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  They wandered down to a secluded courtyard—not another person in sight or within vampire-hearing distance.

  Randalf turned to Gareth. “I hear you’re one of the new recruits. I wanted to properly introduce myself. I’m Randalf Gettybourgh, Head of the North American Division of Operations.”

  “That’s quite a mouthful, sir.” Gareth shook his hand.

  Randalf chuckled. “We’re not so formal in The Council. You don’t have to call me sir. Boss will be fine.”

  “Boss?”

  “Yes, Oscar may have recruited you, but I oversee all of the field agents.”

  “Good to know.”

  “It’s my duty to inform you fraternizing with other field agents is unprofessional.”

  “Other field agents?”

  “Yes, Morgana Van Wilden.” Randalf tugged the lapels of his dinner jacket. “I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. A relationship with your fellow agents can cause distractions, especially out on a mission.”

  “Have you spoken with Oscar and Vivienne concerning their relationship?”

  Randalf pursed his lips.

  Gareth narrowed his eyes. “This isn’t about being unprofessional and more about you still being in love with Morgana, isn’t it?”

  Randalf’s polite façade dropped, his face turning feral, baring his teeth at Gareth. “It was a mistake, Oscar hiring a couple of human-turned vampires.”

  Gareth’s fists curled, his nails digging into his palms. “Never underestimate Alastor or me.”

  Randalf laughed. “You think a few weeks of training qualifies you to take on a mission? You have no idea what it takes to be an agent. You never experienced the war.”

  “What war?”

  “The war,” Randalf shouted, jabbing his finger toward the outside. “The war that started it all. The Council, the agents, all of this.”

  “No, I didn’t—”

  Randalf held up a hand to silence him. “Let me tell you a little tale then. It began with two brothers from the Dovkosky coven. They were in love with the same human woman, but she only loved the older brother. She spurned the younger brother, and in a fit of jealous rage, he attacked her. The older brother arrived just in time to stop the younger brother from killing the woman, but she’d been drained of too much blood. To save her, the older brother sacrificed his blood, injecting it into her body, allowing her to survive.

  “The Primus have always known their blood had healing properties, but no one knew it could heal humans as well. The woman, having vampire blood in her body, recovered quickly, and became more youthful and vibrant than ever before.

  “Seeing the woman and his older brother rejoicing, the younger brother, still seething with rage, broke the woman’s neck ensuring she could not be saved again. This sparked a fierce fight between the two brothers. As the brothers struggled, the woman arose from the dead. But she was different, not as human. The older brother found he no longer thirsted for her blood as he once had. The day after her resurrection, the woman began to starve, refusing to eat human food. The brother was beside himself with worry, he starving as well. He hunted down a human and brought it back to feed on in front of the woman.

  “At the sight of her love feeding on the human blood, the woman became aroused. The man was shocked when the woman’s mouth grew fangs like his own. He recognized the bloodlust in her eyes. Letting her drink the human blood, he began to sense her, for she had turned into a vampire.

  “With the discovery, humans could also be turned into vampires, the younger brother raised an army of human-turned vampires to steal back his love from his brother. The older brother also raised an army of human-turned vampires to fight back. Friends of the brothers took sides. This knowledge of humans being able to be turned spread like wildfire amongst the two Dovkosky brothers. They went crazy, sometimes turning as many as a hundred humans per day to create their own armies. But this turn of events caused widespread havoc as these newly-turned vampires, having never grown to appreciate the value of human life, fed relentlessly without thought of any consequences.

  “Then the newly-turned vampires began turning humans themselves, thus creating more vampires than there were humans. The human race was being eradicated—whole towns and cities were decimated. It was then humans began to know of the existence of vampires. It was also at this time humans decided to hunt vampires down. They knew little of our strength and speed, but these ancient humans were not as stupid as they seemed. Humans found ways to weaken us, such as with the apotropaics still in existence today. Vampires realized we were not as invincible as we had once thought. We had weaknesses, too. The newly-turned vampires were not as strong as the Primus and were the first vampires to die by human hands. But they, too, discovered a way to kill us.

  “That’s when The Council of Order was formed. The first of the Primus became known as the Elders and were tasked with gaining order over the vampire race. They realized for the vampire race to survive, then we must once again remain hidden in the shadows, returning the idea of vampires to myth and legend. The Council also took the stance to ensure the vampire population would never exceed the human population ever again. They realized for vampires to survive, the human race had to survive as well.

  “To ensure the balance between hunter and prey, The Council decided to cull the number of vampires. It was called The Purge War. Most of the vampires culled were the human-turned vampires. Of course, the newly-turned vampires resisted, led by the two Dovkosky brothers. Many lives were lost on both sides, even loved ones. My father and brother were killed by the destruction of war.”

  “And the Dovkosky brothers?” Gareth asked.

  “They, too, were killed. Their entire coven was decimated. If they were still alive, I would hunt them until the ends of the earth for allowing their children to start such a war to begin with. But in the end, with knowledge and newfound strength, the Primus reigned supreme. The Council of Order vowed never to allow the vampire race to repeat the same mistake again.” He turned to Gareth harshly. “So, you can’t even begin to fathom what it is to be an agent of The Council of Order or what one would do to prevent such an occurrence from happening again.”

  “No, I may not have been around for the war, but there’s a war going on right now in my town.” Gareth pointed toward the ground. “A group of vampires is threatening my way of life, so yes, I understand what it is to fight for something greater than myself.”

  “I admire your tenacity, but this is for the Primus Vampyr. Leave it to us.”

  “No.”

  “You can’t talk to me in that manner. As your boss, I can make your life miserable.”

  “Go ahead,” Gareth scoffed. “It can’t get more miserable than doing nothing would be.”

  Randalf stepped up to Gareth, inches from his face, his teeth bared, his fangs extracted. “Leave this town and never speak to Morgana Van Wilden again. That’s an order. Otherwise, your little human-turned buddy and his silly girlfriend may have a little accident.”

  “You wouldn’t dare. From what you were saying before, it will go against everything The Council stands for.”

  “Does it? How are you to know the inner workings of The Council? You have until tomorrow to get your affairs in order. Then I want you gone.” Randalf straightened himself and walked back into the party.

  Gareth sunk down on the edge of the fountain. He feared Randalf would go through on his word.

  He buried his head in his hands, sensing Alastor approaching.

  “Looks like ye could do with a drink,” he said, setting his glass on the edge of the fountain.

  “Pretending to drink isn’t going to do anyone favors right now.” Gareth rubbed his temples.

  “Who said it was alcohol? Look what I snuck in.”

  Gareth looked up to see Alastor opening the right side of his jacket, pulling out a blood bag.

  Gareth shook his head, smiling. Alastor poured the blood into the glasses, handing one to him.

  “What
did ol’ Ginger want?”

  “He told me to stay away from Morgana and to leave town.”

  Alastor sat next to him. “And are ye going to listen to that git?”

  “If I don’t, he’s threatening to kill you and Ava.”

  Alastor took a sip of his blood. “Aye, let him try it.”

  “But I can’t fight a Primus Vampyr.”

  “Well, Randalf didn’t factor in something important when he threatened ye.”

  “What’s that?”

  Alastor slapped him on the back. “Because ye’ve got me, yer best friend. Combine our years of strength, and ol’ Ginger has got himself two formidable opponents.”

  “And if we can’t beat him?”

  “There’s always Ava’s apartment. We can stay there for protection. No one can fight two vampires at once.”

  “Morgana can.”

  “Ah, there ye see, who’s the one training us to fight? Morgana.”

  “Don’t forget about Mrs. V,” Gareth added.

  “See, now yer getting the picture. Mrs. V also trained Morgana, so we’re getting two of the best teaching us.”

  “Since when did you get so clever?”

  “I’ve always been this clever, ye just take me for granted.”

  “You know I don’t.” Gareth’s face turned serious.

  Alastor smiled. “Even if ye do leave, there’s still the Forest Clan to think of. We’d be leaving behind all these good folks to be slaughtered.”

  “The Van Wildens will do just fine to protect the people, it’s their job.”

  “What about Ava’s family, the Hayes? They welcomed us into their homes and their lives. We can’t leave them here to become vampire chow. We’ve got family here.”

  “You keep saying we? If I left, you would come with me?”

  Alastor snorted. “Do ye even have to ask? Of course, I would. Yer my coven.” He waved his glass around. “And this is our home base.”

  “But Randalf said—”

  “Fuck what Randalf said. Oscar recruited us. I believe he pulls rank over ol’ Ginger. Besides, I think I’d rather incur Randalf’s wrath than Oscar’s, he’s got a dark side to him.”

  “You reckon?”

  Alastor nodded. “Aye, I do, he hides it well, though. Remember, the man was born a vampire. He has never been human, no matter how hard he tries to impersonate one.”

  Gareth stared long and hard at his friend. “So, we fight?” He held his glass out to Alastor.

  Alastor smiled, clinking his glass with Gareth’s. “We fight. Speaking of fightin’, ye should probably stop fightin’ yer feelings for Morgana.”

  “Nothing slips by your eagle eye.” He sighed. “I just don’t know how to get close to someone again.”

  “Well, ye can start by asking her to dance. Yer here as her date, after all.”

  Gareth drained the last of his blood, slamming the glass down onto the stone. “You’re right.”

  ***

  Morgana was talking to one of Oscar’s potential constituents when Gareth approached her.

  “Sorry, if you’ll please excuse me, it was a pleasure talking to you,” Morgana said politely to the guest. She turned to Gareth.

  He held his hand out to her. “Would you like to dance?”

  Morgana nodded, taking his hand.

  Gareth smiled, leading her over to the dance floor. Despite the fast tempo of the music, he pulled her into his arms. She placed her cheek on his chest, not quite able to reach his shoulder. They fit together perfectly, he thought.

  As he held her close, the foreboding feeling of mistrust began to fade, and the feeling that all was right replaced it.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  After the fifth song ended, Gareth and Morgana pulled apart.

  “Do you want to get out of here?” Gareth asked, placing a hand on her cheek.

  “Sure, I think I’ve played the dutiful-daughter role long enough. Where do you want to go?”

  Gareth thought about it for a moment. “How about a moonlight stroll? We never did get to finish our last one.”

  Morgana smiled. “True,” she said, taking his hand.

  ***

  Gareth had planned to be a gentleman. He was just going to walk Morgana back to her house and give her a goodnight kiss.

  But when they reached the Van Wilden’s home, and he turned to face her, he changed his mind. Her eyes were almost black from desire, and his vampire senses picked up on her arousal.

  He grasped the back of her head, pulling her lips toward his, pressing her against his body. She wrapped both arms around his neck, bringing him closer to her.

  They pulled apart, Morgana sounding breathless. “They’re still at the fundraiser.”

  This was all he needed to hear. He swooped her into his arms, making her squeal with delight, then he raced toward the front door.

  “Slow down there, Romeo.” She pulled her keys from her purse. “I don’t think they’ll appreciate you knocking down the front door.”

  “Well, then hurry up.” He kissed her neck and bare shoulders while she fumbled to unlock the door. When he heard the barrel click, he hurtled through the front door. They landed on the foyer floor, entangled in each other’s limbs.

  He lifted himself to look at her. Morgana lifted her head toward him. He brushed away her hair before kissing her once more.

  She groaned in his mouth, arching her hips toward his hardening length.

  He responded by pressing into her, but the cold breeze on his neck made him stop. He looked toward the door, Morgana pouting in protest.

  “We better move out of the foyer. We don’t want to give your neighbors a show.”

  Morgana giggled, nodding in agreement. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her from the floor.

  “Living room or your bedroom, my lady?”

  “Living room, it’s closer.”

  He carried her into the room, unzipping her dress, exposing her black strapless bra. He groaned at the sight of her exposed flesh and unhooked her bra.

  He laid her gently on the sofa. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been with a woman, go easy on me?”

  “Oh yeah, how long?”

  “Five years,” Gareth admitted.

  “Well, I better rock your world then.”

  He groaned in appreciation as he pulled her bra way. He took a moment to admire her beauty before he placed his mouth over her right nipple, extracting a moan of pleasure from her lips.

  “Gareth,” Morgana moaned in his ear.

  Gareth’s mind flashed back to those nights when Mariza had taunted him with his name. ‘Oh, Gareth,’ her fake moaning mocking him.

  He gazed down at Morgana and saw Mariza in front of him. He shook his head and leaned forward, trying again. But the fear and shock he had felt the night of his turning washed over him, stilling his libido.

  “I can’t do this, I’m sorry.” He lifted himself off her.

  Morgana raised herself onto her elbows, “What… why?”

  Gareth rubbed his face. “Something about you reminds me of her.”

  “Who?”

  “Mariza.”

  Morgana’s jaw dropped. She redressed. “Mariza… she’s your—”

  “Yeah, she’s the one who turned me.”

  “Do you still love her? Is that it?”

  Gareth snorted. “Hell, no. I hate her. She turned me against my will. She didn’t even mean to, either. She’d left me for dead.”

  Morgana placed a hand on his shoulder. “What happened?”

  “She tried to seduce me and marry me for my family’s wealth. When I refused, she threatened my whole family and kept me as a blood donor. The night before our wedding, I told her I was going to tell my family the truth and wouldn’t marry her. She killed me in a fit of rage. When she realized she’d been feeding me her blood, she dumped my body in a river to wash me away from civilization, so I’d starve rather than turn.”

  “Yeah, sounds like her,” Morgana
said dryly, turning her head away.

  “You know her?”

  Morgana sniffed. “Yes, I know her quite well.”

  “How?”

  A buzzing rang in their ears. Morgana reached for her purse. She glanced at the name on the screen. “It’s Oscar, probably wondering where I am. I’ve got to take this.”

  “Ignore it. How do you know Mariza?”

  “We’ll talk later.” She waved him away.

  “Why won’t you tell me anything?” Gareth bellowed. “You’re just like her, manipulative and secretive.”

  Morgana stood and slapped Gareth across the face. “Don’t you ever compare me to her again.” She turned on her heels, storming out of the room.

  Gareth placed his hand to his cheek, feeling the sting left behind. He instantly regretted yelling at her.

  “Morgana!” he called out, but he could feel she had already left the house.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The next afternoon, Morgana took her anger out on the wooden training dummy. She struck, kicked, and punched her way around the various arms, the rage burning within her. How dare he compare her to Mariza, of all people.

  Ohana had given her this dummy. It was built to withstand vampire strength, inlaid with titanium, but even the joints of the arms were groaning in protest at the weight she put behind her blows.

  Once her arms were like dead weights from the workout, she stopped.

  She could sense her mother was in the kitchen and heard her preparing dinner. Her father’s presence was in the living room.

  Randalf had also arrived. She sighed. She would have to go see him. He was, after all, one of her bosses. It was bad enough she lived with one, but now another one was hanging around trying to micro-manage them.

  But first, she would need to shower and change. She was covered in sweat, and the smell of her wasn’t pleasant, either.

  Her eyes moved up the ceiling where she felt them. Maybe she should give it all up and walk away. But then she glanced back at the dummy—Morgana recalled the memory of how of Ohana had died. Ohana had been a Primus Vampyr who had lived in Hiroshima Japan, in 1945 since her husband’s death. She’d even left her two daughters behind in London. She taught Morgana everything she knew about martial arts, and specifically how to fight and kill vampires. She had chosen to settle in Hiroshima because an important military complex was there, and she loved to feed on soldiers.