The Vampires of Soldiers Cove: One Crow Sorrow

by Jessica MacIntyre

  “Why didn’t you speak up?” I said.

  “Because, I told you, I’m forbidden from using the blood influence, I didn’t want to get sent out again. I wanted to start over. I needed a second chance.”

  “Your desire for a second chance almost cost Gavin his life,” Holly said taking her hands away. Ian coughed and sputtered. “You’re still a selfish fucking bastard, Ian. You don’t deserve any chances at all.” She was right. Whatever he had done that he needed to be redeemed for was no excuse. I didn’t know what it was and I didn’t care. I just wanted to get my husband home and into bed.

  “You guys go home,” she told her parents. “I’m going to help Rachel take Gavin back.”

  “Holly you don’t have to do that,” I said.

  All of her anger came out in my direction then. “I’m going to help you take him home,” she shouted. “I’m fine.”

  I decided not to object any further. Gavin was going to fall down if we didn’t get him home and into bed. He needed sleep, food and a human to feed on. Preferably one he could drain completely. “Fine, let’s go,” I said.

  “I’ll walk you home then,” Ian said to his parents.

  “I’m afraid not,” Angus told him. “You’re staying here so we can have a little talk.” Angus then motioned to the rest of us. “Everyone else go home. There’s nothing else to be done here tonight.”

  We turned our backs on Ian and headed out of the sanctuary. I was never so glad to leave it. For a place that professed to be a safe haven I had already amassed a large number of bad memories here. I walked out the door and into the October night, cursing it and praying I’d never see the inside of it again.

  When we got to the back step Gavin needed to sit down. We paused there and I sat next to him as he laid his head on my shoulder. “Once we get him into bed I’ll go find something for him. He needs to feed,” Holly said.

  “I can do that,” I said. I didn’t want her to have to worry about us when she had just experienced the worst thing a maker can go through. The full effect of the loss hadn’t hit her yet, but when it did it would be hard and merciless. Duncan had mentioned how many vampires don’t survive the breaking of a blood bond. Some would stake themselves because they couldn’t cope with the pain, or starve to death from a lack of desire to feed. Gavin had mentioned that some just plain went mad and had to be executed. I loved Holly like a sister and was frightened for her in thinking about all that was to come.

  “Oh please, you can barely hunt for yourself.” The words were like a knife and her voice broke as she said them. I felt my heart sink, not for myself at having been insulted, but for her as her grief was beginning to surface.

  “Holly, I’m sorry about Daniel.”

  “Don’t,” she said. “Just don’t.” Gavin was about to interject when a lone figure came out of the trees, standing tall, sword strapped to his side.

  “Aries,” Gavin said. “What are you doing here?”

  Aries placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and looked Gavin straight in the eye. “I’m here to collect.”

  Chapter Thirty Four

  As Aries spoke other shadows emerged from the trees, their warm breath rising in tendrils through the chill in the night air of autumn. There were at least forty or fifty satyrs standing there, all of them with hands on their swords ready to be drawn.

  “You picked a bad night you filthy fucking animal,” Holly said releasing her fangs. “I’m in the mood to kill something.”

  Aries smiled, “But you alone can’t kill us all.”

  “Wanna bet?”

  Gavin was looking back and forth between Aires and Holly. “What exactly is it that you hope to collect Aries?”

  “Didn’t you hear the good news? Your wife is to give me a son.”

  I could see the anger break the surface of Gavin’s tired face. “I won’t agree to that,” he said.

  “You don’t have to, she already did.”

  “You did what?” he said to me. Aries didn’t give me a chance to answer for myself, he simply continued on.

  “She promised me a son for your safe return. Her love for you is going to benefit me it seems.”

  “Is this true?”

  I couldn’t look at him. I turned away and confronted Aries instead. “I told you only if you brought him back to me. You didn’t bring him back, you brought Daniel back.”

  “A technicality,” he said. “If I had not brought Daniel to you, do you think your beloved would be sitting here alive and breathing right now? He owes me his life. And you, my love, owe me what I was promised.”

  His words were sobering and true. Gavin would be the one turned to dust if Aries had not shown up when he did. Holly grabbed me and pulled me over to where Gavin was sitting so the three of us were face to face.

  “I won’t let him take you. I’ll kill him first,” Gavin said as he trembled with anger and exhaustion. “Why did you do it? You know I’d rather be dead than to let him do this to you.”

  I stroked his face and kissed his cheek. I knew he’d never forgive me, but he was alive and that was all that mattered. “I did it for you. I had to have you back. I couldn’t live without you.”

  “You don’t have to do this Rachel,” Holly said. “We can kill most of them just the two of us and it might scare the others off.”

  “No,” I said. “No more killing tonight. There’s been enough death.” The words seemed to hit Holly with the reality she had not wanted to face, and her eyes reddened.

  “You know if he has you that you will be carrying his son right away, and since you’re not full blooded he can take you any time he wants after that. You’ll just never develop an immunity to the pheromones…never.”

  “I know,” I told her.

  “This is crazy,” Gavin said pushing himself to his feet almost falling over in the effort. “I won’t allow this. I’ll kill him myself before I let that happen.”

  “Hold him back,” I told Holly. She hesitated for a second thinking about it and then locked her arms around him so that he was unable to break free.

  “Let me go!” he was screaming. He tried to let his fangs out but was too weak and hungry.

  “I’m sorry,” I said to him before turning away. I walked to Aries who held out his hand. I took it and instantly felt the beginning of the drug like effect it had.

  “Don’t worry bloodsucker, I’ll get her back to you in one piece. You’ll only have to put up with the boy for fifteen years, and then I’ll do the rest.”

  As we turned away Gavin shouted, “There’s something else you should do before that Aries.”

  Aries turned around to face him with a goading smile. “What’s that?”

  Gavin’s eyes darkened and his voice deepened to his low guttural snarl. “You should hide.”

  The satyr’s face tightened and I saw a twinge of fear in his eyes as he turned back toward me. Then he stepped out ahead, and holding my hand all the while, led me back into the woods.

  Chapter Thirty Five

  The rest of the herd stayed behind, keeping their eyes on Gavin and Holly, while Aries walked me deep into the night. This was perhaps deeper than I had ever been before. A different world existed out here, one that I had no knowledge of just seven short months ago. I was wishing I had no knowledge of it now.

  We came to a spot where many small structures, similar to hunting blinds, were scattered all around. Aries led me to one in the middle and opened the simple flap that kept it closed. I ducked down to enter and stepped inside to see nothing in there other than a small mountain of hay covered with what looked like a wool blanket. The enclosure was just big enough to stand up in and felt like if you moved around too much you might actually knock it down.

  Aries stood behind me and slid his arms around my waist. Kissing my neck he began to rock me back and forth in his arms. My head rolled back to rest on his broad, muscular chest as he brought his mouth to my ear. So close that the soft hair of his beard brushed up against it as he spoke.r />
  “Unlike your other lovers,” he said, “I won’t bite. And there’s no danger of you biting me.” The pheromones hit me full force just then, and I closed my eyes letting the sensation wash over me. Suddenly there were no cares or worries, everything was forgotten and all that existed was blissful and sensual longing. I wanted him. I wanted him to the exclusion of everything else, and although I knew I’d hate myself when it was over, I didn’t care.

  Gently, he tugged my shirt up over my head and easily did the same with my bottoms. I was naked with my back to him as he ran his rough, large hands up and down the length of my arms. Planting small gentle kisses on my cheek he moaned in anticipation, and I shuddered as the hairs on his closely cropped beard caressed my skin over and over again.

  After a few moments he turned me around to face him. My jaw dropped in surprise when he did. Standing before me was a perfectly normal human man. His ram like horns and elfin ears were gone, and from the waist down his usually animal like lower half had been replaced by human legs and feet. He was handsome and rugged, a proper man. “Aries… how?”

  “Are you surprised?” he smiled. “This is how we’ve survived for thousands of years.” He stroked my hair and I felt an overwhelming urge to do the same to him. I remembered how strong the feeling to touch his hair had been the night I first met him and it was intensified tenfold now. “Go on,” he said taking my hands in his and leading them to his neck. “I know you want to.”

  Slowly I reached out, and with the edges of my fingers, just barely brushed against the soft hair. The feeling it induced was more powerful than anything I could have imagined. I pressed myself against him as tightly as I could and felt his massive erection straining against my belly. The feeling of having his hair touched seemed to induce great pleasure in him and he leaned his head back, moaning once again. “Oh yes,” he said. “My love. I’m yours. Rachel, you’re the only one…the only one.”

  I slid my fingers all the way through his curly black mane until my hands were full of it. I ran them through over and over again pressing my cheek against his to feel his warm skin against mine as his hands pressed firmly into my back. I could feel in his touch that he wanted me as much as I wanted him.

  Then, without warning, my body was rocked by waves of pleasure. “Who do you belong to?” he said smiling down. These were the words Gavin had spoken to me the night we’d made love on the beach and from the way he was looking at me, I knew he’d been watching.

  Without hesitation or thought I responded instinctually, unable to give any answer other than the one that slipped from my lips. “You,” I said, “only you.”

  “Yes,” he said kissing me finally. Soft and sweetly at first, my lips just barely brushing up against his, and then deeper and harder, his tongue finding mine, until I climaxed again. “Yes,” he said again as he picked me up and gently laid me down on the blanket. Looking into my eyes and stroking my cheek he whispered, “You’re mine, and only mine.”

  His lean muscular body pressed down on top of me and I felt his warmth slide easily into place. I lost control of myself once again as I opened up to him and he thrust with all his force, filling me fully and completely. Then it was as if I was outside myself. I could hear the sounds of our lovemaking, but it was as if they were off in the distance.

  He asked me again, “Who do you belong to?”

  And again I told him, “To you, and only to you. I belong to you.” The last sensation I remember was of his body stiffening as he said something in a language I didn’t understand. Then everything went black.

  I woke up sometime later, and upon swimming up from the darkness I was disoriented and weak. Sitting up on the blanket I felt like I had pulled every muscle in my body. Aries was gone.

  I scooped up my clothes and dressed as fast as I could. I wasn’t prepared for the wall of grief that hit me as I did. When I was clothed I sat on the ground for a moment and began to contemplate what had just happened. Although I felt it was the only thing I could have done, I still cursed myself.

  A sliver of light crossed the enclosure, and a satyr with long blonde hair poked his head inside. He gave me a warm smile. “The mother is awake,” he said to someone outside the door.

  “Very good, escort her home,” an unknown voice told him.

  He came inside and stood next to me reaching out his hand. “Can you stand mother?” For a moment I didn’t understand why he was calling me that. I was nobody’s mother, especially his. After a moment I was hit by the obvious.

  “Oh no,” I said.

  He kneeled down, his eyes filled with concern. “Is everything alright mother?”

  “I’m fine,” I said taking his hand so I could stand back up. “Don’t call me that.”

  “You don’t wish to be called mother? But that is a great honor. You are the first mother I have ever known.” He seemed genuinely confused.

  “What about your own mother, your human one?”

  His eyes grew sad for a moment. “We don’t remember our mothers. But to know any mother is a great honor.”

  He led me outside and past a group of satyrs sitting amongst the trees. Aries was nowhere to be seen. “Aries is gone?”

  “Yes, but you will see him again.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Nice. Way to make a girl feel special.”

  “Oh, but mother, you are special. He just couldn’t stay. Once he mates he has to go offer prayers of thanks to the gods. And also...” he stopped himself.

  “Also what?”

  “Also, there is the situation with your other jealous mate.”

  So that was it. Prayers perhaps, but also cowardice. I didn’t really blame him; jealousy wasn’t a word strong enough for what Gavin was going to feel having had another man impregnate his wife.

  When we got to a point in the woods where I could see the lights of my house I said, “I can make it from here.”

  “Are you sure mother? I can take you the rest of the way. I’m not afraid.”

  I was. “It’s ok. What’s your name?”

  “Ramsay,” he said wiggling his ears.

  “Thank you Ramsay, I appreciate your help.”

  He was beaming now. “I will see you again Mother. Goodnight.”

  He turned and left and I headed in the direction of the house. I walked slowly not wanting to face what was coming. Night was almost over and the black sky was beginning to turn a lighter shade of blue. I put my hand on the doorknob and hesitated. It opened before I got a chance to turn it. Holly was standing there. She backed up enough for me to enter but never met my eyes.

  “Are you hurt?” she asked.

  “No.”

  “Good. Come see me in a few days and make sure that you feed soon.” She crossed the room back over to Gavin and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Call me if you need anything,” she said to him. She left the house without as much as a glance in my direction.

  His color had returned and he was stronger, he had obviously fed. However, he sat with the heel of his hand propping up his forehead. He couldn’t look at me either. I went to the sink and leaned against the counter staring out into the early morning darkness as the guilt consumed me. I could see Gavin’s reflection in the window and he appeared to be wiping his cheeks. He was devastated and I was sure he hated me. I hated myself. Hated myself for what he did know, and thanked god that he didn’t know the full extent of the things I’d done. He might have to live with my betrayal of him with Aries, but he’d never know about Ian, not if I could help it.

  I felt like I was being eaten alive from the inside out. I had to get away. I couldn’t stay there and make him look at me when I could barely look at my own reflection in the glass. I reached into my pocket and took out the wedding ring I was still carrying around. I had carefully moved it into the pocket of these clothes when Holly got me to change, and I had hoped I’d get to put it on Gavin’s finger once again. That wasn’t going to happen now though, and perhaps not ever.

  I carefully placed the ring on t
he counter and slid both mine off my left hand placing them gently down next to it. I no longer felt like I had the right to wear them. They once represented something beautiful and sacred, now they only looked like ugliness, and disloyalty. A symbol of something so pure and beautiful was something I no longer deserved to possess after the things I’d done.

  Suddenly I felt like I was smothering, and as quickly as I could, snapped the truck keys up from their place on the wall and ran out the door. I jumped in the cab of the old truck and turned the engine over. I sat there for a moment before pulling away and from the corner of my eye I could see Gavin standing at the window holding the rings in his hand. It was too much.