I frowned. “Okay, so I will carry your ass back to the quarry, steal your toys, and then unmake you.” I pantomimed rolling up my sleeves, and took a step. He didn’t even flinch at my knowledge of the quarry. Which couldn’t be good.
“Won’t work. My daughter is currently watching over my… toys, as you say. And they will all die if we do not return safely.”
His words struck me. His… daughter? Was that the girl Van had seen? I shot a discreet look at Van Helsing, but his face was blank. He hadn’t known.
Boris glanced about at the bodies littering the alley, as if counting how many were dead. I wasn’t sure how many wolves Gunnar had lost, but even one was too many. The Alpha was panting, avoiding eye contact with any of his fallen packmates.
Boris cleared his throat. “Don’t fret. I will forgive you those already dead. I have spares at the quarry.” He smiled at me, acknowledging the location without an ounce of concern that I had already known. “But we really should be off. Big event tomorrow. Rehearsals, practice, and…” his eyes latched onto Aria, “introducing our newest toy to her brothers and sisters. In the arena.”
Tory let out a feral cry, and I shut her down before she could harm any more of the remaining shifters. She blinked in confusion, eyes flashing back to normal. I felt a faint shiver race down my spine at the pure venomous look she shot my way. But I had another reason for shutting her down. She was drawing heavily on her powers, which would only attract the Fae. And I didn’t need that right now. “You’re not helping,” I whispered, forcing an empathetic look on my face, hoping she would get my meaning. Any minute now, we were likely to have a Fae welcoming party. Then I turned away, not waiting for a response.
I opened my mouth, but Gunnar beat me to it.
“Trade me for the werewolf you caught last night. I’m sure an Alpha will fetch a bigger crowd than a fledgling pup.”
Boris the Beast Master tapped his lips thoughtfully, and then flashed Gunnar a predatory grin, all teeth. “No, thank you. You’re damaged goods, Mate.” Gunnar roared, taking a step forward, but Alucard was suddenly there, forcing him back with one hand. This was the first time I had seen him. He must have been fighting in one of the adjoining alleys. The vampire stared deep into Gunnar’s face, and the Alpha instantly calmed. I blinked. How the hell had Alucard been strong enough to stop Gunnar? Both physically and with his vampire gaze. He hadn’t fed on blood for a long time now, and I had seen the after-effects of him on a diet.
This caught the Beast Master’s attention. “Interesting. You’re strong, vampire.” Then he squinted, studying Alucard closer. “But you’re not really a vampire, are you? No, you’re something new. Something fresh…” Alucard caught the tone, and acted upon the greasy thought that had momentarily crossed my own mind.
“So, let’s dicker, brown-eye.”
I bit back a laugh, but the Beast Master missed the inside quip. Having referred to him as BM for a bit now, the number-two jokes had escalated with the immature Team Temple.
“I won’t give up the girl. I don’t even know what you can do, but she shows real promise. Full of fury, that wolf. I think it’s the whole love lost thing that makes her so violent.” He winked at Gunnar, who was flexing his claws, as if imagining them around the Beast Master’s throat.
“Me for the child, then. You haven’t even had her yet, so you’re not really losing anything, but you are gaining something no one else has ever seen. A Daywalker.” He took a step closer. “That. Will. Sell.” He flicked a hand at Aria. “A fledgling dragon?” He stifled a hand. “Boring.”
Boris the Beast Master hesitated, but Alucard sweetened the pot.
“Oh, and I belong to her.” He pointed a thumb at Tory. “The other Beast Master. Never really liked her much, but she does control me pretty well. At least, until now, for some reason…” he frowned. “Is that your doing?” He asked Boris. The man merely stared back. Alucard shrugged. “Well, maybe it’s just the conflux of events here. A Maker. A handful of true badasses.” He licked his lips, eyes rolling back in his skull for a moment. “And blood.” He opened his eyes, shooting a mocking stare at Tory. “Or maybe she’s just tired. She never lets me cut loose.” Then he mimicked her voice, “Nature this, balance that, trees, the Fae, sprites, blah, blah, blah.” He leaned closer to Boris. “What good is it to be the first Daywalker in hundreds of years, if I am restrained to the Land of the Fae with a nanny watching my every move?”
“If that is the case, simply come with me. The trade is not necessary.”
Alucard shrugged. “Two problems with that.” He held up a finger. “One, mommy won’t let that happen. She kind of likes the little runt over there, and she kinda likes me. You need to give her one of us, or she will burn this city to the ground.” He held up another finger. “Two, if she isn’t scary enough, he is.” And he pointed a finger directly at me. The Beast Master followed his finger, frowning. “The scary part isn’t that he’s a Maker. The scary part is that he is not concerned for collateral damage. And he hates to lose. He’s liable to destroy the whole lot of us rather than lose face. One of those silver-spooned types. Always got what he wanted as a kid. Billionaire heir.” He held a hand to his mouth. “Well, was a billionaire heir…”
“I’m not scared of the Maker.” The Beast Master said after a pause.
Alucard blinked at him. “You heard about the dragon invasion, right?” Boris nodded. “Well, that’s the leader of the Dragon Nation. Now he works for the Maker.” Raego gave a tight grin at the introduction, but at least he didn’t outright deny the vampire’s latter comment. Raego didn’t work for me. He worked for himself. Alucard pointed at the Huntress. “She tried to kill him a few months back. Now, she obeys him.” He whispered loud enough for all to hear. “And I don’t think she has ever obeyed anyone.” He looked around, then snapped a finger. “Ah, yes. The Brothers Grimm, bane to the supernatural community for thousands of years, or something. They came back. And not just any Grimms, but the Grimms. Jacob and Wilhelm.” He paused for emphasis. “The last I saw of ol’ Jacob, he was being impaled by a sword held by the Maker over there. But Nate was over a dozen feet away.” He strode in a circle. “The Horsemen follow him. Angels serve him. And Demons flee from him. He is quite literally the most dangerous thing I have ever encountered.” He turned back to the Beast Master. “And he’s a sore loser. And I’m probably the only one willing to share his weaknesses. If you can protect me. And let me fight…” he trailed off, meaningfully. I was slightly put off. Alucard was selling this so well that even I found myself wondering if he was simply speaking the truth.
He had been cut loose from his people, and had never truly found a replacement. Even with my crew, he didn’t quite fit in. And we always gave him a hard time. Was he telling the truth now? Or putting on a show? I risked a glance at Tory, and saw the same fear in her eyes. Had she truly lost control of him? Or maybe she never truly had control of him. He was a Daywalker now. Perhaps he was stronger than any of us had thought…
“You son of a bitch. I will murder you if you utter another word,” And I lit up the sky with an explosion of a dozen thunderbolts that hammered into the roofs of the buildings on either side of me. This gave me a moment to consider the situation, and was not intended to harm anyone. But it did startle everyone. Was Alucard being honest, or was he simply doing whatever he needed to do to save Aria?
“Deal,” the Beast Master replied, ignoring my outburst. “If the Maker allows it, of course. Don’t want him to throw a fit.” He glanced pointedly where I had just thrown my lightning bolts, then eyed me. “You choose. The dragon is already mine. And I already have a new red dragon in my pit. Too much of one thing…” I sighed in defeat. “If this doesn’t sound appealing to you, then everyone at the quarry will die before you can even think about rescuing them. If I don’t appear to my daughter and state our coded reply, everyone dies. So, you’ll get your momentary revenge by killing everyone here, but you’ll have over two-dozen deaths on your hands. Kids, fo
r the most part.” He folded his arms. “Decide.”
“I can make it there in a heartbeat, and rescue everyone before your daughter has time to move.”
He nodded. “Possible, but I have contingency plans in place for whenever I take a field trip. Which is a rare delight, by the way. I usually leave it to my crew. And after the dog’s meal of last night, I wanted to oversee this one.” He shook his head. “But I digress. Whenever I leave the compound, I enact a spell on my pets. If anyone enters my… residence before me, their cages will open, and they will be unleashed on your city. True monsters, no humanity left in them. My spell rips that right out of them, and they are only concerned with one thing. Hunting.”
“You’re bluffing.”
Boris shrugged, unconcerned. “So, call me on it, Maker. If I’m right, not only will you not save the kids, but you will also be directly responsible for hundreds, if not thousands of deaths.” He held up a hand towards Alucard and Aria. “Or, you can let me keep one of my new toys.” He glanced at the chimera. “And all of my old toys.” He added, winking at me. “I know you already bought a ticket to tomorrow’s show. Let’s see what happens then. I have some… friends who are very interested in meeting your crew.”
I cursed. “Fine.” I rounded on Tory. “You got them in this mess. You decide which pet to keep.”
Tory gasped, and even the Huntress shot me a murderous glare. And Tory’s face broke as she slowly lifted her hand. To point at Aria.
Alucard let out a laugh. “Thank God.”
The Beast Master flinched in sudden realization. “You… just said…”
Alucard nodded. “Yep. Forgot to mention that. Bonus?”
The Beast Master grinned, and I could see the dollar signs in his eyes. “I think I’m going to like you.” Then he frowned. “Or you will die in the pit. That part is truly up to you, but I would encourage you to strenuously disagree with anyone who has other plans.”
Alucard’s fangs glistened. “Understood.” And he licked his lips again.
I truly couldn’t tell if he was bluffing, and I was good at reading people. He looked truly… anticipatory. I shot a murderous glare at Van, who seemed to wilt, but somehow kept his composure for his boss. Alucard strode up to him, glanced down at Aria, and then leaned in.
And licked her face.
Then he leaned back and let out a harsh laugh.
Aria hissed back at him.
In response, Alucard slapped her hard enough to break her jaw. She folded against Van, unconscious. “Damn twat. Been wanting to do that forever.” The Huntress was now physically holding Tory back.
I stared, power coursing through my veins, realizing that no matter what I did, countless people would die. Here I was, suddenly aware of my new powers, and I couldn’t do a damn thing. And after that slap, I was pretty confident that my HR team had made a grave mistake in the vampire department.
I used a lance of air to punch Van straight in the gut, doubling him over. The man flew into a trio of shifters looming behind him. Alucard turned with a hiss, and barely dodged Aria as I drew her back to me on another gust of power. I released the chimera, who collapsed to the ground with a snarl. The cobra head hissed at me, and I flipped it the bird before turning around.
“Let’s go,” I snarled. “See you tomorrow, Boris the Beast Master. Get your affairs in order.”
My crew followed me.
Chapter 48
Tory paced back and forth, hyperventilating. All she wanted to do was yell at the Reds. It’s all anyone wanted to do, because they had ruined everything. Tory and Alucard, after seeing me sitting beneath the tree, had decided I had officially lost my mind. And had called Raego to back them up while they attempted to prevent the last abduction. The Reds, taking after me, had decided to steal one of Raego’s cars. And then, just for kicks, decided to follow him to a warzone to help their adopted parents. Where Aria had been captured, and Alucard taken.
Emphasizing this, Raego stood in the corner, glaring at the Reds, looking eager to teach them a lesson. But not from a loving perspective. With the rage, power, and command of the Dragon King. The Obsidian Son. Thankfully, he hadn’t done this yet, because it would have destroyed the girls, and ignited an already tense room. So, he remained silent. But it was a tense silence.
And with Aria so shaken up, no one else dared to scream at the teenaged dragon either.
So, Tory paced. And the rest of us fumed, turning on each other, as we had for the last hour.
Aria now sat frozen on the couch, staring off into space, cheek still red from Alucard’s palm. Her jaw was swollen, and already darkening. I was entirely sure that she couldn’t speak, but I knew dragons healed fast – within hours – so I wasn’t worried. Sonya was stuck to her side, staring off at nothing, eyes vacant at Alucard’s betrayal. Her arrow wound would be gone soon, too. But the wound Alucard had given with his words and actions would fester. I just knew it.
I watched Tory, wanting to do the same thing. My fingers twitched with inaction and I was almost finished convincing myself to go burn the circus to the ground. It was night, so would look really cool. I had a sudden hankering for hot dogs, thinking of Ganesh’s belt in my safe.
“No, Nate,” Gunnar growled, sensing my mood. “We have to find another way.”
“But I want hot dogs,” I whispered desperately.
He frowned at me. “You do know that comments like that are precisely why we went rogue.”
I rolled my eyes. “And you did a real bang-up job with that.” I spat. His glare tightened murderously, but I waved him off. “Back to the matter at hand. My way is simple.”
Gunnar nodded slowly. “And from what Boris told us, you’ll kill a lot of innocent people. And you’ll likely lose your power entirely. Which means you’ll be fresh for the picking when the Beast Master’s new client comes to town, wondering why his entertainment was cancelled. If you even manage to beat Boris in the first place,” he sneered.
Achilles must have told him about the Syndicate. “I don’t need advice from you, wolf.”
He snarled back, claws bursting from his fingertips.
“Remember what happened last time?” I whispered back menacingly. The air suddenly grew heavier, and the house seemed to quiver beneath Gunnar’s feet.
“Stop whatever you’re doing. Last warning,” he said in a low tone, single eye glittering. “I don’t care how badass your house is.”
“Boys,” Othello warned. “This won’t help get the kid. Or Ashley. Or…” she didn’t finish her statement, but we all read between the lines. I had almost forgotten she was here. Mallory stood near a bookshelf with Rufus, looking none too pleased with me for leaving him behind earlier. Rufus stood beside him, very quietly. Very, very quietly. Thinking even quieter thoughts. Which was wise, given the circumstances. But to be honest, I was kind of glad the old bastard had cursed me. Because it had given me a once in a lifetime opportunity. But I couldn’t tell anyone.
The Huntress was absently thumbing through a book, not speaking to anyone. Smart, since Tory wasn’t too pleased about Sonya’s mysterious arrow wound.
“Alucard,” Tory finished Othello’s sentence. “He’s mine.” I couldn’t tell if she meant it possessively, or as vengeance. Aria whimpered at the name, but Sonya snapped out of her daze, immediately consoling her sister.
I frowned at Tory. “Look, I know his show was pretty convincing, but I don’t buy it. He was just doing what had to be done.” I hoped I was right. The act of a loving father sacrificing himself for his daughter.
Gunnar grumbled. “We’ll see.”
“Nate’s right!” Sonya suddenly shrieked, jumping to her feet, silencing us all. Her red dragon claws were out, and her fiery red eyes smoldered. “Alucard would never betray his fam—” she took a breath, closing her eyes for a moment. “His friends,” she corrected, still looking angry as she opened her eyes, daring anyone to say otherwise.
“Regardless, as much as we might need her, Tory should probably si
t this one out.” I threw this out there because it was a typical Nate thing to say, and I was trying to mask my true plans. I knew Tory was going to come with me, but old Nate would have resisted this out of fear of the Fae. New Nate understood that the Fae were going to visit either way.
And I wanted the Fae to show up right where I would be, so I could better defend everyone. Otherwise the Fae could abduct Tory while I was out taking on the Beast Master, and I wouldn’t be able to stop them. Which meant I needed her close. To keep her safe.
“No!” she snapped. I threw a hand at her, nullifying her before her eyes could shift green.
“Queens take King. Checkmate,” I murmured in warning, implying she was the King.
She let out a scream of frustration. “They didn’t come last time!”
“We were lucky. Doesn’t change anything. Do we have any other ideas?” I asked the room, wondering the same thing. The Fae had no more wall holding them back, and Tory had used her powers big time in the alley. Maybe it would take the Fae some time to realize the Gateway was low on juice. The electrical fence down. The room was silent other than Tory’s pacing.
“We have to go to the Circus,” the Huntress said, setting down her book with a thud. “Thanks to Van doing exactly as Nate asked him to do.” Gunnar and Tory turned to me with a look of surprise. Aria snapped out of her daze to shoot me such a hurt look that my heart broke into a million pieces. “Great job, Maker. Genius, really. Even I can’t understand your master plan.” She looked up, frowning at me. “You did have a master plan, right? You’re just stroking our egos right now, trying to make us little people feel important beside your holy Maker God Complex.”
“Shut it, Huntress,” I growled.
Tory’s tone was arctic. “No, I want to hear what the hell she’s talking about. Van did exactly as you asked? You…” she took a deep breath, “asked him to kidnap Aria?”
I shot a desperate look at Aria, who stared back at me as if she had never seen me before. A look of such betrayal that the already broken pieces of my heart burned to dust. Sonya, on the other hand, looked ready to remove my innards. Slowly.
Beast Master: A Novel in The Nate Temple Supernatural Thriller Series (The Temple Chronicles Book 5) Page 26
