by Eva Brandt
The same strange feeling that had stirred inside me at the club reared its ugly head, but this time, I understood it. I was jealous, jealous of the werewolf’s obvious bond with Lucienne.
It was an irrational thought. Declan Whelan’s life was forfeit, just like mine, and resenting him for having the comfort of her touch during the last days of our lives was pointless. It would be better to focus on figuring out how in the name of the High King I’d ended up sharing a soulmate with him.
I stalked away from the van, hoping that putting some distance between me and the scene would give me some clarity. Through the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Serena lurking nearby, and I waved her forward. “Enforcer Ayers, have you secured the perimeter?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” she answered. “Everything is in order in the area. We’ve neutralized the potential chemical reactions within the gasoline and have dispatched forces to see if there are any humans who may have witnessed the incident. Enforcer Diaz confirms that our troops have eliminated the truck’s escorts. Unfortunately, they were not able to take prisoners. Several of the scavengers’ motorcycles crashed and did some minor damage to the infrastructure, but we are handling it. Enforcer Christensen has yet to return, but he has not reported any problems.”
Overall, it was a good result, although it grated on me that the smaller group of scavengers that had attempted to use a different escape route had so far eluded us. Nevertheless, Valerian was perfectly capable of handling it and making sure our mission was a complete success. I hoped he’d manage to capture at least a few of the scavengers alive since I wanted answers.
“Good,” I told Serena. “We have a rather unfortunate issue on our hands. It would appear that one of the humans from the fight at the club is here. She may have some kind of connection with Guardian Whelan. Once she comes out of the truck, I want you to pull her aside and make sure she is safe and comfortable. I need to look into the matter further, and see to it that the law is followed.”
A shadow settled on Serena’s pale, beautiful face. If she had not been an Alarian, I would’ve called it anger or outrage. But we’d always been above such things—or rather, unable to feel them—so the barely-there flicker vanished within the blink of an eye. “I understand, Your Highness.”
She didn’t, not really, not when she had no idea what I was hiding and the true reasons for my desire to protect Lucienne. While it was certainly not unusual and an approach we often followed when it came to humans who got caught up in our conflicts, her case was different. Leaving aside my own arbitrary need to see her and keep her close, the fact remained that something had brought her here, something that was potentially dangerous. I needed to figure out the causes of her presence, posthaste.
Fortunately, Serena was nothing if not dependable. As soon as Lucienne complied with Guardian Whelan’s request and emerged from the vehicle, Serena intercepted her and herded her away from the car, and from me.
Guardian Whelan fulfilled his promise as well. Within less than a minute, terrified humans started to stumble out of the truck. Cyrus took over their transfer and made sure the injured received medical care. Once my enforcers handled that, they would deal with the necessary mind blurs, allowing the humans to continue their lives without having to carry the burden of their trauma. I left them to it, waiting for the unavoidable moment when the werewolf would deign to show up.
To his credit, Declan Whelan was many things, but a coward was not one of them. As soon as the last human had exited the vehicle of the scavengers, he followed and made a direct beeline for my position.
Judging by his grim expression, he understood the situation as well as I did and had no intention of protesting any decision I would make in that regard. He had always been that way, and it was something that had set him apart from the rest of his kin. He truly believed in the Alarian creed, in our vow to protect our human soulmates at all costs, and for that reason, he had left his old life—his pack and his family included—behind. No other werewolf had done that, and now that I could process his actions properly, I had to admit that perhaps, on some level, I admired them.
When he reached my side, Declan saluted, as unflinchingly polite as ever. I nodded to acknowledge his presence and went straight to the point. “That young woman is your soulmate, isn’t she?”
The werewolf’s whole body stiffened at my blunt question, but he made no attempt to deny it. “Yes, Your Highness.”
“And you have touched, haven’t you?” I continued. I already knew the answer to that question, but it was necessary to get all the facts out in the open so that I could proceed further.
“Yes, Your Highness,” Declan said again. After a brief moment of vacillation, he added, “It would appear my rashness might have had a side-effect which led to her confusion and her presence here.”
Just as fearlessly as before, the guardian met my eyes. His gaze glinted with a silent question and a plea, and I didn’t delay in taking him up on the invitation.
My mind slid into his, my mental touch nowhere near as kind as it had been when I had blurred Lucienne’s memories. Declan’s wolf recoiled, but even so, he didn’t pull away. He had expected this, and in all likelihood, the Alarian who had done this to him during the guardian selection process had been much rougher.
I looked deeper, scanning the werewolf’s consciousness for what had happened and what he had done. What I found provided me with many answers, yet none at all. Guardian Whelan had instinctively attempted to rescue his soulmate by sharing his abilities with her during the battle at the club. I could not fault him for this, not really, but it changed nothing about the ultimate aftermath. It also did not explain my problem and the fact that I was still alive.
Guardian Whelan had spoken to his vampire partner later, and Malachai Braun had reported that Lucienne appeared to have given the power back, ultimately leading to Declan healing, instead of dying of silver poisoning. However, the whole episode seemed to have left traces on her, and Declan feared for Lucienne’s health. The bitter taste of guilt filled my mouth as I realized that something I had done might have caused untold damage to the beautiful human, and the emotion made a flash of pain surge through me.
I scrambled to gather my defenses, but I wasn’t completely successful. Declan’s raw thoughts drifted into my mind, tinged with terror and desperation. It was my fault. All my fault. Please, kill me, but help her. She doesn’t deserve this. She is a good person and was only trying to help. I’m the one who forced this on her.
Yes, and he had no real concept of the severity of what he’d done, or of how complicated our situation was. If he had realized the truth, he would’ve probably not made this request, to begin with, since he would have known very well that I wasn’t going to let anything happen to Lucienne. He also did not realize that his intense emotions might end up doing what no scavenger had been able to, end my life on the spot.
But no, I could not think this way. I had to remain in control, at all costs. I couldn’t afford to be incapacitated by my condition, not until I got some answers to my questions.
Declan did not realize anything was amiss with me. As far as he knew, I was only his prince, although, granted, one known for the tendency to spurn tradition in favor of results. I could work with that.
Decision made, I withdrew my magic from his mind. “I see,” I said out loud. “You understand that this is a crime against the Soulmate Protection Dictate and that the punishment for it is death, don’t you?”
“I understand and I will submit to your judgment.” I did not need to read his mind to know it was still Lucienne he wanted me to help. He did not ask for mercy for his vampire partner either. Most likely, he knew it would not have made a difference.
“I will see what I can do,” I told him. “In the meantime, say nothing of the matter. We will discuss it again once I speak with my father.”
I might have said something else, perhaps attempted to provide him with some form of reassurance that his mate would be cared
for. However, our respective positions weren’t conducive to such interactions, and displaying sympathy would draw attention to my plight. As such, I waved him off, all the while wishing I could help him more.
Then again, maybe I could. I should not be considering it. I knew better. But on the other hand, the connection between him and Lucienne wasn’t normal. He might have been her soulmate, but his success in remotely transferring his abilities to her was very unusual. Then, there was the fact that I had a connection with her as well. That alone made us an anomaly, something that was worth looking into. In addition, Lucienne had miraculously survived not just one, but two confrontations with scavengers. That went against everything I knew about the Accursed Syndrome. Between all that, and the failed Alarian Vow, I had quite a puzzle on my hands.
As I considered my new dilemma, Guardian Whelan departed with a formal, silent salute. I saw him throw one last glance toward Lucienne, and could not help but experience the same sharp pang of bitterness and jealousy as before.
I could not even afford to do that, to yearn for her. How would my family react once they realized what had happened? I had no idea, but I couldn’t imagine it would go over well with them. I wanted to believe they wouldn’t endanger Lucienne—it was not our way—but at the same time, a small part of me could not help but point out that not even Alarians were immune to the corruption of the rest of our kin.
But succumbing to self-pity, anger or jealousy would have been a serious mistake, one I refused to make. A Sword of Damocles was hanging over our heads. It would soon come crashing down on me, and possibly on Declan as well. Until that happened, though, I had a job to do. And I knew exactly where to begin.
A part of me wished I could’ve at least spared one person unnecessary pain, but it was not possible. When Declan Whelan was tried, there was a good chance that an Alarian inquisitor, maybe even the cardinal, would scan his mind just like I had. If that happened, any secret I might try to keep would be revealed and this already volatile situation would blow up in my face.
It was unfortunate, but Malachai Braun had made his choice. His loyalties were no longer with The Pure Kingdom of Alaria, and for that, he needed to pay. No matter how much I hated it, we had to bow down to the law. Perhaps I could still help him keep his life, but beyond that, I could not interfere.
* * *
Malachai
When Prince Darius had ordered for me and Declan to take up two different observation posts at the warehouse, I had known something was very wrong. It hadn’t necessarily been that unusual. We’d had separate tasks and split up plenty of times during other missions. Nevertheless, something about His Highness’s demeanor had put me on the edge.
I did not get the chance to dwell too much on my suspicions. Prince Darius had assigned me to Valerian’s unit and we had been forced to pursue the second group of scavengers that had fled the warehouse. Perhaps these particular Accursed had known that their chances of escaping through regular means were slim because they had chosen to leave their truck behind, with their prisoners still trapped inside while the engine was running. When we finally reached the vehicle, we found the captives slowly suffocating due to the carbon monoxide emissions the scavengers had directed into the car from the exhaust pipe.
It was a good strategy since it forced us to stop our pursuit to help the humans. They wouldn’t die anytime soon, as it would take a while for the gas to actually do damage. However, the law still stated that we had to prioritize their well-being over all else.
There was just one problem with the scavengers’ idea. I was not a healer. I was a vampire, and I had no real purpose here, not when the enforcers were present and more than capable to provide assistance to the innocent civilians. The other guardians present on site were in a similar situation.
Valerian must’ve realized this as well, and had no intention of letting the scavengers get away. “Stay here and help the humans,” he told his enforcer subordinates. “The guardians and I will move forward to track down our targets.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
“With honor, we move forward.”
We didn’t bother to go through all the formalities Alarian farewells involved since every second that passed gave the scavengers a better chance of escaping. Instead, I took the lead and guided the whole group through the cramped, dark streets of the human city. Nobody questioned me, not even Valerian. Despite their notions of superiority, enforcers weren’t as good at making their way through such settlements as guardians. It wasn’t even because of an official policy or anything like that. Enforcers and guardians had the same role, to hunt down scavengers, no matter where they were. It was just that the Alarians’ inability to feel came with certain disadvantages, things that they didn’t acknowledge in a verbal way, but that could take their toll when on the battlefield. It was why the Guardian Corps existed, because the asset we represented compensated for our impure nature. I didn’t have Declan’s nose, but I was still better at tracking than everyone else in the group.
As it turned out, the scavengers decided to use the sewers as an escape route. “Are you kidding me?” one of the other guardians with us, Seamus Hicks, asked as we pursued them. “They can’t possibly believe they can shake us off down here.”
It was actually not a horrible idea. A young tiger-shifter like Seamus might have gotten distracted by the foul stench and lost focus. I had no such issues. “Be careful, Guardian Hicks,” I warned him. “They might have planned some kind of ambush. It’s a strategy they often employ when they’re trying to escape.”
“Yes, yes, Malachai, we know,” Seamus’s sister, Tanya, said, rolling her eyes. “You don’t need to baby us. We’re not Declan.”
I twitched in irritation at the disdainful way Tanya said Declan’s name. These two were a little new to the Corps and not yet accustomed to the way things worked around here. They had yet to set aside the rivalry that naturally existed between their species and Declan’s. They’d learn, and most likely it would not be necessary for me to teach them. “Just follow me and be quiet,” I said gruffly.
My frustration came in handy, since my desire to find someone I could take out my aggression on made my senses even sharper. Despite the stench in the sewers, it was easy for me to detect the subtle remnants the scavengers’ scent and presence had left behind. I started to jog through the passageway, eager to complete this mission and destroy the monsters that threatened our world and our soulmates.
We caught up with the scavengers just as they were about to exit the sewers. They had not bothered to try to ambush us, and instead, showed every intention of wanting to flee. This made me wonder what kind of vehicle they’d had waiting for them, and who could be directing this operation, to begin with. Perhaps if we took them alive, we’d get the answer to that question.
Once the scavengers were in sight, my whole group surged forward, with Valerian and me in the lead. The battle itself brought me little satisfaction. There were only four scavengers and ten of us. Valerian alone would’ve probably been able to handle the threat on his own. The cramped space in the sewers did pose a slight problem since it meant we had to cluster together and didn’t have a lot of room to maneuver. This led to one of the incubi being able to shoot a fire blast at us and hitting several guardians at the same time.
It did not matter that much in the big picture, because seconds after his attack, I shot toward him. My claws went straight through his gut, aiming for organs that weren’t actually vital and could regenerate in an Accursed. At the same time, my mind clashed against his, forcing him to succumb to my will.
My skill at mind magic was limited at best, but I did have my thrall, which was, ironically, similar to the ability of an incubus. The incubus might have tried to shake it off, but his physical injury shattered his ability to concentrate. He slumped against me, his eyes glazed and his magic tamed.
I dumped my hypnotized victim onto the sewer floor and flicked my claws, hating the way the mere sight of blood made my mouth water
. I really should’ve eaten after that whole business at the club, even if the feeding serum could never compare to the real thing. Maybe before my unavoidable end, I’d allow myself to indulge, just once.
A memory of Lucienne flashed through my mind, and I pushed back the thought, as well as the sudden desperate desire to taste her blood. That was not going to happen, not ever, not if I could help it. I’d drive a stake through my own heart before I turned her into food.
Forcing back my tempestuous thoughts and emotions, I directed my attention to the scavengers once again. It was stupid to lose focus during a battle, and if I wasn’t careful, I might find my death at the hands of one of these unworthy creatures. I refused to give them the satisfaction.
I needn’t have worried about any scavenger taking advantage of my moment of distraction. By now, the rest of my team had already immobilized the incubus’s companions. Only one other had survived, and Valerian was not pleased with Seamus, who must’ve been the person who’d killed the other two. Well, “not pleased” was perhaps not the best description, considering the man’s inability to feel, but it was close enough.
“We received specific instructions,” he said coldly. “We were to bring the scavengers back alive. If you cannot follow these simple orders, you are of no use to The Pure Kingdom of Alaria and you will be removed.”
Seamus swallowed audibly. “Yes, My Lord. You have my apologies, My Lord.”
“Apologies are for the Banished, not for guardians. You will report to Cardinal Vaughn for your punishment. Is that clear?”
“Yes, My Lord.”
As I watched the exchange, I picked up my captive and draped him over my back. It always sucked when one of us received a punishment, and not in a good way. While I didn’t much care for Seamus as a person, I felt bad for him. But he’d broken the rules, and we’d all known what we were getting ourselves into when we’d signed up for the Guardian Corps.
