Chosen Mate

by L. J. Red

  May laughed. “You’re right.”

  “I thought us vassals might appreciate something hearty and warm; this place is freezing.”

  “Yeah, it’s pretty bad,” May said, placing the peeled potatoes beside her. “I made sure that the first people here started the generators to turn on the heating in all the cabins, but this big place is going to take a while to get warm.”

  “Oh, that was you?” Ivy said. “Thank you,” she continued, “I’ve come in from the West Coast and believe me, this Canadian winter is so much worse than I was anticipating.”

  May nodded, thinking quickly, “West Coast, that would make you Clarity?”

  “Yup,” Ivy said, “Working under Finlay and his vampires. He’s heading the Bloodline now that Aaron… Oh,” she broke off, “but you must know all about that.”

  May nodded. Ivy was referring to the incident with Kai, the serial killer vampire who had poisoned all the vampires in the Sanctuary in Chicago in his bid to kill Lucian and destroy the Shadows. Aaron had been one of the vampires caught up in the poisoning and was still in a coma. Finlay must be his second who had stepped up to lead the Bloodline. “What’s he like?” she asked.

  Ivy shrugged, “Fin? Pretty quiet, he mostly keeps to himself. I haven’t seen much of him, to be honest. He’s been traveling the country, checking in any Clarity vampires away from the territory, after what happened to Aaron.” She was silent for a moment. “I think he took it hard, what happened to Aaron.” She glanced at May. “Did you meet him? Aaron, before the poisoning?”

  May nodded, thinking back to the few times she had met the ancient vampire. “He seemed kind,” she said. “He didn’t deserve what happened to him.” None of them had. She remembered the sick, painful feeling of the poison working through her body and shuddered.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Ivy said, “I must be bringing up horrible memories.”

  “It’s ok,” May said, but she searched for a subject change. “How long have you been working for vampires?” she asked.

  “Oh, years,” Ivy said. “It’s kind of a family business, to be honest. My family is Irish and we used to serve Clarity in the old country. Then when they moved here, I guess we moved with them.”

  May found the idea of serving vampires for generations fascinating, and she found herself flooding Ivy with questions. It seemed there were all sorts of roles one could have as a vassal, not just serving in the territory house, like the Sanctuary, but also working in vampire-owned businesses elsewhere, like the bars and clubs Ivy’s family managed, or even lobbying for vampire rights in government, now that vampires had come out into the open. She lost track of time chatting with Ivy until the soup was almost done and the vassals were starting to stand around looking hungrily and hopefully at them.

  “Has anyone found plates?” May asked, stepping away from the stove. There were a bunch of shaking heads, and so May sent a few different vassals off in different directions and headed out herself in search of crockery.

  She ended up following a slightly winding corridor that led to a set of stairs down into a basement. One of the lights flickered, and the corridor had a cold creepiness that made her shiver. At the end, she found two doors, one thick, dark wood, that was propped open. She poked her head quickly inside. The room was bitterly cold. She turned on the light and blinked away the glare, taking a couple of steps inside.

  There were empty shelves along one side and hooks on the ceiling. Her first thought was a torture chamber, and she jumped back before her common sense resurfaced. This was a hunting lodge. This had to be the room they stored the carcasses of whatever they shot. Well, no one was going to be doing any hunting here, what with the Conclave taking up everyone’s time. She turned and accidentally knocked away the prop. The door began to swing closed and May leaped to catch it. She grabbed it at the last minute and strained at its weight, she finally struggled it open and stepped outside. Well, she didn’t want anyone coming down here and getting stuck inside this cold room. They were so deep down; she was pretty sure no one would hear them call. She checked the walls, and sure enough, there was a key hung on a hook beside the door. She stepped back and let the door swing shut. It closed with a loud bang that made her jump, and she giggled nervously. She was just scaring herself now. The key was cold, and a little stiff in the lock, but she managed to get it shut eventually. Her fingers started to go numb with the cold. She dropped the key into her pants pocket.

  She walked over to check the other door. It was smaller, and not made of such thick wood. She pulled it open and gasped as a gust of cold snowy air blew in. The door led out into a little recessed yard. When May peered upwards, the cold night sky spread above her. The steep walls were snow covered and must have hidden the little yard from view. She quickly ducked back inside, rubbing the cold out of her arms.

  Shivering, May walked back along the empty corridor under the flickering light. The light went out for the space of a heartbeat, then came back on and there was a woman standing underneath it. May let out a little cry and jerked backward, her cold fingers pressed to her mouth.

  The woman was wearing a sweeping green dress, with a shining white mask covering the right side of her face. It gave her an eerie, ghostly look, and it took May a second to notice anything else, like her thick, shiny black hair, or her pale, predatory grey eyes that pinned May in place. Those eyes, the grey light within them whirling like snow in the wind, whirling around and around, drawing May down, deeper, deeper into the cold.

  The woman stepped closer with a rustle of silk. “Step aside,” she said, and May swayed before stumbling back a step. The woman crossed past her to the heavy door and pushed at it. The door groaned on its hinges but stayed closed. Of course. It was locked and the key was in May’s pocket.

  The woman turned to May, and between one flicker of the light and the next, she was standing dangerously close. “Who locked this door?” she asked, the question dripping from her red lips.

  The answer rose in May’s throat, but why did she want to answer her? Her thoughts moved sluggish and cold. Who was this woman? The question arose in her mind, halting her response. Why did she want to get into the room?

  “Tell me how to open this door,” the woman said, impatiently.

  “You need the key,” May said, the words feeling forced from her.

  “Where is it? Where’s the key?”

  “It’s…” May trailed off. She wanted to answer. She wanted to tell the woman, it’s in my pocket. It’s right here. I’ve got it. But why? Why did she want to answer her? Why were her thoughts so tangled, why did she feel so cold?

  The woman stepped closer, her grey eyes seeming to eat up all of the light. “Tell me,” she said, her voice silky.

  “I… won’t,” May said deep in her throat, swaying with the force of her refusal. But as if saying the words had been the key to snapping the compulsion, she broke free of the woman’s mental grip, gasping and stumbling back, her mind clearing. Yes, compulsion, that was it. Of course. This woman was a vampire. She was trying to compel May to open the door.

  “Why do you want to open the door?” May asked, her voice growing stronger. “Who are you? What you want with this room?” she continued, straightening up. The woman rocked back in surprise, clearly not expecting May to break her compulsion. Then she recovered, her eyes flashed and May had a moment to feel true terror before the woman gripped May’s chin with a cold, long-fingered hand.

  May tried to look away from her eyes but the woman gripped tighter, turning May’s face towards her own with vampiric strength that May couldn’t match. May met her eyes and fell into them.

  This time there was no finesse, no searching for the truth. Instead, the woman’s cold presence was in her mind, scouring through her memories. It hurt, and May screamed around the woman’s grip, shuddering and shaking as the woman tore away her memory of the past few minutes. May lost track of time, just feeling the pain and the cold until the woman finally released her. May stepped back, hi
tting the wall, her eyes falling closed.

  May opened her eyes and blinked. Where was she? Some kind of corridor. How long had she been here? She looked up. The light was broken, flickering on and off like a warning. What was she doing down here alone? No, she wasn’t alone, she realized, pushing away from the wall and catching sight of a woman a few paces away.

  The woman was standing in front of a closed door. May’s attention was caught by the white half-mask on her face. “Um, can I help you?” May asked. She blinked, rubbing eyes that were grainy and tired, and looked away. She was staring, and she felt guilty. It was just so odd to see someone wearing a mask.

  The woman smiled and stepped towards her. Despite herself, May tensed up. “Oh no,” the woman said, “I just came down here to check on the vassals.”

  That was kind of her, May thought, still feeling a little disconnected. Most vampires wouldn’t think to check on their human servants.

  “My name is Isabella,” the vampire said and she reached out her hand.

  May felt a twitch of revulsion which shocked and confused her. She told herself to stop being foolish and shook Isabella’s hand. Her hand was ice-cold and May let go quickly, the cold lingering in her fingertips.

  “I’m May,” she said. She was standing close enough to the vampire that she smelled her perfume. It was an unusual smoky scent with something floral underneath. Roses. It smelled like burning roses.

  May felt extremely uneasy. “I think I should probably…” and she pointed back towards the stairs.

  “Of course,” Isabella said, waving her forwards with another smile, her red lips twisted where they met the mask. “I wouldn’t want to stop you from going about your business.”

  May nodded awkwardly and stepped away, sure she felt Isabella’s gaze on the back of her neck. But when she turned to look, Isabella wasn’t looking at her but was instead staring at the wooden door behind her, tracing her eyes over it hungrily.

  May felt a prickling on the back of her neck, and turned back to the stairs, wanting very much to be around people. Taking the stairs two at a time, welcoming the warmth of the upper rooms, she tried to put the strange woman from her mind. And yet, a lingering sense of unease haunted her for the rest of the night.

  Chapter 6

  By the time May headed to Neal’s cabin, the early dawn light was pressing against the backs of the clouds, making the sky shift from black to a soft grey.

  After eating with the vassals, she’d organized enough trays of food to go up to the vampires in the main room to serve an army, plus enough willing vassals to accompany the food in case, as Ivy had said, the vampires decided they’d prefer a little O-Neg.

  When the work was finally done, she had considered staying with Ivy and the other vassals, but at the last minute, she decided she didn’t want to risk an angry Neal turning up at the vassals’ cabins to drag her back to where the Shadows were staying. It seemed the path of least resistance to simply do as he asked. It certainly wasn’t because a secret part of her wanted to spend the night in the same building as him.

  May held her breath and pushed open the cabin door. There was a fire crackling behind the grate, but May didn’t see anyone inside. She pulled the door closed against the flurry of snow that tried to enter with her, stamped her boots, peeled off her green coat, and hung it up by the door.

  There was a tingle at the back of her neck. Some sixth sense alerted her that she wasn’t alone, and she spun around. No one was there.

  “Neal?” she called hesitantly.

  “He’s not here right now.” A silky voice came from above and May looked up sharply. Talon was at the top of the stairs. His eyes were hard and edged with an intensity that made May tense. She looked around herself hoping Neal would appear from the shadows, but he didn’t. She was alone with Talon. She swallowed nervously.

  “Um. I haven’t entered the wrong cabin, have I?” She asked, her voice trembling. She had been sure, but maybe she’d gotten mixed up in the darkness.

  “Oh no, this is our good Neal’s cabin, all right. I had hoped to find him here, but now I see he had a previous appointment.” He slowly began to descend the steps, and May backed away from him, toward the fire. “I didn’t think Neal had it in him.” His fangs flashed as he drew closer to her. May gulped, terror flickering down her limbs.

  “It’s not like that,” she insisted stepping to the side as he came between her and the door to the cabin. “He just asked me to stay here.”

  “Stay here?” Talon grinned. “Interesting. Such a peculiar interest in a vassal.”

  “It’s… It’s just because I’m friends with Dana,” May guessed wildly. “She must have asked him to look out for me.” It was sort of kindly-meant thing Dana might do.

  “Oh, yes.” Talon laughed and there was a wildness in the sound that chilled May “We wouldn’t want to anger our newly crowned queen, would we?” Despite the sarcasm in his words, May was surprised to realize she heard honesty in his tone. Did Talon actually care what Dana thought? Or was it the idea of going against Lucian’s will that held him back? Either way, she didn’t want to entrust her safety to two absent vampires. She needed protection from Talon right here, right now. He was still advancing on her, and she edged away, moving further from the door, wishing he hadn’t put himself between her and the exit.

  “Now let’s see,” he said, whispering. “What is it he sees in you?” he murmured, his eyes flashing as he looked her up and down. “Beyond the obvious, of course.”

  Was that an insult? May felt a flicker of anger and she glared at him. He stepped up close, and her anger was quickly drowned in fear. Pure cold was rising from him. She wasn’t sure how much was physical sensation, and how much was fueled by sheer terror. But she refused to back down or run away, refused to show him her back. She worked for these vampires, dammit, she wasn’t going to let him think he could just intimidate her, even if she was shaking so hard, her knees should be knocking.

  “There’s a little fire in you, after all, mouse,” Talon smirked, looming over her, sharp fangs behind his lips. “Good, I do so love a fight.”

  The door slammed behind him, and before May could take a breath, Talon was ripped away from her and flung toward the fire. He twisted in the air like a cat, narrowly missing being plunged into the flames. Before he could straighten, Neal was on him.

  Neal moved like a knife through silk, every step a brutal dance. May couldn’t take her eyes off him, the unrestrained strength in his limbs obvious as he traded blows with Talon, each strike making the entire cabin shake.

  May took a step back. Despite the brutality of the fight, she was captured by the way Neal moved. She found her breath caught for an entirely different reason as she watched him grapple with Talon. May’s heart beat faster, pressing herself back and gripping the back of the couch. She should be terrified. And yeah, part of her truly was frightened by the sheer violence of the fight, but most of her was enraptured by sight of Neal. This was what it meant to be a warrior of the Shadows. Both of them so fast their bodies blurred. Blow after bow Neal rained down on Talon, finally dragging him up by his long braid and pinning him against the wall.

  “Never fucking go near her, you hear?” Neal roared, his Scottish accent so thick in his rage, May could barely make out the words.

  She expected to see fear in Talon’s eyes, but he just laughed, the noise cracked and broken.

  “You too!” he cried. “It’s happened to you, too.” His eyes were hazed with bitterness.

  May didn’t understand, but whatever he meant, Neal clearly understood, and he launched Talon out of the cabin with a roar.

  May shrank back against the couch as Neal slammed the door shut behind Talon and stood there, his broad back heaving with every breath, the muscles of his shoulders and neck thick and corded. He turned to face her, his massive chest still heaving. May almost turned tail and ran at the look in his eyes. Neal advanced towards her, his presence overwhelming, and May’s nerve finally broke. She
turned and ran blindly towards the back of the cabin.

  She tripped over the edge of the rug and went flying, but instead of striking the floor, she was caught by Neal’s strong arms and pressed close to his hard body. May trembled. Those hands that had moments ago been brutally beating down his fellow vampire, he now used to gently lift her upright, and turn her to face him.

  Neal looked down at her, his smoldering green eyes lit by a fire within. “Did he hurt you?” he asked, his voice a low purr.

  “No,” May said, shaking her head nervously. “He just talked. He didn’t do anything.”

  “You’re sure?” Neal urged, his hand running down her side, leaving quivers in its wake.

  “Yes,” May gasped. She needed to get away. Her gaze snagged on his mobile lips. She needed some air before she did something stupid, like kissed him.

  She tore herself away and pulled to a stop against the kitchen counter, facing away from him. He was just making sure Talon hadn’t hurt her because he didn’t want to have to disappoint Dana, or not even Dana, he was probably doing it for Lucian. It had nothing to do with her; she refused to turn. His deep gaze was on her back. She imagined the look in his eyes, that darkness that she could only interpret as hatred since no other emotion could possibly be so strong. And yet, hatred made no sense.

  “Have you eaten?” Neal asked from right behind her, and May jumped, spinning around. He must have approached totally silently like the predator he was, and again May’s breath was stolen by the sight of him and the pull of arousal that curled deep within her.

  She managed to gather her scattered wits after a moment and nodded. “I had some soup with the others. Do you… Do you want some?” she asked, and then winced. No doubt he’d already eaten from the massive plates of food they’d sent up to the vampires earlier, or if not, then drunk blood from one the other vassals that had gone with them.