Reluctantly pulling away, Jared reached out and wiped a single tear from Cami’s cheek; placing a brief kiss in its place.
“Well, then,” she said breathlessly.
“Yeah,” Jared replied as he took her hand and led her down the hall. “Time to go and face reality,” he whispered sadly.
✧
Commander Claesson leaned against the wall, feeling awkward and intrusive standing amongst the grieving family. A glance at Captain Erikson revealed a similar level of discomfort, though his demeanor seemed more interested than anything.
The Commander couldn’t fault him for being curious, given the situation, but he still didn’t trust him or the other guards.
Seeing the sadness around him, he realized it had been a millennium since he’d last shed a tear, despite suffering immeasurable losses and enduring his fair share of heartache. The closest he’d come in all those year was the day his daughter, Ella, was born. His heart warmed as he thought of the little girl who had grabbed ahold of his pinkie, her tiny hand barely able to wrap around it, and turned his whole world upside down.
No; instead of tears, Alek Claesson clung to his need for vengeance. Witnessing the grief in the people he was charged with protecting, seeing Alexa, a girl younger than his Ella, laying lifeless on a cold table, he vowed to make the one responsible pay.
The sound of Jared and Cami’s approach pulled his focus giving him a much-needed reprieve. An expression of confusion covered his face, quickly followed by a wide smile as the pair came into view, holding hands.
Well, I’ll be damned. He never imagined he’d see the day his most dedicated, and stubborn, soldier would finally let her hair down, so to speak.
His eyes wandered over to Cami’s parents and, even in their sadness, he saw the surprise on their faces as well.
“Where’s Alexa?” Jared asked solemnly.
“Inside,” William replied, grabbing Jared’s arm and stepping in front of him. “You need to wait out here, my son.”
“I want to see my sister. I already know what happened,” he responded flatly.
“Chloe is with her now; she needs time.”
“What?! Why the hell would you let her see Alexa like that? She’s just a little girl; she’ll never recover!” Jared yelled yanking away from his father’s grip and reaching for the door, still squeezing Cami’s fingers tightly in his other hand.
Before he made contact, the handle turned and the door slowly slid open.
“Hey, Uncle Jared!” Chloe said brightly, much to the surprise of everyone in the hallway, with the exception of William, who smiled proudly.
Jared released Cami’s hand and dropped to his knees in front of her. “Are you all right, squirt? I’m so sorry; I shouldn’t have left you.” He said pulling her close as he looked passed her to Alexa. The sight was nothing like the gruesome image he’d seen in Cami’s mind. If he hadn’t known better, he would have believed his sister was merely asleep.
“Son,” William said aloud before pushing the images Chloe had shared with him into Jared’s mind.
Jared saw Chloe standing next to her mother, the injuries he’d expected still covering her neck and wrist. Chloe laid her hands over them and, miraculously, the wounds began to heal, closing completely in a matter of seconds.
His eyes shot to Chloe, then his father, and finally came to rest on Alexa as he focused his senses. The slow, steady beat of her heart flowed to his ears and he watched in stunned amazement as her chest rose and fell with each intake of breath.
“How can this be?” he asked of no one in particular. Rebecca stepped up behind her son, still unaware of the miracle which had occurred.
“She’s only asleep now,” Chloe said softly drawing the confused stares of the remaining adults.
Without a word, Rebecca leapt over the two in the doorway, reaching her daughter’s side in an instant. Her hand shot to her mouth and she dropped to her knees as her eyes filled with tears of joy. She reached up and took Alexa’s hand, feeling the warmth returning as she looked at Chloe. “This is a miracle. Truly you are our savior.”
Chloe moved the short distance between them and put her arms around her grandmother. Though she kept the smile on her face, in her mind she prayed Rebecca’s words were true, knowing that if she wasn’t their savior, she was certain to lead them to their damnation.
✧
“Tell me, Kaleb; how is it The Elite managed to retrieve the body and disappear without a trace with our men waiting at every entrance? They were seen going in, yet somehow were able to slip out undetected,” Lucias stated from behind his desk, his voice eerily calm.
“Sire, my apologies; I have no excuse. I failed you,” Kaleb replied, his head bowed low.
“Failure is not acceptable, my son. Perhaps I allow you too much freedom,” Lucias said, his lips lifting into a smirk. “Yes; I think it may be time for you to fall in with the rest of my ranks. As it stands, I cannot be certain if they bested you, or if you merely decided not to follow my instructions implicitly.”
“Sire, your orders were carried out exactly as you commanded,” Kaleb began carefully. “If I am to be infected, there will be none left but you who can face the sun. It’s too great a risk for you to travel alone, yet there will always be a need for someone you can trust to move around in the daylight. Will you leave it to the humans?” Kaleb replied quickly, trying to keep the quiver of fear from his voice. To him, there was no greater punishment than his father’s virus and he was determined to take his own life before he would fall victim to such a fate.
“Yes, I suppose you are correct in that respect. However, there is still the issue of your failure. How do you propose we rectify the situation?” Lucias asked expectantly.
Kaleb was prepared for this; he’d thought long and hard as he drove back to his father’s facility.
“The girl’s mate has family amongst The Elite; perhaps he can explain how they could have managed such a feat.” he responded, hoping it was enough to distract his ruthless father.
“Indeed; I have questioned him about the location of the compound to no avail. It is protected by a spell and no one, outside of The Elite themselves, who has seen it, can return. Perhaps he knows more; I need simply to ask the right questions,” Lucias said his voice trailing off as if he was lost in thought. “Yes; retrieve Ethan. You will find him training with Mason downstairs.”
“Where would you have me take him, Sire?” Kaleb asked as his eyes fell on the sunlight streaking across the floor. Ethan wouldn’t be able to enter the office for some time.
“Take him to Molly’s quarters. I could use a snack,” he said standing.
“Of course.” Kaleb bowed and quickly exited.
✧
Entering the training area of his father’s headquarters, Kaleb paused briefly to observe human soldiers sparring in one of the rooms. Given the fact that the infected couldn’t go out in the sun for extended periods of time, Lucias had begun recruiting humans to carry out daytime missions.
Reaching his destination, Kaleb looked through the glass at what he had to admit was an impressive sight. Ten infected vampires surrounded Ethan, sporting a variety of close-combat weapons; short swords, daggers, nunchuks, etc. Strewn out on the mat beyond the circle were the seven vampires already bested by Ethan, each crawling away as their bodies attempted to heal.
Remaining perfectly still in the center of the circle, Ethan closed his eyes and awaited the next attack. The vampires still standing looked hesitantly as Mason, one of Lucias’s generals, ordered them to engage. In a blur of motion, three men lunged towards Ethan, who didn’t so much as flinch until the instant he caught one of them by the throat. Breaking the assailant’s wrist and catching the short sword as it fell from his hand, Ethan spun in a circle; a loud pop resounding from the dislocated shoulder as Ethan swung the vampire’s body, sending it careening into one of the others.
Bringing the short sword down across the thigh of the next man, Ethan leapt over him, comi
ng down behind his back before he slammed the hilt of the weapon into the base of his skull with a crack, knocking him out cold. After flinging his partner’s weight off, the remaining vampire approached Ethan tentatively.
“Are you going to dance with him or fight?” Mason mocked, his words sending the man into action, only to be caught with a front kick to the chest, sending him flying across the room into a rack of weapons.
Mason approached the broken circle. Stepping inside, he walked around slowly, regarding each of them as the glow of their eyes cast a soft red glow over his pale skin. “Let’s try this again and keep in mind, any man who disobeys another of my commands will face me. Our new addition may have been ordered to spare your lives, but I have not,” he said with a sneer before moving back to observe.
Kaleb stepped through the door as Mason flicked his wrist, ordering the seven uninjured men to proceed. They moved as one, rushing upon Ethan with weapons raised. A millisecond before the first blow hit him, Ethan jumped into the air, flipping over the backs of two of the men and kicking his legs into the bases of their spines, sending them crashing to the mat and taking two of their comrades down with them. Utilizing the momentary distraction, Ethan lunged for the remaining soldiers, swiftly disarming one and using him as a shield as he engaged the others who practically tossed down their arms in defeat the moment his strong hands made contact.
Satisfied that all threats were temporarily disabled, Ethan returned to his spot in the center of the mat and closed his eyes, waiting to be released or commanded again. When Lucias had sent him to Mason, it had been with the explicit instruction to obey Mason’s commands as if they were directly from Lucias himself; giving the general complete control over him until he or Lucias said otherwise.
“His abilities have not been exaggerated,” Mason said quietly as Kaleb approached.
“No; indeed they have not. I saw him fight once when I was still a boy, before his powers were amplified. Even then he was a terrifying sight to behold.”
“You mean when he murdered your brother and his men. I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised to find that you let him live. I am not confident I would have exercised such restraint in the absence of your father’s bond.”
Kaleb clamped his teeth down hard, fighting not to respond to Mason’s goading. Even if the vampire general’s abilities weren’t heightened by Lucias’s virus, Kaleb would have been hard-pressed to defeat him in direct combat. For many years, Mason had been hungry to regain the position as Lucias’s second-in-command, always trying to incite Kaleb’s anger and force a fight. Mason’s infection ended the struggle temporarily, but over the years the virus’ hold changed, allowing the infected vampire’s personality and ambition to shine through. The infected remained unquestionably loyal to Lucias, yet no longer functioned as the unthinking androids they’d appeared to be in the first few weeks of their new lives.
“My only purpose is to serve my father,” Kaleb recited after his anger had sufficiently dissipated.
“Of course. Can I assume that is why we are all currently graced with your presence?” Mason inquired somewhat sarcastically.
Remaining in control, Kaleb ignored Mason’s tone. “Yes; my father requires an audience with Mr. Kellar.”
“Very well. Soldier,” he said approaching Ethan, “you are released to Kaleb’s command, for now.”
CHAPTER 14 - Blood Runners
As Dante approached Blood Runners, a vampire-owned nightclub The Elite frequented for feeding and other entertainment, he surveyed the long line which had formed leading up to the entrance. Noting several regulars decked out in goth vampire gear, complete with fangs, some having gone so far as to file down their canine incisors or get surgical implants to complete the fantasy, he flashed a seductive smile at a couple of young girls staring his way.
Bypassing the line, he approached the red velvet rope which moved aside with a nod from the imposing bouncer who, even standing over six feet, was easily several inches shorter than the handsome Elite vampire. A satisfied smirk spread across his chiseled face as he heard the groans of two human men who’d been waiting an hour for admittance to the exclusive club.
Stepping inside, he scanned the large crowd moving about surrounded by the clichéd decor of plush red velvet booths and black walls. Movie posters featuring some of the most famous, and completely made up vampires, covered the walls along with strings of garlic, wooden stakes, and ornate crucifixes. The only light in the dark room came from the strobe lights trained on the pile of bodies gyrating on the dance floor.
The intoxicating scent of blood tainted the air as he drew a breath into his lungs. Civilian vampires were openly feeding on humans as they attempted to pass off dry humping for dancing, the sensation of being bitten completely freeing them of their inhibitions, though the drugs and alcohol coursing through their veins helped as well.
The themed establishment was the perfect cover for his kind, with humans either too high or too immersed in their role-playing to notice the actual predators amongs them. As a rule, all of the real vampires wiped the memories of their chosen meals, but even if they didn’t, some human patrons liked to bite one another, drawing and drinking blood with artificially sharpened teeth, making the sight of a feeding commonplace; simply chalked up to some of the more enthusiastic vampire fantasies of the truly dedicated.
Not seeing anything that interested him, Dante headed back to the VIP room reserved for The Elite and some of their race’s most powerful and wealthy civilians. As he acknowledged the female bouncer guarding the room and reached for the thick black curtain, a small hand came down on his forearm. Not at all surprised, having heard the fast human heartbeat approaching along with the overpowering scent of cheap French perfume, Dante casually regarded the bold woman.
“Hiya, handsome,” the petite blonde purred seductively. “I’d ask if we’ve met before cuz you look awful familiar, but I know that can’t be true. I’d never forget you.”
She lightly stroked up and down his arm, leaning in close and stretching up as high as her short legs and stiletto heels would allow. “How about you take me in back with you for a drink,” she whispered running the fingertips of her free hand up the side of her neck.
Dante’s gaze raked over her exposed body in a tight black miniskirt and blue halter top, complete with a black choker and fuck-me heels. Yeah, she was right; he should be familiar, having fed on and fucked her more than once in the last few months, but it was the first time she seemed to recognize him at all. He took it as a sign it was time find some fresh entertainment. The last thing he needed was some clingy human following him around his favorite retreat. Besides, he was in the mood for a brunette, preferably one with long curly hair and a lithe, muscular body. He hadn’t been able to get Cami off his mind since the kiss in the training room, and he needed a woman to take the edge off. If he couldn’t have her, a nameless, faceless lookalike would have to do for the time being.
“No thanks, sweetheart,” he said firmly as he removed her hand from his arm. “I’m meeting someone, but thanks for the offer.”
“You sure?” She asked with a smirk as she slid her hands down her sides and hiked her skirt up a couple of inches, damn near exposing herself since it was unlikely she was wearing panties beneath the strip of cloth she was trying to pass off as clothing.
“Maybe some other time,” he said with a wink and passed through the doorway before she could respond. No point in completely blowing her off just in case he couldn’t find someone more suited to his needs for the night. He felt completely strung out. The lust coursing through his veins had kept his cock at half-mast since the moment his lips had touched Cami’s.
Inside the VIP room, things were much quieter and the decor far less clichéd. Dante had often wondered how that black curtain, thick as it may be, could drown out so much of the thumping beat from the music in the neighboring room. He assumed a touch of magic was involved in achieving the effect, but had never gotten around to asking.
> He moved quickly to his regular table, happy to find it unoccupied. While he often enjoyed the company of his fellow soldiers in tossing back a few drinks, particularly Layla, things had been too weird between them before he left and right then, he only had one thing on his mind. Well, two things. He needed to feed, having gone over a month without fresh blood, and he needed to fuck.
Redemption of Fate (Fate Series Book 2) Page 14
