4. Finley
Finley
By the looks on my mates’ faces, I’d done something wrong when I healed him.
While I’ve been educated in vampires and had a few interactions with them, outside of killing them, that is, I didn’t know vampires.
The first sign something was wrong was that his eyes looked human when they should look like blood-red rubies.
His scent was definitely vampire, but yet in the same token, it wasn’t.
Listening carefully, I didn’t hear a heartbeat or anything that would make me believe he was alive. Derven was still a vampire, but yet not completely.
“It’s nice to meet you as well, Finley,” he answered as he stood, pulling me up with him. “You are even more stunning than I remember.” The air was filled with warning growls, and Rath came to stand behind me, making his claim clear. “Goodness, they are a serious bunch, aren’t they?”
Derven, now that he wasn’t falling apart or in horrendous pain came across as being rather cocky. I suppose it had something to do with being as old as he was and probably fairly powerful. How the Dark Ring kept him for so long didn’t make sense.
“If you hadn’t gotten away that night, would you have left Rathal to save yourself?” Derven asked, cocking his head to the side. “Once I found Marissa, there was no way I could leave her, and they quickly discovered we were a Blood Bond when I couldn’t drink from anyone else.”
My shock at him knowing what I was thinking was put aside by my curiosity about what he was saying.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about Blood Bonds or what that means for you.
It sounds like how I would talk about my mates, but there obviously is something on a deeper level between you and that person. ”
“Marissa was a human, but her blood sang to me in a way that only happens when that person was born for you. The moment her blood met my lips, we created a bond that tied her to my life, and as long as I remained alive, so would she. Together we would live, love, and share everything together… or so I thought. My old master slept with her once he found out we were Blood Bonded, and when she refused to stop fighting him, he killed her,” Derven said, his voice becoming harsher as his rage was ignited, telling the story.
“While it makes the partner stronger, it doesn’t make them immortal if their head is removed.
The pain from our bond breaking almost destroyed me, but the flame of revenge is what’s kept me going.
I knew there had to be someone else that was as pissed off as I was about all this and the first name that came to mind was Rathal.
Seems the universe decided to grant your wish and mated you to the one person who can topple this whole empire down,” Derven continued, shifting his gaze to Rath’s behind me.
“So tell me, friend, are we in this fight together, or have you lost your edge in the hands of those bastards?”
Colt stepped forward, grabbed my hand, and pulled me back behind him and Rath. “That isn’t his choice alone,” he stated, a growl rumbling in his chest. “We are a pack, a nos, and we do this as a team.”
Derven cocked his head as he looked at my other mates, all standing in a semi-circle behind me. “I see, so then let me pose the same question to all of you. Are we in this fight together, or do I need to go elsewhere to bring down the Dark Ring and that farce of a government, the United Senate?”
Knowing that Colt was trying to establish dominance in this situation, I kept quiet, but it would be foolish to let any ally walk away from us.
This battle was going to be brutal and there was no way just the eight of us could pull it off without help.
Derven’s connections ran deep if what Rath said about his lineage was true and could change everything.
“What guarantee do we have that you aren’t just a puppet of the Dark Ring coming here to find out just how powerful Finley is?
You might have all the rage in the world, but I’ve also seen what the Dark Ring can do to anyone kept in their clutches for so long.
The only reason we believed Rath is because Finley as his mate can read him like a book,” Colt challenged, making a valid argument.
“If a guarantee is what you want, then I’ll open up my mind to her willingly,” Derven said with a shrug.
“She can take a stroll down memory lane and see all the horrors that have happened in my time with them. I’m sure being an assassin, she’s seen worse and will be able to tell there is no love or loyalty that could come of it. ”
Colt turned to look at me. “Can you do that?”
“Honestly, I don’t know, but something tells me he can read some of what I’m thinking.
He seems to know the answers to things I’ve been wondering but never divulged,” I explained.
“It’s possible there is a way I might be able to look in his mind, but I’ve only ever done that with those I’ve been mated to. ”
“Rath, what do you think? Is this a trap, or could this be the real deal?” Zander demanded. “I don’t want her going into his mind if it will harm her or if it’s some kind of vampire mind trap.”
My elven mate walked up to Derven and reached out, placing his pointer finger over Derven’s temple.
Rath closed his eyes and I could feel his magic flowing around us for a few moments, then he stepped back.
“I do not sense any ill intentions from him or spells that might have been placed on him by a witch.”
Derven hissed. “You think I would let a filthy witch touch me! Those low-breed humans who dabble in things they don’t really understand and turn their souls black with the dark magic they pull from? I would rip out their throats before I would ever let them lay a hand on me, let alone a spell.”
Mason let out a whistle. “Damn, someone’s got some anger issues when it comes to witches.”
“If you had the history we’ve had with them, then you’d understand.
In Romania, where I’m from, the gypsies are a nuisance, but the witches, those cunts will sell us out in a heartbeat to save themselves.
Yes, the monster hunters will overlook a witch if a vampire is the alternative,” Derven explained, his disgust plain for us all to see as he spit on the ground.
“Look, I know you’re old as dirt, but times have changed, and they don’t hunt supernatural creatures the same way,” Mason argued. Everyone turned to look at him and he realized what he had just said. “Ah fuck, that’s exactly what the Dark Ring is doing in a far more fucked up way, isn’t it?”
Noah took pity on his brother and clapped him on the back. “Nothing new under the sun, twin, just gets more sick and twisted.”
“So are we having your lovely mate riffle through my memories here, or should we go someplace that won’t have me burning up the moment sunlight touches me?” Derven suggested, winking at me. “That would be a pity after all the hard work of putting me back together.”
“Pack house?” Lane offered. “How protected from the sun do you need to be? I don’t think any of our houses have basements. There’s a vegetable cellar, but it’s not big enough to fit us all down there.”
“While I appreciate the thought, a home with black-out curtains would be just fine,” he assured. “I’ll meet you all there, don’t worry if the doors are locked. I can let myself in.”
Then like a streak, he was gone, only the rustling of the leaves to show he’d gone.
“What did he mean he could let himself in?” Noah blurted. “Doesn’t he have to be invited?”
I shook my head as I slipped the robe off and folded it up to take with me. “No, that is just a myth. Vampires can enter anywhere, even churches. Best not to keep him waiting, or he might start poking around the house.”
Noah looked like his world had just been turned upside down with what I’d just told him. “What else is a lie? Do crosses work? What about holy water? Clearly, silver is a problem, so that’s reassuring.”
“Let’s go. You can ask the bloodsucker himself,” Elias muttered, shifting back into his wolf.
Rath took the robe from me. “I’ll hang on to it, although I’m sure the others can find you clothes to wear back at the house.”
Peering at Rath, I could sense something was bothering him, but he wasn’t sharing what it was. “Do I need to worry about what you’re keeping to yourself?”
“No.” He sighed. “When I was in his mind, I could tell how much he likes you, how attractive you are to him, and that your blood smells like the finest of wines.”
“Should we find another way to check the truth of his claims? I don’t want to make any of you uneasy or feel like I’m not considering your feelings,” I said, placing a hand over his heart. “You are my mate and it’s my job to take care of you as much as you all look after me.”
Rath cupped my face and kissed me, taking his time enjoying our lips and tongues connecting. “I will be fine, nin mel. We need to know if we can trust him and you are the best chance we have at this.”
“If you feel something is going too far, you say the word, and I will end it,” I assured him, pressing another quick kiss to his lips before shifting into my wolf.
With a quick shake to adjust to being back on four legs, I darted off to join the others, with Rath bringing up the rear, ensuring no surprises followed.
My wolf was not at all thrilled with having a vampire in our territory, but she was curious about him.
I had to agree, nothing about him seemed to make sense, and it felt like I was missing something, which was a feeling I’d never liked.
If I felt that way during a job, it meant I hadn’t done enough research or taken a close enough look at the layout.
Now that I knew I was an elf, it made me wonder if there was some kind of intuition I got because when I went back to look things over, I would always spot what I missed.
That didn’t really apply to this situation, though, and I didn’t know how to shake this feeling.