Coalition of the Damned - 03 (15 page)

“Then you can offend her greatly, but that could result in great pain, and possible disfigurement,” she informed him.

“I don’t want to hurt her or disfigure her.”

“For you, not her,” she said stonily.

“Oh,” Mark gulped. “Well…still…that probably isn’t a great idea.”

“Then the third, and easiest option, is to give her what she wants.” Loren smiled sweetly.

Mark’s eyes bugged. “What?!” he whispered excitedly. “I’m a married man.”

Loren gave him a ‘so-what’ look and shook her head. “She wishes only to procreate, sir. She has chosen you. If you do not allow her to, if you reject her, then eventually she will fly off into the woods and die. She will choose no other.”

Mark’s jaw dropped. “But wouldn’t…I mean…if I…even if we tried it would…kill her. Wouldn’t it?”

Loren chuckled sweetly. “No, my friend, it will not. She is a spriggan. They are magikal.” Loren leaned in to him and whi
spered lightly in his ear, “Give her what she wants. You might find that you enjoy it.”

Mark flushed at the idea. “How am I supposed to…”

“I thought you said that you were married?” Loren said coyly. “Simply find a quiet spot and allow her to claim you.” Loren patted his back as he stood there shocked. “Try not to scream when she does so.” She smiled at him and walked away.

*****

The dark vampire stood in his second-story window staring out upon his city. Oh, how he wanted to see it burn to the ground, to hear the citizenry scream in agony. He longed to hear them beg for his mercies. The irony, how he hated Rome for doing what he was about to do, but rather than hold the people as slaves to the aristocracy, he would grind them under his heel and keep only the healthiest for his own hedonistic pleasures.

His messenger stepped into the crumbling cathedral and called to him, “Sicarii. The prisoner has escaped.”

“Good,” the dark vampire said softly. He turned slowly to the messenger and allowed a slow smile. “It certainly took him long enough.” He stepped from his perch in the second story and appeared to float to the floor. “Tell me, Puppet, have I over-estimated these human hunters?”

“I cannot say, Master. You know that I am only your loyal servant,” the little messenger groveled. “My mind is not one for making such assumptions.”

The dark vampire patted his head. “Of course not. And you are too big to be a lap dog, so tell me, Puppet, what am I to do with you?”

The little messenger began to tremble, fearing his days were numbered. “I do not know, Master. Of course, my life is yours. Do with it what you wish.” Inside he was begging for his life.

“Where is the hunter now?” the dark vampire asked. “On his way back to America, I would assume.”

“No, Master, he is still at Aviano. The other hunters are there with him as well,” the little messenger replied. “And…” he began, but thought better of it.

“Go ahead, Puppet. Spit it out.”

“Well, Master, it is a curious thing,” he began quietly. “We have reports from our spies who are watching the human hun
ters. They say that
all
of the hunters are up to something…peculiar.”

“Peculiar, how? Do not speak in riddles, Puppet. Tell me what they report and I will make determinations,” the dark va
mpire warned, allowing a small wave of his power to pulse out from him.

The messenger quaked and trembled, but stayed on his feet. “They report that the human hunters are
packing
, Master. As if they are all leaving,” he began. “The human spies noted increased activity during the daylight hours and thought that perhaps their teams had a mission, but they were simply…
packing.
Then when nightfall came, the vampire spies continued to see the very same activity. They are loading their belongings onto trucks and making their way to cargo planes.”

“Which of the hunters are doing this?” the Sicarii asked.

“That’s just it, sire…it is
all
of them,” the messenger answered. “Well, except for the French. They still haven’t replaced their team since we killed them all, but…”

“All of them?” the dark one asked again, to be sure.

“Yes, Master. All of them,” the messenger stated. “What could this mean?”

The dark vampire paced a moment, thoughts running through his mind. “I need to know where each of them goes. If we cannot get a human spy on a plane, place a tracking device of some kind. No matter the cost. We must know where they go.”

“Master?” the messenger questioned. “What difference does it make where the humans go? Your army will destroy them no matter where they end up. Even if they came here, they are no match for you…”

“Track them!”
the dark vampire growled another wave of power so strong that the messenger fell to his knees, pebbles and debris biting into his kneecaps, tearing flesh.

“And Puppet…” the dark one continued.

“Your will be done, Master, whatever it is!” he quickly shouted.

“If the humans are on the move, then surely their loved ones must know where they are going as well. Move up our timetable. Send our people for the families.”

“Master, we only know of the one family. The others were dead or…lovers between hunters, and…”

“Then get the one family, Puppet. Find out what they know about the hunter’s movements and then kill them.”

“Y-yes, Master,” he stammered. “As you will, so mote it be.” He crawled from his master’s presence to send out the order as quickly as possible, knowing that failure would mean his untimely death.

The dark vampire stepped back up to his second-story wi
ndow and stared out across the horizon. Surely the humans couldn’t have delved into the brain of the escaped prisoner and found a weakness already. They didn’t have the resources to do such a thing…no, the prisoner had only escaped that morning and the human spies were watching the hunters begin packing that morning, so the two acts happened at the same time. Still, he didn’t like coincidences. Somehow, the humans were aware of his plans. Not that it would really matter.

He wanted his domination of the world to be announced to the human hunters by the escaped prisoner, and yet somehow he felt that they already knew he was coming. Or they felt that
something
was coming. Perhaps they had a clairvoyant in their midst. Regardless, they might know something, but they could never truly prepare for
him
, an unstoppable vampire hell-bent on death and destruction.

He knew his purpose and he truly was the Harbinger of Death.

*****

“Are you certain?” Viktor asked again, hoping he hadn’t heard correctly.

“
Oui
, Maxwell is returning with Natashia and Nadia,” Rufus stated, hoping that Viktor would be pleased to see his father again after so many centuries.

Viktor paced in the break room, nervous tension evident as his hands clasped and unclasped. “Why would he return with them rather than direct them to the Roman Centurion?” he growled. “It makes no sense!”

“She did not say,” Rufus offered. “But Natashia did not sound herself,
mon ami
.”

Viktor spun on him. “What do you mean?”

Rufus shook his head and shrugged. “She sounded…weepy.”

“Weepy?” Viktor asked. “Tasha?!” Viktor was astonished. “Tasha does not become ‘weepy’, she makes others curl into a ball and cry.” He growled again and resumed his pacing. “Som
ething is not right.”

“We shall find out soon enough.” Rufus tried to calm him. “They shall be here before we know it. In fact, the hunter Spa
lding has already left to retrieve them from the civilian airport.” Rufus hoped that knowing they would be here soon would calm Viktor, but he seemed to grow more agitated with each passing second.

“Why didn’t she call me?” he growled.

“You were in the air,
mon ami
. She called me here,” Rufus explained. “They are coming on Maxwell’s private jet and will not have to go through—”

“Private jet?” Viktor interrupted. “Since when does Max own a private jet?”

Thorn shook his head. “I do not know. This is what she said when she called me.”

Viktor pulled his phone out and dialed her number, but it went straight to voicemail. “Her phone is either off or the battery is dead.” He swore through gritted teeth.

“Or she could still be on the plane,” Rufus offered. “You need to calm yourself.”

Viktor inhaled deeply and released it slowly. “My father is with them, Rufus. Do you understand what this means?” Rufus simply stared at the floor, allowing his friend to vent his frustr
ations. “It means that he knows of my dishonor. It means that she has told him of our banishment.” He turned to Rufus and through clenched teeth he growled, “I’m positive that he cut their quest short in order to bring himself to face me.” He practically trembled with rage.

“You do not know this for certain,” Thorn interjected. “We know nothing of the circumstances behind their return, and until we do, you worry yourself for naught.”

Viktor rolled his head and the crack of his neck worried Rufus. “Do not become so distraught that you act before knowing the reason for their early return! Viktor, I must insist…as your friend…”

“You mean, ‘as my master’, don’t you?” Viktor growled at him. Thorn’s eyes rounded with shock at his verbal attack.

“
Mon ami
, I will forgive your outburst, for you are obviously upset. But I must insist that you contain yourself.” Thorn squared his shoulders and faced Viktor, his jaw set and a touch of anger in his voice. “I have
never
commanded a position over you or your family. I have always treated you as a friend and your family as my own.” He closed the distance and lowered his voice to a whisper, “But if dealing with your father is the only way we can find the Roman Centurion, so be it.” Rufus turned and started to leave the room. “If you are not up to the task, simply say so and I will be more than happy to act as emissary with Maxwell. However, the wolf I have known all of these years would never allow himself to fall apart at a time when we needed him the most.”

Rufus opened the door and stepped through. As he was about to shut it, Viktor called to him, “Rufus.” He paused at the door, unsure what Viktor may say next. “I am…sorry.” He sighed. “My father brings out the worst in me.” He lowered his voice to almost a whisper, “I had no right to lash out at you like that.”

“It is understandable,
mon ami
. But you must learn to control your emotions,” Rufus replied softly. “They will be your undoing.” Viktor nodded gently, his eyes pressed tightly together. “Prepare yourself. Your family returns shortly. They would rather you be happy to see them.”

*****

“It has been too long since I’ve been to the new world.” Max looked out of the vehicle’s windows. Spalding wound his way through the metro traffic from Wiley Post Airport, making the trip back to Tinker that much shorter. “Somehow, the buildings seem so much smaller than they appear on television.”

“Watch a lot of American TV, I take it?” Darren asked him.

“Oh yeah. Satellite dishes are the bomb,” Max replied. “I watch all kinds of American programming.”

“Well, to be honest, most of the TV shows are based either in LA or New York. Much bigger cities. Oklahoma City is still kind of a cow-town compared to them.” He laughed.

“The air smells different,’” Max said.

“That would be the cows.” Spalding joked.

Max’s sensitive nose could detect the petroleum industries, the cattle ranches, the many BBQ joints and steak houses. The mixture of scents to him was intoxicating and he liked it. He smiled to himself and thought of all the things he had been missing by hiding away in the small town of Avallon, France in his little Vickers house living vicariously through his television. “There is
life
here.” He swooned at the tingling of his senses.

Spalding shot him a confused look through the rearview mirror and started to ask him what his comment meant, but N
adia drummed up conversation with him. “Grandfather, I think you will like Jack. He is a good man. A warrior, very much like you were. A leader of men.”

Max stiffened at the mention of Jack’s name and merely glanced at Nadia. “A good
man
, you say.”

“Yes, he is a very good man.” She beamed at him, wishing so much for his approval.

“He has not even shifted yet, correct?” he asked. “And yet, you have mated with him
and
are expecting a child?”

Nadia blushed and stole a glance to the driver, one of Jack’s friends and co-workers who hadn’t seemed to notice her gran
dfather’s comment. If he had, he had no reaction as he continued to drive the large SUV through traffic. “Please, grandfather, say nothing to Jack yet of the child,” she said in a whispered voice. “I only found out myself on my way to find you and have yet to tell him. I wish to wait until the time is…right.”