Blood Secret

by L. J. Langdon

  Blood Secret

  A Soul Guardians Novella

  L J Langdon

  L.J. Langdon

  Blood Secret

  By L.J. Langdon

  Copyright © 2020 L.J. Langdon.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. This work contains adult content and may not be suitable for audiences under 18 years of age.

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  Thank you for supporting writers by buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations for use in critical reviews.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Afterword

  Acknowledgments

  This book is for my husband, for putting up with my special brand of crazy.

  * * *

  An important and deep gratitude goes to Elsa Holland, Josie Baker, Sara Hartland, Ree Thornton, and Dana Mitchel. I feel so blessed to have you in my life. Thank you, I would have achieved nothing without your unwavering support and encouragement. You ladies are my rock.

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  And thanks to my family and friends (you know who you are) for believing in me and encouraging me to pursue my dreams.

  Chapter 1

  Kristof

  * * *

  The hairs on the back of my neck raised as the faint scent of sulfur drifted along the breeze. I pushed away from the shadows of an old sandstone wall and lifted my head to draw the scent deeper into my lungs. The familiar smell bit at the back of my sinuses like a rabid wasp and my lips drew up into a smile.

  Blood Demon.

  Patience was about to be rewarded.

  I took off in the direction of the scent. The transformation into my wolf self was like water flowing down a forest stream. One second I was man, then next, wolf. The world snapped into clarity as the night vision of my wolf took over. I scanned the laneway. The moonlight kissed the aged stone buildings, illuminating them in an ethereal glow that emphasized the deep shadows below. The night aromas took on a sharper edge. Piss and rubbish from the alley filled my nostrils, but under it all was the subtle scent of my prey, and my canine nose pinpointed the direction I needed to go.

  Adrenaline heated my veins.

  The hunt was on.

  As a twenty-two-year-old Soul Guardian, I was created for this, for hunting down and killing Blood Demons. And I’d always loved my duty, but ever since my best friend Ferdie’s death, it was all I lived for.

  I raced through the streets of Salzburg’s Old Town, anticipation snapping at my heels and spurring me on.

  As I streaked past crowds and weaved my way through laneways, the cool evening air caressed my fur like a welcome lover. The humans who saw me in wolf form saw a big dog. It was like the angelic magic that created me offered a small amount of protection, and it caused their human brains to misfire … or something. I don’t know. I never really contemplated the how. Though I did have moments when my ego had me wondering how anyone could mistake me for a mere dog.

  Not that it mattered what humans thought. Since Ferdie’s death, I always hunted as my wolf self. Always. We could kill in both forms, but the wolf allowed me to immerse myself in my canine instincts and focus on the hunt instead of the grief and anger consuming me.

  Blood Demons had broken into our home and killed Ferdie while he was protecting my brother Aric. Worse, they’d stolen a medallion that gave them more power than any Blood Demon had ever had before. Powers we’d never seen.

  I had to get the medallion back to protect the balance of free will. It was all I could think about.

  I skidded to a stop at the corner of an old stone building. The stench of sulfur hit my nose so hard my eyes watered. The Blood Demon was around the corner. Any second it should appear. I just had to wait.

  My mouth watered at the thought of sinking my teeth into its flesh and tearing its throat out; my paws, standing in its dust, was the only acceptable end for this hunt.

  I licked my lips and waited.

  It didn’t appear.

  I tilted my head to the side, curious. That didn’t make sense.

  From the speed it was traveling, I could tell it was in a rush, and now it stopped?

  It shouldn’t have detected me. And even if it had, it would have at least retreated or attacked. Not just stopped.

  Stalking forward, I hunkered down low and peered around the corner.

  There was no Blood Demon.

  Instead, at the other end of the lane was the curvaceous backside of a tiny blonde woman. Bent over, she was shoving books and other bits and pieces into what looked like a backpack. She muttered to herself, using words I’m sure no mother would approve.

  The stench of sulfur came from her.

  The coat hairs on my back lifted and my ears flattened against my skull. I closed my eyes and drew in her scent. My nose said, Blood Demon.

  I opened my eyes.

  Still a woman.

  This wasn’t possible.

  She stood and pulled at the belt of her heavy coat. The belt defined her small waist and the feminine curves that lay beneath. She was heading my way in a hurry.

  I shifted my weight back onto my hind legs, fully intending to take her down, but as I launched myself around the corner, my wolf retreated inside me without warning, and my human self stumbled into her.

  I reached out to stop us from falling. My fingers bit into her delicate shoulders, and I used the momentum of our collision to turn us around so I could lean in and scan her with my magic. A golden hum vibrated back at me through my power. She had a soul, but she smelled like a Blood Demon. I staggered back as I tried to process everything I’d sensed.

  The momentum of our dance caused her bag to go flying. The contents once again spread out over the cobblestones.

  “What the bloody hell?” More profanities followed as she bent to gather her belongings. Her swearing didn’t fit with her posh little English accent.

  I rubbed the whiskers on my chin as my mind raced for an explanation.

  “What are you looking at?” Her voice was a little shrill when she addressed me.

  Her angry gaze hit me deep within my soul, and my wolf whined, confused by her anger toward us.

  I couldn’t answer. I couldn’t attack. My wolf refused to hunt, and I was left stranded, standing there, muted by confusion.

  She shook her head and resumed the task of collecting her belongings, her movements jerky. She was pretty worked up.

  My gaze wandered over her delicate hands as she grabbed for her belongings. Her blonde hair was cut short at the back, exposing her slender white neck. The pixie cut suited her delicate, curvy features.

  She damn well didn’t look like a Blood Demon.

  Blood Demons had three forms. Two they used to hunt at night—the first nothing more than a black shadow lurking in reflections and hiding in darkened corners, and the other more substantial, so they could perform a blood exchange. During the day, they took on
a human-like appearance. Still, real humans naturally averted their gaze away from a Blood Demon, feeling uncomfortable. They saw a homeless drunk or drug addict sitting in the recesses of the streets.

  “You could at least help me,” she railed.

  “I could …” I paused, my wolf unable to resist baiting her. “If you asked me nicely.”

  “What?” She sat back on her heels to look at me. “You caused this.” She indicated the mess of belongings surrounding her.

  My wolf refused to allow me to hunt but obviously had no problem baiting her. It was like he wanted to play. She was just so feisty.

  “I believe you walked into me, not the other way around,” I responded in a deadpan tone.

  “You came from nowhere!”

  “Hmm, perhaps you’re right.” I pretended to consider the matter for a moment, then squatted down beside her to help collect her many pens. She had a lot of pens. How many pens does one human need?

  Blood Demons didn’t use pens.

  I breathed her in, but the sulfur was replaced with a soft floral scent that reminded me of a fresh spring field. My wolf wanted to roll in it.

  Was Zur Hölle? My wolf had never gone against me before.

  What was she? Was she a new type of Blood Demon? One with a different medallion? Was this a magic that broke down a Soul Guardian’s natural defenses against a Blood Demon’s powers? I shook my head and tried to break away from the spell she’d cast over me. If my wolf wouldn’t hunt, then I needed to change tactics.

  “So, what’s got you in such a hurry?” I kept my tone casual and gave her my most charming smile, the one that all women, and even a few men, couldn’t resist.

  She gaped at me, then shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t have time for chit chat.”

  She finished collecting her belongings and started to leave.

  “Wait.” I stood and grasped her arm. A shock of longing went through me.

  This had to be magic. Dark magic.

  I dropped her arm and stepped back.

  What caused her to smell like a Blood Demon one moment and then appear completely human the next? If Soul Guardians were ever going to restore the balance of free will, I had to ensure she wasn’t connected to the creation of the medallions, or worse, that she wasn’t a new type of Blood Demon.

  I stepped in her way.

  “Look, I’m sorry. I think I made a bad first impression. Can I help you …?”

  “I don’t need your help,” she snapped at me.

  My ‘charming smile’ hadn’t worked, so I gave her my ‘cute sad puppy’ look, a look that was surprisingly more effective in human form than when I was wolf.

  “Look, pretty boy. I don’t have time for this. Move. I’m already late, and if I am any later, my father is going to have a fit.”

  I didn’t get a chance to respond. She shoved me out of the way and dashed around the corner, the scent of Blood Demon trailing along behind her, growing stronger with each step she took away from me.

  I had to follow her, but this time the hunt would be in human form.

  My wolf still refused to transform.

  Chapter 2

  Kristof

  * * *

  For the first time since Ferdie’s death, I couldn’t focus on the hunt. My mind was a turmoil of confusion and discord. I tugged at the tattered threads of my angelic magic in another vain effort to bring out my wolf, but instead of answering my call to hunt, he remained hidden within.

  New Blood Demon magic had to be at work.

  I couldn’t lose this lead, but the effect the woman’s unknown power had on me made hunting more dangerous, so I followed along behind at a discreet distance.

  After crossing over to New Town, she stopped at the wooden doors of an upper-class townhouse overlooking the river. My phone vibrated. I rejected the call without looking at the screen and stepped back into a shadowed corner and watched as the doors closed behind her. I’d wait for her all night if I had to.

  The annoying buzz of the phone started up again. This time, I looked at the screen. It was Aric. With our twin bond, there was no way Aric hadn’t felt my confusion. And with the way he’d been fussing over me recently, I knew he wouldn’t stop calling until I answered. I pushed the accept button as I raised the phone to my ear. I didn’t say anything.

  “Where are you, Kristof?”

  As I drew in a deep breath to prepare myself for the upcoming lecture, I absently noted that the sulfuric trail left by the woman had disappeared like morning mist.

  “Kristof?”

  I stared at the house the woman had disappeared into. With no clue as to what she was, I had to wait her out. No Blood Demon could affect a Soul Guardian’s wolf, yet she had. She wasn’t a Blood Demon, but what if her ability came from the medallion, and that’s why she smelt like sulfur?

  “I can hear you breathing. Are you hunting alone again?”

  I sighed. “It’s my night off, Aric. How I spend my personal time is my business.”

  Personal alone time wasn’t really a concept in Soul Guardian society. It went against both our wolf nature and the fact that the pack was psychically connected, but the excuse was worth a try.

  “Gresham gave you a direct order to not hunt alone. You are supposed to hunt with a partner. Hamish is your partner. And he’s here looking for you.”

  “Hamish is a two-hundred-year-old fossil. I don’t like hunting with him.”

  Well, that didn’t sound childish … much. But it wasn’t like I could tell Aric the truth—that I couldn’t bear to hunt with anyone who wasn’t Ferdie.

  Ferdie’s childlike smile flashed in my mind. He was strong and deadly in a fight, but despite the horrors we’d witnessed, life had never tainted the pure innocence that was Ferdie. The familiar ache of loss lanced through me, causing my wolf to slide restlessly under my skin. My throat grew thick with an urge to throw back my head and howl. This … hurt. I would never allow myself to care for someone so deeply again.

  Ferdie and I bonded at a young age when we’d both lost our parents on that same dreadful night. I wouldn’t have gotten through it without him. He’d not only been my best friend, he’d been my hunting partner my whole life. Ferdie and I were so in sync when we hunted, so familiar with each other’s moves that it went beyond a psychic pack connection. If I were honest with myself, I doubted any partner Gresham allocated would be good enough. None of them were Ferdie.

  Although Aric and I shared a twin bond, our relationship was strained since Gresham had arrived and taken control as Alpha. Aric was supposed to be Alpha. Merging our packs was something we still argued about.

  “I know you miss Ferdie, we all miss him, but this furious need for vengeance has to stop. It’s too dangerous to be hunting alone. I can feel your pain and confusion. You know it isn’t right. Please, come home.”

  I couldn’t come home. Not yet. So instead of responding, I hung up and turned my phone off.

  This is why Aric would have made a perfect leader; he was so tuned in to his pack mates. It was also why I’d been avoiding him; he was too in tune. I didn’t want him to evaluate my emotions and try to fix me. I needed to keep myself separate from Aric, keep him at a distance. It was better that we stay estranged. I didn’t even want to talk about Ferdie and the loss I fought to ignore. I didn’t want to feel anything. I just wanted to get that medallion back.

  Chapter 3

  Emma

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  I placed my backpack on the entry table and closed my eyes as I leaned against the heavy timber doors. Inside the townhouse offered no escape. The voices whispered through the doors and tugged at my mind, bidding for my attention. Like fingers digging into soft soil, they pried and dug, trying to gain purchase so they could burrow deeper into my skull and steal my sanity. And the only moment of solitude in my whole damn day had been in the unexpected company of a powerful stranger.

  Images of a lean muscled body stalking toward me with fluid movements played behind my eyelids. The c
loser he’d gotten, the less the voices in my head had assaulted me. Like an oasis appearing in the desert, his blue eyes had called to me. Darker than sapphires, they were made all the more striking by a frame of thick black lashes. And his smile. When one side of his mouth kicked up and his dimple had made an appearance, it had transformed him into a deadly weapon.

  He had power.

  I needed to avoid powerful men if I was ever to gain control of my life. My father was proof of that.

  “May I help you with your coat, Miss?”

  I opened my eyes to see our butler standing patiently before me. I swear he must have vaporized out of thin air. I hadn’t heard him approach. I was still a bit distracted, both by the Adonis in the alley and the voices that had started up again after I fled from him. I hated crowded cities.

  With slow controlled movements, I continued to ignore the assaulting whispers as the butler helped me with my coat. I avoided his eyes. They always unsettled me.

  “Your father is waiting for you in his study, Miss.”

  “Thank you.” I dipped my head in acknowledgment as I picked up my backpack. I couldn’t remember this one’s name. I stopped trying to keep up with the names of Father’s staff years ago. They were all the same. Loyal to my father with an unsettling aura that was both distasteful and comforting. Comforting only because I never had to fear the whispers of their deepest desire. It was almost like they had no soul.