Blood Oath (#3, Mystic Wolves) (11 page)

“My, you are observant tonight.” He nodded,
smiling, a wistful look crossed his face and I knew he was
remembering her.

“You remind me a lot of her—the same willful
spirit, gentle soul, and playful heart. There are even times where
I think you share similar mannerisms. It made loving you, and
wanting to watch over you a joy. Hers was a hard life, one I would
never have chosen for her, but as a devoted brother, I honored her
wishes. She made the mistake of loving the wrong person, became
pregnant and later lost her life in childbirth. The babe lived, but
losing her was a devastating blow. From her death bed she requested
something of me, demanding I give her a blood oath, and I couldn’t
refuse her. I left that night to see it begin and have spent the
years bound by it. I know I’ll spend the remainder of my life
fulfilling my promise, even when it means I’m stuck with a family
member who thinks he’s reached bad ass status by calling himself
Vlad.” He scoffed as he ran his fingers through his hair before
crossing his arms over his chest. “Of course, maybe it’s an
improvement from his birth name, which was Cuthbert. I called him
Bertie for short, which annoyed him to no end.”

I snorted. “Really?” I asked, loving the way
he was sharing about his family. I couldn’t remember the last time
he had talked this long about himself. I was almost too hesitant to
interrupt. “Well, it could’ve been worse, you know?”

“How so?” He asked, looking curious.

“He could’ve called himself Edward, or
Jasper. Sparkling is the “in” thing right now.”

Devlin groaned loudly. “I would’ve staked him
myself.”

Laughing hard, I grabbed my sides as I
imagined him chasing poor Vlad around the room with a stake. Just
when I thought I could stop, an image of Devlin glittering in the
sun filled my mind, sending me into another round of hysterics.

“Now what?” he said, scowling at my
laughter

“I was picturing what you’d look like as a
Cullen. I think you’d totally rock the sparkle.”

“Yeah, enough.” He held up his hand, shaking
his head. “Next topic.”

“Okay, I’m sorry. It was too hard to resist.”
Taking in a calming breath, I continued, “I love hearing about your
past, though. What was your sister’s name?”

“Elynor.” He sighed. “Even after all this
time I miss her. She would have loved you immensely had she known
you.”

I rested my hand on his arm and squeezed,
trying to offer comfort. We settled into another bout of silence,
lost in our thoughts, and I was grateful for the glimpse he had
given me. I had no problem imagining him interacting with his
sister, doting on her because he’d shown similar affection for
me.

I went to ask him more questions, but became
distracted by the images filtering through my connection. Relaxing,
trying to steady my emotions so I didn’t lose contact, I closed my
eyes and concentrated.

Sensing something was happening, Devlin
didn’t utter a word, the room going still.

It wasn’t difficult to understand what Mason
and Daniel was experiencing. They had finally arrived at the
meeting place, and judging from what details I could see, Avery had
invited them to one of the larger homes on the other side of town.
This surprised me because I didn’t think he was local. Trying to
remember the street names, looking for familiar landmarks, I felt a
rush of excitement. I knew where they were.

The house appeared to be dimly light, and as
they cautiously entered the property, no one was there to greet
them or confront them. Again, this was interesting since I was
almost certain Avery would’ve had an entourage of minions.

Daniel apparently thought the same thing
because I heard him ask Mason what he thought about the absence of
resistance.

Scoping the area and not seeing any movement,
the Alpha whispered to stay alert. They continued moving up the
pathway toward the entrance, their hands resting lightly on their
weapons

“Is everything alright?” Devlin’s voice broke
my concentration and I quickly nodded, returning my focus to the
mental images so I wouldn’t miss anything.

“They’ve arrived and they’re not sure what to
make of it. They’re approaching the front door, but they don’t like
the lack of guards. It’s too quiet.”

“Do you recognize where they are?”

I nodded, but didn’t answer. Mason was
pounding on the door and both continued to look around warily. I
could sense his confusion and the moment when he decided they
needed to leave, but the door suddenly opened, revealing Avery.

He was immaculately dressed in a dark blue
suit, tailor made from its appearance. He bowed slightly, welcoming
them into his home.

I wanted to scream for Mason to follow his
gut and come home, not liking the look of satisfaction on the
vampire’s face, but I forced myself to be silent.

Showing no hesitation, they crossed the
threshold, the door slamming shut behind them, and I felt like this
was a scene straight from of a horror movie.

Gesturing for Mason and Daniel to follow him,
Avery led them into what looked like a parlor, offering them
refreshments as though he was a civilized host. Both refused and I
wondered if they caught the flash of disappointment on his face. It
was lightning fast, buried within seconds, but there
nevertheless.

I watched the bantering back and forth,
trivial comments and my head began to pound a little. I felt Devlin
rest his hand on my knee, the offer of strength, and I took another
breath.

Mason’s anger was rising, and Avery was
laughing. It seemed the vampire had tried to use compulsion, and I
watched as Daniel shook his head as if trying to dislodge
something. Mason grabbed hold of Daniel, moving to leave, and I
could sense his wolf ready to take charge.

“Avery tried to use compulsion and Mason is
furious. I think the meeting’s over,” I whispered. “And the tension
I feel, I’m not sure whether it’s mine or his. Something’s not
right, but I don’t know what it means.” I could feel myself
starting to panic.

Instead of fluid motion, the images I was
receiving now were more like snap shots. Mason wasn’t showing it
all, but what I was able to see and feel, terrified me. Everything
seemed to come at me quickly—anger, an attack on Avery, a struggle,
Daniel disappearing, Mason having the upper hand and moving in for
the kill, a blast of confusion, and then suddenly— nothing. My mind
went black, our connection broken.

I screamed, frantic to get it back, and I
couldn’t help but blame myself for it not working. I wrestled with
my mind, trying to reconnect again. All I found was emptiness.

I propelled myself off the bed toward my
dresser, grabbing my cell phone. I had no idea what happened, but
one thing I did know—Mason was in trouble. I quickly dialed his
number, hoping he would pick up. The more it rang, the more
impatient I got. I needed to reach him, and heaven help the person
who tried to stop me.

Hands took firm grip of me, and I ended the
call as I whirled around to confront Devlin.

“Let me go. Now.” I was not in the mood to be
trifled with and I tried to break free of his grasp. He was
immovable, and without thinking, I raised my knee to force him to
let go.

He easily deflected it. I fought against him
and he answered by shaking me so hard I thought my eyeballs would
rattle out of my head.

“Quit fighting me, Darcy. I’m assuming
something’s happened and that’s where you’re racing off to go, but
please, stop for a moment. Explain what you saw so we can take of
this together.” He kept his voice level, trying to exude as much
calm as possible.

“You said “we”. Are you telling me you won’t
stop me?” I looked at him suspiciously, poised to resume fighting
for my release. I felt his hands relax and finally let go.

“As if you would listen. Remember I know you
well, there’s nothing I could say that would stop you. We need to
have a plan, though.” He walked over to my closet, pulling out a
pair of shoes. He handed them to me and I put them on. Leaving the
room, we headed toward the front door.

“I was hoping we could come up with one on
our way there. I’m not sure what’s happening, but I saw them fight
and then the connection was broken. It can mean one of two
things—either I broke it, or Mason is in trouble. I hope it’s me
and I get a call saying they’re on their way home, but I can’t risk
it. All I know, is I need to act. My Alpha and future mate is in
danger.”

“Even if it means he gets angry at you, and
furious with me? I know you’re able to leave the house, but I also
know he’d never agree to me allowing you to rush to his rescue.” He
stepped out into the open air and waited for me to join him.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.
Now let’s go.”

Looking around for his car, I was distracted
by one of the most beautiful motorcycles I’d ever seen. It was all
shiny chrome with black upholstery, and I found myself drawn to
it.

“Please tell me this is yours.” This was a
masterpiece of machinery, and exactly what we needed to get there
quickly.

Handing me the helmet, Devlin swung his leg
over. He kicked the stand back, balancing the heavy weight between
his legs.

Fastening the head gear, I climbed up behind
him, wrapping my arms around his body and resting my hands on his
stomach. I could feel the difference in our body temperatures—mine
resembled a slight fever and his, a cold chill. Ignoring how it
caused my hand to tingle, I leaned forward to speak in his ear.

“Why am I the only one wearing a helmet?” I
reached up to adjust the strap so it didn’t dig into my chin.

“Because I’m a vampire, and invincible,” he
retorted.

“Well, I’m a werewolf, and being supernatural
isn’t going to protect your head from being smashed open like an
egg on the asphalt.” I knocked my knuckles against his head.
“Although, you are pretty hard headed and may bounce a little at
first.”

“There’s only one helmet. I wasn’t planning
on taking you anywhere when I came here, and despite my many
abilities, foresight isn’t one of them. I’m more concerned with
keeping you in one piece than myself. Let me worry, just hold on
tight and tell me where we’re heading?”

I gave him the address, and without warning,
he flipped open his phone.

“We need back up at 325 Hillsdale Road. The
Alpha’s in trouble.” He didn’t even wait for a reply before
snapping the device shut, and jump starting the bike.

The wheels spun furiously on the gravel,
churning it up and we burst forward, causing me to jolt before I
had a chance to correct myself. I slapped him for not letting me
know his intentions, and I felt the rumble of laughter through his
chest.

As the motorcycle roared down the street,
bringing us nearer to our destination, all I could do was close my
eyes and pray.

I’m coming, Mason. Just hold on.

“Let’s go,” I said, as we parked just beyond
the property near the end of a long driveway.

Stripping the helmet off, I placed it on the
seat, and moved toward a row of hedges. Hiding myself, as I stared
up at the house. I still wasn’t able to forge another connection
with Mason, but I tried to sense him again. Daniel and he were both
in there. I just knew it.

“Slow down, Darcy,” Devlin said, dragging me
to his side. “I told you I’d get you here, but you play by my
rules. First thing we’re going to do is wait for back up. With more
of us, we’ll be better prepared for whatever game Avery is
playing.”

It had been a while since I’d visited this
part of town. A place rich in history, it was rumored to be filled
with hauntings and strange occurrences, but all I saw was large,
expensive houses and beautiful landscaping. As I gazed around at
the different kinds of trees, I felt a slight tug around my
heart.

Mason.

Taking in a deep breath, centering myself, I
relaxed a little to encourage my senses to continue reaching out.
Sure enough, after a few moments, I felt a stronger pull, and I
knew with a surety, Mason was inside.

I glanced back at Devlin, and saw him
reaching into his pocket. Removing his buzzing phone, he answered
it, his back now to me. I couldn’t wait for him. The longer I did,
the more I risked losing the signal.

“We need to go, Devlin. The connection has
reestablished. I can feel him.” I grabbed the back of his shirt,
yanking as I started to move up the driveway.

“We’re out of time. Get here as soon as you
can.” He ended the call, and grabbed my hand, taking the lead. We
moved across the lawn, not stopping until our feet hit the front
porch. The tug was more insistent now, and with one last careful
glance around—finding no one—we entered the house.

As my eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, I
was stunned by the opulence of the foyer. Beautifully crafted
paintings hung on the wall, one a family portrait, and the other of
children playing. A grand staircase stole most of the room’s focus,
with elegant carvings of rich mahogany, leading up to a second
floor.

Looking around, I pondered what direction we
should go.

“Which way now, Darcy?” he asked, his stance
alert as he gazed about us.

My nose caught a scent. It was faint, but it
was definitely werewolf. Leading him to the nearest room, we peered
into what looked like a parlor. I instantly recognized it as the
room everyone had met in.

“They were here,” I spoke, taking a few
seconds to check for evidence.

Devlin entered, giving it a quick scan, but I
sensed nothing.

Trying not to be discouraged, I went back
into the foyer and closed my eyes, Devlin returning to my side.

I dug down deep, channeling all my energy,
and without over thinking it, I began to walk, letting my senses
direct me. We passed another room, turning down a hallway that led
by a kitchen.