Mac didn’t do this.” Alex said.
“I’m sure they already know that, but if you want to talk to the Alpha, I will let them know tomorrow. They will want to meet you here. It’s pretty unusual to allow a stranger in the settlement.”
“I understand.” Alex nodded. “Do you think they might know if anything happened to my valet, Reginald?”
“Your who?” Ryan asked.
Alex told them all the story of his travels and meeting Reginald at their own home. He realized that he had grown fond of the old valet and hoped he was alright. By the time Alex finished his tale, they were all yawning, but no one wanted to go to the separate apartment bedrooms. Sara gathered blankets, and they all slept together again in front of the massive fireplace. The difference was that Alex slept between Sara and Aurora, and they each had their heads cradled on his arms. Ryan didn’t mind. He knew how much they missed him, besides, it allowed him to continue to sleep next to Aurora, and he never took his hand off of her belly.
Twenty-seven
Reginald sat rigid in a straight backed chair that had been placed in the center of the study. Samuel Gates paced around him in circles, rubbing his jaw and saying nothing. Reginald was frightened. The elders loved to inspire fear. He remembered the frightened look on the face of the female Vampire who sat in this very same chair, in the hall just outside the door to this room, on the day that Alex thought about killing one of Gates’s prostitutes.
“So, Reginald – may I call you Reginald?” Gates didn’t wait for an answer. “Reginald, it seems to me that you have shown exceedingly poor judgment in your choice of a new employer. Wouldn’t you agree?” He continued his circuit.
“I knew your maker. Did you know that?”
“I…”
“Do you remember me visiting him? I remember you. You were a tottering old man as I recall, but Charles loved you.”
Reginald wisely stopped trying to speak. Gates was not interested in what he had to say. This was a performance, not an interrogation.
“I think you loved him too. Is that true, Reginald? Did you love him too?”
Reginald squeezed his eyes closed.
“In fact, while you lay dying, and Charles was desperately trying to turn you in order to save you, he made it abundantly clear to me that there was something truly special between you.”
One small tear tracked down Reginald’s cheek.
“Your survival was nothing short of miraculous. I certainly never believed you would make it. But, you did and, for another one hundred and some odd years, you two were able to stay together.”
Reginald stayed very still, and the elder’s voice traveled in a circle around him.
“But, in the end, Charles was still a very sad man. Wasn’t he, Reginald? So sad that he had to take his own life. Isn’t that so?”
A sob broke from Reginald.
“You see, Reginald, I know something that you don’t think anyone knows. I know that Charles never walked out into the sun.”
The trembling started.
“As it happens, I know that Charles died in his own bed. You pulled the curtain and let the sun take him. Didn’t you, Reginald? Don’t misunderstand me. I know he was sad and that he wouldn’t get out of bed anymore. He may even have asked you to do it, but the fact remains that an elder died by your wrinkled, unworthy hand. Do you deny it?”
“No.” Silent sobs racked the old man’s body. “How…”
“How did I know? Well, you see, Reginald, we Vampire elders do not leave the ashes of another elder just lying around anywhere. For reasons that are no concern of yours, we collect and protect the remains whenever possible. You wrapped his ashes in the coverlet he was on when he died, scorch marks and all. You then placed the entire bundle in his vault in the tomb below the manor. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what happened”
Cherishing Destiny (A Dangerous Destiny) Page 18