by Petra Landon
The Alpha took a step back to give her more room. He loomed large before her, his presence an uncomfortable reminder of the danger she had placed herself in by her own actions.
“I understand the gravity of the situation, Alpha. You have my word that I will do as you say tonight. I would also like to express my gratitude for what you and the Pack did for me last night” she said sincerely, her grateful gaze also encompassing Duncan and Hawk.
The Alpha leaned just a tad bit closer to speak softly to Tasia, not mollified by her sincerity.
“You and I have some unfinished business, little girl. You contemplate that until I call for you again.”
Raoul walked back to the mantel to take up his previous indolent position by it.
“Hawk will come and get you when it’s time” he said bluntly, his attitude dismissive.
Hawk ushered Tasia out of the room after a quick glance at his Alpha.
Once the two had exited the room, Raoul turned to Duncan.
“She’s hiding something, Duncan. Something big. I want a thorough background check on her. If she’s so much as sneezed in the past, I want to know.”
“I’ll take care of it” Duncan responded imperturbably. “Let’s be a little discreet though, hmm. If she’s running from someone, we don’t want to tip them off and blow her cover inadvertently.”
“Discretion is good” Raoul concurred before giving Duncan a sharp look. “You think she’s on the run?”
“She’s certainly scared of something. Though it could just be you that has her running scared, Alpha.”
Raoul directed a withering look at his friend who returned it steadily with a twinkle in his eyes.
“We’ll find out soon enough, I daresay” Duncan shrugged. “So my boy, it wasn’t you last night after all. And here I was thinking that you’d suddenly acquired some new powers after I caught a glimpse of the wall of suspended Undead in the hall.”
Raoul shook his head.
“I might’ve helped a tad to bolster her magic towards the end once she started passing out although I’m not sure that she needed any help. I’ve rarely seen magic that powerful before, Duncan, and that too from a slip of a girl bleeding to her death.”
The two men contemplated each other silently, fully cognizant of the possible implications of this discovery in the wider world of Chosen.
“Perhaps she’s simply afraid of her remarkable abilities being revealed” Duncan remarked quietly. “That in itself might be a secret worth protecting.”
“Perhaps” Raoul assented thoughtfully. From what he’d witnessed of her considerable power, it was definitely worth hiding from the rest of the Chosen. “But I sense that she’s hiding bigger secrets than her off-the-chart power.”
“You should’ve seen her last night when I kicked in the door to get to her. Terrified and bloodied; yet it was the leech that lay gasping for its last breaths beside her. I’ve a suspicion that she finished the leech off somehow without ever laying a hand on him.”
“You be very careful, my boy” Duncan warned soberly as shock flashed across his face.
“Aren’t I always, Duncan” came the flippant reply.
Tasia stole a quick glance at Hawk as he walked silently beside her. He stopped abruptly as they came to the head of the staircase, putting out a hand to stop her.
“Tasia, if that was really you last night …” he whispered after a quick glance around.
He paused as if to gather his thoughts before he spoke again.
“There are a lot of very powerful people who’ll try to collect you if they ever find out what you’re capable of. You won’t be able to fight them off, not without help. Alph can be a cold and arrogant bastard but there’s no one better you want watching your back in a tough situation.”
Tasia’s face softened at his words. If she could go back a few days, there were many things that she’d do differently. Take a lot of different forks in the road, as it were. However, there was one thing she knew with absolute certainty that she would not change. Opening that cage door to free Hawk had been one of the best decisions she’d ever made. She touched his arm in a spontaneous gesture of affection and his eyes softened in response.
“Hawk, why are you so good to me?” she inquired playfully with an undertone of seriousness that they both caught.
“You helped out a stranger when you could have chosen to walk away, Tasia. That is very rare” Hawk said soberly, voice pitched very low. “I have your back, Tasia. And I’ll always have your back but with the kind of secret you carry, there might come a time when you’ll need more protection than Sara and me. The Chosen whisper Raoul Merceau’s name with fear and respect and if they know his protection extends to you, most will think twice before tangling with you. He also brings a very powerful Pack with him to the table. You will never have to worry with him on your side.”
“What if I can’t give him what he wants, Hawk? What if it’s not my secret to tell?”
“We all have secrets, Tasia. Tell him what you can and be upfront about what you cannot. He’ll respect it. He can be one scary Shifter but he knows all about secrets.”
Chapter 5
Some secrets are too dangerous to reveal
When Hawk came for Tasia a little after midnight, he found her dozing in a chair. Earlier in the day, Sara had made a quick trip to Tasia’s studio to return with clothes and a few other necessities for her. Tasia had spent an anxious evening, attempting to calm her nerves for the upcoming meeting. Eventually she’d succumbed to exhaustion as the sheer stress of the past few days caught up with her.
Hawk glanced at her wan face and smiled his beautiful smile.
“Don’t worry, Tasia. We’re not going to let the big bad leeches get their hands on you again.”
Tasia returned his smile, his sunny nature banishing her somber mood. He really was a very nice guy and nothing like his scary Alpha, she decided with a sudden swell of affection for Hawk.
They made their way towards a swanky part of town in a cavalcade of four SUVs. The Clan in this city must be well off, Tasia mused. Or at the very least, the leech head honcho (as the Alpha had referred to the vampire Master) lived well. She couldn’t help but note the few curious glances directed at her by the Shifters accompanying them but most ignored her presence. When their SUV came to a stop before an imposing mansion, it was Duncan who held the door open for her courteously. The Alpha stood nearby in conversation with a Shifter she recognized from the Pack Room – the attractive olive-skinned Were-Alpha she now knew was called Luis Beltran. Raoul turned away from the other Shifter as Duncan and Tasia approached them. As the cold eyes flashed to her, Tasia spoke up hastily before he had a chance to say anything.
“No reminder needed, Alpha. Stick close to Duncan and Hawk, keep my mouth shut and no magic. Got it!”
Raoul narrowed his eyes at her, wondering incredulously whether this slip of a girl was actually daring to sass him after the incident in the Pack Room. She gazed back at him earnestly. He heard what sounded like a hastily choked laugh from Hawk although when he directed a furious look at him, Hawk’s expression was carefully blank.
“Let’s go” Raoul directed coldly.
At his command, they walked en masse to the front door to wait as Luis rapped smartly on it. A tall, thin and pale man of indeterminate age opened the door to make a sweeping gesture of welcome, silently and with a curiously blank expression. Duncan extended his arm to Tasia in an old-fashioned gesture and it was on his arm that she nervously followed the Alpha into the mansion. Hawk stepped in after them while Luis stepped back to stand guard by the door.
I can’t believe what I’m about to do – walk voluntarily into a Blutsauger Master’s nest.
The vampire led them up a flight of stairs to a hallway that fed a single door. He rapped on the door and a husky feminine voice with a heavy foreign accent bade them enter. Tasia stepped into a large room lit by thousands of candles placed in wall sconces all around the room. These had the effect
of leaving vast swathes of the enormous room in complete darkness. Tasia could swear that she felt black shadows move restlessly in some of the darker spaces. Duncan’s muscled arm under her hand tightened imperceptibly although his gaze never strayed from the daybed that adorned the center of the room. It was spectacularly lit by strategically placed candles and was the only furniture in the vast room. A woman reclined decadently on the bed, plumped up by plush pillows and illuminated by the light of myriad candles around her. A glass of red wine reposed at arm’s length on a side table beside her.
Blutsauger Mistress, not Master. So, the Undead in this city are led by a vampire Mistress.
This was the vampire Mistress, the most powerful Undead of this branch of the Clan. The Ancients still called the vampires by their archaic name, Blutsauger, as the Bavarians of old had named their blood suckers. They also referred to the Undead collectively as the Clan for the vampires were thought to be the most lineage conscious and clique-ish of all the Chosen. Unlike the strict hierarchy of a Shifter Pack where a Shifter could advance his overall position in the Pack by his ability and ambition, each vampire’s position in their branch of the Clan was determined at his birth (when he became one of the Undead) and could only be changed by the whim and patronage of his Master or Mistress.
The woman rose slowly from the bed to make her way towards the visitors. Her skin was dead white as if it had not seen the sun for centuries; the only flashes of color on her face were her bright red lipstick and the heavily made up eyes. Her dark hair was put up in an elaborate hairdo and diamonds glittered in her hair, on her neck and fingers. She wore a green velvet gown cut low in the neck with tiny puffed sleeves that showed off her bony shoulders.
“Raoul, what a pleasure” she purred in dulcet tones, holding out her left hand with the palm downwards like an imperious lady of the manor while sipping from the wine glass she held in her right hand.
The Alpha made his way unhurriedly towards her and surprised Tasia by clasping the woman’s hands lightly before giving her an old-fashioned bow.
“Franciszka” he acknowledged politely.
She pouted prettily at his bow as if disappointed at not having her hand kissed, glancing past him to the three who stood a good few paces behind Raoul.
“Ooh, you’ve brought company with you” she exclaimed in an exaggerated little girl manner. “The faithful Duncan and the beautiful Hawk.”
She blew air kisses in the direction of both the Shifters.
Duncan gave her a courteous nod and Hawk murmured a polite greeting.
The gleaming gaze moved on to Tasia with a smile.
“You brought me a present, moj drogi. I love presents.”
The last words were directed at Raoul with a delighted smile. In a flash, the woman moved within touching distance of Tasia to study her with that gleaming cruel smile. Tasia could feel her heart thump loudly in her chest as she sensed both Duncan and Hawk tense up at the woman’s sudden proximity. But the Alpha remained at ease some feet away as if the vampire’s actions had not caught him by surprise.
Good God, I think she just teleported.
Franciszka gazed hungrily at the young girl staring at her in bemusement and more than a hint of fear. Her eyes zeroed in on a vein that throbbed gently at the witch’s delicate throat. The vampire’s tongue flicked slowly over her molars as if in anticipation and a drop of blood slid out slowly to rest on her lips. Tasia watched as the woman quickly licked the red drop off her lips. To her horror, she realized that the wine glass in the vampire’s hand held blood rather than the red wine she’d assumed.
Franciszka’s hand snaked out suddenly towards Tasia. Before Tasia could attempt to duck, Duncan caught the Mistress’s wrist in a flash to hold it with an implacable grip. He stared at the vampire without expression and it was Raoul who called out lazily.
“No touching, Franciszka.”
Franciszka turned her attention to Raoul, her wrist still captured in Duncan’s massive fist, to make a little moue of disappointment.
“You’re no fun at all, Raoul. I won’t touch her if you don’t want me to but how about a quick little lick. No touching, just a taste” she begged charmingly as if she were asking him for a treat.
Tasia stared at the Mistress in dawning horror before turning her attention to the Alpha who looked, for a minute, like he was seriously considering the vampire’s request.
“Sorry, Franciszka. Can’t allow that” he said eventually, not bothering to sound sorry at all.
The vampire wriggled the wrist still captured in Duncan’s meaty hand and he let go. She turned to face Raoul.
“But, moj drogi, how can this be? I didn’t know that your taste ran to young innocents. I thought you preferred more sophisticated charms” she chided him, thrusting out her full breasts in their low-cut gown in his direction.
“She’s not my girlfriend, Franciszka. She’s Pack.”
“But how were my Pure Bloods to know that, Raoul? She’s not a Shifter and you’re not exactly known for your love of Spell Casters” she reasoned.
“True” the Alpha acknowledged. “I don’t blame your vampires for not knowing that she’s Pack. Although I am disappointed at them for engaging the Pack in a fight once we let them know that she was under my protection.”
“That was very naughty of them, Raoul, and you can rest assured those responsible will be appropriately punished.”
A flush of excitement seemed to bring some color into her face as if the mere idea of the upcoming punishment excited her.
“I’m very happy to hear that” Raoul responded imperturbably. “There is also the matter of your vampires helping non-Pack Shifters to set up a cage.”
“A cage!” Franciszka exclaimed, clearly surprised by this bit of news. “What kind of cage?”
“A special one used against one of my Shifters” he said calmly. A cage reinforced by silver could not have been set up by any Shifter. It made sense for the mercenaries to have used leeches for more than one job.
“Hmm” she said thoughtfully, unsurprised by the subtext of his words. “This I did not know. The ones responsible will be punished.”
“I value my relationship with you, Raoul” she added cajolingly. “I would never jeopardize it for something so trivial.”
“You really shouldn’t have accepted a contract from non-Pack Shifters on my turf, Franciszka” he said softly. “That kind of stuff really pisses me off. You wouldn’t really want to piss me off, would you, Franciszka?”
“Of course not, moj drogi! Though I do rather like watching you go on a rampage occasionally. Its … uh … rather stimulating” she said suggestively with a husky laugh.
She swayed towards the Alpha to lay one white hand languidly on his chest.
“I heard all about the magic you used last night, Raoul. Now I don’t doubt that it was you but you must agree that one needs to be sure about these things. I know that you do not like to acknowledge your Spell Caster heritage, so you can imagine my surprise to learn that you were able to imprison a hundred Pure Bloods with just your magic.”
He’s got wizard heritage! Omigod, how? Shifter and wizard – what a potent combination.
“Of course” the Mistress continued persuasively. “If it wasn’t you, then it must be her. You see now why I need to taste her, moj drogi. I must be sure.”
Raoul contemplated her silently for a moment.
“I cannot allow that, Franciszka. I used my power last night. You will have to take my word for it.”
“You know that I always take you at your word, Raoul, but I must be sure. Please understand.”
She must’ve sent out some silent signal because suddenly, the dark shadows in the room came advancing out into the light towards Tasia. Duncan kept very still as Tasia tightened her clasp on his arm. She felt Hawk make a quick movement bringing him infinitesimally closer to her.
Raoul narrowed his eyes at the advancing vampires and spoke a soft warning.
“Call off your dogs
, Franciszka. You do not want to mess with me on this.”
Franciszka continued to gaze up at him with a smile, her hand caressing his chest languidly, even as her men converged deliberately towards Tasia from three directions.
In a flash, the Alpha brushed off her caressing fingers to grasp her throat with one powerful hand, lifting her cleanly off the floor without effort until she dangled helplessly off her feet before him.
“One more step towards the girl and I’ll break your neck before I rip your head off” he snarled coldly at the vampire Mistress. “Then you’ll truly know how it is to be dead.”
Her eyes flashed venomously at him and her hands shot to his face with intent to attack. He used his free hand to hold off the one trying to claw at his face but he couldn’t prevent the other from raking his neck to slice at his collar-bone with her sharp nails. The wound bled very sluggishly but the smell of it caused the advancing vampires to straighten towards him instead with their nostrils flared.
Raoul’s response to the clawing was to squeeze her throat tighter until Franciszka choked out a warning, raising her hand to stop the vampires advancing towards Tasia. The Alpha released her throat abruptly to let her drop onto the floor unceremoniously in a sudden clatter of clothes and bones. The vampire Mistress raised a hand smeared with a few drops of the Alpha’s blood from where she’d clawed him to bring it to her lips as she gazed up at Raoul seductively.
“Why, moj drogi, why didn’t you tell me that you liked it so rough?”
She licked her bloody finger slowly, drawing it out for emphasis. The next second, a high keening scream rent the room as she writhed on the floor in agony. Franciszka clutched her throat with both hands to scream out incoherently.
“Burning … burning throat” she gasped out. “Poison! What have you done? Blood … need blood” she screamed, her voice rising on the last word.
A few vampires rushed towards their Mistress to proffer their wrists in response to her cry for blood while the rest stood stupefied at this astonishing turn of events.
