Clove : Book 4 of Lord Emperor Vampire Series

Hmmm, confusion abounds. Let me “Snake Notes” it. Azrael does not have all the blue line gifts. He has minor mindfuck ability and wings. It takes a lot of work for Azrael to work his mojo on someone. It took all day for him to get the cello talent because he was trying desperately not to hurt the musician. So…this slaver (named Johnny) didn’t get that regard. Azrael ripped into him and discovered a plot within the High Council by two women: Danvenport and Kench, who have been working in tandem with Orel Wessel. Motivation….later my pretties, you must wait for it. These two women didn’t mind getting their fangs dirty to fill OW orders but if they could they hired these slaving humans to get the orders filled or if they were lucky, they grabbed a newly made fledgling from its maker (poor Kevin). This just proves that you don’t have to be a member of OW to be a dink.

Kudos and pocky to Sesshomarunaraku (x2); Dark Avenger (x2); Rosemary; lavcea; marin liliz; spirit; k; rosei; laur (x2); lone_child; meadows_peak; milkxness (x2); steph291; Duelriel and violetstorm713

Violetstorm – ask and ye shall receive… XD

Chapter 177: Friends of a Feather

Sasha threw me to the sky. My white wings unfurled and I flapped lifting myself higher and higher until I cleared the buildings of the alleyway. I didn’t have to look back. I heard him behind me. His wings gave a whoosh with each stroke. The cool night breeze felt good. The wind in my hair, on my face and through my wings was…freedom at it’s finest. A black shadow whipped past me. My Sasha was sharing it with me. I gifted unto him glorious freedom.

I grinned and flapped harder to keep up with him. Azrael was a little harsh calling him clumsy but in truth, he could, no he should be able to out fly Liam of the beach. He will outshine Liam the Norse godling. I’ll make him. My Black Death. My black winged son. My Father. I rose higher until I could fold them back into a steep dive.

/Follow me!/

I ripped past Sasha. I heard his wings rustle as we played follow the emperor in the night. I twisted and looped. Sasha followed. We made our way down toward the financial district and Shadoe Inc. I found thermals and rose higher and higher until we circled the roof. Oooff.. Sasha slammed into me from above. We spiraled. His arms enclosed my shoulders, the other encircled my waist.

“Close your wings, I have you.” He whispered through my hair. The horizon tipped wildly. He pulled me closer. “I will never let you go.” I dissolved my wings. His wings snapped wide and straightened us put. I could feel the pull of gravity. His arms tightened. I willed my weight lighter. Sasha circled the roof lazily, confidently. “I will never let you go.”

I opened my arms and mimicked my wings, showing him he trust I had in him. Top of the world, Ma! I closed my eyes and savored the sensation. I had no problem with trusting Sasha with my life.

Deeds…not words. He brought us down safely to the roof. His wings rustled to the sound of fall leaves as he back flapped to land us gently to the gravel. I arced my arms back around his neck and he pulled me hard to his chest. His great black wings came around and enfolded me with grace and caring. No…my Sasha wasn’t an emotionless man. It was there. It was there and more precious because he only shared it with those he loved. My children. My wife. My gentle twin brothers. My household was in his heart.

“I will never let you go, my Sasha.”

“An angel fell from heaven and pulled a demon up from hell. I will not go back to the dark and silent place, Fallen.”

“You won’t have to.”

Security lights lit up the roof top. “FREEZE!”

Oh holy crap! We were blinded by security. “ARMS UP!” I lifted them out of Sasha’s black locks. He unfolded his wings and raised is own arms.

“Lord Emperor! Lord Claudius! STAND DOWN. False alarm.”

“I forgot. I had the roof sensor plated. Anything larger than a pigeon lands on the roof, alerts security. We are not the only beings with wings.” He dropped his arms back down and nodded toward the quick acting security. “Your lesson with Mr. Anderson has trickled down to the rest of the guards.”

“If memory serves, that wasn’t a great day. Waking up with Lycan surrounding the bed is not the best way to wake up.”

“Come.” Sasha took my hand, dissolved his wings in a shimmer of gold. Wow. Mine sort of flashed out with a whitest blue. I tagged along behind him. His long pale neck had been enticing when it was framed by short dark hair but I think I preferred it this way. Hidden. It was only mine to explore. Damn, I was getting greedy. He started down the stairs.

“Catch me!” I jumped on his back. He staggered a bit but I wrapped my legs around his waist and locked my arms up around his neck. He responded by hooking his arms behind my knees and hiking me up a little higher.

“Splitting my head open on the stairs is not a good way to start the night.” Sasha warned as he started down the stairs again.

Point taken. I saw some half hidden smirks from building security but they quickly hid their face as Sasha piggybacked me down the penthouse. Maintenance had done a hell of a job. I had turned into cyclone Sex. All the glass panels had been replaced. Everything I had broken or destroyed was gone. Someone had brought in a decorator and it looked like a tasteful hotel lobby in anywhere USA. I hated it.

Sasha had made the penthouse his. His personality was stamped all over it…until I stomped all over it. His pack rat tendencies hadn’t survived either. When I go on a rampage…I rampage. “I’m…”

“Do not apologize. You sent me a message that I could not ignore because I refused to listen to you. Trust me, I will not walk out on you again. If you want to fight, I will fight with you. Do not run from me. I will not run from you.”

Sasha carried me through the entire penthouse. Impersonal but clean. We finally ended up in the bedroom. He slid his hands from the back of my knees to my highs and just below my ass. I unwrapped myself and settled myself heavily into his hold. Letting my feet drop down to the ground, I plastered myself across his back. I buried my face in his hair and inhaled.

Sasha turned and caught me up in his arms. He ripped a kiss from my lips. I stole it back and nipped the bottom of his lip. He blinked lazily at me. A ring of blue flame encircled his love filled eyes. I pushed on Sasha’s chest making him stretch out on his back on the futon. His hair spread every where like dark tendrils I didn’t think he would allow me control. What he did to me was more than mind blowing any time of the week. He knew his way around my block. I wasn’t kidding my brothers when I told them that Sasha wore me out – in a good way. I wanted to do that to him. To gift that to him. I stood at the end of the bed and just smiled.

“Sex?”

“I love you.”

“I am blessed.”

“I want to show you how much I love you.”

“I am doubly blessed.”

“There is a certain joy of being loved by the one you love. Xavier had spoken of it, but I didn’t get it. Now I do. I want to experience this with you, Sasha.”

“I surrender to your every desire, Sex. Make me yours. Imprint your scent on my body.” I knew X had laughed about it once, when Sasha had said that he had them lined up for him. Sasha had a silver tongue. I so wanted to believe him. I’d been duped before. I took his word at face value and it nearly killed me when he didn’t keep it. I wanted him to keep it. To honor it. At least, to give it a passing glance before he tossed it away.

I climbed on the mattress fully clothed and settled myself on his strong athletic thighs. I pulled his shirt up from the waistband of his pants. The backs of my knuckles skimmed his warm flesh. One button at a time came under my fingers. I spread his shirt and exposed a bit more warm tantalizing skin. I was so pale against his flesh tone. I laid one hand on his now exposed stomach and spread my fingers. I looked up into his burning yet banked flame and mouthed the word. “MINE.”

I stripped him slowly. I worshipped every exposed inch of skin. With my hands. With my lips. I tasted him. I relished his clovey goodness. I licked him like soft serve ice cream melting on a hot summer day. His erection came back for me.

“……Sex…..”

That has got to be the sexiest voice in the world.

I had no right to change him. I slid down until I could get into a comfortable position between his spread legs. My hand closed around his pulsing member. I continued my ice cream exploration. He twitched beneath me. I had no right to even try and change him. He took me as I am. He was the first to accept the wild child. I had the same strength. I would accept his Alexander – his wild child. Without him, Sasha would never have survived. I had to accept Sasha as he was. If there were any changes to be made, he would have to instigate them himself.

I took my love into my mouth. I concentrated on the tip. Letting my tongue swirl over the head and caress the weeping eye. I let my other hand pet his stomach and flanks. Who would have thought that the sound of his breathing would be such a turn on. The sharp inhalation of air when I did this. A low moan of pleasure when I touched this point.

“Sex…I am…”

I bobbed my head up and down on his length. His hands ripped into the sheets as his body surrendered to me. Once, twice…thrice.” I felt the hotness of his cum hit back of my throat. I kept my head down on him. A shiver ripped through him.

I maneuvered forward. Sasha caught my shoulders and dragged me up until he caught my lips with his. He had always done this with me. Tasting himself in my mouth. Sharing his essence with me. His tongue came out and darted into my mouth. He cleaned my mouth thoroughly

“You have too many clothes on.”

“Really?” I arced an eyebrow and slid off to the end of the futon. I had my own erection for my black haired vampire. I stood at the end of the mattress and watched all the glory that was mine to behold. I matched his flaming gaze with a satisfied smirk. “You want this gone?” I ran my hand down my red tank slowly in a serpentine motion until my fingers were at the hem.

“Take it off.”

I slid my hand up against my skin, under the hem and up inside the material. Ever so slowly I inched the cloth up. My nipples were throbbing and I swear the rings left there by the other lovers of this body tapped my skin in time with my heart beat. I slipped the tank over my head. It tangled in my hair and I had to break the mood for a moment to get my hair free from it. It might look all sexy and fine and dandy but it was a bitch when it got caught in a door hinge. The offending material finally hit the ground.

I was down about fifteen pounds. It was no wonder Mom had taken one look at me and cried. I didn’t want her to know how skeletal I had truly gotten under Orel Wessel’s care. Right now I was lean but as Azrael had pointed out, Skell was damned diligent with his workout routine. I had muscle.

Doink!

And Sasha liked it.

I was going to do this slow sensual strip tease, complete with a bump and grind routine. But that arctic blue gaze and that hot blue flame called to me. I kicked off my pants and boxers and jumped back on the futon. I landed on my hands and knees over him. My finger tips actually shook as I traced his features. So young and so old at the same time.

“May I take you, Sasha?”

“You do not need to ask permission, Sex.”

“I never want to be associated with Hades.”

“I gift myself to you. You can take me anywhere or any time because I know that what you return to me is of equal value.”

“You make it sound like a business venture.”

“More of a trading venture.”

“Trading?”

“I trade my heart for yours.”

I blinked tears out of my eyes. Damn it. He brushed my hair from my face. “I have missed your tears. I have missed your laughter. I have missed your pure joy of life. I feared you had forgotten me. It was nothing I did not deserve after what I had done.”

I brought two fingers up to his mouth. He took them inside and flickered his tongue around them. Doink! I liked it. Math tables…math tables. I liked it a little too much. “Saint…prepare to fall from grace.”

There is nothing more satisfying and thrilling to make the one you love the reason for being. I existed to give him pleasure. To hear his voice and breathing change as I slid into his heat. His body was like that crimson concert grand. I finally felt accomplished enough to attempt to play it, to wring from it, from him, the music of the night. Music of our night. Our passion was simplistic; Our passion was complicated. It was dark as two demons of assassination could be but it was pure as angels wings.

I loved him.

I loved him enough to gift to him everything that I am.

I groaned my climax deep into him. Time would tell if he would finally destroy me completely. But to live in his arms like a shooting star was better than to exist in the darkness of the shadows. I slumped heavily onto him. I didn’t even attempt to lessen my weight. My nose handed in the crook of his neck. My nostrils were filled with the spice of clove and the simmer of cinnamon.

I ended up flat on my back. How...? Sasha leaned over me, his eyes were a banked blue flame. He slowly wrapped my long hair in front of my ears around his hands. He captured me with horse’s reins. He pulled my head to the left and nibbled on my ear, that spot just behind my ear and down my throat. “Fallen….”

“Yeah?” I closed my eyes and settled deeper in the bed. I was a little whipped.

“I have an erection for you.” I could feel his lips smiling against my skin.

“and…”

“Tell me what you would like me to do with it, Fallen.”

“Fuck me stupid.”

“How about cherish you stupid?”

“That will work for me. How about you?” Arrrgghhh. Sasha sank himself deep within me and I wasn’t ready for it. He stilled. “I’m good.”

“No…you are bad. I like you bad.” My right leg was straight. My inner thigh was pressed up against his hip. My left leg was hiked wide and up over his forearm. This opened me up to plunder. I liked plunder. He bucked up into me. He knew how to plunder. Hmmmmmmm. His hands were still caught in my hair. Huh. His lips placed sucking kisses….huh…from the crook of my neck…huh…to my…

Sasha dropped fang and slowly inserted them into my jugular. He leaned forward changing the angle of attack. Aaahh. He hit my prostate. I shuddered. He overtook me with glorious sensation. I shivered beneath his sexual mastery. I twisted my chest up bringing my hardened nipples up against his warm flesh.

Then he shocked the hell out of me.

He dropped his shield and reached out to me. I welcomed him into me. I was touched…no, overwhelmed. My eyes teared up and streaked over my nose and down the side of my cheek. His emotional landscape was dark but those little darting flashes of silver I had spied before were accompanied by a single gleaming…white feather. It glowed bright sending out a brilliant light that the rest of his fleeting emotions danced around it.

He pulled his head up from my throat. He lapped at the fang marks. He whispered the Russian words against my flesh. “Share with me Fallen Angel. Fill me with your light. I have been cold and in the dark for far too long.”

I brought my arms up and wrapped my lover, my mate hard to me. I let my love fill his void and it was welcomed like a tide returning. He dropped my hair and I brought my mouth to his own throat. His hips kept pistoning forward. My heart light flashed with brilliance as he kept prodding my prostate. I bit him. Hard. His essence filled my mouth. Cloves, a dark and sensual flavor. It wasn’t for everyone. He wasn’t for anyone but me. I wouldn’t let him go. I snatched him from death once. I would do it again.

He was mine. I was his. Black Wing. White Wing. We belonged together.

Crisis hit me. I wrenched my head back off his throat and gave a cry to the heavens. My love was a silvery wing that hung with solitary brilliance on a backdrop of velvet. Sasha kept moving deep within me. It drew my orgasm out. He twisted again and I ended up straddling his hips almost doing the splits. My wings snapped out and my climax was accompanied by the chimes of my broken glass.

“Gaaaa…Sa….Sasha!”

I twitched as he jutted deep into me. That dreaded trans-am pose shuddered into life and then it felt like every bone in my body dissolved into squishy puddles of pleasure. I slumped over on my black haired vampire. My wings hung loose from my back, spreading out across the bed like a feather duvet.

“Sex?”

An arm came up above my wings, the other cradled my waist. I think I drooled on his chest. I was sooooo… What did he call it? Cinnamon satisfaction. God, put me back in the spice rack. I was done.

He laughed beneath me. I tried to keep the connection between us. “That was only last months rent.”

“I’m good.” I murmured against his flesh

“Yes, you are. I have you. Close your eyes my debauched Fallen angel.”

“Debauched?”

“You are the picture of sexual satisfaction, my little Sex.” He transferred his arm from my shoulder to tangle his hand in the back of my hair. He pressed my head against his pillow of a pec. “Sleep my heart light. I will watch over you.”

I reached up and grabbed a handful of black hair. Just so I know he was going to be close. I drifted off to a lullaby of his heartbeat. Oh, yeah. I’m good.


“This is absolutely ridiculous.”

Huh? I pressed my back and ass against the big thermal blanket that had me wrapped in arms and legs against him. I let a moan break through my throat and pulled my arms tighter around the chest pressed up against my front. I twitched my nose as I felt hair tickle it.

“Sex.”

Wait. I had a body at my back. I was hugging someone to my chest. I cracked an eye open. Blue hair. I dyed my hair? No…I tightened my arms. Crap. “Lanseng!”

I moved to sit up but Sasha was on my hair and it jerked me back to the mattress. He responded by rolling over and pinning me beneath him. He took a deep breath and opened his arctic blue eyes lazily. “Morning…do you want first months rent?”

“Daddy!”

Sasha stilled and looked over his shoulder at the foot of the bed. Claudia stood there with her arms folded. “Good morning daughter.”

“It’s afternoon. Shayne has been calling and leaving messages all morning.” Claudia had no problem reaching over the king size bed and smacking Lanseng Blueberry on the bared legs.

What the hell? “What are you doing up here?” I laid prone since Sasha still didn’t move off my hair. Lanseng stirred himself kissing me on the forehead and sitting up. “What are you doing in here?”

“I was invited.” Lanseng yawned. “That was refreshing. Thank you Claudius.”

“I don’t want to know what was going on. Shayne said you have an audience with the Regency at 2:15.”

Sasha kissed my cheek and rolled off me. “What time is is?”

“1:00. Your mother called me and told me to get you up and moving.”

Too much was going on before my morning blood. There was a rattle of a cart and Liam pushed breakfast into the bedroom. I was strategically covered but this was over the top. “OUT! If your name isn’t Sex or Sasha you don’t belong in here.”

“Kind of testy in the morning isn’t he?” Liam pushed the cart right up to the bed then held out a green mug of blood to me.

“I kept him up late.”

“Shut up!”

Sasha took the mug from Liam. “I think we need a little privacy. Thank you Claudia. I will get him ready.”

Lanseng bowed ever so elegantly. I don’t know how because all he was wearing was boxers and a rumpled pale lilac dress shirt. Liam just gave me an eye full of attitude then turned and followed the other two out of the room. “Lanseng?”

“He came early this morning. He has brought you a fresh change of clothes. Or maybe it is safer to say, he has brought Xavier a fresh change of clothes.”

“So you invited him to snuggle?”

“You were out like a light and he just emanated tiredness. You recharged him.”

“He better not have plugged in anywhere.” I muttered beneath my breath and took the mug Sasha was holding out for me.

“He just accepted your hug and slept.”

I got a Sasha good morning. My eyes glazed over and I blinked stupidly. He wrapped my fingers around the mug and climbed out of bed. His nakedness was beauty defined. Damn. I got smooched. I got petted. I got loved. “Good Morning, Sex.”

“Oh yeah.” I had no complaints now.

“Now, we have to move. You okay to try the shower?”

His concern was so touching I burst out into tears and launched myself at him. I caught him around the neck and hugged him hard. “I think so. Thanks for asking.”

“Call for me if you need help. Drink your blood. I will get the details from Claudia,”

I smiled weepily at him and sipped at the warm blood. It was another generic blood pack. Flavorless but life sustaining. I nodded and padded into the master bath. It was another example of an elegant but nondescript hotel room. My stomach didn’t clench. My hands didn’t shake. THAT man was dead. Sasha killed him for us. There might be some lingering effects but we were free from him. He couldn’t do that to us anymore. I wanted the enjoyment of water falling my head and shoulders to come back and stay.

I drained my mug then stepped into the warm water and washed away the sins of the night before. The fledglings who came out of Orel Wessel were survivors. They would need help but they would be the backbone of the Coven House. In a bizarre way, the vampire who sent X running way back – Freddie?, I think. – had accomplished his goal. He had wanted the covens formed into a House and protected, or at least be allowed to protect themselves. My Nation had subscribed to genocide.

I stepped out all squeaky clean and toweled my hair damp. Sasha’s discarded clothing was missing and the bed was made. A garment bag laid on the covers. That was good, I really didn’t relish having to get into my grungies. I unzipped it and them just stared down at Lanseng’s choice.

A white and blue satin bowling shirt. A black tank. Black chinos and black Docs. There was power blue silk boxers and black socks. Er….okay. I was thinking power suit myself.

/Okay, X it seems you’re up because I am not putting on that boxy oversize shirt./

/You seem relaxed./

/Ssshh, don’t ruin the mood for me. It’s time to use that silver tongue, you little devil./

I blinked and took a deep cleansing breath. I was totally relaxed, but refreshed. I was surprised to be moving because those two did themselves with absolute abandon. As lovers should.

I dropped my towel and quickly got dressed. I missed my bowling shirts. This one fit. My forearms were bare. I made the assumption that Lanseng had seen me dressed in this before the Regency Council, weaponless. I padded out after the group.

“Claudia, Father…Lanseng, Liam”

“Xavier.” Father bowed his head in my general direction.

Liam was lounging on couch, “The Covens have been gathered. There are stragglers and that is mainly due to Marcus’s last cull. They don’t trust him but my Honeybee has calmed their nerves. He can be so “cult of personality” when he tries.”

“No problems with other Houses?”

Liam shook his head. “The Covens are below the established House recognition. Fledglings missing off the street will just mean to them that the House of Assassins has culled again.”

Lanseng came up holding a brush. He gestured me to an ottoman then sat behind me. I swear if it was possible I would be purring as he untangled my hair and brushed me to my zen point.

“I knew it had to come from you. Lex when he’s got a mad on can’t be reasoned with.” I snapped my eyes open. That was the third warning I got about Lex’s temper. I had yet to see it. “The only thing that will calm him down is brushing his hair with a really soft brush. His expression is exactly the same.”

Hell, everyone in this room was family. “I got no problems with you and Vladimir, Chippie, as long as it makes you happy.”

“I know that, Xavier. We both know that and we are grateful.” Claudia came forward and lowered herself in front of me. “What you are doing is greater than anything I have ever accomplished. I have railed against the shabby treatment of the Covens but you are doing something about it.”

I felt my face flush with embarrassment. “Force is always the last resort.”

“The Covens have existed forever. It’s been the Nations’ dirty little secret and when there finally was enough to create a stir in the hierarchy, the House of Assassins silenced their voice on the order of the High Council. You are helping those who cannot help themselves, Xavier.” She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my forehead then tipped my head back and kissed my lips. It was like kissing Shayne. “I’ll support you in any way possible, my Lord Emperor.”

“Thank you, Claudia.”

Claudius had slipped off to shower and change. The room lapsed into silence. It was a comfortable one. Lanseng finished brushing out my mane of whiteness and then artfully began arranging my locks. I had a high pony tail and somehow he had gotten my hair to hang around my face like those anime characters. Kind of cool.

“Lanseng?”

“I miss Skell. Claudius invited me to Sex’s bed. I just slept and breathed in his essence.”

“Not what I wanted to know, but thanks. I’m interested with your choice of threads.”

“I can only act on what I see. You are beyond the Regency Council’s experience by Blood Emperor. You need to reach out to them. You need to show them that you were once human, that you were once a part of their world.”

“My bowling shirt says that?”

“You were a stubborn individual. The bowling shirt became your trademark within the Hunter society. This will remind them of what you once were. Once you have their attention, you can show them who you truly are.”

I knew better than keep pestering him. He wasn’t going to tell me anything else. How annoying was that.

Claudius came out of the bedroom once again as elegance personified. I felt so ratty next to his dark blue pin shirt suit; crisp white shirt; silver tie and handkerchief. He even had cuff links. Hey! They were the Von Drachenfeld glyph. That was cool.

“Lady Hunter has explained that she has told the Regency that the Lord Emperor has requested an audience. As far as the rest of the world knows, until they watched that media coverage, which for some reason no one seems to have, you are still lost. This we know, because I have been called to stand before the High Council tomorrow to answer charges by Elizabeth Kench regarding her son’s death. Lord Emperor Claudius…not Xavier. It works to our advantage to have you still in the shadows.”

“You clean up right, my boy.” Liam sat up.

“Thank you, William. Xavier?”

I stood up. “Good to go. Let’s do this.”


I think it would be safe to say that the Regency Council has little to no sense of humor. Why I would think that? It could be the number of guns pointed at us. It could be the muzzle of the pistol pressed to the back of my head.

“What is the meaning of this, Lord Claudius?”

Shayne was the Regency’s hammer. The Regency Council was the arm. The tool didn’t get invited to the meeting. Mom was retired so she wasn’t invited. “This is out of the ordinary to have any Vampire, must less the self styled Lord Emperor demand an audience.”

“If Lady Regent has made it a demand, that is our fault. The Lord Emperor asked for an audience. It was stressed that it was important.” Claudius continued. “There is no need for this show of force. We are unarmed.”

I got poked in the back of the head harder. The man sitting in the middle of the half circle table pointed at me with one bony finger. “Who is Lord Emperor here? That is Lady Xavier’s kid, Edward, you have at your side. He disappeared off the face of the earth for a year to suddenly remerge looking like…that, and having been turned into a Vampire, and he was heralded as the Lord Emperor until you suddenly appeared with black wings. Then he disappeared again…only to show up at your side seven years later. We know this because we have seen the toll it has taken on the Xavier family.” That finger shook at me. “Where the hell have you been for the past seven years? Your Mother has a weak heart. Your disappearing a second time nearly killed her. This audience goes no further until you explain yourself.”

This was not what I was expecting from the Regency Council I don’t know what the heck I was expecting from the Regency. As a blind kid, I couldn’t have given a rat about the Hunters and its hierarchy or way of doing things. Don’t you know all the stuff your parents wanted you to learn as a kid would eventually come back and bite you on the ass, a couple of times. There were acting like nosy aunts and uncles.

Good grief.

“That is the reason why we are here. I have been an unwilling guest of a para-military extremist group.” I got metal poked into the back of my head, yet again. If this Hunter was this twitchy, I didn’t want him at my back. He was an accident waiting to happen.

“Claudius.” I stepped forward away from the gun at the back of my head. Father turned and took it away from the Hunter. He disabled it, dropped and kicked the magazine out then handed it back all in less than ten seconds.

That went over well.

I walked until I was in the middle of the room coming to a halt so the semi-circle of Hunter Elders/Councillors could see me easily. “I come before you, as a former son of a house of Hunters. There is a greater danger out in the big world, than what you may think of the Vampire Nation. I have been kidnapped and drugged by an organization called Orel Wessel. They are human. If you can call what they do to Humans and to Bloods an act of a human.’

‘I escaped from them because my family never stopped searching for me. Many more of my brothers and sisters didn’t, even though their families are still searching for them. Orel Wessel preys on humans. Orel Wessel preys on Bloods…especially Fledgling Vampires who have been abandoned by their maker.”

“Covens.”

“Yes.”

A woman with a bun of hair the color of steel wool almost spat at me. “We know how well the Vampire Nation has treated the Covens. You don’t know how many times Fledglings have come before us, begging for sanctuary from the routine culls. You don’t know how many we have had to turn away back to the Vampire Nations tender mercies. All we know is that we never saw them again.”

“Why didn’t you help them?”

“It was an internal matter.”

“What makes you so concerned about the state of the Covens? The last cull was done less than ten years ago. I doubt you know what it’s like to run for your life like those forced Vampires.”

“Forced?”

“Those Fledglings who are made without consent. It’s little more than rape with fangs.”

I closed my eyes. Lanseng wanted me to see that I identified with the Regency. I identified with the Covens too. I ran from them. I ran with them. “I am a Coven Fledgling.”

“NO!” Claudius took a step forward. “Xavier!”

“I was made without the Covenant.”

Silence filled the chamber. Not another good thing, I take it. Damn.


* * *