Blood Law

by Karin Tabke

  She ran for what seemed like hours. Each time a car approached or passed, she ducked back into the woods. The female scent she had picked up earlier returned. She felt drawn to it. A safe haven. In another place and another time, she would pursue it. Not tonight. Tonight she would learn her true identify and with that knowledge fight for the man she loved.

  Finally, she came upon a small encampment. The scents were strong and, again, oddly familiar. Much like the female Lycan scent shadowing her. Like a wolf rather than the cat she’d thought of earlier, every sense in her was heightened. Had the mark of the Lycan brothers given her wolfen power? It didn’t matter. She was glad for it, felt comfortable with it, and would use it to her advantage.

  She stopped at the forest’s edge then stealthily crept toward the village. She heard a small whimper. She hunched lower, looking for the source. The hair on the back of her neck rose when she realized it had come from her. A tightness in her gut mingled with a longing in her heart. For what? Why here, why now? She moved in closer. The air swirled with old-world human scents. Distinct and not of this time. The mood of the people who milled about was sad, forlorn. Despondent. Her vision honed.

  Were these the Amorak Rafael spoke of? But if she was a Slayer, why this sense of familiarity? They could not be her kin.

  Confusion washed through her in chaotic waves. The more she discovered, the more confusing it all became. Could a Lycan pair with a human and produce a hybrid of sorts? She was all human, albeit one with some wacky shit going on, and Rafe had said he chose her to carry on his legacy. Was that allowed? Was it possible she was both Lycan and Slayer?

  Impossible, according to Rafael. She shook off the questions. She had to focus.

  The small houses were in bad need of repair. Several cars that had seen better decades clogged the narrow dirt road that ran down the center of the place. If she could just get to one . . .

  THE SUN BEGAN its final descent as Rafael reached the northern tip of his mountain. He shifted in mid-stride, never faltering. He coughed up the ring he swallowed each time he shifted, slid it on his hand, and continued to run naked through the pines. As man and beast, rage filled every cell, every pore. His entire being.

  Betrayed by his chosen one! With his brother! He snarled and continued to run. How could she allow Lucien to mark her? Didn’t she know or care about the significance of her treachery? Even if he could forgive her, the pack never would. What she had done, fucking his brother while she bore Rafael’s mark, was paramount to treason.

  She would be ripped apart.

  He threw his head back and howled in pain, frustration, and longing. He loved her! His chest ached, not from the exertion of his endless running, but in heartbreak.

  He had defied the Blood Law for her! And in return, she’d allowed Lucien to come to her, take her, then mark her.

  They must have traded blood for Lucien to so easily come to her while he slept. How had he not known? Had he been so caught up in his own plans for vengeance he had overlooked it?

  He stumbled, dropping to one knee. The details didn’t matter. They had united and in doing so had forged an insurmountable abyss between himself and Falon.

  He pounded the rocky earth with his fists. He welcomed the pain. The ring flared. From the moment he’d taken it from Salene and put it on his finger, his life had shattered into a million pieces. He had no control, and just as Sharia had told him, Falon would be his destruction. His honor and his destiny forsaken for a traitorous bitch! He grabbed the ring and tried to wrestle it from his finger. It flared hotter, burning into his flesh. He knew what it wanted: Falon. If he could not have her, neither would Fenrir. And neither would his brother!

  “Never!” he roared. Birds took flight from the trees, and deer sprang from their hiding places in the brush, dashing past him to safer ground. He would not, could not take her back. Even, gods help him, if he wanted to. He had only one option, and it was something he should have done long ago.

  Destroy Lucien.

  With no leader, pack Mondragon would have no choice but to reunite with pack Vulkasin, and together they would destroy clan Corbet. What happened after that, Rafael did not want to think of. Without Falon, his life would be . . . what? As empty and despondent as it felt now. Would he ever recover? Did he want to? Anger was so much easier to endure than heartbreak.

  He stood and stared up at the darkening sky. The orange moon rose full. He would be his most powerful tonight. He would hunt Lucien down and strike a fatal, final blow. And if Lucien had not avenged the Blood Law, then Rafael would. Unspeakable pain tore him apart. His jealousy ripped his heart to shreds. He wanted nothing more to than to snap Falon’s neck. But to do so would kill him. He knew it. But his pride, how could his damn pride allow her to live when she had betrayed him so heinously?

  Were it not true, if he had one shred of doubt, he would cling to that. But he saw the mark and smelled their sex.

  Rafe howled at the moon, then said to the ring, “Fenrir, my will shall be done!” Then he shifted, swallowed up the flaring ring, and ran as if the hounds of hell were on his heels back to the compound.

  He smelled the Amorak miles before he reached his home. He also caught other scents, familiar and unfamiliar. He knew why Taylor was there, but why the Amorak? They had not come to the compound in years. Had they caught wind of Falon’s treachery? Would they hold Lucien accountable as well? Would they demand Rafael hunt her down and slay her? Blood rage clouded his vision. He was a step ahead of them.

  Not wanting to engage with his pack, Rafe avoided the secured front gates and instead cleared the high fence that surrounded the compound, then leapt onto the roof and into the shattered window of his bathroom. Though her scent lingered, he knew Falon was gone. She had run. He’d watched her and let her go, even though doing so had been almost as painful as watching Corbet skin his mother alive.

  He forced the fury and heartache from his soul. He was alpha. There was no room in his heart for sentimentality. Falon had seen to that. He quickly shifted, coughed up the damn ring, slipped it on, and took a shower then dressed.

  Several of his pack paced the vestibule to the great room. In his anger, he had run off at dawn, leaving them without instructions, with no leader in his absence. Their tension was palpable. They immediately settled when they sensed his presence, relaxing even more when they physically saw him. They knew something significant had occurred. They looked expectantly at him, then past him for their alpha female. Rafe leashed his emotions. “Good evening,” he said, ignoring their questioning eyes.

  “The Amorak are here. They’re edgy and angry, Rafael. What happened?” Anton asked, his head down, showing his respect despite his demand.

  “I suppose I’ll have to ask them,” Rafael said, his voice steel, leaving no room for more questions. “But first, I want to conclude my business with Taylor. Escort him to my office.” Rafael strode past Anton and said over his shoulder, “Alone.”

  Rafael paced his office when Anton failed to bring Taylor in quickly enough. He wanted the human gone. Their business was concluded. He had other much more important business to attend to.

  “Come in,” Rafael roughly called at the knock on the door. He turned and faced Taylor. In forty-eight hours, the man had aged a lifetime. Still, his smile and the tears in his eyes belied the deep stress lines in his face. He rushed to Rafael, extending his hands. He grabbed Rafe’s hands and vigorously shook them.

  “Thank you, thank you!” his voice cracked, and tears ran down his cheeks.

  Rafael stiffened and extracted his hands. He looked past him to Anton, who stood quietly at the threshold. “That will be all for now.” His sergeant at arms retreated from the room, closing the door behind him. Rafael moved around to his desk and sat down, wanting distance between himself and Taylor. He was in no mood for human touch. His gut roiled when he thought of Falon and the smoothness of her skin, of her sweet scent. He growled. Of her treachery!

  “Mr. Vulkasin?” Taylor said, a trem
or of fear shaking his voice.

  Rafael looked up and forced a smile. “Sit,” he said, nodding toward the empty chair in front of his desk.

  The man sat and leaned forward. “I don’t know how you did it, and I don’t give a damn. All I care about is that my daughter is home safe and sound.” He wiped a tear from his eye. Rafael sneered at the man’s weakness. He would never go there again. Ever.

  “I’m a man of my word. Name your price, and it’s yours.”

  Rafe sat back, contemplative, in his big leather chair. If Falon were here, she’d want to know how the girl was. He did, too, but not because he was overly concerned for her health. He wanted to know what she saw. What she knew.

  “I trust your daughter is no worse for wear?”

  Taylor nodded his head vigorously. “Barely a scratch on her. How she’s going to do emotionally, only time will tell.”

  “Does she recall anything of her rescue?”

  Taylor furrowed his brows and pursed his lips. “No. None at all. She has no recollection of the entire ordeal.”

  Rafael nodded. With time, her memories would return. Slowly at first, then in a rush. He’d blocked his parents’ death for almost a year before he could face it again in his mind’s eye. Now, there was not an hour that passed when he did not relive the horror of that day.

  Taylor’s head snapped back. “She was rambling when we drove her home, none of it making sense, but she did ask about a pretty dark-haired lady who saved the dog. Would that be your, uh, girlfriend?”

  Rafael’s organs twisted. “No.”

  Taylor nodded in understanding but pressed on. “I’d like to thank her. I owe her as well. If it hadn’t been for her, my daughter would still be missing and Smythe would still be in my employ.” Taylor sneered. “He won’t be surfacing anytime soon.” Their gazes locked in understanding.

  “Falon also will not be surfacing anytime soon.”

  Taylor sat back in surprise. “Did she—”

  “She is gone, Mr. Taylor, that is all you need to know.” Rafael stood. “I’m afraid I have urgent business of my own to attend to.”

  Taylor stood. “You haven’t named your price, Mr. Vulkasin.”

  Rafael had every intension of being compensated, when the time was right.

  “Give me some time to think about it.”

  “Your call. You have my number.”

  “Keep your phone with you at all times. You never know when I’ll be in touch.”

  Taylor nodded and held out his hand. “I will. And thank you for giving me back my daughter.”

  Rafael clasped the man’s hand, glad for the first time that he had allowed Falon to interfere. At least one man would sleep easy tonight.

  Rafael stood for a long moment after the door closed. Emotions chipped away at his tightly held defenses. He pushed them back, hardening his resolve, refusing to allow his emotions to play any further role in his future. The chaos in his heart and soul began to subside as his brain wrestled the last stronghold of his heart. No anger, no heartache, no regrets, no vengeance. Just steely resolution.

  He was alpha and, as alpha, his sole reason for being was to protect, provide, and procreate for the greater good of his pack. He had failed them once out of fear and nearly destroyed them because of love. He would see the Blood Law avenged, then choose another mate and wildly procreate. He needed to do what he should have done all along—sacrifice Falon and then move on.

  The scent of the Amorak intensified. Slowly, the door opened. Through the threshold, Sharia wobbled on her old, unsteady legs, accompanied by Talia’s adopted brother, Daniel. The man glared at him.

  Talia.

  Lucien’s captive. Her loss had been devastating to the pack in many ways. Not only was she their healer, their calm voice in the storms of chaos, she was their direct link to the Spirit Mother. She was also Rafe’s spirit guide. Mostly, she was his friend. He missed her.

  When he demanded the council step in and force Lucien to return her, they once again refused him. He took matters into his own hands then but failed to free her.

  Mentally Rafe hung his head in shame. Another failure as alpha. He shook off the guilt. By sunrise, he swore to himself, Talia would be home.

  “Rafael,” Sharia softly said. “Your chosen one seeks the Slayers. You must stop her at all costs.”

  Sixteen

  RAFAEL’S HEART STOPPED for one inexplicable moment before it kicked his chest with the velocity of a mule team. Unbridled fury that she would dare betray him yet again raged white-hot in his chest. But to Sharia and her shaman, he remained outwardly composed.

  “She is dead to me,” Rafael said evenly. “The Slayers will do what Lucien has failed to do. If they do not, then I will slay her myself.”

  Sharia’s feeble body wobbled toward him. “Tonight is the night. The moon is full and you are at your strongest, Rafael. The Slayers will not destroy her. They will protect her and use her powers on all Lycans. You must go after her. Tonight.”

  Rafael swiped his hand across his chin and began to pace his office. Sharia moved into his path and grabbed his shirt in her gnarled fists, shaking it. “You have allowed your guilt and emotions to rule for too long, Rafael. Your refusal to take a mate has prevented the pack from reproducing. Your failure to mate has inadvertently prevented Lucien from taking another mate, as well. The packs are dying. Reclaim your chosen one. Only then can destiny play out.”

  Rafael snarled. “She betrayed me with my brother! Even now, she runs to the enemy. I will never reclaim her!”

  “Set your emotions aside!” she hissed. “If you do not reclaim her, the Slayers will triumph, and every Lycan will perish before the coming of the Blood Moon. Is your pride worth the lives of an entire nation?”

  Despite his fury, Rafael gently disengaged the old woman’s hands from his shirt. He looked over to Daniel, who had said nothing. He didn’t have to. The recrimination in his eyes spoke volumes. Rafael inhaled sharply then slowly exhaled. He was alpha. As alpha, he was the one who had to make the hard decisions. He was the one, not Lucien, who bore the weight of the Lycan nation on his shoulders. He had let them down too many times over the last fourteen years. He promised himself he would not do it again. He would take charge in whatever capacity was required and do what had to be done to preserve his people and their future existence. But asking him to rescue his chosen one, the same chosen one who betrayed him with his brother then ran to their mortal enemy, was too much. He did not know if he possessed the self-control not to harm her the next time he laid eyes on her. “What am I to do with her once she is reclaimed?”

  “Allow the Blood Law to be avenged,” Sharia softly but firmly said.

  Rafael shook his head in disbelief. It made no sense. “Reclaim her, and wait for Lucien to come for her?”

  Daniel nodded as Sharia said, “Yes.”

  The reality of what they asked of him struck him speechless.

  “It is the only way to move past it, Rafael,” Daniel said, speaking for the first time. “Avenge the Blood Law, and wipe the slate clean. You will be free to take another mate, and Lucien will follow. The packs must unite if they are to rise with the sun the day after the Blood Moon rising.”

  “Once the Blood Law is avenged, life will spring from the loins of all Lycans. It will be a great time to rejoice. The rebirth of the Lycan nation will come with the rising, but only if the packs are united. See it through, Rafe, then be done with it! The wounds have festered too long.” Sharia’s voice held strong with conviction.

  Rafael jammed his fist into his open palm. How could he take Falon back? Did Sharia expect he take her back into his bed as well? He would not. Never.

  He would not breed with her. Now he was relieved she had not marked him. Until she did, she would not conceive. He would reclaim her, but in appearances only. Let Lucien come for her. Let him avenge the Blood Law; only then could Rafael walk away from the chains of guilt that held him captive all these years and walk to freedom.


  Though his heart had closed, he nodded. “I will see it done.”

  Sharia nodded and smiled a crooked, knowing smile. She patted Rafael’s hand, then brought it to her lips and kissed it. The sweet gesture in the midst of such harsh words took him by surprise. “Your parents would be proud of you, Rafael. You have finally, after all this time, taken control of your destiny.” She lowered his hand and let go of it. “I promise you, in the end you will be glad you did. With your sacrifice, the glory of the Lycan nation will shine brighter than a thousand full moons. You will see.”

  She turned from him and, with Daniel’s assistance, made her wobbly way out of his office. Daniel quietly closed the door behind them.

  He replayed Sharia’s words in his head. The ones about his parents being proud of him. He hadn’t been doing right by them, but today that would end.

  The debilitating yoke that he had dragged around since the day he slew Lucien’s chosen one, lightened. With it gone, he would be invincible. He growled and yanked the office door open.

  “Anton, Yuri, tell the boys to saddle up! We’re going hunting!”

  NESTLED HIGH IN the Oakland hills, Falon stood outside a large building that resembled an old medieval fortress. Though it had taken all day, it had been easy to track them. She’d returned to the burned-out warehouse and, like a wolf to its prey, she lifted her nose to the air, caught their lingering scents, then followed them to this place. Oddly, there didn’t seem to be an elaborate security system like at the Lycan compound. She guessed when you were the hunters, you didn’t need one.

  Dozens of old cars and vintage motorcycles lined the perimeter of the rustic stone structure. Not a soul stirred. The sun had set a half hour before. She’d watched since then, hoping to catch a glimpse of Edward. He was here, his scent dominant.

  She had no more of a plan now than she had when she’d run from the compound. How could she get answers then walk away a free woman? Promise Edward something? He would want nothing less than Rafael.