Hunger Untamed H3 (22 page)

Epilogue

Councilman Henry Renner stared at the empty chair. Four of the other Council members refused to come in, choosing to teleconference the meeting. Juliet Markeley sat at the end of the table, sipping on tea. The bone china in her hand could have been a ceramic mug in comparison to the woman’s delicate features. Abioye Negasi, as dark as Juliet was fair, waited with his hands steepled, obviously deep in thought.

The death of Giancalo Sage had shaken them all through their core.

They were the elite. The untouchable. The seven men and women ruled over all vampire communities of the world, their will and edicts absolute.

“What do we know?” Henry asked. For the first time since he’d joined this group, he questioned how many vampires still believed in the purpose of the Council. The group’s mission seemed to have shifted over the last thirty years. Perhaps he should start paying attention to what the whispers said about them.

Abioye said, “Sage was held by a group of lycans. He’d been wanted for information about crimes they thought vampires had committed.”

Henry frowned. “What would Sage know about lycans?”

“It’s hard to know at this point. We could pick up some of their leaders, find out what they know.”

“And risk a skirmish?” Councilman Upton’s quiet voice came through the speaker in a cloud of static.

“If they took Sage and killed him, I think a skirmish is a more than reasonable response, don’t you, Victoria?”

Murmurs of assent seemed to come from everyone.

Henry wasn’t convinced yet though. It didn’t make sense to him that the werewolves would become violent overnight. They were missing something important. However, if they didn’t make an example of someone, and do it quickly, they risked the vampire community looking at them as if they were weak and incapable of protecting themselves. That would never do. “Do we ask their leaders to step in? Hand over the suspects?”

“So that they can send us whomever they want, scapegoats or martyrs convenient to their cause? I shouldn’t think so. If we go in asking for their help instead of demanding it, who knows what the outcome might be? I suggest something a little more forceful.”

Henry’s gaze shot to the phone in the center of the table, his ears ringing. He couldn’t believe the words coming to him right now. “War?”

“Of course war,” Juliet said, in a voice made of pure honey.

Over a single vampire? He didn’t particularly dislike Sage, but he didn’t like him either. A supernatural war between species made his stomach ball into a knot. If they did this, there’d be no turning back.

The financial repercussions would tear a hole in their society alone. Generally speaking, vampires amassed enormous wealth because of their longevity and their community. Was this smart money?

“We’d be culling the ranks,” Abioye said.

Ah...there was the financial gain. Any who didn’t make it out of a war intact would leave behind their assets to be absorbed by those who did. Henry could appreciate this plan.

“This would be our legacy,” Henry said. They had to be sure. “The legacy of this Council administration.”

Upton spoke. “I don’t think we have any choice. We leave ourselves too vulnerable otherwise. Even our own community might decide to start targeting Council. Do you want to spend the rest of your days looking over your shoulder?”

No one responded.

“I know we don’t have an odd number for this vote, but we do have a quorum. What say you all regarding this matter of war?”

Henry listened, first to the disembodied voices on the phone, the ones who all agreed this was a good idea. Then Juliet gave her assent. Followed by Abioye. Only his vote left to decide.

He said, “Aye.”

This was it. No turning back.

Vampires versus lycans.

War.

* * * * *

Also available from
Dee
Carney
and Carina Press

Hunger Aroused

Hunger Awakened

Taming Her Wolf

About the Author

Dee Carney started her writing career in elementary school, creating amazing journeys starring her friends, where everyone lived happily ever after by page five. Since then, she’s been a waitress, a teacher, a scientist and a nurse.

Today, Dee is a bestselling, award-winning author of over thirty novels and novellas, including those penned by her erotica-writing alter ego, Morgan Sierra. To buy the next book in this series, please visit Dee’s website
here
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deecarney.com/bookshelf
. To find out about other releases by Dee, sign up for her new release newsletter
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Don’t
miss
the
first
two
books
in
Dee
Carney’s
Vampire Hunger
series
.
HUNGER
AROUSED
and
HUNGER
AWAKENED
are
available
now
!

HUNGER
AROUSED
(
Vampire Hunger
, book
one
)

Jasmine is sick in bed when a sexy stranger breaks in and reveals she’s suffering an irreversible case of vampirism. And because her turning wasn’t approved by the Council, he must kill her once the transition is complete.

Corin’s honor demands he do his duty, but he cannot execute the lovely woman while any part of her humanity remains. Every hour they spend together—every sensual encounter they share—finds them growing closer. Now Corin will have to choose: kill the woman he loves, or go against everything he believes to set her free.

HUNGER
AWAKENED
(
Vampire Hunger
, book
two
)

There’s something inside of him
,
some dormant part that’s been awakened.
And now it wants to be set free...

Something’s wrong with Sebastian Kent. Already considered an outsider in the vampire community as a half vampire, half something else, he’ll do everything in his power to hide his weakness. But when sickness strikes, he has no choice but to turn to a human for help—a woman whose touch provides his only relief.

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Craving
more
sinfully
sexy
shifter
romance
from
Dee
Carney
?

Don’t
miss
TAMING
HER
WOLF
!

TAMING
HER
WOLF
,
Fire Creek Shifters
, book
one

“Chock-full of passionate sex, this romance from Carney keeps readers satisfied. Highly recommended.”
—
Library Journal
, starred review

For disgraced physician Kim Sharpe, Fire Creek was supposed to be a sanctuary, a place to hide from media scrutiny and the public eye. But when a group of wolf shifters breaks into her clinic and demands she save the life of a pack mate, her serene world unravels. And when the wolf dies despite Kim’s efforts, she’s dragged into a hunt she can’t control, led by a man she desperately wants to understand.

All shifters live with their beasts, but Chris “Brick” Preston’s is dangerously close to the surface. And it wants Kim. Sex keeps the beast sated for now, but unless Kim can help him find a more permanent solution, Brick risks becoming a feral, banished—or put down—by his pack.

With each incredibly intense encounter, Brick and Kim grow closer. But time is not on their side. When Kim is faced with betraying the pack in order to save Brick’s life, the consequences may be more than they can survive.

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