by Susan Illene
“You all must know there is only one race who could have broken a spell as strong as the one that held me. She is a sensor, and though some of you continue to hold a grudge against her kind for their actions in the past, I expect you to treat her with respect. Melena is under my protection and any who threaten her will answer to me.”
Nik’s announcement, claiming me under his protection, almost made me choke. I hadn’t expected anything this extreme and gazed up at him in question. He met my eyes and lifted his lips in a reassuring smile before nodding to someone behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Lucas stepping forward from the dark place on the porch where he’d been hovering.
“I will give the same warning to you,” his voice rang out. “As a long-time friend to Nikolas, I will tolerate none who do not give him their full loyalty. If you threaten him in any way, including through the sensor, there will be severe consequences.”
Without warning, he pushed his considerable power out over the crowd. In all my meetings with the nephilim, he had kept it on a tight leash, but he really let it loose this time. Many in the crowd gasped and I clenched my hands, the pressure already tight on my head from so many supernaturals present. Nikolas didn’t flinch at the grip I put on his fingers, but he did give a gentle squeeze in return. I took deep breaths, trying to ease the knives digging at my skull.
After everyone appeared properly cowed, Lucas pulled it all back in. I almost collapsed with relief. Maybe it had been a good thing Nik kept holding my hand because it helped keep me steady enough so I didn’t embarrass myself by falling over. The nephilim gave me an unreadable look before moving back into the shadows.
I didn’t know what to think of his show of support. His pronouncement had been even more unexpected than Nik’s, but there must have been some purpose behind it—whatever that might be. All I knew was that he spoke the truth.
Charlie appeared in front of the deck and moved to stand next to us. He had a calming presence that somehow gave me further relief from the pain in my head. The muscles in my body relaxed by several degrees. He had a type of power I couldn’t begin to comprehend.
When all eyes focused on him, he spoke. “As many of you know, I am bound to this land and all the people who live in it. For these last few years there have been great troubles with Variola. I did not support her rise to power and went so far as to ban her vampires from living in the city of Fairbanks, but could not stop all the heinous acts they committed, to my regret. Nikolas is a good leader, and has my support. If those of you here obey him, you will be welcome to live as you did before.”
One of the older vampires, who was about two hundred years old, spoke up.
“Will all the same rules be in place as before?”
Charlie nodded. “They will.”
I didn’t know what all that entailed, but figured it had to do with the vampire’s need to feed. Contrary to popular belief, they couldn’t drink bagged blood. It had to be fresh from the source. Because of this, there needed to be a large enough population to draw from, or else the humans would be at risk from over-feeding. It was no doubt one of the reasons Charlie had allowed Variola’s vamps in the city during the hours of darkness. Otherwise, they would have bled the surrounding area dry trying to meet their needs.
“Any other questions?” he asked.
When no one else stepped forward, Charlie gave a respectful nod to me and Nik before heading back to his place by Yvonne and Felisha.
Nikolas let go of my hand to address the crowd again. I took a step back, wanting out of the limelight.
“I hope everyone here will show their support by aiding me in my pursuit to regain leadership. Those willing to fight tomorrow night will be rewarded for their loyalty. Certain individuals will be asked to remain this evening so that we may outline the battle strategy.”
His eyes scanned the people before him, picking them out one by one. Four men and one woman got the nod.
“There is a lot to accomplish. I do not wish to waste any more of your time. Those who were not chosen are free to leave and make preparations for tomorrow. Leave your contact information with Felisha so we can provide you with the exact details once they are ready to be released. Thank you all for coming.”
Nik put a hand on my upper arm when I made a move to escape. I had expected everyone to head off to their cars when Nikolas dismissed them, but it didn’t turn out that way. Instead, they all lined up and welcomed him back, swore fresh oaths of fealty, and even thanked me for saving their leader.
I stood in stunned amazement. It was as if Nik was a king, instead of a vampire leader for a small group. Only after each person had a few words with him did they leave, with the exception of those asked to stay back. I was happy to see the numbers dwindle. The large crowd had been overwhelming. Whether my head would manage to hold up under the pressure of tomorrow night’s activities would be anyone’s guess.
Nik turned his attention to me after speaking with a vampire who had to be almost four centuries old. “Mel, I need you to invite these three in. They are all vampires I turned myself. I assure you they won’t cause you any harm.”
I shook my head. No, I couldn’t do this. It had gone against the grain enough to let him in when he arrived, but allowing another three inside was more than I could handle.
Nik’s back faced the five. They couldn’t see the imploring look he gave me. Only I could invite them in, except Emily. They had to know better than to bring her into it. I opened my mouth to refuse, but Lucas came up from behind and put his hands on my shoulders. The usual tingles ran through me even as he whispered in my ear.
“Do as he asks. I said no harm would come to you and it won’t. Don’t humiliate him in front of his people.”
He had done another one of his special spells that allowed no one to hear his words but me. One of these days I’d have to ask how he did that. I felt myself wanting to give in to his wishes, not because of magic, but because he spoke the truth. Not to mention the whole lot of them could kill me if they wanted to while standing on the porch. Inside or outside made no difference.
Forcing years of ingrained fear down, I gave them their invitations after Nik provided their names. Those three, plus two alpha werewolves, stepped into the cabin. It became instantly crowded. Emily sat in the kitchen eating donuts, looking far too curious at the newcomers. I gave her an apologetic smile and told her to go to the bedroom. She let out a loud huff and stomped off. Something told me she would listen at the door. That’s what I would have done.
We were short a few chairs, once you counted Charlie, Felisha, Yvonne and Derrick in on the crowd. I opted to sit at the kitchen table and Lucas stayed by me while Nik gathered most everyone else in the living room. Nothing hindered my view thanks to the open layout. Charlie and Felisha sat with me as well.
Nikolas went over the basic plan of attack for the newcomers. The rest of us knew the details and had already surveyed the site where the battle would take place. We’d all go out again tonight to do one last walk through. The additional five seeing the plan ensured the others who didn’t stay would know where they needed to be once the time came. They would not learn the exact details until sundown the next day so as to prevent any information leaks. After five years, we couldn’t be positive where everyone’s loyalties lay. That is, unless we wanted to spend days interrogating people while I used my abilities to verify the truth. We didn’t have that kind of time.
“What about protection? Variola’s side is heavy with witches and we have to assume they will be using magic to attack.”
The female vampire who spoke looked like an Amazon warrior. She had a large frame and a square face bordered by thick blond hair cut to shoulder length. Not an ounce of fat showed on her that I could see. Every inch of her body appeared to be solid muscle. At six hundred years old, I had a feeling she would be one hell of a fighter. I didn’t ever want to get on her bad side.
“I have prepared special protection amulets for everyone to wear around the
ir necks, Kariann,” Yvonne answered her.
We didn’t have witches on our side, but at least we had a mystic who could serve the same purpose.
“Will you be there tomorrow night?” Kariann asked.
Yvonne nodded. “I will be.”
One of the alpha werewolves spoke up next—a sixty year old who hadn’t aged past thirty. His power didn’t equal Derrick’s, but if he grew as old as him, he would come close.
“What about our weapons? They could be turned against us and the amulets won’t do them any good.”
Nik and I exchanged looks. We had already discussed this while working out the battle plans last night and had figured out a solution.
“Melena is going to donate some of her blood. It will be applied to each of the weapons. That will prevent any magic from affecting them.”
Derrick stepped forward. “Wait a damn minute. Mel almost died from blood loss a couple days ago when you sucked too much out of her. A few days aren’t enough for her to recuperate from that.”
I had to admit, seeing that Derrick still cared touched me. Under the circumstances I was surprised he considered my health at all and wasn’t just focusing his anger on our plot to take out his beloved leader.
Nikolas gave him a patronizing look. “We have been giving Mel iron pills every day to help her regenerate her red blood cells. I’ll be monitoring her blood pressure while we draw out what we need. We’ll stop if there is any danger.”
Derrick shook his head. “That doesn’t cut it. You’ll be weakenin’ her right before a battle. If she gets hurt, she’ll go down that much faster.”
I put my hand on Derrick’s arm. “It’s okay. I agreed to this. There is a greater risk with me not giving blood. If it comes down to it, Lucas will pull me out of the battle.”
He shook his head. “Not good enough.”
Emily stepped out of the bedroom. “I can give blood so Mel doesn’t have to.”
I covered my face with my hands, knowing everyone in the room had heard her. “Emily, go back to the bedroom please. We don’t need your blood.”
“Yeah, you do.”
Nikolas lifted his brow in question. “Why does she think her blood would be useful?”
I shot Emily a quelling look. “She wants to help, but doesn’t understand what this is about.”
The teenager sighed in exasperation and thrust her hands on her thin hips.
“Mel, stop protecting me. I can’t lose you now.” There was a catch in her voice. “You have to let me help you.”
Dang teenagers could be so convincing. I wanted to run up and hug her. Tell her everything would be okay, but I had to stand firm. She was too young to get involved in this.
“No, I don’t, Em.” I pointed to the doorway she’d come through. “Now go back to the bedroom.”
She ignored me, looking instead at all the people gathered around the room. The attention didn’t seem to bother her at all. It hadn’t taken her long to come out of her shell.
“Everyone here,” she announced, raising her arms up in a dramatic fashion. “I’m just like Mel. She is trying to protect me, but I’m a sensor too. I can help.”
All eyes moved back to me. Now everyone in the room knew about her. How was I supposed to keep her safe if she wouldn’t listen? Years of Wanda lecturing me against interacting with the supernatural population weighed on my mind. I couldn’t shake that in the short time I’d spent with them.
Derrick spoke up first. “Is it true, Melena?”
A thousand lies flew through my mind, each more creative than the next, but everyone here would see through them. Instinct told me that much. Plus Charlie was giving me another one of his knowing looks. Me and that shaman were going to have a serious talk one of these days.
“Can you grab me a beer?” I asked one of the werewolves. He was already digging around in the fridge.
He took out a bottle and handed it to me. I tried to get the cap off, but it was a pop top and my calloused hands were too sore to remove it without an opener. Lucas grabbed it from me and pulled the cap off in one swift move, even managing to catch it before the thing went flying into someone’s eye.
I thanked him and lifted the bottle to take a drink. Nikolas stole it from me before it even reached my mouth. My scrambling attempts to get it back failed. He held it too far out of reach. Damn him. I didn’t even like beer, but I wanted that one.
“Answer the question, Mel.”
I gazed up at the ceiling as if divine intervention would surely come. Not surprisingly, it didn’t. I leveled my eyes at a blank spot on the wall.
“Yes, she is a sensor too.”
Nik grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. “Why didn’t you tell any of us this? She needs to be protected as well.”
I pushed his hand away. “What do you think I was trying to do? If she would listen and keep her mouth shut,” I glared at her. “Then no one would know and she would be safe.”
Emily clammed her lips.
“Not telling anyone is not protecting her,” Nik said. “She is too young, surrounded by supernaturals, and would have slipped up sooner or later. Why didn’t you say anything?”
I shot a glance at Lucas. “He knows why. He has spent the last eight years terrorizing me for what I am and killed the sensor who was taking care of me. Wouldn’t that be reason enough?”
Nik glared at the nephilim. “Perhaps you’d care to explain your behavior? I know you can be an absolute ass, but this is extreme, even for you.”
Lucas took the beer from him and gave it back to me. “I like her better when she drinks.”
I took a swig. At least I had his support this time.
Nik rubbed his face. “Never mind. It’s too late to change anything, but Mel, we will be discussing this further later.”
I wanted to argue with him and say that knowing most of these people for a few days did not garner instant trust. Yet with so many sups staring at me and needing to believe they could rely on me for the upcoming battle, it seemed like a bad time to have it out with Nik. We had to present a united front or I would never get Aniya back. They all had their motivations to fight this battle, but my friend was mine. I’d work with these people, but only because of her.
“Fine,” I said. “But no one else can know about Emily.”
“Agreed, but if Emily does want to help, we’ll split the amount drawn between the two of you. It won’t be that much, but this way neither of you should feel any ill effects.”
“Works for me.” Emily’s face lit up with a triumphant smile.
I frowned and took another drink of my beer. If we survived this, I was going to the bookstore to pick up one of those guides for idiots who need to learn about parenting. A few days into it and I was already screwing it up.
Chapter Twenty-four
“Derrick, whose side are you on?” I asked. We were driving to Variola’s house.
He glanced over at me with a startled expression before returning his attention to the road. A heavy sigh escaped his lips. “You want the truth?”
“That would be nice.”
His right hand beat a staccato against the steering wheel for a few minutes before he answered. “I can’t answer that, Mel. Variola has given me more than anyone else ever would have. That’s not something I can just ignore.”
My hand played with one of the pocket knives that would soon be handed over. I hoped to see it again after this. A good friend from back in the army had given it to me.
“Just because she’s helped you doesn’t mean you owe her forever, Derrick. There is a point where you get to walk away. I have a hard time believing you want to be on the wrong side of this. Think of those bodies we found. How many other evil things do you think she’s done behind your back?”
His hand stopped moving to grip the wheel. “I’ve followed her for a long time, Mel. A man can’t switch his loyalties overnight. You can’t expect that.”
A disgruntled sigh escaped my lips. “What does she have
on you, Derrick? What makes you stay with her?”
He gave me a sharp look.
“She gives me time each year to search for my family’s killers and helps me search for them. She also gives her blood to me on a regular basis so I don’t age, which is something I need until I get my revenge.”
“So that’s why you stay with her? All this time and you still haven’t found them. Are you sure she’s really even helping you?”
“Melena, you don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”
“Dammit, Derrick. Why didn’t you step in the other day when they killed Matt?”
I expected him to strike out in anger at the question, but his expression turned remorseful instead.
“To be honest, I wanted to. I’d seen that kid grow up from back when Variola and the rest of us lived in New Orleans. Your nephilim compelled me to not do anything that might arouse Variola’s suspicion. Stepping in would have caused her to lose trust in me and she was already headed in that direction.”
“He’s not my nephilim,” I muttered. “So you’re saying the compulsion held you back?”
“I don’t think anything I could’ve done would have saved that boy. They wanted to kill him to hurt you, and anything I tried probably would’ve made things worse.”
“Doesn’t it bother you, though?”
“Of course it bothers me,” he snapped, “but sometimes you have to accept the things you can’t change.”
“Wasn’t Matt’s death enough for you to see how evil she is? How could you not turn against her?”
“Let it be, Mel.”
A lump formed in my throat. Despite our differences, I liked Derrick and didn’t want us to be on opposing sides. Nik had only compelled him to ensure Variola came to the meeting point, but beyond that, he was a free man.
That part of the plan had upset me, but the vampire had pointed out that he would never know where Derrick’s true loyalties were unless he allowed the man to act on his own. He said it wouldn’t be right to force anyone to fight on a side they didn’t believe in. The concept came off as hypocritical to me since Lucas and Nik had been compelling the werewolf the entire time to do things he didn’t like, but to them that didn’t count as much.
