The door opened behind her and she turned slowly. Her face split into a wide smile.
“I have been expecting you.”
“And so, here I am,” came the cool reply.
Mary calmly studied the woman standing before her. She had changed a lot in the last four years. Gone was the sullen girl she’d taunted mercilessly. In her stead was a very confident woman. A confident, dangerous woman. Mary could sense the power oozing from the blonde, belying her serene beauty. Whereas Tristan was darkly handsome with a pronounced sinister air about him, his sister was lighter in complexion, with a gentleness that had made Mary envy her four hundred years ago. But now, just below the serenity of the noble woman, a dangerous energy pulsed which made Mary a little nervous, but which excited her, too.
She had never made a secret of the fact that she enjoyed female company just as much as she did the opposite sex. Clarissa had always posed a challenge for her. In the past, her beauty had aroused Mary to the point where she’d been tormented by carnal dreams of the young woman. Back then Clarissa was just a fledgling, a means to an end for Tristan. The woman who stood before her, at this very moment, was exceedingly alluring. The dark-brown eyes were sharp and held a slight disdain as they looked back at her. If she succeeded tonight in convincing Clarissa to join the Council, then she was sure it wouldn’t take long before she could lure the tall, striking creature to her bed.
Immediately donning a seductive air, Mary turned away from Clarissa and walked over to a small table in the corner of the room. She put an extra swing in her hips, counting on the other vampiress to notice how nicely the leather pants hugged her firm behind.
“Would you like anything to drink?” Mary asked over her shoulder, her fangs lengthening at the enticing smell of fresh blood as she sloshed a healthy amount in her goblet.
“No, but thank you.”
Mary chuckled softly. “Why so formal, Clarissa? It is not as if we are strangers to each other, my dear.” She turned to face her guest, her blue eyes roving hungrily over the tall blonde. What more could I ask for, she thought, fresh blood and the company of a gorgeous woman. Her spirit deflated a bit when she saw the dark eyes hardening.
“You were my captor and I your captive.” Clarissa’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Why have you summoned me, Mary?”
Disappointed that she had to drop her topic, Mary took a sip from her drink.
“I have a proposition for you.”
The brown eyes didn’t change expression.
“I am listening.”
Mary walked over to the high-backed chair that served as her throne and seated herself carefully. She placed the goblet on the wide arm rest and fixed her gaze on the tall vampire. There was no need to beat around the bush.
“Join me and together we shall lead the renegades. We will share power and responsibilities equally.”
She saw the slight tightening around Clarissa’s eyes and smiled faintly. Ah, finally, an honest emotion from the guarded woman. The blonde’s unshakable countenance had seriously unnerved her more than she cared to admit. But now, she had a sliver of hope. It was obvious that Clarissa had not expected her offer.
†
Clarissa was stunned. She’d expected anything but this. She’d expected Mary to want her to join her fight against the Royals since she had valuable information about the inner workings of the Clan. But to rule with her? Mary was too self-absorbed to want to share power, or so Clarissa had thought. But then, the renegade princess was as shrewd as she was cruel. Why else would she approach me specifically with this offer? Was it perhaps her plan all along to corrupt me by making me kill all those servants while in captivity? What was I missing?
“Why do you think I would consider joining forces with you?” She studied the vampiress closely so as not to miss anything. Hopefully what Mary didn’t say verbally would still be projected physically.
Mary laughed softly and reached for her goblet again. Against her will Clarissa’s fangs protruded at the tempting smell wafting from the glass. She had fed earlier, but not enough to still the craving, rather just enough to take the edge off and last her in battle. She forcibly retracted her fangs and clenched her stomach to ease her rising hunger.
“Why not, indeed?” Mary carefully crossed her legs and cocked her head to one side, as she studied her. “You owe your life to us, Clarissa. Had Tristan not intervened, you would not possess the power and opportunity you are enjoying now.” She smiled thinly. “Since you are looking at starting your own faction, why not join one that is already well-established? Respected? Feared? As ruler of the renegades you will have millions under your command.”
At the mention of Tristan’s name, Clarissa felt an all-consuming rage fill her being.
The soft warning reminded her that she was not alone. Just a few steps behind her she could sense Jonas’s cloaked presence. Since joining them, Clarissa had learned the hard way that the Royals could walk amongst their own without being seen, if they wished it so. Mary seemed to be completely oblivious to the presence of the powerful Clan Royal. Jonas’s soft warning made her push her anger to the deepest, darkest depths of her psyche. With a dark chuckle, she pierced the renegade leader with a steely glare.
“I helped destroy Tristan. That should say something about my feelings for him.”
Mary didn’t even blink at the information, but Clarissa could sense a slight tension rising in room. So, that tidbit of information was new to her.
“Well, what can I say? The fact that we share blood with our siblings does not always mean that we have to like each other. Tristan proved that when he took you captive.” Mary emptied her goblet and, with painstaking slowness, turned the stem of the glass in her hand until it was upside down. The last remaining drops of blood hit the floor, softly. With her enhanced sense, Clarissa could hear the soft splat each drop made, a sound that kept her entranced for a spell.
Feeling like an amateur, Clarissa cussed softly under her breath and slowly lifted her gaze back to Mary. She was surprised to find the renegade suddenly standing a few feet away from her. She managed to keep her surprise hidden behind an unreadable mask.
“I am sorry, but I will have to decline the offer. If your only interest in me is because of my bond with Tristan, then no, I am not interested.” She watched Mary closely. The vampiress was angry, the slight tightening around her mouth the only sign of her inner turmoil.
“I never thought you to be vain, Clarissa. If you are fishing for compliments, then just say so.” She took another step closer, subtly trying to intimidate. “You are an excellent fighter. Having trained under one of the best hunters, I did not expect anything less from you.” Mary stepped closer and this time, the sudden glow in the woman’s eyes unnerved Clarissa. “You are also a very beautiful woman. The time away has turned you into an alluring creature. One, I have great appreciation for.”
If she wasn’t so shocked by Mary’s revelation, Clarissa would’ve cracked up. Who would have thought Mary could be attracted to me?
Jonas’ soft teasing didn’t help much in holding back her amusement and a slight smile formed on her lips.
“I am glad to hear that there are more attributes that have aided in your choice of me.”
Mary stared at her, her blue eyes unblinking. This time Clarissa was not surprised to see raw hunger in the cool depths of the renegade’s eyes. Good grief, does life have to always throw curve balls? Just when she thought she’d met the love of her life and her life was about to take on a more domesticated twist, she found herself being accosted by a murderous vampiress with a thing for her.
“Well?” Mary was impatient.
Clarissa’s eyes hardened slightly.
“I will have to think about it.”
“What is there to think of,
Clarissa?” Mary murmured, her eyes darkening the longer she looked at her. “We would make a good team. Under our leadership, the Race would prosper. The Royals would not stand a chance.”
Clarissa sighed. “The Royals are not stupid. I first need to find out exactly how much they know. Contrary to what you believe, they are dangerous and will make crafty enemies.”
Mary’s eyes held Clarissa’s in a long unblinking stare, before she nodded slowly.
“You have until tomorrow. I want to know your answer by tomorrow, or the offer expires.”
Clarissa nodded and turned to leave when Mary called her back.
“Clarissa.”
Turning slowly, she fixed her gaze on the smirking renegade leader. A gloating Mary was a dangerous Mary and Clarissa felt a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach.
“Just so you know, rumors are rife about you and a certain photographer. I hope you are not too attached to her … yet.”
Suppressing the rage that rose at the thought of this woman coming anywhere near Jessica, Clarissa grinned lecherously.
“There is not much difference between one human female and another, Mary. They are all the same in the dark, believe me.”
She left quickly without looking back, her spine straight and her gait relaxed. Inside, however, she was fuming. Just you try and lay a finger on Jess and I will rip your head clean off, she promised silently.
†
Mary dipped her finger in the goblet, scraping up a few leftover drops she sensuously sucked from the digit. The door opened again and she turned to face the newcomer.
“We are ready.” Geoff stood straight as he faced her, but she could detect a whiff of fear on him.
“Why, Geoff, if I did not know better I would say that you are a tad anxious,” she drawled, showing her fangs as she threw her head back in laughter.
Geoff squirmed a little as he looked at Mary.
Mary was looking at him intently now, over the rim of the goblet.
“Our enemy is dangerous and powerful, your highness.”
Mary nodded and tossed the goblet to the ground. Yes, Geoff was right. The Royals were not to be taken too lightly. One Royal alone could cause massive damage to a battalion of soldiers. What’s to say of four of them? She walked over to her long table and lifted her breastplate over her shoulders. She turned to Geoff. “Assistance, please.”
When Geoff finished the task of fastening the leather bands, Mary reached for her broadsword. Clarissa thought she was fooling her with that little performance earlier, but it took a whole lot more to fool Mary Huntington. It hadn’t taken much to realize that the Royals were feeding her spies worthless intelligence on purpose. Over the years, she had done her homework and had studied the Royals every chance she could. They were over-cautious as times, but were just as prone to acts of spontaneity. That little deviation made them unpredictable and thus, Mary always anticipated an ambush from them. The night reeked of danger and the only other people beside her own who could stain the night air like that were the Royals.
Mary smiled at Geoff. “Let’s not be bad hosts. I believe our guests are expecting us.”
†
Clarissa walked quietly between the two guards escorting her to the door, alert as her eyes swept the long dark corridor. She didn’t trust Mary at all. They were a few paces from the door when she detected a soft shift in the air.
He suddenly appeared right next to her, taking the two guards by surprise. Before they could react to his presence, Jonas’s sword flashed and they both lay dead on the floor. The sound of running footsteps sounded and about fifty guards filled the corridor, their swords drawn.
Unsheathing her sword, Clarissa approached the group of guards. Her eyes were slits of ice, as she studied them closely. It was time for her to redeem herself and avenge the deaths of all the innocents who had perished by Mary’s command.
The first row attacked and, with a cold smile on her face, she met them halfway. With a quick flick of her sword, she killed one guard, opening a slight gap for her to breach their formation. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jonas slashing his way through a group of seven, targeting the ones nervously waiting a few feet away. For brief seconds, she reveled in his graceful, but lethal movements, as he glided through the enemy fighters.
She returned her attention to the fight at hand and noticed that her group had grown exponentially. Taking a tricky side-step, she drew four guards with her and felled them with a few quick slashes. The others took an abrupt step back, startled by the ease with which she had taken out four of their own. Taking advantage of their momentary lapse in concentration, she quickly stepped forward, engaging four more on her right, while enticing the others with the sight of her seemingly unguarded back. As soon as she felt a group approaching her back, she lithely stepped aside, watching as the two groups ran into each other, swords cutting through armor. Eight guards lay dead at her feet.
Doing a quick count, Clarissa grinned when she realized that they had made a big dent in the enemy’s numbers. She swirled her sword and slowly approached the heavily armed group.
†
Jessica checked her watch for probably the tenth time. They were holed up in one of the penthouse suites of the hotel. The warriors had left almost two hours ago. What is taking them so long? Maybe two hours was not long enough to win a war, but two hours was an exceptionally long time for her to be without her lover. She turned to find Gabriella already looking at her, an amused smile on her lips.
“You miss her.”
Jessica blushed and looked away. It was so weird to sit in the same room, actually on the same couch, with Gabriella and crave the presence of another woman.
“Are they going to be much longer?”
Gabriella shrugged. “It depends. Usually it doesn’t take them very long, but Mary has had enough time to build a strong army. They might be a while longer, I think.”
Jessica sighed deeply.
She jumped when she heard Clarissa’s voice echo in her mind. What the …? Gabriella threw her a questioning glance and she quickly looked away. It had slipped her mind completely that she could converse with Clarissa mentally. Oh dear … She hoped she hadn’t distracted Clarissa while she was engaged in a fight. Suddenly worried, she turned back to Gabriella.
“Have you … Do you sometimes communicate with Trinity while she’s engage in a skirmish?”
Gabriella shook her head. “Nope. Don’t want to break her concentration. She says she doesn’t mind though, but I don’t want to take the chance.”
“Oh.” Sitting there, trying hard to seem engrossed in the reality program that was showing on the TV, Jessica felt like knocking her head against the table. What if she had distracted Clarissa and …? She didn’t get to finish the thought as Genevieve and Jemima simultaneously surged to their feet, startling them all.
†
“There is somebody at the door.” Genevieve’s eyes were sharp as she stared at the closed door. The two vampires stood silently, their senses assessing the possible threat on the other side of the door. “What do you think, Jemi?”
The blonde vampire slowly walked toward the door. “I don’t know. I don’t sense any malice from the vampire. Maybe it’s just one of the hunters sent over to keep watch outside.”
“Tahlia would have alerted us.”
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Inger came to stand next to Jemima, her arm slipping around her mother’s waist. “What’s happening outside?”
Jemima smiled gently at her daughter a
nd placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
“There’s a vampire outside. We’re not sure if it’s one of ours.”
“If it’s evil, then it’s definitely not one of ours. What do you sense?”
Genevieve and Jemima looked at each other.
“I do not sense anything,” Genevieve said hesitantly.
Inger threw her arms wide. “Then why don’t we just find out what it wants?”
Jemima shook her head. “I don’t want to risk your lives, honey.”
“Mom, that’s the only way we will know if this vampire is a friend or foe.”
Jemima nodded and turned to Genevieve. “Let’s find out.”
Chapter 14
On the other side of the door, Leo waited uneasily. She knew that her presence had been detected the moment she neared the door. She had stealthily followed the warriors from a distance until she was sure they had all left before she backtracked to the hotel.
She looked down at the small, silver ball in her hand and stroked it lightly. Please do not fail me. Molan swore on his life that it would work. If it doesn’t … well then that’s it. She would be dead and Molan would know, eventually, that they had failed. There was a soft draft in the hallway and she steeled herself for the confrontation. Two figures appeared before her and she swallowed hard.
She had seen the Queen’s mate from afar, but never close-up. Tongue-tied, she looked at the tall, statuesque blonde. The direct sapphire gaze studied her closely.
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