Black Scar (2 page)

The right side of
his face had been instantly turned into a mass of shredded skin. Bloody flaps
hung from his chin, and his eye dangled from its socket. Even with his
combination of Thrope and Vampire blood he could not stop the brutal assault.
Julian then proceeded to try to separate his torso from his arms and legs.

Marcus’s mouth
shaped into a silent, agonizing scream at the recollection. His eye popped open
and rolled around in his head as he tried to find his bearings. His breathing
was ragged and his chest heaved from the dreaded memories. The fog cleared, and
he glanced about the room. He had no idea how long he’d been here. The room
seemed to be decorated in a nautical theme. Large oil paintings of three-masted
schooners fighting the elements, a gold plated ship’s wheel, and a huge
well-worn map of the Caribbean adorned the walls. Propped up in the corner of
the room stood a large rusty anchor, the irony not lost on Marcus.

“Ah, you’re
awake.”

Marcus lifted his
head as much as he was able and gazed toward the door. An enthralling female
creature stood in the doorway. Her voice sounded light and musical with a
slight Scottish burr. The lady’s hair hung to her hips, and had a
whitish-blonde shade that did not seem natural. She stepped toward him.

“Before you ask,
my name is Logan MacNeil and I have been dispatched by Deegan Black to look
after you. You are in the cottage of his man, Brennan, on Black’s property.
You’ve been here five days. This is the first time you have been fully
conscious.”

Deegan?
He tried to lift his arm, but a cast hindered it. He glanced down the
length of his body. In the twisted bedding one leg lay in a splint. He lifted
his other arm and touched his face. The entire right side was covered in gauze
and bandages. He began to tremble. Logan sat on the edge of the mattress and
took his hand. Her touch felt cool, and she soothingly stroked his fingers.

“You will want to
know the extent of your injuries. First, let me tell you about myself. I am a
Faepyre; our Clan has existed in the Cape Breton Highlands for hundreds of
years. I am part Fae, part Vampire, and I am a skilled healer.”

Logan’s eyelashes
swept upward and locked him in a searing gaze. Her eyes glittered like
diamonds, the color very similar to the mineral, a bluish silver-white shade he
had never seen before. Warmth and compassion flooded his being, calming and
soothing him. She was beautiful, her skin pale and luminescent and her curves
ample though she appeared not to be very tall.

“Prepare
yourself, laddie. Your injuries are extensive. You could be bedridden for some
time. Your arm is fractured in three places and your leg is broken in two
places. They will heal, how quickly they will mend we dinna know. However, your
back will have scarring and your face...”
 

Oh, Jesus.
He had never bothered much about his looks before; he
knew he’d been considered by others to be extremely handsome. He could’ve been
a model his face and body were such perfection. Thrope breeding and genetics
had paid off.

“How bad is it?”
he whispered.

“I canna know for
sure.” Logan’s burr thickened momentarily. “Vampires can heal from most
injuries, but we dinna know if you will.”

“Why, because of
my Thrope blood?”

Logan continued
to stroke his hand. “Aye, there’s that. There are other factors. I will have
Deegan come by and explain. I will tell you that your right eye is gone. I am
sorry.”

What?
Marcus trembled.
But it feels like
it’s still there.

“Can’t it
regenerate or whatever? Can’t the scars heal?” He pulled his hand out of her
gentle grip and began to tear at the layers of gauze and bandages. “I want to
see! Get me a mirror. I’m ugly now, is that what you’re saying?”

Logan tried to
grasp his flailing arm. “Hush now, dinna excite yourself. Calm, be still.”

Her words slowed
his rapidly beating heart. A wave of serenity washed over him. How did she
manage that? She laid his hand at his side and then touched the exposed part of
his forehead.

“Relax, laddie,
you’ve had a shock. I will inform Deegan you are awake. It is time for you to
take nourishment. I will have Brennan prepare you a bowl of beef broth and a
cup of willow bark tea.”

Her hand spread
and she slowly moved it across his body.
What
in hell is she doing?
Her eyes closed as if she were concentrating.
Who is she, Dr. McCoy from Star Trek?
Her hand passed over him like the medical scanner McCoy used in the beloved
television show. Logan’s hand stopped, and he felt a bolt of heat enter his
body. The warm sensations curled about his ribs.

Finally, she
opened her eyes and lowered her hand. “You had a hairline crack on one of your
ribs. It is now healing.”

“Well, Jesus
Christ! Heal my whole body and my face!” he demanded.

She shook her
head. “My healing powers canna undertake such a massive mission. I can lessen
pain and heal minor breaks or cracks, but nothing of the magnitude your body
has endured. As I said there are other factors in play.”

Logan stood and
covered him with the blankets that lay in a heap at his feet. Her hand briefly
touched his forehead, calming him once again. All the time they had conversed,
he had not seen any real emotion from her. She remained cool and professional.

“Rest and sleep,
lad. Heal. I will return.”

The door closed
softly behind her.

A single tear
rolled down his cheek. His life was over. He would spend eternity as scarred
and damaged as any gargoyle. No man or woman for that matter would want him.

He was alone.

Chapter Two

Deegan Black held
the door handle to Marcus’s room. He took a deep breath and exhaled, as he was
not looking forward to this conversation.

As head of the
Blackthorne Clan and Marcus’s Formator, he had to take responsibility for the
lad. Deegan ran his hand through his chin-length hair in irritation. The last
few weeks had been nothing if not interesting. He turned the handle and walked
into the room.

Fighting back his
shocked reaction became difficult as he observed the broken and scarred body
stretched out on the bed. Deegan grabbed a nearby wooden chair and set it
beside Marcus. He sat and crossed his legs.

“Marcus, are you
awake?”

“Yes. To what do
I owe this pleasure? Last we spoke, you were ready to choke the life out of me
and nail my wolf-stick to the wall. Neither option appealed. Though at this
point in time, I could care less what you do to me.”

“My mate had her
hand on your cock. You were holding her,” Deegan tamped down his annoyance
about the episode. Time to move on.”

“We were dancing,
we became aroused. Isn’t that the Vampire way?” Marcus replied sarcastically.
“I suppose all is forgiven. You and your mate Raylene will live happily ever
after. Excuse me if I sound bitter.”

“Your feelings
for me will fade. Marcus, you are so very young. And I thought you didn’t care
for women.”

“I don’t know
what I feel. All I do know is since you turned me I haven’t felt in control of
anything, including my reactions toward women. It seems now I can fuck either
gender and enjoy it, who knew?”

Guilt flooded
Deegan’s heart. He turned the lad into a Vampire under pressure. A series of
unfortunate events led them to this point, and they would all have to deal with
the consequences. He had neglected Marcus, and the young man was no doubt
dealing with emotions and sensations foreign to his Thrope existence.

“I have much to
tell you, lad, but first I must inform you I called your brother, Devlin, and
he wants nothing to do with you.”

Marcus snorted.
“Perfect.”

“Whether you wish
it or not, you are now part of the Blackthorne Clan. There will be advantages
to you financially to be aligned with us. Also, you will have the protection of
the Clan.”

A cruel, sharp
laugh escaped Marcus. “Oh, the protection’s been great, thanks!”

Deegan ignored
the sarcasm. “What I am about to tell you is only known by a few in the Clan.
It is a secret you must swear a Blood Oath on.”

“What the hell is
a Blood Oath?”

“It is an unshakable
promise or bond than cannot be broken. It must be fulfilled or there could be
dire consequences, which can be different for every Vampire. Regardless, you
will swear it or I cannot explain the events that led to your attack.”

“Oh, for Christ’s
sake. Yeah. Sure. Blood Oath.”

Deegan frowned.
Perhaps this was not the right time to tell Marcus, but their discussion
couldn’t wait. He had to understand what he could be facing.

“I will hold you
to it, lad,” he said firmly. In a softer tone he continued, “The man who
attacked you, Julian...”

“I only went off
with him because I could smell your scent on him. Anger and jealousy fueled my
actions. It’s probably why I flirted with Raylene. Damn, I sound pathetic.”

"Marcus, I
was not with Julian in the way you think. He is Raylene’s brother. They are
both the offspring of my dearest friend, Raynor Nightwood. I had to inform them
both their parents had just been destroyed. Julian was devastated, and he must
have gone to the pub directly after our meeting. I had turned Raynor centuries
ago. We were closer than brothers. However, he had a secret. Raynor suffered
from The Concealment.”

He waited for
Marcus to say something, but he remained silent. Deegan continued.

“The Concealment
is a malady that affects turned Vampires. It is rare and the reason for it is
not known, though it is generally believed it happens during the turning. It is
a form of madness, blood insanity, or Blood Lust gone horribly wrong. Each
infected Vampire can react differently and at various stages or levels of
madness. Raynor’s appeared every two hundred years or so. The last episode
occurred two months ago. I was not in town and my son, Tristan, cleaned up the
mess. Tristan called Nigel Greene, a criminal acquaintance to assist, and the
man insisted on a Blood Oath.”

“I’ve heard the
name before,” Marcus murmured.

“Aye, seems
Greene works for your brother. Raynor’s unfortunate Concealment episode
resulted in the murder of the woman in the room with him. Greene removed the
body and any evidence in exchange for the oath. Devlin showed up at Tristan’s
home and demanded the Blood Oath be fulfilled, the favor returned. Steele’s
request? He wanted one of his Thropes turned into a Vampire. You, lad.”

“So that’s how he
managed to secure your co-operation. Typical. What has this malady to do with
me?”

“We had no idea
The Concealment could be passed on genetically. We are the only Vampire Clan to
procreate in centuries. It seems it has been passed on to Julian. I assume the
shock of hearing of his parents’ destruction and the revelation of The
Concealment sent him over the edge and brought the madness to the forefront. It
is indeed unfortunate you were there when the transformation occurred.”

“Unfortunate?
Jesus! Look at me. I’m ruined, aren’t I? There is no coming back from this. I
will be a crippled, scarred freak, won’t I?” Marcus raged.

“Lad, we will
have to watch and observe your recuperation. I will not lie. There is only one
official Concealment attack on another Vampire on record at the Bureau. The
victim did survive, but his scars did not completely heal. It is believed The
Concealment prevented complete recovery.”

Marcus pounded
his fist on the bed in frustration. “And this so-called Bureau will not be told
of my attack, will they?”

“No, Marcus. I
have to protect Julian. Raynor would expect no less and my honor would also
expect no less. All Concealment Vampires are destroyed. I will not allow that
to happen to Raynor’s children until we explore all avenues. Edward McFarland,
our medical and science man, has taken Julian to Cape Breton on Boularderie
Island to our isolated clinic to run tests. There is one small ray of hope.
Julian willed himself to stop the attack before he tore you to pieces. Edward
believes it might have something to do with his human side. We will be working
in that direction to find some possible way to suppress any further episodes.”

“So you won’t
destroy Julian, yet you destroyed his father? What kind of twisted, fucking
justice is that?”

Deegan sighed.
Bloody hell, he didn’t want to talk about this. His insides churned.

“There is a
tragic back-story. Raynor tried to turn his human wife decades ago. It failed
and he botched it. Laura became stuck in Twilight—it is similar to a coma—until
Edward finally found a way to bring her out of it. Laura awoke in the throes of
the most extreme level of The Concealment. We had no choice but to see to her
eradication. Raynor elected to be destroyed with her. It was the single most
appalling thing I have ever done, to see to the destruction of my closest
friend and brother, but I did as he asked.”

Again, Marcus
remained silent. His fist clenched and unclenched at his side.