Mate With Me

by BJ Wane

  Damien hated to disturb the comfortable weight of Abby curled in his lap, but it was time. They couldn’t wait any longer without risking the rise of the sun before they completed their mission. Looking around the room, he saw the need for action on the faces of his long-time friends, the need to settle with Isabelle once and for all, the need to ensure their loved one’s safety from here on out. With nothing but a nod, they all rose, signaling an end to the play. Between the last minute boost of sex and blood from their mates, they needed to take advantage of being at their ultimate strength and power.

  Leaning down he kissed Abby quickly, slipped her gown back over her head and reassured her quietly, “We’ll return as fast as we can. Don’t distract us by speaking telepathically unless it’s an emergency.”

  “We can handle a few hours without our big, bad vamps hovering over us,” Abby responded lightly, trying to soothe the worry etched on his face and the bleakness clouding his eyes. She knew it would do her no good to question him about what he has been keeping from her all this time.

  Damien squeezed her hand then turned from the direct look of those bewitching blue eyes, a look that, at times, saw too much of what he preferred remained unseen.

  As planned, all fourteen of the brethren materialized en masse in the large, decadent room Isabelle gathered her minions in for playing with their victims. What wasn’t planned was stepping into an orgy of sex and depravity, the sight of over thirty, newly turned rogues indulging in every obscene act known to man. Their behavior, nothing more than animals with gluttonous cravings as they fucked with one or more rogues or raped and tortured a barely alive innocent victim, disgusted every one of the brethren who have fought long and hard over the centuries against their own predatory natures. The walls and floor glistened with the carnality of freshly spilled blood, the coppery smell of it permeating the air along with the low, guttural sounds of sex and suffering.

  Damien’s hot fury was cold and chilling as he stood momentarily stunned by the tableau before him, his gaze black chips of ice. A quick glance told him Isabelle wasn’t in the room. Shoving aside his disgust as well as his empathy for the victims, he snapped out, “Move fast while we can take them by surprise.”

  Damien led the assault by grabbing a rutting man off his partner, lifting him easily with one hand on his nape, plunging his dagger into his heart as he dangled in surprise and outrage. The rogue’s female partner sprang at him in fury, her fangs aiming for his forearm, but Damien was faster. Heeding his own advice, he gave no regard for her gender as he turned her to dust with one well-aimed plunge before moving on.

  Years of defending the innocent against all dregs of inhumanity had them all following Damien’s lead and moving fast to converge on the still unsuspecting, practically feral beings. Their recent coupling and feeding with their mates gave them the strength they needed to take on the rogues two and three at a time, gave them the power they required to move fast, deflecting blows while thrusting their blades into the heart of another with the pinpoint accuracy needed to send them into a pile of ash. Within moments of their surprise attack, the rogues were coming out of their sexual, blood driven stupor to start retaliating with a vengeance born out of fury and fear. Snapping and clawing, their fangs dripping blood and saliva, their eyes glowing with pure malice, they fought like the crazed, evil beings they were.

  Damien fought three rogues simultaneously, sending one flying across the room with a backward kick to his chest to land against the stone wall with a bone breaking thud. With a swift, viscious twist, he snapped the neck of another, but the third managed to draw blood, sinking his fangs into his shoulder before he flipped him over his head and gained the upper hand. Scanning the melee, he saw Jacob take a knife swipe across his forearm, but the minor wound didn’t slow him down or hinder his aim as he took out his assailant, his face tight with fury. The twins had each other’s back, and, despite a few gashes, were easily mowing down their opponents. A look of chagrin passed over Gideon’s sweat and blood streaked face as he smote a female rogue. Damien didn’t fault him for showing sympathy for the wasted young life since Gideon didn’t let the emotion hinder his purpose.

  The sounds of battle resonated in the rock walled, cavernous room, growls of frustration and cries of startlement and pain became deafening as the brethren cut a swath through the mass of inhumanity now viciously returning their attack. The rogues were quick, desperate and without conscience as they fought desperately to hold onto the new, wonderfully addictive life of depravity their mistress had recently gifted them with, but all their efforts soon proved futile against the sheer force of the men who attacked them, ending their fun.

  Damien glanced with compassion at the young girl who had the misfortune to still be breathing when he pulled her attacker off of her, killing him swiftly. Kneeling in the blood pooling around her from her torn throat, he whispered achingly, “I’m sorry.” Closing her eyes with his hand, he mercifully ended her suffering before rising and checking the rest of the rogue’s victims as his brethren finished the battle. Thankfully, they had already passed on, sparing him the agony of adding their deaths to his conscience.

  Less than fifteen minutes had passed since they raided the room and all that remained were the corpses of innocent victims and piles of ash. Damien did a quick assessment of his friends, noting each bore numerous injuries, but none of them life-threatening.

  “Where is the psychotic bitch?” Jacob snarled, blood dripping down his forearm, his hand clenched tightly around his blade which also dripped crimson.

  “This place is her sanctuary,” Damien told them as he worried about Isabelle being a no-show. “She only leaves to seek out replacements, preferring to send out her pets to do her bidding. We search together. She’s too strong and powerful for any of us to defeat her single handedly.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Luc ground out as he looked around at the bodies of the tortured victims. Most of them had been young, with their whole life in front of them, and he couldn’t help but recall how Caitlin, as well as several of the other mates, had been targeted to meet the same end just days ago. “The way I’m feeling right now, I could rip her apart slowly, limb by limb, and not bat an eye.”

  “We all want a piece of her, so let’s find her,” Jon added.

  Receiving nods from the rest of them, Damien stated, “Then let’s end this.”

  Isabelle had been about to join her new pets when the distinct sounds of an attack sent her speeding through her mountainside lair to appear at the entrance of the playroom within seconds. A crimson haze surrounded her vision, black rage bubbling in her blood at the sight that greeted her. Her face taut with fury, she watched the entire troop of brethren mowing down her new recruits. She had waited too long, grown too confident that Damien wouldn’t come after her on her home turf. Her plan had been to let her minions feast in style before sending them after Damien, the brethren and their mates, hopefully putting a huge, devastating dent in their numbers. The newly turned were their most deadly in the beginning, their most powerful right after indulging in unlimited sex and bloodletting and ingesting. She spent the past few days raiding the streets of Europe’s most derelict neighborhoods, those areas known to harbor the worst criminals of society, humans with only one purpose in life, their own self-gratification. Perfect victims to turn into mindless puppets, too greedy for all the pleasures she had to offer them without consequences to question their good fortune or her orders.

  It only took a few moments to see that, despite being out numbered two and three to one, her rogues were no match for the elite hunters, even with their recently hyped up senses and strength from the orgy of sex and killing. From the looks of fury and determination on the brethren’s faces, she knew they wouldn’t stop until every one of her pets was vanquished.

  Shaking with uncontrollable rage at being thwarted in her plans, she dissolved into mist and swept through the dark sky like a wraith, intending to hurt Damien and his do-good followers where it cou
nted the most. She had not returned to North America since rising after her century of in-ground healing from Damien and Jacob’s last attack, preferring the solitude of her home for her indulgences, but she had no problem breaking out of her comfort zone for revenge.

  Abby shivered with a strange sense of foreboding as she opened the double French doors to let in the sultry night air. Gazing up at the star studded, inky night that was Damien’s world, she prayed again for his, and all of the brethren’s safe return. They had all dressed after their mates left then killed some time and worry by raiding the kitchen. But anxiety couldn’t be appeased with food and had soon returned them to the converted ballroom. Now Abby felt the walls closing in on her, the stress of waiting and fretting making her edgy. All of the vamps had left looking fiercely determined, their gazes on their loved ones confident and promising, all except Damien. His look held a hint of painful resignation, as if he knew the outcome of tonight’s raid and, for him, it wasn’t going to be good.

  “You feel it too?” Caitlin asked Abby when she joined her at the door.

  “Yes. What do you think it means?” If Caitlin’s sixth sense was kicking in, then Abby knew she was right to be concerned.

  Caitlin tried to act nonchalant, her shrug easy as she replied, “Could just be because they’re facing a dangerous situation, not that they can’t handle it.”

  “Which they can,” Ava put in. “Our guys are ten times stronger, ten times more powerful and have a damn good reason to return safely tonight.”

  “Yeah. What better reason could they have for staying safe than coming back to us?” Kim’s look was as fierce as her tone, defying anyone to argue with her. “Noah has never broken a promise to me and he’s not about to start now.”

  The rest of the women all agreed with a certainty that appeased Abby somewhat. Grace was the only one who wasn’t putting in her two cents worth. She just stood quietly looking out the window, the longing on her face poignant and descriptive of how they all felt.

  “Did I tell you guys about the time Ryan nailed me at a carnival?” Susan announced as she stepped outside, fully expecting the others to follow.

  “I think we missed that one.” Emma was still a newlywed, just like Abby, Grace and Caitlin, and was still getting used to Beau’s penchant to have sex with her wherever they happened to be. Thank God he wasn’t into exhibitionism as much as Susan or they’d all be in jail.

  As intended, Susan had them laughing in minutes with her exploits. Sprawled on patio chairs or on the grass, they traded stories of close calls and improbable scenarios, trying to outdo each other, their laughter turning to hysterics over some of the embellishments. Their joviality was brought to a jarring halt when a lone figure emerged out of thin air. Jumping to their feet, they stood transfixed, staring in horror and trepidation at the stunningly beautiful woman standing before them, her look of pure, unadulterated rage making them all take a step back. All except Caitlin.

  “Well, well,” Caitlin drawled despite the terror clawing at her insides. If ever there was a poster person for evil, this woman would be it. “You must be the plague of our existence, Isabelle.”

  “Caitlin,” Grace hissed next to her, wondering what on earth she was thinking to bait this woman.

  In the blink of an eye, Isabelle moved from the other side of the pool to appear in front of Caitlin. Grabbing her hair, she wrenched her head back, hissing, “Whose mate are you?”

  Despite the fear turning her blood to ice water, Caitlin glared at the creature threatening her. Unlike the rogues who had come after her, Isabelle didn’t reek, she certainly wasn’t homely and she didn’t have a vulnerable bone in her body. “Jon and Luc,” she told her proudly. “And they’re going to send you to hell where you belong.”

  Isabelle smiled, showing her lethal fangs. “We’ll see about that.” With a twist of her wrist, she sent the red haired woman flying towards the pool, watched dispassionately as her body bounced with bruising force off the diving board then topple into the water. “The first one to go after her dies,” she warned them as several women attempted to do just that. When they froze, she looked around slowly at the women so cherished by the brethren, her lip curling in a sneer. Not a one could hold a candle to her, she thought with conceit born from surrounding herself with those who adored her. “I want Damien’s mate. Come forward and you can rescue your pathetic little friend.”

  Abby didn’t hesitate even though sick fear was coiling in her stomach when she stepped forward. “I’m Abrielle.” She breathed a sigh of relief when Ava and Susan dove in after Caitlin and pulled her limp body over to the steps, noting she was still breathing. Her vision was suddenly blocked by Isabelle and Abby looked into the most chilling face she has ever seen. Not as brave as Caitlin, she stood her ground quietly, her mind reaching out for Damien in desperation.

  Damien, Isabelle is here.

  “Son of a bitch,” Damien swore as Abby’s frightened voice put a sudden stop to their search. They were about to leave Isabelle’s private chamber to search deeper in the mountain retreat for her whereabouts, but instead he looked at his comrades who, by the looks of dread on their faces already knew what their next move was. “Go!” Damien was already dematerializing when he gave the order, fear for Abby and the others clogging his throat.

  Within moments the brethren were shimmering into view in the yard, facing their worst nightmare. “Let her go,” Damien demanded without preamble, striding with angry purpose toward where Isabelle stood behind Abby, one arm wrapped around her neck, her other hand pressing against Abby’s skull. One jerk, one minute twist, and she’d snap Abby’s neck.

  Malicious triumph lit Isabelle’s eerie red eyes as she cooed, “Now, why would I want to do that, lover?”

  She was delusional, Damien decided with one look. Wobbling on the edge of insanity, centuries of torturing and killing innocents had finally taken its toll. “Because it’s me you want, not her.”

  “Wrong,” Isabelle snarled. “I want you to suffer like I’ve suffered, to know the pain of losing the only person who matters before I end your miserable existence.”

  Damien held his hand up, stopping the forward movement of the brethren who had formed a half circle behind him, effectively putting up a barrier between Isabelle and their mates. All except Abby, who was doing her damnedest to hide her fear from him. Her bravado warmed his heart, the way she kept her eyes on him, showing him she had complete faith in him helped him remain calm.

  “You blame me because Vladamir got caught unawares by vampire hunters? If you two hadn’t been terrorizing the countryside by attacking innocent people, he might still be with you today.” Taking another step forward, he demanded, “Let her go, Isabelle, and you and I can return to your home and hash out our differences.”

  “No!” Abby’s vehement protest was accompanied by a murmur of protest behind him, but he ignored them, keeping his focus on Isabelle.

  “Tell me something, Damien,” Isabelle said, ignoring his suggestion as she ran a razor sharp nail down Abrielle’s neck, drawing a thin line of blood. “Does your whore know about the poor, young girl you fucked to death while gorging on her blood?”

  Damien ignored the pain of having his deepest, darkest secret exposed in front of everyone he cared about, a pain that was every bit as sharp and cutting as a knife. Refusing to look at Abby’s face, he kept his focus on Isabelle, watching her closely for any small, telltale movement that would signal she was making a final move against Abby.

  “You know I haven’t,” he said tightly, offering nothing in the way of his defense.

  “I wonder,” Isabelle murmured, her lips caressing Abby’s ear, her nail cutting into her neck again, “if you would have spread your legs for him if you knew he was capable of draining the life from a person, sucking the poor young thing dry while he was fucking her raw. It was a beautiful sight, if I do say so myself.”

  Abby suppressed a shudder of revulsion, not at the words intended to hurt Damien as well as her, b
ut at being so close to such malevolent evil, her fear now more for Damien than herself. The brethren’s clothing was blood soaked, all bore bleeding wounds and faces grim with contempt, but not a one aimed that look at Damien. They stood as a united front, both in protection of their mates and in support of their leader and friend, regardless of what Isabelle said. Damien, please look at me, she pleaded with him silently, the bleak resignation in his dark eyes telling her he thought she would turn from him now. Swallowing convulsively as Isabelle bent her head and licked the blood dripping down her neck, Abby told her hoarsely, “I would gladly spread my legs anywhere, anytime for my mate. Too bad you can no longer enjoy that pleasure.”

  Before Damien could recover from the shock and fear of Abby’s deliberate goading, her cry of terror laced pain rent the air followed swiftly by a hair raising snarl from Micah as he came barreling out of the bayou and took a flying leap against Isabelle’s back. Isabelle’s teeth barely scraped Abby’s neck instead of ripping into her tender flesh as she was knocked sideways and then flattened by the five hundred pound feline. Damien was grabbing Abby before she hit the ground, pushing her towards the other women then turning back to see not only Micah, but Tasha pinning Isabelle to the ground with their huge paws on her back and their jaws clamped around her neck.

  Isabelle bucked against their combined weight, her strength waning with the massive blood loss, but was still strong enough to dislodge both cats off her back. But their tenacity and combined brutal power was enough to keep their jaws embedded in her neck. Their death hold had torn her neck open from front to back, their massive jaws and canines cutting through blood gushing arteries, exposing ripped muscles and tendons and crushing bones.

  The brethren surrounded her prone figure, every one of them watching avidly as her neck showed signs of healing as fast as the cats were ripping it apart, their hands holding their daggers at the ready. A wink of metal flashed in Damien’s hands as he went to his knees, straddled her back and raised his arms. With every ounce of his strength he buried the blade into her back, her guttural scream of rage abruptly cut short as he pierced her heart, pinning her to the blood soaked ground by burying the tip into the earth. He didn’t order the cats off her, or get off of her himself as he waited with baited breath for her to turn to ash. By the time her body was nothing but a pile of soot under him, the tigers had completely severed her head, her mouth open on a silent scream, her eyes glazed over in accusation their last sight of her before her head also turned to ash, making doubly sure she was out of their lives for good.