Sundown & Serena Read online

  I nodded, and went back to the rest of the men.

  Vince was talking to Kev. “I told you, I heard him say we’re going back for her.”

  “Vince,” I interrupted. “Devlin asked me to ask you for some of your pain pills for Lash.”

  Vince fished out a few, and handed them to me.

  “Serena, is it true Dev’s going home for Sarelle?” Kev growled. “That he’s going to try to take her for his own?”

  I hesitated, then nodded.

  He cursed. Vince cursed too. I left them telling each other loudly that they weren’t going to guard her, this woman who’d killed their friends. Nick was trying to shush them, without looking like he was being too enthusiastic about their new duties.

  I brought the pills back to Devlin, and he handed them to Lash with some water. Lash swallowed them, and groaned a little.

  “I’ll buy you a new cross, when we get settled in,” Devlin said, giving me a smile. He patted me on the shoulder. “You don’t have to worry Serena. The worst is over.”

  “Okay,” I said, giving him a smile back, even as I knew he was lying. He has some master plan, and it’s going to endanger us all. All for love. It would be so romantic, if it wasn’t my future on the line along with his love.

  * * * *

  When the plane landed, Devlin got off first, with Nick following to guard him. Afterwards, I didn’t see either of them for several days.

  Lash might have been badly injured, but it didn’t impede him getting everyone organized and off the plane. We left in a convoy for Devlin’s home, a place Vince said was called Hayden. A few hours later, we arrived.

  Hayden was a beautiful house, yet it looked as though a war had been fought there. According to Vince, one had been. “Titus, Devlin’s sorcerer, was fighting with his witch woman Leri,” he explained in a whisper. “He’s a good guy, Titus, especially in a fight. But Leri’s good too, she’s healed me up more than once.”

  I looked around, appalled at the destruction. There were huge holes in the walls and ceilings, many furnishings were broken or blackened as if by fire, and almost all the decorations were missing. “What did they fight about?”

  “Leri got pregnant years ago. Titus kind of made it happen, from what I heard, and she didn’t want it, or know what he’d done. So she hid the pregnancy, and left the baby out west, after it was born.” He paused. “But it found its way home. Titus finally found out this past fall that he has a son named Terian. When he found out, he hit the roof.” He paused again. “Letting them stay here to watch things was a mistake, if you ask me. A full assault by the vampire hunters would have caused less damage.”

  I nodded. This sounds like a soap opera.

  “I don’t want you to worry, because he’s a demon, and she’s a witch,” Vince continued, hugging me close. “I know how religious you are. But Titus won’t hurt you, though he sometimes ‘feels bad,’ which is the best I can put it. Leri keeps to herself mostly. She’s not staying here right now anyway, though I think she’s still Devlin’s employee.”

  This was too confusing for me. “Okay.”

  “Let’s get you settled in,” Vince said, grabbing a few boxes of mine and heading upstairs. “Devlin said you’re in the room next to Lash’s.”

  Oh no. “Are you sure?” I said plaintively, as I followed him upstairs.

  “Dev’s room is in there,” he pointed to a heavy oak door. “Lash’s room is next to his. So yours is here.” He set down the boxes, and opened the door.

  The room wasn’t the opulent palace my old one had been. But it was still lavishly decorated, with a king-size bed, two large maple dressers, and a large walk-in closet. Strangely, it was also cozy, the way my room in South America hadn’t been. The bathroom was lush, too, with a built-in Jacuzzi tub attached to a large shower built for at least two. Have other women like me been stabled here in the many years Devlin’s lived here? Was this built specifically for the house’s...female...? I stumbled mentally, not wanting to use the word “whore.” But what other word is there? “Salaried lover”?

  “Can you unpack yourself, if I get the boxes up here?” Vince said, concerned. “I know you must be rattled after all that’s happened. I’d love to stay and be in your arms.” He kissed me chastely. “But I need to report for guard duty in an hour.”

  “Sure,” I said, managing a smile. “When will Nick be back?”

  Vince scowled. “Not for days.” Then he left, before I could ask what he meant.

  * * * *

  I was reading in bed that night when I felt a very bad feeling, as if something oppressive was drawing near, like a physical warning of some evil event to come. There was a knock at my door.

  I got up to answer it, sure it must be Vince. But it wasn’t. A huge man stood there with red skin and very short dull black horns just noticeable above his close cropped black hair. This has to be Titus, the demon. The heat coming off him was intense. His hair was even waving just a little in the heat waves coming off him. “Good evening,” he said pleasantly. “I’m Titus. I’ll be rooming next door to you.”

  Argh! Lash on one side, and a demon on the other? “Good to meet you,” I forced out.

  He reached for my hand, and I recoiled. Titus stopped, taking his hand back. “You have nothing to fear from me,” he assured in a rumbling bass voice that sounded amused. “I am here just to introduce myself. Devlin’s told me of your beliefs.” He winced a little. “And I am not the kind of male that would come calling for your services after knowing how you feel, even were I not already spoken for.”

  “Thanks,” I said quickly, then blushed. “Most everyone I’ve met has been respectful.”

  “Most?” Titus rumbled, then his red eyes flashed briefly. “You must be referring to Lash.”

  “Yes.”

  “Settling in?” a sarcastic hissing voice said. “Ah, I see you’ve lost no time in introducing yourself, Titus. But then I heard you’re single now.” Lash came sauntering up the hall, his face still looking raw under the stitch marks. “Makes sense you want to get in line.”

  “Why couldn’t you have been blown up in Rio?” Titus rumbled, sarcasm and obvious real dislike in each harsh word. “I heard you lost Brock and Justin, not to mention Lars.”

  “Cannon fodder,” Lash hissed coldly. “You know how it is.” He grabbed hold of me suddenly, making me give a startled cry. “But we found Serena here.” Lash rubbed his cheek on mine. I winced, feeling the rough edges of his fresh stitches raking my skin. “And that might be worth all the bullshit. She fucks for pay. The bears love her, though I’ve yet to sample her myself.”

  Titus gave Lash a sudden shove. He wasn’t expecting it, and fell to one knee, as I grabbed hold of my door, breaking my own fall. “Leave her alone, Snake,” he growled. “You aren’t going to force her to accept you, not while I’m around. And it’s obvious you already tried to, from the scent of fear on her.”

  “Then maybe it’s time you went back to Hell,” Lash said with a grin, taking out his gun.

  Titus laughed. “As if your gun would work to do the job! Did you lose your brains in Rio, along with your face?”

  “These bullets were blessed,” Lash hissed. “I brushed them with holy water.”

  “That will burn off, when you fire them at me,” Titus said resolutely, unmoving.

  “Want to take the chance?” Lash offered, baring his fangs, his scarred face twisting. “I do.”

  “You shoot me, and no matter what happens, I won’t heal you,” Titus said, not moving. “And your face isn’t healing, like it should. Want to know why?”

  “Poison,” Lash hissed, his finger tightening on the trigger. “Another of your kind had it on his blade. But he’s in hell now, you can say ‘hi’ when you get there.”

  “It’s not poison,” Titus said mysteriously. “I would smell it, and I don’t.”

  Lash looked at him for a long moment, then lowered his weapon. “Then why?”

  “Come with me,” Titus said, pushin
g past him, and heading downstairs. “And I’ll do my best to find out.” He turned back, focusing on Lash. “We need you, if Devlin does what I’m guessing he’s going to. He’s supposed to call in an hour or so. We need to be ready when he does.”

  Lash holstered his gun, and followed Titus, without a backward look.

  * * * *

  I was still unpacking that night when Vince came to say he was leaving. “We have to go tonight on a mission.”

  I was surprised to see he had on some type of armor, dull black in color, and a ton of ammunition and guns strapped to him. “Are those grenades?” I asked. “What’s going on?”

  He hugged me tight. “I may not come back, Serena,” he whispered gruffly. “Everyone’s saying this is a suicide mission.” He pulled back from me to gaze into my eyes. “But Lash and Titus are going,” he said, confident. “With them along, we’ll make it, at least some of us.” He gathered himself. “They would send us by ourselves and go in separately, if there wasn’t any hope of getting out alive, if we were just supposed to be a distraction.”

  He cupped my face in his hands. “I’ll come back to you, if I can. If I don’t, I want you to know I left you my money.”

  I’d always thought of Vince with affection, and nothing more intense than that. Yet his sudden admission of feelings made my chest tight. “Vince, I don’t want your money.”

  “I don’t have anyone, no family, except for Nick and you, and the other bears,” he said gruffly. “I always liked it that way. But I stand here, knowing I have to go, and that this might be it for me, and I can’t say that I didn’t want there to be more to my life than what it is now.” He gave a derisive snort. “Listen to me, being a candy ass, like this is my first mission! Jesus!” He cast me a quick look. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” I assured, feeling overwhelmed. “I’ll pray for you. Be safe.”

  “Tell me that you want me to come back,” he asked hesitantly. “Please?”

  I hugged him tight. “Of course I want you to come back,” I said, swallowing hard. “Please be careful.”

  “Vince!” Kev shouted from downstairs. “Let’s go!”

  Vince gave me a rough last kiss, and then he was out the door, his footsteps moving fast down the stairs.

  Chapter Eleven

  I didn’t sleep much that night, waking often to look at the clock and then toss and turn until the next ten minutes had passed and I did it all over again. In the morning, there was still no word. Jazz was the only werebear left guarding the main house, his jealous wife Valerie with him, dogging his steps as he waited. Nick was still with Devlin, guarding him wherever he was. Some other werebears I’d never met before manned the gatehouse, with orders to stay there until either Devlin or Lash returned. Everyone else was gone, doing their part for Devlin’s still-secret master plan. A snowstorm was raging outside, burying the land in drifts of white.

  I’d always longed to see snow, wondering what it felt like, hoping someday to find out, and go skiing, or build a snowman, or other winter activities. But the actuality of a real Northeastern American winter was bitter cold that chilled my tropical blood, and drove me back to my room as soon as I’d eaten my breakfast.

  The day passed slowly, then the night. I fell asleep with my book on my face, not having comprehended the last page for hours. I was awoken at five a.m. by a bloodcurdling scream. Valerie. I dashed to my feet, and ran downstairs, pushing through the kitchen door.

  Kev was prone on the kitchen floor, covered in blood and many cuts, his torso riddled with bullet wounds. His right arm had been severed, and was just a stump, though I saw Titus was trying to reattach the twitching limb. Kev breathed raggedly as the demon worked, a piece of worked polished steel in his mouth, growling in pain.

  Vince was worse. He lay unmoving, also covered in blood and bullet wounds. His middle was slashed open in four huge deep gashes, his innards exposed. A woman knelt beside him, working frantically.

  I went quickly to her, and knelt beside her. “What can I do?”

  “Clean off his intestines, and his other organs. Push them inside, and sew up the wound. I’ll heal it, as you sew it closed, but I need all my concentration to keep him breathing! He’s losing too much blood!”

  “How do I—?”

  She tossed some heavy thread to me, a needle stuck in it. “Bring the edges together with the thread. I can’t heal a wound that big!”

  I hurried to obey, threading the needle with shaking hands. My skin crawled with the first poke of the metal into Vince’s body, but once I was sewing, my tension eased. As I brought the edges of his skin together, the woman healed him, leaving unbroken flesh in our wake. After his torso was closed, she turned to me, fixing me with her calm brown eyes. “Clean him up as best you can,” she ordered. “I’ve got to take over for Titus, before he makes a mess of Kev’s arm and cripples him for good.”

  She turned from me, rushing to Kev. Titus bounded to his feet and raced out of the room to the basement. A faint bellowing sounded, a furious voice that seemed to go through the walls. I didn’t understand the language. Was that German?

  “Serena!” the woman shouted to me. “Get working, or he’ll die!”

  I grabbed a dishcloth and ran some hot water into the dishpan, grabbed the first aid kit from beneath the kitchen sink, then turned my attention back to Vince. I slowly cleaned him off, sewing up all the larger wounds and bandaging the others. They were not healing as they should. None of them. Werepoison? Or some other dark magic?

  Soon, I had all Vince’s visible wounds taken care of. Surmising he might have others, I removed the rest of his clothes, and found a few more wounds. When I had those cleaned and bandaged, I turned to the woman. She was still working on Kev. His arm was now reattached, and his larger wounds were healed. Within a few moments, she was finished. She turned to me, and gave me a smile. “I’m Leri. Thanks for helping.”

  “What do we do now?”

  “I’ll teleport them to their beds. With a little rest, and a lot of meat, they’ll be good as new.” She got to her feet. “But you won’t have anyone visiting you for at least a few days.”

  I felt a chill. “Where are the others who went with them?”

  “Dead,” Lash hissed, striding into the room. “Ebediah didn’t come easily. He’s trying to tear his cell apart right now. We’ll need to reinforce the bars with magic, a holding spell of some kind.”

  “Devlin’s an idiot!” Leri exclaimed loudly. “Ebediah’s the only vampire Ruler who himself knows magic. He’d have been much smarter to go after Zane!”

  “Zane’s the weakest of the Rulers, even weaker than Danial,” Lash hissed, looking at her coldly. “Devlin’s got to be strong. To do that, he needs to drain someone strong. And Ebediah was the only one so confident he would not be attacked that an attack with so few men would have worked.”

  Leri just looked at him, then away, her blatant opinion that an 80% loss and 100% injury rate didn’t constitute a successful attack. I noticed belatedly that Lash seemed fine, though he was covered in blood spatters, and his whip was caked with it, like his boots. His knife and its sheathe was oddly missing.

  “Titus asked you to come below, when you’re done,” Lash added. “He needs your help with Sola. He can’t keep blocking them both.”

  Leri whipped her head back, incredulous. “You brought her back alive too? She’s the one that taught him magic!”

  Lash nodded. “Devlin’s orders. And he’s still your boss, Leri.”

  “That’s fucking great,” Leri said sarcastically. “Tell Titus I’ll be down in a minute.” She got up, and motioned with her hands to two prone guards. Kev’s and Vince’s bodies rose in the air a few feet, and she strode off, the bodies floating behind her like attentive dogs.

  Lash turned to me. “Go back to bed,” he hissed tiredly. “The worst is over.” Then he turned, and headed going downstairs. The bellowing was even louder now. Is that Ebediah?

  I did as he asked, though I didn’t
sleep for some time, wondering where all this was leading, and what it would mean for me.

  * * * *

  The next morning, I attended a mass funeral at dawn in the estate graveyard located behind the house. The other bears that had gone on the mission had been killed, as Lash had said, including my former lovers Matt, Van, Harald, and Gerry. But the saddest thing to me was that four other bears had died, ones I hadn’t known or spent time with, because those had been mated bears who had stayed behind at Hayden, and never came to South America at all. Their widows were crying loudly as a local priest gave a simple blessing. One widow was hysterical, screaming that her mate couldn’t be gone, he was coming back, he’d promised her he would, and so he couldn’t be dead. Jazz finally slapped her, and she quieted, but the tension remained high. I excused myself as soon as possible, heading toward the house.

  When I got back, Nick was in the kitchen. He hugged me so hard I couldn’t breathe, and I hugged him back just as hard, relieved he was back. “I heard what happened,” he said. “I’m sorry we didn’t get back until now.”

  “Nick!” Devlin shouted from the basement, impatient. “Get down here!”

  Nick gave me an anxious look and left.

  I’m tired of being passive, of never knowing what’s going to happen next. My eyes narrowed and I followed Nick down the stairs. He went through what looked like some kind of workshop, and then through the door at its far end. I went to the door and listened. It wasn’t hard to hear, with my fox-coyote hearing.

  “How dare you, Dalcon?” It was the same old voice from last night, calmer now and speaking English, albeit with a very odd inflection.

  “You know me, Ebediah,” Devlin said in rolling tones. “I dare most anything.”

  “Where is Sola?” Ebediah roared. “What have you done with my Oathed One?”

  “She is dead,” Lash hissed nastily. “Devlin drained her this morning.”

  There was utter silence. I held my breath.

  “You broke our most sacred law, to do such a thing,” Ebediah said in hushed tones. “Laws you yourself wrote! Have you no respect for love?”