“What happened to all these spouses?”
“The war,” Jonas said quietly. “It was after the war that family coven pride became more prominent.”
“Agnor lost all of her children and her husband, making her a coven of one.”
“But doesn’t coven usually mean a group?”
Agnor was in front of him before he knew it. Gareth cringed anticipating a snap from another Primus Elder.
“As young Jonas said, family pride is keeping my family name alive.”
Gareth tilted his head. “You kinda sound like Ragnorok,” he blurted out.
“Not surprising. All the Elders and their children are from the old country.”
“But you all look so—”
“Diverse?”
“Well, yeah.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“Remember, we were alive before the human civilizations that are in place now. We have never seen each other as being different because of our different features. It was always us Primus Vampyr against the humans before we eventually integrated into the different races.”
Gareth nodded.
“I do regret this has happened, old friend.” Hammadi squeezed Oscar’s shoulder.
“We’re all very sorry for what has happened to Morgana, Octavius.”
“Well, if you hadn’t taken so long to make a decision, Ragnorok might not have taken Morgana or Ava,” Gareth muttered.
Batheras stared him down. Jesus, did all the Primus learn how to perfect that stare together?
“This mission has had unusual circumstances right from the beginning with Oscar recruiting human-turned vampires, to one of our own going rogue and attacking you all.” His eyes flickered to Cleva, who was staring hard at the wall—her mouth twisted as she tugged on her red, beaded necklace.
“Young man, we don’t decide to end any vampire’s life lightly.” Jelani glowered at him. “We’ve all experienced what loss feels like, so we take our time to assess whether it is necessary to do so. Regardless of whether they are being—”
“Insolent little pricks?” Agnor offered.
Jelani’s lips twitched. “I’d have offered another name for them.” She turned to her friend, shaking her head.
“Besides,” Gregorus spoke before Jelani could continue, “Yours isn’t the only mission we have to make decisions on. We’re in touch with every vampire group in every country all around the planet.”
“It’s a lot of lives to consider.” Jelani locked her brown eyes with Gareth’s.
Jonas squeezed Gareth’s shoulder. “We get it that you’re angry. We all want Morgana and Ava back. That’s why we’re all here.”
“Fine,” Gareth mumbled.
“Right, if we could proceed with the meeting,” Oscar said, his voice stern, making Gareth raise his chin to meet the Elder, his coven leader, and possibly his future father-in-law dead in the eyes. Oscar’s brown eyes were full of understanding. A fierce determination spread through his body.
“Tell us the plan, boss.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The Van Wilden’s dining table had been shifted into the living room, and the vampires spread themselves around it as best they could. The large map of the area was spread across the top. There were now extra markings on the paper from the intel gathered by Jonas and Hector.
“The girls and the other humans are being kept here.” Oscar tapped a section of the map. The Forest Clan had their homes spread out in a semi-circle surrounding what they’d marked as the ‘feeding area,’ the clearing where Morgana, Ava, and the other humans were being held. According to Jonas and Hector’s reports, they were being strapped to poles in kiddie pools and being drained of their blood. Gareth curled his lip up in disgust at the thought. Not the most hygienic way to store blood.
“So, Pops, what’s the plan?” Hector asked.
“No more picking off the Forest Clan one by one. I erred in judgment by ordering us to do so. We eradicate them. Every single member of that clan.”
“Aye, and the humans they’re using as a food source?” Alastor asked.
“Unfortunately, they will be collateral damage. We can’t rescue them only to have them tell of their ordeals regarding vampires to others.”
“What if no one believes them?” Gareth spoke up.
“We can’t risk it.”
“Ava is the only human we rescue. Understood?” Oscar said sternly, looking toward his sons.
Gareth furrowed his brow. What was that about?
“Of course,” both Jonas and Hector agreed.
“So, the strategy of attack?”
“We strike from the front taking down the dwellings in your wake as well. Use the broken wood to your advantage, too. From the numbers we’ve received, we might not be able to carry that many stakes on us.”
“What about the vampire lore about the stakes needing to have a special ritual placed on them?” Gareth knew all about this from his punishment for staking Randalf. He and Morgana had to whittle thousands upon thousands of stakes to send to other agents. He was going to be more pissed off than he already was if that were not the case.
“He has a point.” Hammadi stroked his chin.
“We’ll burn all the bodies together.”
“Or with all us Elders here we can bless the wood?” offered Elder Wellchide.
“Very well. But it will have to be quick.”
Elder Wellchide raised an eyebrow. Nothing could beat the speed of a Primus Vampyr.
Oscar chuckled. “You know very well what I meant, Eleanor.”
She nodded, her eyes twinkling with mirth.
“We go in, eradicate the Forest Clan, and free the girls. Are we all clear on this?”
“I think Morgana will want to be part of the fight, too,” Gareth argued.
“True.” Oscar tapped his index finger on the map. “We split into two groups, then. Gareth, Alastor, and Vivienne you rescue the girls. Morgana will be weak, so you’ll need to remove her from the battle to tend to her wounds. You and Vivienne should both give her blood, so neither of you are depleted too much. That way she’ll be able to join in.”
Gareth nodded.
“Then come back with her and join us in the fight.”
“The rest of us will still attack from the front, drawing the attention away from the rescue.”
“Well, it is The Council that this Ragnorok fellow wants to take down. So, it’s the full force of The Council he will get,” Batheras’ booming voice reverberated around the room.
“Jonas and I will go with the rescue party,” Hector said. “We came here to rescue our sis, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Vivienne flashed them a grin, respect in her eyes for her stepsons.
Gareth would eventually find out what the backstory was there.
“Good, then it’s settled.” Oscar moved to stand in front of the fireplace, turned to face all of them and cleared his throat.
A female vampire, whose name Gareth couldn’t remember, was handing out shot glasses of blood. She gave a flirtatious smile to Gareth when she approached him. Sure, she was pretty with her olive skin and bright green eyes rimmed with a forest green color, but she was also a blonde, and he’d had enough of them.
They were also there to rescue his girlfriend. Gareth scowled at her before taking his glass.
Hector nudged him. “Don’t stress on it, bro. Dontelle flirts with everyone.” Hector watched her ass as she sashayed around the room.
“Yes, but if I recall correctly, you’re the only one who has responded,” Jonas muttered.
“Yeah, of course, I tapped that.” Hector slapped him on the shoulder, “Besides, you’re practically engaged if Viv has her way.”
Despite his sour mood, Gareth found himself smiling at Hector.
“I like you, Hector,” Gareth told him. “I was a bit wary of meeting Morgana’s other siblings.”
Hector let out a loud laugh. “Not all of us are like old Riza.” Hector tipped his chin to his brother. “Jonas is
pretty cool, too.”
Jonas smiled but kept his eyes to the front, looking at his father.
Oscar cleared his throat. “Thank you all for taking the time to come here and address this new threat to our society. And to help rescue my daughter and a special honorary member of my coven, Ava, who, as she’s spent more time with us in our world, I’ve come to think of as a third daughter.”
Alastor nodded his thanks and raised his glass to Oscar, who nodded his head in return. “They also took the life of someone very dear to me, Brutus, my little buddy. He was more than just a pet, he was my companion.”
Gareth wanted to shed a tear for Brutus. He had been an awesome dog in the short time they’d known him.
“They took something precious to us, but we’ll take something even more precious to them… their lives. Tonight, we take down Ragnorok and his Forest Clan once and for all, sending a message to our brethren across the world. Anyone who messes with The Council of Order is going to get their ass handed to them.”
Gareth’s jaw dropped.
“Jaysus,” Alastor muttered beside him.
But no one else seemed to react. Maybe Oscar wasn’t all that prim and proper.
Oscar raised his shot glass calling out, “Ladas kampfet ne viri numar att lag famil!”
The Primus in the room lifted their glasses. “Viri numar ne famil!” they chorused before downing their shot glasses of blood.
Gareth and Alastor exchanged looks before repeating the same actions.
“What did Oscar say at the end?” Gareth asked Jonas.
Jonas looked at him, giving him the Van Wilden stare. “It’s the language of the old country. “There’s strength in fighting alongside your coven, your family.” And we replied, “To fighting with family.” Jonas clapped Gareth on the back before walking down to the basement.
The knowledge that each Primus was here fighting for Morgana and Ava caused Gareth’s throat to constrict, stopping the flow of blood sliding down.
“You’re not getting teary on us, are you, bro?” Hector thumped him on his back.
Gareth shook his head and held up his hand as he swallowed. “I’m fine.” He gave them a tight-lipped smile and stood straight. He looked around the room, his smile growing genuine. Not only were each Primus—well, except Cleva—here for them, but for Alastor too. They were all his family now.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
With so many mouths to feed for the big battle, Gareth and Alastor opted to take Morgana’s brothers and a few of the younger generation Primus to feed at their place. The Van Wilden’s fridge was running low, but Vivienne had often made sure to use their blood supply connections to keep Gareth and Alastor’s fridge fully stocked.
Hector whistled low while looking around their foyer when they entered. “Sweet digs.”
Gareth barely nodded. He could feel Alastor’s eyes on him, but he couldn’t look at his best friend right now.
“Aye, the kitchen is this way, lads and lasses.” Alastor led them away.
Gareth didn’t feel like following, he just wanted a moment to be alone. “I’m going upstairs to change,” he called out as an excuse, already ascending the stairs.
When he entered his room, he stopped at the base of the bed, staring at the bite mark Morgana had left. With all that had been going on since that night, he’d never had the chance to replace his mattress. That night all he’d thought about was getting his rocks off. If he had known what was to come, he would have made love to her and not taken her so roughly.
“Ye all right, mate?” Alastor’s hand clamped down on his shoulder, startling him from his thoughts, making him jump to the side a few paces.
“Jesus, you’re good at sneaking up on people.”
“Aye.” Alastor winked at him. “Stealth training.”
Gareth nodded. A few weeks back Vivienne had taken Alastor under her wings and began training him in stealth techniques that later enabled him to sneak up on Mariza and kill—no stake—her. Geez, he still had to get his head around the fact that his creator was still alive.
“How are ye feelin’?”
“I should probably be asking you the same thing.”
“Shithouse.”
Gareth grinned. “Yep, that about sums it up.”
“Aye.” Alastor started to chuckle but cut himself short. “Seems wrong to laugh when the lasses are, ye know?”
Gareth scrubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I know.”
The sounds of the vampires below drifted up through the floorboards.
“But we’re not alone. We’ve got that lot helping us out. Viri numar ne famil,” Gareth repeated the earlier sentiment.
“Aye, but ye know that Morgana is still alive. I don’t know about Ava.”
Gareth gave his friend a sympathetic look. “She might still be. They kept the humans alive in the town lair for the uninvited barrier protection. They could be using Ava in a similar way.”
“Well, as sick as it may sound, that gives me hope.”
“Then use that hope to fuel you… to go get her.”
“Aye.”
“Oi, are you two bozos eating, or can we have your share?” Hector called out to them.
“Ignore him,” Jonas called out. The sounds of a slap to the back of the head could be heard.
Gareth and Alastor looked at each other before laughing. “We better get down there and feed before Hector drinks it all.”
“Aye, if Mrs. V found out we didn’t eat up before the battle… well, I don’t want to find out.”
Gareth grinned, slapping his friend playfully on the back as they walked out of the room.
It was time to get the girls.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Oscar sat in his armchair watching his wife, always the gracious host, flitting around handing glasses of blood around to the others. His eyes squinted when he noticed some of his whiskey glasses were being used.
“Excuse me,” he said to the other Elders before following her back into the kitchen. She was busy, emptying blood bags into fresh glasses. Oscar walked around the island counter, placing a hand on her arm, stilling her movements.
“Here, let me do that, dear. You’ve been doing quite a lot recently.”
She shook her head, resuming her task. “No, it’s fine.” She sighed. “Doing this, cleaning up sites and porches, keeps me busy and my mind off—”
Oscar’s grip tightened slightly but not enough to hurt her. “I’m sorry, my dear, with you caring for everyone and handling Gareth and Alastor, I never asked you how your grief is going.”
Vivienne emptied the last drops of blood before looking up at him. “You know how I’m feeling.”
“Ah, but it’s a husband’s job to ask his wife how she is rather than taking the bond for granted.”
Vivienne dropped the bag onto the marble countertop. She wiped her hand on a tea towel, her movements slow and methodical. He could feel her sorting out her feelings through the bond. She turned to him and touched his face. “I’ll be fine, eventually. Once we get this lot fed and armed as best we can, so we can go rescue the girls,” a fierce determination passed over her face and through the bond, “and we do what we agents of The Council do best… eradicate that smug, evil bastard.”
Oscar nodded, cupping her cheek. “Yes, we will.” His hand dropped, and he turned back to face the counter, leaning his hands on it, keeping his voice low, so the others wouldn’t catch wind of what he was about to say next. “I guess that means I can no longer pretend to be human anymore?”
Vivienne’s voice grew soft, and sympathy flowed from her. “No, not for the rest of the mission, and maybe even for a while after that. Morgana will need her father to be his Primus Vampyr self so we can take down the Forest Clan, bring her home, and help her to rehabilitate from whatever horrors they’ve put her through.”
Oscar looked up, meeting his wife’s icy-blue eyes. He turned back to her, smiling and placing his hand under her chin. “Always the clever one.” He pre
ssed his lips to hers. They pulled apart, resting their foreheads against each other. They allowed themselves this moment before Vivienne pulled back, her determination once again settling in. “Well, I better get this blood distributed so that we can get our daughter back.”
Oscar nodded and watched her exit the room, his hip resting on the island counter. He looked down at the empty blood bags littering the counter.
This was no time to wallow in his grief and anguish. It was time to get his daughter and Ava.
It was time for Ragnorok and his Forest Clan to pay.
For he was Octavius Van Wilden.
A Primus Vampyr—one of the eldest of all the vampires.
And he was going to kill them all.
Chapter Forty
Gareth crept up to the shrubbery surrounding the clearing. From his crouched position, he could see Morgana slumped against a pole, the silver chains binding her were the only things holding her upright.
The smell of her blood was wafting all around him. There were open wounds all over her body, her blood was seeping out.
He thought he was angry before, but now his blood boiled with his rage.
The one thing Morgana didn’t want to be in her life—a blood bag—and Ragnorok did exactly that to her.
He was also shocked by the possessiveness he felt at the thought of others drinking her blood. That blood was his.
Morgana was his.
If anyone were going to drink her blood, it would be him.
Jealousy was a strong emotion. She must have felt him. She looked right at him even though he was hidden.
All the jealousy burned away by the anger at seeing her forlorn face. One brown eye was straining toward him. The other enclosed in a mass of swollen purple bruising.
That fucker was going to pay.
Gareth saw Ragnorok standing over her. He could hear him gloating. Gareth prepared himself to run into the clearing, but a hand grabbed his shoulder.
Gareth looked to the owner of the hand in surprise. It was Oscar. He pressed a finger to his lips. There were so many vampires around, it wasn’t a wonder he hadn’t sensed him.
The Van Wilden Chronicles Box Set Books 1-3 Page 54
