Chapter 6

"It seems our enemies are popping up as quickly as we can dispatch them. When one falls, more take their place. I wonder if there will come a time when we are too weary to fight. If that day should ever come, I pray that there are others who would stand and fight. I pray that there are others that would see that when they come together united in a cause, they are stronger than they could have ever realized on their own." ~Vasile


Vasile stood in his office staring out the window into the winter sky. The snow that covered the ground had taken on a bluish hue as the moon took her place in the deep blue night. He could feel the cold pressing in at him from the glass and the ominous feeling it brought with it made his chest feel heavy.
"It's late. Are you coming to bed?" Alina asked from behind him.
Vasile nodded.
"Have you made a decision about the females?"
He let out a long breath and turned to face her. His eyes softened the minute they found her face. His mate had a gentleness about her that brought him peace no other could, and yet she was as fierce as any warrior. "It doesn't matter what I decide, Mina. It will truly come down to what they and their mates want."
Alina crossed her arms in front of her as she considered him. "What about Jacque?"
He let out a low growl. "I would prefer that my daughter in-law stay here where she can more effectively protect my grandchild, but the minute I tell her that, she will be packing her bags and planning the damn mission herself."
His mate laughed. "You're learning, my love."
He grunted as she wrapped her arm through his. As they left his office and walked toward their suite, he pulled her closer and leaned over to press a kiss to her hair.
Alina looked up at him. "What was that for?"
"For being patient with me all these years."
She smiled. "I wasn't always patient, if you remember."
He chuckled. "I remember, and I wouldn't have had you any other way."
"You know how much I love you, Alpha. You know what that love feels like coming from me through our bond. Just remember that is how the females, your daughter in-law included, feel about their mates. Consider that when they tell you to jump off a bridge tomorrow if you advise them not to come along."
"I will do my best to remember that, Luna," Vasile told her as he led her into their room. "But I reserve the right to give them a good nip on the heels for their impertinence."
She laughed. "I'm sure they will only nip you back."
Vasile growled and grumbled under his breath as he shut their door. "Mated pairs are going to be the death of me."





It was very late when Decebel decided to leave the training room and head back to his room. The Serbia pack mansion was quiet, with the few that chose to live there already in their suites. For the first time in his mated life, he found himself dragging his feet to get back to his mate. She’d kept her end of the bond closed up tightly, but even so, he could feel the pain and shame radiating from her. He didn’t enjoy or take any pleasure in the fact that she was feeling those emotions, but his own hurt was still too intense for him to know how to handle hers.
When he finally reached their bedroom door, Decebel once again found himself staring at it, unable to reach out and turn the knob. His muscles seemed frozen as his mind tried to work through what he should say—if he should say anything at all. Maybe it would be better if they just went to bed and tried to hash things out in the morning. He stood there a few minutes more until the door opened without his assistance. He took a step back as he was met with Jennifer’s tear-stained face.
Decebel felt all of his own hurt, anger, and frustration melt away at the sight of her. He opened his arms and she walked into them without hesitation. His large frame folded around her smaller one, cocooning her in. He felt her body begin to shake with new sobs as he pulled her tighter. Decebel felt her release her hold on the bond and all of her emotions came flooding through.
“I’m so sorry,” she said through their bond. “I was angry and frustrated and I was so ugly to you.”
“Shh,” he soothed. “We are both at fault. I should have told you regardless of what Vasile wanted. I respect him, but you are my mate. I should have put you first.”
Jennifer shook her head. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m going to throw some raging, bratty fit every time you don’t tell me something,” she said, her words a little muffled because her face was pressed against his chest. She pulled back to look up at him. “I am sorry I said those things, B. I was wrong. I know that I made you feel like you aren’t capable of leading. I de-manned you in front of our friends and I was wrong.”
“You know I don’t expect you to be a quiet mouse who simply nods at everything I say and never gives your opinion, right?” Decebel asked her as he tucked her hair behind her ear. “You are my guide, my compass when I veer off course. I need your input more than anyone. I also need your respect more than anyone and you need mine as well as my love. I disrespected you by not being open with you.”
“I forgive you,” she told him as she rose up on her toes and kissed him softly on the lips. “Can you forgive me?”
“Yes, baby, I forgive you. I’m sorry that I stayed away. I just needed to clear my head.”
“A break was good,” Jennifer admitted. “I know this won’t be our last fight, nor will any of the ones to come be any tamer than they usually are, but I’m glad that I know you are always willing to work through it with me.”
“I don’t expect you to change who you are. You’re hotheaded,” he chuckled when she frowned. “But that’s one of the things that drew me to you. You’re impulsive, which I at times find unbelievably exciting because I never know what to expect. You’re bold, outspoken, confident, and most importantly, you’re mine. Any changes we make, we make them together and for the good of us, not just the good of one or the other.”
She smiled up at him. “The Great Luna did a damn good job when she gave me you. No one else would see some of those qualities as positive. And you are right, I am, without a doubt, yours.”
Decebel took her face in his hands and held her still as he kissed her. The wound that had been aching inside of him was closing as Jennifer poured her love into him.
“Take me to bed, Dec. Let me love you.”
“Thia?” he asked as he scooped her up and entered their suite.
“She’s already asleep.”
He set his mate down on the bed and lifted her chin with his finger. “Give me one minute to kiss our daughter goodnight. Then you’re all mine.”





Ontario, Canada
Cain looked out over the sleeping city as he stood on the rooftop. It was peaceful. At least it was for those humans who were tucked away safely in their beds unaware of the dangers that lived among them. It was that very danger that stared out at them now seeking a different prey this night. He felt a snarl curling his lip as he thought about the little intruder who had nearly found him the night before. He had been careful. He was no fool. If the world found out about vampires, well, the panic that would ensue is a problem he and his coven didn’t need. But somehow, a pixie, of all things, had flitted itself through the open window just as Cain was stepping out from behind the bush he'd landed next to when he'd exited that very window. Of course, the pixie probably didn't see him because very few could move as fast as a vampire, but the little being might have sensed him. Cain had stood there watching and waiting for the pixie to leave, but if and when the little creature left, it wasn't in the same way that he had entered.
From the moment he returned to the coven, he'd put his best trackers out to hunt—either information on the pixie or the pixie itself. Though most of his kind couldn't be out during the daylight hours, there were some, older and with special abilities, that could. These were a well-kept secret that no one outside of the vampire race was aware of.
Now, twenty-four hours later, he still had no information on why the pixies were involved in vampire business. It was a frustrating situation to say the least, especially since they were just beginning to venture aboveground for the first time in centuries. For so long they’d created traps to lure their prey to themselves, but there had been stirrings that dark power was once again beginning to take hold in the human realm. The tides were turning and the time of the wolves and fae was coming to an end. The reign of darkness was coming and his race, as well as some others that practiced dark magic, would soon take over. There would be no more hiding in the shadows, sulking like worms beneath the ground.
Cain smiled and felt his sharp teeth pressing into his lips. Soon those who had oppressed them would pay for their insolence.
“Very soon,” he muttered into the dark night.





Peri, Alston, Gwen, and Nissa all stood on a rooftop in the dead of night. Peri’s jaw was clenched tight as she stared out into the city outlined by the night lights that dotted the buildings and homes in the outlying suburbs.
“Why Phoenix, Arizona?” Nissa asked, her own voice tight with emotion.
“Other than Mexico City, Phoenix has had the most child abductions in the world over the past few months. Now we know why, even if the humans never will,” Alston answered.
“Too bad we don’t have the manpower to take out the humans who abduct children as well as the vamps,” Peri growled. She hated the idea of any child being hurt by anyone, supernatural or otherwise. The only mercy from the vamps was that they were killing the children for food, not abusing them in any sick way for their gratification. Well, she supposed drinking them dry was for their gratification in a way, but at least it was a quick death. Most vamps, as in all of them, didn’t have the self-control to drag out a feeding. They struck fast and drank just as fast.
“So Phoenix is home to the largest vampire coven in the human continent of North America?” Alston asked her.
Peri nodded. “According to my little pixie peepers. They’ve been busy searching out every city with large numbers of unsolved abductions. The vamps don’t leave a trail so they will never find the bodies of the children they take.”
“No closure for those poor families,” Nissa said. “Not only do they lose their child but they don’t even get the peace of mind to know that their child has gone to be with their Maker. They will live thinking there is a possibility that their child is in the clutches of a horrible person enduring who knows what.”
“Why is it that in every race besides the vamps and the humans children are considered off limits?” Peri asked. “Why can’t everyone see that these children are their future? You would think that they would want to nurture their future, not destroy it one little life at a time.”
“It is disturbing,” Alston agreed. “But we can’t fix the problems of every race. We have to focus on dealing with the biggest threat right now and that’s the vampires. Not only are they taking and killing children but they are becoming bolder and running the risk of being discovered by humans. The human world isn’t ready for supernaturals.”
“Will they ever be?” Nissa challenged.
“Probably not,” Peri answered.
“What now?” asked Alston.
“Now we bring the wolves to Phoenix.”
“What are they going to do?” Nissa spoke up. “They can’t declare war in the middle of a human city. Perhaps, it would be better to flush the vampires out. Start with the smaller covens. Let’s send a message. Perhaps, then the leaders of the larger covens will decide to fight back.”
“Draw the enemy out by lessoning their numbers,” Peri muttered under her breath. “That’s a great idea, Nissa. I have to admit I’m surprised.”
“I’m nearly as old as you are,” Nissa said, folding her arms in front of her.
“Age does not equate to wisdom,” Peri quipped.
“You two were getting along so well,” the male fae sighed. “Can we please just get through this without you two scratching each other’s eyes out?”
“Depends on whether or not I get bored,” Peri said with a wink. “Can’t make promises that I’ll find unpleasant to keep.” She rubbed her hands together. “Okay, so the plan is to take the wolves to the smaller covens. I’ll need you two to meet me at the Romanian mansion tomorrow night. We’ll need to move fast so we will have to flash the wolves to the locations.”
“Never thought I’d wind up being a taxi service for werewolves,” Nissa grumbled.
“What better things do you have to do? If you file your nails any pointier you might as well become a vamp yourself. And if your hair gets any shinier, you might blind someone. Quit pampering yourself and get your damn hands dirty for once.”
“Peri,” Alston huffed. “A please wouldn’t kill you.”
“Kids are dying. I draw the line at saying please when asking for help to save the lives of children. Instead, I say get your ass in gear and help the innocent. See you two tomorrow night.” She flashed before they could respond to her angry response. “Say please,” she snarled under her breath. “There are kids being snatched from their beds and they want me to say please? Damn high and mighty fae.”
“Some would say the same of you, beloved.” Her mate’s arms came around her as she appeared in the clearing that they often went to in the fae realm.
“What?”
“Some might say you can be a little high and mighty,” Lucian said as he pressed his lips to her neck.
“At least I put forth my efforts in order to help others and not make my appearance better or sit on a cushioned pillow. I’ve told my people before that they can’t hide behind their veil and ignore everyone else. The freaking world is going to burn to the ground around them if they don’t start helping.”
“Have they agreed to help?” he asked.
“Yes,” Peri said sounding a little too much like a petulant child for her liking.
“Then what are you fussing about?”
“They wanted me to say please when I told them to meet me at Vasile’s home. I mean come on, wolf. Why should I have to say please?”
“I’m not saying you do. But, perhaps, a little diplomacy can go a long way for future endeavors.”
“I hate it when you’re logical and calm.” She held up her hand before he could respond. “But one of us needs to be and we both know it sure as hell isn’t going to be me.”
“Fair enough,” he said as he turned her to face him. “Now, we have both served where we are needed. The rest of the night is ours. You can’t save the entire human race tonight.”
“What can I save?” Peri asked with a raised brow.
“Me. I am in need of your saving,” Lucian said in his deep voice. The cheesy line would have sounded ridiculous from anyone but him.
“Are you trying to write for those Hallmark cards again? Because that was vomit-worthy,” she teased him.
“Perhaps, but it worked,” he told her as he pulled her deeper into the forest.
Peri rolled her eyes. Yes, it had worked. But she wasn’t about to admit it. Instead, she followed her mate and let him pull them into the cover of the trees, away from all that was demanding of their time. She let him pull her into his arms and surrendered to his healing touch. In truth, Peri needed saving just as much as her mate, if not more.





Sincaro, master of the phoenix coven or king of the coven, as some of his people called him, paced restlessly in his chamber as he squeezed the phone to his ear. “We have a problem,” he said into the phone. He had to loosen his grip when he heard the device begin to creak under the pressure.
“What problem?” Cain, the Ontario coven master, asked.
“The fae kind,” Sincaro answered. “They were in my city.”
“That doesn’t mean anything.”
“Three high fae were in my city all at the same time. It means something.”
There was silence on the other end for several minutes before the other man responded. “I’ve had pixies in my territories and hunting grounds.”
The older vampire growled. “Why are you just now telling me this? I should have been notified immediately.”
“I’m dealing with it,” Cain snarled back. “Your coven may be the largest, but that does not make you the leader of mine or any other.”
“Perhaps not, but I am the oldest, and that does make me the leader of any who cannot defeat me. Know your place, Cain, or I will end you. We need to deal with this immediately. If the fae find out how we’ve been able to hide all of these centuries, things could get very ugly.”
“You mean ugly as in mangy, snarly ugly?”
“The wolves are the last thing we need sniffing around. Kill any pixies you come across, regardless of whether or not you get any information from them.”
“What about the fae?” Cain asked him.
“I will deal with the fae. It will take someone nearly as old as me to take them out. I’ll make some calls.” Sincaro disconnected the call without another word.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and nearly threw something when the door to his chambers opened. “What?” he snapped.
“You asked me to notify you when your dinner was ready,” the female vampire responded.
Sincaro breathed out a sigh. “Ah, yes. Thank you. Bring her in.” He felt his teeth growing as he began to anticipate what was to come. The only time he had any peace was when he was feeding the monster inside of him, and the only thing that satisfied it was blood.
He turned around slowly as he heard the door open and close again. Her scent filled the air like a fragrant buffet. She was pretty enough, but his kind didn’t care about looks. There was nothing sexual when they fed, contrary to the popular fiction that humans loved to read. Vampires had no desire to couple with their food any more than a human would want to couple with the cow they were turning into hamburgers. No, humans were strictly food, nothing more.
Sincaro stared at the young woman. She’d been feeding him for many, many years now. And as long as the fae, pixies, and wolves minded their own business, she would continue to do so.
“Come here,” he told her, knowing she would obey. She hated him, but she also feared him, and that’s what guaranteed her obedience. She walked toward him, her shoulders held back and her chin lifted stubbornly even after all these years. She was a strong female and, no doubt, would have been an asset to her race. But, she’d practically fallen in his lap and he wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth.
As she stopped before him he reached out with his hand and tilted her chin to the side to inspect her neck. The wounds healed supernaturally fast, so he didn’t have to change the locations of his feedings very often. He preferred the neck because of the larger vein, but he could feed from the wrist if needed—it just took a little longer. When he saw that there were no signs of puncture wounds on her skin, Sincaro struck as fast as a snake, sinking his fangs deep into her neck. He heard and felt the satisfied pop of the vein as it was punctured and then tasted the flood of warm iron as it filled his mouth.
Bethany had been with him since she was a child. She was strong and she wasn’t fully human, which meant she was able to withstand a larger drain than others. It was one of the many reasons he enjoyed having her for his meal. Sincaro drank until he began to feel her weaken and then finally released her. She swayed on her feet and he knew that the only thing keeping her standing was pride.
“It’s too bad you are not a female of my race,” he purred to her. “You would have made a fine queen. I’m sure those of your race would agree with me that you are a strong female. In our world, only the strong survive.”
Her jaw clenched in obvious rage and he chuckled. “Why does my comment anger you?”
“I am human,” she bit out. “Even if I wasn’t, I would never be anything like you.”
“Yes, you are human, but that is not all you are. How many times must we go over this? I do grow tired of your stubbornness.” He let out an exasperated sigh as he pulled a kerchief from his pocket and wiped his mouth. He then wiped the blood from her neck and ignored the way she flinched away from him.
“One day, if you live long enough, perhaps, I will be able to prove to you exactly what you are. Then again, your kind might very well be hunting me and mine at this very moment, so you might get to meet your relatives sooner rather than later. Though you should know one thing, now that you have been tainted for years by the bite of a vampire, they will not want you. No male would ever take you as his own and the humans would never understand or accept what you are. So you see, you are better off here with me.”
“If what you say is true, then you alone are the source of all my troubles. You alone would cause my rejection. You are the one who tainted me. You are the one who continually says I am not human. You are the one who ruined me,” the female growled at him.
His hand flew out before he had time to curb it and connected with her cheek. She flew across the room and crashed into the opposite wall. Had she been fully human, the blow would have shattered her cheekbone.
“Unthankful whelp,” he snarled at her. “You are only alive because I say you can live. Do not forget who holds the fate of your life.”
She pushed herself up slowly from the wall and spit out a mouthful of blood. Such a waste, Sincaro thought at the sight of it.
“This isn’t a life. This is a miserable existence and I’d rather be dead.”
“Perhaps, I will grow tired of your disrespect and you may get your wish.” He made a motion for her to leave. “Get out. We’ll see if your attitude has changed after a few days in the maze.” Her eyes widened and fear began to roll off of her. “Not so brave now are we?” he smirked.
She exited through the door and back into the care of the female vamp who’d dropped her off.
“Take her to the maze,” Sincaro called out to the vamp. He would check on the female in a few days and see if she’d learned to keep her impudence to herself.
With his hunger sated, Sincaro could once again focus on the problem of Perizada, Alston, and Nissa, the three high fae that had been in his territory. It was a problem that was going to have to be remedied very, very quickly.
He wasn’t as familiar with Alston or Nissa, but Perizada, she was one he knew all too well. Though it had been a very long time since their last encounter, he still had the souvenir she’d left on his chest just over his heart.
“Maybe it’s time for a little payback, Perizada of the fae,” he said into the empty room as a wicked grin spread across his face





Bethany shuttered as the door slammed closed behind her. The absolute darkness wrapped around her body, stealing her breath and every bit of sight she had. If she had ever wondered what it was like to be blind, she’d found out by being down here. Her breathing sounded unusually loud to her ears as all other noises were shut out. She knew she was deep beneath the ground, the cool, moist air made that clear. But how deep, that was a question to which she didn’t know the answer and, honestly, she didn’t know if she wanted to. It wasn’t her first time in the hell that the vampires so affectionately called the maze. She’d been in it many, many times but no matter how many times she visited, the fear never abated. Even though Bethany knew exactly what was hunting her, knew that she would get no sleep as long as she was down here, she was still terrified.
Her head snapped around when she heard the low growl she’d come to dread. She fought the instinctual urge to immediately sprint away from the sound. She knew that fleeing only urged the creature on. Instead, she began to back away in the opposite direction. Her feet moved slowly as, step by step, she put space between her and the monster hunting her. Bethany heard scratching along the walls and cringed at the awful sound. She’d seen the claws that made this noise and knew them to be at least three or more inches long. Like all the times before, her eyes were trying to give her something to see, but there just wasn’t any light for them to draw on. The one time she had seen anything at all, it had been because she’d come face-to-face with the beast and his glowing eyes lit up the area in front of her like a neon sign. She decided then that she preferred to not be able to see.
Her hands ran along the cold walls, guiding her back. When her left hand suddenly met air, Bethany knew that she’d come to the first turn. She eased her body to the right as she began to back her way down the new corridor. The growl came again and the nails against the walls continued to grate. Despite the cool air around her, sweat was beginning to form on Bethany’s neck and back.
“Don’t lose your cool, Bethygirl,” she told herself, using the nickname her father had called her. She remembered him calling her that, but it had been so long ago that she no longer remembered the sound of his voice. She pushed that thought away before it could take root and bring emotions that didn’t need to be clouding her focus.
She remembered another corridor just ahead, and, just as she was about to turn down it, she heard another growl. Her breath froze in her lungs. This one was coming from the wrong direction.
“You have got to be kidding me,” she muttered under her breath as she continued backing down the corridor, skipping the turn she normally took. She passed several more turns before finally taking a left. Her feet had turned her around and she was now walking forward as her hands continued to guide her along the wall. These walls didn’t feel familiar, as odd as that sounded. She’d been in the maze so many times over the years that her hands had practically memorized the texture of the walls. But the walls she was touching now were not ones she’d ever touched before.
So they’d added a second beast and made the maze larger. Bully for them, she thought to herself. Perhaps, they thought two monsters would be double the fun. Regardless of the vampires’ reason for upping the terror factor of the maze, Bethany now had two creatures she would have to evade for the duration of her time down here. She paused on that thought. Why did she have to evade them? She’d told the vampire king that she’d rather be dead than continue her miserable existence—the existence she’d endured since she was seven years old. For eleven years she’d been the sickos’ food source, and there were many times, as she was lead to his chambers, she’d prayed that it would be the time he finally drain her completely. But he never did. She thought the only way she could die would be by his fangs on his terms. A smile spread across her face as Bethany realized that she had another option and it was death on her terms—sort of.
Naturally, at the thought of allowing the beasts to catch her, the survival instinct that was inside every living being lunged forward. There was a part of her that didn’t want to die. She wanted a chance to have a life. She wanted to get away from the monsters and forget all about the world that Sincaro had exposed her to. She wanted to build her own life. She didn’t know if she’d ever be able to have children because of all that she’d been through, but she at least wanted her own place, to be able to pick her own meals, and to even decide when she needed to use the bathroom. But she didn’t think that day was ever going to come.
“What’s the point in continuing to fight if I’m never leaving?” she asked the darkness. Bethany took several deep breaths as she allowed herself to come to terms with her decision. She was going to die. She was going to choose to end her miserable existence and finally have peace. Though there was a natural instinct to fight for her life, she pushed it away as she heard the beasts getting closer. Any second they would be upon her. She closed her eyes and stood rigidly in the middle of the corridor, dropping her hands to her side. She heard the growling and clawing moving closer. She faced the direction of the sound and waited.
Long lost memories, covered in dust in the corners of her mind, suddenly came barreling to the forefront of her consciousness. She remembered her mother and her kind eyes. She remembered her father and his playful demeanor. She thought about the bedroom she had not seen in eleven years and remembered lying in bed staring at the stars through her window. Then her thoughts shifted to all the things she would never have. She’d never finish high school, go to college, or get married and have a family. She would never experience having a child or being a mom. She would never love and grow old with a man she’d given her heart to. She would never look into his eyes and see that he’d given his heart to her as well. All of those things had been stolen from her by the vampires. The only thing she could ever have was peace.
When the growling got closer she opened her eyes and saw two sets of the yellow, glowing eyes. They moved slowly toward her and the closer they got, the more she was able to see. The large beasts looked like an unnatural combination of two apex predators. The huge creatures walked on all fours, moving like wolves, but had the round boulder sized heads of grizzly bears. They were terrifying, and yet they would be her salvation.
She closed her eyes once again and felt their hot breath on her face. Bethany readied herself for the claws and fangs that would soon pierce her skin. The creatures roared in unison, and the girl jumped violently and fell back, striking her head on the hard ground. Just before the darkness swallowed her, she heard a beautiful voice speak into her mind.
“I am sorry, my child, but it is not yet your time. There is much for you to do in this life and many people who will love you. You must endure a little longer.” The voice faded along with her consciousness.