The Witch, The Wolf and The Vampire Series Boxed Set

by A. K. Michaels

  Liam walked in and he knew immediately they were in trouble. If Peri didn’t get her power under control, she could probably take out the whole block, them along with it.

  He moved towards her and Josef saw him. “May I?” Liam asked and Josef nodded. Liam moved in front of Peri, and his stance blocked her view of Daiki. Her eyes were open and her pupils were so large, he could no longer see her green eyes.

  “Peri, you need to listen to my voice. Peri, you need to control it. You know what to do. Deep breath in, come on, Peri, listen to me – deep breath in...no that was too shallow. Concentrate, Peri, deep breath in, one, two, three...that’s it...keep it in for one, two, three, let it out slowly. Good girl, now again, deep breath in, one, two, three, good...keep it in. That’s a girl, control, Peri, you must regain control. That’s it, slowly now, good, once more, Peri, deep breath in – hold – good, let it out slowly. That’s it...you have control?” Liam asked, although he felt the power diminishing in the Witch.

  Peri shook her head to clear it. “Yes,” she managed, turned into Gabe and sobbed. She sobbed as she never had before.

  The first human being she had ever come across that had shown her kindness. Shown her any kind of love, he was lying dead, and she knew it was because of her.

  Gabe held her close and watched as Josef and Liam inspected the body. His Wolf ears listening for what was being said.

  “Magic...he didn’t stand a chance, Josef. Looks like they tortured him, probably wanted to know where Peri was. Shit, look at what they did to him!” Liam’s voice shook. He was a strong Witch, but the thought of inflicting this sort of damage on a human...

  “Yes, I see it, Liam. Is there any way for you to track them? I would dearly like to meet whoever did this.” Josef’s voice was like ice and Liam shivered.

  “I’m not sure, they’ve covered their tracks pretty well. I’ll try real hard, Josef. Do you think Peri’s going to be okay?” Liam sneaked a peek, and she was still sobbing in Gabe’s arms.

  “We’ll make sure she is, Liam. I was a little concerned about the power I felt in her?” Josef looked at his Witch.

  Liam was shaking his head. “Josef, I’ve never felt so much power in one person. If she had lost control, we would all be dead right now.”

  “That’s what I thought, Liam. Once this mess is sorted, I want you with her every day, train her. She needs to be able to control it and use it. I want her to be able to use her magic against any kind of threat, Liam.” Josef’s voice was low but strong and Liam shuddered.

  The Witch that Liam had brought to San Francisco with them, the one that dealt in black magic, was already casting tracking spells, and Liam hoped he could find something.

  Josef pulled his phone out and made a call to a contact in law enforcement, a very high up contact in law enforcement.

  “Ronan, I need your help. We need some of your men to come to an address in San Francisco. A human has been tortured and killed by magic. These people are after my mate...”

  Ronan interrupted, “Mate? When the hell did you get a mate?”

  “Very recently, she is mate to both Gabe and I, and before you interrupt, we know how rare that is. Her father is a powerful Witch who has been hunting her, and we came here for her to see an old friend. We’ve just found him, and it’s definitely magic that did the damage to him. I do not want Peri harassed or questioned unduly, do you understand? This is a personal request, Ronan, from your Sire.” Josef finished and waited on the response from someone who had more morals than he thought any one person should have.

  “Peri? I take it that’s your mate? Okay, leave it with me. I’ll get some men there. Text me the address, and I’ll make sure your mate isn’t taken anywhere for questioning. However, Josef, if you have any more information, please pass it on.” Ronan waited, clearly wondering what his Sire was planning.

  “After we leave here, you won’t have to worry, I am dealing with this personally.” Josef’s voice was cold as ice as he spoke, and he could almost hear Ronan shiver.

  “Christ, Josef, please be careful and don’t leave a mess anywhere that it can be found. You know I don’t like covering things up.” Ronan sighed, obviously wondering if he would need to use his position as Director of the Supernaturals Enforcement Bureau to clean up a mass murder site.

  “You don’t need to worry, Ronan. Hope to see you soon, we’ve not met up in a while,” the ancient Vampire said, having a soft spot for one he had Sired.

  “Yeah, soon, Josef, you can introduce your mate to me. I can’t wait to see the woman who got inside your heart.” Ronan was chuckling now, knowing how cold and distant his Sire was.

  “Enough with the laughter, Ronan, I have to go, this is a mess here.” Josef sighed and hung up, not bothering with a goodbye.

  Soon there were police from both the normal human force and from the Supernaturals Enforcement Bureau, which had been set up several years previous, when Supernaturals ‘came out’ into society. It had soon become clear that a separate agency was needed to deal with beings such as Vampires, Wolves, and Witches. After all, none of them were going to stop and put their hands in the air, just because a human police officer asked them to. Now, if the crime required it, the two forces worked together. This was one of those times.

  Lots of questions were asked and Peri answered every one, a blank look on her face. Gabe never left her side for a second, holding her tightly, and growling when the questions got too much.

  Josef dealt with the scene in a detached manner, taking everything in and the scents. He had smelled two, both males, either Witches or Mages or some such, and he would know their scent now, if they came anywhere near them. If they did, he would dole out his own form of punishment, one that did not have anything to do with spending time in any kind of prison.

  The bodyguards stayed close. Donovan was one of his best, and Josef knew nothing would get past him. Fitz was new, but Donovan had hired him, so he must be good. Donovan knew the consequences, if that were not the case.

  Gabe tried to guide Peri outside, to the car, but she was reluctant to move far from Daiki’s body. “I can’t leave him, Gabe...he’s all I had...I was all he had!” Peri’s entire body was shaking, and Gabe was sure she was in shock.

  “I know, baby, I do, but we need to go now. They’ll need to take the body away soon, and I don’t want you seeing that. You’ve seen enough, Peri. Come, let me take you back to the hotel, Josef will come in a bit. He’s just finishing up some business.” Gabe’s tone was gentle, and Peri finally let him lead her away. The two bodyguards right there with them, one in front and one at their back.

  “Josef, I’m taking Peri to the hotel, how long will you be?” Gabe asked, as he passed by his friend.

  “Good, get some brandy into her. I’ll be a while. Liam’s going to try tracking them.” Josef placed a hand on Peri’s cheek, felt the coldness of her skin, moved in and kissed her gently.

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can, Peri, go with Gabe, he’ll take care of you.” Josef’s look to Gabe was intense and the Wolf nodded. He knew Peri’s safety was now solely in his hands.

  Josef turned away, his heart ached at the pain he felt from his mate, and his anger was burning brightly in his very soul. He would get these people, no matter how long it took. He would find them and punish them in the most severe way he could come up with.

  Donovan checked the area outside before letting Gabe and Peri exit. He took them straight to the car and covered their bodies with his, as they got in. Fitz kept his eyes scouring for any threats, the look on his face one of cold concentration.

  Less than ten seconds after the four of them left the dojo, a car sped along the street and screeched to a halt. Two men jumped out quickly, and Gabe knew immediately they were a threat, clearly scenting magic coming from them.

  He let out a growl and all hell broke loose! A powerful wave of energy came towards them quickly, thrown out by the hands of b
oth of these men. Gabe grabbed Peri and fell to the ground, his body covering hers protectively, as she let out a small scream of shock and fear.

  Fitz took the brunt of the blast and was picked up and thrown against the side of the building behind them. The noise he made had Gabe knowing he wouldn’t be getting up any time soon.

  Donovan’s fangs had erupted in his mouth, and he used his supernatural speed to get to the men, leaping completely over their own vehicle in front of them. As he was midway across and twenty feet in the air, another blast from the men hit him, throwing him back with such force that if he hadn’t been a Vampire, he would have been dead.

  Gabe roared loudly and stayed where he was, protecting his little mate. He dearly wanted to go Wolf and attack, but that would leave Peri completely vulnerable, not something he could do.

  “What the fuck!” Josef’s voice came to his ears, and he sighed in relief.

  Josef had started running, as soon as he heard the commotion outside, and now saw both of his guards lying on the ground with Peri underneath Gabe. His eyes sought the perpetrators and found them, two very powerful Mages. He could sense, scent, and feel the power emanating from these two men.

  The extremely ancient Vampire drew in some of his immense power, taking less than a second to do so, then his eyes locked on the men. He saw them throw out their hands and he could feel the energy coming towards him. A feral smile came on his face and he flicked his wrist, diverting the wall of magical energy off to the side with no effort at all.

  Both of the men’s eyes widened. They realized this was no ordinary Vampire, as Josef stalked down the stairs towards them.

  “Gabe?” Josef asked, and his friend answered immediately.

  “She’s okay,” was all he replied.

  “Who sent you?” Josef asked, although he realized the question was a moot point, they probably wouldn’t answer, and even if they did, they would lie. After all, they knew who had sent them...Peri’s father.

  The men said not a word, working together to garner another blast. Josef laughed, “Really? You think you can harm me or mine with your pathetic energy?!”

  A picture of Daiki’s body popped into his mind and his anger grew even further. Pulling more energy inside him, he moved closer. He heard Liam’s voice behind him: “Stay back, it’s magic!” He was obviously warning the police to stay out of this fight.

  Just as well, nothing and nobody could stop Josef now. Intent on one thing only – destroy these two men in front of him, who dared to attack his mate and friend.

  His blood was near boiling point, as he lashed out, the men attempting to put up a shield to ward off his attack. Their attempts were futile and they were thrown back against their own vehicle. Josef moved closer still, wanting the men to see his eyes, as he dealt the death blow.

  The men picked themselves up and watched in abject terror, as he moved ever closer. “I only wish it was her father that was here instead of you,” he spat out. His hands moved together – power flew out and encompassed the men.

  The unearthly screams they made, as his power took hold, were loud in everyone’s ears, as they were boiled alive from the inside out. It lasted only a few seconds, but to everyone present, it seemed to last much, much longer.

  As they fell to the ground, he turned to his friend, leaned down, and picked both the Wolf and his mate up with his strong arms. “Are you both okay?” He asked in a voice he didn’t recognize, fear prevalent. He had not felt that emotion in centuries, and he didn’t like it, not at all.

  “We’re fine,” Gabe said, as Peri stared wide-eyed all around her.

  Seeing both Donovan and Fitz laying on the ground, her mouth opened in a silent ‘Oh.’ Josef’s eyes followed hers, but Liam and the others that had been inside were already helping both Vampires up, Fitz looking a little worse for wear and Donovan just looking totally pissed off.

  Donovan walked over to them, his eyes raking Gabe and Peri, making sure they were not hurt. “I’m sorry...” he started to say.

  Josef cut him off, “Not your fault, they were strong in magic, just make sure you get these two back to the hotel, safely!”

  The police were dealing with the two bodies on the ground, and everyone could hear the comments, “Jesus H Christ! Did you see that?!” and “Fuck yeah, what kinda power does he have?! Fuck, I’ve never seen anything like it!” More followed, as the devastation brought by Josef was looked upon.

  Josef placed a hand on his mate’s cheek, “Are you sure you’re alright?” He asked quietly.

  “Uhm, yeah, I think so, is everyone else okay?” She asked, worried that others had been hurt because of her.

  “Everyone else is fine, now get on back to the hotel and rest,” Josef instructed, and Gabe pulled her towards their vehicle, making sure he didn’t let her see the bodies of the two men lying in the road.

  Donovan got in to drive, Fitz still seemed a little out of it, and he didn’t want him crashing the vehicle. “You okay?” He asked him, and Fitz just nodded his head.

  In the car, Gabe held Peri close, and she clung to him tightly. She moved herself and ended up in his lap, and he cradled her like a child. “It’s going to be okay, hon. We’ll find them and when we do, God himself won’t be able to help them.” Gabe was working hard at keeping his Wolf inside. Peri hadn’t seen it, and he sure as hell didn’t want to scare her now.

  “Gabe, they’re close...I can feel them...I’m scared.” Peri’s senses were so heightened that she could feel, hear, sense, just about everything for miles around. The feeling was disorienting, and she clung to Gabe to anchor her. His strong body and his scent kept her grounded and she knew if he wasn’t there, she would’ve lost it. Completely.

  Peri had no idea what would happen, if she did. She had felt her power taking over, and she wanted to lash out in anger and fear. She knew if she had, she would’ve hurt Josef and Gabe, and that she could never allow to happen.

  “It’s okay, Peri, we won’t let anything happen to you, our rooms are completely secure. Liam and his Witch have made sure of that. Nothing can get to us there.” Gabe only hoped that was true. He had never been one to put his faith in Witchcraft. He preferred good old-fashioned strength, especially if he was Wolf.

  The hotel came into sight and as soon as they stopped, Donovan and Fitz got out and checked the area was clear. Once more, they covered Gabe and Peri’s bodies with their own and led them to their suite.

  As soon as they were inside, Peri relaxed slightly, she felt the power of the wards and realized they would probably protect them as Gabe had said. She stood in the middle of the lounge area and looked around. She hadn’t taken notice of it earlier, all three of them had been too busy.

  “Oh, dear lord, Gabe, we were – you know – when Daiki was being killed! Maybe I would’ve sensed something, if we hadn’t been...in the bedroom.” Peri thought of the pleasure she had been receiving at the time Daiki had been tortured.

  “No, Peri, now don’t even start with that kind of talk, you know that just doesn’t make sense. Did you sense Daiki before at any time?” Gabe guessed she hadn’t, or she would have commented on it before now.

  “Well, no, but I feel so bad. We were luxuriating in pleasure while he was being tortured. That just seems wrong!” Peri was agitated and feeling sick.

  Gabe walked to the small bar and got Peri a large brandy. “Here, drink this, Peri. I think you’re in shock.” Gabe handed her the glass and her hands shook, as she took it from him.

  After a couple of sips, she screwed her face up. “Yuck.” She didn’t like it at all.

  “I’m going to give you a bath, Peri, try and get some warmth back into those bones.” Gabe took her hand and led her through to their large bedroom and then into the attached bathroom. He turned the water on and poured in some bubble bath. The scent filled the room, and Peri took great breaths in through her nose. She wanted to get the smell of blood out of her system
.

  “I’ll need to be responsible for the funeral Gabe...he didn’t have anyone else here.” Peri just couldn’t comprehend putting the body of Daiki into a cold dark hole in the earth. Fresh tears escaped her eyes. Gabe grabbed a face cloth and wiped them from her cheeks.

  “Okay, baby, if that’s what you want. It may take a few days. The police will want to do what they do in these kind of circumstances. We’ll get it organized, though. I’ll get Donovan on it.” Gabe knew the guard was more than able to do just about anything, including arranging a funeral.

  “Gabe...can you cuddle me? I really need a hug.” Peri’s eyes were red from crying, and she looked utterly desolate. Gabe moved towards her and grabbed her tight.

  “You can have a cuddle any time you want, Peri. There’s no other place I would like you to be than in my arms. Now I’m going to undress you, and you’re going to have a nice warm bath.” Gabe started to pull the zip down at the back of her gown, and she just stood immobile in his arms.

  Gabe undressed her completely, picked her up and placed her into the water. Peri felt the warmth invade her body, and she relaxed her head back against the tub.

  Gabe got soap and a sponge and started to wash her, making sure he cleaned every part of her. Making sure she got nice warm water on every part of her. She still felt cold to his touch, and he worried she was going into complete shock.

  “Gabe...you do know I love you, don’t you?” Peri whispered, her head back and eyes closed.

  Gabe’s insides clenched. “You do?” Peri had never said those words to him – or Josef. To hear them come from her mouth was profoundly moving, and he waited on her reply.

  “Yes, I do. I think I’ve just realized it. I knew I liked you both – and I know you and Josef like me, but seeing Daiki lying like that! I thought of someone harming you and Josef and my heart stopped. I don’t think I could live if anything happened to either of you. Gabe, I love you and Josef, and nothing can happen to you. It would kill me, Gabe, really!” Peri’s voice had risen a bit in panic, and Gabe stroked her face gently.