The Lion's Den

by D N Simmons

  “Wouldn’t we get their faster if we all flew?” Mikhail asked.

  “We would, but then were would we put our bounty?” Marcus asked, sarcastically, being slightly annoyed b and younger vampire’s question.

  “I’m sorry, Master. I get it now.” Mikhail refrained from asking any more questions as they headed toward the door.

  ***

  Darian returned home, sitting in his chair. At sunset, he had gone out searching the city for their enemy. After a few hours of hunting and being unsuccessful, he decided to called it a night. He looked at the two newest shifters in his home. Both men seemed to be in complete awe of him. They had seen him once before when he was held in lock-up at the S.U.I.T. precinct a few years ago, but never up close. They could feel his aura and they knew he was strong.

  “I do hope you take Adan seriously when he says you need training,” Darian said.

  Gabriel swallowed hard. He felt as though he’d choke on Darian’s aura if he hadn’t. Never in all his years on the S.U.I.T. had he felt power so intense. So absolute. He nodded. “Yeah, after what happened earlier, we’d be crazy not to.”

  Darian smiled slightly. “Good. Wise decision.” He looked at Adan. “If this coven hasn’t attacked by now, maybe we should start looking at other cities to see if they’ve chosen another target.”

  “I wanted to do that earlier today when I went into the precinct, but I had to get out of there fast because of the tests,” Matthew said.

  “Ahh, that’s right.” John nodded. “Perfect timing, the S.U.I.T. resources could have really come in handy right about now.”

  “When all else fails, we can use the internet to look up that information,” Natasha said.

  “I did that, already,” Ignacio said. “There’s nothing that resembles what happened here. There were some bombings overseas. A few rapes, gang-related violence, other random murders that have always plagued the news and a shape-shifter was killed on the spot at a murder scene, but nothing more. There wasn’t even a mention about what’s going on with the S.U.I.T. right now.”

  “I’m sure the S.U.I.T. is using all it’s political pull to keep it under wraps as much as they can at this point,” Warren said.

  “Yeah, if that got out, it would be more chaos than it already is,” Matthew agreed.

  “Back to the point, where the fuck are they?” Sergio asked to no one in particular.

  Xavier stepped forward, addressing Darian. “I don’t think they’ve left. Perhaps we need to”

  The sudden shattering of glass from four windows interrupted Xavier. Using his quick reflexes, he raced to Natasha, protecting her from the shards of glass that flew inward. Others took cover to avoid getting slashed by the countless shards of glass that sprayed the room. The front door imploded with a force that shook the mansion, sending wood splinters shooting into the parlor and down the hallway. Kiren stood in the doorway, in half beast form. His animalistic eyes focused on his prey and he revealed a mouth full of razor sharp teeth in a menacing grin.

  “Shit!” Sergio cursed as he began changing forms himself.

  The others who could followed suit, changing into their half-beast forms as fast as they could. Darian was on his feet instantly advancing on Mikhail. Marcus saw him. He knew if Darian were to land a hand on his coven member, it would take less than a second for him to kill him. He advanced on Darian, grabbing him from behind, tossing him sideways, sending his body airborne through the brick, plaster and drywall into the next room.

  Xavier turned and gasped at the site, shocked to see his lover and Master flying over his head. He turned when he saw Natasha holding their son, hiding under the table behind the sofa where he had put her. Tears streamed down her face as she cuddled their child. Not wanting to waste another second, he ran to her.

  “Natasha, come with me!” He grabbed her hand, knowing she and their children were his priority as Darian had instructed. She climbed out from underneath the table with Xavier’s assistance. As she cleared the edge, rising to her feet, Sergio’s body landed on the table, smashing the wood into splinters. He groaned as he struggled to rise from the debris. Once he climbed to his feet, he rushed back into the battle, his claws slashing Alicia down her back, preventing her from attacking Elise. The female vampire turned, punching Sergio, knocking him into Elise, sending both crashing to the floor.

  Xavier watched what happened to his two friends. “We need to get all of the younger ones out of here,” he told Natasha.

  “The children, they aren’t protected!” she said, panicking.

  Xavier mentally contacted Gary and Sebastian along with their human servants, ordering them to gather the children and follow him. In the mist of the chaos, the supernaturals managed to gather the children and younger members as Xavier had commanded. They were all following him when Mikhail attacked Xavier.

  The stronger vampire wrapped his hand around Xavier’s throat. “Where do you think your ass is going? The party’s just started.” He smiled.

  “Yeah, but it’s a dud,” Xavier shot back.

  “Oh, trust me, it’s getting better each second. Besides, I don’t want you to go.”

  Xavier looked past Mikhail to see his lover rising. “Life’s full of disappointments,” he managed to say through gasps.

  Darian climbed to his feet, shaking the mental cobwebs from his mind when he noticed Mikhail’s fingers were locked around Xavier’s throat. He advanced quickly, grabbing Mikhail from behind, plunging his fangs deeply into the vampire’s artery. Viciously, he pulled back, ripping away the vampire’s throat, splattering blood on both Natasha and Xavier. Mikhail released Xavier, giving the vampire a chance to escape with the others. Darian began to change forms taking on his full demon visage, while at the same time he drove his claws through the vampire neck. With a powerful pull, he severed the vampire’s head from his body, killing Mikhail instantly.

  Tatiana and Elise were both busy healing the shifters who were gravely wounded. They ran from one body to the next, opening their veins for whomever needed help. Marcus saw Tatiana healing Xander. He ran toward them, at that point, yanking Tatiana to her feet. Holding her by the back of her neck with one hand, he stabbed his clawed hand through her back, shattering her ribs, piercing her lungs. Tatiana screamed as Marcus pulled his hand from her torso. Again he moved to attack her. Xander struggled to rise, fighting against his own weakness and pain. Before Marcus could stab her again, he lunged forward, pushing Tatiana against the Master vampire, preventing him from plunging his arm through her chest. Marcus tossed Tatiana away from him, sending her body crashing through Darian’s seventy-five gallon fish tank, shattering the glass into tiny shards. Dozens of exotic fish spilled with the flow of water splashing on Tatiana as she lay there struggling to live.

  With Xander on his knees, Marcus reached underneath his chin, pulling him to his feet. “I’d kill you if you weren’t already a marked man. Doesn’t mean I can’t have fun with you, though.” Before he could do the Alpha any more harm, Warren shot him in the arm. Marcus turned around with a smirk. He made certain to have Xander in front of him. He looked at Warren, smiling. “You do know that I let you shoot me just so you can see how useless your ultraviolet bullets are against me.”

  “Really?” Warren asked, not really caring if what he said was true or not. He knew the only reason he responded was to buy the others time so they could attack. He watched the ultraviolet gel ooze down the side of Marcus’ arm. Underneath the skin, the gel seemed to evaporate, having no effect on the vampire whatsoever.

  Ignacio and Justin saw what was happening to Xander so they rushed toward him and Marcus, combining their attack. The Master vampire used Xander as a shield and weapon, swinging his body in all directions, using him to knock the other two shifters into separate directions. Adrian dove forward, dodging his father’s flailing legs. He managed to grab hold of Marcus’ legs, and he bit down hard. His teeth sliced through skin and bone. Marcus grimaced in pain as he looked down at the shifter attache
d to his leg. He threw Xander across the room, sending his body crashing into the fireplace. Bricks broke apart, falling in a dusty heap on top of Xander’s semi-conscious body. Before Marcus could focus his attack on Adrian, three other shifters converged on him, each hoping to keep him from killing the others.

  Raven had Rachel pinned against the floor. The female shifter struggled to throw the vampire off, but was unsuccessful. She screamed in rage and frustration, gaining Stephanie’s attention. She ran to Rachel’s aid, attempting to pull Raven off of her. The vampire lashed out, slashing her claws across and back again, slicing through skin, muscle and bone. Stephanie’s eyes stared forward in shock. They bulged out of their sockets as a thin line of blood appeared across her throat. Blood began gushing from the opening, splattering the women as the head tumbled over her shoulders to the floor, rolling several inches to a stop. Stephanie’s decapitated body crumpled to the ground next to her severed head. Blood continued to gush from the gaping wound.

  “Your turn, now,” Raven growled in Rachel’s ear. Without waiting another second, she drove her nails into Rachel’s shoulders, severing tendons and cutting through bone. With a wicked smile, Raven yanked her arms outward, ripping away Rachel’s arms, sending the two limbs in separate directions.

  At that same moment, Elise was thrown to the ground by Kiren. Pain shot through her body, but she turned when she heard Rachel’s scream. She gasped when she saw what Raven had done. Rolling away from Kiren, she ran toward Rachel.

  Raven sensed Elise coming nearer and she rose, bringing Rachel to her feet. “Any last words?” Raven asked Rachel.

  “Die bitch!” Rachel spat out through gritted teeth. The intense pain she was in was unbearable. She could no longer fight, blood gushed from the ragged, gaping, shredded wounds. White bone jutted from the torn flesh where her arms had been, making the shifter weaker.

  Elise lunged forward, but it was too late. Rachel fell into her arms, sending both women to their knees. Elise looked up seeing that Raven had disappeared. She looked down at Rachel; her friend and Pride member’s eyes were blank, void of all life. Elise checked her, not wanting to believe she was dead. As her hand ran across Rachel’s back, it dipped into a bloody hole in the middle of her spine. She now knew how her friend had died. Gently she laid her down on the carpeted floor. There was no time for mourning … that would come later if they survived.

  Kiren advanced on Richard, who was attacking Alicia, trying to keep her from hurting Miko. He grabbed the Alpha coyote from behind, wrapping his arms around his neck, cutting off his air supply. Richard struggled in Kiren’s grasp, but was unable to break loose as the shifter’s furry vice-like grip tightened around his throat slowly cutting off his air supply.

  Across the room, Darian witnessed Kiren rendering Richard unconscious. He charged toward him, his long nails slashed down Kiren’s back, forcing the shifter to cry out and turn around. At that point, Darian’s other hand swiped at his throat, nails ripping away flesh. Marcus heard his lover’s gurgled scream. He turned; releasing Ignacio, who was bleeding profusely from a wound in his throat where Marcus had fed. The ancient vampire ran toward Darian punching him hard across his jaw, jerking the younger Master vampire’s head backward. There was a snap of bone and Darian stumbled, his head leaning to one side. Marcus followed up with a backhanded slap, which propelled Darian upward against the wall with an impact so powerful it cracked the plaster. Before Darian could hit the ground, Marcus caught him in midair; punching him twice and knocking him unconscious. He dropped the vampire to the ground, staring down at him with a mixture of malice and lust. Annabelle ran toward the two vampires, stepping in front of Darian’s unconscious body. Enraged, Marcus grabbed her, not giving her a chance to make her move. He took her by the throat, nails digging deeply into her flesh. Instinctively, her hands went to his, trying to force his grip away. Without further hesitation, Marcus punched her torso, burying his fist deeply through her chest. Wrapping his fingers around her still beating heart, he snatched his arm back, ripping her heart through her now shattered rib cage.

  Miko crawled to her feet in time to see her lover fall lifeless from Marcus’s hands. She saw him toss her heart onto Darian’s chest. Her vision turned crimson as she ran toward the ancient vampire, screaming out in rage. She never saw him turn or his hand strike her. She only knew her body ached from the hard landing and the room was spinning.

  While Marcus was preoccupied with Miko, Adan stealthy finished off what Darian had begun, crawling toward Kiren, who lay on the floor, struggling to heal himself withut the blood of a Matron. Using his claws, he ripped and shredded the muscles, bone and flesh, disconnecting Kiren’s head from his body. “Marcus!” the lion King yelled, getting the Master vampire’s attention.

  Marcus turned to see the lion King holding his lover, Kiren’s head in his hands. “What have you done!” he growled, his eyes burning red.

  “Just as I suspected, he really does give great head,” Adan quipped, intent on enraging the Master vampire. He wanted to distract him long enough to allow the others to escape. It was working … for the moment. Alicia was busy battling Miranda, Adrian, Sergio and Nagesa.

  A low, menacing growl rumbled through Marcus chest, up toward his throat. He snarled as he advanced toward Adan. He stopped short as several ultra-violet bullets whizzed past his face. He turned, to see Gabriel firing away. Effortlessly, Marcus dodged every bullet. Gabriel was so busy trying to land a shot, he had no idea that Raven was behind him. Her mouth was bloodied, her claws extending as she slashed them across the back of his neck, nearly severing his spinal cord. Gabriel released gurgled gasps as his hands went to the back of his neck, trying to stop the bleeding. He fell to the ground, pressing his back against the wall. Never had he been in a battle like this! Marcus looked around the mansion, noticing that Adan had taken advantage of the mere seconds he spent dealing with Gabriel and had escaped his wrath. He smirked, thinking about how crafty the lion was and how he’d pay him back tenfold for killing his lover. He took in the carnage; two of his coven lay dead amongst the many wounded. He was also pleased to see others whom did not belong to him lying dead as well. He was disappointed that he hadn’t killed more before they escaped.

  Raven stepped over Rachel’s mangled and mutilated body. “We should have come to kill them all. We shouldn’t have tried to spare any!” She growled, angry and hurt that Mikhail was dead.

  “It’s done. We’ll make the survivors pay for what they’ve taken from us,” Marcus said.

  Alicia stood over Sergio’s prone form. He lay gasping for air, desperately clinging to life. “Should I kill him?” she asked.

  Marcus looked down at the injured shifter. “No. We take the survivors. Simple death is too quick of an ending for them.” He reached down, taking Darian into his arms and tossing him over his shoulder. “Bring them!”

  He left the mansion, tossing Darian into the trunk of his SUV. Alicia and Raven began loading the trucks with the survivors. They laid Sergio on top of Darian and Adrian beside him. Both women were angry that Elise and Tatiana managed to escape in the confusion of the battle. They wanted to hunt them down; they would ask their Master if they could at a later time. After two more trips back into the mansion, they now had Gabriel, Christopher, John and Miranda in their possession as well as the remains of the members of their coven. Raven drove toward Darian’s private jet. They were going back to their own territory with their bounty. Where they were going, the sun would be high in the sky; the vampires would be forced to remain asleep.

  It’s what Marcus wanted.

  Chapter Twenty

  Stopping to catch their breath against the side of a building in an alley, a few of the survivors looked at one another. Some of their clothes were ripped and torn, while others were naked. “What are we going to do now?” Devin asked Elise as she leaned against the wall, struggling to catch her breath.

  “I don’t know, Devin. Oh my God, I don’t know! I need to think!” she snapped, not real
ly meaning to. She looked at Devin who hadn’t deserved her anger. “I’m sorry, darling. I just need to think.”

  “We need to reunite with the others and get dressed. When the shit actually went down, I just kind of ran in whatever direction I knew they weren’t going in. I didn’t want to run in the same direction, because I thought it best we separate,” Daniel said. He was supporting Carmen who now slunk against the wall. Both were naked.

  “Does anyone have their cell phone on them?” Elise asked.

  “I do,” Billy said, handing it to her.

  “Momma, I’m scared,” David said, wrapping his arms around Madeleine’s leg tighter than ever before.

  “I know, baby, it’s going to be all right.” She tried to reassure him, even as she rocked her toddler, Mia, trying to calm the wailing toddler.

  Elise held on to her son, Cicero. She was relieved that Danielle was holding her daughter, Annette-Natë. With her free hand, Elise dialed Xander’s cell phone, hoping he still had it. There was no answer. She dialed five other numbers she knew; the fifth number had an answer.

  “Who is this?” asked Warren, obviously on edge.

  “Warren, this is Elise. Listen, we need to meet up, where’s a good place?”

  “Shit … Um … How about that hanger Xander owns?”

  “You don’t think they’ll check there?”

  “They might, but where else can we meet up? We don’t have cars and most of us don’t have any clothes. We need to get somewhere close by.”

  “True. It’s as good an idea as any. We’ll meet you there in an hour.” Elise ended the call.

  “We heard, sounds like a good place to regroup,” Daniel said. “Xavier and the rest of Darian’s coven are going to need someplace void of windows since the sun’s almost up.”

  “Now that you’ve mentioned that, we’re going to need to get coffins. Maybe they’ll be some at Desires Unleashed. We need to pick some up before we get to the hanger,” Devin said. He was a nervous wreck. He wanted to know if John was still alive, or if he was waiting it out somewhere like they were. He wanted to get back together and stay that way. He wanted to keep his lover by his side, but his daughter was his first priority and he had to get her to safety when the moment came for them to flee. He hated not knowing if John was all right or he was dead.