Candy: Book 5 of the Lord Emperor Vampire Saga

Dress Rehearsal


Chapter 209

The party came to a screeching halt as I turned back to the limos who were bringing the rest of Von Drachenfeld to the wake. Haley truly had been a family member. Haruka and Harold Chesterton stepped out of the second limo. Lex and Jax scrambled out after them. Both of the boys were plastered in leather as befitting budding legendary rocks stars.

Frederick had pulled together a leather version of Lex’s rocker image complete with about six different belts that hung off his almost non existent hips. He was in red the color of blood rubies. All the twitching female Lycan noses that were pointed in my direction just veered off to stage left. Jax was dressed in rocker chic also. He had on a mesh tank that ended at his midriff that left his tender stomach…wow…abs of steel there. He had on low slung leather pants that clung in all the right parts. I really took in Jax’s appearance. He was such a lovely blend of Harold and Haruka. At about thirteen he made the declaration that he wasn’t going to be answering to the name Jonathon anymore. The only one’s who still called him by his given name were his parents--much like mom and Sigmund for me.

I knew it had been hard for a human to keep up with puppies and baby fangs but he worked at it. It was true that Jax was an honorary puppy, as well as someone who had the full protection of the family of Von Drachenfeld. And, if Jax knew that Wolfgang and Alexander were going along with the band idea, he was a black belt in karate and he would kick Alexander in the face. The older puppies swarmed over their nanny and the major domo of their home away from home.

The weight of two puppies in my arms would have proven to be too heavy for a human but they kept trying to press themselves through my chest. I squeezed them a little tighter to let them know non-verbally that I wasn’t going to let them go.

That wasn’t what put the brakes on my party train.

A sharp whistle made me look past the welcoming Saitou pack to the last limo. A long expanse of leather clad leg stepped out. Holy Crap! Claudia had returned to “girlz gone wild” mode of her misspent youth. She was the epitome of rocker chick. No, that wasn’t just leather pants, it was patent leather, spray painted on with a pocket taped to her ass. Like Father, like daughter. She had on a electric blue leather bustier and her hair stood about as high as the Empire State building. I don’t remember Claudia who only came up to my chin having such long, long legs. She turned and scanned the crowd and found me standing there dumb struck. This is what she wore when she went hunting?

/I guess this was worth having my hair gelled into spikes if it gets you to look like you just got kicked by a mule./ Claudia’s voice was lyrical as it danced in my mind. /Speechless, Xavier?/

Marcus reached over my shoulder and shut my mouth. Claudia tossed back her head and laughed. Vladimir broke through the crowd, His face beamed at his love and he took up his place at her side. “I am glad that you have allowed them to stay together, Xavier.”

“I’m not that much of a dink.”

/What’s a dink, Alpha?/ I glanced down into Treska’s face. Her golden eyes stared up at me so reminiscent of her father. Oh gees, little pitchers have big floppy wolfish ears. Lia turned her head and I got a double whammy of little girl eyes. I was so done for.

“A dink is someone who wants what someone else has. So, if you’re playing with a ball, a dink wants that ball and will take the ball just because you have it.”

/Alpha isn’t a dink./

“No, I’m not.”

“Lord Alpha likes sharing his balls with everyone.” I lifted my head and gave Liam a narrow gaze. He just turned his head and laughed. He gestured with his head back to the cars. “Show’s just beginning.”

Red copper hair came through the doorway next. Manu was there to offer a steadying hand and to keep the sniffing young males at bay. Riassa came out of the car dressed like the captain of Lucifer’s cheerleader squad. Hot pink leather wrestler style boots; the same pink small skirt. Her midriff was bare except for a belly ring. When the hell did she get that!! The top was pink and white and clung like a towel around her chest. When the hell did she get boobs that big! I took one step forward and found Liam’s hand on my chest. “Heart attack time isn’t over yet.”

Callia took Pytor’s hand and exited the building. Oh thank god. She had on a black leather sheath. Her arms were bare but the neckline was high and the hemline was just above the knees. I knew Callia would be the picture of demur. She turned her back to me. If I had any gum I would have swallowed it, or choked on it. There was no back to it. Leather lacings crisscrossed her back right down to the start of her….gack.

“I thought Morgan was bad. You’ve got twins.”

The five Xenas came out of the pack and silently took up positions around my little…er, not so little, girls. No sniffing male puppies would get getting near them. I saw Sang Kyu shove another Lycan to the ground. No adults were getting to my babies either.

I turned my attention back to the current thorn in my side. “Liam, nice to see you upright and mobile.”

“Drinking. You’d think I’d learn something over the centuries.”

“Did you, learn something that is?”

Liam gestured to the stage. Hades was there dressed all in white setting up a sound system. I must have looked a little puzzled. “My Honeybee never ceases to amaze me. I think I know him and he comes to me and apologizes. I thought I was banished from his side until William fell dormant. Did you influence him?”

“He came up with the plan all on his own.”

Liam let out a big sigh. “I don’t want to leave him alone in the world again.”

“Fifty years is a while yet.”

“It’s a blink of the eye, little emperor. Well, aren’t you a pair of cuties.” Liam knelt down so he was eye level with the puppies in my palms. “You young ladies look as pretty as a picture.”

/da-shooka?/

Liam let a wide smile cross his face. “Kinda hard to say isn’t it. How about William?”

/Yum-yum?/

“Uh…not quite.”

/Yum-yum!/

/Yum-yum!!/

There was a chorus of puppies yelps and yips. “I guess your name is Yum-yum.”

“I’ve been called worse.” William leaned forward and offered his face and got puppy licks and snuffles. Lia wriggled and stretched her front paws out reaching for him. “I’ll look after this one. I think your wife would like this other one.” He scrunched up his nose at Treska.

/Yum-yum!/

Liam rose back to his feet then pulled me into a one armed hug. “I know that this is difficult for you, Xavier but you are with family and with friends. The woods are filled with patrols of Alphas, male and female. The Regency sent mages out to set up wards on the Pack’s territory. No one who should be not here will be getting through. Hades wanted to see you then your Father wishes to speak to you. Little ears need not hear.”

/My ears aren’t little./ Treska narrowed her eyes at me.

/No, you have very beautiful ears. Just like bunnies. You know I used to eat bunny ears?/

Treska’s eyes got wide. /You eat my ears?/

/You made of chocolate?/

/Nooooo./

/Well I guess, I can’t eat your cute bunny ears./

“Xavier…don’t call my daughter a bunny.” I caught Ping in another one armed hug.

“How are you doing?”

“I’m pissed, and angry and scared…and lonely. I can’t believe Arashi punched you.”

If I was a human that little she wolf would have knocked me on my ass, maybe even broken my jaw. Her strength was phenomenal and she was still just a whelp. “No harm done.”

“If she were older, that would be a challenge and you as King would have to answer her. You would kill her.”

“No, I wouldn’t.”

“You challenged your own Father to take back the throne of the Lord Emperor.” I knew what Ping was asking. There was too much going on today. She had lost her soul mate. She had prepared herself to claim mating rights to whom ever ended up taking the throne to keep her litter in line with the throne and Haley’s prophecy. She didn’t expect Britta to throw Azrael into the mix. “When the day comes that Arashi challenges to be Den Mother, Azrael will step down.”

“Can you speak for him? Truly?”

“You’ve heard the prophecy. A daughter from the East will be the next Den Mother. I am not a daughter and I am not from the east…and Azrael loves the puppies like they were his own.”

“But…”

“We cannot sit on two thrones, Lady Ping.”

“You can speak for him?”

“In truth, no…but his heart is mine. We have watched our children grow. How can I turn on a one that I regard as a daughter?”

“Others have turned on their siblings.”

I hugged Ping tightly and pressed a kiss to her temple. “I can tell you now…the brotherhood is unlike anything you have ever seen. We are like conjoined twins. We can’t be separated. Even if for some reason that Azrael has a stick up his ass, he has three brothers to get through…but he would sooner lose a paw than see one of his charges hurt.”

“I had to know, Xavier.”

“If you have any questions or concerns, tell me. You have a heck of a shield there and I wouldn’t want to even attempt to read your mind.”

Vladimir lead Claudia up to me. He was proud and…wary at the same time. He wasn’t the only one here who thought that Claudia was looking a little to much like a tidbit – a snackable. She gave me the once over from my pale bare feet to the top of my white hair that I still didn’t know what the heck it looked like. Her arctic blues settled on Treska and she stuck out her hands and wiggled her fingers. Treska looked at her all of one second then turned into slippery puppy. Holy….

Ping caught the little bundle before she went kerplunk on the grass. “You have to be quick, Lord Alpha…pardon, my King. Empress this little hellion is fifth litter, first born, Treska. Treska this is Claudia Von Drachenfeld and behind her is your Uncle Vladimir.”

Treska set her golden gaze on Claudia and wham another Vampire was wrapped around her toenail. Vlad stood there with a stunned expression on his face. “Uncle?”

“You are the Empress’ Consort. You are family if not by blood then by love.”

“I am honored, Lady Ping.”

/Clawdeeah./

“You are growing into a fine pup.”

/Lia is with Yumyum./

“Yumyum?” I got the feminine version of Claudius’ questioning eyebrow. I knew they were father and daughter but until I saw her in patent leather I never really understood how alike they were.

“William.”

“Haha. I like it. Yumyum. You want to come with me or stay with your Mom?”

/I want Daddy./

All the adults just stilled. Ping reached out and stroked her calico colored daughter’s head. /I explained to you and your sister why Daddy had to leave./

/I know…but I still want Daddy./

Ping and Claudia gathered the little pup between them and wandered off to a little more quiet place, as quiet as it could get with Loyal and Lycan Alpha packs, male and female closeby for protection. I was given a wide berth. If I was a little bit insecure this would have had me cringing to the closest shrubbery. Hades was on the stage finishing up…whatever the hell he was going. “Who made you dj?”

“In the broadest sense of the word, you did.” Hades was all in white. He had on baggy white shorts that hung low on the hips and a white wife beater. There was a chain around his waist for a belt and the end of it swung as he shifted to the right and left setting up the equipment. He actually looked like the teenager he was perpetually stuck at. “It was quiet an eye opening experience to get kicked out of my office. I couldn’t even fill the roll of personal assistant. It was…humiliating. That is something I am never going to experience again. Before I opened the Golden Phoenix, I learned every job in that place.”

“Sorry if this comes out wrong but I have never thought of you as someone who likes contemporary music.”

“The snob in you is showing, Xavier.”

“Snob?!”

“What’s the number one rule of hunting? Know your prey. Since I looked like this, I can’t go hunting out in the mainstream. I have to make my own grounds. It’s easier to get the snacks to come to you. If I have to spin a few records to get that done, I will.”

“You really are a dj?”

“You only come Fridays or Saturdays and you head up to the second level. I dj on Thursday and Saturday for the all ages. I’m off the hook, if you get my meaning. William really doesn’t like the music but Liam gets into the groove.”

“Okay, who are you and where is the asshole I normally call Hades.”

“Love you too, Xavier….as for knowing your other prey.” Hades came around from behind the stand and knelt closely. “Our lovely little sorceress knows her prey very well. I’m not a magician but I know the feel of a spell. The bar our little band frequents is rife with magic…and it’s not the white kind. I spoke to the owner, Ben Hargrove and what he said basically backed up Alexander’s story. This ‘Sarah” shows up when the boys are there. I am making an educated guess here, but all that magic I can feel I think are wards to tell her when our boys are there. I’ve already passed on my suspicions to the Regency Mages, they are going to do something, try to backtrack the spell. She has been hunting for about six months, Xavier.”

I frowned. “Did she have anything to do with that stalker that was after Claudia?”

“It might be something to check. Do you have any of those threatening letters left?”

I winced and shook my head. “We phoenixed them all. I told the Loyal to make sure that nothing remained of the trophy wall. As far as I know that apartment is still intact.”

“William and I will handle it, Xavier. Oh, big and friendly incoming on your six.”

Odd, but I understood that. I turned expecting to see Marcus but it was Bruce. I would never have thought it but he was beginning to remind of a ‘Frederick” on steroids. He had always seemed so big and deadly, but then again, he was there to drag my ass back to see Britta. Of course, I was playing cheeky little bastard at the time so he had to be big and scary. “There you are my Liege.”

That sounded just so…..wrong.

He held out his hand as he approached. Warily I extended my palm and he pressed the missing signs of love and affection into my hand. “Lady Ping ushered you away so quickly, Kay was unable to return these to you.”

“Thank you, Bruce.”

“If you have no objections, I have been asked to be master of ceremonies.”

“That’s fine, Bruce. I don’t know Lycan funeral customs.” I watched as the big Lycan’s eyes swept over the crowd searching for the other hulking mass of Lycan. Cute. Sang Kyu and Bruce sitting in a tree…

“That is expected, my Liege. You will be asked to call the Pack together then if you would say a few words about Haley, I will take over for the rest.”

“Define ‘the rest’.”

“Song and Dance. Haley was the Voice of the Den. None could match his gift of song…maybe Wolfgang will. His voice reminded me of Haley when he was just a whelp but he left the Den so early. He is like his Father.”

“That’s it? No more fighting?”

“Tooth and claw has already been offered. Blood has already been spilt. At the end of the night, if you would do the honor and set his pyre ablaze with your wings of flame so Haley can be sent to the stars with the others who are ancient and revered.”

“That I will do, Bruce. Have you seen my…uh, the Regency Mage?”

“Your father is by the banquet table.” Bruce bowed his head and moved off in the direction Sang Kyu happened to be moving.

I didn’t make it more than three feet when another hand came around and wrapped around my shoulders. A big mit opened and Marcus just held it there. “I will take the piercings, Xavier. They are signs from me to my love and I will returned them when it is our time together.”

“Are you willing to wait?”

“I can wait for my Azrael. By the way, do not do what you are thinking.”

“What am I thinking?” I didn’t like to think that I was so transparent.

“You want to find a blanket and wrap Raissa up in it.”

“That obvious eh?”

“No, it’s just what I want to do. I changed her diapers not that long ago.”

“Do us both a favor and run interference with our girls…all our girls.” I should have known it was going to be a stressful night. Not only did we have Claudia, Callia and Riassa to watch over but now Yuri and Yumi were on the prowl. I didn’t even know that Lycan dressed for hunting, I thought it was all fur and fangs. Dressing like you could be somebody’s snackable; I thought that this was simply a Vampire thing. Oh, how wrong I was.

“Oops…” The little bit o’ breath whispered through my hair and then Marcus was gone. I turned and watched as he opened up his arms and called for the two wayward Lycans. The young pups who had finally screwed their courage to the sticking spot and had started towards them stopped. Marcus was a force. He was big, he knew how to use his size to be intimidating, and I knew from first hand experience how much of an intimidating factor he could be. Marcus scooped the girls up and gave them a hug. The males got a glare that sent them scurrying back into the folds of the pack. I could hear a chorus of “Uncle Marcus!”

I bit back a grin then spied my dad over at the food table. Baojia was hovering between Mom and Dad basically because they were the only humans here. I thought Shayne and her brood would have made it. “Babyboy!” Mom…oh man, how I missed Mom. I walked straight into her arms and gave her a big hug but not so big to crush her ribs. She pressed a kiss to my cheek then frowned as her hands stroked down my back…to my hips and onto my ass.

“Mom!”

She pushed me back to get a good look at me. “You’re finally getting some meat back on your bones. I thought you were going to be a fashion victim for life.” She grabbed some of my meat.

“Mom!”

“I’m glad to see you here, Xavier. I thought that this might have been asking a bit too much of you.”

“Edward and Azrael and even Skell picked up the slack.”

Dad turned around with a bit of…squirrel…hanging out of his mouth? I sniffed. Yup, Squirrel. “Slack. I’ve heard from the Council that there was a battle royal in all sense of the word and now there is a new king on the throne.”

“The alternative was worse than Azrael….that kind of came out wrong.”

“I know what you meant, son. So what do we do, genuflect?” Dad’s eyes were twinkling. It felt good to feel his ribald sense of humor. Growing up I was so full of myself I had missed who my parents were. Now they were in their waning years, I was too damn busy putting out fires in the Blood Nations to meet with them.

“No idea. Bruce is my seneschal in all matters regarding court etiquette. Where’s Shayne?”

“She’s sends her best wishes to the family. The Council as advised her to only attend the official coronation and Britta the Elder’s funeral. Being so closely tied to the Prince and Princess and now the usurper, which they are calling you, my dear boy, I’m sure the Regency Council meant no disrespect.”

“Yeah….” Mom gave me her best glare. I smiled down at her.

“Well, too many ties to the Blood Nation doesn’t look that good on Lane when she takes over as Lady Regent. I don’t miss the politics of the position at all. You know the Council actually tried to forbid me from coming tonight.”

“Mom!”

“She told them to suck eggs. If Mage Xavier could go to the Lycan Wake, so could his wife. You would have thought she told them she was going to strip naked and dance under the light of the moon.” Dad had a laugh in his voice. I kept my face still. His smile faded. “Are we ending up stripping naked and dancing under the light of the moon?”

“Errr…”

“Edward?”

“Well, I will. I don’t know about the rest of you.” Dad finished his squirrel burger and then reached for a shiskabob of…chipmunk. I slapped it out of his hands. “Liam said that you had some news.”

Dad glanced back longingly at the barbecued meat then turned his attention back to me. “Nasty piece of work and rather amateurish.” He gestured that we walk to a less populated area and then worked a little bubble of silence magic around us. “Powerful but unschooled. Definitely dark, I would have to say in my option that she is a sorceress. I know how much you love Star Wars but in this sense it parallels the more technical side of magical theory. This Serephina has taken up the Darkside. It’s more powerful only because it doesn’t care if there is collateral damage. It feeds off of negative emotion. The stronger the emotion the more powerful the magic. That Talisman is pure hatred, my boy.”

“Can she be stopped?”

“Physically, yes, she can be killed…but the Darkside is like the wind. Right now she has gathered it to her like a hurricane. Get rid of the driving force and it will slowly dissipate back to it’s usual state but until it calms, it is a deadly thing.” Dad met me square in the eyes. “This is personal. This isn’t a generic hate, Xavier. You have done something to this woman.”

“I don’t know who she is. Her face is not familiar at all. I’ve done a heck of a lot of things in the name of the Nation, Dad, but this is not anything I can remember.”

“The Mage Academy is reviewing records. I said, unschooled but she has the rudimentary science down. You might learn that on your own but I doubt it.”

“Sarah…Lex said that she has been cougaring up the band and that is the name that she has used. I don’t know if that could be an alias or not.”

“I’ll pass that on. I’ve had the Academy draw up protection for the kids….all of the kids.”

“What aren’t you tell me, Dad?”

“We have her magical signature. We have her emotional state. We should be able to find her like a GPS signal. We can’t. The only way she should be able to block us is with the blood of the family.”
“Shayne?”

“No, everyone is accounted for. No one has got any time lapses in memory where blood could have been forcibly taken. The Darkside is bad enough, Xavier. Blood Magic is even worse.” Dad reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a thin gold chain with a locket. “Don’t take this off.”

Mom piped up, “Callia, Riassa and Alexander have one. So does all your mates. We have some for the littlest puppies now, we are finishing up the rest.”

“Do not underestimate this, Serephina. Xavier. She has got the Academy in a panic.”

“What about Lane’s coronation on Sunday as Lady Regent?”

“The Academy is taking precautions.”

Dad dropped the shielding around us. I didn’t realize how ‘cone-of-silence’ it really was until the noise of about 500 Lycan rose up around us. Bruce came up to us and bowed the Lycan way with his shoulders hunching up and forward. “Forgive the intrusion, my Liege, but we are ready to begin.”

“My Babyboy is a Liege.”

“Mom…” I leaned over and kissed her cheek.

“Grandma!!” Riassa bounced over, kissed me on the cheek then threw her arms around her white haired grandmother.

“Nice to see you, little girl. Where’s the rest of your clothes?” I schooled my face into stilled and booked out of the fight zone. Dad just widened his eyes and headed back to the chipmunks.

Bruce just had a little buzz about him. I think Sang Kyu and him must have been doing something that I really shouldn’t be inquiring about…but damn, inquiring minds just wanted to know. Bruce lead me back toward the stage, Hades and Liam were set up on one side. Pack Von D was set up on the other. Bruce lead me up the main stairs to center stage then turned back to the throng of Lycan, Werewolves and Vampires.

“King Azrael, First Born, 11th Litter to Britta the Elder, Den Mother and Founder of the Lycan Northern Pack!” Bruce’s voice carried loud and clear over the crowd without the aid of a microphone but then again, he was used to doing this. He turned back on the stairs and dropped down on both knees then hunched up his shoulders in a bow. I could feel the start of my face coloring as the rest of the Lycan Nation dropped down by rows behind him. The only ones left standing were the kids, Mom and Dad and the Vampires.

“Blood Emperor of the Vampire Nation, Xavier Von Drachenfeld the First!” I turned my head as Liam called out my other title. He dropped down into reverence pose with one knee and one hand on the stage. Hades elegantly followed him. Now the only ones left standing were me and Mom and Dad. Good Lord. Both Mom and Dad looked like guppy fish. Babyboy had done something with his life.

I didn’t have the pipes to scream out over the crowd and no one gave me a mike so I did the next best thing. I send out my Pack Call.

/Lycan, Werewolf, Vampire, Human. We are gathered here to remember someone special enough to have reached out and called each and everyone one of us Friend. I was fortunate enough to have known Prince Haley for twenty-three years and…lucky enough to have called him littermate. I was there when Ping caught his scent. I was able to help him bring his Princess back to the Den and I wish I was able to have seen his First Litter come into the world. Haley has honored me by naming me Benedek and I am glad to see so many here tonight to return that honor to that calico bundle of energy whom I am proud to have called…still call little brother./

All the Lycan and werewolves were staring at me aghast and in shock. The Pack Call was a female thing. It was unknown for a male to have it. I lifted my arms. “Rise up and join me in remembering the life and light that is now missing from among us. Join me in honoring the memory of Haley Saitou.”

Haley was not a Lycan of tears. I blinked them away and lifted my head up to the sky that was starting to darken. A single star broke through the veil and I sent up a Lycan howl to it. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as five hundred voices joined mine and mourned the loss of someone who was loved by many, and missed by all.

* * *