Daughter of Anat Read online

  ...speculation or truth?

  “Well, say something.” Cord the impatient dog demanding attention yelled at her. I wouldn’t have to work to make her hate him.

  “I’m not sure what to say. You’ve just told me there is yet another person entangled in the web of “All About Stace” and I am the last to know. You’ve just announced that I can heal you by touching you. And you’ve just told me there is yet another person who feels the need to alert me to their damn presence with some kind of funky calling system.”

  She scanned each of our faces. I know mine was in dire straits to take it all away if I could. I was hurt, but understood. It was a lot to ask of one person and it only made me hate the gods more.

  “I didn’t mean that in a bad way, it’s just there seems there will never be any privacy in any way for me anymore. And I will always have an alarm system when my marked like me guys are around. That could be very frustrating.”

  Yeah. Frustration I understood. And is it not frustrating to live with the fact that they have the same with you that I have? I have to live with this also.

  She softened her gritted teeth. I’m sorry. You are right. “Cas is right. I’m just throwing my own pity party.”

  “You’re forgetting something. We didn’t hear what Cas had to say,” Calum snarled.

  No, thank the gods.

  I laughed at her hidden humor and loved it being only for me.

  Stace helped Mr. Helpless up giving him a strong dose of her strength. The damn boy’s return favor was to fall against her sealing her in a lock and kissed her. Not a friendly one either. He was pinned to the ground in a head lock before his three seconds of pleasure could register. I wanted to wash her mouth out and rinse his with gasoline.

  Calum was drawing his fists up, shining them ready.

  “Sorry, princess. You’ll want it one day. But I had to try it out. See if it works for me like it did them.” Cord and his sorry ass didn’t stop there.

  “What?” she screamed at him wiping her mouth.

  “Theories, gorgeous. I suspect your emotional overdrive you did on me earlier has merit from something such as sharing...things.”

  Eww! “Wanna try it one more time for science?”

  She backed away with his insinuating comments. I could read her well. That wasn’t want she was throwing out.

  He is saying just that, Stace.

  She jerked up at my help but didn't seem to want it.

  “Thank you for healing me, gorgeous.” The dirtbag dared to near me. She had one part right in her head; we were all a little crazy.

  “So let’s move on. We have five of us now.” Cord said.

  “Cord, I assume you will work together with us?” She looked anywhere but at him.

  “With you.”

  Sucks for you then.

  I tried not to laugh out loud for her humor. No one knew what her pretty little head snarked off at them. Gotta wonder what I’ve missed that she might have said about me.

  “It’s us or no go. We are all in this somehow.”

  She wanted to spit out his taste. I was right there with her on that action.

  “Fine, but FYI, I communicate through who I want.” He handed her the dang card he gives all his damn girls at the clubs. How crude could he get?

  “I’ll be waiting by the phone,” he winked.

  Seeing the visions wasn’t what I worried about. What she might see scared me shitless.

  When she poked her eyes up at me, I gave away my stupidity. Jealousy suits you. I could get used to it.

  I gritted my teeth, growling. She raised her eyebrows at me claiming her. Why did she have to be reminded of that constantly? Girls and their insecurities. I made it clear she was mine before now and she still went through self doubt.

  I hooked my hand back around her hip leaning her back against the front of me sending a clear message for him to back the hell off. She flinched, but wolf boy got the point nonetheless.

  Cord laughed insanely and waved for his crew to move in. He took her hand though she was obviously attached to me. He kissed it.

  “Till we need to meet again.”

  Sucker left quick enough before I yanked his block off.

  Well, that was entertaining. I think we at least gained an ally.

  I sure didn’t answer that one.

  Are you going to respond?

  Stace, I’ll never survive you. And I meant it.

  Thanks for the confidence.

  It’s not you I’m concerned about.

  Jealous still? I’m sorry but you have nothing to worry about.

  She didn’t know what her voice alone does to a man.

  No, you shouldn’t be sorry. You’re very alluring. You always have been.

  Hardly. I’d never even been allowed to interact with boys until Lee, and then that was over fast and Calum came along. Why am I telling you this?

  Hell if I know. Cuz’ she wants their heads on a stick. You were alluring way before then. Many came to call, you were just shielded greatly.

  I guess that makes me angry, yet I was led straight to you with only a few snares.

  I brushed my thumb across her cheek slowly enjoying her soft skin. I would have to tell her I saw the visions soon, but not now with all she went through.

  Instead I asked, So what am I if all the others are snares?

  That I caught the fish made of gold.

  That you did. Hook, line, and so into you I’m making a fool of myself in front of everyone.

  Yes. But you’re my fool.

  I kissed her and wrapped her up in my arms.

  Lee and Calum glared at me so she backed away from leaning into my chest which made me a little happier on the who belongs to me part. I asked her why she insisted on cutting down the display.

  Her mind wandered before answering. She nailed me as this serious type who kept his cool to others, but not to her. How had she figured me so fast?

  She told me to be nice.

  My girl. I could play if she wanted.

  My guy.

  I laughed at her. She still didn’t know I knew the vision. Would it freak her out? How does it help us in the end?

  ℓℓℓℓℓ

  Dropping her off to take care of faction business is harder than watching Cord make eyes at her. But according to Hugo, it could wait. The club was dark with loud techno music blared at volumes the humans’ ears should have maxed out on long ago. The place looked empty, but I could smell what was inside. It’s a good thing I drank an extra pint of A positive before heading out.

  Jose was ahead and walking in assessing what measures to take first. I stood by the door as a look out waiting for his return. This was Jose’ specialty. He abhorred blood tainted with any alcohol or drugs and was the master of surveying if any real Vampires had taken from the live or not so alive within a fifty foot radius. This was due to his alcoholic mother that swarmed him with a terrible first sixteen years of life in that hellhole called L.A. The night he was turned, he’d begged the person dragging him from the club called Teeth to let him hitch a ride with him out of dodge. When asked for what price, he made the mistake of saying, “anything.”

  Not all Vampires are good guys. But Jose soon learned that is true of humans and now all other species since. That’s my motto leading this faction. We represent ourselves as a whole, so clean up is necessary. If the other factions will always see us as less than equal, there is no hope. So since Stace was intended for me, intended for this world peace effort, I’ve made it my personal goal to make this faction worthy of being at the forefront of leading her there. Since I became leader, I’ve destroyed ninety-seven rogue Vamp’s from damaging our faction’s reputation. Instead, rumors among the socialites remain in good favor for the most part and expect us to improve as there are less of us killing at random. Though they give me credit, I take none. It isn’t done yet.

  “Thorn, it is clean. However, there is a trail in the back leading to one of our own. Not a blood trail. No blood l
eft.”

  That meant we had a drainer. God, I hoped I could always spare Stace from all this hell the world has come too. She had other things to deal with.

  “I will trail it. Take Hugo back after clean up. I will text you.”

  I was bored after ten minutes. Liam had it cleaned up and was gone five minutes ago to watch over Stace. The agreement was, if something ever happened to me, get to Stace and keep her safe at all costs. Liam was the only one I had left of my own kind I could trust with her.

  I was a street over down a dark alley when I caught wind of something. Not human.

  I followed it to the back of the alley downing a quick taste of my blood bag in my pocket. The local homeless shelter was right around the corner and was often a target for wayward sups who wanted lunch or just a snack. Unfortunately, that pertained mostly to my own faction. I’d spent a lot of time playing clean up since I became lord to improve the Vampire faction reputation therefore giving me the god complex, but also how I gained the status known to the others as some kind of ruthless, evil ruler. The theory even Stace previously had of me. But they didn’t understand that the enemy was quite often one of my own. I hid this well and took the flack for it.

  I was so busy letting my mind work and think of Stace at my home in her bed alone that I didn’t hear the fast movement sweep behind me. A second too late, I had my black combat boot lodged into the Elf warrior’s chest and pounding the ground with his face. One of their Elf made star shaped blades lodged into my thigh. I turned quickly enough to plant a hard fist into his jaw then came around with the other one. The guy was down. I turned and surveyed the area for others. Nothing. I looked down again intending to search the now filthy creature lying in the middle of two slashed open Hefty size black trash bags full of Chinese food. I leaned down a foot into the darkness and felt...nothing. Everything went dark. In the half a second before hitting the ground I knew the Elf lying there...was a decoy.

  When I woke, I was in a filthy, piss ant shack tied to a freaking chair. Voices came through the door. What happened next, I would never forgive myself for.

  The abductors were Elves and they didn’t know how hungry they’d left me...or did they. One of them, a big surly critter, stalked across the room and leaned down. He spoke something harsh and after minute of provoking me, I lashed out. His blood was tainted, as was mine now. I drank a constant amount of mandrake juice to alter the effects my blood would have on an unsuspecting enemy.

  A year ago, I did some research and found that if I extracted my blood and saved it for feeding my own kind, it would subdue them. Something about my blood was different than the rest. Stace’s father first hinted at that. But my blood laced with the root of a mandrake, would put them to sleep...forever. If given the right amount.

  Well, until someone found where I stashed them and gave them untainted blood. That would never happen.

  Being the son of Ra, it was natural to study the history. I ran across the story of how Ra used the mandrake on Hathor to spare them from complete death. As opposed to the imminent death the five of us had ahead of us...or immortality. Either way, I bit into the crazed Elf expecting relief and pain simultaneously. Whatever I expected to happen with the Elf that would match a Vampire, it didn’t happen.

  “Trock! Come back in here.”

  Trock was busy being loopy and swinging around his body as if he was a cartoon character dying a fake death. He never went completely out. And when his two partners came in, they produced the same effect. They did however, change overnight into one of my kind after I was forced to bite them all again to stop their aim at stabbing me. It would take longer for a human, but they weren’t human.

  And then my worst nightmare showed up.

  “What the hell are you doing here? With them?”

  “Oh, Thorn dear. You missed me. Admit it.” She slinked her body around the chair curving her parts into my face. She was far from appealing to look at.

  “Nara. You should go home.” I snarled not really up to par on conversing and especially not with her.

  “Oh, but your little plaything may be here soon and I wouldn’t want to miss her.”

  “You leave Anastacia alone.” I snapped one part of the rope binding me. If she hurts her, I will kill her whether it means my own death or not.

  “My daddy would sure love to have that one. You could give her up to him and have me, you know.”

  Crap, she was one sick female. “As if you want me.”

  “Well,yes. I do loathe you, but my eyes are not blind. I could just play with my food a while and appease daddy at the same time.”

  Disgusting wench. “I would rather stab my eyes out.”

  “Can be arranged, but I rather like the color of them. Instead, I will let my friends take a little more out of you before Borgon takes a turn. The Shadow Queen and her crew will walk right in and he will have what he really wants. After tomorrow, she won’t matter anyway.”

  Tied to the chair, I couldn’t stop the filthy mouth from touching mine. I spit on her face. As she wiped it away, she laughed. And left.

  Behind my back, tied to a chair, I texted Lee. I had no way of knowing if my text was legible, but I knew he'd do what I asked.

  An hour later, I heard her voice. Stace was here. She was here before tomorrow came. I asked for her. Safety, not her as the rescuer.

  Blood thirsty and erratically out of control, I prayed for a speedy rescue attempt without her seeing me. It didn't happen.

  ℓℓℓℓℓ

  Side Scene

  from

  Cord’s POV of confronting Stace alone at the Vampire court

  She stood like a siren on the Vamp’s balcony with her pale chilling hair blowing in the wind like some hair commercial. He left her alone on a Friday night. Granite laughed at her channel surfing when it landed on a Vampire movie. They were most popular in recent years.

  Too quick to be seen, I scaled the rail and waited for Angus to create the distraction downstairs well enough that both guards would leave.

  And just like that, they were gone.

  She stood up her full length to me never hearing her watchdog leave. I did feel the sting of betrayal for a split second at knowing if she were mine, I’d have that guard killed for leaving her.

  Her fear controlled green eyes stared up at mine as she covered her vitals that were leaving little to the imagination. Jealousy stepped in at knowing what Thorn had and enjoyed her on a daily basis.

  I laughed as she hid herself. Like that would douse my vivid fantasies.

  “You were not invited,” she snipped at me and checked for her guard. She let out a loud gasp and her chest heaved when she saw that Granite had indeed, left her alone.

  “I didn’t say I was.” I watched her stress over what to do.

  “If they find you in here…”

  “What will they do, Anastacia? What will they think?” my voice loved the suggestions it invited. Females hated it, so I naturally did it more. It kept the memory of her face out. The day I fell for my first girl. Her!

  “You need to leave.”

  “Why haven’t you called?” I leaned closer and touched the skin on her arm. It's silken appeal sliding over the roughness of my own.

  She yanked her whole body away, but I knew she felt the power in it. Did she not want to acknowledge she healed me that day, not me healing her? The touch is needed for that, not the freakoid buzz of her body near mine. I never told her I figured it out long ago when Thorn first told me she could heal herself. I knew she’d heal me, but the visions were something else.

  “You should leave.”

  Her cell phone beeped. I don’t even think she heard it. I didn’t need disturbances. Snagging it off the table beside her, I tapped in my number and made it her number two speed dial. I clicked the text off the screen from the Hunter boy.

  “Now, we can keep in touch.” I leaned back into the sofa and crossed one leg over my knee trying to ease her the best I could. I didn’t like her bei
ng scared of me. “I haven’t been in here in months. It seems different.”

  She followed my eyes.

  “No, it’s just you. I’ve never seen a female in this room. That’s a nice change, but I’d be just fine if you chose another…place.”

  My place. My home. It’s just as big as this one. And I could keep her...happier. She wouldn’t be alone like she was now.

  “I’m safe here.”

  “Ahh, but do you want to be here?” I tried to read her begging her to say she didn’t. She was supposed to be mine. Mine for years. Before this life drowned out the boy I was, she was betrothed to me in our court where I was the heir to the business my father owned.

  “Don’t put words in my mouth?” She stretched her mouth back and forth.

  “Ahh, your mouth. Shall we talk about it then.” I watched her mouth and moved in to make my point known. If she didn’t know what I wanted, she wasn’t a woman. And well, I knew what she was without a doubt. The space was limited between all of her very distinct femaleness.

  She drew her eyebrows in and backed further away as I neared.

  “Does Cas know your here?”

  Obviously not, darling. I didn’t stop the knowing grin on my face.

  “You need to leave.”

  “Perhaps, but do I want to?” Hell no. This was more exciting than punching a Vampire in the face.

  “I want you to.” She gripped the pillow and stiffened her legs underneath her.

  “Do you?”

  Oh, if she’d heard the way she arranged those words. After letting my mind wander, she read me like a dang book. She knew what I wanted.

  “You smell amazing,” I let my wolf take her in all too inviting scent. No other female had it.

  And dang it if she didn’t lean in when I did. I was let down when I saw her focus. She like the earring I got drunk as batshit one night. She did realize her mistake in leaning and moved farther back than even before.