by Lucy Lyons
Ashlynn held my hand until we’d collected our group and were free of the building, then she dropped it and bent forward over her knees, practicing her breathing.
“I might throw up,” she warned as I came close. “That was intense.”
“And that’s weird,” Byron added. We both glanced at him and then followed his gaze. The warehouse behind us that was surrounded by plain brick and chain-link fences was now covered with blooming ivy and rose bushes that wound themselves through and across every available surface.
“You’re right, it is. Now let’s get the hell out of here before some High Fae accuses us of making all this happen.” I held Ashlynn’s arm, and we almost jogged to the car before anyone could ask more questions. When Jodi pulled out into the street and put a little distance between us and the doors of the warehouse, I released a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and laughed.
“We’re going to be all right, Clay,” Ashlynn reminded me. “After all, whatever the bad thing is that’s coming, this time it doesn’t want us or our friends.”
“Yeah, except those adorable pixies and brownies and heqets,” I reminded her. “No, we’ll take this back to Nick and Caroline, and all together we’ll prepare. At least we don’t have to swear ourselves to the Night Mother for her to protect us since she’s just protecting herself.”
“Ah, about that,” Dirk broke in. “What if some of us did want to? Go with Onyxis, that is,” he asked, and the car went dead silent. I glanced at Ashlynn, who’s face had crumpled and tears threatened to fall. But it was she who gave the perfect answer, once she had sniffled back the threatening tears for the loss of her friend.
“She’s the most powerful being we know, Dirk. Your baby is about to be born, and Rae was kidnapped on our watch. You need to go where you know you’ll be safe,” she sighed, and Jodi glanced at me.
“You’ll always be welcome at our fire, Dirk. You and your family, which apparently, is going to be huge,” I teased, and Jodi barked out a laugh. “Like, what do you think? Six, eight kids?” I continued, and I heard Dirk groan in the back seat.
“Man, stop trapping,” he chuckled. “I don’t know how to handle the one that’s coming, let alone plan for a basketball team to follow.”
I felt a hand touch my arm and glanced back at Ashlynn. I’d only felt a shadow of what had come over her when our tattoos joined, but she shook her head, still not ready to talk about it in front of the others. Receiving magical tattoos was weird enough, without suggesting they’d come together like they were telling us to start a family of our own.
Jodi pulled into the employee/clan business parking for the club, and Fin met us in the garage near the side entrance with orders for Ashlynn and Dirk to attend to Rae, and the rest of us to join Nick and Caroline in the war room.
The fact that we’d renamed the conference room was scary enough, but the change in atmosphere when we arrived was palpable, and that damned tattoo vibrated on my hand like a warning, which put me over the top for stress.
Nick, Caroline, Dominique, Henny, the professor, and Jeremy were all getting seated when I opened the door. Fin took a seat as well, and Jodi and Byron waited behind me. I motioned for both of them to sit and waited until the room saw I was standing and fell quiet before I introduced the newest half-breed in America to the other clan leaders.
“Everyone, this is Byron. Last night, the wild magic chose him to become part of our clan and gave him the form of a lion. While we have several high priority issues we’re dealing with here, I was hoping maybe you, Professor,” I said, turning to face him, “would help Byron find out if he’s really the only Leo in town?”
The professor nodded and winked at Byron. “Will you be staying at the camp then?” he asked, and Byron nodded his assent with a quick look in my direction. I simply nodded and sat down, waiting to hear what Nick had called us in for. He dismissed Byron with instructions to follow Fin to the club, where he could relax and have a drink and lunch if he so chose. Once the door was shut behind them, he finally addressed us.
“As you may know,” the professor began, “the wolves have come to us because they are led by another unique leader, as each of us is among our people. Clay is more than just a wolf, or more than just a psychic, if you wanted to look at it that way,” he amended with a nod to his wife and Henny. “That being said, there have been unique issues that plague him, and we as a council have decided to intervene.”
“Wait. You think you can remove me from power?” I exclaimed with a choking laugh, thinking of the wild magic that was now mine to call upon.
“Only for a couple of weeks, sweetie,” Dominique interjected. “Caroline and I have both been getting your spillover for a while now. It was part of the reason I came, to talk you into letting my mistress help you.”
I groaned. If the witches were hearing my thoughts, then the wolves were, and my insecurity was harmful to the pack if it infected them.
“Hey, we only heard you because we’re like you, Clay,” Caroline reminded me. “You’re a team player, even giving us Henny overnight to help us root out any more escape hatches and trusting us to protect Rae,” she added, and I cringed, thinking of what Dirk had asked.
“Onyxis is going to get her power somehow,” Nick added, “We want to be on her team, and more importantly, we want her on ours. She comes from a time before vampires were considered evil. Before we were the demons of the night, and we were a power to be reckoned with.” He went quiet, and I considered the bits of fairy that were showing up under the warehouse.
“The Fae said something is coming—dark Fae,” I interjected. “If what we’re dealing with are the good guys, I’m a little worried about the bad ones.”
“Which is why you must leave now, while there’s a lull,” Caroline countered. “It’s time for you to make things right with Ashlynn. She may not be my favorite person, but she belongs to you, and more importantly, you belong to her.”
Domonique nodded. “Even baby Rowena sees what you feel, but I haven’t seen any sign that your mate does. It’s not healthy, and the bad guys can capitalize on it, like they did when she went after Rae alone.”
“Oh, my God. This is a relationship intervention?” I gasped, and there were chuckled all around the table, breaking the tension that had been building.
“Oh, good, I didn’t miss anything,” Fin quipped as he opened the door. “Everything is ready, boss . . . except Clay, of course,” he added before sitting down.
“I’m losing Dirk and Rae to Onyxis because I couldn’t protect them, and you guys are trying to fix my relationship with my girlfriend?” I intoned, looking at each of them in turn.
“Oh, that’s perfect!” squeaked Caroline. “Let’s ask them if they’ll just sell their house since Onyxis isn’t staying in the states.”
“Are you people listening to me?” I gasped. “I feel like I’m going crazy.”
“I’ll go talk to Dirk,” Nick said after clearing his throat. “You just get the groom ready.” He strode from the room, and my jaw was still on the floor when the door closed behind him.
“Groom?”
“I have your clothes in my room,” Fin offered. “Happy hand fasting. The club looks great. I even made the burlesque dancers put on more clothes so Ash wouldn’t get all . . .” He made a face and waved his hands around, making me smile. “I know you wanted to do it right, but we wanted to keep you safe, so we reinforced the garden wall with magic, and the bar is closed to any who aren’t Fae or half-blood, at your discretion.”
As some of the tightness in my gut relaxed, my chest tightened in a vice grip around my heart. These were my people. War against the undead? No problem. Battling evil fairies? No big deal. They’d even planned my bonding ceremony with Ashlynn, which meant I was no longer at her mercy, and she’d be thrilled with the beautiful garden.
“This is about you trying to make me step down as alpha,” I reiterated, and Henny gasped.
“I would never be part of a coup, Clay. My p
lace is at the alpha’s side, not behind his back with a knife.”
I stood slowly and started to follow Fin out the door, then my tattoo caught my eye.
“Oh, you know, just a little more business. Since I’m still OK to sit at the table,” I chuckled lamely, “ . . . um, we brought fairy to the states last night with our run. Just thought you should know,” I announced. “Yeah. It uh, it came with a magical tattoo each for Ashlynn and me, which allows us to contact the wee folk, which, funny story, we also brought back.” I glanced around the room at the stares of shock on every face but one, which only assured me that Onyxis had once again manipulated us into her power play. Dominique smiled gently at me, and I frowned. “I hope Dirk knows what he’s getting himself into. He’s a straight shooter, Dom. He won’t like being led by the nose.” Unlike me, apparently, I thought at her hard, and her eyes widened briefly.
“Duly noted, Alpha,” she replied smoothly, and I rolled my eyes and met Caroline’s glance. I’d surprised her with my announcement but not my warning. She knew Dominique every bit as well as I did. Once she was gone, we’d have a real council meeting. Until then, the focus would be the lighter things—things like all the help I was getting in making up for my stupidity with Ashlynn, thanks to my mind-reading friends.
Yes, we’d miss Dirk and Rae, and the little cub they were about to bring into the world. But trouble had been brewing over us for a long time. We’d mistaken the troubles for isolated enemies. When I’d seen the giant door to fairy that I didn’t have the courage to try to open, I’d realized it was a gathering storm—one which we’d need all our magic using people ready for, or safely hidden from, if we were going to win the final battle for our destiny and peaceful cohabitation with the oblivious humans around us.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
I followed Fin down to the vampires’ version of the barracks, which were anything but the stark, military bunks I was used to before becoming a werewolf. These were richly appointed rooms full of antiquities and beautiful art, luxurious, sex-inspiring furniture, including deep-seated, velvet Chippendale couches and oversized California king beds and bathrooms that rivaled luxury hotels.
“Wow, Fin. I need the number of your designer,” I teased as he handed me a wardrobe bag and pointed at the bathroom before turning to leave.
“It’s Colette, couldn’t you tell?” He fired back, and I could hear his laughter from the hall after the door had closed behind him.
If it had been Colette, there’d be shackles on the wall and the tools of a dominatrix strew about the room, I thought. Part of me hoped that somewhere out in the club, back at work as I knew she would be, she got my mental spill over and the image made her laugh too.
I dressed in the traditional wedding garb of the Venatores, simple linen tunic and pants, with a rosary around my wrist and white soft-soled shoes. Their wedding was the only time that a Venatores wore white after their christening, and the fact that Caroline had chosen to honor that part of my life touched me. I glanced in the mirror then took a longer look, tracing the lines on my face that seemed to have formed in the months since I’d become alpha and the dirty look of stubble on my jaw.
Fin had left a razor on the edge of the sink, and I made a mental note to replace it for him. I used it with copious amounts of his shave cream when in my nervousness I pushed the button too hard and released half the can into my palm. I’d still never taken Ashlynn on a date, and there was a part of my that wondered if she would defy our laws and simply say no, but I put the thought aside and finished shaving, cleaned up the mess I’d made in Fin’s pristine washroom, and rejoined him in the hallway.
“Shit. You make me want a Venatores wedding,” he quipped as I stepped out. “Then again, you get to see the sun. I doubt I’d wear white very well.” I laughed at him and punched his arm.
“Ashlynn’s really picky. I’m a little nervous she’s going to hate it, or worse, tell me it would be great if I wasn’t the one standing with her.”
“Let’s go, Romeo. You’ll be fine, she’ll love it, and you get, like, a two-week vacation when Henny and the prof are going to run your crew. It’s a sweet deal, so enjoy it.’”
My new tattoo burned, and I glanced down at it, marveling at the colors flashing under the lights as we walked to the stairs.
“Oh, and the Byron guy? Since Caroline doesn’t do head-reads, I talked to Dom. According to her, he’s OK. We can let him stay here, though, if you’re worried. Vampires don’t sleep after all.”
The staircase had never seemed longer than it did as I smiled at the salute Mikhaila gave me as she opened the door and we started to ascend. Backstage was quiet without the performers talking and waiting for their cues, and Nick met me at the door after a quick glance out.
“The sun has almost set. You go, and I’ll bring you Ashlynn, if you would allow me the honor.” I nodded, dumbfounded that my boss and the master vampire of Seattle wanted to walk my bride down the aisle. He descended the stairs, and I watched him, too terrified to open the garden door, remembering what had met me the last time I had.
I looked at Fin, who was watching me with concern, and I swallowed hard before speaking.
“Is this a trap, Fin?”
He gaped at me before stammering, “No, why?”
“Because it’s been a long time since anything that seemed this good, was true.”
Fin laughed and slapped me on the back, one hand over his heart, feigning a heart attack then wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.
“You do remember you’re marrying Ashlynn, right?” he quipped, and despite everything, I had to laugh with him.
“I guess when marrying the biggest pain in the ass you’ve ever known feels too good to be true, you know you’re doing the right thing,” I chuckled. “Besides—you’ve never seen her hunt.” There was nothing else for me to say then, and I put my hand on the door handle. No matter what, she was the only wolf I would ever love, and there was no magic or cure for that.
***
Many Fae came to see us joined, and some of them were even happy for us. Portia didn’t make it, which meant I didn’t have to decide whether to refuse her entry, and Onyxis did, which scared me, but when she asked me to dance with her, I managed not to hesitate too much before accepting.
Dirk and Rae were too busy birthing a baby to attend, but they gave us their house as a wedding gift so we’d have a place to make babies of our own. I suspected Nick and Caroline had bought them out, but they both denied it, and I wasn’t so rude that I’d push the matter with them—at least, not while they were throwing us a party at their own expense.
The ceremony itself was simple, quiet, and magical in a way that had nothing to do with runes or potions and everything to do with how Ashlynn looked in her dress, a simple cotton shift that hugged her curves and accentuated her tan skin. When Nick walked her down the path, now lined with paper bag lanterns, it made me wish we could just forego the polite society part of the night and find a grassy knoll in the woods and make our promises in flesh and sweat.
The wolves seemed relieved that we were finally bound, but more than that, Ashlynn was softer than I’d ever seen her, as though the knowledge that I’d kept my word had knocked some of the hard edges off. I suspected they’d be back before I had the chance to miss them, but it was enough that I knew she could be gentle to make me want to find more ways to bring that out in her again.
We escaped from the party inside the club, but before we could head out to the forest to hunt and feed our hunger and our lust, we found Dirk and Rae sharing a large bed and ogling their new daughter.
“Mr. and Mrs. Wolfsong,” Dirk declared, giving us the name that every mated alpha couple in the pack took upon their bonding, “Meet the newest member of the clan, Anna Lynn Clay.”
As I held the sweet, tiny body against my heartbeat I ran my finger over the fine fur that covered her face and arms. Let the enemies come, I thought to myself, this is the age of the Fae-kin half-breeds. And as I thought it,
I hoped my dear friends caught all the spillover of my happiness. Those moments would need to hold us together when the darkness found us again.
END OF BOOK
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The Vampire’s Embrace
The Gift of Blood:
Book 1
Lucy Lyons
© 2017
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