by R M Taylor
“We hope. The guy that tried to get me was a vampire, I barely got away, the only reason I did was because I felt hunted. I was on alert because of what you had just texted me, I had already started changing when his hand grabbed me. A split second later and I would be with Althea and Connor now” Susi snapped. Lucy understood, she deserved the scolding, and to be fair Susi was opinionated and stroppy at the best of times, a pissed off Susi was a force to be reckoned with. Dozens of times Lucy had been thankful she was a raven shifter and not a bear or tiger. She was a patient person but once she was riled and angry Susana was scary.
“You will be safe here, once this is done, we can figure things out. I’m sorry Susi” Lucy was just about holding back tears, she had never cried as much in her life as she had today. She was not normally a crier, but one can only take so much stress and trauma in one day.
“The vampire authorities are on their way, they should be the ones who deal with most of it. With any luck both Vesike and Marius will be dealt with today. You can both go back to your lives soon enough” Aris said.
“I love your optimism vampire, but hasn’t this Vesike guy been biding his time for a century? If he is this sore about the past, he will not let this go. Marius most definitely won’t, not if he is as crazy as Lucy said. If he isn’t killed today none of us will be safe” Susi said, the anger ebbing away, replaced by fear.
“You should both stay in my apartment, it will be safer that way” Aris suggested, and was quickly shot down by objections. They left the elevator and headed to the meeting room.
“Hell no to that, I’m not staying here while others put themselves at risk. Plus, I want to see that fucker die for myself” Lucy said. If Aris was surprised at her venom he didn’t show it. So far, she had tried being the voice of reason, but sometimes people just needed to be hugged around the neck tightly with a fucking rope. Neither Vesike or Marius deserved to live. They had both caused so much pain and death. She could let a lot go but hurting the friends who were more like her family was going too far. The pain was heavy in her chest, she could feel her dragon’s outrage, so she stopped outside the door of the meeting room, Aris and Susi going in before her, just so she could breathe deep and calm a bit. She could do without having to race to the roof to change. She had to keep her shit together, which was difficult since dragon was fantasising about eating Vesike and Marius. Eating. Them. Not at all disturbing.
“You ok?” Aris asked, returning to her side.
“I’m ok, my dragon is very, very angry. I just need to breathe” He shut the door behind him and pulled her in for a hug. He rubbed her back and ran his short beard over her hair, comforting her. Her dragon settled down again, happy to be in his arms, she really was infatuated with him. It made her human a bit nervous, dragon was a little too impressed by Aris.
“I’m ok now, let's go in. Thanks, I needed that hug” She smiled at him, and he smiled back, then quickly kissed her head and opened the door. They had started without them.
“I could always do surveillance, I could watch from above, and we could agree some signs, so I could communicate with you guys. My raven is about the size of a regular wild raven, slightly bigger, but no one would be surprised by my being there” Susi said to Lina.
“Are you ok Lucy?” Lina directed at her “You look pale, is your dragon coping?”
“I’m ok just tired, and worried. We only have another two hours. My dragon is anxious to do something” She replied.
“Well, we have a rough plan now, have a seat and we can go through it” Will said with a sympathetic smile. She really liked Will, he saw a lot more than other people, he was intuitive and empathetic, she could talk to him for hours. He would probably make a good therapist, he certainly had her number, it felt like he could read her like a book. She sat back in her deep cushioned seat and listened while others talked. It sounded like a good enough plan, but something was nagging at her. Not quite within her reach but hovering in her peripheral view, it was happening a lot right now and it was pissing her off.
Chapter 42
Aris pulled the cell door open and closed it behind him as he entered. Isobel was slumped on the bed, wrists and ankles shackled with silver restraints. She looked weak, as she should be since silver temporarily stripped a vampire of their powers and made them as weak as a human. He crossed the cell towards her, it was not really a cell, it was as luxurious as any of the bedrooms upstairs, just with added essences of dungeon in the form of cuffs and restraints. She stared at him, and he gave her a small smile.
“Isobel” Aris sat on the armchair opposite her bed and crossed his leg over his knee.
“You refused to see Isla, why?” He asked, as neutrally as he could muster. His daughter crying down the phone to him did not encourage him to be civil. He wanted to hurt Isobel for hurting his baby.
“I do not wish her to see me like this, all bound up like a criminal. She will insist on questioning me, and she will get upset when I do not give her the answers she wants. She is stubborn, we have that in common, and it would result in a fight. I assume that you have already informed her of my guilt so there is no point in trying to convince her otherwise” Isobel spoke the words but there was no emotion behind them, she seemed resigned and defeated. Accepting. Not like the Isobel he knew.
“You may not get another chance to see her Isobel. Lina and the council are deciding what will be your punishment and you know as well as I do that the sentence is usually death in this sort of case. We told her the facts, but you know I try and be fair, I told her you had your reasons, despite not being able to understand them myself” Aris waited for her to react but there was nothing.
“Vesike is meeting Lina soon, and after that I suspect your time will be up” Isobel’s eyes met his at the mention of Vesike, and he could feel her desperation for a split second.
“You owe him nothing Isobel, your loyalty to him is irrelevant now, you have to know you are no use to him. He won’t help you, hasn’t even mentioned your name” Aris was hoping she would believe him and talk. Any information could help them. He couldn’t read her at all and it was disconcerting.
“I know. He cares only for Marius, he still has power and connections that Vesike needs. No doubt the meeting with Lina will be to negotiate his return. Vesike needs the money and has to keep people happy. He hates Lina so much, when we left the coven he was bereft. The years that followed destroyed what wealth he had, The Great War, the Depression, another World War, so many catastrophes that devastated his businesses. Without mine and Lina’s family wealth the coven was crippled within 20 years. I suspect the meeting with her will boil over into fighting. He holds her responsible for everything. He has never recovered from her betrayal” Isobel’s monotone voice continued, all the fight in her had disappeared.
“It was a tricky situation, she had no choice, Lina and Dante fell in love, it happens. She didn’t mean to hurt Vesike, it was an arranged pairing between the two families, she didn’t even realise that he loved her. She assumed that it was an engagement of convenience for them both. If he hadn’t reacted so violently then she wouldn’t have had to turn Dante and they wouldn’t have left. It was complicated, but I’ve heard it from Lina and Dante themselves, there was no other option, you know that, you witnessed it. How could they have stayed?” Aris said.
“If I had stayed he would have had my family wealth, they could have recovered quicker. Our family several billion to the Delarossa’s at the turn of the last century. My family wealth was more than halved, but even with that loss, Vesike’s coven would have been ok when Lina left had I stayed with them. Instead, they lost us all, and without Lina or me and our fortunes, the coven crumbled. If I had stayed that would not have happened, but due to the loss of half of my family money, I decided at the time that a new coven would tap my resources less. I went with Lina because I was afraid that if I stayed, Vesike’s coven would exhaust my money and resources. That is because of the Delarossa family. They lost us so much money, made
promises they could not keep, and turned their back when it went wrong. If it were not for them, we would not be where we are today” She looked at him, eyes full of regret and sadness. He wondered if she was pretending to be vulnerable to catch him off guard, but she seemed genuine.
“There’s no point dwelling Isobel. You didn’t know what happened afterwards, his coven went underground, we assumed they had disbanded or relocated to another country. Why do you think the Delarossa’s cheated your family out of money? I looked at the records, the business deal was sound in principle, it was no-one’s fault that it went wrong. If anyone is at fault it was your father for investing so much of the family fortunes in one venture. Besides all that, how did you reconnect with Vesike?” Aris asked, trying hard not to be pushy, they were so close to some answers.
“In March when I went to visit my mother we crossed paths in Rome. He introduced me to Marius, and after a while we reminisced, and discovered we had a common enemy. That would be Lucrezia’s grandmother and great grandmother. It is a long story. The bottom line is that we were united in our hatred of the Delarossa’s. He did not tell me at that time any details of his plans, we simply spent time together and socialised with Vesike. We have spent time together a lot in the last six months. I wanted to re-join his coven, I was hoping to convince Isla to join me, I was hoping to win you over and convince you we could be a family. Just as my plans seemed to be coming together, suddenly into our lives came Lucrezia. When you rejected my request for another child I contacted Vesike and agreed that in return for my assistance in capturing her, I would be granted a place in his coven at his side. He had agreed that already but what kept me leaving was you and the potential for another baby. When you made it abundantly clear that was never going to happen, I confided in Vesike and we agreed an arranged marriage, he agreed to have a child with me. He promised me so much. It was so simple, and I felt a part of something again. I had no idea she was Sofia’s daughter until I spoke to Marius. What a coincidence, or maybe it was fate” She stared out the window while talking and twisted the cuff of the restraint on her wrist, the fabric covering the silver looked thin, fraying, and he realised that she must have been twisting it for hours. He stayed silent, watching.
“Vesike made arrangements through Marius’s wife since Marius was stalling, we organised everything, he ran interference by attacking the coven, their businesses, the kidnappings. Matt saw me meeting with Vesike, he knew something going on. He kept pestering me about it and would have told Lina if I did not do something. Vesike had started the attacks and kidnappings and I held up my side of the deal. I followed him and killed him quickly, he was completely unaware before I did, and it was quick. I had to, everything was planned exactly, and he was going to ruin everything by telling Lina. When the time came I drugged Lucrezia and helped the men get her out to the car. Then I sent Lina the picture of Matt, like Vesike told me to. It was all going to plan. I went to assist Vesike for a while, and then he sent me to meet Marius. When I arrived at the warehouse Lina and everyone were already there. I tried ringing Vesike, so I could go to him, but he did not answer my calls” Isobel leaned her head back, and her eyes were full of tears. Aris literally did not know what to say or do. This woman never showed emotions like this, she was usually demanding, acidic, vitriolic even. But not vulnerable and quiet and sad. Not full of tears and remorse. Was it remorse for the pain she had caused and the life she took or because the plan failed, and she missed out on her dream?
“He used me and would do it again. I am not an idiot Aris. I am not sorry, I took a chance to try and chase my dreams and it looks like it failed. I would do it again, I know myself well enough to know I would” She wiped her tears away and looked at him.
“Give me information that I can use Isobel, please. You took a life, we can’t get around that, but you can help us eliminate Vesike before more of our coven is hurt or killed. You can help us keep them safe. No one else needs to die” Aris was praying she would give him something. Anything that could tip the balance in their favour.
“I know what will happen, Aris. If I help you defeat Marius and Vesike I will be dead afterwards anyway, Lina will not let me go unpunished. Even by some miracle she lets me live, I would be banished or imprisoned at the very least. If Vesike and Marius win, I may still have a place in his coven even if he does not stick to our agreement. If they win, and they take this coven by force and find I stayed faithful and did not reveal anything, they will allow me to be free. Why would I help you? My best bet is to hope that they win. I know my bridges are burned here, my only hope is for a fresh start if I live. Not hard to decide what to do if you are drowning and there is only one thing to cling to” Isobel explained, and Aris had to agree her logic was sound, he would likely feel the same way in her shoes.
“What about Isla? You’re happy for her to believe you have sold out your coven, murdered your coven mate, and betrayed us all in pursuit of your happiness? You’re happy for her to remember you with hate and outrage?” Aris was running out of ways to try and convince her.
“She is strong, and I have safeguarded her from harm, they will not hurt her. With time I hope she will understand, I have left her a letter to try and explain” Isobel was looking through the window again.
“How can you seem so rational at the same time as seeming so crazy? How could you have gone to such lengths to do this yet failed to see you had everything already it was just not in the way you expected. You had a loving coven already. You could have mated again, had children again. You belonged here you just had to move on from us, there was other ways to deal with this if you had just talked…” Isobel cut him off abruptly.
“Talked? I did nothing but talk, Aris, but you never heard me. You dismissed me, rejected me, and reduced me to pining after you, begging for crumbs of affection. I could not get away from it, either I had to leave, or you had to. We both know it had to be me, you are entrenched in the coven, part of the council, albeit unofficially. You are loved, and you are popular. I had no choice” Isobel shook her head “You should leave, go and be with Lucrezia, I hope she is worth it” Aris nodded, stood and moved to the door.
“For what it’s worth Isobel, there is always a way, always a choice. I always thought you were a moral person. Is happiness at such a cost going to last? If we lose and you live on, without all of us, will you be happy? Or will you regret these decisions for the rest of your life? You must live with yourself. Trust me, it’s not the act itself that is the problem, it's living with the consequences” Aris turned and pulled the door closed, locking it. His chest felt heavy, like a weight was pressing down. Grief, it was grief, for Isla, for Matt, for his coven brothers and sisters who were hurting. For Lucy, for the pain she was feeling and the loss of her mum and the damage to her family. He took deep breaths as he travelled up the elevator, he had to get ready, they were leaving soon. He had to do something, anything, this couldn’t happen the way Isobel wanted. She was right about many things, it really did boil down to two options. It was them, or us.
Chapter 43
They were en-route to the hotel, and Lucy willed her stomach to stop turning. She kept getting the jolt of adrenaline in her middle that people get when they are faced with the fight or flight choice. Her dragon wanted out badly, she was very firmly in the fight corner, but her human couldn’t help hiding in the flight corner. Dragon was ready to burn everything until she found Althea and Connor. She was practically coiled like a spring, tense and about to snap. The hotel was locked down, the coven enforcers in place. Susana was flying above, along with several other friends of the coven who were also flight shifters in case they were needed to track someone. She kept playing out scenarios in her head, trying to prepare for the unexpected. Aris was doing the same at her side, she could sense it. Everyone was on high alert, and her own senses were tuned in and sharp. Despite being surrounded by vampires, she could pick up the odd thought or feeling but couldn’t pin down who owned it. Either that or she was finally going crack
ers. Either option was possible at this point. They pulled up in front of the hotel, and Lucy could feel the silvery veil of vampire influence in the people that passed them as they exited the cars and walked into the lobby. Two staff members waited for them and escorted them to the cleared bar, a big PRIVATE FUNCTION sign at the entrance. Vampires had orchestrated this, the humans seemed to not see them as they went through the motions, their reactions robotic and their voices monotone. Whoever had control of them was a strong vampire. The veil of influence was heavy and cool, so tangible Lucy felt like she could reach out and touch it. Once inside with Lina, Aris, Will and a gagged and bound Marius, they were joined by Dante and two enforcers. Marius was upbeat and eager to be there, his anticipation obvious. He was remaining silent after Lina backhanded him earlier. He was mouthing off about Vesike and how powerful he was, how much they were all going to suffer, etc. Lina eventually grew tired of it, unfortunately the black eye she gave him was almost completely healed. Lucy wondered how long it would take to kill a vampire by torture, and how far you could push the vampire before they stopped healing and died from the injuries. She gave herself a mental shake and focused on the present situation. Three men were sat at a table at the window, she reached out with her senses, two were vampires, one was a shifter, but she couldn’t tell what type. One vampire had a very strong aura, solid charcoal grey with black and red elements. Sharp edges, and oppressive atmosphere, this man was Vesike, she just knew, and he was likely the vampire that veiled the humans. Her dragon lost some of her bravado and simmered down her raging slightly as she assessed the room. There was no sign of Althea or Connor.
The largest of the three stood up, he was tall and broad, his short hair was light brown and slightly curly at the ends. His eyes were a dark green that reminded her of autumn leaves turning. His presence was dominant, she could feel the power he held, it was thick and heavy in the air. He looked young, much younger than she expected, she had envisioned a much older man, with a moustache and beard and a top hat. Stupid imagination, she had plucked him right out of a Victorian drama. This man in front of her could be a model, or an actor, he looked like someone famous and she couldn’t place who it was. He could play a bad guy in a film though, like an assassin or super villain. He just had an air of “bad” about him. But then, she would be expecting that, so it was probably her imagination. Her thoughts felt muddled, and she was doubting her senses. Her inner alarm was sounding so loud she felt herself physically shaking, and unable to think straight.
