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“Come on, Blossom.” Broderick pressed his forehead to Davina’s limp hand, battling the white-hot fear burning in his chest. The constant drone of the cardio monitor beside her hospital bed may have reassured him she was alive, but it grated on his patience and sanity. “Wake up, lass.”
“Did you get any sleep last night?”
Rick lifted his head and regarded the Head Administrator standing in the hall.
“What can I do for ye, Cliff?” He pinched the bridge of his nose and squeezed his eyes tight.
“We have an update.”
Broderick nodded and kissed Davina’s knuckles before rising. He stumbled and slowed his pace around the foot of her bed, ambled to the doorway and leaned against the frame.
“Please forgive me if my timing is a bit...insensitive, but we do need to discuss the next steps.”
Rick crossed his arms, fists balled against his ribs. “I’m assumin’ ye mean this damn business about th’ prophecy?”
“Right.” Benson rubbed his chocolate-brown head, a gesture Broderick was learning meant the man was uneasy. “There have been some developments. Not only in the United States, but around the world. Other terrorist attacks have happened. ISIS is claiming the credit and riots are breaking out. Martial Law has been declared in Los Angeles and in many other pockets around the U.S. and other countries. MSgt. Fielding, our source at the Pentagon, says the Illuminati have uncovered the original scrolls depicting the prophecy, its parameters and even the origin of the Vamsyrian race.”
“This is all very interestin’, but I’m only concerned with how this affects her.” Rick jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, indicating the woman who held his heart imprisoned in her wellbeing.
“I understand.” Benson smoothed his fingers over his mustache, as if buying time to weigh his next words. He sighed. “The bottom line is, the Illuminati are creating worldwide chaos to distract the media from their true agenda. They’re on their way to prevent Davina from becoming the Deliverer. They don’t want redemption for vampires.”
Broderick scowled. “Malloren told us Davina must be unwillingly changed.”
“That’s right.” Benson swallowed and fear touched his brown eyes.
Heat flushed Broderick’s face and the hall dimmed to a red hue.
“If we don’t get her transformed soon, the—”
“If yer implyin’ I need to be the one to change her, yer puttin’ yer life in grave danger, laddie.”
“While she’s unconscious, the change would be unwilling, my lord, but she might be more accommodating.”
Broderick seized Benson’s shirt and dragged him into his glare. “The last thing I’m gonna to do is transform the woman I love into the blood-suckin’ monster I’ve become. Willin’ or no’, she’ll no’ be transformed by me. I won’t have that on my soul.”
Benson’s breath trembled. The Hunger surged to the surface. The administrator’s eyes widened, and Rick’s silver pupils reflected in Benson’s gaze.
“Broderick.” Amie rested a warm, calming hand on Rick’s forearm.
“I can dispatch him in private,” Broderick promised. “You won’t need to see or hear anythin’.”
“Rick!” Amie punched his arm. “Put him down.”
Broderick snarled, but relented. Not until he released Benson did he realize he’d lifted the administrator off the floor.
Benson coughed and straightened his blue tie and white, button-down shirt. Despite the violent way Broderick accosted him, sympathy infused Benson’s kind regard and demeanor. “There’s no other vampire around to do what needs to be done. I’m afraid the hybrid wolves might not be the right choice, since they’re of mixed blood. I’m not sure what other options we have.”
“I won’t do the transformation. Period.” Broderick whirled away from Benson and reclaimed the chair at Davina’s side. “I’m gettin’ her out of here.”
“You are not moving my daughter while she’s in this state.” Amie scowled.
“Then I’ll not leave her until she regains consciousness.” He narrowed his gaze at Benson. “No one is transformin’ her.”
“I can’t imagine what you’ve been through all these centuries, son. And though I may be inviting you to punch me in the jaw or worse, I’m going to risk reminding you that the sacrifice the Protector needs to make might be this very thing. Think about it, but do it quickly. We’re running out of time.”
Benson glanced at Davina with sorrow then nodded at Broderick and excused himself.
“He’s right, Rick.”
Broderick fought the tears burning his eyes and grimaced. “Fuck, Amie. Dinnae side wit’ ’im”
“I know this isn’t easy—”
“Nay, ye dinnae!” Rick leapt to his feet.
He shoved his fingers into his hair and fisted the strands, clinging to his last thread of humanity. “No one can possibly know anythin’ about what I’m goin’ through at this moment. I have loved and buried this woman four times. I’ve spent decades without her in my arms, and yet every time I look in the mirror, I see her face.”
Broderick glared at Amie through a watery haze and thumped his palm against his chest. “She’s inside me. She’s in every cell of my body. I have lived and breathed this woman for five hundred years. And yet every time I meet her, I’m a stranger. She has to learn to love me all over again. Ye dinnae ken how much that tears my soul apart. Each and every time I find her, I have to fight for her. I have to win her over again and again.”
He paced.
“Now that I have her, wit’ a chance she’ll remember all our lives together, remember everythin’ we’ve been through, remember our love, Amie, yer askin’ me to sacrifice that for the sake o’ this goddamned prophecy and the salvation of all vampires.”
Broderick swung his fist back, but resisted the urge to drive it through the wall. “How can anyone ask me to risk that after everythin’ we’ve been through? She’ll hate me if I do this while she’s helpless. I won’t do it.”
He staggered and dropped to his knees.
Amie rushed to his side, throwing her arms around him. “Shhh, mon fils.”
Broderick buried his face in her hair. “I’m no’ strong enough, Amice. Maman, I can’t live without her anymore.”
He collapsed to the floor and she cradled him in her arms. “You won’t have to, my son. I promise, you won’t have to.”
Broderick turned his cheek to her chest and succumbed to the exhaustion and grief.
* * * * *
“Here you go.” The young man named Sam opened the door to the condo and grinned, stepping aside so Angus and Kahli could enter. “I’ve stocked the refrigerator with bottled water. I know you said you wouldn’t need anything else, but I’ll be happy to—”
Angus held up his hand and smiled. “Thanks, lad, but not necessary.”
Kahli strolled purposefully toward the back room.
“Um, that would be the bedroom.” Sam stood on his toes as if trying to peer around Angus. “I could give you a quick tour.”
She returned to the living room and nodded at Angus. “The shades are good.”
“I sure hope so.” Sam fiddled with the keys. “You paid a lot of money for those. I’m telling you, you guys can have this place anytime you need it. I don’t care who’s booked through Airbnb. I’ll cancel their reservations. Those shades raised the value of this place because they came all the way from Europe. I—”
“No problem.” Angus grabbed their bags and was about to put them in the bedroom, when Kahli snatched them from him with a wink.
“Wow.” Sam blanched. “She’s strong.”
“The keys?” Angus held out his hand.
“Oh, yeah.” The whelp pulled a lone key off the ring and placed it in Angus’s palm. He yanked a keycard from his back pocket. “And here’s the access pass to get in and out of the building.” He handed it over. “I’m just a phone call away and on the next floor down. As I said, this used to be my fiancé’s condo until she moved in with me. So, we’re really close. Don’t be afraid to let us know if you need anything.”
“Thank ye kindly.” Angus ushered the chatty young man out the front door. “G’night.”
“Okay, John. Good nigh—”
Angus slammed the door and rolled his eyes. Tossing the key and plastic card onto the kitchen counter, he headed toward the bedroom.
Kahli was unpacking their bags and putting their clothes in the dresser.
“Bloody hell. I thought he’d never shut up.”
She laughed. “He didn’t. Even when ya shut the door in his face.” She closed the empty suitcase and put it aside before hefting the other one onto the bed.
Angus plopped his arse onto the mattress and rubbed his face.
“What time did Anthony say we should arrive?” She scooped another armload and laid the garments neatly in the drawers.
He glanced at his wristwatch. “Not for another hour, at least. It’s only a five-minute drive from here.”
“Good.” She slid the drawer shut with her hip and pushed the half-empty suitcase aside. Shoving Angus onto his back, she straddled him. “Just enough time for a quickie.”
She swept her blouse over her head, revealing her black-lace brazier. Angus groaned and reached up to cup her perfect breasts. He fondled them for a few moments, his cock painfully constricting in his pants. Grabbing her under the arms, he flipped Kahli onto her back and knelt between her legs. He reached between his shoulder blades and tugged his shirt up and over his head, tossing it to the carpet. As he bent forward for a kiss, the decorative vial around his neck swung toward to Kahli’s face.
“Damn, baby.” With lightning reflexes, she blocked the pewter vessel. “That thing’s gonna knock my teeth out.”
He chuckled, unhooked the chain and set the vial that held her blood on the bedside table. In all the time they’d been together, Angus vowed he would never feed from her. And she demonstrated her trust by giving him enough of her immortal blood to gain her Elemental powers—water, air and spirit. Any Vamsyrian who fed from an Elemental would gain their powers.
Kahli was a special Vamsyrian and, to their knowledge, the only one of her kind. The Vamsyrian transformation was fatal to Elementals, the race of people to which she’d been born. But because she was a spirit witch—born on the cusp during the a solstice and a lunar eclipse—she had command over the spirit realm, and those powers had helped her survive the transformation.
“Sorry, lass.” He swooped in for that kiss and devoured her lips. The taste of her shuddered through his body until he was weak. “Bloody hell,” he breathed against her mouth. “Ye’ve always been me drug.”
“And you, mine, mon cœur.” Kahli unbuckled his belt and loosed his jeans. Angus parted her legs with his knees and she maneuvered his pants down his hips. Her hand slipped into his briefs and seized his turgid shaft.
Angus hissed.
His wife grinned and licked the tip of her finger. His thighs trembled as she swirled the wet pad over his exposed cockhead. A clear drop of dew wept from the slit, and Kahli used the moisture to continue torturing him with tantalizing strokes and swirls.
“You’re merciless, woman.” He panted.
A loud crash jolted them off the bed. Angus peered down the hallway. At least a dozen S.W.A.T. team members in black uniforms and armored vests filed into the condo, stepping over the flattened front door in the living room. They all held AR-15 automatic rifles pointed at Angus and he scoffed.
Bloody mortals.
He pivoted into the bedroom and, as Kahli donned her shirt, he hiked his jeans up his hips before he stepped into the hall. He zipped up his trousers, took one step forward and the man down on one knee in front fired a single shot.
Angus halfheartedly attempted to dodge the bullet, knowing the pain would be temporary. Although the bloke had aimed for his heart, the bullet slammed into his right shoulder.
White-hot pain seared his body, and he howled as it brought him to his knees. Silver.
The officer fired once more and the bullet slammed into Angus’s ribs.
Blood splattered the wall.
He grunted and fell onto his hands.
Like a lioness protecting her cub, Kahli raced up the corridor and thrust her palms forward.
Every S.W.A.T. officer trembled. Guns thumped to the carpet and their eyes rolled back into their heads.
Footsteps pounded outside the corridor and Kahli shrieked, yanking her fists toward her chest.
The entire S.W.A.T team collapsed to the floor. Dead.
Panting, she flipped him over. “Angus! Get up!”
His limbs were like lead. “I...can’t, lass.”
Why couldn’t he move? He’d had a silver blade in his chest once, driven into his heart, but he’d still been able to pull the dagger from his body. There had only been an inlaid design on the blade, though. Perhaps not enough silver to incapacitate him right away, although the lingering effects had been staggering for years.
Something was different.
The windows exploded. Glass shattered across the living room and kitchen. Kahli leapt on top of him as the concussion imploded his ears. Her screams were muffled. As if someone covered his head with a pillow. She peered over her shoulder and pulled a large piece of glass that had lodged in her back.
Blood had soaked her tank top, but the wound healed in moments. Another wave of S.W.A.T. troops filed in, and she dispatched them just as easily as the first, wrenching their souls from their bodies. Hefting Angus into her arms, she dashed into the bedroom, but a snarling werewolf smashed through the window. Kahli dropped Angus.
The creature pounced on the bed. Its massive head swept the room until his eyes fell on Kahli.
Angus lay helpless at her feet and he gaped just as Kahli did, like they shared the same thought.
How the hell did this werewolf transform outside of the full-moon cycle?
As if in response, the monster pulled a silver ring from his finger and shoved it in the pocket of his coveralls. His form shrank, the hair on his body receded and his black garment draped like a deflated bag.
“The Prince sent me!” He held up his hands. “I’m here to help. We have to—”
Kahli thrust her palms toward the man and he froze, shuddering as the S.W.A.T. team had. She tore his soul from his body and he crumpled to the debris-ridden mattress.
Lifting Angus once more, she bolted back into the living room and leapt through the smoking condo wall, blown wide open from the explosion.
Angus’s stomach lurched as they dropped four flights and she landed with the grace of a panther to the blacktop in the alley below. His hearing was gradually returning, but with the silver in his body, healing would be slow.
“Stay with me, baby,” her muffled voice pleaded.
She clutched Angus in her arms and ran.
* * * * *
Korban Frost maneuvered the toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other, grumbling, tired and pissed. He tossed his overnight bag and laptop into the trunk and slammed it closed. “Another fucking dead-end and a shitty trip to top it off.”
He sneered at the beefed-up airport security. Armored trucks, National Guard, M-16s everywhere. Landing in Los Angeles had been like entering a war zone.
A half-dozen flights, four layovers, three hours on the runway and eighteen more of sleeping in the airline’s first-class lounge because of the stupid terrorist attack. No one was going anywhere until they were cleared through security. His only saving grace had been the lounge staff’s hospitality.
Climbing into the driver’s seat, he revved the vehicle and backed out of the parking spot, cursing under his breath.
Every single lead he’d followed. Tons of research on the internet. The endless trips he’d taken around the world had all led to the same disappointing conclusion.
The necklace and portal had disappeared around 1533 without a trace.
End of story.
Even the little diversion he’d taken for those Egyptian artifacts had ended with the Illuminati beating him to the punch. He crunched the toothpick between his molars. Tossing it into the ashtray with the other broken pieces that had replaced his bad habit, he fished another mint-flavored sliver of wood from his shirt pocket and popped it into his mouth.
After he paid for his long-term parking, his Android twittered at his holster. “Now what?”
He glanced at the screen and almost choked on the toothpick at the name on his caller ID.
Kahli Campbell.
Korban spit the toothpick out of his mouth and slammed the phone to his ear as he pulled over to the side of the road. “Ah...hi?”
“Korban?” Her strained voice quivered through the device. “Are ya still in Southern California?”
“Yeah.” He held his breath. “In fact, your timing is perfect. I just—”
“Thank Terra. Ya have a pen ‘n’ paper handy?”
He fumbled to turn on his Bluetooth, piping the sound through the speakers of his onboard stereo, and navigated to the notepad app on his phone.
“I’m ready.” Korban tapped the Beverly Hills address Kahli recited into his smartphone. “Okay, got it.”
“They shot Angus with silver bullets. I was able to get ’em out, but he’s very weak. He must still have some in his system. He’s fadin’ fast. How quickly can ya get there?”
“Shit.” Korban merged back into the dense evening traffic. “From where I am, it’ll take me at least 40 minutes.” A traffic light converted to red and slowed his progress. He grinned. “On second thought, I can be there in about five.”
“Oh, thank ya.”
“No problem.”
The call disconnected, and he shook his head. Damn. Thank you? It was the least he could do after all Kahli and Angus had done.
After moving through the green light, Korban saw another red light ahead and directed his earth mage powers to influence the electromagnetic field of the ground sensors. The light changed, and he maneuvered to the nearest airport parking structure, changing lights in his favor. Driving to the top level, he copied and pasted the address into the map application, pinpointing Kahli’s location. He retrieved his bags from the trunk, slung them over his shoulder and locked the vehicle with his remote. Glancing around to be sure he was alone, he pocketed his keys and used his air powers to lift off the roof and sail through the night sky.
At times like these, being a Cusper Elemental was an advantage.
With the aid of his map, he headed toward his old friends, honored they would reach out to him for help. “Thank you, sweet Terra.”
He stirred the wind and darted toward Beverly Hills.
* * * * *
Jesse Amir waltzed into the disaster zone swarming with local detectives and a forensic crew. With a swipe of his hand, he ducked under the yellow police tape cordoning off the crime scene.
“Sir, you can’t come in here.” A uniformed police officer blocked his path. “This is a restric—”
Jesse glared from under his brows and focused his mental powers on the mortal. The cop paled and fell in a heap to the tiled floor. Jesse nodded at Mikhail and Ammon, following close behind, and they swept through the decimated condo, touching the heads of each local law enforcement employee.
Within moments, the three Ancient Vamsyrians had rendered the mortals unconscious and wiped their memories.
There. No more interruptions.
Jesse used the toe of his Italian dress shoe to nudge the hand of a dead S.W.A.T. member half-buried in the rubble. You fucking bastards are trying my patience.
The entire side of the condominium had been blown away. He’d sent a werewolf ahead to scout the grounds, but that sorry sap was dead in the back bedroom. Since Jesse had been on his way to the condo to speak with Angus, he was hoping the werewolf could persuade him and Kahli to donate some of her blood to the cause. But when Jesse, Ammon and Mikhail had arrived, the building had been surrounded by flashing police cars and a fire truck.
The Illuminati were clumsy, sloppy and ruining everything. Nothing subtle about anything they did. Obviously, they were gunning for Angus. And if he was dead, the prophecy was over.
Jesse shook his head. Fucking Malloren Rune. If she hadn’t interfered, this whole thing would have been over centuries ago with the original brothers of the prophecy. He shrugged. But they might not have had the thirty pieces of silver by then...or at all. She was the one who’d been given the vision to find them. Unfortunately, Broderick was the one with the Star of Bethlehem, but that was a minor inconvenience. Jesse would eventually recover that, as well.
“Everything happens for a reason, doesn’t it?”
“What’s that, Your Grace?” Mikhail shuffled to a stop at Jesse’s side.
“Nothing. What have you found?”
“Just a bunch of dead bodies, really.” Mikhail pointed to the lifeless forms scattered about the living room. “Kahli and Angus’s clothes were unpacked and I found this on the floor. What do you make of it?” He handed Jesse a decorative pewter vial. “I smell blood.”
Jesse raised his brows, unscrewed the cap and sniffed. “Interesting.” Dabbing a little on the tip of his pinky, he tasted the blood and grinned. At last! “Gentlemen, we’re done here. And Mikhail?”
“Yes, Your Grace?”
“Pull the plug on the Illuminati. I want the Vice President sworn into the Oval Office as soon as possible.”
“As you command, Your Grace.” He bowed respectfully.
Ammon glared at Mikhail and Jesse cocked an amused brow. Trouble in paradise? Their trivial little squabbles were none of his concern, but he didn’t like Ammon’s contempt for the respect Mikhail showed. This was not the first time Jesse had caught those sideways glances.
He’d deal with Ammon later, though, since his plan was almost set. He only needed his father’s coin to make the collection complete, and that would be in his hands very soon.
Jesse just hoped this little vial of Kahli’s blood was enough to accomplish the final task.