The Vampire's Mate (Tales of Vampires Book 3)

by Zara Novak

  The pack sprang from the dark ruins of the church, seeming to appear from the air itself. One minute they were men and women, the next the small hollow was full of snarling fur and teeth.

  “Attack!” Eric shouted while surging forward with his sword held outstretched. The night sprang alive with the sound of claws on silver as vampires and shifters tangled in the fury of combat. Screams and howls punctured the air, followed by the sounds of metal ringing on rock. The wolves were communicating in their blood curdling cries, which echoed all around the forest in a shrill cry.

  More than once, Eric saw the night illuminate with tongues of flame as a shifter staked one of his attacking men. He plunged his sword through the heart of a giant wolf and the beast let out a shrill roar, its body morphing back into that of a dead man. He was about to run inside the church to find the prisoners when he heard Will’s voice behind him.

  “Watch out Eric!”

  Spinning, he saw a giant wolf launching in his direction with its teeth inches from his throat. York appeared in the air above the wolf in a cloud of smoke, driving his sword down through its head. The beast crashed into Eric and he flew back, rolling across the dirt and landing on his feet. The wolf lay face down on the floor as a man.

  “Let’s get in there!” Will shouted, signaling to the church. They broke through the doors, accompanied by Ansel and Edmund. Inside, all was quiet. As they ran in they stopped at once, disarmed by the silence.

  The church was dark inside, lit by candlelight. At the altar there was an Asian woman. She stood next to a blond haired man feeding drink to a woman. The Asian woman turned to look at them, her eyes filled with fire.

  “Tell your men to retreat.”

  “Free our prisoners.” Will said.

  The vampires stopped halfway along the aisle. The battle was still raging, but already things were quieting down outside.

  “You can have your prisoners.” The woman said. “Logan is back, we are getting out of here and never coming back. Tell your men to retreat.”

  Eric stared at her. “And you.”

  The woman raised two fingers to her mouth and blew a shrill whistle. A second later half a dozen heavy thuds landed on the church roof. Looking up through the holes in the old building, Eric could see that the remaining shifters had retreated. Eric signaled Ansel to stop the rest of their men.

  “My pack never wanted a part of this.” The blond haired man on the stage said loudly. He didn’t take his eyes off the black haired girl in his arms. “A wolf in our group tricked us into taking this job.”

  “We don’t care of your reasons.” Will said loudly. “What’s done is done now. Vampires and shifters have died for no reason. What purpose did you have for coming here?”

  “False promises.” The blond haired man said. The girl in his arms choked, and she sat up straight. “Ruth!” He shouted. “You’re okay!”

  “Wait a minute…” Edmund stepped forward. “Ruth?”

  *

  Edmund walked down the church aisle, his eyes locked on the dark haired girl.

  “That’s close enough!” The Asian woman said to his left.

  “Ruth…” Edmund muttered to himself while walking forward, his eyes locked on the girl who was now standing up in the arms of the blond haired man. “Ruth!”

  “I said that’s close enough!” The Asian woman pulled out a gun and trained it on Edmund.

  “I know her!” He growled while taking no further notice of the woman. He stopped just short of the stage, not sure he could believe it himself.

  Ruth pulled her weary eyes from the blond haired shifter and looked at Edmund. For a second she looked confused, then she jumped up, ran and threw her arms around him.

  “Edmund, it’s you! What are you doing here?!”

  He caught her in his arms, fighting back the tears. “I could ask the same question of you! How did you escape the Keep?!”

  They broke away from each other, and Edmund saw the blond haired man was standing behind Ruth. “You must be Edmund. Ruth has told me a lot about you. My name is Logan Nash, and this is my pack.” Logan held out his hand and Edmund took it, still very much confused.

  Eric approached. “Perhaps it’s time we talked. Tell us, what is going on here?”

  Logan started from the beginning. One wolf in their pack had agreed to take a job working with the White Order.

  “Scarrow. And as it would seem, he split my pack in half the second the Circle betrayed me.”

  “Wait a second.” Eric said. “The Circle?”

  Chang and Logan explained that it was the Circle behind the attacks on the families. They were the ones supporting the Order, they were the ones who had called in outside help to take out the dynasties.

  “Maybe now you guys might understand why I hate them so much.” Ansel said to Will and Eric. “How’s it feel to be part of the most wanted club?”

  With help from Ruth, Logan explained how they had fought their way through the Red Keep and escaped together. He held up Vangzali’s locket in the light, every eye in the room captivated as it twinkled green.

  “I know a lot of bad blood has passed between our groups,” Logan said. “But hopefully tonight, we can start to put that behind us. Ruth Summers saved my life—”

  “And he saved mine.” She added.

  “Vampires and Shifters can co-exist.” Logan said. “And under my instruction, my pack will have no further part in trying to disturb your prophecy.”

  The two groups called a truce, and Logan had his men bring the prisoners up from the cells. In total there were eight survivors from the Castle York. Among them was Will’s brother, Eli York, and Eli’s blood servant Jessica.

  “It’s been too long brother.” Will said as he and Eli gripped each other tight.

  “That it has.” Eli said. “Eric, it’s good to see you.”

  “You too Eli, I’ll have my men escort you back now. You look as if you could use some rest.”

  “In all of this there is still the confusion surrounding these marked girls.” Logan said to Eric. “From what Chang tells me, there was no sign of any girl like that at Castle York.”

  “No.” Will said. “And we would have happily told you that before the attack. We have found no such girl either, but finding them is crucial. Without the girls the prophecy will fail.”

  “As a symbol of our regret, we will do whatever it takes to help you find these girls.” Logan said. “We want to help.”

  Logan and Eric shook hands. For the first time in a long time, shifters and vampires had made peace.

  The peace didn’t last long.

  The groups were making preparations to part ways when the attack happened.

  “We will take the prisoners back to Castle Belmont.” Eric said.

  “And we will leave this cursed church.” Logan said. “I will take my pack to the west of your valley, and there we will search for the marked girls.”

  A cold and broken howl echoed through the night air. The hairs on Eric’s neck stood on end. He and Logan locked eyes. “What was that?”

  “Scarrow’s pack. They’re attacking!”

  The roof creaked as Logan’s men jumped down to earth to engage with their friends turned rivals. Suddenly, a large stained glass window broke at the head of the church, and the giant body of a shifter flew through the air. Half a dozen men jumped through the window, their blue eyes glowing eerily in the dark light.

  “The Order are here too!” Eric shouted. “Fight!”

  The church was a blaze of confusing action. Wolves fought wolves, vampires fought men and chaos filled every inch of space.

  For Ansel, it was his first real chance to try the new Nephilim strength within his body. He called upon the strange source of energy and let out a howl as he felt the ice like fire boil through his veins. The air around him buzzed with energy and he launched at the nearest Nephilim soldier.

  “Take that!”

  Fighting the men was much easier now his strength was on par
with their own supernatural enhancement. His fist caught the face of the soldier, who hit the ground, casting a terrified look back up at Ansel. Another soldier came to join the fight, and Ansel found little trouble in fighting him either.

  “That’s it Ansel!” Eric cried while slashing a sword against one of Scarrow’s wolves. “Kill them!”

  Ansel turned his eyes back on the men, and in two sharp movements he had dispatched them permanently with his sword. The men went up in blue wells of fire, and then he felt their energy enter him too. Strength surged through him now, his body shaking from the power. Rage consumed him. Anderson. Where was that motherfucker? He would kill him for what he did to Kat.

  Anderson was up by the altar, laughing maniacally as he fought off vampires and shifters with great ease. Ansel was about to launch forward, when he saw one of Anderson’s men spear Will York straight through the heart.

  “Will!” Ansel ran over to the vampire, killing his attacker instantly. Will York fell to the floor, clutching at the silver sword in his heart, fresh torrents of blood bubbling up over his lips. “You’ll be okay Will!”

  “No Draco…” Will laughed, coughing up blood. “It’s the blessed silver. It’s the only thing keeping me alive. Once this comes out. I’m dead.”

  Eli was at their side instantly, crouched over his brother next to Ansel. “Will, no!”

  “Tell him to kill me Eli.” Will choked. “He can take my power…”

  The whole church started shaking. Clutching Will’s hand in his own, Ansel looked up and saw the church roof was lifting from its walls. All around them, the fighting drew to a halt, and everyone looked up stupefied at the roof hovering in the air. Centuries of dust and brick crumbled to the floor as the roof moved. Wood split, stone cracked. It hovered silently to the side until the night sky and stars overhead were exposed completely. The roof came crashing into the trees beside the church a second later, churning up tall clouds of dust and smoke.

  When it settled, Ansel saw the witch floating in the sky above them, cackling and shrieking maniacally. She spoke, and her voice boomed across the world like a god.

  “It’s her…” His mouth opened as he recognized her. She was the witch he had met the night he escaped from his coven.

  “Look at you all fighting like little toys. Searching for the things that have been under your nose all this time.” She shrieked, her laughter burning through the air like ice. Even Anderson seemed perturbed by Azu’s interruption.

  “What is the meaning of this witch?!” He roared. “We’re trying to fight here!”

  “Silly little man.” The witch said, her voice booming. “I’m tired of using mortals for my work. You are useless.” The witch stuck her hand out in Anderson’s direction, pulling his body up in the air toward her. Anderson clutched at his throat with his hands, clearly being choked by her magic. She pulled a black stone from a satchel on his side and let him drop back down to earth. He hit the ground with a sharp scream, probably breaking a few bones judging by the landing.

  “After I turn this arena into a crater, the prophecy will be finished. The gods will reward me for my action, and I shall ascend into something even greater.” The witch hovered the stone in her hand and blue markings formed on its surface.

  Did Azu mean that the other daughters were here in the church with them right now? Ansel shot his eyes around the church. There were vampires, the shifters from Logan’s pack, the shifters from Scarrow’s pack, the York prisoners and the humans from the White Order. Was it possible, that in all this mess, both daughters were here?

  “We have to stop her Ansel.” Eli whispered beside him. “That object in her hand is a hell charge. It’s an incredibly destructive bomb. If she sets it off, everyone here is dead.”

  “You can get up there right?” Ansel said to Eli. “Appear behind her and kill her?”

  Eli shook his head. “I tried to fight her during the original attack, she’s too strong for me.”

  Then what? What could they do?

  “Pull the sword out Ansel.” Will choked while coughing up the last of his blood. “You’ll kill me and take my power. Then de-materialize and face her. You have the strength.”

  “No.” Ansel said. “There has to be another way.”

  “Tell him to do it Eli.” Will rasped. “Now!”

  Ansel looked at Eli, who nodded back at him solemnly. They both knelt over Will, each of them holding his hand. Ansel took the hilt of the sword and clutched it reluctantly.

  “It was a pleasure knowing you Draco.”

  “And you York.”

  Will coughed, looking up at Eli. “I love you brother. Take care of Jessica, make sure she finishes our research.”

  “I will brother. Journey safe into the darkness. I love you.”

  Eli nodded at Ansel. With a loud cry, he pulled the sword from Will’s chest. Will erupted in flame, his hand turning to smoke and ash in his own. Power surged into Ansel, forcing him to his feet, filling his body with fire. He pulled his eyes up to Azu and tightened his hand on the sword. “Prepare to die bitch.”

  20

  There was little time to search for his new power. As soon as Ansel pulled the hilt from Will’s chest, he jumped to his feet, narrowing his eyes on Azu. The witch floated in the sky above the church, her eyes blazing with fire, her hand clutching the small hell charge, which was set to destroy everything.

  Inside, Ansel’s body was a cauldron of raging power. Every soul he’d ever taken, every power he’d consumed, they all whirled within him, fighting and stretching out, trying to compete for his attention. The most striking was the cold and flaring fire of the Nephilim spirits, which were so much stronger than all the other spirits inside of him. Deep in the recess of his mind however, there was the strange and ghostlike presence of something new.

  That’s it—that’s Will’s power.

  He reached out and grabbed the power in his mind, pulling it toward him. As soon as he touched it, the world burst into a vision of melting smoke. One moment Azu was in his vision, the next he felt himself hurtling up and spinning round in all directions, screaming as he tried to regain control. He tried to straighten his eyes and look forward, but his vision had stretched into a deep tunnel. Somewhere around him, he heard the manic cackling of Azu, echoing through the hallways of his mind.

  A cold burst of air touched his hands, and he grabbed hold of the sensation. The world came crashing back into focus and Ansel realized he was up in the air above the church, just behind Azu. There was one thing he'd forgot about, and that was gravity. Thrusting his hand out, he grabbed Azu and held on tight.

  The witch screamed as they fell. They were turning fast through the air, and only seconds from the floor. Ansel pulled his sword back and speared it through her chest. Silver emerged on the opposite side of her body streaked in dark red, and an ear piercing scream filled the valley.

  They smashed through an old stone altar, the witch’s body taking the brunt of the force. Azu was dead. Ansel stood, all eyes in the church were on him.

  “Looks like you did us all a favor there Draco.”

  Anderson limped across the stage area with a gun pointed at Ansel’s chest.

  “Really? Are we still doing this?”

  “What? Are we best buddies now because you killed that crazy bitch? You’re still a vampire, and I’m still a vampire hunter.” He pulled back the trigger on his pistol, the blue fire fading from his eyes. With Azu dead, the Nephilim magic would work no more, Ansel even felt it fading from himself.

  “I’d reconsider that. Your powers are fading. In a few seconds, you’ll just be mortal again, and I’ll tear you limb from limb.”

  There was no hint of worry on Anderson’s face. “I had accounted for that Draco. I grabbed this when you took the witch down.” Anderson lifted his hand to display the hell charge. “One word and I light this place up.”

  “You’re bluffing. You’re too vain for self sacrifice.”

  “Actually, Azu gave me the trigge
r word. Care to hear it? It’s SHA—”

  The stone glowed bright blue, but Logan stepped forward, raising his voice over Anderson’s. “This has gone far enough Anderson. The contract from the Circle was a mistake. Neither of our parties should ever have taken it. If you set that thing off, you kill us, and you kill your own men too.”

  Anderson surely wasn't that crazy, but the fear in his men's eyes told a different story.

  “He’s right Anderson.” A blond haired girl stepped forward. “Don’t sacrifice the rest of our lives just because you’re too stubborn to admit defeat.”

  “Stay out of this Ellie.” He snarled. “I’m the leader here, and it’s my choice. I’ve been hunting these families for as long as I can remember, and now I can finally kill them.”

  “Kill us, and we still survive.” Eric Belmont said. “We’ve escorted the York prisoners, and we still have Belmont vampires safe back at the castle.”

  “And with you dead, no one is there to protect them.” Anderson laughed. “After we die, the White Order will get word of it. They’ll send in more troops to finish your families, including your whore wife and your fucking demon children.”

  Ansel watched as Eric fought to keep himself held back. Anderson had gone insane, and he was holding the one thing that could kill everyone. They could try to jump him, but annihilation was just one word on his lips.

  “So we’ll leave it at that.” He continued. “I can’t say it’s not been fun. You vampires put up a rather good fight, I have to give you that. It’s time to draw it to an end however. Farewell folks. SHAVR—”

  A bolt of white light erupted from the dark ink of night, bursting down through the air in a second. The lightning struck the ground under Anderson’s feet, exploding through the church in a deafening crack. A shock wave burst through the church, sending everyone flying backward. Annihilation hung on Anderson's’ lips, and the triggering word twisted into a shrill cry of pain, followed by nothing.

  His body vaporized into a cloud of sparkling ash, leaving only a charred pit of stone in his place. Ansel lifted himself back onto his feet. The hooded vampire stood in front of him.