“What is wrong now?” he asked, looking up from his laptop screen.
“Nothing. I’ll be quiet.” She sniffled and wiped the tears away.
He got up, taking his glasses off and placing them on his desk. He made his way to where she sat and took the book from her hands. “Do you know the story behind this author?”
She shook her head. Books were like treasures to her that told a story of a character who went on a journey into an unknown world. She spent little time thinking about the author because they didn’t seem important enough. After all, it was the characters that stayed with her and not the authors or their biographies.
He took a seat beside her and studied the cover of the book on which a single white rose was with a drop of blood falling from its soft petals. “This author grew up in a poor family in London. He had neither family connections nor money to survive in the world. When he was failing his school subjects due to the part-time work he did, he realised that weak people don’t last long. You have to fight for what you want. If you sit there, expecting that luck, money, power, or love will come and find you, you’re mistaken. He was an idiot who deserved the suffering he got. He should have realised it sooner than praying every day that someone would come and save him.”
Perri saw his body tensing and his grip on the book intensifying. Is he talking about the author or himself? “I didn’t know the author was a guy. The name, Jean Cross, is very feminine. And I have to disagree with you. It is impossible to live out your life alone. Without people, connections, friends, and family the world becomes a lonely place. You may think you’re living, but you will always have a hole that cannot be filled with money or power. Relying on others is not a mistake. What is a mistake is relying on the wrong people.”
“For someone so young, you have an interesting view of the world,” he said, meeting her gaze. The tension in his shoulders dissipated, and he returned the book to her. “Jean Cross is my second pen name.”
She looked from the book to him and to the book again. Now it made sense why he had every edition on his shelves. Her smile returned. “I never thought an alpha of a werewolf pack would write romance novels.”
“And I never thought I would see the day when I could talk about life with a human woman who belongs to a Vampire Council member.”
“What else do you write?” she asked, forgetting her woes.
“I write thrillers under a different pen name. One of my pack members works as my editor, and, over the years, I have gained connections in the publishing industry. It isn’t hard for me to keep my identity hidden that way.”
“Don’t you go out to meet your fans?”
Theo shook his head. “My agent deals with the publicity side of things. He uses a stand-in woman who pretends to be me at book signings and events.”
“Isn’t that like cheating others?”
“I don’t have the time to deal with humans asking me questions. I have a lot of people relying on me for strength and decisiveness to waste time entertaining those who will forget me in a decade or two.” He cleared his throat and speared her with a glare. “If you tell anyone any of this, I will bite your head off. Understood?”
Her expression became solemn. “I wouldn’t dream of it, and I like having my head on my shoulders.”
“Good. Now no more crying and stay quiet. I come here when a deadline is nearing and there isn’t much time left before my agent begins to stalk me.”
He returned to work, and she relaxed on the settee, curled up with his book on her lap. His writing was slightly feminine and full of earnest love for his craft. She had never thought about writing a story before. Her life revolved around serving Master Vincent and Master Hans. When she was lonely or sad, she found solace in books written by people she had never met or spoken to. They had poured their hearts into their work, guiding her on an emotional roller coaster into fantastic worlds. Could she do something like that eventually? It was tempting to try. She had a lot of time on her hands since she wasn’t allowed to go outside of the Council building without Hans’ permission. It was suffocating. And, although she was by his side, the distance between them remained vast. She couldn’t deny the fact that he had erected a wall between them that he never wished to breach. Was she so unworthy of his affection or did he not wish to disappoint Master Vincent? She couldn’t tell, and both scenarios hurt equally as much.
9
MEETING THE ALPHA
HANS
The second Hans got a call from Theo and heard that the alpha was the one who had Perri, he nearly died on the spot. The most ruthless of the werewolves managed to get his hands on her. Would he use her to bargain? That wasn’t beyond Theo. He had more than on one occasion used people close to other Council members to get better deals for his pack. Because of that, Hans had to tread carefully. Lucas, the Alpha of the Southern London pack, would not like it if Hans sided with Theo in the future. The good relations with Lucas’s pack were deteriorating after he helped Lucious and Hans in the fight against the hunters in the past.
At the same time, he couldn’t leave Perri as a hostage. Theo had assured Hans over the phone that she was safe. That gave him no peace of mind, only more fret. Her well-being was important to Hans, yet he also had the duty to protect his people. In the worst-case scenario, Theo would request something that Hans would be unable to give him. If that were to pass, Perri’s life would be forfeit, and Hans would not be able to forgive himself.
He cursed aloud and started to pace the length of his office. His mind was in a whirlpool, dragging him in for a ride with the currents of panic that squeezed his throat. Without her, he would become a living corpse. Without the trust of his people, he and Perri were as good as dead. There was no middle ground, nothing to soothe and stabilise him in that instant.
Where is Lucious when I need him?
He had heard no news from Lucious since he and Helena left for Italy. Grim and Christos were due to arrive there any day now and report their findings. Hans hoped that everything was well and that they had managed to survive. After all, no news of their death had spread. There remained a good chance that they were alive somewhere, and Lucious would not give up Helena’s life without a fight.
The knock on the opened door to his office drew him out of his reverie. He glanced at Andrea who stood in the doorway with a worried look on her pale face.
“Report,” Hans ordered.
She bowed her head and moved to stand in front of him with her hands folded behind her back. “I have contacted the vampire delegate in Netherlands to look into Lotte and her treacherous actions. According to him, she had been dead for over four months. Because she was turned thirty years ago, her body remained behind to give them an estimate of the timeframe of when she was murdered. They had reported her death, but it seems that when the Council’s Archives burned down, the records were destroyed. What we have reclaimed after the fire remains a mess in the storage facility we are using, sir.”
“Those records should be organised and restored as soon as possible. Without them, the vampires in Europe will feel at liberty to kill without restraint, drawing human eyes to their actions.”
Andrea lifted her eyes to meet his. “That won’t be possible for quite some time. The number of our hounds continuously keeps decreasing. There have been no vampires applying to become a hound in the recent months since the Council was reformed. And, without a strong Council holding Europe firmly in its grasp, younglings are becoming more daring.”
Hans crossed his arms and sat on the edge of his office desk. He tapped his arm with his index finger as he tried to think the situation through. They were spread thin between the possessed vampires, keeping the young vampires in check in the United Kingdom alone, and not dying from challenges and attempted assassinations. He had to prioritise matters or everything would fall apart before he and Lucious had the chance to find more members who would be suitable for a Council seat.
“Andrea, tonight I will speak with Theo at his priv
ate residence. He has contacted me with the news that Perri is with him.”
She stiffened at the mention of the werewolf alpha. “Would you like me to arrange for an escort? And what about the hunt tonight?”
“Postpone the hunts until the injured hounds have recovered. We cannot afford to lose more of them.” He combed his hand through his hair. “I want you to focus on capturing and punishing the vampires who are misbehaving. We cannot let them think that the Council is weak for much longer.”
“But the possessed will run rampant and kill countless humans if we do that!”
“I will work something out with the werewolf leaders. Their existence is also threatened. They won’t be able to turn a blind eye if there is a chance that they could be known to humans.”
Andrea nodded. “I will inform the others and restart patrols as soon as the sun sets.”
“No. Get Jack to organise the patrols. I want you to find that impostor’s body and search it for clues. She couldn’t have worked alone and organised such an elaborate identity in the heart of the Council without help. Find out who is behind her and report to me if you hear anything from Grim or Lucious.”
She bowed her head and left the room, leaving Hans with more questions than answers. The people who were trying to dismantle the Council weren’t some newborn vampires on a quest for power. They used covert tactics and lies, keeping themselves and their true goals hidden. One thing was for certain, he had to figure out a way to get Lucas and Theo on his side. Without those two working together to maintain order in London, it won’t be long before some human posts about a possessed vampire on social media. Once that happens, there would be questions and no end to human curiosity until their species were discovered. So far, they had been lucky. But luck wasn’t endless. Before it disappeared entirely, he needed to find a solution to rebuild the hound numbers, bring back Ghoul Master and his ghouls, and fix the relationship with the majority of the remaining vampire delegates in Europe.
He buried his hands in his hair as more worry swallowed his heart. “Perri, I hope you will be safe because tonight I cannot show even a glimmer of affection towards you.”
Hans got out of his car and made his way to the front door of a large modern mansion situated in the middle of a forest. The trees around him swayed with the cold wind. Their dying leaves were ripped off and carried by the currents that danced around him.
He rang the doorbell and folded his hands behind his back as he waited. From inside the mansion, he sensed multiple people moving around. Theo must have summoned some of his men to serve as bodyguards for this meeting.
The door was opened by a short brunette who had her hair tied into a tight bun atop of her head and distrusting deep-set brown eyes. She wore simple attire—a black T-shirt with a heavy metal band on it and a pair of faded jeans. Her irises shimmered with gold, telling him that she was prepared to turn at a moment’s notice if he tried to do anything. Most shape-shifters took at most twenty seconds to change into their second form. Although that was enough time to kill her before she could reach her final stage, he was certain that he would be torn to shreds by the remaining werewolves on the premises. And, if he remembered her correctly from the previous meetings held between Master Vincent and Alpha Theo, this woman was the Ius of the pack—their beta. Unlike in other pack structure, Theo was against having a Laeva—the left-hand man or woman who was selected by the pack to act as an intermediary.
“Follow me,” the woman said in a harsh voice once he entered the building. She led the way to the east wing where she urged him to take a seat on one of the red sofas in the sitting room.
He took the offered seat and closed his eyes briefly to listen out for the number of werewolves on the premises and in the adjacent rooms. He counted ten heartbeats spaced out around the building, one of which was standing before him.
“Theo will see you shortly,” she mumbled and turned on her heel.
Hans reclined in his seat. He knew that acting relaxed would help prevent Theo from suspecting that he was worried about anything. Getting Perri out of danger was his priority, but he couldn’t do it by force or by showing his affection for her. Any sign of weakness and the alpha would jump at the opportunity to make some kind of deal that would not benefit the vampires. Not only that, Theo may hold Perri hostage for longer instead of releasing her if he thought that she could be a useful bargaining chip to him.
The French doors behind Hans opened, and Theo marched in with his Ius behind him. The alpha took his seat opposite Hans while his Ius positioned herself behind him, fully on guard.
“It’s been a while, Hans, or should I call you Councilman now?” Theo asked with a smirk.
Hans assessed the werewolf’s pleased expression and his attire. Theo wore loose grey trousers and a white cotton sweater that highlighted his powerful upper body. His light-brown hair was styled back, away from his face, and brushed his shoulders. Just as Hans remembered, this man showed no visible weaknesses and always had a plan.
“Using my name is fine,” Hans replied, crossing his legs. “You have invited me here because you’ve located my donor in the woods, is that correct?”
“Donor?” Theo’s brows furrowed. “That’s not what the girl told me. She said she was yours.”
“You know how humans are, always creating fantasies in their minds about vampires and becoming immortal like us.”
Theo chuckled. “That certainly is true, but she seemed to be sincere when she talked about you.” He rubbed his hands together and leant forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “She is no ordinary human, is she? Her ability seemed quite interesting.”
Hans struggled to contain his surprise. Perri has an ability? Has Morna…no, the goddess come to her last night and made a similar deal? Whatever the case, he had to act like he knew all along about her powers to keep the die rolling.
A smile curved Hans’ lips. “Oh, you have witnessed that? It is nothing special, I assure you.”
Theo shook his head. “In all my years, I have never seen such a strange power. How can you say that it’s nothing special?”
“It’s Wiccan illusion magic,” Hans assured him. “Were you fooled by it so easily?”
The expression on Theo’s face darkened. “That was no illusion. She summoned something that killed your hound in two seconds.” He waved to the woman behind him. “Bring the girl here.”
Hans kept his expression neutral. Throughout their conversation, Theo had his eye on every movement Hans made. As worried as he was about Perri and her safety, he couldn’t let Theo see her as someone who could affect him. It would allow the werewolf to exploit it, and a Councilman with a weakness is a dead man walking.
“While we wait,” Theo began with a half-smile, “tell me why you have not come to greet the alphas of this city since you took the seat?”
“There are many issues I have to deal with. A meeting with the werewolf packs can wait until the situation with the vampires is stable enough.”
“Oh, you must be talking about the feral vampires that are running amok in this city. Whatever Eliza and the other Council members did during that strange ritual at the cemetery, I am glad I did not involve myself. Lucas was a fool to trust vampires.”
Hans knotted his hands on his lap, his fingers digging into the back of his hands. “He did what needed to be done while you twiddled your thumbs. Yes, there were losses on all sides, but he helped stop the hunter clans from uniting and eliminating all of us.”
Theo’s smile faded. “And now there are demon-possessed vampires killing humans uncontrollably. Our existence is about to be revealed because of your kind!”
Hans glared at the alpha. “Then help us rectify the situation. With your help and Lucas’, we could clean up the streets in no time, returning our control of the city and restoring the balance once more.”
Before Theo could respond, his Ius returned with Perri. The woman pushed Perri to stand next to Theo. Her complexion was pale and her eyes were shining wi
th joy when she saw Hans.
Theo grabbed Perri’s wrist and pulled her closer to his face. “This vampire claims that you are his donor and nothing else. Have you been lying to me or is he the one hiding the truth?”
Perri’s mouth fell open. She glanced at Hans briefly, and he, once again, expelled all emotions from his face. He could only hope that she would catch on to his scheme and play along instead of falling into the werewolf’s trap.
She lowered her eyes to the hand that was squeezing her wrist and said, “You’re hurting me. Please let go.”
Theo let out a low growl. “Answer my question!”
“As Master Hans said, I am nothing more than a donor. I hold great affection for him, but my feelings were never reciprocated. I—” Her voice quivered, and she covered her mouth. Tears cascaded down her cheeks.
Hans erupted out of his seat in an instant. He let out a curse for being unable to control his emotions when it came to her pain. Deep down, he knew that saying those words hurt her to her core, and he desperately wanted to erase that sorrow and wipe her tears away.
Theo released her wrist and pushed her towards Hans. “Actions speak louder than words. You were lying to me, Hans.”
Hans wrapped his arms around Perri who buried her face in his shoulder and silently sobbed. His eyes narrowed on Theo and his smug look. “She is someone who was like a daughter to Master Vincent. Disrespecting her is the same as disrespecting his memory.”
The alpha waved his hand, motioning for Hans and Perri to sit down. “Come now, we should have a little chat and decide what to do with the two of you.”
Hans swallowed his nerves. He could attack the alpha in a blink of an eye but that would leave Perri defenceless. The pack’s Ius was also in the room, and she looked ready to pounce on him at any moment.
Damn it!
Perri wiped at her tears and pulled back. Her beautiful brown eyes reflected the golden light in the room when she studied his face. “I’m sorry I’ve made you worry. I—I just couldn’t say it…”
Cherished: A Perri & Hans Spin-off Novella (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 4.5) Page 7
