by Kate Wendley
She was held tightly by a meaty shifter. Tears streamed down her ashen face as she trembled and stared fearfully at Anthony. He tried to release just her from his magical hold, but the Master Vampire distracted him from his task.
She laughed out loud. “Ah! Mr. Foster. It’s been too long. Nothing like a good scuffle to get the juices flowing. Now help me up, would you dear?”
He narrowed his eyes at her. She knew his name, which meant she was either trying play some strange mental game with him, or his resemblance to his father had her confusing the two of them. Which would of course mean she’d met his father at some point. “I am not your dear, and don’t speak to me as if you know me. You’ve entered my territory unannounced, then kidnapped and tortured my family. I should kill you now for the insult.”
Rage instantly overtook her as she struggled to sit up. His power held everyone down, including her, though she seemed slightly less affected by it. “You ingrate! I allowed you to freely roam in my territory for over ten years!”
Now he knew for certain that she’d met his father. He wanted to ask her how long ago he’d been in her territory. When was the last time she’d seen him alive? But too many bottled up, conflicting emotions started to cloud his thoughts, so he ignored the topic.
“You’re no doubt confusing me for my father, witch. I don’t take responsibility for his actions, and he takes no responsibility for mine.” Anger helped him stay focused on tonight’s troubles.
“Father?” The confusion and lost look on her face made him wonder at her mental state. His earlier thought that she might be quite old was feeling more and more right. But the Vampire Mother was old and she hadn’t acted as insane as this woman did.
“Isaiah Foster is my father. I’m Anthony Foster. His son. You’re in my territory and I suggest you leave before I change my mind about killing you and your fellow travelers.”
She glared at him, then spat on the ground. “I came to collect what’s mine. You can’t deny me that.”
“Do you mean Miller?”
“Yes.”
“Miller? Make your decision now about who’s family you’re in.” Anthony could care less either way, but he’d offered the man a choice, so he would honor that.
“Yours Master Foster. Yours! Please!”
“Very well.”
The woman screeched an unholy sound he hoped to never hear again, then swore at him. “You can’t just take him. He’s mine!”
“Willingly?”
She frowned in startled confusion. “No one’s in this life willingly you fool.”
He lunged forward and punched her. The sharp crack of her jaw breaking satisfied something evil in his soul.
She gurgled out, “Bastard.”
“Watch your mouth with me. In fact, stop speaking. I’m tired of your voice.” He forced her into complete stillness, which was harder than he’d thought it would be. So she was powerful, but not as powerful as him.
He turned to the shifters and slowly strode through their ranks while they growled and tried their best to snap at him. He put his hand on the backs of many of their necks. He sent a pulse of energy out when he touched them, searching for their power level. He found two that seemed to be around the same levels as Les and Miller, and he put them each in a trance.
“When I release you, go to the vampires on the ground and let them feed from you. Lower yourselves to them, cut yourself if you have to, until they feed.”
That got even more growls from the remaining shifters, not that he worried about them. He worried more about how to free his victims without freeing the dangerously insane Master Vampire.
Shania whimpered and he realized she might be hurt. She likely wasn’t as powerful as any of these shifters, and certainly not as strong as the werewolf who held her in a death grip. He was maybe forty years old and looked like a bodybuilder, his neck thick and his arms and legs bulging with muscle. And even though Anthony had a tight hold on him, the man looked like he was starting to shift into his wolf. That took a lot of magical strength to be able to do that on a non-full moon night.
“You’re an alpha. Are you the alpha of your family?” Anthony hadn’t kept any of the shifters from talking, but no one spoke. They only growled and glared daggers at him.
He’d had Sebastian growl at him before, and Sebastian was the most powerful wolf he’d ever known. Was this man in the same league as him?
He put his hand on the back of the man’s neck and sent a pulse of energy through him to get a feel of his strength. He was strong, but not as strong as Sebastian, so the most Anthony had to worry about was this wolf hurting Shania before he could free her.
Out of options, he decided to let the Vampire Master speak. “If I release you and your family, will you leave here? Or do we need to continue this nonsense tonight?”
The woman glared mischievously at him and kept her lips pressed tightly together in an infuriating little smirk.
He quietly sighed. “Very well. Shania, when I tell you to, please run back to the vehicles. Zach and Sebastian should be here soon, and if they’re not, my vampires will be. Someone will bring you back to your father this evening.”
She whimpered while Anthony drew more power to himself. “Go.”
He released his hold on everyone and readied for the group’s attack.
He needn’t have worried. Sebastian came bounding through the woods in his hulking half beast form and barreled straight into the Alpha Wolf who’d been holding Shania. Zach appeared in his much sleeker but just as deadly half jaguar form and took on two others in the group, and much to Anthony’s satisfaction, his vampires began arriving as well.
He quickly barked out orders. “Horacio and Alistair, guard the young werewolf woman! Haru and Dylan. Guard Les and Miller!” Anthony didn’t need to tell the others to step in to help with the remaining troublesome shifters as his family of vampires continued to fill in around the small group of strangers.
While everyone found their purpose, Anthony flung away two shifters who dared try to distract him as the Vampire Master launched another dirty fighting attack, with a smile on her face.
A voice from the crowd shouted, “Master Anthony. Can we use lethal force?”
He actually paused to think about that, which sent a tremor of horror through him. Why would he ever answer yes that? Had he lost all sense of the man he’d once been that he’d now think a simple fight was enough reason to kill someone?
The Vampire Master took advantage of his distraction and punched him in the chest, the easiest place for her to reach due to her short stature. Her powerful fist cracked one, maybe two of his ribs, and judging by her cocky smirk, she knew it. He tried not to breath and forced himself to focus through the pain. He was not going to let this crazy woman defeat him.
“Isadora! Stop this instant!”
The madwoman actually stopped fighting him and turned in the direction of the booming voice.
“Benicio?” She seemed astonished to see him, and her voice took on a soft quality. “I’ve found you.” Her eyes lit up like a child at Christmas. “I’ve searched everywhere for you my love. For years. Are you finally ready to come home?”
Anthony grabbed her by the neck while she was distracted, and she acted like he was no more bother than a fly. She just stood there in his grasp as she stared in wonder at Benicio.
He stepped forward after giving Anthony an embarrassed look. Anthony inclined his head, allowing their conversation out of sheer curiosity. Had they been lovers? And did he still have feelings for her? That could be trouble. Benicio was one of his more powerful vampires, and not that they were close friends, but he’d come to trust Benicio over the years. If he had alliances with a woman like this, Anthony would have to rethink what he thought of the man’s integrity and morals.
Benicio gave her a long suffering look. “No, Isadora, I will not be returning to your home.”
Her hopeful jubilance turned to scathing anger in a flash. “You could have been a King!�
�� She spat on the ground, glaring at him all the while. “Look at you now, forced to be a bodyguard for your Master.” She curled her lip at Benicio as she tried in vain to free herself of Anthony’s hold on her.
Benicio’s brow arched. “You know, this information age is a pure delight. I’ve learned more than I could possibly ever think to ask about so many things. Have you ever heard of multiple personality disorder? Do you know what that is, Isadora dear? You see, the Isadora I fell for was just one of your many, many personalities. Unfortunately, I was under the foolish assumption that you had just one. It was such a lovely one at that, but why have one when you can have many? Isn’t that right dear? That’s your motto for everything. Why have one lover when you can more? Why have one shifter or vampire slave when you can have legions?”
He shook his head in disappointment. “That life isn’t for me. Being the King of all your slaves just chains me to them and that distasteful way of life. You will not defile this place like you’ve defiled your own territory. Whether you like it or not, Mister Foster is in charge here.”
She turned murderous eyes on Anthony and screamed through gritted teeth as she tried yet again to free herself. “Let go of me you asshole!”
His temper broke and he plunged his hand deep into her chest. Her ribs around his forearm were sharp where he’d broken them, and her heart in the palm of his hand was on the smaller side compared to other vampires he’d killed. He stood still and stared into her eyes as he held onto it, making sure she was aware that he held her life in his hands.
Her eyes bulged in shock. She made choking and coughing sounds, her whole body trembling as she weakly tried to pull free.
Anthony felt no pity for her as he darkly said, “This is your final warning. If you and your family wish to live another night, leave my territory immediately and never come back. If you continue this drama tonight, you and those you brought with you won’t make it through another day alive. Do I make myself clear?”
He squeezed her heart for evil emphasis, forcing a pathetic whimper out of her. She nodded and began crying like a child, but her feeble attempts at evoking compassion from him were a lost cause. She knew the risks of coming here and doing what she did. What she maybe didn’t realize was how enticing Anthony found her.
She was a Master so her blood would be incredibly strong compared to what he got from Zach or Sebastian. Her blood or her life force, if he cared to drain her of either, would be like a drug to him. And what would that feel like to feed his power in such a way as it’d never been fed before? Would it give him that same high he’d felt while killing Jim all those months ago?
Something caught his attention and he flicked a glance towards the tree line. Echo came to halt as she worriedly watched him. Having her eyes on him bothered him so much that he let his arm turn into mist and took a half step back, releasing his hold on Isadora. She fell to her knees, coughing and clutching at her bloodied chest.
She gasped, “You bastard.”
Almost before she’d finished speaking, Anthony backhanded her, hard. She slammed to the ground and barely moved. He wasn’t sure if it was because she was that hurt, or if she was feeling extreme pity for herself. He wouldn’t be surprised at either.
Anthony gestured to Isadora at his feet as he asked Benicio, “Do you wish a moment to tell her goodbye before I send them on their way?”
Benicio carefully said, “No thank you Master. That was long and long ago. Even before Savannah. It’s unfortunate time hasn’t brought her peace with her many demons.”
Anthony inclined his head, then looked around at Isadora’s shifters again. “Very well. Sebastian, would you mind releasing your prey? He’ll need to be able to drive out of here tonight.”
Sebastian huffed loudly, then finally backed away from the other alpha, who lay motionless on the ground. After a time he slowly sat up, blood covering the front of him. Sebastian’s mouth was covered in it, too. The sight of all that blood should have worried Anthony, but truthfully all it did was anger him. These people had brought bloodshed to his territory, and on top of it all, as he flicked his gaze to Echo, they’d made him dip a toe back into feeling, and acting, like an inhuman monster.
He looked pointedly at Isadora’s alpha wolf. “You will direct your family out of my territory immediately. If you’re smart, you’ll head back home and not stop until you get there. Of course, once you’re out of my domain you’re no longer my problem to deal with.”
The man shot angry looks back and forth between Anthony and Sebastian. Sebastian was still in man-wolf form as he paced in a semi-circle around him, growling and huffing as he bared his teeth. His clothes hung off him in tatters, his shirt almost entirely destroyed, his pants in only slightly better shape. His entire body was huge and muscular, thick blonde fur on his head, thinning as it went down his back and chest. His legs had thinner fur, solid muscles showing plainly all over his body. Anthony almost felt pity for Isadora’s wolf being the object of Sebastian’s attention right now.
The tension built as the man didn’t make a move and Sebastian kept pacing around him. “Sebastian, perhaps you could allow this gentleman to round up his family and get on the road. I’d hate for him to forget anyone in his haste to leave.”
Sebastian growled more loudly for a brief moment, snapped his incredibly vicious jaws in the man’s face a couple times, then backed off. He kept his eyes on him while he and the other shifters helped Isadora off the ground. She shakily put her arm around one of them, looking like the innocent, helpless woman that she definitely wasn’t.
With Miller now looking more aware, and Les being tended to by the family, as well as Shania being rounded up by Zach, Anthony kept his eye on Isadora’s group while they packed up. He very loudly told them he’d be following them until they left his territory, and the longer they took the more upset he’d be.
In the back of his mind he wished they’d try to fight him because he itched for an outlet for all this energy he’d called to himself tonight. He’d cut himself off from the night’s magic filling him, but his own roused power still felt electric inside him and begged for a release.
But the group of strangers all dutifully piled into the two functioning SUV’s, leaving the wrecked Suburban behind when they drove off.
**
Anthony took a moment to look at his shoulder, irritated at the red stain that blossomed around the hole in his shirt from being shot. The bullet had long ago worked itself out, and what remained was a ruined shirt that had too many smells he didn’t want on it. Kaia’s sweet scent was now masked by his own blood, plus a myriad of blood and sweat from everyone he fought with tonight. Dammit.
He worked off some of his excess anger and energy by trailing Isadora’s group as they drove off. They looked like they were heading towards Nashville, but he could be wrong. He followed them just long enough to see them out of his territory and out of his hair, but he kept his senses open after that to be sure he didn’t feel Isadora coming back.
He spent most of the rest of the night and early morning drifting around the city as mist, silently checking on the usual suspects that liked to give him trouble from time to time. He didn’t feel any more unfamiliar vampires, and not for lack of trying. The shifters were harder to keep track of because there were just so many, so he’d long ago stopped trying with most of them and let them take care of their own. He provided the money to support them, they needed to provide the actual care.
It bothered him that Isadora had come in and so quickly stolen away with some of his family, though. It made him think he was slipping and not paying close enough attention to what went on in his city.
And Les… he felt shame for not protecting him better. He was one of his original vampire brothers. Anthony had only ever known his father and one other, Alistair, for years and years when he’d first turned vampire. But meeting Les over two hundred years ago shook him to his core.
When Anthony and his father happened upon Les and his family, they’d
been enduring horrendous treatment from their old Master. Anthony thought Les was blind at the time, his eyes pure white and unseeing. He was emaciated, starved by his Master for over a year, and unable to pass on since he was vampire and therefore had too much magic in him to die by starvation alone. He’d been left tied up from head to toe in an open casket in the unfinished basement of their home, helpless as he lie there night after night next to two others in the same condition. He was so weak by the time Anthony and his father came to help, Les’ vampire senses hadn’t even known that others were there in the room with him.
Echo, a psychic vampire that had also suffered at the hands of their now dead Master in the same way many women are abused by powerful men in their lives, called out to Les that night. She’d tried to tell him that Isaiah and his son, Anthony, were there to help him. Les was so dazed he simply shed a tear, reminisced that he’d once had a son, then asked Echo to please kill him. Anthony did everything in his power to help the man that night. It was a wonder he hadn’t gone insane. No one should have to suffer like that.
And tonight, Anthony had been so distracted, he hadn’t even noticed there was a powerful force in his territory.
Kaia had distracted him. If he continued to see her, his attention would always be split. He felt like his duty was to his family, but did that mean he could never have anything personal in his life?
He stubbornly wanted to try, no matter the consequences.
**
Anthony went home and washed Isadora’s blood off his hands, then reluctantly threw away his shirt. Kaia’s sweet scent was still on it, but between the bullet hole and Isadora’s blood, it was ruined. He stared at the shirt in irritation, wishing just once that his life could be simple.