"I believe he holds the knowledge of where the Originals are sleeping and who their keepers are. There is also a rumor that his human, the one that spent time in our courts when Lucius was here..."
"The one you tortured..."
"Is a Blood Human. All we need to do is get her to admit it."
The woman snorted. "Easier said than done. Her master has convinced her that she is human and the rumors say that she could easily be a Dream Weaver. Which is why when she was at the courts with us, her eyes were required to remain covered."
"I have tasted her blood, there is no taint of demon in it. Dream Weavers are made of a dream demon and a human. I should have tasted it. I believe Lucius lied to us."
"And why would he do that?"
"Because having a Dream Weaver would make him more powerful and feared. It would also allow him to cover up if she were a Blood Human."
They muttered and mumbled amongst themselves and Markus knew that he had caught their attention. Now he'd be able to do what he wanted where Tegan was concerned.
Danielle took a deep breath as she walked into the Hunters' headquarters. Cody had been called to trial already and she needed to provide her account of what happened. It was rare these days for a Hunter to appear in front of the jury of Masters for crimes.
She swallowed when she went down the wide white hallway. Dark wooden doors lined either side of her and her steps echoed off the tiled floor as she walked. With only the noise of her walking, the world seemed empty, but she knew behind every door a class of students sat learning about the harsh world they were now a part of. She came to the double doors at the end of the hall and walked in. Ignoring the looks from the crowd and the glare from Cody, she went to the podium in front of the ten Masters, sitting behind their long table on a raised part of the floor.
"I'm Danielle Monarch, Elite Hunter, and I am here to provide testimony to the disobedience of our rules, regulations, and oath that Skilled Cody Demare has broken." Clenching her hands to keep them from shaking, she tried to remember that the man in question had disobeyed his orders from her and had acted for his own agenda. "Skilled Hunter Demare put the life of Renee Flemmons in danger, the woman we were sent to watch over and protect. He disobeyed direct orders to let the situation be and neglected to trust his commanding Elite."
Cody snarled behind her, but she kept going. "The consequences of his actions are that Renee has chosen to stay within Lucius’ guard and the stone, that has been sought after by many parties, is now in the hands of the Circle. He put the whole job in jeopardy and he shot the human that belongs to Lucius. The vampire is in his right to contact the Hunters and demand that Hunter Demare be stripped of his mark."
"The vampire shouldn't have such a right." Cody protested behind her. "They are monsters. We all know this."
Dani held her tongue and watched as the Master at the end stood up. Matthew, if she recalled right. "There are laws that have to be followed. Many of us wish to hunt down every vampire, but in order to keep the peace and the war in balance we cannot."
"And what happens if they raise the Father?"
"The Father is just a myth." Matthew shot back.
Dani glanced over her shoulder at Cody, knowing he wasn't helping his case any. "That is all I have to report."
"Thank you Danielle, you may return to your duties. We will recess to discuss the repercussions that Cody will receive." Matthew bowed his head and she stepped away. Without looking back, she walked out of the room, barely holding herself together. With any luck Cody would be put on suspension then reassigned to another Elite. Worst-case scenario would be they chose to strip him of his mark, a process that hadn't been done for years in the Hunting Society; some believed it was a dead practice.
"It's not, you know."
The voice made her jump and she spotted a Master Hunter leaning against the wall. His seal stood out on his shirt and she knew he was a teacher, though she never had the honor of taking his class. "I'm sorry?"
"It's not a dead practice. In fact, the last Hunter was skinned of his mark just under twenty years ago." He pushed off the wall and approached her. "It's not only the vampires who seem to be returning to the past, but the Hunters as well."
She licked her lips, trying to figure out if she'd said something out loud about the skinning. "I know your face, but not your name."
He held a hand out to her. "I'm Joey Curry. Master and mentor to this years graduating Elite class. You're Danielle Monarch. You have a rogue partner, and you blame yourself for the crap he pulled. It's not your fault. Occasionally one bad egg comes up in the bunch."
"How did you know what I was thinking about the marks?" She shook his hand and met his gaze.
A grin broke out over his face. "I have my ways and I'll leave it at that."
He had a gift of some sort and her curiosity begged for more information, but she bowed her head respectfully. "Then you already know what the outcome of this trial is?"
"They'll skin his mark and relocate him away from headquarters." His smile faded. "The first in twenty years and it had to be a Skilled. So young, he could still be taught the error of his ways."
"Then why would the Grand Masters sentence him to that?"
Joey shrugged. "That I don't have the answer to. Something else is going on in the Hunting Society, Danielle. My students, your graduating class, the new recruits, everyone is going to be affected by it."
Not the most comforting thought. She pursed her lips. "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I know you are loyal to the society and I felt that I needed to warn you." He turned and started down the hall. The need to run after him threatened to overcome her, but she resisted. Waiting to see if he was right sounded more important. He disappeared into one of the classrooms and she walked the other way down the long hall, planning on burying herself in some type of work for the night.
Chapter Twelve
A faint knock woke Renee the next morning, and without waiting for an answer Tegan walked in.
"What are you doing back here?"
Tegan raised a brow. "Is that the way to greet your security and your friend?"
"Coran?” Renee tried to keep the pain from her voice, but she couldn’t help that she wanted him there.
Tegan shook her head and leaned against the wall. "He's...in wolf form and isn't able to come to your aid."
"Wolf form?” She wished she hadn’t said anything to him and that it was him here instead of Tegan.
"Yeah, right now he is a big, fuzzy, pissed-off wolf." Tegan laughed. "I thought you didn't want him here."
That was it, vague answers and statements weren’t going to cut it any longer. "What I want is answers, and you're going to give them to me." Renee settled back on the bed. "Starting with why he is in wolf form."
"Orion, Coran and I are all being punished for disobeying Lucius and screwing things up." Tegan pulled up a chair and sat down, crossing her legs.
Renee snorted. "So you got sent here as a punishment while Coran's running around as a wolf. What's Orion doing?"
"Don't mock it, Renee, the punishments that we are going through are because we failed to protect you. Coran is locked in a room as a wolf, and I am to be without my sight when at the manor, until Lucius says otherwise. Orion has to take my shifts at the bar and is forbidden to see me.”
Renee scrunched up her nose and tried to imagine how everything fit into place. She would assume as a wolf Coran would want to run and hunt, but being locked in a room he wouldn't be able to. Orion wanted nothing more than to be near Tegan, but Tegan's loss of sight made no sense to her. Sure, the girl always kept her eyes covered and Renee knew the excuse of light sensitivity covered up the truth. "Why your sight?"
"Because that's how life used to be when we were with the Circle. I can't explain why, but members of the Circle can never see my eyes. Lucius punishes us like this because it reminds us of what he's given us."
"That is horrible, he expects you to go without seeing
anything?" How could Coran and the others live with this monster ruling their lives?
"That's life in the supernatural world. Lucius is my protection, I don't have a mate to keep me safe."
"Would Coran be able to protect me if we were mated?" Renee asked.
Tegan nodded. "He would be able to if he would just listen to fate and take you as his mate."
"Tell me what I can do." Renee begged, hope rising in her heart.Maybe if she could protect herself and if Coran could accept their fate, then the vision she was shown wouldn’t come true.
Tegan shrugged. "Don't get tortured, don't take unneeded risks and don't listen to me when I say let’s go out."
"I'm guessing this all goes back to Trisha?" Renee muttered. "What did listening to you have to do with it?"
Tegan shrugged. "Well, I wanted to get out of the cabin for a few hours and I talked Trisha into coming with me. We were captured by the Circle. Coran blamed me for years, but now he has a chance at happiness again. So don't come out with me, he feels that humans are defenseless, and, well, there's not a whole lot you can do about that."
"Wrong, teach me to use a sword." Renee demanded.
Tegan balked at that. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Teach me to use a sword when I'm out of here, then I at least have something to protect me." She raised her chin.
"I'll start with regular self-defense, you don't just jump straight to a weapon. It will help with Coran's opinion of you being defenseless, but why go through all that work since you sent him away?"
"I just, I feel like I need to be near him. My heart broke when I sent him away, but I felt it needed to be done. I panicked. This world scares me and part of me wants out of it. The other part of me feels like I need him to be close to me, that I can soothe him. I feel lost without him by my side. He completes me and I was wrong to doubt him and whatever is going on between us.” She met Tegan’s eyes. “Will you take me to him?"
Tegan shook her head. "You're supposed to stay in the hospital, and remember he's in wolf form. He tends to be even more moody when he's in wolf form."
"I've been cleared to walk and I can kind of use my arm again. The doctor said they were just keeping me another night because someone demanded the best care for me. So really, I'm good to go."
"But I don't know how much trouble I'd get in. Besides, going to see him isn't going to help with your fear of the supernatural."
"Please, Tegan?"
Tegan opened her mouth to say something, but the door opened and she froze when a vampire walked in. Not just any vampire. Markus.
Renee looked to the tall vampire then her glance slid to Tegan.Her heart pounded and fear gripped her. He said he’d come back for her, but she hadn’t believed it.
Tegan’s entire body tensed when the vampire spoke. "Tegan, looking well. I see Lucius let you off your leash." His voice rumbled through the room.
"Markus, what are you doing here?"
Renee didn't like the tone in Tegan's voice. It held her normal authority but with a side of fear. Markus towered over Tegan as he took a few steps into the room. He straightened the bottom of his suit jacket and let his eyes wander over Renee. Panic started to overtake any pain as Markus met her gaze. His black eyes bore into her and a pounding started behind her eyes.
"I came to take Renee with me, but I wasn't expecting you here. I thought you would have learned to stay with your master." Markus chuckled. "Or does he not control you still?"
Tegan swallowed and stepped closer to Renee's bed. "I'm here on his orders and the law about coming into a territory uninvited and throwing around threats still stands. You are required to let my master know when you are coming and then arrange to meet with him. The Circle is not above those laws."
Renee pushed against the headboard of her bed, trying in vain to fight against the memories of pain from his previous visit. She tried to get past the idea that Markus had actually returned for her. "Why?" Her voice squeezed out.
Both of them stared at her. Tegan stared at her impatiently, clearly saying, 'shut up'. "Because the laws were set in place—"
"No, why do you want me?" Renee met Markus' gaze again.
Markus laughed. "Because your blood can open the tomb that the Father is locked in."
Renee paled and the room started spinning. What was he talking about?
Tegan snarled and pulled a dagger from under her shirt, rushing Markus. "You cannot raise that monster."
Markus caught her wrist. Spinning around, he slammed her against the wall. Renee gasped. Knowing how fast Tegan could move, the fact that Markus outmaneuvered her was scary.
"Learn your place, you attacked a member of the Circle—"
"You threatened someone under the protection of my master and you are here without permission. You were in the wrong first, you must meet with my master."
Markus pulled her away and slammed her into the wall again and Tegan grunted at the impact. She head butted him, but he only snarled at her. Markus backhanded her, her head whipped to the side and she brought her knee up to his stomach. He pulled back and Tegan tried to get away from the wall, but he shoved her back. Putting his lips against her neck, he seemed to whisper something Renee couldn't hear, causing Tegan to freeze, all the color draining from her face.
He swallowed and Renee realized he'd bitten Tegan. Drinking her blood, he seemed unaffected by Tegan trying to shove against him. The moment Renee reached for the call button, Markus let Tegan go. Bracing herself up against the wall, Tegan snarled at the vampire.
"We'll meet with Lucius. Tell your master that he will be hearing from me. If he denies us then we will attack. It is within our laws since we believe he is planning to rise against us." Markus ran a hand down Tegan's cheek and she shivered. "I look forward to the outcome."
Renee gasped when he simply disappeared from the room.
Tegan stood silent and still for a moment, making Renee afraid to speak. "He had a hand in your torture?"
"Yes, and I won't go back to him, end of story. Lucius would die before he'd let that happen again, and if he dies, I die." She sounded tired. "You still want to go see Coran?"
Renee nodded. "Now more than ever. I don't feel safe without him near. So how do we convince the doctors to let me out of here?"
Tegan smirked and held up a finger. "I'll be right back."
Renee shook her head when Tegan rushed out the door. She picked up her book and leaned back in bed, ready to lose herself in the story while Tegan worked some type of voodoo magic. But she couldn't concentrate, something scratched at the back of her mind while she waited. A pressure, a calling for her to leave the room. To follow...something. Frowning, she got out of the bed, thankful that the doctor had removed her IV and monitors a few hours before. She reached for the door, but it opened before she could grab the handle. Dr. Carrington walked in, followed by Tegan.
"I see you're walking all right."
Renee gave a slow nod. Only a slight pain went up her leg when she put pressure on it, but she hadn't felt it when she gotten out of bed to follow...whatever it was. "Yeah, just tiny pains now, arm's okay too. Can I go?"
"I would prefer you not leave the hospital until you were completely healed but I think Ms. DeBeau here is more than capable of ensuring you make a full recovery.” The doctor had very intense blue eyes that always left Renee feeling like she had missed something, as if he saw more than what was there. Obviously her recent experiences were making her paranoid. “We just need to finish up the paperwork then you may leave. These are strict instructions that you are to follow until your follow-up appointment." He handed Renee a small stack of papers.
She rushed through them and sat through the agonizing instructions of how to take care of and redress the wounds. Dressed in her torn clothes from before, she tapped her foot while Tegan took her sweet time thanking the doctor. "We need to go. Now."
"What's the hurry, buttercup? It's not like you have a hot date, remember? Coran is in wolf form." Tegan laughed and grabbed
her jacket off the chair.
Renee frowned. "Don't you feel it? There's something off about everything right now."
"No, I don't, but what do you feel?" Tegan turned around to face Renee.
Renee paused, trying to find away to describe it. "It's like a pressure in my mind, but it's also like a whisper, something calling me to follow it."
"That's Markus, or another vampire.” Tegan pressed her lips into a straight line. “They are in your mind, and that means they can track you. Let's go." Tegan shrugged on her jacket in jerky movements, muttering under her breath, before heading out the door of the room and towards the exit.
Renee followed her, trying to keep up without limping too much. "What does that mean, track me?"
"They can find you any place you go, unless something or someone blocks it. Lucius is the only creature on our side that is capable of doing it. So you get to go meet him before you get to see Coran." Tegan led her to a sleek, purple, European sports car.
Renee blinked. "Did you steal this?"
"Nope." Tegan pulled out the fob, disarmed the alarm, and unlocked the car. "A perk, and a gift from Lucius."
"But you guys walk everywhere."
"When we're in town we do, but Lucius doesn't live in town. His property is west, in the mountains. Get in." Tegan slid behind the wheel. Once Renee was in and buckled, Tegan started the car and grinned. "And off we go."
Markus appeared in his hotel room, laughing. His plans would be complete if he could get them both to leave Lucius, but he knew he couldn't bank on that. He needed to make sure to play by the rules until the meeting. That meant contacting someone about meeting with Lucius. Lucius would know the moment that Tegan walked in what had happened, if he didn't know already. The vampire was ever present in the woman’s mind.
He licked his lips at the memory of her sweet blood coating his tongue. It held a different tang to it than a normal human. He’d bet he'd just tasted the blood of a Blood Human. The only downfall to his night was not getting Renee. The Circle would not be happy with him, but it only meant their plans were on hold. The Father would still be raised and with any luck Lucius would be paranoid enough to screw up.
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