Age of Vampyre Series Box Set

by Sophia North

  Raphael's face split into an evil grin, distorting its molten flesh into an even more hideous vision. "That may have been true if you were the Legatus our father was, but you chose a different path. Tiberius did try to warn you of the consequences that turning from your sacred duty might bring...but you, being you, would not listen. Whereas I did. After the Praetorian Guard was destroyed, and destiny made you Legatus, I managed to burrow my way deep in the earth to join you in slumber. But unlike you, it took me much longer to rise... September 11th to be precise. The moment the Gateway opened and Haan brought me back from the hell I was trapped in."

  "From what I hear your Master has been put on ice these past few months. Are you certain you know what you are doing?" Gabriel taunted, slowly beginning to shift his weight to spring into action. He may be weakened but Raphael was insane. Surely that had to give him the upper hand in taking his brother down, along with the sword in Raphael's hand that would assist in decapitating him.

  "Yes, it is a shame that bitch Mariam outfoxed him. Haan, however, is ever the brilliant Puppet master. He will soon be free from her icy prison and has plans for her. From what he's told me, they have unfinished business between them."

  Noticing where his brother's gaze had shifted, Raphael lifted the sword in his hands. "Recognise this, brother?"

  Gabriel did. It was their father's sword and by right should have gone to him when he'd been made Legatus, but he'd believed it to have been lost in the Great Fire. "You found my sword for me. Cheers, thought I’d lost it."

  "Tiberius, does he really not know?" Raphael asked, turning to the old man in chains. "What the hell have you been doing this past century that he fails to grasp the fundamentals of being Legatus?" Shaking his head in disgust, he added, "You always were too soft on him, as was our father. His precious seventh son could never do anything wrong in his eyes. How I wish he could see what a disappointment you've become."

  Tired of the drip, drip interrogation method, Gabe forced the matter to a head. "Jesus Christ, you spout a lot of shit. Is it your intention to bore me into submission? This is getting almost as bad as a Bond movie. Are you ever planning on finding a fucking point?"

  Silently Gabe sent out a message to his back-up. Change of plans, attack on my command. Secure Hannah and Penny, then take out the rest. But leave my brother to me.

  Spinning the broad sword in his hands, Raphael ended his display of swordsmanship by pointing it at Gabe. "Very well, I'll lay it out for you. First I will break your Karmic bond with my future wife. Next, I'll end you with this," he swung the sword for emphasis, "becoming Legatus in my own right. And then onto the grand finale: begin the Empire's shift to a more favourable location."

  Fuck. Raphael's plan was ambitious, Gabe would give him that. But as for claiming his title and Hannah, well..that shit wasn't going to happen. Even if it ended with him sacrificing himself to save her.

  Number three on Raphael's 'to do' list didn't bear contemplation. His brother wouldn't be around to accomplish it if Gabe had anything to say about it.

  Raphael had been wrong in his assessment of Gabe's ignorance about the power of the Legatus and knew full well the sword's purpose. It was the key to unlocking the first seal in moving the power of the Empire elsewhere.

  HANNAH INCHED HER WAY further from the decrepit old priest at her side, determined to put as much distance between herself and any further marriage nonsense. She was not prepared to be a pawn anymore.

  Especially not between brothers.

  That revelation had been a doozie. And as she watched the two vampyres face-off with one another, Hannah's overwhelming instinct was to run. But she crushed it down and resolved to stay. She would never leave Gabriel. If their fate was to die, then so be it. If the law of Karma was to be believed, their souls would reincarnate again in the future and perhaps next time round they'd be able to break the chain and be together.

  But what if Gabe wins and you both make it? her inner voice whispered.

  Her subconscious was right, she needed the chalice to end their current Karma in order to start afresh together.

  Spotting it upon the altar, Hannah was about to grab it when Raphael's iron grip took hold of her and raised the sword to her throat. Her body wanted to recoil but that would have meant leaning back against the Praetor's cold, hard body. A thought not worth contemplation, and so, she stood with the edge ready to slice through her skin with ease.

  "Threatening to do something you have no intention of following through on is not the wisest negotiation tactic, brother," Gabe said mockingly.

  Raphael closed the distance between himself and Hannah, much to her horror, and started to nuzzle her neck. The feel of his scarred flesh made her skin crawl.

  "It would be a shame to lose such as prize," he replied. "But there are others who are equally worthy to be my bride. You've brought one along with you...Melinda, isn't it?"

  Mind reading theory destroyed. Raphael grinned at the flicker of panic he saw flash in Gabe's eyes.

  "Shall we invite your entourage in? I'm sure they'd appreciate having a better view of the events they're about to witness...you hesitate, brother. Very well, I'll take the initiative. Guards!"

  From the eastern door of the temple, four Praetors entered with six prisoners. The entire rescue party, except for...

  For fuck's sake, Consul cunt! and Boss! reverberated in Gabe's head.

  Vlad and Lash. The only Praetors he had with him.

  Silence! He can hear everything, Gabe replied sharply before saying aloud: "Put the sword down, Raphael. What do you want from me?"

  Fucking hell, back to surrendering are we? Vlad’s voice rang out again. Gabe shut him out and stayed focused on the matter at hand.

  Lowering his sword, Raphael signalled the priest into action.

  Approaching Gabriel, the bag of bones carried the chalice and a knife.

  It didn't take a rocket scientist to work out what Raphael required from Gabe.

  Without needing to hear the demand, Gabe took the knife and sliced through his hand. Squeezing his fist, he let his blood drip generously into the cup.

  The Priest returned it to Raphael for Hannah's blood to be added. Forcing her neck back, he extended his fangs and made a small puncture, but did not drink. Hannah's blood offering was not yet his to take.

  The priest held the chalice to collect the precious drops that flowed, then pressed it to Hannah's lips for her to drink. She wanted to refuse, but Gabe's eyes pleaded with hers not to resist.

  And so, she trusted him and drank.

  When the priest returned to Gabe to do the same, he plucked it from his outstretched hand and drained it, foolishly thinking once it was over he'd order Vlad and Lash to attack. How wrong his assumption turned out to be...and his folly did not take long in the coming.

  The agony he'd felt when Pierce and Hannah broke their karmic bond was nothing compared to the excruciating pain that now rushed through him.

  His entire body burned so much, he dropped to his knees in anguish. The Chalice of Karma fell to the floor and rolled away from his body. The 'ching' from its impact echoed unnaturally.

  "Gabriel!" Hannah screamed, struggling against the immovable force of Raphael, who laughed at his brother's crumpled form.

  Believing all hope was lost, she slumped in her captor's arms, not wanting to live.

  The ongoing 'ching' of the chalice ended when the floor of the temple started to vibrate. Round and round the energy rippled, building to an unknown crescendo. Light began to pool and swirl near Gabriel's sprawled form.

  Then, in an unbelievable turn of events, a beautiful blonde woman emerged from its centre, plucked the chalice from the floor and returned back through the swirling light. Her departure resulted in a bright flash of blue light, followed by complete darkness, with every fire in the temple having been snuffed out by the impressive exit.

  "Attack!" Vlad's voice bellowed out.

  The sound of grunts and groans in the darkness rang out.


  Light returned within seconds as Tiberius, in his Phoenix form, relit the fires.

  Vlad rushed to Penny and gently lifted her head as chaos ensued. "Wake, my love."

  Penny's eyes fluttered open. "Vlad!" Then before anything further could be said, she shot a bolt of fire from the palm of her hand. Behind Vlad's shoulder, one of the Scarlet Women, burst into flames.

  "Cheers, baby," he said, turning back from admiring her work. "Now let's get you and my other two outta here."

  About to gather her into his arms, Penny pushed him away.

  "Not bloody likely. We need to send Haan a message not to mess with our children. Duck!" She took out another one of her 'attendants'. "Now go make yourself useful and kill our enemies."

  His Dragon was magnificent and Vlad quickly kissed her before taking his place beside her in battle. Although he made sure to position himself so that he could quickly shelter her from danger. But not enough to prevent her doling out her anger - both barrels.

  "Try not to completely destroy the place, love. I don't know if we can afford ancient reconstruction," Vlad teased, as he took in the action surrounding them.

  In the centre of the temple the battle between the forces raged. The Lang brothers, back in wolf form, were taking it to anyone trying to enter. While Simone and Dante took turns at undermining the only Praetor guard left standing.

  Lash had ripped the heads and hearts out of the other three and now had his eye on Raphael, who held Hannah against him, his sword at her throat.

  The only ones missing from the battle were Gabriel and the two 'humans'. Vlad shifted his gaze to the perimeter where he found Melinda and Lawrence huddled behind one of the tall fire urns, which were blazing again thanks to Tiberius. As for Gabe, his crumpled form had not moved an inch from where he'd initially fallen.

  "Huh. Things look relatively under control..." Vlad remarked to Penny.

  Famous last words.

  Six Praetors dropped from a balcony in the next instant.

  "Shit, if only I had my sword. These bastards are hard to kill bare handed."

  "Brrrup!"

  Vlad looked down. It was Leo, with a gleam in his golden eyes. His pug face reared back and with a sneeze, Vlad's sword appeared.

  "Damn, this cat will do anything for fresh fish every night," he remarked. "Good boy, I'll have the jet fly in your favourite for a month...wild Canadian pickerel," Vlad promised, scratching Leo under the chin as he retrieved his sword. "Cover me, baby. I'm going in."

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  GABE COULD BARELY MOVE. His body throbbed, his chest burned. But he knew he had to get up. Hannah needed him.

  The din of swords clashing, forced him to open his eyes.

  His vision blurred from the pain. He watched as pairs of feet tousled in battle with one another and realised the attack on Raphael and his forces was underway. Struggling to his knees, he shook his head, hoping to restore it to working order.

  God, he felt weak. But the sight of Hannah in his brother's grasp filled him with fortification. Noting how Lash had backed Raphael into the alcove with the altar, he knew there'd not be a better opportunity for him to attack.

  But his chance was lost when Lawrence ran from his hiding place and tried to free Hannah. With one fell swoop of his sword, Raphael sliced through the young man, mortally wounding him.

  As her trusted friend was cut down before her very eyes, Hannah's scream of 'no' reverberated through the temple. But his sacrifice would not be in vain. His surprise attack meant Gabe had another chance. And he wasted no time in taking it.

  Summoning up every bit of strength he had, Gabe launched himself at his brother. Flying through the air, he slammed him into the far stone wall of the alcove, whilst at the same moment yelling at Lash to get Hannah.

  His loyal Prefect did not disappoint. He timed her extraction to perfection by pulling her away one millisecond before Gabe made impact.

  Raphael's sword clattered as it hit the floor, having been knocked from his hand on Gabe's impact. The two brothers wrestled with one another in trying to reclaim it. But in the end, it was Raphael who retrieved it first.

  Resting it beneath Gabriel's chin, he forced his brother to look up at him. "You do not know how much I want to plunge this into your heart, but my duty takes precedence over personal satisfaction, brother. Remember the lesson while living with this one..."

  Holding out his hand, Raphael wrenched Hannah from Lash's safe keeping with his mind and before anyone could move drove his fangs into her throat.

  Dropping her drained body, Raphael shimmered to the centre of the temple, raised the sword above his head and plunged it into the floor. "My work here is done. The shift has begun." With that, he disappeared in a streak out the western door to the temple.

  "Hannah, Hannah...Hannah!" Gabe crooned as he held her bloodied body in his arms. Ripping open his wrist, he tried to feed her his blood, praying it was not too late and he could heal her.

  Nothing happened. She was gone. His love...the other half of his soul.

  He pressed her to him, his face streaming in tears, when he felt it.

  The blue diamond in her necklace started to pulse, followed by the echoing beat of her heart.

  Pushing the hair from her face, Gabriel willed her eyes to open.

  Hannah took a great gasp of breath and opened her amber eyes, now gleaming with a preternatural shimmer. "Gabe...is that you?" she asked in a faint whisper.

  "Yes, cara mia. I am here." He kissed her deeply just to prove it was true.

  The sound of shuffling feet in discomfort, drew them apart.

  They were surrounded.

  "Don't mean to intrude," Lash said on behalf of the crowd. "But some strange shit is starting to happen."

  Hannah reared back in Gabe's arms. "Lawrence!" she cried out, remembering his sacrifice to save her.

  "Amongst other things. But yes, there is something up with him too," Lash commented wryly.

  Rising together, Hannah and Gabe looked around to see what Lash was on about. A few feet away, Lawrence's body laid sprawled on the floor...smoking. A moment later his entire body burst into flames.

  "Gabe, what's happening to him?" Hannah cried.

  Gabe wished he knew.

  "Give it a moment," Tiberius provided, coming to stand at Gabriel's side.

  "You're alive," he said, overjoyed to see his old teacher and did the unthinkable by actually hugging him.

  "Yes, of course I am," Tiberius said, trying not to show how Gabriel's spontaneous show of affection pleased him. "I am a Phoenix...as is..."

  "Hannah?"

  Lawrence sat up from a pile of ash that had once been him.

  "Him," the old man finished.

  Hannah rushed to embrace the newly risen Lawrence. "You're not dead!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around him.

  Lawrence looked down at the pile of ash he was sitting in. "Good god! First a mud bath, now this - my wardrobe cannot take much more!" Leaning back, he looked Hannah up and down. "Forgive me for saying this Hannah, but you are not looking too alive at this moment in time."

  The man had a point. The front of her dress was soaked in blood, along with her chest and throat. How was she alive after Raphael's brutal attack? Gabriel must have given her his blood again to save her.

  Gabe was about to ask Tiberius about what Hannah's obvious transformation, when the floor beneath them started to rumble.

  "Yeah, that's the other strange conundrum we face," Lash remarked drolly. "Ever since your brother, which by the way, I cannot wait to tell Kai about - you thought Dr. Phil was annoying wait 'til you've been Oprahed." Pausing in his strange tirade, Lash suddenly looked confused. "Where the fuck was I? Oh yeah, your resurrected brother's sword is doing weird shit."

  At the centre of the temple, the sword was spinning. "The shift has started!" Tiberius cried. "Quick everyone, we need to leave this place immediately. Gabriel, do not leave the sword behind, you're going to need it."

  As
soon as he finished giving orders, the circular patterns of symbols in the fresco floor started to move like the inner workings of a clock. Dust fell from the roof, as the gear-like behaviour gained steam.

  The party fled from the temple, as it began to collapse.

  Tossing Hannah over his shoulder, Gabriel sped over to retrieve the sword. The moment he touched it, it stilled and slid into his hand.

  Surprised by how easily the sword responded to his touch, he didn't have time to overthink the outcome. The crash of a stone arch reminded him he needed to haul ass and as he zipped from the temple, the great domed roof crumbled to the floor, destroying it completely.

  The force of the collapse started a chain reaction and the entire tunnel system began to disintegrate behind Gabe as he streaked along. The rest of the rescue party were already out - or at least he hoped so.

  Bursting up from the altar in St Stephens, Gabe landed firmly on the floor of the church.

  Staring down the hidden staircase, Vlad whistled as the roar of the tunnel collapsing could be heard below. "That was a close call, Consul cunt. But fuck me, I'm glad you made it."

  Releasing the sword from his clenched fist, Gabriel's only thoughts were of Hannah. Tenderly lifting her from his shoulder, he cradled her face in his hands. "Hannah, are you unhurt?"

  Cupping her hands over his, she smiled lovingly into his concerned green eyes. "I am fine."

  "Well I'm fucking not," Vlad bellowed, destroying their magical moment. Typical. "Anyone care to offer an explanation as to what the hell happened down there? Other than Mariam pulling her usual bullshit and stealing the fucking chalice I need, I've got questions."

  "Vlad! Gabriel was just about to kiss Hannah passionately and you've ruined it with your...wait? What the fuck do you mean Mariam stole the chalice?" Penny exploded, totally ending the reunited couple's moment.

  "The blonde woman who came through was Mariam?" Simone asked, her gaze shimmering in rage. She'd heard plenty about her from Vlad and Penny, but never had the pleasure of meeting her.

  "Amazon warrior, right?" Penny put to her friend, having made the comment many times. "When I get my chance again, I'll roast her ass. She now has the one thing we need to break this bloody curse my ancestors have plagued me with. We need to find her and get it back. Oh, and kill Darius with Haan still rooted inside of him."