Storm of Shadows Ch. 04

"Find the pack and then call me when you do," he said, brushing a quick kiss against her forehead once more. "Do not engage them without me by your side, Mila."

"I will call you," she sighed, a resigned smile on her face. "Now go do what you need to do and let me get on with my tracking."

Dante watched his heart move away, her long dark hair flowing in the wind as she sailed through the trees with barely a pause. To anyone watching, they would have no inkling that she had no conventional sight, but to him, he could detect the slightest of pauses as she waited for the wind to rustle the leaves in the treetops so she could see her route.

Mila was magnificent as only one who had truly suffered could be. She had managed to retain her soul and her independence despite what life had thrown at her, and he envied that sometimes. Perhaps one day he would find his true soul again, but until then, he would bask in the love and compassion this amazing woman gave to him so freely. With a sigh, he turned in the other direction, and headed back to Louis' coven and the oncoming storm.

*****

"She's here," whispered through his mind, and he stopped in the shadows of a thick copse deep in the heart of the jungle. Agony closed his eyes and scented the air...allowing himself a moment's respite on his journey.

"Dara...yes, I can feel her close by. I should not concede this to you. She will try to stop us and I cannot allow that."

Deep within, Kothari tried to rise...tried to pull himself out of the darkness that imprisoned him. "My angel."

"My angel...my angel...do you know how fucking pathetic you sound, Kothari? You've been chanting that endlessly the entire way here, and yet you are too stupid to see the truth of the matter. I am weary of listening to you, so let's have this out once and for all."

Agony took off his dark glasses, running a hand through the lock of dark hair falling across his brow. Dark brown contact lenses hid the crimson red of his eyes, and he reached up to remove them, tired of the pretence. "Let's discuss your Angel, Kothi. Explain to me just exactly what makes Dara Romanov this mystical creature you've spent your entire life coveting?"

Silence greeted his words, the voice in his head refusing to answer, which only served to irritate him. "Oh, so now you want to be silent? Think again, other half. I have our parents to find and I cannot do that with your whining about your fucking Angel. Speak! Answer my question!"

"She is our mate though we don't deserve her."

Agony threw his head back and laughed, a cold, humourless sound echoing through the trees.

"Bullshit!"

Again, silence greeted his words, but he could feel the attentiveness from the trapped boy in the depths of his mind. "Do you seriously believe that I would EVER allow another man to lay hands on our mate, Kothari? Are you truly that delusional?"

Agony laughed again, enjoying the feel of his other half squirming inside, trying to deny the truth that had been blatantly obvious for a long time.

"How many years have you patted yourself on the back, exulting in how magnanimous you have been in allowing Dara to be free to follow her wolf side and rut with pack members? Why do you think you have been able to stand knowing that she lay with other men? Not because of any iron will you possess, stupid boy...but because I allowed it! Because I knew she was not our mate."

"No! " Kothari moaned the word out...trying to rip control from Agony to no avail. "You're lying! She is our Angel!"

"There is no denying that she is attractive...that you wanted to lie with her, to feel her warmth bathing your soul in carnal pleasure. She was never our mate though, Kothari. I never wanted to lie with her, to own her, to give over my soul to her as you did. Our mate must call to both of us, boy. She must reach in and capture both our souls for us to ever be complete. Stop denying the truth of it. You know denial is futile."

It couldn't be true...Dara had been the one thing keeping him sane his entire adult life. If what Agony said was true...if his angel wasn't his soul mate then he would be lost forever and Agony would win. Kothari would die for eternity.

Moreover, if it were true, and now the words were out there in the open the rightness of them were starting to seep into Kothi's thoughts...dear God what would he do? What would happen when Dara caught up with them? "Agony...don't hurt her. We need Dara...you need her."

Sighing loudly, Agony put his sunglasses back on, weary of the conversation and wishing he hadn't started it, but if it stopped Kothari's whimpering it would be worth it. He knew he had to give his other half time to process the thought, to come to see the truth of it. He didn't want Kothi to start whining on in a different direction.

"Of course, I would never hurt Dara. She is our family; she is part of our pack. I am merely pointing out that she is not our mate so you will stop whining on about her. It's getting in the way of our mission and nothing should interfere with that. We must find our parents and for that, I need to be in full control. Agreed?"

There was a long pause, the boy within slowly turning over his words in his head. Finally, a resigned sigh echoed in their mind and Agony smiled slowly, enjoying the surrender that pervaded him.

"Agreed."

"Good...now let's go hunt some vampires. I'm hungry..."

Agony turned to the right, scenting the air as he moved, smelling the rot of death and decadence that both tantalised and repulsed him. Kothari would be silent for a little while, and he hadn't been lying, he was famished. It was time to hunt...time to bathe himself in blood.

He had scented something earlier, a couple of wolves in the vicinity. They had not been what he had been looking for so he had ignored them though kept a loose note on the direction they were heading. Now he scented something else, death, and vampires. He headed in that direction, calling on his inner magic to skilfully bend light around himself, masking his scent at the same time as he shadowed and became invisible.

He found what he was looking for easily, pausing to survey the scene before him. Two males stood laughing in a small clearing, one of them batting idly at a small wolf pup who was growling every time he came near. The pup was standing before the carcasses of two adult wolves, both of them clearly dead. There was something noble about the little pup, valiantly trying to protect its dead parents.

Agony felt a cold rage bubble up deep within. They were here to find their parents. He could relate to the brave little wolf's stand to try to protect its family. So, these vampires thought it was funny to toy with the little one? He would disabuse them of that notion.

Allowing himself to be seen, he stepped into the clearing, quickly taking the head of the male who was watching his friend, his movement a graceful arch of one hand. His talons cut deep, blood spraying onto the back of his accomplice. Agony took a moment to bring his mouth to the spray, closing his eyes as the hot blood slipped down his throat.

"What the fuck?" The second male turned around as the blood hit his back, his furious expression turning to one of horror as he saw what was occurring behind him.

Agony dropped the headless corpse to the ground and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, aware of the sight he presented and luxuriating in the growing terror he could sense in the other male. "I hope you were as attached to him as that young pup was to its parents," he said, his tone conversational.

The sound of his voice seemed to break through the vampire's shock, and he moved at lightning speed, fangs and talons elongated. To Agony, it appeared as if he moved in slow motion, and he sidestepped the intended attack with barely a movement, punching his fist hard through the vampire's throat.

The male dropped to the forest floor with a tortured sound, lying dazed on his back as Agony stepped over him to check his supposition was correct with the wolves. The little pup barked and nipped at him as he knelt beside the corpses, and he allowed it to savage at his hand, understanding its need for vengeance.

"They are gone, pup." he said quietly, turning his head to watch tiny teeth ripping at his flesh. "Your bravery does them proud; however it will not bring them back and I am not the instigator of their demise. I can help you seek vengeance though. Would you like that, little one?"

Gathering the pup by the scruff of its neck, Agony held the wriggling, snarling animal high and then turned to the slowly healing vampire. "Do you want to play, little pup? I do."

Before he had finished speaking, he brought his booted feet down on both arms of the vampire, crushing the bones easily. Lowering the animal to the gaping wound in the other male's throat, he buried its face it the pulpy mass. "There you go...enjoy your vengeance."

As the wolf pup began ripping mindlessly at the vampire's throat, Agony used a talon to slice both ruined arms at the shoulder, removing any chance that the animal's efforts would be hampered. "I live in a wolf pack, vampire, and as such, they are mine to protect whether they belong to my pack or not. I will let you live...after the pup has excised its rage. When you heal, you will leave this place and travel far. You will tell everyone you meet that the wolves are off limits. Blink once if you understand me."

He sat back against a tree, watching blood and flesh pump from the vampire's neck even as the wounded male blinked his understanding. Smiling coldly, Agony sat back to admire the ferocity with which the pup went about its pain. He could understand its bloodlust, craved to do the same to those who had taken his own parents. "Yes, you will tell all that Agony is here. You will warn them all of the coming storm, vampire, and they will quake in their boots."

It was with some regret that he finally had to pull the wolf pup from the torn up vampire an hour later. He needed to continue on his own journey; otherwise, he would have sat there for days watching the agony cross the other male's face. He had thought the wolf was feral by now, but the fact it didn't attack him as an enemy when he pulled it away told him that there was still reason in the animal.

"Come, we must find you a pack, little one."

The pup yelped, growled its displeasure.

"I cannot take you with me. Where I go is not safe for one such as you. However, should you ever find yourself stateside look me up. I will be easy to find. Now we must go."

Agony paused long enough to retrieve the vampire's arms and place them back against the shoulder sockets. He was a pulpy mess as it was and it would take hours for him to heal. It was pointless creating a vessel of enlightenment should he maybe be discovered before he could heal sufficiently to defend himself. "Remember my words, vampire. Make sure all know of my coming."

When he turned back to the pup, he found a little girl standing staring down at the ruined vampire. She was about five years old, her once blonde hair matted with blood and flesh. He was surprised to note the pup was female; he hadn't paid any attention to her gender while in animal form. It took him no effort to conjure up a tiny pair of jogging bottoms and T-shirt with his magic, handing them without a word to the child.

Even before she had taken them, Agony had uttered a short incantation, her small frame losing the blood and gore, so that when she took the clothing from him, it was as if she had dipped into a lake and cleansed herself.

"Magic..."

The sound of her voice brought a curl to his lips. He was oddly relieved to hear rationality in her tone. There was no doubt she would forever be scarred by what had happened this day, but there was an inner core of strength about the girl. She had a chance of making it.

"Yes, magic," he agreed, holding out his hand, which she took without hesitation.

Scenting the air, he detected a wolf pack a few miles away. Knowing the history of the packs in Europe, it likely wasn't the child's pack but they would take in a young one. That's what packs did. "Would you like to fly, little one?"

"Pippa," she whispered, turning haunted blue eyes up to his face. "Yes please."

"You are a very brave, strong wolf, Pippa. You will be fine," he answered solemnly; as he reached down to pick her up. "Hold onto my neck tightly."

Taking a running jump, Agony soared into the nearest tree, swinging effortlessly from branch to branch, sailing through the treetops until they were within half a mile from the pack he'd scented. The child's grip never loosened, remained tight as he dropped back to the forest floor.

"You know you cannot stay with me, Pippa. I have already explained that to you. If you walk that way for a little while, there are wolves who will take you in, protect you."

"They can't protect me from the vampires. No one but you can protect me from them." Her big blue eyes filled with tears, her arms holding on tightly.

Agony stared at the child, unaccountably moved by the trust she placed in him, but knowing she couldn't remain at his side. His hands were gentle as he removed her arms, turning her in the direction she needed to go. "Run now, Pippa. Run to the safety of the pack. If I can, I will return. I will remember this place and I will return."

He watched her go, her steps at first hesitant and then moving faster as she scented her own kind. He would keep his word. He would seek out the pack on his return journey to ensure she was safe. He may be many things, but he always kept his word.

As he turned to leave, something caught his attention, a vague scent that teased at his nostrils. His head whipped around sharply, his eyes trying to pierce through the thick foliage surrounding him. The scent vanished as quickly as it came, but it left him feeling edgy, that something was out there...something dangerous to his mission. He didn't have time to investigate it though. He had to stay on track and he'd already been diverted.

It was time to visit a coven...one his parents had visited not too long before. It was time to wreak havoc and bloodshed on those who had taken those he loved from him. Turning away, he headed back the way he came, back towards Louis' coven, and the answers he was seeking.

*****

"He's been here," Dara said quietly, heading out of the trees to where Joshua waited beside his beat-up van.

He ran a hand through his dark blond hair, placing his hat back on his head after he scented the air for the hundredth time. It wasn't that he doubted her, but... "I can't scent anything."

She gave him a small smile, and he was once again transfixed by the way her face lit up with even more beauty from that one small gesture.

"He was masking his scent. I would be astonished if you could. Where did Gard and Rayne go after they visited here?"

"They tracked Michael from here. We parted company." Joshua tried to keep his tone as neutral as possible, but he saw another twitch of her lips and knew she was aware that he was couching his words.

"You know where they went, though, don't you?"

It was pointless lying to her; he'd already seen what she was capable of. Nodding slowly, he opened the door for her to climb in. "They went to Louis' coven. That was the last anyone saw of them here, and from what I've been led to understand, they didn't advertise where they intended to go after there."

Dara hesitated as she climbed in, turned to look him in the eyes to read the truth of his words. "They did leave the coven alive?"

Joshua couldn't hide the genuine shock that rippled across his face. "Of course! While Louis isn't aligned with any of the stateside vampires per se, he does count Freya Eriksson as someone he trusts and respects. He would never do anything to bring her knocking on his door."

Dara saw only truth in his face, nodding as she closed the door and waited for him to climb in beside her. "You appear to know a lot of what goes on in Louis' coven, Joshua, especially considering you're not part of that coven. Let me guess...Dante?"

He shouldn't have laughed at her accuracy but he found himself doing so. "Has anyone ever told you that you're utterly terrifying, Dara Romanov?" His comment appeared to please her, or so he judged by the large smile that crossed her exquisite features.

"You're the first," she admitted. "They usually reserve comments like that for my father and uncle."

Starting the engine, Joshua headed away from the old cottage. "I can't take you all the way to Louis, but I can get you to within a few miles. I have to protect my own coven, Dara. I hope you can understand that."

"It is better that way, Joshua. I don't know how Kothi will react to a strange vampire, so it will be best if I am alone when I track him down. Your help has been immeasurable. I will be sure to relay that to Caleb when I return home."

There was no doubt in her voice that she would return home, and he hoped that would be the case. In the short time he had known Dara Romanov, Joshua had come to like her a lot, and he would hate for anything bad to happen to her on European soil. Perhaps it was time that he and his coven came out of the background. Perhaps he would have a conversation with them once he'd dropped the Vârcolac off at her destination.

*****

Rage...fury...the vampire rose from the forest floor, his eyes whirling crimson red as he kicked the wolf corpses in his wrath. His brother was dead, his blood now drying on the parched ground beneath his body. How the Youngling vampire had managed to best them was still a mystery, but it didn't halt the hatred that bloomed deep within the vampire's soul.

He had allowed the stinking pup to eat at his throat, the filthy animal gnawing and ripping at his flesh in an agony that was endless! All through the ordeal he had been fully alert, aware of every excruciating moment, filing away every word the Youngling spoke to the pup.

Agony he had called himself, and agony he had meted out in the shape of a filthy animal, his eyes hidden behind dark glasses, enjoying the soundless screams of the vampire being eaten alive.

The Youngling had formed a bond with the mangy animal. He had succoured it, had taken it with him to a safe haven of other wolves. While the Youngling would most likely be miles away by now, he could get his vengeance on the wolf pup. He could instil his own agony in the heart of the Youngling by ripping the heart out of his pet and all those protecting it.

He would make the Youngling rue the day he had entered his territory. Blood would flow; only this time it would be wolves' blood, and he would take his time with the little blonde wolf...he would make her scream endlessly for the Youngling who would never come to save her.

Staggering into the trees, the last of his wounds finally healing, the vampire took off towards his coven to gather his men. He could scent the wolf pack; scent the child who had gnawed at his throat. "I'm coming for you, you little bitch," he rasped out. "I'm going to swim in your fucking blood before this day is over!"

To be continued...