Tales of the Were: Magnus: Redstone Clan (15 page)

Next they started throwing things at her. Glasses and bottles escalated to chairs and tables, but she was able to dodge them all, speeding around the room. The bar was being trashed though. There would be a lot of work needed to bring the place back up to snuff after this was all said and done. Miranda only hoped she was still around to foot the bill.

Cassie screamed in rage as she and the other dozen bloodletters chased her around the bar. Miranda had the advantage in several ways. First, she was just a hair faster than the others. Second, she was stronger than every single one of them. Even if someone managed to get a hand on her, she was able to break free in seconds. Third, she knew the bar better than any of them. She’d been involved in the design and construction of the place from day one. Mel had overseen the day shift and Miranda had come to watch the night shift finish things. Theirs had been a very active partnership in the beginning.

Miranda had enjoyed getting to know her niece. She only hoped she’d be around to continue their acquaintance. But she was tiring. Her opponents knew she couldn’t keep up this pace indefinitely. Things were going to change sooner or later.

And then they did.

The door opened and everyone in the room froze in place as a new person entered the
building.

The Master had arrived.

Miranda could have wept. Tony was playing the part of the cavalry…or was he? She waited along with the rest of them, to see where he stood on the matter of Miranda’s life—or death.

“
My children, playing tag is not recommended indoors,” Tony observed, pulling off one of his leather gloves a finger at a time. Everyone in the big room watched to see what he would do, perhaps none as eagerly as Miranda. “Cassie dear, would you please explain the meaning of all this?” He waved negligently around the room, one hand still holding his silver-tipped cane—a rather human affectation, Miranda had always thought.

“Sure,” Cassie said defiantly, stepping toward the Master. “Why not?” She sneered at the man she had previously sworn to obey. My, how times had changed. “Since you decided to do
nothing
about Miranda and her pet, we took it upon ourselves to corner her and kill her. Once we’re done with her, the cat will be next.”

“You would start a war with the most powerful shifter Clan in the United States?” Tony observed, one eyebrow rising in the merest show of interest. “All because of one little vampire and her mate?” Tony made a tsking sound as he shook his head. “You disappoint me, Cassandra. You and all those who’ve gathered behind you. And Raintree. Don’t think I don’t know who’s behind all of this.”

“What of it? Soon you’ll be dead and Raintree will wear the mantle of Master.” Cassie was really pushing her luck, Miranda thought. It was one thing to threaten a relatively low-level being like Miranda. It was another thing entirely to defy the Master to his face.

“You think so?” Tony’s voice had dropped to a low pitch that held a world of warning in it. Apparently Cassie couldn’t or wouldn’t hear it.

“I know so,” Cassie replied, raising her chin in defiance.

Tony was a blur as he crossed the space between himself and Cass
andra. The knob of his cane came out, and he threw the long stick aside revealing…not a sword…but a stake. A wooden stake that he pushed straight into Cassie’s chest.

She clutched at his hands as she died, falling slowly to the floor as the Master stood over her. The look on his face was one of stern regret.

“I take no pleasure in ending a life, but defying me in my own domain cannot be tolerated.” Tony looked up at the rest of the bloodletters who watched with varying expressions.

Most didn’t seem to care that Cassie was done for. A few seemed taken aback, but still defiant. It was clear to Miranda that the battle wasn’t over. Not yet.

“Miranda, do you serve the Light?” The Master snapped his question out like a whip. It caught her by surprise, but the answer came out of her mouth without thought.

“Always,” she replied.

“Then you may serve in my court.” Tony nodded with an old world charm. Sort of like a liege lord bestowing a boon on his vassal. For all she knew, maybe he had been such a lord. He certainly knew how to act the part. “The rest of you,” Tony addressed the dozen bloodletters that remained. “If you serve the Light and agree to abide by my rule, you will be spared. If you continue to side with the forces of evil, you will either leave or die. What say you?”

“The Light never did me one damn bit of good,” one ruffian spoke up. He was a friend of Cassie’s. Rough around the edges, he was a young vampire who had only been made recently. “The night I woke up a vampire, I gave up all things associated with the Light. And the day I killed my first man—I was only a teenager—I decided then and there that the devil could have me, ‘cause God sure wouldn’t.”

“Think carefully on your words,” Tony warned. “Vampire I may be, but I have served the Mother Goddess all my nights and will continue to be Her servant for all the nights I have left. I will not ally myself with those who oppose Her goodness. You will either leave my domain or die by my hand. Your choice.” Tony eased back, his stance going loose. Ready for anything.

Miranda took her cues from him. He had lived centuries. He knew how to win a fight. She could do worse than learn from an expert like the Master. She dropped back into a ready stance. If they were goin
g to attack, it would be soon.

Mag didn’t dare break into Miranda’s thoughts, but their connection was close enough now that he was aware of her situation. He’d known the moment she’d walked into the bar, and he’d given the signal to the team to start their operation at Raintree’s. He was acting in a support capacity for now, keeping mental track of his mate through their connection without doing anything to distract her.

Mag knew when Tony waltzed in
to the bar, and felt Miranda’s surprise when he staked Cassie without blinking an eye. Wow. Mag hadn’t realized Tony had it in him. Not really. He’d known intellectually that the man had to have balls and superior fighting skills to claw his way to the title of Master. Mag had just never seen it in action.

He kept one part of his mind on the
wine bar while the rest of him brought up the rear as the small team of shifters infiltrated through the back alley at Raintree’s. It wouldn’t take long before their presence was discovered, but he caught the scent of their prey almost the moment he stepped inside the back entrance of the club.

The guards—human guards—that had been stationed in the back of the club were knocked
out and tied up. Not a sound had been made to betray the shifters’ presence. Mag had to admire his brother’s security team. They had serious skills.

None of the others had met Melissa, so Mag gave the signal to his elder brothers. He’d take point to locate the room where she was being held. It wasn’t far. He knew that for a fact.
His nose told him so.

Melissa shared the roses and cinnamon scent of her great aunt, but to a lesser degree, and it was tempered by her human side. That, and the wine that surrounded her working hours had left
its traces in her scent. It was an easy scent trail to follow in the miasma of humans and vampires that populated the rest of the dance club.

One short hallway and three doors later,
Mag located the room. He scented one vampire in there with her, as well as a human female. And fresh blood. Shit.

Mag nodded to Steve when he gave him the signal. Of the group, Mag was probably the fastest now. And Melissa knew him. She’d be less likely to freak out if she saw him enter the room and incapacitate the bloodsucker.

In Mag’s mind, connected as he was to Miranda’s thoughts and emotions, he felt the standoff happening at the wine bar. He shut that part down for a moment so he could concentrate on his task. He’d hit this hard and fast, and all would be well. Taking a deep breath, Mag kicked open the door, storming into the small room.

The vampire didn’t know what hit him. One minute he was snacking on a half-naked human woman, the next, he was up against the wall with Mag’s hand on his throat. The fangs didn’t scare Mag
, and when the bastard tried to shapeshift, Mag punched him in the throat, cutting off his air. A heavy tap on the head put the bastard down for the count.

Mag left the unconscious vamp to his brother’s people. They had ways to secure him that he wouldn’t be able to escape. He also left the bleeding woman to
one of the female shifters on his brother’s team. Mag went for Melissa.

He untied her and loosened the cloth gag that was tied around her face.

“We need to be quiet, but we’re here to get you out. Are you okay to walk, Melissa?” he asked quietly as he worked.

“Magnus? What the hell? That guy is a vampire!” She was definitely freaking out, but managing to keep it down as well. So far, so good.

“Yes he is, Mel,” Mag confirmed. “And there are more of them in the immediate vicinity. I’m here to get you out as quietly as possible, but if we have to fight them, we will, and it won’t be pretty. Stand up, honey.” He supported her as he lifted her to her feet but she was feisty and batted his hands away.

“I can do it,” she insisted. “Where’s Randi?”

“Fighting them at your bar,” he answered honestly. “They lured her there but we figured out you were being held here so we split up.”

“You let her go alone?” Mel was getting angry. Mag liked her spirit.

“Not exactly. She’s got a seven hundred year old vampire fighting on her side. And once we get you to safety, I’m going to go help her, so let’s get a move on, okay?”

“Yeah,” she replied, walking unsteadily toward the broken door. “I got it. Let’s go.”

At the wine bar across town, the
young vampire attacked first, and went down just as quickly while his fellows watched. That left eleven for Miranda and the Master to deal with.

Eleven against two. The odds still sucked.

Miranda knew Mag was busy, and she didn’t dare distract him, but she felt the moment he found Mel. His emotions reached out to her, humming in the back of her mind. She knew he wasn’t out of danger yet, but he’d found Mel and she was alive. Of that, at least, Miranda was certain.

Knowing that, she felt a moment of relief. It made what was about to come next somehow easier, knowing her
grandniece was in good hands. She trusted Mag and his Clansmen to see to Mel. They would get her someplace safe.

“Do you know what a
Chevalier de la Lumiere
is?” the Master asked almost conversationally as he touched the bloody tip of the wooden spike he still held in his right hand.

That piece of wood had already killed two vampires. It would see a lot more action tonight if these assholes didn’t back down.

“A Knight of the Light?” Miranda spoke her thoughts aloud. She’d heard whispers of such beings, but thought they were merely a legend.

“A fairytale,” one of the older vampires scoffed.

“I thought so too,” Tony agreed. “Until I met one.” Disbelief showed on the faces of their enemies all around, but the Master definitely had their attention. “He gave me a means by which to summon him. If you persist, I may have to use it.”

The younger bloodletters seemed uncomfortable but the older ones
looked unimpressed, Miranda noticed. Not good. They were probably going to have to fight their way out of this after all.

“You’ll be threatening us with hobgoblins next.” The older vamp, who seemed to be the new spokesman for the group sneered. “You’re weak, Antoine. You always were. We should’ve challenged you long ago.”

Tony laughed out loud, shocking Miranda a little. “None of you are strong enough to take me in a real Challenge—a fair fight. This is cowardly, but I should expect no less from people who align themselves with the
Venifucus
.”

Miranda gasped but saw no
argument on the faces of the eleven left facing them. They
were
in league with the
Venifucus
. She was appalled. Only truly twisted minds would ally themselves with a group that wanted to bring back the Destroyer of Worlds.

“You saved us some effort, Antoine,” the spokesman went on, coming closer. “After we dealt with the animal lover and her pet, our next stop was your place.”

“Since you cannot be dissuaded, I see no reason to delay.” Tony took a ready stance as if to invite the attack.

A moment later all hell broke loose.
Again.

The eleven who were left split up. Three of the younger ones went after Miranda and the rest centered on Tony. She wasn’t dodging them this time. No, she’d learned from the earlier skirmish. This time, she was using her superior strength and going for the kill. She would have to hit them as hard and fast as she could before they overwhelmed her or Tony…or both.

She fought like a she-cat, clawing and scratching, using her abilities to shift into monster shapes that served her well. Her hands became razor-tipped claws that pierced deep into flesh. She took out one of the attackers right away by piercing his heart. Her claws weren’t exactly wooden spikes, but they did a pretty good job all the same.