Blood Sacrifice (The Astral Chronicles #1)

Chapter FourSalvator

Chapter Four

Salvator

My footsteps echoed as I made my way down the corridor toward the underground facility that had become home to those who stood against the tyranny of magic, especially the man who declared himself emperor a long time ago and never relinquished the title.

“Report,” I demanded as I walked into the control room.

“Police records indicate unusual deaths of two tourists. Both found dead in their bed with no cause of death,” Tarrack replied, typing to bring up the report on a screen.

There had been a time I believed magic was the greatest gift in the universe. It could help the harvest grow and bring bounty to the land. Then I witnessed the horror behind the true power of it, the evil that hid in the shadows, and now anything to do with magic repulsed me. I had seen a spell killing a thousand people, and also something like what was in this police report.

“Are any of our people in the area?” I asked, trailing my fingers through my hair.

“Yeah, but you’re not going to like who is also there.” Tarrack brought more images up on the screen.

Two of the hotel visitors who had been interviewed were two dire wolves who had sided with Balor for power and wealth.

“Fuck!” I muttered in disgust.

“Exactly. There is no coincidence those two were there and deaths mysteriously followed.” He leaned back in his chair to study the images on the screen.

I sat down and started to flick my way through all the witness statements and reports. My finger hovered over an image that sent a shockwave ricocheting through me. It couldn’t be. Aisha had sworn centuries ago that she had felt her sister’s death. It had been the reason I had stopped looking for her, and was the main reason that I broke the shackles that bound me to the man I believed had killed her.

“Everything okay?” Tarrack asked, sensing the change in my body language.

“Yeah, I just hate anything to do with Balor and his goons, you know that.” Each of us had suffered and lost in the war that had created our group. We were no longer slaves to the self-imposed emperor, instead reclaiming the land of our ancestors, and protecting it with our strength and resilience. Dire wolves were the oldest of the lycans, larger than the common lycan and infused with our own unique magic. It was why the old magic users had bound us to them.

Now they trembled at the sound of our name, stepping out of our way before they lost their heads. No one survived without a head, and it was the reason why we were named the deathly dires.

“I’ll maybe head out myself to check this out since I’m free at the moment.” Both of us knew I wasn’t free since I always had a massive list that needed my attention.

“You need me with you?” Tarrack asked.

“No, I need you to monitor the situation. If they are in the area, it’s because they’re chasing another priestess. It’s the only reason Balor releases his trackers.” I kept the tablet with the reports on it in my hand, my grip threatening to break the screen.

I turned on my heel, and walked out of the room, following another underground tunnel to the sleeping quarters, my thumbprint granting me access to my room. This was the only place that I could let my true emotions out.

Her image was still on the screen, and I zoomed in and out over and over again, studying it from every angle. Four hundred years had been a long time, but the image of her face was engrained in my brain.

Dire wolves were driven by the need to find their fated mate, and Luna had been mine from the moment I set eyes on her when she arrived at the temple. Before that she had been the annoying little sister of my closest friend. The mating link had activated since both of us had reached puberty when she had been collected by the priests.

I saved her and risked my own life, but there had never been a question that I would. She had been my entire world, and loving her had been the only reason I had been able to do my job and save those we had in the early days of the war.

Aisha was her older sister, and I caught up with her a few years after the night of the mass slaughter. She told me she had searched for Luna, but stopped when she felt her death. We had never completed the mating ritual, so I trusted her. Aisha still worked with our organisation to help locate each new area Balor tried to invade and take over. In exchange, we kept her and some others she had befriended along the way safe and hidden.

The woman in the picture had eyes that contained the sadness that only living too long could put in them. She had been about twenty the night she ran for her life, and her face had matured from girl to a woman.

I had my wolf under control ninety-nine percent of the time, but right now I could barely control him. A primal need to find our mate pulsed through my veins and exploded in my chest. My claws dug into my hands, and my canines elongated in my mouth as I suppressed the urge to punch the wall.

My mate was alive.

I paced my room, trying to contain my rage and failing. Eventually, I threw clothes into a bag, stomped to my favourite car, and threw it in the boot. I could have taken one of our helicopters, but I needed time to calm down before I reached Luna.

“Damn it!” My fist slammed into the steering wheel. I told her I would find her, and I had failed her.

I turned the radio up to drown out my wolf who was howling in my head. He had constantly muttered in my head that she was out there, and I had stupidly put it down to wishful thinking.

The miles drifted past me, and my heartrate slowly returned to normal along with the bits of my wolf that had escaped.

My phone rang as I was driving into Cusco.

“Yeah?” I manoeuvred myself through the streets toward the office we had located here. I had made it my mission to have people in strategic locations since this was our territory.

“More renegade lycans have been spotted in the area you’re arriving in,” Tarrack said. “There’s something going on, and we’re the last to know.”

“We have clairvoyants working for us,” I replied. “How did they not see any of this?”

“No idea.” The sound of a door closing sounded from the other side of the conversation. “I have a bad feeling about this, Sal. I know you said you would handle it, but I have a team free up north and can send them down to keep an eye on whatever shit is going on.”

My wolf howled for me to be here alone, but I hadn’t survived this long without assessing a situation from all angles.

“Do it,” I replied. “Make sure our people in the police are aware of the situation in case we need help cleaning up a mess.”

“Whoever is in the wind must be important to his empire,” Tarrack said. “He hasn’t released this many field agents in a long time, and I don’t think that dead couple was who he was searching for.”

The woman he was searching for came from a long line of very powerful witches. Aisha was talented, but I remembered the chief priestess talking about the raw power contained inside Luna.

“Then let’s find that asset before he does,” I replied, slipping back into the role as alpha. “Cancel any unnecessary missions, and bring our people in. If there is conflict, I don’t want any of our people out there alone.”

“On it. I’ll bring them back to the closest base.”

“Thanks, Tarrack. I’m almost at our Cusco office. I’ll update you on anything I discover.” I hung up and swung into the entrance to the carpark at the back of our building.

Balor wanted this territory, but we had taken it from him, one town and village at a time. We had replaced our wolf forms with guns and knives to protect our secrets, only running in our four-legged form in protected areas where no one could detect us.

Inside the building was cool, the light bright in the rooms as I made my way through to my quarters which consisted of an office and a bedroom. The personal possessions that held value to me were located in a house no one knew about but me, locked in a walk-in vault. One fact remained over my long life: memories tended to fade, but were refreshed and colour infused back into them when you touched a physical connection to that memory.

The leather band that held the pendant in place had broken many lifetimes ago, and lay in the vault in my home, but the quartz crystal remained in an intricate silver cage at my throat. No one knew what it meant to me, or where it had come from. I caressed it lightly in a familiar gesture that had developed when I became lost in thoughts.

I felt the thrum of a mate connection low in my stomach because she was close by.

Feeling trapped, I left the building and wandered toward Cusco Square, which was a tourist destination for any groups visiting Peru since it still contained so many archaeological treasures. I bought a cool bottle of Inca Kola, and walked to find somewhere to sit and sip it and people watch. Tour buses were a common sight, and I followed the vibration in my solar plexus until I stopped close to a popular hotel, taking a seat and stretching my legs out in front of me.

About forty minutes later, I was rewarded when I saw one of the people from the images from the police reports. Another ten minutes, and the two dogs who worked for Balor walked back toward the hotel, stopping outside to take a phone call. My wolf hearing strained until I picked up the end of the conversation.

“… Tell your seer that they are wrong. No one else on that tour has any magical abilities.” The call recipient rolled his eyes at his friend. “We would know if someone was creating a null shield.”

I doubted they would. Luna had been naturally talented when she was young, and she had had a long time to perfect her skills. Technically, she could be one of the pigeons walking about on the street and they wouldn’t know.

“Fine, we’ll search their rooms again,” he huffed. “Maybe the seer should come down here herself and point out who we’re looking for since she knows so much.” He hung up and shoved his phone into his pocket.

“We’ve been through their rooms already and sat close to them at dinner for three nights. There is no way there is a magic user on that tour we haven’t identified,” the second wolf said, folding his arms across his chest. “This hotel has greater security and not just a wooden door with a crappy lock.”

“If there was any of the lost priestesses on that tour, they would have run after those deaths,” wolf one replied.

Which was probably why Luna didn’t run.

I waited until they went inside and walked across to the hotel. We had people working for us in most places, and they attributed us to belonging to a cartel or mafia organisation. Who knew? Maybe that was the new terminology for a wolf pack.

“Hey,” I said, approaching one of our contacts. “How many nights is that tour staying?”

The receptionist brightened up, straightening her hair as she smiled. “Two nights. Why? Are you interested in joining them?”

“I could probably give them the tour of Cusco and Sacred Valley myself,” I replied, smiling at her to continue gaining information. “There was an incident at their last hotel, and we don’t want that type of bad luck following them into our town.”

Her eyes widened, and she leant forward. “I heard two of the tour died. They cancelled their room.” She glanced to the side, before continuing. “Was it not accidental?”

“That’s for the police to decide. We’ll just keep an eye on them to ensure there’s no trouble,” I replied.

She nodded, her expression serious. “Do you need a room while they’re here?”

I knew an invitation when I heard one, and Sophia had been hinting at me taking her out for a while. She was cute, but sex without meaning had no appeal, and now my mate had re-emerged from the dead, my full focus was on her.

“No, thanks, one of my guys will be around later to ensure everything is fine.” I waved as I walked away, going back outside to think through my next move. The only thought in my head had been to get here, and now I needed to actually form a plan.

I sat in the sunshine, debating what to do, and internally arguing with my wolf, who demanded we go into that hotel and find our mate. Everything inside me stilled when the figure of a woman walked down the street, her head lowered.

She had curves that hadn’t been there before, her hair bouncing with every step she took. Her movements were slow and calm, making herself a minimal risk to any predators in the area. She kept her head lowered, making herself smaller and submissive. Any wolf searching for a powerful magical being would overlook her, and even though I knew who she was, I couldn’t detect any energy signature from her that denoted what she was.

She stopped, bringing her gaze up to glance around, and my wolf growled in my head. Luna had transformed into something more than beautiful. She had blossomed into an etheric creature with delicate features and a radiance that made my breath catch.

Her gaze ran over me, returning a few seconds later, her brow furrowing for a moment before she spun and walked into the hotel. She wasn’t the only one who could mask who they were. It appeared we were both chameleons who were hiding in plain sight.

I remained where I was, dumbstruck that my mate was alive.

What the fuck was I supposed to do?

Anger pulsed through me with every single beat of my heart, and I stormed off back toward our building, trying to swallow the need to rip someone’s throat out. Luna had been out in the world all that time by herself, and that tore my insides apart to leave me raw and bleeding.

The operations room back at our building allowed me to tap into CCTV that spanned most of the town centre. I spent the next few hours studying the tour group and their interactions as they went on a walking tour.

I drank in every facial expression on Luna, and finally came to the conclusion that she was using a spell to mask her genuine reactions.

When they reached a church that tourists tended to visit, I left the building and jogged down the side streets until I reached it. Many of the group oohed and aahed as the guide gave a description of the artifacts on display. The last supper was normally depicted in Peru with a guinea pig on the table since it was a popular menu item here. It tended to make the tourists queasy.

Luna stayed at the back of the group, hiding herself in the crowd.

I stayed in the background, watching her while wrestling with my wolf who wanted to stomp over there to bite and claim her. My nose twitched when I caught her distinctive scent, and it took me back four centuries into the past when she had been wrapped around me while I carried her through the night.

Back in the daylight of the street, I maintained my distance, stopping when I saw the two wolves who were stalking the group. Normally, I avoided them, but today I was in full asshole mood.

“Afternoon, gentlemen,” I said, sidling up behind them. “You seem to be lost since this city belongs to me.” I leaned against the wall and folded my arms across my chest.

Both of them turned to stare at me, their eyes widening in recognition. Balor had recruited dire wolves after the war, and the majority of us had left him. These two idiots were among the new recruits.

“My guess is that you’re trying to think of an excuse why you’re wandering around in my territory and following a group of innocent tourists,” I continued. “Let me reassure you that there is no justifiable excuse and Balor knows what the consequences are for this type of infraction.”

Wolf one cleared his throat, and I could tell he was debating running. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. We’re just passing through.”

I rolled my eyes, grabbing his wrist and rapidly twisting his arm until it cracked and hung at an unnatural angle. I lifted his hand up to display the tattoo denoting his master.

“I could never understand why you all need to brand yourselves with his mark,” I said. “You may as well have tattooed it on your forehead so it could represent another useless dick.”

Wolf two stepped forward in a futile attempt to help his friend. The aroma of death radiated from him, depicting him as the murderer from a few nights ago.

“You have no idea who you’re dealing with,” he replied, drawing a gun from beneath his coat. He had just signed his own death warrant.

“I’ve known Balor for centuries, and his attitude hasn’t improved in that time. The calibre of the men he employs has definitely gone down dramatically.” I grasped his wrist to twist it, the gun clattering to the ground.

A quick glance over my shoulder showed that we were alone, so I gave in to the violence that had been brewing inside me all day and I snapped his neck before he could open his mouth and say something that would annoy me further. He dropped to the ground with a shocked expression on his face.

“He shouldn’t have pissed me off,” I said to wolf one. “We could have all been friends.” That was a lie because these two assholes were stalking my mate and there was no way they would reach the end of this day alive after committing that offence.

His shoulder was dislocated, and he took a step back, which was a rookie mistake that turned him into a prey animal instead of the predator he was born. He held his working arm up with his hand in front of him in flimsy defiance.

“I won’t tell anyone,” he mumbled in a low voice. “I’ll say we were attacked by humans in daylight, so couldn’t defend ourselves.” His bottom lips trembled.

“Or you could have some self-respect and act like a wolf,” I finished for him, raising one eyebrow. So instead, he acted like a rabbit and turned to try and run. He joined his friend on the ground a few seconds later.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and hit the speed dial for Tarrack.

“Do I want to know?” he answered.

“Probably not,” I replied. “I need a clean-up crew for two pitiful excuses for lycans.”

“Teams are already in our base. I’ll mobilise them to your location.” Tarrack paused for a moment. “Is it one of the priestesses they’re tracking?”

“I’m not sure,” I replied, crossing my fingers he wouldn’t detect the lie. “None have displayed any magical signatures so far.” Luna had carefully masked her natural abilities. To the casual observer, she was nothing more than a tourist visiting this country.

The problem was that I was not a casual observer, and my wolf was struggling against my control since he had caught the scent of his mate. I dragged the two bodies to the side of the alley, snapping a photograph of each for our technical teams to work their own brand of magic on.

My phone pinged. A text from Tarrack flashing onto the screen.

Tarrack: Ramon said to take fingerprints and DNA as we have some unknown players in the wind.

“Great,” I muttered, crouching down to scan their fingerprints.

“Been busy?” Jethro asked, staring down at the dead men, as he appeared beside me.

“Assholes know not to wander onto our land,” I replied, but both of us knew I tended to turn a blind eye to that type of infraction.

“Paulo is on his way with a van,” Jethro said. “We’ll take them away to avoid any questions. You need me to take samples?”

“Tarrack wanted fingerprints and DNA. Their phones would be beneficial as well,” I replied, sending the prints to our database.

“Balor has stayed in his own areas for a long time,” Jethro said, leaning against the wall as he watched me. “People are talking.”

“I don’t know what to tell you,” I replied, sliding my phone into my back pocket. “I’m not happy about this either.” I growled lowly when I sensed a human approaching. The vibration should be enough for their instincts to make them avoid this place.

“We thought there were no other priestesses out there,” Jethro said, trailing his fingers through his hair. “We’ve been searching a long time to ensure he can’t absorb any more of their energy and powers.” Jethro had been there the night our lives had been ripped apart. He had fought alongside me in the war, and watched when I discovered my mate was dead.

“I think we need to re-evaluate everything we thought we knew. If he was willing to send these goons to kill tourists, then he has information that we don’t.” I pinched the bridge of my nose since I was struggling to stay in control.

“What about our witches?” Jethro asked. “Would they not have sensed a priestess?”

I met his eyes. “This operation stays between our team alone,” I replied and Jethro slowly nodded. Trust was born when you saved someone’s life and stood shoulder to shoulder with them in the front lines of war. I knew I could trust Jethro, and that he trusted me. I had no idea why Aisha had lied to me, but there was no way she had felt the death of someone who was still alive and walking around my city. I knew for a fact that they had never physically met again since the day I put her into the care of the travelling workman and his family.

Jethro pulled his phone out and started to type, no doubt locking this investigation down to only a limited number of people. Our van reversed into the alley, and Paulo appeared at the back a few moments later. He stared at the bodies for several moments before he opened the rear doors.

“I swear his minions get younger every day,” Paulo said. “They’re only pups.” He shook his head in disgust.

We tried to reach the young dire wolves as they emerged, but we didn’t have the wealth and lure that Balor’s organisation did, and money tended to talk louder than honour did.

Jethro and Paulo lifted the bodies into the back of their van to remove any evidence of what happened here. We watched as Paulo drove away and back to our base. The basement had room for our vehicles as well as an incinerator that would be used to destroy evidence.

“You need me to do anything?” Jethro asked as we walked back into the sunshine.

“We need eyes on that tour at all times,” I replied. “They’ll send others to replace those guys. We need to carry out background checks of everyone getting on that bus, including the driver and tour guide.”

I needed to return to being the leader of this pack, and not a hormonal teenager with no plan. If we were investigating every single person in that group, I would be personally paying attention to the data that came back for Luna.

“I’ll grab a room at the hotel, and keep an eye on what is happening there since the last couple were killed in their beds,” Jethro said. “If they send any more lycans, I’ll sense them when they arrive.”

Dire wolves all had unique abilities—it was the reason we had been collected not long after our first change and they realised we carried the genes coveted by magic users. Jethro could detect the energy of supernatural creatures, seeing what they were below their skin. He had identified threats long before they manifested into a problem in our pack.

“I’m going to head back and try to trace where they were before the first incident, and maybe determine what alerted Balor and how we missed it.” I also needed to do my own private research into Luna, or whatever name she was currently using. It would allow me to start to piece together how I’d gotten everything so very wrong.

“Stay safe,” Jethro said, and we parted with a handshake which denoted our pack.

Back in the safety of our pack house, I began to search for Luna, using not her name, but her facial biometrics, tracing her across the globe. I didn’t doubt who she was, my wolf knew.

Now, all I needed to do was determine what had happened to her, and how I was going to claim what was mine.