by Unknown
∞ ∞ ∞
Brogan patrolled the house feeling nothing less than disturbed. It was like something was coming, and he wasn’t going to be able to stop it from happening. All night, since they had left, he’d aimlessly wandered, trying to shake the sick feeling brewing in his gut.
So far, he’d failed miserably.
For some reason, he didn't think his edginess was due to him and Jolie having a fight. This was so much more.
In the Solarium, Balzac was reading in a chair. Nearby, Mathew, Clariel, and Trina were lounging on the couch, enjoying the comfort of being near each other. When he entered, they all looked up.
“Something’s wrong,” said Mathew, admitting it out loud. “I feel like there’s energy bombarding the house, trying to get in.”
He was well aware.
“I know,” he replied, walking to the glass windows. Outside, Chloe was standing there, and he had a compulsion to join her.
When he approached, she glanced over, startled. “What’s wrong, Chloe?”
“I don’t feel right.”
“Yeah, you’re not the only one,” he admitted.
“I can’t reach the mistress,” she whispered to him, as if they had an audience.
Brogan reached for his mates and couldn’t connect with them either.
It only meant one thing.
He had this happen before.
Genevieve was going to be near.
“Chloe, get the hell inside, NOW!” he shouted, pushing her toward the door. Just as the woman was almost there, Genevieve appeared in front of them, blocking off their escape route to the house.
“Hello, humans,” she laughed wickedly. “I’m here to kill you,” she admitted, laughing hideously.
Brogan saw the vampyres inside move to the glass, and he shook his head in a silent signal to not come out. The last thing he needed was more of the family at risk. Right now, he needed to focus on keeping Chloe safe.
“Come on out, little ones,” she said, pointing at Mathew.
“Don’t do it,” he warned. “No matter what, your asses stay inside that house. Have I made myself clear?”
They nodded.
“Spoil sport,” Genevieve mocked, crossing her arms. “I’ll just have to deal with you two then.”
Chloe froze in her steps, unsure what to do. It looked like it was going to be her and Brogan who would have to handle Jolie’s enemy.
“It’s time to hurt your mistress, humans. She stole my daughter, and I’ll take her pets from her, especially the one she shares her bed with.”
Chloe began stepping forward to protect Flynn, when he put his hand on her arm. The look on his face said it all. She wasn’t to let her secret out. “No, Chloe,” he warned.
She obeyed, never taking her eyes off Genevieve.
“Don’t you ever give up?” asked Brogan, drawing the vampyre’s attention.
“Not until Cassiel is avenged,” she hissed, preparing for her attack.
“She’ll kill you,” said Flynn, keeping the crazed woman focused on him, and not Chloe.
Genevieve stared at him angrily. “Shut up, human! You know nothing of my power!”
He knew when she was going to make her move.
Everything moved in slow motion.
As she raised her hand, directing it at Chloe, Flynn knew what she planned on doing. She was going to try and kill her first. Granted, he knew what she was, but he wasn’t sure if she could die.
Well, he couldn’t take that risk.
Brogan did the only thing he could do to save Jolie the pain of losing Chloe too. He stepped in front of her and took the energy straight to the chest. It took him right to his knees as he felt the life leaching from his body.
“Run, Chloe!” he hissed, knowing he had to buy them some time. It took everything he had, but he managed to pull his gun, firing it into Genevieve. He only hoped it bought Chloe time to get into the house.
Genevieve screamed, right before she bombarded his fallen body with more energy.
Brogan knew he was done just as everything went black.
Chloe raced to his side, ignoring his order to leave him. There was no way that was happening, not after he defended her.
“That’s fine, human, but I’ll deal with the woman next.” She touched her midsection, feeling the burn of the bullets as they dropped from her flesh onto the patio. Before she could make her next move, Genevieve sensed her enemy pull into the driveway.
It appeared this would have to wait. At least one pest was gone. Next time, there’d be no survivors.
“I’ll return to finish this, human!”
With that, she was gone into the night.
Jolie raced around the house, only to find Flynn lying on the ground with Chloe holding his hand.
“Oh God!” she shouted, sliding to a halt.
Immediately, the family rushed from the house to surround them. They watched as tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks.
“Oh, Flynn, why?” she whispered, pulling him against her body. She couldn’t feel him, and as hard as she tried, he didn't answer her.
“Mistress, death is calling for him,” whispered Chloe.
As if on cue, the tendrils began leaving Jolie’s body. Slowly, they began wrapping around her mate.
“No! We can’t let him go. We must feed him!” Jolie held him in her arms and pushed everything she had into him. As she tried to save him, she silently began begging for his life.
Jacques helped her get energy into his body.
Finally, she had an idea. “Tell Death that I will find another substitute for Flynn’s life, and I’ll even make it a gory kill.”
Chloe nodded and closed her eyes.
Jacques prayed her barter would work. If not, he knew Jolie would never forgive herself after they had fought earlier, and she had left him behind.
“Mistress…” said Chloe, waiting for the answer.
“No! He can’t leave me! Chloe, I’m begging you! Don’t take him from me!” She wrapped her body around his, holding him to her in a death grip.
Searching his mind, she felt the flicker of life, just barely holding on.
“Flynn, stay with me.”
“I can’t Jolie. It’s pulling me under.”
“Fight for me. We need you to stay focused on my voice.”
She felt the pain racking his body, but he battled to get back to her. He fought with everything in him. He was her hero and warrior.
If he was going to fight hard, Jolie refused to give up either.
“Mistress…” called Chloe. “Death has accepted you offer, and he will remain.”
Elation rushed through her body. “Let’s get him to bed!” Only then would she breathe again. As Jacques carried him, Jolie motioned for Chloe to follow. “What happened?”
“Genevieve was going to kill me, and he stepped in front of me to take her energy.”
That sounded like her brave mate.
“I was going to defend us, but he wouldn’t let me reveal myself. I have to ask. Does he know?”
Jacques laid him gently on their bed.
“Yes. We told him tonight and fought about it.”
“He still tried to save me, Mistress. I was going to show Genevieve what she was dealing with, but Flynn stopped me. He sacrificed himself, even though she wouldn’t have been able to kill me.”
“He wouldn’t risk the chance,” said Jacques, admiring the man they had chosen to be part of their lives.
“You’re family, why wouldn’t he?”
Chloe nodded, understanding what they were trying to tell her. “How did you know we were in trouble?”
“I had a message from the darkness.”
“Really?” she asked, shocked. “That’s odd. Usually, I’m the go between.”
“All of this is odd. Death sent me a child to warn me in Mambo’s shop.”
Chloe smiled. “Death always did like drama.”
Jolie crawled onto the bed beside her resting mat
e. She took his hand and brought it to her lips. For now, she’d wait with him as they planned out the night.
“Well, Death is in for one hell of a show. I’m about to teach Genevieve that drama can be deadly.”
The woman lifted an eyebrow. “Uh oh, that sounds dangerous,” Chloe offered.
Jolie told her what she had planned, and Chloe got a gleam in her eyes.
“Mistress, I do believe that is a suitable punishment for that bitch and an even better offering for our mistress.”
With that, Jolie began her preparations to finish the game.
Genevieve’s blood started it, and tonight it would finish it too.
∞ Chapter Twenty-Nine ∞
Saturday Early Morning
Brogan could feel the darkness slide away from his body as consciousness slowly returned to him. Without looking, he was well aware that there were others surrounding him on the bed. When he finally opened his eyes, Jolie was holding one hand, and Chloe was clutching the other one. Jacques leaned against the wall, watching the entire situation with a grin plastered to his face.
“Hey,” his voice rasped, as he stared up into his mate’s eyes.
“Hello, Flynn,” said Jolie, kissing him passionately on the lips. “Are you feeling better?”
“Mmmmm, I’ll have to get hurt more often,” he admitted, grinning wickedly.
“He’s fine, Jolie. Our detective just favors attention from beautiful women,” responded Jacques from his spot against the wall.
Chloe touched his shoulder. “Thank you, Master.”
Brogan turned his head to focus on Chloe, only this time choosing to ignore the term she used. “I should thank you, Chloe. When I was leaving my body, I saw you there standing between me and Death.”
She smiled sweetly.
“You didn’t look anything like a demoness,” he said, squeezing her hand. “And don’t worry about it. We’re family.”
Chloe looked at Jolie for permission, and when her mistress nodded, she leaned over him and kissed him on the lips
“See? He is all about women’s affection,” Jacques teased.
Brogan joked back as he struggled to sit up in bed. “Don’t be a hater. It’s not attractive on a dead dude.”
Jacques snorted.
“We’ll finish this tonight with Genevieve,” said Jolie, squeezing his hand.
Brogan needed to know. “What do you have in mind?”
“I am going to use my gifts.”
Jacques stepped forward. “It’ll work.”
“Why do I feel nervous?” asked Brogan. “Like something bad is going to go down, and you’re trying to sell it to the logical one in the room?”
Jolie shook her head. “I’ve decided to embrace what Death has given me, Flynn. I can’t be ashamed of what I am. I can only take and use it to help us as much as possible.”
“Who’s ashamed of you?” he asked, confused.
There was silence in the room. Jacques reached for Chloe’s hand. “We should go prepare for the show.”
When they were gone, Brogan leaned toward her and spoke the truth, “Jolie, I’m not ashamed of what you are.”
“No, Flynn?”
He took her hands in his. “No, baby, I’m not. I’m sorry about what I said, but sometimes all this is overwhelming.” He pulled her closer to him, stroking her long hair as she placed her head in his lap. “I couldn’t be ashamed of you. I’m part of you.”
Jolie just let him play with her hair. It was comforting to feel him so close after she almost lost him again.
“I love you, Jolie.”
Jolie offered the words back, “Je t’aime, Flynn.”
“Now tell me the plan.”
Jolie knew he wasn’t going to be happy, and she called for Jacques to rejoin them. She may need his assistance on this one.
When the man returned, Flynn’s suspicions were piqued. “Oh boy. Someone better spill it, and fast. I’m getting twitchy, and that’s a very bad thing,” Brogan stated.
Jolie told him everything, and it didn't take long for the anger and fury to cross his face. He definitely didn’t like the plan, at all!
“It’s not happening.”
“Pardon?” she asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.
He looked at Jacques. “You’re fine with this harebrained clusterfuck?”
Jacques shrugged as he sat on the bed. “What can I do to stop her? I don’t doubt it’ll work. If I honestly thought it was useless, I wouldn’t let her do this. Besides, we’ll be right here in the house and can get to her fast.”
“Hello, I’m sitting right here. Can we pretend that I’m not deaf or just plain stupid?”
Both men looked at her and started laughing.
“Are you both done?”
“Oui, mon amour,” answered Jacques, patting her cheek.
“I know this will work. I just need to use what I have in my limited arsenal against Genevieve. I’m Death’s Harbinger, so we’ll toss that one at her and see if she’s still laughing in the end.”
“I think we should be there with you,” said Brogan seriously. “I don’t like the idea that you’re down there alone. I could surprise her, since she thinks I’m dead, again.”
“Flynn, do you know how long I have been defending this family? I think I’ll be fine. Besides, I just need to get her where I need her. If there’s a problem, my two strong defenders can rush in and save the day.”
“Was that sarcasm?” asked Brogan, looking at Jacques.
“Why are you asking me?”
“You’ve been with her the longest.”
Jolie growled. “Yes! It was indeed sarcasm,” she blurted, as they teased her.
Brogan kissed her. It was fun to watch her get frustrated. In fact, it turned him right on. “What now?”
“I’ll see you both in the solarium in a few minutes. I need to grab a few things and prepare.”
Jolie left her men sitting there and prayed she’d been right.
This spell had better work, or she was as good as dead.
And not in a good way.
∞ ∞ ∞
The family had convened in the solarium, waiting for Jolie to leave the house. The faces showed everything from awe to fear. Jolie had changed her clothing and was now wearing leather from her neck to ankles. When she approached, they all looked forlorn.
It wasn’t missed by their mistress.
“I’m going to destroy her, not get killed. Really, you need to put the scared faces away and have some faith in me.”
That didn't make anyone relax.
Jolie wanted to get this next part over with.
It was time to say goodbye.
First, she went to Jacques and into his arms. Her lips sought his and shared everything in her. They’d been together a long time, and he meant the world to her.
“I adore you, Jacques. I leave you in charge of our family if something happens.” When he went to speak, she put her fingers over his lips. “Please.”
He simply nodded.
Jolie reluctantly pulled away, crossing to her other mate. Before she could kiss him, he pulled her mouth to his. There was heat, power, and so much love. Slowly, they broke the mating of lips. He stared down into her eyes. “I’ll see you when this is over, and I’m still not happy about this.”
She laughed, resting her head on his shoulder. “I’m well aware. If something happens to me, you’re Jacques’s second. You’ll run this family with him.”
“I will, and I’m going to kill Balzac first thing.”
The vampyre they were discussing gasped in horror. “Excuse me?”
Jolie laughed, knowing he was trying to lighten the mood. “He’s merely kidding. Aren’t you, Flynn, my love?”
He rolled his eyes.
Jolie knew it was time. “”I love you all,” she said, walking to the door and out into the night.
It was time to set the scene.
For now, it was destined to come full circle. Genevieve’s blood b
egan this with the killing of Louisa, and she’d finish it with her own.
It was time.
They watched her walk away, long hair swaying behind her as she disappeared into the trees. Brogan needed to know one thing. “If she doesn’t succeed, what will death take as its payment?”
Chloe didn't need to think twice. “If she fails to give what she is promising, she’ll lose the life closest to her.”
“Shit,” muttered Brogan. “That would be her.”
“Oui,” whispered Jacques. “That is why she wouldn’t let us go with her, she won’t risk us.”
“No, she’ll risk only herself, despite how we feel about it.”
These were stakes he wouldn’t normally risk, but if they wanted to end this here and now, they had no choice.
“She’ll be okay,” he promised his mate.
The look on Flynn’s face said it all. He wasn’t buying it, and come to think of it, neither did Jacques.
Not in the least.
Jolie threw down the salt in a circle around Louisa’s grave. Fortunately, the blades of grass hid the evidence of what she was planning. If she was right, she would be able to draw Genevieve to the grave, letting Death take over from there.
Okay, she hopped that was what would happen. This would be a really bad time for the spell to fail. Since Genevieve was relatively intelligent, there would be only one shot at this.
Jolie dropped to her knees and whispered to Louisa. “You’ll have your revenge this night, my friend. I’m going to end her life, like she so callously ended yours.”
The silence of the night surrounded her as she went back to work. There were spells to weave as she woke the dead.
Genevieve had screwed with the wrong family.
∞ ∞ ∞
It didn't take long to finish all the preparations for the evening. Looking around at the beautiful flowers, Jolie was well aware that in a little while, they would be painted red with the blood of revenge.
Where she should have some remorse for what was to come, there was none. Raising her hands in the air, Jolie could feel Death fill her body. As she tipped her head back, Jolie allowed herself to be the lure to get Genevieve there. Their mistress would use her to lure their prey.
