The Watcher: A Vampire Paranormal Romance (The Age of Vampyre Book 1)

by Sophia North

  The wolf strode to a side buffet and poured a drink. "As it is, my patience wears thin. We've established you're not the brightest candle ever lit - for only a fool would wander onto our territory knowing what we can do to vampyres in wolf-form. But still, I have to say, your presence here intrigues me."

  Dante eyed the man warily. He knew who the real alpha of the pack was - and Walter wasn't it. "I could be asking you the same question if the tables were turned, so to speak." Hearing Marcus snort in disbelief at his claim, he pressed on. "What was one of your kind doing living, working in London? Let's pull out the treaty and see what the clause on that particular infraction says, shall we?"

  Marcus threw back his head and roared with laughter, his followers joining in until the entire Great Hall echoed with it. "My ancestors were wise to take the family motto mors rapit omnia - Death seizes all things. For here sits death and he seizes at straws to save his own skin."

  "So Daryl, who worked for Vauxhall Security, as its Head no less, wasn't one of yours? And may I refresh your Vamp 101 lessons, I can smell the same stink from you. Wolf clan scents are very distinctive."

  Marcus ceased laughing. "My business in London was temporary, it did not require Lowerton's sanction."

  "All wolf presence requires Lowerton's sanction," Dante countered. "Do try again."

  "So the Elders sent you to exact their pound of flesh? A rather extreme act over what is nothing more than me sending my men to protect my future bride."

  Dante perked up at that. "And who is the poor woman fated to die by your hand?"

  Marcus chuckled. "You do know your Lang lore, but I can assure you my mother is alive and happily ensconced at Wraxhall Priory House. Proof the curse is patently untrue."

  "Well, of course she is - her name's Edwina not Elaenor."

  The wolf banged his glass down. "And my future bride's name is Simone Radcliffe, not that it would matter."

  His bride was Simone? WTF?

  "Shame your wolf's dead and Simone will never be your bride," Dante's silky voice did not diminish the threatening edge to it.

  "You slayed one of my wolves and have taken my bride?" Marcus circled Dante, his fury etched on his face, his eyes glowing golden like a wolf's.

  "Simone is not yours to take. She belongs to me!" Dante challenged back.

  "To you? I think not," Marcus snorted contemptuously. "As I am sure you are aware, we Langs know our way around the law. I have a signed contract with her halfling father. Have you?"

  Dante's eyes narrowed. He didn't know what Lang was playing at. Simone's father had never been in her life. And what the fuck did he mean by referring to her dead-beat dad as a halfling?

  "I don't fucking need one. She is mine. Fuck her father."

  "No, according to Fae terms and conditions, I get to choose who I fancy most from the bloodline. And my preferences do not swing in that direction, so the father is quite safe from my affections." Marcus smirked as he turned to stroll back towards the large onyx fireplace dominating the hall to place another log on the fire.

  Simone had a Fae halfling father? Just his fucking luck. Fae folk contractual obligations were magically binding and bastards to break.

  "And where might I find the lovely Simone? From your vehement declaration of possession, I am thinking she’s tucked away in one of your kind's typical 'love nests'," Marcus questioned, turning back to stare at Dante. "I have to say, her value has decreased dramatically since learning she cavorts with vampyres. Walter, aren't you in need of a new wife?"

  The old wolf leered at the prospect of fresh young meat. He was an old man and liked the idea of fucking a vamp's woman. "Aye, I be ready for a newer model. Me Meg's getting older and costs me a fucking fortune with all her idears."

  Dante lunged but the ropes binding him held. He'd had enough of their games. "You're making an unnecessary enemy in me," he growled menacingly. "And the way the tides are changing, that would be unwise. For all involved."

  Marcus arched an eyebrow. "Walter's right, you do talk a lot of shite. Wolves, see our guest is shown to his quarters - the North tower will do nicely, methinks. And don't kill him yet, he will make excellent prey for our Full Moon Hunt."

  *

  UNCEREMONIOUSLY DUMPED IN a small room at the top of a narrow, winding staircase, Dante’s host waited for his wolves to finish their work before ascending himself.

  "Don't look so glum, vamp. Who knows, maybe you'll outfox us and stay, ah dead," the Lord of the Cotswold clan remarked. "And to show I'm not a complete bastard, I'll give you a tip - don't try to escape. Vampyres are not the only creatures with fae connections, as you no doubt recall. Once I leave this tower it will be sealed by their magic - impenetrable for those on the outside, impossible for those within to escape. In both cases, extremely painful to vamps who try either tactic - with possibly fatal consequences."

  "Lang, you must hear me out. There are forces afoot in Lowerton who threaten all of our existences. We need to work together to defeat this common enemy."

  Dante thought he might as well try to negotiate. The wolf and he could exchange opinions about Simone's ownership later.

  "Your vampyre politics are of no interest to me. But I will be sending a team of wolves to find my future wife - you better hope they report back with happy news. My family's peculiar penchant for collecting Spanish Inquisition memorabilia may yet have a use."

  Marcus closed the door and turned the key in the lock.

  Defeated, Dante stared through a sliver of a window in the stone tower. In the distance, the nearly full moon cast its bright glow across the landscape. There wasn't any evidence of civilisation as far as he could see, and with vamp vision, this was a significant distance.

  "Caw, caw, caw."

  The sound of a raven.

  "Alfred, is that you?" Dante bellowed from his lofty prison.

  "Caaaawwwwww." The raven answered 'yes' in its own language.

  "Thank fuck! You are definitely getting a raise," he congratulated, before pressing on with a flurry of commands. "I need you to go to Vlad. Tell him he'd better have made inroads with the Fae. He's going to need them. The fucking Lang wolves have me imprisoned in their North Tower with the assistance of fae magic."

  Alfred started squawking back.

  "Slow down, my Raven isn't what it used to be and you're hard enough to understand as a man."

  In reply, Alfred squawked condescendingly slower.

  "No, I don't know how the hell I got here. One minute I was standing on Vauxhall Bridge - the next in a river, under a bridge, in the fucking Cotswold's."

  Another cacophony of incredulous caws expelled from his loyal servant.

  "Yes, I do appreciate the improbability of my ending up in the Cotswold's given the physics of the Thames' tidal flow. For Christ's sake, I am not Vlad! I am well aware I should have ended up downstream, not up it," Dante bit out, frustrated by his servant's constant interruptions. He was only too aware how his arrival at Broadstone Heath made absolutely no sense. It did not require Alfred to constantly point it out.

  "Alfred, shut up and listen - because what I am going to tell you is very, very important...tell Vlad he is not to ever leave Simone's side. The werewolf Marcus Lang claims she is his by right of her halfling father's signature on some sort of fucking medieval bridal contract!"

  The raven went ballistic with his next round of questioning.

  "Alfred, calm down! We do not have time to go into great detail. Vlad just needs to know there are werewolves coming for Simone and she has an unknown halfling father - her safety is to be his only priority, he is not to come here. Tell him to send Darius, he is familiar with this land. Now go, I have nothing more to say."

  Alfred cawed and flew away.

  Frustrated at having been taken out of the game, Dante lost his temper and rushed at the door, thinking to try and break free. How strong could fae magic really be?

  Zapped by a bolt of blue lightning for his efforts, he crumpled to the floor, unconscious.


  Verdict? Pretty fucking strong.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  "PUT ME DOWN, you lummox! I swear to the goddess, if you've hurt Simone - I'll kill you myself!"

  Vlad deposited Penny onto the leather couch. Blindfolded, with her wrists and ankles bound in what appeared to be Hermes silk scarves, Penny was not going to go down without a fight. She kicked and flailed her shoulders around, blindly trying to make contact with the fiend who'd kidnapped her.

  "I'll have your guts for garters, you hear me!" she threatened menacingly.

  "And grind my bones to make your bread? " Vlad drawled in amusement, enjoying the show. His captive took full advantage and caught him with her knee just below the family jewels. Vlad was not impressed.

  "Stop this nonsense, or I won't untie you," he growled.

  Penny stilled. Weren't homicidal maniacs known for their weird fascination with quoting nursery rhymes?

  "Ah, marvellous. My Greco-Gaelic dragon finally sees sense. You had me worried there for a moment, sweetheart. I was starting to think you were a tad dense."

  "It's you," she hissed in accusation. "The Viking! I might have guessed. Untie me this instant - and where is Simone? Simone!"

  "She is close at hand. But I wanted to savour the moment, you understand? So, I've taken the liberty of delaying the announcement of our arrival for just a tick."

  Penny sat primly on the couch, as Vlad went about his work.

  The process was incredibly erotic, her Viking captor certainly took his time and opportunities. Her breath caught every now and then as he stole the odd moment to gently touch her body in all the right places.

  Blindfold removed, Penny opened her eyes to check out the fiend who'd plucked her from outside the radio station. It had all happened so fast, she'd never had a chance to catch a glimpse of him. Although, she had rather liked the feel of his broad shoulders.

  Staring up, Penny held back a gasp of appreciation. Her friend was one hundred percent correct - he was every inch a Viking. With pale blonde shoulder-length hair, tousled from the speed they'd moved at - he towered above her. A Norse god in black leather.

  "Do I live up to expectations, my sweet?" the handsome devil asked seductively, a wicked grin on his perfectly sculpted lips. "Because you absolutely live up to mine." Taking a strand of her long wavy hair, he rubbed it between his fingers. "Molten fire, exactly as I suspected."

  The door to the library burst open.

  "Penny! I thought I heard you, but couldn't be sure - one minute I could hear you yelling and the next silence. Are you alright?" Simone rushed to her friend's side. "I cannot thank you enough, Vlad. She looks unscathed from the night's adventures."

  "Vlad, eh? What else would you call a Viking? Nigel?" Penny snorted derisively.

  He liked her spirit. After being trussed up and hauled through London on his shoulder, her first impulse was to insult him. Let's see how much she was able to take from him, the little spitfire.

  "Vlad, Viking...think you could take one more 'V' about me?" Vlad asked innocently.

  "You mean other than the addition of being a venal bastard?" she asked sweetly.

  Vlad roared in approval. "What a sharp little tongue you have, Penelope."

  Simone watched their interaction and started to worry at where Vlad's word play was headed. She recalled that after seeing Dante’s fangs for the first time, she’d not had the best reaction to discovering vampyres were real. So as for Penny's? Well, there was only one way to find out.

  "Vlad, follow my lead, please. We must handle this matter delicately," Simone announced, taking her friend's hand. "Pen, I need to tell you something about Vlad and you mustn't freak out, okay?"

  Penny's stomach dropped. Was Vlad Simone's 'special friend'? The one she'd written she'd be staying with? Secretly disappointed, and somewhat pissed by his flirting with her, she patted Simone's hand in return. "I'm sure I can handle it."

  "Vlad's a vampyre," Simone announced. "Viking, please - show her your fangs."

  Vlad flashed his pearly whites at her, his fangs clearly on display.

  Penny immediately turned and smacked Simone across the top of her arm. "See! I told you the supernatural was real."

  The caw of a raven rang out as Alfred soared into the library and flapped his way to Vlad. Settling in front of the vampyre, he instantly transformed into his human self.

  Penny gasped. "The bird is a man!" and then promptly passed out.

  Vlad raised an appraising brow at Simone, as she cradled her friend's limp, unconscious body. "She has no problem with me being a vampyre, but faints at the sight of Alfred, a harmless fucking bird? Peculiar woman."

  *

  SIMONE ABSENTMINDEDLY PLAYED with a lock of Penny's hair, lost in thought. Her night had taken a number of rather bizarre twists and turns since Alfred's arrival.

  Initially elated at hearing Dante had been found - albeit locked in a magical tower in the wilds of the Cotswold's, the news of her birth father being alive took a bit more digesting. And as for the preposterous notion that her dead-beat dad had bartered her away as a bride to a werewolf clan leader? Well, that was simply insane and not worth dwelling upon.

  Vlad's reaction to Alfred's tale could be summed it up nicely by two words. Fucking livid.

  "The Lang's? Of all the fucking clans, he would have to be taken by the most duplicitous cunts of them all. And of course, Marcus Lang would have fae connections. He probably has bridal contracts on a fucking harem of half-fae women! Don't worry Simone, you will never be his wife. If Dante doesn't kill him first, I'm next in line."

  Half-fae? she thought. It explained so much. Her abilities must be a gift from dear old dad - the degenerate, abandon-your-pregnant-wife bastard.

  "Simone?"

  Turning towards Vlad, she stared at him blankly.

  Seeing her lost expression, he quickly moved to her side and gently lifted Penny into his arms. Vlad's actions finally elicited a response from Simone.

  "What are you doing with Penny?" she snapped.

  "Easy there, lioness. I'm going to take the dragon to bed, er...I mean put her to bed. We need to talk. And I think we can both agree, limiting Penelope's exposure to what's happening would be best."

  "Yes, of course. My apologies. Could she be put in a room near mine?"

  "How's across the hall sound?"

  It sounded wonderful. Simone wanted Penny close by in case she was needed. Her friend was going to have a lot to say when she woke. Simone inwardly cringed thinking about that future conversation. It was wrong, but Simone secretly hoped Penny stayed unconscious for many, many hours to come.

  When Vlad returned, he wasted no time in laying out the ground rules concerning her foreseeable future. "No one enters this house but me. Got that Alfred?" he ordered. "The current guest list needs to be revoked immediately. You have twenty minutes. Get it done."

  Alfred nodded, transformed into his raven form and flew away.

  Simone's brow furrowed at the notion of being on lock-down. There were matters she needed to address. And she was not going to let her life be controlled by a couple of alpha vampyres, despite their noble intentions to protect her.

  "I will need to speak with Horatio, Vlad. Can he be admitted?" Simone asked, careful to keep her tone neutral. She'd never had the opportunity to tell him or Dante about how she'd sensed Horatio was lying to them at the theatre. And thank goodness she hadn't, otherwise there would be no chance in hell of him visiting. Too many potential enemies lurked in the shadows, so even a hint of disloyalty would have ruled out Horatio's presence.

  No, Simone decided to handle the matter herself. Once she'd got to the bottom of his strange subterfuge, she'd exact her own toll.

  The price? She'd have him run tests on her blood to determine what being a halfling meant biologically. At least it would be a start.

  "Horatio can come and go as you see fit," Vlad readily conceded. "Besides, even if I wanted to bar him I couldn't, he is human. Only supernatural creat
ures can be prevented from entering this house."

  Simone inclined her head in thanks. "I shall send Alfred with a note requesting he come."

  Vlad shook his head. "Not possible. Alfred will be on guard duty and unable to leave."

  "Aren't werewolves considered supernatural?" Simone asked sharply, implying she'd be perfectly safe on her own in the house.

  "Don't start, Simone. Dante would rip me apart if anything happened to you."

  Simone would not be deterred. "Penny and I will be fine. Alfred is of more value helping you sort out Fae relations...and what exactly are you planning to do to gain their support? You will need their assistance to free Dante from the Lang's Tower."

  Vlad shook his head and sighed. "What a fucking nightmare that's going to be. My brother will be repaying me for decades after I sort this shit out."

  Simone chewed her lip. Vlad's task sounded daunting. Decades of repayments? Fae assistance must cost a fortune, but Dante's release would be worth every penny. "I am rather well-off and happy to contribute," she offered.

  The roar of laughter from Vlad caught her off-guard. He found her offer of money hilarious? How rude.

  "Sweetheart, it's not money he'll be on the hook for. No, Dante will be repaying me for centuries to make up for the fucking headache the negotiations are going to be. The Fae have a way of twisting shit in their favour. It's fucking annoying, but not insurmountable."

  "Oh," Simone replied, her curiosity tweaked. "Perhaps I should scour the library for more information on their natures, seeing how I am now related to them."

  Vlad grimaced. He hadn't meant to be insulting. "Simone, I didn't mean to imply anything."

  But Simone wasn't offended. Far from it. She wanted to learn as much as she could about the Fae. Perhaps it might explain her 'gifts'.

  "Don't be silly. 'Knowledge is power' and I plan to acquire some."

  Relieved she hadn't taken his words to heart, Vlad returned with: "Ah, sadly Dante's library is woefully under-supplied. Vamps and the Fae have long been uneasy bedfellows and are rather guarded about sharing too much information with one another. The most extensive collections on Fae lore are held in the Lowerton Grand Archives."