Wulf's Redemption (Borne Vampires Book 3) (6 page)

After ten minutes searching the establishment for Aldric
proved pointless.
“Aldric, where are you?”

Silence.

Concerned, he sipped his brandy a servant handed
him. Aldric must have left White’s. Downing the fiery drink in a single
swallow, he set the sniffer on the bar and went to fetch his coat. Outside, the
snow fell in thick sheets, further blanketing the already buried city.

Casting out, he was unable to lock onto his
brother. The only time Aldric had blocked him was during the one and only time their
father had beat him, not wanting him to get in trouble as well. To this day, he’d
never figured out how Aldric had blocked him from feeling the pain his brother
endured.

“Aldric, what are you hiding from me?” he
murmured, worried for his brother. With mortals running around with guns,
afraid at what lurked in the darkness, not to forget the wolves hunting irregularly,
a vampyre out alone was asking for trouble.

Turning up the collar of his gray, wool coat, Alex
tugged on his fur-lined, leather gloves and headed back to where Herrick waited
with the carriage. The long coat he wore slapped the back of his legs as he
hurried down the street. Turning the corner, he slid to a stop. Holding torches
ablaze, a mob was shouting angrily at Herrick, who struggled to keep the frightened
horses from bolting.

Alex yelled at the people, “What the devil are you
doing harassing my man?”

Men and women jumped at his voice, parting for him
to reach his carriage. Taking hold the bridle of the nearest horse, Alex
stroked the tall gelding’s fine head, whispering to calm the snorting beast. He
glared in the faces of those closest him, directing his question to his driver.

“Herrick, what goes here?”

“My
lord,” Herrick’s usually strong, calm demeanor was clearly shaken. “These good
people think me and my clansmen are responsible for kidnapping the children.”

“What?”
Alex couldn’t believe the accusation, not after the meeting. “A goodly number
of you heard Breber share his investigates that a wolf is responsible. Do you
doubt your magistrate?”

“A
wolf can’t open locked doors!” a woman shouted from the back of the mob.

“My
man and his people are loyal to my family and have
never
acted criminally. As you are aware of the Iron Wolf’s
reputation, my father would personally execute any man or woman acting unworthy
of his employment! Go and patrol the streets as Magistrate Breber ordered and set
your minds at ease concerning the gypsies.”

Mollified,
the townspeople were about to retreat until the same woman demanded, “I want
the gypsies arrested! Breber must investigate their whereabouts during the
abductions. No wolf is cunning enough to enter homes without guidance. Gypsies
are notorious charmers! They could have trained the wolf to steal the children.”

Searching
for the antagonizing wench, Alex found her and shook his head at her. “Mrs.
Breber, you cast wild accusations while your husband risks his life night and
day to find the culprit responsible? Do you not have anything better to do than
stir up trouble where clear heads are needed?”

“I
at least do no hide behind my title and frequent whorehouses while honorable,
courageous men risk their lives to protect us,” she shot back, her ire made her
magnificent to behold, if not for the sadistic light in her shining eyes.

Recognizing
she would not relent until blood was shed, he grabbed the closest man by the
coat labels and yanked him off his feet. “Go and find Magistrate Breber. Bring
him here and inform him of his wife’s involvement in stirring you, good people,
unnecessarily.” Opening his hand, Alex released the frightened man to scurry
away.

Watching
the crowd nervously back away, either because of his showing his strength or
not wanting to face the wrath of the Magistrate, he did not care just as long
as Herrick was not harmed.

Not long passed and Breber came running, his hand
on the hilt of his sword to keep it from swinging carelessly at his side. He skidded
to a halt when he saw those who had held fast their conviction. His searching
gaze centered on his wife, who glared defiantly back at him.

“What goes here?” Breber demanded, shouldering his
way past through the crowd until they were face to face. “My lord?” Breber left
his question hanging, and Alex realized the man was unsure which brother he
addressed.

“Alexander, Lord Magistrate. My driver and his
people are being accused of taking the children.”

Glaring at the crowd, Breber asked, “Did you not
understand what I said at the meeting?”

Lisle stepped forward, “No wolf can accomplish
what you say. The gypsies were sighted in town every night a child was taken.
Coincidence? No, I say! They know something and are not sharing their
knowledge. I demand they be arrested and questioned,” she shouted, her pale
face flushed in her anger.

“Wife, you dare doubt me? Get home, Lisle. I will
deal with you when I return at dawn. NOW,” Breber barked, sending his wife
scurrying away. He stared at the sullen, confused people before he faced him
again. “My lord, I regret the action I must take. Your man will follow me to
the jail where I shall question him further.”

Alex stared hard at Breber, unable to influence
him with so many onlookers. Cursing under his breath, he said to Herrick,
“Herrick, do as Breber commands. He is a good man and won’t allow any harm to befall
you in his custody. Am I correct, Magistrate Breber?” he growled, the warning
clear.

“Yes, my lord, I give you my word. Please inform
your father what is transpiring. Lord Ulrich will wish to be part of the
interrogation.”

“I will go to my father immediately.”

Herrick climbed down off the driver’s seat.
“Master Alex, please tell my wife where I am.”

“You are coming home before the night is done, Herrick.
I promise.”

“I trust you, my lord, with my life and of my
people’s.”

“As I trust you, Herrick, with mine and my
brother’s life.” Every fiber of his being demanded he argue with the people of
Magdeburg to understand that Herrick and the gypsies were innocent. Forced to
watch Breber escort Herrick away made him sick to his stomach. Climbing onto the
vacated, padded seat, he took up the black leather reins and whistled to the
team. The horses’ elegant ears flicked back as one, eager to leave.

“Walk
on,” he ordered to the geldings.

People
scattered as the matched blacks surged forward, prancing in a timed trot. As he
drove the team across the only bridge connecting the crossroads, he mentally
searched for Aldric. Unable to contact or locate his brother, he abandoned his
search and urged the horses onward to home.

Snow
started to fall in earnest, making the road treacherous and difficult to travel
any faster than a trot. Grinding his teeth, he forced himself to calm when the
horses broke pace, snorting anxiously. His emotions were upsetting the
sensitive animals. Talking to the team, he soothed their fears. Turning them
onto Wulf Manor Lane, he sensed they were not alone.

Watching
the trees lining the road, he spotted a white wolf loping twenty yards to his
right. A dozen furry bodies took shape to the left and right side of the road
he travelled. The wolves glanced at him often, ensuring he kept pace with them.
The white wolf closed the distance between her and him. She nodded once to him
and yipped at her companions. The wolves spread out, easing the horses’
anxiety. Alex received the impression the wolf pack was escorting them home.

Why
were they protecting him and his horses? Was it from the rogue wolf terrorizing
Magdeburg? What madness had taken hold where wolves protected him and his
brother abandoned him?

As
he neared Wulf Manor, an orange smudge marred the pitch-black sky at the end of
the road he traveled. An orange smudge broke the black sky. Bonfires had been
lit within the perimeter of the high wall encircling the manor and courtyard. The
white wolf yipped again and nodded once to him before melting into the forest,
her pack vanishing with her.

“My
gratitude for your protection. May I someday repay your kindness,” he spoke to
the darkness, knowing the she-wolf had heard him.

Facing
forward, he scowled, seeing the gates were closed, barring his entrance to Wulf
Manor. Pulling back the reins, he called out, “Whoa, my beauties. Whoa.”

A
man he had never seen before peered at him through the thick bars of the gate.
Dressed in a red military uniform, the soldier hastened to aim his rifle at him.
“Who goes there?”

Sensing
he should use his brother’s identity, he declared, “I am Aldric, son of Ulrich
Wulf. Why is the gate locked?”

“My apologies, my lord, General Wulf ordered me
and my men to allow no one to pass the manor’s gates until after dawn.” Aldric
hadn’t returned. Where the hell was his brother?

It dawned on him what the soldier had said. “Am I
not allowed in my own home?” Alex asked, incredulous at his father’s strangest order
to date.

“We are currently checking with the General for
permission to allow you within the gates.” Peering closer, the soldier
inquired, “Where is your driver, my lord?”

“Magistrate Breber is interviewing him.”

“Good. The other gypsies here have been delivered
upon the Lord Mayor’s request.”

“Blumenthal sent the order to my father? When?”

“Right after the meeting, my lord. The Lord Mayor
decided to proceed with investigating the rumors concerning the gypsies and
ordered them delivered for integration the matter of the missing children.”

“Who are you and why are you here?” Alex demanded,
wary of the reason Ulrich had employed mercenaries.

Another soldier approached. “I am Captain Von
Patterson. My company arrived shortly after you and your brother departed for
Magdeburg. Your father employed us to protect him and his interests while the
threat continues upon those of Magdeburg.”

From behind the captain, another soldier hurried
to him and whispered in Von Patterson’s ear. The captain ordered, “Open the
gates. My lord, your father orders you to be confined to your bedchambers until
your brother, Alexander, returns.”

Wonderful. Now how was he to search for Aldric? “First,
I will personally take care of my horses.”

“My lord, I must insist upon you handing them to
my men.” Von Patterson signaled to the nearest soldier to take hold the bridle
of one of the horses.

A grave mistake. The black gelding laid his ears
back and tried to take a bite out of him. The soldier jumped back, eyeing the
team fearfully.

Grinning maliciously, Alex shrugged, “Like I said,
they’re my horses and I’ll take care of them.” He clucked to the team and drove
on to the barn. None of the soldiers made attempt to stop him.

Halting the horses before the barn doors, Alex set
the brake and leapt off the carriage. Inside the barn, he swept his hand and
‘willed’ the oil lamps to ignite the wicks, bringing light to the dark building.
A deep, brassy whinny drew him to the white stallion, who stuck his head out of
his stall.

Rubbing the stately horse’s head, Alex whispered,
“Ah, my friend, you know me anywhere, wouldn’t you? Back to sleep, Saber. I
must attend to your stablemates.” Giving his horse a final pat, he went to
work.

Doffing
his coats and rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt, he grabbed the leather
halters from the brass hooks set by each stall door and went back to the tired and
cold horses. They waited patiently as he replaced bridles with their halters. Unhooking
their harnesses attached to the sway bar, he led one and the others followed them
inside. Opening the stall doors with the wave of his hand, the horses went into
their assigned stalls. Alex unharnessed each horse and set the leathers on the
hooks outside their stalls. Then, he took up a soft brush and went about
brushing them down, checking hooves for stones or foreign objects. Ensuring
they had plenty of water and hay to feast on, he swung his coat over his
shoulder and blew out the lamps on his way out.

At
the barn’s double doors, he stopped and listened to the crunching footsteps of
the patrolling soldiers. The manor’s windows were dark before customarily they
were lit to ward off the night. Except for one. The silhouette of his father,
tall and broad, unyielding, watched the courtyard below.

Was
Ulrich anxiously waiting for ‘Alex’ to return or was he waiting for ‘Aldric’ to
obey his orders to confinement?

He
made another attempt to make contact with his brother.
“Aldric, where are you? Please answer me!”

The
piercing howl of a wolf answered him instead.

Chapter Five

Sensing she was no longer covered by dirt, Kai drew
in a deep lungful of air, inhaling the scent of spicy pine needles and dusty, dry
grass, sun-warmed dirt. Opening her eyes, she cast around her, confused by the
lack of snow, the hot, humid air.

Why was it so damn hot? Where was the snow?

She saw Alex standing at the edge of her grave,
holding his hand out to her. His image split and became two. Closing her eyes,
she reopened them and only one stared down at her with concern.

“Kai, what’s wrong?”

Mentally giving herself a shake, she took his hand
with her right. When he pulled, she cried out as pain shot up her arm and into
her shoulder. Crap, she hadn’t healed!

He jumped into the grave and lifted her into his
arms. “Hey, what the—” She gasped as her throbbing shoulder hit his.

Setting her down on the ground, he pulled down the
collar or her shirt, his face hardened as he lifted the back of her shirt, the
material stiff. Returning to face her, she drew back warily. Wow did he look
pissed!

“Kai, why didn’t you tell me your wound hadn’t
fully healed?”

“I didn’t know it hadn’t until you tried to help
me out. How bad is it?”

“Fortunately, the wound did not reopen.” He stared
at the grave, his expression hardening. “There’s blood where you slept. How
long did you bleed while we were walking?”

“Couple of hours, maybe.” His anger swiftly
shifted to hurt. “Alex, I didn’t want you to worry.”

“Didn’t want me to worry?” he repeated, staring at
her as if she had lost her mind. “You are my responsibility! If you died, I
could never forgive myself, nor would your mother!”

“I’m sorry. I won’t hold back next time. I
promise!” She bit her lip, pleading with him to not be mad at her.

Silent, he stood and walked a few feet away before
putting his hands on his hips and stared out into the woods. Sighing, she knew
she’d messed up with him … again.

Flashes of the white wolf, the townspeople, Lisle
Breber brought back her dream. Aldric. Alex had a brother. His
twin
brother! What happened to Aldric? Had she
actually gone inside Alex’s mind? Or was it the other way around? Had he
entered hers? Either way, he was reliving his time at Magdeburg.

The
children!

Was
an actual wolf stealing them or a man dressed in wolf skins taking the children?
Why had Aldric disappeared? Why did he hide from Alex? Her questions had to
wait as hunger for blood rose sharp and merciless, making her sick, wanting to
dry heave. To her relief, Alex returned to her.

“You
need blood.” Taking a seat on the ground beside her, he offered her his wrist.

“No,”
she shook her head wearily, “I can’t drain you, too.”

“Kai,
you must take my blood or you will die.”

She
saw he was scared and felt terrible about how she had treated him in London. Here
he was, still protecting her, taking care of her. “Alex, I … I’m sorry.”

“For
what?” he asked, bemused.

“For
being weak and such a rotten burden on you when you are hurt yourself.” Miserable,
dirty, and starving, she wanted to bawl.

“No,
you are not weak, nor have you ever been a burden to me. Feed. Take what you
need. I will be fine.”

There
was no use in denying her hunger. She felt her fangs drop as she took his hand
in hers. Long, lean fingers, strong and powerful, yet he always handled her
gently. Kai desperately wanted to know what his hands felt like gripping her,
his fingers playing along her skin. Being so close to him, feeling his body’s
heat, breathe in the masculine scent emanating from Alex wreaked havoc on her
worn out senses.

A
small, wicked smile escaped her and she shifted closer to him, sliding her hand
up his chest, feeling the muscles beneath the thin material of his shirt, along
his neck to cup his strong jawline. Alex stared at her, his eyes half-closed as
she sat on her knees, leaned into him as she placed her other hand on his
shoulder and drew him to her.

Alex
jerked back, shaking his head. “No. I told you, I’m not what you want.”

“You want me to feed or not?” His eyes narrowed
suspiciously as he slowly nodded. “Then
I
choose where
I
want
to feed. And I want to feed from here.” She caressed his neck with her
fingertips, the pulse below his ear jumping at her light touch.

“Dammit, Kai, you play with fire,” he warned huskily.

Leaning closer till they touched, her breasts
pressing his chest, she nuzzled his throat. Scraping her teeth against his
skin, enjoying the tensing of his powerful muscles, Kai slid her fingers
through the thick, silky strands of his hair, pulling him closer to her. Her
body throbbed, need twisted inside her. She desperately wanted to kiss him, the
knowledge she’d never felt his lips against hers made her bold. Her mouth
hovered close to his, their breath exchanging so close they were. She searched
his eyes, seeing his desire match hers. Leaning closer she almost kissed him
when Alex jerked back, breaking the spell.

“Take my blood before I change my mind,” he
snapped, anger pulsing from his rigid body in punishing waves.

Disappointed, Kai sank her teeth in the soft
tissue at the curve of his throat, her lips closing over the wound. Taking only
enough to get some fresh blood in her, she released him and sat back,
frustrated. The man was such a stubborn pain in the ass!

Would he never give in to his desire for her?

Alex jumped to his feet and fetched her backpack.
Dropping it beside her, he headed down the trail. She slowly climbed to her
feet, wincing as she placed her hand on the ground to push herself up.
Exhausted already, she wearily followed him.

How had she connected with him while they slept?

Last night, in his arms, she felt as if they
were
back in 1819. She desperately wanted to
ask him what happened to Aldric — the children, if Alex suspected she had been
inside his head he’d shut her out permanently and she couldn’t have that. She
had to find out who was taking the children and why!

Was Aldric killing them? Had he transformed into a
wolf and taken them while their parents slept?
He did not appear to be turning, but Aldric was definitely hiding
something, something he did not want his twin knowing about.

Then
there was Lisle Breber.

Jealous
of how beautiful, dainty, and petite Lisle Breber was — everything she wasn’t,
Kai wondered why Alex hadn’t seen how malicious and petty the woman was before
he started an affair with her. Had sex been the only thing on his mind?
Watching him as he walked, she conceded it was a pretty good motive in
overlooking insufferable traits in the one you had the hots for … like Alex’s
stubbornness for example. Lisle was a dangerous woman, one who could influence
others to her whim and she wanted Alex to pay for dumping her, even if it meant
innocent people were being arrested. What happened that left Alex emotionally
scarred and guarded?
The only way to find out was to wait for Alex to
let down his guard and show her what transpired. Hating being unable to solve
the mystery, she hitched her backpack and trudged after him.

The silence began to bug the hell out of her.
She tried to reach out to
Mina and found only the awful darkness. She tried to speak to her mom next and
experienced the same thing. Rubbing her arms, cold despite the humid heat, she
glared at the trees, wanting to be out of the wilderness and back with her
family. And blood! Lots and lots of hot blood to drink until she was full and
no longer hurt. Shoving back her self-pity and ignoring her shoulder, she kept
walking.

Hours
passed and she continued to weaken, barely able to put one foot in front of the
other, praying they would exit the woods soon. Exhaustion drew Alex’s handsome
features into a gaunt mask. He was in bad shape, too.

An
hour before dawn, Alex declared, “I’m flying us out of here.” Taking her into
his arms, they barely left the ground when his strength failed and they dropped.

“Argh!”
Kai hit her bad shoulder and rolled to sit. She dumped her backpack and cradled
her arm.

“I’m
sorry, Kai, I shouldn’t have tried to fly. Did I injury you further?” Alex’s
skin had lost its color and there were dark hollows under his dull green eyes.

“Alex,
I’ve got nothing left. I just want to go to ground and sleep.”
 

“Yes,
let’s go to ground. Tomorrow, we should encounter a farmhouse or town.”

Expecting
him to share a grave with her, he disappointed her by making two. Without a
word, she crawled into hers and swept the dirt over her. Hoping to find out who
the killer was,, she shut down.

No
such luck. No dreams. Irritated, she pushed back the dirt and crawled out of
her grave.

Not a single glimpse into Alexander Wulf’s past. Hungry and
exhausted, she watched Alex as he struggled out of his grave. Dropping her head
in defeat, she wanted to cry, unable to as the moisture in her body was gone,
the blood in her veins nearly gone. Soon, her body would shut down, unable to
sustain life. He was suffering, too.

They
were dying.

✝✝✝

“Let’s get to walking,” Alex said as he wearily pulled
himself to his feet.

Helping her to hers, fear clawed at his gut. He
kept close eye on her, afraid as the pale wraith of the once vibrant woman
stumbled after him, the fire gone from her eyes. If they could just keeping
going, there should be a house or farm close by, with people to feed on.

Ah, who was he kidding? There hadn’t been any sign
of humans since the one who shot Kai. The vampire hunters had pulled a
disappearing act. If blood wasn’t found soon, and they went to ground, there
was a good chance they wouldn’t be able to rise from the earth. A vampire
had
to feed on humans. If not, their blood
cells dried, internal organs withered, the heart stopped beating. Alive and
dead, until the end came to take them to Heaven or Hell in his case.

What seemed like hours of walking, he found it
harder and harder to keep on going. Kai collapsed, face first in the loamy
soil, unmoving. Dropping to his knees, he gently rolled her onto her back,
brushing the dirt off her face. Her cheeks had sunk in and her beautiful face
appeared skull-like. Thick, black eyelashes fluttered as she struggled to open her
eyes, exposing their bloodshot state. Pale, creamy skin went grayish-white. Rubbing
a shaky hand over his face, he realized his skin was cold and clammy to the
touch. Placing his hand on Kai’s forehead, she was, too. He noticed how white
the skin on the back of his hand was, how the veins contrasted blue against pale.
He couldn’t give her any blood. There was barely any left in his veins to
sustain him.

“Alex, I need to sleep,” she whispered as she
closed her eyes.

Panicking, he grabbed her, shaking her awake. “Don’t
you dare leave me!” he shouted hoarsely at her, bringing her up onto his lap. “Sweetheart,
please, you must hang on.”

Her eyes fluttered open. A small smile curved her
dry, cracked lips. Kai whispered, “Sweetheart, huh? I like ‘babe’ better.”

A wracking laugh escaped him. “I order you not to
leave me and what do you latch on to? An endearment.”

Smiling sadly, she reached up to cradle the palm
of her hand against his stubble-shrouded cheek. “Stupid man. Why would
I
leave you?”

Staring at her dumbly, it took him a full minute
for him to process what Kai meant. He had tried to convince himself she had
left
him
when she’d only gone and made
a life for herself after he had rejected her advances. Putting his arm around
her slumped shoulders, he pulled her closer to him. Weak, she laid her head
against his chest. Kai, who was always vivacious, warm as the sun and twice as
spirited, was dying. Her life was in his hands and he had failed her. Resolve
surged to give him the strength to fight. They weren’t dead yet!

“Kai, you need to be on your feet.” Climbing to
his, he dragged her with him. He glanced down into her face, alarmed to see her
eyes roll back and only the whites were left.

Panicking, he stumbled forward, dragging her with
him. Twenty yards, he tripped, catching his balance on the tree next to him.
Staring down at his feet, Alex realized the game trail had met an old cart
path. The hard dirt of the road and lack of grass evidence it was still used.
Holding Kai, he stood there, undecided which direction to take. Past and
present assaulted him. Images of summer and winter collided in kaleidoscope,
confusing him.

“Dammit, Kai—” the words stuck, his tongue swollen
with thirst. His vision narrowed and he fell to his knees. She landed beside
him, still out cold.

Fighting to stay conscious, he wrestled the
cloying web of utter despair, betrayed by his own body. So tired! He hadn’t the
strength to open the soil and make a grave, to protect Kai and himself from the
vampire hunters. Crawling over to Kai, he pulled and yanked at her rucksack to
bring her against him. Drawing the gun she’d given him, he leaned against the
tree, holding her close to him. The sensation of the rough bark couldn’t penetrate
the numbness engulfing him. At least he could kill a few of the hunters if they
found them.

Chirping of birds in the predawn hour mingled with
the jingling of bells and the plodding tread of several horses jolted Alex back
to the world of the living. A green and yellow gypsy wagon came into view.
Lanterns made of brass and colored glass swayed with the lazy gait of the
docile horses. The driver was a man in sixties, tall and lean, wearing a red
cap perched on top his head, his long, white hair flowed down his broad
shoulders. Black pants and a brightly-embroidered white shirt completed his
outfit. Four men on foot followed the wagon. They were similarly dressed to the
driver and were holding long rifles ready to fire. The driver called out to his
horses and stopped beside where he sat.