Blood Oath (#3, Mystic Wolves) (2 page)

Mason’s hand squeezed mine as we listened to
the Enforcer relay his messages. We had a strong alliance with the
Vampire King, so his condolences were heartfelt and greatly
appreciated. Nodding his approval and acceptance, Mason peered over
to Vlad and raised his eyebrow.

Devlin, missing nothing, chuckled. “With
protocol complete, may I introduce my outspoken companion?” Turning
to the side with lightning fast reflexes, he reached out and
slapped the back of the other vampire’s head, causing him to
grumble loudly.

“This fool is indeed called Vlad, but please
don’t hold that against him.” Shaking his head, he laughed out
loud, flashing a hint of fangs. “At our rebirth, we are given an
opportunity to truly take on a new beginning by reinventing
ourselves. Apparently, he believed the name Vlad gives him a touch
of notoriety.” Looking down, Devlin continued. “Me, I think it
makes him sound foolish, but he is here solely in the role of an
observer. He’s still trying to find his place within our ranks, and
I am his guardian. I apologize for his interruption, but the young
one does have a point. If it wouldn’t be too much of a hardship,
Darcy, could you share your experience from last night?”

I knew this moment was coming and had
prepared for it.

Mason leaned in and whispered, “You can do
this babe. Just share the facts and remember … no guilt.”

I nodded at his words and pushed myself back
from my chair. On my feet, I looked around, meeting everyone’s
gaze.

Drawing in a deep steadying breath, I began
going over everything—the trip to town, running into Gary, the
gunshot, the change and hunting him down, then returning to find
Mason and everyone by Jasmine’s body. It seemed to pour out of me,
and the more I spoke the easier it became.

I didn’t need to see Mason to know he was
beaming at me with pride. I paced as I shared the burden I’d been
carrying and a tangle of emotions filled the air. There was so much
of it, and when I was finished, I realized tears were not only
steaming down my cheeks, but down several others as well. It was
gut wrenching to share the horror and uncertainty, but I also felt
stronger. I had been so worried of being judged and found unworthy,
but all I could see was love and compassion.

Walking back to my seat, I entered into the
embrace of Mason and stood there, soaking up his strength as he
stroked my back tenderly. Tears flowed, but they were different
this time. In voicing the events again, I realized I’d done my
best, and although it didn’t lessen my grief, it did calm me.

“I’m so proud of you, Darcy.” His hot breath
brushed against my ear before Mason kissed my forehead and helped
me sit down. Standing tall, before leaning forward to brace himself
on the table, he looked every inch the Alpha.

“Questions? Concerns?” he asked.

It was hard to breathe, and I think others
felt it too because the room went deathly still.

It was Daniel who finally broke the silence.
“I think I speak for everyone here, Darcy, by saying how proud we
are, and just how much we love you. You’ll find no condemnation
from us.” He looked around and each person nodded in agreement.

Gasping, I choked back a sob. There it
was—acceptance, and a tremendous weight lifted from my shoulders. I
covered my mouth with my hands, trying to rein myself in before I
became a blubbering mess in front of everyone. Tears filled my eyes
again, and all I could do was smile in gratitude.

Mason also relaxed, his muscular frame having
tensed while waiting. As Alpha, his word was law, but he knew how
much this meant to me. He clapped his hand on Daniel’s back, as a
form of thanks, before taking his seat again.

“What happened to what was left of Gary’s
body?”

Scanning the room, I noticed it was Jonas who
spoke up.

“I personally took care of it as soon as I
heard,” Devlin responded, and was rewarded with another round of
murmurs. “I know the Pack takes care of their own business, but I
felt under the circumstances, it was the least I could do. I made
sure no evidence was left behind at the scene, and have other
Enforcers working on erasing Gary from any human system. Give it a
few more hours and it will be as if he never existed.”

“What arrangements have been made for
Jasmine?” Daniel asked almost reverently.

Mason spoke up this time and I was curious as
well. I wasn’t sure whether any plans had been made, seeing he
spent the last few hours with me. Guilt began to creep in again
over taking so much of his time, but as his hand slid over to my
thigh, the slight pressure was reminder enough. Being together had
been important—needful. I placed mine over his and squeezed.

“Some of her pack sisters are with her at the
moment, preparing her for the farewell ritual. We’ll be holding it
tonight after sunset. Vivien has agreed to officiate and does us a
great honor by doing so.”

A warm rush of emotion filled my body. This
wasn’t something the witch did often, but it was fitting. As the
Alpha’s sister, Jasmine would have the perfect send off, and I
recognized the significance of the gesture. Vivien was also showing
her support of the Mystic Wolves.

Mason moved on to next part of business. “I’m
assuming Zane is interested in how vampire blood comes into play
with last night.” Devlin nodded as the Alpha continued. “From what
Darcy’s shared, it gave Gary extra strength and a crazed
appearance—made him unreachable to logic and her attempts to talk
him down.”

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one curious about
how he obtained the blood and for what purpose.

Devlin interrupted my thoughts with his
comments. “The blood would have heightened everything—brain and
physical functions, emotions and rationality. Depending on how long
he was using, he would’ve been highly unstable—his actions proving
so.”

There it was in all its ugliness. Blood
addict ... user. But why? From what I knew of Gary, there was no
need for such measures. He never showed any interest in Jasmine
before now, and always appeared to be a happy, well-adjusted human
who appreciated the friendship of the pack. It made the drama of
the past twenty-four hours even more disturbing. It was completely
out of character.

“Has anyone else seen him use while he was
here? Seen him act differently?” Jonas asked.

No one had.

“No offense, but why the hell do we care?”
Eric spoke up. “The human was a traitor. He’s been around us all
enough to know not to mess with things he didn’t understand. If he
was in some kind of trouble, he could’ve come to any one of us and
we would’ve stepped in. He was a coward, and I don’t see why we
need to waste any more time talking about the why of the situation.
All we need to know is where he got it from and let the Enforcers
do their job.”

I turned to Mason for his reaction, watching
him reflect on what was being said. He took a moment or two before
he spoke again, with a very clear, authoritative tone.

“We care because I’ll be damned if this
happens again. Not just to us, but anyone. I know it’s not pack
business to be involved in the distribution of vampire blood, but I
didn’t bring this to our doorstep. Gary did. We won’t stop until we
find out and put an end to this. No one should have to bury family
members and loved ones. Not like this.” Facing Devlin, Mason
continued. “What do you need from me?”

“Not much. I have a team going through Gary’s
things at his home, trying to find clues before they remove
everything. They’re checking past calls, asking neighbors before
they scrub memories. I’m not sure how much we’ll learn, but
whatever we do I’ll share with you. You might need to prepare
yourself for the chance there’s nothing to discover.”

Mason bowed his head, stewing on the thought
when a cell phone rang, bringing everyone’s attention to Vlad.
Releasing a growl, he leaned forward, causing the young vampire to
shrug apologetically while trying to turn off the annoying sounds
of his ringtone, Kung Fu Fighting.

“Did no one warn you what happens to cell
phones in Pack meetings?”

I tried not to giggle as Mason laid the
intimidation on thick. Daniel didn’t even try to bother as he let
out a loud bellow.

“My Lord of Beasts, you’ll make him faint if
you don’t stop with the growling!”

Mason groaned at the title his
second-in-command used. A quick glance told me Daniel wasn’t far
off. Vlad was white as a sheet, and his hand holding the phone
trembled.

“Excuse yourself, young one, before the Alpha
decides to eat you.” Devlin chuckled. This caused the vampire to
blanch further before leaving the room at an almost dead run. The
Enforcer shook his head, finding the situation entertaining. “Did
you really need to do that, Mason? Terrifying him is my
responsibility.”

“I know, but I couldn’t resist. I thought the
moment needed a little humor. Wanted to make my Darcy smile.” Mason
took hold of my hand and raised it to his mouth, kissing the back
of it. Heat spread across my cheeks as I felt myself blush, and the
room filled with soft laughter. Everyone was used to seeing their
Alpha openly show his affections.

“Is there anything else we need to discuss,
or are we good?” someone asked.

Without taking his eyes off me, Mason nodded,
and the sound of chairs being pushed back echoed. He released my
hand and added, “Make sure you stay available. If I need you, I’ll
let you know. See you all tonight.”

The door burst opened and Vlad re-entered,
screeching a panicked filled, “Wait!”

Devlin snorted. “Please. Must you be so
dramatic? What is so important you need to rush in here like a
hysterical woman?”

Before I could add my indignation, he looked
at me and winked. “Present company excluded,” he said as I stuck my
tongue out at him. He rewarded with a warm smile. As instantly as
it flashed, Devlin shut everything back down and turned back to his
companion. “Spit it out, Vlad. Don’t keep us waiting.”

The young vampire’s mouth flapped open two or
three times as his eyes darted around the room. It was obvious he
was reluctant to share the news which confused me. Didn’t he just
come in here and tell us to wait? Judging from the annoyed looks of
my pack brothers, they were also wondering the same thing. Now
wasn’t the time for games.

“Oh for heaven’s sake, tell us whatever it is
before I let the wolves tear into you.”

Vlad looked around frightened and Daniel
didn’t help matters by growling, flashing sharp fangs.

Shaking my head, I interjected. “Please,
Vlad. Don’t mind everyone. It looks like you have something to
share.” I tried to lace my voice with soothing tones, and I noticed
him relax somewhat.

That peace was shattered, however, by Devlin
grabbing the young man by the scruff of the neck and pushing him
down into a chair. “Speak. Now.”

Taking a hesitant breath, Vlad gestured to
the empty seats and whispered. “You all might want to retake your
places. I just received a message I think bears importance.”

Heavy sighs and frustrated mutters covered
the air. One comment sounded very close to a threat should the
“fang-boy” be wasting time. A murmured assent followed with the
loud sound of cracking knuckles.

Now with the room’s attention solely on him,
Vlad had very little to say and needed a reminding tap from Devlin
to prompt him. Even my head hurt as I watched and I lifted my hand
to rub away the sympathy pain.

“There was a message delivered in last thirty
minutes to the King.” He stopped, looking expectantly around the
room as if that was meant to explain everything.

“You’re trying my patience, youngling. Speak
what you know, or I’ll rip it from your throat. Regardless of who
you are.” The threat lay heavy in Devlin’s voice. “What was the
message?”

“A dead body—well at least what looks like
one. According to those who were there, it more resembled a mass of
raw, bloodied, meat. The sentries were making the hourly sweep,
found it outside the gates to the estate, and raised the alarm.
Reports say the blood amount was so incredible it took vast
strength to resist partaking. On further inspection, it looks as
though it was a human woman.”

If Vlad didn’t already look agitated, he did
now as he continued. “Inspecting the surroundings, they found two
items they felt the Alpha needed to know, and if I’m permitted to
suggest, may be connected to what happened last night.” The young
vampire had our complete attention.

Mason was the next to speak, his confusion
breaking the silence. “What were the objects, and why would they
think I would need to be informed. Is it connected to Gary?”

Vlad lifted his cell phone and began touching
the screen, searching for something before passing the device
toward the Alpha.

“They forwarded me three images and asked if
you knew what they meant.” The phone made its way into Mason’s
hand, and I shifted in my seat so I could look with him. When he
pushed the screen, illuminating it, I couldn’t help my gasp of
horror.

There was so much blood. I prayed that it had
been quick and whoever it was hadn’t suffered, because the violence
it would’ve taken to accomplish the scene left me speechless.

Mason was tightlipped, and I felt him thrum
with energy beside me. His wolf was stirring. I was sure of it
because the air suddenly crackled with electricity, eliciting a
round of growls from the rest of the pack in response. The Alpha
was unsettled and it didn’t bode well.

With the scroll of his thumb, he moved on to
the next image—a piece of paper with a few words scribbled on
it.

I peered in closer, but I didn’t need to as
Mason read it.

“How many women must die before you lose
everyone you love?” He flipped back to the previous photo, but it
was just as indiscernible as before. He looked back at the note,
and started to speak, but Vlad interrupted.