Alastair:
There was something going on around here and I wasn’t happy about it. “You smell what I smell?” Aziz remarked in the back of my mind.
“I do,” I said as I looked around into each low-lit corner of this little pub. Immediately, I connected with Toran and John.
“We have a problem, boys.” I got straight to the point.
“Is that right?” Toran asked.
“That’s two for two tonight.”
As soon as John said this, I became concerned. I immediately knew that he was referring to the patrol that Ares, his pack and a few of my own were doing.
“What is it?” Both Aziz and I asked, my wolf suddenly concerned for his pack and those of the young Lycan.
“Ares and the others were ambushed. Seems that a few of those Rogue beasts were lying in wait. And…they were powerful. Something ain’t right about this, Alastair.” John said.
With frustration, I cursed under my breath. “How are they?”
“Oh, they’re fine, Alpha,” John replied. “The young Alpha is a little irritated by the show of force that he had to display this early on in our endeavor to find the beasts, but it suited for good training, nevertheless.”
I heard the amusement in my Delta’s voice as he said this. There wasn’t malice when he said this as this was how John Minken trained our men. Sure, it was nice to refresh one’s skill with their comrades but gaining the skill…well, John always thought it best to get hands-on experience when it came to that. And he was right.
“I’ll connect with Ares and tell him to reconvene at the packhouse.”
“As you wish, Alpha.” Toran finally chimed in once more. “Now, what is going on on your end, Alpha?”
“Normally, I wouldn’t do this, but I need you both to come to this Bone’s Bar and Grille.”
“Alpha?” I could tell that Toran was skeptical of saying this while John was still connected to our link. The truth of the matter is, there might be a show of force needed and I needed my Delta on hand. Yes, I could have handled everyone in here alone, without Toran let alone John. However, they needed to know that Virginia was not a place to squat without my knowledge.
“Yes, Slaughter,” Aziz was in agreement. “If I cannot trust both…of my officers, then who can I trust?”
“It’s about the girl…isn’t it?” John asked.
“Come to the club as soon as possible,” I said and then added last minute. “And…spiff up boys,” I said. “Best we show our best hand now.”
“Ah, well I hope that we’re having dinner and a show for all this work.” John countered, with his beast, Kine, dual-toning his voice.
“Actually…” I turned to the stage as I sensed someone mounting and there stood the Herry fellow, making an announcement. “If you hurry…maybe you’ll get the show.”
“We’ll be there soon.”
As the connection ended, I quickly connected with Alpha Barbosa. “I hear we’ve had a run-in.”
“Alpha,” Barbosa responded with a greeting before he continued. “We did, and these Rogues are…far more vicious than any that I have ever encountered.”
“Did you have too much trouble?”
“A little more than usual but certainly nothing that cannot be handled and healed within time.”
I knew then that he was injured, and badly if he needed time to heal. “And, how are your men and mine?”
“Bruised…but alive,” he said. “Needless, to say, senhor, we definitely need to reconvene.”
“That’s why I contacted you. I’d like you to head to the Shadow Veil pack house and we will discuss this further there. Although, if you are as bad off as you say that you are, maybe you should go to the pack’s Medical Care-”
“I’ll be fine, Alpha.”
Stubborn, like me. I wasn’t surprised and wasn’t going to fight him on the matter. “If you say so but if the others do not have your pain threshold, I’d recommend allowing them to go.”
“I will.” He said and we both disconnected the link.
As the link ended, I felt someone approaching from behind me. I knew it was one of those men that I knew was not human.
“Hello there,” The man said.
When he approached, I turned around and simply smiled. I could tell that this inhuman was young; I could smell it.
“Hello.”
“I’ve never seen you here before.” the fellow said, and then wordlessly asked if he could sit. I assumed that at this point this one was probably considered ahead of the rest.
“I make it a point never to venture out of my place except on occasion,” I said.
“Your place.” He chuckled. “That’s…interesting wording.”
“The lad isn’t completely daft, is he?” Aziz’s comment caused me to chuckle a little. Of course, this idiot assumed that I was laughing at his comment.
“Is it?” I finally replied. “I’m assuming you’ve come to sit here for a reason.”
“Ah, straight to the point then!” He laughed. “I can appreciate that.”
“Good,” I replied. “Now…if you can hurry this along…I’m quite excited for the show to start.”
“We have time.” the man said as he looked up at the stage and lifted his hand.
When I turned to see who he was gesturing to, Herry anxiously nodded and shuffled off of the stage. It was then that I heard him go into the back and tell Valene to hold off.
I smirked, ah this one really thinks he has power. “I see.”
“So, Herry, there tells me that you…supposedly own not only the town but…Virginia as a whole.”
There was condescension in his voice as he said this. “Oh, he definitely a young one. He cannot even differentiate the scent between a human and an inhuman.” Aziz cackled. “This is going to be fun!”
“I think he knows, Aziz,” I said. “But you know how boisterous and arrogant some vampires can be. They must think that they can take this territory from me.” He didn’t seem to understand the danger he was in by just approaching me.
“Well let us show them how wrong they are?” My wolf growled.
“Not yet,” I said aloud this time.
“Ah, so you don’t own the town then…not completely.” I didn’t answer but allowed him to come up with his own answers. “So the rumors aren’t true. You don’t have control over your territory!” He laughed. “I should have known that an Englishman couldn’t control Americans.”
Again, I simply smiled. “Mr. Bones,” I called for the owner of the bar, and quickly, this Herry fellow appeared.
“Yes, Mr. Wade!”
“I’d quite like to get this show on the road.” I looked at Herry and sadly the human was completely fear-stricken. He looked at the man sitting in front of me and then back at me before deciding that I was worth the trouble that he’d get into, following his decision.
I turned my attention to the man sitting in front of me, now with a sour look on his face. “I never gathered your name, young man.”
“Young man?!” said the man with disgust. Of course, he looked a trite older than I but, I knew that he wasn’t, and judging by his character I was certain of it. “How dare you insult me as if I am a child?! I-” his words was caught in his throat and his eyes suddenly were glued to the stage. I knew then that Valene was on the stage.
When I saw her standing up there, I had nearly forgotten all about the bloke standing behind me.
She was nervous, anxiously looking around, and then returned her stare to me. I smiled and nodded. Of course, she noticed the man sitting angrily behind me as she suddenly became worried, and I simply shook my head and kept a smile on my face as she continued to play.
Valene nodded and positioned her fingers against an old and yet well-kept instrument and just as started to play, she paused. Someone seemed to catch her eye in the distance and I was curious to see who it could be. Whoever it was brought a big smile to her face, and suddenly I was worried that a young lad would be on my hitlist tonight along with these posing gangsters who’d taken over the club.
I was surprised, however, when I saw an older woman sitting at the bar with a smile on her face. Just as my eyes made contact with her, she mouthed ‘you got this’ and stuck her thumbs up.
“Ha, not what I was expecting,” I murmured, and Aziz seemed to feel the same.
I failed to avert my gaze before the woman saw me staring and immediately the smile left her lips but not completely. She gave me a curt nod and then her eyes stayed on Valene for the remainder of the time.
I turned around, ignoring the bloke behind me, and returned my attention to Valene as well. As she started to play, I made a mental note that I should like to meet this woman when the time was right. However, all left my mind when my daughter began to play.
Valene’s notes were indeed haunting and in the most beautiful way. It seemed that nothing mattered to her when that Cello was near. With her eyes closed, she moved in sway with her instruments while the hauntingly hypnotizing notes were made by the magic of her fingers. She really was a talented young woman, and suddenly I was even more convinced that she should continue to study her art.
“That human must be important to you.” The irritating voice of the man behind started to speak. “Who is that human to you?”
“I am trying to listen to my daughter play. So I’d appreciate you holding your questions until the end of the song-”
“She…is a remarkable player,” he said. “And she looks simply exquisite. I cannot help but wonder how she…tastes-”
As soon as the word left his mouth, I grabbed him by the throat and slammed his head so hard into the table at which I sat, it shattered beneath the weight of him.
I knew by this time that the show was over. I heard, Valene’s string pop when this man made contact with the table. I stood up with the man’s tie in my hand and I dragged him toward the back table where I knew he’d come from and before I could hit the stairs, I threw him into the both, breaking it down.
“Dad!” Valene exclaimed but I was too angry at this point to stop.
“Stay there, Valene.”
Immediately, this man’s cohorts stood up and were rearing to fight. And just as they did, my officers appeared on cue. As always.
“I assure you…that this is not a fight that you want.” Aziz pushing through in team with me. “You two are late,” I said.
“Sorry, Alpha. Took a minute for John here to get spiffed. I could hear Kilder in sync with his counterpart and I knew that Kine was already in team with John.
“Perfection takes time.” John countered. “Now…down to business.”
“Right,” I said and kept my gaze on the men angrily staring at me. “Now, I’m going to assume that this fool is not the one who speaks for you all as he is quite…emotional. I’d like to speak to the one who's really in charge here.” They were silent and visibly reluctant. So, they want to try us, both Aziz and I thought. I slammed my hand so hard against the table so hard, it cracked. “Tell us…who’s in charge!” I growled in sync with Aziz.
More men stood as I made my aggression known. Neither I nor my officers were fazed, however. “Slaughter,” I said to my Beta as I read the newfound tension in the room. “Go get Valene,” I ordered, knowing that sights had already been placed on her as she stood in the distance. The inhuman that I just physically reprimanded had already had his eyes on her, switching his stare from me to her. I could tell that he was aiming to go for her. And I was right.
As soon as I gave him the order, the inhuman idiot attempted to beat him to her. I allowed him to get past me because I wanted him to think that he would actually have a chance at beating Toran to the punch. Immediately after the wind from his dash, whipped past my face, I stopped him with the force of my mind. As he floated mid-air, his legs still trying to move in slow motion because his ability was suddenly being used against him, I turned around…just to watch. I wasn’t worried about the men behind. My Delta could be a vicious fellow and he kept his eyes steadily on the ones behind me.
I descended upon him, standing there for a moment from behind before walking around him and looking into his eyes. “You…do realize that you just made a fatal mistake…right?”
He grimaced but I could sense the fear in his countenance. With my power I launched him back so far, he obliterated the building’s wall. Screams of the humans who watched on echoed through the bar as John leaped into the air, Kine taking full transformation as he met the man as he broke through the wall and finished him off. More screams were heard outside. We were found, and honestly, I didn’t care. “Hold them after you’re done, Delta,” I said to him as I heard him tearing into the inhuman who tried to take Valene. “Get them in here when you’re done.” I looked at the men sitting down a few feet away from where I now stood with Toran and Valene by my side. “It seems that a few people have forgotten who's in charge here.” I looked down at Valene and immediately noticed that her eyes were surveying her surroundings. Of course, she was prepared to fight. “Settle down, Val. Everything is fine.”
“With all due respect, Master Wade, I’d rather let down guards when we’re free and clear,” she said. “So, these blokes are inhuman then.”
“Yes, they are and so I’m going to ask one last time…who…is in charge here?”
Barely a moment following this, a man finally stood amongst the others and he had a smile on his face as he stood.
“Chade.” the man finally made himself known. “Nice to meet you.”
“Is it?” I replied. “Because that's not the view from where I’m standing.” I countered, done with the casual pissing match. “Who are you? And why are you here? I must warn you that my patience has officially been worn, so I’m going to need direct answers.”
As I said this, John came into the pub, buttoning his pants, behind a crowd of people who were scared shaking under their fear. And still, I did not receive an answer to my question.
“I’ve been standing here long enough to have received an answer,” I said, my gaze still on John a moment before I returned my attention to this Chade character. “And yet, I find myself without one.”
“Well, Alpha, to be perfectly honest, I just don’t see the need to answer, considering you’re considerably outnumbered.”
“Is that what you see when you look at me and mine right now?” I asked, admittedly with amusement.
“Well,” Chade shrugged. “Let’s take account, here.” he looked past me and at those who were surrounding us. “You’re surrounded by my men…men in every corner of this bar, a place, by the way, that I have a vested interest in. You have two wolves and a little human serf. They’re usually the first to go.” he tipped his head past me and immediately, grinned, his incisors growing from his gums. “Though, this one in particular…I think I’d save for-”
I didn’t even allow him to finish speaking before I laughed hysterically, and so did my officers. “Do you really think so little of me?” I didn’t give him space to respond before I continued my thought. Wasn’t like I thought much of his thoughts anyway. “I could show you better than tell what this little human serf is capable.”
As I looked down at Valene, she simply glanced at me. “Not the leader, sweetheart,” I looked at him again, “Because we need to talk.”
Chade did not take my caution seriously. “Oh please!” He laughed. “You really think…that I-” before he could finish his sentence, Valene had severed the carotid artery of two of his men with a small curved blade that she almost always carried with her.
Before the men could buckle behind the surprise she had pierced both their hearts, killing them instantly. Immediately, after, Chade and the others began to swarm us.
“Toran get everyone out of here safely. Valene included.” I added. She had already proven my point. I didn’t want her to deal any further with the matter.
“I’m not going anywhere.” She said.
“Valene-”
My response fell flat as she turned and killed another. I could tell that she was in full-on rage mode now.
“I think you should let her stay,” Toran said. “She may need the release.” He quickly gathered everyone else that was in the bar and moved them to the back while John immediately started on those who thought they could sneak us from behind.
Most of the men were severely crippled by the time we were done with them and Valene had hardly a tear in her clothes, but her face was splattered in blood. She was good at defending, but I…to be honest was a little off-put about this rage that she suddenly had and I couldn’t shake the feeling that a lot of that rage was pointed a little…toward me.
When there was only Chade left standing, and barely, I pushed my previous thoughts to the back of my mind and approached him.
“Wh-what is…sh-she?!” He snarled with fear as she stood behind me, with blood spatter artfully smeared across her face.
“That’s irrelevant,”
“Oh but it is!” He growled. “No human! No…none! Are as…as…”
“Deadly?” I said with mirth. “It’s only the result of good training,” I said. “Now…are you going to tell me why you’re here or am I going to have to kill you and find answers on my own?”
He shook violently. I knew that he was afraid but it did not stop his devotion to whatever beliefs he had. “I-I don’t need to tell you…anything, Alpha..” he said. He then looked at her…he watched Valene with intent. All I need is one of my men to escape this place…and-”
When I heard the subtle swish of a blade nearby, I backed off, and just in time as Valene opened Chade’s throat, and then gutted him. And she wouldn’t stop.
“Valene!” When I got over the shock of her brutality, I called for her only then did she stop impaling the now-dead Chade.
She backed away from him. “He’s not going to tell us anything else. No use in allowing him to finish his sentence.” She said. “I’m going to get rid of the others before they heal and get away.” Without another word, she left my side and made her way to the other men that she crippled before setting her sights on Chade.
When we were done disposing of everyone, the humans came back out into the bar, all of them extremely terrified.
“Listen up, everyone,” I announced once they were seated. My officers were standing at each entrance-back and front, while Valene was standing by my side, her head bowed. “The night’s festivities are quite unfortunate but it was unavoidable.” I approached the owner who had tears in his eyes as he stood there taking in the damage to his bar. “Do not worry, my friend,” I said to him. “I will take over the investment of your pub.”
“Sir, I-”
“I insist,” I told him. “Valene will see to your needs in terms of remodeling and renovations.”
He seemed shocked by my offer. “Th-thank you, sir! Thank you so much! I shook his hand. “Thank you for giving Valene a place to be…herself,” I said with gratitude.
Herry shakily looked past me and at Valen. “Well, she certainly has a few skills that I wasn’t aware of before today, but…she certainly has been a treasure to have around here.”
I smiled as I looked at her, and saw that while she gave Herry a small and grateful smile, she shunned me, bowing her head again. There was a lot of conversation to be had for sure.
After handling everything at the bar, sending everyone home, and closing the place down, the four of us exited as well.
“Was everyone originally in the bar accounted for?” I asked Slaughter and Minken.
“As far as we know, but we weren’t there the whole time, Alpha, so we have no way of knowing for certain if everyone escaped the bar,” Toran answered.
“Does it matter if a few stragglers escaped?” Minken said. “Whoever sent them there needs a message sent anyway.”
“Whomever this person is, their people not returning is enough of a message to be had,” I said as I thought about what Chade said before Valene ended his life. How he looked at her.
“It seems that maybe Minken’s opinion on the matter of our pup may hold more truth to it than we originally thought,” Aziz said, reminding me of the conversation that we had a while ago concerning Valene in the first place.
“I know,” I murmured.
“If I may, Master Wade,” Valene finally spoke. “They were all there. No one left between the time in which you entered Bones and the fight ensued. They’re all dead.” She said.
“You caught everyone’s face, huh?” John said.
“It is my job to know every face in the vicinity when my Keeper is in attendance,” she replied almost robotically.
“Good job, Valene,” Toran said before returning his attention to me. He and even John seemed to know that something was wrong with her.
“Thank you, Master Slaughter,” she replied.
“We’ll leave you to it and meet you back at the Packhouse,” Toran said as he headed for his car, John following behind as they arrived in the same vehicle. Before he pulled off, I noticed John mouth something to him. It was then that Toran connected with me through the pack link.
“We also need to talk…about Valene’s…music,” he said to me and then pulled off.
So, he must have heard her play. What an odd thing to mention and with such seriousness. I decided that I’d think more about that later.
I turned my attention to Valene. “Now, what is your problem?” I asked, wanting to get right to the point.
“Nothing, Master Wade,” she replied.
“Valene!” I hissed. “I am not in the mood to take the attitude and not the talk! So tell me what is going on!” I growled. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so harsh but I was and there was no taking it back.
She stood at the door of my car in silence and then I noticed her squeeze the door handle. “I told you…I told you to let’s just…go,” she said. “You didn’t listen. Now…everyone knows…that I lied…that I have no family…that…I am a vassal.”
“Valene, I-”
Before I could finish, she whipped around with tears in her eyes. “This..this was supposed to be normal! I just-I just wanted to quit and go home. And now Herry’s pub is in ruins and-”
“I doubt that Herry is truly concerned, considering he’s getting a new pub out of the deal and your coworkers are all too happy to get days off with pay, so-”
“That’s not the point! They don’t see me as Valene anymore! I am your human vassal.” She snapped. “Don’t you see?! I’m a lying, killing machine to them now! Some human vassal who has been working under the radar, scoping some club out to make sure that we weren’t being invaded by third-party inhumans!”
“Valene, you are being ridiculous. No one is going think that-”
“Carrie thinks that!” She snapped. “She told me as much.”
“The girl is just being overdramatic, Valene. Surely, you-”
“Is she?” Valene cut me off. I'd never known her to be so angry as to interject so many times while I was talking. Master Wade, who allows their inhumans to have the life that you provided me without a catch?” Of course, I couldn’t answer her question because, to be honest, it just didn’t happen. Or at least if it did, it was rare. “Those people in there, they…they think that I’m a liar now. They think that our friendship was a whole lie!” She dropped back against the car and just crouched on the ground. “I just…this is was the one thing that being a vassal did not fully corrupt.” she cursed under her breath, another testament to how upset she was; Valene wasn't one for profane language. “I knew…I knew something bad was going to happen. I just…didn’t know that…that it would be this bad.” She was talking more herself, it seemed now. “I know…I know that I should not care because by all logic I would never see them again. Or at least that was the intention.” she sighed. “Then you…you…” she shook her head and stood up, facing the door again.”Never mind.” wiping the tears away, Valene took a deep breath. “Can we go home, now?” she asked.
I didn’t know how to approach her upset. The bottom line was that I had messed up again, and I just…didn’t know how to fix it.
“I have to go the packhouse.” I reluctantly said. “Do you want me to drop you off? Maybe you can clean up and then-”
“No, Master Wade. I’m sure whatever business there is more important than freshening up.”
We both got into the car. “Maybe we could stay there tonight, and see how you like it.” I countered, trying to gently shift the conversation as the other one was completely lost on me in terms of a solution. “We may be there a while and it is already late.” She simply nodded without another word. “I’ll tell Harlyn to pick you up some clothing.”
“Is there a washing machine there?” she asked.
“Of course.”
“Then I will just use it. I don’t want her to go out of her way on my account.”
I wasn’t going to go back and forth with her on the matter but I also most certainly wasn’t going oblige her request either. So, instead of insisting on the matter, I shifted the subject again to something or better someone that I had almost forgotten about.
“I noticed the woman that you were smiling at earlier before you began to play.” It was then that I got a small reaction out of her but hardly anything worth noting.
“Claire…she was my friend.”
“What happened to her?” I asked.
She shrugged. “She left as soon as she saw the commotion getting out of hand.”
“Understandable. Well, I hope that one day you’ll introduce me to her.”
“Why?” She looked at me with confusion. “She’s a human and you have no use for her.”
“I have use for her if she has use for you.” I countered without hesitation. Again, she became silent and simply nodded. I sighed and put the car in drive, speeding off back toward Shadow Veil in silence. At this point, silence was the best thing that I could hope for while trying to figure out how I could fix this situation with Valene.
“There’s not much that you can do, Alastair. In situations like this…the only thing that can be done is to give her time.”
“Time,” I scoffed under my breath. “Let’s hope so.”