by J. C. Wilder
The vampire rose to his feet, his movements graceful, ageless. He indicated the French doors and Fayne-cat bobbed his dark head. The vampire opened the doors, pausing to give Erihn an icy smile before stepping into darkness. Bliss’ body lay just outside the door, and a few inches from her outstretched arm was a sword. Fayne stepped daintily over her, pausing to brush his nose across her damp hair before moving onto the deck.
Erihn’s eyes burned as she looked at the child she held in her arms. His skin was translucent, and he was so still. Purple shadows marred the delicate skin beneath his eyes, and she felt a surge of anger spring to life. She closed her eyes and clutched Max to her chest. A brilliant amber fire flowed behind her eyelids. Erihn trembled as she faded into the light and gave herself to the rage.
Renault was here.
Fayne could feel his old friend in the darkness, watching and waiting. He turned to face Edward. The rain had stopped, leaving a thin layer of ice that cracked beneath his paws. The night was hushed, the air icy cold. It would snow before morning.
Edward mockingly bowed in his direction as Fayne bared his teeth in a snarl.
The vampire attacked.
Fayne darted to the side as the creature flew at him. Rage would lose this battle and he had no intention of losing his cool. The vampire missed by scant inches, and he struck out at Edward’s leg, his claws leaving deep scores through the black pants and cold skin.
The vampire spun, his eyes glowing red as he hissed. He leapt again, and this time Fayne met him head-on. Lunging, he leapt into the air. His massive paws struck Edward full in the chest, stopping him in his tracks. They went down in a tangle, Edward’s teeth grazing Fayne’s neck as Fayne snapped at his throat.
Fayne’s teeth hit the mark, and the scent of old blood filled his nostrils as he tore through Edward’s skin. The vampire screamed, a silent unearthly scream, and he flung Fayne away from him. Edward staggered, his foot striking the abandoned sword with a discordant clang. Fayne’s eyes narrowed as the vampire scooped up the weapon, triumph flashing in his eyes. So much for being a gentleman and fighting on an even playing field. Edward was once again showing his true colors. No surprise there.
Fayne was careful to keep his eyes on the vampire as they circled, waiting for a break. He was determined to make Edward strike first. Patience would win this game and he had that in spades. Edward lunged and Fayne feinted to the left, then to the right, but not quite fast enough. The sword left a blazing trail of pain down his shoulder.
Fayne danced away, snarling as he scrambled for purchase on the icy deck. A thud sounded to his right. A massive black panther landed on the deck, the structure shuddering beneath its weight. Golden eyes locked on Edward as the vampire smiled and inclined his head. Blood still ran down his neck from the wound Fayne had given him.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a mortal wound.
Fayne could have sworn the panther returned the smile. The big cat barely glanced at Fayne. They both knew what they needed to do. Many times, he and Renault had been in similar situations. They were well-versed in hand-to-paw combat.
A misty rain began to fall as Fayne darted to the vampire’s left while Renault went to the right. Staying on opposite sides of the vampire, they began to circle, waiting for an opportunity.
Edward’s gaze darted from one cat to the other, a look of horror dawning on his face. Thanks to his injury, Fayne knew Edward would come for him first. He continued his pace, not allowing himself to give in to the tension. When the vampire lunged, Fayne leapt onto the hot tub cover, leaving Edward jabbing the sword into the air where he’d been seconds before. The sword hit the wood with a tremendous thud.
The mistake had been made.
Edward wrenched the sword free, leaving a terrific gash. With a snarl, Renault leapt, hitting the vampire behind the legs while Fayne leaped into the fray. Already overbalanced, Edward flailed wildly, the sword flying from his hand as he went down onto his back. Fayne landed square on his chest. Before the vampire could even think, he dropped full length on the vampire and their eyes locked.
Fayne screamed the hair-raising cry of a cougar. It echoed off the walls of the house and rolled into the valley below. He dropped his head and, with a single motion, tore out the vampire’s throat.
The gush of primitive blood filled his mouth, and he staggered off the vampire. Gagging, Fayne spat out the chunk of cold flesh before closing his eyes. He concentrated on the violet fire and let it surround him.
The misty rain felt good on his bare skin, even if it was ice-cold. Fayne tilted his head back, allowing the mist to wash the blood away. His shoulder ached from his wound and his throat throbbed from the vampire bite. He would have to disinfect them both. He hoped Jennifer had a bottle of Vampire-Be-Gone sitting around somewhere.
Edward’s limbs twitched and an eerie whistling came from the hole in his throat as he struggled to breathe through his severed windpipe. Fayne rose to his feet. Even with such a massive throat wound, it was possible for a vampire to survive. They were hardy buggers, just like cockroaches.
He picked up the sword and stalked to the vampire. Edward’s eyes were beginning to glaze over, but there was life still lurking in him. If left alone long enough, he could heal himself. Fayne pressed the point of the sword over Edward’s heart and snarled, “I’ll see you in hell.”
With a sickening crunch, Edward’s body jerked as Fayne caved in his chest and impaled his heart with the sword, pinning him to the deck. He took a deep breath of the frosty air. For now, this was enough. Later, he’d remove the heart and ensure Edward would walk the earth no more.
Renault padded over and sat down next to him with a thump. Fayne grinned down at the cat. “Thank you, my friend.”
The panther blinked.
A soft breeze danced over his skin, and he raised his head as he scented the wind. Shadows danced on the edge of his vision before slowly coalescing into solid forms levitating just off the deck rails. One by one, dark figures emerged from the shadows and swooped to land silently on the deck.
Fayne backed away as he recognized the stooped, midgetlike figures. They were the minions of the witch known as Mortianna, Bliss’ mother. Their floor-length robes made a dry slithering sound over the deck as they gathered around Bliss in a tight circle. White, sticklike hands emerged from the full sleeves as they gathered their fallen one. The tallest figure produced a silvery cloth as a faint, unearthly wail sounded somewhere in the darkness.
Fayne’s hair stood on end as he acknowledged the sound of loss from another living being. It could only be Mortianna herself.
Gently, the minions wrapped Bliss in the cloth, their movements reverent, their heads bowed as they worked. The cloth glowed bright where it came in contact with her body. Tenderly, they raised her upon their shoulders to bear her into the night. The minions melded with the darkness, carrying Bliss, their mistress’s only child, to her home. They moved over the land until only the faintest speck of light from her shroud was left.
Fayne blinked, then Bliss was gone forever.
Tears stung his eyes and he turned and tottered into the living room, coming to a halt as a savage snarl greeted him. His son lay in the archway, looking as if he were sleeping. Standing over him stood the most beautiful cougar he’d ever seen. Her coat was a rich reddish-brown and her eyes were filled with amber fire.
He gulped for air as the breath left his lungs.
“Erihn?”
The cat shrieked and he could have sworn a look of panic crossed its face. “Erihn, do you know how to change back?”
The cat shook its head violently.
Fayne laughed and the cat scowled at him. He crossed the room, then lowered himself cautiously on the steps and scooped his son into his lap. Erihn-cat immediately began licking his ear and checking his injuries, soft little snarls sounding from her throat. Fayne laughed again.
“Quit, that tickles.” He looked down at Max, deeply asleep, exhausted from his ordeal. All that mattered was he was
safe and back in his father’s arms.
“Erihn, listen to me.” Fayne caught sight of Renault, who’d wandered into the living room, then sat down to watch the show. “I’ll tell you how to change back.”
Erihn whined and Renault made a sound as if he were laughing. Erihn glared at the massive panther and bared her teeth with a snarl.
Fayne grabbed her jaw and pulled her face back to him. “None of that, my kitten. Renault could eat you for dinner, though he won’t get the chance.”
Renault snorted as if he disagreed.
Fayne ignored him. “Erihn, close your eyes.” He grinned as she obediently closed them. “See the flame in your mind’s eye? Now step into it and let it surround you.”
For a few seconds, nothing happened, and then beneath his hands, she began to change. Within seconds, he held her human chin in his hand.
“Fayne…” Her voice trembled. “I was so scared.”
He wrapped an arm around her and tugged her into his side. “It’s okay now, Erihn.”
She gulped. “I didn’t think I could get back, and you’d have to buy me a big litter box and a giant mouse to play with and…”
Fayne heard a sound suspiciously like laughter. He looked over to see Renault snorting. If he’d been in human form, he’d have been rolling on the floor. Erihn scowled at the panther.
“It’s not funny!” she snapped.
Renault continued to laugh and Erihn lunged to her feet.
“Damn you!” She took off after the cat. Renault hopped to his feet and, with a strangled growl, ran for the dining room. His tail grazed a priceless Chinese vase. It tilted before it shattered on the floor.
Fayne shook his head and hugged his son closer. Max made an inarticulate sound and snuggled deeper into his shoulder. He sighed, leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. Edward was gone and they were all safe. For the most part.
His heart clenched with the thought of Bliss. His friend died trying to save the life of his child. He hugged Max tighter, then winced as something hit the floor and shattered in the kitchen. The bill was growing and Jennifer wouldn’t be happy to find her house ravaged.
Renault came flying around the corner, panic on his face. Fayne laughed to see one of the most dangerous were-cats of them all in full retreat. Renault’s nails scraped over the tiles as he leapt over both Max and him, landing in the living room with a thud. He darted behind a chair then peered over the arm, waiting for Erihn to arrive. She didn’t appear.
“Fayne?” Erihn’s voice sounded from the kitchen.
“Yes, my love.”
“I’m naked.”
Fayne laughed. “Yes, my love, you’re naked.”
“Can you get me some clothes?”
“No,” he said contentedly.
“F-F-Fayne!” she shrieked.
“Nope, not moving. I’m injured, remember?” Fayne looked at the sleeping child in his arms. His life was complete. He had his son in his arms, his best friend by his side—make that cowering in the living room—and a naked woman in the kitchen.
What else could he possibly want?
Chapter Twelve
What a totally unbelievable day.
Erihn wrapped her arms around her waist as she stared out the bedroom window. The full moon painted the sleeping valley in an unearthly silvery glow. Her newly sharpened preternatural senses picked up motion and life previously unseen as nocturnal creatures moved about in the darkness. A heightened awareness of her altered world and her own body ran under her skin like an electrical charge.
It was both exhilarating and terrifying.
She glanced over her shoulder at Fayne who lay asleep in the bed, his breathing deep and even. In the dim room, she could pick out every beloved feature of his face. Even now, standing in the tainted sanctuary of Jennifer’s house, she couldn’t believe the events of the past twenty-four hours.
Reinforcements had arrived shortly after midnight. Val, Mac, Shai, Jennifer and a tall foreboding man by the name of Alexandre had swooped down on the house and made order from chaos. The women had immediately taken Fayne for several hours to cleanse his wounds. Even now she could still hear his strangled screams as they’d doused him in something Mac had laughingly called Vampire-Be-Gone. According to Val, it was used to cleanse vampire bites and an incredibly painful experience.
The men had taken Edward’s body to the meadow at the top of the mountain. After erecting a hasty wooden pyre, they’d placed his body on top and everyone had gathered for an informal hearing of sorts.
Erihn had stood off to one side with Max in her arms, feeling like Alice when the little girl had fallen down the rabbit hole. She closed her eyes and the images flickered in her mind like a macabre slide show.
The sword had still protruded from Edward’s chest as he lay on the roughly constructed pyre, the evening moon glinting off the polished steel. Tiki-style torches had been lit to illuminate the gruesome spectacle about to take place.
The men had taken up positions around the corpse, one on each side and at the foot and head. Jennifer and Shai had stood apart from her, watching her warily, yet daring to come no closer. Erihn scowled at the thought of her friends. Her best friend Shai was one of them? A vampire? What about Jennifer? If Shai was one, what did that make her?
Erihn swallowed the taste of betrayal lying thick in her mouth.
The image of Alexandre stepping forward, a small leather book in his hands, replaced the picture of Jennifer and Shai huddled together. His words still rang in her ears.
“The vampire known as Edward is no more. Once a member of the Council of Elders, he has broken the law of nine by committing treason against the Council. For the act of treachery, I hereby sentence Edward to one hundred years in the pit. For the act of murdering the vampire known as Bliss, a crime outlawed centuries ago, there is only one possible restitution—death.”
Images of Mac leaping onto the pyre, his feet planted on either side of the vampire, entered her mind. He’d removed the sword with a nauseating sucking sound. Erihn cringed as she replayed the way the body had jerked as Mac had freed the sword before offering it to Alexandre.
Val had then retrieved one of the torches and dropped it into the bed of kindling. Treated with gasoline, the debris had gone up with a whoosh. Through the leaping flames, Erihn had seen Alexandre raise the sword over his head, the flickering light playing on the deadly blade as Max had tensed in her arms. Raising one hand, she’d pressed his face into her neck, his breath warm against her skin.
With one mighty blow, the vampire known as Edward was no more.
Erihn blinked, the images fading as the familiar bedroom reasserted itself.
She shifted, the sensation of her jeans sliding over her skin entrancing her. She scratched her nails on the cotton, the grating sound playing in her ears as shivers of awareness crept up her spine.
Fascinating.
Her new senses intrigued her. Everything was clearer, her sense of smell much sharper. The world around her was bright and alive as it had never been before. She detected the minutest sounds and could hear when someone approached, as someone was now trying.
Concentrating on the approaching footsteps, muffled by the carpet, she closed her eyes and inhaled. The scent of wood smoke and something not easily defined reached her nose.
Val.
She felt him pause in the doorway, his gaze slipping over her as awareness slithered across her skin. She opened her eyes, her gaze unerringly meeting his.
Val was a vampire. Even now, she found it hard to believe vampires existed, let alone that she’d known one for the past ten years. It was almost beyond her comprehension. Regardless of whether or not she believed, the reality was looking at her straight in the face.
Since becoming a were-cat, she’d learned vampires had an interesting energy that emanated from their bodies. Sort of cool and understated like the hum of a low voltage wire. Constant, waiting to leap into action at a moment’s notice.
Simply fascinating.
She noted the caution in his gaze.
He smiled. “You have everyone half frightened.”
“Only half?” she asked, marveling at her own cool tone.
“Well, we don’t frighten easily,” he amended.
“Maybe you should.” She turned away from his compelling eyes and looked out the window once again. She tensed when she heard his heavy tread on the carpeting as he approached her.
“Did Miles get away with the diary?” she asked, desperate to keep him from bringing up anything painful. She was so on edge she didn’t know if she’d burst into tears or flame at this point.
“Unfortunately, he did.”
“I’m sorry he stole your property. You were nice enough to let me borrow it, and then…”
“We have bigger problems than the loss of the book. We’ll get it back sooner or later. There was a blurb on the news about Daniels’ body being found. It appears he did kill his wife before coming after you.”
Erihn bit her lip, her eyes closing at the thought of the woman dying so needlessly. She wasn’t sure she could ever write again after this.
“Both Jennifer and Shai are upset they couldn’t tell you sooner.” His voice was soft.
“I don’t know why they couldn’t, it isn’t as if they’re mute. They made the decision to not tell me, it’s as simple as that.” She couldn’t mask the bitterness in her voice.
He laid his hands on her shoulders. The cool strength of his touch steadied her even as she acknowledged that, in his own way, he’d also betrayed her. She fought the desire to lean against his chest and accept his embrace.
“What would you have said to them?”
She ignored the question. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It isn’t something that just comes up in conversation, Erihn,” Val said.
“Why didn’t they tell me?” Her anger blossomed as she pulled away and turned to face him. “They were supposed to be my friends, yet they hid this from me.”
