Jared, Jake, Ethan, Landon, and Aidan stood in the council meeting room, waiting for the elders to arrive. The room walls were red with velvet texture, the floors hardwood. Jared regarded the empty mahogany desk and raised his brow. Paintings hung on the wall and figurines stood on the desktop, but no one from the council was in sight. He checked his watch and flashed Jake a side glance.
“What the hell? They never—” Jared buckled over as if he were punched in the gut. He groaned and pressed his hands on his thighs. “Fuck,” he whispered. “Liv.”
Hearing the groans from his brothers, he closed his eyes and focused on Olivia. Something was wrong. Fear pulsed through him from her blood. She was reaching out for them in a desperate way. She called out for her stable of men.
“Fuck!” he groaned louder.
“What is the meaning of this?” came a voice from across the room.
Jared lifted his gaze up to a man dressed as if he stepped off a photo shoot. Malik, one of the elders, stepped into the room. His raven, shoulder length hair, parted down the middle, moved with the air as he made his way across the room. “What the hell is all this? Did you come here to get sick and pass on some fuckery?”
“Fuckery?” Jake echoed. “Fuck no, something’s wrong.”
“Did you call us here?” Jared asked.
Malik bent down and lifted Jared’s face to meet his own. He shook his head. “No. Neither I, nor anyone here, made any call for you or your men.”
“Someone came by,” Jared groaned again and shook his head. “Someone told us you called. Shit, we need to go. Something is wrong with our concubine.”
“Then go to her,” Malik told him and took Jared by his elbow. “Is there any reason your lady would be in peril?”
Jared shook his head. “No. I cannot think…” He paused and met Ethan’s gaze. Jared nodded, as if reading his mind. “Victor.” He turned back to Malik.
“Are you positive? Allegations can turn fatal, Jared.”
Jared nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure. We, shit...” He groaned. “We need to go.”
“Then, I’ll come along with you and bring my guards. I can see you’re in trouble. If Victor is truly causing this, we’ll find him and rescue your lady. If it is him, or whoever is causing this, will answer for his or her crimes. They will answer for lying about posing as elders as well.”
Jared nodded and attempted to hold off the pain he felt. The others did nothing to hide it. Aidan cried out while Landon pressed his palms on the crimson walls. “I thank you, sir,” Jared told him. “And, if it’s not too much to ask—”
Malik nodded. “I’ll drive. Let’s go. Now.”
The quintuple rushed through the elder’s coven with Malik and two of his guards in tow. The halls of red velvet whisked by in a breeze as the men ran.
Olivia, Jared spoke to her through his mind. He knew she could not hear him, but he spoke to her anyway.
We are on our way.
Hold strong.
Hold true.
We are coming and we’ll find where you are and destroy that son-of-a-bitch.
They reached the garage and Jared opened the SUV. He handed his keys to Malik. The men climbed in and Malik started the car. Jared groaned and held onto his stomach.
“What the fuck is happening,” Landon asked.
“I can’t go through this again,” Aidan groaned. “Maxine… My Maxine. I could feel her dying and did not get to her in time. It was like this.”
“The fuck that will happen today,” Jared growled.
Malik put the SUV into gear, pressed the gas, and the tires squealed as they left the garage.
“Do you know where you’re going?” Jake asked from the backseat.
Jared remembered his phone. He had worked with a computer technician to put all their phones on a shared network. All phones were untraceable but could still find one another’s. “Ping my phone. She had my cell.”
Jake pulled out his phone and pressed the locate button. It lit on the screen, but the phone was at their home. “It’s at home. She’s not there. I can feel it.”
“Mother fucker,” Jared whispered and turned to Malik. “Turn down the main street away from the coven. We’re running on instinct here.” He laid his head back and addressed his brother. “Jake, if you feel a pull, you have to speak up!”
“Madre del fottuto,” Landon groaned.
“You said, mother of the fucking?” Ethan asked.
Jared growled. “Stop fucking around. Where is Olivia?”
Ethan rested his forehead on the seat in front of him. “Aidan, who was it that came to the door?”
“Dude, I said I didn’t know,” Aidan told him.
“I’m not questioning you, I’m curious if they have something to do with this,” Ethan said.
“What did he look like?” Malik asked. “Did he give a name?”
“He was a dark haired young man. He said he was a messenger for the elders and I think he said his name was Brian?” Aidan offered.
“You didn’t mention a name before,” Jared said.
“I didn’t think to mention it before,” Aidan told him.
“There is no Brian with the coven,” Malik said when he turned down a street.
Jared shook his head. “Maybe to stage a distraction?”
“Yeah. Who would want to get Olivia from us? Who has an end goal to get something they want?” Jake asked.
Jared growled. “Victor”. When he said his name, the entire car erupted in an uproar of shared rage. It was time for revenge.
Olivia pulled at her restraints. Pain shot through her body and blood trickled down her arms. Across the room, she watched as Candace paced the floor. Occasionally, the blood demon would make eye contact. When she did, Candace would snarl. Victor’s phone rang and when he pulled it from his pocket, he stepped out of the room.
Olivia needed to do something. Candace may be her only option. Taking a chance, she spoke to her. “Why are you doing this?”
“How dare you speak to me!” Candace yelled. She crossed the room to her and grabbed Olivia’s throat and squeezed. Her nails dug into her skin. “Do you realize you ruined everything for me?”
“Let me go,” Olivia snarled. “Let me go right now!”
Candace pushed her away, then slapped her. “Fuck you!”
“No, fuck you,” Olivia yelled back. “I did nothing to you. You showed up at my house to feed and get fed on.”
“Because you couldn’t do it!” she said. “I could have had them for myself, all of them. But, no...” Candace eyed Olivia from top to bottom, then sneered. “You had to grow fucking balls and take them from me.”
“They were never yours to begin with!” Olivia pulled on her arms and exacerbated the dread that pulled at her nerves. Her wrists and ankles burned. Her shoulders ached. “But, this here?” Olivia shook the restraints and growled. “This is all you, Candace! All you! If you stop this now, I’ll tell the elders you had nothing to do with this, and you were also held as a prisoner.”
“What?” The woman laughed. “Why would you do that? That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!”
“Are you not a prisoner? Has he fed you? Have you fed from him? No, I don’t think you have. Look at me! He has mutilated my body! For what?” She gritted her teeth through the pain in her arms. “If you let me go, I’ll go with you to the elders. We’ll make our case known, that Victor acted alone.”
The crazy, hate-all-women stare Candace was giving began to fade. Realization in Olivia’s words appeared to be ringing true. A tear slipped down Candace’s cheek and she quickly swiped it away. “Why would you help me?”
“Because I understand what this means to you. Until I fed from them, I did not understand the bond, the need, what feeding does to the blood demon. After I experienced it for myself, I was able to understand. Candace, you deserve a second chance.” Whether Olivia necessarily believed that or not, right now, she would say anything to get this woman to help her. She truly could understand the addiction to the blood. She had only one taste of her men and knew there was no going back.
Candace dropped to her knees and cried into her hands. “What have I done?” she whispered.
“Candace, quick, release me before he comes back!” When she did not move, Olivia yelled her name. “Candace!”
Candace lifted her gaze and met Olivia’s. She nodded and quickly got to her feet. She crossed the room and fidgeted with the shackles on Olivia’s arms.
“It’s no use. I don’t have the key,” Candace whispered.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Victor growled.
Both women gasped and looked at Victor as he stepped into the room. He reached behind his back and pulled out a gun. From the distance, it appeared to be a nine-millimeter weapon. He cocked the chamber and pointed it toward the women.
“Get the fuck away from her, Candace. Now, before I kill you!”
Candace cried out and pointed to Olivia. “She made me do it!” She crawled on the floor toward Victor and grabbed his ankle. “Please, don’t punish me. She did it. It’s her fault!”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “Sure, whatever. All my fault. Victor, you won’t get away with this. My stable will be here. They will find me. And, if you’re lucky, you’ll receive a quick death.”
Victor grinned. “I like a strong, confident woman.” He kicked Candace off his foot. “But, you’re mistaken, my love.”
“I am not your love. Do not ever call me that again.” She yanked again at her restraints.
“Leave it be,” Victor told her. He reached for Candace and grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling her to her feet. Candace screamed out and Victor pushed her out in front of him. He held the gun to her head. “Stop trying to break free!”
Olivia stopped fidgeting and stared, mouth agape, at Candace. The woman sobbed and reached for Victor’s hands. “Stop it,” Candace cried out. “Stop!” She held Olivia’s gaze and tears made her eyes look black, like raccoons.
Fear clenched at Olivia’s heart. A gun to her head and all Candace wanted was a fix. An addict given syringes filled with her drug of choice, but every time she reached for it, the syringe moved that much further away. Like a donkey chasing a dangling carrot.
Victor raised the gun above Candace’s head and brought it down hard. She fell to the floor, knocked out.
Olivia stared at her body, wide eyed. “Oh my God, did you kill her?”
“No,” he said and tucked the gun away. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a switch knife. He pressed a button and it opened with a click. “She’ll live.”
“What… Don’t come near me with that,” she said and shook her head. Her heart sped up and her breathing became erratic.
Victor stood in front of her and brought the knife to her face. Olivia could see her own reflection in the steel. He moved it down over her breast, resting the sharp blade on her delicate skin. “I could slice you open, drain all your blood, and leave you for death. Or, you could accept my offer and be mine.”
She snarled and bit the inside of her cheek. Iron pooled in her mouth and she spit on Victor’s face. “I would rather die!”
He grinned. “I love your spirit, but your stable,” he whispered and raised the knife to her inner arm. He sliced through her skin like a hot knife on butter. She screamed and blood seeped down her arm. “What would they do without their precious concubine?” He brought the blade to her cheek and sliced her open, temple to lip.
Olivia cried out and her body shook. She was losing too much blood. Her body convulsed and the last image she saw was Victor smirking before her vision blurred to darkness.
“Wake up and face me.”
A faint voice, muffled slightly, called to Olivia. She blinked her eyes open and found herself in a dark room…or maybe she was outside. It was hard to tell.
“Olivia,” whispered the voice. “Come on, wake up, lover. I’m not done with you.”
Olivia shifted but could not move. Her arms were held above her head. She struggled and the events with Victor flooded back. Fear escalated and she panted for breath.
Liv, we’re coming, my love.
Hold on a little longer.
A faint voice whispered in her mind and she gasped. “Jared? Is that you?” A soft light in the distance interrupted the darkness. She could make out a man’s figure. It appeared to be the outline of Jared, but was it him? Where were the others?
“Can you see me? Help me! I need you!” she cried.
Pain shot through her legs. She groaned and looked down. The softness of the light illuminated her body just enough, she could see blood oozing from her thighs. Her eyes widened.
“There she is,” Victor said.
Olivia lifted her head up and met Victor’s gaze. She cried out, “Please, let me go or kill me.”
The light disappeared and her fear spiraled. A hand grabbed her arm and she gasped. Seeking who took hold of her, she found Jared. Relief flooded her as he stood next to her. She reached for him just as his grip lifted. She reached for him again and the restraints held her back. Jared had moved away, distance between them. She tried to reach once more, but the more she tried the farther away he appeared to be. She felt like Alice falling down the rabbit hole.
“Wake up, dammit!” Victor slapped her face and Olivia opened her eyes.
She cried, slumping into her body weight. “Kill me, please!” she begged. Her head lolled down. She was too weak to hold it up any longer. She blinked slowly as blood oozed into her vision. Her body was red with crimson. Soon, she would bleed out and she would finally die.
Soon, this would be over.
Soon…
Then, a crash erupted the silence. Victor growled and released Olivia. Her eyes closed, most likely passed out again. He wiped his knife on his pants, then closed it and tucked it into his pocket. He marched out of the dungeon and closed the wooden door, locking it.
The hall that led to the dungeon was dark and smelled like death. The corridor was dark, spider webbed like something from a horror scene. Torches lit the hall as he made his way to the exit. He opened the door and was met with a punch to the face.
Victor fell back and held his nose and yelled out. “Damn you! This is my home!”
“Not when you may have someone’s concubine being held against her will,” Malik announced. He stepped inside and massaged his hand.
“You punched me?” Victor asked and looked up at the man entering his home. Flanking him were Olivia’s five men. “Get the fuck out of my home!”
“I punched you, yes,” Malik answered him. “Olivia’s bond with her men is strong enough to lead us here. Why is that?” Malik asked and bent over Victor’s body. “I have reason enough to be here, so, no, I will not leave. And, if I find her here, death will become you tonight.”
Victor remained silent and pushed away from Malik. He got to his feet and pinched the bridge of his nose. It throbbed and he swiped at his nose, his hand coming away covered in blood.
Victor regarded Olivia’s stable, as she called them. Jared, flanked by Jake and Ethan, then Landon and Aidan.
Jared snarled. “Where the fuck is she?”
“Suck my dick,” Victor yelled. “She’s mine!”
Malik sped across the room and pinned Victor to the wall, hand around his throat. “So, you admit she is here?”
“She is mine! I put a contract out on her!”
Malik laughed. “A contract? Are you mad? We do not recognize contracts! It is worthless and will not be recognized in the coven.”
“What the fuck is it the coven does, then?” Victor accused.
“The coven writes up agreements where both parties are satisfied. We do not, and never will, take prisoners.”
“Can I kill him now?” Jake asked.
“Not yet,” Malik said. “Let’s find your lady first.”
“In here,” came a mouse-like voice. Candace peeked out and pointed toward the dungeon hall. Blood had dried across her neck and she brought a hand to her head. “He knocked me out before I could help her.”
Jared was on her before she had a chance to react. “Lies! You did this!” He picked her up and pushed her against the wall. “You did this!”
“No, I was trying to help, please,” Candace begged.
Victor smirked at the turn of events playing out. Tell me, Aidan. Do you miss your Maxine?”
Jake and Ethan pulled at Jared's arms, forcing him to release Candace, then stopped and turned when Victor spoke. Aidan turned to face him and lifted his brow. “What the fuck did you just say?”
“Yes, your lady was a good fuck before I killed her,” Victor announced.
“Fuck,” Landon growled. “I have this. Go get our Liv.”
“Oh, you’re dead, man, you’re so fucking dead,” Aidan told him. He sped on the man and pushed Malik out of the way. He snarled and pulled his fist back, just as Malik caught it.
“No,” the elder told him. “Not like this. Let him go. I will be swift in passing judgment on him. Trust me in this.”
Landon pulled on Aidan. “Lascialo andare, adesso!”
“No,” Aidan snarled. “I will not let him go! He will die for killing my Maxine and for taking our Olivia!”
“Yes, he will,” Malik told him. “But not by your hand. Now, let him go before I have my guards remove you.”
Aidan released him and fell back in step with Landon. “He’s not leaving my fucking sight!”
“Calmati, fratello,” Landon told him.
Aidan nodded. “I’m cool. You can let me go. I’m good.”
Victor turned and watched Jared, Jake, and Ethan speed down the hall.
“Clear!” Jake called.
“Clear,” said Ethan.
Jared opened another door and stepped in. “Liv? Olivia? Answer me, I know I’m close!”
Olivia was falling down an endless well. She grasped for the walls and tumbled over and over. She felt herself reaching for something, anything to hold onto…until one finally made real estate.
“Liv! Where are you?”
“Jared?” she whispered and lifted her head. Her eyes barely opened and her body shook. She sucked in a deep breath and cried out. “Jared!”
He rushed the room. “In here!”
Jared had found her. Relief filled her and she prayed it was not another tormenting dream. His hands touched her shackles and in that moment, she knew he was real.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
Two more bodies entered the room and soon, Jake and Ethan joined Jared.
“Why are you sorry,” Jared asked her, then paused. The three others stopped moving and in unison, growls filled the emptiness of the room.
“He dies. Tonight.” Jared reached for the shackles on her right wrist and pulled. It broke with a loud clang.
She screamed out from the pain that radiated between the shackle and her arm falling to her side. Ethan broke the left shackle and Jake worked on her legs. Her body slumped over and Jared caught her, scooping her up into his arms.
“My love, my Liv. You’re alive,” Jared whispered and pressed his lips to her forehead.
“I need…blood,” she whispered.
Jake pulled his sleeve back and bit into his arm. He pressed it to her lips. She greedily accepted his gift and groaned. His blood pooled in her mouth as she swallowed, drinking him as fast as she could.
“Here, let me,” Ethan said and pulled his sleeve up. He bit into his arm and offered his gift to her as well.
She released Jake and took Ethan’s arm and drank from him. Her body was slowly beginning to heal. She swallowed one last time and pulled her mouth away. Her arms were still too weak to move. Resting her head against Jared’s shoulder, she whispered, “Please, take me home.”
Jared carried her into the corridor, followed by Jake and Ethan. She could hear shuffles and screams coming from the end of the hall.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“I think Aidan may be killing Victor,” Jake told her.
They stepped out of the hall into the main room where the others had gathered. Olivia recognized Malik, one of the elders. He was with two guards, who both held Victor.
Aidan was like a rabid dog, fighting to get at Victor. He was being held back by Ethan.
“Her blood tasted so sweet on my tongue, even sweeter when she realized she would die,” Victor announced.
“I’ll kill you,” screamed Aidan. “You raped and killed her! You son-of-a-bitch!”
Olivia gasped and her eyes widened. “He did what?”
She felt a growl vibrate from Jared. “Did he rape you?”
“No. Fuck, no,” she said. “He hurt me, but he didn’t break me.”
She felt him sigh with relief. “Victor dies tonight,” Jared announced.
“I’d love to kill him,” she whispered. “But this kill belongs to Aidan.”
“Victor,” Malik announced and opened his suit jacket. He pulled out a long silver blade. “You have been found guilty of your crimes. You have been charged with the rape and murder of Maxine, concubine to Aidan. You have been charged with the kidnapping and attempted murder of Olivia, concubine to Jared and his household.”
“What about me?”
The group turned to the small voice who had been ignored during this ordeal.
Candace.
“As for you,” Malik turned to face her. “If I find you had any part in this, you will be dealt with accordingly.”
“Let her go,” Olivia told him. “She was a prisoner here, just as I was.”
Jared lifted his brow. “Do not lie to the elders,” he whispered.
“I’m not,” she told him. “She may not have started off as a prisoner, but in the end, she was held against her will. She deserves to be heard.”
Malik nodded and approached Candace. “What was your role in this? And tell me the truth as this will be your only chance.”
Victor struggled in the grasp of the guards. He growled but would not escape.
Candace sobbed into her hands. “Victor promised to claim me as his pairing. He promised he would feed me, and I from him. He promised…” she trailed off as her sobs grew louder.
“Then you have confessed guilty as an accessory,” Malik announced and turned from her.
“Please,” Olivia begged.
“Don’t,” Jared interrupted. “Let the elders do what they need. Stay out of it.”
She stared at Jared for a moment, then frowned. “She’s an addict. She went off instinct. I can empathize. Since having you, if you were stripped from me, I would lose my mind.”
He let out a long sigh, then nodded. “I understand,” he whispered.
“I would have fucked Olivia and drained her of her blood! She would have been mine or she would die. You fucking blood whore,” he yelled out. “You fed on them, you filthy demon!”
Malik stepped back to Victor and in a move so quick it almost went unseen, he gripped the man’s throat. “You have been found guilty.”
Victor struggled under his grip and the guards held him in place. Malik leaned in. “Go to hell, you bastard.” Malik ripped out Victor’s throat, then whipped his silver blade across his neck, slicing through bone and muscle in an instant. Victor’s head slid off and bounced on the ground. His body fell in a heap, his stump bleeding out. “Death. Beautiful, gruesome, glorious death.”
Malik bent down and wiped off his blade on Victor’s dead body, then tucked it into his pocket. “Now, Candace...” He stood and turned to face her. “You will come with me, until we figure out what to do with you.”
Candace screamed. “Please, don’t kill me!”
“Get her to the car,” Malik told his guards. They nodded and took her by the arms, leading her out. He turned to Jared and touched Olivia on her head. “My child, please, know you are now safe. Victor is no more.”
He then turned to Aidan and rested his hands on the man’s shoulders. “I wish there was more we could do with what happened to Maxine. The information regarding her death will be updated. Come to the coven when you’re ready. We’ll discuss her assets.”
Aidan nodded and lowered his head. Malik released him and walked out the door, Victor’s body and head in tow.
Landon placed a hand on Aiden's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “It’s over, mio fratello.”
Olivia sagged in Jared’s arms and her eyes burned with tears. This nightmare was over. Her men had found her. She laid her head against Jared’s chest. “Please, take me home.”