Left for Undead

by L. A. Banks

  “And you were not able to do such a small task for me alone?”

  “I came directly here once I was injured. but not before telling Mara. We work as a team.”

  “And you left her to be incinerated by the most troublesome pair of wolves in our region!” Elder Vlad flung the goblet away to the stone floor. “All you had to do was collect Amy Chen’s parents—two weak humans—and bring them to me! To avoid more Vampire losses I needed them tonight! Do you understand that there is no negotiating with demons once they are owed and feel betrayed?”

  “Yes, Your Grace,” Caleb stammered, beginning to wheeze. “But the wolves were an added complication.”

  “Added complication?” Elder Vlad swept away from Caleb, trembling with rage. “You have no idea about what it means to endure a so-called added complication! Will Elder Kozlov understand that we were in error? That our initial assessment of the situation was incorrect and that we unnecessarily baited the Fae into a global confrontation—all because you and Mara were sure that this was an attack by the Unseelie but were wrong? Will our Transylvanian Council understand that we overlooked demons on a vendetta—demons whom we owe? No, Caleb, that is a complication of the highest order. and all that I’d asked was that you rectify the situation that you created, and you couldn’t even do that.”

  Caleb gasped and lay down prostrate on the floor in his own blood and began to weep as he dragged his body toward Elder Vlad’s feet. “I will make this right. I swear to you. I will make amends.”

  “What shall I do with you? This isn’t even my debt, technically, but with Erinyes there is no such thing as a technicality. They only understand absolutes. Such as it is, demons do not understand fine points, shades of gray, or compromise. Nor does Elder Kozlov, whose reputation precedes him in zero tolerance for error. The demons were promised the pristine soul of the Chen girl. Period. Or they will exact the price of retribution in that which Baron Geoff Montague sought their services for. The toll of not paying the demons what they’re due is the total destruction of this region’s Vampire and Unseelie population—just as the baron had colluded to wipe out the Seelie Fae and the wolf federations with that little slug Kiagehul. It is all very simple, not that complicated at all. Bring me the Chen girl.”

  Caleb grasped Elder Vlad’s ankles and pressed his blue lips to Vlad’s boots. “Just allow me to regenerate and I will make this right.”

  Elder Vlad kicked him away. “Drink your fill from the floor like the pitiful dog you have become. Why is it so hard to find good help these days?”

  “Okay. this is going to be a really delicate dance we’ve gotta do,” Sasha said in a private whisper. She came in closer to Hunter as she looked over her shoulder at the Chens.

  “I know. They are already frightened out of their minds. Plus, they probably now believe their daughter is marrying someone from the Korean mafia, or something equally insane.”

  “And marrying a Werewolf is better?”

  Hunter stared at Sasha for a moment. “How can you make jokes at a time like this?”

  “I’m just saying.” Sasha let out a long breath. “Okay, I’m sorry. But it keeps me from just losing it altogether. Battlefield humor. Learned it while in the Service and it’s a hard habit to shake.”

  “We have to split up.”

  Sasha just looked at Hunter.

  “I know, I know,” he said. “But I’ve got to get to my brother and Amy while the Fae roll out the red carpet for the couple’s parents. We can have the wedding, feed Amy’s parents, get them nice and relaxed. you know, distract them so they don’t have a heart attack.”

  “Sooooo. I get to stay with these very freaked-out people in the castle and make up all the explanations while you go tell Shogun and his wife to get ready.”

  “Right.”

  “And this is the better end of the deal how, Hunter?”

  “You’ll know better what to say to these humans.. You do damage control and diplomacy far better than I do—and you were the one who helped them think this was just an oasis before. a small village in the bayou. A little yeast that helped the bread rise is what you told me before. I cannot lie.. You. have a more dexterous way with words, Sasha.”

  “Watch it,” she said, pointing at him within the inches between them. “Calling me a good liar does not win you brownie points, mister.”

  Hunter glanced over his shoulder at the Chens, who were huddled in a tight, frightened hug only ten feet away. “You know what I meant.. ”

  “You owe me, big-time, buddy,” Sasha said as the Fae guards came to collect them. “And later I’m cashing in on that for all the points that’s worth.”

  Hunter waggled his eyebrows. “I’m banking on it.”

  Ditching the Chens in a comfortable suite with food and wine was not as easy as she thought it might be. Amy’s parents now had questions, like 3 million of them, all delivered in rapid-fire broken English. The sumptuous environs of the sidhe now were being equated to a drug dealer’s hacienda—and the Chens swore that they’d somehow been abducted through the swamp across the border to Mexico.

  Rupert, Sir Rodney’s trusted valet, stood at the door confused, trying to read Sasha’s eye signals and facial expressions. But the man was clueless. He didn’t understand what the Chens were babbling about or why the more hospitality was thrust on them, the more Amy’s mother cried and father protested.

  “You need to give these people something to relax,” Sasha finally whispered, stepping in close to Rupert. “But I doubt they’ll drink or eat anything you offer. It’s a matter of principle. They are very honest people who are completely freaked out.”

  “I would imagine,” Rupert finally said in a dignified murmur, peering over Sasha’s shoulder and dispassionately watching Mr. Chen try to comfort his near-faint wife. “They did, after all, have a run-in with Vampires. Unpleasant sort, especially for red-blood bleeders.”

  “Exactly,” Sasha said, trying to bridge the human–Fae cultural divide. “They don’t understand any of this and can’t tell a Vampire castle from a Sidhe stronghold. so can you just make them chill out so I can go get my arm healed? I also need to talk to Sir Rodney, stat.”

  “Are we prisoners, then!” Mr. Chen demanded, clearly upset by the private exchange taking place between Sasha and Rupert at the suite door. “You have hidden my daughter and are holding her hostage?”

  “No,” Sasha said in a weary tone. “Don’t you remember before, we were the good guys? We saved you and called you and told you what was going on.”

  Mrs. Chen nodded and blew her nose on one of the linen table napkins her husband had given her. “Then, you are still the police? The side of good?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Sasha said, giving Rupert the nod to hit the Chens with a little Fairy dust. “Your daughter saw something that she probably shouldn’t have. Uh, she can ID bad guys. We thought we got all the bad guys before, but we didn’t. They now want to make sure she isn’t a witness. But all these good people here are on your side. They are even going to a lot of trouble to make sure her wedding day is perfect. and, uh, that you all are safe. It’s a part of our new uhmmm. Homeland Security witness protection program.” Oh, brother. maybe Hunter was right. She’d dumped the whole can of yeast in this loaf!

  “And you will keep us safe?” Mr. Chen said, wringing his hands. “And what of my store and friends?”

  “We’ll make sure that whatever you lose, the people who caused your problems will pay that back.” Sasha squared her shoulders. If there was any truth to what she’d just said, this was it. The Vampires were so gonna pay this nice family back for all the trauma and drama they’d experienced.

  Sasha stared at Mr. Chen and lifted her chin, then cleared her throat, forcing authority into her voice. “So let the store stay closed for a week or two. and uhm, once this nasty business is all over, you’ll be able to go back to your old life.”

  “And my daughter is safe?”

  Sasha nodded. “Right now, she’s in good hands.
”

  “Shogun!” Hunter called out. “Brother!” He listened carefully, cringed, and kept his eyes averted. He so did not want to be standing at what had become his brother’s wolf den door at a time like this. It was humiliating. Even the guards gave him broad smiles from where they played cards in the next room. When there was no answer, the guards shrugged and went back to their game.

  “My timing is not good, Brother, but I would not. disturb you. unless it was urgent.” Hunter waited and kept his gaze to the floor. Finally, after a moment he heard rustling sounds but still didn’t look up.

  “Hunter?”

  A wash of relief ran through Hunter. The last thing he wanted to have to do was go inside the cell to get Shogun’s attention. “Yes. my apologies. But there’s been a bit of a complication.”

  “How so!”

  Hunter closed his eyes. The angry wolf had entered his brother’s voice and Hunter couldn’t blame him a bit.

  “Vampires attacked Amy’s parents’ home and—”

  A female shriek rent the air and within seconds the inside dungeon door flew open. Amy stood before Hunter disheveled and wearing only a sheet. Shogun was right behind her wrapped in a duvet.

  “But we got to them in time,” Hunter said calmly.

  Amy melted against Shogun’s body as he lifted Hunter’s fist, inspecting it.

  “You did battle for my parents-in-law?”

  “Of course,” Hunter said, staring at his brother. “I told you, your family is my family. Amy is now my sister, just as she is Sasha’s sister. Also know that Sasha took a Vampire blade to her forearm, as well. But we are whole.”

  Shogun nodded. “It seems that I am again in your debt. Forgive my irritable tone just now.”

  “When it comes to family, there is no debt. When it comes to one’s wolf, no apology is needed.”

  Hunter extended his left hand and arm to Shogun for an awkward warriors’ handshake.

  “You need to get that looked at,” Shogun said, glancing at Hunter’s right fist.

  Amy touched Shogun’s chest and then turned to look at Hunter. “My thanks are not worthy of your sacrifice. but please, tell me, how are my parents? Where are they?”

  “Right now they are in the castle.. I have no idea what truths Sasha had to bend in order to get them to calm down. But I am sure that she used all of her human diplomacy, and perhaps even some Fae assistance, to help them relax. However, I suggest that you move to a better suite. maybe arrange to be married in the castle after all. The details I have left in Sasha’s capable hands.”

  Amy buried her face against Shogun’s chest. “My parents are here. They cannot see me like this—I’ll die!”

  Garth sat across from Sasha in the medicine room watching Silver Hawk perform an ancient Shadow Wolf healing. “We have a different way,” Garth said, openly intrigued that the laying on of hands could knit skin and torn muscle. “Our healing is branded with centuries-old magick.”

  Silver Hawk nodded. “Asking the plants for their nutrients before using them—out of respect for the part they will play, observing Mother Nature’s rules out of respect for her natural earth laws—asking the Great Spirit to guide my hands out of respect for Divine Intervention. asking the cells within Sasha’s body to listen to my energy and to heal, out of respect for the interconnectedness of all things living. it is all miraculous and centuries old, therefore magic, too. yes?”

  “Yes, my friend, you are wise.” Garth gave Silver Hawk a little bow from where he sat on a toadstool across the room.

  Silver Hawk smiled and briefly looked up from the task at the old wizard Gnome. “Words often get in the way. Magick, magic, healing, faith, belief, medicine. The objective is the same: that her arm heals. If it does, then what does it matter what we call it by name?”

  Garth smiled as the wound on Sasha’s forearm slowly sealed. “This is what I like most about the Shadow Wolves: You see all things as being a part of the whole. You do not split things up and say, ‘Because you are this sliver of life, you do not belong.’ That is truly the magick; it is knowing that we are all connected. We are all of The One.”

  “That is the missing element that the darkness does not see. They are blind and angry and use hate to create great divides.” Silver Hawk nodded and then removed the poultice from Sasha’s arm. “You must eat and then rest, daughter. By the dawn you will be as good as new.”

  “Thank you, grandfather, but I don’t think I can rest,” Sasha said, leaning forward to kiss Silver Hawk’s weathered brown cheek. “Like I told you, the Vampires tried to abduct Amy Chen’s parents, which can only mean that they know they owe the Erinyes. Once Hunter comes down here and gets his fist healed, we’ve gotta send a message to the Vamps that we’re on to their game.”

  “Eat, first,” Garth said. “I will bring Sir Rodney into the Roundtable Room with Queen Cerridwen. They need to hear what your investigation has uncovered. They also need to understand that we now know why the Erinyes are attacking the Vampires and using Unseelie methods to do so in order to create war.”

  Garth stood and smiled a wicked little smile. “No need to trouble yourselves about delivering a message to the Vampires. We will send them a Fae message that they will not soon forget. Ah, Elder Vlad, you have finally been had. He has killed sixty Fae and then learned that he has been rash. That will not sit well with his hierarchy, I’m sure. and all the more reason he must appease the demons, very discreetly. He cannot just come out and admit that he has ordered our countrymen killed with no sure evidence. Nor can he admit that he must give the demons what they seek before another sunrise or there will be more Vampire tombs raided.”

  “But as messed up as this whole situation is, doesn’t that make you feel a little better about Queen Cerridwen?” Sasha said, standing.

  Garth shrugged. “Only marginally. She’s still quite the icy bitch, for my tastes.”

  CHAPTER 16

  “Darling, you are cooling our guests’ hot meal,” Sir Rodney said, and then nodded to Garth to tap on the table with his wand to break up the ice that was creeping toward Sasha, Hunter, and Silver Hawk.

  “But Rodney, this is an outrage!” Queen Cerridwen swept away from the round table and every footfall sent wide concentric circles of frost across the floor.

  Nonplussed, the wolves kept eating, needing the rare steak to replenish them after the respective battle injuries sustained and the healings performed.

  “Now, my dear, I know this is infuriating, but save the frozen daggers for the Vampires,” Sir Rodney said calmly, taking a liberal sip of his Fae ale.

  “What! Save it for the Vampires?” Queen Cerridwen shouted, sputtering tiny snowflakes as she waved her arms about. “I will. I will. ”

  “Send them a very cold missive, milady?” Garth stared at the queen.

  Nervous servers hastened to Hunter’s side, insistent on giving him more baby carrots, peas, mashed potatoes, and gravy, despite the fact that all he’d said he wanted was the meat on his plate. Silver Hawk just smiled and gave Sasha a sidelong glance.

  “You’d do well not to tempt me with sarcasm, old wizard, especially when icicles dance at my fingertips just now.”

  “At your own risk, my friend,” Sir Rodney said, slowly standing to stretch. “Our queen is in ill temper after hearing the wolves’ report, or has that fact escaped you?”

  “I own up to no sarcasm, sire.” Garth looked at Queen Cerridwen with an open, earnest gaze. “I am quite serious. We need to send the Vampires a missive tonight, but they cannot read our silver-sent messages. The queen, who has been the most savaged by their attacks, with the loss of sixty of her countrymen, compared to a few of our guards that valiantly fought them off in the bayou, should inform them of our displeasure and awareness of their ruse.”

  “Quite so?” Queen Cerridwen narrowed her gaze on Garth, searching his expression for fraud. “You are serious.”

  “I am, my queen. I owe you an apology. I judged you from the past out of deep loyalty and
love for my king.” Garth bowed toward her and then stood straight, lifting his chin. “If we combine forces, what we send should cast daylight in the midst of their night.”

  “Oh. I see.. ” Queen Cerridwen returned to the round table and waited for a chair to pull itself back so she could sit. Hunter and Silver Hawk stood and Sir Rodney waited until she sat down. “Thank you, Garth. I should like to repair any unpleasantness that fell hard between us.”

  “As you so wish, milady.”

  “Good, then it is settled,” Sir Rodney said, sitting down with Hunter and Silver Hawk while Garth remained near them with his hands clasped within the sleeves of his robe. “There are a few points of order.”

  Sir Rodney glanced around the massive circular table and waited for everyone’s full attention. “First, the testimony of the Shadow Wolves must be added into the records of the United Council of Entities. Garth, send a Fae missive to them with the blood signatures of the leaders of the North American Shadow Wolf Federation on it. We shall make it known that the wife of Hunter’s brother, also our Southeast Asian Werewolf Federation ally, came under attack to satisfy an old demon debt by those who’d already been put to death by Vlad’s very hand for treason. This debt should have been satisfied by the Vampire Cartel in some other way, and even the young woman’s parents were attacked—he attempted to abduct them as hostages. The felonies involved in this are numerous. In any event, all of that spurious behavior, my friends, is a clear act of war.”

  Hunter sat back from the table and laid down his fork. “That’s right. I had forgotten how this really should be understood in the greater context. An attack on Amy and her parents is an attack on the House of Shogun, the house of my brother, thus an attack on the House of the North American Shadows.. ”

  Stunned, Sasha held her fork mid-air dripping au jus. “Which means that no matter how the Southeast Asian Werewolf Federation may feel about the internal politics involved with Shogun marrying Amy Chen, this is still an act of war upon the House of Chen-Kwon.” She looked at Hunter and then Silver Hawk. “We need to tell Shogun to get a missive to his people overseas and any people he has here in the states to tell them that he’s safe, Amy and her parents are safe, but that Vampires came after them.”