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~~VENGEANCE~~
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With the afternoon came the sound of laughter. Malcom grumbled to himself as he rolled out of the guest bed that was barely long enough to fit his oversized frame. He’d fought it long enough and had to get up. Tatiana’s living room was packed to its limit with rowdy wolves. They had just returned from their scouting and reported to having found no sign of Vincent or his men and the news was that the southern wolves had retreated completely. Tatiana then sent men further into Vincent’s territory to report back with an assessment of the angry alpha’s mood. Once again, a positive report. The woods beyond their borders were calm and there was no sign of any of their attackers attempting to linger behind. While they celebrated their apparent psyche out of Vincent, they relished in victory, but Malcom knew better. Vincent was usually the calmest right before a strike and at that moment, he was completely silent.
“This isn’t over.” Malcom told Tatiana in a hushed tone. He didn’t want to gain the attention of the others, let them have their false sense of accomplishment.
“Yeah, I know, and they do as well. My people just like to take joy in whatever moments they can. Especially now that things are heating up between us and the vampires, we have to celebrate the little things.” Tatiana sipped a cup of coffee. Getting a quick caffeine boost sounded like heaven to him, not to mention that she had really worn him out the night before and his body needed a kick in the gears to get going.
“And yet you still decide to poke the bear by going after his mate.” He shook his head at her and headed past her towards the kitchen to grab his own cup.
“Hell, I have no problem admitting that this is personal. I don’t claim to be perfect.” She followed him making sure to keep her tone low. She had her own secrets to keep, not just his.
“When do we leave?” Malcom lifted the pot to fill his mug. The coffee was cold but it would still do the trick. Caffeine was caffeine no matter the temperature. There was no point in debating the topic with her. It would do nothing but alert the others of the rising tension between the two wolves. This was the last thing he wanted to happen.
“We will leave tonight after dinner. This way we arrive there just after dawn, which of course gives us the advantage. The most we should deal with is a few eager familiars and they shouldn’t be too much of a challenge to take out.” She was shocked he hadn’t put up more of a protest, but appreciated the ease of dishing out orders. Malcom was a lot smarter than she had given him credit for, too bad he wasn’t smart enough to stop allowing women to have such control over his life. Exiled for a human woman, marked a traitor for befriending a female blood sucker, and now risking his life to protect the fragile ego of his once mate. The man really needed to work on setting better boundaries.
“You’ve really thought this through.” He sipped from the mug. “That’s good.” Just because she had thought it through didn't mean that it still wasn't a shitty idea. Even if perfectly executed, she was essentially putting both of their heads on the chopping block.
“Are you referring to my plan or the coffee?”
“Both, though the coffee is a bit cold.” He winked and took another sip.
“Okay look, Tiffany took away the last living member of my family. There is no way that I am going to allow her to stand after that.” Tatiana stared at Malcom and tried not to picture him naked. Her plan at seduction had backfired horribly. It wasn’t exactly in the schematics for them to end up in bed. She only wanted to seduce and entice him, then slap down the leverage she already head. Unfortunately for her, Malcom was a lot more of an alpha than he would ever admit to. Once he had made the decision to take her, there was no turning back. She would never admit to him or anyone else, but it hurt her when the way he looked at her shifted from desire to disgust after she revealed her intentions of going after the vampire. She couldn’t blame him for his change of perspective, what she did to him was dirty. “You aren’t the only one who can claim vengeance for those who have been taken from you. Before you try to claim that revenge isn’t the reason you have returned, or that you have some other cause for joining this little crusade, please stop to remember that I know the truth.”
“After dinner.” Malcom spoke and once again disappointed her by not putting up any resistance. He had already resolved to not fighting the issue and he wouldn’t let her draw him into an argument that she had already won.
“Yes.”
Malcom nodded, placed his empty mug onto the counter and headed straight for the door. He wanted to find his own people. Stephanie was somewhere in town with Sirus, Mara would still be sleeping for at least six more hours and she was under heavy surveillance. He wouldn’t be able to see her until after he returned. He had to let Sirus and Stephanie know what he was doing, the only problem with that was he couldn’t tell them the truth, not entirely. They wouldn’t understand why he would take such a risk. He had to give them an explanation that wouldn’t cause them to question his actions further.
“Ah, so you’re finally up. It seems life in exile has softened you.” Sirus called out to Malcom as he watched him approach.
“Yeah, there happen to be no early drills for a guy on the run.” Malcom smiled and stretched to accompany the phony yawn he emitted. “I hear there is no sign of your alpha or his pups.”
“Yeah, but you know as well as I do that no news is not good news when it comes to Vincent. He is planning something, I know it.” Sirus sniffed the air and frowned.
“Most definitely,” Malcom stood next to Sirus and looked out at all the people being shuffled off in multiple directions as they headed to their new homes. “He wouldn’t be foolish enough to try to attack, here would he? If he did it would be a bloodbath.”
“Unfortunately, he isn’t exactly what I would call stable minded and because of that he is capable of just about anything, regardless of how insane it may be or how many people it may hurt. That is how we got here to begin with. Vincent lost it man, he just snapped. All ties he had with reality are no longer there.” Sirus handed Malcom water. “Things really went south for him after you were gone. People say you were all that kept him sane. Makes you wonder what could make a man lose it like that.”
“The call to alpha,” Malcom spoke. “Not all are capable. Vincent was strong enough physically but he seemed to lack the mental stability. I always expected him to break; I just tried my best to put off the inevitable for the sake of our people.”
“Yeah, well, he’s lost it for sure now and we are all in danger because of his weak mind.” Sirus cracked the seal on his own bottle of water.
“We need to protect these people.” Malcom looked around at the members of their pack who hadn’t been moved out yet.
“I am trying my best.” Sirus shook his head, his weary expression returning.
“Do you think you can handle things for a day or two without me?” Malcom asked him in a low tone.
“Why, you going somewhere?” Sirus responded nervously, he didn’t want Malcom to leave, not if it meant that he wouldn’t be back. They needed him.
“Tatiana wants me to accompany her for some scouting of our own.” Malcom gave the bottle back to Sirus. “She doesn’t believe that things are as clear as her guys reported.”
“Oh really,” Sirus pushed Malcom teasingly. “You two get to know each other a little better last night?” He chuckled, he could smell what happened between the two of them long before the wolf came out of her house.
“It isn’t like that.” Malcom smiled, better to play into the joke than to admit the truth of what was happening.
“Yeah, I am sure... you always were the lady’s man.” Sirus winked. “You may want to take about three more showers before trying to convince anyone else of that.
“Fuck, look, it wasn't supposed to go that way.” Malcom laughed. “This isn’t that though, we have business to take care of and I want to be there to make sure things are handled correctly. I know Vincent better than she does. I’d suggest you go, but you are needed here. These people trust you and they need a familiar face around.” It wasn’t completely the truth but it wasn’t a lie either.
“Well, be careful out there. The vampires are on edge and now with Vincent on your scent again you need to be sure you watch your ass.”
“Hey, I am the one who trained you, or did you forget that?” Malcom returned the playful jab.
“Yeah, you’re right. But I guess you could always have Tatiana watch it for you.” Sirus laughed.
“Watch what for him?” Stephanie approached the two wolves with a half laugh at the joke she hadn’t really heard.
“Nothing,” Malcom stopped Sirus who was all too eager to repeat his ill attempt at comedy. And moved downwind from her. If he did smell of Tatiana, he didn't want to rub it in her face, literally.
“Malcom will be leaving us for a bit, going to scout with Tatiana.” Sirus barely managed to contain his laughter.
“Alone?”
“Yes, is that a problem?” Malcom watched her carefully and tried not to read too much into her reaction of the news.
“No, I mean, it’s just a bit unorthodox don’t you think?” Stephanie carefully covered her concern with logical debate.
“In what way is it unorthodox?” Sirus asked the question and Malcom shot him a look that told him to shut it. He didn't want to egg on the topic any more. He also wanted to make a quick escape from the situation.
“I mean, we have plenty of men who can scout with her, why you?”
“Well she had to choose the best, and that is what Malcom was before his exile. I think she is just trying to test our old man out a bit.” Sirus interjected.
“Right, test him out, I’m sure.” Stephanie rolled her eyes and walked away.
“She never did get over you, you realize that, right?” Sirus asked Malcom who had his eyes trained on Stephanie’s retreating form.
“I’m not so sure about that. Stephanie is territorial like any alpha wolf, even if she is over me, in her mind I am still claimed territory.”
“Alphas,” Sirus shook his head and laughed.
“Yeah, right.” This time Malcom’s laughter was genuine.
The day was full of schedule changes and crossing shifts. Busses left with their living cargo headed out to the different packs of the clan’s territory. Malcom watched as best friends were pulled apart while families stayed together. It was the hardest thing for him to see. Not because of the sight of people being separated, but because there was no one left for him to cling to. After his exile, his father died of a heart attack and his mother fell ill not long after that. He received his notice of their deaths through the mocking messages Vincent’s men gave him just before he ended their lives. He had no siblings and knew of only one cousin who he was never particularly close to. In a sense, every wolf was his cousin, his family. Once you have been exiled, kicked out and abandoned, all of that ceases to be true.
Stephanie avoided Malcom for most of the day but as he was preparing to leave, she came to see him. She must have been watching the house because it wasn’t a full minute after Tatiana left to have final words with her people that Stephanie snuck through the door.
“I thought you were no longer speaking to me.” Malcom spoke before she could knock on his temporary bedroom door.
“I wasn’t, but then I thought about all of the years I couldn’t speak to you and wanted to. I thought that this may very well be my last chance to speak to you freely again. After all this is done, you will leave, I know it.” She wasn’t filled with the same false optimism of the rest of her people. She knew that he would leave, even if the wolf would make the perfect alpha, it was not something that he wanted.
“Yes, that is the plan.” He turned from his half-packed bags to her. “What reason would I have to stay?”
“Can’t you change the plan?” Stephanie questioned. She didn’t know what she meant by that exactly, she just didn't want him to go.
“To what exactly?” He zipped his bag and sat down on the bed which he hadn’t slept in the night before.
“To you staying, being with us. Coming back home.”
“Home?” he laughed.
“Look, I just... I want you to know that I have come to terms with everything that happened between us and that I wish I had stood up to my brother when it came to you. I doubt it would have made much of a difference with the outcome considering his decaying mentality, but I should have at least tried.” She looked down from him not wanting to face his reaction. “I’ve never forgiven myself for letting my own hurt ego stand in the way of my doing the right thing.”
“Yes, maybe you should have.” He spoke softly he never blamed Stephanie. Yeah, he wanted her to support him, but he understood why she could not. He’d put her in a shitty position.
“Malcom, I am trying to make nice here. You aren’t making that easy.” She wanted more from him; she wanted something that told her that they would be okay.
“Sorry, look, Stephanie, I know that things are messed up between us, and that I hurt you. And let’s get that straight; I was the one who hurt you not the other way around. You have nothing to apologize for. Nevertheless, there is absolutely nothing that I can do that will erase the past, or quickly fix the damage inflicted by my actions. We both know that, I would just like it if I didn’t feel like I have to walk on eggshells around you.”
“You don’t have to.” She approached him and touched his shoulder.
“I am sorry, for all of it.” He whispered. “I wish like hell that I could take it away.”
“So, do I.” she leaned up to him and kissed him softly on the lips.
“Uh hum,” Tatiana cleared her throat interrupting their moment. “We need to get on the road.”
“Yeah...right.” Malcom said not moving from Stephanie.
“Now would be a good time to do that.” Tatiana spoke and Stephanie bristled against his body. She heard the level of jealousy, of challenge in Tatiana’s tone.
“Yeah, okay.” Malcom growled and the eager she wolf left them alone again. He was glad she’d taken the hint when she had. If she had stayed around any longer, Stephanie would have turned on her. “I’ll see you when we get back.”
“I’ll be here.” Stephanie replied through tight lips before kissing him once more and leaving. She smiled a bit to herself, maybe it wasn’t too late for Malcom, and maybe there was still time for them.
“I don’t have to tell you again how stupid of an idea this is right now.” Malcom spoke as they pushed through the woods along the borderline of vampire territory. The sky was just beginning to lighten and Malcom could sense that the vampires had gone into hiding from the sun.
“Nope, you don’t have to tell me, I am well aware.” Tatiana spoke with a snip as she had been for the entire journey. Malcom continued to ignore it.
“Duvein will retaliate.” He warned.
“I’m sure of it.” Again, her words were accompanied by a sharp edge.
“Considering you are expecting his retaliations, what exactly is it that you plan to do when he does?”
“What I do best,” she winked at him with confidence.
“Don’t be surprised if I am off the grid for that little meeting of the minds.” He shook his head.
“I would expect nothing less from you.” She stopped and waited for him to catch up to her stride. Ever since the sun had started to rise she’d began to pick up her pace. “Look, like I said, this is personal, and I know that for Duvein, getting his revenge will be the same exact thing. That’s how this shit works. An eye for an eye. This is my fight, my battle. I just need you to get me on the inside. You are the only one who could possibly help me right now, outside of your little vampire girlfriend and something tells me she would be in no rush to help me cut down one of her own.”
“You’d be surprised.” Malcom smiled as he thought of Mara who was probably pissed that he’d left her with the wolves. He could only hope his note had been delivered to her as he instructed.
“Oh?”
“Mara and our pal Duvein have an interesting history. Let’s just leave it at that.”
“Right.” Tatiana laughed. “Vampires, I guess if you live long enough you’d make history with just about everyone.”
“Look, we are coming up to one of Duvein’s spots, nothing saying that he or anyone else will be there, and we are pretty far off from his main lair.” Malcom spoke as he scented the air.
“Oh, she will be there.” Tatiana said with confidence.
“How do you know?” Malcom halted suddenly.
“Duvein has a routine and I had an inside man.” Tatiana stopped as well. She knew they wouldn’t be moving any further until she provided him the answers he sought.
“So why do you need me.” Malcom growled. “Why are you wasting my time if there is a source that can get you in?”
“I said I had an inside man. He had an unfortunate ending. Apparently, he crossed the wrong vampire or something. I don’t know exactly what happened to him but it’s been a while since I heard from him, and I got close enough once to hear a bunch of familiars talking about how he shouldn’t have done what he did.” She shook her head. “I wanted to find out more but I couldn’t risk them realizing what I am and then running off and telling the vamps. Hell, I got lucky that they were talking so close to the edges of the vampire territories.”
“And your insider was human I take it.” Malcom gave her a disapproving look. It was bad enough that vampires were using humans to do their bidding. If the wolves started taking on that practice as well, it wouldn’t be long until humans were merely cattle for the taking.
“Who else would I have gotten inside?” Tatiana pretended not to notice his disappointed gaze. At the same time, she tried to convince herself that it didn’t bother her as much as it did. She never meant for anyone to dies besides the woman who had taken her sister from her. Now there was another death on her conscience, one she would never be able to avenge.
“Right, well, let’s just hope your intel is correct on this one. I would hate to have to do an actual hunt for a vampire, and the more times we enter the more of our scent they will catch.”
“Luckily their noses aren’t as great as ours.”
They pushed through to the inside of the vampire territories and just beyond the border was a large house. Sitting in Cedar Rapids the house seemed foreign, an imitation of southern grandeur. Vampires loved those old structures, large pillars, massive windows and porches, and all things resembling a crypt. In most cases when a new building went up and resembled those homes from centuries past, you could bet your ass that a vampire owned it. The inside was just as expected, large solid furniture with claw footings. You’d think a vampire would be nervous living in a home with so much wood. The stuff was everywhere, oversized and waxed to a shine. Area rugs with intricate designs covered the floors and the thickest curtains unavailable to the public hung across every window, perfect for keeping away both the rays of the sun and prying eyes. Yeah, a vampire lived there.
“So where do you think we will find our fair lady?” Tatiana questioned as she scented the air inside of the house and found nothing but the scent of death. Getting inside was simple enough; they subdued four familiars with a simple sleeper maneuver. By the time the humans would come out of their temporary slumbers, Malcom and Tatiana would be long gone.
“Downstairs, probably an underground crypt though with Duvein’s cash flow it is possible that they have the upper levels decked out in a manner for her to be able to sleep up there. She is young and may not enjoy the lower levels as much as the older vamps do.”
“Too bad they don’t breathe when they sleep, this place is silent. Damn, even the bugs are tiptoeing in here!” Tatiana sounded frustrated. Malcom would have to find a way to get her to refocus. Emotions were a wolf’s worst enemy while on the hunt. Tatiana was compromised because of how much this kill meant to her on a personal level. Her attachment to the target would only help to make her too anxious to get the job done efficiently. That eagerness could cause her to be sloppy and bring a world of shit to his life. He had his fair share of drama lately, and wasn’t trying to add to it.
“Let’s try up top first. I have a gut feeling.” Malcom spoke as he bounded up the stairs. The first two rooms were empty, but at the end of the large hall, sat double doors painted in gold and trimmed in black. They seemed odd, out of place in the rest of the house, which was painted in cool earth tones. Tatiana rushed the doors opening them to find a sleeping vampire. Tiffany laid there in that sickening state of rest. She had changed her hair to a shocking shade of red and was wearing black lipstick. She looked like death’s girlfriend dressed in a leather dress cinched at the waist to match her new gothic appearance. Malcom hated having to watch them sleep, they never moved, never breathed, never changed. It was a standing order for Mara to sleep completely out of view of him whenever they had to spend any extended length of time together. If ever they drove together, she was to sleep in the back, under cover, regardless of the special tint on the windows. It was too much to drive with a dead body in the passenger seat. If she was in the back, he could ignore her, out of sight was out of mind.
“Bitch is here peaceful like she isn’t a murderer. That is what is sick about them. They cut down life everywhere they go and have not one damn care about doing it.” Tatiana stood next to Tiffany; she would not wake because she was too young to do so. To wake while the sun was up, took a lot of strength. An amount of strength that this vampire wouldn’t possess for at least another few decades.
“Well, that is a generalized statement.” Malcom sighed; he just wanted to get this over with.
“Yeah, maybe it is, but it’s the truth.” She snapped.
“So, are you just going to stand there and stare at her?” He looked at the stake that was strapped to her hip.
“No,” Tatiana wrapped her hand around the carefully carved piece of wood.
“I’ll wait downstairs and keep an eye out for any unexpected guests or more familiars. Hurry up, don’t stay too long and don’t touch too many things. Their noses aren’t strong but they can still track us and if they have any wolves close by that are aiding their efforts as you have suggested, well they won’t have a hard time finding you.”
“Right, I got it.” Tatiana looked on at her target and took a moment to breathe it all in. Finally, she would have her revenge.
Malcom stood outside the house and listened to the wind as the stake was driven through Tiffany’s chest. She opened her eyes for a moment and gasped for breath, he could hear her clawing at the bed, anything to save herself but it was too late. Tatiana pushed the stake into the chest cavity of the vampire slowly as she told her that her death was payment for the loss of her sister.
When she emerged from the house to appear by Malcom’s side she didn’t look satisfied or happy with what she had done, she looked drained, as if even more weight rested on her shoulders. He knew the feeling; her personal decision was going to affect so many more people, her people. Duvein would find her and because he was already so familiar with Malcom’s scent, he would no doubt find him. He wondered briefly what that would mean for Serene.
“We have to head back.” Tatiana spoke and without another word they headed for the trees. Once they were hidden by the woods and far enough from the house to avoid direct scent tracking, they erupted into their wolf forms and ran. In complete silence, pounding the earth beneath them, both contemplating the weight of their actions.
