by R Murray
“So Bardou, what brings you here to Paris?” Raff asked, taking his own seat on the floor by the fire. Conan joined him as did Maccon while Emilie stayed on the bed. She knew she was not part of this wolf gathering but she was too weak to move, and Maccon was not going to let her out his sight.
“I received your letter Raff, about your discovery of the truth of the Lamia, that in fact they cannot change us. I knew this, I have for some time and that is not the real reason that I had put you three in France. I needed you close to them, because they hold the key that will give us the gift of immortality.” Bardou turned his focus on Maccon and Raff saw the youngest shift under his penetrating stare.
“I am sorry Maccon that I did not tell you the truth about your purpose within this group, but now do you see why I needed you close to the Lamia and why I had Conan and Raff protect you as they have? You could not be harmed; you will be the first to take immortality and you will then take my place as the alpha of this pack.”
“But I do not understand, why it will not be you Bardou? Must I kill you for the title as I have been told by legend we must do? Because if I must, I refuse now to. This cause is wasted, and we have found out there is no way that we can get what we want. Why can we not just accept our fate?” Maccon spoke up, almost pleading with their leader to hear him, though Raff could tell that it was wasted breath, Bardou had a plan and nothing Maccon would say would stop him from becoming who he must.
“I cannot take it Maccon, nor should I. You are the direct descendant of the first pack alpha; the lone survivor of that bloodline. I will step down when you have the Dark Blood in you. You cannot escape your destiny Maccon,” Bardou replied. His look drifted from Maccon to Conan; finally, his gaze fell on Raff, a look held in his eyes that Raff did not like.
“As for the answer, there is one way this will work. There is one born so powerful that they can give the wolf what it is he seeks. That person is who the Lamia hide; a child who is half witch and half vampire. The blood that flows in her veins is both Dark and that of one of the Lamia brothers, the one that died a century ago. She is the prize we seek, and she is the prize we fight for.” Raff swore he felt every being in that room stop breathing at Bardou’s words. He dared to look over at Emilie and the fear held in her eyes was clear. Bardou had no idea who Emilie was yet, and he dared not think what would happen when he did find out. Now he realised that Emilie was no longer safe with them, not with the alpha so set on finding this child.
Emilie had felt a sense of unease settle over her as Bardou had entered the lodge. He was a beautiful, powerful beast both as a wolf and as a human. He frightened her, though she was damned if she was going to show him, so she made certain to control her emotions as he addressed her and she replied. Now as they settled in their little pack at the fire she felt herself dozing off. She was still weak, but the wolves had been kind to her and Maccon had been so attentive towards her. She had lifted her spell of seduction from him and had been relieved when he had continued to love her the way he had while under it; she had promised herself that she would not fall in love with an enemy again, but now that Melaina had taken things too far and forced Emilie into the arms of the wolves. She did not care what her heart chose, she loved Maccon, and she loved the pack she had been accepted into; that was until today. Those cold eyes of Bardou had sliced to her very soul and she knew he suspected her straight away to be something more than mortal; but she also knew that her secret would not come out.
She had been so close to falling asleep listening to the quiet tones of the wolves as they spoke, until Bardou's words jerked her awake. What he spoke of, the child, the half witch and half vampire made Emilie feel sick to her stomach, and she found herself locking eyes with Raff. She saw the sympathy in them, but also something else. The promise of protection, that he would not allow her or her child to come to any harm. It was a promise spoken in a simple silent gaze, but it did little to ease her fear. It made sense now, why the Lamia wanted to know her daughter's whereabouts so badly. The child they wanted, the child this war was about to be fought over, was her child.
Chapter Eighteen
Nikolas hurried through the dewy cobbled streets of Paris heading straight to the home of Emilie. He needed to warn her of the danger she was now in. He had listened to all that had been said between Melaina and Thanatos; he knew he was as good as dead if it was found out that he had used magic on a mortal to find out what had happened over the last few days. It had saddened him greatly to hear that Melaina had finally given Thanatos what he had craved for centuries and now Emilie was in grave danger.
Reaching her house, he found the door off its hinges. He knew it had been empty since Melaina had visited her and it was as he feared; she had been taken by the wolves. Knowing now he had no choice, that he had to go to the lodge and speak with Emilie. At least she was protected by the pack now. It had been true what he had said to Melaina, they now possessed such a powerful weapon in this war, not only Emilie, but the only lead they had in finding the girl.
Stepping into the forest, he stopped for a moment, uncertain if he should continue. He did not like the feeling that passed through him as he had entered amongst the trees; it felt like someone was watching him. Taking a tentative step, he heard a rustle close by and he froze. He had come unarmed and although he had his powers he never liked to use them in the open. His movement was stopped once more, but this time by a familiar figure stepping out of the trees. Her bright red cloak so unique he could not help but smile in relief at the sight of the White Witch. He had known she would be alive but seeing her in the flesh soothed him greatly. Emilie looked up and the smile that lit up her face was infectious and despite everything he returned it.
“Nikolas! What are you doing here?” She exclaimed as she came up beside him. He could not help but let his eyes wander over her; he could see that she was still weak from whatever darkness Melaina had forced inside her but she was strong and she had obviously been well cared for she would recover fully of that he was sure.
“Looking for you. I heard what Melaina did and I cannot believe it, I am so sorry that I was not able to stop her. Emilie, I came to warn you of the danger you are in. Melaina has finally submitted to Thanatos, he has marked her and claimed her as his. She is darker now than she has ever been. With her standing at his side, you do not stand a chance,” Nikolas told her. He saw raw fear flash across her innocent features. The ultimate betrayal had happened, Melaina had turned on her sister. The one thing he had hoped would never come to pass had. The sisters were split, one on each side. He knew Emilie had been hurt too deeply by Melaina; she would stay with the wolves. She would fight with them and with the sisters divided, only one would live.
“Then I must stay with the wolves. I cannot go back to Paris now. We must leave; I must convince them to because I know what it is they want...” she was stopped from say anything more when they were suddenly surrounded by six vampires. Nikolas took one look at them and knew immediately that they had been freshly turned during the last days; he could smell it. He also knew that Thanatos had somehow known he would go searching for Emilie and try and convince her to leave France. Thanatos must have sent a gang of thirsty blood drinkers to stop him. He grabbed Emilie and pulled her close to him.
“We will fight them together,” He assured her, even though he knew the odds were not on their side.
Emilie stood trembling against Nikolas as the vampires circled them; their eyes were slits and their fangs razor sharp as they licked them hungrily. They were newly made and although the blood of both Nikolas and Emilie would kill them if they drank them dry, she knew that the two of them would be killed first. That they would not see the vampires suffer. They were under orders from Thanatos, that was clear and she did not doubt that it was Thanatos himself that had sent them. She wondered if she would be spared, after all she was what they wanted; what they needed, but Nikolas would not be so lucky and she could not allow that to happen. Taking a deep breath, she moved from
the old witch's side and stood her ground with him. She could not show fear to these feral beasts. She just wished she had told the wolves where she was going.
She had waited until they had all gone out the back to eat, she had made the excuse that she was not hungry and instead had slipped on her red cloak and left the lodge. She had to find Nikolas and tell him what she had heard and wanted to see if he knew the truth about her daughter. She needed to find out about Thanatos and his progress with finding her; even though she knew it was impossible for anyone to do so. She had been incredibly relieved when she had found Nikolas in the forest, he himself looking for her. But in their current circumstances she did long to have Maccon at her side. This was a battle she was certain they would not win considering the overwhelming odds.
“Thanatos was right, this would be an easy kill,” one of the vampires hissed, smiling darkly as he moved closer to them. Emilie lifted her hand and before Nikolas could say anything, the vampire flew into the air landing heavily against the tree. With one swift flick of her wrist his neck snapped, killing him instantly. Her eyes darkened as she allowed a darkness to wash over her, one she rarely let take control. She was not like her sister who thrived on its heady power. Emilie only called on her black magic when her life or someone she cared about was in mortal danger. She heard Nikolas hiss a dark spell under his breath as one of the others turned an attack on him. The shriek that rang through the quiet woods ran through Emilie as she turned in time to see the fool burning before his neck too snapped. No sooner had they defeated two of them did another two appear. Emilie cursed, the bastard had substitutes to take the place of the dead, knowing she and Nikolas would put up a fight. There was no telling how many more were lurking in the bushes. Emilie closed her eyes briefly and reached out her mind to Maccon, praying he heard her or sensed her cry for help.
Chapter Nineteen
Maccon was bored. He had had enough of sitting around idly talking over the same tactics; he was certain they were not going to succeed in their task. Raff had still not told Bardou who Emilie was, and he knew that he would not, not if he valued his life. For if he did, then Maccon would make him pay for betraying them both. Excusing himself he went inside hoping to spend a bit of time alone with Emilie, instead he found the room empty. Scanning the room, he noticed that her cloak was also gone, meaning she had left with an intention of not coming back. Damn that little witch, she would be the death of him; of that he was sure. He was about to call on the black wolf when a pain struck his mind, stumbling slightly he sat heavily down on the bed closing his eyes tight as he did so. To his surprise he saw Emilie, she had reached out to him and was crying out for his help. Her vision allowed him to see her and another surrounded by vampires, fighting them off, though every time one died another would appear. He knew soon enough they would lose this fight. Growling, his eyes flew open and to his relief landed on Conan who had come in to get something more to drink. Maccon stood and stopped him.
“Forget that, you are coming with me. Emilie is in trouble and I cannot fight them alone.”
“Fight who?” Conan questioned, though he followed Maccon out the door.
“Vampires. Now turn, we need to be ready to fight as soon as we get there.”
Without checking if Conan had done as he had demanded, Maccon turned. Glancing to his side his deep grey eyes saw that auburn flash of fur as his brother sidled up to him. Conan's usual emerald eyes were now the colour of amber and he could see the desire to hunt in them. Maccon turned his nose to the air, and in no time at all he located the scent they needed. It was the scent of blood; of Dark Blood, Emilie's blood. Letting out a furious howl he ran towards the fight, Conan right at his side.
It took them mere moments to arrive at the scene, already there were half a dozen bodies scattered about them, Emilie stood alone amongst them. The other person that had been in his vision was slumped against a tree bleeding heavily from various bite marks on him; he did not look good and Maccon smelled death around him. Turning his attention to the battle at hand, he had just a moment to admire the witch, colourful lights were flying from her hands in all directions. She was holding her own against the blood suckers but there was an aura over her that Maccon did not like, it was darkness and he knew she was drawing on dark magic to kill. It both scared him and excited him to think that she was capable of such, although deep down he knew she was damn powerful and that there was a darkness within her. He just never thought he would see it; well not yet anyway. A snarl to his left snapped him from his thoughts and reminded him where he was and what was going on. Conan had brought him back to reality just in time as one of the vampires lunged at him. Maccon swiped him easily away, causing him to land heavily on the ground. Stalking up to him like he would his prey, he placed his large paws either side of the vampire's head, his powerful black body towering over the terrified creature as he bared his fangs; his eyes flashed with mirth before he let out a howl and sank his teeth into the neck of his toy. Picking it up easily in his mouth he shook it like a doll before throwing the creature onto the pile of bodies. This time no others replaced the dead ones. As he joined Emilie and Conan he could see the vampires hesitate, a childish mistake on their part, because before they could make their next move the final five of them were dead.
Emilie was only vaguely aware that she had been joined by a black and auburn wolf; she was too worried about Nikolas and trying to stop the vampires from finishing him off to take much notice. She was exhausted, having to dig so deep and unleash powers she had kept hidden for centuries, but she could not give up; not until every one of the blood suckers were dead.
Finally, the last one fell at the hands of Maccon, and without casting a glance towards her wolves she ran to the side of her mentor. Lifting her hand to heal him she felt his wrap around hers stopping her.
“You are too weak to heal me Emilie, I can feel it within you. I have lost too much blood,” Nikolas told her, his voice was just above a whisper. Emilie shook her head as she felt tears slide down her cheeks
“No Nikolas! I can help you, I do not care if it exhausts me to the point I must rest for days; I cannot let you die! I need you now, I need your help for what is to come,” Emilie begged him trying to break his grip around her wrist, but he held on surprising her at the strength he still had. She looked down in his gentle eyes and saw so much love in them, and pride.
“You do not need me, my sweet girl. You are stronger than your sister because you have a soul. You have love and you have light in your life, it is more powerful than anything Melaina has. You will find a way through this. Go to Lorcan. He will tell you what you need to know. Tell him I sent you and tell him that Thanatos has control of Melaina, though I am certain he already knows that.”
“Nikolas, please let me help you I beg you!” But she knew it was too late, she watched as his eyes closed for the last time and his grip around her wrist loosened.
“No!” she cried, draping herself across the body of the man that had guided her for the last three hundred years; the man who she had turned from in the last century, and who had kept her alive in these last hours. She knew why he had weakened so quickly, he had held a protection spell over her the whole time she had been standing in the ring of vampires fighting, he would not have let any harm come to her.
She felt a gentle nudge to her back; she turned to look into the eyes of the black wolf, her wolf and her light. She did not hesitate, moving from Nikolas to wrap her arms tightly around his neck burying her head in his soft thick fur. She knew that when she turned back Nikolas would be gone. It was what happened to witches when they died; they vanished, their bodies gone to the spirits in the wind and she knew he would always be guiding her. Pulling away from Maccon she turned to Conan and wrapped her arms around his neck also running a hand through his auburn coat.
“Thank you both,” she finally spoke as she stood, “We need to go home; I am tired and I have to warn Bardou of the new danger. My sister, the Black Witch, more powerful than I
could ever dream of being, has submitted herself to Thanatos. We are not safe here and we must leave Paris as soon as possible. But first I must speak with the King. I shall go tomorrow.” Flashing the two wolves a tired smile she scratched them both gently behind the ears.
“Lead the way, you are my family now. I run with you.”
Chapter Twenty
Raff stalked back out to where Bardou was still sitting silently by the fire. He had decided to check on Maccon and Conan when neither had returned to the group only to find them both gone with no word left as to where. He had tried to tap into their minds but had been blocked and that only angered him more. It meant they were up to no good and he did not doubt that the witch was the cause of it.
“Where are the other two?” Bardou broke through his angry thoughts and Raff knew that he would not be able to lie to him, though he still refused to tell the alpha what Emilie truly was.
“I do not know. They seem to have vanished and when I tried to track them I was blocked by them both.”
“And the girl?” Bardou questioned.
Raff shook his head slightly watching as Bardou's eyes turned dark, he was angry and Raff knew the anger was mainly directed at Emilie and not the pups.
“Why do you let her near them Raff? She is off, can you not smell it on her? She is not human; of that I am sure and I think you all know that too. I have yet to prove it, but I will.” Bardou growled and it took all Raff had to not show his emotions and the truth he knew.
“She is human Bardou, and we took her in because she saved Conan's life, showed us kindness and she needed our help. We could not leave a helpless girl to the vampires or whatever monster her sister is,” Raff explained calmly.
