Caramel: Book 3 of the Lord Emperor Vampire Series

Drive by and drop…Q&A later gater
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Good Morning. My dog woke me up at 5:03 a.m. I have been repeating my mantra – I love my boy, I love my boy. Well, since I’m up at this ungodly hour, here I am.

Shiden
Q: When do the female Lycan’s arrive?
A: They will be arriving after the smaller intimate wedding. The big pomp and ceremonial wedding will occur after the birth of the triplets.

Q: who is stronger, hades/laim or leo?
A: Hades is stronger. 900+ years old. Liam and Leo are pretty well matched. Claudius is below Leo – he is younger by about seventy-five (vampire) years. And…Leo cheats, he never attacks by himself.

Dark Avenger
You pick them out, I’ll fix them. Thank you. Mauh!

The reporter. The only thing I can think of is that, he allowed X to shoot him, and he prayed. X had to finish the Lord’s Prayer for him. He had just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and he was more of an innocent than most X had assassinated.

K:
Endellion & merging
Liam is warily of her. She only talks to Sex. Both Sex and Azrael have her- Xavier does not. She is a mysterious and deadly entity. I believe she is more than just a sword. She has her own agenda and it deals with a river a blood and despair for all the fourteen Blood Nations. I just had a thought…it may not pan out or anything but, what if she is the Darkness that has been calling to Az? He is afraid of that tempting voice. Instinctively he knows that if he gives into once, he is lost forever. Endellion strikes me as a forever kind of force. There would be no way to get free if Az did merge with her.


Thank you again Loyal and True. As you can see, the chappies are coming a little quicker and you now what that means. I have the next title. CLOVES. I shall leave you with that. Mauh to: Rosemary; Laur; Shiden(x2); Jenna T.(x2); Dark Avenger(X3); k; Rosei; Spirit; Demon Akasha; a.taste.of.insanity and Sesshomarunarku.

Chapter 129: The Scent of Cloves


“What!”

“You heard me, Fallen. That rogue vampire is my long lost brother. Apparently his way of destroying families has escalated.” Carnage turned and looked at the both of us. “Alarik was playing with you. If he wanted, he could have killed you so quickly whether all the pack was with you or not. Promise me, Sex. Promise me that if you encounter him again, you will fly has fast, as hard and as far as you can.”

“How come I’ve never heard this before?”

“Why did you withhold the fact from Armor that you were from a Hunter family? Why did you not tell him that you were from THE Regency.”

I stilled at that. Why did I hide that little tidbit of information? It was because I was ashamed of them…not really I was ashamed that I had cut myself off from them. It was easier to blame them for the way my life turned out than to take responsibility. I knew Lycan’s existed. I knew Vampires existed. Hell, I had even been a newbie on the rooftop with binoculars and a rife by the time I was nine. But, getting attacked by that Lycan was almost the last piece of camping equipment that could get piled on me until I went “Buckaroo”.

“Sex?”

“I wasn’t strong enough.” I looked down at the comforter. We were having a serious discussion and we were all just buck naked and scent marked with our own sexual activities. I went to crawl off the bed and Claudius caught me up in his arms.

“You were a child. How strong were you supposed to be as a child? Now you know that even in its dormant state the Royal Blue Gene called to the Bloods. Liam undermined your confidence since the day you were born and when he couldn’t get you to do what he wanted he took your sight. It was easier to block that out than to deal with it.” Claudius pulled my head up and rested it on his shoulder. “Armor has told me that you honestly did not know he was a vampire until you stabbed him. Then you spiraled into a depression that he used to train you. The more I hear about that first year, I get more disturbed.”

“We did it to ourselves. Denial never works in the end.” I brushed as my welling tears, “Your brother killed Katrina?”

“Alarik was Katrina’s natural son. She had been widowed long before she joined Sigmund’s court and began rounding up stray blue gene carriers. Alarik was about 75 years old when Katrina dragged a 22 year old backwoods peasant thug into her home. He was never a welcoming sort but when Katrina and I married…he left. I remember him saying that he would never call me Father. I never asked him to. I had so much to learn as a consort and as a vampire and I didn’t need a pure blood sniping at me every time I turned around. I thought coming with Katrina would get me away from those taunts of unworthy blood and the name bastard. In truth, I was relieved when he left. I think Katrina was relieved as well.”

Claudius shifted me and used the flat of his hand to brush at my face. His eyes were hooded and he didn’t look at me directly, “I floundered, Sex. I had to learn manners. I had to learn how to be a vampire. I had to learn how to move in vampire high society all at once. 25 years had passed so quickly and I wasn’t getting the progress Katrina wanted. She never said it, but she was disappointed. I could not socialize. I still cannot do it well. I work best in smaller groups.”

Alarik had left Katrina’s house and petitioned the House of Assassins. He had done well in the 10 years he had been gone. He had challenged up to 10th rank. He came back and offered to sponsor me to the House. Apparently, he had learned about the hulking black haired bastard who had terrorized the countryside. I think now that he did it to show his mother that I could be nothing more than a killer.” I twisted so I could grab my Sasha around the waist and squeezed my support. I got a kiss to my temple.

“I excel at killing, Fallen. Why do you think I have been First for two hundred and twenty two years? I have never had the patience to play courtier games. And my tongue is a little too blunt for Red Society.”

“Why is this Alarik killing my brethren?” Vladimir questioned with a hard voice.

“That I do not know. He has always been a purist. He has always voiced that Bloods lines should not be crossed. Of course that was usually shouted in my face. I was just a bite. Interspecies mating/biting, such as what makes werewolves he could find repugnant. Katrina warned me to never tell anyone that my father had been a vampire. I did not know anything about him being a blue at the time.”

His voice trailed off. I just hugged him. Finally there was a shifting behind us and Vladimir spoke, “There are four other vampires with him. There was only one there last night. He bit Lord Alpha from the other side.”

“Show him to me, Fallen. Alarik used to run with a group of Red elites and they numbered around fifteen.”

I sat up. I only had a reflection of the second attacker from Alarik’s cold eye. I looked over at Vladimir. He would have had a good view. “Allow me to touch you, Leader.” Vladimir rolled over and crawled up behind Claudius. “Show me that other vampire’s face. Concentrate on that.”

The image was basically pushed at me. It was as clear as a Polaroid. I reached out and linked with Father. The other vampire was probably at six foot. He had short dark brown hair that he had plastered to his scalp. Aside from the moustache and soul patch, he had pale brown eyes and sort of looked like…oh who was that guy….

/John Leguizamo./ Vladimir offered up.

/You can hear me?/ I glanced up at him and met his golden gaze.

/I shouldn’t?/

I furrowed my brow. /Father?/

I got nothing back from him. /No one else has heard me when I do this. I could be doing it wrong. I’m still learning, Vladimir./

“Sebastiano” I broke contact with both of them. I rubbed my thumb over my fingertips. They tingled slightly. That was new. Father said that name with a little too much venom.

“I take it you know him too.”

“Nowadays you would call it vicious hazing.”

“I would never have thought that you would have been the joining type.”

“Katrina asked me to try. Sigmund had her running all over the countryside. Well, I guess it would be Liam now that we know he had joined with the Lord Emperor. I believe she thought her son would take me under his wing and be my mentor. Katrina and I started off as lovers and we remained engaged in sexual relations, but there had been no talk of marriage at this time.”

“I take it he wasn’t a mentor.”

“If I had been made of lesser mettle, he and his cohorts would have broken me. After ten years, I finally just started trying my abilities and gifts on my own well away from them.”

“So you’re tell me that Alarik is older than you, therefore stronger. His crew is apparently still around…” I reached out and called up the memories of the wood Alpha. I touched Claudius temple.

“No, the only one I know is Sebastiano. Those other three are new, but they would have the same world view as Alarik.”

“Which is?” Vladimir asked coolly.

“The world is made for pure bloods and it is their duty to cleanse the blood lines. That places you in harms way, my Fallen.”

“And you, Father.”

“I’ve always been beneath Alarik’s notice. I think it’s time to get his attention.” Claudius picked me up and shifted me off the side. He pressed a quick kiss up to my forehead then set me on my feet. “Up. I got Marcus to do the assigns this morning. Paul has rearranged all the meetings he could on short notice, but you need to keep the one with Thomas the Elder if you plan to marry Claudia Friday.”

“I’m not marrying, Claudia. X is.”

“You might have to run with it if Xavier is not back. I know that the toll for Blood Starvation is more than just blood. The actions that Xavier almost did will cut deeper than the lives he did drain.”

I actually whined, “But she calls me Edward.”

“I can see that she might have a problem with Sex. You are my mate after all. It’s not often that the daughter marries her Father’s lover.”

Vladimir made a weird strangling sound. I glanced over at the Lycan, “Why the hell do you think I was trying to run you off?”

“Up. No one needs to be on the Stone of Punishment again. It doesn’t matter if you are CEO, Sex, you can only mess around so much. Hades had some leeway. I think it was mainly because the Board of Directors were afraid of him.” Claudius turned me around by my hips and slapped my bare ass. Ooowww. I pouted at him and rubbed at my red flesh as I headed for my minuscule bathroom. X’s bathroom was a palace compared to mine. I didn’t mind sharing, but there was no room for a threesome, no matter how friendly everyone was getting along.

I stood in the shower letting the water cascade down me. I don’t think Sigmund was ever this pale. Then again, I don’t think he had the time to really start suffering the effects of post burn hyper metabolism. I ran my hands down my sides. Three days of messed up meals and I had dropped a few pounds already. That was not good. I really didn’t want Father to feed me. I definitely didn’t want Armor to force feed me ever again.

I gingerly touched my throat. I thought I was going to die last night. They attacked so fast I didn’t even have a chance to react. I could still feel the pain as Alarik’s full extension ripped into me. Sebastiano’s didn’t hurt anywhere any as bad.

“Brunch is here.” Claudius stuck his head in letting some of steam out and a blast of cold air in.

I shivered.

/Azrael?/

There was silence. That meant that he was on the beach with Xavier. That was good. He would probably be back for his 4 o’clock appointment with Marcus the unstable. No, I shouldn’t call him that. He seemed to be genuinely trying to get better with Az.

I finished up in the shower, brushed my fangs and looked at my neck in the small bathroom mirror. I turned and looked at the scar/brand on my shoulder. That looked wicked. I felt sorry for Az though, It hurt like a bitch. We were part of the brotherhood of Lycan. Ever so cool. I wondered why Claudius hadn’t said anything about it? Maybe he didn’t notice it.

Right and pigs fly.

I wrapped a shortie towel around my waist and used the long one to soak up my lovely locks. Back to Edna. No mullet this time. Vladimir was gone by the time I headed back out the bedroom. Claudius had laid out my breakkie spread and poured a glass of OJ then shook the pill bottle.

“You have lost three pounds.”

Well I knew pigs didn’t fly. I flopped down in the wingback chair and took the orange juice. Hmmmm that left me eye level with Sasha’s waistband. There was more than one way to get protein. He tangled a hand in my hair and lurched me to a stop. “Food. You can have me later.”

“Yes, Father.” I drained the OJ and held up my palm for those two lovely pills.

“By the way, Vladimir could not stop his admiration for your stoicism.” He used my hair and pulled me forward until he could see the glyph. “They would die in the service of the Blood Emperor. They will die for you now, Fallen. Xavier has the Loyal. You have the Lycan. I absolutely dread what Azrael calls to himself. That must have hurt.”

“Actually Azrael got the brand.”

“You got the bite, and you got that werewolf pup and apparently we have Vladimir in our mix.”

“I tried to give him to Azrael.”

“Marcus and Azrael have some things to work out before they can entertain someone else.”

“Lanseng is in their mix.”

“Well that just shows you that they cannot take on a Lycan that you claimed as your own.” Fingertips traced the brand. “It is beautiful. What is it?”

“The original Glyph for the House of Drachenfeld. Xavier found it when he was looking through the ancients texts.”

Sasha leaned over and kissed the dull area, straightened and watched as I swallowed those little miracle pills. “Eat. I will accompany you today. For once, I don’t have any assigns. I laid out your clothes.”

I turned and glanced at the bed. Well, well. I guess it was hooky day. Hooky, I said not hooker. “Do I get to lay out yours?”

“If you insist.”

“Oh, I insist.”

“Eat first.”

“Yes Father.” Claudius shook his head and headed off to the little sauna I had left behind me. At least I don’t think we can run out of hot water.

I grabbed the oatmeal and a yogurt and fruit cup. I gobbled the hot cereal down then regretted it. The oatmeal sat like a lead weight. I rubbed my tummy as I went to the wardrobe and pulled open the doors. My closet was nothing like the clothes Armor had picked out for X. Actually my bedroom would have fit into X’s first closet. Still….there was some of Sasha’s hunting gear. Too sexy. Too sexy. Hmm, later. Didn’t he have any shorts? It was blazing hot out there. I settled on a pair of charcoal grey dockers and a baby blue mircofibre tee. Actually that was mine, from my ‘fat’ period. I never could gain that weight back that I originally lost before we found out about the PBHM. I didn’t know it if would fit. Eeh, if it saran wrapped him, all the better.

I headed to the bed and whipped off the wet towels. Magenta and black polka dots silk boxers. Nice. Sasha had pulled out dark grays camouflage cargo skater shorts. And a black tank. Damn, everything was a little baggy. I was searching for a belt when arms came around me and pulled me back out of the cramped wardrobe.

“You think I need clothes on you to know what you are wasting away again?” I straightened up and Sasha hugged me right back to his heat flushed flesh. That just showered look made me want to muss him up. “You cannot look after others if you first do not take care of yourself. I have noticed a loss in muscle tone as well. You have not been eating and you have not been working out. That is going to stop, Fallen.”

“I hate lifting weights.”

“So, I will work out with you. Actually Vladimir has already asked if there is a gym. You will always have a partner. Now, eat. I will braid your hair after I get dressed.”

My blue shirt didn’t work. He was too broad in the shoulders. He ended up pulling out a plain white dress shirt. I looked like a little kid beside him. That was not the image I wanted to pull off. I wanted to be a couple. I touched my throat again.

Sasha’s hand closed over mine. “Do not let him own you, Sex.”

“What?”

Sasha pulled my hand away from my neck. “Every time you touch it, Alarik marks you again.”

I whispered, “I could have died last night.”

“But you did not.”

“I couldn’t sense them. It’s almost like you, they just aren’t there.”

“What?”

“I cannot sense you. Shade cannot sense you. There are times if I didn’t see you, I wouldn’t believe you are in the same room.”

“I did not know that.”

“Do you have a shield?”

“I have a shield I taught you remember.”

“I use mirrors just like you taught me. If you use…”

“I don’t use mirrors, Fallen. I told you to use mirrors because they are the easiest to fashion and I knew that they would scare Marcus away.”

I stilled. “What do you use?”

“Bone and blood.”

“Bone? What do you mean bone?”

“Mirrors reflect the attack back on itself, and it is generally effective against most Vampire. As you know, many don’t shield. They have no need to. A stronger Vampire could shatter that mirror if they concentrated hard enough and hated you enough to no care about the scarring it would leave.”

“Alarik broke your shield.”

“No, not alone. He has never worked alone. So, when I tell you to run, you run.”

I twisted in Sasha’s arms and gripped him by the back of the head. “Why didn’t Katrina stop them?”

“She did not know. She never knew. Alarik brought me back to her house after three days because I didn’t wake up and told her I had been injured on a mission for the House. She had no reason to disbelieve and I was in not condition to refute.”

“Bone?”

“I grew it. I grew it around my core. It took time and a lot of blood. When I was done, it was solid and thick. The only drawback, Fallen, is that I am inside it.”

He broke my heart. With that simple statement, my Father, my lover, my friend broke my heart.

I hung to him even tighter trying to give him strength. He had been fucked over as bad as Marcus. Even when he was plucked to safety, he found new more deadly enemies, all because of his blood. “I am with you, lubov moya. Look to your left, I will always be by your side.”

“This is why you will make a good Emperor. You do what is in your heart.”

“You are in my heart, Sasha. You fill my heart to the brim.”

“You still need to eat.” Sasha untangled us. His cupped my face in his artistic hands. “Thank you, Fallen. As I said, you are the only one in all my years who have tried to save me It is even more precious, because I am supposed to save you.”

“You already have, Sasha. You brought me out of the dark. You made me matter. You gave me a sense of self that I never had before….and I can’t eat anymore, I’ll get sick again.”

“Again?”

“I’ll let Armor fill you in on Xavier’s night.”

“I over stuffed you?”

“Xavier was a piñata.”

Sasha grimaced. I offered up my face for a kiss. I was kissed sweetly, gently, nipped and sucked as it lead to devourment. Sasha worked his way down my jaw line toward my ear. “If you must think of your neck, think of this.” I got fanged by my lover. My mouth dropped open and I gasped panted as he coaxed me into flame. The scent of cloves filled my nostrils.

“Kitty!”

I felt his lips curve up into a smile as he drew my essence up into his mouth. I heard a purr. Then a hand came around and settled in the small of my back, easing down to my ass. His index finger pressed into my loose waistband and under the elastic of my boxers. My hips hunched up to his thigh as he was petting my ass. “Mmmmm, hellllooooo kitty.”

Sasha laved my neck with his tongue, running it up my neck to that spot just behind my ear. “Copyright infringement.”

Gack…He sucked my earlobe into his mouth. “What time do we have to meet Thomas?”

“1:30.”

“What time is it now?”

“1:00”

I ended up pulling my head away from his talented lips. “Sasha….Claudius…. FATHER!” I ended up flat on my back on the bed. Those blue eyes smiled at me.

“Yes, my son?”

“Nothing, we can reschedule with Thomas.” I moved up to kiss him but this time he pulled back. The ancient tease.

“You want to explain to my little girl why she can’t get married on Friday?”

“You know, she can be really frightening.”

“That is my girl.”

I let the depth of my feeling creep into my voice. “I love you, Claudius.”

He pressed me down into the bedding gently, letting his full weight pin me beneath him. He brushed my hair away from my face and just regarded me, silently. I just blinked up at him. Finally he began whispering in Russian. “You are my heart. I am the beat. You are the deep breath, I am the exhale. You are my veins, I am the blood. I cannot exist without you, Sex. I would not even attempt to try.” He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. A kiss that was chaste and pure. It made me melt.

“I know my brother frightened you. You should be scared of him. He has no conscious. He may know that I am your Father. I do not know if he knows that you are my lover. I think not, otherwise he would have killed you in the bar. If you meet him again, My beautiful Fallen Angel, promise me you will run. You are so young, Sex. You should be given time to grow.”

“Will you run with me Father?”

“I will run with you, Sex, into hell if need be. Look to your right, my Fallen. I will always been at your side.”

I lurched up and caught him around the neck with my arms. I squeezed my eyes closed and hung onto him. “I will hold you to that, Sasha. I will hold you.”

* * *