by Unknown
Her words piqued his curiosity further. There was something special about his new mistress. Maybe she did understand everything they were feeling.
It gave him hope.
When Mathew exited the bath, he found Jolie sitting out on the balcony, watching the remaining rays of light crest over the trees. She looked serene and peaceful but the energy pulsing off her said otherwise.
“Mistress?” he asked, standing behind her. If she felt like this, something was coming.
She turned and stared into his aqua eyes. “Mathew, we’ve been called before the council. It’s most likely regarding Delina and the house.”
He sucked in a sharp breath and began backing away from her. “No! They’ll force me to leave you. I can’t go! Please don’t make me go there!”
Jolie moved toward him. “I won’t lie to you, Mathew. They may try to take you away. I didn't have permission to kill Boris and Malachi.”
“But Malachi killed you, and Boris slaughtered everyone in the family.”
“I know, and that is why you, Clariel, and Trina must attend with us. As survivors and the only witnesses, you may ensure your own safety.”
He calmed down. She wasn’t sending them away, but ensuring they could remain with them.
“I think I understand, Mistress.”
“You need to tell them the absolute truth about everything. Master Morris will check your memories, and we need honesty on our side.” She sat on a lounge and waited for him to ask what he was thinking. His face gave him away.
“I have to talk about everything?” he asked quietly. He sounded like a child hiding from a scary monster.
“Yes, and I’m sorry, Mathew, but you must let him see what was done to you.”
He paled.
“I won’t let anyone hurt you again Mathew. I want you to trust me.” Holding out her hand, Mathew slowly moved toward her. When he sat beside her, Jolie put her arm around his shoulders, helping him calm down. “We’ll be coming home tonight, and then we’ll start putting this all behind us.”
“Did you suffer before you were a Primus?” he asked in a whisper.
“Oui.”
“How did you overcome it?” he asked, looking into her face, as if he was searching for something.
Jolie touched his cheek. As someone who saw patients, she saw the symptoms of survivor’s guilt. “Who said you overcome it? I’ve learned from it and adjusted.”
She didn’t know why she told him as much as she did. There were things that she had kept buried so deep that not even her mates were aware of it.
Maybe she told him what she did to reassure him it would get better. Maybe she told him to reassure herself.
She patted him on the cheek before standing. “We’ll meet you in the family room. I need to go tell Clariel and Trina what has to be done.”
He didn't speak as she walked away. Heading to the closet, Mathew picked out clothing to hide his embarrassment and shame.
Now, he only hoped when he bared his soul to council, he wouldn’t lose her respect too.
Since his was already gone.
Jolie spoke to both Clariel and Trina, explaining the situation to them. Clariel understood immediately and began preparing for the evening. Trina was more afraid and worried that their new mistress was going to turn them over to the council. Jolie assured them it would be fine, but as she turned to go, they didn't let her.
So, she did what a good primus would do. Jolie waited and went down with them. During the walk down, each woman took one of her hands and clung to her for dear life.
As they sat in the family room, waiting for the men to arrive, the young vampyres finally felt more secure. Releasing their mistress, Trina and Clariel huddled together, whispering not far from where Jolie sat.
She couldn’t blame them.
In all honesty, she wasn’t in the mood to socialize either. The silence gave her time to watch the new family members. Jolie noticed that Clariel and Trina spent most of the time wrapped around each other whenever they needed comfort. “How long have you two been together?” she asked.
Clariel looked up and smiled “Almost two centuries. She’s my mate. We tried to hide it from Delina, but she found us out. She would force us to sleep with her son. I think that was our punishment for not coming right out and admitting to her about our union.”
“She was vile,” hissed Trina. “Thank you for destroying her.”
Jolie simply watched them.
“May we stay mated?” asked Clariel quietly, suddenly wary that maybe the mistress wouldn’t want them together.
Jolie raised an eyebrow and laughed. “You obviously haven’t heard the story of the primus who mated with her guardian and made an entire society angry. Who am I to judge your choices?”
“It is one of my favorite tales,” said the masculine voice of her mate from the door way. As always, he was attired in clothing that didn’t pay him justice.
Jolie crossed to him. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around her body as she buried her face in the ruffles of his black silk shirt.
“We don’t mind your choices, Clariel,” he offered, running his hand down Jolie’s hair. “Love shouldn’t be restricted.” He kissed her on the forehead.
“What took you so long? Usually, I’m the last one dressed and ready to go,” she stated, heading with him back to the couch. When he pulled her down into his lap, Jolie went without a fight.
“We needed to get Mathew ready. He’s beyond terrified. Flynn is trying to calm him down and having a man, to not quite man talk with him right now.”
“Mathew was her favorite,” said Trina quietly.
“Favorite?”
“She enjoyed torturing him. It was all because of us. He would stand up for many of the weaker vampyres,” said Trina, staring into Jolie’s eyes. “She vowed repeatedly that she would break him.”
Clariel spoke, “Sometimes, I think she did.”
“Don’t worry, Trina. I understand his pain, and I’ll protect him. I have experienced torture and don’t condone it.”
When Jacques tensed beneath her, Jolie took that time to make her escape. She didn’t want to relive her past right at this moment. The whisper light touch to her mind proved his suspicions were indeed stirred up. Unfortunately for him, she was a pro at keeping her past hidden.
“We’re ready,” said Brogan from the doorway. He had his arm thrown over Mathew’s shoulders.
Jolie was pretty sure that Flynn was the only force keeping him from bolting. Both men were dressed similarly to Jacques, but Brogan wore a black shirt splashed with dragons in fiery red. Mathew wore a dark green silk shirt with ruffles to match Jacques. Since it had been from her mate’s closet, it wasn’t surprising.
Jolie crossed to Flynn, going into his arms.
“Hey, baby,” he greeted her, kissing her forehead.
“Two gun night, handsome?” she asked, as her arms brushed his holsters.
“Three.” He grinned. “One can’t be too careful. Right, Mathew?” he asked the young vampyre, as he blocked the doorway with his body.
“Yes.”
Yeah, Mathew was ready to make a run for it.
“Then, I suggest we go and get this over with,” offered Jolie, heading for the door.
When they were all loaded into Brogan’s H2 and pulling out of the garage, the tension was suffocating. Everyone had their own worries about the night, and it was affecting all of them.
“Don’t worry,” Jolie offered, as she tried to comfort the younger vampyres when they pulled into the clearing. “I won’t let anyone harm you, and you aren’t going anywhere.”
“What if they force you to leave, and we can’t go?” whispered Mathew.
“I’ll fight,” Clariel promised. “I’m not leaving my new home.”
“We can sneak away and find a way back,” Trina offered. “They can’t keep us locked up, can they?” she asked.
Jolie glanced over at her mates for any help they could offer. They were pl
anning on doing things to disobey the council. That could get them hurt.
“We may have to leave the protection of the society, but we won’t leave without you,” reassured Brogan.
The two female vampyres relaxed at their handsome master’s words. He felt good, so they completely trusted him.
“We’re a family and that means that we all leave, or none of us go,” she said angrily. Jolie could feel a darkness creeping into her body. She stopped moving, unsure what was happening.
“Mon amour, what’s wrong?” asked Jacques, looking concerned.
“I don’t know. Did you feel it?”
“Yes.”
“Yeah, what the hell was it?” asked Brogan.
Jolie didn't have an answer for that. She sat back and fought the chill which was spreading over her body. “I don’t know, but I don’t like it.”
Jacques reached for her hand and immediately hissed in pain as he dropped it. “I don’t like this either. We have a lot to talk about later,” he warned, staring into her eyes.
The message was crystal clear.
Great.
Now, one of her mates was on her trail. It wouldn’t be long before the other was on it too.
“We better get moving,” she said, hopping out to meet her mates at the front of the vehicle.
Brogan risked the pain and touched her shoulder. “Baby,” he said, getting her attention. “Here.” He handed her one of his guns. “Take this, just in case this goes horribly wrong.”
She was grateful for his thoughtfulness.
“Come.” She took both their offered arms, allowing them to lead her into the clearing. Behind them walked the three younger vampyres.
“It’s show time.”
Didn't they know it?
∞ ∞ ∞
The council sat quietly as they entered the circle. By the pinched expressions on their faces, no one looked happy. That was their signal that the shit was about to hit the fan.
It didn't take long before Master Morris approached. When the vampyre tried to grab Jolie’s elbow to lead her away, the darkness, which was lurking in her, reared its ugly head.
Like Jacques, he hissed and moved away.
“Don’t come near me,” he warned, backing away from her to move besides the other members of council.
Master Nathaniel stepped forward, and they began to whisper in hushed tones. “What’s wrong, Master Morris?” he asked, concerned.
“She’s tainted and unclean,” he replied, taking another step from Jolie.
Everyone watched as Master Nathaniel repeated everything that Master Morris had just done.
Again, with the same outcome.
“How can you touch her?” Nathaniel asked her two mates, as they calmly held her hands, watching the entire show unfolding before them. “She has been touched by death.”
Jolie looked confused and released her mates. “We’re all touched by death, Nathaniel. We die every day when death takes us. So, I don’t know what you mean.”
“No, this is different. You have death’s mark on you.” Everyone in the room froze.
The whispering began.
The harbinger.
Death’s angel.
The keeper of the undead.
She didn't know what the hell they were talking about. They were all acting incredibly odd.
“You’ve been marked by death to be the harbinger,” Morris hissed.
“What is he talking about?” asked Brogan, stepping forward protectively. He took Jolie’s hand, kissed her on the cheek, and then pulled her affectionately into his arms.
Master Nathaniel continued, “It’s said that when a vampyre grows strong enough to defeat death, he or she becomes its harbinger. That undead becomes the one who does his bidding. In return, that vampyre gains great strength and favor,” replied Morris.
“That’s asinine. She isn’t Death’s Angel,” Brogan continued. “She’s ours and that’s it.” Their fingers remained locked together as if to prove a point.
“How can you touch her? Don’t you feel it?” asked Morris, moving as far from her and the human as he possibly could.
Jacques stepped forward to mimic his mate’s actions. “She’s not Death’s Angel. That’s a tale we’re told growing up. He’s the boogey man, and we all know it’s nothing but a myth. No one has ever cheated death.”
“She would have had to die recently,” commented Master Morris.
No one spoke but the silence was telling.
“Then, she hasn’t cheated death recently?” asked Nathaniel, taking another step from Jolie and back into the safety of the council.
She felt both Brogan and Jacques reaching for her mind.
“Oh shit,” said Brogan.
“We have no choice. We have to tell the truth,” answered Jolie. “We have to be honest and open, or we set ourselves up for killing Malachi.”
She could feel Jacques in her mind “What choice do we have?”
Jolie could taste his anger.
Releasing their hands, she approached Nathaniel and Morris. “I did die two nights ago. I was murdered by Malachi as I tried to protect my mate. I was brought back with a Voodoo spell performed by a priestess.”
An audible gasp went through the crowd as they all backed away with scared looks on their faces.
“You must leave!” ordered Nathaniel. “Leave the three from Delina’s family! Take your mates and be gone. We won’t bother you, and you’re not to contact us!”
“No, we won’t leave without them. If you wish me to go, I’ll do so willingly, but I won’t leave Clariel, Trina, or Mathew behind.”
“You have no choice!” he answered, raising his hand. The clearing was inundated with guardians, and they didn't look happy. They grabbed the three vampyres and blocked Jolie from her mates. “You’ve only been here a few weeks, and already a family has been destroyed, and more death has followed you. We command that you leave our presence and never return. You are truly Death’s Harbinger, and we no longer want to have you under our protection.”
Jolie stepped toward the three vampyres struggling to get free. “I won’t leave without everyone I came with, Nathaniel. That isn’t negotiable.”
“As I said, Mistress Jolie, take your mates and be gone. Death has marked you, and you’re too dangerous to be part of the society. We’ll take these three to keep them safe from your hand.”
Jolie grew furious as they began dragging Mathew away. Something deep inside her snapped and was set free. There was a ripple to her skin as the darkness, which had previously been held in check in her body, floated ominously into the crowd of guardians. Jolie watched as the ones surrounding her mates stepped away, afraid to be touched by the inky mist. She walked toward the men who were surrounding and holding Mathew. He continued struggling violently, trying to get free.
“Release him.”
Even her voice sounded different.
The darkness surrounded the one guardian, who was brutally holding Mathew by his hair. It slipped into his body by absorbing through his skin. He immediately screamed, releasing the vampyre.
Mathew broke free and raced toward Jolie, placing himself behind her. With all his might, he held onto her with arms locked around her waist.
Everyone on the council watched the guardian, who had been restraining Mathew, as he writhed on the ground in obvious pain.
“Stop this!” yelled Nathaniel, stepping forward only to be met by Brogan and Jacques’s hisses.
“Then have them release the women. I already told you that I wouldn’t leave them here. We claim them as ours, so you can’t have them.”
It was a standoff.
Again, she spoke, but this time the darkness coated her words with fear and authority. “They are mine!”
The ground beneath their feet shook and the leaves in the trees rustled at the power.
All the various families stepped back in horror as the words hurt their ears and pulled their fangs into their mouths.
Morris
touched Nathaniel’s arm and whispered in his ear. “If she carries death’s mark, we can’t fight her. Let them go if that’s their choice. We need to keep ourselves safe. If we give them the three vampyres, they’ll leave and never return.”
“Very well! Release them.”
The guardians stepped back, eyes still locked on the guardian writhing at their feet.
“Now release him!” Master Morris commanded as he pointed to the ground.
“Not until we leave.”
Clariel and Trina ran to her side, each holding on to an arm.
“Don’t return, Jolie,” he warned.
At his words, she turned and glanced at the dark mist covering the fallen vampyre. She wasn’t quite sure how to make it stop, but somehow it listened and slid sickly toward her.
Okay, it was controllable.
That was a good thing.
As it slid up her body, like a layer of black silk, there were more gasps. As quickly as it had come, it was gone.
“We won’t be back, but don’t interfere with our existence Nathaniel. Our family is calling New Orleans home, and if you try to screw with me, you won’t like what happens.”
The warning said it all.
None of the vampyres clinging to her flinched as the veil of darkness clung to their mistress. This time, it just rested beneath her flesh, content from feeding on the guardian.
They didn't reply, only watched as death and the woman left their presence. The throngs of vampyres split as they walked through, no one wanting to touch Jolie or anyone in her family. Jacques and Brogan brought up the rear, looking back at the masters standing in the circle.
“She means it, Nathaniel. Don’t cross us,” warned Brogan, his guns still in his hands. There was no way he was turning his back on a clearing full of pissed off undead.
Yeah, not happening in this lifetime.
At the H2, they loaded in and prepared for the ride home. Jolie didn't speak. Instead, she spent the ride in contemplative silence. Another society was left behind, and that could ultimately be their undoing. Without the protection of the whole, they were basically on their own.
Damn it!
When they had gotten into the vehicle, Mathew sat beside Jolie, practically crawling into her lap as he rested his head on her legs. She tried to sooth him as best she could with gentle strokes of her fingers on his hair.
