by Lori King
Blood chuckles deeply and strolls over to unlatch the magickally reinforced door and let the newcomers in. A group of nine Immortals strolls in, and I recognize the vamp in the lead, as well as the two males bringing up the rear. The rest of ‘em are strangers to me, but they have the look of fighters about ‘em, so I’m hopeful they’ll be more help than hindrance.
The young vamp in the lead of this little group was human the first time I met him. His name is Damian Summers and he was just one of hundreds of street kids I’ve met over the years who accidently come to learn a thing or two about the hidden supernatural world. I had heard several years back that he got caught up in some petty vamp war or another. Word on the streets said he was turned as part of some push to build an army to take over feeding territory. Fucking rogue Stone Cold vamps used to be a real problem around Tulsa, but they are much better since the Blood Coalition came into power. I’m pleased to see the kid has found a home among some more established and seemingly civilized Immortals.
In fact, he seems to be the man in charge. Blood shakes the kid’s hand like they are old friends, slapping him on the back before turning to hug the tiny red-haired beauty at the vamp’s side. I am further mystified when Blood treats the little female with a level of respect he usually reserves for gods and realm leaders. My Jenni strides up and lovingly hugs the female and three males surrounding the tiny red-head.
I am surprised to learn that the two males behind the couple are their sons… hell, I thought they were brothers of the leader. They all look to be about twenty years old. What the fuck? That kid can’t be over 30 years old. No way he’s daddy to those men. I know strange things happen in the preternatural world; hell, I’m a perfect example of that truth, but how can a male so young be father to two grown-ass men?
I’m confused as hell, but don’t have the time to ask questions, before three Spell Weavers are introduced next. Two blonde females, one is statuesque, while the other one is tiny and pixie-like. Both of these ladies are sexy as sin, but also give off a bad-ass warrior vibe. These gals are almost as hot as my Jenniene. I watch them as Blood introduces them to our Brethren. It’s immediately apparent that these ladies are lovers. The male with them, who smells of wolf as well as Spell Weaver, is the third in their triad. Lucky bastard, I think off-handedly.
The two males who complete the group are old friends of the MC. Roi is an ancient Spell Weaver who runs BDSM clubs for supes. They’ve recently expanded to include a new club here in Tulsa. His partner in the business is also an enforcer who poses as an outlaw biker here in the mortal realm. His name is Anton Dracul. He’s the lesser well-known cousin to the infamous Vlad Tepesh, or Dracula to those dumb enough to use that name in his presence.
I’m pleased for the extra help. Jenniene and Blood are convinced that if the Ghouls are able to get their hands on the child and complete the blood ritual, which will entail that sweet baby’s sacrifice, the barriers between the realms will crash. Obviously, those of us who spend our lives protecting mankind from Immortals who want to subjugate them for their own purposes are not in favor of letting those barriers fall. And nobody but sick bastards are ever in favor of baby killin’.
Just as my mate is leading her friend the Spell Weaver upstairs to place some sort of protective spell on the kid, another knock sounds at our front door. Tank, who’s finally come down from playin’ with the baby and keepin’ Glory company, checks the surveillance feed and chuckles. “I knew the locals wouldn’t stay out of this fight.” When he unlatches the door, we are all pleased to see about 20 local Immortals stroll in, obviously ready to join the fight. There’s one panther pride princess and two wolf pack alphas leading this band of reinforcements.
When Katrina Conti, the princess, strides up to give our leader a hug, she smirks playfully and quips, “Blood… you didn’t really think we’d let the Twin Ravens stand alone, did ya?” I’m just standing there shaking my head with a big, dumb grin on my face when I hear my mate scream from the third floor.
Oh, fuck! Jenni!
10
Jenniene
The moment Breena completes the protection spell on Sunny, a deafening explosion concusses through the massive three-story building of the Twin Ravens MC with enough physical force to throw me and every adult in the room against the walls, hard enough to rattle our bones and momentarily scramble our senses. Fortunately, Sunny was safely asleep in her bespelled and heavily-warded crib, which didn’t even wobble in the wake of the blast. The sleeping infant didn’t even seem to hear or feel the results of this initial attack on the Immortal stronghold. I hope it remains that way, because I have no doubt that was just the first round of attacks.
The building creaks ominously as clouds of white dust billow up, while clumps of sheetrock and spackle rain down on our heads. I notice that Glory has splayed her body over the crib protectively, and a broad expanse of golden wings shields Sunny from the falling debris. I’ve known Glory was an Immortal since meeting her; I just had no idea what type. Seeing those wings and the golden aura radiating from her form does nothing to clear up the mystery of her origins.
But we have much bigger problems on our hands right now. Just as we begin to scramble to our feet, another explosion from downstairs shakes the building’s foundation, yet again. What the fuck? The impossibility of what we are experiencing is not lost on me or my companions. The wards and protections on this place should have made this sort of attack impossible. Uncertainty over exactly what kind of enemy we are facing forces me to go to my fall back plan.
I meet Breena’s worried gaze and mutter, “Do it.” My bestie, the Spell Weaver, dashes over to the crib where she politely tells the winged protector, “Excuse me,” before she scoops the still-sleeping child into her arms. Once she’s holding the baby, she turns to nod her assurances at me. My dear friend doesn’t utter a word, but I know she’s promising to protect Sunny with her own life.
I stand there and watch for several seconds before I frantically screech, “GO!” What the hell is she waiting on? Worry for the child is eating at my soul and clouding my thinking. Breena shakes her head and shouts back, “Something is blocking me. I can’t translocate.” She seems to try again, but only ends up looking a bit constipated. “I can’t even use a finding spell,” she shouts, looking dismayed. Under different circumstances, it might be a bit funny to see my always-together buddy with such a confounded expression on her face as she struggles with something that comes so naturally to her. But knowing that our enemies have something powerful enough to block Spell Weaver magick is truly terrifying.
Breena places the still-sleeping child back in the crib, and Glory again assumes her protective stance over the child. I am counting our blessings that Sunny is able to sleep through all of this. But even that small bright spot is dimmed when I hear the thundering noise of several large beings clamoring up the stairs, and then down the hallway. Obviously, whoever is coming our way, knows exactly where the child is. SHIT!
Taking up a defensive stance facing the door, I cast a brief glance over my shoulder to see the others have done the same thing. “We are about to have company,” I mutter, stating the obvious to Glory and Breena.
When Zeke, Blood, and Damian crash through the door of the bedroom, I breathe a sigh of relief. However, our reprieve is short lived as I hear the deafening sounds of battle from the hallway.
“Our brothers won’t be able to hold them off for long,” Blood growls as he approaches the crib. Once again, Sunny is unceremoniously scooped up from her bed into protective arms.
When Blood begins to chant in some guttural and ancient-sounding language, the air in the room begins to shimmer and vibrate. I look to Zeke for assurance and he simply nods. I still don’t know what the hell the leader of the Twin Ravens is doing, but if Zeke isn’t worried, I can only trust in his judgment. After a few tense seconds of Blood’s chanting, a portal opens in the middle of the large bedroom, Blood nods and orders everyone to follow him.
“Day-um,�
� Breena quips with a grin on her lovely face. “Casting portals is a hella helpful ability to have at a time like this.” She immediately follows Blood and steps through the iridescent blue oval, which is now floating in the air. Before I can question what is going on, Zeke pushes me and Glory through the glimmering doorway. I’m expecting the trip through the portal to feel like entering the gateways or being translocated, but it simply feels very cold upon my first step into the darkness. Another step and I find myself in what is obviously a cave. A really big cave!
At the center of this massive cavern, a warm, fluctuating golden glow emits from a large hole in the cave floor. The power coming from the source makes me feel strong and confident that we can overcome. Before I can spend even a moment wondering about that, translucent forms that I can only assume are ghosts of ancient sabretooth shifters, emerge from the glowing orb to surround Blood and the infant in his arms. When Blood speaks to the specters in the same language he used to open the portal, I realize these must indeed be his fellow guardians. The primordial protectors of the deep, ancient magick which populated and guarded this land for eons before the supes who now think to rule ever stepped foot on the land.
He hands the infant to Glory with a reassuring smile. “My ancient brothers will guard you and the infant, my love.” The kiss he lays on the surprised female is anything but platonic. Whoa! How did I not know that Glory and Blood had a thing going on? I look at Zeke, and he seems just as surprised as I am.
Blood casts his eyes my way and says, “Mistress Jenniene, you were chosen by my ancient brethren to deliver the child into our care. Will you continue to protect her, even now in the face of the horde that’s about to crash through the barriers to steal the child?”
I can only nod at first, until I find my voice in the face of so much ancient magick. “Hells, yeah, I’m not gonna let anything happen to le enfant! I’ve come this far, I won’t be backing out now,” I assure the guardian. I feel Zeke at my back, and I realize that because of our mating, I just committed him to protecting the child as well. But I know in my heart he would have done so even without our bond.
“Excellent,” the behemoth says with a grin that tells me he’s relishing the battle to come. He chuckles happily when my mate grabs me up for a quick, but passionate, kiss.
I hate to admit that, even though our situation is dire and we are facing some really bad odds, I manage to lose myself in my lover’s kiss for a moment or two. When Zeke finally breaks the kiss and looks into my eyes, his love and fear for my well-being rocks me to my core. “Promise me you will stay alive,” he breathes against my lips before planting a chaste kiss that is less about passion, but promises his undying devotion. I nod, but that’s not good enough for my mate. “I need the words, mon coeur. Give me the words.”
I smile… big and huge. I’m not sure how, but I know deep in my soul that we are going to come out of this alive. Strong enough to build our lives together. “We will both stay alive,” I assure my lover. “We have nearly a hundred and fifty lost years to make up for.” He nods and kisses my forehead tenderly and then I turn to take up a defensive stance.
Before we can do much more than draw our weapons, the massive cavern is inundated with Ghouls and Blood Wraith. What the hell? Why are Blood Wraith helping the Ghouls? I don’t have time to wonder about such allies as the battle has well and truly begun.
With an inhuman roar of rage, Zeke assumes his massive wolf form. I can hear him snarling and growling ferociously as he protects my back from attacking monsters. I pull both of my firearms, and begin doing my best to thin the ranks of our enemies. All around us, the battle rages viciously and I don’t have time to take my eyes from the attackers in front of me to check on the child. At this point, all I can do is trust that Glory and the spirit protectors are keeping Sunny safe while the rest of us fight of this horde of Ghouls and Blood Wraiths.
About twenty feet from our position, I see a tall gangly male with matted and shaggy gray hair who seems to be living up to Hollywood’s version of a Ghoul. Despite his haggard and caricature-like appearance, I can feel the immense power radiating from the male and I realize he must be BonFreete. The female Blood Wraith at his side radiates even more power. Obviously, she’s leading the Wraiths. When I realize they are surrounded by the rank and file of their attack force and seem to be avoiding engaging in the battle, I get an idea. I shout over my shoulder to my mate. “Take out Bonfreete and that female Wraith with him…they are controlling the others.”
I’m not sure where this certainty comes from, but I know I am right. Zeke doesn’t even pause for a second. He begins to work his way through the rank and file, obviously targeting the pair I indicated. Under different circumstances, watching his massive brown wolf tear his way was through so many bodies would be horrifying, but in this moment, I am grateful for his ferocity.
I had lost sight of Breena and Damian in the melee, but it quickly becomes clear that they are intent on the same goal as us. They are fighting their way through the enemy’s defenders from the right, while Zeke and I are battling our way through from the left.
Once I have gone through every magazine of ammo stashed in my vest, I drop my well-loved Desert Eagles and draw a pair of Bowie knives. Before I can get both weapons unsheathed, a crazed Ghoul lunges at me, biting me on the shoulder. The filthy creature still has his razor-sharp teeth embedded in my flesh as I scream out in agony. Some unknown element or magick is flooding my body from the wound, setting every molecule of my being on fire. I lash out furiously, trying to shove my attacker away, just as I bring up my blade to take off the bastard’s head.
I take a split second to look down at the headless corpse of my attacker and realize this crazed fucker has sealed my fate. I can already feel the change beginning.
I am becoming a Ghoul! Oh, hell, no!
Thoughts of being infected with whatever is turning humans to Ghouls sickens my very soul, but I can’t give up. Reaching BonFreete and ending his miserable life is now more important than ever. With a roar of unbridled rage, the likes of which I didn’t realize I was capable of emitting, I lunge in BonFreete’s direction. Slashing at his defending minions like an avenging angel of death, I plow through a tsunami of attacking bodies, lopping off heads and arms, and using my blades to slash at bodies to spill their innards.
Just as I think I am about to get my hands on BonFreete, two more Ghouls emerge from the rank and file to viciously attack me in defense of their leader. This rabid pair of screeching and clawing Ghouls buries their teeth into my flesh, one at my left bicep and the other at my right thigh, and I go down. My helpless screech of rage and futility fills the cavern, and is surely heard by all above the din of battle. When a third Ghoul attacks, biting and slashing my throat and chest, all seems lost.
In that one dark and agonizing moment, my hopes and dreams for a future with Zeke seem to go up in a hopeless wisp of putrid smoke. I feel a dank, cold shroud of eternal darkness closing in, and I’m praying it is death coming for me and not my conversion to a mindless, flesh-eating freak who will serve BonFreete. My eyes flutter closed, and I can feel myself drifting away until a sweet, warm liquid seeps into my mouth and I hear Zeke’s voice, blaring into my head. “Keep your promise, Jenniene! Stay Alive!” The weight of his command is unmistakable and compelling.
I swallow weakly and struggle to obey my beloved. Somehow, I find the strength to open my eyes just enough to watch as my lover, in his massive wolf form, savagely rips the head from the Ghoul leader. An overwhelming sense of satisfaction fills me. I can feel a slight smile tug at my lips as I watch the foul head of our enemy roll across the cave’s floor. I hear what sounds like bodies dropping all around me, I just don’t have the strength to look around, and yet I know this signals the battle is won.
Not a single vestige of strength remains in my battered body, and I simply want to drift off to rest. I close my eyes just as I feel Zeke’s warm, calloused hands cup my face before he begins raining kisses down on my for
ehead, eyes, and lips. I can faintly hear his voice commanding me to stay with him…but he sounds like he’s miles and miles away. Darkness and utter silence finally wins the fight for my conscious mind and the world disappears without even a whimper of protest from me.
Epilogue
One year later - Zeke
Jack o’ lanterns flickers brightly in the chilly fall night, as discount-store ghosts flutter manically in the breeze, seeming to dance along, just out of time, to the strains of Monster Mash blasting from the speakers positioned throughout the grounds. I can’t help but chuckle as I admire the “new” building and watch the clueless horde of humans enjoy our hospitality during our re-opening celebration.
For the first time ever, the Twin Ravens has been able to focus on the joy of All Hallows Eve. It’s been a true pleasure this past year watching Blood’s adopted daughter, Sunny, toddle around the MC. I am always delighted to see that kid, because her need for a protector brought my Jenniene back to me. And the pretty little tyke truly had a blast tonight with all of the young costumed visitors who joined our first annual Twin Ravens Halloween celebration. Since it is now well after midnight, the kids who participated in the Trick-or-Treating, games, and costume contests are long gone for the year. Hopefully, they are all home, snug in their beds, as the witching hour has long since come and gone.
