by C. M. Steele
“The captives? Why them? They don’t deserve it.”
“What better way to show the enemy that we are magnanimous than giving the cure to some of their defectors?” Nora inquired with an air of smugness. She had a leader hidden under her layers of kindness and generosity. I was truly blessed to have her. We were all truly blessed that she had become one of us.
“Ah, then they’ll start flipping fast.”
“Yes, your aunt is brilliant.”
“Enough with the jibber-jab. There’s only so much sunlight left and truthfully I don’t want to wait another minute,” Vigo complained. Nora inserted the syringe into Dante’s arm, while I did it to Vigo’s son Johan’s, and Vigo gave his wife the dose.
Three minutes later we were all walking out into the sunlight.
I watched the way they all closed their eyes and looked up at the sun. It was truly a beautiful experience to see Vigo stare at his wife, taking in her beauty in the sun. It was the way I looked at Nora. The way the light shone off her hair and beamed off her face.
“Mama,” Dante called out.
“Dante,” Mary sobbed, running and embracing her son.
“Ah,” Nora whispered. She tucked herself into my side and cried. “Come. There is much to do. We need to give the Holden family their dosages.”
“Yes, my Queen.” We picked up the syringes and entered the containment area. I entered the cell without her. I didn’t trust them around my mate.
“The cure is limited to a handful at a time. We’re giving you an opportunity before many deserving people. I trust that you will remain on your good behavior with us.”
“We will.” I administered each of the doses.
“I feel a bit different.”
“Yes, more alive.”
“When can we test it?”
“When you tell us your plan. I’m being more than generous by this and I assure you it wasn’t my choice. It was my mate’s kindness.”
“We thank you. You and your people have been nothing but generous and kind. We don’t want to do anything to upset that. In truth wherever we go, we will not have the funds for some time. We can’t access our accounts because they took our information when they made him join.”
“Don’t worry. We could lend you some money until you can get on your feet.”
“You are too kind.”
“No, I’m just doing the right thing. I want us all to be able to live alongside each other without fighting,” I told them.
“Can you take us to America. I want to be as far as we can from London.”
“Sure. I can set you up outside the wolf shifter area. They won’t allow you into their realm.”
“They don’t like us?” Matthew asked.
“They don’t trust vampires.”
“We don’t really either,” Matthias remarked with a snicker.
“Okay, we’ll let you rest. Tomorrow we’ll head out,” I added. “Excuse me.”
Chapter 36
Leonora
“Thank you for letting us stay with you, Catherine,” I told her, taking a seat at her kitchen table. We had a little time to ourselves since the guys wanted to have a powwow of their own.
“You’re welcome. We’re glad to have you. I know it’s hard when danger’s around every corner.”
“But we’re bringing it to you.”
“No, we’ve been dealing with the nonsense even before. Don’t let my husband fool you. We felt the tensions in the air before you all arrived. Charles had been feeling the pressure and worried about it. I hate that it’s been a big part of our lives even though it’s not our fight or even our pack. I don’t know if you remember, but Kane’s the alpha for his pack and Hunter for ours. Normally, we would let them fight their own battles, but our packs are united with Gage and Arabella. I’m scared for my children and my mate every day. Don’t get me wrong, I love all of them, but damn it does suck because I can’t lose my mate.”
“I understand. I walked into a war. Every day I’m frightened that I’ll lose Falcon. Even with the supposed prophecy, I feel like I shouldn’t take anything for granted. What if some factor changes the prophecy? I mean, hell they aren’t all knowing.”
“I’m sorry my love.” I blanched, Falcon heard me. He spun my chair around and knelt between my legs. He reached up and cupped my face. “I’m sorry, my Queen. I know this isn’t the life we should have. I worry every day that the prophecy will fail, but I’m going to fight for us. I can never lose you.” He placed his head on my lap. “I love you, Nora. Please have faith in me.”
I grasped my hands around his scruffy jaw, then lifted his head up to look at me. “I love you, my King. That’s why I fear the unknown.” Falcon stood up and helped me to my feet. Brushing away the tears that I didn’t realize I’d shed, he bent his head and kissed me slowly, sweetly. He pulled back too soon for my liking, leaving me looking up into his eyes with parted lips.
“I must go. We are meeting with Dante. We plan to announce the cure.”
“I wish I could take you, but we will be preparing them for battle before the attack is to happen.” That was news to me, but I didn’t argue or complain. I wondered why he refused to tell me sooner.
“What’s the real reason you don’t want to take me to the castle?”
“Damn it, woman. I don’t want anyone to try and grab you in desperation.”
“Fine. That’s all you had to say. In truth, the thought of that makes me shiver,” I admitted. Thinking that they would attack me sent a paralyzing fear through me.
“I didn’t tell you to scare you, Nora. Damn, I’m going to have to keep apologizing,” he grunted against my ear.
“No, you’re right to tell me the truth. You know that I need the truth.”
“Of course. You’re safe here. You have Gideon, William, and all the wolves doing patrols around the home.” They can smell the vampires coming and since none of those fuckers can teleport, you’ll have time to get away. Remember, I don’t care where I am at. If you need me, call me. I’ll be here in a flash.”
“I will. Be safe. I’ll await your return.”
“Yes, my Queen. I will.” He kissed me once more, then disappeared.
“Wow, the way he was looking at you I thought he was going to throw you over his shoulder and carry you away.”
“Goodness, we’ll save it for when he returns.” I loved when he came back from a battle. The adrenaline pumping through him would be released in the most delicious of ways. I had to calm down because I was getting excited.
“Well, let’s take a walk. I need to stretch out my legs.”
“Are you sure it’s safe?”
“Yes, Hunter has high tech security all around our home. Besides, the kids are still sleeping and what Hunter won’t know won’t hurt him,” she giggled out.
“I could use a walk.” Locking arm in arm, we walked around the perimeter of the house while Charlotte remained in the house. She seemed different this morning. I don’t know what was on her mind, but there was a shit load of concern in her eyes. I missed this area. I hadn’t lived in the Pacific Northwest long, but I came to love the woods and the seclusion it brought. The island for me had become a prison. A fortress without the love of a home. The stress of the past two months had worn me down.
We walked through her garden full of flowers. Taking in the fresh air. “It’s perfect up here.”
“That it is,” she sighed, absorbing the morning sun.
“What the hell are you two doing out here?” Hunter roared, coming down the front steps, seething with anger. I rounded out my lips in an uh-oh expression, that I turned into a smirk.
She crossed her arms in front of him, throwing him a dirty glare before she said, “Hunter, I don’t want to be trapped inside. We’ve walked only around the house and that’s it.”
I waited to see if he was like Falcon and going to get all growly. He didn’t disappoint. “Don’t ‘that’s it’ me. You know damn well that any of these bastards could strike at
any moment.” I rolled my eyes which didn’t go unnoticed. “Your Highness, I’d stop that eye rolling because your mate is a phone call away. I’m sure he’d love to know that you went outside five seconds after he left.”
“Fine. Besides, I need to eat.”
“Yes, Erik has brought you fresh deer meat. You’re going to need all the iron you can get.” I stormed off into the house. I wanted to bite him only because I couldn’t kick Falcon in the shins. My mood swings were back in full force. Screaming out at the top of my lungs felt like a good idea, but that would freak everyone out.
“Nora,” Charlotte called out.
“Are you okay?”
“No. No, I’m not okay,” I sobbed. She threw her arms around me and held me to her.
“We’re going to get through this.”
“I know, but Charlotte. I’ve got something on my mind that’s bothering me.”
“What is it?”
“Could I be pregnant again?”
Sirens blared around the large home. And the men came in to surround us.
Chapter 37
Falcon
I had a terrible feeling that something bad was about to happen, but I had an announcement to make. The sun had just set, and I gathered our forces around the courtyard.
“I have a message for all of you. I ask that you remain strong and vigilant as an attack may be on the horizon. But I do have good news. Excellent news in fact. We have found a cure.” Cheers roared through the night sky along with questions and tears. I waited for them to settle down before I continued. It took a long time, but I was finally able to address them, “I must tell you that it will be months before all of you will receive the injection. I know that’s not what many of you wish to hear, however until we can find a way to mass produce it, we have to wait. We have already administered the serum to my nephew and sister-in-law and a few others as we tested its viability. I wish to ascertain the actual number of those suffering from the curse. Please fill out the forms below with your names and your immediate family that are affected. I will be working on the list in batches. Remember that you have gone centuries without sunlight, waiting for your turn should be manageable. I am sorry that I cannot give you all the serum at once, but as it is, I will do my best to get the rest for us.”
“Can you tell us who discovered it?”
“Yes, I can. My mate, your queen.”
“All hail Queen Leonora!”
“Thank you,” I told them, but I must go. The radar showed that they were nearing the island. We didn’t have long to prepare for their first attack. “And know this. Should any of you, fight over it, harm or threaten to harm my mate or anyone involved in the process, you will not receive the serum. Goodnight.”
Draco and I teleported to the first ship. “Let the games begin,” I said. There were only a handful of men on this one. We easily destroyed the humans, sending them into the water to be eaten by the sharks and any other sea scavengers that wouldn’t mind picking their bones clean.
“On to the next,” Draco chuckled out before we went to the next boat. One after the other we killed all those aboard. They hardly put up a fight. A part of me felt this was all a diversion from their true motives, but it wouldn’t be long, and Nora promised to tell me if they came for her. I didn’t have time to dwell on it. A distracted mind would be a dead one soon.
“One more to go. I’m not looking forward to this,” I told him. “They aren’t even worthy of our effort. Maybe we should just send a missile on this one.”
“That sounds like a plan,” he responded, giving me a slow nod. We teleported back to the island and targeted the ship who was turning about. They were chickening out. We couldn’t have that now. Draco slammed the button, sending the missile toward the ship. And with loud, howling screams and splashing water, we watched the ship explode.
Just then, another alarm went off this time it wasn’t the island. The castle was under attack. “We have to help them.” We got there, and it was total chaos. How the fuck could this have happened? The men were fighting in and outside the forest around the castle. Then I saw two jets. The ones Charlotte saw coming. The bombs fell from the first jet. I didn’t have time to stop it. It crashed to the ground just to the back of the castle, setting the backside ablaze.
Screams and cries of our people being burned and dying screwed with my head. There had to be over five hundred Lamian soldiers and their human men fighting ours.
I had to get on that plane before they released another missile. Teleporting onto the top of the cockpit, I tore off the glass and steel, pulling the fucker from his seat, sending him to his death. The fucker ruined my damn castle again. He was lucky I took my family away from there. I jumped in and flew the plane to the edge of Lakes Garda and let it plummet into the water. It crashed through the semi-hardened icy water with a loud bang.
I dashed back to the battle. The swords and guns were going off. What the humans didn’t know was our men were faster than their bullets. One of the many benefits of our species. The Lamia didn’t prepare them for us. I saw several of my men turn to dust from a group of vampires and it felt like I’d been struck myself. Enough.
“Draco, let’s do this.” Dante and his hard crew were killing a batch of humans when several vampires came up behind them. Draco and I got there first, slicing every single one of their heads off. Dante turned and stabbed two of them with his Sai. We butchered that group, but there were still hundreds of soldiers going around. Fuck, I saw three women were being corralled by some human men. I knew damn well what their vulgar thoughts were. “Spoils of war,” I heard one of them say. That was it. I rushed over there and ripped two of their heads off while the other two opened fire, but the fucking idiots stood on opposite sides of me and all I did was teleport out of the way sending the bullets into each other. With their armor on, they weren’t dead yet, but I grabbed one of the guns and tapped two to each of their heads. “Run back to safety,” I yelled at them. They shouldn’t have been here in the first place. They probably came to help their mates. That was a big mistake. I went full force back into the battle. Bodies of humans were scattered around. And the breeze carried the bodies of our fallen. The other jet disappeared, but I had a feeling that Draco did the same thing, tossing it into Lake Como.
Chapter 38
Draco
This was more intense than the last battle, but I wasn’t going down like before. That jet needed to be dropped. No way was I going to have our people rebuild the castle again. I followed in Falcon’s strike and did the same, but the fucking pilot ejected after seeing what happened to his buddy. Fucking coward.
Falcon and I teamed up to get these bastards. It would be almost over if we had Gideon here, but I wanted the best to protect my family. And besides myself, he was the best.
I came face to face with an American soldier. He shouldn’t be one because he was a fucking pussy. His thoughts proved it. Shit, these guys are too much for us. We need to retreat, now.
“Fall back. Fall back,” he called out. I smiled in his face. No falling back now.
I stuck him with a fist to his jaw. “You’re a disgrace to the US military, little bitch,” I whispered before shooting him with his own gun.
The skies opened up in the middle of the night sending freezing rain down on our battle. It didn’t bother us vampires, but the result of it fucked up the remaining humans. They fucked with our families they had no reason to exist. I flew through the air and jumping in front of two soldiers running for the tree line, hoping to find safety. I laughed then sliced off their heads, then stabbed one with my dagger, then spun around, pulling the blade out and thrusting it into the other one’s chest; turning both of those cowards to dust. I was too late to help another one of our men. One large human killed him.
Seeing Falcon across the field with him witnessing the death of our head groundskeeper. He nodded, and we attacked. The sword-wielding human had to be six-seven, but he was no match for Falcon and me. I rolled behind him, sl
icing his Achilles, forcing him to fall to his knees, while Falcon came down on him sending his katana through the top of the human’s head. The sound of the squishy brain mess made me leer at the rest of those still willing to fight.
“Come on, Draco. I’m hungry.”
“Me too. It’s been so long.” I dashed to the next human, pulling his collar down, and biting his neck, tearing his flesh and drinking. Our men followed suit. I let go of the bastard, then roared with laughter. Demented and vile thoughts traveled through my head. This would do well. Why waste the blood?
More and more took off running even some of the Lamian vampires as they witnessed more and more of them being drained dry. Damn, if I’d known that was all it took, I should have done that from the start.
I wiped my tongue across my lips, savoring a delicious meal. These fuckers ate well. Soldiers do make better feasts for us.
Before long all Lamian soldiers were gone or dead. All those left standing were our Army of Light soldiers. “Huzzah!” I roared. I was followed by a chorus of “Huzzahs” and cheers for our latest victory.
The fire on the back of the castle and the forest behind us were put out from the icy rain. Our people convened in the courtyard which had sustained very little damage. This attack hadn’t been as sneaky as it had been massive. It was larger than any of their other attacks. That left a lot of them with men to use for their next attack.
“We won again,” Falcon cheered to our men. They roared back in unison, “Huzzah.”
He waited for silence before he addressed the crowd, “It’s not over, but they are running low on soldiers. Many of the humans will continue to run. Let them. They can’t defeat us. Now, let us moan our loss. We lost many today. But they did so with great honor. Tomorrow we will rest, then train for the next attack. I must check on my family. Please check with yours. Strength be with you all. Goodnight.”
Chapter 39
Leonora