Chapter Sixteen
Anton
“ I ’ll be back in a few hours,” I said to Keryth and Trayben.
Keryth hadn’t been back to work yet, but he was going in today and taking Trayben with him this evening. The sun set early this time of year, so that worked in our favor, and Tan—the dragon king’s consort and one of Keryth’s bosses—had volunteered to drive the two of them and hang out with them for a while.
Not that I thought they truly needed a guard, but it did make me feel better to have a witch who’d been trained to fight with them.
Apparently, said witch had already, years ago, put wards up around the girls’ schools to keep anyone with ill intentions out. Tan had done that when Remi and Bel got together, just because he wanted to help protect Bel’s family. Ailin and Sebastian had gone to add their magic to those wards years ago as well, and they stopped by while they were here recently to give them a boost. I was relieved to hear that the younglings were well-protected at school. One of my older children had been driving them to and from school and anywhere else they needed to go, so they had a guard with them when they were outside of any wards.
My four eldest were also highly trained fighters, so I felt comfortable with them guarding the younglings.
But Alsira and Gemma were old enough to watch their little sisters while they were all tucked safe behind our house’s wards. They’d promised us they wouldn’t leave, and I was trusting them to keep that promise.
The person who’d kidnapped Keryth hadn’t been found yet, so I wanted to take extra precautions. When I’d brought up Tan taking them to work, I’d thought Keryth might fight me on it, but he’d simply agreed.
Because he was scared of being taken again, and he was even more terrified of Trayben being taken.
I winced at that.
I didn’t want my sweet fae scared.
I didn’t want Trayben scared either.
Maybe I should stick around to protect them myself. Surely, I could make them feel more comfortable. I was Trayben’s sire and Keryth’s viramore. I should be the one taking care of them. I should—
“Daddio,” Jed said, coming to stand beside me, nudging me with his shoulder. I had a feeling he could tell I’d been reeling.
I looked down at him and raised a brow.
He grinned up at me. “You ready? The Ellwoods are expecting us.” Then, barely above a whisper and too quiet for anyone but me to hear, he added, “Ker and Tray will be fine. Tan will be with them.”
My child knew me so well.
Closing my eyes for a brief moment, I gathered control of myself, gave Jed a nod, then turned back to Trayben and Keryth. “You two will be okay while I’m gone?”
Keryth laughed and made a shooing motion with his hands. “We’ll be fine, Anton. I swear we’ll be okay. I know you don’t realize this, but I can actually take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for a long-ass time. Tray’s in good hands with me.”
“He’s right,” Trayben added, surprising me. “Ker’s great at taking care of people. We’ll be fine.”
Keryth smiled at the youngling and threw his arm around him, pulling him into a side-hug and kissing his hair. “Thank you, cutie-pie.”
Trayben snorted at that but seemed pleased at the affection.
And because I couldn’t help myself, I stepped forward and surprised everyone by wrapping my arms around the pair and hugging them tight.
“Sorry,” I said without letting go. “I really needed to hug you two.”
“You can hug me anytime,” Keryth said, leaning into me.
“Same goes for me,” Trayben added, hugging me back and giving me a squeeze.
After a few seconds, I released them and gave them a nod. “Alright. I’ll see you later.”
“See you.” Keryth grinned at me, and Trayben nodded.
So I turned on my heel and walked out of the house and straight to the car where Phaeron, Beshiro, and Katja were already waiting.
Jed was right behind me and climbed into the back while I sat in the passenger’s seat. Phaeron was driving, and he didn’t hesitate to pull out of the driveway once we were seated. I glanced around the car, double-checking that all my children had their gear on—Kevlar vests, arm bracers, and a ton of weapons. We all had a few guns, but we preferred fighting with swords, daggers, and other melee weapons, likely because we’d trained with those first, and it came naturally to us. It looked like we were getting ready to go to war… or maybe to one of those cosplay places. I only wished that was the case.
“Everything alright?” Phaeron asked once we were on the road.
I sighed. “Yes.”
Jed said, “Dad’s worried about leaving Ker and Tray.”
Since he was right, I didn’t deny it.
“Understandable.” Phaeron put the blinker on, getting ready to turn. “Last time, something bad happened, so it makes sense that you’d be uneasy this time.”
“But nothing bad’s going to happen this time.” Jed sat forward so his head was between the front seats. “Everything’s going to be just fine here, and we’re going to go help the Ellwoods figure out how to find these damn Legion of Light wannabes.”
I turned to look at him. “You don’t think they’re really Legion of Light?”
He wavered his hand back and forth. “I think they’re probably some asshole hunters that found some evidence of the Legion of Light, so they adopted their symbol and their… morals.”
“I guess that makes more sense than them hiding for the last thousand years.”
“Exactly. There’s no way they hid from us that long. These guys had to have come across an old tome or something that we missed when we destroyed…”
“Destroyed the Legion of Light,” Phaeron finished with finality. I didn’t blame him. Not after what that hunter league took from us.
When we arrived at Remi and Bel’s house, they ushered us right to the portal in their backyard shed. We all stepped through, and I wasn’t surprised to see Ailin and Sebastian Ellwood greeting us, along with Julius and who I assumed were his fledglings, Tobias and Emrys. There was also a younger witch standing with them.
Ailin gave me a nod. “Thanks for coming. How’s Trayben settling in?”
I gave him a small smile. It was nice of him to ask. “He’s doing well. Not looking forward to getting back to school.”
He snorted. “Sounds about right for a seventeen-year-old.”
We shared a smile before he gestured to the two young vampires I didn’t know. “This is Toby and Emrys. Em is Jules’ viramore.” He pointed to the witch. “This is my son, Thayer. He’s Toby’s viramore.”
“Nice to meet you all.” I introduced my children, and I could tell that the young vampires were awed by our presence. They technically weren’t all that young, especially compared to humans, but compared to myself and my four eldest, they were younglings, and we were ancient.
Julius took the lead once things turned toward the Legion of Light, saying, “We’ve had one more attack since you were last here. Somehow, they found a safehouse where we’d stashed a vampire den. Only two survived. It was another slaughter.”
I grimaced.
Thayer said, “We’re pretty sure they followed the blood supply back to the safehouse. Unfortunately, we can’t not send blood to the vampires, but we’re taking more precautions, switching vans, and hiding logos so the transports are harder to follow to the rest of our dens that are in hiding. It’s the only weak point we’ve been able to find. Unless one of the vampires left the safehouse, which isn’t something we can regulate, regrettably.”
I nodded, glad they were taking all those precautions, but ideally, we’d find these bastards and stop them. Tonight.
No more vampires should be killed because of these awful people.
“Good,” Phaeron said. “I’m glad you’re taking more precautions.”
Thayer nodded. “We also placed wards around the safehouses to keep anyone with ill intent out. We wanted to do that sooner, but some vampires aren’t comfortable with witch magic, so they refused. After this latest attack, they’re finally accepting our help.”
Ailin grumbled. “Fucking idiots. We could’ve stopped this latest attack if they’d just fucking listened.”
Unfortunately, there was nothing we could do about it now. “I’m glad they’re letting you help now.”
“So are we.” Thayer offered a small, sad smile.
Phaeron asked, “What exactly do you need from us today?”
Emrys said, “We’d like you to take a look at the last site and see if you pick up on anything since you’re familiar with these hunters. We can’t figure out where they’re hiding, so we’re looking for any kind of clue. Honestly, I’m just hoping having new eyes on the problem will help. You guys are the ones who figured out they’re the Legion of Light and have given us some insight into their group in the first place, so I’m hoping you see something the rest of us don’t.” He shrugged. “Any help we can get, we’ll take.”
Phaeron and I both gave him a nod, but Jed grinned, saying, “We’re happy to help take these fuckers out.”
Which was… fair.
These may not be the same Legion of Light we’d fought a thousand years ago, but they were still killing innocent vampires. They needed to be dealt with.
“Lead the way,” I said, and Emrys grinned, then gestured to a set of SUVs.
We all piled in, and I wound up in a vehicle with Thayer, Toby, and Katja. I tried to give Toby the front seat since his viramore was driving, but he absolutely refused. The poor thing wouldn’t even look me in the eye, and he seemed nervous sitting beside Katja.
We were halfway to the site when Toby said, “I apologize if Emrys, Julius, or I have done anything disrespectful. None of us are sure how to greet an elder. We didn’t exactly have anyone around to teach us. I’m sorry.”
I turned and met Kat’s surprised eyes for a moment before twisting to fully face the young vampire. “Toby? Can you look at me?”
He braced himself before glancing up and meeting my eyes, holding my gaze.
“I can’t speak for anyone but myself and my children, but we don’t stand on formality, and we certainly don’t expect you to either. Please treat us the way you’d treat anyone else.”
He stared for a long moment before giving me a nod. “Thank you, elder.”
I waved him off. “It’s Anton.”
Kat grinned. “Yes, please don’t call him elder . He’ll get a complex, and that’s all the rest of us need.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes and was happy to see Toby’s lips twitch before he said, “Right. Anton.”
I sent him a smile before facing forward again.
“You can call me Kat, by the way.”
“Good to know, Kat.”
Thayer said, “Told ya, sugar bear.”
That made Toby snort, and to my surprise, he leaned forward and smacked Thayer’s arm, making the witch laugh. My lips tugged up into a smile, happy the younger vampire was starting to relax around us.
When our caravan pulled up to a large house surrounded by a metal fence, something instantly put me on high alert. I opened my door before the car was fully stopped, stepping out and breathing in, scenting the area as best I could. My nose wasn’t as strong as a shifter’s, but it was still far better than a human or a witch.
I couldn’t scent anything, but there was a strange stillness in the air that had the hair on the back of my neck standing on end.
I wasn’t surprised to see my children doing the same thing, taking in the scents and scanning the area.
After a few seconds, Phaeron said, “I don’t sense anything, but something feels… off.”
“Agreed.” I glanced at my other children to see if anyone picked up anything else, but they all nodded in agreement. “Alright, stay alert. I have a feeling we have eyes on us.” We should be able to sense that, but I wasn’t unaware that there were ways to hide from us. Magic was an ever-growing entity, and people found new ways to do things every day. It was impossible to know everything these hunters had up their sleeves.
They all nodded, and I walked over to tell the witches, enchanter, and other vampires the same thing. “I’m not sure, but something doesn’t feel right.”
Ailin asked, “It’s possible that someone’s here and masking their scent and sounds with a spell.”
“Very true.”
“Alright. Keep your eyes peeled. No one goes off alone, okay?”
Everyone gave affirmations, and I couldn’t help my amusement when Ailin and Sebastian walked ahead of us, taking the lead. I wasn’t sure we’d ever been around people this young who didn’t defer to me and my children. Beshiro shot me an amused expression, just as bemused by this as I was, but I let the younglings take the lead. This was their land, and we were only here to assist them anyway.
Beshiro knocked my shoulder, a small sign of affection, as we followed behind the young group.
Behind me, Phaeron said, “This place smells like death.”
It was true. The scent of blood and dead flesh lingered in the air, heavy and harsh, and I couldn’t help but wrinkle my nose as we walked inside. None of the bodies were still here, and it was clear that a crime scene tech had already been through because there were little numbers on the floor next to splatters of blood.
Katja asked Ailin, “Would it be possible for us to see the bodies?”
“We can go to the morgue after this. Not all of the bodies were recovered, though.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, her eyes scanning over every inch of the living room we were in.
“Some of the vampires turned to ash.”
That made me snap my eyes to him. “They left them in the sun?” Vampires didn’t immediately turn to ash the way they did in the movies. But if they were left in the sun for long periods, their bodies would eventually turn to ash.
It made me sad to know that their families could never recover a body.
He nodded. “Yes. They attacked midday, so the vampires were weakened by the sun already. It looked as if some never even made it out of bed before they were fucking staked. The hunters destroyed the wards on the windows and ripped the damn curtains and shutters down. I didn’t think it was possible for the sun to get inside, but the assholes found a way.”
I stared at him for a long moment. “You think they have a witch working with them?”
He nodded. “I do. They have far too many spells not to have one. Especially since many of the spells are banned for being dangerous. I know they can find them on the black market, but I dunno, I don’t think they’d have this many, this… endless supply without their own witch.”
Jed asked, “Is someone running the black-market idea down? Maybe we could locate them that way?”
He nodded. “They’re on it already. There’s a couple of undercover cops already in place, so they’re keeping an eye out on any hunters buying up spells. So far, none of the leads have gone anywhere.”
Jed made a face, clearly disappointed. “Well, that sucks.”
Ailin smirked at him but gave him an agreeable nod.
The others continued chatting as I headed farther into the house. After a few minutes, Jed and Beshiro joined me while Phae and Kat stuck with the younger vampires, offering them some extra protection. Ailin and Sebastian went their own way, and Thayer ended up joining Toby.
Once I knew everyone was with a group, I pulled my senses back a bit so I could concentrate on what was in front of me instead of following everyone else’s minute movements. From the looks of it, the BCA did a thorough job. I couldn’t find anything out of place or that they may have missed.
By the time I made it into the last bedroom on the top floor, I was frustrated that I hadn’t found anything. No one else had found anything either.
I sighed and ran my hand over my face after I finished searching, turning to Jed and Shiro. “Nothing.”
They both nodded, and Beshiro said, “This is incredibly frustrating. I really want to help them stop these hunters.”
“So do I.”
Jed opened his mouth, then suddenly jerked his head to the side as if listening to something I couldn’t hear. His eyes widened, and he yelled, “Hunters!”
As soon as the word was out of his mouth, the sound of glass shattering—windows breaking—filled the air, coming from all directions. Jed, Beshiro, and I rushed out of the room, but before we could reach the others, four hunters ran out of one of the other bedrooms. I had no idea how they’d gotten up here. They must’ve climbed the wall outside and came in through the bedroom windows.
Didn’t matter. We needed to take them out and get to the others. Get to my other children and the other people—friends; Keryth’s family—that we needed to protect.
I didn’t hesitate to let my vampire side come out in full-force. Claws extended from my fingers, and I bared my fangs at the hunters. Then I charged. Jed and Shiro were right behind me.
I attacked the hunter closest to me, slashing out with my clawed hand. He blocked the blow with a surprising amount of strength and pulled out a gun. He shot me in the chest three times. It knocked me back a few steps and hurt like hell, but I ignored it in favor of attacking again. Thank the gods above and below that Katja had demanded we all wear our Kevlar tonight, even though I’d thought it was overkill. My bruises were already healing, but that was far better than having to heal bullet wounds.
I knocked the man’s arm to the side, then used my other fist to punch his forearm with all my strength. I heard something snap—not just his bracer, but his bone—and the man cried out as he dropped the gun. I slashed at his chest, but he too had a Kevlar vest on. My claws penetrated it, but it would take too much effort to get through, especially when he was fighting back.
Jed and Beshiro were each fighting their own hunter, and I could hear more piling in behind us. The sounds of fighting drifted up from the lower level, and I cursed under my breath. We needed to get to the others. I needed to protect them. But I wasn’t about to turn to smoke and leave Jedediah and Beshiro behind. I’d never leave them behind.
As I reached for my sword in the hopes of having further reach and possibly being able to get through my enemy’s vest, another hunter joined in the fight, attacking me from the side.
I hissed and grabbed the hilt of my sword from my hip, unsheathed it, and slashed it through the air, aiming for the new hunter’s arm. My aim was true, and the man cried out as blood gushed out, his arm barely hanging on by a thread. These hunters might’ve had spells and skill, but my sword was also spelled to cut through nearly anything, and I’d been fighting for a hell of a lot longer than any of these hunters had even been alive. He was down for the count, so I focused on the first one, who was gathering himself after I’d broken his arm.
He pulled his own sword out, using his good arm to attack me. I parried easily and stepped forward, stabbing my sword right through his chest. He looked surprised, his eyes widening for a moment before he slid to the floor, the life bleeding out of him.
I turned just as another one came at me, trying to get me from behind. He had his sword out, attacking with a viciousness I wasn’t expecting. Still, I easily fought back, blocking every one of his blows before I pushed his sword arm aside, grabbed a spelled dagger from my thigh with my free hand, and stepped in, slamming the dagger into his stomach.
Blood dribbled out of his mouth as he fell to the ground. The wound might kill him, but it was possible to survive it if he sought medical attention right away. Not that he deserved to live after everything they’d done. But I wasn’t worried about that right now. He was down for the moment, and there were too many other hunters attacking us.
Jed and Beshiro had taken down two hunters each already, and there were still more heading in our direction.
I glanced over the railing, looking to see if we could jump to get closer to the rest of our family and friends.
Beshiro read the meaning of my glance and nodded. “We can jump.”
Jed glanced over and gave me a nod, so I said, “Go.”
They didn’t hesitate to listen, knowing I’d be right behind them. In our earlier years, they might have argued with me, not wanting to leave me behind, but we’d fought together so many times that we trusted each other completely. None of us would play the martyr. We all knew better than that.
They both jumped over the railing, landing easily on the floor below and moving out of the way to make room for me. Just as the new hunters reached me, I followed my fledglings over the side, bending my knees when I landed. It hadn’t been that far, so the landing was easy, only leaving a slight sting in my shins that went away almost as soon as I felt it.
“This way,” Beshiro said, pointing with his sword. I followed without question.
We fought four more hunters, taking them down and leaving them bleeding on the floor as we rushed into a large family room area. The rest of our party was already there, and I was glad that Katja and Phaeron knew to gather their group back to Ailin and Sebastian so we were all together.
There was a slew of hunters on the ground, some dead, some alive but not moving, but there was still more coming in through the windows.
Everyone fought, a mix of witch and enchanter magic moving around the room as the rest of us used our vampire strength and speed to beat back the hunters. More hunters were killed, knocked out, or left half-dead on the floor. Finally, the incoming hunters slowed down, and when there was only one hunter left standing, he looked around and grimaced at the carnage.
When I moved in his direction, he started backing away toward the door, his eyes scanning each and every one of our faces, clearly memorizing them. I wasn’t worried about him getting away. I was much faster than he could ever hope to be.
Just before I charged him, he pointed his sword at me, sneering, and I was too curious to know what he had to say, so I slowed my approach to give him time to speak.
“We know who you are. We’re coming for you next.” Well, that wasn’t worth it.
But his accent sounded… Gauhalian.
Jed let out a loud hiss and rushed for the hunter, passing me in his anger. But I saw the man pull something out of his pocket. I yelled Jed’s name when I realized what it was, but it was too late, and my child was too close.
“No!” I screamed.
The hunter let go of the magic-induced grenade, slipped out of the door, and a flash of light filled the room as my son screamed in pain.