Ironic Sacrifice Read online

  Jayden nodded. Her green eyes flicked up to his and darted away. She toyed with the ashtray on the table spinning it with a trembling finger. The cat padded up to her and as if sensing her agitation, rubbed against her legs. Jayden reached out with her other hand and petted Isuzu absently, still spinning the ashtray.

  Silas took a deep breath before presenting her with an unpleasant truth. “When I tried to find Radu, I came close a few times, but every time I ran up against a block. The block was so powerful, there was no way it was not put there on purpose.”

  When Jayden gave no sign of kenning his meaning, he sighed and continued. “I believe that Razvan’s twin does not want to be found.”

  Her eyes widened. “Did you tell Razvan?” The ashtray was a spinning blur on the table.

  Silas suppressed a bitter chuckle at her accusing tone. “Indeed I did, lass. And he nearly tore me from navel to nose for it. He can have quite the temper when things don’t go his way.” He shook his head. “That probably comes from being spoilt as a lad.”

  “Razvan told me he and Radu fought before he disappeared,” Jayden said. “Do think that—”

  The doorbell chimed. The ashtray flew off the table and shattered on the cherry wood floor. Silas was glad that he had the foresight to empty it earlier. Otherwise there would be ashes and cigarette butts all over the place.

  She tried to apologize but Silas waved his hand dismissively and went to answer the door.

  ***

  Jayden wondered if it was one of Silas’s subordinates or if Akasha had ordered a pizza in advance as she sometimes did when she and Max were on their way home from the bar.

  She turned to look and frowned as she saw that no one was there. Silas was bending over to pick something up from the front stoop.

  “What is—” she began, getting up from her chair.

  “Stay back!” Silas ordered. His eyes glowed neon green and his fangs were bared as he scanned the area for whoever left the missive. He turned back to her and she bit back a gasp at his feral expression.

  “Lock the door behind me,” he hissed before walking out in the darkness.

  Jayden scrambled across the room to obey. Her heart pounded in her throat as she flipped the deadbolt into place. She’d never seen Akasha’s husband act this way before. Something had to be very wrong. She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes as a multitude of horrible possibilities assaulted her imagination. What if something happened to Akasha? Or Max? Or, oh God, it didn’t bear pondering, Razvan?

  It seemed to be an eternity before she heard Silas’s keys jangling the knob. She still held her breath, ready to bolt if it wasn’t him. The door opened and she sighed in relief as she saw that it was. She also heard Akasha and Max coming up the walkway behind him.

  “Silas, what’s wrong, honey?” Akasha asked.

  “Yeah, what’s going on?” Max said, “You’re pale as hell. And that’s a hell of an accomplishment, considering.”

  “We’ve been invaded,” Silas growled.

  “Invaded?” Jayden’s heart crawled up into her throat at his obvious rage.

  The vampire ignored her and proceeded to explain. “One of Selena’s underlings left us a message.”

  “Which one?” Akasha demanded. “’Cuz if it was that prick, Michael, I’ll…”

  “I didn’t see who it was. The bastard took off before I got to the door.”

  Akasha’s mouth dropped open before she burst into laughter. “The guy pulled a ‘ding-dong-ditch?’ Are you serious? What a pussy!”

  Silas gave his wife an adoring half smile. His eyes stopped their eerie glow and he looked like himself once more. Jayden silently said a prayer of relief.

  “Well, what does the note say?” Max asked, bringing all attention back to the sinister missive.

  “I haven’t read it yet,” Silas said. The envelope was crumpling in his grasp. “But I’m getting a bad feeling about it.”

  “Do you see anything?” Jayden asked.

  The vampire shook his head. “Nothing clear.”

  “Do you want me to try?” she offered hesitantly.

  Silas gave her a long assessing look. “Only if you feel up to it after I read it.” He sliced the envelope open with his thumbnail, frowning at the writing scrawled on the front.

  “You’re not going to wait for Razvan, are you?” Akasha asked.

  Silas laughed, “Why? He likely would not wait for me if our positions were reversed.” He pulled out the letter, frowning again as he unfolded it. The vampire cleared his throat and read:

  “Dear Lord McNaught:

  “It has come to my attention that Lord Nicolae passed through my territory without requesting my permission. I am also aware that he had in his possession a human female of considerable psychic ability.

  “That stated, I will be lenient to Lord Nicolae and forgive his grievous insult of trespassing on my lands if he will entrust the psychic to my care. She could be a great asset to my order.

  “I have had visions of her and I fear greatly for her safety, as any woman with more than a passing acquaintance with Razvan would. I implore you, Silas to persuade our maker to see reason.

  “Ever yours,

  “Selena Vespucci, Lord of Post Falls, High Priestess of the Order of Eternal Night.”

  Akasha chuckled, “Is she fucking kidding? She’s crazy if she thinks we’re just going to hand Jayden over to her and her cult like a lost puppy or something.”

  Silas raised a brow. “She is crazy, Akasha. Don’t you remember? You’ve met her.”

  “Oh yeah,” she laughed drunkenly. “Bat-shit crazy!” her voice was louder than normal as she wandered into the kitchen and came out with another beer. “Wait a minute, did she say that Razvan Changed her? I had no idea.”

  The vampire looked back at the letter with wide eyes. “This is the first I’m hearing of it as well. However, she could be lying.”

  Akasha nodded. “Or it could be another of her delusions.” She took another long swallow of beer and hiccupped.

  Jayden thought that more alcohol was the last thing Akasha needed, but an intervention wasn’t her top priority, not when a crazy vampire lady wanted her for her cult. “Who is Selena and what does she want with me?” She hated the quavering in her voice.

  The compassion in Silas’s eyes was almost too much to bear. “Selena has always been addicted to power and your abilities make you especially desirable.” He headed over to the sideboard and removed a decanter of what looked like whiskey. He uncapped it and took a big swig straight from the bottle.

  “Yeah, but I don’t think that’s her main point.” Max spoke suddenly. “From the run-in y’all had from her the last time, she’s been waiting for any excuse to make her move.” He scratched his beard thoughtfully. “Come to think of it, in light of current and past events, it makes sense that Razvan’s the one who turned her into a vampire. First she tried to play him against you, Silas, and now she’s seeing if she can play you against him.”

  Before Jayden could speak, Akasha interrupted, “Wait, so you both banged her? Ewww!”

  Silas sighed. “A vampire doesn’t have to ‘bang’ every mortal he Changes, Akasha. After all, Razvan Changed me, and you can bet that there was nothing sexual in that incident.”

  “Yeah, but it’s still looking like Razvan has a thing for redheads.” Max said with a salacious wink

  “Hey!” Jayden cried. “I still have no idea what’s going on and I’m sick of being left in the dark. Will you please tell me who this woman is? And why is she so pissed at you and Razvan?”

  They all quieted and looked at her.

  “I’m sorry Jayden,” Akasha said. “I didn’t think about how fucked up all this has to be for you.”

  “I apologize as well,” Silas inclined his head. “It must be like walking in on the third act of a play.”

  “Yeah, kinda,” Jayden said, forcing a smile.

  Max patted her shoulder awkwardly, “Don’t feel too bad, girl. I ca
me in at the end of their last adventure and was lost in the beginning.” He guided her to the table and pulled out a chair. “Ya’ better sit down and have a cold one. It’s quite a long story.”

  He handed her his beer, but she pushed it back. “No thank you…. On second thought, is there any wine?” A crazy vampire cult leader being thrown into her already surreal situation did call for a drink. She just didn't care for beer most of the time.

  “I’ll get it!” Akasha sang and shambled off to the kitchen.

  Silas pulled up a chair next to her and took another miniscule sip of his whiskey before he began. “Four years ago, the eldest vampire in the world informed me that I was to guard five mortals whose fate was indelibly linked to that of our kind. Those five were Akasha and the musicians you know as Rage of Angels.”

  Jayden sucked in a breath at the mention of her favorite band.

  Akasha came in with a bottle of wine and a glass. “This is Xochitl’s favorite Riesling. I bought some because they’re coming to visit after their concert next Friday.”

  “That’s right! They’ll be here next week,” Max said. “I wonder if Selena knows...”

  “Hey!” Jayden said, “You guys are doing it again.”

  “Sorry,” they mumbled and went back to nursing their beers.

  Silas returned to his explanation as Jayden sipped her wine. “I was able to secure Akasha when I became her legal guardian,” Silas began and the shock on Jayden’s face must have been obvious because Akasha interrupted, “Don’t look at him like he was playing Lolita with me! I was really nineteen but the fucking state rigged my I.D. Besides that, we fell in love.”

  “Sorry,” she mumbled, embarrassed.

  Silas nodded in understanding. “Anyway, once she was with me, I soon met Xochitl, Sylvis, Aurora and Beau. I allowed them to drink their beer and smoke their cigarettes and most important of all, practice their music. So naturally since I was so ‘cool,’” he smiled at the memory, “my home became a haven to them. Circumstances led me to Mark them all as my property in the eyes of other vampires and that’s when disaster struck. Selena had been spying on me ever since I left her and her cult, the Order of Eternal Night.”

  “What’s her cult about?” Jayden asked.

  Silas sighed. It was apparent that Selena had been an irritation to them for a while. “It started up when Selena stole some scrolls from Delgarias. He is the eldest of our kind. One of them was the legend of the creator of vampires, and the other referred to a prophecy telling of another world in which the sun will die and then a savior would bring it back. Somehow she twisted this into a religion dedicated to worshipping Mephistopheles, the creator of vampires, and finding the prophesied savior so she can stop her and colonize the other world. That’s where Xochitl comes in,” he said. “Not only is she the prophesied savior of the other world, but she is also the daughter of Mephistopheles.”

  “Wow.” Jayden breathed. “That’s really messed up.”

  “What I don’t understand,” Akasha said suddenly, “is why she doesn’t go after Delgarias instead of screwing with us.”

  “Because,” Silas said patiently, “Delgarias would crush her like an insect. I only wonder why he has not done so yet. She has been enough of a nuisance.”

  “Sorry I got the conversation off track,” Jayden said. “So you Marked Akasha and Rage of Angels and Selena’s spies informed her…”

  “Yes,” Silas said. “Well, she saw that as the perfect opportunity to get revenge on me for leaving her and she wrote a report to the Elders, our governing body. She made it out to look like I either marked so many mortals because I was building up my power base to go rogue, or that I was some sort of pedophile. She made Akasha’s friends seem like they were twelve instead of nearly eighteen.” He snorted. “The Elders sent Razvan to investigate, and things would have ended there if Akasha didn’t possess superhuman strength and Xochitl wasn’t so, ah, unique. So there was a trial but in the end it didn’t go well for Selena. She is now angrier with us than ever and two years ago she moved to Post Falls, right between Razvan’s and my territories. We’ve been waiting for her to make a move against us ever since.”

  Jayden was too stunned to speak. It was like she’d been transported into a preternatural soap opera.

  “So, now you know,” Akasha said. “And now we need to figure out what to do about the situation.”

  “What situation?” Razvan’s dark chocolate voice filled the room, making Jayden quiver.

  Silas sighed and held out Selena’s message. “This situation.”

  Razvan snatched the paper from Silas’s hand. His brows drew together as he read the contents. Then he burst into the most sinister laughter Jayden had ever heard.

  “This is her move?” He shook his head. “The woman must have grown more daft over the years.”

  “Yes, we all know she’s doolally. But you never told me that you made her,” Silas said with a raised brow, leaning his elbow on the table.

  “Would you think I’d admit to something that foolish?” Razvan replied coolly.

  “He’s got a point there, buddy,” Max said.

  Akasha groaned. “Please don’t tell me you slept with her as well. It’s bad enough that Silas did.”

  His stony silence was answer enough. Jayden clenched her teeth as jealousy raged within her. To her humiliation, Razvan looked at her and seemed to read it in her face. He smirked before turning to Silas. “At least I did not join her cult.”

  Silas flushed in embarrassment. “Aye, and I paid for that dearly. The bitch poisoning me was only the least of it.” He shook his head. “But that’s all in the past. Now she wants Jayden and I don’t think a simple ‘no’ will dissuade her.”

  “Well, that is too bad for her, is it not?” Razvan said and pulled out his phone.

  Jayden watched nervously as the room fell silent as the vampire pushed buttons on the phone with the rapid efficiency of a gossiping teenager.

  “Holy shit,” Akasha breathed. “Did you just text her?”

  Razvan gave her a wicked grin. “I would never be so uncouth. I sent her an email. I cannot very well ‘invade her lands’ again to deliver her message in person, can I? Even though she had no qualms with invading yours, McNaught.”

  “What did you say to her?” Jayden asked.

  He regarded her with a smug grin. “I wrote, in the most professional manner possible, ‘fuck you.’”

  Max laughed until his face was an alarming shade of red and he was clutching his large belly. To Jayden he looked like a redneck version of Santa Claus. “I don’t think the ‘High Priestess’ is gonna like that very much.”

  “No, she will not,” Silas said, looking far more serious. “Though I agree that a personal reply would have been more dangerous, I believe this will be trouble.”

  “It was trouble that was due anyway.” Razvan countered. “And I don’t like her thinking she can take what is mine.” He placed a possessive hand on Jayden’s shoulder. “It is getting late. We shall discuss this further tomorrow. Good night.”

  “Thank you,” Jayden said when they were downstairs.

  “For what?” Razvan asked with a frown.

  “For not giving me up to that crazy woman,” she replied. “I mean, you hardly know me and—”

  “You are mine,” he said simply and cut off her reply with his kiss. From then until dawn, he went about proving to her how true that was.

  Chapter Nine

  Selena gaped in stunned disbelief as she read the email from Razvan. With every scathing word on the screen, her temples throbbed with unbearable pressure. How dare he? Not only was Lord Nicolae completely unrepentant for his invasion of her lands, but his refusal to relinquish the girl and his insults to her and the Order of Eternal Night went beyond the pale. And his mode of reply, an email! Email! As if they were mere mortals discussing a luncheon!

  Her fingers crept up to grasp a lock of her hair. Her teeth clenched as she tugged on the strands, feeling the satisfyi
ng pain in her scalp. Such rudeness was not to be borne.

  Her eyes darted back to the computer screen, unable to stop rereading the offensive words. An inhuman shriek of fury escaped her lips as her fist flew out in a blur to shatter the offending piece of technology.

  “Jessica!” she screamed, oblivious to the blood dripping from her hand onto the white carpet.

  A moment later, a scrawny vampire with short brunette hair peeked through the doorway. “Yes, my lord?”

  Still tugging on her hair with one hand while the other oozed blood and broken glass from the touch screen, Selena hissed. “You have failed me.”

  Jessica’s eyes widened in terror as she stammered, “No, my lord, I delivered the message as you asked, I promise!”

  “Then why have they refused to give me the woman? Why didn’t you persuade them?”

  “I left your note on Lord McNaught's doorstep because I couldn’t speak to them, they have immunity, remember? They would have killed me!” The vampire stepped back as Selena advanced towards her. Her mouth went dry as she struggled to speak, then she remembered the one thing that may persuade the high priestess to spare her. “Lord Nicolae Marked the clairvoyant!”

  Selena stopped as if a switch was thrown in her brain. She remained still for an interminable moment. Jessica shivered. Her lord resembled a coiled snake ready to strike. Finally she blinked.

  “He Marked her? But he’s never Marked any of his other psychics, not even me.” For a moment she pouted, looking like a child with a broken toy, then her features shifted to a mask of unadulterated malice. She looked down at her bloody hand, still full of broken glass, noticing it for the first time. Her lips curved into a smile that would have been winsome, if not for the coldness in her gray eyes.

  “We must have a meeting, but first, attend my wound.”

  Jessica approached her cautiously. The sight of the blood made her stomach churn in hunger. It had been so long since she’d fed. Selena was a firm believer in fasting. But something about the high priestess’s generosity gave her pause.