by Ciana Stone
"Well you just sit back and relax Layla while I turn us around and head back to the house so you can make your call."
"Thank you so much." Layla wiped at the sweat on her face and then dried her damp hands on her skirt. The air conditioning in the car felt divine and after a minute or two, she started to cool off.
She felt herself getting a bit drowsy. She didn't want to fall asleep but soon it was almost impossible to keep her eyes open. Maybe she'd just close them for five minutes. What could that hurt?
A loud clang woke her. Disoriented, she straightened and looked around. They were driving down a long narrow blacktop road. Behind them was a big metal gate.
"Where are we?" She turned to look at Madeline and gasped.
Shock at seeing Madeline holding a Taser and wearing an evil smile was her last conscious thought.
*****
Madeline tucked the Taser into her pocket and smiled again. What a stroke of fortune. The young woman, Layla, was involved with Augustus Thurinus. Her network of spies had been flying small drones over his property, Sanctuary, for weeks and had footage of this young woman being brought into the compound by Thurinus.
Which meant, Layla Whatever-Her-Last-Name-Was could be used as bait.
That thought broadened Madeline's smile. She had spent most of her adult life amassing followers to help her rid the world of Thurinus and his kind. In the years since she had started her crusade, the rank of followers had grown exponentially and they had rid the world of nearly a thousand of the Daemons.
A thousand less abominations, but there were thousands more to be dealt with and she fully intended to see every one of them eliminated. No matter the cost, in funds or life. She had more money than she and a hundred others could spend in a lifetime thanks to her family. They'd been in the oil business for five generations and as her father used to gloat, were as rich as Midas.
He'd wanted her to follow in his footsteps and she had originally intended to do just that. Then she fell in love.
Even now, memory of that failed love brought a rush of rage. The man, Davidson Markus had played her. Wined and dined, charmed and seduced. So much that inside of two months she was wearing his engagement ring on her finger.
Madeline had not intended to sleep with Davidson until their wedding night but the eve of the rehearsal dinner, she had too much champagne and let him talk her into her bedroom at her parents' home.
That's when his true nature was revealed. They were in bed, their bodies twined, hands caressing and lips exploring. He drew back and smiled and she saw it. Correction, she saw them. Fangs.
Madeline was a born and bred Texas woman. She wasn't a stranger to guns. Her father had taught her to shoot before she was ten. Terrified at the sight of the fangs in Davidson's mouth, she tore away from him, raced across the room, and snatched a revolver from the top dresser drawer.
Davidson came off the bed, his hand held out before him, begging her to stop, to listen to him. He loved her. He wanted her to be his wife.
Those were the last words he spoke. She put a bullet in his brain and one in his heart. Then she threw on a robe and ran from the room screaming.
Madeline pushed back the tiny pang of guilt as she remembered Davidson appearing on the stairs wearing only his slacks, blood on his forehead and chest but no wounds evident.
She and her father were at the foot of the stairs. She still held the gun in her hand. At Davidson's appearance, she raised it and fired until there were no bullets left. Davidson fell, rolled down the stairs, and landed at her feet.
Her father took one look at the fangs in Davidson's mouth and called for help. Between him and two of his men, they hauled Davidson outside, doused him with gasoline, and set him on fire just as he was waking.
Madeline smiled again, remembering the screams, the way he thrashed and tried to run, to roll on the ground, and put out the flames.
That would be Thurinus' fate. Now she had a way to lure him into the trap that would end his Daemonic existence.
Chapter Six
I should not have promised that I would prevent her from leaving. Perhaps I am far more vain than I admit, for truthfully, I did not expect her to leave. Particularly not after the night we shared. It was remarkable. Despite the thousands of years I have lived, all I have seen, felt and experienced, I can honestly say that I have never felt for a human what I feel for Layla.
Correction, I've never felt for a woman what I feel for her. I know in that intrinsic part of myself that is kept secret from all but me that I want her. Not simply as a sexual partner or a temporary lover. I want her to be my mate.
I want to make her. For her to be Vampire so that she can walk time with me.
I thought she would want the same. Again, perhaps my vanity has hampered my thinking. No. No, I am not that bound by ego. I know what I felt and what she felt. She left hoping that I would follow. Not to the gate or to the next town but follow her back to her life.
She wants a partnership based upon equality and mutual desire. Desire is not a problem. Equality? I supposed I could come to see her as an equal. In time. A few hundred years or so. Not at this moment. Right now, she's a child in comparison, albeit a child I desire more than I would admit aloud, but a child nonetheless.
However, children grow and learn and Layla is possessed of a remarkable mind. Along with remarkable abilities. Were she to be made Vampire she would one day be one of the most powerful among us.
Perhaps Connor is correct and I am making a monumental mistake. I'm indulging in wishful thinking for a human who snuck from my bed before daylight, stole my truck and is doing all she can to escape me.
That doesn't sound at all like the ending to one of her stories of happily-ever-after.
Augustus slammed his hat on his head and headed for the stable. They had two hundred head of cattle to round up and get loaded onto trucks by mid-afternoon and it wasn't getting done with him standing there.
Just as he reached the corral, at least twenty young wolves ran up behind him. The horses in the corral pranced and neighed in fear and Augustus turned to the wolves. "Haven't you been instructed not to scare the horses?"
One by one, the wolves transformed. Within moments, twenty naked teenagers stood before him. "We were practicing running as a pack," one of them, a young man answered.
"And we saw something." One of the females added. "A woman drove your truck to the gate then climbed a tree and got over the wall. We followed her for a few miles and –"
"You are not supposed to leave the property."
"Oh no, we didn't. We stayed on our side of the wall. We used our ears and noses."
A murmur of agreement followed that was filled with a measure of pride. All young werewolves had to learn the importance of the pack, and how to rely on their animal senses.
"And?"
"And she made it about five miles then got into a car."
Augustus nodded. "Thanks. Now how about you get along? I've got work to do."
"Yes, Mr. Thurinus."
The transformation into wolves took only a few seconds. With happy yips and tails wagging, they bounded off. Augustus watched them go and smiled. There was a time when Vampires and Shifters were mortal enemies. Had it not been for the murder and mayhem of the middle ages, the determination of religious zealots to rid the world of witches and "creatures of Satan" there might never have been peace between the two.
He still remembered the night he shook hands with Connor, each of them having been nominated as representatives of their race. It was a night that had changed things for his and Connor's people, one that had eventually led to peace among all of the preternatural races and one that had formed a friendship that had lasted a thousand years.
Augustus watched the pack disappear from view then headed for the stable, trying to turn his thoughts to anything but Layla Storm.
*****
Layla woke gasping to the sting of ice-cold water pouring down on her. "What the—" It was the sudden jerk of her
body upon reaching abrupt consciousness that alerted her to the fact that her right arm was shackled to an iron ring mounted in the wall of a brick room.
How did she get here? A cold brick room with a concrete floor, no windows, and a foul smell of mildew and rot.
A woman stood over her with an old-fashioned metal pitcher in one hand and a cell phone in the other. Madeline.
"Where am I? What did you do to me? Why are you—?"
"Be quiet!"
Layla curbed the urge to scream. She was shivering, scared and very confused. Why had Madeline done this? Why…
It came to her like a sudden strike of lightning as Madeline's thoughts burst into her mind. The realization caused her shivering to increase. Madeline intended to use her as bait to kill Augustus!
"Take this phone and place a call to Augustus Thurinus. Tell him he has until nightfall to come for you or you will die."
Layla looked at the phone in Madeline's hand and then up at Madeline. As scared as she was, she couldn't do what Madeline asked. Besides, she read a niggle of doubt in Madeline's mind, a question. If Augustus did not rise to the bait how else might she used Layla to her advantage?
That gave Layla hope. And courage.
"No." She knocked the phone from Madeline's hand.
"Very well." Madeline reached behind her. When her hand emerged again Layla screamed.
The scream changed into garbled shrieks as the current from the Taser sizzled through her body, making it impossible to do more than writhe until everything went black.
Layla had no idea how long she'd been unconscious when she woke again. All she knew was that she was shaking with cold and the sight of Madeline standing over her with a pitcher of water and a cell phone made her shake like she was having a seizure.
"Make the call."
Layla wanted to be courageous, to protect Augustus, and defy Madeline but the thought of suffering more from the Taser weakened her determination. Her hesitation had Madeline dumping the pitcher of cold water on top of her head.
Gasping and squirming as far away from Madeline as the shackle would allow, Layla sputtered and swiped back her hair from her face. "You bitch!"
That earned her another bolt from the Taser. She felt sure she was dying this time as blackness closed in around her, but once more she regained consciousness.
Layla lost track of time. She lost count of the number of times she woke to the sting of ice water and the number of times she lost consciousness to the sizzle of electricity arching through her body.
Her world existed of nothing but fear and pain.
*****
Augustus was sidetracked by a business call. Two hours had passed before he saddled up with the intention of heading south where the cattle to be rounded up were pastured. He turned to see his ranch foreman, Mitch riding up fast.
"We got some trouble, Boss."
"What kind of trouble?"
"A dozen head of cattle in the east pasture over near the river bed. Dead."
"From?"
"Shot and then dismembered." Mitch reached behind him and pulled a folded piece of paper from his back pocket. It was stained with blood. He handed it to Augustus.
Augustus unfolded the paper and read the message scrawled on it.
This is what's in store for you and all your kind.
His hand tightened into a fist, crushing the note. He looked down at his fist but jerked his head up at Mitch's next words.
"Uh, that's not all, Boss.'"
"What?"
"I think you need to see for yourself." Mitch turned his mount and headed back the way he'd come.
The smell reached him before they arrived at the site. Blood and death. As much death as he had witnessed its impact was still keen. If the sight of the mutilated cattle was not enough, the man flayed and nailed to the tree was gruesome enough to strike fear into the most callous of men.
"Who?"
"One of Andre's proselytes, I believe Connor said his name was Alexander."
"Have him taken down and find out from Andre what to do with the body."
"Yes, sir."
Just as Augustus turned his horse, Mitch asked. "You think whoever did this is going to come back?"
"Yes, Mitch I do."
"I was afraid of that."
Augustus looked at his foreman, seeing the worry and strain on his face. "You have a family. I understand. I don't want to see any harm come to you or your family, Mitch and we will do everything we can. I'll increase security but I can't promise that this won't happen again."
"I understand, Boss. It's just—"
"Time for a vacation. As I recall you haven't taken a break in more than six months. Now would be a good time to take the family and visit your wife's relatives in … Tennessee, I believe?"
"Yes sir, but I can't afford to –"
"Yes, you can, Mitch. You'll continue to collect your pay and I will personally pay your expenses for the month you'll be gone."
"Month?"
Augustus smiled. "A man who works as hard and is as honest and loyal as you deserves a nice vacation. I'd appreciate it if you could wait until tomorrow to leave. Tonight all of my people will stand guard to insure that nothing happens."
"Thanks boss." Mitch extended his hand and when Augustus clasped it, added. "You're a good man."
"I'm trying, Mitch. I'll talk with you later."
Augustus headed back to the guesthouse where he knew the others would be gathered. This act of barbarism unsettled him. They hadn't had any trouble like this in the last few months. He'd assumed the progress that had been made in the negotiations with the humans’ Directorate had curtailed attacks from those who knew of them and opposed their integration with mainstream society.
What had changed to upset that tenuous peace?
Only one thing came to mind that had happened out of the norm. He'd brought Layla here.
Augustus pushed back the notion. To begin with, how could their enemies have known? Second, even if someone did know, what possible motivation could Layla's presence be to incite such savagery?
He kicked his mount into a gallop for the remainder of the ride and when he arrived at the stable, asked a ranch hand to cool, water and brush the horse. Then he headed for the guesthouse.
Connor, Gabriel and Andre were waiting on the back porch. Augustus took one look and knew there was more afoot than the attack. Gabriel's face wore an uncustomary grim expression.
"What?"
Connor and Andre both looked to Gabriel at Augustus' question. Gabriel waited until Augustus had climbed the steps to the porch. "There was a call."
"From?"
"Madeline Franklin. At least that's the name we got when we had Griffy trace the call. If it is Madeline…"
It had not happened many times in his long life, but it happened now. At the sound of the words, Augustus' blood ran cold. He knew without asking. Madeline had Layla. For Madeline's sake, Layla had better be alive and unharmed. Otherwise, he would rain hell down on her and all of her zealot followers.
"What did she have to say?"
"Nothing. She asked for you and was told you were out. She said to tell you to stay by the phone."
Augustus nodded. "And the attack?"
"Severin and I believe she was behind it." Andre's voice carried a hard edge that alerted Augustus to his rage. "We're going with you to free Layla."
"No." Augustus couldn't allow anyone else to be placed in harm's way over a decision he'd made alone. "All of you need to return home. We'll button down here and send all non-essentials away.
"I will go for Layla alone." He looked in the direction of the door to see Severin and Xavier walk out onto the porch, along with Darius.
"Not alone." Severin announced.
"I second that." Connor added.
Andre gave a grim smile. "I'm with you."
"As am I." Xavier added.
"And I." Darius raised his hand.
"Along with a dozen of my lesser Daemons and at leas
t fifty of your followers here." Severin said. "You will not throw yourself on your sword, Augustus."
"It was my decision to bring her here and my—"
"Be that as it may, her presence here does not justify the attack on your cattle and our people. We cannot let this go unanswered."
"The Council will disagree."
Gabriel laughed. "The Council will never know."
"We have fledglings who need to learn to hunt," Connor said.
"And acolytes who need practice with their magic." Andre offered.
"No." Augustus wasn't going to let it get out of hand. "If we turn our people lose it will be a bloodbath."
"An eye for an eye." Gabriel offered.
"You're an Angel, not a god. Besides, cutting off the head of the beast is the most effective method."
"You mean kill Madeline," Andre said. "Perhaps, but she will have lieutenants ready to step in and take her place."
Augustus had already considered that. "If our intelligence is correct, they would lose access to her funds. Since she has no heirs, it would be my guess that her estate would be in held in trust or divided among charities and that would take several months if not years. Her followers would be without resources or a base of operations during that time and there is a high probability their membership would diminish greatly."
Connor growled. "In other words, we exercise restraint."
"We kill to survive." Augustus clarified.
"And to protect Layla." Gabriel added.
Augustus felt an unfamiliar flare of jealously uncurl inside him. "Am I to infer that you have designs on Layla?"
"Keep your fangs in your gums big guy, I just like the girl. I don't want anything to happen to her."
Augustus nodded. "Then I shall await Madeline's call and let her know that I will arrive at nightfall."
"Why nightfall?"
"She holds to misbeliefs about my kind. It will not seem strange. And it gives us time to formulate our strategy."
"Run and gun works for me." Connor said with a grin.
"Indeed it does. But in this instance I'm asking for restraint."
"Whatever you want."
