League of Vampires Box Set: Books 1- 3

by Rye Brewer

  Two guards preceded him into the chamber. Then he strode in. He smiled at the two of us like a normal creature would smile at a thing of beauty, something he loved. What had happened to him to twist him so thoroughly?

  “I see my two favorite guests are getting along with one another. It makes me glad to see it. I would hate if you two got into a fight with nothing else to do but accuse each other of wrongdoing.”

  “You don’t have to play games with us,” I said, suddenly very tired. “I know you’ve been listening in.”

  “And had I known your brother had wronged you, I might not have wasted my time trying to lure you here with him. Then again, it wasn’t you I was trying to lure. Oh, well. Better luck next time, I guess.”

  “You were trying to lure Anissa back,” I said.

  “Don’t speak her name to me,” he warned.

  “Why not? Does it bother you that much that someone you thought was under your thumb managed to turn the tables on you?”

  “I warned you,” Marcus whispered. He reminded me of a snake. “I won’t warn you again.”

  I shrugged as though it meant nothing to me, using all the strength and willpower I possessed to keep from wincing and groaning at the pain in my wrists from the silver. I’d never felt such burning, searing agony before. “Suit yourself,” I muttered.

  “Insolent to the end,” he said, shaking his head. “Well, we’ll see how much longer your strength holds out when you don’t have the opportunity to feed. You might be able to handle a single day, but we’ll see what happens tomorrow. And the day after, and the day after that… We’ll see how much longer you manage to hold it together before you turn into a shrieking, pathetic wraith who begs for me to end your suffering. It’ll be music to my ears.”

  I glared at him, refusing to consider his words. I couldn’t imagine days on end without blood. I knew what it would do to me, and I couldn’t allow myself to think about it for fear of breaking down.

  “It’s time for us to move.” Marcus clapped his hands. “I can’t keep you in my dungeon any longer, I’m sorry to say.”

  Gage and I exchanged glances. “Where are you taking us?” he asked.

  “You’ll see when we get there. The fact is, keeping you here has become far too dangerous. I can’t run the risk of you being discovered—as it is, I’ve already had a few close calls.” Then his lips curved into a smile. “I was hoping to keep you here until my guest of honor arrived to rescue you, but what can I do?”

  “You don’t need her,” I reminded him. “You’ve got me. The whole point was to keep me from going to the league meeting. So here I am. Don’t bother with my brother. Let him go. And don’t bother with Anissa. Let her go, too.”

  “No. Now it’s about revenge. I’ll have retribution.”

  “What are you saying?” I asked, gritting my teeth to keep from lunging at him. It would bring me more pain if I did.

  “I’m saying she’ll come for you no matter if you’re here or not because she’ll believe you’re here. I would love to let her see you, to let her see what you’ll soon become. If I know her, and I do, that alone would be worse than anything I could do to her. You’re her hero, after all. Her knight in shining armor, as the humans like to say.” He sneered. “But you won’t be here. Who knows? Maybe I’ll take her to you. It all depends on how things play out.” He frowned slightly. “Truth be told, I’d expected her before now.”

  I hoped she’d stay away. It was her sole hope. She couldn’t fight him, not alone. For once, Anissa, don’t try to be a hero. I wished she could hear me somehow.

  “At any rate, we need to go.” Marcus motioned to his goons, who unlocked our cages and removed the shackles from our wrists. The relief that shot through me was palpable. I could hear Gage’s sigh of relief, too.

  “Don’t get too accustomed to being without your new bracelets,” Marcus warned. “You’ll be back in shackles soon enough.” He turned to his men, who led us out of the cages with our hands behind our backs. “Take them to the location we discussed.”

  “You’re not coming with us?” Gage asked.

  “No. I’m needed here. There’s a big league meeting in two days, in case you’ve forgotten.” He smirked in my direction. “You’re both so weak, I’m sure there’s no chance of you thinking of escape. Not with these two holding onto you.”

  He wasn’t joking—the guards were almost twice as large as Gage and me, and we weren’t exactly small. I imagined they’d pull the arms from our shoulders as easily as pulling the wings from a fly.

  I was sure they’d like to feed on us.

  He stepped aside so we could move past, chuckling to himself the entire time. I imagined breaking free and tearing his eyes out, ripping out his throat, making him scream as he’d made my brother scream, as he’d made Sara scream.

  I couldn’t do that. I had no power. It wasn’t a feeling I was used to. My guard shoved me roughly through the doorway, propelling me down the hall with him still holding onto me. I nearly stumbled to keep up with his pace, stunned by how weak I felt after one day without feeding. Marcus was smart to have weakened me this way.

  We wound our way through the dungeon halls, taking turn after turn. I wondered when we would finally make it outside. I could have done with a breath of fresh air. “How far are you taking us?”

  “You’ll find out,” the guard holding me spat.

  His grip on my burned wrists tightened. It was agony. I bit my tongue to keep from crying out and losing my dignity further than I already had.

  Then, the pressure ceased.

  I heard a small, short yip then I was free. Another yipping sound came from behind me, a little louder but just as short. Gage cried out, sounding surprised.

  I turned, shocked, and found the guards on the floor, dead, a red flower blooming over their chests. There was just only one creature I knew who could assassinate so silently, so efficiently.

  Anissa stepped out from her hiding spot near the wall. I was sure I’d never felt so happy, and that I never would again. “You’re here,” I whispered.

  “We’re here.” Philippa, Scott, Sara. All of them gathered around Gage and me. I couldn’t believe it.

  “Come on,” Anissa said, taking me by the hand. “We have to get out here, fast.” I didn’t think twice, allowing her to lead me out through the same secret tunnel I’d already used twice. I heard the footsteps of my family behind me as we ran. Funny how I’d been exhausted a few minutes earlier. I could have run a marathon now that Anissa had taken care of the guards and led me away.

  “Where are we going?” Gage asked as we ran.

  “No questions,” Anissa warned. “We’re leaving. That’s all that matters.”

  I saw dim light at the end of the long tunnel—the door, halfway open.

  “Come with us,” I said to Gage when we were finally outside and away from Marcus’s clutches. “You can rest and get your strength back.”

  “No.”

  I couldn’t believe my ears. “No? But… After everything…”

  “Nothing’s changed,” he said, sudden strength in his voice. “I can heal anywhere. I don’t have to be with you to do it. And I don’t want any part of this.” He looked at Anissa and Sara.

  “Even after she saved you?” I asked.

  Scott and Philippa appeared just as surprised as I felt.

  “Even now.” And he left, running across the rolling green lawn and out of sight.

  “Come on,” Anissa murmured, squeezing my hand. “Let’s go home.”

  31

  Anissa

  Not until we were back at the penthouse did any of us take a deep breath.

  I blinked, tired from the night’s escapades. Tired from the last few days’ escapades. Really, for a creature that didn’t sleep, I sure could have used a serious amount of slumber.

  I watched Sara, now that I was in repose, trying to figure out what was different about her and why.

  “I can’t believe you managed that,” Jona
h said from his place in the chair by the fire, pulling me from my reverie.

  Sara had taken it upon herself to make sure he was comfortable, just as he’d done for her. She’d placed a cushion behind his head, covered him in blankets, and fetched him a tall goblet of blood which he accepted greedily, almost slurping in his anxiousness to feed.

  When he’d finished, his color was better than it had before, and the circles beneath his eyes seemed to clear up a bit. The burns on his wrists were not bleeding anymore, at least.

  “Thank you,” he whispered to Sara, who went to get more blood for him to get his strength back.

  I sat at his feet, cross-legged on the rug in front of the hearth. “What happened down there?” My eyes were glued to his face, seeking any sign of what might have gone on in the dungeon.

  Philippa perched on the arm of the chair, stroking her brother’s head.

  In the light from the fire, his hair seemed like it was on fire.

  “You don’t have to say anything if you’re too weak,” she reminded him. For someone who could be so strong and confident, and occasionally sharp-tongued, she was tender and loving toward her brother at that moment.

  “No, it’s all right. And really, there isn’t much to tell. He wanted to keep me locked up in the days leading up to the league meeting. He wanted me to miss it, just like he tried to get Anissa to kill me so I’d miss it. He’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants.”

  Scott still looked murderous. “I’ll kill him myself,” he growled.

  “Don’t go through the trouble,” Jonah murmured, accepting another goblet. He didn’t suck it down this time.

  “He needs to pay,” Scott insisted. Sara placed a hand on his arm, shaking her head. She seemed to be all that could calm him when he was like that.

  I looked at Jonah, who stared into the goblet of blood. “No. There’s got to be another way. I won’t take the chance of letting any of us suffer or risk ourselves any further. We can’t let that happen.”

  “So, what will we do?” Philippa asked.

  “We’ll go to the league meeting, just like normal.” His eyes met mine.

  I nodded slightly. He was right.

  I could hardly believe he was with us, and I was sitting right in front of him. It hadn’t been anything to kill the guards—my slayer skills had come in handy, for sure. Something I could thank Marcus for. How ironic. I wondered if he would see the irony as I did.

  Probably not.

  I wanted to touch Jonah to prove to myself he was there. Then again, I had touched him. I had held his hand the entire return trip to the Bourke building, all the way up to the penthouse. Word had quickly spread he was back, that we’d found Gage alive and he’d gone off to rejoin his faction.

  I could tell Jonah was devastated his brother had made the choice to be away from his clan not once but twice. It seemed as though his mind was made up for good, and nobody could change it. I hoped Gage wouldn’t come to regret his decision someday.

  Philippa went hunting for a salve to put on Jonah’s burns—they’d heal soon enough as Sara’s had, but just seeing them sent a dagger to my heart. It hurt even worse to see them on him than it had to see them on my sister’s wrists. I couldn’t bear the thought of him hurting, the metal burning his flesh. It broke my heart. I wanted to throw myself into his arms and kiss him and promise I’d never let him come to any harm on my account, ever again.

  Instead, I stayed silent, wondering what the league meeting would entail for us. How would we get the leaders of the clans to see how dangerous Marcus was? Would they believe us?

  32

  Anissa

  Are you ready for this?” I turned to Jonah, who nodded decisively. His profile stood out in contrast to the early morning sunlight. We’d left for the cathedral just after sunset, and the moon had been rising as we arrived.

  He glanced up at the tall spires that reached into the clouds. I didn’t follow his gaze, since looking up there would mean seeing the bell tower again. I’d already told the story of Malory and how close I’d come to dying in that tower.

  “It’s more beautiful than I’d ever imagined,” Sara breathed, standing beside me. “I had no idea.”

  “Wait until you see the inside,” Jonah murmured with a grin. He hadn’t grinned much in the days since his rescue. It did me good to see it then.

  Grinning wasn’t the only thing he hadn’t done. He’d hardly touched me since then.

  He hadn’t kissed me.

  In fact, it seemed as though he did his best to make sure we were never alone together. He told me he was too distracted, that he had too much hanging in the balance of the upcoming meeting. I chose to believe him, or to make it seem like I did. I hated worrying I’d done something to ruin what we had. Did he resent his capture when he went searching for me? Did he resent my running off to find Gage without telling him where I was going? How would I know? He sure wouldn’t tell me.

  I told myself not to worry about it as we walked together the rest of the short distance to the cathedral entrance. The ground around the building was littered with weeds, in keeping with the dilapidation everywhere in the area. All of it was a smokescreen to keep prying eyes away.

  Behind me were Sara, Philippa, Scott, and, along with them, three other trusted Bourke advisors. Jonah had called in his top brass to make sure his voice was heard among the league.

  I couldn’t deny the anxiety I felt as I entered headquarters. I’d never met any of the league leaders. There hadn’t been a change in leadership since the governing body’s formation so many years earlier. They had to know who I was—after all, they’d probably had a say in keeping my parents apart. They would have known I existed. They knew everything, didn’t they?

  “Don’t worry,” Jonah murmured. “They’re so busy getting things in order, they won’t even care that you’re here.”

  I didn’t understand what that meant, exactly. I could only imagine it was because I wasn’t a clan leader or involved in the league.

  Once we were inside, I was too busy staring in wonder at everything around me to worry about what anybody else thought. I could hardly breathe; it was all so beautiful. Twice as large as it was outside, there were walkways along the walls, stretching up almost to the arched ceilings. Vampires walked along them, hurrying back and forth, making last-minute preparations, I guessed.

  All of them wore the clothing particular to their clans. I saw a clan from Africa wearing brightly colored robes while one from Russia wore furs and another from India wore saris. It was like getting a glimpse of the entire world at once and was almost as fascinating as the building we stood in.

  “Try not to gawk, like you’re new here, or something,” Jonah joked. He smiled a little.

  “I guess it’s because I am,” I whispered back, smoothing down the front of my dress.

  I’d even worn one, in honor of the occasion, and a nice pair of flat shoes. I’d had to borrow both from Philippa, who always made it a point to be attired beautifully. I was a little shorter than her, so the hemline came down considerably lower on me than it did on her, but I didn’t feel underdressed for the first time in forever.

  Moonlight streamed in through the tall, tall windows. “That glass is beautiful.” It reminded me of the stained glass I’d seen in photos of old chapels.

  “The windows are treated with a special protective film, for the sunlight,” Jonah explained. “Even those of us who are the most sensitive to light won’t burn after too much exposure.”

  “Amazing. They’ve thought of everything.”

  “You have no idea,” he said, and left it at that.

  I wondered what he could mean. I was sure there was a lot to consider when wrangling hundreds and hundreds of vampires, but he sounded almost ominous. I couldn’t imagine why. It seemed like he didn’t want to be here. Didn’t he want to protect his clan?

  We stepped farther into the main hall just beyond the double doors through which we’d entered. I couldn’t help looking aro
und, even after Jonah told me to play it cool. I imagined the people who’d built the cathedral, workers who had lived and died before the structure was even complete? Time was a funny thing for vampires. I couldn’t imagine working on something I’d ever finish.

  The massive front doors opened, and a change in the air made me turn in their direction. We all did, Jonah and the rest of the Bourke clan and Sara.

  Marcus.

  A shudder ran through me when I made eye contact with him.

  It was like the air around us stopped moving for a second that might as well have been an eternity. He knew I’d killed his guards, of course, and freed his captives. He knew I wouldn’t leave myself in a position for him to use me ever again. And I knew just how enraged it all made him. He would have killed me then and there if it had been possible.

  Then, a slight smile appeared at the corners of his mouth—a smile that turned my stomach. Like he knew something I didn’t. Knowledge was always his favorite weapon, after all. He thought he could hurt me. I wondered just what he had in mind.

  A sound, like an antique bell, rang, splitting the air with its deep, resonant tones.

  My stomach dropped. This was it. They were about to start.

  A tall, thin vampire dressed in gleaming white robes appeared at the head of the long table on a raised stage at the front of the room. “The meeting will come to order,” he announced in a deep, sonorous voice.

  I glanced again at Marcus, still staring at me as other vampires moved around us. He lifted one eyebrow in an almost amused quirk. I held his gaze to show him I wasn’t afraid or even impressed.

  “Come on,” Jonah said, taking my hand. “He’s not worth wasting time on.”

  I let him lead me to a seat among the rest of our group. The room practically buzzed with activity as all in attendance got themselves ready for the meeting. Marcus, I noticed, sat across from us. His eyes bored holes into me. I made it a point to look away.

  “When will they talk about the business between the clans?” I murmured to Jonah.