Clove : Book 4 of Lord Emperor Vampire Series

Once again, I cannot get the full reviews off at the time of posting. I will update asap! Love ya! The plot, she thickens!!
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The Northern Lycans are still around…they will be making an appearance. They will be in book 5. Yes I said, 5. I just in good conscience can’t take care of the Lycan problem which has been both a major and minor theme through the saga in a few paragraphs. I read an author who did something like that to me and I had never bought any more of his books since because he pissed me off so royally. So, I will learn from that experience. There will be a book 5 but we got to finish off this first. 

You like me, you really like me!! Bwah hahahahah. Would you like some candy? I have a lovely new flavor – Green Tea Pocky. Yes, it’s green and damn if it don’t taste like green tea. That might me why I was wired all day, hmmmm. I’ve finally got my Halloween costume done – a Gothic Lolita. Okay, so I’m as old as the superbowl. I run around outside Halloween night and scare the kiddies. It’s sad, I know. But hey, I got to be me. And I'm rambling.... Thanks for the views Loyal and True: Sesshomarunaraku (x5); k (x2); rosemary; rosei; marin_liliz; steph291; romanticfae; lavcea; crimson vixen; eiriyukithewriter; laur; lone_child; meadows_peak; spirit (x2) and Duelriel.

And all the hits, not so loyal and wavering. (j/k) Any overture is truly appreciated. If you don’t want to drop me a review, or note or observation, click the ratings button. I am such a glory hound. Again, sadness, I know.

Enjoy!


Chapter 176: Saint Claudius

I think I had grown to expect awe. That was rather arrogant of me, of us. I think the fact that Riot was now publicly acknowledged as a member of our household was a majorly big factor to him bossing me around. And me taking it. And Claudius taking it. Here were the two best killers in the Vampire Nation and we were reduced to little more than muscle hanging around the back door to the club.

Claudius was all professional about it and I appreciated it. I really did, but he was dying to get little Sexy back in his orbit. Sex was still making plans with X and Skell so he was going to have to put up with me. “You really know how to make a girl feel wanted, Father.”

His head snapped up and he turned his arctic gaze back towards me. “It is not my intention to make you feel second best, Azrael.”

“But, you have an erection for him.” I arced an eyebrow back in his direction. I swear I saw a hint of color streak across his cheeks. “I can’t believe that he finds that statement so damned romantic. Well, too each their own.”

The door to the back of the club creaked open. Claudius turned and wrenched the door open. The guy holding it stumbled out into the alley. Just a human. Father held it open and I slipped under his arm and he slid in behind me. Riot had made a good argument. Just because Orel Wessel didn’t watch entertainment tv didn’t mean the rest of the world didn’t Claudius had been featured enough, even if it was behind Claudia to warrant a wary eye. I just stood out like…well a glass of milk. My offer of cutting my hair off was met with such opposition I was stunned. I thought Claudius would be the one making the protest but it was the rest of the Loyal who had accompanied us: Mayhem, Claw; Bedlam; Garrote and Winter, who had it plain that it was not an option. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that it would grow back with my Phoenix or with the Healing Light.

So, as it were, Father and I stood in the shadows watching the sea on humans writhe to some gothic metal music. I had gotten my ass out of my absconded Orel Wessel grey uniform as soon as vampricially possible. I had on a pair of Sex’s impossibly tight and legally suspect leather pants and the prerequisite short crimson tank with the three inch gap between hem and waistband. I had my hair pulled back tight and high then braided into one long tail down my back. The ends still hung below my ass.

Speaking of ass…

“You can do the kilt pose, Father. Anything else, I’ll break your fingers.”

Claudius didn’t need a second invitation. I had a whole lot of vampire on my back. Er, at my back. It wasn’t my Puppy though. My Marcus. I wanted to get back to my big hunk of music and art. I really wanted to learn this new side of him. He shouldn’t have to shut down what makes him, essentially him. Claudius thumb stroked my abs. Well look at that. I had a six pack. I so remember when I had a keg. Skell did so like working out.

“Riot has made contact.” I searched the crowd and found my favorite little Loyal staring down a human. The man was short but backed up his ego with twin bodybuilders. I did a real quick sweep of his thoughts. It wasn’t easy, but I could do it. He really didn’t care what happened to those he picked up for ‘The General.” He just liked the money it gave him…and the illusion of power and stature. I narrowed my eyes.

Father tightened his hold on me. “Let them get taken to the lower levels. We will follow after we take care of those three...” There were three more humans…I really couldn’t call them humans, I wouldn’t want to call them humans, because it would a disgrace to the rest of humanity. The little slaver picked up the merchandise and handed off to these guys who took them to the vampires to do what they did for Orel Wessel. They knew what they were doing. They relished it. I think they had a hard case of wannabe. “I’m feeling a little peckish.” Father whispered into my ear.

“They know the vampire vibe.” I warned.

Riot and the crew moved away from the bar toward the gruesome threesome then past them to a dark doorway that was almost hidden from view.

“Then we are going to have it do this all quick and quiet like.” He tapped my stomach with his thumb.

I was feeling a little hungry as well. The Hand of Light air assault wasn’t as draining but it still left me a little…as Father said, a little puckish. “Stick to the shadows, my son. You stand out in this place.”

Yes, black was the uniform here. Jet, coal, noir. It just made my skin and hair take on a glow stick effect. A silly thought hit me. Would I glow in black light the way I did back in the old hunting grounds of the Golden Pheasant? Claudius pulled his hands out of my pants and moved through the dancing throng with a grace that just caught your eye. I did my own crab walk hugging the wall.

Claudius had caught their attention. He walked up to the bar and ordered something then turned and arranged himself in a pose of ‘come and get me’ Oh, half the bar responded. I was grateful that Sex wasn’t here. These Goths didn’t subscript to the look but don’t touch mantra. Digits would be laying all over the bar top. Two of the three moved off in his direction probably to do a shakedown and scare him off. That left this one poor little lamb all on his own.

I snaked up to him, grabbed him and forced a vocal binding on him. I dragged him back to the doorway. He fought valiantly in a losing cause. I dropped fang and drank. It was easier to mindwalk him as he marched closer and closer to death but I still had to touch his forehead. Wait. I pulled my fangs back and frowned. I searched his memories again. Damn it. “Sleep.” He dropped to my feet. Damn it all the hell. Claudius had allowed himself to be escorted to the dark doorway. As soon as they stepped inside, I grabbed the man closest to me and touched his forehead. I didn’t have to be careful with this one. I only needed verification.

“Don’t kill him, I have to find something…” I whispered to Father as he ripped into his own warm tetra pack. I found what I wasn’t really hoping to find. I snapped his neck. Bastard. I let Claudius power up and I grabbed the last guy.

“Azrael?”

“You will not believe were the drop zone is for the money for these lost fledglings.” I turned and looked down at my first downed slaver. I needed him as proof.

“What is it?”

I turned and looked at Claudius. I just now noticed a pattern. Just like those magic eye things that I couldn’t do until Armor lazered my eyes. You just look at something and suddenly it just jumps out and kicks you in the face. “Do you even use the blue line gifts?”

“There are others who are more proficient. It is more efficient to let the experts ply their trade.”

I was absolutely astonished, “Claudius! Can you even mindfuck?”

“Marcus is better at it.”

“Have you tried?” He wasn’t going to give me a straight answer.

“Only if I want to kill someone. I can get what I need with my blades.”

I shook my head. Fine, I tired. Sex could deal with this. “Sex is going to kick your ass. I’ve got this guy. You can finish this one. I’m going down.”

Claudius turned his head back and drank his fill. There was a crack and the corpse was lowered to the floor and dragged a little deeper into the darkness.

I muttered as I moved down the narrow dark steps. “I should kick your ass. You have no idea how much I want something of the blue line. Well more of the blue line. Too much more of this mindfucking and I’m going to have a migraine.”

Claudius motored up behind me. “What did you discover?”

“I really should let you stew.”

“I never thought have associated pettiness with you, Azrael.”

That brought me up short. I pivoted on my heel on the stair and looked at him. “I am not being petty. When you were teaching me how to fight, I sincerely doubt you would have let me get by with…I’m with the Loyal, I don’t need to learn knifework. You don’t even fly much. That’s why you’re awkward.”

“I am not awkward.”

“Liam was bigger than you and that epic battle on the beach with Sex, he moved around like a hummingbird interbreed with an eagle. What the hell are you waiting for?” I stopped my tirade. “Was this your penance?”

“I do not know what you mean?” Father didn’t even look at me.

“Was denying yourself the use of the Blue Line gifts, your punishment for hurting Sex? For driving him into the clutches of Orel Wessel? Is this your martyrdom?”

“I am no martyr.”

“Damn straight, you ain’t. You have been re-born to be something greater than you were. You are the direct descendant of Sigmund. You have a right to claim the title of Lord Emperor.”

“I have never wanted to be Lord Emperor! I did not ask to be blue line.”

“Well get your head out of the sand and deal with it.”

“My head is not in the sand. I had no one to teach me.”

“We didn’t either.” Our voices were getting louder. I snapped my mouth shut. “You yourself have said that Sex does nothing by half measures. What are you going to do when he finds out you’ve deliberately sabotaged yourself?”

Clauduis signed, “Fallen will kick my ass.”

“Damn straight. Now, get your act together. I think someone on the High Council is involved with this. Let’s go and read the rest of them down here and figure out who.”

Riot was an efficient little assassin. Why he kept his rank low had more to do with his oath of Loyality to me than skill and drive. Now that I think of it, all of the Loyal are working at less than their ranking potential. The was one way to keeping the two Houses separated. The two musclar girlymen were out on the floor. The self-styled king pin was on his knees with his wrists zip line tied together at his back. A trail of blood leaked down from his temple.

He turned his face toward us and paled as he saw Father. He paled even more when he say my white hair. “…but….he said you were dead…”

I walked right up and touched his forehead. Let the screaming begin. “He” was Thomas the Elder. Thomas the betrayer. Thomas who regicided my great grandfather fruitcake, nut job. However, Thomas wasn’t ‘in’ on the gig. Thomas held the history of the Houses. He knew the lineage. Thomas was being duped by…Carmilla Danvenport and Elizabeth Kench. Ok, Skell killed Kench’s uncouth kid. But she was doing this long before that happened. Davenport sat on Council. Now that that bitch of the grandmother was dead, Danvenport was Thomas’ right hand woman.

Ooooh, I had a headache. Orel Wessel came to Johnny here and told them that they wanted a specific house or family. Danvenport was the queenpin and Kench was the girl Friday. If a suitable candidate could be found quickly, they did it themselves. If they needed a particular house, they tracked the younger Vampires. Depending on the Orel Wessel order, the newest fledgling made was ‘taken’.

I broke contact. I couldn’t touch him anymore. These Ladies were Ancients. It was easy to over power a younger vampire and implant the notion that their newly made fledgling was seriously impaired. Kevin….Kevin took the Covenant. The female vampire that offered it loved him. Yes, he looked like a lover from long ago but she knew that this newly turned human was Kevin. His maker truly loved him. Davenport implanted the suggestion of flaw and blocked her every turn to find him. Emily. Emily loved Kevin. Emily loved Kevin so much she brought him into the House of Gregory. He was made at the wrong time.

Kevin had no luck what so ever.

Emily Gregory searches for him still and Davenport had given the order for the little troublemaker to be eliminated.

And Skell shot him to death on the roof of a parking garage.

Guilt and sorrow what a heady chaser to go with a mindfucker headache. My legs were wobbly. I really wanted the Healing Light. Father pulled me back against him to keep me from kissing the concrete. /Yo…you got this?/

/Yes, thank you Azrael, we know the toll this has taken on you. Sex’s has got the plan. Come on down./ X called back to me.

I just let myself slump.

My world erupted into the soft gently blue of Healing Light. This wasn’t mine. Mine was a deeper electric blue. Sasha. My Sasha was healing what he thought was my little brother. I let a bemused smile cross my face then it faded. My Sasha was still punishing himself. I got my feet under me and stood up. I lifted my head and turned my face to look at him. His hair had returned to it’s long luxurious length. The Royal Blue line took it for granted that long hair was the Von Drachenfeld natural state.

“You know I’m a sinner. I’ve made up new sins.”

Sasha pulled me back tighter to him. “I am sinner too, Fallen.”

“Well quit acting like a Saint because I can tell you right now, I can’t be one. I wouldn’t even try.”

“I am done.”

“You have been given gifts, Sasha. Gifts turn into burdens if they are not shared. You shouldn’t have had to walk around with short hair for six months if you had used your healing light on someone else. I won’t regret saving you, of freeing you from that self induced blood and bone prison and keeping you here in this world. Don’t even ask me to pretend.”

“I prefer your honesty no matter how deep it cuts.”

“Good, because I’m going to make you learn these gifts. I’m going to drag your great black wings and perfect ass out and you’re going to learn to soar with me. You can tell me no all you want but you are going to fly with me. I want to share the freedom of the sky with you, Wingkitty.”

There was a ‘ahem.’ I turned my head back around to see all the Loyal grinning at us. Riot gestured to the pile of humans. First things first. “We need him,” I pointed at the twitching man – ooh, Az ripped into him hard. “There is one more upstairs. The rest can be disposed of. Riot, you have your phone?”

I took the offered phone then twisted and pressed a quick kiss to Sasha’s jaw line. “Sasha, heal him. Az was tired and ripped him ragged. We will need him as collaboration.”

“What is the plan?”

I cocked my head to the side and looked at the love of my life. He held my soul even though I told him I was keeping it. I didn’t trust him enough to reveal that yet. “We are going to clean House. The whole of the Nation. X is going to do it diplomatically. If that don’t work, Skell will do it by force.”

Sasha caught my arm. “I thought you and Azrael were Hashmalliam?”

“Oh, I got tossed over like day old bread. Endellion knew her master was within me. He just hadn’t been released yet. Az and me are the right and left bowers. X is the rebuilder. It hurt at first, Sasha but it’s all right now. I’d rather be the shield. I’d leave Az to be the sword and Skell has the absolute purity and belief in what he is doing. It’s as it should be.” I stood on my tiptoes and wrapped my arm around his neck. He moved lower toward me so we could kiss. Liver snaps were still lingering. “Nothing against you, Sasha, but I so want to hurl.”

“I do too.”

“Get to work.” I snapped open the phone al a Captain Kirk and dialed a familiar number. I moved off to the side of the room to get out of the way of the Loyal.

“It’s two am, it better damn well be important.” Daniel’s voice grumpily groused over the network.

“Put Shayne on.”

“Who…Xavier?”

“Close enough, lick her ear. That will wake her up.”

“What…”

“It’s business. The faster the Regency gets to speed, the smaller the body count will be.”

I heard a less than lady like voice rise from slumber. “Goddammn it, Eddie!”

I had to laugh, “Love you too, big sis. I need an audience with the Regency Council.”

That stilled her. “What? The whole Regency Council?”

“Today.”

“What the hell is going on? The Nation has never petitioned an audience with the Hunters, ever. If memory served me right, if the Nation ever wanted anything, they were sent a summons to stand before the Emperor or the High Council.”

“That was then, this is now.”

“Eddie, what’s going on.”

“Hashmalliam is stirring. I’m trying to keep the casualties low.”

“What happened? Did you…my line is secure.”

“I’m on a cell. Get me an audience, big sis. It’s got to be today, because tomorrow the High Council convenes and the world isn’t going to be the same after that. When there is unrest in the Vampire Nation, it trickles down to the other Bloods, and to Humans. I would rather have the Hunters as my allies and not my enemies.”

“Eddie…I’ll call your PA with the details. You’ll be at Von Drachenfeld?”

I turned and looked over at my black haired mentally fucked up absolutely smoking hunk of burning vampire. “No, I’ll be at Shadoe Inc. That’s were me and Sasha will be living.”

“Sex?”

“Hopefully.”

“Ewww. That’s not what I meant, just….be careful.”

“I’m dancing the razor’s edge, Shayne.”

“You were such a klutz.”

“Again, that was then, this is now. I’m not alone and I’ve got support.”

“I’m happy for you, little brother. I’ll call you.”

I snapped the phone closed and tossed it back to Riot. “Let’s get the hell home.”

“Tommy.” Riot paused and came back to me. I leaned up and whispered into his ear, “There’s a contract out on an Emily Gregory. Find her and bring her to the penthouse at Shadoe Inc. Do it quiet like.”

“Yes, Lord Sex.”

Sasha came back, “What are you doing?”

“You.” He blushed. YES! I made him blush. “Have you still got that erection for me?”

“It wouldn’t be hard to get it back.”

Ha ha, he made a funny. He moved to follow the Loyal back up the stairs. “Huh un. We are taking the Emperor Express.”

He looked back at me with pure puzzlement in his arctic blue eyes. I smiled up at him and willed out my feathers. “Fly with me, Sasha Wingkitty. Be free with me. Share my joy.”

His eyes smiled. I think I just melted. He brought his hand up and brushed his knuckles over my cheek, up to my temple then against my slicked back hair He spiked his hands in my braid and shook it. It fell out of it’s confined configuration and spread everywhere. He raised a handful of white to his nose and inhaled. “Cinnamon Sex.”

“You know you’re my boytoy until we get married.”

“Huh?”

I stepped into him bringing my arms around his waist and resting the palms of my hands on his ass. “Live with me in the penthouse, Sasha. There’s no more room at the Inn and this way, we are assured to get private time.”

“What kind of rent do I have to pay?”

“Satisfaction.”

“That is a currency I am familiar with – Cinnamon satisfaction.”

“So, you are my boytoy?”

“Until you make an honest man out of me, then I’ll be your Consort. Put your wings away right now. You will get stuck in the stairwell. I am willing to pay rent two months in advance.”

Holy….Sasha. We took the stairs two at the time.

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Yes, the chappie is short. Smexing next chappie! This I promise!!!