Edmond was furious he’d been distracted from his plans.
He’d waited centuries to make his brother pay for leaving him.
“Go back to your tribe, Indian boy.
Tell them I released Turning Leaves’ ghosts.
I have no business with you.”
Dismissing the intruder, he went back to Ariel.
Clear Skies had no idea what the comment about Turning Leaves meant. “Yeah, but I have business with you, Reeking Shit.
That lady you’re manhandling is my girlfriend.
At least she was before your brother stole her from me.”
Clear Skies continued to edge closer.
“Hey, Lucien,” the warrior chuckled, “strong family resemblance, dude.”
Edmond swung behind Ariel.
He still smelled only pine and became nervous other Indians were near.
Clear Skies wanted him back in front of her. “You still have great knockers, girl.”
Ariel was pleading with her eyes.
She tried to figure out what he was up to. He glanced in front of her.
He wants Edmond on the other side,
she realized. The only time she’d gotten a reaction from the crazy man was when she spoke, especially when she pleaded about Lucien.
He automatically slapped her.
“You lost your chance.
I’m Lucien’s mate, now.
It’s his touch I want on me at night.
Only he is strong enough for me.
A mere warrior or this miserable excuse for a being mean nothing to me.”
Edmond shrieked and swung around her.
“I told you to shut up.”
He was in mid strike when the first knife went through the back of his neck.
The insane creature turned and ran toward Clear Skies.
A knife went through his heart and another through his skull, centered between his eyes and sunk to the hilt.
Edmond sank to his knees.
His claws had distended and he couldn’t grip the dripping blades to pull them out.
“Cut his heart out,” Lucien gasped.
“You need to cut out his heart. He’s had too much blood.
If he gets a blade out he’ll heal quickly.”
Clear Skies walked cautiously toward the writhing beast.
It was snarling in whistling torment with the blade in its throat.
Careful of the claws, he drew his leg back and timed a full kick at his jaw.
The creature fell back.
It clawed at his arms as he worked the knife in his chest, digging and ripping.
The creature gave a loud wail as Clear Skies tore the organ free and threw it far into the grass.
The beast shuddered and lay still.
Clear Skies knelt over the body, exhausted as the full impact of what he’d done slowly registered.
After several minutes, Lucien realized the warrior was feeling the delayed shock of his battle.
“You have no business looking at my mate’s knockers, dude.”
Clear Skies turned back and looked at him.
“Cut his heart out?
Harsh.” He rose and walked over to the tired man and rattled the connecting chain with his foot. “As much as I’m enjoying your predicament, all good times come to an end.
Where did you say the keys were?”
Lucien groaned again.
“They’re in his pack.”
Clear Skies returned with the keys.
“Be careful.
These spears shoot back when they’re unlocked,” Lucien advised.
“Does it hurt?” Clear Skies grinned.
Lucien narrowed his eyes.
“Like a bitch, asshole.”
“Good.”
Clear Skies enjoyed every wince the Vampire made.
Lucien stumbled over to Ariel.
She sobbed with relief as he untied her and kissed every bruise.
“I’m so sorry, Ariel.”
He took off his shirt and wrapped it around her.
Three Indians came thundering toward them.
Yellow Hawk, Black Horse and Wind Seeker swung off their horses.
They looked at the creature on the ground in confusion and shock.
A fourth horse skidded to a halt and Fierce Bear lumbered off and strode up to Clear Skies.
He ran his hands down the warrior’s arms and chest.
“Son, you’re okay?”
“Yes, Father.
I used the skills you taught me, and they worked,” Clear Skies hugged him.
“Lucien, who the heck is that?” Ariel whispered.
“Fierce Bear, he’s Clear Skies’ father-in-law.”
“Oh dear god, I was hoping his suffering had ended.”
Lucien walked over to Wind Seeker.
“Clear Skies’ skills with the knives saved us, Wind Seeker.
We owe you a great debt.”
“My son, Clear Skies’ remarkable skill with the knives saved you, Protector?” Fierce Bear bellowed.
“Oh, shit.
I can hear him from my porch now,” Black Horse moaned.
Lucien took Yellow Hawk further into the prairie and told him about Turning Leaves.
He didn’t mention the abuse she had suffered at Robby and the Vampires’ hands.
It could cause the Indians to doubt the Clans, and worse, it would haunt Yellow Hawk and Whispering Wheat forever to know they sent their daughter to such torment.
Riders approached from the trees.
Damon and Nathan swung off their horses and ran up to them.
“Lucien, we didn’t realize Ariel was missing until this morning.”
Nathan was sick at what he thought might have happened. He‘d followed the trace of her scent to the garden, then the overwhelming stench of the beast overpowered it.
“You were told to stay in the hall.”
She burst out in tears.
“I’m sorry, Nathan.
I missed Lucien so badly.
I just wanted to walk in the garden.”
Lucien hugged his exhausted mate.
“Nathan, it was Edmond.
He’d survived, but was completely insane.
There’s more I have to tell you.
We’ll talk on the way back to the settlement.”
The Vampires doubled up on the horses and rode back to their home after thanking the Indians.
Everyone came out to meet them and there was a collective sigh of relief that Ariel was alright.
“Lucien, it’s your call,” Nathan said.
“They deserve to know the truth.
Ariel and I need to clean up then we’ll meet everyone in the hall.”
Lucien wasn’t happy to have to tell his people his brother was responsible for the four deaths.
Instead of being angry or frightened, they consoled him on having to suffer the loss of his brother for a second time.
He and Ariel walked back to the house.
Ariel fell asleep almost immediately from the exhaustive work of healing her wounds and the stressful night and morning.
When she awoke, it was dark and Lucien was gone.
Heather was sitting in the main room.
“You should rest some more, Ariel.”
“Where’s Lucien?” Ariel had an empty, hollow feeling of despair.
“Nathan and Damon are with him,” she replied.
“Why?
Heather what’s wrong?” Ariel was eyeing the door.
Heather wrung her hands.
“Lucien needed to be alone for a while.”
This made no sense.
She just told her the older Vampires were with him. She sat in the chair across from Heather, worrying.
Her eyes reflected back from the silver vase on the table.
The red haze reflected back.
She jumped up.
“I need to go to him.”
She ran out the door before Heather could stop her.
Ariel stood in the darkened street and lifted her head in the moonlight.
Please work. Please help me find him.
She inhaled deeply.
The faint scent of spice, the comforting smell of Lucien, came from the woods by the corral.
She entered a small shack and Nathan bolted to his feet.
“Ariel, you have to leave here.
He needs to be alone.”
Nathan tried to usher her back out the door.
“No, Nathan.
That is exactly what he does not need.”
She stormed by him.
Lucien was huddled in the corner of a cage.
He was shaking and had his head buried in his arms.
Nathan stood back, figuring she would leave him to his misery.
Before he realized what was happening, she squeezed her tiny body between the bars. “Ariel, you need to come out of there.”
He tried to stop the quiver in his voice.
Ariel ignored him and walked over to Lucien.
Nathan bolted for the door to get Damon.
He hoped she wasn’t ripped to shreds by the time he got back.
Ariel knelt down.
“Hey you,” she stoked her hand down his black hair. “You must have been worried about me.
I’m fine.”
The red eyes glanced at her quickly and hid again.
Ariel sensed Lucien, buried deep behind the red gaze.
The exhaustion and need to heal left him no strength to surface.
She wrapped her arm around the Vampire and had to pull hard to get him to rest his trembling body against her.
“I know what’s wrong. You’re afraid I’m going to think you’re like Edmond, and when I look at you, I’m going to think of the creature.”
The Vampire shook harder and she stroked his back.
“You’re nothing like that monster.
His mind was gone and he had no balance.
I know that.
I remember how you took care of me during the turning.
You were so gentle with me while I struggled.
That animal could never be like you,” she continued to murmur softly.
“I also know something I don’t think Lucien even realizes.
I know you’re the one who felt my fear when Lucien was riding back to the settlement.
You’re the one who turned the horse toward me.
It wasn’t my pleas Lucien heard to come rescue me.
They were yours.”
His head lifted and the blood red gaze looked on her with wonder.
Ariel brushed her thumb across his chin and kept her eyes on his, feeling his despair. “He’s kept you locked inside for so long, I don’t think he understands you as well as I do.
Lucien thinks you’re a part of him that’s like his brother.
He caged you to keep me safe.”
A clawed hand slowly reached up and a talon touched her cheek.
“There’s no way you could ever hurt me.
I could never be afraid of you.
I told you, I love you.”
The shudders finally slowed as the Vampire calmed with her soothing reassurances.
“There’s a difference between your needs and desires. Yours are games of passion.
Edmond’s needs were torture and hate.”
Ariel felt the despair leaving her body as it drifted from the red haze watching her so closely.
She smiled.
“Okay, that’s weird.”
A flash of alarm passed his eyes.
“I don’t mean you.
I feel what you’re feeling, or maybe it’s what Lucien feels, I can’t tell.
The two of you are closely entwined.”
A familiar mischievous glint was in the red stare.
“It’s you, isn‘t it?
It’s another part of the gift you gave me.
That’s how you can feel me even when Lucien’s in control.”
“He’ll probably be upset when he learns you’re always with me.”
The Vampire looked pleased at out maneuvering the man.
Ariel rested her head on his chest.
“Don’t look so smug.
When he realizes you’re the reason he found me, he’s going to think it was his idea.”
His broad chest expanded with a sigh and he gently ran his taloned hand down her back.