Caramel: Book 3 of the Lord Emperor Vampire Series

Shiden
Q: So what happen4ed to sarah and her folks? Did they get a good slappin? Are they going to apologize to Xavier & bros?
A. That will be answered in next chappie.

Q: Would eating a hellcat soul help with blood starvation?
A: I am not a liberty to discuss this at this time. :)

Rosei:
Q: I loathe the name Orel Wessel Where did you get it again? (So I can avoid it.)
A: German dictionary. I was thinking along the lines of the red people’s army. So I pulled out a colour – gold / Orel and army for the people / wessel. It is not based on any real life entity. Just something from my warped little mind.

CORRECTION: K kicked my ass. I remember writing down the meanings and that they were German. I found my source, my ever useful babynamesworld.com. They are of Germanic origin OREL = golden Wessel = protecting army. "Golden Protecting Army" So if those are not German, not my fault. XD


Newmoon:
Q:How is Claudius alarik’s brother if he’s married to alarik’s mom?
A: Kind of like that song, I am my own grandpa. Teehee . Seriously, as Katrina was Claudius’ sire (maker) this would make Alarik a step-brother. Once Katrina and Claudius got married, technically Alarik should be calling him Father. Which Alarik would rather cut out someone’s tongue than say himself. This is just as confusing as Claudius being X/S/A’s true grandfather because Marcus/Armor was his sire. The vampire nation seems to play light with familial ties, but that is those made through biting. Ie. Claudius is not *ahem* friendly with Claudia, nor with Marcus/Armor (yes, I am still correcting Cake) He considers them direct children. While he calls Sex his son, there isn’t that direct line and well you know what he does with that little bundle of joy.

Thanks to the Loyal. Whoo ooohhh. One chapter left and an epilogue. By the by, I am going away for work for a week then on vacation so…if I can’t get this out by next Wednesday, you guys are going to have to wait….cross your fingers and wish me luck:
k; lioncourt(x2); steph8503(x2); taste.of.insanity (x3) Laur; Rosemary; Tsuki the Moon; Sesshomarunaraku; shiden (x2); Rosei; newmoon; Dark Avenger; newmoon (you are the 666th reviewer, bwah ha ha ha) and Spirit.

ASSISTANCE NEEDED:
Call for puppy names. 3 girls, 2 boys. Can be a mix of Eastern and European names. Ping will probably let Haley name the boys. If you can list the meaning of the name as well, that would be great!! Will be used in the epilogue.


As always ENJOY!


Chapter 136: A Mission

I think this is the first time there was a war where the enemy was attacked in squadrons of limos. That was really odd. No what was odd was that three hellcats, a Lycan, two ancients and a Double Consort were piled into the back of one limo and there was room for me to stretch out across the seat. Okay two of the hellcats were kittens and were tumbling around on my legs but still.

An arm came up and rested on my vest. Armor leaned forward and rested his cheek against my head. “I…”

“Don’t say it.”

“Xavier, you do not even know what I was going to say.”

“Liam and Hades has undermined my confidence enough. I don’t need you doubting me either. Father said I was First, legitimately. That means something to me. I’m not a unstable stick of TNT that will blow up unexpectedly.”

The red and white kittens protested as I got hauled onto my Vampire’s lap and they ended up rolling into the corner. I couldn’t really feel his hug…the Kevlar prevented it. It still felt nice. I heard hisses and pftts with my ears but the language was a little more colorful in my head. Shade raised her head off the seat.

/Knock it off. Now./ The two hellkits got quiet.

“Royalty has its privileges, Shade.”

/You too. Just fang him and get it over with./

“What?”

/You are weak. Just suck on that little honeycomb and get it over with./

I looked over at Hades. Shade swung her head around and the kittens did too. Hades looked up from whatever the hell he was doing and furrowed his brow. “What?” That was the other odd thing that was going on. Liam and Hades were together and they weren’t tossing each other’s tonsils back and forth. I just burrowed myself closer to Armor.

I moved with his chest as he let out a big sign, “Hades, will you allow Xavier to drink from you again? He is still weak and he needs you.” Armor shifted and pressed his mouth against my exposed ear. “It does me no good to smell weakness on you, Little One. You cannot be weak with what we are about to do.”

Hades voice spoke up, “If he asks me.”

“Hades…” Liam gave him a slight shove. “He’s your grandson too, if not by blood then by sentiment.”

“You have not seen the best of me, Xavier. Neither of your brothers have seen me in my best favorable light, but I will not be taken for granted. I will admit that we, have been thinking with the smaller heads lately, but don’t mistake us for clowns, Little Emperor—Blood Emperor. Grandson.”

“Even if Liam had joined with William, I don’t think he would have had the power to remove my curse. The bane of my existence…”

“Hey!” Liam sat upright.

“and the love of my eternal life would be unable to embrace me way the countless others have tried and failed with deadly consequences. You saved my life. I saved yours, we are now even. I owe you nothing but my loyalty.

Hades leaned forward matching my gaze easily, “I will give you my life, Xavier. I will give my life in your service but I will not be an assumption. Ask and you shall receive. Don’t, and the hellcats will keep you in the car for your own safety and for the safety of your Loyal, your Lycan and your Lovers.”

I think I liked him better when he has kicking up a terrible tantrum. I hated it when he spoke sense. “I am weak, Hades. May I drink from you?”

Hades slid off his seat and knelt in front of us. He unbuttoned the collar of his own brown leather gear and pushed his hair slightly behind one ear. “That killed you, didn’t it?” He muttered as he offered his neck.

I dropped fang. It wasn’t a good thing to antagonize someone who was about to rip into your life’s blood. “You’re still an ass.”

“True, but I am family.”

I took five savored swallows. I let the essence pool in my mouth. He was pure power and strength and he filled my craving. 400 years. Could I wait for Armor on the off chance that he might…no hint given that he even survived his death, come back to me? Did I have the faith in him to wait? Did I have the strength to wait? Could I wait, untouched by loving hands for 400 hundred years? The sad answer was…no. I wrenched my head back with a sob. Maybe if I was alone in here. Hades hissed as I turned and lunged back at Armor.

“I don’t want to be like Hades.” Armor caught me around the waist as I tried to hug his head off his neck. “I can’t be like Hades.”

“X?”

“I won’t wait for you.”

“I don’t…”

“If you die, I won’t wait for you.”

“I have never asked you to.”

“That’s rather insulting, Little Emperor.” I turned my head and looked through watery eyes as Liam wrapped a hand around Hades bleeding neck. “After he just…”

“…I’m too selfish.”

Armor wrapped his hand around the back of my head and pressed my face to the crook of his neck. “You are the most giving individual I have ever met, Xavier. Be it human or Vampire.”

“No…” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “If you die, Armor. I will die with you. I don’t have the strength to wait for you to return…if you could return. I’m not strong like Hades.”

“Then you are damned lucky, I do not intend to die.” His answer was so simple.

I was wrecked: emotionally and physically. I would be a hindrance. I just had to learn things the hard way. I wiped my eyes clear and sniffed. “I’m going to hold you to that. I’m sorry, Hades. I should have listened to you earlier. I’ll stay in the car.”

Liam was laving my fang marks I left on Hades throat closed. Hades had his eyes closed and seemed to be off in his own private world of bliss. I leaned heavily on my monkey and closed my eyes. They were entitled. They had earned it over the centuries. Eternal Love. Eternal Desire. It was out there. It was right in front of me… Okay, that was pushing it.

There was a slight shift beneath me and I was suddenly laying on Marcus. “They know we’re here. We tripped sensors planted in the road. We have probably three minutes tops.”

I slid off Marcus to the seat.

“Gold Team you heard that? We are good to go.” Hades touched the small device in his ear. “It’s not safe for you to stay in the car, Xavier. Stick close to Marcus. He needs protection. Keep your cats with you. Marcus…walk us in.”

“Channel 3” Marcus pointed to the ear piece and climbed out of the car.

/I will go with the Ancients. Something is not right here. Morose, Snowflake. Stay as little housecats out of sight. Be ready to defend the Lord Emperor in a leap./

I got two affirmatives in my head and then panther Shade moved past me. Her mighty tail softly brushed past my face. /Be careful, Xavier./

/That’s my middle name./

/I thought it was Edward./

/Who the hell knows anymore? Come back, your Majesty./

I trailed her red behind out of the car. Once she touched the ground she shivered and turned pitch. In three bounds she was off in the forest, blending in with the night. Two cats jumped out of the car, one black the other still white. I caught Snowflake’s emerald gaze, he dipped his little kitty head and somehow managed to blend in with the night as well. and Sang Ku changed into simple wolves and stood on either side of me.

Marcus crept along the trees. I made my way over to him. My shield was firmly locked in place. There was a draw back with the cloak of invisibility. Sure, I was off the radar but I couldn’t pick up anything either. I dropped the blood mist and the steady flowing stream. I kept the new interlocking mirror ball.

“What are you doing?” Marcus reached back and caught my wrist. He pulled me forward beside the tree he was kneeling against. “Put your shield back up.”

“I can’t help you with it up. I can’t feel anyone.”

The little earpiece crackled to life. “Marcus, gate security is down. Need a code to open the main doors..” It was Riot’s calm voice.

“Xavier…” Marcus hissed at me.

“Marcus!”

“Touch one of the guards, I’ll work through you.”

I let my mind follow Marcus through the ether. He was a bright red stream of….will? From what I understood, this gift was extremely rare. Marcus and myself had it. I had no doubt Liam had it in one of his previous reincarnations. It meandered like an old river but the strength of it. The unconscious guard Riot had his palm against was an open book. He ripped through the man’s mind in the search for what he wanted. I wasn’t prepared to follow my big brother’s wake into that churned up mess. I let myself hover above it.

“Gate code is his right hand print and 180946.” Riot took out his knife and chopped the man’s hand off at the wrist. Even though the guards brain was leaking out all over his skull he groaned and writhed.

It was horrible. I moved closer and grabbed for that fragile ribbon that anchored all he was to that now crumpled body. I yanked it free. That ribbon fluttered in my hand for a moment then it glittered like dying fireworks and vanished. The now soulless body gave one last gasp and expired.

While I was killing, Riot got the main gates open and the crew moved inwards with military precision. “Mercy, thy name is Xavier.” Marcus whispered back to me. His eyes were glazed. Mine were too.

Marcus was strong. I wouldn’t be able to direct my thoughts any where as far if I wasn’t trailing him like a wing man. “Hades…the corridor to the left, fifth door down leads to the basement. The main electrical box is there.”

I don’t know what I expected. Certainly not this. Marcus was confident and commanding. His voice was clear and calm as he directed the Loyal forward. He commanded like a general. This was a side I had never seen. Azrael had never seen. The whole of the area dropped to complete darkness. Two seconds later emergency lighting kicked in. Another two minutes later, the Loyal dismantled the generator.

Up until then, everything was done with ghostly silence then the sound of gunfire broke the night. I should have expected that. I was startled back into my head. I reeled just like measure tape rewinding back into its case. I snapped back hard and just fell over staring up at the tree’s canopy and breathing hard as if I just physically run all the way back.

Two legs stepped up by my head. Sebastiano! “Ah! Just stay where you are or your friend loses something he mind find important.”

I glanced over at Marcus, his eyes were still glazed but there as a muzzle of a semi-automatic pressed to the crook of his neck. Julian held the gun with confidence. “Alarik could use this one.”

“That boy ain’t right. Alarik’s watched him for years. But you got his talent don’t you, Fuck Toy.”

Where the hell were the Lycan’s or the Hellcat. Ohmygod. /Mo? Snowflake?/ I got nothing back from them. They were dead?

Sebastiano kicked the side of my head. “Bring him back here, now.”

I went to sit up and got a foot on my chest. Sebastiano stepped on my chest. “Do it from your backside, punk. You should be used to that.”

“Where is Alarik?”

“I’d be more concerned over my own ass right now. Don’t worry he’s nearby. He’ll be taking out your perverted sire soon. Ah, ah ah. Just get used to being on your back, snowflake, you’ll be doing that a lot when you join with us.”

“Join you? What makes you think I would work with you.”

“You want this walking phobia? His life is in your hands. Call him back here now.”

They didn’t have a binding on me, but I couldn’t out run a bullet especially if it was already pressed into Marcus’ neck. I closed my eyes and desperately followed Marcus vapor trail. Wait. Romeo, oh Romeo…there you are. Not far away was Matthais, so that meant that Alarik was nearby and therefore Father was too. This Vampire had that same fragile ribbon but instead of being white or a pastel shade, Matthais’ soul was dark blue. I pushed myself forward, floating on the ether. If I did nothing, Father would be going against three vampire who had a factor of ancient. I sped up as fast as I could making a circle around these two vampire then swooped forward. I snagged the blue ribbon and wrenched it out of its anchor. I didn’t look back as I streaked toward Romeo. Somehow he felt me, or it could have been the gurgle as Matthais dropped to the ground like a puppet with his strings cut. Romeo’s soul was still in the darker pastels. I could only assume that he had just recently joined Alarik’s little funnel of death. Still, it came down to Father or Romeo. I ripped his soul out of his body without a backwards glance.

/MARCUS! Alarik’s cronies have got the drop on us. They’ve got a gun to your neck./

I would have one chance at this. It would still leave Sebastiano but cutting gown Alarik’s power by 75% should give Father a fighting chance. Marcus shuddered as his mindwalking talent rewound back to the source. He gasped a deep breath. Julian’s concentration shifted just a bit. I did what ever the hell I did before to see the soul ribbon. Julian’s was stained blood red. Marcus….Marcus was blindingly white, it glowed with life. I yanked on Julian’s ribbon. He staggered. I didn’t pull it free. I wrenched on it again this time making sure I had a good grip.

My head rocked sideways as Sebastiano kicked me in the noggin. It was too late. Julian dropped to the ground, dead. Marcus turned and ripped a binding at Sebastiano. I’d never seen a binding deflected. Well I didn’t really see it, I felt it whip by me. Sebastiano reached down and grabbed my kelvar vest, yanking me to by feet. I stilled as a blade touched my throat.

Marcus knelt on one leg glaring up at the suavely groomed ass of a vampire. “Impressive, child. If you weren’t so fucked up in the head, Alarik would have brought you into the fold a long time ago. Instead….we’ll use Fuck Toy here. What did you do to Julian?”

I searched for Sebastiano’s soul. It was dark grey with black spots, just like mold on a mushroom moving forward devouring what little grace he had. I couldn’t touch it. It was like sticking fingers up into the wind from the window of a car going 70 miles a hour. My reach just got slapped backward. Sebastiano felt that. I got the hilt of the knife into my temple and my knees just buckled.

“Xavier!”

I felt the blade dig into my throat. “What did you do to Julian?”

“Mercy…” My voice was raw. I was not used to mindwalking so far and I was weak to being with.

“Begging won’t help you.”

“No….I was…the Angel of Mercy.” I gritted my teeth and forced my wings out hard. The Kevlar resisted me for a moment then the Velcro ripped back and Sebastiano went flying. He sliced my neck open as he went. I grabbed at my wound and called on the Healing Light. I was engulfed in blue flame before I hit the ground. Marcus caught me before my face impacted with the dirt.

“Enough of this!” Sebastiano pulled out a dart gun and aimed it at us. A giant white saber tooth tiger ripped into his arm. Even from where we lay, we could hear the bones crunch and the tearing of muscles. Sebastiano screamed as Snowflake chewed his forearm off. The screaming went silent as Marcus forced a binding down on the distracted vampire.

“Xavier?”

“Kill the fucker.” I flickered out and panted on my hands and knees. Sonofabitch. I lifted a hand to my throat. “Make it hurt.”

/Lord Emperor…/

I turned my head slowly toward Snowflake. Damn he was magnificent. /Where were you?/

/He used those darts. Morose is dead. He couldn’t change fast enough to a bigger cat. I just kept scaling up until the drug quit working. Sang Kyu is out there, barely alive. This vampire shot him with the dart then used a tree limb on his head./

“Kill him. Now.” I wobbled to my feet and locked my knees to keep upright. I let my wings rest the tips on the ground and made myself a tripod. Marcus struggled with the binds he had on the Ancient. Yes, Sebastiano was an Ancient, but Alarik surrounded himself with those weaker than him. I fortified myself and walked forward using my wings for balance.

“For crimes against the Blood Nations, of Vampire and Lycan, I, Blood Emperor Xavier Von Drachenfeld pronounce the sentence of death.”

My Glocks were heaven knows where. I still had my daggers and my lower back blade but I knew if I bent down, I was going to crash into the dirt. “Snowflake, I will allow you to carry out his sentence as it is your right for your Hellcat comrade.”

It was gruesome, yet like a car crash, you were just unable to look away. Snowflake was about 450 pounds of lean killing muscle and bone. He was smaller than a lion but massive like a body builder on steroids. He stalked to the top of the vampire and laid a wide stocky leg on his chest, pinning him to the ground.

“Marcus let him go.”

The vampire started screaming as the blood pumped out of his missing forearm. Then he went quiet as Snowflake crushed his ribcage, puncturing his lungs. Marcus came up to me. He ripped up his sleeve and held it to my mouth. “I know I am the last you want to drink from, but I can’t lose contact with the hunting party. Drink Xavier.”

Snowflake opened his jaw wide and in one bone crunching bite, Sebastiano became two pieces. The head rolled off down the small embankment to the road.

I fanged Marcus’s wrist. Three swallows and I could stand under my own power but he wouldn’t let me take my mouth back. “Do eight. Father’s way.”

He was pushing my fangs in. I took his piece of advice and drank deep. I didn’t want to leave him weak, not with Alarik running around out here in the woods. I pulled my fangs loose. “Thank you, Marcus. We need to find Sang Kyu. Tell Hades there are seven Reds in the security cells at the basement. Security code is 87340. We don’t leave our own behind.”

I dropped to my knees before Snowflake. His muzzle was bloody and his eyes were blazing emerald fury. I hugged him around the neck and squeezed tight. “I am sorry for your loss, Snowflake.”

/Our only wish was to serve you, Blood Emperor. We had hoped that as a reward for our service, you would devour our souls. Morose will be reincarnated again./

“Then I failed him.”

/No, he failed his duty. This is his punishment, he will be reborn knowing that eternal peace could have been his./

I climbed to my feet and followed Snowflake to the fallen Lycan. Sang Kyu was still on the forest floor. His chest rose shallowly. /He alerted me. If I hadn’t starting changing when I got hit, I would have died like Morose./

I laid a hand on the Lycan. He had a skull fracture and there was pressure on the brain. The drug was slowing his heartbeat. He should have been dead by now. I shifted my vision and saw a spectral image of himself desperately clawing onto his ribbon. He was not prepared to leave this world. I laid my other hand on his bloodied skull and called on the light. My wings were stretched out around him so I must have looked like a night light with the blue glow seeping through my pale wings. Burn off the poison, reduce the pressure, knit the bone. I was doing too much of this, on myself as well as others.

/Snowflake, do you need healing?/

/The poison lingers, but it does not affect me./

I spluttered out. Sang Kyu’s breathing deepened into a recovering healing sleep. I looked up to see Hades and Liam and the rest of the raiding party standing in front of me. Littered throughout the group were former vampires, now Orel Wessel lab rats. There were dressed in paper scrubs and looked happy has hell to get out of there. I folded my wings back and climbed to my feet. Two more loyal came up and pulled the Lycan off the ground.

“Keep everyone moving.” Liam ordered.

“Hades…I am weak. May I drink from you.”

The little blondie waited until most of the Loyal had passed us, “We’ve found four dead vampires, one with his head missing.”

“We’ll see if the funnel can work without his sources.”

He brought his hand up and cupped my cheek. “You are a trouble magnet, Xavier.” He opened his leathers and offered his neck to me. Honey sweetness mixed with lingering Appley goodness. I drank until I was bloated. I laved the wounds closed. Hades swayed a bit. I looked over at Liam.

“I’ve worn him out.”

“Good hunting, Little Emperor.”

“What? What are you doing?” Liam caught Hades in a bridal pose.

“He is going to wipe this division of Orel Wessel off the face of the earth. Take that damn drug with it, Xavier.”

I nodded. The two ancients moved past me toward the limos. I willed away my wings and started back along the trail they used. It didn’t look like a horror factory. It looked like an odd place for a three story office building. The twelve foot electrified fence surrounding it would have given it away that it was more than just papers being pushed inside.

Orel Wessel. The bastards.

My phoenix came to be almost unbidden. I was a little shocked at my leathers didn’t burn away but then again, I had unintentionally bloodied them before. My Docs went the way of the Dodo. I stood on a slight hill staring down at the building. Humans were scattered across the field. I should have been appalled at the amount of death here, but this was war. They declared war on me and mine when we had done nothing to deserve it. I was judged on the actions of my forefathers who were long dead and buried, except for Liam who was basically powerless compared to what he had once been.

I fashioned my bow from the Hand of Light and looked at the skylights in the roof. The arrow I willed into being was twice the size of the one I used at the warehouse. I wanted nothing remaining of this place. Not even the foundations.

/Fire in the hole!/

I drew back and shot the arrow skyward. It glittered in the night sky leaving a beautiful blue vapor trail as it show towards the heavens then arced, finally crashing through the skylight I was aiming for. /Explode./

The research division of Orel Wessel disappeared in a ball of blue flame. Everything exploded outwards and upwards. I dug my left fiery wing into the ground as an anchor and wrapped myself in my right as the shockwave hit me. It was that mushroom cloud and that ring of high intensity air that tore trees out of the ground laying they down in a circle radiating out from the blast zone. The noise was screaming winds. I felt debris raining down on me but my wings burnt everything that touched me. Finally silence descended.

I opened my wings to survey the damage. Total annihilation. There was a smoking crater two hundred feet from my hilltop position. The scattered remains of Orel Wessel soldiers were truly scattered now to the four winds. I heard feet running up behind me.

/X?/ Armor. I surveyed the area one last time searching for signs of life and found nothing. Not even crickets. I flared out. The ground was warm against my bare feet and I only took about four steps before Armor had me up in a bridal pose. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, just burnt off my shoes again.” I wrapped my left arm around his neck. Armor turned and carried me back down the hill to my Loyal army. I glanced back at the destruction. No, my middle name wasn’t trouble magnet. I rested my forehead along side my love’s neck and shoulder. There was no denying it. My middle name was Hashmalliam.

Destroyer of Nations.

And it looks like I’ve already started.