Crimson Moon (9 page)

When his release came, it was the Royal Donor whose cries were heard echoing in the room. Gunnar caught the majority of his seed in the soft, white material and stared as Ramiro’s sharp fangs slid with ease into the donor’s artery.

What happened next surprised everyone in the room. Ramiro’s body began to jerk as he fed. Sweat, something unseen on vampires, began to run from his pores.

“Enough!” Gunnar yelled, running forward. He pulled Ramiro away from the donor heedless that his lover’s teeth would rip the donor’s throat open if not extracted properly. Pulling Ramiro into his arms, Gunnar held his love who continued to suffer the mysterious effects of the donor’s blood.

Neo rushed forward and quickly licked the Royal Donor’s neck in an effort to save the man’s life. Callous or not, Gunnar cared only for Ramiro’s welfare. He lowered Ramiro to the floor and looked up at Spiro. “What’s wrong with him?”

Spiro knelt beside them and put a hand to Ramiro’s forehead. He closed his eyes and did whatever it was Gunnar had seen him to in the past. When Spiro opened his eyes, he transferred his hand from Ramiro’s head to Gunnar’s shoulder. “He’s in no physical pain. Whatever he’s going through is mental, but he seems to be coming down from it.”

Gunnar continued to rock back and forth with Ramiro held against his chest. He glanced up long enough to see the Royal Donor alive but understandably weak. “I didn’t mean to hurt him,” he told Neo.

“I know.” Neo put a hand on Michael’s arm. “Get one of the guards to take the donor back to Ian’s palace.” He turned to the donor. “Thank you for your gift. Hopefully it will allow us to find your Master.”

Gunnar’s chest tightened at the term Master. As soon as the donor was out of the room, he vocalised his thoughts. “Galena said Juniper referred to whoever is behind this as Master. Do you know anyone else who requires their subordinates to call them that?”

Neo shook his head. He turned his focus to Ramiro, whose breathing had begun to return to normal. Squatting beside Gunnar, Neo tapped Ramiro’s cheek.
“Ramiro?
Can you hear me?”

It took several moments, but eventually Ramiro’s eyelids fluttered a few times before opening. He stared at Neo. “Did you know?”

“Know what?” Neo asked.

“
Faelan’s
trapped inside Ian’s body.”

In an uncharacteristic move, Neo reared back, throwing himself off balance. Ass on the floor, Neo shook his head. “How’s that possible?
Faelen
created Ian.”

“No. Gaia created Ian, sealing
Faelen
forever into the body of a vampire.”

Sema
chose that moment to walk over and begin bathing Ramiro’s face with his tongue. Ramiro sputtered and tried to push the jaguar away, but
Sema
wouldn’t budge. “Back,” Spiro commanded.

Although
Sema
stopped licking Ramiro and glanced back at Spiro, he still refused to do as he was told.

“What the hell his wrong with him?”
Neo asked.

“I have no idea. I’ve never seen him like this before.” Spiro moved to wrap his arms around
Sema’s
neck in an attempt to physically move the jaguar away from Ramiro.
Sema
turned his head and nuzzled his face against Spiro’s neck, but refused to remove himself from his position.

Before Gunnar could stop him, Ramiro lurched forward and buried his teeth in
Sema’s
neck, just above Spiro’s hold. Spiro released
Sema
and began trying to pull the vampire off the beloved pet.

“He’s gone mad,” Spiro claimed.

Ramiro released the jaguar and wiped the blood from his cheek. “I’m not mad, but you may be when I tell you what I know.”

Sema
gave Ramiro one last look before backing up to settle against Spiro’s lap. Before returning his attention to Ramiro, Spiro thoroughly checked
Sema’s
neck for injuries. “Why did you do that?”

“I had a feeling he was trying to tell me something,” Ramiro admitted. “And I was right.” Ramiro smoothed his hair away from his face. “Whatever magic holds
Faelan
inside Ian is also holding
Nialo
inside
Sema
.”

Gunnar’s jaw dropped. For hundreds of years he’d played with and talked to
Neo’s
pet
without realising
Sema
probably understood every word that had come out of Gunnar’s mouth. He couldn’t help but to think of his own wolf being trapped inside a body he could no longer shift from. The thought of
Nialo
being trapped broke Gunnar’s heart.

Spiro appeared to be in shock at the news. Gunnar reached out and placed a hand on his friend’s lean back.
“Spiro?”

Without warning, Spiro jumped to his feet, upsetting
Sema
onto the floor. In the blink of an eye, Spiro was gone, leaving the rest of them to wonder where he’d gone.
Sema
let out a pained roar and ran from the room.

Neo stood. “I’m going to get some answers,” he announced before disappearing.

After his mate and his surrogate father vanished, Michael broke into tears. “I don’t understand what’s going on.
Nialo’s
a God. Who has that kind of power?”

Gunnar shuddered at the idea.

Chapter Six

Lying beside Gunnar, Ramiro couldn’t get the images of Ian out of his head. The person he’d sworn to protect with his life was creating soulless freaks in Galway, right under Ramiro’s nose. The chaos caused by Ian’s actions would have severe repercussions if Zeus and the other Gods stepped into the fight. What would happen to vampires if Ian was found guilty and exiled to
Tartarus
.

He rolled to his side and watched Gunnar sleep. He’d waited too long to experience the kind of love he felt for Gunnar to give up without a fight. Gunnar’s theory that Ian was lying about vampire souls being connected to his life was just that, a theory. Ramiro simply couldn’t take the chance that Ian was telling the truth.

Throwing off the covers, Ramiro kissed Gunnar’s temple before getting out of bed. He dressed quickly in a simple pair of jeans, something he rarely wore, but were more appropriate for what he had in mind.

He eased the door open and slipped into the hallway. Although Neo and Spiro had both returned just before dawn, they had refused to speak with anyone, choosing instead to lock themselves in the vault.

Ramiro headed towards the library, knowing he was taking a risk. He was surprised to find
Sema
asleep outside the library doors, flanked on either side by one of The Realm’s guards. Ramiro wasn’t sure if the guards were there to protect
Sema
or keep him from entering the library. “I need to speak with either Spiro or Neo.”

“They asked not to be disturbed,” one of the guards replied, looking straight ahead.

“I’m planning to locate and join King Kildare. Do you really believe they would want me to do that without at least talking to me first?”

The guards exchanged glanced.
“One moment.”
The smaller of the two ducked inside the library, leaving Ramiro outside.

Ramiro took the opportunity to squat and make eye contact with
Sema
. “If you can hear me,
Nialo
, I’ll find a way to release you,” he promised.

Sema’s
head butted against his arm in reply.

Ramiro stood when the library door opened. “They’ll see you now,” the guard said.

Ramiro didn’t waste time getting inside and down the vault steps. Spiro and Neo were sitting next to each other at the table. “Thank you for seeing me,” he said upon entering the room.

“What choice did we have? Malcolm said you were on your way to find Ian.” Neo sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

“He’s with Juniper. I think if I follow his signal, I can get by the ward,” Ramiro stated.

“It’s too dangerous,” Spiro argued.

“Maybe, but it’s better than waiting for him to make his next move.”

Spiro swept his long white hair over his shoulder. “That won’t be necessary. Zeus has finally agreed to handle the situation.”

The statement left Ramiro with a sinking feeling. “Where does that leave the vampires?”

“Excuse me?” Spiro questioned. “Is your loyalty to Ian so deep you would follow him to his death?”

“Absolutely not.
Ian fooled everyone, including me. I would hope the two of you know that.”

“We do,” Neo growled, sneering at his brother. “We don’t believe Ian told you the truth about his link to vampire souls.”

“How can you be sure? Look at the creatures he’s created in Galway. You yourself determined they were without souls. Would you condemn an entire species to the same fate without being one hundred percent sure? My goal was to bring Ian back for trial before the Gods in the hope that his life would be spared.”

Neo’s
eyebrows drew together. “After everything he’s done you wish to spare him?”

“No. I wish to spare my brethren. What exactly has Ian done? He created a species of monsters, yes, but they haven’t done any damage. He blew up a campsite that held no one. I don’t know what Ian’s after, but I don’t believe vengeance for what he’s done is worth risking the souls of many.”

“Zeus believes it was Gaia who cast the spell on
Sema
,” Spiro said.

“Why? Did he say?” Ramiro knew he was overstepping his position by asking such a personal and high-level question, but he needed to understand.

“No, but according to Zeus, Gaia is the only one with enough power to contain a God in such a way.”

“Can he ask?”

Neo chuckled. “Even Zeus is not allowed to speak to Gaia directly. He can put the question out into the universe, but
it’s
Gaia’s
choice whether or not to answer. Zeus suggested we find out from Ian.”

“I can find him, so let me bring him here for questioning,” Ramiro pleaded.

Neo shook his head. “Zeus already knows where he is.”

Ramiro took a deep breath. Defeat wasn’t something he accepted easily, but Neo and Spiro obviously didn’t want his help. “You don’t need me at all then. Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”

Neo closed the book in front of him. “The situation has gone beyond what you’re capable of helping us with. Quite frankly, Ian’s more powerful than you are. If we were to send you after him, we’d be sending you to your death.”

“And we’re not prepared to do that,” Spiro added.

“So I’m just supposed to sit back and hope you don’t end up killing him? Because I don’t think I can do that. I’d rather risk my own life then the souls of thousands.” The tension in the room rose dramatically, but Ramiro stood his ground, shoulders squared.

Neo
stood,
his anger evident by not only his expression but his body language. Ramiro knew the
demi
-God wasn’t used to being challenged. Before Neo spoke a word, Spiro stepped between them to address Neo.

“Perhaps Ramiro could be in the room when we question Ian.” Spiro glanced over his shoulder at Ramiro. “Would you leave us to apprehend Ian if such a promise was made?”

“We don’t need his permission,” Neo barked. “We’re trying to save his life!”

“And I’m trying to preserve my soul!” Ramiro fired back. He returned his attention to Spiro. “I accept your offer with gratitude.”

Spiro put a hand on
Neo’s
chest. It was rare the brothers touched, so the significance of the gesture wasn’t lost on Ramiro. “Ramiro may not have your power, but he has your heart. You both need to recognise what’s at stake should we fail to procure Ian safely.”

Neo stared into his brother’s eyes, his body visibly more relaxed at Spiro’s touch. “Yet another reason you’re better at governing the Blessed Creatures. Where my instincts are to fight yours are to understand.”

Spiro removed his hand. “I’ve had many years of practice. It’ll come to you, my brother.” He stepped out from between Ramiro and Neo. “Ramiro will back off in his pursuit to capture Ian, and you will get special concession for him to attend Ian’s trial on Olympus. Are we agreed?”

“I agree to try. Zeus isn’t someone who often makes deals with Blessed Creatures,” Neo said. “Maybe it’ll help if I tell him you’re my choice to become the new Vampire King.”

The announcement broadsided Ramiro. “No. I’ve learnt a lot in the past few months, primarily that Blessed Creatures are better off under a single ruler, or in your case, rulers. Dividing loyalties doesn’t work.”

Neo’s
held tilted to the side. “Most vampires would’ve jumped at the chance to become king. The fact that you put what’s best for your brethren first and not your own ambitions only cements my decision.”

Ramiro shook his head. “Although I’m extremely flattered, again, I must decline the position.” His thoughts strayed to Gunnar. “Can you imagine Gunnar living in a palace, attending formal functions?”

Neo smiled. “So it’s like that is it?”

“Yes. If he’ll have me,” Ramiro confessed. “His dream is to live in the forest. I intend to do whatever it takes to give him what he desires.”

Neo slapped Ramiro on the shoulder. “Then you’ll be living at the vineyard, because I don’t plan on letting my head of security leave Le
Uve
del
Regno
any time soon.”

“That’s up to Gunnar. I know he hasn’t felt secure in his position lately.”

“I know. That’s my fault, something I intend to remedy as soon as the current crisis is resolved.” Neo lifted the book from the table. “If you’ll excuse us, we’re due for a meeting on Olympus.”

Ramiro was left not knowing what to do. Should he follow
Neo’s
advice and take a few hours off? He thought of the man upstairs nestled in a nice warm bed and grinned. Perhaps taking a break wouldn’t be so bad after all.

* * * *

“Tell me again why you enjoy this?” Ramiro asked.

Gunnar chuckled. Night fishing wasn’t nearly as fun as spreading out next to a pond in the sunshine, but it was something he needed to get used to. “I like to fish. You’re the one who said we could do whatever I wanted.”