by Kiki Howell
“Then you will not mind if we take him from your hands. Give him to us now, and we will be on our way.” Willem smiled again, teeth flashing. “Unless you wish a private audience with me.”
She straightened. “He is no longer on Seethe lands. We found one of our own, gravely wounded, and then learned he left with one of our members...with a former member.”
“You let him leave?” Willem’s voice dropped to a hissed whisper, eyes glinting a dangerous yellow. “You are many things, Mirella, but stupid is not one of them. Why would you let someone go, especially a Nequam? Someone who had broken our treaty?” His pack shifted forward, circling around their Alpha.
“Do not presume to know my mind, Willem.” Anger flared inside her. He’d crossed the line, and challenged her on her rule. It was too much. She raked her gaze across him, and his pack. Willem held his ground, but several of his pack mates took a respectful step back.
“And do not question my rule, Willem. He is gone. What is it you want?”
“His head, of course. Paltry payment for the lives of my pack. And now I want your help in finding him.”
“And if I refuse?”
Willem’s eyes narrowed. “You know that would mean war. Our treaty does not extend to those who kill our kind. And you’ve given refuge to scant few Nequam. None of them are worth anything. They are dangerous, and unstable.”
Mirella scowled. “You speak out of line, Willem. And you go too far in your assumptions. And again, you question my rule.” Mirella stood. “Enough of your accusations.”
She locked eyes with Willem. She did not want a contest of wills with this man, this werewolf. She knew it may just prove to be a lost battle. And that she could not risk. Not for herself, and not for the Seethe. She drew a breath, squared her shoulders, and held her head high.
“I want what you want. I want the Nequam dead. I want my Seethe member returned. And I want the treaty between my Seethe, and your pack to remain as it has been.”
She turned to the guard standing at the rear of her chamber. “Bring in Gabriel.”
The guard bowed, and opened the door. Gabriel was brought forward.
Mirella eyed him distastefully, as he was brought before them. His long hair was matted with blood, and hung around his face, and his clothes were torn and dirty. He looked much like a drunken scrapper who’d just been tossed from a tavern. The Nequam had definitely been stronger than he first appeared, if he had been able to fight off the Moonbay Clan, as well as reduce Gabriel to such a sorry state.
“This is Gabriel, a member of my Seethe.” Mirella told Willem. “He is going to lead the hunt for the renegade Nequam, Caine, and Natalya.”
Gabriel’s head snapped up, his icy eyes wide.
“But Mistress, you cannot.”
Mirella raised a brow. “You dare to tell me what I can and cannot do?”
Gabriel snapped his mouth shut, his cheeks coloring. He knew the punishment for disrespect was severe, whether in private, or especially before a pack of werewolves.
He bowed low. “I only meant that I feel it would be a waste of time, Mistress. Caine is not a threat to us, and Natalya is a member of our Seethe who should not be harmed.”
“Natalya is no longer a member of this Seethe.” Mirella’s voice was sharp, and Gabriel flinched, as if she’d cut him with a knife. “She abandoned us the moment she made her choice to leave with Caine, and I renounce her because of that choice. You know as well as I that there is no way to go after Caine without also going through her.” Mirella steeled herself. She was fond of Natalya, no doubt, but the woman had betrayed the Seethe...and her. To show that weakness now would only undermine her rule.
The moment passed. She took a step down from her throne. “I’m not blind to your part in this, Gabriel. Either you do this task, or you die by my hand.”
Gabriel bowed again, eyes dropping deferentially. Mirella knew she’d hit home with her threat.
“I am surprised at your hesitancy, Gabriel.” Mirella’s voice softened slightly. “You owe your life, your very existence to me, especially knowing what I do about you. You should be grateful that I have granted you the protection of my Seethe for as long as I have.”
Gabriel raised his eyes, and this time they were cold, as he met the gaze of his Mistress.
“I have not forgotten, Mistress. I am grateful.” Mirella raised a brow. Gabriel sounded as if he’d swallowed broken glass, the words coming out in a strangled tone. “And I will do your bidding.”
“Good.” Mirella ascended back to her throne, and turned, hands clasped before her. She met Willem’s eyes. “He will set off with your pack directly after sunset tomorrow. I expect you two can accomplish this simple task without killing each other.”
There was a deathly silence following Mirella’s words. Gabriel stole a glance at Willem, before quickly looking away. If looks could kill, Mistress would be sorely displeased with Willem. And Gabriel would be nothing, but a bloody mess on the parquet floor.
THE NIGHT WAS CLOUDY. Caine stood, staring up at the sky, trying to make some kind of sense of what Malachi had said. There was movement behind him, and then Natalya joined him.
“You’ve had a talk with Malachi?” She rested her head on his shoulder.
“I have.” He slid an arm around her, pulling her close. “And I have no idea what is happening.”
Natalya sighed. “Malachi says we’re in danger. We should leave, move further away from the Seethe lands.”
“And how does he know?”
“Malachi is ancient. He’s spent centuries here, practicing his craft, strengthening his power.”
“And his craft? What kind of power?”
“It has everything to do with the mind. He can control thoughts. He can see what others are thinking.” Her voice dropped, sending a chill along Caine’s spine. “And what they are doing.”
“And he’s seen something, someone who is a danger to us?”
Natalya tensed in his arms. “He’s seen Gabriel. Gabriel is coming to find us.”
“GABRIEL?” CAINE ASKED. “Are you certain about this?”
Caine had gone on a brief hunt, quickly bringing down a deer. Caine and Natalya had been ravenous, feeding greedily. Malachi had been more reserved, but he’d taken his share. Now they were seated by the fire, Malachi in his chair, Natalya on the stool Caine had occupied earlier. Caine could not sit, and paced restlessly across the small room.
Malachi nodded. “My visions do not mislead me, Caine. They will be here; two nights from now. With the wolves.” Caine thought the vampire suddenly looked his age, ancient and exhausted.
“Werewolves?” Caine stopped pacing. “He’s with the Moonbay Clan?”
Natalya nodded. “Gabriel is a tracker. The Moonbay are as well, but...”
Caine blew out a sharp breath. “Now it’s personal. I’ve humiliated him, and I’ve taken you away.”
“And you’ve broken Seethe protection, and that’s angered Mistress Mirella. I told you the werewolves would want your blood, Caine. I just didn’t expect them to collect directly.”
“An angry Seethe Mistress is a dangerous Seethe Mistress.” Malachi shook his head. “And you’ve taken the one thing Gabriel coveted. Natalya. Come between someone, and their heart’s desire, and you create a very dangerous person.”
Caine frowned. “So we have two nights?”
“We do.” Malachi nodded.
“But what can we do in that time? It’s just the three of us.” Natalya looked up at Caine, fear in her eyes.
“I am not going down without a fight. Not after all this.” He looked down at Natalya. “And I’m not letting Gabriel take you back to the Seethe.”
He stepped in front of Malachi, hands on the arms of old vampire’s chair. “Train me. Train me in what you know how to do best.” He leaned closer, his face scant inches from Malachi’s. “Train me to use my mind.”
“ARE WE THERE YET, VAMPIRE?” Willem snapped. “Enough of this wild goose chase.”
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Gabriel tensed, fighting the urge to turn around, and snarl at the werewolf, that if the old bastard would just stop talking for one minute, he would have an easier time concentrating. But he knew that would only earn him more grief from the Alpha, and right now more grief was not what he needed.
Since they’d left the Seethe, Gabriel had entertained the idea of killing Willem more times than he could count. He didn’t deny that a majority of that desire stemmed from the fact that the Alpha was a domineering bastard who seemed hell-bent on making this as hard as possible on Gabriel. He was constantly badgering him, insulting his tracking skills, snapping at his heels like the whelp he was. He insisted that Gabriel was trying to slow them down, so that their prey had time to flee.
The last point happened to be true, but Gabriel certainly wouldn’t admit that, if he valued his life. But the rest of it was just insulting. He longed to pull his dagger free, and plant it in Willem’s chest. If doing so would assure Natalya’s safety, he would have done it in a heartbeat, would have killed Willem with a tree branch if he had to, but the other werewolves would simply continue on the hunt—after they slaughtered him, of course. And if they didn’t, Mistress Mirella certainly would, after discovering that he had single-handedly brought about the destruction of peace between Clan, and Seethe.
“We should be there within the hour.” Gabriel stopped, eyes focused ahead, as he picked his way through the thick forest. He had never been to this place, but he’d heard of it before—this was the fabled home of Malachi, a hermit vampire who was known only for his great mental powers. If rumors were true; he was powerful, and would be hard to take down. Under any other circumstances, Gabriel would seriously have considered running in the opposite direction.
But as things stood now, he only felt pity for Malachi. The vampire wouldn’t stand a chance against an entire pack of werewolves.
They continued on, and dread settled into Gabriel’s chest, the weight becoming heavier the closer they got to their destination. He could practically see Natalya in his mind’s eye, standing in a clearing, her long, black hair blowing in the breeze, tendrils caressing her sweet face. Her eyes would widen when she saw him, first in shock and fear, and then narrow in rage, as she realized how he’d betrayed her. How he’d betrayed them. It was no longer simply Natalya now that she’d chosen Caine.
It was one thing to betray her lover, as he owed nothing to Caine. But to betray Natalya like this, with a pack of raging werewolves nipping at their heels, hungry for blood, it was a betrayal of the worst kind. Vampires stuck together, for the most part, and while Natalya and Caine had left him bound and gagged, Natalya had pleaded with Caine to spare him. And he did. For that, he was grateful, though his heart still ached with jealousy that Natalya had wanted Caine instead of him.
Still, his love for her overshadowed his anger towards Caine, and the fact that he was being forced to join a team that was destined to destroy them both, caused him great distress. He couldn’t stand by and watch them kill Natalya. He just couldn’t.
“What are your plans once we reach them?” He turned to Willem, wondering if there wasn’t still a way to stop this, despite how far they’d come.
“Kill them all, of course,” Willem said, matter-of-factly.
“Kill them all? Mistress said...”
Willem turned, fixing Gabriel with a yellow-tinged gaze. “I do not really care what the Mistress said. We are far from Seethe lands. What happens here is out of her control. She is not my Mistress. Do not forget that.” Willem smiled, a sharp, wolfish grin, and Gabriel drew back.
Then Willem shrugged. “This half-breed, Caine, killed members of my pack, my mates. If Natalya was foolish enough to side with him, so much her loss, not mine.” Willem locked his fingers together, palms outward, flexing his arms. Gabriel heard the disgusting crack of the wolf’s knuckles. “Besides, I plan to do quite a bit of vampire killing in the near future. What are a few more?”
Gabriel stiffened, then turned to face Willem fully. “What do you mean by that?” He took a step toward Willem.
Several wolves growled. Willem held up a hand, and they quieted, but they stayed a restless, seething group, gathering around Gabriel. A genial expression crossed Willem’s face, and the hairs on the back of Gabriel’s neck stood on end. The look was utterly frightening, and Gabriel frowned. Something was very wrong.
“When I am finished here, I will bring my pack around, return to our homeland, and eliminate your Seethe, every last one of them, including Mirella.”
Gabriel started, hand raised in mute appeal. “You would slaughter us all. After Mistress Mirella has abided by your agreement all these years? How could you act so callous, when the two of you used to be lovers?”
Willem’s face mottled with rage, and he took a menacing step forward. “Don’t presume to know my mind, or heart! Mirella is not the same woman she once was, when we were lovers. Her years among your kind have twisted her, corrupted her... I cannot allow her to live this way any longer. The only way to set her free is for her to die, and to ensure that happens, I must destroy the filth that is her Seethe—and her Nequam army.”
Gabriel’s mind went momentarily blank, then broke into a million pieces. “Army?” What makes you think Mirella has a Nequam army?” Gabriel replied, his voice carefully neutral.
“Yes, her army of Nequam. Are you going to lie to my face when my nose discerns the truth so easily?” Willem wrinkled his nose, sniffing the air. “The forest is fouled with their reek, has been ever since we entered this damned place.” He took a step closer, resting his index finger against Gabriel’s chest. The long nail pressed against the fabric of Gabriel’s tunic, sinking into the skin below.
“And you reek most of all, Nequam whelp.”
Before Gabriel could respond, Willem snapped his fingers, and one of the nearby wolves stepped up behind him, and gripped his chin, pressing Gabriel’s body against the wolf’s muscular chest, wrenching his head back. Then he was looking up at the sky, the stars through the trees. He knew what was coming, but still, the coldness of the blade surprised him, as it sliced across his throat. There was a moment of nothing, no feeling, no sound. Then an explosion of fire raced across his flesh, pain more intense, than he imagined possible. He tried to scream, but all that came out was a weak, wet sigh.
“I do not believe we will be requiring your services any longer.” Willem stepped back, away from the blood that was coursing from Gabriel’s neck. The werewolf holding Gabriel released him, and he fell facedown to the earth.
Willem knelt down beside Gabriel. “Your woman, and that murderer she’s with...their scent is strong enough that we can take it from here. We have no further use for you.”
With that, the pack melted into the darkness. Gabriel was alone, and as he lay beneath the trees, he felt his life essence, draining onto the forest floor.
MALACHI SANK INTO THE chair by the hearth, then dropped his head into his hands. Caine had already collapsed across the bed in an exhausted heap. Natalya was left standing in the middle of the small room, staring between the two men.
“Can someone please explain what happened?”
Malachi looked up, dark circles ringing his eyes. “Training is what happened.” He rose slowly, unfolding his tall frame from the chair. “Training of any kind is taxing. Training the mind more so.” He gestured toward Caine.
“The young one is strong, almost as strong as I was at his age. But he lacks control.” Malachi passed a hand across his eyes. “Control is harder to learn than strength.”
There was a muffled noise from the bed. Caine sat up, then pushed himself up from the mattress. “Malachi, here. Take your bed. You’re exhausted. Natalya and I...we’ll make do with the floor.”
Natalya began a protest, but Malachi waved her away. “The boy speaks the truth. And I am inclined to disregard the conventions of being a good host, in favor of a good rest. Your bodies are young; you can tolerate a night on the hearth.”
Caine stood
beside Natalya, as Malachi shed his outer robe before climbing into the bed. He settled with a long sigh, then was quiet.
“Caine, we can’t...” She looked up at him. His eyes were sunken, his face drawn. He looked as if he’d aged centuries in a single night.
“We can. Come...walk with me for a minute.”
He held the door open, and they stepped into the night. It was the time before dawn, when the night creatures were settling, but the creatures of the day had yet to awaken. It was Natalya’s favorite time, a time she felt most keenly alive. A purely magical time.
Caine closed the door. “Malachi is exhausted, Natalya. And despite what you may think, he’s frailer than you realize. Let him have his bed. Given what’s about to transpire, it might be the last night of rest he takes.”
Natalya’s heart stuttered in her chest. “What do you mean, Caine? Certainly the situation is grave, but is it really that bad?”
He reached out blindly, pulling her to him. She felt his heart beating beneath his tunic, smelled earth and grass on him, and something else, something she thought might have been fear.
“It’s going to be hell, Natalya. It will take all my strength, and Malachi’s, to defeat Willem.”
“And Gabriel.” She looked up at him, fingers tracing along the lines of his cheek. His eyes were nearly closed, lids drooping with fatigue. He opened them and frowned, looking down at her. What she saw in those depths made her heart go cold.
“Caine? What is it?”
“Malachi saw something...and I think I saw it, too. We were working on seeing things, seeing them advancing—I can’t describe it any other way—and I could see what was in Malachi’s mind. And it was Willem, and the wolves. There was no Gabriel.”
“Was he somewhere else, hiding back at the Seethe? Or with the Mistress?” She began to tremble, and Caine pulled her closer, the strength of his arms surrounding her. But it couldn’t take away the fear she felt.
“We could not tell. It was as if he were...gone. Gone from life.”
They were silent, standing in the circle of each other’s arms. She tried to grasp what he was saying. The only possibility was Willem, that he’d killed Gabriel, as they’d tracked them through the forest. Closing her eyes tight, she held back tears. Gabriel was the start of all of this, but he didn’t deserve death as a punishment. Especially not death at the hands of Willem, alone in a dark forest, far from the Seethe.
