Battle for Blood Ch. 07

Ashlyn arched her back, her hands clawed at the hand over her mouth. She wanted out of there. She wanted at least to say something. To fight back with words but even that was denied to her. In an instant the heat in her sex became overwhelming. She had no control, her body was completely his to do with as he pleased. The moment she this thought entered her mind, her pussy clamped down on his cock, her body went rigid with pleasure as she shattered above him.

"That's it." His voice was strained with his own approaching climax, his voice sending shivers of humiliation down her back. Ashlyn came again as he rode her harder, splitting her in two. He let out a long groan and she felt him finish inside her.

For the briefest moment he held them there against each other. Ashlyn's head still swam. She hadn't breathed in minutes and her sex was still contracting against his softening member. Then, unceremoniously, Raoul pushed her off of him and got up from bed, grabbing the discarded clothing on the floor as he went. Ashlyn took a moment to catch her breath before glaring at him. She didn't even have the words to express how much she hated him.

Raoul looked over his shoulder as he pulled on his pants. "Don't be mad pet. You love being used. I'm just giving you what you want." He moved back towards the bed, now fully clothed and leaned over her. She wanted to pull further into the mattress but there was nowhere to go. He came very close to her, taking a deep breath through his nose at the crook of her neck. His mouth latched on to the skin, warm and sensual. Ashlyn found herself responding to his gentleness before she snapped her head away. Raoul stood up again with a sigh. "Get up, you'll want to hear this."

Ashlyn moved off the bed, collecting her clothing as she went. Morning was fast approaching and she could feel herself growing weary but she wasn't going to wait to hear it from him in another month or two, or whenever he got around to filling her in. When she had finished she nodded at him and moved towards the door. He opened it and stepped back allowing her to move out first.

He took her by the waist from behind, leading her down the dark tunnels back to the room she had first found him in when she arrived earlier in the evening. The others were already there, listening intently to a speakerphone in the middle of the desk. Duke paced behind the table, the crone and her granddaughter sat in their seats, leaning towards the desk. Ashlyn recognized Jasper's voice on the other end. There was news from back east.

"He's here," Duke said as his eyes fell on Raoul's enormous form following Ashlyn into the room.

"And the vampire?" Jasper's voice crackled through the phone.

"I'm here," Ashlyn said, still hating being called that. "What's happened?"

She could feel Jasper sigh at her tone. He dealt with her fury as a parent would a child's tantrum. She hated him for it but she also needed him. He was the only one who fully understood what had happened to her. After all, he had been the one to find her after she was turned.

"As you all know we sent scouts to Boston to try and find this mystery creature who freed the ancient, two from the remaining Huron group and three from the base in the Adirondacks. They tracked her to a stock yard." He paused. "Only one of them came back. We may be dealing with something greater than we thought. He's in bad shape. It seems she threw him off a building and he got lucky and landed on something before the ground. He managed to find help without being detected but he's not doing great."

Silence filled the room for a moment as the dust settled in the corners.

"Where is he now?" Duke asked, still pacing.

"He's in New York with us now. We've set him up in the house, hired a doctor and all that. Josh was made so he's healing as a human."

"Did he say anything else about the girl?" The crone rasped.

"He didn't say much. He also hasn't woken up since he got here. The doctor doesn't know if he will." Jasper paused. "Those that found him said he kept saying 'she isn't human' over and over. He managed to get out the briefest account of what happened before he passed out and hasn't opened his eyes since. We have the police report from Boston. She killed three made wolves and Josh's mate without so much as firing a shot. This girl, or whatever she is, is a lot more powerful than we thought."

Raoul looked at the crone. "Is this it? Is she what we need?"

The crone pursed her lips in that infuriating expression that Ashlyn hated. She nodded slowly.

"How can you possibly know that?" Ashlyn burst in. There was an uncomfortable feeling settling inside of her. The addition to their world of some previously unknown supernatural being made her feel off balance. This was supposed to be a simple revenge, help the wolves destroy the vampires for what they had done to her and end this miserable existence she had woken up in. Now there was some human-like girl they were going to sacrifice?

The crone's eyes snapped to hers. "I have seen the prophecy in its entirety. I have understood the origins of our people and how are fates are tied to the vampires. I believe I know a great deal more than you can possibly imagine." The power of her words began to sink into Ashlyn like a cold trickle in her mind. She gaped at the woman.

"You know what we are?" No one knew. Or at least no one was supposed to know. Hadn't the ancient vampire she had met, told her even he didn't know?

"I have a good idea," the woman admitted. "But I know that our prophecy is not the only one that exists. The vampires lost theirs when we killed the original's progeny. Ours is tied to theirs and the language there is not as ambiguous: 'One of both bloods' not two beings of each blood, but one being of two bloods. This girl is alive and yet vampire. She is of both bloods. She is our sacrifice."

"We don't know where she is now," Jasper's voice sounded tight. He was still in pain at the memory of his betrayal. Ze'ev had died at his hands and Ashlyn knew he would never forgive himself.

"Then we will find her," Raoul's voice came from behind Ashlyn. "Looks like it is time for us to head back east." He nodded at everyone in the room. "Pack your bags. We leave as soon as we can."

Duke, the crone and her granddaughter filed past them and out of the room.

Jasper cracked through the phone again, "See you soon." And he was gone with a click.

Ashlyn held still for a long moment. Raoul seemed equally lost in thought as he came around her and sat heavily in the chair behind the desk. Her mind reeled. They had uncovered the origins of the weres? Of the vampires? How could they? Did the vampires know this? Did they know what this creature was? How was she connected to the ancient vampire warrior they had captured? There were too many questions. She looked up at Raoul.

"You knew?" Ashlyn whispered

"She overstated," Raoul said, not looking at the woman in front of him. "When you and Jasper came to us with the ancient one's knowledge we knew that he was in possession of the original texts. Once Jasper got us inside we took most of what we found, not understanding it all. Methra was the only one who could make any sense of any of it. She doesn't have to tools the vampires do so she can't decipher all of it but I believe her when she says this girl is the sacrifice we need."

"Do the vampires know about this prophecy? Jasper said that Ze'ev was the only one who knew about the weres destroying the vampires." Ashlyn swayed slightly. The sun had risen outside and she felt her energy draining away.

Raoul shook his head. "They don't know, which is why we had been so successful in keeping our movement a secret." His voice became harsh suddenly. "Obviously they know something if they tried to get in touch about negotiations but they probably just assume we are the same pack of wolves who tried this a thousand years ago."

Ashlyn sank into a chair, her legs wobbly. Her exhausted mind turned over the events in her head. She tried to make some sense of it but everything seemed too jumbled for her to sort through it without some sleep. Raoul looked up at her pale face and swore.

"I forgot it was dawn," he said, getting up and coming over to her. That was almost an apology, she thought somewhere in the thick fog of exhaustion taking up her conscious thought. He scooped up her tiny body in his arms, cradling her against his chest. She was too weak to argue with him and she let herself be carried back to his room and laid out on his bed.

"Don't leave me here," Ashyln managed to say as her eyes flickered closed. Raoul chuckled at her.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Ashlyn. Just go to sleep before you pass out."

It occurred to her, as sleep came crashing into her brain, that she couldn't remember the last time she had heard her names on his lips.

***

Shane was folded up in the passenger seat as Cole's car rocketed away from the sunrise behind them. She tried to avoid looking too uncomfortable at their speed but day was fast approaching behind them and she could feel his anxiety rising.

"Just let me drive!" She said again. Not sure if he could hear her.

"We're almost there," he said through gritted teeth. His foot pushed harder on the already floored gas pedal.

"How close?" Shane asked, turning and glancing at the brightening sky behind the car.

"Twenty minutes at this speed." Cole said, eyes not leaving the road.

"We won't make it," Shane said firmly as she watched specks of the sun appear between the blur of trees. "Please let me drive, Cole. Just let me help." She put her hand on his forearm, willing him to let go.

For a moment it seemed like he was going to ignore her, keep driving. All at once She saw the lines of his face change, his arm softened under her fingertips. He took his foot off the gas and brought them to a screeching halt in the middle of the empty road. He gave her a pained look and in a flash he was lying on the floor of the back. He reached into a flap she hadn't noticed under the seats and pulled a thick black shield out from its resting place under the back seats. She could see it could fold down and over him so he would be completely covered but he left it open.

"Well don't just sit there," he said, trying to smile. Shane could feel his fear; the memory of the sun's burn seemed so close she would fall into it again. She scrambled into the driver's seat and took off again. They rode in silence except for Cole's directions when they reached crossroads. The council was well hidden in the back woods of upstate New York and Shane would have had no idea how to get there. Finally she turned onto the last of the many dirt roads they passed and she saw an enormous security wall.

"I think we're here." Shane said.

"I know," Cole's voice sounded out from behind her. "Pull up and put your hands out. They will recognize my car but not you. They may come armed."

Shane nodded and moved forward, slowing the car a respectable distance from the gate and putting her hands forward and above the wheel so that anyone looking could see her outstretched fingers. Six human heard beats sounded out from all sides as the guards closed in, their guns drawn and pointed at her.

"Open the door and step out," one of them called out to her.

Shane moved slowly and deliberately so as not to ruffle any trigger-happy fingers and she stepped out the vehicle, arms raised.

"Where did you get the ancient one's car?" The same guard spoke again.

"From him," Shane said, still not moving. "He's in the back. We tried to make it before sunrise but we got caught up." When no one moved for a moment she added "I need to get him inside."

The guard that had spoken nodded at a second guard who went to check the car. Shane heard Cole snap at the man to let them pass. Her mouth twitched in a smile. He sounded pissed.

"It's alright. He's in the back. Let them through," the second guard said fast. Cole could make an impression. The rest of them lowered their guns and Shane lowered her hands, still slowly though. You never know.

"Alright, take the left and they're waiting for you at the underground garage," The first one said and nodded at the car. Shane got back in and closed the door. Cole remained quiet in the back.

"Are you sulking?" Shane asked as the gate rolled opened and she started the car again.

He snorted. "Hardly, but I can think of less humiliating things than hiding in the backseat of my car from a little sunlight."

"Like having seizures in an ice bath?" Shane offered. He couldn't just accept her help could he? He had to feel bad about needing it too. She could sympathize with the emotion but she had long put that aside when it came to him. Why couldn't he do the same for her? "Or maybe being carried to the bathroom for three days because you couldn't walk. Or—"

"I get it. Point taken." Cole cut her off. He sighed, "You're right, of course. No one ever said vampires weren't infantile sometimes."

Shane took the left the guard had spoken about. She had never seen the outside of the council. When they had brought her here she had been hooded in the back of a van. They had thrown her into a basement and she had seen nearly nothing for a year besides her bed and the practice room where Adriana had trained her. A lump formed in her throat. How was she going to face these people? What was she going to say to the woman who had trained her, had been her only company for so long, and then betrayed her? Anger boiled inside her, but also hurt. She didn't know how she was going to react.

Cole's hand reached out from behind her and gave her hip a brief squeeze before disappearing back into the darkness. At least she wouldn't be alone. She rounded the last bend and the building came into view at last.

"Oh glory," Shane breathed. The structure was massive, an intricately beautiful mansion with large, imposing windows looking out on expansive grounds. The front entrance had pillars so large it would take three people to circle it with their arms outstretched. There were towers and spiraling staircases that lead up to them. The center of the house was dominated by an impressive dome that shone black in the morning sun. Shane had never seen a house that looked like this.

"Don't you start too," Cole groaned from the back seat.

"It looks like a castle," Shane replied.

"That's what they were going for: intimidate and impress I suppose." Shane could hear the distain in his voice but she couldn't help herself.

"Job well done." She laughed and made her way to the underground garage that gaped as the road sloped down, still a ways from the main structure. Before they went in Shane saw that the mansion was flanked by several other buildings. She could have been kept in any of them. The thought sent a chill down her spine. She knew so little.

Cole sat up with a grunt as the door closed behind them. "Head to the far end. We'll go in from the back." Shane complied, passing endless rows of vehicles of all kinds. She saw everything from ATVs to Bentleys. They even passed what looked suspiciously like military trucks, complete with mounted machine guns. Shane shook her head. She was beginning to think Cole had been right to warn them away from here. There was a creeping feeling that had taken root in her lower spine and she was not looking forward to what was to come.

They reached the end of the garage, and large metal doors stood in front of them. Shane pulled the car to a stop as Cole climbed into the seat next to her. She took a deep breath and looked at him. He looked back.

"Ready?" he said.

"Not really," she said honestly. "But you'd be pretty uncomfortable in the back if we made a break for Mexico."

Cole laughed; his hand brushed hers lightly. She smiled back at him. Once they went in through those doors they had agreed to keep their relationship a secret. There would be no caresses, no kisses, no looks. Shane squared her shoulders.

"No time like the present," she said. As she did, the great metal doors in front of them rolled open. There were more humans behind them. Shane and Cole got out of the car. Shane went to grab the bags from the trunk while Cole went to speak to the attendants.

"Can I help you with that?" One of the humans appeared at Shane's elbow.

"Um, no, I got it." She said, lifting the shoulder strap on. Did he have to stand so close?

"Really I can help," he offered again, reaching for the bags. Shane pulled away at his movements. She gave him a look. He backed off.

"Shane, give him the bags, let's go," Cole barked from the doorway. Shane sighed and handed the bags to the human, watching as he stumbled with the weight that hadn't given her any trouble. She fidgeted inwardly. She followed Cole and one of the attendants through endless hallways, elevators and more hallways. The house seemed to blur into itself. The windowless walls kept out more than just light, they seemed to block out time. Shane felt Cole's nervousness as they approached their destination. She tried to bottle up what she felt, tried to block out Cole's distress from clouding her performance. She felt his emotions recede but with them a wave of nausea settled in. She saw him stiffen, as if he had felt the wall she put up too. He gave her a quick glance over his shoulder. She gave him a stiff nod, willing him to understand why she had pushed him out of her head. He returned it.

"Many of them are done for the night," the attendant was saying to Cole. "There are just a few left in the conference room." The man gestured to the doors at the end of the hall and allowed the pair to pass him. Cole didn't give him a glance. Shane turned and mouthed a quick 'thank you.' That seemed to surprise the man. Guess vampires don't thank people often, she thought with a shrug.

They neared the door, and Cole turned to her one last time, the tiniest twinkle in his eye. Then he leaned forward, opening the door and stepping into the great room. Shane took a beat and followed him.

Cole turned his back to her again as they entered. Her presence loomed large in his mind but he could no longer feel her nerves amplifying his own. She had been right, of course, to close him out, but it left a throbbing in his head where she should have been. Most of the Night's Guard had retired and only Landsman and Medea remained from the council and they were currently involved in a heated conversation with a raven-haired vampire whose back was to Cole. Cole assumed his stance, arms crossed, shoulders squared, and waited. Landsman's eyes fell on him and Cole watched them slide over his shoulder to where Shane was standing. His eyes widened and snapped back to Cole's. The others around him also turned to see what had diverted his attention so completely.

Landsman and Medea both looked paler than usual but Olrun and his captains gave Cole a puzzled look. A hush filled the room. Shane, much to Cole's relief, was not fidgeting under the glare of these rather intimidating vampires. Out of the corner of his eye, Cole saw the tell tale movements of Einar, moving himself out of the shadows. Cole felt more than saw the look of intense interest Einar was giving Shane. He willed himself away from the protective surge he felt. He had made up his mind, he would present their connection as nothing more than a debt to be paid. He could not appear possessive.

"Good to see you back ancient one," Olrun started, still unsure why Landsman and Medea looked as though they saw a ghost. The vampire who had her back to them turned; Cole recognized her instantly. She was painfully beautiful. Her coloring spoke to her origins deep in Central Asia, her skin was dusty and deep but her eyes sung out, clear and green against her dark complexion. Cole saw she was still wearing her usual uniform of black, covering every possible inch of skin except for her face and fingers. Iris had emerged from the libraries.