Sons of Navarus Box Set #1

by Scott, K. M.

  Vasilije took a deep breath and exhaled his frustration. The prophecy’s reference to one born and not made was problematic. This very well could refer to a human. On the other hand, it could refer to something many of his kind believed didn’t exist anymore, if it ever did. A vampire born to a woman—to a vampire.

  “Clear as mud, right? At least this one only has two choices. It’s either a human who will hold the key or a born vampire,” Ramiel explained.

  “Born vampires are believed to have existed because of the eight sons of Navarus and Macaria,” Thane said with a hint of optimism in his voice.

  “But they were children born from a goddess, Thane. When was the last time that happened?” Vasilije asked.

  He didn’t want to play the role of devil’s advocate, but better to ask these questions now and get them out of the way.

  “There are those who believe they were the first but not the last,” Thane said with a smile.

  Vasilije looked at each man. “Have either of you ever met a born vampire?”

  Both shook their heads. For his part, Vasilije wasn’t even sure born vampires ever existed in the first place. He’d always considered the story of Navarus and Macaria’s children a myth, more symbolic of how vampires came to roam the earth than a literal telling of events.

  “But I’d never met a clyten either, Vasilije, and Dante stands with us,” Thane replied.

  “Ever the optimist, isn’t he?” Ramiel said with a grin. “So now all we have to do is translate the rest of these disjointed ideas, figure out what they mean, and find a vampire who was born. Any chance one of us has been holding out? Maybe Saint?”

  “No. I was there when he was made vampire. He’s not born.”

  “How does he hold up stuck in the French countryside with a beautiful female?”

  “Seems he’s a changed man,” Vasilije said remembering how he acted toward Solenne.

  “And now all of you have been given Teagan back again. Perhaps fortune is on our side,” Thane said. “Perhaps this is just the beginning of the Sons’ good luck.”

  *

  The lights in Marc Verrater’s office were dimmed when Solenne arrived, and even though she wanted more than anything to be safely back home, she worried her absence would arouse suspicion. To fail now would mean disaster for the man she loved, and after waiting for so long to have him back in her life, she wasn’t going to let him go without a fight.

  There was no sight of Rochelle at her usual perch at the front desk area, so Solenne continued toward her boss’s office at the rear of the suite. What sounded like muffled voices told her he was in tonight.

  Peaking her head in around the cracked door, she saw Verrater at his desk looking far more relaxed than usual. The door creaked as she stood watching him, and he turned toward her wearing a sinister grin that sent chills down her spine.

  “Lena, I’ve been waiting for you. Come. Sit down.”

  Solenne hesitated, unnerved by his devilish expression. Why had he been waiting for her? His deep blue eyes watched her, demanding she obey him, and she swallowed hard as she stepped into his office. Each night with him was as frightening as the first.

  “Has something happened, sir? I didn’t see Rochelle at her desk.”

  Verrater leaned back in his chair and fondled his black silk tie, stroking it from the knot at his neck all the way down to the tip. “I sent her and the others on an errand.”

  Something in his voice made it sound edgy. Dangerous. It immediately made her uneasy and everything inside her wanted to run as fast as her legs would take her away from this place. Everything but her heart, that is. Only her heart remembered why she came to this place again and again, forced to endure the pain and humiliation of the Archon.

  Struggling to keep her voice even, she asked, “Oh. Do you have any work for me tonight, or would you prefer I waited at Rochelle’s desk in case anyone comes in for your assistance?”

  “No. Where you are will do just fine.”

  Solenne understood what he meant and her stomach dropped at the thought.

  “First, I thought we’d have a little talk. How does that sound?”

  Verrater smiled and she saw the tips of his long white fangs as his lips pulled back in that same vicious grin he’d worn minutes earlier.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Lena, I’ve long believed you and I to be quite alike. You possess a mind I can respect, one that can weigh the consequences and outcomes of one’s actions. I can appreciate that in a fellow vampire. Do you understand?”

  No, she didn’t. While it was true she did have a mind very much like he described, her behavior around him should have told him quite the opposite.

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Unsure what to expect next, she was unnerved when he switched gears to ask about her past. “Tell me about your sire. I’m curious as to whether this ability of yours is innate or the result of a superior sire’s training.”

  Solenne’s mind scrambled to recall what lie she’d told about her sire when she’d applied to work in his office. Lucrecia…yes! She’d used the vaguest details of her friendship with her as the basis for her history, sticking to the broad outlines to convince Rochelle she wasn’t who she really was.

  “My sire is a wonderful woman named Lucrecia. I was truly fortunate to have been turned by such a soul.”

  The Archon raised one eyebrow in interest and waved his hand for her to continue. The problem was that she wasn’t sure where he was leading her with his sudden interest in her background, and something told her one misstep could land her in very dangerous areas.

  “She’s an ancient, turned in the early days of Rome.”

  Before she knew it, Verrater’s face had turned dark at the mention of Lucrecia as an ancient, and Solenne hastened to add, “But unlike others of her age, she’s loyal to the modern ways, sir. I can promise you that.”

  Seemingly pleased by her assurances, the hardness left his expression and he closed his eyes, a sign Solenne took to mean she should continue.

  “I was made a vampire right after the Great War. Lucrecia was very much a modern woman even then.”

  Slowly, he opened his eyes and leveled his gaze at her. “And why was that?”

  “She took to the new ideas very easily, bobbing her hair, hiking her skirt length, and even smoking.”

  Solenne had no idea when Verrater had been turned, so she couldn’t even guess if he knew anything about the 1920s firsthand. Her description of her friend was in actuality a description of herself before becoming vampire. Lucrecia was very much the picture of a classical woman then and now.

  “And she was kind enough to give you her house? A very generous sire too.”

  Terror raced through Solenne’s body at his statement. She may have been unsure how much she’d mentioned concerning her past, but she was absolutely sure she’d never said anything about where she lived. The smug look he wore told her she’d been found out.

  It took every ounce of strength she could muster to remain calm, even as the sick feeling of pure fear turned her stomach. “Yes, sir. She has been very generous with me.”

  Like an animal circling its prey, Verrater stood and walked around his desk to stand behind her. His lean form pressed against the spot between her shoulders and his smooth jaw touched the side of her face.

  “Onto those consequences, Solenne.”

  Fear of what he’d say or do next made her hold her breath and her heart raced wildly, pounding against her chest. “Pardon? Sir?”

  “There can be no pardon, dear. But you may still save yourself,” he whispered, grazing his teeth along the top of her ear.

  Desperate thoughts raced through her mind. If he knew who she was, he knew who she’d been protecting. Was he keeping her there while another assassin was ending Declan’s life?

  “Does he know what you do when you come here, Solenne? Does he know how much you’ve given up for him? I doubt he does. No matter. It was all for naught, it seems.”
/>   “Sir, please. I can explain.”

  Verrater slid his hand down the side of her neck and began to drum his long, slim fingers on her collarbone. His breath came in shallow pants near her ear, terrifying her. What would he demand in return for allowing her to live?

  “What would you be willing to do to save yourself? Give yourself to me? Ah, I can feel by the way you stiffen that this frightens you. Not to worry. You will do that, but I require more now.”

  He slid his lips down the column of her neck to just below her jaw and pushed the points of his teeth against her skin. Staring straight ahead, she focused on a tiny spot on the wall where the white paint had yellowed slightly and waited for the Archon’s next words.

  “For your deception, you must pay. You’ve shown yourself to be an enemy of our world. However, I believe there is a worthiness in you. To stay alive, you must prove this worthiness truly exists.”

  Solenne knew what was to come next. Fighting the tears that welled in her eyes, she listened as he spoke the words that struck her like a fist to her chest.

  “It’s your life or his. Your choice, dear Solenne.”

  Verrater buried his teeth into her skin and roughly pulled her blood into his mouth. The pain tore at her, as it always did, but soon she felt none of it, her mind instead focused on the terrible thought of the world without Declan in it and by her own hands.

  No longer able to contain her tears, they rolled over her cheeks at the choice the Archon forced her to make. All those years she’d waited to have Declan back in her arms, even willing to debase herself by supplying him with the women he demanded, for a chance to right what had gone wrong so long ago, only to have this be their end.

  As the Archon greedily devoured her blood, grunting and slurping noises filled her ears, but Solenne clung to the hope of finding a way to save both Declan and herself. There had to be some way. She couldn’t let them take him away!

  Verrater lifted his mouth from her neck and returned to his desk, his face still wearing that same cruel grin. “I’m sure your mind is feverishly trying to come up with some way that both your lives may be spared. Try as you might, you won’t find one. Our world is embroiled in a war, and he is the enemy who must be destroyed. Whatever feelings you may have for him, ask yourself if they’re more important than your life.”

  “I won’t do this. I won’t kill him, so just do whatever you plan to do to me now.”

  “You’re wrong, Solenne. You will do this because whether you believe it or not, you’re one of us. The desire to live will win out. You’re a true vampire, not one who loathes her nature, like he does. But if you choose him, know that he will still die, but by crueler hands.”

  Verrater finished speaking and in a flash was behind her, holding her in her chair with his hands crushing her shoulders. “You see, dear Solenne, I favor you, so I’ve chosen to give you a choice in how he dies.”

  His lips pressed against her neck, but this time he didn’t prepare to feed. Solenne closed her eyes and struggled to be free of him, but he was stronger and her resistance only served to make him angrier. At last, she submitted and prayed that this would be the last time she’d ever feel his hands on her.

  When he was finished, he dismissed her with a wave of his hand. His last words echoing in her ears, she stumbled out into the night air, weak from his attack and desperate to return home, hoping she wasn’t too late.

  *

  Saint sat quietly watching Teagan eat, uneasy at the sense of discomfort he felt around the one soul he should feel some connection to. When he’d heard about his brother’s death, he’d genuinely wished he’d had that one last chance to speak to him, but now that the chance had presented itself, all he felt was the sting of old hurts anew.

  Teagan looked up from his plate and wasted no more time with silence. “As her sire, I can’t keep you apart since she can’t sire you. I can make it difficult for you, however.”

  His fists in tight balls, Saint held back the urge to beat the hell out of him. It would be easy. Indulgent and even more addicted to the luxuries the world offered than his sire, his brother would be no match for him.

  “Why? Why do that?”

  “Or maybe we should reverse the past and I can take her away from you.”

  So that’s what this was going to be. Finally, after a century of silence, they’d clear the air.

  “I didn’t take anything from you.”

  His brother’s eyes narrowed to angry slits. “She was mine. As my brother, you should have respected that.”

  “Yours? Solenne isn’t an object you can possess. She’s a woman with a mind of her own.”

  Teagan stood and walked into the next room. With his back turned to Saint, he stood looking down at the fireplace and said, “I loved her. You knew that.”

  “Loved her? You left her alone constantly while you were off siring other vampires and fucking anything in sight.”

  He spun around and Saint saw the fire in his eyes he remembered from when they were teenagers, but now that fire seemed darker. Angrier.

  “She knew what I was when I turned her. I never promised her she’d be the only one.”

  “And did you know her when you turned her? That she never enjoyed those parties you loved, full of Absinthe and women begging to be fucked?”

  Teagan snorted in disgust at Saint’s words. “Don’t confuse her preferences with yours. She was fine with our life until you showed up.”

  “Invited. Remember, you invited me here so you could gloat about being a sire?”

  “And don’t forget that I am her sire. She will obey me. All I have to do is say the word.”

  Saint stood and faced him. “Why? You don’t love her, if you ever did. Why can’t you be happy that she loves me, your brother?”

  Teagan’s eyes flashed pure hatred, and he yelled, “Like you were for me? How’s it feel to know the person closest to you is a stranger set to take away something of yours.”

  “I never took her. She’s like me. When you left her, she needed someone—someone like her.”

  “And then she left you and you became Saint, a vampire who only fucks humans and whose vampires don’t care if you live or die.”

  Teagan’s look of disgust hurt more than his words, but Saint stood silently enduring his attack.

  “I’d like to think I had something to do with that, Declan. And she’ll leave you again this time too.”

  “You’re wrong. I became that man because of her. Love will do that to you, but you wouldn’t know about that, would you? I pity you, Teagan. You became just like your sire.”

  “Who is happily in love with the woman he made vampire. You’ve never understood the pull a sire has over his vampires because you’re just like yours. All I have to do is let nature take hold once again and Solenne is mine.”

  Saint knew full well how much control a sire could exert over their vampires. And he knew now that Teagan intended to do exactly that with Solenne.

  “I’m not the same man you last saw all those years ago, brother. Get in my way with the woman I love and I’ll see what that bitch in New Orleans thought she did really happen.”

  A noise behind him made Saint turn around to see Solenne staring at the two of them. “What’s happening here?”

  Teagan pushed past Saint and walked to where Solenne stood. “I was just explaining to my brother how strong the bond between sire and vampire is.”

  Cringing at the sight of him with his arm around her, Saint stepped toward them but stopped when he saw Solenne turn out of his hold. Standing between them, she looked first at him, her eyes full of sadness, and then at her sire.

  “I’m sure Declan understands quite well how strong that bond is. What he also knows is that it isn’t absolute.”

  “Maybe for someone like him, who ignores his vampires, that’s the case, but not for us. Even after all these years, I’m still your sire in whatever way I choose.”

  Solenne shook her head. “Don’t do this. I won’t let
you take him away from me again.”

  She took a step back and grabbed hold of Saint’s hand. Her eyes were wide with tears as she stared up at him. “I made that mistake once. I swear I won’t make it again.”

  “What mistake?”

  “She means when I made her give you up last time. If I recall, you made the choice quite easily.”

  “What choice? You told me you’d kill him if I didn’t let him go,” she cried. “I won’t let you do this again.”

  Saint’s rage grew with each word. His own brother had been the reason for his losing the only woman he’d ever loved, and he threatened her with killing him? The man who stood in front of him truly was a stranger.

  He pushed Solenne to his side and took Teagan by the throat. “Tell me you weren’t behind those bastards shunning me for ten years! Tell me my own fucking brother wasn’t behind taking everything I ever cared about from me!”

  Pushed against the wall with Saint’s hand pressing on his neck, Teagan rasped, “You broke vampire law. You deserved to pay.”

  From behind him, Solenne sobbed, “How could you do that? You had him punished for what we did? You promised me when I let him go that he wouldn’t be hurt.”

  “You had me fucking shunned! You sent me to fucking hell!”

  The need to punish the one who’d stripped him of everything—love, friends, a brother, his freedom—pressed on Saint’s heart, and he became blinded with rage. How many nights had he wished to know who’d turned him into the Archons, never once thinking his own flesh and blood could be the architect of his misery?

  It would end tonight.

  Saint easily overpowered Teagan and pressed his fingers into the straining cords of his neck, ready to snap it and end his life. His heart raced at the thought of what he was about to do—kill his own brother. As he looked into his eyes, so similar to his own, Solenne tore at his arm and pleaded for him to stop.

  Turning to face her, he said, “I’m already wanted by the Archons. Another crime won’t matter.”

  Solenne’s eyes were wide with fear. “Don’t do this! Please!”

  Saint felt Teagan’s pulse throb in time with his heartbeat, felt his life in his hands. “Why? Because he’s your sire?”