Dangerous Sacrifice (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 6) Page 14

  ‘I can’t wait,’ Flynn offered.

  Jolie released the kiss at the same time Jacques finished feeding. There was an audible gasp of relief from Flynn.

  Now he could focus.

  Jolie kissed Jacques, sinking her fangs into his lip.

  Now he moaned.

  Flynn grinned. “It’s all fun and games until you’re the victim,” he stated.

  Didn’t he know it?

  “We should go,” Jolie said, pulling free from her mates’ bodies. She reached for Percy and Mina. When they arrived in the room, Mina was red, and the vampyre was grinning.

  That spoke volumes.

  “When we’re away, keep the house secured,” Jolie stated.

  Jacques agreed. “Flynn, can you call Vanth? She’ll need to play guard dog.”

  “Vanth, I need you.”

  The demon appeared in a flutter of wings. She was munching on something.

  “What are you eating?” Flynn asked. “It smells really horrible.”

  “It’s just some vampyre from when we killed Nathaniel. I had it squirreled away. It was only a finger or two from his hand. I misplaced it and found it again.”

  They all stared at her.

  “What? Did you want some?”

  Even Flynn looked grossed out. “You just ate rotting, four month old found fingers?”

  “Yes. They were like aged…”

  He stopped her. “No. Don’t. We don’t need to know. We do need you to watch the house.”

  Jacques agreed. “I wouldn’t put it past the vampyres to come here when we’re at council. They’ll want to learn everything about us. Keep them out, and keep Mina and Percy safe.”

  She smiled. “If you find any fingers…”

  “I’ll bring them home, okay?” Flynn stated.

  Both Jolie and Jacques glanced over at him.

  “What?”

  “You’re an enabler.”

  He found that amusing. “I’m feeding my demon,” he stated. “What’s wrong with that?”

  Jolie corrected him. “She’s technically my demon. I found her first,” she teased.

  Vanth took her seriously. “Actually, Mistress, I was his demon a long time ago. Master had a few pet…”

  “Vanth, zip it,” Flynn warned.

  His mates glanced over at him.

  “What was she going to say about Rinnon?” Jolie asked.

  “Way too much.”

  Flynn’s eyes went black at the mention of the name. It always pulled the darkness from him. While Flynn was inside his body, the squatter was there too. It was hard to keep him quiet. He was picking up more and more of the demon’s past. He recalled Vanth, and how she’d been a part of his life then.

  “I’m sorry, Master.”

  “It’s okay, Vanth.”

  “I don’t get it.”

  Flynn shrugged. “It’s hard to control him if you say his name. It’s like Vanth when she was squatting in Chloe. If you say her name, she’ll come out.”

  Jolie never thought about that.

  “So when we say it, he’s in there?”

  That kind of weirded her out a little bit. When they were rolling around what if it wasn’t Flynn?

  “It’s always me. I’m still Flynn,” he offered, hearing her thoughts.

  “I didn’t mean anything by that,” she offered.

  “It’s okay. I understand.”

  Jolie changed the subject.

  “So Vanth was Rinnon’s demon?”

  Shit!

  She said it again.

  Flynn had no choice but to let the darkness out. Carrying that tattoo made it hard to keep buried. This was what he’d worried about on the night they’d been inked.

  His whole body rippled from the power. His eyes went so dark it felt like they’d eclipse all the light. His fangs lengthened and the points looked deadly.

  Jolie moved toward him, sensing his struggle. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he sniffed her hair.

  “My love,” he whispered into her ear.

  “I’m here, Flynn,” she promised. “You don’t have to fight him. Rinnon is welcome to come out. We accept you as you are.”

  Jacques even moved closer, this time with no fear. He hugged his mate from behind, and slowly, the tension ebbed from him.

  “I’ll be okay. It’s hard to adjust, that’s all.”

  They understood.

  Jolie would talk to Vanth later. Having this discussion in front of Flynn was hurting him. She couldn’t help it. Jolie was curious.

  “Let’s just go and see what they want,” Jacques offered. Now he saw that he wasn’t the only one struggling with his mark. Flynn was too.

  ‘I am,’ he whispered into Jacques mind. ‘You’re not alone.’

  That made him feel so much better.

  Jolie agreed, and she took her mates’ hands in hers. “I’m ready to see what will happen,” she offered.

  Both mates had a bad feeling.

  It wasn’t easy to put it away.

  For tonight, they’d need to really be on guard.

  For Jolie’s sake.

  * * * H a r c o u r t e * * *

  Paris

  He’d been bored in his office. It was time to make a personal appearance to the vampyre in his cell. They’d worked him over something fierce, and he loved every second of it.

  The vampyre would break.

  Or at least that was his hope.

  Standing in the dank, wet cell, he watched the man being dragged into the room. Around his arms and legs were silver shackles, and there was a hood over his head.

  It pleased him to know that he now had the link to Jolie Harcourte. While she was eluding him, this blood relative hadn’t. He would be the one thing that brought her into his control.

  He’d studied his prey.

  He’d listened to the talk.

  The gossip.

  The rumors.

  It was said that she was a pushover for anyone who was hurt.

  Well, that was his hope.

  This pathetic vampyre, covered in his own blood, would be her downfall. While she’d managed to escape him, time after time, this would be the end of the line.

  She was beat.

  The clock was ticking on her freedom, and when he had her in his grasp, he would cut those vile babies from her body and feed them to the animals in the sewers.

  There was no way he would lose his post as leader of the Tueur. He’d earned, cherished, and owned it.

  The time had come for him to be victorious. He’d reign in this position until the end of time.

  All that was left to put this whole thing into motion was to send word to her society, letting them know that it was her life for her brothers.

  They’d find her.

  They’d get word to her.

  It was the perfect plan.

  “Take off his hood.”

  They roughly yanked it from his head, causing him to hiss. The vampyre beneath had bared fangs, black eyes, and he was a mess.

  It amused him.

  “Welcome to my humble abode.”

  Alexzandre looked around, measuring his odds of success. If he fought in this weakened stated, he couldn’t overpower all of them. He sensed the age of the vampyres in the room, and they were strong. The one before him was even older than he was.

  He was an ancient.

  Alexzandre wouldn’t have a fighting chance.

  It was time to get as much information as possible.

  “Who are you and what the hell are you trying to do?” spat Alexandre in anger.

  “I’m trying to find your sister. I have to have a little talk with her. She’s been a naughty vampyre. Normally, I like that in a woman, but this time…not so much. She has something I need to destroy.”

  This was about his sister?

  What the hell had Jolie gotten into to draw the Tueur’s attention?

  This didn’t bode well.

  “I don’t know where she is, and I haven’t spoken t
o her in over five months.”

  He sniffed the air. The vampyre had answered truthfully. While he appreciated that, it didn’t matter. This vampyre was a Harcourte.

  He wanted his blood.

  “Oh, I am aware, and that is the only reason you haven’t been tortured to the point of death.” He smiled. “Yet. If we thought you knew, we would get it out of you, but now we will just use you as bait.”

  “Why my sister?” he said trying to lunge at the man. “What could she possibly have that you need?”

  There was laughter from him as he stood there in his pricey and beautifully tailored suit. “There are many reasons why I will kill her and the children she carries.”

  “She’s pregnant?” he gasped.

  “And this is why you aren’t dead,” he added. “You didn’t even know she’s with child. Well, make that with children—in the plural. Your sister carries twins—one from each of her mates.”

  “Impossible, one mate is a vampyre.”

  “Yes and one human. Jolie Harcourte, according to the legend of our people, was somehow impregnated by a vampyre. That’s how the next Destroyer will be born. I want to stop that. If that happens, I won’t be needed, and I love my job. I was made for it.”

  Alexandre laughed at the absurdity of the entire conversation. “That isn’t possible. The myth of the Destroyer is just that, a myth. It’s nothing more than a fairy tale—like the stories of ‘Goethe the Grim’,” he knew they were real, and what Jolie had survived, but he needed to bargain for his sister’s life at all costs. At least, he could buy her some time.

  “Oh, so you’ve heard of ‘Goethe the Grim?” he asked, all the while smiling evilly.

  “Yes, I have. Who hasn’t?”

  “I am glad then you’ll understand where I’m coming from...quite literally,” he stated, grinning at him. “You see, Alexandre, I am Tueur but more importantly, I have a closer link to all this.”

  “And it is?”

  “Let me introduce myself, Mr. Harcourte, I am Gradius, Goethe’s older brother. I taught him everything he knows, and he didn’t learn it all. So whatever you’ve heard, multiply it by a million. I’m the real evil in the family. He was simply a wannabe. It’s me who you should fear.”

  Alexzandre stared at him.

  “No.”

  “Yes, so now let’s have some fun,” he said, taking off his suit jacket. “It’s been a while since I’ve made a vampyre cry. Today feels like a good day to try.”

  Evil laughter erupted as Alexandre was dragged across the cell to the wall.

  His first thought wasn’t of his own life, but that of his sister’s.

  She was in danger.

  When this animal got her, he’d hurt her, much like Goethe had done all those centuries ago.

  He had to warn her.

  Alexzandre had to try.

  He’d abandoned her before, but this time, he wouldn’t leave her to fend for herself.

  She was his duty.

  His baby sister.

  In the end, family mattered, and he’d learned that the hard way. Now it was time to make amends, protecting the woman he’d left behind.

  Reaching for her, he sent as much energy out into the world to reach her.

  It had been so long since he’d talked to her in his mind.

  The connection might not work.

  Still, he tried.

  Reaching for her, he got out one word as the torture began. He begged his sister to…

  “RUN!”

  ∞ Chapter Twelve ∞

  Lush Secluded

  Area, Ireland

  Once down the long deserted road, they pulled into a clearing that must have been the parking area for the societies. There were quite a few SUV’s there already waiting, and they were likely going to be the last to the party.

  She wasn’t shocked.

  After all, they’d want to intimidate the visitors to put them in their place. Unfortunately for them, it wouldn’t work. They were in for one hell of a surprise.

  Jolie actually prayed that the vampyres there had the common sense not to challenge them.

  If they wanted to live, they wouldn’t throw down a test. It would mean death, and not for them. Years ago, even six months ago, Jolie would have been worried. Now…she wasn’t afraid of this council.

  That said a lot.

  Going into past councils, she would plan for trying to survive by any means necessary. That wasn’t the case anymore. She knew better. With Flynn’s darkness, her death, and likely the best guardian who ever lived, they would be fine.

  This wasn’t the Tueur, who they were going to be going head to head against. These vamps were simple country folk from a country that time seemed to forget.

  No offense to them, but they’d never seen anything like what was coming.

  “How many?” Jacques asked.

  Flynn scanned the area. While they had placed silver all over the place, he could still work past it. Barely, but it was possible.

  There are about forty of them.

  Jolie took each of their hands. “We have this,” she stated. “They will hit hard, but we’ve seen worse. Flynn, keep the other side of you hidden, unless we have no choice.”

  He could do that.

  As they headed through the cluster of trees, and toward the glowing lights, they could hear the talking stop. Their ‘hosts’ knew they were there.

  As they entered the clearing, Jolie could see elders sitting in chairs, and behind them stood the rest of the families, waiting for it to begin.

  Yet, she didn’t see any guardians.

  ‘Expect an ambush. They are mostly women and older vampyres. The guardians aren’t around.’

  Flynn scanned the area.

  ‘I can’t pick them up.’

  Jacques couldn’t either.

  ‘Magick,’ Flynn muttered into their minds. ‘This reeks of witches.’

  Jolie didn’t doubt it.

  While France and New Orleans were the epicenters for the vampyres, Ireland was the home to Pagans of all kinds. Vampyres may have moved there at one time, but they wouldn’t be above assimilating some of the culture. That meant using the magick that was available to them.

  ‘Just be careful and let me do the talking,’ she stated.

  Jolie was ready.

  The vampyres were watching them as if they had all come out for a show. It appeared they were the evening’s entertainment for the locals.

  So be it.

  Chances were it would be one that they’d never forget for as long as they lived, which wouldn’t be very long if they messed with her family.

  As they approached, a man stepped forward to greet her.

  “Welcome to our meeting. Thank you for coming on your own and not making this more difficult than it needed to be. I’m Liam Connor, and I preside over these clans.”

  Jolie let the man talk.

  “I’m assuming that you’ve brought a mate and your guardian?”

  Jolie let the accent out. If they thought she and her family were from France, they might get lucky. European societies frowned upon the more progressive American ones. They didn’t need to stir the pot more than they already had.

  “Yes, they are.”

  He smiled gently. “I wish we could be meeting under better circumstances. We, of the County Cork council, wish to know why you’re here without our permission. Since you’re French, our laws are similar. You should know what was expected of you when you arrived in our territory.”

  She followed him to a table.

  In her mind, she told Jacques to take his post as guardian, and Flynn to sit. She didn’t need to leave them any clues to who they really were. If rumors had spread or the Tueur had contacted everyone, they might only have one chance.

  “Have a seat,” he offered.

  Jolie did just that, resting her hand on her belly. She noticed that Liam glanced down at it, and she knew what he was thinking.

  To be a pregnant vampyre, she couldn’t be
very old. That might work in their favor. The families there wouldn’t feel threatened by them or might not throw down a challenge.

  Perfect.

  He waited until the men were in place. “Maybe you should introduce yourselves.”

  Oh, she would, but he wasn’t getting every little detail of their identity.

  “I’m Jolie. This is my mate, Flynn, and my guardian, Jacques.”

  Silently, she prayed they didn’t ask for last names. Her fingers were crossed. Let them assume they had no family or society to call their own.

  Again, that would work to their advantage.

  “Well, Jolie, why are you here?”

  “We were stopping by before returning home,” she said with her heavily French tinged words.

  ‘It’s hot when you pull out the French,’ Flynn whispered into her mind. ‘I want to jump you.’

  ‘What about me?’ Jacques teased. ‘I sound like that more often than not. No one thinks that’s hot?’

  She sent them laughter.

  The men in her life were trying to keep her calm.

  “Do you not know the proper procedures?” Liam asked. “If you enter a city or area, you notify the local council.”

  Oh, she was aware.

  She could tell by just scanning him that she was twice his age. Jolie had news for him. She’d been doing this long before he was a glimmer in his mother’s Irish eye.

  “We didn’t intend to stop. I’m pregnant, and the traveling got to be too much for me. Had I planned this out, I would have contacted you.”

  He watched her.

  Jolie could tell he was trying to figure out her age, whether she was lying, and their intent.

  “How long are you staying?” he asked, leaning back in the chair.

  “Not long. I’m almost back to full strength, and we’ll be heading home before the week is out.”

  She hoped they’d be leaving.

  Ireland was getting tricky.

  “I only need to stay another couple of days. I would appreciate your hospitality.”

  “You would have had it if you had followed procedure. We like to keep trouble out of our area. Cork is a very peaceful place. You’ve put us in a bad spot.”

  Jolie kept her face neutral.