Theo made a mental note to speak to Ben "I will make sure that you get that experience I promise. But I want to talk to you about leaving here, I can take you back to my home where you will have people to keep you safe until I can return."
"Are you and Lewis coming?" she had scraped her feet along the floor to stop the swing, her face now serious.
"If I thought Lewis would leave then the answer would be yes, but for Lewis, I know that in his head and heart he needs to stay and I respect that. But we would both be happier if you were somewhere safe."
He watched Liza climb off the swing and sit on the grass "did you know Lewis is one minute 32 seconds older than me, I’ve always loved having a big brother, I think Lewis will too, if you and Lewis leave with me I will go. If not I will stay with Sylvia."
Theo sat on the grass next to her "I have grown up with some really cool friends and their families, I would lay down my life for them. But the closest I had to a family of my own was a girl I met when she was 15 years old; she and her older sister have been my only family for the last 5 years. Now I have a goddess who has secretly looked out for me, a woman who I love so much, and now a brother and sister. I have never really looked after children before but I promise you this, the world isn’t always a good place and bad things happen to good people but I will do everything I can to love you and Lewis, I will protect you and give you a good life."
"Don’t worry when you get it wrong we will tell you, but guess what?"
"What’s that princess?
"We will love you too" As Liza stood up; she leaned over to where he was still sat on the floor and kissed him on the cheek. His heart swelled with happiness at this girl, his sister, he meant every word he had said.
He turned at the sound of footsteps and saw Mitch heading over; he ruffled Liza’s head, as she ran past him to go into the house.
"She’s a great kid, Theo, you must be really excited about taking her and Lewis on. So what’s the plan for today?"
Theo sighed, "We have a maximum of 5 days left, we need to pick up the pace, Bastian will be here in the next couple of hours, I think War is going to collect him herself before she gives Lewis his lesson."
Mitch was looking thoughtful, "poor Bastian, I think she has a slight sexual interest in him. She would eat him up and spit him out."
"Urgh, don’t go there Mitch. I am going home tomorrow for a while and will bring the other supplies; we will have more guns and explosives. Are all of the houses ready?"
They had reinforced the houses in the main square, everyone had moved in together to limit the area’s needing patrol’s, thankfully the houses were brick and pretty sturdy, but the windows now had steel shutters on the inside, which could be opened and closed, the doors had been changed to steel, chimneys were blocked off, discreet tiny air vents had been added. The plan was to make the houses less vulnerable.
Under the village hall were a set of tunnel’s leading out of the village about 2 miles into the forest. The strategy agreed was to fight his mother's minions, hopefully leaving her in a position where she felt the need to come in person, and then use the tunnels to evacuate the vulnerable.
Walking across to where the training had started he looked with pride at the achievement’s the men had made in such a short space of time. Watching the people working together made his heart hurt, he missed his friends, his pack and as always Imogen. Theo had already made a decision to find and see Imogen tomorrow when he went home, he just needed to see her, touch her, and remind himself she was still there.
Chapter 21
Dressed in black leather pants, tight black shirt with a pair of purple combat boots, she was ready to go. Ice was still refusing to allow her to go out with weapons, he wanted her to be able to fight single handed, to be able to truly focus on using her gifts. This meant that at some point every night she got a few bruises but he was right, she was now using her abilities to her advantage. Now she was no longer surprised to see people coming at her with knives or stakes (she wasn’t sure if a stake could kill her but she was reluctant to test this). She had also discovered that she could hear and sometimes scent others from further away.
It also helped that during her daily training at least 4 of the Elite Warriors would attack her enforce, the knowledge that she could now defend herself against some of Vlads Elite was exhilarating. Ice had refused to allow her more than 4 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period, she slept from 8am to noon every day, surprisingly after an exhausting two weeks she was now good with this, her body had adapted. In fact she had never felt stronger, well physically stronger anyway.
Imogen now knew a lot more about Vlad's responsibilities within the city, he alone had to control which if any humans were allowed to be turned, there were very strict numbers agreed and he was scrutinised by the heads of the other species.
Vlad also had responsibility for handing out punishment to those vampires not under police scrutiny but were found to be breaking laws although where possible they had to hand them over to the PTF. If the PTF were already involved Shaun would liaise with them and help them where required. Unsurprisingly Ice didn’t co-operate too well with the PTF Manager, this was after an incident where he staked a vampire who had made a threat to come after Vlad, without any consideration to the PTF investigation hence the need for Shaun rather than Ice to be liaison man.
Tonight they had been informed that a party on the hills had promised to provide vampires to humans, in order to give them the ultimate buzz. It was against the law for vampires to feed from humans in public and although it was at a party, if there was more than one human it was illegal. It was also illegal for a vampire to profit from feeding. There was however an increasing number of vampires prostituting themselves out to provide the ultimate high to humans however they forgot to mention this high was also addicting.
Imogen couldn’t understand a vampire hiring themselves out, after feeding from Theo she felt it was something so wonderful and intimate she couldn’t imagine ever wanting to feed from another person. Thinking about Theo made her feel the loss more acutely, she tried to put him to the back of her mind but he was always there. She never thought she would miss someone so much and so strongly. Imogen knew he was fine, War made sure she updated Imogen every couple of days, for which she was grateful but it wasn’t the same as seeing him. Even though they were not together the bond between them was getting stronger, she could feel it like it was a physical entity pulling her apart, needing to find him to find completeness.
She also missed her home and Celia, it wasn’t that she didn’t have every luxury that she wanted here, on the contrary Vlad provided everything she could ever ask for, but home was at Silver’s where her friends and family were. When she had returned there today to meet with Ben and May she hadn’t realised how much she missed them.
Although Celia was settled at Ben and Luckys, Imogen knew she missed her and Theo. Over the past couple of weeks she had thought a lot about what Celia said to her and she had to question how someone so young had become so wise. Looking back over the last 5 years she knew that she had been selfish and thoughtless when it came to Theo. He had provided them with a level of security and affection that she had not felt since she was a little girl and she hadn’t appreciated what that must have cost him, he had given up his home and heart to let them in and she had spent most of the time arguing and annoying him. She had a lot to learn, it was stupid of her to think that Celia had been protected from everything, when clearly she had seen everything in a way Imogen herself hadn’t. The bang on the door startled her; she knew it would be Ice ready to go.
"Let’s go Imogen" and with that he turned and left. The man had no manners but he was a good guy, he trained her hard but she knew she had earned his respect. They actually got on pretty well now, he reminded her a little of Theo, with his silent brooding and his distinct disinterest in people’s opinions of him.
As she looked past his dark dress jacket and black pants she saw the ever familiar bulge a
cross his back "why do you get to bring weapons but I don’t?"
With a sigh he answered "why do we always have the same conversation? When you automatically rely on your gifts then you are ready for weapons."
Inwardly she smiled, she enjoyed goading him a little, it made her feel a little better about him kicking her ass in the daily training, although she was starting to get the upper hand on occasions. As they headed into the garage he opened the door to a sleek black Porsche she grinned "really? We get to travel in style tonight."
"We do, it may be some kids idea of a frat party while the folks are out of town, but it is an area where money talks so we need to blend in until we get through the gates. Shaun and Evan will follow us in the van."
A high society party and she was wearing black leather pants "umm I am not sure I am dressed to get through the gates."
He looked her over "you’ll do, it isn’t a dress type of party. I would imagine the vampires aren’t the only ones they have hired so you should fit in."
Imogen got in the car and had her seat belt on before she realised what he had insinuated "hold up are you saying I look like a hooker?"
Ice started laughing "are you always this slow? I was joking, what I should have said was that these boy’s will take one look at you and think Christmas has arrived early" he was zipping through the city and heading onto the highway.
"I think I like that less. What is the plan?" She watched the smirk spread across his mouth and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know.
"I have an invite here which should get us in the gates, then I am going to slip round the back of the house, Shaun and Evan are parking the van around back and will head in from there, we need evidence before we can shut the party down."
"And while you are sneaking round the back, what will I be doing?"
"You my pretty Imogen will be knocking on the door to join the party" she felt her heart drop, that’s what she thought he would say.
"I don’t like that plan, what if something goes wrong, what if someone gets hurt, I might not be quick enough, I might go after the wrong person."
She knew these were lame arguments, she had performed numerous kills since Ice started taking her out with him. Afterwards she had waited for the guilt to kick in and eat away at her, but it hadn’t. That should have been a good thing but it wasn’t, she had been plagued with fears that the conversion had altered more than her physical person; she was scared that her ability to feel and empathise had been lost and she was relegated to being a killing machine.
It was a conversation with War that had put things in perspective, she had pointed out, that all of Imogen’s suffering had allowed her to truly understand pain and recognise those that had the capacity to continue inflicting pain and suffering on other’s without remorse, therefore ensuring that deaths by her hand were judged by her to be just and fair. Amazingly this had made sense and had also helped her come to terms with her new life and identity.
So although she knew she had the capabilities to do the job, her other fights had all been in battles with dangerous vampires and she had always known Ice was by her side, to take care of things if she screwed up and now she would be on her own,
"You won’t fuck up Imogen, you don’t have to do anything, put this on" he handed her a chain with a large four leaf clover on it.
"Push it when you have seen enough to prove the charges and we will join you. No drama’s, you don’t have to do anything, just look around and keep out of trouble. It’s time you started believing in yourself, stop being a victim and start being a survivor."
It was too late to do anything now, they were at the gates. As Ice pressed the buzzer on the intercom, the gates opened. The house was large but not a mansion, there were at least 10 cars already parked there, they were all expensive cars, top of the range. Ice locked the car.
"Trust yourself and your abilities. You are strong and talented but lack self-belief, it’s time to find it and quick" and with that he was gone and she was stood alone.
She walked the three steps to the front door and knocked, she wasn’t surprised she didn’t get a response; the music was too loud to hear so she opened the door, yes Imogen could open the door. Contrary to popular belief, Vampires didn’t have to be invited in, that was a big fat myth. She slipped in trying to be discreet, she could hear the music coming from another room, she headed that way, but when she got to the open doorway she froze.
It was definitely a frat party, the party goers were all men, all youngish maybe in their late teens and early 20’s, she could see kegs of beer lined up on a long bar, a naked woman pouring the drinks to the hoots of the men. Two women were performing some sort of dance in time to the music on a makeshift stage. They were also naked and writhing on the floor, touching each other, there were at least 6 men watching intently she could feel their excitement, but it was the one closest to the stage who bothered her, she could already see he was too excited.
Closing her eyes, she focussed deep inside her where she was stronger, she slowed her breathing, she had been the one on the stage at these types of parties, she had been degraded and abused, but she wasn’t that person anymore. She was stronger than that. Her instinct was to go to the females on the stage and protect them, she reigned that in and forced herself to take in the details of the room, it was a mass of sex and alcohol. The women didn’t look like they had come voluntarily. There were people having sex, fondling the girls mid beer.
It was a good damn orgy, was Ice taking the piss? Imogen took a slower look thankful that everyone was too engaged to notice her, none of the women seemed outwardly coerced but she knew that meant nothing. Then she felt the vampires, she couldn’t see them but she knew they were there, through a door on the other side of the room.
To get to them she would have to get through this room, there had to be twelve men in here, she decided on the only option open to her, she needed to play the game, she had done this before. She stood tall, felt the adrenaline running through her but it wasn’t a good adrenaline, it was a mixture of strength, fear and apprehension. She had taken two steps into the room when she was noticed, a biggish man stood from where he had been watching, he didn’t seem as excited as the others, she could smell the sex in the room, the excitement but not from him. He started walking towards her.
"Well this is more like it, you are certainly hot enough, I thought all of the entertainment had arrived, Glen didn’t tell me the best was still to arrive."
Imogen had to remind herself she was the one in control here, she had trained to do this, and she had the skills to get through this.
"Glen always saves the best for last, where is he by the way?" She smiled what she hoped was a sweet enticing smile, with her pure white long hair she wasn’t really sure what he saw looking at her, but she didn’t like it, she offered a pout, "it looks like the party’s been in swing for a while."
"Baby we party hard, I will let you into a secret, I party like I fuck, hard."
He was in front of her, she wanted to wipe that disgusting smile off his face, her hands at her sides were clenching into fists, he didn’t notice it though, he was too focussed on her breasts, now she could smell his excitement. She lifted her hand to trail a finger down his face, fighting the urge to pull her hand back.
"Let me go see Glen and then I will come back to you."
"Don’t worry, you will come back alright and then I will show you what a real man can do." Not bloody likely.
Over his shoulder she saw the door she was heading to open, a man and a woman came out, she was short and dressed in a black corset and tight small shorts, Imogen watched a man who had been near the stage walk over to her, she opened her mouth exposing her fangs which she promptly sank into his neck.
"Well it seems you timed it right, Glens just come in."
Imogen could feel someone walking towards her back, she forced herself to stand still and not move, he was coming to her. She moved her hand up to the necklace and pushed on the clover as she
turned to see the tall, black vampire behind her. Imogen took less than a second to assess the threat in front of her, the short dread locks, the gun tucked into his jacket, the big brown eyes tinged with red. As he looked at her she saw his eyes widen in surprise.
The Kiss of a Vampire, the Heart of a Wolf (The Silver Series) Page 15
