The Fabled (35 page)

“Come on, Sunny. It’s time to prove everyone
wrong.” My little pep talk to myself gave me a smidgen of my
confidence back and I started forward to Doyle’s. He lived in a
basement apartment under some business that was never occupied. It
allowed him privacy for his extracurricular activities with the
convenience of being in the city and it would be the perfect place
to kill Desiree without having innocents getting in the way or the
cops being called because someone heard screaming. I’m sure if the
neighbors can here Doyle’s place, screaming is not uncommon.

I knocked on the door and tried not to fidget
while I waited for him to answer. A moment later the door opened
and a shirtless Doyle stood in front of me.

“My Sun. You look stunning tonight. As is the
usual.”

I looked down at myself briefly. I had worn
tight black leather pants, a black camisole and knee-high black
boots. Simple but sexy.

“Thanks Doyle. Are you going to let me
in?”

“I could never turn away such a beautiful
woman. Please.” He motioned toward the inside of his home. “You
know where everything is.”

I walked in and looked around. “Yes, it looks
just like the last time I was here.”

He moved closer and put his hands on my hips.
“You look just as I remember too. Och, it has been so long since
I’ve had a taste.” He bent down slightly and touched his lips to
mine before pulling back and licking his lips. “That Vampere has
tainted you.”

“Aren’t you going to give me a chance to
greet our guest?”

I looked behind Doyle to find Desiree
standing there in a negligée and long, flowing robe.

“Doyle?” I looked at him questioningly and he
closed his eyes as if in pain.

“I’m sorry, Sun. She is my mistress. The last
time I betrayed her…you know how it turned out.”

“I see.” I turned to Desiree. “So what is the
plan? Lure me here and kill me? I don’t think you have the guts.
You certainly couldn’t take care of it before. Why should now be
different?”

“Oh, you have grossly underestimated me
little girl.” She looked at Doyle. “I think it’s time to show her
your newest toy, Doyle. I think she’ll like it.” She ran her finger
down his nose, across his lips, over his chin and down his neck
before pushing him slightly on the chest. “Tie her up.”

He nodded and turned to me.

I backed away a couple of steps. Not that
there was anywhere to go. “Doyle, please. We’re friends.”

He grabbed my wrists and I tried to fight
back but I couldn’t steal his magic. He was the only one I have
ever met that could block me from stealing his magic. I’m sure all
demon are that way but since I’ve never tried to steal any other
demon’s magic before I don’t know for sure. The thought of having
demon magic inside me just creeped me out. Doyle would have been
the exception if I could have taken from him.

“No, Sun. We were friends. We were happy
together until you returned to that Vampere. Don’t you see? You
were the reason I was placed in that coffin in the first place. I
thought fate had brought us together again. But you would never
stay with me and then, then you chose him. You flaunted it in front
of everyone and you told me to just find someone else.”

“And he came running right back to me. I
tried to tell him you weren’t worth it but he wouldn’t listen. It’s
amazing what a few decades in a coffin will teach you,” Desiree
said over his shoulder.

Doyle dragged me over to the corner of the
room where a pair of handcuffs hung from the ceiling. There were
also cuffs coming up from the floor.

“Doyle please don’t do this. She is going to
kill me.”

He began cuffing my hands but he stopped to
look at me.

“Maybe this is for the best, Sun. Without you
I can go back to the way I was before. I didn’t care about anyone
or anything except feeding my hunger. I used to bath in the lust of
my victims. This is no way to live. Only getting just enough to
survive. Except you. Feeding from you was the only time I felt
full. Like I was really alive again. And then you took that away
too.”

He finished cuffing my arms and both of my
ankles so that I was standing there unable to move. Then he grabbed
my face and kissed me hard. When he pulled back there was a tear on
his cheek.

“I love you, Sun. I always will.”

He released my face and I tried my best to
pull on the cuffs. Doyle moved back and Desiree took his place with
a huge smile on her face.

“You like these?” She reached up and stroked
one of the chains attached to a cuff. “Doyle had these installed
just for our little
ménage a trois
tonight. I do love
bondage. Don’t you?”

“Roman isn’t really into the BDSM scene.
Maybe that’s why he never wanted you. You’re just too
submissive.”

She slapped me and I smiled at her. “Oh,
you’ll have to do better than that. What? Daddy didn’t teach you
how to fight when he was teaching you how to fuck?”

She screamed in frustration and I laughed.
Damn, she was just too easy. I hadn’t even gotten started.

“You know. Me and Neil had a little heart to
heart in between torture and he told me a little secret about you.
Would you like to know what is was?”

Her eyes narrowed. “I’m sure Neil wouldn’t
tell you anything about our arrangement.”

“Sure he would. He thought I was going to
spend the rest of my short life with him there at his facility. He
told me about your little plan to…now what was it he said? Oh, yes,
cull the crop. We had a good laugh when he told me you actually
thought you would rule the remaining Vamps. He was laughing because
he didn’t plan for there to be a single Vamp left when he finished.
I laughed because the thought of some slut like you ruling anything
was just damned funny.”

She grabbed me around the throat and began
choking me. Finally. I thought that bitch would never touch me. I
began pulling her magic into me as quickly as I could and I
concentrated on trying to pull in the information I wanted
concerning the Caduceus but she didn’t hold on for long. As I
suspected, she didn’t want to just kill me. She wanted to play with
me for a bit. I was cool with that. We did have all night after
all.

“You know. I just don’t understand why you
would turn to a group of crazy Humans. I mean, it seems like you
have Augustus whipped. Why not just use him? You could rule at his
side then off him when you couldn’t stand him anymore.”

“Unlike most hierarchies Vampere have to take
the throne of leadership. If Augustus died, there would be fighting
to take over his place.”

“Ah, and we both know what a pussy you are.
But why the Humans? I mean, they weren’t what you would call cream
of the crop. I’m sure Neil was smart enough but you should have
seen that doctor he employed. Psycho.” I said that last in a high
pitched voice.

“You know nothing about the Caduceus. No
Fabled do. They will free us of all those weak Fabled until all
that is left are those worthy of the gifts they have been
given.”

“And you think you’re one of the worthy?” I
may have sounded slightly disbelieving.

“I am more worthy than some Human whore who
was created by dark magic. Oops. I bet dear old daddy never told
you that little tid bit.”

I narrowed my eyes and she smiled. I let that
comment go since I knew she was just trying to rile me.

“Well now they’re all dead. So what will you
do?”

She laughed.

“It will take a lot more than burning one
facility to end the Caduceus. Didn’t Neil tell you while you were
having your heartfelt conversations? They are everywhere. There are
facilities in every major country in the world. You think Neil was
the only billionaire on their team? He was just one of many.”

“I don’t suppose you know any specifics?”

She just looked at me.

“That’s what I was afraid of.”

“Why would that concern you now? I’m sure you
could think of other things to fear. Maybe your death?”

I smiled at her. “I was afraid because I
really hoped to get some information about the Caduceus during this
little
ménage a trois
, as you call it.” I looked up at the
cuffs holding my hands. “You know, I do like these chains. I’ll
have to thank Doyle for these later.”

Her eyes narrowed and as I pushed the buttons
that released the mechanism on the cuffs her eyes slowly widened. I
stepped out of the cuffs around my ankles and approached her. She
turned toward the door to find Roman standing there with Lucian
beside him. Panic crossed her face.

“Desiree Antonia Maria Severus, you are found
guilty of treason in the eyes of the Council of Elders. For the
deaths of two Vampere and the capture of a council agent you are to
be put to death post haste.” Lucian looked at me and gave a slight
nod.

Desiree looked from Lucian to me then back to
Roman. “Brother. Please. You can’t let them do this to me. I’ve
suffered so much. You know what was done to me. How can you allow
them to just kill me? You could save me. I know you could. If you
just love me, I will be better. Please, save me.”

“I am saving you, sister. From yourself. You
will suffer no more.”

A tear fell from his eye and I wanted to
comfort him but there would be no comfort until this is done. I
released the concealment on my sword and pulled it from its sheath.
She looked at the sword then turned back to Roman to plead more but
I swung my blade through her neck before she could make him regret
his decision of making her pay for her sins. He would have enough
of a cross to bear as it is. Her head fell to the floor before the
rest of her and her blood began to pool on the floor in front of
me.

I found no pleasure in her death because one
look at Roman showed me the pain he was in at seeing his sibling
die. I ran to him and embraced him as hard as I could hoping it
would be enough to help him through this.

After a while I released him and looked into
his eyes. The truth is I was afraid of what I would see there.
Would he always see me as his sister’s murder? But what I found was
the same thing I always found when I looked into his eyes. Love. It
was always love.

“
Meeting the Grampses”

“What are you waiting for? He’s going to love
you.”

I looked at my son.

“I don’t know. What if he doesn’t like
me?”

“You’re kidding, right? Everyone loves
you.”

“And I have yet to figure out why.”

“Come on.” He began pushing me toward the
door of the house we were currently standing on the front porch
of.

I turned to him uncertain but Roman grabbed
my hand and pulled me into the house. A gentleman who appeared to
be in his early forties stood before me. He had dark hair and even
darker eyes.

“So you’re the abomination.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. Instantly my
insecurities vanished. “So you’re the shut-in.”

He smiled. “I guess we’ve both heard much
about each other.”

“I guess we have.”

“You are welcome here, Thief.” He winked at
me and I rolled my eyes.

Gods save me from Roman’s grandsire.

******

“Alright. Here’s the plan. If this guy’s a
total douchebag, you kick him in the nuts while I run for the
car.”

“Why do I have to be the one to castrate your
grandfather?”

“Hello. Look at these boots. I was on poop
duty with baby Phae for six hours to earn the money to buy these.
There’s no way I’m scuffing them up on some old dude’s balls.”

I just looked at Brennan. “You realize that
old dude is your maternal grandfather. You just talked about your
grandfather’s balls.”

Her face progressively became more disgusted
until she shivered. “Okay, let’s forget about kicking him in
the…there. You just hold him off while I make a run for it.”

We were parked on the side of the road about
a block from Brennan’s grandfather’s home. I had stopped to have a
final talk with her before she met her last remaining family
member.

“Alright. Now that we have plan B in place
let’s discuss what the plan is if he isn’t bad. What if he’s, I
dare to say it, nice? He might be genuine. He might actually like
you and you him. What then?”

She looked even more horrified than before.
“I don’t know, Sunny. I don’t know what to do.”

“Okay, this is the plan. We go and talk to
him for a while and get to know him. Afterward you can decide
whether or not you want to see him again and then we go home. After
that, we’ll deal with this one step at a time. But promise me this
Brennan.”

She nodded.

“Give him a chance. His relationship with
your mom doesn’t seem to be all his fault. I’m sure it was hard for
her being raised by a Wizard when she had no magic at all. Things
will be different with you so give him the benefit of the doubt.
Alright?”

“Alright, Sunny. But you just know you’re not
getting rid of me so easily. I’m not just going to forget you and
move in with the dude like that.” She snapped her fingers and I
rolled my eyes.

“Like I would let you get away with that. I’m
sorry sister but you’re stuck with me.”

She smiled. “Good. Um, while I’m thinking
about us and our relationship and all. This doesn’t mean Tristan’s
my brother does it.”

I closed my eyes and tried my best to forget
the last five seconds but it didn’t work. “Tristan is off limits
Brennan. Do you hear me?”

“Why? It’s not like he’s my brother or
anything. Right?”

“Do I have to go into detail about how you’re
only seventeen and he’s twenty-five. He’s a new Vamp who has a lot
to work on right now. Besides, I hate to burst your bubble but I
think he’s got a thing for Carly.”

“Damn. I was hoping that was my
imagination.”