Clove : Book 4 of Lord Emperor Vampire Series

It’s late. I’m tired….Kudos later.
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It’s six hours later. Feeling much better and my eyes are actually open. Whoot!!

Ayachan: I think this chappie will show just how “gentle” baby brother can be.

Peach like Prince: I think you have the speed reading record there. 48 hours. Holy cow. Milk & Honey pocky is tossed in your direction. Hmmmmm pocky…*drool*

ATOI: Lois and Lane are now 17. :p

Paradox: Thanks for “the words of encouragement” ya made me laugh. (chortle) I needed it.

Thanks for the reviews and the hits. I do believe that we are going to hit 10000 before too much longer. You like me, you really like me!. Well you like the brothers and Father but I can live with that. Meh. Thanks for the reviews, Loyal and True: Spirit; Rosemary; Marin Liliz; Rosei; milkxness; darma; Crimson Vixen; Laur; ayachan; meadows_peak; peach like prince (welcome); shiden; ATOI(x2); and paradox.

Chapter 167: Chains of Authority

Lycan. I’d killed Lycan for Orel Wessel. The Alphas went down hard, but they did go down. I was a little apprehensive as I stepped into the Great Hall. Six Lycan males were gathered there. You could get the scent from the air that they all were Alphas. My stomach clenched as Father lead me right into the depths of the room. I scanned the area and stumbled to a stop.

Holy…

My eyes were drawn to the largest painting that dominated the room. It was life sized. It was insulting to say it, but it was like a photograph. Azrael’s Marcus painted that. How? How did he know how my brothers looked on the beach? Then again, there were two of the older brothers there, Armor and the artist himself with the Queen of the Hellcats and Haley. My eyes flicked over to Father and Sex. We had the same face but not really. He had captured each individual essence of us especially Sex and Father.

Father dropped a hand to my shoulder. “Marcus gave us this gift almost ten years ago. That is why it was so difficult for me to accept that he had given painting up. Music and Art have always been his loves.”

“He’s got Azrael now.”

“Yes, he has. Come, let me introduce you.”

I turned back to the assembled Lycan. As one, they lowered themselves down to one knee, right fist planted on the ground and forehead bowed to almost touching the left knee. Claudius nodded at me. “Rise.”

They remained on their knee but all their heads looked up. Just like humans, and I guess vampires, they were of every size, shape and color. “You have met your Zsigmond – Haley. He is your avowed protector. Lady Ping is his wife and she is your Elek. Their litter are your children’s guardians.” The young looking tawny haired Lycan looked up at me and then made a leap forward. I got a hand up and closed it on his face and deflected him off to my right.

“You’ve got good reflexes.” Haley smiled as he slowly walked up to me. I watched him warily as he came close enough to give me a hug. He rested his head against my throat and shoulder. “I am glad that you brought the brothers home.” He kissed my chin and moved back bowing gracefully.

Claudius gestured to a white blonde man. This one was Valdimir. Xavier had explained what was going on with this one. I personally couldn’t see how big brother could accept this. Claudia was his wife and mother of the winglets. Still, he was genuinely satisfied that these two were together. “I am Valdimir, Leader of the Alpha Pack. Next in rank is Sang Kyu.” A scarred man nodded to me. He was massive and looked like he had lived an adventurous life.

Valdimir gestured to the third ranked Alpha – Manu. This was a small compact powerhouse. His black hair gleamed in the light and his darker toned flesh fascinated me. He had black marks on his face. White teeth flashed at me. “Lord Alpha.” He nodded his head in my direction. I returned the sentiment.

A red haired man with pale flesh nodded to me. He had the red hair the same shade as a fox. He looked like he was just a little taller than me. “Fourth ranked is Pyotr.” He gave me a slight smile.

“The final member of the Imperial Alpha Males is Baojgia.” He was an exotic looking man with long black hair. Not as dark as Father’s hair. Not as black blue as Ping’s. How many shades of black can there be? He kind of looked like that guy from the Black Eyed Peas.

I could feel their eyes of expectation. I bowed my head in their direction. “I’m Skell. I am what was needed to combat Orel Wessel. I have met my brothers, Xavier, Sex and Azrael. We are in the process of discovering exactly what I can do. So far my gifts are the same as Xavier but I am no where near the speed of Sex. I have the discipline of Azrael. What else, we are still discovering.” Xavier had warned me not to mention Hashmalliam or Endellion to anyone. He would bring up the topic to Liam later. That was fine with me. I was reeling with new information and feelings.

Claudius stepped up. “The Alpha Pack are closer to you than the Loyal. You go no where without them. You know, more than anyone else, that Orel Wessel is still searching for you. Last night’s little stunt will provoke a reaction, so you best be on your guard.” Claudius turned to face the still kneeling Lycan. “I give unto your care, my youngest son -- Blood Emperor, CEO of Shadoe Inc and Head of the House of Assassins, Skell. Die in his service.”

Three of the Lycan stripped off their clothes then shivered down to wolves of beige, greys, blacks and browns. I was left with Haley, Vladimir and Pyotr still in human form. Vladimir pushed himself back to his feet. He was taller than me. Almost matching Father in height. “Follow Haley, Lord Alpha. We have a route planned and it has been secured by the Loyal. The wolves will run at your side. Pyotr and I will range around you.”

/I am honored./

Vladimir blinked. /You have all of Lord Xavier’s gifts./

“We all know that Xavier is a little more polished than the rest of us.”

“There is still value in an uncut gem.”

Uh?

He lowered himself to both knees before me and picked up my hand. He pressed his forehead against the backs of my fingers then kissed my hand. When he released it, his thumb and forefinger lightly stroked my palm and the back of my hand. I jerked my hand back from him. What the hell was that? He rose and hovered over me invading my personal space. “Welcome home, Lord Alpha.” He ducked his head to kiss me but grunted as Haley forced his way between us ushering me toward the exit.

“So it begins.” Haley snorted and wrinkled his nose.

“What was that?” I was confused and getting angry. I just stood there and accepted that…proposition.

‘Your Alpha Leader wants a show of dominance from Lord Alpha.”

“Dominance?”

“Sexual domination. You are the head of our pack, Skell. Well the body is. Vladimir is your Alpha Leader. He wants you to show dominion over him.”

Uuuhhhh, no one mentioned that. “I don’t want…”

Haley pushed the button for the elevator. “I am your proxy. Command me and I will dominate little Vlad.”

The amount of love the brothers had for this little Lycan was amazing. The fact that he was royally pissed at the half a foot taller blonde Lycan and was willing to take him to task was….cute. Wait. He’s the Empress’ unofficial consort. What’s he doing sniffing around me? That’s just not right. He owes Claudia more loyalty than that.

I scratched Haley behind the ear and turned back toward the group of Lycan that was approaching. Father stood at the door of the Great Hall with his arms crossed across his chest. He leaned back on the door with one bare foot propped back on the door. The blonde Lycan was issuing some orders to the smaller redhead. I turned back just as I hauled off and sucker punched him in the side of the head. I didn’t hold anything back. He staggered sideways and dropped to his knees. He turned and those Lycan feral eyes gleamed at me instinctively. I kicked him in the shoulder. I was aiming for his throat but he was able to twist away. The rest of the pack ranged around us but offered no help to either of us. Vladimir snarled and swiped at me. It was in slow motion. I don’t think it was in slow motion but it just appeared so for me. I was able to twist around and bring my knee up to the side of his head. This time he landed hard on the marble floor. He landed on his back. I dropped my knee across his throat and grabbed onto his hair with one hand. I wrenched his face back to face me with my other hand. He kicked a couple of times trying to get me off him but his face was turning purple a vicious shade of purple.

/Yield. Or I get a new Leader./ I looked down at him gauging his condition. I didn’t want to kill him, just drive the point home. If I do it right, I will only have to do it once. I pressed my weight forward slightly on his windpipe.

/I yield Lord Alpha./ He stilled.

I lifted my weight off his throat but never shifted. I leaned forward pressing my forehead close to his. “You are now dominated, Little Vlad. Do you agree?”

“Yes.”

“You will never approach this body again.” /Haley!/ The tawny youth padded up beside me. “If you are so bothered that you must be dominated, you will approach my proxy. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Lord Alpha.”

I leaned forward and whispered lowly into his ear. “You belong to Claudia. You do not stray. I will be your choke chain to ensure that. I like my little sister and as long as she wants you in her life…you will be a good little Vlad. Right? Right?”

“Right.”

I stood up and looked around at me. “Any more dominance issues?”

“No Lord Alpha.” Pytor answered for everyone.

The blonde was still laying on the marble floor. I think I broke him.

/Get up./

His limbs moved weakly. He couldn’t even turn over. Blood began to seep out of his ears.

“Father.” I didn’t have a handle on healing.

Claudius moved from the door and walked up toward us. He knelt beside my Leader and touched his chest. “Have you sparred before, Skell?”

“Yes. It was always in full gear.”

“At full strength?”

“Yes.”

“Your strength you were used to is basically 10% of what you are now. Orel Wessel kept you weak. Synthetic blood, blood packs, vampire blood. Never enough solid food. It was a wonder you could stand up straight, my son. You have fractured his skull. Was your intention to teach or to kill?”

“Teach.” I watched fascinated as Father’s hands began to glow as he held the Lycan’s head in his hands. Even his eyes flared blue with the healing flame as if he was watching the bones mend. I squatted beside him, my forearms resting on my knees. “Do you have the doctor’s eyes?”

He frowned as he continued to direct the healing light. “If I concentrate I can see the blue light trace along the break. I do not think that is what the Physician sees. There. Little Vlad will not be running with you today.”

Father reached out and caught the back of my head. “You do not realize the power you have now. Pull your punches with your family, Skell. Still, it is better to discover just how strong you are in a somewhat controlled situation.”

“Understood Father.” I lowered myself to the ground and lapped at the blood that had trailed out of Vladimir’s ear. I whispered to him. “To the victor go the spoils.”

He twitched.

The chain of command has been established. I climbed to my feet and looked over my troop of Lycan. I was met eye to eye with confidence. I had established my authority and had shown them that I was worthy of being followed. “Manu, you’re ranging now. Get your clothes. Let’s move out.”

The black brown Lycan tore back to the Great Hall. A Loyal was holding the elevator and bowed as Haley bounced in first and I followed him. The rest of the Imperials crowded in with us. The doors were beginning to close when Manu squeezed his way in. A sweet smile passed between him and the redhead. Hmmmm. The silence was heavy. “What?”

Haley turned towards me and then tossed his arms around me. “No one can even touch Vladimir. He is that strong and quick. That is why is he Alpha Leader. You knocked him to the floor with one punch.”

“I attacked while I had the advantage.”

Manu turned to me, “That is what you do in war.”

“He is my Leader.”

“That was your unwanted mate, sniffing around were he shouldn’t have been. It is bad enough he has taken comfort with the Empress.” Pytor added.

What? Wait. “I’m mated to him?”

Haley looked up at me from his hold on my chest. “You are not mated with him. That cut to his ear was discipline. He claims you are his mate because of that. I witnessed the act. There was no intent of claiming.”

The elevator door opened and Haley dumped me and bounded out. That boy had energy.

The rest of the elevator emptied. Manu bowed his head and held out his hand for me to pause. The elevator doors slid closed. “I may be speaking out of turn but Haley is still an idealistic pup for all that he has been through. You cannot deny Vladimir as a mate, Lord Alpha. Within the pack, lesser mates may bond with each other without repercussions. If you were to turn Vladimir out, that would mean that your Empress has been unfaithful and that means death in Lycan law, as well as Vampiric. The litter is killed to prevent taint.”

I moved fast. I grabbed his throat and rammed him hard up against the side of the car. He groaned as I lifted him off his feet. “You dare threaten my children and their mother?”

/Not us. The Females…/ I loosed my hold and dropped him back to his feet. He coughed and wheezed then cleared his throat. “The Female Alphas are the guardians of the blood line. They can tear apart a newborn pup. What chance do you think your litter would have against them if there is even a question of scandal? Until your litter is old enough to sprout wings, and show that they are truly your offspring, Vladimir must remain your mate.”

I was horrified. “What are we doing with them then?”

“The Female Alpha is a double edged sword, Lord Alpha. They are strong protectors. They will kill to defend your young. They will lay down their lives to allow your litter another day. They can cut just as deeply. They are a weapon. If you regard them as such, and know that it cuts both ways, you will be able to wield the Females effectively.”

“The brothers know nothing of this.”

“The Female Alphas arrived the day before the wedding. Lord Alpha met them briefly before you were taken from us.”

I dropped my hand away from him completely and touched my forehead. Too much. Too much, too quickly. I was being overwhelmed. What had father said, welcome to my new life. Holy crap. Then I realized I had picked up a man roughly the same size as me with one hand and held him over my head. How bloody strong am I? I looked down at my hand. I didn’t feel any different. Shouldn’t I?

The elevator door opened and Haley looked at us. “Are we running or not? You have to be back by 7:30 to get a shower and get ready for the office.”

“Thank you Manu.”

“No problem, Lord Alpha. I live to serve.”

“Let me warm up, Pup.” That nick name popped out of my mouth without my thought. I paused. “Is that alright?”

“You are the only ones to call me Pup. I don’t mind. Warm up, Alpha. I’ll run you to ground.”

“So you think.”

“You said you weren’t as fast as Sex. He is the only one who has caught me.”

I did my stretches to warm my muscles. I didn’t need to tear anything. The run would have to be short…but it could be quick. I gestured for Haley to lead the way. I was out in the early morning dawn and I wasn’t getting week. I was running outside. I wasn’t lying when I told Father I loved this. This was mine. Orel Wessel couldn’t take it away because if they tried it just back fired on them. While I was on exercise regime, I was free. My muscles burned because I pushed them too hard. My chest hurt because I was pushing myself too hard. I did it. Me. I threw back my head and laughed. The brothers didn’t want this so it was mine here too.

Haley grinned back at me. “Pick it up.” This light jogging had loosened everything up. Haley started high stepping away from me. Uh uh. I was not eating anyone’s dust. Xavier had spoken about lightening our weight, this was for flying and for running. I had no idea what he was referring. I had always run this way. Apparently I was using the blue line gifts without knowledge. I stayed on Haley’s shoulder. He glanced back once to see how far I was behind him. He almost tripped and fell on his face when he saw how close I was to him..

The four legged bodyguards were up with us but that was expected, they had two more legs to work with. The city was beginning to stir. Haley turned down another street and we ran towards greenery. A large park was up ahead.

I heard a scream.

I faltered and skidded to a halt. Baojgia yipped and everyone spun back towards me. There it was again. I started across the street.

/Lord Alpha?/

“Don’t you hear it?”

It was faint now. I broke into a flat out run towards a shade hidden alley. I snapped down crystal vision and I could see the two men in the alley. One was latched onto the other, by the neck. The other man, the screamer pushed weakly at the other one. Vampire.

I thought I was making too much noise to sneak up on him but he was intent on what he was doing. I ran up and yanked at the back of his head. His fangs ripped out of the young man’s throat and he dropped to the dirty pavement. I shoved the other vampire hard against the wall. He went smack like spaghetti hitting a wall. He hung there for a moment then slid down.

“What the fuck do you thing you’re doing, Asshole. That piece of ass is mine,”

“He’s screaming.”

“I like them to scream.” The young man bled out on the sidewalk. There wasn’t much blood left in him.

I turned my gaze back to the young man. His eyes weren’t that old. A Fledgling most likely. Blood stained his lips, ran around his mouth and down his chin. He looked like a sick parody of a clown “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Dances with wolves? I’m in my House designated hunting grounds.”

His face contorted and he turned and vomited all the blood he had gorged out of the now dead human against the building’s wall. “For sport? You took this man’s life for sport?”

“What else are humans for?”

“You were a human once.”

“Once.” He spat out lingering blood and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Jees, man, you need some color. You look like Casper.”

“You didn’t even keep the essence you stole from him.”

“I was full.”

My face must have looked strange because Manu and Pytor popped up in front of me. “We need to go.”

“Yeah, go away little 10%.”

10 per cent? Oh, ah. Funny. 10% creamer. White as milk. Real original. I reached over Manu and punched the little fucker in the face. He went staggering back and tripped over the body. He landed in his own mess.

“Who the hell do you think you’re messing with?”

“Tell me.”

“Barry Kench.”

I shrugged.

“Son to Elizabeth Kench.”

“Not ringing any bells.”

“Part of the House of Du Bussey.”

“Is that supposed to mean something?”

“My House is the feeder to the House of Assassins.”

I let a slow smile cross my face. “You claim to be of the House of Du Bussey. Do you know the Code?”

“The Assassin’s Code.”

I smiled wider.

“What are you grinning at?”

“Section 1.1, subsection 1, paragraph A. That individuals who are caught divulging secrets of the House of Assassins are subject to immediate censure by any ranked member of aforementioned House. Censure is corporeal punishment up to and including termination.”

Barry’s face blanched whiter than mine. He took a step backwards into the stickiness of the blood. Sang Ku had come around him from behind cutting off his retreat. “What the hell. It was just a human.”

“Before was just bad manners. Playing with you food. This is about ethics.”

“Who the hell are you?”

“Does it matter? Any ranked member can carry out the sentence.”

The fledgling wet himself. Sang Ku snarled as the strong stench of ammonia assaulted his sensitive snout. I shook my head and turned away from the messy scene. It was just a stupid kid.

“Don’t you walk away from me!” The gunshot sounded and I smelt the bullet pass by me. I pivoted took four steps back to the pissy wet boy and wrenched his neck to the left. There was a low pop as my vertebrate broke. He gasped for air and his eyes were wide and wild. I dropped him to back to the alley floor.

“I guess we will have to censure you.”

“Who…who….who…”

“…said the owl as he fell out of the tree.”

I nodded to Haley. He stepped up to the dying vampire then squatted beside his head. “That, is Blood Emperor Xavier the First, Head of the House of Assassins.”

“I didn’t know…..I…. didn’t know…..didn’t kno…..”

I looked down at the corpse laying in the flith he had created. Was this why Xavier and the others didn’t hang around other Vampires? They were all so…unseemly.

“Well, Mr. Kench. Now you do.” I gestured for my Lycan to follow me and we walked to the end of the alley. I blinked as the sun rose up over a building casting the whole of the street into a soft pink light of a new day. Welcome to the first day of my new life. Killing was still a big part of it. Crap.


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