Bite, My Love (18 page)

A
guttural groan snaps my attention from my mate to Lee.

Sickly
pale and sweaty, her neck muscles tighten, and her fingers curl
into fists. Spine rigid she screeches in pain. Holding my hands to
my head, I cringe, the sound harsh on my sensitive ears.

Lee’s
body buckles until she folds on herself.

Ben falls
to his knees. His hands hover but do not touch. “Focus, love. I
know it hurts but gather what you can.” He inches closer. “What do
you feel?”

“
P–Pain.” She trembles violently. “Sorrow. Regret.”

“
Is it a man?” Ben pushes. “A woman?”

Daniel grips the arms of his seat his torso angled forward.
“Tell me what happens.
”

“
I don’t know.” Lee’s eyes fill with blood and dim the green
of her irises. Head swinging side to side, she blinks rapidly, and
blood runs down her pallid cheeks. “I can’t see who it is. There’s
just emotion.”

Her chest
pumps up and down until I expect it to burst. Her body goes limp
and she tips over, boneless.

Ben
catches her before she falls off the sofa and runs his hands down
her back. “I have you.”

Daniel is
impatient. “Ben?”

Ben gives
him a piercing look over his shoulder. “We’ve had
problems.”

My mate
motions to Lee. “You’re understating.”

Ben
exhales though his nose. “There are two pressing issues. The first
is of the utmost importance.” He sweeps Lee’s hair away from her
face. “It’s causing her pain. We were working on controlling her
power after what happened on the night of your rebellion.” Ben’s
throat bobs. Lee has been suffering, and he doesn’t know what to do
to help her. “She started channelling the emotions of
another.”

Daniel
visibly relaxes. “She will do until she gains control over her
powers as the Child.” He waves his hand in dismissal. “You know
this, Ben.”

“
Adam thinks she’s sensing the one who made his Sire. He and
Simone have travelled to where he saw her last in a hope of
discovering more.”

There are a few emotions I never expect to see cross Daniel’s
face, but he’s so complex he’s thwarted my expectation already.
Utter disbelief. “
Impossible
.” He hisses. “All
generations have tried and failed to seek out the first of
us.”

“
Lee wasn’t looking. The Eldest One let her in or dropped
mental defence. All we know with certainty is Lee feels strong
emotions of one not already known to her through our collective
memory.”

“
The less pressing issue?”

“
Humans.”

Daniel’s
face goes blank. “Humans? What problem can they cause when they
don’t know we exist? They have their suspicions, and farcical
stories, but never have we let them be a threat.”

Lee
weakly turns her head to glare at him. “Let them? I don’t think the
organisation and power the government wields now compares to what
it was six hundred years ago.” She rubs her forehead against Ben’s
tiredly. “How am I supposed to keep us safe from them?”

“
From who
?” Daniel is beside himself.
“Who would dare?”

“
Open your eyes.” Lee looks good and pissed. “The world gets
smaller every day. Did you really think you could keep killing and
leaving fang marks on the victims without people noticing? Deaths
are recoded and bodies autopsied. Even the dimmest mortician would
recognise a pattern if bloodless corpses with fang marks’ on their
jugulars kept landing on their slab.” She sighs. “It’s not as if
we’re in the third world here.” Her eyes dart around, and she
sniffs. “Though for the lack of technology you guys use you’d think
we were in the dark ages. The only one of you even remotely modern
is Afzal, and that’s only because of his love of the
restaurant.”

Ben
strokes her to soothe her irritation. “Hush love. We’ll figure this
out.”

“
How do I fix this? They
know
about us, Ben.” She covers her forehead with her
hands. “This won’t ever go away. What we are will be seen as
dangerous.”

I’m
troubled, but not panicked. “Who knows exactly?”

“
Some agency.” Ben is distracted by his Bride’s distress and I
barely hear his mumble.

Pushing
him now seems callous, but needs must. “They’ve made
contact?”

“
I lifted thoughts of us from their minds.” Lee sniffles.
“They were driving past, and I thought it was odd since we have no
neighbours. The road only leads to Castle, well to the cliffs, and
Humans aren’t supposed to know there’s a building is here. They
acted as if they knew
something
was in the field.”

“
When did this happen?” Daniel frowns. “I’ve been gone less
than a week, and already there’s chaos.”

“
We think they’ve been watching us for a while,” Ben defends.
“The amount of information they’ve acquired is
discomforting.”

Daniel’s
gaze cuts to me worriedly. “Then it is no longer safe.”

“
Where will we go?” Lee asks.

“
We have houses on every continent, love.” Ben strokes her
face. “None are as comfortable, but we’ll make do until we can
create a new home.”

“
Castle
is our home.” Lee’s
expression sets. Unflinching stubbornness. “They can’t see it, so
we should be safe when we’re inside.”

“
If they search the field they’ll barge into an invisible
wall,” Daniel argues. “Must I point out because they can’t see
Castle doesn’t mean it’s not there?”

Lee
scratches her forehead. “Are the other houses hidden?”

“
No.” Ben looks annoyed he hasn’t thought of this
before.

“
We need to get on that.”

“
Do you happen to have a witch on speed dial powerful enough
to cast such an enchantment?” Amused, Daniel rests his chin on his
fist. “The crone we used died during the Salem witch
trials.”

“
Speed dial?” I shake my head sadly. “Try voice control. Lord,
how old
are
you?”

Lee gives
Daniel the finger. “Oh piss off Dan. The sugar coated shit you pass
off as sarcasm is not appreciated right now.”

Ben
coughs noisily, and I burst into startled laughter.

Charmed,
Daniel smirks. “Blessed are we with such elegant and well-spoken
Brides.”

Tickled
as I am by the Vampire Queen’s attitude, Humans discovering
supernatural creatures exist have serious implications that affect
more than this family of Vampires. “What do they want?”

Lee
stills and only unfreezes when Ben cuddles her from behind. He
rocks her side to side.

“
Us. The power and strength of the bloodline at their command.
I don’t think we’re the only creatures they’ve come across.” Lee
chomps her lip until it bleeds. “I got the impression they are
unsure of how to precede with us.”

“
That is a good thing.” Ben nuzzles her. “It means they know
we are a force to be reckoned with.”

Lee
doesn’t look convinced, and I silently echo her reservation. “They
have weapons.”

“
We
are
weapons.”

She
shakes her head wildly. “It’s not the same.”

Daniel
rubs his face in a move bordering stressed. “I can’t … I don’t …
hells! Why did you not tell me this before? You said nothing of
this. If you’re under surveillance they would have seen Harmony and
I leave the woods then disappear. Any theories that there is
something here to find will be confirmed. You told me Simone and
Adam travelled, but you made them sound aimless. They’re at risk
separated from us like this. The bloodline must be summoned to your
side.”

Lee
shoots him a scathing look. “Your arrival on the doorstep wasn’t
exactly expected. Give me a break, Dan.” He glares at her
incredulously for continuing to shorten his name. “The last time I
had the pleasure of your company you’d tried to kill Ben. I was
supposed to fill you in?” She scoffs. “I’m nice not a
moron.”

Before
Daniel responds with something cutting, I cut in. “Will these
episodes hurt the baby? Is it getting worse?”

Lee and
Ben put their hands on her stomach. Their fingers entwine. “I don’t
think so.” Her eyes are troubled, but her tone hopeful. “It was
overwhelming at first, but I’m getting better at dealing with it.
Blocking it.”

“
Blocking it
?” Daniel shoves onto his
feet and glares imperiously. “Reach out. Compel the Eldest to your
side. Think of what we could learn, Lee. Think of what such a
forebear could give us.”

“
The risk is too great,” Ben says. “It can wait until after
the pregnancy.”

“
You say they are in pain?” Daniel returns to his seat. He
drops his hands between his legs, elbows on his thighs. “What if it
is too late by then?”

“
Then it’s too late.” Ben’s lips peel back in a snarl. “Don’t
you have other things to be concerning yourself with? The future of
your Bride for one.”

“
I advise–”

“
Ben is my Sire.” Lee’s interjection is frosty. “His thoughts
run parallel to mine. We’ve discussed this and decided what’s best
for the bloodline
and
us. If I desire advice from a member of the family, I’ll ask
for it. Are we clear?”

I stare
at the carpet embarrassed on my mate’s behalf.

Daniel
turns the other cheek. “Ja.”

I kneel
in front of him and cautiously put my hand on his knee. Standing,
he brushes my hand aside and leaves the room.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Castle at
our backs, Ben, Lee, Daniel and I wait at the boundary line. I peer
into the trees, and the inner corners of my eyes squint from the
tension.

My wolf
rises to brush fur under the surface of my skin. She’s irritated
our mate is doing this, but willing to follow his lead. Grumbling,
she urges me to let her free. The soles of my feet itch. She’s
caught the scent of damp undergrowth from the woods and the
fragrance from the trees. She wishes to sprint beneath them as she
has done since she was a pup.

Home.

I’ve been
away for days, and I miss it desperately.

Is that
why Daniel’s pushing this meeting? Does he sense my wolf’s need to
run free? Is he worried that I’ll resent him if I can never go back
to the hunting grounds?

From the
shadows comes my kind.

They pad
on silent paws through the mist. Amber, gold, and ebony eyes stare
at us from the sleek faces of wolves. Long muzzles crack open to
flash razor sharp and brilliant white teeth.

I scan
the faces and feel a tad uneasy. They still haven’t shifted Human,
an aggressive and uncooperative signal.

There are
six male wolves. That’s not enough to kill the Vampires here, but
five Enforcers are enough to watch their Beta’s back as he attempts
to claim what’s not his.

It hurts,
but I’m not shocked Daddy didn’t come. I’d always been a
disappointment, and sending his subordinates to do his dirty work
when it comes to me isn’t new.

The
Enforcers and I had always been friendly, but there’s no
compassion, only resigned purpose in their stares. I’m not
surprised Sy brought Aaron. After the Beta, Aaron is the most
powerful wolf the Pack has. If I were meeting the enemy with
limited numbers, he’s someone I’d have chosen to fight with too.
The others are known to me as admirable fighters, but slow on the
uptake. They’re ideal Pack wolves. They follow orders and don’t
think. Controllable. For the Beta of the South Western Lycanthrope
Pack power and control over other wolves is vital.

The
wolves fix their senses on me. It’s like being under a hot, bright
spotlight when a wolf centres their attention on you. Not the most
comfortable thing in the world when six lock on at once.

Again, I
feel stirrings of unease. I’ve never felt apprehensive about anyone
from my Pack before. Not even the Enforcers who are known to be
domineering. My birthright gave me protection, and I’ve always been
able to control them.

Daniel gives me a solemn nod.
‘Go
ahead.’

Still, I hesitate.
‘Once he fails
you’ll come and get me.
You’ll still want
me?’

‘
Go.’

Straightening, I cock my hip
. ‘I’m
not moving unless you say you’ll want me after he’s touched
me.’

Lycans
are extremely territorial and known to go feral when they smell
another male on their female. The way a Vampire handles his Bride
is different, but I want to be sure I won’t end up soiled in
Daniel’s eyes.

‘
Wanting you is the problem.’

‘
We’re back here again? Is now the time to bring up your
issues?’

‘
My issues?’

‘
Yeah. I’m dealing with everything one step at a time. You’re
the one still fighting it. I thought after the time we spent
talking last night that you.... I want us to be together. I thought
you wanted the same thing.’