Chapter 19
Picking up the pace, Alex followed Sawyer’s scent deeper into the forest, sensing his mate’s loneliness.
Ignoring the beauty of the woods around him, he headed straight to Sawyer.
Disregarding the angry bellows of his dragon, his instincts told him Sawyer’s wolf needed the comfort his fox could give and, for the first time since his childhood, Alex was able to tell his dragon to piss off.
Just as Oracle had predicted, controlling his dragon allowed him to achieve balance between his animals and with it, serenity for himself, something sorely lacking before his two mates entered his life.
Emerging from the forest into a clearing, Alex heard the sound of bubbling water and spied his mate’s black wolf lying in the grass at the edge of a stream. Giving a short bark, his fox trotted over to him, lowered his head and began nuzzling the wolf with his nose.
Following Alex, Glenn’s tiger slowly approached his mate’s wolf, keeping his eyes lowered as a sign of submission.
It was a strange feeling; he’d never done it before, but the last thing he wanted was for Sawyer’s wolf to view his tiger as a threat.
Settling down on his belly next to the wolf, he paused a moment before leaning over and licking his mate’s face.
Keeping his eyes locked with the wolf’s, Alex backed up and, shifted into his human form.
Sitting down in front of Sawyer’s wolf, Alex buried his fingers into the soft fur between his ears.
“Wolf mate, we need to have a pow-wow because I…and Glenn, don’t like seeing you like this.
I know how much tiger mate’s actions hurt you but I don’t think he meant to; he acted that way because he loves you so much.
” Placing his finger against the wolf’s mouth, Alex continued.
“I know what you’re thinking…‘if he loves me so much why does he disrespect me?’ Love shows itself in many different ways, as I found out when Oracle told me about my father.
All along I thought he didn’t love me but the opposite was true…
he loved me so much he did everything possible to protect me from harm, but that just ended up causing me so much pain.
I believe now if he knew how bad it would turn out for me, he’d have found another way. ”
While listening to Alex, Glenn’s tiger inched closer to Sawyer, craving to be near him.
His mate’s sadness flooded their mind link, driving home more than any words how badly he’d fucked up.
Alex was right; he wasn’t treating Sawyer as an Alpha and, what was worse, this Alpha had proved himself by saving his and Alex’s lives.
Thinking back to when Smokey or Ghost had first saved his life out in the field, he remembered regarding them as equals immediately.
So what was it about Sawyer that made Glenn treat his mate as someone of lesser standing?
And while Alex was correct about Glenn’s behavior stemming from a need to protect Sawyer, he couldn’t figure out why Sawyer, an Alpha, put up with that kind of humiliation.
Chuffing quietly, Glenn tried to picture Smokey or Ghost letting him get away with that shit.
No, they’d be all over him, giving him back a double dose…
and more. Sawyer, on the other hand, had buried his hurt deep inside, causing him more pain than if he’d called Glenn out on it.
Definitely not Alpha behavior. Nor was it Beta behavior.
It actually was more like Omega behavior: grin and bear it, don’t rock the boat with a fight.
But Sawyer was not an Omega so why was he behaving as one?
Glenn’s mind drifted back to how Mac stood up for his twin.
Suddenly, he realized who could fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle; he’d have to speak with Mac as soon as he could.
Glenn then tuned back into the one-sided discussion Alex was having with Sawyer’s wolf.
“Wolf mate, I have to believe our tiger mate will find a way to satisfy his need to protect us while making sure he doesn’t hurt you again.
Now, I know you’re thinking…‘he promised me that before but look what happened’…
and you’re right. But it doesn’t mean he loves you less…
or disrespects you. It just means he makes mistakes…
just like me when I ran away from you, not once but twice, making you think I was rejecting you.
I wasn’t but I was scared. All of us are going to make mistakes in this relationship but our love for each other will always win out in the end. ”
Glenn could wait no longer. Shifting, he wrapped his arms around Sawyer’s wolf, burying his nose in the thick, soft fur as he inhaled his mate’s scent.
Then, moving his mouth close to a velvet-soft ear, Glenn whispered, “Babe, I’m so sorry for breaking my promise to you.
Will you give me another chance to do it right this time?
” Lightly brushing his lips against Sawyer’s ear, Glenn felt his mate’s whole body shudder.
Kissing his mate again, he murmured, “Please, babe, can I have a do-over?”
Responding to his mate’s touch and words, Sawyer shifted and found himself entangled in Glenn’s arms. Resting his forehead against his mate’s, he murmured, “A do-over sounds perfect.” Then, lowering his mouth, his lips sought out the lips that had teased his wolf with soft kisses, knowing his need for them would never end.
Grinning at the sight of his two mates together, Alex crawled over, growing hard at the erotic picture in front of him.
Sitting back on his heels, he grasped his cock, stroking it.
Suddenly Glenn’s arm snaked around his waist, tugging him forward until he found himself being kissed by both of his mates.
Without knowing how it happened, Alex found himself lying with his back on the mossy bank while his mates licked, sucked, bit, and teased every part of his body until he was consumed with pleasure.
Unable to form a coherent thought, he gave himself up to his mates, everything fading away until his world consisted only of the three of them and the sounds of their lovemaking.
~/~/~/~/~
“Lucius,” Kieran said softly after seeing the vampire’s reaction to his explanation about the spell, “who did this to you? Was it Valerian?”
The vampire’s eyes shot open at the mention of his master’s name. “Y-y-you know him?”
“Not really…I saw him once in Scotland…”
Whimpering, Lucius closed his eyes when he finally figured out why the man looked familiar to him. He was there when Valerian was killed.
“Lucius, please look at me,” Kieran murmured. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Wishing he’d died alongside Valerian, Lucius refused to do as asked, unwilling to watch the man kill him. After seeing what happened to Valerian and his cohorts, he knew it was going to be brutal.
Rapping his knuckles on the door before opening it, Logan stepped into the room, his eyes taking in everything. Then he said, “Babe, Oracle has just arrived. Do you want me to stay with Lucius while you speak to her?”
Shaking his head, Kieran replied, “Please ask her to join us up here, macushla. It’s important for Lucius to hear from her directly.”
Fear spiked through him. Someone else was going to be asking him questions—questions he didn’t want to answer.
He simply wanted to forget everything that happened since the day he’d awakened as a vampire.
A fucking vampire! He couldn’t believe it at first, but several painful lessons by Valerian finally confirmed what he’d become.
That’s when he realized no matter how bad his human life had been, it could always get worse.
After Logan left, Kieran looked down at the young vampire. “She won’t hurt you.”
Countless times Lucius had heard those words from Valerian but they meant nothing; his sadistic master took delight in making him suffer.
The vile actions he was forced to perform in return for dribbles of blood to quench his unbearable thirst made him wonder if death might be a better choice.
Still, a flicker of hope persisted that there might be some way to reverse Valerian’s curse.
Lost in thought, Lucius didn’t hear the door open and was startled to hear a soft feminine voice, reminiscent of his mother’s, say his name.
Slowly raising his eyelids he saw her; a beautiful woman with long silver hair and ice-green eyes that locked onto his.
Surely this was going to be the end, he thought.
Thanking Logan for the chair he placed behind her, Oracle sat down next to the vampire’s bedside. “Hi Lucius, I am Oracle.”
Whimpering in distress as her power flowed through him, Lucius realized this woman had come to kill him; he prayed it would be quick and painless.
Responding to Lucius’s rising anxiety, Kieran placed both hands on his chest, doubling his efforts. Then, glancing over to Oracle, he murmured, “He’s terrified of you.”
Nodding briefly, Oracle smiled gently at Lucius while placing one of her hands on his arms. “I was sent by the Fates and am only here to help you, Lucius. May I explain?”
Unsure if he should agree to her request, Lucius’ eyes sought Kieran’s for reassurance…not that he fully trusted him, but so far he’d not caused him any more pain. After seeing Kieran’s nod, he shifted his focus back to the woman, finally finding his voice. “Okay.”
“When Valerian…”
“You know Valerian too?” Lucius asked, his voice ending in a squeak.
“No, I do not,” Oracle murmured, softly rubbing the vampire’s arm in an effort to sooth him. “When he turned you, he had a witch give you a death spell.”
“A death spell…I don’t understand. I’m not dead.”
“But you are dying,” Oracle said, softly. “The spell was only activated when you went more than two weeks without drinking Valerian’s blood.”
“It’s been more than that since Valerian died,” Lucius confirmed.
“Is Lucius’s pain also caused by the spell?” asked Kieran.
“Yes, it is part of a death spell.”
“And I’m guessing it’s also the reason I can’t translocate anymore,” Lucius muttered, angrily.
“Unfortunately, yes. Once you passed the time limit Valerian had set, all of your abilities disappeared including feeding from animals or humans,” Oracle said.
Lucius snorted. “I never drank from a human, even though I was tempted many times when my need for blood was overwhelming. Valerian knew I wouldn’t drink human blood so he’d refuse me permission to feed until I was nearly crazy with thirst. Then he’d summon me to one of his human orgies to watch while he and the other vampires would gorge themselves.
The smell of blood would drive me crazy, and many times I was close to giving in, but I knew if I did, I’d lose the last remnant of humanity that had stubbornly clung to my soul.
” His eyes tearing up, Lucius whispered, “But that doesn’t matter, now, does it, since Valerian won in the end. ”
The room fell silent after Lucius had finished. Then Kieran asked Oracle, “Can Remy remove the death spell if he knows what it is?”
Shaking her head, she replied, “No, only the witch who cast it can remove it.”
“I guess that means I’m going to die,” Lucius mumbled, realizing the last bit of hope he’d clung to on his journey had just evaporated.
“Not necessarily,” Oracle said, with a gentle smile. “The spell can be broken by your Fated Mate.”
“Oh, my gods!” Kieran exclaimed. “A Fated Mate! Perfecto!”
Lucius’ eyes widened. “A Fated Mate for me? Valerian told me I’d never have one.”
“Valerian lied to you because he did not want you to look for yours,” Oracle said. “Lucius, I am sure most of what he told you were lies, intended to keep you in line until you accepted your life as a vampire.”
“I don’t think so, because I was already doing everything he ordered me to do,” Lucius said.
“Ahh, yes…but Valerian knew he did not have your loyalty and he sought to have total control over you so he would never have to wonder if you would obey him or not,” Oracle replied.
“But I always did,” Lucius protested.
“Are you sure about that?” asked Oracle, her eyes twinkling.
Opening his mouth to answer, a memory suddenly flashed into his mind.
Snapping it shut, he knew Oracle was right.
There were many times Valerian gave him orders he ignored, or just didn’t respond to right away.
He knew he was playing a dangerous game but it gave him hope; if he could retain just an iota of independence, he might be able to regain his freedom someday.
But his minuscule acts of rebellion proved useless because a death spell now foretold his doom.
“Whether I always obeyed him or didn’t doesn’t matter, now. As you said, I’m dying.”
There he did it. Lucius spoke the words out loud, thinking it would somehow help him come to terms with his impending death, painful and horrible if the last few days were a harbinger of what he could expect. A sob escaped him at the unfairness of it all.
“Don’t give up, Lucius,” Kieran said before looking at Oracle. “A Fated Mate can break the spell, right?”
“Yes, once they have mated, the spell will be broken.”
“Why does it have to be a Fated Mate?” asked Lucius.
“Because no magic is powerful enough to block the power of the Fates, dear,” Oracle said. “Therefore, once you claim your Fated Mate and taste his blood, the power of the spell will be broken, giving you back your abilities.”
Her words tunneled deep inside his soul where the tiny flame of hope still burned.
But when Lucius remembered his master telling him the odds of anyone finding a Fated Mate were astronomical, the flame began to flicker, threatening to go out.
His luck had run out a long time ago and he no longer had the will to fight a losing battle.
Closing his eyes, Lucius felt himself slip back into darkness.
Sensing the young vampire was about to give up, Kieran called for Logan on their mind link. Drawing from deep inside him, he used the power the gods gave him, removing as much despair as he could. Keeping his eyes on Lucius, he asked Oracle, “Do you know who his Fated Mate is?”
“I do.”