Release

by C. M. Steele

  Draco tapped my shoulder. “Do you need me right now?”

  “No, Draco. Behave,” I warned him.

  “Behave? I have no intention of behaving. I’ll need Nora to watch Marco for the next hour or so.” He winked and ran into the house. I chuckled and shook my head slightly.

  Kane guffawed before asking, “We need to rest, but can you please bring back our families? We need to get better before they notice.” They were littered with bruises and cuts all over.

  “They’re not going to miss those cuts and bruises, but maybe you’ll get them to make it better. Let them know I’m coming so they don’t give me any trouble.” I told him. Then I was gone, bringing back Hunter and Kane’s wife while the rest stayed back until tomorrow. When there would be fewer people and they could calm down. Everyone had been stressed to the max and needed a breather. We all did. Especially my missing best friend and his mate. I laughed to myself because I knew exactly what he was going to do.

  Chapter 44

  Charlotte

  I pulled away from Nora and held onto my son. He would be all I had left. He had my genes too even though Draco seemed to hate it.

  “Charlotte,” Draco called out. “Give Marco to Nora.”

  “No.”

  “Woman, did you not hear me? Give our son to her right now.” I gave Nora the baby and when I did, I was taken by surprise. He pulled me into his arms and slammed his mouth down on mine, kissing me like a possessive beast. We were gone in a flash.

  “Charlotte, if you ever shift a-fucking-gain, you better not shift back until you’re alone with a fucking bunch of clothes on. You were standing there naked in front of my lifelong friend and I wanted to tear his eyes out. If one of the other ones walked in I would have. You’re mine and your body belongs to me. I have to remind you of that.”

  “That’s why you were mad?”

  “Fuck yeah.”

  “For a month, I’ve been trying to deal with that same vision,” I muttered. He tipped my chin and brought my gaze to his, shaking his head.

  “I wished you could have seen it from my eyes. You would have understood how jealous I was. You’re for me and the beast in me wants to keep it that way.”

  “I love you, Draco. I wish I could have seen it too. Then I would have been prepared.”

  “Well, are you prepared for some make-up sex?”

  “Always, Draco.”

  We were in our rooms at the castle. It seemed that they hadn’t chosen to attack it. I hadn’t been sure, but right now I didn’t care. All I wanted was Draco showing me that all was well. My heart couldn’t wait another minute. I dropped to my knees, tugging off his belt as he took off his armored vest. Slipping his cock free from his pants, I sucked on the tip. Moaning and sending my hands between my thighs. Draco turned me on with every breath, every touch, every taste. Relaxing my throat, I took him all the way in. He shivered and cupped the back of my head, taking control and slowly thrusting his hips and fucking my mouth. I moaned around his length. He stopped, groaning as he popped it out past my lips.

  “Up. I want to fuck you hard and fast on all fours. My little naughty wolf.” My pussy clenched as he growled out the last four words. He lifted off the shirt he threw on me in jealousy, then he sucked my breast into his mouth before tossing me on the bed. I got on all fours, popping my ass up in the air. He climbed behind me, rubbing his cock against the seam of my ass down to my soaked pussy, pushing home. He leaned over my body, with his hands on the sides of my shoulders, pumping into me with clipped thrusts. One by one my cells came alive, feeling his breath on my neck. The sharp edge of his teeth grazed my pulse and we came together.

  Falling to the mattress, Draco wrapped his arms around me, spooning my small body into his large one. I loved when he did. I felt cocooned by his love. We didn’t have much more time, but it was time to get back and deal with the cleanup of all the human remains. Thankfully, Draco had the wherewithal to stock some clothes here for me. I dressed quickly after a two-minute shower. I was going to need to start carrying around a spare set of clothes just in case things got crazy. Now back to get my baby and catch more shit from all of them. We had sex again abruptly when we went to see the wolves.

  Chapter 45

  Falcon

  Draco and I cleaned up the dead, burning the human bodies in lye, then dropping them into the ocean. No dog tags had been on the bodies of the normal soldiers, but I couldn’t care less if anyone missed them. They were the scourge of the earth as far as I was concerned. They dementedly decided to take their fate in their hands with the promise of a lie. It was their fault and I refused to feel guilty.

  We gathered in the dining room eating dinner that all the women made while we cleaned up the front yard. The moon had been full, and I hadn’t even noticed until I heard some howling around.

  “What’s that?” Nora asked, clutching my arm fearful of another threat. Gideon stood up and looked around for danger.

  “Someone has found their mate,” Hunter answered, smiling knowingly. Their world had been inviting while we were here, and I missed our home that now had been completely cleared of all the rubble. I still hadn’t decided what to do about the property. Or how to handle the cops. I wondered if they were still looking at me for Norton’s death.

  She let go of my arm and questioned, “Oh, is that a usual thing?”

  Hunter had been a growly beast kind of guy, just like Nora had turned me into and a simmering need to knock him on his ass. “We find our mates on full moons, but most of us find our mates before we reach twenty-five.”

  “Wow, Falcon had a billion times longer for me,” she remarked comically.

  “My love, you were worth every miserable century,” I told her, dragging her attention away from Hunter because my ass wasn’t above the jealousy of man. I bit her lips, sucking it softly into my mouth and snaking my hand around to squeeze her round bottom.

  “What’s our next move, my King?” Nora asked as we all ate. The battle had drained us. The wolves were too exhausted, but I went to get them all. The women panicked, but I assured them that they were just tired, and it would be easier if I’d come and get them myself.

  “I must notify my men. And let the world know that Stavros is dead.”

  “Do you want to do it immediately?” Hunter questions, hugging his mate.

  “I wish to do it while the sun is set. It’s about to rise again, so I’ll wait until morning here. Then we’ll be out of your hair.”

  “That’s not a problem. You and your family will always be welcome,” Hunter said.

  “Do you want me to go with you?” Nora asked.

  “Yes, my Queen. We’ll take our daughter as well. I want them to all recognize that we will not allow anyone to overstep and challenge us again.”

  “Showing strength and fierceness will deter the bad and earn praise for those who suffered from these battles,” Hunter added.

  “Thank you. If you’ll excuse us, I wish to depart now.” I held my family in my arms and teleported into our rooms in the castle. We walked out and caught the attention of the guards. “Your Majesties, we are pleased to see you here with us. Do you wish for me to summon Dante?”

  “No, I wish to make a statement to all the people. Is he in his room?”

  “No, sire. He’s out in the courtyard, training the soldiers.”

  “Thank you.” I led Nora to the balcony and called for attention. “Gather around. There is great news that I must share.”

  “Most of you are unaware of the events of the past twenty-four hours, but I must tell you that the end is nigh. Draco and I have been battling on the island and in the woods of the United States with the help of wolf shifters and my family. There must be under a thousand soldiers remaining, but a key and most important note I must impart upon you is…Stavros is dead.”

  A silence fell over the crowd for three point two seconds. The roars and cheers rang through the air.

  Speranza cried, catching my attention, then Nora fainted.


  I turned and caught her and my daughter, carrying her into our room. It scared me, but she woke up quickly. “Sorry, Falcon. Is Speranza okay? I didn’t mean to squeeze her so hard.”

  “You fainted, Nora. Bloody hell. I need to know what’s wrong with you.”

  With her chilled hands on my cheeks, she shook her head and said, “Nothing’s wrong with me, my King. It seems that we must have lost too many vampires. I’m pregnant Falcon.”

  “Are you certain, my love?” I hoped that was the case. With Nora fainting, I was about to tell all the vampires they were fucked for getting the cure. She was more important than all of them.

  “Yes, my love.” It was sooner than I could have ever imagined but it had, and I couldn’t chase away the smile from my face. I rubbed her slightly rounded belly. With the war encompassing us, I hadn’t noticed the slight change the past few days. A knock at the door came hard and fast. “Uncle, is everything okay?” Dante asked frantically, his voice shaking as he sputtered out his concern.

  “Yes,” I said. I nodded to Nora before teleporting outside my door with Dante. “Come, nephew, I have a joyous announcement to make.”

  “Oh, congratulations, Uncle.” Dante and I walked back out to reassure the people.

  Voices mixed as everyone had been talking with nervous curiosity. Once they saw me on the terrace they all stopped and focused on my revelation. “The queen is well and needs rest. It seems that we are on the verge of having another babe. My lovely queen is with child.” The jubilant ruckus resounded loudly. I raised my hand for silence. “Thank you all. It would seem this may be the season of babes. Both sides of the war lost our vampire kind. Good luck and mate on!” That elated the crowd and they erupted into laughs and more cheering. I left Dante to the masses to attend my wife. She and my little angel deserved my attention more.

  Chapter 46

  Leonora

  We moved into the castle the next day. My lab ready to prepare more solutions. I wasn’t feeling too hot to take more blood, but it had to be done. Instead, Vigo snuck me extra meat, so Falcon wouldn’t know I was weak. This was only the second time I’d given blood. If I had to slow down I would, but it mattered to me that we had an army of dedicated soldiers and their families waiting for their turn. When I saw the list that they prepared, I nearly fainted on the spot.

  The sooner we had people cured the better things would get. I was sitting in the middle of our bed when I started thinking about why Speranza was so special and why I was the cure. Could our lives have a connection to the past? I jumped on my computer and logged in securely before hitting up the Ancestry website. After ten minutes of entering information and verifying some information, my family history started to appear. Strange. Where had I heard that name from? I thought to myself.

  What name?

  Hello nosy, Vasco.

  What did you say? Falcon asked before appearing before me looking wild. “What was the name?”

  “Vasco. I decided to do an ancestry hit and it came up with this family name.”

  “I can’t believe it.” He lifted me off the seat, took it and pulled me down to his lap. He scrolled the report. Gasping, he looked at me in a whole different way.

  “Nora. Do you know that Stavros was the one who paid Lord Grayson to kill a distant ancestor to the sorcerer who started this whole curse? But the women weren’t supposed to be his only victims, he was to butcher those people and a small little baby girl. He couldn’t kill the baby because I came to him that one night, but her name is here.” He pointed to the woman who was my great-great-grandmother on my mother’s side. She had the power of sorcery in her life, but she’d been forced to hide it for fear of being found out. I had no idea she was your ancestor.

  “You knew her,” I asked; my question laced with jealousy.

  “When she was near her deathbed. I can only have one mate.”

  “But what if you had met her sooner?”

  “Nora, you know that once the one is near, we find them. I spent a very long time in London, seen her several times in passing over the years. If she had been meant to be my mate it would have happened. She was just holding your gift, channeling the precious blood in her veins and giving it down to you.”

  “Do you think that’s why Speranza is so special and insanely beautiful with enchanting eyes?”

  “Yes, but she looks just like you, my Queen. The only difference is the eyes. And I think that’s because she’s extra special. She has the genes of my ancestors and that of yours as well.”

  “Wow, I wonder what she’ll become later when she’s old enough to use them.”

  “Probably a big pain in the ass,” he joked, but he had a point. If your kid was more powerful than you then they could wrest control from you.

  “Hopefully, her teenage years pass by in a blur.” I pressed my hand to his face and caressed his stubble. I would never get used to the sexiness of this man. “I think we should celebrate.”

  “As you wish, your highness,” he whispered, carrying me over to the bed and loving me until we were too exhausted to move. Luckily Speranza was down for the night. I could get used to eternity like so.

  Chapter 47

  Charlotte

  I finally got to go back to my treasured journal from Lady Lombardi. Everything in it fascinated me. Learning how to control and understand my visions. This would have been helpful months ago, but then again, if I’d understood I would have found it when they started coming to me.

  I put on my headphones and listened to some classic rock. Steely Dan played and the rhythm of Do It Again, swayed me into relaxation and I saw something that made me smile. The future was looking up. I knew there were going to be bumps in the road, but it wouldn’t be like it had been. Fuck, I was going to have grandbabies in the future. Wow, I turned off the music because I was too mellow and didn’t want to see anything else unless it was necessary.

  When Nora did her ancestry test, I debated doing mine. I always wanted to go all the way to find the answers, but truthfully, knowing that I was related in some way to Stavros was more than enough for me. I didn’t want to know more, and the past was that. Let sleeping dogs lie and all that shit that came with it. The past needed to stay there. The only thing I needed was my ancient man and this book. I turned on the music again, Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams came on. “Fuck it,” I muttered. I loved this song.

  Rolling onto my belly, I opened the book and read more about her life and how to become the best seer ever. I laughed because nothing in here was going to make me better than her. I was too selfish for it.

  I read an excerpt that explained her reasoning for her inevitable demise.

  The vision haunts my dreams. I know that it’s my fault for ignoring the signs before it was too late. I must follow them now, or I will lose my dearest baby Falcon. He has brought me great pride and warmth through his courageous and kindness over the century. I do not wish for this life to end for my mate and I, but it could not be changed. I have let my power and infallibility to get away with me. Pride cometh before the fall. And my time to fall is nigh.

  The longer I allow the mess to continue the longer it will take to right itself. My poor Falcon will bear the brunt of my lack of action. I do not know how much time will pass before Falcon will find his mate, but I hope that he will be strong enough to handle the loneliness. I have done such a disservice to him. I wish I could reverse this, but I cannot. It will take until man is smart enough to create a means to the solution. I have not a timeframe but from what I can foresee, the world appears different. The beauty will have the key in her blood. I can see her now, her eyes blue and bright as she studies through books with images of humans.

  My seer must protect her until Falcon can find her.

  I sat up, slamming the book and pulling the headphones from my ears. I was unable to read anymore. It was heartbreaking to know her life. She messed up and it cost her everything. Thank fucking hell I had people that could help me from fucking up like that. I almost
lost everything because I did the same thing.

  “Hey beautiful, how are you doing?” Draco asked, jumping onto the bed with a dirty smile on his face.

  “I great,” I answered, wiping the tears from my eyes.

  “Really, why the tears then?” he questioned.

  “Just reading some of the journal. I don’t want to talk about it. Except to say I love you and thank you for always understanding.” I threw my arms around him. “Love me, Draco.”

  “Always, my sweet love.” And we lost ourselves in a deep passion that I couldn’t get enough of.

  Chapter 48

  Falcon

  We all took a trip to visit the wolves two weeks after the war had ended. I had to be questioned by the police about Norton’s death. They didn’t have any proof other than the swords he’d stolen from me, but they had no idea I knew about it. That was the thing. And for all, they knew at the time of his death I’d been in Lombardy working on the castle.

  This time for our trip Nora and I decided to bring Dante because he hadn’t been able to see the world in the light and wished to experience it. Mary tagged along to see his joy. Charlotte stayed back with Draco and babysat Speranza who had grown like a weed last week and no longer wanted breast milk. It worked well for Nora because it drained her energy and I wondered how much more she could handle before she collapsed.

  “I’ll be back in a little while,” I said to them, taking Nora inside the station while they waited in the car.

  We had plans to go to a fancy meal, but those were tossed out the window three minutes after we walked into the police station. A large explosion shook the building and a pain struck me in my chest. I looked up to see that Jones had stabbed me in the middle of the chaos, catching me off guard and his thoughts hidden from me. I looked around and everyone else had gone to see the commotion. I pulled the blade out, tossing it onto the table. Nora gasped, but I just smiled at him. “Next time try a little harder.”