by Jessica Lee
Logan panned right, and Arran took the left, spreading out across the main level. A slight breeze followed by the stench of decay invaded Arran’s nostrils seconds before a DEAD materialized in his path. The bloodsucker lunged with his blade drawn.
Arran tucked and rolled, dodging the initial attack. He regained his feet, whirled, and slashed the rear of the DEAD’s neck. Blood flashed from the wound, and the vampire’s head lolled forward, severed from his spine.
A curse rung out from Logan’s mouth, and Arran glanced across the open expanse of the living area. A DEAD intruder battled the warrior. A long slice to Logan’s arm smoked like a pan of damn fried bacon. How the hell did these DEADs get their hands on silver-plated daggers?
Marguerite.
She must have armed them with the Enclave’s own weapon of choice.
The bigger fucking question of the night was, what traitorous asshole ratted out their location? His feet rooted to the floor. The earlier phone conversation with Markus replayed in his mind. No. He shook his head at the nagging suspicion making him ill. Markus wouldn’t…?
“Three more. I detect three more intruders on the first floor.” Gabrielle’s alarmed voice filled his ear.
…
Markus watched from his vantage point five hundred yards outside the compounds’ sensors. Like clockwork, the lights had gone out, sending the house onto emergency power. Why the hell not? Make them all scurry like rats. Kenric had to be out of his fucking mind right about now. Never would he believe one of his own had betrayed his perfect order. It had been so easy, just like Marguerite had predicted.
He chuckled, riding high on his mistress’s blood. His body ached, not yet completely healed from the punishment of her whip, claws, and fangs.
When his mission was over, he would savor his reward. He stroked the hard length of his cock in anticipation. Marguerite would make all the pain and deception worth it. Relinquishing the Enclave’s fucked-up hold on his mind had been difficult, at first. They’d been the only taste of honor he’d ever known. Then Marguerite had opened his eyes to what truly lay in the darkness, and it was more than he had ever imagined. She was powerful and beautifully exotic. And she was delicious.
The dimly lit sitting room came into focus as Markus phased to the third floor of headquarters. With the house under full attack, he knew Kenric would leave Emily in the one place he believed to be most secure: his private wing. Only Enclave warriors would have visual knowledge of Kenric’s living quarters, thus the ability to phase into the location. Surely, his fuck-toy was safe, locked away inside the master’s den. What foolish arrogance on his former commander’s part.
No one was ever truly safe.
Dressed in a man’s white T-shirt and oversize sweats, the woman paced the floor, working the hilt of a blade inside her fist. A muttering of various curses rolled from her lips. Left behind and fucking pissed, she didn’t sense his presence behind her.
Markus glided forward, sticking to the shadows, his body a transparent veil of a human form. He palmed the dart gun loaded with Ketamine buried inside his pocket. Two feet from him, she came to an abrupt stop. Her head dropped into her hands with an exasperated sigh.
Perfect.
Aiming straight for her exposed neck, Markus fired.
Bull’s-eye.
She whirled, yanking the dart out of her neck. Her wide eyes scanned the object and the surrounding room, but she would find nothing but dark corners. Within seconds, her knees buckled, and her unconscious body wilted.
Breaking free of the shadows, Markus kneeled and scooped Emily from the floor. The sensors would detect the extra presence in her quarters, but he’d be long gone. And Kenric, too late. He grinned and phased them both on a trip to his mistress’s arms.
…
Something was wrong. A sudden emptiness—a void—welled inside Kenric’s chest. He reached for his mate with his mind, but there was nothing on the other end, only stillness. Across their connection, he called to her, but she didn’t answer.
“Emily!” he cried out and bounded up the stairs. Why wouldn’t she answer?
Like a madman, he burst through the security door to his residence. Empty. His soul couldn’t find the essence that matched his. He didn’t need to search, though he did, tearing through every room. Agony constricted his heart to the point that the blood in his veins felt like sludge, too thick and heavy to circulate.
Please, God, don’t take her from me. Not when only a few hours ago, because of her, he’d learned to breathe again. And that air smelled like wildflowers.
From the floor near the baseboard, a glint of light bouncing off metal caught his eye. He dropped to one knee. He found her blade, and something else lying beside it.
Boots pounded the stairs outside his room. Kenric straightened as his warriors filled the room, his gaze transfixed on the black and silver dart between his fingertips. His fangs ached to rip into the throat of the one who had dared touch his mate.
The room shook from his rage. Lifting his gaze to his team, he pronounced, “Marguerite dies tonight.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
“When do you think she’ll come around?”
“I don’t know. Mistress said to let her know when she shows any signs of waking,” a thickly accented voice answered. “That new slave didn’t go under like this. No matter if she’s fucking a master, she’s still female—still weak. The same dose that just dazed him kicked her little vampire ass.”
Emily cracked an eyelid to get a look at the assholes discussing her. She didn’t risk further movement. The blurry image of bars crashed into her brain and sent her pulse racing.
A cell.
They’d locked her in a cell. She bit her cheek to keep from screaming. The metallic taste of blood leaked across her tongue.
Every muscle knotted in rebellion as she fought the surge of her fight-or-flight reflex kicking into high gear. The ache in her bones and the grit in her mouth confirmed they’d left her lying on a dirt floor. The dank, earthen smell filled her nose with each rapid breath she failed to control.
“Well, look who’s waking up and come to join in on our fun? Open those eyes, Red. I know you’re hearing every word.”
Shit, they must have noticed the changes in her heart rate and respiration. She dragged her eyelids open. No use pretending anymore. Two young men leaned against the bars. To her surprise, they were quite handsome and wore finely tailored white silk shirts and black slacks. Both grinned through the iron bars as if she were the prize catch of the day. Okay, so not a good analogy. She might very well be dinner.
After a few ungraceful attempts to stand on her legs, she finally made her way over to the bars.
“Inform Mistress Marguerite that her…guest is awake,” the man with what sounded like a Spanish accent and long chocolate brown hair instructed the blond to his left. Without hesitation, the blond raced away.
“Sleep well?” The Spaniard swung his dark gaze back to her, jamming his hand through the bars and into her hair.
Emily hissed and jerked back, stumbling into the damp wall. “Keep your filthy hands to yourself,” she spat.
“Admirable.” His lips curled into a smile, displaying two long fangs. “But that feisty attitude will do you no good here. You belong to our mistress now. And I’m going to enjoy every minute of the show while she puts an end to another one of her precious Kenric’s whores.”
“Enrique, I suggest you watch your tongue if you wish to keep it. I’ll decide if I want an audience.” A serpent-like hiss of a feminine voice filled the dirt and stone space. “I would hate for you to lose a body part with which you are so talented.”
Every hair on Emily’s body stood on end. An exotic beauty, wearing sheer green silk held together by black netting down its center, glided into view. The gauzy fabric and strategically placed fishnet did little to cover her breasts or hide the top of a nether region Emily had no desire to see. Enrique tucked in his chin and inched away from the bars.
&
nbsp; Guided by self-preservation, Emily backed into the corner of the small cell. The raven-haired woman with jade green eyes radiated pure evil. “Marguerite Devonshire, I presume?” At least she could be proud that she sounded steadier than she felt.
“That is correct, dear. And you are Emily Ross, Kenric’s newest and most fleeting interest.”
“Kenric will kill you for this.” Emily pushed away from the wall, striding a few steps forward. She wouldn’t go down without a fight. And she sure as hell would not let this bitch see her beg.
Marguerite’s head tilted back with a laugh born in hell. “Oh, dear, I sure hope he’ll try. Don’t you realize that is exactly why you’re here? Kenric needs a reminder of the place he is destined to take at my side. So you be a good girl and let your latest fuck find you. And when he does, I’m going to enjoy making him watch while I kill you.”
Insane laughter followed the monster as she exited Emily’s prison. Her Spanish guard turned to follow his mistress, pausing long enough to purse his lips in an exaggerated kiss between the bars. Her stomach heaved.
Emily stumbled backward until she found the wall, and her false sense of bravado gave out. From her spot on the floor, she reached for Kenric in her mind, praying that by some chance she might find him there. If only they’d had more time, she would have learned how to tap into her mate. Instead of becoming a pawn in Marguerite’s sick game.
…
The stranglehold of the sun had never driven Kenric as close to the point of madness as it had today. It had taken every ounce of self-control not to lash out at his warriors earlier and possibly kill one of them for keeping him from his mate. But they’d been right. Emily had been taken less than an hour before sunrise. Not enough time remained to find her.
Sunlight continued to paint the sky outside. He felt it in the way his skin prickled and itched. But he wouldn’t last another minute banging around like a damn pinball within the confines of his residence. Dressed in black leather and with every inch of his body armed, Kenric hit the stairs.
Time to bring his mate home and put an end to Marguerite once and for all.
Outside the entrance to central command, Kenric punched in his access code and placed his right hand on the identification screen. A blue beam of light scanned his palm, and the heavy steel door slid open. The door sealed with a brush of air behind him as he entered the expanse of the room. His boots ground to a halt. Swallowing hard, he worked his throat while his brain attempted to churn out some intellect befitting for what waited for him.
The entire Enclave—except for Markus, which he found odd—had assembled. Damn impressive. With the exception of Guerin, his warriors were young, under two hundred years old. An early rise would have proven quite a feat.
Guerin came forward and met him.
“Don’t look so surprised. We pledged to protect her as our own, even before she became your mate. And your Enclave would gladly give their lives to bring her home to you.” Kenric gripped Guerin’s forearm with a firm shake that needed no words.
Gathered around the conference table, the team plotted their strategy. Kenric stood with both arms braced on the back of his chair. “I want all of you to know how much I respect and appreciate your commitment. Not just to the Enclave, but to Emily and me as well. You’ve demonstrated that tonight, with the strength it took for you to be here at this hour. I won’t forget.” Kenric studied his knuckles as they gripped the black leather of his chair. “Marguerite took Emily for one reason. It’s her way of saying, you want her? Come and get her. She doesn’t realize Emily is my mate, but she would have assumed I’d taken her blood, knowing how easy that would make it to track her.” Heads rotated, and brows lifted around the table at the clear implication. “Yeah, it’s a trap. Not only does she want Emily dead, she wants me there to witness it.” A muttering of curses drifted from his team.
“Marguerite alone is an incredible adversary, but as you’ve seen, she has a colony of loyal minions and DEADs at her disposal. This may very well be a suicide mission.” Kenric met each fierce gaze of his warriors. He would never force any of them into a battle they didn’t wish to take on as their own. Emily was his life. His world. And if he had to go alone… Nothing could stop him from finding her and bringing her home. Alive.
“If you’re waiting to see if any of us want out”—Logan grabbed his attention—“I can assure you, my oath to the Enclave had no strings attached. From what I’ve witnessed, taking Marguerite out will be a great service to the world.” Logan kicked back in his chair and cracked his knuckles.
Around the table, the crew added their parallel sentiments and their desires to remove Marguerite’s head and smoke some DEADs.
“Very well.” Kenric nodded. “Let’s bring my mate home and make sure Marguerite and her minions never see another sunset.”
While the team readied their comm links and gear, Kenric met with his second-in-command. “Guerin, have the team ready. Once I’m as close as I can get to Emily without detection, I’ll contact you with my coordinates. I’ll take to the air for a recon of the surroundings and inform you of what resistance to expect once I shift back.”
“Don’t go in there alone, Kenric. You know that’s what she’s hoping you’ll do.”
He wouldn’t promise a damn thing. Instead, he turned and headed to the door.
“Dammit, Kenric. You fucking wait for us before you go in,” Guerin shouted to his back.
“Just be there.” Kenric closed the door and phased.
…
At the end of his first phase, Kenric rematerialized from his atomic state onto the rooftop of an aluminum and steel warehouse building. He sat back on his haunches, searching once more for a sense of his mate’s presence in order to head in her direction.
“Kenric, can you hear me?”
The soft echo of Emily’s voice in his head rocked him. He hadn’t been deluding himself. She was alive. Grabbing the edge of the roof, he braced himself before responding.
“Kenric, please… Can you hear me?”
“Yes. Emily… I hear you.” A relieved sigh filled his mind.
“Thank God. Marguerite—”
“Yes, I know. And I’m on my way. I will get you out of there.” If only it were as simple as a touch of their minds. He’d be by her side in an instant.
“No!” Her voice rose into a terrified pitch, slicing a new hole in his heart. “That’s exactly why I’ve been trying to contact you. Marguerite knows you will come for me. Oh, God, Kenric. She plans to… She wants you here when she kills me.”
His nails lengthened into claws, puncturing the metal of the roof. They dug into the structure as he tightened the lid on the rage that threatened to rob him of his better judgment. Keep it together. Nothing short of thinking with his head, not his heart, would do if he hoped to save Emily. Marguerite wanted him enraged enough to lose his mind.
“It’s not going to happen. Marguerite remembers the young master vampire who escaped from her three hundred years ago. Through her dream visits, she’s aware I’ve grown stronger, but she has yet to meet me in the flesh. You will not die. But she will,” he assured Emily.
“Please be careful. I love you so much.”
“Wildflower… I love you, too. We have to focus on getting you out. Can you tell me anything about who took you and where you are?”
“Not much. Someone shot me with a dart containing some sort of drug. It knocked me out, and I woke up here, in an underground cell.”
Her omission of the details on how she was actually holding up told him all he needed to know. Locked away like some kind of animal. He of all people knew what that felt like. His skin crawled from the memory. But Emily… Putting her behind bars was hell-on-earth.
“I’ll chew my tongue in two, Kenric, before I give that bitch the satisfaction of seeing me squirm.”
He couldn’t help but smile. There was the fire of the woman he had fallen in love with. “Do you know how much it turns me on when you talk like that?
”
“Turns you on…? Nice try, buddy, but all the dirty talk in the world can’t make me forget the evil on the other side of these bars. Hold on…They’re back.”
“What do they want?”
“They’ve come for me. Marguerite wants me brought to her. She wants me ready for you. Whatever that means.”
“Stay strong, and know that I’m coming for you. You will be in my arms tonight.”
Silence followed his last statement. He wouldn’t allow himself to think about what they were doing to her, or he’d lose it.
After his fourth phase he arrived at the end of a dirt road. Taking cover in oaks laden with Spanish moss, he surveyed the outline of an old Victorian house. Very Marguerite. Of course she would love something so nostalgic.
A tap to the back of his earpiece activated his comm link, and Guerin responded in less than a second. Kenric provided the needed GPS location for them to take action.
ETA, thirty minutes.
In the form of a raven, Kenric took flight. Spreading his wings, he sought and found the air currents that took him high above the trees. He circled the house and noted several guards strategically placed around the main dwelling and the entrance to the property. It would be a fight for his warriors to gain entrance, but they were the best. Before landing, he risked a closer look in the windows of the house, hoping for a glimpse of Emily.
Through the large first-floor window at the back of the house, he spotted her. He seated his talons on the paint-chipped exterior ledge for a better look. Marguerite had made sure she wouldn’t be missed. She’d stripped Emily naked, and Emily lay with her arms and legs cuffed on a parallel rack. From what he could tell from his angle at the window, her body appeared to be intact. No doubt, Marguerite was awaiting his arrival before damaging her flesh. Much more painful for both him and Emily that way.
He took to the sky again and, seconds later, landed without a sound near his clothes. In human form, he activated his link and informed his team of the geography of the property and the position and number of guards.
