Page 8

Meghan

With no time to spare, the entire team boarded one of the Diamantis clan’s private jets. We flew almost nonstop, landing in New York City to refuel before flying across the Atlantic Ocean directly to Athens. The Diamantis vampires had a base there, and Alex had already alerted the local forces to prepare for battle.

While the vampires discussed strategy, the rest of the girls and I tried to get as much rest as possible in the bedroom area. Well, that was the plan. In reality, we ended up filling the hours with gossip about our men.

“I can’t believe you and Leo!” Amanda brushed my hair aside and examined the bite mark on my neck. The wound was still fresh and angry red, but it was already starting to scab over. She nodded in approval and gave me a sisterly hug. “I knew you two would hit it off. He’s so kind, isn’t he?”

I blushed. Despite our short friendship in the before times, she knew me better than anybody in my own family ever did. “He’s a sweet little sugar plum,” I whispered.

“I’ll get you for that,” Leo replied through our bond. “Stop spreading rumors. Nobody around here is going to respect me if you keep talking like that.”

“Must be nice to have a king bed on your own private jet,” Lizzy said with a sigh. She flopped on to the bed and spread her arms like she was making snow angels.

“Yeah, it is nice. Very nice.” Amanda blushed as she spoke.

“Oh goddess, do I even want to know what’s happened on this bed?” Lizzy’s face screwed into a look of horror as realization dawned. She jumped off the bed like it was full of ants.

Rose laughed. “They’re all alone thousands of feet in the air where nobody can hear or see them scream. What did you think the Master was going to do with his mate, play Monopoly?”

I tuned them out as they each took turns bantering about their own mate’s sexual prowess. All this sex talk only made me miss Leo. I wondered where we were going to go from here. What exactly did it mean to be mated to a demi-vampire? When we got back to LA, would I still be getting my own room, or would I sleep in Leo’s bed from now on? I wondered what his place looked like.

Suddenly an image flashed in my mind of an enormous four-poster bed in the middle of an expensive looking modern room. The bed was covered in midnight blue silk sheets, and it looked like I would sink in and disappear among all the pillows. Then, another image. This time, I was naked on the bed, with my wrists and ankles tied to the bedposts with leather cuffs. I shivered at the wanton image of myself writhing in pleasure. Is this what I looked like from Leo’s point of view?

My cheeks grew warm. That answered my question then. Crossing my legs, I tried to find relief from the need building in my core. Soon. We would defeat this Cederic guy, go home, and then Leo and I would lose ourselves in each other.

My thoughts turned dark. If we were going to live long enough to get back to Los Angeles, whispered the traitorous voice in my head. We were going to take on a vampire cult led by a crazy vampire hellbent on ending the world. If he succeeded in opening the portal, then Leo and the others would have to battle bloodsucking creatures that were vicious enough to strike fear in the hearts of these vampires.

I shuddered. What could be scary enough to frighten a bunch of burly vamps?

Leo must have sensed my unease. A surge of comfort traveled through our bond and enveloped my mind. Immediately, my heart rate slowed, and it felt like Leo’s arms were wrapped around me. “I’m okay,” I reassured him through the bond. “Don’t worry about me. Focus on kicking ass.”

Never before had I been so protected, loved, and safe, even with all the uncertainty in my life. Was this what the others felt with their vampire mates? A flood of shame filled me at how judgmental I used to be of people who chose to become mated with vampires.

“Hello?” Rose appeared in front of me, waving her hand in my face. I blinked as the room came into focus again. The other women all gave me knowing looks. “It’s pretty neat, isn’t it? I couldn’t stop talking with Dante when we first forged our bond.”

“I think it’s cute. You two are still in your honeymoon phase,” Lizzy said with a teasing tone.

“Wait until you feel what his orgasm feels like through the bond,” Amanda added in a low voice. She wiggled her eyebrows for extra effect.

The others laughed while my cheeks felt like they were on fire.

The plane’s overhead speakers let out a melodic chime before the pilot’s voice came over the air. “We are approaching Athens in fifteen minutes. Prepare for landing.”

Saved by the bell, I thought. We went back out to the main area of the plane where the others were. Taking our seats, we fastened our seat-belts while the plane made an uneventful landing in a field.

As we came off of the plane, we were greeted by a fleet of armored cars. A dark-haired man with a goatee was already standing by the first car. His dark brown eyes were almost black, and they glistened like gems under the glare of the spotlights lining the airport runway. He greeted Alex and bowed formally, like Leo often did. The two men spoke in hushed voices before Alex gave the signal for the rest of us to follow and get into the cars.

Athens was just as destroyed as Paris and the rest of the world. We drove through the ruined city and soon arrived at the Diamantis compound.

Whatever Alex and the other vampire discussed during the drive must have satisfied Alex.

We arrived at the compound, a grand manor with imposing marble columns and ornate windows.

Alex addressed us from the front steps. “You’re all tired from the long flight. I need everybody well rested before the battle. Victor has someone tailing Cederic and his men. While they are still hiding out at their headquarters, we will rest while we can.”

All of us split up immediately with our mates and made our way to our rooms.

As soon as Leo closed the door behind us, I shoved his shoulder, pushing him against the door with a thud. Claiming his lips with a sudden ferocity, I tried to devour him, as if doing so could keep him with me.

“You need to come back tomorrow–” I started.

Leo gathered me in his arms. Looping my arms around his neck, he kissed the top of my head and stroked my hair. “Don’t fret. It’s a standard mission. Cederic’s forces are scattered and despite the orb, he is weak.”

“Promise me you’ll come back.”

“Everything will work out. You’ll see.”

Before I could say anything else, he covered my lips with his. I moaned in protest at our interrupted conversation, but there was no use pretending that I stood a chance against his passionate onslaught.

We made quick work of discarding our clothes and stumbling towards the bed. Soon, I was grasping at the back of his neck, my fingers tangled in his hair as he kissed his way down my body.

After we had claimed each other multiple times, we clung to each other in a mass of stated sticky limbs. Even though he had showed me his love physically, he still hadn’t promised me that he would come back to me alive and in one piece.

The next day, the Diamantis vampires headed out to battle with what looked like every weapon and explosive in their armory. The rest of the human women and I stayed behind and watched helplessly as our men marched out to war.

Anxiety filled the air. Even Amanda, who usually had a voracious appetite, had to be forced by Rose to eat for the sake of the baby. Hours seemed like days as we waited for their return. I wanted to reach out to Leo through the bond to see if he was okay, but that could distract him at a crucial moment.

Lizzy passed the time by fluttering around and making sure we all had an endless supply of tea flowing into our cups. I think it had something to do with her being a witch that made the act of brewing tea such a calming action for her. My hands shook with caffeine jitters as I brought my seventh cup of tea to my lips.

Suddenly, a vision of billowing smoke, fire, and destruction flashed in my mind. A bunch of injured vampires were fleeing the scene, but they were not the focus of the vision. A blonde woman stared directly at me as she helped a man with white and black hair get up. She was as tall as Leo and had the same glacial blue eyes, though hers were dead inside and held none of the warmth and kindness of Leo’s eyes. This must be Leo’s mother. She looked like she was torn between coming closer or escaping with her companion. After a moment of hesitation, she turned her back on Leo and followed the rest of the fleeing vampires, disappearing into the thick black smoke.

The vision turned black and the bond between Leo and me snapped like a door slamming shut. Despite my mate’s best efforts to sever the link between our minds, the pain of his mother’s betrayal and abandonment radiated through the bond.

I came back to consciousness at the same time as Amanda. “Alex has the orb!” she declared. She paused again as she spoke to Alex yet again. “Cederic has escaped with some of the Aurelians, and Giselle is with them. The important thing is, we have the orb of Teneblas”

Finally, a bit of good news.

“What about the rest of the men?” Rose asked. She plucked at the hem of her shirt nervously.

Amanda closed her eyes for a moment as she spoke to Alex. “They are safe. All of them are safe. A bit worse for the wear, but alive.”

When Alex, Grant, Dante, and Leo came back, all of the human women greeted them with a war hero’s welcome. Grant was the most seriously injured, with a deep slash across his torso that looked like it was caused by a sword. Immediately, Lizzy set out to concoct a poultice and healing potion for her mate.

I ran my hands over Leo, examining him for any damage. There was none besides the rapidly swelling lump above his right eyebrow. I touched the wounded flesh with my fingertips.

“That’s going to bruise tomorrow,” I whispered.

“Doesn’t matter. It’s nothing that won’t heal in a day or two.” Leo gathered my hands in his and placed a kiss on my knuckles. “I told you everything was going to work out, didn’t I?”

Indeed, it did. All of our mates were back home, safe and sound with us, and the orb that controlled the sun was now in our hands.

For the first time in ages, I was hopeful for the future.

I bolted up in bed, scared awake out of a dreamless sleep by the screeching sound of alarms going off at full blare. Fumbling in the dark, I messed around with every button on my nightstand until I found the button for the lights.

“What’s going on?” I asked blearily. The fog of sleep made my brain feel mushy, and not much was making sense to me at the moment.

Leo pulled on his pajama pants and shirt in a hurry. “There’s been a breach in the compound.”

I sniffed the air. “Is something burning?”

“Fuck!” Leo lifted me in his arms and carried me as he rushed out of the room. Acrid black smoke filled the hallway. Grant was already guiding Lizzy, and we followed him as he led us out of the building. All around us, vampires rushed to and fro as they tried to put out the raging fire.

As soon as we got outside, I gasped for fresh air to clear out the burning sensation in my lungs. Rose and Lizzy were already outside.

“Stay together,” Leo said before he joined the firefighting efforts.

The three of us huddled together as we watched the fire grow. By some miracle, they were able to put out the fire, and it didn’t spread past the east wing of the building.

Leo came back outside first. He was covered in soot and his face was smudged in black. He smelled like a campfire. I ran over and threw my arms around his neck. “What happened?”

Leo returned my hug with a tight squeeze before setting me back on the ground. “Alex is sure it’s the Aurelians, they want to get the orb back.”

“Did they take it?” Lizzy asked.

Leo shook his head. “It’s safe in a location. Only Alex knows where it is.”

I let out a breath of relief. That orb was the ticket to ending this hellish world and life going back to normal. The vampires couldn’t find out, not even Leo. I planned on getting my hands on that orb and smashing it into a million pieces. As long as it was hidden somewhere close by, I had a chance.

Alex walked out of the smoldering building and came over to us. “Where’s Amanda?” He glanced at us and immediately froze.

“I thought she was with you?” Rose replied.

I looked around. Amid all the chaos, I didn’t notice Amanda was missing.

“No, she said she was going to visit you before going to bed.”

Rose shook her head. “She never came to my room.”

Alex let out a roar that made the ground shake with his fury. He got the faraway look in his eyes that indicated he was reaching out to her through the bond. He shook his head. “There’s nothing there. She must be unconscious.”

Immediately, the master vampire took charge and began barking out orders. “I want everybody to secure the perimeters. Search every square inch of the grounds. Leave nothing unturned. Look for clues, signs of a struggle, anything.” His eyes filled with bloodthirsty rage. “I will burn the world to the ground to get her back.”

“You might want to hold onto that thought,” Dante said as he ran over with Grant. “Look at this.”

He handed a torn off gold necklace studded with diamonds to Alex. It was covered in blood and there was strands of blonde hair wrapped around the clasp.

“I would recognize that necklace anywhere,” Leo said. “My father got that necklace for my mother for their fortieth anniversary.”

“Amanda must have ripped it from Giselle’s neck as they fought,” Grant added.

“Will she hurt Amanda?” I asked. I wasn’t familiar enough with Giselle to know what she was capable of doing, but everything I knew about this woman indicated she was ruthless.

Alex shook his head. “No.She’s crazy, but she’s not stupid. She’s going to use Amanda as a bargaining chip to get the orb.”

“You can’t possibly be thinking about going through with it,” Grant protested.

“I have no choice. I can’t lose Amanda or the baby.”