by M F Adele
“Papi, I need you and Dad to meet us at Father’s house. I’m still waiting to hear from Simon, but we have enough evidence to suggest something big is about to happen with the Vampires.” I kept my voice low. I had no idea who could overhear us from his end.
“Something big like what, Sloane? What’s going on?” He demanded of me, using my name and not my nickname to show me he meant business.
“We’ve heard that the drugs are now in the hands of vampires and being distributed, specifically by one Kadence Moore. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but with Father gone I need to step in and investigate,” I acknowledged.
“Kadence is on the council, Sir. She’s not a fan of Sloane, and we’re worried it could get ugly. Having Nathaniel’s co-mates there could ease the tension when Sloane steps up,” Novak informed Papi.
“I suppose it could,” Papi agreed. “But, it may also make it worse,” he contradicted himself in the next breath. “Having both of us there would be the prime time to challenge you for your position, Little Devil. Are you ready for that?” He warned me as he worried with his bottom lip, rubbing his teeth across the surface.
“Yes, Sir.” I looked to Novak and he nodded his head. He was ready too. There would be no going back when we reached the council. We would seal our bond and go through with the ritualistic traditions. A vampire wedding. Not to be confused with a human wedding; a vampire wedding was all about sharing blood and speaking an ancient oath. Since I was next in line, behind Father, we’d need his equals present to witness our ceremony. His co-mates and his second-in-command. After Novak and I sealed our bond, I’d take over as High Coven Mistress of Vampyre. We would take over. Novak would become the High Coven Master, second only to me as the true heiress.
“I’ll call Charles now, but Sloane,” he paused, making me anxious. “Be ready for a fight, My Sweet Devil, and give that bitch Hell. She’s been after Nathaniel and his position since before Amelia went missing.”
“Yes, Papi. I will,” I answered truthfully, my determination seeping into my words. If Kadence Moore was after my Father and his position then she would not like my interference. Too bad for her. I gave zero fucks about what she liked. As soon as we stepped up, she’d be removed from the council.
“Your Mother would be so proud of you. See you soon, Devil. I love you.” With those last parting words the flames dispersed from my palm into a heart before disappearing completely. The Devil is a show off. I didn’t miss the fact that he called me Devil. He’d never called me just Devil before.
“You didn’t want to tell him about the letter,” Novak pointed out.
“No,” I concurred. “I’d rather show it to them in person.” That was not a “phone call” sort of conversation to be had with my parents. The thought of seeing them at the end of the week excited me. The knowledge that Novak and I would seal our bond in a couple days had filthy images running through my head. I’m not sure if they’re mine or his.
“They are definitely yours.” His voice entered my mind with ease, but he laughed out loud. “Stop. You’re going to kill me before we make it that far.”
“I can’t just turn them off.” I shrugged my naked shoulders. “But it may help to act them out.” I bit into my lower lip and winked at him. He groaned, but before he could follow up with any sort of comment, we heard my phone ringing from inside.
“Where is it?” He asked me as he stood.
“In the pile of clothes that I left by the door,” I shouted when he zoomed away. He was back before the ringing stopped, phone in one hand and a towel in the other.
“Trying to keep me pure for our wedding night?” I jested with a flirty grin.
“Trying to keep my wits about me,” he replied, dry and fighting a grin of his own.
I turned my attention away from Novak and to my phone. “Hello,” I answered after seeing it was Simon. I put the call on speaker so I could wrap the towel around my body. Talking to Simon on the phone while I’m naked felt kind of wrong.
“I’m in Baton Rouge, and I have news.” Simon sounded strained and out of breath.
“What’s happening?” I asked, seriousness taking over the last of my good mood.
“Are you sitting down?” He countered.
“Tell me, Simon,” I growled out.
“This place is a madhouse. The council is at each other’s throats. Dominic and Kadence are running everything into the ground without Nathaniel here to put his foot down.” He stopped, and I vaguely heard a crash in the background.
“And?” I pushed.
“No one can find Nathaniel, and the lower covens are outraged that they aren’t getting straight answers about where he is. I know that we know his general location, but I’m not disclosing that to these fucking idiots. You have to come down here, Lo. You’re the only one who can step in and control this shitshow,” he vowed. That wasn’t all though. I could tell by his voice that he was leaving something out.
“What aren’t you telling me, Simon?”
He sighed loudly, clearly not liking whatever he was about to tell me. “There’s been seventeen cases of infected vampires since Thursday. Kadence is telling everyone that Nathaniel is behind it and he ran when it backfired. He’s been gone for two weeks. It doesn’t look good, Sloane.”
“Alright, I’ll start planning a trip down today. We should arrive late Thursday or early Friday. Stay around if you're safe. Come back if you're not. I don’t want you to risk yourself. Clear?”
“Got it,” he asserted.
“Call me if anything changes.” I hung up after that and sighed just as loudly as Simon had. It seems there’s no rest for the wicked. All the shit that had been stacked up for me to deal with was finally starting to chip at my resolve. I knew I had help. I knew the weight of the supernatural world wasn’t on my shoulders alone, but it felt like it was.
The door beside the pool opened up, and York trudged out looking worried. Fuck. I forgot he could feel my emotions now. I tamped them down and took a deep, steading breath before smiling slightly at him. “Sorry,” I remarked, “I didn’t mean to wake you with my rollercoaster of bullshit.”
“It’s okay,” he yawned out. “I was having trouble sleeping before your emotions hit me, so I went back to the greenhouse. I saw some movement in the woods, but it didn’t look like the boys,” he fretted, never taking his scanning eyes off the wooden line at the edge of my property.
“I haven’t heard anything,” Novak disclosed, “But I wasn’t specifically listening either.”
I closed my eyes and reached out to my hounds. “Cronus is patrolling around the gate right now. I can’t reach Atlas or Helios.” I snapped my eyes open and jumped to my feet.
“What’s wrong, Trouble?” Novak questioned.
I looked from him to York. “I can’t reach Atlas or Helios,” I repeated frantically.
“I don’t understand. Are they sleeping?” He peered down at me with confused eyes.
“No, mate,” York whispered as he stepped his bare feet into the grass. “They’re down. Atlas is on the west side of the property. Helios is near the garage on the east side.”
“Do you feel anything else?” I asked, barely audible.
“Someone’s here, Sweetheart. We need to move inside.” He started to walk backwards to the door, tugging my hand in his.
Novak took two steps and stopped suddenly, eyes fiercely searching the trees across from us. “Movement,” he mouthed with no sound from beside me. I mentally called Cronus to us, keeping the connection open so he could see what I was seeing.
I listened for any unusual sounds. “There. Ten o’clock.” I slide into York and Novak’s minds. We all tilted or turned, trying to spot what, or who, was out there. I angled my body to the right and twisted my head like I was talking to the guys. I really wished one of my powers was heat sensitive vision right now.
A sudden pain struck my right thigh, followed closely by a stinging sensation in my left shoulder. I felt the blood oozing out bef
ore I saw it. The sound of a silencer registered too late for me to move out of the next bullet’s trajectory. I looked at York’s blurry face, his fear and rage consuming me. “Call… Jack,” were the last words I said before something slammed into my skull with the force of a freight train, and everything went black.
Kadence Moore
Tuesday Early Morning
Everything was going according to plan. Now all I had to do was sit back and wait for shit to really hit the fan so I could take over as High Coven Mistress. A title I deserve much more than Nathaniel or his filthy daughter. I’d been serving under Nate on the council for decades. No longer would I be willing to serve though. I should be served. The time to step up and forge a new path for the Vampires was upon me. I’d made all the right alliances and planted the seeds of doubt in all the right minds.
As I sat on my throne, I picked dried blood from underneath my nails. I studied the lineup of poorly chosen, purebred vampires in front of me. Old, young, weak, strong. The weak ones never tasted good. They left a foul flavor lingering in my mouth when I fed on them. The old ones had a sour taste that always had me wishing I’d picked them a few years earlier. Feeding from the young ones who weren’t strong was like drinking liquid candy by the pint. It’s the strong ones that are addictive. Strong and old could be compared to sipping an exquisitely aged bourbon, relaxing and intoxicating. Strong and young blood was the cream of the crop. Draining one would have me flying high and brimming with magic. But draining two? I could run a week long marathon without growing fatigued.
The simply old and young were perfect specimens for my latest obsession. They could handle the side effects, allowing us to examine and research them properly. The weak wouldn’t last days before going mad. I pointed to each vampire that I wanted to dismiss. My staff would take them away, promising them compensation for their time before injecting them with that brilliant fucking drug my brother created. They would then be carried to my basement-turned-lab and quarantined for five days. If they made it that far then I would release them, after placing magic trackers under the skin on their necks.
The two vampires left standing in front of me were in for a treat. They were going to have the honor of being my meal. I strode to the impeccably dressed female on the right. She’d be the perfect appetizer. I motioned with my hand for her to follow me to the soundproof chamber near my bedroom. I don’t want to scare away my main course. When I closed the metal door behind us she started to shake. She would find no remorse from me though. A Queen had to eat, and my subjects were scrumptious.
I attacked from behind without warning, giving her no time to defend her back. I wrapped my hand around her neck, squeezing just enough to hear her choked cry of surprise. “Scream for your Queen,” I commanded her. The first shriek was music to my centuries old ears. I closed my eyes to revel in the echoing sadness that she felt. She knew this was the end of the road for her. It would make her taste all the better. I slowly pierced the flesh of her neck, holding my venom back. I wanted her to feel honor in her sacrifice. She was noble, even if she was unwilling.
Her blood held the flavor of sun-ripened strawberries picked fresh from the field. It reminded me of my childhood with my twin brother, Kelvin. He’d love the taste of this one enough to not drain her. I didn’t have that kind of control. She went quiet and limp in my grasp. As I sucked away the last of her lifeblood her skin chilled. I dropped her to the ground when I was finished, wiping my mouth with my index finger and wearing a sultry smirk on my face. Someone would be along soon to clean up my mess.
She was a great choice, but the male would be better. I was already feeling tipsy and energized when I strutted out of the chamber. No one else was in here, except me and the charming male before me. I’d make him watch in the mirror as I jerked him off, then drained him dry.
“Come with me,” I encouraged in my drunken state. “Let your Queen pleasure you. Surrender to me.” I whispered in a worship-filled voice. I hooked my fingers in the waist of his pants and tugged gently to lead him to my favorite mirror. It was a gleaming piece of etched artwork that was older than I. The fixture stood in the corner behind my throne like a frozen guardian, waiting to heat up and allow me passage to my father's location. He owned one of the mirror’s counterparts, and had spelled the rest for fast travel to his children.
My main course didn’t budge as I continued to tug at him. His curled upper lip twitched with distaste and rebellion. “You are not my Queen. You’re nothing but an unchaperoned advisor to the Master whose ego has outgrown their title,” he growled out.
My manic laughter reverberated around the empty room. “Oh, sweet boy,” I acknowledged as I grabbed his jaw in an iron grip. “I am your new Master. I am your Queen. You will show me respect, or I will freeze your blood, stick a straw in your heart, and drink you like my favorite cocktail.” Now that I’m thinking about it, that sounds like a grand idea.
He tried to pull his bottom jaw from my fingers so I tightened my hold. “You are nothing,” he ground out, striking every nerve in my body with his blatant disrespect. My left eye jumped as I forced myself to remain calm. “Marge,” I yelled, “Bring me my vodka.”
I dragged Mr. Rude to my mirror with my grip on his jaw alone. I heard a snap followed by his hiss of pain. I smiled viciously, feeling accomplished and a little less irritated. When we reached the dias my throne and mirror sat upon I snapped my fingers, thrilling in the sound of shackles dropping from the rafters above us. I cuffed his hands and spun my right index finger in the air to shorten the length. By the time I was done, he was barely standing on his toes and Marge had appeared with a bottle of vodka and two stainless steel straws. I waited for her to leave before I addressed the nuisance in the room.
“Scream for your Queen, and watch as I suck every drop of lifeblood from your body,” I demanded of him. I opened the top on my bottle of vodka and dropped one of the straws in, taking a big swig and enjoying the burn trailing through my chest. I inspected my second straw as I confidently spoke the spell to drop his body temperature. It had to be precise. I wanted him to be conscious long enough to watch himself wither away at my touch.
I plunged the sharpened metal straw into his chest, careful not to pierce all the way through his heart. I capped the end of the straw with my thumb to keep his blood from spilling before I was ready. With one more sip of vodka in my mouth, I removed my thumb and eased the straw passed my tightly sealed lips. He didn’t taste as good as I’d hoped, but his disobedience made up for his lack of flavor. I drank and drank until I felt my stomach swell. I was riddled with disappointment because he never made a sound. By the time I had him sucked dry my mind was so muddled I could only stumble to my plush throne and enjoy my inebriation.
High on the life of victims, I tried to coherently think about what was going to happen tonight. I hated relying on a human, but they were so easy to manipulate. One of my informants filled me in about a man named Taylor Caplin, who had been stalking Sloane King. That made him the best choice for the job I needed done. I drove to Nashville last night in search of him. Once I found him, I had no trouble compelling the idiot to do my dirty work. Now I’m just waiting on his call to confirm the deed is done.
That was my second trip to Nashville in less than three days. I went on Friday and spotted a very drunk woman outside of CBP. That was the company my brother was using to complete the manufacturing of the newest version of his drug. Before the Kings bullied their way into a takeover. She was the easiest target I’d ever compelled. I asked her to come back in the early morning hours on Saturday to let some of my guys in. They’d been canvassing the property long enough to catch on to the accountants strange schedule. He took Mondays and Tuesdays off. He went in at four in the morning and didn’t return after lunch. He was running errands for my brother when he wasn’t at work, but he was expendable.
My team waited in his office with strict orders to tear him apart. From the video they sent back, I could tell they took those orders ver
y seriously. They broke into his safe and removed all the incriminating evidence he had against my brother. Check stubs, original ledgers, the days he came into the building. All of it. It was too much information for Sloane to get a hold of. We could not risk it, so we tied up the last loose end. My brother gave me a letter for her, which I thought was incredibly stupid, but I did as he instructed. One of the males I sent placed the letter in the busted safe for her to find. After that, I brushed my hands clean of the mess and started getting my own agenda under way.
I wouldn’t be waiting around for Nathaniel to come back from his misadventures. The tips he was sent were false. I sent them. His actions would lead to angry summer fae threatening the covens. That’s when I’ll swoop in and save the day. I just had to bide my time for a little longer. I needed to have Dominic taken out of the picture soon too. Then, I could win over the apprentices, so no one with a title would challenge my ascension.
“Your High Coven Queen, Kadence Moore,” I whispered quietly to myself before mimicking the sounds of distant cheering. I stared with unfocused eyes at my cell phone, excitement coursing through my veins as I waited for it to ring.
“The bitch is dead. Long live the new Coven Queen.”
The preorder for book 2 is now live! Continue Sloane’s story on June 24, 2020 in Vampire Visions - The Chronicles of Sloane King.
PREORDER VAMPIRE VISIONS HERE
Author’s Note
I’d like to start this note off by thanking you for reading Druid Dreams. You are the bees knees! You’re the fierce, badass main character of your own story, and I hope you never forget that shit. If you ever need a reminder, come find me in the MuF**kin Books group. I got you, Boo.
