by C. M. Steele
“Yes, we have a traitor amongst our builders,” I replied.
The change in him was instant. Gone was the proud leader and here with me was the vicious warrior. This was what made him so powerful. Falcon had it all - intelligence, strength, compassion, leadership, and determination. He argued that I was the stronger, better fighter, but he had the heart of warrior with the skills of the greatest strategist. “Someone has a death wish. Did you find evidence of who was to blame?”
“I’ve taken the fingerprint of a homing device that was placed on the back of the main control panel as they left. It could only be one of the three who left my sight. What possessed the fool to believe I wouldn’t notice the tiny blinking light in a darkened room?”
“Have the three brought to me.”
“They are on a ship on the way back. They will not be here until tomorrow morning. Do you wish to surprise them out at sea?”
“Yes, but we cannot leave the women alone.”
“There is only one I can trust to protect her. Gideon.”
“I would have not suspected that. He is a great warrior and his past makes him our ally, but do you trust him enough to leave him with our most precious gifts?”
“I do.”
“Then we shall. Let’s have a word with him and then deal with the traitor or traitors.” I teleported to the men’s encampment and requested he come with me. With a nod, Gideon agreed and I teleported us both to the castle.
Chapter 24
Falcon
I waited in the room for two minutes with my temper reaching levels I never thought it could. This place was meant to keep my family safe, and here we were going to fucking deal with more people that couldn’t be honest. Everyone seemed to be out to get us. I trusted Gideon because I felt it inside of me, but it also helped that Charlotte told me that we would be safe with Gideon around. It was that assurance she gave me earlier today that helped me focus. At times, I wondered why we even bothered with traitors everywhere we turned. I wondered after The Lamia was finally defeated would there be a new threat. The prophecy stopped there. Would Charlotte reach a point where another would be decreed?
When they appeared, I complained, “It’s about time you arrived.”
Draco smiled and shook his head. “I understand your anger, but don’t take it out on us. We will get these bastards, then move on to the next.”
“Yes and then another. After that another. We need to focus on finding Stavros and ripping his head off already.”
“I have news on that front,” Gideon said.
“Go ahead,” I allowed.
“A friend caught an image on camera after the explosion of your home. He sent this to me via message just as you came for me.” We took a look at the image. It was grainy, but those eyes were ones I’d never forget. He was there. The scum had been in my home and had dared to show his face with a smile.
“Where is this image taken from?”
“The airport surveillance in their B Terminal.”
“Can you have him get the passenger manifests for those flights leaving around that time?”
“Let me call him right now.”
He made the call as we listened in. “Hey, Detrick, I need you to do me another solid. Is there any way you can get the lists of passengers for the flights around the time of that image?”
“Sure thing, but it’s going to take a few hours. These people aren’t hard to work with persuasion.”
“Thanks, man. Remember, I owe you for this.”
“Yes, you owe me big time. I’d like my own company once this war is all said and done.”
“You got it.” He hung up the phone. “Well, you heard what he said. We’ll have what we need. I don’t know if we’ll find what we’re looking for. It’s not like he’s going to go by his real name.”
“No, but there are ways to eliminate the other passengers to find which one on here is him.”
“Precisely, and once we have his destination, we may be able to narrow down his next stop.”
“Okay, so what did you call me here for?”
“We need you to protect our women while we’re gone. It’ll be an hour or so, but we need to deal with some more traitors.”
“Don’t worry about them. I’ll protect them with my life. And Falcon, the war will end soon. I feel it coming. I know it has to be. They don’t have that many soldiers.”
“At this point, their numbers could grow if vampires start to feel we are too weak to defend. In fear, many will run to the strongest or who they feel is likely to win.”
“Even with the prophecy?” he asked as we placed our armor on.
“You know faith can easily be tested. Word has already spread that they captured Vigo and destroyed my property. Next is the castle. It’s only a matter of time before they believe us to be weak,” I said as I sheathed my sword. “Have you learned of anything else?” I asked, looking into his eyes, testing his honesty.
“I don’t trust all of the soldiers.”
“Who do you suspect?”
“I feel the brothers are up to something. It isn’t anything obvious, but they often wander off to have private conversations. And the way they examine us, it is as though something is off. It could be nothing, but they bother me.”
“We’ll look into the matter. They have no reason to want to aid The Lamia, but there are so many people switching sides or presenting false loyalty that it could very well be possible.” I didn’t sense any dishonesty in his words. He truly didn’t like them, but he had a hard time trusting a soul and I couldn’t fault him for it. Every day I was learning my circle was getting smaller and smaller. The Council should be rebuilt, but who would be worthy of being on there?
“Thanks, but like I said, it could be all in my head. I’ve been leery of everyone since the start.”
“We’re prepared to head out. Let us say goodbye to our wives, then you will be charged with their protection.”
“I’m honored.” He nodded, then we teleported, leaving him in the room alone. I had to kiss my beloved and let her know all was well before we took off.
She was in the bed, resting with a book in hand. As a fellow reader, I knew it was a death sentence to interrupt someone while they’re reading, so I waited. She sensed me and looked up from her book with a grin. “I didn’t mean to bother you while you’re reading, but I have to leave for a little bit.”
She took in my appearance and shook her head. “Leave for a little bit? Is there more to this or are you claiming to have Charlotte’s limitations now?”
“I just don’t want to worry you.”
“Then you should have said goodbye without all the armor and giant sword,” she remarked, her brows arching as she crossed her arms.
“Nora, my love, I must go, but I’m not in danger. We believe there’s a traitor in our midst, but there’s only three of them. They do not know we know who they are, so we have the element of surprise.”
“I trust you, Falcon. You will be back so your son and I will be loved forever.”
“Yes, my love. What makes you think it’s a boy? Didn’t you have a dream that it was a baby girl?”
“I told you it’s the hormones. They play with the mind. Last time we’d been talking so much about a girl being born that it was the last thing I thought of as I fell asleep.”
“Either way, we will be strong and happy.”
“Kiss me,” she demanded, slinking her arms around my neck. I pulled her close to me, running my fingers into her long hair. She raised her lips to mine and I dominated her mouth, kissing her with a gruff, yet loving kiss. I let out a growl as I had to step back.
“When I return, I will claim all you offered with that kiss,” I promised, teleporting out of sight.
Draco met me at the grove just past the line of trees surrounding the courtyard. “Are you ready?”
“Let’s do this.”
We teleported to their boat, La Luna. Interesting, the boat’s name was telling. Why would vampires w
ho lived in the daylight have a boat called the moon? I saw the first one and caught him off guard with my blade at his throat. “Where are they?”
“Down below,” he stuttered, nervously shaking as I stood behind him ready to kill.
Draco teleported below and found the two drinking and laughing. “Anything to celebrate?” I heard him say.
“How do you…” Octavio, that rat bastard, stammered.
Draco cut him off with a growl. “How did I what? Figure it out?”
“We didn’t tell anyone. We swear.” I marched the fucker down the stairs to the rest just as Octavio added, “It wasn’t us, it was, Andrew.” Who happened to be the man I was holding the blade against.
“You lying son of a bitch. You are the one who told us they wouldn’t last and we could rob them.” I nodded at Draco and we went to work.
We left the boat with a little bit of blood and a clean conscience and headed home. Of course, not before we sunk the boat. Goodnight, moon.
Chapter 25
Charlotte
The growling had grown louder. I looked around and was surrounded by a pack of wolves. They growled and snarled, but it wasn’t at me. It was the thing behind me. I turned to look at what it was. I couldn’t make it out. All I could see was a blurred figure, hunched over on the ground.
I walked up to the figure, but then I felt strong arms pull me back.
I turned to look and it was Draco, holding me as we sat up in bed. I was awake.
“Are you okay, my sweet one?” he asked, holding me with his forehead pressed against mine.
“I’m sorry if I woke you again. I know you have training in the morning.”
“I can function just fine. What I need to know is if you’re okay or not? Can you talk about it?”
“I don’t even know what it is. All I can say is that I’m surrounded by wolves.” I heard a grumble in his chest. They didn’t quite get along or so they said. If they hadn’t had contact with them, how would they know? Longstanding grudges are usually futile after several centuries. But like the Hatfields and McCoys, the vampires and shifters held a grudge. The things that I didn’t know were if they were wolves or shifters and what purpose they had in my dream. It could be pregnancy brain causing madness in my sleep or a vision to come, but it was neither here or there, and the fucking shit was driving me nuts.
“Let me hold you and we can talk about it in the morning if you feel like it.”
“No, Draco. Please rest. I’m going to take a walk. I’ll be fine, so please sleep.”
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”
“Yes, I’m positive. Besides, I think I slept a lot during the day.” I gave him a kiss on his lips before climbing off our large bed. It wasn’t as easy as it was last week. This baby was growing faster than I could have imagined and weighing a ton right on my bladder.
“I’ll be back in a little while.” After wrapping up in my robe, I stepped into the hallway. There wasn’t anything happening in the castle, but we had many nighttime people roaming the courtyard and the streets as so many in the village and the surrounding areas had been afflicted with the darkness.
I walked into the library to find Dante and his mother at a game of chess. They both turned when they heard me enter. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb your game.”
“No, please come in, Charlotte,” Mary said. She and I hadn’t been close. I knew it was because I could have saved her husband, but that wasn’t the way things worked.
“I don’t want to be a bother,” I protested. They looked like they were having a good time together. I even saw the remnants of a smile on her face as I entered the room.
“I insist,” she said, sliding the large chair that dated probably back to the eighteen hundreds towards me.
I took the seat and I saw the sadness in her eyes. “Charlotte, I wished to apologize for my uncomfortableness that has come off as disdain. My son has told me that I seem rude to you.”
“Given all that you have been through, I don’t expect you to be overly friendly or even welcoming.”
“I’ve been so uncontrollably depressed that I cannot even breathe without thinking of my lost love. It is almost to the point that I beg for death. I know my death will come soon, but I wish for it to be meaningful. Alessio, his mother, and his father died with honor. I won’t die because I am weak. I wish to destroy the weak who prey on the good of the world.”
“I do not know your fate, but do as you must. We can’t control everything, but when the time is right, you will do what needs to be done.”
“Thank you, Charlotte. You remind me of Alessio’s mother. I know that you don’t resemble her or even speak the way she did, but something about you feels as real and steady as she was.”
“That’s very kind of you.”
“I know you and Nora have questions about the pregnancy and such. I still remember it like it was yesterday, so please feel free to ask anything you’d like.”
“Thanks. We’ve been meaning to talk with you, but they’ve said you were resting every time we tried.”
“I’m sorry. Sleep has been harder and harder to get these days. Wondering when the next attack will come or if Dante will be safe has been keeping me awake.”
“That I can understand and see. It’s been a rough time.”
“So do you have questions?” Dante asked me with wide eyes. We both gave him a questionable look. I nearly forgot he was there he was so quiet. “Sorry, I’m just curious. I’ve noticed the insane changes to you both and I wondered. Falcon’s baby will be my cousin, so I want to know how to handle it and what I can do to help.” We all liked Dante. He had a good heart. It was like he zapped up all the love the world had to offer as his brother refused any affection.
“Well, I suppose, how is the delivery?”
“It’s almost just like a human’s delivery. You will feel the pain, but you are much stronger than your former selves. Although, since no one really has had young so soon, I don’t know if it will be much different. You and Nora are still learning and growing as vampires. As you see, it took Nora longer to heal than it did Falcon or any of the others. The labor should be the same. You should have a midwife on hand, and if you wish, if I am still around, I would gladly assist in bringing the next little ones into the world.”
“I’d love that. Nora and I are frightened in a way. Our bodies are changing daily. Learning to control our vampire traits has been hard, especially the hearing thing. I have to roll my eyes at nearly every human conversation I hear.”
“You will learn to control it over time.”
Chapter 26
Falcon
We decided to wait to go to the island again after Draco and I added cameras in the fortress. We wanted to make sure that no one had come on the island. They hadn’t made any attempt to approach the island, so I wondered if they had even started tracking the signal before Draco destroyed the device.
“Do you think we should move them already? They look like they’re about to pop. I don’t want them to have the babies here. I feel like it’s not safe enough.”
“I don’t either, but you know they still have a couple of weeks left. If we leave our troops, they will believe we’re taking the safe route while they stay in the line of danger. We have to remember that they are sacrificing everything for us and they have families as well, Draco.”
“Falcon, Draco,” Gideon called out, running to catch us before we left to the island again.
“What is it?” I asked.
“My friend got me the list,” he replied, holding a small stack of papers. “I printed them out so we can see who there was.”
“Draco, the island will have to wait another day.”
“The conference room?”
“Yes, that’ll be the perfect place.”
We teleported into the room, holding onto Gideon and taking him with us. “Okay, that was seriously uncomfortable. Let’s not do that again.”
“Too muc
h for you?”
“Too much male bonding for me. Now, my friend was able to narrow it down to two different flights, but he couldn’t get a hold of the security footage from that day. It had a glitch at that time.”
“That’s interesting, small EMP?” I asked Draco.
“It’s possible. Or they connected to the CCTV system and wiped it clean for that time frame.”
“Did he say what type of glitch they had?”
“No, he didn’t, but I don’t have that kind of skills. Fighting, business, and accounting, I’ve got down to a science, but when it comes to technology itself, I’m all thumbs.”
“Well, let’s check it out. We need to find out where he’s hiding.”
With two flight lists in front of us, we divided them up. There was one trip to Bucharest and one to London. It would be more likely that he would have gone to Bucharest because it was closer to Greece, but London was a hotbed for vampires. We didn’t really know what we were looking for, but it was probably a name that stood out. He would have sat in first class because we as a species hate to be kept waiting for anything. Exiting with the rest of the herd would have infuriated him. “Focus on first class passengers.”
“Of course, he wouldn’t like being trapped around humans, waiting with them to deplane with people pushing into him.”
That would narrow down the list of nearly three hundred twenty to around sixty. “Cancel out all the couples?”
“No, Stavros has a mate. She could be traveling with him, but I’m not sure, so we can’t rule them out. I would check age. He can’t disguise himself as a youngster or an old man.”
We scratched out all those that didn’t meet our criteria, but we were still left with over forty names. It was getting late and we were having dinner with the soldiers, so we needed to prepare.
“We’ll pick this up later. We’re going to need to look into each one of them and see where they live and if they’re vampires.”
Chapter 27
