Release

by C. M. Steele

  “A child. Are these humans? Vampires? Others?” he asked me, knowing that he and I were not above the evilness to kill our own.

  “Humans and a witch.”

  He sat back in his chair, rubbing his chin. “A witch? The last time I ran into one of those it wasn’t pretty.”

  “Well, I will pay you two-hundred thousand pounds.”

  Money is the root of all evil they claim, and I found my way in. “I shall do it. Please elaborate for me.” I spend an hour telling him of my goals to achieve and he agrees to do them. “It will not happen all at once. It must be done with precision and patience. If your soothsayer is correct, you have time. I will have fun bringing their demise.”

  “Very well. I expect half the money before and half after. Agreed?”

  “Yes,” I approved, shaking his hand and leaving his residence in the dark of night.

  “Stavros, snap out of it,” she cried out.

  “What do you want, woman?”

  “If the women and child were killed then why is there now a baby girl? Did he truly kill the child, or did he lie to you?”

  “The papers reported the slaying the morning he came to collect payment.”

  “Perhaps the soothsayer you met wasn’t on your side. That’s what happens when you trust humans with special gifts.”

  “She died for her treachery.”

  “Well, we need to think about a way to get to the Lombardi family.”

  “That’s what I want ‘Jack’ for.”

  “He’ll be able to get past their security as long as they aren’t in their island fortress.”

  “Yes, we need to get their seer away from them. If she’s isolated, then it’ll be easier to get to Falcon’s mate. I want Leonora to pay for Falcon’s failings.”

  Chapter 24

  Falcon

  Snow started to cover the ground when we woke up in Washington. We spent the night with the shifters, getting to know all of them a lot better. They appeared to be nicer than I expected. In fact, they were quite similar to Draco and me, and the women each had a bit of sass and kindness like our mates.

  By the time we got the women and children home, we were all exhausted. The war, the traveling, and the excitement of new acquaintances drained us more than expected. Gideon and Mary couldn’t wait to be informed of our victory. After filling them in, I carried my family to bed. My little girl fell asleep as soon as I placed her in her cradle.

  “Falcon, are you going to meet with that Detective again?” Nora asked as she sleepily undressed. Heavens, she was magnificent. If we weren’t all fatigued, I would spend hours loving her.

  “I think I should meet with his partner. If something is up, we can learn it from him,” I told her, taking off my clothes as well.

  “That’s a good idea,” she muttered, climbing under the covers. I followed her lead, pulling her into my arms. I loved having her resting her head on my bare chest. I ran my hands over her back, lulling her to sleep.

  I breathed a sigh of contentment, then added, “After we get some rest I’ll call the police station and ask for him personally.” And we managed to fall into a peaceful slumber.

  ~~~~~

  I wake up to Speranza’s cries. Still groggy, I rush to her side. Nora sits up and I see the sun starting to rise. Apparently, we slept longer than I thought. I handed her to Nora. My growing princess nursing without delay.

  I dress in a tee shirt and jeans, then informed Nora, “I’m going to bring us something to eat.”

  She made a gagging expression, then said, “No food, please. Just something to drink.” Perhaps she ate too much at Kane’s home. They did have a large feast that we all enjoyed.

  “As you wish,” I answered, bending down to kiss her and Speranza. I took the stairs for a change. With all the constant teleporting, I’ve been exhausted lately. It tended to wear on us, but with rest, we were perfectly back to beastlike energy.

  After an hour, we left our bed chambers to congregate with the rest of our family. Draco and Charlotte were noticeably absent, while little Marco was sleeping in Mary’s arms.

  “Good morning,” I greeted everyone. “I take it Charlotte and Draco had some business to attend to?” I remarked suggestively, winking and nodding with a giant smirk on my face.

  “Yes, we did,” Draco growled, entering the kitchen with a smile a mile wide.

  “Wow, that was fast,” Mary teased. Charlotte blushed for a minute before showing everyone how cocky she was.

  “We’re going to make it just fine. Now, enough of our sex life. I need to know the latest on the supposed stalker.”

  “You remember those fucks at the fire. Well, one of them has been creeping on us. I think Nora should go and speak with him. They have no idea that we’re onto them.”

  “Yes, that’s a smart move.”

  “I’m going to call him and see if we can meet.” I dialed the number but had to leave a message. “This is Dr. Falcon Lombardi. I’d like to speak to you regarding the bombings of my properties. Please call as soon as possible.”

  “Damn it, I want this over with. Draco, do me a favor. Hack Norton’s cell phone. I want to know who he’s talking to and see if Stavros ends up calling.”

  “Sure thing, Falcon. Let me get to it.” He leaned over and kissed Charlotte. “Do you want to sit with me in the office or do you have other shit to do?”

  “I’m going to hang with Nora for a bit.”

  “Cool. We haven’t had a girl’s day together. Boys go do boy things and let us be,” Nora ordered us. I had to laugh. She seemed thrilled to have girl time.

  “Fine, but I’m going to take my baby girl with me.”

  “Perfect. We want to pamper ourselves.” I gave my mate a hard, deep kiss then Draco and I teleported with the babies.

  Chapter 25

  Stavros

  “Why would you fucking kill him, you idiot?” I growled through the phone. We didn’t need any attention on vampires and this could bring additional heat.

  “He got too nosy. And he was seen by the fucking vampires.”

  “He’s a fucking cop. They are going to be all over it,” I shouted, losing my cool. I thrust my hands into my hair, ready to go on a killing spree of my own. This bastard was at the top of the list.

  “Yeah, and they’re going to be looking at Lombardi for it. I left some of his swords in Norton’s house. Everyone knew that Norton was coming down hard on Lombardi about the explosions and Lombardi wasn’t pleased when he left,” he justified.

  “You fool, don’t you know that’ll force me to lay off my attacks. They will be putting the FBI on this. And will be focusing on Lombardi.”

  “Damn, I hadn’t considered that,” he exclaimed, puffing out a hard breath.

  “No, you didn’t. But my men will need rest, so you’re lucky,” I warned him.

  There was a knock on my door. “I’ve got to let you go, stay out of trouble for fucks’ sake or immortality will be a fancy passing for you.”

  I opened the door to see the man I’d been looking for. I reached out my hand and shook his. “Ah, it’s been a long time. You are looking different.” He looked worse than before, slender, deathly and empty, soulless eyes.

  “Time has changed me.”

  “Yes, you’re ruthless, if the rumors are true.”

  “I want to kill everyone. Question. Speaking of rumors—has the girl child been born.”

  “She has.” He roared, flipping over the chair and tossing it across the room, sending it shattering to pieces.

  “Calm down, dick. You’re destroying my things.”

  “I don’t give a fuck about your things. Who had the baby?”

  “Falcon Lombardi.”

  “Who is he? He’s a Lord in Italy. The leader of the Army of Light or whatever the fuck they call themselves.”

  “Well, he’s a dead man.”

  “And that’s what I hoped you’d say. Now you must know that they have a seer. She’s managed to get in my way almost every dam
n time. Do you have a way around it or is there someone you know with a way? There has to be a witch or warlock or any of those bastards around with the capability.”

  “Don’t worry about her, I will handle it. I have my ways.” His eyes revealed a sinister promise in them. They even turned a strange color of grey for a moment.

  Chapter 26

  Charlotte

  “Lord this feels good.” We both popped into the hot tub we didn’t get to use since we got here. With everything going on, relaxing had been the least of our concerns. For the time being, we had a brief reprieve.

  “We needed this,” Nora added, sipping on a glass of wine. We stole a bottle from the large cooler and decided to enjoy ourselves.

  “Wouldn’t it be nice to go get our nails and hair done?” I considered. The weight of the world rested on our shoulders. Clearing our minds will make things better.

  “Yes, but I don’t think we’re going to get one of those moments anytime soon,” she sighed. I grabbed my phone and tossed on the shuffle with my Amazon Prime. Love Story by Taylor Swift rocked the Bose and we started singing.

  “I love this song,” Nora said. I did the right thing in getting this done. My friend didn’t look so tense for the first time in forever. I closed my eyes and let the water warm my body. I smiled when I felt strong arms wrapping around me. Then I screamed. It wasn’t Draco and I wasn’t in the fortress in anymore.

  “Now, Seer, we have a problem. I know where you are and I’m coming for you, but first, your son will die. No one can stop me, not even you.”

  I shifted into a large wild beast and then I woke up.

  “Charlotte, fuck, are you okay?” Draco pulled me from the water wrapping me tightly in his arms. I was shaking. That wasn’t a vision. Someone was in my head.

  “No, I’m not okay. We’re not okay,” I sobbed. I closed my eyes and tried to see anything.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Someone’s in my head.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They have a powerful vampire on their side. He can get into my head and he’s blocking my visions.”

  “Can you tell us who it is?” Falcon asked. I’d been so lost that I didn’t notice him in the room. He held both kids in his arms. I would die for my family and this vampire demanded it.

  “It was the one Charles, William, and Evelyn described,” I muttered, trying to find anything coming up.

  “My soul, can you tell us more?” Draco whispered in my ear. I felt his strength and the slightest hint of a vision circled my head. Could I fight him?

  “I can’t, but I want you to know that I love you, Draco.” If this guy could block my visions, could he change them?

  “Don’t talk like this is the end. This bastard won’t take you from me. I will turn him to dust before he comes near you.”

  “I want to go lay down. I’m sorry I ruined our day, Nora.”

  “You didn’t ruin anything,” she said, wrapping me up in a hug. “We’ll keep Marco with us, while you both rest.” Draco nodded to her in appreciation. He teleported us to our room and he held me until I fell asleep.

  Chapter 27

  Draco

  My world would end if anything happened to Charlotte. She’s my everything. I won’t lose her. It has been over three days since that fucker entered her thoughts. Whoever he was, he had a death wish because I wouldn’t hold back. She hasn’t gotten back to normal. She can’t relax and that destroys me to watch. It started to affect Marco. He has become more erratic and irritable throughout the night. We have had very little sleep and I believe that was part of the bastard’s plan.

  We needed to act as soon as possible, instead of being on the defensive we need to go on the offense. Hunting them down seemed like the best strategy.

  “Draco, can I meet with you,” Falcon asked, coming up to me as I looked over the computer at Norton’s cellular activity.

  “Absolutely. We have a problem though. News reports in Washington suggest that Norton has been murdered.”

  “What?”

  “Yes. I don’t know who, but I’m sure it’s related to Stavros and his band of merry dead men.”

  “It could very well be, but as a detective, he’s just as likely to be killed for some other investigation.”

  “That’s the problem. The police are looking into his cases. His partner mentioned that Norton had been going hard on a man who’s had mysterious accidents at his properties.”

  “Damn it, they are looking at me,” Falcon grumbled, pacing around my office. I had my computers running traces without being tracked doing it. It’s good because I had pulled Norton’s records right before they came out with his death announcement. They could have tracked it to us if I hadn’t added the untraceable software I developed.

  “Draco, I’m done waiting for the next attack. I know wiping out their men has been easy, but with Charlotte’s visions tampered with, I can’t take a chance. I think we need to strike.”

  “I was thinking the same thing.”

  “I want Dante in on a meeting.”

  “Good, I want to limit those who know because we can’t let anyone in that we’re not a hundred percent sure they’re trustworthy.”

  Falcon took a seat in the front of my desk, leaning back and nodding his head. “Who do we trust?”

  “I would go with the shifters. They definitely owe us. They’re good.”

  “I agree. Their genuine love for each other leads me to believe that they are on the up and up. We have Gideon and William.”

  “Same here. Anyone else?”

  “No one outside of that circle. I want to find the De Rosas. They have to pay, all of them.”

  “Damn straight. I’m sure we can find them.” I looked at my monitor, searching the news for possible hints to their whereabouts.

  “I have a feeling they’ll be up Stavros’s ass. Not necessarily in their presence, but definitely calling him.” We had to do scans for any talk in the underground world to lead us to the De Rosas, then we’ll be able to find Stavros.

  “Yes, they’ll be looking to show their loyalty to him after their betrayal of us.”

  “I doubt they’ll be rewarded. Stavros wouldn’t trust them.”

  “No, not after what the sorcerer did to him.”

  “Exactly. Once bitten…”

  “Do you want to take a trip to London? Do some serious digging?”

  “Let’s talk to Gideon. He may have some contacts in London.” We both got up and teleported to the security room. Gideon nearly jumped out of his seat and almost dropped his food.

  “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you,” I said. Oddly, our entrance never startled him before. Feeling suspicious of everyone, I stand hard with my arms crossed, waiting for him to say something.

  He sat down his plate, brushing his hands on his pants. “No big deal. I was totally caught off guard. And with the fuck screwing with Charlotte’s visions put me on edge. I wonder if they have a way in here.”

  “I don’t think they do, but at this point, the tide has turned.”

  “We want to know if you have anyone who could lead us to the Lamia.” Having had experience with those in the Lamian Army, Gideon was our best bet to find them.

  “Are we going to strike?” he asked, jumping out of his chair with a broad smile on his face.

  “Wow, you’re enthusiastic about it,” I remarked, seeing him overly thrilled was a new thing.

  “Well, shit, while you’re out getting in some action, meeting people, and the like, I’m trapped in this room. The few attacks have been such a cakewalk that they’ve been no threat. I’m bored out of my mind. I want something outside. Hell, I’d like some damn television. Something.” Damn, immediately, it struck me how left out he’d been. Yes, he destroyed ships, but everything was done from the command room. He didn’t have to break a sweat.

  “Sorry, Gideon. I didn’t realize how dull your life has been since we came here. It’s time for a quick trip to London. Are you u
p for it?”

  “Of course. But who’s going to stay with the women?”

  “See you can’t have it both ways. The women are safe, and William is capable of operating the attack from the command room.”

  “Okay, let’s go.” He walked over to his coat and threw it on in a flash.

  “Give us a minute to tell our wives.” We teleport and find that our mates are in the library together.

  “What’s going on?” Nora asked, seeing the rush in our movements.

  “We’re going to do some reconnaissance and we need the two of you to stay here with William.”

  “Be careful. They’re going to be on the lookout for you two. Lamian soldiers will be patrolling Trafalgar Square and Westminster.”

  “Are you sure?” Falcon questioned. After all, we didn’t know if it wasn’t the bastard or Charlotte controlling the vision.

  “He doesn’t mess with all my visions. He invades my mind. It’s not quite the same thing.” She stood up and began to pace, brushing her hand along the spines of the books on the bookcase. “He talks to me, threatens me and a vision appears, but it’s not the same as my regular visions. It’s hard to describe, but it’s as if they are vivid details of his promise to destroy us,” Charlotte explained.

  “We’ll be careful.” We gave our women a kiss then snatched up Gideon before hitting the streets of London. It was pitch black outside and we kept to the shadows. It took two hours to locate a vampire club with most of the people being humans ready to be feasted on. They didn’t kill them but just took enough to send the humans into a euphoric minute while enjoying their meal. Gideon knew the guard and he let us in. I knew it wouldn’t be long before Stavros was made aware of our presence.

  “Gideon, stay at our side. If we need to leave we have to do it quickly. I have a feeling we won’t be here long,” Falcon told him. I nodded. Eyes were on me.

  “If it isn’t his royal majesty,” a vampire scoffed, looking at Falcon as if he refused to believe the truth.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Falcon inquired, inching closer to the antagonizing twat.