She pulled again at the chains, and looked at him wildly. “They’re strong, Husband. Small-time they may be, but they can’t be killed easily.” Her eyes widened as she thought of something, licking her lips in excitement. “Yes, you won’t be able to kill them unless you infiltrate them. I can help. I can find out their weaknesses, and together we can take them out.”
Devlyn stared, amazed that she would think he would fall for that. “My dear, why would I ask your help to take out this pack, when you’re the reason I have to do a black ops against them in the first place?”
“Devlyn...,”she begged.
It was the last thing she said.
His name.
A plea for his mercy.
He felt nothing after he killed her. Just stared at her in disgust, and turned away from her body. His eyes found his son, who stood in the doorway, his hand on his elder sister’s shoulder protectively, even though he was three years younger than she.
“The Coven is never to hear of this,” Devlyn commanded. He watched as they nodded their heads, their faces belying their own disgust at what their mother had done. He felt their anger hit him like a heat wave, and smiled at their loyalty. They were furious that their mother would have even dared to betray him, let alone with a lykan.
“Adriana,” he coaxed, and his young daughter stepped forward from the shadow of her brother, Ethan. She was just as beautiful as her mother, and the perfect weapon. “Your eighteenth birthday is in what... three months?”
“Yes, Father.”
“I want you training intensively until then.”
“Of course, Father.”
“Don’t you want to know why?”
“Of course, Father.”
He smiled. He had raised his children well at least. They hadn’t been poisoned by their mother’s weaknesses. Adriana would make a fine Head for the Coven once he was gone. “I’m sending you into the pack.”
Her eyes widened at that. “You want me to infiltrate the pack, Father?”
“Yes. I don’t want anyone other than my children knowing of this.” He strode towards her, putting his arm around her small shoulders, leading her to Ethan. His other arm went around his son, and he guided them both from the room in which they’d watched him punish and execute their mother. “If the Coven was to find out, children, this family would be stripped of its title. We go from being royalty to traitors.”
“We understand, Father.” Adriana nodded determinedly. “So, I will infiltrate this pack of mangy dogs and find out all there is to know about them.” She stopped and stared at him with determination in her eyes. “Who their strongest warriors are; their relationships with one another, and thus where their weaknesses lie.”
“Good.” Devlyn was pleased. She had been taught well. He turned to his son. “Why is Adriana’s plan the best we have, Ethan?”
His fifteen year old son pulled himself up straight, his eyes blazing with a hatred that would see him through the worst of the war. “Because there are only three of us, Father, and many more of them. If we can understand their weaknesses, we can exploit them. An emotional lykan is one that we can take by surprise, before they make the change into their... disgusting animal forms. In animal form they are protected from our magik. But as humans...”Ethan smirked. “They’re putty in our hands.”
Devlyn chuckled and squeezed his children closer to him. “Exactly.”
“Albus,” Rafe said quietly, placing his hand on his friend’s shoulder, “I’ve returned.”
Albus turned, his eyes sad as he looked over his friend. “You look well. I take it that last rogue didn’t give you too much bother?”
“No. Not really.” Rafe shrugged, and then took a seat beside him. “Ella says you are adjusting to your duties.”
It was Albus’ turn to shrug this time.
“Al.” Rafe sighed. “It has been months now. I wish you would stop blaming yourself for Mikhail’s death.”
“I should have known that bitch would come back for him.”
“You did all you could for him. I know you don’t want to hear it, but Mikhail had to have known what he was doing when he got mixed up with a dark witch... for goddess sake, Albus... he signed his own death warrant.”
Albus flinched and Rafe immediately felt terrible. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want you blaming yourself any longer. You have a pack who cares for you, a pack that are now your responsibility. Not to mention a great wife, and two kids that she’s having a hard time controlling while you are out here in your garage... blaming yourself.”
His friend’s silver eyes flashed at him in pain. “Why did he do it, Rafe? I can’t understand.”
Rafe shook his head. “She enchanted him. It could even have been a spell.”
Albus nodded. “Yes, I had thought of that.”
They sat in silence for a few moments longer until Rafe couldn’t help himself. “I’ve brought someone home with me, Albus.”
His friend, and leader, quirked an eyebrow at him. “Someone?”
Rafe smiled, thinking of the blonde-haired beauty that was sitting in Ella’s kitchen with her. “A young woman I met on my travels.”
His friend smiled his first genuine smile in months. “Oh?”
“I was hoping she could stay with us.”
“You’re taken with her,” Albus stated in amazement as he stood up. “Which pack is she from?”
He sighed. This was going to be the difficult part. “She’s not from a pack. She’s a magik.”
“What?!” Albus shouted in instant anger.
“A Daylight witch!” Rafe cried holding his hands up in defense. “She’s good, Albus. I swear.”
His friend shuddered in pain. “Rafe...”
“Albus, it’s OK. I promise she’s not a bad guy.
Adriana sighed, watching the handsome lykan sleeping peacefully beside her. She wondered if she had inherited her mother’s perverse nature, because sex with this beast had not been nearly as intolerable as she had thought it would be. She smiled wryly, remembering her inward reaction when her father told her she was to attach herself to this lykan; to give herself to him, in every way, if needs must. Her anger over that had been obvious. She was the highest ranking lady of the Dark Coven, and she was to give her virginity to a... mutt? And then she thought of her mother’s betrayal, and the thought of that betrayal becoming public, and no sacrifice was large enough. Luckily for her, Rafe had been enchanted with her from day one. Within a week she had managed to weasel all his secrets out of him, including that his former Pack Leader had had an affair with the leader of the Midnight Coven’s wife.
Who else knew this? she had asked, all innocent and sympathetic to his pain.
Everyone, he had groaned, everyone except the children.
Children, she sighed, and rubbed her rounded belly. She flinched at the thought of her father’s fury when she had returned to him with the news.
“Pregnant!” he had screamed. “It’s not possible!”
She had cried, kneeling at his feet. “It’s not my fault, father. Please...”
He had sent for their prophet. And then the horror of her situation was realized. Years ago the Prophet, an old immortal man who never spoke to or saw anyone except the leading family of the Coven, had told of the coming of the child of mixed race, who would contain such power that they would bring about the end of the war.
“Gaia has grown weary of her children's war my lord,” the old man had wheezed. “She has blessed your daughter’s union with the lykan male, out-with a mating ritual, in order to bring forth a child from the prophecy.”
Devlyn had destroyed everything in sight while she had sat terrified of the thing growing inside of her.
“The only way to kill it, is to wait for the birth... or kill your daughter.”
Her eyes had flown wide to her father’s face, his dark eyes fierce on hers. The silence had stretched between them like a twanging wire.
“And the child will definitely not just be a magik? It will have the genes of both my daughter and that... thing?”
The prophet had nodded wearily.
His eyes had burned on her as she’d begun to cry harder.
“Father, no.” Ethan had stumbled up from his seat in the corner of the room. Adriana’s heart had pounded for him. How brave of him to face their father for her sake.
Devlyn had shaken his head. “No, old man, I won’t kill my daughter when she has done only what I asked of her.”
She’d drawn in a huge breath of relief and smiled tremulously at her brother.
“What is to be done then, Father?” Ethan had asked for her.
“Adriana will return to the pack,” he’d told them, taking them by surprise. “We don’t want them suspicious. The child must be killed but so shall the pack be. We have everything we need to destroy them and the abomination growing in your belly. After the birth.”
“I’m sorry, Albus,” Rafe groaned, tears spilling down his cheek as he cradled his baby daughter to his chest. “I’m so sorry I’ve brought this upon you.”
“You didn’t,” Albus bit out, anguished at the sight of his friend in such a state of grief. “My brother brought this upon us. If anyone should apologize it is my family.”
“I can’t believe... Adriana...,” he moaned, and held the baby girl closer.
“She... her family is not finished with us, Rafe. We must leave.”
Rafe nodded, but made no move.
“We have to leave now, friend,” Albus demanded, and pulled him to his feet gently. The rest of the pack was already headed where he had told them to go, and Marion, who had revealed Adriana to them when she visited with Magnus, was protecting them on their journey from any attack.
Rafe nodded again and followed him outside to the car. Ella waited anxiously with Lucien and Irini who, although young, were unusually quiet, fully aware something was wrong.
“Albus.” Rafe stopped him before they reached the car.
“What?”
“You’ll protect her, if something happens to me,” he pleaded, his eyes falling lovingly on his daughter. “You’ll protect my Caia.”
Albus nodded vehemently. “I already have a suggestion... but it can wait for now.”
17 - Alone
“Three years after your mother’s escape, she returned,” Magnus continued her tragic story quietly, “The pack’s guard was down and she tried to get to you. Your father got to you in time but Adriana... she killed him,” he whispered, grief cracking his voice. “Again, she escaped the pack, and again she waited. It was another four years... she returned for you, but Albus was ready and he sent you and Irini into hiding under Marion and Daylight protection. Albus, as you know, went after your mother and she killed him. That’s when Lucien went after her.” Magnus looked up at Lucien and Caia followed his gaze. Lucien stared back at her, his jaw clenched, his fists tight, pain screaming across his eyes.