Page 27 of Unholy Gambit: Checkmate in Blood (A Paranormal Halloween #5)

Axel kept a close eye on their surroundings, walking away from the river towards their car, and his body went tight when he caught the barest scent of Giovanni.

No, the bastard was Humphrey now. He tried to adjust the name to fit the scent, but it would take time to think of him as anyone but the Renaissance-era vampire — elegant, scholarly, and obsessed with taste and legacy.

He’d worn silk robes, sponsored human musicians, and styled himself as the philosopher-king of a small but refined coterie in the walled Adriatic port city of Dubrovnik.

The preening fuck would’ve have preferred Venice, but he was barely strong enough to hold the tiny territory he ruled as his personal demesne.

Then came the piracy boom, and the vampire underworld adapted as it always does: ruthless, shrewd, and unscrupulous as fuck. Those in port cities formed their own profitable enterprises, buying loot from the pirates and finding buyers who’d pay handsomely for the treasures.

But Giovanni was stuck in his Renaissance fantasy, so the Concilio sent Axel to drag the fucker out of his velvet-lined fantasies and bring him to heel.

He’d intended to merely kill him, become Master long enough to get everything back on track, and then appoint a new Master he thought could maintain control before going on his merry way again, but the velvet-wrapped cunt had pissed him off, so Axel had enslaved him rather than killing him.

Worse, he’d used the dolphin shifter Giovanni loved as leverage to force him to Axel’s will.

Nothing tastes quite like a dolphin shifter, and he’d drunk the bitch down his throat in front of Giovanni more times than he could count — lingering over every swallow, savoring not just the exquisite flavor but the man’s powerless, hopeless fury.

There’s really no way to pretty up rape, even when your bite can make her need release in the worst kind of way. She’d begged Axel for it, every time, but that didn’t make it right. It’d made it hurt Giovanni more, though. An extra twist of the knife.

But the self-styled king had thought he was untouchable. He’d taunted Axel, thinking he was better than a commoner without couth. At the time, every action seemed appropriate. Probably not to humans, but he’d operated well within the rules of vampire law.

Now, feeling love for the first time in his life, he could better understand why the bastard still hated him all these centuries later, and he resolved to try to fix things without being forced to humiliate the philosopher-cunt again in this century.

He caught the scent of the motherfucker again while he put his Aurélie into the car, and he put his keys into her hands.

Lock the doors, and do not, for any reason, get out of the car.

In fact, I need you to climb over the console, take the wheel, and drive away.

Go north, away from the city. I’ll phone you as soon as it’s safe.

He closed the door and met her gaze through the window. Please, Aury. I need to focus on my safety, and I can’t do that if I’m worried about you. Get yourself away from here while I deal with a centuries-old problem.

When she’d pulled out and Axel was once again thankful for his habit of always backing into parking spaces, he turned to face his enemy of old. “I didn’t give you a chance to remove your Ondina from the playing field, and for that, I apologize.”

This required more than an apology, so he added, “I own what once hung above your writing desk. The house, the orchard, the lone cypress. It’s in Egypt and will need to be shipped, but I would offer it to you as the first step of truce between us.”

It was a painting of Giovanni’s childhood home, and he’d commissioned none other than Raphael himself to create it. The damned thing was beautiful, and Axel had sold it to hurt Giovanni while setting up the Dubrovnik arm of his Master’s lucrative enterprise.

A century later, Axel had bought it, and it currently hung in his home in Egypt.

Giovanni’s scent had been rage and humiliation seasoned with time until it was putrid on the air, and now, a fresh note was added — sharp and bitter, an old pain layered over the deep-rooted fury.

His faced twisted. “There will be no truce. I challenge you.”

Axel had hoped to avoid this, but if the other vampire insisted, Axel either fought him, left the city, or forfeited his life. None of those were acceptable.

“Where and when?”

“Two hours. Coterie house.”

“Only if Marco presides.”

“He or Josef.”

Axel nodded. “Acceptable.”

* * * *

Aury didn’t drive far, just over the Olgiati Bridge, and exited the freeway, parking strategically so she could quickly continue north if necessary. She wanted to be safe, but she also didn’t want to be too far from Axel if he needed a ride.

He called her, rather than texted, and her heart was in her throat when she pushed the button to answer.

“Please return to either Ruby’s place or your home, though I’d prefer you to be with Ruby. I have something to handle.”

“Tell me.”

“Someone I once wronged, who has every reason to hate me, has challenged me. I must fight him by the rules of old.”

“Can humans watch? Can I watch?”

He didn’t answer, and she reminded him, “You promised never to lie to me.”

“While it’s acceptable for humans to attend, it’s rare, and I do not want you there.”

“I’m on my way back to pick you up, and I’m going.”

He sighed. “Call Ruby. See if she’ll attend with you.”

He disconnected without a proper goodbye, but she did as he asked, and called Ruby while she drove.

“Someone challenged him,” she explained when Ruby answered. “Axel. Something official. He doesn’t want me going, but when I insisted, he said to talk to you.” She blew out a breath. “He suggested I ask if you’ll come with me, but I’m guessing he’s hoping you’ll talk me out of going.”

Ruby sighed. “Let me make a phone call. If Marco will be there, it’ll likely be safe for us. Not pleasant, but we should make it out alive and unadulterated.”

The last word sent little frissons of fear through Aury’s gut, so she had to make a joke. “I’m not sure you’ve been unadulterated since we were sixteen.”

Ruby laughed. “Possibly fourteen, if you count all the warm-up-games before the big event. I’ll call you back. Hold tight.”

Axel had walked to the street, and he telepathed her as she neared, so she merely had to stop long enough for him to slide into the passenger seat, without turning into the parking lot again.

“Do you have time to explain anything?” Aury asked. “Or do you just need me to be quiet and pay attention?”

“It’s been centuries, Aury. He hates me, and for good reason. I own something he wants, but he turned down my offer of truce in exchange for it — perhaps once I follow through on the challenge…” He sighed. “Or maybe he’ll be even more angry with me after I trounce him.”

“I know this isn’t a chess match, but if you’re thinking long-term over short, he might be more amenable to a truce if you let him win the challenge.”

He shook his head. “It isn’t a to-the-death challenge, but it’s still…” He exhaled slowly. “Losing to him would cause more problems than it would fix.”

“Okay then, try to beat him without humiliating him, but trounce him if you must.”

“Did you call Ruby?”

“I did, and I told her I figured you were probably hoping she’d talk me out of going.”

Another sigh. “Which means she’s making some phone calls and will get back to you.”

The phone rang, and she said, “You’re on speakerphone, and Axel’s with me.”

“Marco will preside, so it should be safe for us. You need to stop by here and change clothes. Jeans and a turtleneck. Hair down, but not sexy hair. Plain hair.” She sighed.

“You aren’t going to like this, but we both need to smell like Axel.

Sex isn’t necessary, but enough skin-to-skin contact, we’re scent marked. ”

Aury ran through the possible strategy at play. “He needs to walk in with two women rather than one, so people will think it’s a sex fling, rather than him caring too much about one of us.”

“It isn’t a terrible idea,” Axel said, “but it isn’t worth possibly causing problems between you and I, or between you and your friend.”

“Ruby and I are good no matter what, and I understand the strategy, so you and I will be fine, too.”

Speaking of strategy. “The turtleneck, is that to keep from showing my neck off to a bunch of—”

“Yeah,” Ruby interrupted. “Not on the phone. We’ll talk when you get here.”

Nearly two hours later, they drove through impressive gates onto an exclusive golf course with mansions littering a gorgeous bluff overlooking the Tennessee River, and pulled into the driveway of a house that didn’t look terribly different from the others.

Mountain stone around the entrance, dozens of rooflines, lots of windows.

Axel told them their phones had to stay in the car, and then he walked them down and into an already crowded room. Everyone stepped back, to give them space, except one tall, attractive man who walked to them without smiling.

They’d walked through an extensive underground, but this room had to be under the yard rather than the house, because it was at least half the size of a football field.

“I am Venom,” the vampire told Ruby and Aury. “I’m responsible for your safety tonight. You will lean against the wall, and you will not lose contact with it.”

He frowned at Aury. “You’re human. That should’ve worked.”

Had he tried to put a suggestion in? “It doesn’t, but if you tell me to stay put, I will.”

He looked at Axel, who told him, “Strong-willed would be an understatement, but if she gives her word, she’ll keep it.”

Axel looked to her. “If you step away from the wall, someone will physically stop you from moving near me. It’s important you stay put.”

“Then I will.”

He nodded to her, turned, and left.

They’d decided ahead of time he wouldn’t show affection to her, because doing so with Ruby wouldn’t be honest, and it wouldn’t look right for him to only pay attention to one of them. Better not to be demonstrative with either.

The cavernous room was full of people, and more kept coming in. Aury had no way of guessing how many were vampires, shifters, or humans, but she had a feeling there were few humans.

Finally, Axel and another vampire entered with Marco in a suit and tie between them, the two combatants completely naked.

Everyone backed up to the walls, touching them with a part of their body, even if only a hand, so that must be built into the rules.

Marco walked a circle around the men, stepped away from it, and said, “ Incipio .”

Flames roared to life in the circle Marco had walked, heat licking at Aury’s cheeks even from a dozen feet away. The wall of fire felt alive, trapping the men inside like prey in a predator’s domain. Her stomach knotted, this wasn’t some sports arena cage, it was real. Magically, terrifyingly real.

Within a blink, Axel slammed into Humphrey, the impact a blur of pale muscle and motion.

The wet, tearing sound of an arm ripping from its socket made Aury’s knees ache, and she flinched when it landed with a heavy thud against the concrete.

Ruby’s hand found hers, warm fingers squeezing before letting go.

Humphrey lunged, clawed fingers aimed at Axel’s midsection, but Axel slid aside at the last microsecond and made a motion with his hands that pressed the other vampire’s face into the ground so hard, Aury swore she felt the vibration through the floor.

Magic pinned him there, the air humming with it, and her pulse thudded in her ears.

“Accept the truce I offered and we can stop this,” Axel demanded.

When there was no answer, Axel moved closer, bent down, and reached towards Humphrey’s spine — then past it, his fingers curling around bone.

He wrenched upward, vertebrae and sinew coming free in a wet chain.

Blood slicked his fist, a gaping hole yawning in the other vampire’s back.

Aury’s throat clenched; she dragged in a breath through her mouth, tasting copper.

Axel kicked Humphrey over, face up, staring at the ceiling, clearly in shock, and Axel reached to his groin, came away with his dick, tossed it to the side, ripped his balls off.

“Bowels are next. Look at the motherfucking ceiling. Do you see? I own it. It’s yours if you’ll follow the rules of truce.”

Aury looked up, saw a projection of a house beside an orchard.

Humphrey gave an infinitesimal shake of his head, and Axel stabbed his hand into the other vampire’s torso, came out with a length of intestine, easing it free in deliberate coils, each glistening loop catching the firelight.

Aury’s stomach rolled, and Ruby’s hand brushed hers again, a silent check-in before retreating.

Axel continued with his slow pulling of the intestine. It went on far too long while Axel was careful to keep from ripping it, though Aury felt certain that was more about effect than worry for the other man’s safety or comfort.

“Teeth are next, you hard-headed bastard! Recompense and truce, or I’ll stretch this out as long as the damned rules allow.”

“Recompense! Your girls for one hundred and forty-four days, plus the painting permanently!”

Axel went to his knees, reached his arm so far into the cavity he’d made in Humphrey’s stomach, he was in past his elbow. If Aury had the dimensions right, Axel was squeezing the bastard’s heart.

“I’m willing to negotiate, but you should try again, and you should think carefully before you open your reckless, arrogant mouth to utter another single word.”

“The painting,” Humphrey gasped, “and you’ll accept one hundred and forty-four lashes from me, the final dozen with silver barbs.”

Axel pulled his arm out, stayed on his knees. “And?”

“I will offer a single silver dollar from early in the previous century.”

Axel probably could’ve negotiated the silver barbs out of the whipping, but he wanted the truce to be real, wanted it to hold, so those final dozen strikes were probably necessary to have any chance of satisfying Humphrey’s centuries long vendetta.

Axel nodded. “Leather whip with three knots until the final dozen. Your terms are acceptable.” He turned his head towards Marco and said, “ Consumo .”

Marco nodded, said, “ Perago ,” and the fire faded away, as if it’d never been. No burn marks, no charring.

“One hour,” Marco said. “Both will feed, and then we will witness the whipping. I have verified the painting exists, is in good condition, and is in Egypt, rightfully owned by Axel. Upon my orders, which are about to happen, the painting will be safely packed and shipped here at Axel’s expense.”