Authors: Kelliea Ashley
“You’re a walking dead man, O’Mallery. You won’t escape me, now. I’ll hunt you into eternity for your crimes against my people.” Wilhelm hissed as he savagely fought against invisible ropes holding him back from tearing the priest apart with his bare hands.
“You could try to seek your revenge, if I allowed you to exist beyond tonight. I would be a fool if I didn’t end your miserable life here and now. You will join your new bride in death, Vampire!” O’Mallery pulled back his arm, long flames of blue arcing through the air behind him as he did so.
Wilhelm braced himself for the pain, knowing the High Priest meant to detach his head from his shoulders. He might have welcomed death once not so long ago. Now, he wished he would have just a little more time to save his wife. The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on him. A couple nights ago he wanted nothing more than to tear her heart from her cold chest. She was a Witch, his natural born enemy. Now, he only saw a woman, his wife hanging on to life by her fingernails. She might still deserve his anger, but she sure as hell didn’t deserve this level of abuse. He glared defiantly at the priest, waiting for the end to take him.
O’Mallery’s eyes widened as his arm froze in midair. The blue flames flickered inches from Wilhelm’s face. He watched in fascination as the flames whipped around the High Priest’s own neck. The priest dropped the handle as he clutched at the ropes of fire strangling him. His gray eyes bulged in their sockets as he struggled with the ropes of blue fire attempting to cut off his air.
“High Priest O’Mallery.” Wilhelm’s head turned toward Alexa’s powerful voice. Within her blood-streaked face her eyes were pitch black. Witch eyes were not to be looked upon, yet he had felt no fear the first time she’d tried to cast a spell upon him. This time he felt a rush of power burning within him, a call to rise above the Priest’s power. He struggled against the magical ties binding him. “You have broken the standards of behavior set forth in the Treaty of the Tri-Species Council. Punishment has been determined. Death...by your own hand.”
“You...can not...beat me!” O’Mallery struggled, falling back against the wall. His feet knocked the basin of dirt all over the floor. Wilhelm watched as it started to spin upon the rubber. A tiny whirlwind kicked up and grew with the dust. “No!” The High Priest reached for the dirt but it flew in an arc towards the Keeper. Her hands opened within their iron shackles, her black hair flying away from her pale face, as the dirt swirled around her body.
“Did you think I could let you live?” Her head moved back and forth as she spoke. “Reconcile yourself with the Goddess, High Priest. Do it before it is too late.”
“Never!” Spittle sprayed from his mouth as he reached for the door. “I will own the book!” He reached into his robes, pulling out a dagger that caught the lights with a deadly glint. Wilhelm yelled a warning, but the Witch was faster. He watched helplessly as the dagger flew through the air with deadly accuracy. His feet hit the ground as O’Mallery grabbed the door, yanked it open, and disappeared into thin air with a blinding flash of white and blue light.
“No!” Wilhelm raced to Alexa, who hung limp and lifeless. Her shackles no longer held her as the dagger with the white handle stuck out from her shoulder. The blade went clear through her and into the rubber matting of the wall. “Holy shit!” he bit out as he wrapped an arm around her wet waist. Her blood was everywhere, making her body slick and slippery in his grasp. He managed to ignore the hunger gnawing at his gut as he inhaled the tempting aroma of her sweet blood.
“Will... All that’s holy...” Wilhelm turned to hiss as Jaxson stepped into the room. He flashed his fangs in a warning older than time. He couldn’t allow another to be tempted by the scent of fresh blood. Not her blood. She was his. He turned back to her as Jaxson stayed right where he was on the threshold. A weak groan pierced his heart as he grabbed the dagger handle and yanked as hard and quickly as he could. She sagged against the shackles around her wrists. Flipping the dagger, he slashed the chains, releasing her into his arms.
“Hold on,
felesage
.” His voice was roughened by emotion as he lifted her up to his chest and turned for the door. It struck him as odd that this was the second time he found himself carrying a near-dead woman in his arms in one day. Jaxson’s face was paler than normal, his mouth hanging open and his eyes flashing red. “Close and lock this door. No one enters.”
“Yes, Elder.” Jaxson let him pass before slamming the door shut. “Where are you taking her?”
“My chambers. We are not to be disturbed. If I need you, I’ll use the headsets. I’m going to want to see the tapes.” He didn’t wait for Jaxson’s response as he hurried down the tunnel, kicked open the door hidden beneath the stairs, and descended farther down into the earth.
***
Alexa was in agony. She wondered hazily if this was the way death felt when it claimed a Witch who had sold her body and soul to the devil. Wasn’t there supposed to be a comforting white light or peace-filled ambiance if she was on her way to crossing over? She shouldn’t be surprised—nothing in her life had been easy, so why did she expect her death to be any different? She struggled to open eyes that felt too heavy and sore to move.
“Easy, love. Be still while I try to ease you.” His voice whispered in her ear like a velvet promise. She wanted to sink into his words and disappear, escape from the torment of stabbing pain. Something wet touched places throbbing with agony, easing the pain to a dull throb she could handle. It took forever, this ministration to her torn body. All the while her mind was soaring as if far above the torture. She could fly away; she felt the knowledge there on the edge of her reality. Giving up was so tempting...
“Alexa, Keeper of the sacred Treaty. You are not finished with this life. Your destiny is not written to its end. Hear me.” The feminine voice wrapped around her like a favorite blanket, comforting and giving peace as she spoke. “He heals you, give him time to bring you back. The fate of others rests upon your shoulders, Alexa. Think of Alice and her unborn child.”
“Alice?” Alexa struggled to place the name. No one of her acquaintance had that name. “Alice?”
“Quiet,
felesage
.” His voice, again. She smiled as the image of his dark chocolate eyes and handsome smile floated before her. He might hate her, might want her death, but she didn’t care. Something about the stubborn Vampire called to her heart like a siren tempting her pirate lover. She could easily love this enemy, this man who hungered for her blood. She liked that he wasn’t intimidated by her. He was a strong man who would stand beside her in a fight.
The memory of him hanging against the rubber wall looking into the face of certain death made her shiver. He’d been resigned to let the High Priest steal his life, his future, from him. She could handle losing her own; she’d not been attached to her life for so many years that when it came to surrendering it, she’d been fine. That was until the High Priest turned his flaming whip upon her husband. Vampire or not, Wilhelm Chambers was her equal, her mate. O’Mallery could take her, but she would not stand by and let him take Will.
He was talking to her, now, voice low and sexy, tempting her to do his bidding. What was he saying? She caught the words, “choice and death.” There was pressure against her mouth and warmth flowing over her lips. She choked as sweet liquid eased through her lips and forced her to swallow the sweet taste. Her fogged brain thought longingly of her favorite catnip tea. Tea that Rosalyn had snatched up in a silly attempt to push her into an argument. Rosalyn. Was she dead, too?
“Hold on.” She was floating on strong arms, safe and happy, and then she was sinking into warm water. Her flesh burned and she shrank from the pain, unable to endure any more. She wanted it to end. Reaching for the peace of oblivion, Alexa willed her body to let her soul go. Freedom was only one held breath away...
Soft music stilled her as she concentrated on the haunting melody of a song she recognized. It was
his
voice, low and velvety soft. The sweet notes, a little off-key, danced around her as she listened with warmth growing within her. It was magic dancing in the air all around her. That was his voice pulling her back when she’d only wanted to slip away from the pain and the struggle of an existence she no longer wanted.
The melodic tune gave her purpose, made her want to stay, want to fight once more. She moved toward the music, slamming into her body with a shock wave of feeling. Her flesh burned and cried out in agony, yet inside her body there was a growing strength burning its way through her organs and seeping into her tissues. It was sensory overload, this conflict of pain and possession. Something was taking her over, something strong, and hot.
She screamed, her eyes flying open as she grabbed onto firm flesh. His worried face filled her vision as she tried to catch her breath.
“Easy, love.” His hand gently pushed her wet hair back behind her ear. “Don’t fight it. That only makes it harder.” Dark chocolate eyes studied her quietly as he held her completely submerged in warm water, all but her head, which rested on his powerful forearm.
“Where...?” She cringed as she felt her cut lip with her tongue.
“You’re safe, Alexa. I brought you to my personal chambers far below the Hive. No one can get to you here.” He reached behind him and held a silver chalice to her lips. “You need to drink this. You’ve lost a lot of blood.”
“What is it?” She felt as weak as a newborn kitten as she stared up at him. He could force her to drink anything at the moment.
“The only thing that will save you. Drink.” His eyes flashed red for the barest second as he held the rim against her split lower lip. Alexa took a sip, sighing as she tasted her catnip tea. Her eyes closed as she sipped greedily at the warm drink.
“There. That’s enough for now.” She heard the chalice clink against stone as he set it down. “You’ll need to sleep soon. I’m going to wash you now. I’d prefer you weren’t awake for the pain. Know you are safe with me,
felesage
. Sleep easy, love.” She watched his eyes flash with red fire in the chocolate depths as she felt herself slip back into the safe, warm cocoon of sleep. Something, someone else was slipping in to take over, to heal her as she let control slide through her fingers.
Chapter Ten
Wilhelm watched his wife sleeping in his own personal bed of dirt. Only her head was visible above the dark, rich soil. Her hair was now washed and dried. He’d braided the silky black mass and tied it with a piece of clean cloth. He didn’t like the paleness of her cheeks nor the dark gray circles beneath her sable lashes. She was barely holding her own, but there was nothing more he could do for her.
He paced back and forth, his back muscles tight with tension. There was little time for them to wait. O’Mallery was already going after the Book of Souls. Once it was in his possession, who knew what he would be capable of. A hiss broke the uneasy silence of the dark room. Wilhelm glanced up to assure himself that she remained asleep. A small beep in his left ear reminded him that he was still wearing his headset.
“Report.” He moved to the very edge of the room and spoke softly into the mic.
“Will, Grant has found some abnormalities in Rosalyn’s blood results.” Warren Montgomery’s normally jovial voice now had an ominous quality about it. A shiver raced up Wilhelm’s spine as he took a breath.
“What kind of abnormalities?”
“I’m not a doctor, Will. The gist of it is she was poisoned. Grant believes Mistress Alexa didn’t have any part in Rosalyn’s collapse.”
“All right. Then how did she get poisoned? Does he know?” Wilhelm’s mind raced through the possibilities.
“Not yet. Jaxson has the cooks going straight through the contents of the kitchen right now. I questioned Georgetta as well. She defended the Mistress, of course.” There was a slight pause, then Warren asked the question Wilhelm was dreading. “How is the Mistress?”
“Resting.” He didn’t want to talk about her condition because he wasn’t sure he had good news.
“The Hive is buzzing with rumors, Will. Everyone is worried and scared. They want answers before they go to bed.”
“She’s resting,” he emphasized with a hiss of breath. “I will deal with everything tomorrow. In the meantime, triple the guards. I want all the tunnels watched and all Poppets on high alert for any intruders. I don’t want the High Priest or anyone else showing up unannounced today. Seal the Hive, Warren. Make it happen!” He didn’t wait for a response, but ended the conversation. As his eyes landed on Alexa’s pale face, he decided sleep would come to everyone but him. If O’Mallery tried to finish the job, he’d be alert and ready. Sinking down on the floor beside the dirt bed, he prepared to wait out the longest day of his life.
He must have dozed off because the beeping of his earpiece jolted him awake. His gaze shifted to the dirt bed and his still unconscious wife. She hadn’t moved, but he could detect a steady, if weak heartbeat. Relief filled him as he hit the button to open the link.
“Report.”
“Good news first.” Warren’s voice was too damn cheery for his liking, but he stood up to move toward the natural pool. “O’Mallery hasn’t dared to come back and Rosalyn is awake and barking to get out of the med room.”
“That is good news.”
“The bad news is The High Council of Elders has gotten a whiff of what happened. They want to speak with you immediately. There’s been serious activity on all channels coming from the Witch’s Coven. It sounds as if O’Mallery is causing waves. You are going to need to address that right away.” Warren took a deep breath, meaning he had more.
“What else?”
“The Wolves are at our door and it doesn’t look like they are going to wait much longer before they come huffing and puffing. They want to see and speak to the Keeper of the Treaty. By Treaty Laws we can’t keep them from her for much longer. I’ve stalled as much as I can. Alpha Leclair called demanding to at least speak with her. I think his mate is worried about her kin.”
“Damn.” Wilhelm rubbed at the back of his neck. “I’ll be up in a few moments. Everything can wait while I tend to my wife.” He cut off the link as he caught a slight movement from the bed.