Trusting Love Ch. 02

Owain raised his brow at that. "You do not actually believe that do you? First it was the vampires four thousand years ago, then the elementals a millennia and a half later then it was the phoenix clan and the lykae, whom they failed to kill."

"Until today." Nayel answered lazily his shoulder rested on a pillar in a pose one might think relaxed and be wrong.

"That remains to be seen."

"Indeed?" he drawled. "Is that why you ordered us to you?"

"Yes and no. I believe one of our races, likely yours, will be next on the extermination list, for security reasons of course."

"Of course. And why would ours be the likely choice?"

The man looked at the other and knew he had already come to the same conclusion as he had; he looked at the others and saw the same comprehension. "Because you are divided and are already killing each other."

"That is not precisely true," Alaric stated his tawny eyes calm and perceptive. "Would you believe we have agreed not to kill each other?"

He smiled at that relieved he had chosen the right people though he had doubts to the fluidity of the alliance, centuries of hostility did not disappear overnight. "I would suggest we form an alliance of our people," he paused for effect "and with the lykae."

Four raised eyebrows met his assessing gaze but it was the last one who spoke, Fernán who had been watching all as the discussion unfolded. "The lykae who have been dealt a killing blow by the death of one woman? They will all be dead soon and are now unworthy of any consideration."

"Except suicidal revenge." Nayel said with lazy amusement.

Owain shook his head with a mysterious smile on his face. "She will live." He stated to which he was treated with varying degrees of skeptism causing his smile to widen. "Sometimes death is but a catalyst."

All four went on alert, their warrior sides emerging at the sign of trouble yet to come as their minds raced through the possibilities.

"Are you positive?" Alaric demanded.

"Yes." He sighed "As you know my people see the soul as it returns to the ether, hers did not. It gathered the ether about it and awakened."

"Vampire?"

"No, they did not have the ability to gather the ether and this soul is old even though it has never existed before today." He had them as worried as he was, an unknown power was one thing but to have that unknown power against you was a chilling thing, especially when that power was ancient. "There was another soul just as powerful and identical and yet opposite that awoke at the same time. Both are neutral, neither good or bad and both."

"Contradictions are ever the answers of your kind." Fernán snorted in disgust.

He did not allow the comment to anger him as it would normally. At stake were the lives of all their people and they could not afford to start fighting, not when they had a lot to discuss. 'That is as plain as I can be." He replied stiffly.

"You are right," Alaric said cutting across any argument that might arise. "If she is an ancient we have to form an alliance with the lykae, if they will even consider it."

"We are in a position to help curb further attempts to kill the mate, which is a start to an alliance." Jabir replied after a moment.

For a moment they were all lost in their thoughts, still they watched each other. Nodding his acceptance the green-eyed blond turned and walked away to be followed by the others after a reasonable amount of time, trust would be hard to come by. He was the last to go back inside in tome to watch with the others as Tara was reborn, the room was again as quiet as it had been to begin with but now there was no satisfaction or anticipation, fury reigned. He caught the eyes of his new allies for a brief moment then turned to watch the rest of the room.

Yes, he thought to himself, watch your doom rise. Unease spread through the room as they failed to understand what she was, none had ever seen or heard of a rebirth such as hers. Though she was unconscious there was no obvious change to her, none of the death pallor vampirism entailed, the ashes that signified the phoenix or even the coagulation of nature an elemental would have.

"Ray," a succubus called "you have five seconds to tell me what she is or you are dead."

The dark-skinned man who had beaten the mate to death trembled were he stood visibly swallowed then stammered. "F-f-forgive me grand master but I-I'm just a neophyte and have no idea." He bowed.

A cruel look overcame the already cruel features of the grand master as she turned to another succubus and smiled. "Yes, it is the duty of the master to know what her student is dealing with."

The other paled at that and opened her mouth to defend herself, at the same time the grand master opened hers and a light came out of the unfortunate man's mouth to the grand master's. Horror replaced the panic on the master's face as she felt her life energy flow to the other. Within moments she was a desiccated husk then a pile of ashes.

"Well Ray, it seems you are a novice once more and are in need of a new master." The grand master said with malicious pleasantry, Ray paled but bowed and mumbled his thanks to the woman then melted into the crowd as the grand master turned to the room at large. "It seems we have a lykan mate to kill"

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