Kade squeezed her hand tighter.
“I can never forget. The New Hope soldiers came into our home and slaughtered our parents. They took my sister and brother from me that day. I never saw them again.” Kade paused. He swallowed hard. “Not until today … maybe.”
Sloan let a moment of silence settle across the small living quarters Kade shared with Edison and Elwood. The two sat in the tiny kitchen at the four-person table tucked in one of the corners.
“How’s your injury?” Sloan knew it was a poor attempt at taking Kade’s mind off his brother and sister, but she had to try something. “Feeling any better?”
“Yes, I’m back to one hundred percent.” Kade gave Sloan a look that said: I know what you’re doing, but I’ll let you distract me anyway. “I’m not sitting out another fight.”
“I know,” Sloan conceded his point. “I was actually surprised you let me talk you into staying here when we battled the mage engine.”
“I only did it because I understood you’d have a better chance at survival if you weren’t worried about your wounded boyfriend,” Kade admitted. “If it weren’t for that, I would have just disobeyed your orders and came anyway.”
“Yeah, you never struck me as the obedient kind of kitty,” Sloan teased. “You ready to go do this?”
“Do what?”
“Come on, we’re going to see if those two shifters from New Hope are your brother and sister.”
“What, now?”
“Uh, yeah. I’m not going to let you sit here and worry yourself into an early grave. I kind of like you, if you haven’t noticed, and want to keep you around for a long while to come. Let’s go, on your feet.”
Kade reluctantly rose from the table. “You said they were busy in meetings and stuff. Maybe we should just wait until—”
Sloan grabbed Kade by the wrist and started to drag him out of the apartment.
“Ugh, I hate how strong you are.”
Sloan
BOOM! BOOM!
Sloan rapped on the thick door of the capitol building that led to the main conference room.
“Well, looks like no one’s here.” Kade turned to leave. “They must have already gone. Too bad for us. I guess we’ll never know.”
Sloan reached out and grabbed Kade by the back of his shirt.
“Come in.” Theo’s deep, familiar voice reached them through the door.
“Let’s go,” Sloan coaxed Kade, as she directed him back to the door. “I’ll be right here.”
Sloan opened the door and pushed Kade inside.
The shifter stumbled forward.
Sloan followed behind. The room with descending theater seats lowered in front of them. Kade stumbled down the stairs, prodded along by Sloan who waved to the three figures below.
Theo sat in a chair next to a pair of crutches. Bruises marked his face, along with a white bandage that wrapped around his head like a turban. His right leg was in a splint. The wound had come from a particularly large vampire soldier who had clawed into him during the mage engine battle.
Seated on either side of Theo were Sasha and Saber, the two New Order leaders who had escaped the city with Jack and Abigail. Sloan and Sasha had officially met; Saber she had only seen in passing.
All three of the members in the meeting were hunched over a large map of the Outland. When Sloan and Kade had walked into the room, their chatter had ceased. The two sabertoothed shifters below never took their eyes off Kade.
As soon as they walked in, Sloan knew they were a part of Kade’s family. They had to be. They all had the same tanned skin, the same large features, and the same eye color.
Kade walked to the bottom of the amphitheater as if he were in a trance. Saber rose, his one good eye staring at Kade as if it were never going to leave.
“Kade?” Saber whispered in a tone so thick with emotion that if Sloan allowed herself the luxury of emotions, she may have cried. “How?”
“Is that really you?” Sasha looked like she wanted to stand but didn’t trust her legs to support her weight at that moment.
“You’re going to have to tell me.” Kade looked back and forth between his brother and sister. “I was so small when you were taken. My memories are like nightmares more than thoughts.”
Saber walked around the table and grabbed his brother. Tears fell so fast from his one good eye, they streaked down his face like a river. “We looked for you. When we escaped, we tried to find you, but there was no sign. We swore to take down Leah Nobel then. That’s why we stayed in New Hope. I swear, we looked everywhere for you, little brother.”
Saber sobbed into Kade’s shoulder a moment longer. Sloan understood what the moment meant for the reunited family. She took a seat in one of the rows of chairs, waiting for them to finish.
Sasha finally stood and joined her brothers. Though tears found a place in her orange eyes, unlike Saber, her voice was clear and free of emotion.
“Let me see him,” Sasha instructed Saber, who obeyed, finally letting Kade go.
Sasha placed a hand on either side of Kade’s face. She examined him from forehead to chin the entire time, a Cheshire smile creeping across her full lips.
“It is you, Kade.” Sasha lost control of her emotions as a fresh wave of tears cascaded down her high cheekbones. “I’ve missed you so much.”
All three members of the Hyde family were hugging, laughing, and crying. Sloan took Theo’s lead as the bear shifter hobbled up the stairs.
“I think they deserve a moment alone,” Theo whispered to Sloan. He put too much weight on his injured leg and almost fell.
Sloan caught him. She grabbed the big shifter around his waist and draped his arm over her neck. In this way, she helped him the rest of the way up the stairs.
“I think you’re right,” Sloan said with a final look behind her. Seeing Kade so happy, she knew she must love him. She’d never felt this way about a man before, and she didn’t think she would ever again. “Let’s get out of here.”
If Sloan knew what the future had in store for the shifter family, she would have stayed and enjoyed the moment with them.
Chapter Ten
Leah
The vampire army spread out in front of her like a sea of black. Leah stood on the high walls of the city of New Hope, watching as the future itself evolved in front of her. Her army was ten thousand strong. Only a handful of vampire soldiers had been left in the other Outland cities to maintain her rule.
While news of restless New Hope citizens reached her ears, Leah knew their cries could do nothing to stop her. It seemed there was a large portion of the city that didn’t care for the new direction she was taking. Even with her justification for her actions pegged on the murder of her sister, some of the bleeding hearts still wanted an outside investigation to take place. Others wanted peace talks with Azra.
Leah was lucky this wasn’t up to them. She had mobilized the army and set out before anything could dissuade her plan. Even now, in the morning sun, her army of vampire soldiers led by Commander Steel marched in unison. Across their black uniforms they carried an assortment of weapons ranging from mage swords to rifles, but the truth was, they were the real weapons.
The experiments done to them in the palace laboratory had made them so much more than they could ever be as humans.
Off to her left, the mage engine puffed to life. Purple smoke rose from various stacks as it prepared to join the marching army. The lead mage engine was now hooked up to a long train of cars. These cars carried slaves taken from Outland cities to finish the track once they reached the end of the line, as well as supplies for the vampire army.
Horses attached to wagons followed on the right side of the army. They carried munitions, as well as a substantial supply of blood. More than a few throats of those who had protested Leah’s actions had been sliced in the last few days and it would have been a shame to waste all of the perfectly good blood.
“You like looking at your little toy soldiers, do you?”
“I like looking at a world on the brink of my rule,” Leah agreed. “I take it your employers weren’t interested in taking my side.”
“Like I said, they have bigger problems of their own, dealing with Nephilim and such. But if you’re still willing to have a king by your side, I’m still willing to help.”
Leah finally turned to look at Dominic. She had suspected this would be his request all along, but it was something else to actually hear it come from his mouth. The gall he had was beyond her. Still, if she secured his help, it would be worth it.
“I’m not looking for a king to rule beside me.” Leah looked at his perfectly combed black hair, his flawless skin and fine suit. “You don’t look like you need money. What about status, power?”
“I’m listening.” Dominic picked off a bit of lint from his blue suit. “Go on.”
“I’ll give you the largest piece of land inside New Hope, or wherever in the Outland you would like. You can do with it what you will. How does Duke or Count sound?”
“Hmm … I do like the sound of Count Dominic.”
“Does that mean I can count on you when the fighting starts?”
“I’ll travel with you.” Dominic stared down toward the mage engine with glee. “Let’s go in your fancy new ride. It looks like fun.”
“That can be arranged,” Leah said with a smile. She didn’t move from her spot when Dominic turned to go. “But first, I’d like a little more of a guarantee of your loyalty.”
“Well, loyalty is a strong word. I’m just a hired gun at this point.”
“Still, I’d like your word, and I’d like you to swear to me in the presence of a spell.”
Dominic let a sly smile spread over his lips. He grinned deeper and deeper as thoughts flashed across his eyes. “Really? My word isn’t good enough for you?”
“Not exactly.” Leah reached for her wand. “Do I have your permission?”
“Do what you must, witch.” Dominic shrugged. “It must wear on you to be so distrusting of your comrades.”
“It’s a trait that’s kept me alive for this long.” Leah traced a spell in the air in between them. The faint lines of purple magic held in the air as she outlined the points of a six-sided star. “Now repeat after me.”
“And this spell will what?” Dominic leaned in to stare at Leah through her spell. “Kill me if I don’t follow through on what I promised?”
“That’s the general idea.” Leah grinned, finishing her hex. “Now repeat after me.”
Leah ignored his echo as she worded the spell as airtight as she could make it. “I, Dominic Drencher, servant of the Fallen, do swear that I will not in any way harm Queen Leah Eckert, nor do anything to lessen her chances of victory. I swear I will do all that is within my power to see her side be victorious during the coming battle with Azra.”
Leah thought for a moment, about to finish the hex, then added one last line. “And I swear to do all I can to kill those named Charlotte Sloan, Aareth Emerson, and Jack Walker.”
When Dominic finished repeating her words, Leah allowed the purple spell lines in front of them to dissipate.
“All right.” Dominic let out an overly dramatic sigh. “Are you happy now? Can we get on the mage engine and go kill people already?”
Chapter Eleven
Jack
“You really need to think this out.” Aareth looked over at a fidgeting Jack as the last rays of the sun died away. “You’re doing the right thing in resting. Taking the day off was smart. You couldn’t have pushed yourself all night, all day, and all night again. I know you want to see if this white werewolf is your father, but you’re not going to do anyone any good if you run yourself into the ground.”
Jack knew Aareth was right. They had made the decision to rest once they picked up the large werewolf tracks that led toward Term. The group had found an outcropping and a copse in the otherwise rolling grassy hills of this section of the Outland.
Between Jack and Kimberly’s extensive knowledge of the area, they were able to pick the quickest route to Term. The female gargoyle was snoring in the shade of a particularly large tree with massive branches that hung low to the ground. She sounded like a giant bear with a nasal infection.
“I know you’re right.” Jack opened his canteen and took a long draught. “It just doesn’t make me feel any better about waiting when we have the trail. Who knows if he stopped in the wooded area around Term, or if he kept going. He could be halfway to Burrow Den by now, or one of the other dozen cities in the Outland.”
“But say he is in Term.” Aareth got to his feet and removed his long black jacket. “Say we get there in the early hours of the morning after running all night again, and he is there. You’ll need your strength to track him, and if he’s unwilling to listen to reason, we may have to be a bit more persuasive.”
“I’m not going to hurt him.”
“I’m not saying that. What I am saying is that if he hasn’t changed back to his human form yet, he’s still struggling to control the animal inside himself. He may not be in full control of what he does.” Aareth took off his boots and socks. “I’m not saying we hurt him, but we may have to restrain him, at the very least, to defend ourselves. I’m not letting anything happen to you, Jack.”
Jack only nodded. He understood Aareth was right, and he wouldn’t let anything happen to the big man, either.
With a groan, Jack got to his feet and began stretching sore leg muscles. His quads and glutes were past the burning stage now; there was a deep ache so painful it made him want to laugh as he began to loosen worn muscles.
“Baring your shame again, I see.” Kimberly rolled to a sitting position. She yawned, showing a mouthful of sharp teeth. “Do you have no decency, beast man?”
“I’ve never been accused of being indecent before. Come on, let’s go. We have a long night ahead of us.” Aareth finished removing his clothing and turned into the large werewolf better suited for running.
“I suspect you’d like me to carry your clothing once more?” Kimberly opened her satchel to place inside her own long, white robe she wore to protect her from the sun. “Come on then, put them inside.”
Aareth grabbed his clothes in his maw and took them to Kimberly. He dropped them inside, but instead of leaving her to carry the pack, he grabbed the thick leather strap with his teeth and began to maneuver it around his own head.
“Well, that’s a nice change.” Kimberly smiled at Aareth, then she scrunched her grey brow as if she were remembering some long-past thought. “You know, that reminds me of an ancient tradition that my people practice—”
“So, same plan as last night?” Jack interrupted. Part of him felt bad for interrupting the gargoyle, but the other part understood that if he didn’t, they would be there for a very long while. In the short period of time Jack had known Kimberly, he could already tell she was a great friend and an honest ally, but she did love to inform others about her race. “You take to the air and tell us what you see. Aareth and I will run below.”
“Agreed.” Kimberly opened her massive wings and began to stretch.
Jack drew the wand from the belt at his side and summoned the same spell to its tip. Just like the previous day, a green glow encompassed the underside of his boots.
With a rush of wings and a gallop of paws, the trio was off.
As the hours passed, the tracking became harder. Jack would lose the trail as the terrain changed from grass or soft dirt to rock. It was harder while traveling at this speed, as well. Jack and Aareth were flying across the landscape at mind-numbing speed. Every so often, Jack would have to slow down or stop completely to make sure he was still going the right way.
The stars and the moon gave enough light, and the dull green glow at the bottom of his boots helped. Minutes passed into hours as they ran. Every time Jack felt a need to stop to take a
break, every time his muscles screamed to him in pain, he thought of his father.
He knew without a shadow of a doubt his father would do the same thing for him if the tables were turned. Jack knew the others still debated whether Elizabeth was telling the truth and whether or not the white wolf was his father, but to Jack, it wasn’t a question anymore.
Whether this truth was something he needed to know or he wanted to accept still remained a mystery. Somehow, Jack knew his father was out there waiting for him. As the run lengthened, all Jack could think about was putting one foot in front of the other and not losing sight of the tracks underfoot.
Caught in the fog of weariness while trying to stay focused, Jack slammed into Kimberly. When she had landed or how far in advance she had given him to stop was lost on Jack.
Running full-out one moment and then colliding with something that may as well have been a boulder took the wind out of Jack. He bounced backwards, slamming into the hard ground. Shock lanced through his body as he stared up into the night sky. It was beautiful, so many stars twinkling away, so many planets and galaxies out there to explore.
“Jack, are you all right?” Kimberly knelt beside him on his left. Aareth’s massive lupine head appeared on his right. “I thought you saw me. I landed in front of you and started to talk, but you slammed right into me.”
“Yeah, sorry about that.” Jack grimaced as he moved to a sitting position. Nothing felt broken, but his legs screamed at him once more. They felt like they were on fire. “I was so lost in tracking, I didn’t look up. What did you find?”
Kimberly helped Jack rise to his feet. She pointed with an outstretched arm to a line of blackness on the horizon. Jack had to blink a few times to realize it was the outline of the forest, the Mirage Forest that surrounded Term. Its dense foliage and the way the trees played with the shadows had given it its name over the years.
“We’re here already?” Jack rubbed at his eyes. He tried to take a few steps forward to get a better look, but his actions resulted in him limping forward rather than actually walking. “What time is it? It has to be nearly daybreak.”
The Complete Vampire Project Series: (Books 1 - 5) Page 70