Golden's Rule (29 page)

Bryson made an irritated sound, Jaxon smirked. “He’s taken her to a safe house, but she’ll be well and able to join us soon enough.” Jaxon smacked Bryson on the shoulder, saying in a loud whisper, “The witch can read your intentions though, so best keep them above the belt.”

The two vampires exchanged a loaded look, but before she could make sense of it, another guy dressed in a grey button-down shirt and faded, ripped jeans filed in. Lykae. For some reason she got the impression he was young, not much beyond what the Lykae considered maturity, so near a hundred? Something like that. After him, another Lykae sauntered into the room. When he saw the two vampires, his shoulders shot back under his heavy jacket and he stopped inside the doorway.

Torque stood so fast his chair spun out from the table on its rollers.

“Uh-oh, no one told Alex vampires were on the guest list,” Jaxon murmured.

“Ah, poor baby,” Tabithia muttered, eyes narrowed to green slits.

There was excessively much going on here. Too many vibes, loyalties, and just plain stuff for her to keep up with. She had no idea what the undercurrents were with the vampires and witches, and no sense of why Torque was upset over Hunter being here, and now she had the wolf pack to add to the mix.

Torque shot the vampires a warning look. The vampires bumped knuckles and grinned, revealing their fangs.

She almost sent Torque a ‘don’t you dare leave me’ call, but held it in. She wasn’t a baby and she knew, just knew she had to learn to deal with this on her own. If she had her way, this would be the first of many such events in their lives. Meetings. Councils. Prep for fighting the Death Stalkers. She might not remember her life before the slave market, but she knew one thing. The Death Stalkers were to blame.

So she’d just have to put her big girl panties on and deal with the shit floating around the room. Or learn to block them. She voted for blocking. Concentrate on something else. Yeah, like with all the chatter going on she could.

She focused on blocking all the confusion by watching Torque. He had walked across the room and stood, talking to Alex, but glanced back at her as he guided the other man outside the door, murmuring, “Alex, it’s good you’ve joined us. Was Alrick not up to coming?” His voice turned low and for the first time since she’d met her mate, she watched him negotiating. He was subtle. She’d pictured him as more of the take it and shut it guy. But he worked Alex slowly until the tension grudgingly relaxed from the big wolf’s shoulders.

“Yep, he’s not too pleased. Not a fan, what can I say?” Jaxon observed.

She turned to him, still not one hundred per cent sure on how she felt about the vampire. Bryson, for some reason, she trusted more than Jaxon. It was odd, but she felt as if Jaxon were lying, but about what? Or maybe about who, she didn’t know. Maybe himself.

The young Lykae cleared his throat and nodded to her when she glanced over. “Alex lost many of his family in the Vampire Wars.”

Ah, Vampire Wars. That explained…nothing. She’d not read the history of Immortals 101. She knew the Vampire Houses tended to stand alone, good, bad, and just indifferent to the world around them. The king, this Aidan she’d heard Torque talking to on his cell, he seemed to want to cleanse the reputation of his kind, but Torque had shared with her that the male had an uphill journey he didn’t envy. Too many immortals equated vampires with evil.

“Ah, and…”

“Yeah, he wasn’t at the meeting so Alrick couldn’t tell him who would be here.” Shrugging casually, the younger wolf didn’t seem affected by the vampires near him. In fact, he and Jaxon bumped knuckles. Brown eyes like honey held hers when he turned back to her. “I’m Markee, my uncle is—”

“The king, Alrick the old and stodgy,” Tabithia offered.

The young wolf barked a laugh, clearly amused, not offended by Tabithia. “He has gotten grumpier in his old age.”

“Oh? I’ve heard he wears his age well. All millionaire-studly,” Hunter said.

Markee tipped his head to the side, like a wolf, Beauty thought, observing something interesting but not sure what it was. “I’ve no idea what that means, but if you say so, buttercup.”

Tabithia choked on a sip of water and Aeros laughed, even Hunter sported a huge smile at Markee.

Jaxon snorted and rolled his eyes, “My man, just don’t. Please. Just don’t.”

Markee grinned, revealing two sharp canines with his pearly whites.

“Oh? I think he should.” Hunter gave Markee a coy, come-hither look that set the wolf into an almost panic. He backed up, eyes wide, and watched Hunter like she’d snapped him on the nose, not come on to him.

Tabithia laughed so long she had to clutch her stomach.

Holy hell. If this was how all immortals acted, she would need some espresso just to keep up with them. When Torque met her eyes, she gave him a no-nonsense look.

“Getting a little lost in here, babe. Care to fill me in on what is going on?”

“Sorry sweet, I should have warned you we’d have a full crew. Markee is young and harmless. Jaxon and Bryson not so much, but you know that. Alex is pissed about the vamps and well, Aeros is with his witch, Tabithia—”

“Babe, I got that, just get the wolf in here!”

“Damn, I like you when you’re all—”

“Torque, please.”

Torque’s response was a soft caress down her back and him steering Alex to the opposite side of the room from the vamps, a consoling hand on his shoulder.

“Alex, we’re glad you could join us. What we discuss here needs to be presented to everyone, if not? I don’t think we have a chance of surviving this storm.”

Alex’s brown eyebrows drew down and he stopped in his tracks. “Aye? Storm? Or just one more bloody battle with the—”

“Death Stalkers. We all know your opinion on vamps, save it,” Jaxon said. “This is much bigger than that ancient battle. The club we destroyed was only one among many. How many we can’t say, and really, that more than anything else is the vital piece of information we need to work on. Let’s get on with this so we can move on.”

Alex lifted a lip at Jaxon, then ignored him to turn to Torque. “I can’t promise the aid of my clan if vampires are involved.”

Tabithia snorted and sat forward, nailing Alex with a narrow-eyed glare. “Look, Alex, you’ve already managed to piss me off once. You’re not doing any better now. So, here’s the deal. I have an appointment, and let me tell you”—pausing, Tabithia sized Alex up with a sniff—“I am so not wasting time on stupid. Cowboy up, then you can go back to offending everyone.”

Alex muttered something about nasty witches under his breath.

Whoa.

‘Shit, this drama sucks, sweet, but this is the immortal world.’

Tabithia speared Torque with her wicked green eyes and leant forward, pale long-fingered hands firmly planted on the shiny surface of the table. “Note to self, Torque. I’m a witch. That means, I can sense when you mind speak, so chill the love talk and get this meeting started.”

Oh. Shit.

Beauty couldn’t help it. She laughed. Torque just looked so highly offended by the witch. She couldn’t help it. Covering her mouth, she shook her head, trying to ease the giggles, but Tabithia waggled her delicate eyebrows and rubbed her knuckles on her black T-Shirt after blowing on them. Aeros laughed, obviously enjoying Torque’s shock.

“Ah, fuck, don’t even start.” Jaxon grumbled but chuckled. “Give the guy a break, will ya, witch? So far, we got jack. The almost DS, both the kid and his sister, are safe, the high and mighty Lord is still not talking, and so far we have no deets on the weird wolf monsters with tiger heads.”

“Tiger heads?” Beauty exchanged a worried look with Torque.

“Almost DS?” Aeros asked.

“Let’s not forget the hunky human crew sneaking a peek at us with their cams,” Hunter added. “I’m placing bets they’re undercover agents, like SEALs, or Rangers. Maybe even some deep, anti-terrorist cell thinking we’re the new enemy.”

Everyone looked at Hunter’s eager expression for what felt like minutes, before Torque stiffened and cursed.

Alex sat down heavily, blowing out a breath and said, “Shit, this is not good.”

“You have no idea how right you are, my man.” Two men she’d never seen before entered, the blond one pausing as his words caused a stir.

Both looked at Torque and nodded formally before doing the same to her. She swallowed past a lump in her throat. More people? Gods, she’d not got used to the ones already here and she had no idea what these two were. Fay? Warlocks? Vampires? Something said no. They smelt slightly of heat, if heat was a smell. The darker one seemed a blank wall, high and impossible to penetrate, the blond just as hard, but instead of a wall, the impression was more a maze of twists and turns.

“Demons. Blond is known as Agni, dark one is Torment.”

“Torment?’”

“Don’t even think about reading them.”

Aloud, he said, “Beauty, this is General Tor’ Sing, and his comrade, Agni Fe Tarra.”

“Uh, yeah, Agni will do, Torque, but thanks.” Snapping his gum, Agni speared her with an appraising look. “Beauty, huh?”

Agni’s intelligent hazel eyes met and held hers, sizing her up, she thought before Torque shifted next to her and broke the spell. The demon looked like some ancient gladiator in jeans and button-down.

All the immortals in the room were good looking, the women, the men, but most especially, Torque. He radiated power, something he might not be aware of, but she doubted because he used it oh so subtly when he spoke. Torque was hard, but he was hard because when he cared, he cared deeply. Everyone in this room was here because he not only trusted them, but because he was willing to fight for them. It was why he wanted them fighting with him. Or at least some of them. Hunter, she could see why he hesitated. Everyone else in the room was either mated, thus in his eyes, protected, or was a male and would handle himself. Yeah, her man was old-fashioned.

“You good, sweetheart?”

“Yeah, I love you, you know? Proud of you, babe.”

Something like shock trickled through their bond before he squeezed her hand gently, warmth coming from him, and if she wasn’t mistaken, he sat straighter. Men were odd. Didn’t she show him how much he meant to her on a daily basis?

“I’ve heard of you from Bryson, he says you kicked some ass the other day,” Agni went on, clearly unable to sense they mind spoke.

“Uh, I wouldn’t exactly say that, but thanks,” Beauty said.

Agni gave her a lopsided grin and nodded. His blond hair fell over his brow making him look like some bad boy before he shoved it back impatiently with a hand. Taking a seat by Tabithia, he winked at the witch, ignoring Aeros’ death stare with what had to be familiarity. “Hey, Red Hot, how’s it going? Spartan, cool the jets, dude,” he said.

Tabithia rolled her eyes. “Fire, you are really odd, you know that, of course.”

Agni merely grinned and settled back in his seat like he owned the place.

Aeros bristled.

Everyone else was in conversation. Markee seemed to be settling the older wolf down, while Jaxon spoke to Hunter. Bryson’s expression ranged from concern to humour as he listened in on the two.

She jerked her concentration back to Torment only to take in that he’d been speaking to Torque while she’d been examining everyone in the room. He nodded again to her when their eyes met. “Tor, is what I prefer.”

“Okay. Tor.” If she met one more person…

“That’s it. Only two more and they can’t make it. A Fay, Gregory, busy with his own family, and Alrick, but obviously, he sent Alex. You’re doing good, sweetheart.”

“Good, now…can you get them to listen?”

The laugh that filtered through their bond was all Torque. The brat.

“All right. There’s rumour of a great many events, but let me clear the air. And after, you can go back to your own and let them know what you will.”

Everyone nodded at that, a few murmured but most simply waited, eyes on Torque.

Torque was used to this kind of thing, she realised. Battle plans and council meetings. Planning the safety of so many. Setting his own life aside for the battle with the enemy.

“We broke in and destroyed a Death Stalker lair. The club was new, but we think the lair had been in London for years. Long enough that there were tunnels underneath the club, linking it to some of the oldest parts of central London.”

Torque nodded to Bryson and the vampire took up the tale. “We followed several of the tunnels, some dead ends, others not so much. Some of those not so much opened up into other establishments. Good news? None like the cesspool Torque and Jaxon stumbled into. We found and cleaned that one, so there’s one less.”

“Meaning?” Alex asked. His strong face was set in a scowl and unlike the others, he gave off nothing. Not like the demons, but more like there was nothing, no emotions to read. Odd. The other Lykae emitted a sense of curiosity focused on the team, otherwise his emotions were steady and clear.

“The place was jack, that’s what.” Hunter rolled her eyes like Alex wasn’t catching on quick enough.

“Meaning”—Torque took over—“the place had several levels, so the club wasn’t alone. There are more. You know we rescued a wolf, what you don’t know is some of the immortals, and humans, that were tested and experimented on, were changed into some kind of creature.”

“The wolf-tiger-monster,” Tabithia said, earning a grin from Jaxon for that, but not everyone else at the table shared the humour.

“How many?” Aeros asked.

“We have no idea. The tapes we took go back a long way. Years. Possible two score of changes,” Hunter offered.

The older Lykae focused on Torque with a scowl. “Two score? What the hell? Are you saying that over the past forty years you think they’ve turned immortals into some kind of beast if they wouldn’t take the vows?”

“We don’t know that. The tapes are…disturbing. Some of the prisoners we got out, Hunter was one of them. We think a few humans escaped with another immortal, but we can’t be sure. But what is clear is that this affects all of us.” Torque took a big deep breath and went on to say, “This changes things. This is one of many lairs.”