Dark War Chronicles Box Set One (48 page)

"Do I need to remind you how resistant you were? Because you fought the entire way." Orion crossed his arms. "I don't know if Danielle wants a mate."

Renee shrugged. "I don't think I've ever seen her in a real relationship."

Jealousy surged through him at the thought of another guy touching her, even for a one-night stand. "She's dedicated to her job."

"She hates supernatural creatures." Coran added.

Renee hit him in the chest. "I'm sure she has her reasons for her hatred, and I doubt that she hates Orion if she slept with him."

Coran grinned. "So since your powers are back, does this mean you get to take on the bitch queen?"

"No, I'm not going near her. That's asking for trouble and I don't want that. There is too much going on in the territory and for all I know, that's exactly why she visited last night. I'm not playing into her game." He snapped and ran a hand through his hair. "Damn it, could life get any more complicated right now?"

Renee cleared her throat. "There is still the matter of the demon."

Orion shot her a look and she actually cringed into Coran's arms. Sighing, Orion shoved his hands in the pockets of his sweat pants. "I'm sorry."

"We're all stressed out. Some of us are pulling double shifts in patrol, and at The Disappearing Act, as well as at The Corner. Things will calm down—"

"Yeah, when Tegan returns." Renee muttered. "If she returns."

Orion rubbed his chest. "Yeah, speaking of, I need to do my daily rounds."

––––––––

L
iara watched through the mirror as Orion walked out of the disgusting dwelling he shared with the other people. The ordinary surroundings didn’t fit his royal status, even if she’d taken the crown. The dull colors and the lack of jewels bothered her. Even the ordinary way the people dressed, they might as well have been wearing rags. In the Fae realm she had no way of telling if they were human or otherwise, but knowing the company Orion kept, she was willing to bet they weren't human. She had expected the Blood Demon to take him out that night; she needed him dead before he came into his powers. Better yet, before he realized that coming into his powers would start the healing process on his wings.

He would be able to come back and fight her for the throne. She couldn't allow that. The pesky prince needed to be killed. After all the years he'd spent with Lucius, nothing had even touched him, despite that ill fate seemed to follow that vampire around. Liara had originally planned to use Orion's mate against him, but he never showed true affection for any except for Lucius' human...and someone already beat Liara to that bitch.

Though the new one looked promising, but she was a Hunter.  Even the Fae knew to stay away from that group. With a wave of her hand, the image disappeared and she pulled herself off the bed. Her silk robe draped off her shoulders as she tied the sash around her waist. The royal bedchamber had been remodeled when she took it over. She’d changed the purple and silver to red and black, adding the severed heads of Orion's parents to pikes on the four-poster bed. She had used a spell to keep them fresh so she could always see the looks of horror and betrayal on their faces.

She should have killed Orion that same day, but she had taken pity on the boy and simply banished him. The first and only time he tried to return, she shredded his wings and left him in the middle of The Circle's territory in hopes they would kill him. Little did she know that Orion was smarter and stronger than she believed. He managed to befriend Lucius and from then on, she let him be. Until now.

The vampires were trying to raise the Father, and the Circle had threatened war against the Fae, using the fact that Orion sided with Lucius as an excuse to attack her kingdom.  She needed to remove Orion from Lucius' forces by any means. She would not risk the kingdom she had worked so hard for.

Tapping her nails on her bedpost, she considered her options and when she came to a conclusion, she smiled. With a wave of her hand she summoned one of her servants. "Send notice to the vampire Lucius. I have information on his human and wish to meet with him."

The frightened woman bowed. "Of course my Queen, I shall inform him at once and bring back his response."

"He would be wise to accept and not turn me away." She didn't think he'd be stupid enough, and hopefully she could give him enough information that he'd be willing to hand Orion over.

Dani walked into the foyer and saw Lucius sitting on his throne. His black jeans hung low on his hips and his chest was bare. The firelight flickered over his muscles and he'd pulled his hair away from his face casually, not the slicked back style she'd seen before. "A little more casual tonight?"

"There is nothing formal about this discussion Danielle, and I do expect you to keep this information to yourself. Giving it to your superiors would only cause a mass hunt of our kind." He stood in a graceful movement. "We'll talk in the media room, it's much more comfortable there."

Something seemed off, but she nodded and followed him down the hall and into the room. She sat in one of the oversized chairs and watched as he lounged himself on the couch.

"You wanted to know if the Originals and the Father were simple myths. This is not a light topic and I am already fighting so many forces right now. I want to do this in a casual manner so you don't think I am feeding you vampire...bullshit."

He had that right. She swallowed. "Orion said that bargaining with you was a bad idea. What does he mean?"

"It depends. If it was to mate someone, then I require you to join my territory. You want information, so I will simply require information back and you won't like what I want." He met her gaze. "I want to know who your master is."

Her stomach dropped and she opened her mouth to deny it, but he held a hand up. "I can recognize your bond to him. Clearly he isn't in this territory—"

"Depends on what you consider your territory, it's in the same cemetery that Tegan visits." If he wanted to play shock the human, she'd do it right back. "I have a picture of her visiting a crypt outside of the Hunter owned part of the yard."

His jaw tightened. "I wasn't aware the Hunters owned land in that area. Tegan visits the resting place of her brother there."

"I'll give you the name if you stop being so cryptic." She pursed her lips. She hadn't spoken the name of the vampire in ages. Her stomach wanted to heave at the very thought, and judging by Lucius' calm demeanor, he knew that. He inclined his head in agreement. She took a deep breath, "Alexander DeOrleans."

He paused and stroked his chin. "I've heard of him. He disappeared. I assumed Hunters took him out. He'd gone rogue in my territory, Coran was supposed to hunt him down."

"The Hunting Society locked him in a silver coffin and he lays in a mausoleum. They didn't want to kill an innocent young adult just because the vampire happened to bond her."

Lucius' careful mask fell. “Young adult? You were what?"

"I was seventeen when he took me. I was only with him for a few years before he bound me.” She tried to squash down the painful memories that surfaced. The hours of being fed from, the darkness she was always in, the chains to keep her there. It was a few years after being bound to him that she’d managed to escape. “I didn't experience much cruelty, except I grew to hate your kind." She tried to keep her voice even, but the hate was always there when she mentioned vampires.

"Cruelty is something we know as a survival instinct." He shrugged. "But I am glad to know he's not running around my territory."

She crossed her arms. "Now, my information?"

"Yes, the Originals and Father exist." He watched her, his unnerving gaze never wavering. "There are seven Originals and they are all sleeping. That happened not long before we came here. I don't remember the exact year; I was dealing with other issues at the time. The Father was forced into his own tomb, his soul ripped from his body, and the door sealed with his blood."

"Vampires don't have souls."

Lucius laughed. "That is where you are wrong. The Originals and the Father all have souls, but it wasn't long until they fell out of favor with the gods that had given them this blessing. They were able to keep their souls, but anyone that they changed would not. Being a vampire soon turned into a curse, your soul and everlasting blood lust in exchange for immortal life."

That was certainly something that wasn't in her books. "There's a rumor going around saying that The Circle is planning on raising the Father, what implications would that have?"

"If they raise him the vampires will grow in power and the war will get out of hand. The Father will want to rule over all supernatural creatures who roam in this realm, just as it used to be. He ruled using the Originals and The Circle, delegating things to them to help him essentially rule the world." Tension crossed his eyes. "It would be a blood bath, because he would try to cull numbers of anything not vampire."

"How do you know all this?"

Lucius cleared his throat. "How did you escape Alexander?"

It was clear now just how much information she needed to give up to get her answers. "I snuck out during daylight hours after poisoning the humans he paid to watch me. They were stupid enough to take me out during the day, and nightshade berries were all over his property." She didn't blink at the confession of taking two human lives. "I was able to find a town and call the police."

He nodded, apparently satisfied with the answer. "One of the Originals is Tegan's brother. I was with him when they trapped the Father and we rescued Tegan."

"Why was the Father keeping her? What is so important about her?" Dani knew she was pushing her luck with the question, but she had to try.

Lucius met her gaze. "That is information I will not give. What Tegan is, what part she plays in all of this is a secret. I can tell you that it is Renee's blood, her family's blood, that can open the tomb. That is why I had to make sure her and Coran decided to stay here."

"Renee's blood? You know she has a brother, right?" Dani's stomach sank again as she recalled Renee mentioning her brother being off the grid without warning the family.

"I am aware, but from what I was told he travels a lot and I doubt the Circle has tracked him down, they were so focused on Renee."

She doubted that. "You might want to look into that. That is, if you don't want the Father raised."

"I will. Are there any more questions?"

"When will the Originals wake, and what will happen when they do?" She needed to know everything she could about this. Even if she couldn't share it, maybe Joey could pull the information from her head and use it to prepare the others.

"I don't know when they will wake, I was never told. We transferred Zaaren's body here when I staked out territory. Tegan wouldn't let me leave him behind." He chuckled, but it wasn't happy.

Dani stood, "Thank you for the information. I should get going, there's a blood demon out there that I should help hunt down."

"Don't let it slaughter you." He stood and let out a cold laugh. "I have another meeting. Good night, Hunter."

Chapter Six

Lucius paced his room. The pain in his head had started to ease, but there was still an underlying pressure he couldn't place. The only logical reason for it was Tegan; vampires didn't get headaches. That brought hope to him. She may be out of tracking reach in another realm, but she was still finding ways to get through to him. Though he could have done without the pain. It only reminded him that she was in trouble.

"Tegan, hang in there." He whispered. It hadn't been long since the Hunter left. Sharing information with her had been a whim, in hopes that her connection would lead him to something, anything. But alas, her master was being held prisoner in a coffin. He was sure the vampire deserved the punishment, but to be kept locked away in such a manner...poor bastard.

He grabbed a collared, button-up shirt absentmindedly. He'd received news via a terrified lesser Fae that the Queen wanted to meet with him. Orion was causing more problems than he was worth at this point. His constant pressure on Tegan to date him, his lack of ability to find her, and there was his constant less than reverential attitude, that made Lucius question why he allowed Orion in his territory in the first place. Maybe Lucius should just hand the Fae over, but he knew Tegan would never forgive a move like that.

When he reached the great room, Liara was already there, sitting in his throne. She stroked the ivory with her long, thin fingers. "Lucius, you've grown. In power, in people, and in territory. I'm impressed."

"I wasn't aware that you were keeping tabs on me. I've never met you in person. Orion has told me a great deal about you." Like how she was a cold-hearted throne-stealing bitch.

Liara laughed. "Ah yes, the stuck-up prince who is now under your rule."

"Why are you here?" Lucius asked, already tired of her. What could he possibly have to offer the Queen of the Fae?

Standing, she slinked towards him. "I want you to kick Orion out of your territory."

Wasn't that interesting? Lucius watched her and forced himself not to draw back when she draped an arm over his shoulder. Pushing her away would only egg her on. "You said you had information on my human."

"And I hear you like to barter. Info on your human in exchange for Orion."

Protectiveness welled up in him. Though Tegan's pain echoed in his head and he wanted her safe in his sight, he couldn't trade one of his people for her. No. Orion had sworn an oath to him and Lucius could not betray that. "I don't bargain with lives. I won't trade Orion for information."

"Such a shame, enjoy that Blood Demon in your territory and good luck finding your little bitch." The Queen disappeared and Lucius snarled, clenching his fists.

The only way to find Tegan would be to put someone in demon territory. Kaden would be killed instantly, but he wasn't willing to exchange Orion's life, even with as much of a pain in the ass as the Fae was.

"What the hell is going on?" Lucius grumbled, rubbing his head. Closing his eyes he tried to focus on Tegan.
'Tegan?'