Chapter 17: Choices and Consequences

UNKNOWN

Willow plants a soft kiss on Andrei’s cheek before slipping out of the crypt in the early morning hours. She moves like a wisp of smoke, drifting toward the castle, pausing occasionally to ensure everything is as it should be. No suspicious shadows lurking too close to the graveyard.

Once she is satisfied, she floats up to her balcony and slips into her room through the double doors she had asked her mother to leave unlocked. She takes a quick shower and gets dressed, then heads downstairs to grab a quick bite and touch base with Lira and Boris.

She picks up an apple and a juice. Boris walks in just as she is rinsing her glass and placing it in the dishwasher.

“Good morning. Did you get any sleep?” he asks, taking in her freshly showered appearance and her tousled black hair, still damp from the shower.

“Eh, I can sleep later. I need to go over the maps of the attack sites and review the pictures and reports. Andrei gave me some information last night that might help me track down Mihai.”

Boris glances over his shoulder at her as he stirs his coffee. “He’s awake?” he asks, surprised.

“Boris, he never sleeps! At least not like we do, but yes, he’s awake,” she replies.

“Well, that’s great!” He sets his cup down. “I’ll have the room prepared for him.”

“No, you misunderstood. I can communicate with him through our mate bond. Genisis created a pathway in his mind for me to reach him. Because we’re mates. He’s not awake and talking. He’s still in his frozen state.”

She watches as understanding dawns in Boris’s eyes. “Then tell me what you learned. I can help you with this.”

She nods and then relays what Andrei had told her about Mihai’s penchant for blood play with his victims. “As gruesome as it all is, it might be how we find him. Someone like that won’t, and hasn’t over the years, stopped. We can look at the maps and try to track just him. Not his minions.”

“That’s an excellent idea.”

Just then, Lyric and Kaiser walk into the kitchen.

“You’re up early, dear,” Lyric says, kissing Willow’s cheek.

Kaiser pours coffee into two cups and hands one to Lyric. “I was able to mind-link with Andrei last night. He gave me some insight into Mihai. A little tidbit that only a few know. I plan on using that to track his ass down and take him out.”

Kaiser raises his eyebrows and looks at his son. “You think it’s useful?”

“It’s better than scrying for him. The witches haven’t been able to come up with much,” Boris replies.

“If you need more help, just let me know. I’m helping Lyric welcome our guests this afternoon and getting everyone settled. Are we all in agreement that everyone, and I mean everyone, believes Andrei is dead?” Kaiser looks at the three of them.

“I know you don’t like keeping our allies or friends in the dark, Father, but it’s for Andrei’s safety. Not that I don’t believe they are true and loyal people. It’s just I don’t know who lurks within their ranks. As I’ve learned over the years, there’s always a shadow lurking somewhere. I myself have been that shadow.”

“Agreed!” both Boris and Lyric say in unison.

“Fine,” her father says with finality. “Then when Tobias and the Fae arrive, we will announce Andrei’s death. Lira will never say a word. Nor will Eros. But that will be all that we will trust.”

Everyone nods. Then the omegas enter the kitchen to start preparing breakfast. Willow and Boris retire to his office to gather the maps and paperwork to start a hunt for one evil and malicious vampire king.

As Willow and Boris sort and compile the papers and the maps, they start with a pin to mark the first attack. Then they move through the dates and pin each and every attack on the maps.

Most are of settlements and packs that are isolated and scattered. Far from civilizations, both human and supernatural. But it is becoming clear that the vampires are running out of these types of settlements and are starting to hit the more populated areas.

So far, all the attacks have been centered in England and Scotland, but Boris shows her reports from Alpha Carlyle from the US that reflect more attacks happening there as well. Admittedly, not as many, but they are escalating.

So far, his packs have been able to defeat the attackers and kill the majority off, but they have managed to capture a couple and learned that the vampire king is declaring open season for all vampires to hunt and kill their prey. To return to their nature.

It is becoming clear. They need to kill Mihai and restore the balance. To put Andrei back in his rightful position as vampire king. Choices and consequences. How to track a bloodsucker in the midst of chaos.