blood 03 - blood chosen (11 page)

Jacqueline nodded slowly. “Perhaps. If they operate One like I run Two then they will employ a Feeler, Intuitive, and Tracker. All three or at least one.”

“We're so fucked,” he announced, letting his hand fall.

Jacqueline rolled her eyes. “You...
you-
are really the number one enforcer for the Northwestern?”

Tony allowed a slow, shit-eating grin to emerge. “Yeah, if you'd stop busting my balls and let me fight it out, you'd see how much of a groove I've got.”

“Indeed,” Jacqueline said. She didn't sound like she believed it.

Tony frowned.

The silence swelled and he filled it, “Alright, whatever. They're going to have all the freak supes out to play. I'll just kill them.”

“No, you will not.” Her eyes met his. “We cannot have two leaders. Only one must lead.”

“I will lead,” Tony said as if she were crazy to suggest there was a choice in the matter.

“I shall lead so that you might survive.”

Now it was Tony's turn to roll his eyes heavenward.

“We have come to terms. These Singers are my people. If I bring the sacred words to Marcus, he must acquiesce. He will have no choice. It forces the hand of his Queen. If she will not reign as she was meant to—then I will.”

Tony smirked. “Yeah, that means you have to shack up with a Were, a vamp and some Singer.”

Jacqueline prowled towards him. Watching her come caught his breath and made things deep within his body tighten in response. He didn't know what she was underneath all that tightly held Singer genetics but whatever it was brought him like a siren's call.

When she was inches from him and everything was like a bungee cord strung taut, Jacqueline rose on tiptoe, placing the flat of her palm against his chest. “Do you think that is a sacrifice?” She cocked her head to the side as if considering, and added, “That I lay with three species to gain the throne?”

“I don't know,” Tony managed in a choked voice, the heat of her breath against his neck, the fragrance of her female secrets tickling his nose.

“It is not,” Jacqueline said, turning her head and gave a sharp bite to his earlobe, his cock throbbed once painfully.

“No...” he breathed.

“Oh yes, wolf,” she whispered, the heat of her breath bathed him just before she bit down, drawing blood.

His hands clenched around her upper arms, lifting her body off the ground and he groaned, releasing inside his pants. She'd brought him with a deft bit of violence and whispered inference and he growled against her.

Her words chilled what had spilt from him like a glacier cleaved. “It is the least of what I will do....”

Tony did not have thoughts of winning.

But those of surviving.

Thoughts of the enigma who he gripped in front of him.

*

Angela

Angela tripped on a root, caught herself on the dry needles that littered the forest floor and sprung to running again. She'd abandoned her post without a second thought.

She burst through the front door of the Victorian mansion where the royals lived. Or those she thought of as royal. There was truly only one Queen and the one who had tried to murder Julia had reappeared.

Angela would recognize her black aura at a thousand paces.

The Combatant who manned the door captured her easily. “Whoa... what's going on?” Concerned eyes searched hers.

“Lucius... she's returned.”

Lucius looked down at the small Feeler female. He knew the grounds intimately, though he hailed from Region Four. She was north sentry. It could only mean one of two things.

A known threat, which he hoped was not the case, or that of an unknown.

He closed his blue eyes, shutting out the potential, then voiced it regardless, “Jacqueline?” Lucius opened his eyes and drilled her with the intensity of his stare.

Angela gave a single nod, her delicately pale coloring belying her hardiness. She looked fragile but was not, Lucius knew through their short acquaintance. She was an interesting Singer in looks. Many had redhead's coloring. But Angela was a rare platinum blonde, her hair almost white, her eyes a shade of light gray that was so clear it looked like dirt on glass, a fine true brown ring lined the outside of her irises.

He broke the stare. “Fine.” He turned to the other Combatant beside him. “Who amongst you is Deflector enough to take on one such as she?”

They all shook their heads.

Damn.
If ever there were a time that a Deflector were needed it would be now. However, the one who was sorely needed was away and eliminating the threat that had now returned. Somehow, Scott had scouted for Jacqueline and they had just missed each other. That was the trouble when there simply were not sufficient numbers of each talent. In this case, Region One could have stood to have more Negators and Trackers. The trouble was, they could not leave themselves so unfortified here that their defenses were too thin to keep One safe.

Lucius straightened his spine. They would do all they could. After all, they were Combatant. “Follow me.”

They moved through the maze-like halls of the old home, the floor worn where a million footfalls had preceded theirs. Lucius had only to let go of the urge to be close to Julia to know where she was, his blood sought hers like all the Combatants’. The tendrils of their connection, he of the Combatant, and she the one benefitting from his protection, were second only to her soul meld with Scott.

He broke into a room that hung heavy with the weight of the tension they'd introduced by arriving. Julia was lying on a fainting sofa, thick and bright with damask floral as its main fabric. His eyes flicked to the vampire and Were who stayed in opposite corners from each other. Marcus stood in the middle.

Lucius felt his eyes slide to Marcus. He spoke without preamble, “Angela has felt Jacqueline's presence, Marcus. Seen the black smoke of her aura like a trail of vileness in her wake.”

Marcus said nothing but gave a long sigh. His finger trailed along the papers that were neatly stacked as Julia rose from her reclining position.

“What is wrong with Julia?” Lucius asked, taking in the general pallor of her skin.

“She sickens,” the vampire named William volunteered.

“Ah,” Lucius replied in understanding.

“It's that soul bullshit,” the Were added.
Jason
, Lucius remembered. A disagreeable sort. As all the werewolves were known to be. He contained his face with difficulty.

William looked at him and Jason grinned back in challenge. “Tell me I'm wrong.”

“You are not wrong, but your delivery of the circumstances when it is Julia's cross to bear, borders on a lack of sensitivity that is repugnant to the nth degree.”

“Is he for real?” Jason asked, his thumb jabbing toward William.

“Stop,” Julia said in a low voice, her forearm flung over her eyes. She lowered it to her side and raised weary eyes to Lucius. She remembered to pronounce his name properly before she spoke, Loo-c-i-us. “Lucius, thank you.” He nodded. Her eyes sought Marcus. “Okay, come clean. What have you not told me? Or Scott?”

Marcus opened his mouth at the same time that Jacqueline and Tony moved into the threshold.

William and Jason dropped all pretense of nonchalance or hatred for one another, moving as one person, they stepped in front of Jacqueline, barring her entrance.

But Jacqueline ignored them... her eyes seeking Marcus.

Marcus rounded the desk that separated them.

She smiled and it was triumphant. Marcus looked sick. Julia's eyes went between their expressions like a wayward Ping-Pong ball. This couldn't be good.

William hissed and Jason's face and hands changed to those of his wolf, his snout and talons slipping his skin like a knife through softened butter. Julia pushed between them. If she were to die, then it might be amongst those who were her staunchest defenders. The time to cower had long since passed for her as she rode the wave of her anger easily and can came to stand in front of her murderer.

Scott was not here. Not here for her to touch one more time, to say goodbye. Julia swallowed her emotions like a bitter pill, Jacqueline's next words falling like ice cubes down her spine. There wasn't time for introspection. Julia was simply reduced to the moment.

“I seek asylum for the right to the throne,” she announced, for once without ceremony.

“No...” Julia said, looking from Jacqueline to Marcus. Finally, her eyes took in Tony, who was covered head to toe in the blood of others and some of his own. He smiled when Julia noticed him, his teeth a smear of white in all that red. She shuddered between the protection of William and Jason.

Jacqueline turned to her. “There is a deeper magic than what is told in the Book of Singers... as Marcus is aware.” Her eyes flashed at him like black water caught by the light of the moon. “If the Rare One should not take Fang, Claw and Singer into her body, another of royal descent shall reign in blood in her stead.”

Marcus stayed silent.

Julia's eyes left him and she turned her stare to Jacqueline instead. “You can't do this.” Julia's voice trembled with her rage. It was fine and clear, a burning wick without end.

“Oh but I can,” Jacqueline answered.

“How?” Julia could feel her eyes in her head, wildly rolling from one to the next of those who surrounded her.

“She cannot do anything if she were dead,” William said in a quiet voice. The very lack of inflection said more clearly what he was thinking than if he'd uttered it.

Jacqueline put up her hand. “It will not work, you take away what she is if you were to kill me.” She laughed. “I have invoked the sacred words and I have the royal blood to do it.”

Julia whipped her head to Marcus, feeling sick to her stomach. The absence from Scott, the fighting between Jason and William—all of it, added to her general malaise.
But this?
It was like a cherry on top of a rotten cake. “Is this true? Because, I'm not getting this. Make me understand it. She tried to Kill. Me.”

Gold eyes met brown. “I had hoped that you would choose the three and bind them to you. Then Jacqueline's subterfuge would be moot.” His eyes apologized while his matter of fact words burrowed like well-placed claws in her chest, seeking her heart.

“But I haven't,” Julia said softly.

“No,” Marcus said. For it was all he could, regret would not erase the moment.

There was a sudden commotion behind them and Scott's presence flooded Julia's senses before he entered the room. She felt the heat of his love, his rightness for her and it straightened her spine as she walked forward to Jacqueline.

She swung her arm back, moving her entire body with it and visualized her fist going through Jacqueline's face as Scott had taught her to strike when they first met.

Julia wondered why it hurt so damn bad to hit someone.

Jacqueline staggered before she fell on her elegant ass, her hand going to the corner of her mouth that was now bleeding.

“No one is Queen but me,” Julia said, bolstered by Scott lending his strength from a distance measured only in yards, their eyes locking for a fleeting moment. And some of that strength was all hers.

“That's it bitch!” Adi squealed loudly from the corner of the threshold.

Jacqueline looked up at the Queen of the Singers, the younger woman's death hung like a promise in those black eyes. “We shall see.” She dabbed at the tender corner of her mouth, her black eyes like a flame on Julia. Burning, burning.

“You got that right,” Julia said, and felt the wave of Scott's comfort before his hands landed on her.

Julia would survive.

She already had.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Julia

Julia likened the reappearance of Jacqueline to an out-of-body experience.

She watched as Tony was escorted out the front door, none-too-gently, as he had bloodied two of the Combatant upon entering the mansion. It was only fair that the rest escorted him out of here. Julia couldn't think with him skulking around.

Julia's eyes met Cyrus' as he had a palm on each fallen Combatant, speeding the already natural healing capabilities inherent to their station. He gave the barest of nods as Julia walked by and she nodded back, his eyes like pale water swept her for damage and seeing none, he broke his gaze away and went back to healing her guard. Scott's hand was firmly in hers as they made their way out into the open. There was no staying in an enclosed space with that many who regarded each other as enemies at best, at worst—friendship was absent.

Julia felt William somewhere behind her, the soft twilight was causing him discomfort. Singer enough to withstand the light, vampire enough to be in pain. Yet, there he was... literally at her back. Julia couldn't feel Jason but given their charged relationship of love-hate, she had no doubt that he remained a constant. Hating to be away from her, hating to be near her. There was no winning there.

It was Marcus who stood in the very center of the two groups, his collective presence the heaviest of all.

But it was Scott who broke the silence, “What is this bullshit?” he began, throwing his hand out to encompass his mother- the murderer. He said the very thing Jason had said and Julia felt her mouth pop open in surprise.

Jacqueline curled her lips, noting Victor's presence with a look and sniff as greeting. “I have invoked the sacred words of blood and announced my bid for the throne.”

“Oh horse shit,” Michael said with a disdainful snort.

Julia looked around, noting the presence of all the siblings gathered: Jen, Brendan, and Michael stood behind their father; their eyes moving over Jacqueline, Tony and, warily, over the new Were who had appeared. Julia stared at him, narrowing her eyes. What was it about him that rang a bell? Her memory whispered to her but then Jason stepped forward, one hand in the air and the nagging fragment flitted away. “I'm going to claim ignorance on this. But... it seemed like the vamp and I just saved Julia and this conniving...”

“Don't say it,” Julia said quietly.

Jason nodded to her slowly, controlling his words. “This conniving shrew tried to kill my wife.” His eyes swept the Singers, Were and lone vampire present. “Your
Queen
,” he added in emphasis. “And yet, for some unfathomable effed up reason, we should consider her psycho request. I say fuck that.”