The Brethren Of Tavish [Vampire Coven Book 1] (17 page)

Tavish cupped her chin. He wanted to ask her to
please not hate him. He couldn’t risk her life; he would rather have her hatred
than her death. Her beautiful tear-streaked face was ashen. The sight enraged
Tavish. When he stormed from the room, it was to the sound of her heartbroken
sobbing. Jarrod was the last of her family, she had no other. Tavish had no
choice. He realized even with the horrible images implanted in Jarrod’s mind he
might still kill. His victims were the innocent. Tavish was responsible for his
most vulnerable humans above all else. Tavish hadn’t the heart to tell Mercy it
was suspect one or both women had been pregnant.

Laken was standing guard at the small box-like
structure. It hadn’t been used in over one hundred and fifty years. It had become
overgrown with foliage. Tavish could hear Jarrod’s screams before he landed in
front of Laken. Laken looked grim.

“If he’s to remain in there with the memories
you’ve given him, I suggest a gag. He’s scaring the shit out of everyone,”
Laken said.

“It won’t be necessary. He won’t be staying.
The women who we thought were accidently killed were murdered by him. After
some question asking it comes to my attention they may have been pregnant. It’s
treason in the worst way. After I leave, make certain the other vampires are
aware. This is going to terrify the humans but it must be done. It’s law. He
didn’t just take four lives. He took the lives of any other offspring those
women could have had and the lives of any offspring their children could have.”

Laken looked appalled, he nodded.
Tavish yanked open the door.
Jarrod spilled out. His eyes
were wild and bloodshot, as though he had just woken from a terrible nightmare…it
was about to get worse. Tavish motioned Laken to unlock his chains. Tavish then
hauled the man to his feet where he stumbled. Tavish could feel how weak he
was.

“We’re going for a ride,” Tavish said with a
snarl.

“Where?”
Jarrod asked.

His face was almost as white as his cousins had
been when Tavish had left her. Thankfully there was no resemblance between the
two. Tavish didn’t bother to answer. He grabbed Jarrod by an arm and took to
the sky. Even though it was early morning the humans were piling out of the
coven home. Their hands shielded their eyes as they looked up. Jarrod was
struggling weakly and screaming. His legs kicked but his one hand clung to
Tavish’s belt.

Out and over the fence they went. Jarrod was
wild-eyed as he dangled over the Anivamps area. He clung desperately to Tavish.
He was crying he would obey; he would do anything for him. Beneath was jungle
until they came to a clearing. It was where Tavish fed his beasts. Jarrod was
hanging tighter onto Tavish, sobbing hysterically for mercy.

“Did those women you murdered beg for their
lives?” Tavish snarled.

“I’ve killed no one, I’ve killed no one,”
Jarrod cried out.

“The woman you pushed over the gorge. The other
left frozen and alone,” Tavish snapped.

Druid was the first to make an appearance
beneath them and Jarrod screamed. His screams brought the other creatures.

“No, no. It wasn’t me, I swear, it was David.
He was mine and Mercy’s cousin. David killed them. He said we should, but I
couldn’t. I told him no, but he wouldn’t listen. David said they were pregnant,
it was treason. It was Dante’s law. Treason is punishable by death, I had no
choice then. Don’t you see? Yes I was with him. I couldn’t do it, but I didn’t
stop him. David said they would suffer less. We were wrong, I know that now,”
Jarrod sobbed.

Tavish also knew his type would say anything to
save his miserable hide. Every pregnant woman in his coven was at risk while
Jarrod thought of himself as a martyr. It was how he was raised. Laws and
lessons taught from birth. Tavish thought that was the biggest tragedy.

“You did nothing but watch family die?
Four innocent lives?”
Tavish wanted to drop him.

“It’s what I was taught; it was treason,”
Jarrod whimpered. “Remo was furious. He killed David and told me to mate with
Ashley, the woman you found me with.”

Tavish remembered coming across them both and
the woman was telling Jarrod they must. Tavish had thought she was trying to
get him to run. Jarrod had told her it was death. Ursus was right—he was going
to hurt her. If Tavish hadn’t shown up, more than likely Jarrod would have
killed the young frightened female. Remo was a fool for not watching them
closer. Tavish snarled. Remo had committed treason as well in his ignorance.

Tavish was repulsed when he looked at the
sniveling man he held by the throat. Tavish was holding a coward of the worst
kind. He wouldn’t kill before but he would watch it being done. Now there was
no one to kill for him. Jarrod thought of himself as a martyr. He was a danger
to Tavish’s home. Every female and child was at risk. This was the type of
human who would thrust a dagger in your back. He couldn’t breed his females
with this filth and if Jarrod couldn’t breed and he had no idea what loyalty
was, he was useless.
Except to the eager four beneath him.

“What is treason punishable by?” Tavish raged.

“Death,” Jarrod cried out. “You see, I had no
choice.”

“Murdering pregnant women is treason, Jarrod.
My coven, my rules.”

“
Nooo
.”

Tavish dropped him.

Jarrod screamed as he fell the twenty feet. His
body bounced when he hit the ground. It wasn’t enough to kill him. Druid
reached him first and sunk his teeth over his head. Lovel grabbed a leg. Tavish
flew off, listening to the man’s screams.

* * * *

Dinner amidst the humans was subdued later that
night. Every one of them had heard Jarrod’s screams. All of them had cringed
with the horror of his fate. There was almost no talking, no happy chatter.
Just a small sea of sad, pale frightened faces.
These were
the first humans of Tavish’s to experience his wrath in a very long time. It
brought it home how powerful the vampires were in comparison. The humans had
always known, but now they had been shown. Tavish’s laws were not to be broken.

Each of the twenty breeder men was sullen. They
knew what Jarrod had done. They knew he had to pay, yet there was an undertone.
Each man knew if a woman committed a heinous crime and was of breeding years
she wouldn’t be put to death. They had suddenly become well aware of the box
and the chains and for which they stood. There was no escape in death, or life.
Neither sex knew what punishment would be worse. It was apparent food for
thought was high on the menu.

Mercy had refused to eat. She was in Tavish’s
room crying. She hadn’t spoken to him all day. Tavish only made an appearance
at dinner to assess the damage. No one smiled at him, none of the women flirted
with any of the vampires. The children were coaxed to eat while the adults
themselves found the food unappetizing. The atmosphere reeked of fear. There
wasn’t a single calm heartbeat to be heard within the fluttering mass.

Looking about the room, Tavish came to a
conclusion. From now on any human found would be bled and searched for memories
before they would be allowed near his coven. If they had committed a treasonous
act they would be quietly turned over to the Anivamps or dispatched by the
vampire who caught them. Tavish knew it was harsh, but he wouldn’t take this
chance again. A single human had caused terrible unrest.

When Tavish gazed at his prized breeder table
he could see Kia curled around one of her chosen. She was ashen. Ryker looked
pissed. It was apparent the women, who had sought safety in the arms of his
vampires, were now looking to the human men to console them. Unfortunately the
human men were at a loss, as they too found shelter with the vamps on occasion.
Tavish knew this wasn’t good. A life of fear would be a sad state for them all.
Continuous low morale for an entire coven could mean death. Tavish would be
damned if he would let it go back to the way it had been in the beginning.

A hush fell across the room when Mercy
appeared. Her white face was void of tears. She moved slowly towards Tavish. He
could hear her heartbeat. It was neither fast nor slow. When she stood before
him she reached for his hand. From the corner of his eye Tavish saw Ursus. She
remained hidden from the human’s view.

What the hell?

Mercy gazed up at him for a moment before she
moved into his arms. Tavish was hard pressed not to crush her to him. Instead,
he very gently ran his hands down her hair and over her back. Mercy pulled from
him and turned. Her back pressed against Tavish. Only Tavish would be aware her
body trembled.

“My cousin’s mind was poisoned to bad ideas,
hurtful ideas,” Mercy said, her voice cracked. She swallowed hard and Tavish
knew she was thinking of her father and what he had meant to her—and that he
would kill her if he was here. And still, Tavish knew she loved her father. His
law was all he had known. Yet he had allowed Mercy to live. Perhaps not all
laws are meant to be cut and dry. The humans leaned in closer to hear her. “You
have all been given glimpses of vampire memories.”

There were nods of agreement from everyone.

“Without meaning to I was given glimpses of
Jarrod’s. At first I thought his punishment was a bad thing, now I’m not so
sure. Jarrod helped to kill two defenseless women who were supposed to be
mothers. They died terrified and alone. It’s too bad the women didn’t have the
protection of a vampire. Anywhere on this coven I can call Tavish and he will
come. Maybe that would have kept me safe enough from Jarrod. We will never
know. But walking into the sunshine or sleeping every night I would have been
tormented with wondering what if? Would Jarrod come for me? When would Jarrod
come for me? And when I conceive I would have been even more afraid and
helpless, I’m grateful for Tavish’s protection and the safety of the coven. I’m
afraid some ice dwellers wouldn’t be as open-minded, as we were unfortunately
shown.”

Again nods of agreement. A few sighed. Kia
looked over at Ryker. Tavish knew of all the others, Kia would know Mercy spoke
the truth.

“If anyone has the right to be angry or afraid
it’s me,” Mercy continued. “Tavish took the life of a relative. Jarrod took
four.” Tavish heard her sorrow, her family had met with a tragic end, yet he
felt her strength as her back straightened. “I think I’ll take my chances with
Tavish.”

Nods of agreement turned to talk of agreement.
The humans reminded each other though they knew the Anivamps were there none
had been given to them mercilessly. Another reminded those at the children’s
table that little Perrin had gotten loose in the jungle and Lucile had kept her
warm and safe until she was retrieved. Who knew? It could have been Druid who
found her and turned her over to the great ape. Or Lovel, didn’t wolves have a
soft spot for children? The Anivamps were there for the humans’ safety too.
Tavish had explained that.

Mercy broke from him and went to sit at the
breeder table. With a shaky hand she drank water offered to her by Tate. She
toyed with the food given her and her back continued to be ramrod straight but
she acted with decorum. She wouldn’t raise a personal fuss and frighten the
others’ well-being. Tavish marveled once more at how strong she was. But her
look was thoughtful when she gazed over at him. Tavish saw determination in
those beautiful gray eyes.

Filled with relief, Tavish watched as his
humans began eating and drinking. Thanks to Mercy he was no longer the vampire
monster but once again their protector. At a soft sound Tavish turned to see
Ursus lift a paw. She turned without the other humans ever seeing her and left.
Once again, Tavish wondered what had happened between human female and bear
female.

Chapter 10

“You promised to tell me about the other humans
here,” Mercy said.

She and Tavish were picnicking under a huge
tree. It had been days since Jarrod had died. No one spoke of him. It was like
he had never existed. Mercy had been feeling melancholy about his death; she
felt his death was justifiable but now other issues bombarded her. One was not
just the quiet acceptance of Jarrod’s death, but the absolute issue of it never
occurring. It was as though the humans conditioned themselves to absence. As
Mercy had roamed the grounds, her veins ran cold. There was not one grave
marker. There was nowhere to grieve. When a person died in their small ice
dwelling they were put in a chosen ice cave. They remained frozen for all
eternity.
Their bodies never changing or decomposing.
There was no such place in Tavish’s utopia.

“What do you want to know?”

“Have you never loved one enough to bury them?”

Tavish looked to be choosing his words
carefully. “We will be here for thousands of years. The entire coven would be a
burial ground.”

Mercy thought about that. It made some sense.
“Why not burn them?”

“They are not given to the Anivamps alive,
little cub. Only Jarrod and he was the first in well over a hundred years.”