Page 14

Chapter 13

No Defense

Raiden

I watched her leave, and I let her—for now.

Waving a hand over Joel, my shadows left him behind like the pile of dust he deserved to be. She was right, I realized, the more her words bounced around in my mind—my magic was more death than just shadows.

Silvana . The name suited her.

With the males left behind, I realized quickly that I had some business to attend to downstairs. Walking back down to the main floor, I already knew that my streak of silver ice was long gone. I did glance around for a head of dark hair, though. Having to leave Micah back at the manor with Allie wasn’t ideal, but thankfully I’d thought ahead enough to bring Bastian.

Micah would be proud of me for not coming here alone.

Spotting his tall, broad form in the masses of people was easy for me. Being only slightly shorter than I was, Bastian had a dark olive complexion and moss-green eyes. His features were sharp, and his chocolate brown hair was kept cut close to his scalp. Where Micah was not only my best friend, but my second-in-command, Bastian, was my third. He trained and led my Shadow Brigade, but he was also a close friend.

I trusted them both with my life.

Bastian possessed shadow magic, like many in my court. However, where my magic could outright kill, his magic was able to craft weapons and shields made of pure ebony shadows. Which made him even better suited as my general than most would be.

“I saw her sneak out but assumed you’d been with her already. Your scent was all over her,” Bastian stated plainly.

I nodded in reply. “I need to speak to the owners.”

Bastian’s eyes widened for only a moment before he nodded his head and strode off in search. I went to the bar to obtain my typical tumbler of bourbon from the barkeep. Might as well enjoy a drink before I had to kill people in such a public fashion.

Many years ago, this would have excited me. Now I just wanted to hunt down the curvy silver-haired minx that clearly thrived off of teasing me with her sass and blades.

I sat down at my regular table in the far back corner and didn’t bother concealing myself. Sometimes I wanted my punishment to be private—dealt with in hushed whispers throughout my court. This was not one of those times. I wanted them, and everyone present, to see what was on its way. I wanted news and rumors to travel throughout my court of what was about to happen to those who blatantly broke my laws. To those who endangered my queen.

The Eternal Outcasts, as they so happily called themselves. I rolled my eyes. I’d happily burn their rebellion to the ground and then dance in the ashes. Preferably with my ice queen.

I leaned back against the leather seats and brought my ankle to the opposite leg. I wasn’t expecting Bastian to take long to find those I was after. The male had a no-nonsense type of aura about him when it came to his work that seemed to help him end up where he wanted to be. Any other time, he was all smiles and laughs.

Watching across the floor, I took in the few humans and vampires alike, who took note of my presence. No one here would know for sure who exactly I was, but they could feel the power nonetheless. To the vampires, they could feel it against their skin like a pressure. To the humans, it would feel more like a foreboding—as if death was near.

Silvana came to mind again at the thought. I’d always been told my magic felt like death to humans and I’d shook my head when I heard it. Mostly because I thought they were being dramatic, but what if they weren’t far off? Thoughts to ponder another time.

I saw Bastian approaching with two males in front of him. A look of annoyance upon all three faces. But the first two’s faces dropped once they reached my eye line.

The first male tried to stagger to a stop but Bastian pushed him onward. He was a head shorter than Bastian with pale skin and freckles along his face. His red hair reminded me of what I imagined the one freckled male upstairs looked like before my ice queen beheaded him, burning his head in the fireplace.

The second male seemed to already know what was coming for him. His dark eyes were distant and his expression grim.

I didn’t rise from my seat, I just stared at them once Bastian had them stop in front of me. I took a slow drink from my glass and set it on the table in front of me. By this point, the music had stopped and people in the tavern were staring.

Clearing my throat, I let my eyes wander over both of them before saying, “Do you know why I’ve had my associate bring you to me?”

The first male scoffed, “I don’t even know who you are.”

The second male continued to stare at the floor, saying nothing. I let my power fully free now. Normally, I did my best to hold most of it back. Like I’d said before, it made most uncomfortable. My shadows lingered around my body and slowly slithered toward the floor as if to keep me company. Some people nearby audibly gasped and took steps backward away from where we sat.

Anyone’s attention we lacked before, we had now.

The first male went pale and just stared at me as if he was unsure of what to say.

“I’m assuming you’ve now come to realize exactly who I am,” I growled. “It’s come to my attention this evening, that you… males, have been allowing vermin to use your establishment for treachery against my court. They call themselves the Eternal Outcasts. Would you happen to know what I’m speaking of?”

Bastian leaned forward, placing a hand on both males’ shoulders, and pushed them to their knees. I smirked.

The second male still didn’t speak, but the first one was stumbling over his words, exponentially distraught by this point.

Letting my shadows do their favorite thing, they crept across the floor toward him. He tried to get to his feet, but Bastian was there to hold him down as my shadows ran up his body.

“Please! Please, My Lord! You don’t understand! They made us! We didn’t have a choice!” the male screamed. I stared at him, unbothered, as the midnight black shadows covered his entire body. His screams faded to nothing as he ceased to exist, leaving behind a pile of dust that would thoroughly impress my ice queen.

I moved my gaze to the left toward the second male—my shadows flowing along the floor around his kneeling body. I released more shadows around Bastian, the kneeling male, and me. I was hoping for information, and I didn’t need this part of the evening traveling beyond the three of us.

“Speak,” I commanded.

The male looked up at me, his eyes speaking what his mouth was not saying. He was ready to die. “I have no defense, My Lord. The group calls themselves the Eternal Outcasts, as you said. Rogan approached us two months ago, offering Rhodes and me more money than we’d ever seen before.” He shrugged, looking back toward the pile of dust that I’m now assuming was Rhodes.

“Continue,” I demanded.

“Rogan just said they needed a place to meet with their group and plan. Things like that. It wasn’t until later we realized what he was doing. I… I didn’t know what to do when they started carting unconscious women out, My Lord. I know we should’ve gone to you. We should’ve gone to anyone. But people were disappearing, and we didn’t want to be one of them.”

I glanced at Bastian; he looked just as angry as I felt.

“I appreciate your honesty.” I dropped the shadows around us. “But I will not allow this sort of treachery to remain in my court.”

The male nodded his head. “I understand.”

My shadows quickly rushed up his body and he was gone before he even had a chance to cry out.

I rose from my chair and drained the rest of my tumbler.

“I’m heading back to the manor to talk to Micah. I want this place shut down for the evening, cleaned up during the day, and reopened under new management by tomorrow evening,” I told Bastian.

He nodded his head. “Of course, My Lord.”

* * *

I found Micah sitting in the living area of the manor. He was in a high-back red velvet chair, his legs wide as he leaned back reading a book.

Allie lay across the room from him on a small couch near the lit fireplace. Her eyes were closed and her breathing deep, so I knew she was asleep. It brought a small smile to my face that she was comfortable enough here to do so. I didn’t know what she’d been through, but I knew after meeting and seeing Silvana in action, it couldn’t have been good.

I knew her future wouldn’t have improved if those males had taken her either. Part of me wondered if my ice queen knew about the good she was doing by saving women like Allie.

I lowered myself into the chair across from Micah. I nodded my head toward Allie and then quietly asked, “How has she been this evening?”

Micah glanced over at her sleeping form for a moment before his gaze returned to me. “She’s tired, understandably. She’s been through a vast array of trauma over the last few nights.”

“Did she tell you anything about what happened? Who had her and what they wanted?” I don’t expect that she would’ve shared much, but there’s always the possibility that she may have.

I could hear Micah grind his teeth together as he closed his book, setting it in his lap.

“From what she can remember, they took her on her way home from work four nights ago. She lived two towns over. She woke up in the room above The Midnight Run, where she remained until Silvana came and rescued her. She didn’t go into detail about what happened to her, and I didn’t push. However, she did say that they kept telling each other how she’d make a perfect addition to the breeding pack for Victor.” Anger was prevalent in his eyes. “The breeding pack, Raiden?”

I looked toward the floor and tried to choose my words carefully. Everyone has trauma loaded into their past, especially when you’ve lived as long as we have. This entire ordeal just happened to hit on mine, as well as Micah’s, in a deep way.

I let out a slow breath before meeting his eyes again. “They call themselves the Eternal Outcasts—like Allie had mentioned. The one we talked to, he mentioned that there were rumors about breeding. He didn’t sound convinced, though.”

“We?” Micah asked.

I found myself smiling as I looked at my friend. “I found my female this evening. She was at The Arcane Theater in the upper rooms. She killed one male, subdued another, and I killed the third. We then… questioned the remaining male until he volunteered the information we sought.”

“You found your female?” His eyes were wide, and I wondered if he was going to explode on me for going out without backup or if he was nervous about the female I was determined to make my bride.

“Before you bring it up, I brought Bastian with me. I wasn’t alone. Secondly, yes. I found her. She’s even more spectacular when she’s next to me doling out punishment to my enemies.” I knew I was smiling like a lovesick puppy. I didn’t care, though.

Micah was shaking his head. “Well, now I can call off half of that search. What did you find out?”

I quickly relayed back the information Silvana and I tore from Joel’s mouth. If Micah could look any angrier, I know he would. It’s honestly a miracle the Fates blessed him with a passive type of magic. I’d hate to know what he was capable of right now if he had my shadows or Silvana’s ice.

“Do we have a plan?” he quietly growled, so as not to wake Allie with his rising temper.

“I’m going to work with Silvana and hunt every single one of them down.” Did Silvana know that? No, but she would soon. “Bastian is still at The Arcane Theater cleaning it up and bringing in some of our people to run it for now until I can get things resettled and sell it. My goal is to find as many of the females as possible until we figure out who this Victor person is.” I tilted my head for a moment, thinking. “You know, Joel said they called him The Victor, not just Victor.”

“What is your point, Raiden?” Micah suddenly sounded tired, and I knew this was a lot for him mentally.

“It’s just something I noticed. The one in charge may be using a code name. It would make sense if he’s in power, to not tie himself to something like this until it’s successful.”

Micah looked back toward Allie, slowly nodding his head.

“Did you find out anything about her?” I asked him.

Micah didn’t look away from Allie. “Yes. She has seen nineteen winters. Her parents are both gone and she has an older sister who’s married with kids. She doesn’t want to bring trouble anywhere near them, which she believes she is with her abilities. I can’t say I blame her after everything she’s been through. Some of the people in town call her a witch, that’s why the males took her. Someone sold her out.”

There were myths that all witches originated from human and vampire couplings. Before the Fates took away the ability for us to procreate with humans so easily, there were humans who didn’t end up born with immortality or blood lust but did retain some sort of magic. They made some of the most powerful vampires. I stopped breathing for a moment as it all clicked.

“Micah—what if they’re right? What if they’re trying to breed? But not just with anyone? With the hybrids? With the born vampires and the witches?” I said quickly.

“Is that even possible?” Micah whispered.

“Of course it is. Think about it. Hybrids, while incredibly rare now, if they possess some sort of magic as humans, when they’re turned, they’re even more powerful than your average turned vampire because they already have vampire genes. The born vampires are some of the most powerful in history. If you were able to breed with those females.”

Micah paled. “Why? Why would you even try that?”

I shrugged. “Simple. Power.”

“But I didn’t even think it would be possible now until you were—” Micah started.

“I know, I know. But you and I both know that not everyone believes the legends are true and they’ll try anyway,” I finished.

He leaned back in his chair and stared toward the ceiling for a few moments. “Allie wants me to turn her. She said she doesn’t want to be weak anymore.”

I stared at him as I thought it over. “I’d never force you to do anything of the sort, but it isn’t a terrible idea, Micah.”

I rose from the chair and glanced over at Allie. Her eyes were still filled with sleep, but I could tell our conversation woke her.

“Before you go, I just wanted you to know that The Midnight Run burned to the ground earlier tonight. One dead. Any ideas on how that happened?” Micah asked.

I glanced back at him and shrugged, but I caught the smile growing on Allie’s face as I left the room.