Captiva Craving - Vampire Werewolf Menage (Six Feet Under Series Book Two) (18 page)

“Are you challenging Sixten?” Maestru said quietly, since it was no secret what he had overheard earlier. “Don’t be hasty,” he advised. “It’s been another long night for everyone here.”

“She’s fucking gone!” He yelled, kicking the chair against the wall. “Have you ever witnessed a territorial fight when the female in question wasn’t even there?”

“There’s the male,” Qudir piped in, pointing to the screen as if it were every day at the office where vampires demolished furniture and bared fangs. “You said you had seen Arian’s brothers, at least, the ones in our area. Is he a match?”

Kash took another look at Sixten before focusing on the screen. “Shit, I don’t know his name, but he’s definitely the Doc’s brother-n-law.” Kash rolled his shoulders. “Frequently, I see him hanging out downtown with Bane.”

“So why haven’t the werewolves mentioned this?” Qudir asked.

“You can’t tell me they haven’t studied their copies,” Sixten said. “They’re trying to one-up us again, withholding intel, no matter how small.”

“Let’s go back over this,” Qudir said pensively, now leaning back in his desk chair. “Blythe’s on here. The male werewolf on here is connected to her through…Bane, but that’s not really a blood connection for anyone. If she’s a Ruyter, she’s nowhere near a Norwegian royal. So the only connection is simply werewolf, but she’s not even a Pack member. It’s another question unanswered. As far as this male is concerned, why is he the only one pictured amongst a group of all females?”

“He’s on a plane headed for Norway,” Oycher said, walking in wearing dried blood. “I had a discrete chat with Dru Holt after he fed, waiting for his largest wounds to close before he left with the Beta. He already knew about the hard drive, but not the specific pics. I printed out the male’s pic, had it with me to question Dru. He said two of Arian’s brothers flew out of Fort Myers Field tonight with his wife Renee. One is Rune and one named Terje. Dru says they stay out of trouble, but they are partiers the same as any Were younglings, mostly just screwing around with the ladies on the island. Rune is a dark blonde. The other resembles Arian more, nearly white-headed.” He moved closer, nodding at the screen. “Terge.”

“Was Bane listening in?”

“Nah, he was on the phone the whole time, dishing out the Beta’s directives. Dru’s never tipped off Vojak business, he doesn’t want to get caught in any crosshairs, but I promised him I would keep him abreast when we figure this out. Besides, that kid is headed to his homeland. Those Norwegian royals are well protected, their security hangs tight.” Oycher dropped his coat, pulling his bloodied shirt off afterwards. “If he’s in any danger whatsoever, he’s good for now.”

“Still, maybe we should tip off the Beta,” Kash said warily.

“Leverage,” snapped Sixten, “we need an advantage for any impending negotiations.”

“What about the Lovci?” Oycher asked Qudir. “I never received any paperwork for clearance. They hunted our area without permission.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Sixten lost his mind.

“Hunters here?” Kash looked devastated.

“You told me you would alert me to any hunters in the area!” Sixten raised a be-clawed finger at Maestru, remembering the Coven Master’s promise to hide Blythe. Though it made no difference in the end, since shapeshifters got to her first.

Maestru sighed, ignoring his claw. “I
was
going to tell you when we had more to work from. Qudir and I were discussing it just moments ago. Soldiers are looking through all the airport’s records as we speak, and from what we’ve pulled together so far, we think Lovci were in the area. After I arrived, following up on Dru’s phone call, I pinpointed several places of their scent around the airport myself.”

“And although I can’t bet on it,” Oycher interjected, looking directly at Sixten, “I think I caught a whiff of Blythe there, as well. A remnant of a scent I could place with no other, one mixed with yours.”

“Oh, God,” he whispered, drawing in a slow painful breath. They had made love for hours before she was taken. Her scent would have been coupled with his. “Get on the Dynasty, Maestru; tell them someone has made a horrible mistake.”

“You think I wasted any time?” Maestru popped his brows. “I have Qudir all over it. So far they’re denying having any Lovci in the area.”

“Denying it?” Sixten sputtered. “I am not so naive to think all monarchs and their property are honor abiding vampires. Hell, I don’t know any honor abiding vampires. But why would they pull something like this? Why wouldn’t they obtain clearance from the Coven? The Dynasty needs Donors to survive. Obviously, we want the Dynasty to survive or the Species become extinct. So we give them a simple clearance and they hunt locally. Big deal. What’s the…” he stumbled on his words, turning back to Maestru. He recalled the first real conversation he’d had with Maestru in years, one which took place in a bathroom at Six Feet Under. “You…called me back to America because the Vojaks needed me to take over negotiations with the Habalines. You said the Dynasty was in trouble because their Donors were
disappearing
. Their losses were taking all extra time away from your regular duties. And you needed your full attention on the matter.” The Dynasty was the quintessential backbone of their race and the Donors were necessary to feed them. Unknowns recently snatched quite a few of those exceptionally rare humans who fed the Dynasty Empire, though the Dynasty was insistent their abductors were Habalines. “So we have
two
possibilities.”

“At
least
two,” Maestru agreed with a genuine look of disgust. “It’s not a far stretch to say Donors are being abducted by rogue hunters. That’s one of the angles I’m now working from,” he admitted, “one of many.”

“What if,” Sixten added, trying to stay calm while thinking about it, “they’re not going rogue at all, but still working under the guise of hunting for the monarchy, stashing a Donor here and there to line their pockets?”

“Yeah, Six,” Qudir offered solemnly, looking up from his laptop, “I smell slave traders all over this.”

“Blood slaves?” Kash clasped his oversized palm over his forehead as though he were willing the thought away. A warrior who normally relied on superior strength given by his birthright was finally buckling. “Blythe as a blood slave…could be far worse than Habalines keeping her.” Meaning, Habaline mixed breeds were volatile, easily snapped over nothing, and one would eventually lose it and kill her fairly quickly. Whereas, if Blythe were a blood slave, she would live through infinite hell until her body gave out from needing a blood exchange. And God help her if they figure out how to prolong her life.

“We haven’t enough soldiers to make a dent in the slave trade,” Qudir owned up to what they were all thinking.

Sixten watched the pieces moving on his mental chessboard without a clue where to make his move.
Who really has you Blythe?
Would he have to rely on an unreliable creature such as Poison? “As far back as I can remember my mother’s family kept blood slaves.” Yet he had no connections to those sordid, underworld dealers. As opposed to centuries ago, modern vampire society greatly changed viewpoints over blood slaves. Thankfully, most of the younger generations steered clear of their ancestors’ more sinister habits and desires. Still, just as it happened in human society, there were deviants lurking everywhere. And when a born predator - a vampire,
took
what they should not, those with mostly human genetics, such as Blythe, had no physical power whatsoever to fight back.

“Six,” Oycher asked the apparent, “what ancients haven’t had blood slaves?”

“Yeah, Rave always told me the vampires used humans for cattle.” Sixten forced his claws to retract, thinking of his mother and her powerful family put him in a red haze every time. Why did she breed with a pure blood Habaline, producing him? A powerful male was Sixten’s father. According to Poison, he
finally
wanted to meet his half-breed bastard.
I’m centuries old and now he wants to meet me.
Sixten found it curious that he wanted to see him only after he killed his Habaline brother. Retribution was undoubtedly his agenda. He figured his dear ole’ dad could wait forever and a day, since he had better things to do such as reuniting with his Blythe.

“Well, in his own way, your brother was a wrangler, Six.” Oycher said angrily, “a sick one.”

Sixten turned his head toward Oycher. “Yeah,
I killed him
. Point?”

Oycher shrugged, gritting his teeth.

“Nobody likes a pissy vampire, Oycher,” Sixten growled.

“I’m older than any of you,” Maestru spoke over them, still watching the headshots rolling on Qudir’s laptop. “I’ve seen centuries of change follow years of human oppression. The hardest thing for Species to overcome was to treat humans as…well, not equals but maybe with a sense of respect.”

“They’re hardly respected by our kind,” Kash put in. “The werewolves treat them far better than we do, even loving them on occasion.”

Maestru made a disapproving sound. “You’re a warrior who protects humans every day, drawing a distinct line between our kind and humans, kicking back those who try to cross it.” He motioned for Qudir to back up, studying a female.

“If we were doing enough,” Kash snapped back, quickly forgetting he was addressing his Master. “Then slave traders wouldn’t exist.” Whether placed in seedy clubs or inside posh homes of overly rich and sinister vampires, blood slaves were the fuel for underworld nightmares. No one seemed to turn that kind of money away. The risks did not outweigh the rewards.

“There are human slave traders as well.” Maestru’s jaw clenched, a tick forming. “Instead of blood slaves, they peddle
pleasure
slaves. Monsters are among us, Kash. Never forget monsters are also among
them
. And I will never stop what I helped start so long ago.” He glanced away from the screen, looking at each of them sternly. “And the Vampyr Vojaks will always make a difference. All of you have a significant purpose in your lives.” His eyes stopped on Kash, narrowing. “How many others can say that? How many others can claim to make a
difference
?” He pulled back, settling against the wall, crossing his arms. “Unlike other Coven Masters, I fight when I can, joining you as brothers-n-arms do. When I am not here, I’m running the Coven – not an easy job.” His dark head tilted thoughtfully. “Can you guess what I’m doing when not on those tasks?”

Not one of them answered, but they had a good idea.

“No? Daily, I’m backing the Vojaks before a Dynasty Empire who wants to shut them down.” He reached up, rubbing his hand across his whiskered jaw. “Maybe you don’t listen to rumors, but they only want warriors protecting our kind and their Donors’ asses. And that heat’s kicked up recently, simmering under our feet.”

“The Dynasty seems to think we’re not playing on the same team,” Qudir agreed.

“Because were usually not,” Maestru muttered, turning back to the computer screen. “Kash, besides this hard drive, you said you found thousands stashed away at Anthony’s makeshift house here on Captiva. Anything else?”

“I would have if the shifters hadn’t punched through. When we went back, they’d wiped out everything. We were lucky to get the drive.”

Kash glanced at Sixten, both remembering how Anthony had died before they had tortured anything pertinent out of him. Kash’s eyes dropped in shame. That night at Anthony’s, Sixten had to send him away, facing more than ten pure blood shifters on his own. Kash would not have had a chance against that many pure bloods and Sixten had refused to risk him. No Species, Vojak or not, could fight that many and live to brag about it. There was no shame in what happened, but this was not the time to remind his friend of that, especially in front of the others.

“Shifters killed Anthony before he could spill anything, and his sister Blythe was taken by
freed
shifters.”

“If the hunters truly have her now, I cannot believe they caught her scent before I did,” Sixten seethed.

“That’s their birthright, Six,” Oycher said. “Scenting Donors is in
their
blood, their vampiric trait. Just as our Vojak lineage is in ours. That said, I’m wondering how they took on a group of shifters who nearly kicked our asses, to supposedly
save
her.”

Sixten felt his bile rise, forming no words.

“So many unanswered questions,” Kash said, staring straight on at Sixten, chewing his bottom lip.

“We are in agreement about one thing, then?” Qudir asked. “We’re assuming rogues are taking the Donors from underneath the Dynasty Empire?”

“Yes, at least I can notify them of some progress.” Maestru sounded relieved.

“Upon notifying the monarchy of our cementing theory,” Qudir continued, “tell me how you want me to play this, Six.”

“I’m running out of time, Qudir,” Sixten said, not believing this was happening. “Tell me how I have a choice.”

“I’m not supposed to give you a choice on this, but I consider her yours, man,” Qudir replied, his voice so soft yet his words sparked the beginnings of another fire. “Lovci found her easily. We have to rely on the law abiding ones to help get her back from the rogues.”

“And back to her Dynasty Vampyr.” His irises kicked up. “A fucker who bonded with her so she would be dependent upon him.”

“They’ll trace whomever she belonged too.” Maestru explained, placing a hand on Sixten’s shoulder. “Maybe he’ll oblige
your
claim, only putting her under his protection.”

“The protection I didn’t give her.” Sixten jerked back, not in the mood for a comforting touch. A male accepting comfort meant he could not endure pain. He could endure pain, and he could inflict it even better. And right now, Sixten longed to kill something…slowly. “Tell me the minute those flight plans are traced, Qudir. I want my turn with the shifter. And when you find the name of her Dynasty Vampyr - ”

“I know what you want, Six.” Qudir took a breath. “Just don’t kill him yet. No one’s pulled a thing from him.”

Maestru watched them leave through the corridor and then ordered Oycher and Qudir, “You two keep me posted.”

He walked toward his office while putting his phone to his ear, mentally sorting his mounting responsibilities. Blythe and Dru’s brother-n-law weren’t the only ones pictured on that hard drive. “Ryan,” he spoke evenly, adjusting the phone between his neck and shoulder, “how is our human patient? Uh-huh. And yourself? Perfect, just what I want to hear. Plans have changed. Dakota will stay in the facility until I deem otherwise. She’s not to go topside for any reason,” he continued, “and if any vampire fang fucks her, they will die by their Master’s hands. That includes you.”