The Veiled Monarch

by Shae Bryant

Jacob grabbed James' arm, wiping it off with an alcohol swab, "You see James, we were hoping for a younger Werewolf like Chloe." He placed the tip of the syringe on James' skin,"Don't struggle. It won't kill you. I promise. It will just open up your mind."

  "Ouch!" James cursed when the needle pierced his skin, "Stop!"

  Jacob rubbed the injection site with another swab and disposed of the needle, "Chloe was so close. I was hoping we could unlock her power. But you? Maybe you'll do the same with a dose like this."

  "My pack is..." James' eyelids started to grow heavy and his jaw slack, "Gonna take turns...killing you. They're...gonna..."

  Jacob patted him on the arm, "I'm sure they will try."

  "I'm tired..." James' head started to droop from one side to the other.

  "Good. Rest up. We'll see what you can do soon."

  He left James lying down on the bed. The drugs would take full hold within an hour or two. Until then, James just needed a good nap. He would wake feeling very different than normal.

  The bushes near the side of the house rustled as Faulkner stalked his prey. The movement was so slight that Kristin thought it was some sort of animal. She certainly didn't think anyone was watching her while she staked out the mansion.

  He watched her pull out her camera and start to take pictures of the house. She was documenting the layout and noting where windows were. The security cameras on this side of the home had strangely been turned off. The little red lights warning intruders they were being recorded had been silent for the last two hours.

  Kristin moved to the side, looking at the windows in the back of the house. Too many cameras here. No one would be able to sneak in without being caught. If Jacob wanted to infiltrate Vincenzo Moretti's home, he would have his work cut out for him.

  When Kristin rounded the corner, she jumped when she saw the brawny figure leaning against the house. Faulkner had been watching her this entire time, and she had no idea.

  "What are you doing here, Kristin?" He peered at her through the shadows. "Walk closer and you can see me." He chuckled, "You're on video kidnapping a Werewolf. What are you doing? Trying to die?"

  "Faulkner please!" Kristin stepped towards him, lowering her camera, "I don't have a choice right now in what I do. I'm under orders from Jacob. You have to believe me when I tell you that I disagree with his decisions right now."

  He snorted, "Jacob has made plenty of mistakes already. He's going to get you all killed. Ahhh, but I know you. You aren't worried about the Human authorities catching you. You are worried about the Non Humans catching you first."

  "Yes!" She nodded vehemently, "That is exactly my concern!"

  He inspected his fingernails absently, "Kristin, you have ten seconds to plead your case with me before I take you inside and make you stay there until Vincenzo is home. He and I both will deal with you then."

  Kristin's hands began to tremble, and she cleared her throat, "I didn't want it to go this way. But... I saw Jacob's report! We're so close. They're tapping in to their primal urges. If they keep going — if we keep going, then we'll..."

  The breath was taken from Kristin's lungs by a strong hand shoving her against the wall. All of a sudden, Faulkner's face was less than an inch from her own. His fangs gleamed in the sparse light and his eyes flashed with anger.

  "I'm tired of listening to this!" He barked, "Don't turn away from me! You will look at me when I say this! The Iron Oath's hold is gone. It has crumbled to ash in a matter of months! No one is afraid of you anymore. They are angry. I am angry. We all want revenge for the centuries of torture you have put us through. And by God...we're going to get it."

  "What...what do I do?" Kristin finally caught her breath.

  "Bring him back." Faulkner growled, "Unharmed. If he dies, you will all die along with him. They might kill me too and I really don't want that."

  "Jacob might kill him. He's obsessed. I don't know if he's going to stop dosing him until it works. We don't know what that will do to him!"

  Faulkner leaned in until his forehead pressed against Kristin's, "Then I suggest you get him out of there. Now."

  "Come with me." She pleaded, "You can get him out. He can't fight you and your friends."

  Faulkner laughed, "You don't understand me, do you? I said you get him out. I am not taking any part in this. I helped Jacob one too many times. I'm not getting him out of this scrape."

  Kristin ran away, dropping her camera on the ground next to Faulkner. He bent down to pick it up and then crushed it with his hands, throwing the pieces all over the grass.

  Somewhere else, a halogen light buzzed along with the electronic hum of multiple monitors. Louis wheeled his chair to one of the computers, pulling up a recent video. The cursor pointed to the timestamp where Kristin showed on the monitor along with Faulkner. Their conversation replayed in full.

  Louis chuckled to himself, taking the thumb drive out of the PC. "Check and mate."

  He picked up his phone, sending a text message to someone, "Vince? Come to the offices. There is something you need to see."

  Two hours later, Vince and I were on the way back to the dealership in Hialeah. That was when we received the phone call from Leo. Both of us looked at each other with wide eyes once Vince hung up the phone. It was one of the most chilling things I had ever heard.

  While Brian and Erin were preparing for the meeting, Leo and Chloe stood outside of the back service entrance. The two of them had enough of the panic and planning for one day. They both leaned against the wall, staring at the sky while they took a much-needed breather from the mess of people inside.

  It was odd that a pair of headlights came towards them. Almost anyone who was coming to the meeting would have come in the front entrance of the shop. There was still plenty of parking for them. When Leo noticed the vehicle was a van with almost black windows, he pressed Chloe against the wall, preparing to step in front of her if needed.

  The van stopped in front of both of them and the side door slid open. Someone rolled out of the van and an unseen hand slammed the door shut. Then, the van rushed away from the back street. Leo and Chloe both stood there slack jawed while they stared at the person lying on the ground.

  Chloe regained her ability to move first. She grabbed the door with shaking hands and ran inside, screaming for someone to help. Erin and Brian took off towards the service entrance while the others followed. Everyone froze when they reached the door.

  Lying in front of them was a man curled into a fetal position. He was unconscious, but seemed to be unharmed. His forearms were thin and sprouting hair and the back of his neck had started to curve. His fingers and toes curled into partial paws and his fingernails had turned to small claws. Somehow, James had managed to begin his shift with no full moon.

  James was rushed to a hospital in Broward as quickly as possible. A Werewolf Doctor in the Emergency Room might be able to help him. As far as we knew, he was fine other than being stuck in mid-shift. We would know more once he was examined.

  I had to go to work. After hearing about James, there was much that I needed to discuss with Catherine and Louis. Vince returned home by himself. For a while, he thought he was alone.

  Then, Faulkner walked into the living room, smiling at Vince, "All's well that ends well, eh Vincenzo?"

  "Indeed." Vince narrowed his eyes at the wall in front of him, watching Faulkner's reflection in the nearby window.

  "I see you're angry about this. Don't worry, Vincenzo. We'll find Jacob and when we do..."

  Vince stood up quickly, "Did you honestly think you would get away with this? Did you not say yourself if he died, you might die too?"

  "How did you hear that?" Faulkner's eyes widened.

  "I heard everything." Vince scowled, "Louis does my security system. The cameras were on. Don't back away from me this time, Theodric! You could have saved that man, but you did nothing!"

  "You know me, Vincenzo. You know I'll protect myself above anyone else."

  Vince stopped a
few inches from Faulkner, "You're right. You will. Perhaps it's time I start being just as protective."

  "Ahh. Do we get the old Vincenzo back?" Faulkner grinned, "I have missed him."

  "No. No you do not." Vince opened and closed his hands a few times, "Had that man died, his blood would have been on your hands."

  Faulkner chuckled, "I stopped looking at the blood on my hands ages ago."

  "Indeed you have. That's the difference between you and me."

  Faulkner smiled at Vince, placing his hands behind his head while he leaned up against the wall. This would be nothing more than another argument between the two of them. He was preparing for it. Vince disappeared from his spot on the floor. An instant later, the two of them were nose to nose.

  A choke caught in Faulkner's throat. Vince glanced down at his chest. Blood poured over Vince's fingers from the stake he had just thrust into Faulkner's body.

  "I said that you won't get to see the old Vincenzo, because you won't." Vince gritted his teeth, "I fully plan on bringing him back for the benefit of every person I care about. There will never be a repeat of Virginia as long as I am alive. I want my revenge. And it starts with you."

  "Vincenzo..." Faulkner tried to grasp at the stake, "Don't..."

  "There is a difference this time, Faulkner. I care about many more people than just my wife and son. It seems that I have a heart after all." Vince narrowed his eyes, pushing hard on the stake. Faulkner gave him one last feeble groan before he crumbled to ashes on the floor. "And I just drove a stake through yours."

  The bloody stake remained locked in Vince's hand while he stared at the pile of ashes on the floor. A wave of regret passed over him, mixed with intense relief. He had finally done it. After almost two centuries of waiting — he had finally killed Theodric Faulkner.

  Still, the two of them were like brothers once. They shared a home. They shared their joys, their sorrows and their lives. A long time ago, the both of them were friends. All of that was gone in a puff of ashes.

  Vince closed his eyes, imagining a good place in the yard where he could bury Faulkner. For all of his faults, he deserved a proper resting place. If nothing else, he would do it in honor of the good memories the two of them had together.

  While Vince began to sweep the ashes up, someone crept around the corner.

  "Vince...?" Leo said quietly, "I...uh... I came home to tell you about James and..."

  "I knew you were there Leo." Vince carefully poured the ashes into a small wooden box.

  "You did?"

  "Yes." He held the box in his hands, looking out towards a cluster of palms in the yard, "I heard you come in. I believe he did too. He thought I wouldn't kill him in front of you."

  Leo blinked, "You let me see it?"

  "Your friends need revenge. Someone had to tell them that it's begun."

  "He didn't hurt James."

  "No." Vince sighed, "He was complicit. He was part of all of this."

  Leo placed his hand on the box, "You got your revenge too. Are you OK?"

  "Yes. It was a long time coming. I waited for the right moment. Some days, I wondered if it would ever come." Vince took a deep breath, "Would you help me? That spot by the palms seems like a good resting place for him."

  Leo nodded, "Sure."

  Leo stood beside his Dad while he laid the small box of ashes in the ground. Vince had no words to say. It was a quiet and somber moment for Dad and son both. A very long chapter had closed and a new one could now open.

  The following morning, Vince and Leo did not go to check on Faulkner's final resting place. Had they looked, they might have noticed the dirt had been disturbed. And the small wooden box had vanished.

  Vince and Leo walked into the hospital room together. Brian, Erin and Chloe sat by James' bed while he lay sedated. He had turned back to normal now, but the amount of drugs in his system left him in a very strange state. The Doctor ordered him sedated until his system had finally gotten back to normal.

  The same strange substance found in Chloe and Erin had also been found in James' body. An unidentified drug that was a mystery to the Doctors. He was being actively treated by a Werewolf, who was normally in the Emergency Room. Given the circumstances, the Doctor took a special interest in James' case.

  He and his colleagues had poured over textbooks and medical journals, trying to understand how a Werewolf could be in mid shift without a full moon. Nothing had ever been documented to explain such a thing. He had become a medical and public mystery that was causing media rumors to circulate around the globe.

  Vince looked at the man lying in the hospital bed, connected to various monitors electrodes. He grasped the rail, gritting his teeth, "I have had enough of this. I am sure we all have. I think I might have a plan."

  Leo sighed, "I guess that's my signal to leave. Again."

  "No. Leo. Don't." Chloe reached for his hand, trying to pull him back into the room.

  Erin glanced sideways at Leo, "No Leo. You're not leaving this time."

  "Excuse me?" Vince tilted his head, "I believe I know what my son should and should not hear."

  She crossed her arms, "With all due respect, Vince, you don't. Or you would have noticed something months ago."

  "Ohh boy." Leo slapped his face with an open palm. When he saw Vince's sharp stare, he put his hands up, "It's nothing! Just...I've been talking about a thing for a little bit. Right now isn't the right time to discuss it. Probably never."

  Vince closed his eyes, tightening his fists on the rail, "You still want to turn."

  "Uh...yeah. How did you know?" Leo tilted his head towards Vince.

  "Contrary to the opinion of others..." Vince shot Erin a glance, "I do pay attention to what my son is doing. I've ignored it for my own benefit. I didn't want to admit it was what you wanted."

  "I'm sorry Vince. I overstepped. It's a Mom thing, I guess." Erin offered him an apologetic smile.

  "You said what I couldn't." Vince smiled, "Maybe now is the best time to discuss it. We need to prepare for a fight. I have held onto my young son for too long. If you want this, there is nothing I can do to stop it, Leo. If I forbid it, I'd ruin our relationship. Just know that whatever you choose, you will always be my son. Always."

  Leo squeezed his Dad's arm, "I know. Nothing is ever going to change the fact that you're my Dad."

  "You don't need my permission. You never have." Vince patted Leo's hand.

  "It would be nice to have your blessing."

  "Then, you have it."

  The entire room stood still for a moment, listening to the quiet beeping of the monitors and buzzing of the machines. Leo looked at James furrowed brow. Even while asleep, he was still re-living whatever the Iron Oath had put him through. He winced when he thought of what he watched Vince go through at their hands and wondered what James was forced to endure.

  "Why would they do this to people, Vince? None of us have ever hurt them."

  Vince put an arm around Leo's shoulder, "I don't know, son. I have never understood it."

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Unfinished Business

  In the months that followed, Vince gathered up Non Humans all over South Florida and set things in motion. This set off a barrage of meetings and action that spread across the East coast. Which spread to the Midwest, the South, the Southwest and then the West Coast. Soon, everyone was motivated to take back what the Iron Oath had stolen from them.

  Private security companies like the Veiled Monarch began to see some business from law enforcement and governments. Actual Non Humans were now taking contracts to take care of their more difficult cases. This kept Louis, Catherine and I very busy at work. We managed to take on two cold cases that Miami-Dade had yet to solve. Both of them ended with the suspect apprehended. One was sent to the Druid council in Denver. The other was a Human who was sent to the Police for an arrest and charge.

  Suspected bases of Iron Oath operations were raided by Non Humans and effectively destroyed. Recognized Iron Oath offi
cers disappeared off of the face of the Earth. But, a few still remained. Jacob Stuart was not counted among the Iron Oath who had been taken care of by our communities. The woman who took James was also nowhere to be found.

  After getting Vince's blessing, Leo went to fill out his paperwork with Brian agreeing to sponsor him. The court date came and went, and the Judge ruled in Leo's favor. He had to pick a date and time for the turning.

  Leo picked the next full moon and began to make arrangements. During this time, Vince kept a bit of distance from Leo. I tried to talk to him about it, but he had nothing to say. I believe that he was feeling the weight of his son making his own decisions as an adult.

  Two nights before the full moon, Vince and I were sitting in his favorite spot by the pool. The glass door behind us slid open. "Hey Vince?"

  "Ah. Leo. I thought you were out with Chloe."

  "We're going out soon. I wanted to talk to you first."

  I slipped away from my spot next to Vince, giving Leo a wink, "I think I'll leave you two alone for a bit."

  Vince didn't protest when I left them to talk. He was ready to have whatever discussion he needed to have with Leo. Once I closed the door, Vince folded his hands on his lap.

  "Alright. What is it you need to talk about?"

  Leo handed him the papers from the court, "My papers came in. Everything is all good. I just wanted to talk to you first. I get the feeling you might not be OK with this anymore. If you aren't, then I can delay it, or we can talk more."

  Vince took the papers in his hand, looking at the official documents stating that a turning had been approved by the court. His sponsor accepted it and vouched that the applicant would be an asset to the Non Human community. He felt no emotion until he saw the name signed and printed at the bottom of the paper — "Leonardo Justice Moretti".

  Vince sat the papers down, trying to ignore the lump forming in his throat, "I am still fine with this, Leo. I am only avoiding the inevitable. The little boy that I raised has grown up into a young man. It's difficult to face. No matter how old one is, I don't think they are ready for it."