Blood of the Sun

by Mara Lee

  Of course Hermes had protested, but it had all been for naught. No God would listen to him, not even his own father. All were too busy enjoying the twisted plot development. Hermes’ predicament was just another minor amusement for the lot of them.

  And so he was stuck. And it was worse than Tartarus—serving the ill tempered, certainly sadistic, Amalthea.

  “Are you listening to me?” Amalthea raged. She came to stand but an inch away from the tense Hermes. Her eyes sparked bitter, blue fire. “I send you to earth to learn more of my sister’s plans, and you return with nothing! I know you are but a worthless messenger … but even you are a God … that should count for something.”

  Hermes did not interrupt Amalthea’s rant. Losing his temper would accomplish nothing. In fact, it would stand as weakness in the angry Goddess’ eyes. And he certainly would incur her wrath and later have to deal with her punishment. And so he remained still and silent.

  Amalthea spun around on her heel and sank with a scowl back onto her throne. She tossed back her hair and suddenly, she pouted prettily at Hermes, crooking her finger at him.

  He clenched his hands into tight fists, but moved until he stood before her.

  She raised an eyebrow, and smiled triumphantly when Hermes knelt in front of her.

  She reached over and caressed his smooth, unblemished cheek. “I will not have her ruin everything. Do you understand? I have worked too long to set this board up. This game is mine, mine, do you hear me?”

  Hermes nodded curtly.

  Amalthea pressed her cold lips to his forehead. “I know you understand me, Hermes. I know that we are like spirits, you and I. That is why you were gifted to me. That is why I hold your allegiance.”

  Hermes felt the sting, as his nails dug into his palms. Was she truly so blind? Or perhaps she was just as self-absorbed as her psychotic parents. Well, let her think that she held him in the palm of her hand. It was better for him this way. Better for all of them.

  Chapter Four

  Ditheous paced like a caged panther across his floor. He had been seething all night. There was still no word of Rochelle. And as time ticked by, the hole in his cold, dead heart grew larger.

  Ditheous stopped his pacing abruptly, and rubbed his eyes wearily. He had thought that his plan for unification would help to breach the gap that seemed to grow ever larger between not only the vampire packs, but the wolf packs as well. He had hoped to stop the war that he had sensed was coming for some time now.

  Many knew Ditheous only as the hardened, embittered pack master of Pack Triex. They knew him as a fearless warrior, a cruel and punishing leader. They spoke of him in hushed tones and revered him more from fear than anything else.

  He had worked hard toward changing the image so many held of him. Going so far as to relax the laws in his domain, but even this act of generosity was looked upon with distrust. Only his close throng of loyal subjects knew him for what he was, a tired general in search of some peace, a dark prince who often wished to relinquish his throne. The burdens grew heavier with each passing century, the anger and resentment in the preternatural community worsened, and Ditheous … Ditheous was tired of the hatred, tired of the bloodshed, tired of it all.

  What was he to do with the weight of the world upon him?

  *

  Aega watched Ditheous with thoughtful eyes. The pack master of Triex looked different this eve. Gone was the careless, bored expression he had worn in the face of his enemies. In its place was something akin to … anguish?

  He looked so frightfully alone. He looked … well he looked almost human in his sadness.

  She shook her head to clear it of such silly thoughts. Ditheous was a Vampyre. He was cursed. He had never been human. He would never be human. And she, she had no right to think such foolish thoughts of one of the damned.

  She had a job to do, nothing more, nothing less. And she would do it.

  “And then … then I shall be returned.” Aega felt the unbearable lightness in her soul and could not help but smile into the dark night. She would be returned, and no one, no one, would cast her out again.

  * * * *

  “Ditheous!” Joseph rushed into his master’s room. His hair was tousled and the right side of his cheek was slashed open. “I have heard news of Rochelle.”

  Ditheous’ eyes widened but a fraction. His stance remained firm. “Tell me.”“I was out with Briton tonight. We were at Club Trance trying to score…” Joseph’s voice dropped off and Ditheous waved his hand imperiously. “For the love of the dark lord, and his minions, go on. I care little what you or Briton were up to.”

  “Uh, well … we had engaged some really hot chicks, and were about to leave with them when we were set upon by a group of Loopine.”

  Ditheous’ eyes narrowed. “Yes?” He all but growled out.

  “They claimed prior rights to the girls … said they had been stalking them the entire evening and weren’t about to let two corpses have their prey.” Joseph grinned. “I told them just where to stick it.”

  Ditheous almost smiled—almost. He could just hear Joseph telling the Loopine off. His Second could be foolish, dotty even, but he was also fearless and most usually, irreverent. It served him well, both in his duties to Ditheous, and in his life after life.

  “I take it the Loopine did not take kindly to being spoken to thusly?” Ditheous asked blandly.

  “No … they jumped us.” Before Ditheous could speak, Joseph rushed on. “And before you reprimand me for starting a fight in a crowded club, let me just say that engaging them was not my idea, nor was it Briton’s idea. They charged us. It was as if they were just looking for a reason to start something with us.”

  “They usually are,” Ditheous sighed, “looking for a reason.”

  Joseph shrugged. “We had them good. They were just pups. But … uh, the leader of the bunch sort of distracted me when he began to speak of Rochelle.”

  Ditheous’ face went even paler—an amazing feat, even for him. “And what did the good wolf have to say of our Rochelle?”

  Joseph swallowed. He dropped his eyes, staring now at the floor. “He taunted us with her … with her … state. Claimed that she was near true death, and that the only reason she was still alive was because she was a good … a good…” Joseph couldn’t finish.

  The pulse in Ditheous’ cheek leapt.

  Joseph touched his cheek. “I was caught off guard. The bastard wolf got a claw in.”

  Ditheous nodded. “Who were the pups? Did you recognize any of them?”

  Joseph shook his head. “No. But like I said, they were young, strong, but young. The fight would have gone on longer if … well … the Kitar had not arrived.”

  “Andre arrived?” Ditheous was inwardly seething. What was the leader of the reigning wolf pack up to?

  Joseph nodded. “He came striding through the door, all bad-ass, and the pups fled before he had a chance to say a word. I noticed that he sent a couple of his men after them. I don’t know if they caught up to them.”

  “Did you speak to the Kitar?”

  “Just for a moment. He, uh, well he didn’t seem overly friendly.” Joseph ventured a look back up at his master’s face. He was relieved to find that Ditheous’ eyes weren’t spitting black shards of ice out at him. They were still a nice, fairly normal, bluish silver. That meant he was holding his temper—barely—but holding his temper. “He wanted to know what had happened. I told him quickly. I omitted the part about Rochelle. I felt that that was information I should first tell you.”

  Ditheous wore a fierce scowl. But he nodded slowly. “You did well, Seph. Is Briton all right?”

  “Yeah, just a bruise here and there.” Joseph laughed. “But in an hour he’ll have his ugly mug back to normal again.”

  Ditheous knew that if Briton was healing that quickly, the wounds inflicted upon his person couldn’t have been too great.

  “It seems,” he spoke quietly, “that I must return to Andre’s.”

 
“I’ll come with you.”

  Ditheous inclined his head. “If you’d like.”

  Joseph’s mouth dropped open in shock. His pack master was allowing him to accompany him, and to a meeting with the Kitar no less?

  Ditheous was a stickler for protocol, and rarely allowed underlings to accompany him to meetings. Oh, he might call for back-up, and he certainly had his entourage, but meetings, big meetings, were usually off limits.

  “If Andre has questions, who better to answer them than the person present?” Ditheous said, answering Joseph’s unspoken question.

  Joseph bowed. “I am honored that you would allow me…”

  Ditheous sighed. “Oh, do get up. You look ridiculous posturing yourself like that.”

  Joseph laughed and straightened. “I wasn’t posturing, just working out a crick in my back.”

  Ditheous’ eyes widened right before he burst out laughing. There was no question as to why he kept Joseph in his company, no question at all.

  * * * *

  “I know why you are here, and before you ask, no … I had nothing to do with the attack on your Second.” Andre didn’t even bother to look up as Ditheous and Joseph strode through the door.

  “I know you didn’t, Andre.” Ditheous smiled. It was not a friendly smile. “You wouldn’t be that stupid. But … there is little that goes on in the Loopine community that you do not know. So, who are the renegade pups, and who had the audacity to sic them on my men?”

  Andre sighed. “I don’t want my people involved in this mess, D.”

  Ditheous snorted. “News flash, Andre—your people are already involved. Now, the question is how will their involvement play out? And am I going to have to kill any of them?”

  Andre shot to his feet. “If you lay a hand on…”

  “You’ll what?” Ditheous interrupted. “My Lieutenant has been kidnapped, my men, attacked. And you claim no knowledge of what is going on. That, friend, is an answer I can no longer accept. These pups taunted my Second with Rochelle’s condition. They, if not you, have knowledge of her whereabouts. Unless you wish to engage me here and now, you will tell me everything you know.”

  Andre narrowed his eyes. “I do not like threats, D.”

  “And I,” Ditheous’ nostrils flared and he matched Andre’s glare, “do not like being lied to.”

  Andre blinked first. “I have too much on my plate right now, D. I cannot add your shit to the menu.”

  “I believe that your problems coincide with mine, Andre. If we are to truly get to the bottom of this, then we must share what we know with one another. It benefits no one to remain tight-lipped.”

  Andre seemed to mull this over, until finally he nodded, curtly. He motioned for Ditheous and Joseph to sit.

  “Your unification plan is vastly unpopular, D,” he began.

  Ditheous’ smile was tight. “Well, I guess we’ll just jump right into it.”

  Andre’s lips curved up and he inclined his head. “I have, up until now, stood distant from you and your plans. I have, however, tried to give you as much support as I can, without of course … acknowledging you, or that support.”

  Ditheous clenched his teeth. He hated to admit it, but everything Andre said was true. Andre was the most helpful Kitar in recent memory, not that that said much. But the Loopine and the Vampyre had always warred in some manner. And most Kitars would rather die upon their sword than to offer up any information to the pack master of a Vampyre clan. The fact that Andre spoke to him at all was testimony to his truly gracious and good nature.

  “I have been dealing with my own little uprising. Did you know that?”

  Ditheous shook his head. He was rather ashamed to admit that he didn’t.

  “There is a rogue Loopine pack moving in on me. Their leader has all but declared his intention of fighting me for the position of Kitar.”

  “Is he mad? You are Kitar. There can be no other,” Ditheous spat out.

  Andre laughed hollowly. “I thank you for the vote of confidence. Would that all my people believe as you do.”

  Ditheous sighed. He understood Andre’s predicament all too well. Was he, himself, not going through a similar situation at this very moment? It seemed that the wolf and the fanged creature of the night were not so different from one another.

  “I believe the pups who attacked your Second,” Andre looked over at Joseph, who was sitting uncommonly silent next to Ditheous, “belong to Xavier. He is the leader, and I use that term loosely, of the rogue pack that is moving in on my territory. Xavier is quite unscrupulous, Ditheous. He has no qualms with these blitz attacks, if you will. He strikes quickly and randomly. I believe he is trying to wear me down.” Andre narrowed his eyes. “Sadly for him, he will find that I am not so easily crushed.”

  “Did you know that Xavier kidnapped Rochelle?” Ditheous’ face was completely bland as he asked the question, but the tone of his voice was quietly menacing.

  Andre shook his head. “Not until quite recently. And it was all heresy, it still is. There have been rumors circulating … some of them are about your Lieutenant. They say she is quite nearly … “ Andre cleared his throat, “broken.”

  Ditheous clenched his hands into tight fists. “Why attack Joseph and Briton tonight? What would provoking a fight with them in a crowded bar prove?”

  “I truly don’t know. But I’ll tell you this. Xavier has been stepping up the ante. He is attacking more frequently, and he is not picky about his prey. I believe his intent is to throw this entire city into disorder. Cause so much havoc as to keep our hands full, keep us tied up while he works out his plan.”

  “His plan being complete domination,” Ditheous said dryly.

  “As clichéd as that sounds, yes.” Andre sat back.

  “But they fled the moment you arrived.” This from Joseph, who up until this point had remained silent, content to watch the two great leaders of the two main packs work things out.

  “They would not dare to engage me without Xavier. For Xavier to truly be able to take over the position of Kitar he must…”

  “Formally challenge you and triumph in naked combat,” Ditheous finished dryly.

  Andre nodded. “Yes. These little games he plays are merely an annoyance. He is, as I said before, trying to wear me down.”

  “And his kidnapping of Rochelle?” Ditheous asked quietly.

  “Could be for a higher purpose,” Andre shrugged, “or just because he truly detests the Vampyre.”

  Ditheous’ jaw worked back and forth a couple of times before he spoke. “As charming as both those reasons sound, I believe there is method behind the madness. I believe your dear rogue Loopine has teamed up with someone … something.” Ditheous spoke through gritted teeth. “I was attacked by a demon … a demon with the single-minded intention of destroying me.”

  “It came for you, specifically?” Andre looked appalled.

  “It was summoned to destroy me, yes.” Ditheous laughed shortly. “I know that I’m hated, of course I didn’t know I warranted a demon summoning.”

  “Not a laughing matter,” Andre muttered.

  Ditheous leaned forward, eyes narrowed, jaw tight. “Yes, I realize that … I also realize that there is something brewing much stronger than either one of us anticipated.”

  Andre shook his head. “Xavier wouldn’t have summoned the demon. Even he wouldn’t be that stupid, or that suicidal.”

  “Are you certain of that fact, Andre?” Ditheous asked.

  Andre sighed. “Fuck. I’m not certain of anything anymore, D. Damn, has it always been this complicated?”

  “What?”

  “Rulership?” Andre asked with a short laugh.

  Ditheous’ lips quirked up in a smile. “You know what they say; anything worth having…”

  “Yeah, yeah … so … where do we go from here?” Andre folded his fingers together.

  “If there is even a chance that Rochelle still lives…” Ditheous broke off.

  Andre’s gaze softe
ned. “You know the chance that she is still alive is … slim.”

  “I do. But she is mine.” Ditheous’ face was now hard as granite. “And no one harms me or mine—and lives.”

  Andre nodded slowly. He understood, he understood all too well. And he respected Ditheous.

  “So … we go hunting,” Andre said softly.

  Ditheous’ eyes gleamed. He licked his lips. “Yes. We go hunting.”

  Chapter Five

  Aega watched the meeting intently, but kept a safe distance. The more she learned of Ditheous … the more intrigued she became. He was apparently fearless; walking into the den of his enemy and demanding respect. More surprising still—he received his respect.

  “Why do you move me so, Ditheous?” Aega whispered.

  She watched as Ditheous, his Second, and the leader of the Loopine made their way to the Loopine’s massive back yard. She watched as the handsome leader of the Loopine shifted into wolf form.

  How remarkable. She had never seen an actual shift.

  The Loopine’s body morphed slowly. The transformation began with his face. The muscles in his face stretched and pulled like elastic to accommodate the newly growing animal bones housed beneath his flesh. He dropped to his knees and his body followed the pattern of his face, stretching skin, popping muscles, and growing bones. In the end, he rested quietly on the grass … his form that of a giant black wolf.

  Beautiful, the transformation had been beautiful.

  She wove the strands of her invisibility spell tighter and followed the motley crew.

  And what mischief would they be up to now?

  * * * *

  “The scent grows stronger at this point.” Andre said. He was still in wolf form and his voice came through low and hoarse.

  Ditheous frowned. “This driveway leads to the Roosevelt Mansion. No one, not even your rogue Loopine, would be as foolish as to leave Rochelle here. It is much too…” Ditheous’ frown deepened, “open.”

  “I’m telling you, my nose does not lie. The scent off of the clothes you gave me … leads us here.”

  Ditheous nodded. “Fine … we shall see.”

  Ditheous, Andre and Joseph made their way up the long driveway. When they reached the door of the massive mansion they stopped.