The Chosen (3 page)

Dorian smiled a purely evil smile and spit in his face. “Try all you
want, but my brother is far stronger and fiercer than you. It is you
that will be licking his boots clean before he throws you out into the
sun.”

In a flash of movement, the leader took a dagger from within his
boot and sliced Dorian’s neck open.

The Chosen: A Tale of the Blood Breed

19

* * * *

Aleksei sat up in bed, breathing heavily and sweat rolling off him in rivulets. One of the reasons he didn’t sleep was because the dreams had become a more frequent visitor in the last months. It was nearing the anniversary of Dorian’s death. Every year for centuries, Aleksei relieved the horror of letting his brother down. Some tried to reason with him that it wasn’t his fault—that he hadn’t even been there, but when it came down to it, Aleksei felt responsible for Dorian’s death.

He threw the sheets off and sat on the edge of the bed. He let his head hang between his shoulders and ran his hand over his sweat-dampened hair. He couldn’t remember how he had gotten to his room or gotten out of his clothes. Maybe if he found the
Bloodless
who killed Dorian, he could find some solace with his life. He searched the ends of the world for the killer, but to no avail. He could never stop until he found the one who killed Dorian. It didn’t help matters that all he had was the horde leader’s lingering scent that was left in the cave. That one scent was all he needed to find his brother’s killer.

He pushed himself off the bed and walked over to the bathroom.

He turned the spray on and adjusted the temperature so it was near scalding—just the way he liked it. He let his head fall under the spray and let the hot water wash away the remnants of his memories.

* * * *

Aleksei sat at the head of a long rectangular table in the lower level of his club. He wasn’t looking forward to this meeting, but it was inevitable. Sitting on either side of him were Blood Breeds whom he trusted with his life. Luca and Milo sat closest to him, his actual Blood Brothers. Dimitri sat next to Milo, his black hair and piercing green eyes making him look fiercer in the dim glare of the overhead lights. The last three, Nikolai, Damien, and Garrik, sat at the end of
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the table, not moving or saying anything. On the other side of the table were the Lykens—the beings who were making his warriors so twitchy.

“I don’t know why we have to be here with these
dogs
.” Garrik grumbled the statement like they were the filthiest creatures.

Growls erupted from the Lykens, but everyone stayed where they were when Aedan, pack leader of the Lykens, raised his hand.

“Garrik, it would be wise to bite your tongue. The Lykens are here on peaceful terms, and so we will treat them as our guests.” Aleksei didn’t like the idea of the Lykens here anymore than his boys did, but the fact remained that they had to find some kind of peace together if they were going to live in the same vicinity.

The Lykens requested property from the Blood Breeds years ago, wanting to branch out their clan in the bordering mountains and forests that lined Stone Brooke. The Lykens and Blood Breeds were like oil and water, always clashing with one another. When it came down to it, Aleksei had to weigh the pros and cons of allowing them Stone Brooke territory. The Lykens would prove to be a very powerful ally if the need arose. So he granted a few hundred acres that were strictly for the Lyken clan to do with what they wanted.

Aedan leaned back against the leather chair, strumming his fingers along the oak tabletop. “I asked a meeting with the Blood Breeds because there is a problem that I don’t think you are aware of.”

Aedan’s Scottish accent was thick and held anger as well as irritation.

“What is this you speak of?” Aleksei’s voice was rough and all but demanded an answer. “There can’t possibly be something so significant going on that we do not know about that would warrant a meeting called by the clan.”

“Obviously this problem has been going on under your nose. Do the Blood Breeds not read the human newspapers anymore?” Aedan held his hand out and let Liyam, his second in command, put the thick
Stone Brooke Times
paper in his hand.

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Aleksei scanned over the front page quickly. The story was about a supposed serial killer, possibly related to a cult, who was going around killing young women. His instincts told him no human was capable of committing a crime such as this. The killings seemed too precise, too planned, and reeked of the
Bloodless
—Blood Breed rogues. All the victims fit the same physical description, drained of blood, and their clothing ripped precisely as if the killer was searching them for something. He could understand a rogue draining the victims dry, but ripping their clothing seemed out of place even for them. He put the paper down, his brain working to try and unravel what was going on. In the next instance, something monumental occurred to him. He stared at the far wall in shock, trying to not let his emotions and realization show too much on his face.

“Aedan, thank you for bringing this to our attention, but you and your boys can leave now.” This was the Blood Breed’s domain, and therefore the Lykens would have to follow his command whether they agreed or not. The Lykens stood in unison, each one waiting for their orders from Aedan. They walked toward the door, Aedan stopping and looking back at Aleksei.

“I don’t know what the fuck is going on here, but you better get it under control. We have our females and young that walk Stone Brooke’s streets, and I would hate to have something happen to them.

You know what that would do to our alliance.”

Aleksei knew Aedan wasn’t stupid, and he knew the Lyken leader sensed the change in Aleksei, but they were not a part of the Blood Breed. The
Bloodless
were not their concern, and a stare is how he would respond to Aedan. He looked down at the table, staring at the front page of the newspaper again. He didn’t know if what he thought was correct, but if it was, then the three female victims were just the start of the massacre.

“Boys, we need to go to the Royal Scrolls, now.” Aleksei stood and pointed at Nikolai first. “Since you’re head of outer security, I want you to set up extra security around the club itself and around the
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perimeter of the property. I want Jaisin, Icezack, and Sergei to lead the security just outside the property. Garrik, I want you, Adrik, Youri, and Mekhale to do rounds inside the club. If what I think is happening, then we have a serious problem on our hands.”

Aleksei and his warriors stood around a large circular table. They made their way down to the lowest level of the club, which housed the old scrolls and all the archives of the Blood Breed’s history. He had several thick, leather bound books laid out in front of him and flipped through the old, cream-colored pages quickly. He breathed roughly and stared at the page he had been searching for. He traced the tattered page and read aloud the Russian words printed on the paper. “Волосы темно, глаз свет, семян, она будет нести, ребенка

на ночь. Полумесяц солнце где он должен родиться, хорошее и

зла, обе стороны должны быть порезы. Быть Великих, много

питания он проведет, король выносить все остальные – то, что

должно быть объявленной.” He ran a hand over his hair and stared at each warrior. “Boys, we might have a major problem here.”

“You have to be wrong. Are you sure?” Luca stared at him with horror etched into the hard planes of his face.

“You know what I say is true, little brother.”

“Hair of dark, eye of light, the seed she will carry, the child of the night. The crescent sun is where he shall be born, good and evil, two sides shall be torn. To be the great, much power he will hold, a king to rule all others is what shall be foretold.”

Aleksei looked up as Dimitri spoke the old scroll verse in English.

Years ago, before his father died, he spoke of a premonition that came to him in a dream. All Blood Breeds possessed a certain
gift,
precognition being his father’s. He wrote his visions in the old scrolls for all members of the Blood Breed to know. One night he spoke with Aleksei of a vision that came to him in a dream. In the dream, a dark-haired woman with light eyes would bear a son from the Blood Breed line. This child would hold the Blood Breed’s future in his hands and be able to control all that was otherworldly. The child’s future was
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23

shrouded in a mist as to whether he would rule all from the side of light or the side of evil.

The rogues were definitely searching for something. The only problem was he didn’t know what that something was. His gut told him everything that was happening was a coincidence. No Blood Breed would commit such an unforgivable crime as taking a human’s life. No, these crimes were committed by a
Bloodless
.

“I believe my father’s premonition is coming true. They are searching for this female who will carry the child that will rule over all others.” All Blood Breeds knew what the old scrolls foretold. Even the
Bloodless,
who once had been members of the Blood Breed, knew. “Boys, tomorrow night we will be hunting down some
Bloodless
for a little information. Gear up and prepare yourself for a long and enjoyable night.”

* * * *

He sat there staring at all his minions. They were on the floor and on tables—really anywhere they could be as they fed and fucked. He was their horde leader—they were his minions, but they were also called the
Bloodless
. A rather degrading name if anyone were to ask him. He had a name once long ago, but now he was just called Lord D. If his mood was pleasant, he might let one of the females he fucked call him Lord and Master D. On any other occasion, watching females get fucked would have been a nice way to kill the time, but not now. Things were changing, monumental things that were about to take place. A prophecy had been spoken by an oracle log ago. She spoke of a monumental event happening, one that would forever change the world.

When he found what he sought, all would bow before him and know him as their true king. He would soon be the rightful ruler of the Blood Breed, and all would kiss the very soles of his boots.

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Lana cursed under her breath as she juggled the bag in her hands and unlocked her front door. Kicking the door open with her foot, she quickly walked into the kitchen and set the grocery bags on the breakfast counter. She shut the door, pushed play on her answering machine, and sat on the couch. The robotic voice played from the machine, telling her she had one new message. Before the message played, she already knew it would be Kayla—it was always Kayla.

“Lan, hey, you home? Guess not. Anyways, I’ll be over at about five tonight. I told Kaleb to pick us up at your house so we wouldn’t have to worry about driving home—in case we get drunk.”

Looking at the clock, she decided she had enough time to take a little nap before Kayla showed up—knowing Kayla, they would want to stay out all night. She lay down on the couch and let the heaviness of sleep wash through her.

Lana was at the place, a twilight that had her floating on the edge of consciousness. A loud thumping noise slowly penetrated the haze of sleep that consumed her. As she came slowly awake, she was aware of muffled voices rising up around her. She rubbed her hand over her eyes and stared at the ceiling. More banging continued, and it was then she realized it was coming from her front door. Someone called her name—a deep voice that was all too familiar. Kaleb.

“Lana, open this door right now or I’m going to bust it down!”

Confusion flowed into her, and she got off the couch and opened the front door. Kayla and Kaleb stood on the other side, Kaleb’s fist held high as if he were about to pound on the door again.

“What?”

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25

“Lana, I told you I was coming over at five so we could get ready.

When you didn’t answer I got worried and called Kaleb.” Worry laced Kayla’s voice, her expression matching that emotion.

“We didn’t know if you were hurt or unconscious in there. I was ready to break the fucking door down.”

“Kaleb, watch your language!” Kayla turned a disapproving stare at her twin. “When you didn’t answer I got so worried. Haven’t you read the paper?”

Lana watched as Kayla dug through her oversized tote bag to pull out a newspaper and hand it to her. She turned around and sat on the couch, hearing the door shut softly behind her. She stared at the front page, her eyes growing wide at the headline.

Murders in quiet Stone Brooke.

Was she reading it right? People being murdered in Stone Brooke?

“So far, three murders have been reported in the quiet, secluded
city of Stone Brooke...All female and young...victims had dark hair
and light eyes...officials are not saying that they are linked together,
but that any women between the ages of eighteen and thirty should be
cautious when they go out.”

Lana skimmed through the sentences, horror taking a

stranglehold on her.

“Victims clothing was shredded beyond repair, as if the person(s)
were trying to find something…Drained of blood”

The last sentence had Lana holding her breath. According to the paper, the victims had been drained of blood, but there was no sign of where it went. They suspected it was cult related, but they had no solid evidence, and investigations were still being held.

“I can’t believe this. Do you know any of the victims?”

“The victims’ names haven’t been released.” Kayla walked over and sat on the couch next to her. “Hey, I didn’t mean to freak you out or anything. I was just a little worried.”

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