Redemption of Fate (Fate Series Book 2) (5 page)

He re-tied her top without breaking the kiss and pulled back to look up at her. Her bottom lip poked out reflexively in response, as it almost always did when he moved away from her. She strained towards him with her eyes still closed, searching for his mouth again, but he slid his hands onto her shoulders and held her away.
 

Alexa’s lids lifted, revealing stormy gray eyes full of lust as they searched Ethan’s face, wondering why he was pulling away from her.

“What are you doing?” she asked, breathily.

“At the moment, I am just enjoying the magnificent view, Amor,” he responded, watching her as she continued to grind in slow circles against him. Her body jerked slightly as the rotation of her hips pushed his hard cock against her engorged clit. The force of her desire never ceased to amaze and excite him, making him reconsider the break he intended to take, but before he could think better of it, a loud smack in the water behind them pulled her focus. She turned her head just in time to see a dolphin breach the water and come down on its side again.

Ethan laughed and shook his head at the resounding squeal which came from Alexa, as she leapt up and took off toward the bay their villa overlooked.
 

He leaned back on his elbows in the sand and watched Alexa enter the water. He considered joining her, but his erection seemed to have other ideas, so he decided to stay on the beach to enjoy watching her instead. Lucky for him, the small pod of dolphins didn’t remain in the bay for long, sending Alexa back to him after only a few minutes.
 

He sat up for a better view as she started to come up out of the water, pausing briefly to dunk her head back and smooth her hair. Standing again, she began to strut mischievously up the beach towards him. His mouth went dry at the sight of her sun-kissed body shimmering in the sunlight against a backdrop of white sand and brilliant blue water. The scraps of material which were intended to pass for a bikini were doing a rather poor job concealing her ample curves.

His eyes raked over her body, pausing to enjoy the gentle sway of her breasts for a few steps before continuing up and locking on the bottom lip she was gripping between her teeth. Ethan groaned as her tongue appeared and swept across her already kiss-swollen mouth.
 

As she drew closer, the sky behind Alexa suddenly grew dark. The wind picked up and swirled violently around Ethan, throwing sand in every direction, blinding him as he tried to rush to Alexa. He struggled to his knees only to fall back into the sand as if his limbs had been bound to the ground. He laid there, paralyzed, as he started to sink into the liquid sand and was forced to watch Alexa, naked and bleeding, being pulled back into the water by an invisible force. She smiled at him sadly, with eyes full of love and understanding as she moved further and further away into waves which had turned the color of blood.

Ethan roared at the sky and suddenly found himself right in front of Alexa, standing frozen on the surface of the bloody water, watching helplessly as another vampire ravaged her neck while she continued to smile back at him. After what felt like ten excruciating lifetimes, the light disappeared from her eyes, her head falling limply onto the attacker’s shoulder. The stranger carelessly dropped her lifeless body, standing with his back to Ethan as she disappeared into the ocean of red.
 

Ethan, too, began to sink as the strange man turned. More and more of stranger’s face was revealed the further Ethan descended, until he was almost completely submerged. Just before he was swallowed by the depths, the man faced him directly, a wicked sneer plastered on his face. Ethan recognized his own red-eyed face staring back at him as he fell below the surface of the water into complete darkness.

✧

“I hope you have good news for me, Anton,” Lucias said in lieu of a greeting, as he put the phone to his ear; despite the fact that he already knew the mission had failed.

“Sire, forgive me; I don’t know what happened,” the man rushed out, his voice panicked. “We found them, right where the seer said they would be. Twelve men went in initially, while the rest of us hung back, exactly as you instructed. Everything was going according to plan; we took out two of their men and one of ours was about to grab the child. But then I heard her scream and the next thing I knew, we all woke up on the ground right where we’d been waiting. They were gone and the twelve were dead.”

“I see,” Lucias said, his tone devoid of emotion. “Are the other men with you now?”

“Yes, Sire; we returned to the safe house Kaleb arranged for us.”

“Anton, put me on speaker and pass the phone to the man nearest to you,” Lucias commanded calmly. After a few moments, he continued. “Anton, you are to stand completely still, precisely where you are right now; do not move or speak again. To whom has he given the phone?”

“Me, Sire; Nathan,” the somewhat confused vampire holding the phone responded.

“Excellent. Nathan, you are now in charge of the unit. Take out one of your guns and place a bullet directly between Anton’s incompetent eyes,” he hissed.

There was no response, as Lucias listened expectantly, hearing a slight rustling, followed by a click, and finally, a single satisfying gunshot.

“Nathan, I hope you prove to be a more effective leader than your predecessor. Return home with your unit immediately. They are bringing the child to Boston,” he said, and hung up.

Lucias paced the space in front of his desk, the exhilaration which always came from a demonstration of his supreme power quickly dissipating as he considered how he had just contributed to the reduction in the ranks of his army. Though thirteen out of nearly a thousand wasn’t a significant blow, it was a setback, nonetheless. He had it on very good authority that his forces outnumbered The Elite nearly two to one and, thanks to his virus, they were stronger and faster. Of course, the price of the virus, the side effects which banished his men to the night and made them vulnerable to silver, closed the gap; which was precisely why he needed the child, Chloe.

Asana had been clear; she saw nothing of the child or any of the family beyond their time in the home of the witches. Of course that would be the case; he’d known the window of opportunity would be brief the moment he’d sent the human soldiers to kill the Klines’ pet witch.
 

He scrolled back to the message he’d received moments before Anton’s phone call.

From: Restricted

Men failed to acquire, flying to Boston immediately.

No access to flight info. Will contact when safe.

Lucias smiled and slipped the phone into the pocket of his blazer. His informant had proven most useful over the years, but never so much so as in the last few weeks. The spy’s information had given him Ethan Kellar, along with his new bride, and the Klines’ witch. Not to mention, all of the information about the child, her ever increasing abilities, her rapid growth, even her favorite blood type. Creating the forbidden blood bond all those years ago turned out to be one of his most effective strategies in his fight for power. Though his attraction to men had initially been an impulse of curiosity, things changed when he met Christopher. His feelings for him were far stronger than anything he’d ever felt for Kaleb’s mother, a companion he’d taken only for appearance’s sake, and he was in no doubt of Christopher’s reciprocation of those feelings. Yes, the vampire loved him; so much so that he was willing to betray everything and everyone he believed in.

Lucias felt himself begin to lengthen in his pants, as he considered what it would be like to share his pet human, Molly, with his bonded mate. The circumstances being what they were, Lucias hadn’t actually laid eyes on the man in many years. A separation necessary for the achievement of Lucias’s goals, but it would soon be over. In the meantime, Lucias would continue to entertain himself with Molly and the humans she brought home for him.

His thoughts turning to the human woman, Lucias ran his hand lightly over his growing erection through the supple material of his expensive trousers. She was out hunting for the night, no doubt selecting the perfect little plaything for him to enjoy, the thought of which made him even harder. In just a few short hours she would return, providing a much needed release and distraction.

Like his spy, Molly had proven to be a very useful addition to his world. Her lust for pain and blood made her a nearly ideal companion, but her fragile human body had its limits. On more than one occasion, Lucias had nearly ended her life by mistake. How he wished she could be made vampire. Blessed with enhanced strength and accelerated healing, there would be almost no limit to the dangerous games they could play together.

She would make an exceptional vampire,
Lucias thought to himself. Even constrained by the limitations of human strength, she’d singlehandedly captured the great Ethan Kellar, and his new bride, Alexa; an accomplishment which had eluded more than one of his vampire soldiers over the years. The brief thought of Alexa sparked a new idea, causing a wicked smile to spread across his face before he leaned over his desk and touched a button on the telephone system anchored there.

“Bring Kaleb to me at once,” he said into the air.

CHAPTER 4 -
Journey to Boston

“I don’t give a fuck about your rules, Claesson! We were just attacked and I lost a damn good man, so don’t try to tell me there’s no danger in your precious compound! Where the High Commander goes, we go; no exceptions!” Erikson yelled, completely irate, his face mere inches away from that of the commander of The Elite, as they stood in the hangar which housed the jet they would take to Boston in less than ten minutes.
 

“I don’t think I need to remind you that you’re not the only one who lost a man tonight, considering you’re still wearing half of him! My compound is the most secure facility in the country; hell, in the goddamn world! We have a leak, and you and your men are on a very short list of people who could be the source. So, as far as I’m concerned, you and your team of guards can shove your demands up your asses!” Commander Claesson retorted, equally as angry.

“Are you implying one of my men is feeding information to that filthy traitor? You’ve got a lot of fucking nerve! How do we know it’s not one of your precious Elite? From what I hear, some of them are itching for a little action. Nothing like starting a war to combat decades of boredom, serving under an asshole like you!” Erikson responded, pushing his chest into the large vampire who had him by at least two inches and a good fifty pounds of muscle, not to mention he was several centuries older, meaning he had him on brute strength as well.
 

Unlike humans, a vampire’s strength increased with age. But Erikson had the law on his side. Attacking one of the High Commander’s personal guards was considered the same as attacking the High Commander himself, an offense punishable by imprisonment, or even death, if the High Commander deemed it so. Erikson would have liked nothing more than for Claesson to take a shot at him. With Claesson out of the way, Erikson was next in line to lead The Elite, a highly coveted position amongst their kind.
 

Being captain of the High Commander’s personal guard was a prestigious position as well, but Erikson ached for the notoriety which came with commanding a force of hundreds of the most powerful beings in existence instead of his modest team of twenty. He was ready for it, and he had been grooming O’Mally, his first lieutenant, for years to step into his place if and when the need arose. A planner by nature, he knew he would not be allowed to leave his post with the guard without a suitable replacement in place.
 

“Captain Erikson, that’s quite enough,” the High Commander interjected; hearing the direction of his captain’s thoughts. Having spent nearly a century together, William was well aware of Erikson’s ambitions to lead The Elite. Hell, he even admired him for the aspiration, being a man of high goals himself.
 

The road to becoming High Commander had not been an easy one. A modest landowner at the time, William had clawed his way up to a position amongst the prestigious members of The Agency all those years ago, his talent for mind-reading allowing him to influence some of the highest members of vampire society and gain their support in his campaign.
 

When the previous High Commander was lured away from his guard and killed in a hopeless attempt to save his infected son, William pounced on the opportunity by revealing his telepathy, touting the ability as making him impervious to the kind of deception which had destroyed his predecessor. Indeed, his telepathy made him a superior leader and the other members of The Agency voted him into the position unanimously.
 

Now, looking at his captain, William couldn’t help but see some of himself in the younger vampire. The man was driven, dedicated, focused, and unfailingly loyal, all qualities he valued and probably why, over the years, in addition to becoming captain of his personal guard, Erikson had grown to be one of his dearest friends.
 

“Commander, if I could have a word with you privately,” William said; gesturing towards the empty room at the back of the hangar.

Reeling in his temper, Commander Claesson tore his eyes from the staring match with Erikson and flashed across the space to join the High Commander, who was already seated at the table in the sound-proof room. The airstrip was one of several like it that The Elite owned all over the world.
 

By sheer luck, Claesson happened to be visiting the Indianapolis base of The Elite when the High Commander’s call for emergency transport came in. With someone of that level of importance under his care, Claesson was determined to oversee the mission personally.
 

“Alek, please sit,” William said; gesturing towards an empty chair. “Of course I understand your concerns in light of what happened tonight, truly, but I can assure you, no one in this building is responsible for giving information to Lucias. We cannot be certain whether the theory of a spy is valid since, as you are aware, Lucias possesses a seer and it’s entirely possible that she’s the source of his information. This photograph,” he said, pulling the singed paper from his pocket. “is hardly solid evidence since it could have belonged to Barb. As for the lack of contact from my daughter,” he continued; stroking his thumb over her image in the picture from her wedding, “we can’t yet know what it means. There has been unseasonably inclement weather down south which could have forced them to delay. It is far too soon to tell and I will not leave any of my men in the wind while we wait. Besides, if one of my men was responsible for this, I would know. It would be impossible for the most powerful amongst them to conceal his thoughts from me and I have interviewed each of them. There is no betrayal amongst my men, perhaps a little too much ambition, but no betrayal. I hope that eases some of your concerns.”