Vampire Princess Rising by Jami Brumfield
“It’s nice to hear, but I already knew it.” His voice was scratchy. “But I know how you can make it up to me.” He teased.
“Oh?”
“Be my nurse.”
Rebecca stared at him for a moment and then laughed. “I’ll be your nurse anytime you get hurt.”
“Better be careful, my love. I may enjoy getting hurt just to have you fix me up.”
Rebecca playfully hit him and he grimaced. He may be healing but he wasn’t a hundred percent. She looked around at the destruction she did. Vehicles were overturned, windows were shattered, trees were on their sides. It looked like a hurricane or tornado struck on top of the mountain. She had no idea she had that kind of power locked away. Marcus and Madison came to Gabriel’s side and started administering first aid.
She looked for Hunter who was helping Sundae up from across the courtyard. Her eyes zeroed in on claw marks on her arm. “Oh my God, no.” She jumped up from the ground and ran to Sundae’s side. “Are those from me?”
“Probably.”
“I’m so sorry, Sundae.” She covered her eyes to hide the tears welling up. “You’re infected.” Her mind raced back to the bloody handshake between Celestia and Sundae. The one Sundae stood in proxy for her. ‘Could she still have vampire blood in her?’ she asked Siren.
‘It is possible.’ Was the simple answer.
‘And if she dies?’
‘Vampire.’
‘Then we will have to make sure she doesn’t die.’
“I know.”
“Infected?” Hunter asked.
“I’ll either become a werewolf or I’ll die.” Sundae’s voice was no longer sing-songy, it was melancholy. “It’s not your fault.”
“Take her inside, Hunt.” To Sundae she said, “We will do everything possible to make you comfortable either way.”
Hunter carried the small, powerful girl into the compound. Rebecca’s eyes caught Persephone helping other wolves get out from under a few bikes.
She approached Persephone and the other wolves cringed away. “I’m sorry to do this to you, Persephone.” Rebecca placed her hand on the gothic dressed wolf girl’s shoulder. “But I need you in my inner circle. I now name you enforcer.” The wolf said some magically charged words and Persephone glowed momentarily from the power that transferred to her.
“Damn it, Rebecca, I told you I didn’t want this,” Persephone snapped.
“I know but I need you.” Rebecca turned and looked at the rest of her pack. They were all starting to recover. The only one that remained in bad shape was Devon, who was hanging impaled to a tree. Somehow the branch sticking out of his chest managed to miss his heart, barely. It had to hurt. His super healing abilities would be working in overdrive to keep the alpha wolf alive. “Someone cut him down please. Clean him up and put him in the dungeon. I’ll call Lucky to pick him up. This goes without saying, Devon, but you are no longer a welcomed member of this pack.”
Persephone led the team that pulled the broken alpha down. Rebecca spotted Jackson helping Georgie, who was cowered in a corner. Most likely suffering a post traumatic episode. She placed a comforting hand on the beast master’s shoulder. “I’m sorry for hitting you.”
Georgie seemed to calm at her touch. She nodded slightly and continued to rock back and forth.
“Jackson, are you okay?”
He nodded. “Are you?”
Rebecca hadn’t even thought of it. She didn’t have a mark on her. All this destruction and she wasn’t even touched. But pain emanated from her shoulder and she noticed she wasn’t using her hand. “I’m fine,” she lied.
“You are more than fine, Rebecca! I have never seen that kind of power before. I mean, you were like a storm.” His eyes got huge.
“I don’t know where it came from. It just unlocked and then poured out of me. When Hunter and Sundae took my hands it only multiplied.” She moved in closer and whispered the next words, “It was like the witch and the wolf merged with me.”
He shuddered. “That was the scariest thing I think I have seen outside of my visions, Becks.”
She shrugged. She could still feel the power pulsating, but it had receded just like the wolf. Somehow she knew it would be there if she needed it, but that wasn’t now. “Can you help Georgie up to her room?”
“Of course.”
“Thanks, Jacks.” She turned to make sure the rest of her pack was okay when Georgie grabbed her hand urgently. Rebecca turned around and knelt down to Georgie’s level. “What is it, Georgie?” she asked softly.
“I want you to make me a wolf.”
Rebecca’s heart skipped a beat. “It’s not that simple.”
“It heals the body and mind, right?” she asked, hopeful.
Rebecca gave a tight nod. Siren had already begged her to turn Georgie into a wolf to protect the pack. She would be lying if she didn’t admit that was one of the reasons she brought her back to the compound. But she already had one friend who was in danger of the infection. “Yes, but the infection can either kill you or change you. Either way you will never be the same again.” Siren was already lengthening her claws.
“I can’t keep going like this. Battles put me in panic. I have no control over my reaction to loud noises. This whole mess is traumatizing. I’m already suffering with the power to speak to animals. You would be showing me mercy,” she pleaded. “One scratch and then let fate decide.”
Rebecca shook her head. She needed to think about it. She needed to come to terms with the possible outcomes. Georgie grabbed her hand and ran the claws across the skin on her arm. Red blood bloomed from the claw marks as Rebecca snatched her hand back.
‘Damn you, Siren.’
“Thank you.” Georgie smiled weakly.
“If you survive the infection, Georgie, we are going to have to discuss punishment for that action.” Rebecca glared angrily. “Jacks…”
“I got it.”
Rebecca rubbed her eyes and turned around to let out a pent up roar. Everyone froze and Rebecca felt the slightest amount of relief. Gabriel was already up and moving around, though bandaged. He left Persephone to finish the task of getting Devon to the dungeons and he jogged over to Rebecca’s side.
“What’s wrong? We all survived and the pack is in line with following you.”
“There were at least two casualties.” Rebecca stared pointedly at him. “Georgie and Sundae were infected.”
He nodded but didn’t speak. He knew how conflicted she felt about infecting anyone with the virus that turned human into werewolf. But he also knew deep down she knew it was a necessary evil.
“What happens if they die?” She fought back the guilty tears.
“If they die, they were meant to die. We’ll get them a doctor trained to help with the change. We’ll do what we can to help them survive it.” He pulled her close against him and she let out a painful cry. The adrenaline in her body must be wearing off because she finally felt the pain from landing on her shoulder. She hadn’t even noticed that she wasn’t using the arm.
Gabriel examined her. “Rebecca, your shoulder is dislocated. I have to put it back into place before the healing makes it worse.”
Rebecca nodded, she knew he was right. Besides, anything he could do to reduce the pain pulsating from her shoulder would be helpful.
“This is going to hurt.”
“More than it already does?” She laughed coldly and then let out a scream as he snapped it back into place. “By the gods, Gabe. You could’ve warned me!” she growled.
“Better?” he asked shyly.
“Yeah. Wow!” Her shoulder felt so much better. “Thank you.” She kissed him gently on the lips and tried to back away only he was faster. He snaked his hands around her waist and pulled her in for another soul shattering kiss. She responded instantly to him and opened up to glorious feelings his touch showered on her. He was her escape from the pain and it felt so good she didn’t want to leave. She didn’t care that they were covered in blood, swea
He nipped her lower lip, licked and nipped the silver tattoo on her neck while his hand slipped down her waist to her bottom. He squeezed her backside and then spanked her playfully. She giggled and told him, “Behave, we are in public.”
“The pack doesn’t care. They just want their dangerous and deadly alpha happy.” He grinned against her lips, pulled centimeters away from her swollen lips and asked, “Are you?”
“Mmm, am I what?” She moved forward to kiss him again and he pulled back.
“Are you happy?”
“Happier than I’ve ever been.” She caught his lower lip with her teeth and pulled him back for a kiss. She meant it. It was strange that amidst all the terrible things happening around her that she was happier now than she could ever remember. She wrapped her arms around his neck and fell into his hard body. He growled his appreciation and dragged her toward him, crushing his lips against her, taking possession of what was already his.
Rebecca felt the tug on her shirt and reluctantly broke the kiss to look down. River and Willow smiled up at them.
“We stood with the pack,” River said proudly, his little chest puffed up.
“We would never abandon you, Rebecca.” Willow smiled, hugging her rag doll tightly to her chest.
Gabe broke away from her and picked up River in his arms. He was like a proud father. “I am so proud of you two.”
Rebecca pulled Willow into her arms and hugged her closely. “You are my two bravest warriors.” She squeezed Willow’s nose playfully and the child giggled. Rebecca pulled her close and rested her chin on Willow’s head. She didn’t know what she would’ve done if something happened to them. They were already like her children.
Chapter Forty
Rebecca
Rebecca and Gabriel made their way down to the sub-basement of the compound. It was dark, smelly, and empty save for Devon and a few guards. Devon still wore the clothes from the fight and Rebecca had to hold her breath for a moment while her senses overcame the scent of coppery blood and unmistakable smell of body odor. The strong wolf-man had been reduced to a sulking figure in the corner of the dilapidated cell.
“Get the poor man some clean clothes and some water to let him clean himself,” Rebecca told one of the guards named Phillip. The tall, lean muscled man with brilliant red hair nodded his head and ran out of the room. The wolves showed far more respect than before, but they were also bordering on cowering since the battle and Rebecca didn’t like it. Siren loved it but Rebecca wanted her pack to respect and like her not respect and fear her.
“Come to gloat?” Devon asked with disgust in his tone. “Not only do you make deals with the enemies but you also cheat by using magic during a fight.”
Rebecca shrugged. She would not apologize for her magic. It was as big a part of her as her wolf. “We all use the tools the gods gave us. You use brute force and stupidity and I use magic and strategy. How is that cheating?”
He snorted derisively and turned his head away from her, refusing to answer.
“As far as making deals with enemies, I want peace. I would think that would be something all wolves want. We have lost so much and continue to lose more as the battles wage on.”
That got his attention. He jumped up from his seat and charged the cell bars, slamming against them, maneuvering as best he could to get his face as close as possible to Rebecca’s. She didn’t flinch like he hoped. “You don’t know about loss! I lost multiple friends and my alpha to a vampire attack. What have you lost?”
“My parents when I was ten, my ignorance and my twin when I was seventeen, and I’m sure I’ll see far more loss as time goes on. Not to mention the horrific images my alpha shares with me of the battles that have went on for centuries. I think I know a little about loss.” Never once did she raise her voice or change her tenor. She spoke with no malice, despite the wolf in her mind begging to put him down. She was beginning to get good at managing Siren’s impatience and demands for reaction. She stood there for a moment and let her words sink in. When his face softened slightly, she went on. “Why did you lie about your position in the Montana pack?”
“I decided to do one final job for the protectors before I announced my new place in the pecking order. Especially since they told me it had to do with Black Death. My sister died of the drug and the protectors knew it was a sore spot with me.”
“I’m sorry about your sister.” She offered a tight smile. She couldn’t blame him for wanting to do all he could to eliminate the deadly drug. She was going to work with Becky to help stop the distribution of the illegal substance in Phoenix. She had assumed the problem was exaggerated here but now she wondered if it was everywhere and if the Brick and Ophelia’s pack from the alternate dimension were suppliers for more areas than just her local state. “How bad is it in Montana?”
“Pretty bad. The local Authority is doing all they can to reduce the sales of the nightmare drug but when they think they had a hold on it another distribution channel pops up.”
Rebecca wished she could better trust Devon. If she could she would offer the information she knew but while she felt for his pain there was not a single bone in her body that liked the idea of working with him. Something was off about him from the beginning, not just the alpha, but a feeling that nagged at her, which was why she investigated his pack. Thankfully, she did.
“So the protectors didn’t know you were an alpha?”
He relaxed a little more. “Josephine knew. I didn’t tell anyone else.”
Josephine was really beginning to get under Rebecca’s skin. The woman warrior acted like she was compassionate and caring, but when it really counted she was manipulative and downright vindictive. She would have to figure out a way to deal with Lucky’s mother another time. “So how was I able to brand you into our pack with the alpha in your mind?”
“We made a deal.” His jaw took on a stern look, telling Rebecca it was unlikely to get more from him.
But that didn’t deter her from trying. “What deal?”
He sat back down and faced the wall. “When is my escort coming?”
“Soon.”
Phillip brought in some new clothes and a basin with water, a cloth and soap. He opened the cell and placed the items on the opposite corner from where he was located. His actions were swift and precise and he was out of the cage in less than a minute. Rebecca waited for the lock to clink before she continued. “Thank you, Phillip.”
“I won’t be removing the brand which entitles you to remain loyal to me unless you want to challenge me again.” Rebecca knew from her rogues that exile meant cutting the brand design with a knife. All of them had this done to their bodies. It was painful and unnecessary as far as she was concerned but there was power in the ceremony and that power bonded the wolf to the alpha. The heartier your pack was the stronger the leader was. That meant keeping an alpha in her pack, even though he was being sent home to run his own pack, made her stronger. “That means if I ever come to you for help—”
“I know what it means,” he growled. “I’m in your service.” He bowed his head, revealing his neck to show his submission.
“Good.” She turned to go, then as an afterthought turned back around before starting up the stairs. “This may be the beginning of a good friendship.”
“You and I will never be friends,” he stated with finality.
Chapter Forty-One
Savannah
Savannah watched as Lucky strode with purpose across the front lawn of Celestia’s mansion. He was here to pick up some prisoners for trial. Ever since Celestia took the title of queen she had been cleaning house and having all Violet’s supporters arrested as traitors to the truce. Savannah had to admit it was an ingenious plan of epically evil proportions. She had all her bases covered but after ten years of plotting she would h
Lucky was accompanied by two other protectors. She hadn’t seen them before so she was unsure what species they were, but it didn’t matter. The Protectors only had loyalty to the Authority and the humans. Anything else was free game.
The other two protectors were handsome. One was an African American and the other hailed from an Asian heritage. Both of them were giants, but Lucky stood out like an angel in their midst. She could swear when the sun hit Lucky just right he wore a halo. She shook her head and decided it was time to talk to him alone, so she ran down the stairs and out the front door. Her wispy blue dress tickled her ankles and the wet grass tickled her bare feet. By the time she reached Lucky and the two others who she recognized as a were-bear and a were-snake when her senses got close enough, she was breathless.
“Lucky, can we talk?” Her sapphire eyes pleaded with him.
He crossed his arms over his chest and stood rigid. His kissable lips pursed tightly and his golden brows furrowed. “What would you like to talk about, princess?”
Savannah’s eyes darted nervously between the two shifters. “Alone.”
“I don’t think there’s anything to discuss.”
“But there is.” She didn’t expect him to be so distant and cold. It caused her insides to freeze in response.
“Eric, Lee, do you want to head in?”
They nodded, displeasure on their faces, but followed orders obediently.
Savannah waited until they were closer to the house for her to start. But when she opened her mouth to plead her case she had no idea what to say.
“What was so important you needed to speak to me privately, princess? It’s bad form to be talking to another man’s woman. Most supernaturals don’t take kindly to men getting too close to their territory.”
His words pissed her off. “Seriously? You’re jealous of Prince Viktor?”
He shifted from one foot to the other. “I suppose I am.” He admitted reluctantly.