Page 9

Leo

“She’s going to be there, isn’t she?” My mother was chaotic, but predictable in her own way. I knew exactly where she was going to be waiting for us. I suspected that Alex knew as well.

Alex nodded. “Giselle would never pass up an opportunity to send a message or seek vengeance.” He removed another gun from the safe and loaded it with bullets soaked in holy water. “The place where her own mate died is the perfect place to hold Amanda hostage.” He handed the loaded weapon to me. “I have no doubt she’ll hurt Amanda even if we didn’t have the orb.”

I holstered the weapon. With two guns hidden under my jacket, a stake strapped to my ankle, and another knife strapped to my arm, I was ready for combat. “She won’t succeed. We’ll get them back safe and sound.”

Alex grabbed the side of his giant mahogany desk and shoved it several feet away. Reaching behind the nearest bookcase, he pulled out a hidden crowbar and began ripping out the floorboards that were under the desk.

His choice of a hiding place for the orb was a bit primitive, but I guess sometimes the simpler ways were best, as my mother failed to find the orb. Alex got down on his hands and knees and reached into the hole in the floor until his entire arm disappeared up to his shoulder. He reached around until, finally, he pulled out a nondescript black duffle bag.

“Is that it?” The tattered canvas bag looked like it contained a change of sweaty gym clothes.

“See for yourself.” Alex unzipped the bag and pulled out a crystal orb the size of a grapefruit. It emitted a golden yellow glow as the magical forces inside swirled around like goldfish in a bowl.

I leaned down and examined it up close for myself. Amazing how such a tiny bit of glass contained the fate of the entire world.

With just Alex and myself on this mission, we moved swiftly. With all the breaches in our wards, Grant and Dante stayed behind to protect the headquarters and the women. It was unlikely, as I suspected my mother was acting on her own behalf, but this may turn out to be a trap to get us to leave the compound unguarded. We couldn’t take any chances.

The old warehouses near the docks of Piareus were long abandoned and looted even before the vampires took over. I looked up at the broken windows in the buildings that glared down at us like evil eyes. The ancient port city never recovered from the economic crisis at the beginning of the century, and the looming buildings were the perfect place for all sorts of unsavory activity and illegal business deals. Some of which, I had been a part of.

My boots crunched on broken glass and bits of broken pallet wood as we moved rapidly through the dark alleyways. It didn’t take long to reach our destination. The warehouse with the wooden doors covered in peeling green paint was forever etched in my memory.

“Wait,” I said, blocking Alex with my arm. “I’ll go first, in case it’s booby trapped.”

A woman’s pained scream tore through the silence in the air.

Alex’s fangs descended. “No time!” He growled his battle cry and pulled out a gun from his jacket. “Amanda’s in pain.”

He shoved me aside and kicked open the doors. Before I could stop him, he rushed in and disappeared into the pitch black room.

I swore under my breath. The only thing in the world that could make my master lose control like that was his mate. Running after Alex, I unsheathed my own weapons as I tracked him by the sound of his pounding footsteps. We were walled in on both sides by aisles of pallets stacked up to the ceiling. It would have been so easy to become disoriented and lose my sense of direction.

Soon, I didn’t need to follow Alex to know where to go. The muffled sounds of Amanda’s sobs and uneven breathing was like a homing beacon. She was chained to a concrete pillar and gagged with a dirty rag. A thin stream of dried blood ran from her temple down her cheek. The top of her head was stained and matted with dried blood. Her left eye was already swollen and turning a sick shade of maroon.

“Stop right there.” My mother aimed her gun at the side of Amanda’s head, all while keeping her eyes trained on Alex.

She cocked the gun and steadied her aim at Amanda’s head. “Where’s the orb?”

Alex held up the black bag.

“Show it to me.”

“Release her first,” Alex replied.

My mother let out a piercing laugh. “You must think I’m stupid. I hold all the power here.” She wrapped her free hand around Amanda’s hair and yanked her head back.

Amanda let out a yelp. Her eyes filled with tears at the pain.

“Your little bitch and unborn bastard are in my hands. I say jump, and you say how high. The orb, Alex.”

Alex unzipped the bag and held up the orb for a moment before shoving it back in the bag. “Where’s Cederic and the rest of the Aurelians? I’m surprised they trust you with the orb.”

I immediately caught on to what Alex was trying to do. Not only was he goading her, but he was trying to distract her enough, so she made a fatal mistake in our favor.

“They don’t know, do they?” I asked. “You’re going to keep the orb for yourself.”

My mother gave me a chilling smile. “You were always a clever boy. Just like your father.”

This was my chance. “Please, Mom. Let Amanda go and come back with us. You know Papa wouldn’t want to see you like this.”

She snarled. “Go back to what? My life is over as it is. It was over the moment your father stepped foot into this cursed place. There’s nothing there for me.”

I shoved down the pang in my gut as she finally said it out loud. I never mattered to her at all. In a way, I understood her. My loyalty was to my master and clan, but above all, to Meghan. Yet, I could never imagine abandoning my future children like my mother abandoned me.

“You’re not the only one who’s lost a lot. Your hatred for our master and clan means I lost more than one parent that day.” I kept my eyes focused on my mother. As I spoke, Alex was getting ready to attack. Only the twitch of his fingers gave him away.

He swung the bag with the orb in it, launching it straight at her hand, knocking the gun out of her grasp. The weapon skipped across the room like a stone skipping on a pond surface.

While my mother was distracted between going for the gun or grabbing the orb, Alex lunged at her and attacked.

I dived and seized the bag before she could get to it. Tucking the bag close to my chest, I shielded it as I rolled and landed on my feet next to Amanda. Keeping one eye on Alex and my mother as they battled, I worked at untying my master’s mate.

It was difficult to concentrate with the sickening sound of punches landing on flesh and the boom of bodies being slammed into the pillars of the concrete building. Summoning ever last bit of my strength, I wrenched the chain links between my hands and pulled until the metal snapped.

From somewhere behind me, came the bang of a gun being fired. There was an anguished scream. And then silence. I gathered Amanda into my arms and used my body to shield her from the violence and gore.

“It’s done,” Alex said.

Amanda let out a sob and rushed into his waiting arms.

It was only then that I saw the black puddle of ooze behind Alex that used to be my mother.

Despite my sadness, I knew it had to end this way. I was thankful that Alex was the one to deal the final blow, instead of me. Alex and I shared a look over the top of Amanda’s head. As much as I could not forgive my mother’s betrayal, I didn’t know if I could have ended her life with my own hands.

“Are you okay?” Meghan asked through the bond.

I steeled my resolve. My control was slipping if she felt my pain through the bond.

“Everything’s fine. We have the orb and Amanda is safe.” I opened my mind and let her see what I was seeing. Alex kissed Amanda’s forehead before resting his hands on her pregnant belly.

“We should get going.” I gestured at Amanda’s head wound. “You’ll need to get that checked out by the medic.”

Alex nodded. “Leo’s right. All this stress cannot be good for you or the baby.”

The relief we felt was short-lived, lasting only until we stepped out of the warehouse.

The sky was no longer ink black. An ominous purple glow lit up the sky as bolts of lightning came shooting down at a rapid pace. In the distance, heavy dark clouds swirled as if trying to come together around something descending from the heavens.

“Fuck!” If I had a heartbeat, it would have stopped right now.

“What is it?” Amanda asked as she stared at the sky with quiet wonder.

“The crazy bastard actually did it. He opened the gates of hell,” Alex said.

We were right, in a sense. My mother was indeed a distraction. While we were busy fighting with her, Cederic had succeeded in opening the portal separating our world from the ancient demons.

The earth shook with the booming roar of a monstrous creature in the distance. Something resembling a snake-like dragon flew out of the clouds. These were the snakelike creatures that all vampires were descended from.

The giant demon was bigger than a hundred-floor skyscraper. It slithered through the sky like it was on the hunt, and we were its prey. Another followed it, and then another.

“There’s no time to waste. We have to get back to base camp and gather the forces.” Alex handed the bag with the orb over to me and swept Amanda off of her feet into his arms.

We broke every speed limit and barely managed to get back without wrapping our car around a tree. Inside, everybody in the clan, from the main team to the grunts rushed around as they armed themselves for battle. It was a fight for survival and the world as we knew it.

Alex assembled the troops. This time, even the rocket launchers and tanks we smuggled in through the black market were called into service. We were going to need every last weapon and man to take down one of these demons, given their size. I had the feeling that a gunshot wound was going to feel like a bug bite to them. That was, if the bullet managed to pierce their skin at all.

“We can take down one demon, and the next, but what then?” Grant asked.

I agreed with him. It was no use. The demons would just keep pouring out of the portal. “We have to find a way to close the portal.”

“How? That requires magic.”

Meghan looked at Lizzy, but Alex shook his head. “This is far too big of a job for just one witch.”

“I have an idea.” Lizzy offered tentatively. “You won’t like it, though.”

“We don’t have a choice. I’m willing to try anything,” Alex said.

“We can team up with the local coven.”

Alex let out a growl in disgust. “Those damned witches!”

Lizzy flinched, but did not say anything. She knew all too well how tricky the covens could be. Her own sister was the leader of the coven that tried to kill Alex and even Amanda and Rose. This could end up being a deal with the devil.

Alex sighed. “Use your connections, Lizzy. I’m willing to make a deal.”

“Whatever it takes?” Lizzy asked.

“Whatever it takes. You have my word.”

Lizzy nodded. “I’ll do my best. The leader of the Greek coven is my cousin, I’m sure I can convince her to help us.”

“I’m going with you,” Grant said.

Lizzy looked like she was going to protest at the idea of a vampire following her to the meeting.

“No arguments, love. I’m not letting you go alone and defenseless.”

Lizzy nodded. Grant followed his mate and the two of them went to broker a deal with the coven.

While we waited for Lizzy and Grant to return with word from the coven, the building shook like we were getting bombed in an active war zone.

At this rate of destruction, the demons were going to leave the Earth a scorched, barren land within the week. This couldn’t go on for much longer. We had to make a deal with the witches to close that portal.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Lizzy and Grant returned. An elegant, statuesque woman with flowing black hair down to her waist followed behind them. Her emerald green satin robes brought out the green specks in her opal eyes. This must be the leader of the Greek coven. She was not a crone like most witches who earned the coven leader position. To my eye, she was at most in her mid-thirties.

“This is Cassandra, the leader of the coven here in Athens.” Lizzy stated.

Alex nodded at her in acknowledgement. There was too much mistrust on both sides for anything more.

Lizzy turned to Cassandra. “Alex is the master vampire of the Diamantis clan. He would like to propose a truce in exchange for your help in closing the portal.”

Cassandra scoffed. “I know what you want. You must think I am a blind fool to agree to any deal with your kind. Bloodsucker.” She spat out the last word like it was poison in her mouth.

“I understand your distrust,” Alex responded. “But surely, you can see that the current situation cannot go on for much longer. It is in both of our interests to defeat these creatures and close the doors between our worlds before they turn Earth into hell.”

“What difference does it make if everything is burned to ash? The last several years have already been hell for humankind thanks to you. This way, we can finally have peace in eternal rest.”

Alex let out an aggravated scowl. “Fucking witches. Then we will all burn together.” He swore as he turned away from Cassandra. He took no more than two steps before Amanda placed a gentle hand on his arm. She brought his hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles before placing his hand on her stomach.

Whatever she said to him through the bond worked. He sighed and came back to Cassandra. The anger that flowed through him earlier was replaced with resignation.

“Whatever you want. Name your price.”

Cassandra examined him with cool indifference. “My coven will help you close the portal if you agree to give us the orb so we can destroy it.”

“You can’t be serious,” Alex snarled. “We will have to go into hiding.”

“Exactly.” A cruel smile graced her face. “Your kind will disappear back into the shadows. The world will once again belong to the living. That is the price I demand.” She glanced at Amanda. “I assume you are willing to pay for the future of your child and mate. Are you not?”

Even as Alex fought with the decision, I already knew he was going to agree to the deal.

“I agree to your terms, on one condition.”

Cassandra quirked an eyebrow and waved her hand imperiously in a gesture for him to continue.

“You will wait until the portal is closed and the demons are defeated. My men will need time to find shelter before the sun comes out.”

"I accept your terms, vampire. Cassandra withdrew a sacred dagger hidden in her waistband and uttered an incantation before slicing her palm. She handed Alex the dagger and he repeated the same actions on himself.

“An agreement bound by blood. The first to break the contract will be condemned to eternal damnation.”

Alex repeated the same words before grabbing her hand. A pale blue glow surrounded their hands as the blood flowing from their wounds melded.

The blood oath was completed.

“We will need to hurry,” Cassandra said as she took charge.

Lizzy handed her some gauze and helped her bandage her wound.

“The spell requires blood from one who is alive and yet not living. This portal was opened by spilling of blood from unwilling victims. To close it will require the blood of the dead freely given through the living.”

I stepped forward. “I’ll do it.” There was nobody else in the room who fit the description except myself.

Cassandra nodded in approval. “You will need to bleed onto the portal when the time comes.”

“Wait a minute,” Meghan protested. “What will happen to Leo?”

The witch looked down on my mate with disdain on her face at being interrupted. “He will only need to give several drops. That will be enough to close the portal.”

I wanted to snap her neck for her disrespect towards Meghan, but for the fate of everybody on the planet, I held my temper in check. What happened after the portal was closed was another matter.

“It’s settled.” Alex took command of the room before the witch became overconfident. “My men will fight back the demons while Leo makes his way to the portal. When we give the signal, the coven will cast their spell and close the portal.”

“Very well. I will assemble the coven and wait for your signal. But first, the orb.” Cassandra held out her hand expectantly. Alex brought out the bag with the orb from its hiding place. After a moment of hesitation, he handed it to the witch.

“May the gods smile upon both of us. We will need it.” With those parting words, Cassandra exited the room with a dramatic swirl of her robes.

Alex immediately began briefing everybody on the strategy and where they were to be positioned.

Meghan grabbed my arm before I could head over to the group. I cupped her face in my hands and wiped the tears flowing down her cheeks. “Don’t cry. You heard the witch, it’s only a few drops of blood.”

“I don’t trust her. What if you fall into the portal and end up trapped in the hell dimension?” Her words came out choked as she sobbed.

I couldn’t stand by and do nothing, so I leaned down and kissed her lips as if I could sip away her pain. Again, and again, I kissed her gently until her tears stopped.

“I have to. For everybody on this forsaken planet. And for a future for both of us.”

“You have to promise to come back to me. I’ll have a plate of bad spaghetti waiting for you every night if you come home.”

“I promise.” With one last kiss on her lips, I prepared for battle.

The battle was less of a battle and more of a bloodbath. We started out strong, with guns blazing, but the hell creatures stomped through our forces like we were ants. Black puddles of what used to be my clan members stained the ground as they fought with the Aurelian vamps and the hell creatures their master released.

I paid the death and destruction no mind as I scrambled up the mountainside towards the cave entrance where the portal was hidden. As I scrambled over the loose rocks and boulders, the screams of Alex, Grant, and Dante from below urged me on. I had to get to that portal.

Finally, I made it to the cave. I approached the shimmering purple pool with caution. For an opening into a hell dimension, it was smaller and less impressive than I thought it would be. Roars came from within. Probably from some demon that was scrambling to get through. For now, though, nothing was coming through. This was my chance.

I reached into my back pocket and grabbed my knife. With a single decisive slash, I cut my palm open and squeezed until a steady stream of blood fell from my hand into the portal.

A thundering boom crashed through the sky. Beneath my feet, the ground shook. I almost fell over into the portal, but I caught myself on the stone lip surrounding it just in time.

Suddenly, a bright white light filled the cave. Searing pain ripped through me, like I was burning up from within. The pain shorted my senses until I was nothing. I was one with the light in the cave as I floated away into nothing.