by Iris Abbott
“Hardly,” Drew answered. “Alessandro Russo has friends and acquaintances that come from far and wide to attend the party. It’s become legendary in certain circles.”
“I can see why,” Zoe said in admiration. She wished she could take more time to enjoy the festivities, but even though it was a party, Zoe and her sisters were working. They were supposed to interact with as many people as possible, look for suspicious activity, and try to sense the presence of a vampire. Zoe bit back a dissatisfied sigh. Another Saturday night and one more party where she was working instead of enjoying herself. Sometimes being a vampire hunter sucked, pun intended.
“Drew, do you mind if we look around on our own for a few minutes?” Zoe didn’t wait for him to answer. She linked arms with the twins and circled the perimeter of the main room where most of the guests lingered. “See or sense anything out of the ordinary?” she whispered to her sisters, conscious that Drew was following behind them.
Kara snickered. “Besides the fact that you’re dressed as the Hollywood version of a vampire hunter?”
“Or a room full of vampire wannabes secretly being observed by vampire hunters?” Tara joined in.
Zoe couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up and spilled outward. The irony was not lost on her, and it was pretty funny. There was no need to encourage her sisters, especially Kara, so Zoe stopped laughing and tried to get serious.
“Look, there’s Brianna.” Zoe raised a hand and waved. “Let’s go say hello.”
The sisters wound their way through the crowd until they stood next to the owner of Witch’s Brew. She enthusiastically greeted them with hugs.
“Ladies,” she said with a big smile and regal nod of her head. “You all are rocking those costumes!” She entwined her arm with one of Zoe’s. “I’ve told a few old and dear friends of mine all about you and your sisters, and they’re dying to meet the three of you.”
Zoe felt a brief flash of apprehension. It was faint, but she trusted her gut enough to dig in the heels of the stiletto high heel boots she was wearing. But Brianna gave her a reassuring smile. The feeling passed, and Zoe let her pull her down the hall and away from the crowd. She didn’t sense anything evil about the redhead, and Zoe trusted her.
She checked to make sure that her sisters and Drew were following her. They were, and Zoe was swamped with relief. The Myers sisters could fight their way out of most situations if the circumstances called for it. She hoped it didn’t come to that.
Brianna was still talking. Zoe took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on what the woman said. “Just think of us as Enigma’s welcome wagon if you will,” Brianna said with a laugh.
“But we haven’t decided to stay,” Zoe felt compelled to remind her just as they reached a large room that must serve as the library. It contained floor to ceiling shelves that were filled with books, some of which looked ancient.
A large antique table was centered in the middle of the room. Several men and women congregated around the area. Zoe’s spine tingled. Her fingers itched to grab the knife strapped to her thigh, but she waited.
She felt her sisters at her back and took comfort from their presence. Zoe glanced around the room trying to assess the situation. Her senses were on heightened alert, but they weren’t screaming at her, and she didn’t feel the pervading stench of evil that accompanied the vampires she’d fought and killed over the years. Glancing around the room, she saw Brittany and most of the ladies from the kickboxing class she attended a few days before.
Drew came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. It made her feel a lot better. “There’s nothing to worry about, baby. Everybody here’s a friend.”
Brianna patted her arm. “I believe you’ve already met most of the ladies,” she reminded Zoe.
She nodded in agreement to acknowledge what Brianna said while taking a step closer to Drew. She was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. She felt Kara and Tara slide next to her. It was a subtle reminder that they had her back.
She shook her head to clear the haze that always seemed to form when Drew was near and silently ordered herself to concentrate. There was more to the situation than met the eye, Zoe was sure of it. She needed to keep her wits about her and remain cautious. “What’s really going on?” Zoe asked Brianna.
A muscular man with short dark hair and black eyes stepped forward and separated himself from the rest of the group. Confidence and power radiated off him, and he moved with stealth and grace that reminded her of a feline. “I’m Lucian Petrakos. Welcome to Enigma.” He greeted her in a deep booming voice that caused Zoe to shiver.
A gasp from Kara made Zoe take her eyes off of the intimidating man and swivel her head toward her sister. She followed the twin’s line of sight and came to rest on a tall, dark, and gorgeous male who stood on the far side of the room. Enigma seemed to have more than its fair share of men with sex appeal. It was entirely unfair to the rest of the world.
“You!” Kara snapped out in a biting voice.
“You know him?” her twin asked in a wary whisper. Fear tinged her voice.
“Yep, he’s the one that destroyed the vampire I was trailing before I came to Enigma.” Kara’s eyes narrowed to thin slits, and she crossed her arms over her breasts.
“Crap!” That was not good news. Zoe’s fingers tightened on the plastic sword that was a part of her costume. It wasn’t sharp like the blade she usually fought with, but she could poke out an eye with it if she got desperate enough.
“You’ve been following me,” Kara accused in disgust. “Why didn’t I sense a vampire on my tail?”
Deep masculine laughter echoed around the huge room. “That’s ‘cause I’m not a vampire, baby.” He flashed her a huge grin that displayed perfect white teeth but no overlong incisors. “And lucky for you, because I managed to take out the two rogues that escaped from you and your sister last night.”
“Don’t baby me,” Kara snarled at the grinning dark-haired stranger staring her down.
Zoe needed to defuse the situation. To do that, she needed information. “What’s going on?” The question wasn’t addressed to anyone in particular, but she wasn’t surprised when Petrakos was the one who answered.
He looked and acted like a man who was used to being in charge. But as she was about to find out, Lucian Petrakos was much more than a mere man. Everybody in the room was more, including the Myers sisters.
Lucian waved a hand and invited everyone to have a seat at the large round table. Zoe didn’t sense any danger. All her instincts were telling her she needed to hear what he had to say. She gave her sisters an encouraging smile and sat down, hoping they’d follow her example. Luckily, they did.
The tension immediately died. The other occupants of the room found their own chairs and joined the Myers sisters at the table.
She felt Tara stiffen. “You’re mystery man from New Orleans here too?” She already knew the answer, but Tara confirmed it with a nod. Not good, not good at all! But at least they’d be getting some answers.
“I’m the head of a group of twelve paranormal beings known as the Council of Guardians. It’s made up of the twelve oldest guardians in the world.” Petrakos stated.
Okay, it didn’t sound too bad so far, except for the paranormal part, and it certainly explained a lot, Zoe thought. “Umm, what’s a guardian?”
“Basically we’re the law enforcers of the paranormal world. Our mission is twofold. We protect humans by making sure they are not harmed by supernatural beings for any reason other than self-defense. We also protect paranormal beings by keeping their existence a secret from humans. Both of these goals require guardians to take out rogues that refuse to conform to the rules set in place by the council.”
“Okay,” Kara spoke up while glaring at the man sitting across from her. “Suppose we buy what you’re selling. This has nothing to do with us, so why are we here?”
“On the contrary,” her mystery man spoke up. “You and your sisters have been on our radar
for about a decade. We know you’re vampire hunters,” he said with a smirk.
“Really?” She raised her brows. “I suppose you’re one of these guardians?”
“Of course,” he agreed. “The fourth oldest in the world.”
Kara audibly snapped her mouth shut and clenched her jaws together.
Zoe took advantage of her sister’s silence to get the conversation back on track. “Say for the sake of argument that we are vampire hunters, what do you want with us?”
“The council would like to form an alliance with you,” Petrakos surprised her by saying. “We believe you’ve been chasing the same powerful and deadly vampire that’s managed to elude us for almost a year.”
Zoe took a deep breath. “We’ve been unusually busy over the past year,” she admitted. “And the vampire’s we’ve killed have been different somehow. Can you explain that to us?”
A man with long black hair sitting next to Julie, and ironically dressed as a vampire, broke into the conversation. “Allow me to introduce myself, I’m your host, Alessandro Russo, and yes, I’m a vampire.”
All three sisters jumped to their feet ready to do battle. Zoe rose with so much force the chair she was sitting in clattered to the floor. She stiffened when a hand touched her until she realized it was Drew. “This is a joke, right?” Please let it be a joke, she silently added even though she knew it wasn’t.
“You’re in no danger. Vampires aren’t evil by birth, but greed and bloodlust sometimes send them down the wrong path and eventually drive them over the edge.”
Zoe closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and concentrated. She felt nothing but power, goodness, and warmth. “It’s okay,” she whispered to her sisters. She righted her chair and sat down. Kara and Tara did the same.
Drew sent her a reassuring smile and reached over to hold her hand. The squeeze he gave it was comforting. “Sorry, Mr. Russo. Please finish your explanation.”
He nodded. “The creatures you and your sisters have taken out the past several months are technically not vampires because we are born not made. Humans don’t know that unless of course they’re mated to a vampire as Julie is mated to me. It appears a very powerful vampire, we’ve dubbed the Puppet Master, is taking advantage of humans’ ignorance of this fact, offering them eternal life, sucking them dry almost to the point of death, and essentially turning them into mindless zombie-like creatures who will do anything for their next fix of blood.”
Shit! She felt her own blood freeze. This was so much worse than Zoe imagined. The love bite on the side of her neck suddenly began to tingle. Her hand flew to the spot, and she sucked in a lungful of air.
“Drew, I’m pretty sure you’re not a vampire, does that mean you’re a guardian?” She always knew he was too perfect to be a mere human.
He gave her the wolfish grin she was becoming used to. It brought back snippets of a nightmare she had the night before. She jogged in the same park she visited with Drew, only it was nighttime, and she was being chased by the big bad wolf.
His grin became even more prominent. “Nah, us Gannon’s are something else entirely. We’re wolf shifters.”
It was almost too much. Zoe couldn’t stop the hysterical giggle that bubbled up and welled outside her body. Both her sisters patted her on the back, bringing her to her senses. “Next, you’ll be telling me witches are real too.” Another burst of laughter escaped.
“Actually,” Brianna spoke up, “every female in the room is a witch except Scarlet and Rose. And you and your sisters are descendants of a small coven of witches who traded their magic for the physical strength, speed, and agility needed to hunt down rogues.” It all sounded so surreal, but it had the ring of truth to it.
Zoe figured she should probably talk with her sisters first, but they were used to her leading, so she did. “It’s in everyone’s best interests to find and eliminate this vampire you call the Puppet Master, so we accept your alliance.”
“Wait!” Tara exclaimed. “We don’t know anything about these people.” Her eyes were fixed firmly on the man in front of her.
He opened his mouth and showed off his fangs. “Is this what you want to know, sweetheart? I’m definitely a vampire, but I wouldn’t harm one hair on your pretty head unless of course, you wanted me to.”
Tara pushed away from the table, and Zoe and Kara immediately stepped in front of her, hiding Tara from the vampire’s view. He flashed his fangs to show his dislike of their actions.
Drew growled and slapped his hands down on the table. “Watch it, Raphael, or I’ll knock those teeth you’re so proud of right out of your mouth.”
“Silence,” Lucian’s powerful voice vibrated across the room, knocking books off the shelves, and freezing everyone in place. “Raphael, stop antagonizing the hunter. I’d like to conclude this meeting so we can enjoy the rest of the party.”
He turned his attention to Zoe. “I’d like to meet with the three of you at council headquarters tomorrow, so we can pool our information and work out a strategy.”
Zoe quickly agreed. “Done.” She needed the extra time to process everything she heard tonight.
“Excellent, let’s meet at two. Drew will escort the three of you tomorrow. He already has the directions.”
TEN
The door to the library flew open, and a man stormed into the room. Drew instantly threw his body in front of Zoe and her sisters. Drew relaxed when he recognized the intruder as one of the pack members working security.
“Alpha!” the man exclaimed as soon as he saw Mitch Gannon. “We’re under attack. At least eight of those zombie creatures have crashed the party. The other pack members are standing between them and the guests, but we can’t fight and protect the guests too.”
Lucian didn’t wait for Mitch, he immediately started barking orders. “Alessandro, Phillip, Dante, the ladies, and I will herd the guests toward the back of the castle and keep them safe. Mitch, you and your men form an added barrier of protection between the zombies and us. We’ll convince the guests that aren’t already in the know that the intruders were nothing more than entertainment cut short due to a gas leak.”
He turned to the hunters. “I respect your abilities, but I need you to work in pairs,” he insisted. “Drew with Zoe, Alexander with Kara, and Raphael with Tara. The rest of the council spread out and take care of any remaining zombies. Don’t stop until they’re all dead.”
Damn! Drew wanted to insist that Zoe and her sisters go with the mates, but he knew she’d refuse. He was already on her bad side, he couldn’t afford to do anything else to piss her off. It’s a good thing Lucian hadn’t tried to separate them, or the guardian would have more than one battle on his hands.
He grasped Zoe’s shoulder and turned her to look at him. “Don’t leave my sight.” He knew she was his mate, and he was scared to death something would happen to her before they could bond. “Do you need a weapon?”
“No. I’ve got my favorite combat knife strapped to my thigh.” Her eyes wandered from him to her sisters. She sucked in her bottom lip and bit down.
Drew knew she hated being separated from the twins. “Don’t worry, Raphael and Alexander are seasoned warriors. They’ll protect your sisters.”
“Yeah, but who’s gonna protect that guardian from my sister? Kara is more than a handful.”
Everyone in the library went on the move all at once, creating chaos. It was game on, and no one had time to worry about anything except survival.
Drew grabbed her hand and pulled her to the left toward the great hall they’d passed earlier. One of the zombie-like creatures lurched around the corner and disappeared. “Let’s take out that one,” Drew whispered for her ears only.
Adrenaline coursed through his body in anticipation of the bloody battle to come. It was laced with the cold bite of fear because more was on the line than just his life, he was fighting for Zoe too. “I fight in my wolf form,” Drew warned. “He’s a much more effective predator, and we need to use all the advanta
ges we have.”
“O-okay, but hurry. He’s getting away!”
“I know you’re the vampire hunter, but I’m much harder to kill, so stay behind me!”
His final words were almost a growl as he was so close to the change. He stripped out of his clothes and let the shift overtake him. He heard Zoe’s loud gasp as bones and muscles stretched and reshaped, transforming him from man to beast. Now instead of a man on two legs, he was an extra-large wolf with denser bones, razor-sharp claws, jagged teeth, and an impenetrable black coat of fur that protected much thicker skin.
He felt fingers tangle in the lustrous fur surrounding his neck and instantly recognized Zoe’s touch. “You’re beautiful,” she breathed. He could sense her admiration, and it caused him to puff out his chest. But he had work to do, and his wolf was anxious to protect his mate.
He bounded off down the hall, looking back to make sure Zoe followed behind him. He flew around a corner. The monster was in his sights. He leaped, sailing through the air with his front legs and claws fully extended. The zombie turned at the last second and charged toward him.
They met in a tangle of limbs. Drew held nothing back. His teeth tore, and his claws shredded decaying skin and muscle. The creature bucked and rolled trying to dislodge him, but Drew was in the killing haze of a top predator, and there would be no shaking him.
Drew heard a squeak of alarm from Zoe and made the mistake of glancing her way. She was engaged in battle with another of the Puppet Master’s creations. The next thing he knew he was flying through the air. He’d lost his concentration and grip on the prey. He paid for it when he crashed into the unforgiving wall.
Nothing was broken, and the few bruises and scrapes he got would heal almost instantly. It was time to finish this. He put all his weight on his hind legs and lurched forward, knocking the creature to his knees. His teeth went straight for the throat, ripping it out with one vicious bite. A powerful swipe of his claws completely severed the head from its body, effectively ending the creature’s pitiful existence.
