by Rena Marks
“No, you didn’t jump,” Leo rumbled, his voice a deep growl with his emotions.
“We were able to take control and shut down your mind, forcing you unconscious instead,” Julian said.
“How?” I rasped.
“I fed. Through our three-way link connecting us.”
I’m sure I must have looked as puzzled as I felt. He couldn’t feed psychically. Any human would be poison to Julian now that we were bound, so I couldn’t figure out how he would have done it.
“Leo was with me.”
“You fed from Leo? Without sickening?”
“It appears his blood is remarkably like yours. A substitute, but not one I’m willing to try again.”
I looked over at Leo, and he looked equally disgusted. He had fang marks on his neck, and I stared at them in amazement.
“The neck?” I asked.
Julian winced. “There was no time to think and be squeamish. The neck bleeds more profusely than the arm, and I needed blood instantly. He’ll just have to live with the scars.”
Leo narrowed his eyes. “Next time you starve.”
“Ohmigod, Luc!” I said, half-rising.
I’d forgotten to ask how my baby was, if he was safe.
“Relax,” Julian said, pushing me back into Leo’s arms. “Our son is fine. The trio has him.”
I collapsed against Leo's chest gratefully, knowing he was well-cared for. “How did you find me?”
“We guessed. Since you were in a tower, like the one where Verity was kept, and it was a werewolf you'd seen. We figured the last wolf we'd seen was Victor. Since Victor’s father Adàn resides in Spain, we decided to check the French Quarters just in case. Sure enough, it wasn’t a tower like Verity’s. It is the same tower. I sent her over after we rendered you unconscious. She found you halfway out the window where you'd collapsed.”
“None of our vampires knew I was here?”
“No. No one has been around this floor since we released Verity.”
“So that's why Adàn couldn't get back to me.”
Leo nodded. “Once the employees here were aware of your kidnapping, they were on alert. The Spanish wolves couldn't make it back on the grounds.”
It was only then that I realized we were in our bedroom at the French Quarters. Julian had it redecorated for me when Nico died, the room now bright whites and golds, with a sky that resembled the clear outdoors mimicked on the ceiling. The ceiling was rounded, and somehow lit from within, making the fluffy clouds more pronounced. The effect was stunning, making you blink as you tried to decide if you were actually outside or not.
“I was locked up in my own house?” I asked, amazed.
Julian’s look was wry. “Apparently.” His amber eyes darkened and he leaned in toward me, to correct our greeting. “Good morning, my sweet.” His lips lowered to mine, and he kissed me, while Leo’s arms tightened about me.
When he pulled away, a strong finger tilted my chin, exposing the torn fang bites that were sore against my neck.
“Seal her,” Leo said. It was his hand that held my neck outstretched.
Julian lowered his lips to my throat, and opened his mouth to my ravaged skin.
I moaned. He slowly, gently, French-kissed my flesh, and I knew the ragged edges began to knit beneath his questing tongue.
Julian drew back. “I’ll get Luc for you.” He looked directly at Leo. “About a half hour.”
He closed the door softly behind him, making it firmly click in place.
“What did he mean by that?” I asked, surprised.
“That’s so erotic when he bites you,” Leo whispered, hot breath on my still wet neck. His arm moved up from my abdomen to cup a breast.
“Oh,” I said, when I realized why he’d given us a half hour.
“Yeah,” Leo muttered. “He took a lot of blood, but he’ll still need to bleed you regularly to weed out all the wolf virus. So I get a little time before you’re too tired.”
I nearly smiled at the idea of my guys working out our sex schedule.
* * * * *
Leo was just back from the shower when Julian opened the door, a wiggling wolf cub in his arms.
I stared at the sight, surprised. Luc was in wolf form again?
Julian’s eyes met Leo’s as he set Luc on the bed. Luc raced to me, and I scooped him up while his tongue laved me with wet kisses.
“Why is he in wolf form again?” I asked.
“It’s not again, Anjelia,” Leo said. “It’s still.”
My hand paused from stroking my baby. “What do you mean still?”
“He turned wolf when you disappeared. We can’t change him back. We’ve been trying.”
There was a slight knock at the door.
“Enter,” Julian called.
Verity came inside. She reached my side, sitting on the bed. She gave me a squeeze and hug, as Luc licked her.
“We found him,” she said to Julian and Leo. “You'll never guess who he was with.”
“Who?” I asked.
“We've been having Verity search for Adàn Covas. He's Victor's father,” Leo said.
“We have him downstairs in the dungeon,” she said. “Along with Victor.”
“Leo and I will visit him,” Julian said.
I felt a little tingly in the center of my forehead. “Merrick's calling,” I said. For once, I was glad my witch powers were back.
Sure enough, the phone rang, shrill with the special ring that marked an international call. Julian picked up the receiver, and handed it to me as he and Leo slipped from the room.
“Good morning, mistress.”
“Merrick.”
“While you were unconscious, you were projecting your memories to me.”
“Is that good or bad?”
“I definitely didn't enjoy it. I can't imagine you need a link with one more person. I have no idea what ramifications this will have.”
I sighed. “No, I don't need any more links. Perhaps we should start our sessions back up?”
“I was thinking that. We have another problem also, Leah,” Merrick said, his voice grave. “Do you remember that wolf that arranged the exchange of you with Leo back when you were branded? The one that died, but you psychically remembered?”
“Yes. He was Mike Ishee. Leo’s best friend.”
“During that time of those visions is when I gained the ability to link to your psychic memories. But, because you were psychic before a witch, you not only remember but you are open to the present and future. I was linked to you while you were drugged and saw one of your visions. Those wolves, Adàn and his atrocious son, have a vampire locked up in their castle somewhere.”
“You know Adàn?”
“No. I saw the son in your vision and he who I assumed was the father was with him.”
Good thing we had brought Victor to Bang's and everyone got a good long look at the little troll.
“So when we confront Adàn, we’ll ask him about the vamp also.”
“If he doesn’t tell you, you’ll have to seek him out. We can’t leave one of ours locked up with the wolves.”
“I don’t remember having the vision.”
“You wouldn’t. You were too out of it.”
“This could start a problem between the werewolves and the vampires again.”
“Maybe in France. I don’t think it’ll be a problem here in the States.”
I disconnected with Merrick, and said to Verity, who'd watched wide-eyed, “Will you watch Luc? I have to meet up with Julian and Leo.”
She nodded, scooping him up. “Nicki and Lily are here. They'll help guard him.”
I kissed his forehead as he tried to lick me, and Verity took him away.
I opened the three-way connection between Leo and Julian, as I grabbed a robe and wrapped it over my nightgown.
“Merrick tapped into my psychic vision while I was unconscious. He says Adàn has a vampire captured on his property.”
“I'll go,” Leo responded.
“I'm a werewolf. They won't suspect me as much as they would a vampire.”
“Take a team of vamps with you,” Julian said. “They can stay out of sight while you search.”
“Wait a minute,” I said. “There's a reason why they kept me here, instead of taking me to their property in Spain. Search the premises here again. Top to bottom. Maybe it wasn't really on his property.”
“That's a good point,” Leo said. “Why don't I send the vamp team to his property? Me and the wolves will search here.”
“Agreed,” Julian said.
“I'm on my way down,” I said.
“I will go with you,” Julian said.
Both Adàn and Victor were chained in silver and seated in chairs. An entourage of vampires filled the room. One opened the gate for me.
Adàn was the werewolf who'd ordered me left chained in the turret to die.
I strode up to Adàn, and unable to help myself, I struck him across the face. “Why were you after my son?” I snapped.
His close-set, black eyes focused on me. “We needed to see what made him tick.”
“Why?” Julian asked.
Adàn refused to reply. Julian wrapped his hand around his throat.
Victor whimpered.
Adàn shot his eyes to his son in disgust. “Cállate!” Shut up.
Julian shot his eyes to me. “There's a reason why they didn't take you to his property.”
Victor's eyes widened. He was so easy to read.
Bingo. Something was here. And for some reason, they wanted my son.
“Leo,” I thought, opening our link. “We're right. It's here to search, not on their property.”
“I'm on it. I have wolves and vamps looking,” Leo said.
I closed the link and focused on Julian.
“The punishment for touching the mistress vampire is death,” he said.
“My wolves will attack.”
“And we will be ready. But you will be dead. Whether or not your son lives is up to you.”
Adàn shrugged, as if he didn't care.
“Where's the vampire you have hidden?”
Victor looked surprised. His father was more stone-faced, and refused to speak.
“Chen,” Julian said. “I want you to torture them for answers. I don't wish to raise my power. With Anjelia's stressed condition, it may trigger her crone.”
Chen nodded and stepped up.
Leo cut through our mental pathway. “Sweet Jesus. Head over here, quick. There's a subbasement here in the tower. Just go around the castle outside and enter around the turret.”
“Dammit, we’re not done,” I said aloud.
“This vamp is not normal. He’s damaged. They've locked him in silver cage. We can’t get close to him, being wolves. And they’ve been pretty close to him, he reeks of wolf as much as I do.”
“We’ll be right there,” Julian thought.
Out loud, he said, “Chen, if they move at all, gut them.”
“But don’t let them die,” I added. “They owe me so much more than that.”
Julian and I hurried to what Leo called the subbasement. We burst in to find a dozen werewolves gathered around a majestic silver cage. The cage was pure silver. It had to be expensive.
The creature inside was facedown and unconscious. He appeared half-dead. A starved, naked, skeletal creature with dirty, matted long hair. There was so much dirt ground into his body, you couldn't even tell what color he was.
“Why would they seal a vamp in a silver cage?” I wondered.
“So we can’t get close to it,” Leo said. “Which is why I called the vampires. There's something about him that's...off. I'm not sure what it is.”
Julian went to the cage. “You're right. I can't place it either, but there is something not normal about this one.”
Julian reached out with his hands and gripped two of the silver bars, quickly yanking them apart to create an opening big to slip through. Just as he bent the bars, he hissed, frozen in pain.
“What the...”
His hands recoiled, smoke erupting from them. The flesh on the inside of his hands, reddened and raw, fell off as it ashed, leaving the white of his bones shining through.
I reached for him, grabbing both wrists to stop the spread. I knew his bones would quickly follow, turning to ash and leaving him with stumps at the wrists.
At my touch, the burn cooled. I kept my hands on him and we watched in horrified fascination as the flesh healed and regenerated, covering his hands again.
The wolves had all stepped up. The room was deadly quiet.
“There,” Leo said, pointing to the top of the cage. “Magic.”
The cage was sealed with four crucifixes. They were molded into the silver, one at each corner of the cage. We were lucky Julian was a master vampire, and that I, as his human servant, was in close proximity. Otherwise, he would never have healed. The hexed burn would have spread like a diseased contaminant up his arms.
“Why the hell would they seal it for werewolves and vampires?” I asked.
“They knew we worked together,” Leo growled.
“I can get in,” I reminded. “They used silver for the wolves. Crucifixes for the vampires. They forgot about the witch. The strength of the cage, not the silver, was my human deterrent, but Julian already took care of that.”
We all peered at the bars Julian had bent. The gap was big enough for me to slip through.
“Anjelia, be careful. This is not a pet like Verity. We don’t know who or what this is. It's confusing that neither of us can sense what he is,” Julian warned. “And dangerous enough that the cage is hexed.”
I raised my hand to feel the creature's energy. My hand didn't even vibrate. “He’s so weak, he can’t even lift his head. Still, I’ll be cautious.”
I slipped inside the bars. Slowly I made my way to the center of the cage. The creature lay on concrete and was so skinny, I didn't see how he could recover. His ribs protruded from stiffened, dried flesh, like a living mummy. Sparse patches of hair peppered his spiny back, and I saw his back forcibly contract with his harsh breathing. It seemed all he could attempt to do was breathe.
I laid my hand on his spine. The protrusions of bone poked roughly into me. I held my hand there. It took a minute, but I absorbed his pain. And something else.
I finally felt what he was.
My eyes rolled back as the waves hit me.
“What is it?” Julian asked.
“Anjelia,” Leo snapped, worry in his voice.
“I’m not sure, exactly,” I said, my voice rough with the sudden magic rolling through it. “He is some sort of cross breed, more similar to, say Luc, than to a whole vampire or werewolf. He’s missing something though. The human portion. He’s a mixture of wolf and vamp. That’s why they had a silver cage and crucifixes. Not to keep us out. To keep him in.”
“How can he be a cross-breed?” Leo wondered. “It’s never been possible. He must be the actual first one, and that’s why they were so interested in capturing Luc? This one is dying and they didn’t know how to feed him?”
“They would have known how to treat the wolf portion,” Julian said. “But feeding a vampire would have stumped them. Especially if he has no master, and I can’t sense one.”
“There’s something else odd,” I said. “He feels familiar.”
I removed my hand. Taking a bony arm, I went to roll him over. But his arm popped from the socket.
I winced at the painful snap.
Using his chest now, I took care to slowly roll him over. And screamed.
Chapter Fifteen
“Anjelia! What is it?” Julian yelled.
“Leah, get out of that cage,” Leo yelled at the same time.
“Ohmigod,” I said, raising my horrified gaze to Leo. “It’s Mike.”
Leo’s best friend and right-hand man had been shot by my ex-husband, back when my memories were erased by Julian. My ex, Trevor, had used a silver bullet, and it entered Mike’s heart. W
e’d never heard from him again.
Until now. Mike Ishee never opened his eyes, lost in the terrors of his pain.
I grabbed him under his arms and dragged him as best I could to the edge of the silver bars. I tried not to cause him more hurt. Once he was close, Leo was able to reach through without touching the silver. Then, Julian helped once he was clear of the invisible vampire force field.
We laid him on the ground. Leo cradled him in his arms, tears running unchecked down his cheeks. Julian opened Mike’s mouth, and sure enough, there were fangs descended from his gums.
“He is definitely vampire,” Julian said. “Born werewolf? Or bitten?” He looked up at Leo, his gaze gentle at Leo’s grief.
“Born,” Leo said, his voice rough.
“We have several options. We feed him from a vampire’s blood, mine being the strongest, or we feed him human blood, Anjelia being the only one here. Or, we feed him wolf blood, which was probably the problem with Adàn. More than likely they tried that, but it was like cannibalism for the wolf portion of him.” He shrugged. “Maybe they even tried human blood.”
“Let’s use your blood,” Leo said without preamble. “It worked for Luc. That has to be a good sign.”
Julian slit his forearm and Leo tilted Mike’s head back, forcing his mouth to open. Julian’s pressed his bleeding forearm against Mike’s mouth, the blood dripping in on its own at first.
They stayed like that a long time, blood barely seeping in, Mike motionless. Slowly, his eyes began to move underneath his eyelids, and very gradually, he opened them the barest minimum.
I was across from him, and the first image he saw. I couldn’t tell if recognition dawned or not, but confusion clouded his face. I reached out and placed my palm against his abdomen, slowly vanquishing his pain. It was a trick of absorbing pain I’d learned with the werewolves, and it seemed to work with this partial one.
Then he automatically began to suck.
He reminded me of a greedy infant, great gulping sounds as he swallowed as much blood as he could get. I could not only absorb his pain, but I felt the deep-rooted hunger as it began to abate.
His sucking finally began to slow, and I called out to him. “Mike, can you hear me?”
