Crimson Storm

by V L Moon

  Careful there, Batman, the demon wields all the powers of Hell.

  He insulted you.

  I didn’t recommend him for his manners.

  You’re sure about him?

  If he pledges himself to you; I’d trust him with our daughter’s life. He hates his father.

  ~*~*~*~

  Bastian stared at the vampire king and then lifted his gaze to the Seraphim warrior at his back. Heaven’s most fierce warrior and beloved son. Bastian was well aware of Laziel and his reputation. The angel had ripped a path of destruction through every level of Hell and walked back out again nearly unscathed. Lucifer detested the warrior, but his fear outweighed his hatred. Bastian had been too young to fight during the last war between Heaven and Hell, but he grew up on the legends of the male standing at Malachi’s back.

  He’d met the Seraphim before. The last encounter had been only a few days ago. It had been brief and surprisingly tame considering Arial had been the bone of contention between them. Every time he was around Arial, it was harder and harder to contain Rhys.

  Never one to avoid confrontation, Rhys writhed beneath his skin. The demon purred as the essence rippling around the angel taunted his evil nature. The heady elixir of celestial power called to a demon’s fiercest addiction. Laziel smirked at him, aware of his predicament, yet, completely unafraid and unconcerned. Rhys purred again, a rolling vibration that rattled the glasses on the tables. He loved a challenge, and the Seraphim represented the greatest adversary he’d ever encountered.

  “Laziel is not your concern, demon,” Malachi growled. “I nominated you for the position. One of our own has allied himself with your kind. A demon was called to this enclave during the last Council meeting.”

  “I know. An arioch, a demon of vengeance. They are a breed that is easily summoned though they are not as easily controlled once they arrive.”

  “Do you know who summoned the demon?” Malachi’s fingers curled into a fist on the table. His legendary temper swirled in his eyes and stained the air. Bastian inhaled the pungent aroma. Rhys scraped along his nerve endings wanting out. The two powerful males tickled his lust.

  “Darklon DeSangue. His name has been making the rounds of Hell for months now. He’s met regularly with Lucifer and the Nephilim queen.”

  “And, you didn’t think to tell someone? Our king has led us to believe you would be an ally. Are you, instead, an adversary?” The vampire’s Russian accent scraped against Rhys’s temper. Bastian struggled to maintain his composure.

  “I am not my father, vampire. I rarely foray into the bowels of Hell. I suggest you heed your King’s advice and find yourselves a demon spy. Nothing good ever comes from contact with Lucifer. However, I’m not sure I’m the demon you want.” Bastian turned back to Malachi. “The more I spend time in Hell, the stronger Rhys becomes. Unleashing him would not be wise.”

  “Arial Nathanial has information on DeSangue. He was working for us gathering information on the Elder. He is also in contact with the rebel Nephilim who are defying the queen. He too thought he was unfit for the position of trust; however, he has proved both his loyalty and his worth. We would appreciate you joining our fight.”

  Bastian growled and transferred his glare to the Seraphim. “Well played, Heaven spawn.” Keeping his attention focused on Laziel, Bastian pulled out the chair beside Malachi and sat down. “You have your demon spy though when news of this spreads, your Creator and my father will not take it kindly. The fall out will be on your soul.” His flaming eyes dropped to Malachi. “I accept your offer, your Majesty. What would you have me do?”

  “What is he doing here?” The savagery in Arial’s voice licked along Bastian’s spine. He shoved back to his feet and turned slowly to face the angel. Fire raced along his skin. The smell of singed cotton and wool stung his nose.

  “Hello, gorgeous, it seems we are to be partners,” Bastian purred.

  Arial ignored him, facing Malachi and Laziel. “Do you know who he is? He is the bastard son of Satan; a deceitful heathen who only cares about himself and his next fuck. He cannot be trusted.”

  The words landed like poison arrows. Bastian refused to acknowledge the pain they inflicted. Instead, he let Rhys have the lead. With a thought, his human appearance shifted. Shock rocketed around the room. The demon smirked and turned to fully face Arial. “If you’re offering your ass as the next sacrifice, I accept.”

  “Enough.” Malachi’s commanding voice broke through the tension. “DeRhys, my daughter is present. Behave.”

  “But, he’s my favorite plaything.”

  Arial snarled. Malachi actually laughed.

  “You do like to play dangerous, demon.” Malachi rose from his chair and reached back to take Laziel’s hand. “Ms. Stroner will call you to come back for the swearing in ceremony. You’ll need a second, a witness if you will. This meeting is over.”

  Vampires ported out to return to their enclaves. Arial ducked through the double doors ahead of Malachi and Laziel. Rhys watched the ragged appendages on Arial’s back disappear around a corner. A self-satisfied smile tugged at his mouth. No more skulking through the halls of the enclave; no more pretense. He had a reason to visit the enclave Arial called home. He was going to be the most attentive Elder the vampires had ever seen.

  ~*~*~*~

  Chapter Seventeen

  ~*~*~*~

  Virginia

  Despite travelling in the private jet graciously provided by the vampire king, the journey from Rome had seemed to take three times longer than usual. Tobias pined for Roman. Every time they had to say goodbye, it left an ache inside his heart that grew in magnitude with each day they spent apart. Yet, the sense of urgency within the pack dominated his thoughts, overriding the need to be with his mate.

  The closer he got to pack territory, the more intense the feelings of unease became. Reaching out through the bonds shared with his pack, he sensed the tenuous reverberation of worry. He followed that line of thought back to its root. Jorn, the wolf Summus and Tobias’s father. He was shielding something from the rest of them.

  As wolves, they weren’t always privy to the working of their Alpha’s thoughts. They were used to being shielded when he needed privacy to be with his mate or when discussing pack business. Therefore, the degree of tension leaking through the bonds worried Tobias. If he could feel his father’s anxiety…the news was going to be life altering for them all.

  “Thanks.” Tobias paid the driver and turned to survey the wide open space before him. A painted wooden fence separated his territorial home from the highway. The padlocked cattle gate fence in no way indicated a community of powerful shifters lived beyond the flimsy divide. As the car moved back onto the road and sped away, a mournful howl pierced the air.

  Tobias growled as a feeling of unease trickled down his spine. With a thought he shed his human skin. Jorn’s pain vibrated through Tobias’ every limb. He cleared the fence with ease; huge paws dug into the soft earth. Tobias sailed through the pack lands. The brush of bristled fur accompanied the soft touch of the pack on his mind as one by one an army of wolves took his flank, guiding their second in command home.

  Above him, the silent, yet ominous, Nephilim soared above the tree tops. The force of their wings stirred the dirt beneath his paws. They were working together in concert with the wolves. In the short time since the invasion on their home, the Appalachian pack had allied themselves to fight alongside the rebel Nephilim and vampires. Seeing them work as a unit, it made Tobias’s chest swell with pride.

  Anger and sadness washed over him; they assaulted his senses and made him whine. Crashing through the tree line bordering their home, Tobias didn’t stop to change. He leaped the boundary fence of his family home, changing in midair and landing on two feet instead of four paws. He dismissed the gasps running through his mind and focused on the overwhelming sense of loss radiating from inside the house.

  “Mother?” Tobias called out as he entered. He grabbed the clothes that were always
left by the door and dressed. He padded barefoot through the warmth of his home until he came to the vast expanse of the living room. His father sat on the sofa with his arms wrapped around the much smaller frame of his mother.

  “What’s happened? You’re shielding the pack, but they can sense something’s wrong. Mother, are you ill? Father?” Tobias asked through the mental link to his parents. The fear of losing anymore of his family made his voice break. He wasn’t ready to be alpha, not yet. If his mother was ill, it would break his father, especially after losing Khad.

  He reached out to take his father’s hand and was immediately drawn into the familiar warmth of his parents’ embrace. He’d missed it. Missed them. Everything was happening so fast. Their lives and the world they lived in hurtled toward war. For the briefest of time, Tobias allowed himself the pleasure of his family and what the reality of being with them meant to him. If only Roman was there to experience it.

  “Son.” His father’s grip tightened around his fingers, pulling Tobias closer. The power of the Summus swam around him in a torrent, engulfing him. He drank in the gift. Energy filled him with life and power. Linked as they were, the outside world ceased to exist. Images of their homelands flickered through his mind to marry with the thoughts plaguing his parents.

  Tobias stilled as the beautiful image of his cousin Sage danced through his mind. Her pain speared his heart. A ravaged growl ripped from his lips. Sage was more like a sister than a cousin to him. Their families were bound tighter than most. Tobias’s father and Sage’s father were brothers and their mothers were sisters.

  “She’s missing. The last link I managed to receive was of her somewhere in Ontario. She’s putting all of her energy into blocking out her whereabouts, but I was able to collect enough to know she’s terrified and badly hurt. It’s why I’ve kept the news to myself and away from the rest of the pack. If what I suspect is true, then she’s shielding to keep herself safe from Khurn. I can’t risk going after her myself. Not with the Nephilim being here and the Fae somewhere out there. There’s too much hanging in the balance.”

  The pain in Jorn’s words spoke volumes. Sage was more than pack; she was blood kin and a powerful omega. Hadn’t they suffered enough after losing Khad? Were they going to lose Sage, too? Tobias refused to let it happen. Not again.

  “You’re needed here. The pack and the Nephilim need you. And, as for the Fae, only time will tell if they mean to be a threat to us, or whether they’re curious and just observing the mayhem. I’ll go after Sage. Ontario’s huge. Is there any chance you sensed what direction she’s headed? Anything that will help create a short cut. I have to find her before Khurn does. I don’t believe for one second that son of a mutt will let go of her that easily. If he’s hurt her, I’ll rip his motherfucking throat out.”

  The mind to mind conversation between Tobias and his parents dimmed as his father edged away and gently closed the connection between them. Jorn sank into the sofa and dropped his head back on the cushions. His body stilled and his breathing slowed. Energy spilled through his pores and swam around the room.

  Outside the pack howled and whined as Jorn pulled at the thread joining each and every one of them. Light and shadow danced through the room as the magic of their pack crackled and whirled around them. Jorn drank in the stormy brew, held it within his huge barrel chest. The shift from his human form to the Summus every wolf shifter in the world obeyed was quick and fluid. The sight was miraculous and transitioned with such graceful ease it left Tobias speechless.

  The blaze of snowy white fur bristled before him. To Tobias’s knowledge, their lineage was the only one to produce pure white wolves. Their heritage dated back to the first wolf to emerge from the Earth and take human form. The archives of their kind were vast. There were actually cave drawings documenting pack lore, deaths and births.

  Tobias lowered his gaze and dropped to his knees beside his mother. She buried her face into the fur of her mate’s thick neck. A cold nose greeted the warm flesh behind his ear. His father’s scent filled his senses as did the mental imagery of a small empty cabin. The barrage of images flickered through his mind. Names on badges blended together with the aroma of food and the scent of fresh tears. Faces to go with names, Ivy…a warm smile and a map showing a route heading west.

  “Thunder Bay. Head to Thunder Bay. Tobias, find her fast before she crosses the lake. Khurn’s going to seem like foreplay compared to Trenton Stamos. That fucker will bleed her dry.” Jorn’s thoughts slammed into Tobias knocking him onto the floor with the force of his father’s wrath.

  The sour tang of fury leached into the air. Tobias harbored the same tangible anger. If anything happened to Sage, he would personally see to it that the one responsible suffered threefold for his actions. To harm Sage was to harm the pack and nothing bar death would satisfy the need for retribution.

  Sharp teeth nipped at his neck. Tobias turned to stare into the icy whites of his father’s wolf eyes. The knowledge and power held him captive. “I’m proud to call you my son. Take tonight to feed, rest and…”

  “Jorn!” His mother’s mental gasp at what was supposed to follow those words broke the tension and made them laugh.

  “You’re a worthy son, Tobias. I love you dearly. Do what you need to do to keep safe and bring Sage back to us.”

  “I love you, too, mother. Both of you. And rest assured, I won’t stop until Sage is back here where she belongs.” Tobias was rewarded with a warm smile from his mother. A rare sight since losing Khad.

  “Come see me before you leave in the morning. Sleep well, son,” Jorn said as he changed back into his human form.

  Tobias nodded his agreement and took his leave. He headed outside instead of upstairs to his rooms. He needed answers; he needed to feed and run. Maybe, all three could be sated in one well planned move. The last thing Khurn was expecting was for them to know of Sage’s misfortune. He’d catch them off guard, maybe scout out the mutt’s pack and pick off the weakest link to gain some answers to the questions swimming around inside his head.

  ~*~*~*~

  Chapter Eighteen

  ~*~*~*~

  Blood coated his muzzle and dripped from his teeth. The fresh meat of his kill, or what was left of it, would act as a lure for whatever mutt or mutts Khurn had placed on watch. He’d kill again later, have his fill before leaving tomorrow. But for the moment, he’d eaten enough to fuel his lust for blood. Backing off into the tree line, Tobias waited downwind of the kill. He hoped Khurn’s tribe of ex-alphas would be too engrossed in the scent of blood and fighting for the free food to scent him until it was too late.

  Hidden, Tobias waited out the rest of the day. He witnessed the sun set in a blazing flash of gold light. It dimmed slowly giving way to dusk. Darkness swept in around him on a tide of mist. It crept through the trees like skeletal fingers seeking their prey. Tobias studied the eerie haze, watching it draw closer. Dark shadows prowled through the wispy tendrils. They used it to cover their approach to the freshly spilled blood. They’d taken the bait.

  Tobias hunkered down out of sight. A stiff breeze tickled his senses. He smelled them, smelled the hunger that ruled them along with the acrid scent of their diseased minds. Khurn’s pack consisted of old, over thrown alphas, ones who couldn’t operate within a pack due to their inability to function within society. Some were half crazed from being stripped of power, others were ill and some were just plain crazy. It was the crazy ones he had to watch. Their minds were missing a few links, but their senses were still as sharp as shit.

  A loud yelp followed by the crunching of bone drew Tobias’s attention. He sniffed the air, detecting more than one scent, more than one wolf. Awareness crawled over his skin making his hackles rise. He was out numbered, but he was smarter. Using the infighting between the wolves to cover his movements, Tobias circled around, using the thickening fog to camouflage the coloring of his pelt.

  Body low, haunches raised ready to attack, he closed in on the area where they squabbl
ed over bone and blood. Warmth coated the pads of his paws. Fresh blood seeped from the throat of one of the wolves, lying heaped against a tree. He closed in on the bait. Fangs bared, he jumped into the fray.

  Teeth snapped and ripped at thin air. Tobias moved fast, lunging at the throat of the nearest wolf. He tore savagely at the weakened, old flesh. The body in his grip stilled as the blood gushed out around his muzzle. Spitting out the remains of the wolf’s throat, Tobias rounded on the two at his rear. He snarled. The reply was feral, vicious and full of malice. He couldn’t take them both on at the same time and he needed one of them alive.

  Focusing his attention on the bigger brute circling him, Tobias whimpered and rolled onto his back. Displaying the softer, vulnerable underside of his stomach was a ploy. One that payed off when the wolf closed in to sniff the area behind his ear. Tobias struck. He bit down hard and ripped at the wolf’s fully exposed throat. He tore through the flesh ravaging the muscle and snapping through the windpipe. He didn’t wait to confirm the kill. With another wolf at his flank, and the possibility of more on the way, he turned baring bloodied teeth and a matted snout.

  The enemy ran at him dripping saliva from his snarling teeth. The wolf jumped, reared up on its hind legs and used its massive front paws to knock Tobias off of his feet. Tobias rolled and came back up on his back paws for a counter-attack. A fleeting shadow caught the corner of his eye. It moved through the fog with a speed beyond that of wolf or man. Within a split second, the attacking wolf dangled in midair. Its snapping snout clashed together as he fought for air. Tobias dropped to all four paws and growled.

  “Now, now, sexy. Is that any way to greet your mate?” Roman purred. His extended fangs flashed in the moonlight and blood coated his full luscious lips. Fuck, he was sexy when in true fighting mode. His eyes had taken on a bright amber hue, and his body thrummed with energy that rippled between them. Tobias wanted him. Right there, right then.