LUCAS
“You hit them where it counts, boy, or don’t come back to the manor,” my father spit from his chair in the study.
“They haven’t moved on us. They’ve only established their pack nearby. We’ll start a war if Cashel and I go after them.”
Cashel shifted on his feet and walked toward the crystal decanter filled with a mixture of blood and fine bourbon. “He’s right, father. They haven’t infringed on our territory, haven’t made any sort of threats. We’d be attacking without cause. That might anger the council.”
The king rolled his eyes. “The council does what I tell them.”
“I’m not talking about the vampire council.” Cashel poured himself a glass, then one for me. “The High Council. The one that oversees the goings-on of all creatures. The one that keeps us all from going extinct.”
Father sat up straighter. “How do you know about them?”
“Mother told me. Before she was taken by sun sickness.”
My stomach churned at the mention of the plague slowly killing our kind. A madness we couldn’t cure that drove the afflicted mad enough they’d walk into the sun.
I didn’t know anything about this mythical council on high, but my ears certainly perked up. “Who are these council members?”
“Three from each species, chosen by an archangel, who meet in a protected citadel none can find.”
“Vampire, witch, shifter…” I listed all the creatures I knew of.
“Demon, angel, incubus, succubus…” Cashel hummed as he pondered.
“And the Fae. Those are the only ones who count enough to be included.” Father stood and strode to the same decanter Cashel had used. “Twenty-four unbiased beings, working to keep us all alive.”
“How are they unbiased?” I asked. “Vampires are born hating shifters and witches. It’s part of our DNA.”
“No. We’re taught from the time we first open our eyes, whether as born or made vampires, what we should hate.” Cashel downed his drink and set his glass on the small table. “So, Father, do you still want to go forward with your attack on this new shifter pack?”
Father sighed. “I don’t like how close they are. I can smell them. I can hear their wretched howling at the moon.”
“That’s the problem with new neighbors. You never know how loud they’ll be.” I laughed at my poorly timed joke.
“If you think you’re getting away without going over there, you’re sorely mistaken, my son.” Father was in front of me quicker than my eyes could track. “We’ll just have to make sure they…throw the first punch. Do your best to goad them. We’ll be ready for anything they toss our way.”
I gritted my teeth and nodded, turning on my heel before he could see the anger in my eyes. Then I left the room, not releasing the guard I’d placed over my thoughts until I was out of the manor house and running through the grounds. I should have stayed in London this time. But when the Blackthorne king calls, you come. He’ll find you no matter what.
The moon was full and high by the time I reached the edge of our property and found the sprawling estate that served as our vacant next-door neighbors. Well, formerly vacant. I didn’t cross the property line. That wasn’t my plan for tonight. Tonight, I’d stake them out, observe their movements, get a good count of who was there and how many shifters I’d be dealing with.
I caught the scents of at least seven different shifters on the wind. One scent was stronger, more pungent than all the rest. The alpha. The one I’d need to take down over all else.
“Lucas, what are you doing?” My sister Sorcha’s voice was a hiss in my mind.
“I’m only on a little discovery mission. Learning about our neighbors.”
“Come home. You’re alone and at risk with them so close.”
I laughed. “You don’t think I can handle myself around a few pups?”
“I think you are over-confident and lack the courage of your convictions. Besides, Callie and I have put together a better plan.”
The sound of howling and barking caught my ears, getting closer to the house with every beat of my heart. Wolves bounded out of the far clearing, some gray and white, one solid black, another brown as bark, and one practically glowing silver. Their eyes were luminous violet, catching the light of the moon and holding me transfixed. Until they all shifted as I watched, awestruck. I’d never seen a shifter transform. It was nothing short of astounding as they moved smoothly from wolf to human form. All of them naked, without shame, without worry for who might see them.
I stepped farther back into the trees as they went inside their home, but must’ve landed on a twig, because a young woman with hair the color of warm honey flicked her gaze at me, her eyes scanning the area. She was striking in her confidence as her naked body swayed with each step. My trousers tightened in immediate response to her full, firm breasts and the generous swell of her hips.
“Briar, come inside,” a deep male voice called.
She turned her head, tearing her attention from my vicinity. “Coming.” Then she was gone, on her path into the house, leaving me undetected, unexpectedly aroused, and with a devious plan forming that I hoped would mesh perfectly with my sisters’.
“A ball?” Sorcha stared at me as though I’d grown two heads.
“Yes. A costumed ball, offering our neighbors freedom to hide their identities if they so choose. We can extend the invitation to the witches as well.”
Callie spluttered as she drank from her wine goblet. “Witches too? Are you trying to get Father to kick you out of the family?”
I laughed. “Tempting, but no. A dinner between our two families is not good enough. A group of shifters and vampires together, there’d be no way to prove who attacked first. It would be their word against ours. But, if we are seen as the peacemakers, offering the proverbial olive branch, there’s no way the High Council will be able to prove we were the masterminds behind the destruction of these shifters.” Striding across the music room, I sat at the piano and fiddled with a few keys. “We might even be able to get the shifters and witches to destroy each other, and we won’t have to lift a finger.”
A slow clap filled the room as my father walked through the doorway. “Very good, son. It’s a pity you’re a bastard, or I’d make you third in line for the throne.”
“That’s an honor I’m not interested in. Diplomacy is so boring. I’d rather reap the benefits of my name with none of the hassle of holding court. Not to mention the idea of marrying a princess…” I shuddered, thinking of my spoiled sisters and the other vampire royals I’d been forced to spend time with.
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that. No pureblooded vampire would have you. Blackthorne or not, you’re a half-breed. There’s no way around it.”
He was trying to get a rise out of me, but I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. “Thank God. Purity is overrated. Have you ever had a witch? They’re more fun than anyone I’ve ever been with. The levitating alone…”
“Ugh, that’s enough,” Sorcha said, holding up a hand. “I don’t want to know what illegal activities you get up to in your time away from the manor.”
Cashel walked through the door with his human pet, Eliana, in tow. The poor girl looked dazed and slightly frightened. She was delicate and desperately enamored with my brother. “Brother, are you scandalizing Sorcha again? You know she’s keeping her virtue for her wedding night.”
“It’s better than spreading myself around the world. How many bastards have the two of you fathered over the last century?”
My chest tightened. She had a point. I opened my mouth to speak, but Father held up both hands. “Children, children, you’re scaring our pet. Now, Eliana, darling, why don’t you come with me? It’s time for you to make a donation.”
The woman’s large, dark eyes locked on Cashel, and my brother simply nodded before murmuring, “Go. You’ll be fine.”
I could see the anger in his eyes, though. He didn’t like sharing. Not with my father, not with anyone. But Eliana was our only possible cure for sun sickness, and we still hadn’t been able to nail down whether her blood truly held enough of the magic we needed. My half-siblings had already lost their mother, and our brother Callum was sick now. Everything hinged on Eliana. None of us could afford to fall for her.
Callie watched Eliana go to Father with a longing in her eyes I knew all too well. It was too late for my sister. She’d fallen hard. Poor girl.
“Callie?” I asked, pulling her focus before our father noticed where her eyes were trained. “I wonder if our invitation might be better accepted if you delivered it?”
She forced a smile and nodded. “Likely. I have a…calming presence the rest of you seemed to have missed when our parents shared their traits with us.”
“Shall we say, in a fortnight? Costumed ball. As a gesture of good faith, we’ll provide silver necklaces for all who want to wear them.”
Sorcha cocked a brow. “That will be uncomfortable for the shifters.”
“Itchy. Not deadly. And it’ll make them feel like we can’t bite them.”
She laughed. “As if I would. I don’t eat dog.”
“It might be best if you stayed in the shadows during this ball, sister. We’re trying to play a game with them, and you’ll reveal our cards before we can get control of the pot.”
“And our costumes?” she asked.
“Whatever you desire.”
Callie clapped her hands. “I’ve got just the thing. Gossamer, fairy wings, sparkles.”
Sorcha sighed. “Lovely. I suppose I’ll come up with something. What about you, Cashel?”
He shook his head. “Dogcatcher is out of the question?”
I laughed. “Yes. So is Little Red Riding Hood.” I stared pointedly at Sorcha, who frowned.
“Damn.”
“Now, if you’ll all excuse me, I need to hunt before the sun rises. Unlike some of you, I do need the thrill of the chase to keep me focused.” I shucked my suit jacket and removed my tie. “Care to join me, Cashel?”
He shook his head. “I need to tend to Eliana after her donation. Besides, I already fed tonight.”
Callie and Sorcha both shook their heads as well. “I don’t feed on animals. Not unless I’m desperate,” Sorcha said.
I shrugged. “Your loss.”
In a minute flat, I was running through the woods, searching for my prey almost as soon as I stepped through the tree line. The wind carried the scents of pine and musty moss over the underlying earthy odor of old leaves and rotting wood from felled trees. But beyond that, there was life. Blood. A spark of something I needed. I heard the faint thrumming of a racing heart. Bingo.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” I whispered, crouching as I heard rustling in the brush and the distinct sound of four feet hitting the ground as the animal ran.
“Gotcha,” I said, bolting from my position and capturing the warm body of a…naked woman.
“Get off me, you impertinent fool.” She shoved at my shoulders, and her strength caught me off guard, causing me to lose my grip on her and fall flat on my ass.
“What are you doing on our property?” I practically growled the words, but I would have killed her if she hadn’t shifted. I could smell the sharp bite of magic from her transformation.
“I was just going for a run. Sometimes…the pack is too much. So many voices in my head at once. I needed a bit of quiet. I didn’t think I’d crossed the property line.”
She was naked, her curves on full display and streaked with dirt. I couldn’t help myself. My gaze went to her breasts. “You’re lucky I didn’t catch you before you changed.”
“Are you really…” She reached up and brushed her fingertips over my jaw.
“A vampire.”
“And you were planning to eat me?”
I grinned. “Perhaps I still am.”
Her eyes widened. “They’ll kill you if you do.”
“But you’ll still be dead. That won’t bring you back.”
Her heart raced, the pulse in her throat beating hard enough I could see the movement under her skin. “Don’t you want to know my name before you kill me?”
“I already know, Briar.”
“How? Wait, you were the one watching us after our run. You peeping Tom.”
I laughed. “Only doing my due diligence. A pack of shifters moves in next door to vampire royalty. You have to admit, it’s suspicious.”
My gaze continued to roam her body, her perfectly lush body. Fuck, I was hard. She seemed nonplussed about the whole thing. Cocking her hip, she asked, “And who are you? A guard?”
The lie slipped from my lips as easily as breathing. “You might call what I do something like that. My name is Lucas. I look out for the royal family. Protect the Blackthorne crown.”
“Well, Lucas. I suppose you want to get me off their property?”
Not really. I wanted to see if she tasted as delicious as she looked. I wanted to keep her in my rooms and make her mine in every fucking sense of the word. My heart lurched at the thought. What the hell was that about?
“I should.”
Her eyes brightened. Those startling violet irises. “Oh, you want to feed from me.”
My voice was a harsh rasp I had to force through a tight throat. “Yes.”
“Tell you what. If you can catch me, you can have a taste.”
My fangs descended before she turned away. She underestimated me, and it was going to cost her. She ran, and I chased, and it was thrilling. I let her escape this time, but one thing rang true in my mind.
Briar would be mine.