Clove : Book 4 of Lord Emperor Vampire Series
folder
Vampire › Slash - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
49
Views:
22,829
Reviews:
795
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Category:
Vampire › Slash - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
49
Views:
22,829
Reviews:
795
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
1
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
Circle
Yes, it’s short, but it was a good place to stop. This was so quick to write. Ahhh, it’s good to be back. Big sigh. About frickin time too if I must say so myself. Happy post turkey day to one and all fellow Canucks. I didn’t get any turkey (wah) the family got all our wires crossed about who was hosting it so I ended up eating squash and not going anywhere. Comedy of errors there. So I’m off to get my own little slab of turkey and going to cook it up on the barbie. (BBQ not the anatomically impossible plastic doll.)
Vlad and the Females
As long as the Female Alphas believe that Vladimir is just one of X’s minor mates, his finding comfort with the Empress is all fine and dandy. The rest of the male alpha knows that Vlad is NOT a true mate. They have never consummated their bonding. The one time Sex did have…er…sex with Vald is was the initial domination of the Alpha pack. Skell didn’t know the dynamic and almost got the winglets killed. That just shows that Skell does not fit in with the pod as seamlessly as one would hope.
How to pronounce Raissa’s name?
I’ve been mentally calling out “Ray is sah”. This might not be right. I think K offered up the original name. Am I close, K?
Xavier and discipline
Little girls are X’s weakness and might even be his Achilles heel – well aside from sweets. Through the four books, he has not been able to take care of business with little girls. Princess Sarah came back and took a big chunk out of his ass. His own little girls, and little female puppies are going to walk all over him unless he gets help from Uncle Armor; Uncle Marcus; Ded; Deduschka and Prebabka. (Which for some reason, Hades doesn’t mind begin called great grandma.)
So here is my offering to the Loyal: Laur; Rosemary;Rosei;lone_child; milkxness; ayachan; duelriel; k; spirit; Marin Luliz and Steph 291
As always - Enjoy…
Chapter 173: Circle
I never have really flown with Sasha. Well we were flying together but we were kicking the shit out of each other so that wasn’t fun. I knew his wing span was damned expansive and he knew how to use them but it still wasn’t for fun. Well, this still wasn’t pure fun but I barrel rolled around Claudius. I ran my hands up his stomach as I zipped past him. His wing twitched to the left and he banked hard, unintentionally. He crashed through the upper canopy.
Oh holy crap.
“Kitty!” I banked and circled back and dived through the tops of the trees.. I dissolved my wings and landed on a wide branch. “SASHA!”
I got a hand wrapped in my hair and jerked backwards to the trunk of the tree. “Do not touch me when we are flying again.”
“Are you hurt?”
“You tell me.” I turned. Oh my…he was cut open to the bone on his cheek I raised my hand and ran my finger down the long cut letting the healing light run through my hand along my lover’s skin.
“I’m sorry.” My eyes teared up.
“I am not as maneuverable. You are a humming bird. I am a hawk.”
“All better now.” I stroked his cheek as tears streamed over my eyelids.
“Do not cry, Fallen. I was not expecting your skill. I still remember you crashing as you tried to fly. Well it was Xavier. It was like watching an albatross. Horrid but I could not look away. You have improved leaps and bounds over that time.” He hugged me up in the treetop -- Tarzan and Boy. Well, that was disturbing imagery.. He clipped my chin and lifted my head. A kiss so sweet and tender set my body a tingle. Hmmmm.
“Is this woo?” I whispered against his warm skin.
“Do I not deserve it?”
“You deserve pink fluffy slippers, and a big red gorillas and…”
“Gorillas?”
“And chocolates and hearts…”
“Sex.”
“I want to buy you things…which I have to anyway cause I destroyed everything you owned.”
“Fallen.” I looked up at my Vampire. His eyes glittered. Yeah, they truly did. I smiled up at him. His finger tips traced my white eyebrow then circled around the slightly greenish yellow bruise that was almost, but not quiet gone. “Pick any day. I will marry you in front of the pod. You have always placed me first in your heart. You have shown me time and time again what you will do for me. You shattered your pelvis to protect me. All the fluffy slippers or red gorillas are not necessary. You make me warm inside…”
He picked up my palm and flattened it against his chest. “I may not have much of a heart to give you Fallen, but it is yours.”
/HEY! Turtledoves./ I glanced down to the bottom of the tree. Her majesty was standing there in all her redness. /Sorry to interrupt, put if you ain’t getting it on, get down here. One Orel Wessel is on tap, a little chewed but otherwise unharmed./
“The hunt was successful.”
Sasha still had me by my hair. He pivoted and I ended up back first against the trunk of the tree. I closed my eyes and waited. I didn’t have to wait long. I got a Sasha special. It was his normal intensity. Come with me or get run over. Match me or submit. Surpass me if you can. Take me if you are able or I will just take you to our mutual satisfaction. Oh yeah, my Sasha new how to kiss. I didn’t need to breathe. His tongue stroked the inside of my mouth. I lifted my leg and wrapped it around the back of his right leg. This pushed my groin up into the hallow of his hip bone.
/Heeelllllooooooo?/
Damn. I set my arms against his shoulders and pushed him back. Our lips didn’t leave each other.
“You pick the day. I will dress in my leather finery. I will sweep you away.”
“To woo?”
“You will be wooed out of your beautiful head. Let us get what we need from this Orel Wessel. Are you going to do it?”
I frowned up at him. “Why wouldn’t I? I’m number one after all. Besides, Azrael and Skell would be in a fury bezerker mode. X…fuck it, I’m here because you are and I ain’t leaving just yet.”
“You can do this?”
“I have absolutely no problem retrieving information, but I really don’t need to retrieve information. I already know what this recon is doing.” I smiled once then lightened my weight and stepped off the branch. I willed my wings out and back flapped down to the ground.
I landed with style. Just how I planned, thank god. This Orel Wessel wasn’t someone familiar but he was more than just a raw recruit. He was pretty mangled. I glanced over to the Alphas and saw that Manu was a little worse for wear. Sasha landed behind me but he hit hard. I could feel empathy for the pain that was shooting up his feet into his shins. I moved forward to get the man’s attention on the white demon of death.
“Greetings Orel Wessel. I thought I shook the filth off my feet when my family came for me.”
“Edward…you need your meds.” Vladimir punched in him the back of the head. He grunted and fell to his hands.
“Hmmmm, I don’t think so. Been there, done that. Don’t even want the freaking free t-shirt. Radio?” Sang Ku handed over a miniature com device. “Codes.”
“I won’t tell you….” He gurgled as I touched his forehead and took what I asked for. I let him go before he turned into a broccoli. He just slumped over. “Don’t let him choke to death. I might need his lungs later.”
Vladimir pulled “John” upright. I glanced over at my black winged lover, “You okay?”
Sasha winced and tried to walk it off. “Just peachy.”
“You got to really lighten your weight when you come to a standing land. I feel your pain.”
“Oh, I wish you could be feeling it now.”
“You break something?”
“Just my pride.” Sasha willed away his wings and stagger walked the sharp pains away.
I stuck the receiver in my ear and then the sticky patch to my throat. “Roamer Four calling Handler. Roamer Four calling Handler.”
“Channel is to remain clear, Roamer Four. Unless contact had been made.”
“Contact has been made. Patch me through internal coms to extension 4322.”
“That is unauthorized.”
“Really? Hmmm. Let me see if I can remember the code. Ah, Thanatos Prime. Patch me through to the Doc.”
I heard a loud crash. I think someone just broke their coffee cup. I heard swearing. Oh yeah, coffee seeping through delicate instruments. Someone’s ass was grass.
“Edward….you need your meds.” What was this, a set script?
“Don’t need to speak to a lower level grunt. Extention 4322 in fifteen seconds or I’m ending communications and you know what will happen to you when your incompetence is revealed to your superiors.”
“I’ve never transferred this before.”
“Trace won’t work. Get me the Doc now. 15, 14, 13…”
“Wait! Wait….I…”
“12, 11…”
My earpiece started ringing. “Kruger. What is it?”
“I have a dream to tell you about.”
There was a moment of silence. “Edward?”
“I had a dream that the world was on fire and I laughed as it burned.”
“Edward…you need your shot. You are not thinking clearly.”
“Maybe…”
“Where are you, Edward?”
“In a place you tried to erase, that you tried to make me forget.”
“You need to come home. Everyone is searching for you. Bring Kevin with you.”
“Kevin’s dead.”
“You don’t need to be alone out there. Make your way to a pick up point.”
“I’m hungry…”
“All the more reason for you to come in, Edward. You know you cannot process pure Human blood. It will only make you worse. If you have to, find the Covens and feed there.”
“You want me to eat fledglings?” My gaze narrowed down to the Orel Wessel representative. I could feel fury building up inside me.
“That is what they are there for. What happened, Edward? What happened on the roof? The whole team just disappeared. You can talk to me. You know you can always talk to me.”
“You can’t trace me.” I hadn’t tested it but I knew that Skells metal wings was strong enough to contain the blue line power, a simple communication device was nothing. “Leave me a couple of epi-pens in a drop zone.”
“You need to come in, Edward. Teams are out looking for you. They have orders to terminate if you do not willingly follow orders. What happened to Kevin?”
“He shot me. I killed him. He probably burnt up in the sun.”
“I’ll find you a more suitable companion. Someone you won’t have to force into bed.”
“You’ll get me a gay fledgling?”
“Or, we can make you one.”
“You’ll make a homosexual into a vampire just to keep me happy.”
“You are special, Edward. You know you’ve always been special. You must be very hungry. You need your shot to keep the wasting sickness at bay. You know how weak you get. You get too weak, the sun will harm you. You are staying out of the sun, right?”
“Kruger…”
“Edward…”
“Why did you pick Kevin?”
“We paid a vampire to make him. He physically was close to BetaZ-4.”
What? Fucking bastards. “I want to pick my own companion.”
“You don’t have the strength to make him, Edward.”
“I’ll pick him, you make him mine.”
“That sounds like you’re coming in…”
“I’m tired and it’s getting cold. My head hurts and I’m hungry.”
“You were very brave surviving on your own these past four days, Edward. You’ve never been alone before. You haven’t killed any humans have you?”
“I haven’t eaten anyone.”
“Have you eaten at all?”
“Regular food.”
“You need blood. Come in. Come in tonight, Edward. I’ll make arrangements to have blood packs there. Come home, Edward. Come back to us.”
“Us, meaning Orel Wessel?”
“Yes, come back to Orel Wessel. We will take care of you. You will be burning soon. You do not want to be alone when that happens.”
“Krugar…”
“Yes, Edward.”
“I took his radio. John found me but he didn’t want to listen. I hurt him. I think I killed him. I took his weapons and his radio. Am I in trouble?”
“I’ll talk to who I have to. You’re not right in the head. You need your shot. It’s been four days, you must be hurting really bad..”
“You’ll be there. At the pickup point?”
“Do you want me to be?”
“You have no idea how much I want to see your face. I miss Darius. I miss Kevin.”
“I said, we’ll get you a new companion. You can pick one out.”
“And you’ll get a vampire to make him like me.”
“Yes, Edward. We’ll get you a homosexual and turn him into a vampire, just for you. He’ll make you content and keep you from being lonely.”
“I’ll find the roof of the garage by midnight. Will Orel Wessel be mad?”
“The Generals will be angry. I will be there. I will have your shot ready. Your head must be killing you. Come home Edward.”
“You promise to be there?”
“I promise, Edward.”
“Don’t disappoint me.”
I hung up. The Orel Wessel prisoner looked up at me a little shaken with a bitch of a headache. I peeled the sticky back from the mic from my skin. I rubbed at the little patch of redness. Sasha stepped up, licked his thumb then rubbed his thumb in a circular pattern on it dissolving the glue residue from my flesh. I leaned back against my black haired support pole. “Well you heard the Doc. Sorry about your luck Orel Wessel, but you’ve just been made expendable. Make it last. Make it hurt.”
It was gruesome. A human ripped apart by wolves. He fought, but it was useless. Sang Ku finally silenced him with a strategic throat slash. I didn’t look away. You reap what you sow. I just reaped a little bit back of my soul that they had tried to stomp under heel. Tonight, I’d reap a little more. For all of us.
/Marcus?/
/Nothing. There is nothing else out here. It was this just a blind guess?/
/We are going to have to go with a blind guess. At least that is what I got off of our little friend. I’ve planted doubt Roamer 4 ever got to his destination. I hope Orel Wessel thinks I’m still in the city. See you back at the House./ I turned back to my Sasha.
“Let me get rid of the evidence. Grab the Kevlar and his weapons.” I tossed Sasha the radio and started stripping off. I could hand of light the corpse, but that just blew it to pieces like a land mine. If someone is diligent enough, they could find most of the pieces. I needed to get rid of it completely. No kilt. I hadn’t been planning on burning anyone to ash this night anyways. “I’ll meet you back at the House.” I growled to my pack. They howled in victory then turned and bolted back to the main buildings. Vladimir bowed his massive white head then turned and loped after the rest.
“Sex.”
“You hear? They have a pet Vampire that turns humans into fledglings. They picked Kevin because he looked like Darius, who they killed on Skell as a lesson in control. They want me to pick out my next companion so I’ll stay all nice and controllable. A human. They’ll make him kid durable for me. It’s easier for Orel Wessel when I got someone to protect.”
“They will pay for all their misdeeds, My Lord Emperor.”
“Tt was gross when I thought they were just picking up Coven fledglings. To pick and chose from their own kind and deliberately make them into test subjects.” I shivered as the cool night hit my nakedness. “Are you behind me on this, Sasha?”
“I’m beside you, Sex. I am your sword. Ash this mess. We have plans to make if you are flying back into the lion’s den at midnight.”
Sasha backed off about twenty feet. The Phoenix roared out of me easily. I let my fire wings encircle the ground that had blood splatter and body parts. Burning a perfect circle into the damp grass the cooling air of night had deposited. I made sure nothing was left then angled my wings slightly rising up off the ground. I felt wind hit my back. I glanced over and was great black wings flapping, lifting my lover off the ground behind me. That’s one thing I can’t do, a standing flight. My feather wings were too small. I smiled in appreciation as the Black Death followed me up into the sky. His hands were filled with my discarded clothes and Orel Wessel gear.
I left a fiery trail behind me. I made sure I was higher than Sasha. I didn’t want to knock him out of the sky with a phoenix wing. Things were starting to come together. Orel Wessel had roots. Not only was I going to have to cut off the bud, I was going to have to start weeding through the Vampire Nation.
Kevin was in love with his maker. If what Kruger said was true, they had him all picked out for when they had to replace Darius. Kevin was never a coven fledgling. He had been tagged for Skell from day one. He took the Covenant. He willingly took the bite and the birthing – and it was all a lie. Kevin had been fucked over in more ways than one.
I glanced down, I was circling the house. I was leaving a fire trail behind me, almost closing it in a complete circle. I watched as Sasha eased himself down. I grinned as he really took the effort to lighten his weight. He didn’t land flattening his arches this time. Marcus and the Loyal came out of the woods to the right. The pack was still coming. I dissolved the phoenix and pulled out my feathers. The phoenix trail still burnt above me as I starting soaring down to the ground. A perfect circle.
What goes around, comes around. It was about time for Orel Wessel to meet the Head of the House of Assassins.
Tick Tock.
* * *
Vlad and the Females
As long as the Female Alphas believe that Vladimir is just one of X’s minor mates, his finding comfort with the Empress is all fine and dandy. The rest of the male alpha knows that Vlad is NOT a true mate. They have never consummated their bonding. The one time Sex did have…er…sex with Vald is was the initial domination of the Alpha pack. Skell didn’t know the dynamic and almost got the winglets killed. That just shows that Skell does not fit in with the pod as seamlessly as one would hope.
How to pronounce Raissa’s name?
I’ve been mentally calling out “Ray is sah”. This might not be right. I think K offered up the original name. Am I close, K?
Xavier and discipline
Little girls are X’s weakness and might even be his Achilles heel – well aside from sweets. Through the four books, he has not been able to take care of business with little girls. Princess Sarah came back and took a big chunk out of his ass. His own little girls, and little female puppies are going to walk all over him unless he gets help from Uncle Armor; Uncle Marcus; Ded; Deduschka and Prebabka. (Which for some reason, Hades doesn’t mind begin called great grandma.)
So here is my offering to the Loyal: Laur; Rosemary;Rosei;lone_child; milkxness; ayachan; duelriel; k; spirit; Marin Luliz and Steph 291
As always - Enjoy…
Chapter 173: Circle
I never have really flown with Sasha. Well we were flying together but we were kicking the shit out of each other so that wasn’t fun. I knew his wing span was damned expansive and he knew how to use them but it still wasn’t for fun. Well, this still wasn’t pure fun but I barrel rolled around Claudius. I ran my hands up his stomach as I zipped past him. His wing twitched to the left and he banked hard, unintentionally. He crashed through the upper canopy.
Oh holy crap.
“Kitty!” I banked and circled back and dived through the tops of the trees.. I dissolved my wings and landed on a wide branch. “SASHA!”
I got a hand wrapped in my hair and jerked backwards to the trunk of the tree. “Do not touch me when we are flying again.”
“Are you hurt?”
“You tell me.” I turned. Oh my…he was cut open to the bone on his cheek I raised my hand and ran my finger down the long cut letting the healing light run through my hand along my lover’s skin.
“I’m sorry.” My eyes teared up.
“I am not as maneuverable. You are a humming bird. I am a hawk.”
“All better now.” I stroked his cheek as tears streamed over my eyelids.
“Do not cry, Fallen. I was not expecting your skill. I still remember you crashing as you tried to fly. Well it was Xavier. It was like watching an albatross. Horrid but I could not look away. You have improved leaps and bounds over that time.” He hugged me up in the treetop -- Tarzan and Boy. Well, that was disturbing imagery.. He clipped my chin and lifted my head. A kiss so sweet and tender set my body a tingle. Hmmmm.
“Is this woo?” I whispered against his warm skin.
“Do I not deserve it?”
“You deserve pink fluffy slippers, and a big red gorillas and…”
“Gorillas?”
“And chocolates and hearts…”
“Sex.”
“I want to buy you things…which I have to anyway cause I destroyed everything you owned.”
“Fallen.” I looked up at my Vampire. His eyes glittered. Yeah, they truly did. I smiled up at him. His finger tips traced my white eyebrow then circled around the slightly greenish yellow bruise that was almost, but not quiet gone. “Pick any day. I will marry you in front of the pod. You have always placed me first in your heart. You have shown me time and time again what you will do for me. You shattered your pelvis to protect me. All the fluffy slippers or red gorillas are not necessary. You make me warm inside…”
He picked up my palm and flattened it against his chest. “I may not have much of a heart to give you Fallen, but it is yours.”
/HEY! Turtledoves./ I glanced down to the bottom of the tree. Her majesty was standing there in all her redness. /Sorry to interrupt, put if you ain’t getting it on, get down here. One Orel Wessel is on tap, a little chewed but otherwise unharmed./
“The hunt was successful.”
Sasha still had me by my hair. He pivoted and I ended up back first against the trunk of the tree. I closed my eyes and waited. I didn’t have to wait long. I got a Sasha special. It was his normal intensity. Come with me or get run over. Match me or submit. Surpass me if you can. Take me if you are able or I will just take you to our mutual satisfaction. Oh yeah, my Sasha new how to kiss. I didn’t need to breathe. His tongue stroked the inside of my mouth. I lifted my leg and wrapped it around the back of his right leg. This pushed my groin up into the hallow of his hip bone.
/Heeelllllooooooo?/
Damn. I set my arms against his shoulders and pushed him back. Our lips didn’t leave each other.
“You pick the day. I will dress in my leather finery. I will sweep you away.”
“To woo?”
“You will be wooed out of your beautiful head. Let us get what we need from this Orel Wessel. Are you going to do it?”
I frowned up at him. “Why wouldn’t I? I’m number one after all. Besides, Azrael and Skell would be in a fury bezerker mode. X…fuck it, I’m here because you are and I ain’t leaving just yet.”
“You can do this?”
“I have absolutely no problem retrieving information, but I really don’t need to retrieve information. I already know what this recon is doing.” I smiled once then lightened my weight and stepped off the branch. I willed my wings out and back flapped down to the ground.
I landed with style. Just how I planned, thank god. This Orel Wessel wasn’t someone familiar but he was more than just a raw recruit. He was pretty mangled. I glanced over to the Alphas and saw that Manu was a little worse for wear. Sasha landed behind me but he hit hard. I could feel empathy for the pain that was shooting up his feet into his shins. I moved forward to get the man’s attention on the white demon of death.
“Greetings Orel Wessel. I thought I shook the filth off my feet when my family came for me.”
“Edward…you need your meds.” Vladimir punched in him the back of the head. He grunted and fell to his hands.
“Hmmmm, I don’t think so. Been there, done that. Don’t even want the freaking free t-shirt. Radio?” Sang Ku handed over a miniature com device. “Codes.”
“I won’t tell you….” He gurgled as I touched his forehead and took what I asked for. I let him go before he turned into a broccoli. He just slumped over. “Don’t let him choke to death. I might need his lungs later.”
Vladimir pulled “John” upright. I glanced over at my black winged lover, “You okay?”
Sasha winced and tried to walk it off. “Just peachy.”
“You got to really lighten your weight when you come to a standing land. I feel your pain.”
“Oh, I wish you could be feeling it now.”
“You break something?”
“Just my pride.” Sasha willed away his wings and stagger walked the sharp pains away.
I stuck the receiver in my ear and then the sticky patch to my throat. “Roamer Four calling Handler. Roamer Four calling Handler.”
“Channel is to remain clear, Roamer Four. Unless contact had been made.”
“Contact has been made. Patch me through internal coms to extension 4322.”
“That is unauthorized.”
“Really? Hmmm. Let me see if I can remember the code. Ah, Thanatos Prime. Patch me through to the Doc.”
I heard a loud crash. I think someone just broke their coffee cup. I heard swearing. Oh yeah, coffee seeping through delicate instruments. Someone’s ass was grass.
“Edward….you need your meds.” What was this, a set script?
“Don’t need to speak to a lower level grunt. Extention 4322 in fifteen seconds or I’m ending communications and you know what will happen to you when your incompetence is revealed to your superiors.”
“I’ve never transferred this before.”
“Trace won’t work. Get me the Doc now. 15, 14, 13…”
“Wait! Wait….I…”
“12, 11…”
My earpiece started ringing. “Kruger. What is it?”
“I have a dream to tell you about.”
There was a moment of silence. “Edward?”
“I had a dream that the world was on fire and I laughed as it burned.”
“Edward…you need your shot. You are not thinking clearly.”
“Maybe…”
“Where are you, Edward?”
“In a place you tried to erase, that you tried to make me forget.”
“You need to come home. Everyone is searching for you. Bring Kevin with you.”
“Kevin’s dead.”
“You don’t need to be alone out there. Make your way to a pick up point.”
“I’m hungry…”
“All the more reason for you to come in, Edward. You know you cannot process pure Human blood. It will only make you worse. If you have to, find the Covens and feed there.”
“You want me to eat fledglings?” My gaze narrowed down to the Orel Wessel representative. I could feel fury building up inside me.
“That is what they are there for. What happened, Edward? What happened on the roof? The whole team just disappeared. You can talk to me. You know you can always talk to me.”
“You can’t trace me.” I hadn’t tested it but I knew that Skells metal wings was strong enough to contain the blue line power, a simple communication device was nothing. “Leave me a couple of epi-pens in a drop zone.”
“You need to come in, Edward. Teams are out looking for you. They have orders to terminate if you do not willingly follow orders. What happened to Kevin?”
“He shot me. I killed him. He probably burnt up in the sun.”
“I’ll find you a more suitable companion. Someone you won’t have to force into bed.”
“You’ll get me a gay fledgling?”
“Or, we can make you one.”
“You’ll make a homosexual into a vampire just to keep me happy.”
“You are special, Edward. You know you’ve always been special. You must be very hungry. You need your shot to keep the wasting sickness at bay. You know how weak you get. You get too weak, the sun will harm you. You are staying out of the sun, right?”
“Kruger…”
“Edward…”
“Why did you pick Kevin?”
“We paid a vampire to make him. He physically was close to BetaZ-4.”
What? Fucking bastards. “I want to pick my own companion.”
“You don’t have the strength to make him, Edward.”
“I’ll pick him, you make him mine.”
“That sounds like you’re coming in…”
“I’m tired and it’s getting cold. My head hurts and I’m hungry.”
“You were very brave surviving on your own these past four days, Edward. You’ve never been alone before. You haven’t killed any humans have you?”
“I haven’t eaten anyone.”
“Have you eaten at all?”
“Regular food.”
“You need blood. Come in. Come in tonight, Edward. I’ll make arrangements to have blood packs there. Come home, Edward. Come back to us.”
“Us, meaning Orel Wessel?”
“Yes, come back to Orel Wessel. We will take care of you. You will be burning soon. You do not want to be alone when that happens.”
“Krugar…”
“Yes, Edward.”
“I took his radio. John found me but he didn’t want to listen. I hurt him. I think I killed him. I took his weapons and his radio. Am I in trouble?”
“I’ll talk to who I have to. You’re not right in the head. You need your shot. It’s been four days, you must be hurting really bad..”
“You’ll be there. At the pickup point?”
“Do you want me to be?”
“You have no idea how much I want to see your face. I miss Darius. I miss Kevin.”
“I said, we’ll get you a new companion. You can pick one out.”
“And you’ll get a vampire to make him like me.”
“Yes, Edward. We’ll get you a homosexual and turn him into a vampire, just for you. He’ll make you content and keep you from being lonely.”
“I’ll find the roof of the garage by midnight. Will Orel Wessel be mad?”
“The Generals will be angry. I will be there. I will have your shot ready. Your head must be killing you. Come home Edward.”
“You promise to be there?”
“I promise, Edward.”
“Don’t disappoint me.”
I hung up. The Orel Wessel prisoner looked up at me a little shaken with a bitch of a headache. I peeled the sticky back from the mic from my skin. I rubbed at the little patch of redness. Sasha stepped up, licked his thumb then rubbed his thumb in a circular pattern on it dissolving the glue residue from my flesh. I leaned back against my black haired support pole. “Well you heard the Doc. Sorry about your luck Orel Wessel, but you’ve just been made expendable. Make it last. Make it hurt.”
It was gruesome. A human ripped apart by wolves. He fought, but it was useless. Sang Ku finally silenced him with a strategic throat slash. I didn’t look away. You reap what you sow. I just reaped a little bit back of my soul that they had tried to stomp under heel. Tonight, I’d reap a little more. For all of us.
/Marcus?/
/Nothing. There is nothing else out here. It was this just a blind guess?/
/We are going to have to go with a blind guess. At least that is what I got off of our little friend. I’ve planted doubt Roamer 4 ever got to his destination. I hope Orel Wessel thinks I’m still in the city. See you back at the House./ I turned back to my Sasha.
“Let me get rid of the evidence. Grab the Kevlar and his weapons.” I tossed Sasha the radio and started stripping off. I could hand of light the corpse, but that just blew it to pieces like a land mine. If someone is diligent enough, they could find most of the pieces. I needed to get rid of it completely. No kilt. I hadn’t been planning on burning anyone to ash this night anyways. “I’ll meet you back at the House.” I growled to my pack. They howled in victory then turned and bolted back to the main buildings. Vladimir bowed his massive white head then turned and loped after the rest.
“Sex.”
“You hear? They have a pet Vampire that turns humans into fledglings. They picked Kevin because he looked like Darius, who they killed on Skell as a lesson in control. They want me to pick out my next companion so I’ll stay all nice and controllable. A human. They’ll make him kid durable for me. It’s easier for Orel Wessel when I got someone to protect.”
“They will pay for all their misdeeds, My Lord Emperor.”
“Tt was gross when I thought they were just picking up Coven fledglings. To pick and chose from their own kind and deliberately make them into test subjects.” I shivered as the cool night hit my nakedness. “Are you behind me on this, Sasha?”
“I’m beside you, Sex. I am your sword. Ash this mess. We have plans to make if you are flying back into the lion’s den at midnight.”
Sasha backed off about twenty feet. The Phoenix roared out of me easily. I let my fire wings encircle the ground that had blood splatter and body parts. Burning a perfect circle into the damp grass the cooling air of night had deposited. I made sure nothing was left then angled my wings slightly rising up off the ground. I felt wind hit my back. I glanced over and was great black wings flapping, lifting my lover off the ground behind me. That’s one thing I can’t do, a standing flight. My feather wings were too small. I smiled in appreciation as the Black Death followed me up into the sky. His hands were filled with my discarded clothes and Orel Wessel gear.
I left a fiery trail behind me. I made sure I was higher than Sasha. I didn’t want to knock him out of the sky with a phoenix wing. Things were starting to come together. Orel Wessel had roots. Not only was I going to have to cut off the bud, I was going to have to start weeding through the Vampire Nation.
Kevin was in love with his maker. If what Kruger said was true, they had him all picked out for when they had to replace Darius. Kevin was never a coven fledgling. He had been tagged for Skell from day one. He took the Covenant. He willingly took the bite and the birthing – and it was all a lie. Kevin had been fucked over in more ways than one.
I glanced down, I was circling the house. I was leaving a fire trail behind me, almost closing it in a complete circle. I watched as Sasha eased himself down. I grinned as he really took the effort to lighten his weight. He didn’t land flattening his arches this time. Marcus and the Loyal came out of the woods to the right. The pack was still coming. I dissolved the phoenix and pulled out my feathers. The phoenix trail still burnt above me as I starting soaring down to the ground. A perfect circle.
What goes around, comes around. It was about time for Orel Wessel to meet the Head of the House of Assassins.
Tick Tock.
* * *