But now that it was all over with he felt cleansed, lighter. No longer tied down with family obligations, secure in the knowledge that his grandparents were faring well and cared for, he could do whatever he wanted. He could travel the entire world like he’d always dreamed of. Or he could stay right here and live in peace and contentment.
He was in such a good mood that he felt invincible—cocky even. And Elsbeth was so happy at his lifted spirits she didn’t think there would be any cause to worry.
CHAPTER 6
“Are you sure you’ll be all right on your own?” Elsbeth asked, her eyes round as she watched Thomas, who was pulling on a coat as he prepared to go out.
“I’ll be fine.” He chuckled—she was like a mother hen. “You’ve taught me very well these past few weeks about how to behave. No animal out there is going to get me tonight.”
Elsbeth smiled. “You’re right. It’s silly of me to worry.” She crossed the room and leaned up on tiptoe to kiss him. She still couldn’t get over how good it felt to just be able to do that simple action every day. It was like coming home. “Still, I feel I should come with you.”
Thomas shook his head. “I want to try and see if I can catch something alone. It’s a test, of sorts.” He pulled away. “I’ll be home before you know it.”
Turning away, he stepped out into the cold night air, walking down the dirt path toward a nearby forest to hunt for game. He noticed a figure standing by the line of trees, and as he came closer realized it was Malachi, looking cool and comfortable in a warm woolen coat, his expression not at all malevolent like it had been the last few times. He seemed almost amicable, in fact.
“What do you want?” Thomas asked as he approached, his body taut and ready for a fight.
Malachi lifted a brow. “That’s no way to greet someone.”
“You’ll excuse me if I don’t mind my manners,” Thomas retorted. “You did try to kill me, after all.”
Malachi laughed. “Still holding a grudge over that one, are you? Well, you’ve nothing to fear from me. As you know, the Seethe Mistress has decreed that I am not allowed to kill you unless I wish to forfeit my life in the bargain.”
Thomas frowned. “If you’re not here to kill me, then what do you want?”
Malachi clapped a hand on his shoulder and began walking into the forest, drawing Thomas along with him. “I wanted to talk to you about Elsbeth.”
“What about her?” Thomas asked warily.
“Well, you see, I care about her very much.” Malachi kept his eyes on the trail. “She thinks my heart is made of stone, but I have long had feelings for her. It is very difficult to stomach the idea that after months of trying to woo her, you have won her heart so easily.”
“Did you really come out here to tell me that you are jealous?” Thomas asked incredulously. “I could have figured that out on my own.”
Something hot flashed in Malachi’s eyes, and Thomas couldn’t tell whether it was impatience or anger. “I simply want to know that by turning away I am leaving Elsbeth in the care of the right man. I know she has probably taught you to hunt, but should something happen will you be able to protect her?”
Thomas drew himself up. “I can handle myself.”
“Do you think so?” Malachi’s eyes gleamed red in the darkness. “You are a young fisherman. What do you know about fighting?”
“I’ve knocked a few heads together,” Thomas objected, but there was a note of uncertainty in his voice. What if he wasn’t qualified to protect Elsbeth?
Malachi laughed unpleasantly. “You are a whelp. You wouldn’t last a minute in a fight to the death.”
They entered a clearing then, and as Thomas stepped into the middle of it, he noticed several sets of yellow eyes glowing out of the darkness. A chill ran down his spine.
“What—” he turned to Malachi just in time to see the silver glint of a blade flash through the air right before biting into him. A fiery trail of pain exploded along the blade’s path—over his chest, his ribs, his abdomen. Blood gushed from the wound, staining both his and Malachi’s clothes and shoes.
“It seems I was right,” Malachi sneered, kicking Thomas in the abdomen, his foot pressing into the wound. Thomas cried out in agony as he crashed to the blood-spattered ground. “You barely lasted ten seconds against me.” A cacophony of growls and snarls rose into the air, and Thomas watched through a haze as a group of massive wolves stepped into the clearing, their long canines flashing wickedly in the moonlight. “I’m sure you’ll make these fellows a fine meal. Wolves hate vampires, and since you’re half I’m sure they’ll be more than delighted to feast on your entrails.”
Smiling widely, Malachi drew the shadows around him and disappeared. Thomas tried to struggle up into a sitting position, but the wolves rushed him, snarling, their fetid breath washing over him as they sank their teeth into every available surface they could find. His shrieks of pain rent the night air as fangs pierced through his flesh, splintering bone and sinew. He did his best to fight them off, but there were simply too many, and the blood loss was making him dizzy. He was barely able to keep them from tearing out his throat.
Is this really how it’s going to end? a voice in his mind asked dimly. Are you just going to die here and leave Elsbeth at the hands of that monster? Without ever having told her you love her?
“NO!” Thomas roared, a new burst of strength surging through him. Springing to his feet, he threw all the wolves off him at once. They flew through the air, and he heard their whimpers as their massive bodies collided with the trees, but they bounced back fairly quickly and charged him again, hatred glowing brightly in their yellow eyes.
It should have been impossible for Thomas to evade with the extent of his injuries, but as the first one lunged for his throat he evaded with a surprising amount of speed and energy. He felt a rush of power flow through him, and realized that his injuries were healing at an incredibly fast rate. The pain was rapidly fading, his strength and speed being returned to him with each passing second.
Another wolf lunged and this time he struck out with his arm, backhanding the wolf so that he went flying. The animal slammed into a tree with a loud crack of bone, and then lay limply on the ground. The other wolves howled at the loss of their comrade and continued to press the attack, but Thomas was relentless—he used his own fangs as well as his extraordinary strength to rip through flesh and break bones. Soon the snarls turned into whimpers, and the remaining few wolves tucked their tails between their legs and ran off.
Panting, Thomas knelt beside one of the dead wolves. The adrenaline and power rush was fast wearing off, and he had lost a fair amount of blood. He wanted to pass out in this clearing and rest for a long while, but that wasn’t possible. Neither he nor Elsbeth would be safe until Malachi was finished.
So he forced himself alert, and sank his fangs into the dead wolf’s neck. The blood was still warm from the recent kill, and though it wouldn’t be as nourishing as live blood it would still do. Sated, he wiped his bloody mouth with the back of his hand and went to find Malachi.
It was time to end this.
CHAPTER 7
Elsbeth paced back and forth in the hall, her anxiety mounting like a tidal wave, ready to crash on top of her at any moment and render her senseless. She knew there was no reason to worry. Thomas hadn’t been gone that long—maybe an hour, perhaps less. He was strong and smart and knew how to take care of himself. He might have been her lover, but he was right that she couldn’t continue to baby him. He needed to go out on his own, learn how to survive on his own merits.
If she spent one more moment pacing inside this house, she was going to scream.
“Oh, who am I kidding?” she cried aloud, throwing her hands in the air. Her instincts were screaming that something was wrong, and they were almost always right. She wasn’t acting like a misguided mother hen. She wasn’t.
Whirling around, she wrenched open the front door to see Malachi standing right outside, his hand rais
ed as though he were about to knock. He blinked, seemingly as startled as she, and then rearranged his features into a sober expression.
“What are you doing here?” Elsbeth snapped. “You know you are not welcome at my doorstep.”
Malachi sighed heavily, his eyes downcast. “I’m afraid I have some unfortunate news for you. I found Thomas’s body in the woods.”
“What?” Her throat closed up, and she felt as though she’d been punched in the gut.
“It seems that the wolves were out hunting tonight,” Malachi’s eyes were round, full of sympathy, but Elsbeth caught a flash of glee in them he wasn’t able to smother. “I suppose you hadn’t warned him about them?”
“You bastard!” She slapped him. “You lead him right to them, didn’t you?”
“If he was stupid enough to be lead, that’s his own fault.” Malachi stepped forward, trying to crowd Elsbeth into the house, but she stood her ground, even though it meant she had to endure the presence of his body, only millimeters away from her flesh. “He might have some of my blood flowing through him, but he’s still mostly human, Elsbeth. He’ll never be able to take care of you.”
Elsbeth pushed at his chest, trying to create some distance, but it was like trying to budge a mountain. “Get away from me, you monster! I would never give my heart to someone like you!”
Malachi grabbed her by the arms and pulled her against him. “I’ll make do with your body for now, Elsbeth,” he whispered against her ear. “The rest of you will come over to my side in time, once the sickness that human passed onto you has been purged.”
Elsbeth tried to struggle, but Malachi’s grip was too strong. “Our Mistress will punish you for this!”
Malachi laughed. “How could she? I didn’t actually kill him, darling. I’ve broken none of our laws.”
“Let her go, you bastard!”
“No,” Malachi whispered, his eyes going blank. “Not possible.” He whirled around, moving out of Elsbeth’s line of sight, and her heart swelled as she saw Thomas closing the distance at a rapid pace. His clothes were torn, and his face and body were covered in blood, but he was alive! She wanted to rush over, to gather him up in her arms and kiss him all over, but his eyes were full of murder and all for Malachi.
Thomas stopped a foot away, his eyes burning with hatred, his bloody fangs bared. He looked like a wild man, or perhaps a demon, and a tremor of real fear shot down Elsbeth’s spine. “Twice you’ve tried to kill me now, Malachi. I’m not going to give you a third try.”
Before Malachi could respond, Thomas flashed in front of him, grabbing for his throat. Malachi barely evaded, then countered with a side kick that caught Thomas in the ribs, who barely groaned as he was knocked sideways. He flipped back up right away, then caught Malachi by surprise by kicking his feet out from underneath him.
Elsbeth watched as they kicked, punched and grappled, moving almost faster than the eye could see. She couldn’t believe her eyes. Thomas was holding his own with Malachi… no, he had the upper hand! Thomas’s fists were connecting far more than Malachi’s, who was being pushed back. She had no idea that Thomas was this strong. Her Mistress had severely misjudged him. Any vampire who could fight off an entire pack of wolves was worth his weight in gold.
Finally, Malachi stumbled to the ground and Thomas pinned him there, squeezing his throat. “No more games,” he said hoarsely. “Now, you die.”
As Elsbeth watched Malachi’s face turn purple, a terrible coldness stole through her body. “No!” she cried, running forward. “Please, Thomas, don’t kill him!”
Thomas didn’t look up. “And why shouldn’t I kill him? He will only come after me again.”
“Please…” Malachi managed, his lips a deathly blue, eyes bulging as his arms weakly flailed.
“If you kill him you’ll be no better than he is!” Elsbeth pleaded. “I know he’s rotten to the core, but the Seethe Mistress is the only one who has the right to determine his punishment. Please, don’t become a monster like him!”
Thomas turned slowly to face her. “Do you think me a monster, Elsbeth?”
Eyes round, she shook her head. He did look monstrous, with those wild eyes and blood caked skin and hair, but he was her Thomas. Her gentle fisherman. “I love you. Even if you kill him I will still love you. But I beg of you, don’t go down that path.”
Thomas released his grip a fraction so that Malachi could get some air down his windpipe, and the vampire sagged in relief. “I will let him go if you agree to leave with me?”
“Leave?”
“To start a new life together. Let’s get away from this place, Elsbeth.” The red faded from Thomas’s eyes, to be replaced with a desperate intensity. “You must understand what it’s like to live so close to home and yet never be able to go back to it. I want to leave, but I don’t want to leave you. I love you.”
“Of course.” She smiled, almost weak-kneed with relief. Thomas wasn’t going to kill Malachi, and he’d just declared his love to her. “Whatever you wish.”
“Good.” He smiled back, and then his eyes hardened. “Get me some rope, please”
* * *
“Are you ready to go?”
Elsbeth sighed and turned to Thomas. A half-smile played on his lips that tugged at her heart, and she almost hated herself for what she was about to say because she knew it would dim the hopeful look in his eyes. He was standing in the middle of the hall, a brimming sack of clothing and supplies hanging over his shoulder, dressed in the woods gear she had bought for him. He was clearly anxious to get on the road.
“I am if you are, but if we are going to embark on this you should know that there will be consequences.”
Thomas frowned. “What do you mean?”
Elsbeth hesitated. “Well, there are a few things, one of which is that Mistress Amelia is unlikely to give me permission to leave with you.”
“Why the hell not?” Thomas set his bag down. “You’re a grown woman, aren’t you? You shouldn’t have to stay somewhere against your will.”
Elsbeth shook her head. “It’s not that I couldn’t leave, it’s that by doing so I will no longer be under her protection. Furthermore, any Seethe member who leaves without her approval is automatically considered an enemy, and since my reason for leaving is to be with you, I don’t see her granting approval.”
Thomas propped his hands on his hips. “And what is the matter with you wanting to leave to be with me?” He stepped forward and gripped Elsbeth’s hand. “Come. Let’s go and see her. Surely if we talk to her we can make her see reason, and give you permission to leave with me.”
He tugged on her wrist, but Elsbeth didn’t budge. “It’s not that simple, Thomas.”
He threw up his hands. “Why not?”
Elsbeth’s dark eyes searched his face. “Do you recall the wolves you killed back in the forest?” Thomas nodded warily, and she continued. “They were members of the Lyrian Werewolf Clan, and they used to be sworn enemies to our Seethe. The feud lasted for centuries, and grew increasingly bloody until shortly after Mistress Amelia came to power. The Alpha and our Mistress sat down and forged a treaty between them, and signed it in blood. The wolves offered us their numbers for protection of our territory, in exchange for never going against them or their ways—no matter how merciless their killings or cruel their methods for protecting their territory.”
“Why would your Seethe Mistress agree to a peace treaty with such a vicious clan when she is so adamant about the protection of innocents?” Thomas demanded after a moment. He was shocked. In the legends vampires and werewolves had always been enemies, so the very idea of a clan of werewolves striking a peace treaty with a vampire seethe was mind-boggling.
Elsbeth’s eyes dropped to the ground, her dark eyes fixating on a whorl in the wooden floorboards as she searched for the words to explain, but it was difficult. The history behind this treaty was so murky and convoluted that even she had a hard time comprehending it.
“Mistress Amelia was
once in love with Khan, the Alpha of the Lyrian Clan,” she began softly. “They fell in love when she was a human, still innocent and in her first blush of womanhood. According to rumor, Khan imprinted her in order to keep her safe, so that he could protect and serve her, to stay by her side. But one day she was attacked by a vampire, and turned. She left him shortly afterward, refusing to start another war between the clans simply for the sake of their love.”
She raised her eyes then, searching Thomas’s face for comprehension, but his furrowed brow told her that he was only more confused. “Does this not make any sense to you?”
He ran his fingers through his hair. “Are you saying that because of her love for Khan, she allows his clan to kill indiscriminately? Regardless of the innocence of the victim?”
Elsbeth shook her head in frustration. She wished it wasn’t so hard for her to explain this. “The Lyrian Clan doesn’t kill innocents, Thomas. Not unless they are forced.”
“But they tried to kill me!” he spat, his eyes sparking furiously. “How can you say they do not kill innocents, when they would have killed me without a thought of remorse had I not fought back?”
Elsbeth sucked in a breath and firmed her trembling lips. “Malachi’s plan of attack was very well thought out. He led you to their hunting grounds and left you there, knowing they would not recognize your scent. When a vampire joins a Seethe, they are required to do a blood exchange with the Seethe leader in order to create a bond, and by doing so each member has a marker in their scent that identifies them as a member of Mistress Amelia’s Seethe. So when they found you, all they knew was that you were not a member… and that you were a half breed, whom they do not consider innocents.”
Elsbeth swallowed at the flash of hurt in Thomas’s eyes and reached out to touch his cheek, but he stepped back and turned away from her. “Half breed.” He spat the words out like a poisoned man might spit out his wine. “You know better than anyone else that I did not choose such a fate for myself. Regardless of what I have become, I have harmed no one. Why am I not considered innocent?”
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