Caressed by Shadows (Rulers of Darkness Book 4) (17 page)

“When I was brought back to the keep, Gudmund embraced me. He told his council that he sent me out to kill the shifters. He covered for me.”

Falcon leaned toward her. He had suspected Sonya harbored a dark secret. Every vampire worth their fangs had skeletons in their closest, sometimes literally. God, he craved to know about her and to share with her. Should he tell her he was technically a blood bastard? He should be an outcast as well.

“Someone brought you back?”

Her shoulders shook with a laugh that was not her own. Sonya’s vampire was present. Falcon felt his own beast stirring in response.

“I never intended to return to my Clan. Back then, my purpose was to kill and once I slit the throat of the last wolf shifter…”
Her body tensed as she struggled against her vampire,  threatening to take control of her as her memories flickered through her mind.

Falcon ran his hand gently down her back. She flinched away at first, then leaned into his touch.

Sonya turned wide, obsidian eyes to him. He could see her hate, her remorse, her fear, and...her pain. He could see her soul.

“Falcon, please. Don’t let me−”

He silenced her with a soft kiss. “I’m here.”

“Whenever I think about what I have done…I still see them with perfect clarity. I see my family, I hear my sister scream my name. And the faces of
those I killed.” She shook her head. “I see them too and the vampire within me…loves it.”

She had been frightened of her own
strength. Terrified of the power her demon possessed. Falcon was amazed Sonya had been able to hold on to her humanity during the time away from her Clan. Lone vampires often turned into beasts, demons stalking the night seeking the ecstasy of the kill.

Sonya licked her dry lips and said in a rush, “I was going to meet a true death.”

His heart seized, his blood freezing in his veins, the air knocked from his lungs.

She meekly nodded. “I had found a tranquil spot in the forest.” Her eyes drifted closed as she envisioned that day. “I sat in the grass waiting for the sun to rise. I could feel the air begin to warm around me.”

Falcon could not breathe as he waited for her to continue. Who had saved her? Who had brought her back to the Clan? He wanted to demand answer, but he forced himself to wait.

“I’ve never told anyone this.” Her eyes opened, revealing pure gold. Her fangs barely visible and her claws retracted. She nervously tapped her foot. “A little girl came to me. She was no more than eight years old but her eyes…they belonged to a sage. She spoke of destiny and Fate. Somehow she convinced me I could have a future.” Sonya tipped back another drink. “Well, destiny and fate have brought me full circle. Here I am, preparing to meet the boney specter again.”

Falcon’s hands curled into fists. He loathed listening her speak of death. The bastard was never going to take her.

“You know what I want most, Falcon? What I have craved for centuries.” She gave him a wink. “Besides you. I want freedom.”

His brow furrowed. “Freedom?”

“I’ve been carrying secrets, hiding my shame and burring my sorrow for far too long. I want peace.” She reached out and traced the line of his jaw with her index finger. “I want to share my life with someone I love.”

He captured her fingers and brought them to his lips. He wanted the same thing.

“I had been an outcast on the verge of suicide, but I was saved by the promise of a future. The child was not an ordinary Shaw witch, she was the reincarnation of the shaman. She took my hand and teleported us the Voidukas castle in Estonia. From that day on, I don’t understand why, but the Shaw have been partial to me and my Clan.”

“Perhaps you have yet to fulfill your destiny,” Falcon said.

Sonya shrugged. “Possibly, but whatever I am meant to do needs to happen soon.”

“You will have an eternity to search for your purpose,” he declared.

She gave him a smile. She inhaled deeply, closed her eyes savoring the fragrance of the night. Her shoulders lifted and fell with a sigh. “I’ve been living in the darkness of my past, but now…thank you for listening. Thank you for not judging me or turning me away.”

“You were avenging your family. How can anyone harbor ill against you?”

“No. If I really were avenging my family, I would have stopped once I killed the shifters who destroyed my village.” She shook her head. “I was blinded by hate and rage. I whipped them out. When I was finished, I had expected to feel relief. Instead I felt empty. But now I feel…relieved. I have been holding on to my secrets for so long.”

“I would never judge you. No one is perfect.”

“Except you, Black Knight. Well, that is until I had my way with you.”

Falcon chuckled. “You have tarnished my good name.”

Sonya laughed, “I’m not sorry and I plan on ruining your reputation.” She blew him a kiss.

The gesture warmed his heart and he wondered why he had fought his feelings for the queen for so long. They could have had more time. As life would have it, they had three days at the most.

“I would like to share something with you,” Falcon started and reached for the bottle, “I would like to free myself.”

Sonya’s back straightened and she scooted closer to him. He chuckled at her excitement. She was anxious to learn about him. He hoped she would still be interested once she heard his words.

Falcon took in a deep breath and was relieved his lungs had begun to work. Though oxygen was useless, the act of inhaling and exhaling was soothing. For a long moment he debated whether he should reveal his secret. Problem was, it was not just his secret to tell. How would Hadrian feel if he learned Falcon had shared the true version of his transformation?

Sonya had opened up to him. She had revealed the scars of her heart and he wanted to do the same. He wanted nothing to stand between them. Fate may not have intended for him to be her mate, but he would not let that stand in his way.

“You must speak of this to no one.”

Sonya started at the harshness of his tone. “For as long as I live,” she promised.

Falcon gave a curt nodded. Doubt still circled in his mind. Confessing his most valuable secret would only add to the list of reasons they should not be together.

Death would take him to the next place at the end of the week and for once, he would like someone to know him. To see him for who he was.

“Erik Ragnar was not my maker.” He took the bottle from her and finished it. “Hadrian changed me.”

Sonya paled and her eyes grew wide. “What?”

“By vampire law I should be an outcast as well.” He shrugged. “Or worse.”

Vampire law was strict. The Clans were allowed five Makers. Each king hand selected their team and only those vampires were permitted to create fledglings. If someone outside of the group turned anyone, the vampire would be severely punished and their fledgling either beheaded or banished.

“I don’t understand. Hadrian is a direct descendent of Imbrasus, your Clan’s Father. That fact alone should have given him Makers Rights.”

Falcon shook his head. He could understand Sonya’s confusion. Hadrian had been changed by one of the four original, pure blood vampires, Imbrasus.

“He never accepted the role of Maker, therefore, I am as illegitimate in death as I was in life.”

Sonya sputtered then took in a calming breath. “Mind blown. I can’t believe it.”

“My identity as a Black Knight is false.” For centuries he had felt like an imposter. Just as
he had when he was mortal. Though his vampire blood line was strong, he should hold no title.

“You have earned the right to be a Black Knight. You’re brave, loyal, chivalrous, and a fierce warrior. I can think of no other vampire more worthy of the title. You were made by Imbrasus’s son.” Sonya swept her gaze over him. “The vampire curse is strong in your blood, diluted by only one generation. There aren’t many who can say the same.”

Falcon captured her hand and squeezed her fingers. “No one can know. This secret would ruin the Validus Clan.”

She understood the severity and the impact this secret would have on his Clan. His King would be branded a traitor and banished and Falcon would like be sentenced death, being deemed an unnatural creation. Vampire Law was very unforgiving. She cringed. No one could ever learn of their affair.

“I gave you my word, Falcon. I would never betray you.”

“Thank you.”

Sonya folded her hands, linking her fingers. What they were doing was wrong. The consequences dyer. Good sense told her she shouldn’t push this any further, but she could no longer ignore her instincts. Being with Falcon felt right. All the centuries and time they had spent apart were like knives in her heart. To hell with good sense.

“I think we should move this party inside.” She gave him a wink.

Falcon’s gaze heated. “Yes. What I’ve in mind would be best conducted in private.”

Chapter Nineteen

Samuel had called a council meeting. The Red Order leaders gathered in the c
hamber. Oliver, Samuel’s lacky, sat the meeting table drumming his fingers atop the old, splintering wood. Carter leaned against the stone wall, his expression bland. Richard, Carter’s ally within the council, stood to his left. Swing Vote Lewis paced off to the side.

“What is this meeting about?” Lewis asked Oliver.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Oliver answered.

Carter scoffed. He doubted Oliver was ignorant of Samuel’s plan.

“Do you think Samuel has located the vampire queen?” Richard whispered.

God, I hope not,
Carter thought, but replied, “He may have.”

Richard inwardly groaned. “This can’t be good.”

“From the looks of it, Lewis is thinking the same thing.” Which would work in Carter’s favor. He needed Lewis on his side if he were to remove Samuel from the council by vote.

The door hinges squeaked and Samuel stepped inside, tugging a young woman behind him. Her hair was tangled, her face bruised, her lip cracked and bleeding. Carter shove
d away from the wall.

“What the hell have you done?” he demanded coming forward.

Samuel pushed the woman aside and Carter caught her before she stumbled to the ground.

Lewis stopped pacing, his eyes locked on the girl. Richard pulled a chair out and Carter helped her to the seat. Her eyes rolled back and she lost consciousness.

“She is Shaw, four times removed,” Samuel snapped.

“Why is she here and what did you do to her?” Richard asked.

Samuel shrugged. “She did a little persuasion to help us.”

“H-help
us?” Lewis sputtered.

“I will explain if you all stop asking questions,” Samuel growled as he took his seat beside Oliver at the table. “We haven’t had much luck locating the vampire queen and the knight who helped her escape. We had one solid lead and were able locate them in Birmingham. However, that mission did not turn out well. So, we were forced to resort to unsavory means.”

“Forced? We were forced to do nothing,” Carter spat, his hands shook with rage.

Samuel’s lips peeled back over his teeth. “For the plan to work
−”

“There is no plan. The council did not vote on a plan. Together, the five of us are the governing body of the Red Order, yet you have been making moves without our consent.”

“Someone must take action. If it were left to you and Richard, we would be friends with the vampires with their fangs in our throats,” Samuel countered. “These are terrible times, Carter. You know the condition of our tribe. We had waited far too long to strike at the vampires.”

“If we have the Voidukas Queen in our custody, we can bargain with the Shaw and deal a blow to the vampires directly,” Oliver added.

“Bargain with the Shaw?” Richard asked.

Carter shook his head. Samuel had lost his mind and Oliver was riding the same train. “The Shaw will never negotiate. Our ancestors traded the Red Order’s magic for strength and speed so we could fight the vampires. We cannot have both.”

Samuel waved his hand in dismissal. “That is what the Shaw want us to believe, but we can have it all. With magic and strength, the Red Order can reign and bring an end to the vampire plague.”

Lewis cursed. “You are delusional. Carter is right, the Shaw would never bargain with us.”

“For one reason or another, they hold the Voidukas Queen in high esteem. They will work with us to get her back.”

“You can’t
be certain of that,” Richard protested.

Samuel shrugged. “If they don’t want her back we’ll kill her. Simple.”

“How do you expect to locate her and the knight? All we know is that they are heading north,” Lewis stated.

Carter glanced over at the
unconscious young woman. There was only reason Samuel would have sought out a Shaw decedent. The girl must have visions. But her power would be week, since she was so far removed from the direct bloodline and was not raised within the Shaw tribe. She would not have had formal training. Her visions would be sporadic, tiny glimpses of the future. It was clear Samuel had beaten her, encouraging her to focus her power.

“The girl has been most helpful. Her visions of the future leave much to be desired,” Samuel said with a sneer.

Carter’s gaze narrowed and he took a threatening step forward. “Your actions are treasonous. You have broken the first law of our coven, never to harm an innocent. This poor girl is need of medical attention.”

“She is no pure mortal. Shaw magic courses through her veins, making her the enemy.”

“Since when have the Shaw been our enemy?” Richard asked. “The Red Order was created to hunt the rebel vampires. The outcast society, those that would rape, torture, and murder mortals for sport. Our ancestors intended for us to protect the human race.”

“Like I said, she is not human,” Samuel insisted.

“She is more mortal than witch,” Lewis added disgusted.

Samuel shrugged. “With war comes casualties, though I doubt the girl will die.”

Carter was appalled, but not surprised by Samuel’s callousness.

“Like I said, she was able to provide us with some useful information. The elite vampires we seek will be in Glasgow tonight. Oliver and I will lead two teams that will depart at sunset. It is close to a five
hour drive and we should reach the city by midnight. We know the queen and the knight are continuing to head north, so we will stage an ambush at every road exit,” Carter explained.

“Are we to put this to a vote?” Lewis asked.

Carter rolled his eyes. The poor bloke was clueless as to what was happening. Samuel and Oliver were making a power play.

“No vote. The decision has been made.”

“What?” Richard demanded, anger deepening his voice.

Samuel came to his feet. “I called this meeting to declare the Red Order Council terminated.”

“You can’t be serious,” Lewis protested. “The purpose of the Council to keep peace and order. It has been a tradition for centuries.”

“We are very series Lewis,” Oliver said.

Richard came forward. “You speak of treason.”

“You are either with us or against us,” Samuel declared. “You have twenty-four hours to decide.” He turned his gaze to Carter. “You are all young and naïve. The sooner you realize peace can never be had with the vampires, the better.”

Unfazed by his statement, Carter took a threatening step forward, “You do not have the authority to dismantle the council.”

“We will discuss what authority I hold when I return with the Voidukas bitch in tow. I will use her to regain our magic and I lead our people to victory against the vampire horde.”

With that Oliver and Samuel stalked from the room to prepare for their battle. Carter remained standing, his fists shaking at his sides. He could hear the young woman slowly coming to her senses. She struggled to stand and screamed when Richard offered her aid.

“I never knew…I mean, I never noticed…” Lewis’s words ended with a curse. “How did it get this far?”

“Please,” the woman begged, her voice a soft, sad whisper. “Please, no more. I’ve told you everything I’ve seen.”

Carter’s stomach rolled with hatred. He stalked over to the girl and bent down, bringing him face to face with her. “My dear, you will not be harmed. You are safe with us. Please, try to breath.”

She gasped for air. Her eyes were wild, her heart racing. Her gaze darted about the cavern in search of an exit. Even if she managed to escape them, she would become lost in the endless catacombs beneath the city of London.

“My name is Carter. What is your name?”

She glared at him for a long moment, deciding if she should trust him. “Linda.”

“We will get you to a doctor, Linda. But first, I must know exactly what you saw.”

She violently shook her head. “Nothing real. It can’t be real. Vampires don’t exist.”

Carter took her hands and gently rubbed the backs of her knuckles with his thumbs. “Linda, listen to my voice, okay. Focus. What did you see?”

“Glasgow. Midnight. A man and a woman. Driving. They will be attached.”

“Will they be captured? Or will they be killed?” Richard asked.

She flinched at the sound of his voice. Carter cast a scowl in his direction.

“I don’t know,” she answered with a sni
ffle. “I can’t see detail, except…I saw their fangs. I saw them biting.” She shook her head again. “But vampires aren’t real. What I saw can’t be real.”

Lewis came to stand beside Richard, his expression hardened with determination. “Samuel and Oliver must be stopped.”

     
*                                         *                               *                                        *                             *

Silvie appeared before the hearth of her uncle’s cabin. The small home was tucked in the forest of Voidukas territory, Estonia.

“Welcome child,” he greeted.

She gently pushed back the hood of her cloak and smoothed her hair.

“Sit, please,” he said, patting the sofa cushion beside him.

Silvie leaned down and placed a kiss on his wrinkled brow before joining him.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

He coughed. “As well as to be expected.”

Silvie felt her anxiety rise. Her uncle, the powerful Shaman of her tribe had faced death a thousand times over, continuously being reincarnated. But this was to be his last life. Soon he would move on to the next place to stay for good, leaving behind his accumulated power. Over the centuries, the Shaman had been building his strength, awaiting for the time when one of his line would be strong enough to inherit his magic. Silvie had been born with exceptional power and, for the past six years, her uncle had been teaching her how to control and harness her strength all the while preparing her to take his place. She was already a high priestess amongst their people, but in a few months, she would be their leader.

“My visions have revealed to me a little secret. You have been meddling,” he said with a grin.

“Meddling?” she echoed with a frown.

“You intensified Queen Sonya’s curse,” he stated.

Silvie shrugged, not at all shocked that her uncle knew what she had done. “I had no choice,” she argued. “Sir Falcon made a ridiculous declaration that he would have gone through with if I hadn’t stepped in. He is an extremely stubborn male.”

Her uncle chuckled, it was a harsh rattling noise. “True. He is a very hard headed man. However, I must caution you. The Death Curse is not something to be taken lightly. By intensifying its effects you can kill the vampire queen before it is her time.”

“Queen Sonya is stronger than many give her credit for. Besides, if I hadn’t stepped in, the two vampires would have taken another decade to get together and we don’t have that kind of time.”

He nodded, conceding her point. “Yes. Your actions have kept the plan on track. The knight will die this evening.”

Silvie tensed. The kind and honorable Falcon Kenwrec would meet death this night. Her heart bled for Sonya. Her dear friend loved the Black Knight. Unfortunately, Sonya would have to stand by and watch as Falcon writhed in pain.
If only there was another way,
Silvie thought wistfully. But she had seen the future and there was nothing she could do. Tonight would play out just as Fate and the Shaman intended.

“And what of Gabriel Erhard?”

“He will meet Ms. Culver soon,” she answered.

“Good,” the Shaman sighed. He relaxed against the sofa and Silvie draped a crocheted blanket over him. “Everything is working out nicely.”