Cat's Choice: The Chosen's War

by Jana Leigh

  Roarke refused to let the Chosen reveal themselves to the humans; it would ruin his plans for ruling the magical community, and thus, ruling the humans.

  Diavolo glared at Tina, “That is not your concern; all you need to know is I will be on your side when the time comes. I will also make sure you have leverage. The girl is my mate; she has the special blood to Vampire s, one that every Vampire will seek out until she is mated. There are more, but no one knows who they are. She is the key.”

  “You fucker, you knew all along and didn’t tell me. What the hell does it mean she is the key?” Roarke demanded.

  “What he means is, she wil l be the key. When she mates with th e Vampire Prince, and a Werewolf, like the old p ro ph ecy has spoken of, she will attract the others. But he is not her mate; the Prince is, he is the one the prophecy is about. Anyway, t heir blood will unite all the communities together with their mating. Some will be mated to the Sidhe, the other Vampire s , and more. But it all starts with her. The Chosen will undoubtedly , not know what they have.” Tina smirked.

  “Damnit, I should have been informed of this, what the fuck is it with all these prophecies. You would think we were living in the fucking middle ages.” Roarke roared and slammed his hand down. He should have staked this asshole when he had the chance. Now, he had no options but to work with him.

  “I will take care of it. We are still in a position to help one another.” Diavolo said.

  “Whatever, this time don’t fuck up and cause me to have more work. I will get some people on tracking where Caterina is and what’s going on. This was the first step in my plan, and already we ‘re having problems. Just a little reminder, if you don’t do what I want you to, the consequences will be dire. We have a special roof top that gets the morning sun. Remember that.”

  Chapter 3

  The hunger overtook him, forcing him to slip his hands through the woman’s golden tresses, moving her hair out of the way of his target. He watched the flutter of the vein near the base of her neck. He could hear her heart beating against her chest and was sorry she was afraid of what was coming. She always was —no matter how many times they had done this.

  “Stai tranquilla, Tesoro, ” Be still, my treasure , h e whispered into the woman’s ear. “Sai che non sara male .” You know I will not hurt you.

  First, he licked where he intended to bite, tasting the saltiness of her skin. For some reason, it always seemed to compliment the sweetness of her blood. It also served to numb the area slightly. Then, quickly, so he wouldn’t prolong the pinch of pain, he pierced her skin with his elongated fangs, and began to drink in the precious gift she shared with him .

  With each drop, he felt the hunger die away slowly. As he listened , her heart slowed, and he felt her body relax . She was drifting now into the pleasure state induced by enzymes in his venom, a small a m ou n t injected along with the bite taking away pain, and also preparing the wound site to quickly heal after the Vampire fed. Her body went lax; she was no longer able to stand on her own. She was drifting away on the high induced by the enzyme; he held her up and suck l ed gently from her vein. He wouldn’t so much as leave a bruise to mar her skin.

  After only a minute or two, he withdrew his teeth and swiped his tongue over the puncture holes several times to seal them; within a few hours, they would be completely healed . The woman sighed in euphoric pleasure. When he pulled back, he saw the satisfied smile and the clouded daze in her eyes.

  “Grazie,” the woman whispered in his arms.

  He signaled for his servant to come and retrieve the woman to take her to her chambers to rest. As he passed the now unconscious woman into the servant’s arms, he whispered against her ear, “Dormi bene .” Good night .

  He turned from them as the servant carried her away. Looking out the window at the early night sky, Orfeo sighed in disappointment. The feeding had not slaked his hunger as he had hoped it would. It was barely even enough to wet his appetite.

  He put his hand against the windowsill and leaned against it, until he could feel the cool glass touching his forehead. His body always ran warmer after a feeding, and he reveled in the subtle changes in temperature in his environment, because usually they weren’t as noticeable.

  He remembered when he was much younger; h e would take two to three donors a night to feed his hunger for blood . Then , he would head out to the Vampire clubs to slake another thirst —to find sexual partners for the night . He smiled at the memories of the menages he had taken part in; men and women, with legs intertwined, writhing in heated passion, all giving and receiving pleasure from each other. Being a Vampire , he didn’t only copulate with women. Some of his greatest lovers had been beautiful, virile men. Men definitely knew what men liked sexually. But Orfeo equally loved the soft , delicate caress a female could give. The silky tightness of a woman’s sheath was like heaven on earth.

  As he got older, he found that he didn’t need as many donors to satisfy his blood hunger, and no one could satisfy the other. As it was with Vampire s, the older and more powerful, they became, the less blood, they needed to maintain it. Younger Vampire s were still growing, and the y leaked their power away easily, not knowing how to hold it in until they needed the magic.

  He felt something missing—he felt empty in a part of him that he never pai d attention to before. His heart felt as if it had a hole in the middle of it. His chest had a dull ache, and no matter what he did, nothing could take it away.

  As news reached him and his clan of the New Council, Orfeo finally realized why he was feeling this way. Finally, after over 600 years of waiting, Orfeo would be able to fulfill his destiny and complete the prophecy .

  When he was a child, his parents and the Elders of their clan, would tell him of the prophe c y that he was born to fulfill. There would come a day when the moon would pass in front of the sun , casting the world in darkness in the full light of day. On this day, during the darkest hour, a Vampire would be born. He would be born from the womb of his mother and not turned by the blood of his sire. This Vampire would join with a shifter and a human. This special and foretold tri-mating would set him down the path to allow for his clan to walk in the light of day, no longer prisoners of the night.

  Born on May 25, 1370, exactly during the total solar eclipse, Orfeo was that Vampire . With his father stepping down as Sire, his parents would embrace their new roles as Elders ; Orfeo would be the next Sire . He alone would lead hi s clan into a new existence, in to the light .

  The birth of the New Council of shifters had signaled the beginning of his clan’s journey toward a new birth as well. He knew now the reason his hunger could not be sated was because he was about to meet his mates. One shifter, one human, both held in their blood the key to gifting him, and his clan through him, the ability to live in the sun. In order for it to work, Orfeo would need both equally, for one would not work without the other.

  Human and Vampire matings were rare; shifter and Vampire even rarer. Orfeo knew that a Vampire being mated to both at the same time had never happened. But it needed to be done, not only to grant him the ability to withstand the sun’s harsh rays, but to ensure the alliance needed between shifters, humans, and Vampire s. An alliance would herald a new beginning of peace and acceptance for all of them.

  Orfeo accepted his responsibility for his clan and for the prophecy without reservation. He had sent word to the Alpha of the New Council that he wished to offer his assistance and work out an alliance between them . He was waiting to hear their answer.

  Meanwhile, he and his parents would undergo the needed ceremony to pass the status of Sire from his father to him . Attilio, with Sofia by his side, led the Ambrosetti clan for many centuries. Attilio Ambrosetti wore the mantle of Sire with difficulty at times. At heart, he considered himself a farmer and a vintner. He led his clan wisely and compassionately, rarely going to war with other clans. The protection and happiness of his people, both Vampire and human, his main goals. With his son, he was at times st er
n and unbending because he wished his son to learn that becoming Sire was a great responsibility and a burden. His mother ruled the Castillo and oversaw the women and children from the village. She was a happy busybody, always trying to fix hurts and make happy endings. She ruled her mate with a smile and a kiss. Orfeo hoped h is time as Sire would be as successful and his people as contented as they’d been with his parents .

  Orfeo pushed himself away from the window and turned to the servant who now stood in the middle of the room.

  “Si, Allesandro .” Yes, Allesandro.

  “Mi spiace, signore, ma i suoi genitori l’hanno convocato all’atrio principale.” I ‘m sorry , my lord, but your parents have summoned you to the main hall.

  He walked over to his large four-poster bed and picked up the shirt that had been laid out for him. He had only been wearing his black, silk sleeping pants , so he slipped the soft Egyptian cotton t-shirt over his head and down his muscular, well-sculpted torso. He slid his sleep pants off his naked hips and butt; he felt no use in wearing underwear; it seemed like such a hassle after all these years . Then let them pool around his feet and stepped out of them as Alessandro retrieved them from the floor. He picked up the designer jeans and made quick work of pulling them up his legs. Making sure nothing was hanging out that could get caught, he zipped and buttoned them .

  He pulled on his socks, as Alessandro brought him his Italian leather boots . Finally dressed, Orfeo followed Alessandro out of the room, down the long hallway, and into a large elegantly decorated room. Ornate burgundy colored fabrics lined the windows and cushioned the furniture, while cream colored walls complimented the burgundy. Tables, chairs, parts of the sofa, the chaise, and even the floors were made from Calamander wood, also known as Masaccer ebony, because of its almost black appearance that is only highlighted by its orange-gold grain. The most expensive, and more lasting than any wood, the Ambrosetti family bought the wood from Sri Lanka and had the carpenters of their clan construct it into the most beautiful furnishings in the world. As a matter of fact, the carpenters did so well, Sofia convinced Attilio to allow the carpenters to go into business making luxury furniture for the richest people in the world. Just one of the many ways, his parents had found to fund and support the Ambrosetti clan.

  His mother was known to make wise decisions that made the clan’s life better and more comfortable. All the members came to her when they had need of her advice. That is why she was named Sofia, her name meaning wise.

  His father was known for his leadership and guidance. He was not only Orfeo’s father, but the father of all his clan. His father was the one who brought together the members of the clan. Before him, m any Vampire s were scattered and alone, wa ndering aimlessly, fending for themselves, and creating havoc as they did. They had no structure to their new lives as Vampire s , because most of the clan was made and not born. Their Sires had abandoned them , and not taught them the way to live side-by—side with humans in a symbiotic relationship .

  Attilio found them and took them in, giving them his blood, making himself their new Sire. He taught them a code to live by , and the laws of the clan. He gave them support, hope, peace. That is why his name was Attilio, which meant father.

  Orfeo’s name meant darkness, because he was born during the day when the world was cast in total darkness. Their last name, and the name of their clan, Ambrosetti, meant immortal. Attilio had taken the name as his when having a family name became important just after the first crusade .

  The voice of his mother brought Orfeo out of his thoughts. “Orfeo , amore mio, ci sei?” Orfeo , my love, are you there?

  Orfeo walked over to his mother, who sat on one of the chaise, near the windows that lined the outer wall of the room. He bent down and brushing a chaste kiss on her cheek . “Buona sera, mam m a .” Good evening, mama .

  She gave a soft smile as Orfeo moved to greet his father. “Buona sera, papa .” Good evening, papa . Orfeo bowed slightly toward his father.

  “Orfeo, figlio mio. Spero di trovarti bene stasera ?” Orfeo, my son, I hope I find you well this evening?

  “Si, papa’, meno male .” Yes, father, more or less .

  “Siediti, amore, abbiamo molto di discutere questa sera.” Sit, love , we have much to discuss this evening . His mother gestured to the lounge chair facing her and Attilio.

  Orfeo sat stiffly, not sure he was ready for what his parents wished to discuss.

  “Orfeo,” his father’s commanding voice said, “Your mother and I have been discussing your situation , and have come to some conclusions about what has to be done.”

  “My situation?” Orfeo said in a sigh. “You make it sound like I have some human disease.”

  “Orfeo, Dios mio.” Orfeo, my God . His mother said in shock at her son’s terse tone. “That isn’t what your father meant. This is not a thing to mourn. This is a good thing. We simply have been planning what actions need to be taken to make these transitions smoother for everyone.”

  “Well, mother, I thought we had decided to talk to the New Council and for you and father to hand the Eldership to me. But please tell me what you and father have decided for my life without consulting me.”

  “Orfeo, you will not speak to your mother in that tone , ” h is father said abruptly in rapid Italian , “You may be 641 years of age, but you are still my son and under my rule.”

  “And what would you do father, send me to my room without any dinner ? I think you’re a bit late for that, An n ette has already fed me to satisfaction .” Before he finished, his father was out of his chair. But his mother was just as quick to stand between the two men, who were now squaring off.

  “Be still, Attilio, allow me to speak to the boy , ” she said giving her son a quelling look . Orfeo almost snorted at his mother’s reference to him as a boy. But his mother often told him he acted like a young boy instead of a grown man when he got into these moods. She knew it chafed him when she said it.

  His father huffed. “Fine, wife, but if he does not curb his tongue, I will curb it for him.”

  She faced his father and placed her hand on his chest. “Attilio, my love, give me a few moments alone with Orfeo. It is obvious something is bothering him , and I think it best to address it if we wish to discuss anything further.”

  Attilio’s face softened. Sofia would always be able to calm the beast within hi m . She had that abilit y with anybody, even the humans. “As you wish , my love , I will give you the time you need to counsel our son. And cool my own temper with a glass of wine.”

  Orfeo could see the complete love and adoration his father had for his mother in hi s eyes. He knew that his mother’s eyes would reflect the same emo tion toward s his father. He only hoped that he would feel the same for his mates and them for him. Watching his parents made the ache in his chest even more prevalent.

  “Thank you, darling, I will call for you when the time is right,” s he said.

  Attilio wrapped his arms around Sofia and brought her flush against his body. Wrapping his hand around her nape and tilting her head up toward him, he swooped in to capture her lips. Orfeo could feel the passion rolling off his parents. Vampire s were sensitive to emotion and could read thoughts if they wished. Generally, Orfeo chose to allow people their privacy when it came to their thoughts. He could not control his ability to read and feel emotions in people, even though at the moment, he wished he could. The passion he felt coming from his parents was making him uncomfortable and ache just a little more.

  Will I feel this passionate when I’m with my mates? Although being with your true mates, it was given that you would have strong feelings of love, desire, and need for each other; Orfeo couldn’t help but question whether it would be the same for him.

  Finally, Attilio let go of Sofia, and without even looking at Orfeo, left the room. His father was always a bit hot tempered, but after he had time to cool down with a glass of his favorite wine , he w ould be reasonable once again .