Unforgiven (The Forbidden Bond 2) (36 page)

“He who? The Rogue?” Brandi asked.

“The Master. I don’t know anyone they call Rogue.”

The woman reached up and turned on the light. She was a breathtaking beauty. Her wavy blond hair wrapped around her like a blanket to her waist. She unfolded her tall statuesque frame from the chair and promptly collapsed back into it. Brandi moved in to get a closer look.

“Are you alright? When was the last time you fed?”

“I don’t like it,” she whined, “I don’t do it until he makes me.”

Okay this was weird. On closer inspection Brandi realized that her eyes weren’t just dark but black with hunger and the tips of her fangs were pressing into her lower lip. Vamps at this stage could be unstable.

“What is your name? I’m Brandi, Brandi Vaughn.” The blond looked at her curiously.

“I’ve seen you at the club before. Did they take you from the club?”

Tears filled her obsidian eyes and Brandi began to put the pieces together. She was a made vampire and very recently made. It had to have been against her will considering she was a prisoner. A gilded cage is still a cage. Her comment about being taken meant she was likely kidnapped. Humans that choose the change were usually in love with a vamp so they understood the process, having been fed on themselves or they were humans with life threatening illnesses. If given the choice between dying or a long life that included vampirism, most chose to live. They also knew that there is a fifty-fifty chance they won’t survive the change. Some bodies simply reject the blood, treating it like a virus.

“No they didn’t take me from the club. I was born this way. They took me because they want my sister.” Brandi opened the fridge and was grateful to find a stock of bagged blood along with other food items. She popped a bag in the microwave to warm it a bit.

“It’s kind of a long story I would be glad to tell you after you feed. Tell me your name. I don’t really like
Hey You
.”

“Lindsay. My name is Lindsay. I don’t want to drink that stuff. It’s gross,” she whined again.

“I know it seems that way now, but over time your palate will adjust and you’ll start to think of it as food just like any other. If you don’t feed, you’ll die, probably after you attack and hurt someone else though. Do you want the hunger to take over and force you to take what you need to survive?”

“No. I don’t want to hurt people. I used to be a people, a person I mean.”

“You still are a person, Lindsay. You’re just a stronger person with different dietary needs. You will likely live longer than most people, too.”

The microwave beeped and Brandi pulled out the bag of type A. She swished it around while she searched the drawer.

“Yes! This is just what we need. I found a straw.” She cut a small hole in the bag and inserted the straw.

“I want you to put the straw toward the back of your mouth and suck it down fast. You’ll feel much better when you’re done.”

Lindsay winced but followed direction. Her body wanted it but her human sensibilities balked at drinking human blood. As she drank the color of her eyes faded to chocolate brown with little flecks of gold and her fangs receded. Damn. It was even worse than standing next to her sister. Brandi was suddenly feeling very average.

****

Derek walked across the Enclave in shock. The bodies of dead warriors lay haphazardly all over the grounds. Most of the warriors had been either deployed during the raid or they were out at the Council
hall fighting off the attack and fire there. Most of the men that stayed behind were traitors working for the Master. Those who weren’t were either killed or escaped the carnage. So far, he had counted ten bodies.  Darren had planned this entire siege with the Master and Derek never saw it coming. He had been sneaking in and out of the Enclave with Candy to retrieve documents from rouge warriors and he knew things were coming to a head but he never imagined the Master would attempt a takeover so soon.

Even if he had known, Derek couldn’t honestly say he would have given up last night with Brandi to stop it. He only wished they’d had more time to strengthen their bond. He knew it would deepen with time and close contact, but at this distance she was barely more than a shadow in the back of his mind. He feared his humanity would keep them from having a complete bond, but it hadn’t. Now he hoped their connection would grow so he could feel her constantly the way he had when they were close. After the experience of being able to feel how much she loved and needed him, this separation left him empty and cold. 

Derek needed to focus. The Master’s faith in him was definitely waning and his distraction wouldn’t be received well. He wondered how much time he had left to find his mom. He entered the gymnasium where he’d been directed to report and was confronted with the accusing eyes of the women and children who lived on the Enclave. They were being held prisoner and Derek had a good idea of what the Master would want in return for their release. Dani. Some of the women were terrorized after seeing warriors and friends mowed down in front of them and many of the younger children were crying. One woman in particular looked like she’d had the shit beat out of her. Her long blond hair was matted with blood from her mouth and nose. Her eyes were swollen shut.

Derek approached a Shade on guard duty he recognized.

“Where is the Master? I was told to find him here.”

“He went to get his little pet settled. If you ask me, it sets a bad example for him to keep a human around. But, nobody asked me, did they?” The Shade commented, “Says this is gonna be our permanent home so he wanted his property close at hand.”

The Master strode into the room and the females cringed. They knew exactly who he was and what he was capable of. Derek’s mind struggled to work out what was happening here. Why had the Master put Derek’s mother within his reach, unless he planned to use her as leverage. The Master directed Derek to follow him into a private room. There was a map of the Enclave on the wall and he studied it while he spoke.

“It’s about time you showed up, boy. I have a task for you. Where have you been?”

“Darren sent me out on patrol by the docks,” he lied. “I wasn’t informed of this action.”

 “Yes, well, Darren disappeared just as soon as his duty to me was served so, it’s up to you. I would have had to kill him eventually anyway. He holds to much sway with the Shade. They shouldn’t hold anyone above me.”

“May I ask exactly what Darren got out of this? He doesn’t seem like the type to volunteer.”

The Master chuckled.

“He didn’t, I assure you. When his deal with me was discovered and he had to hide or be punished for his crimes, Darren tried to run. The only problem was that all of his considerable savings were frozen in an account here on the Enclave.” The Master looked over his shoulder at Derek.

“Did you know they have their own bank here? It saves them from having to explain to the bank why they’ve had accounts under the same name for hundreds of years. That’s how he ended up with us. You can’t even get a hotel room for the night without a functioning credit card. So he agreed to train the Shade and get us into the Enclave in exchange for an ungodly amount of cash. I have to say that it was well worth it.”

He shrugged elegantly and turned to face Derek. The man was a fool if he thought Darren was going anywhere without his mate. It was clear the Master didn’t understand the mate bond. Derek was starting to feel a little out of sorts and edgy to get back to Brandi. He was now beginning to understand Darren’s madness.

“Now, back to you. Your mother sends her love. I’ve got her close at hand, just in case you decide to misbehave.”

That was what he expected. The Master threatens his mother and then gives him a horrific task to complete. If he thought Derek could get anywhere near Danielle, he had really lost his mind. They would be on high alert now.

“I have the identity of our mysterious pyro. I tried to beat it out of the woman that seemed to be in charge of the females, but she wouldn’t talk. It was really too bad of her to let me mangle her pretty face.” He looked contemplative.

“Anyway, when I decided to drain her for making me break a sweat, one of the other females said she would give me the name if I would just let their matron live. I agreed. But I never said how long I would let her live. I’m getting hungry.”

Oh, hell no! This could not be going where he thought it was?

“It seems the blood running through the House of Vaughn is particularly strong these days. I have contacted the Council and demanded Danielle Vaughn in exchange for the rest of their mates and children. It could go either way. Half the Council will want to sacrifice the one to save the many. The other half will argue that Danielle is too powerful to hand over. She will make me powerful beyond their understanding. The things that girl could do if she had the backbone to use her gifts.

“What I need is a backup plan, an insurance policy of sorts. You will go fetch me my pyro, Ms. Brandi Vaughn.”

Derek had to back up a step to keep himself from strangling the Master. The need to protect his mate ran deep.

“Get her and bring her to me. If the Council doesn’t want to give me my prize, I will offer Brandi up directly to Danielle. She may come out of hiding to save her half-sister. If not, I drain the pyro. It’s a win-win for me. Now be gone before I feel the need to show the men how strong I am. It will be much harder to catch your prey after I kick your mongrel ass.”

The Master exited the room and Derek breathed deeply to control his need to kill the man. He would never touch a hair on Brandi’s precious head. The only way he had ever kicked Derek’s ass was when he submitted in order to protect his mom. Nobody wanted to tangle with Derek, but the Master had all of them fooled into believing he could take Derek down. It seemed even the Master had forgotten it was just an act.

TWENTY ONE

Dani leaned against the kitchen counter and watched the males standing around Gage’s huge, heavy wood dining room table staring at a map of the Enclave. Gage’s usual icy calm and steady control had melted into simmering rage that had everyone on edge. Something intensely painful had happened to his mate, Koren, and Gage was spoiling for a fight. Strategies and backup plans were in the making to take back the Enclave and, more importantly, their mates and children.

Several Wrath teams arrived after being recalled from their deployments and Griffin was filling the men in on current events. A few of the team members had to be restrained when they were informed that their family members were being used as pawns. The Rogue wanted Dani and he was trying to turn her people against her again. She was sure that every warrior who had a loved one, mate, or child trapped on the Enclave right now would trade her for them without a second thought. That was as it should be, in her mind. Griffin asked them to put their anger to good use and come up with suggestions on the safest way to free their mates and children. The teams listened to Griffin as they watched their frazzled Captain brood in the corner. They knew his mate was in danger too.

Once again, the map was reviewed and additional options were given and discussed. Dani looked out of the window over the kitchen sink at the tent city that had sprung up on the large piece of property the Paris family owned. Several hundred warriors had made their temporary home as comfortable as was possible. Many warriors who lived out in the community had taken their friends and teammates home with them to clean up and prepare for the coming battle. Everyone was on high alert and waited for the order to move.

Dani had a plan of her own. The execution was going to be difficult at best. As per her habit, Dani’s mother Tessa stepped in just when she was needed most. Her mother was being particularly allusive of late and Dani didn’t believe any of her lame excuses, but now wasn’t the time to pry. Now was the time for action. So Dani didn’t question her precognitive mother when she called, offering the opportunity to speak with the very man she needed to solicit for help but had no way of reaching. Her hope was that Tessa was in contact with Brandi and had arranged the clandestine rendezvous with her boyfriend.

She had to get out of the house and to church in town without Chase or anyone else realizing she had gone. She looked over her shoulder and couldn’t help smiling at the sight of her mate brainstorming and strategizing with the other males. He had gone from a give-a-shit playboy to mated male and junior Councilman so fast that many people didn’t recognize him anymore. Chase felt her eyes on him and looked up to give her a half-smile. He could feel her pride in him and the love that poured through their bond wrapping around him. It was unfair, but she was using those very real emotions to build a mental wall between them. Chase was preoccupied and unable to focus on her. It wouldn’t work for long, but it would give her a chance to slip away. She returned his smile and nodded toward the guest room they were sharing. Believing she meant to go rest, Chase went back to deliberation with the other males.

Once in the guest room, it was only a matter of opening the French doors to exit onto the lawn that now held a sea of multicolored tents and camping chairs. No one looked her way when she walked calmly and purposefully to the front of the large house and hopped into Chase’s Mercedes.

****

Dani made her way to the courtyard in the rear of the church and entered the open wrought iron gate. She shot out a mental feeler and found a sad darkness hovering around the gazebo. Derek had some very strong shields. She attempted to catch any stray thoughts to gauge his receptiveness to the meeting, but all she got was a solid wall of sullen regret. 

The dark deeds in Derek’s past and the potential for even worse criminal behavior in his future made her fearful for Brandi. In the time they were connected during Brandi’s ordeal at the Council hall, Dani learned a great deal about the male that was drifting around in the evening shadows. She knew he had the potential to be a great man with the right influences. His willingness to risk exposing himself to search for Brandi spoke volumes about his feelings for her. When they were together Dani hadn’t felt the ominous cloud that surrounded him now. That also gave her pause to worry for her half-sister’s safety. No one had seen or heard from her since she walked away with Derek. If she wasn’t hiding out with Tessa, where was he keeping her?