Captured In Sin

by Devlin Chase

  It had taken a long time for the various families to find each other as many of the children had been abandoned when their need for blood had manifested itself. But many of the families had kept their secrets to themselves, raising their children as best they could.

  Things had eased somewhat when the families had united, combining their fortunes to present a stronger front. A council had been created as the children became adults and took over the control of the families when their parents died natural deaths. But for the young adults life had continued inexorably on.

  Council with the Elementals had been regular in those days as their heritage was revealed to them, along with that of the Ligata; the other race created by the Elementals to forge a balance between the two.

  The Ligata had been brought into the world in the same way the vampire nation had but they had failed to coalesce into a cohesive unit and it soon became clear that they possessed characteristics that could not be as easily identified.

  Some survived on blood, much as their vampire counterparts did. But many others sustained themselves on the energy of others, often releasing excess energy in a glowing corona which, during the Middle Ages had seen many branded as witches and persecuted until they vanished from public view entirely. Over time knowledge of the Ligata had dwindled until they were nothing more than myth. Occasionally a human presented itself with characteristics of the Ligata; and the Saligia, as the vampire nation had come to be called by the Church, obsessively investigated each case; hope dwindling as each of these special humans shone bright for a brief time, illuminating the world with their kindness and generosity, before declining rapidly and often dying before their time.

  Centuries passed and the Ligata faded into antiquity, relegated to a part of vampire history that they considered lost.

  Council with the Elementals had faded at an equal rate and attempts to summon them had failed, leaving the vampire nation with the uncomfortable realization that they were alone; left to fend for themselves as those that had created them had abandoned them to their fate and the Ligata, meant to be their salvation, had died out, along with the Saligia’s hopes for redemption.

  Time had marched on for the Saligia and they’d more than lived up to their birthright, taking everything they wanted from the world around them; wealth, satisfaction, lust, all were central tenants to the Saligia’s creed.

  Able to breed amongst themselves, and humans to a limited extent, which had created the Wakelings as a means to serve them, the Saligia had prospered, reaching all corners of the earth.

  But, over the past century, many of the younger vampires such as Darien had become bored with the senseless accumulation of the world’s sins and an interest in the Ligata had been reborn.

  Jacen had spearheaded that resurgent interest. His father had gone into Decline and passed away several decades before and, as his mother was a member of the Obscura Council, he’d been allowed access to the old records, pouring over them for months at a stretch.

  When his mother had followed his father to the grave Jacen had ascended to the Council and begun his search for any remaining Ligata in earnest.

  His findings had astounded the other Council members.

  He’d determined that the Ligata bloodline had faltered early in their existence and, while their bloodline had continued, it would require strengthening in future generations to create a Ligata even similar to those that had been originally created by the Elementals.

  Then he’d disappeared for several years, offering no explanation to the Council until he’d returned and announced that measures were in place to ensure that the Ligata would soon walk with the Saligia again.

  With that he’d returned to his records, disappearing at regular intervals, only to return and advise the council that his efforts were all going according to plan.

  But a couple of years ago he’d vanished and not been seen again. The Saligia’s records had been destroyed in a fire that had ripped through the Obscura’s mansion, leaving no trace of what he’d been working on.

  The Council had slowly pieced together the records of what Jacen had been up to and, once they had a clearer idea of what he’d put in motion, they had called for the heads of their strongest families, requesting that their most able adults be placed on assignment to the Obscura who had issued the directive that they travel to South Africa and locate two humans; watching over them and ensuring that Jacen couldn’t get to them.

  None of this had been told to him by the Council, however; or at least not the Council who had appointed them to find the humans. As far as the other members of the team were concerned they were here to locate several human, under instruction from the Obscura Council who had offered no explanation as to their intentions. The natural assumption would be that the brother and sister had done something to endanger the vampire nation, or perhaps their parents had.

  The choice of the team members had been easy; they were already an Obscura assassination team and had worked together for long enough to perform their duty without question. Darien was the defacto leader of the team already and, as such, was put in charge of this new mission.

  But Darien knew more than the rest of the team. On the eve of their departure to South Africa he’d been contacted by a Council member and ordered to report to the mansion. Upon his arrival, however, he’d been taken down into a catacomb of tunnels beneath the imposing building. There he’d met the real Obscura Council, one so shadowy as to be hidden even from the founding families. It was they who had revealed what Jacen was attempting and who had explained the truth behind Cat and Frankie’s existence and destiny. Until that time Darien had only known about the Ligata from their history and mythology. But now he knew that the Ligata had been resurrected.

  He’d been forbidden from explaining the truth to his team; a decision that was weighing heavily on him, especially now that they’d found the first of the Ligata.

  Cat had listened in silence to his explanation but now she leaned up to look into his eyes.

  “This has something to do with what happened earlier, doesn’t it? When my skin glowed?”

  Darien nodded before pulling her close again.

  “Yeah, although it might be a bit more complicated than that.”

  Cat pushed herself up again, giving him one of her looks and he smiled, knowing that she wouldn’t accept any candy coating on this. Besides, she deserved the truth.

  “Jacen has been forcing the bloodline of the Ligata for a long time, making it stronger until it was in its purest form.”

  Cat shook her head. “Are you saying I’m some kind of pure blooded Ligata?”

  Darien frowned, trying to find the best way to explain this to her. It was vital that she be prepared for what might happen over the next few days.

  “I think that Jacen engineered events to produce the closest bloodline he could and yes, I think you’re as pure blooded as the Ligata could ever be again.”

  Cat fell back against the pillows, trying to figure out what his words meant. Ligata. Pure blooded virtues. Illumination.

  None of it made much sense to her; she had no frame of reference for it and she fought against it.

  “What about my parents? Frankie?”

  Darien had known the question would be one of her first and he struggled to come up with an answer that would placate her. There wasn’t one.

  “I know you don’t want to hear this but the people you knew as your parents weren’t your biological family.”

  Cat reeled back, pushing against his chest as he tried to draw her close. She stared at him, her jaw slack, as understanding dawned in her eyes.

  “Oh, dear God, he killed them.”

  She went limp in his arms, allowing him to pull her against his chest but remaining still as he bent to brush his lips against her hair.

  “I think so, yes; although I can’t be sure.”

  Cat shook her head as a shudder ran through her. Darien knew the truth would always elude her; but that deep down they b
oth knew that Jacen had killed the people she’d known and loved as her parents.

  “Who were they?” She asked, her voice a hoarse whisper full of tears.

  “They ran a home for pregnant teenagers in Italy. All of you were born there before being split up.”

  “All of us?”

  Darien hesitated. He’d meant to give her time to adjust to this information; to come to terms with her past and the potential for the future. But they were out of time.

  “There were seven children born, all from a strengthening of the Ligata bloodline. I think the Elementals interceded on the Ligata’s behalf, encouraging a priest and a nun to take the children and flee the country.”

  Cat sat up, turning tear-filled eyes toward him. She remained quiet though, encouraging him to tell her what he knew and what he assumed to be the truth.

  “From what I could gather, it seems they brought the seven children here to Pretoria and placed all but two with other families. You and Frankie they raised as their own until they separated; and I think even that was to protect you.”

  Her body shook as her tears finally fell, wracking her body and leaving Darien helpless to do anything but hold her close as she sobbed.

  He felt an ache in his chest as he wrapped his arms tighter around her, kissing her hair and her wet cheeks until her sobs finally subsided. He wished there was a way he could spare her this agony; a way that he could take that pain and absorb it into himself rather than watch her suffer like this.

  But she had to be ready to face Jacen when he came for her again; and Darien had no illusions that there wouldn’t be another attack.

  Cat drifted into an exhausted, fitful sleep and, instead of letting her go, Darien wanted to pull her closer, as if he could take her into him, scared at how badly he wanted to keep her safe.

  A small cry broke through Cat’s lips even though she didn’t wake and Darien realized he was holding her so tightly that he was bruising her arms. He willed himself to calm down, breathing deeply until he was able to slowly release his grip on her arms. Then he slipped out of the bed, pausing to make sure that she was wrapped in the duvet, her head resting properly on the pillows.

  He dressed quickly, hoping he would be back before she woke up.

  ***

  He’d summoned the others and they’d returned immediately, none looking surprised at being called back to the house.

  He briefed them in the den, knowing Cat did not know her way around the house enough to find them easily in case she woke up and came looking for him. He had his reasons for keeping this meeting from her and they had more to do with keeping her safe than any pretence at subterfuge. He wanted this meeting kept quiet because he didn’t want to scare her. It was time to tell the rest of the team the truth. And that meant things could get ugly real fast.

  As soon as the doors were closed Conrad was the first to step into the fray and it was clear that he’d been working himself up to this since the night before.

  “What the fuck is she still doing in the house?”

  The world could have exploded around him and Darien wouldn’t have noticed as he turned and bared his fangs at Conrad. To his credit the larger man didn’t flinch; standing his ground with his arms crossed over his chest.

  “Catherine is here so that we can keep her safe.”

  Conrad rolled his eyes. “Listen to yourself; it puts us all in danger having her here and you know it. You should just cut her loose.”

  This time Darien flew at Conrad, only held back when Brent and Angelo got in his way, tangling him up until they managed to get a choke hold on him. Even then he roared his anger.

  When he was calm enough to be let go Angelo released his hold before walking over to Conrad. After a few hushed words he turned back and moved over to one of the couches, dropping into it with a sigh.

  Darien stood in the middle of the room, his chest heaving and his hands clenching into fists at his sides. Conrad, visibly shaken, took a step toward him and Darien instinctively balled his fists tighter.

  But Conrad made no move to attack him, not physically or verbally. Instead he raised open palms in a placating gesture.

  “Man, I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn.”

  Darien’s eyes flashed over to Angelo, who met his gaze openly. Clearly he’d told Conrad what Darien was about to tell the others. His fists unclenched as he nodded once at Conrad, who stepped back and resumed his place near the door. But the fight had gone out of the taller man and he stared quietly at the floor.

  “Catherine will be staying here until it is safe for her to go back to her apartment.”

  He could see that Marabella was about to voice an objection and he scowled as he waved his hand at her, cutting her short.

  “She is under my protection and, as the ranking member of this team, you will all abide by that decision and offer her your fullest co-operation and protection.”

  Marabella had pursed her lips, her eyes narrowed as she poised to speak. Darien let her, knowing what she was going to say.

  “You’re such an angel Darien, you know that?” Her voice was syrupy smooth. “But if I brought back every man I’ve fucked we’d have a goddamn army in here.” She paused, one eyebrow arched. “And you don’t see me doing that, do you?”

  Darien smiled tightly. Anger was churning inside him, begging to be let loose. “Well, Mara, if you start fucking the Ligata any time soon we just might let you.”

  He felt a small measure of triumph as he watched her eyes widen with shock, stunned into momentary silence. That silence hung over the room until Brent’s chuckle wafted over them. Darien could see no shock registering on his face and assumed that Brent had already seen the truth when he’d read Cat’s mind earlier in the evening.

  Riley looked mildly surprised until Darien remembered how he’d reacted upon touching Cat’s hand. So he’d known there was something different about the woman; he’d just not been able to pinpoint it. But now he knew and Darien risked a small grin as he watched Riley’s surprise turn into a genuine smile.

  “Shit, I knew my radar wasn’t screwed.” A clenched fist punched the air. “No wonder I couldn’t figure her out; she’s a damn Ligata.”

  The group broke out in animated conversation and Darien waited until they’d quietened down before hastily telling them as much as he dared, revealing Jacen’s agenda and the threat they now faced. He knew they had questions; like why he knew more about what was going on than they’d been told. But if those questions were burning them they gave no indication although he knew they’d have him over the coals later for not having told them the truth until now.

  He turned to Angelo. “You’ve got to stick to Frankie like glue. We can’t run the risk that Jacen decides to go for him next.”

  “I’m on it.” Angelo stood up, his long leather coat reaching his boots. Without another word he left the room. The others turned to Darien, their eyes expectant and glowing softly in the reflected glow of the table lamps. The air of boredom that had perpetually clung to them was gone and they looked ready for action.

  “We’ve got to find out where the other humans are. There are five of them and I’m sure they’re somewhere here in the city. And you can be damn sure Jacen knows more about them than we do.” He paced about the room, mind working overtime.

  “I’m going to see if Catherine knows anything about them. Maybe her father said something and she just has to piece it together.”

  “What do you want us to do?” Marabella was practically jumping out of her seat and Darien knew exactly how she felt. They’d worked some dangerous missions together in the past and he knew how she relished a good fight.

  “I want you to go back to the club. See if you can pick up any trace of Jacen.”

  She pouted, but nodded, leaving the room like a whisper of air.

  “Riley, I need you to pay a few midnight visits to the local churches and get into their record rooms. Maybe Cat’s parents used the local diocese to facilitate adoptions.”

>   Riley nodded. “I don’t think I’ll have much time to do anything tonight but I’ll start pulling some info together and make a run at it tomorrow night.”

  Darien nodded. “Yeah. And use those mad computer skills of yours on a local level too. There might be something in the child services database that could give us some leads.”

  Riley had a couple of ideas on how to get started and Darien okayed the plan, but with a caution. “The Obscura’s representative will be here tomorrow. Angelo will need to stick with Frankie but they might want the rest of us here. But see what you can get together before then anyway.”

  He turned to Brent, the only one who didn’t seem to be hopping with excitement. He was relaxing on the couch, his legs stretched in front of him, bare feet sticking out of faded denims.

  “I’d like you to stay close to Galena,” Darien muttered. “She knew about Catherine before we did, I’m sure of it; which means she knows a lot more than she’s telling.”

  “You want me to try and get it out of her?”

  Darien shook his head. “No, just stay near her. I want to know if she tries to contact the Obscura before they arrive.”

  Brent nodded. “Like putty in my hands, dude.”

  That left Conrad and, as Riley and Brent left the den, he pulled the larger male aside.

  “Listen, I’m really sorry about what I said earlier,” Conrad began, but Darien shook his head and laid his hand on the male’s shoulder.

  “No worries, man.”

  Then his expression turned serious. “I need to know you’ve got my back tomorrow night.”

  Conrad regarded him silently, giving him room to explain his theory regarding Jacen’s manipulations and how much he felt the Obscura knew about what he’d done.

  He trusted Conrad and Angelo more than anyone else in his life right now but to reveal everything he knew might put them in danger from their own kind and he had a sneaky feeling his hands were going to be full just taking care of Catherine.

  “You think we’re being played here?’ Conrad’s face darkened into a scowl.