Storm of Shadows Ch. 00-01

"They're not dead, Annie. I refuse to believe that. Gard and Rayne have lived far too long to be easily subdued. Something has happened, and while I don't know what that something is, I am certain they are still alive somewhere in Europe. When we return to the pack tomorrow we will formulate a plan to find them. Until then, try to sleep, love. I know it will be difficult but we need to be rested and prepared for whatever tomorrow will bring."

Caleb expected her to fight him, but instead she cuddled close and closed her eyes, as if she wanted the oblivion of sleep to claim her so she wasn't imagining all kinds of nightmares of what may have happened in Europe. The shivering of her body was the only indication that she still wept silent tears for Gard and Rayne, and he held her close until those tremors finally stilled and she fell into a fitful sleep.

When he was certain she was truly asleep, he rose from the bed and tucked the covers around her body. Then he left the room, pulling his cell phone from his jeans pocket and hitting the first speed dial number.

"What's wrong?" a male voice growled down the phone as it was answered. "I presume it's something of biblical proportions seeing as you're waking me at this ungodly hour."

The irritated response brought a half smile to Caleb's lips. If there was one thing he could always count on, no matter what shit was hitting the fan Demetri Bozic would never change. "I need you over here right now," he answered. "We've lost contact with Gard and Rayne, and there was a vampire attack on the Armand-Hanlon pack tonight."

"I'll be there in ten," Demetri answered, hanging up as soon as he'd finished speaking.

Caleb hadn't expected any less from his closest friend. When things went to hell, Demetri was the vampire you wanted to have at your back, and Caleb knew he would always come at a moment's call. Before Rhianna, Demetri had been the only constant in his life. They had remained close despite finding their mates and Caleb coming to terms with the fact he carried the vampire King's soul within his mind.

Now he began making some coffee, changing his mind and grabbing a bottle of red wine and two glasses. He was sitting in the near dark in his living room when his front door opened, the light from the hallway illuminating the other male even though Caleb didn't need it to see his friend.

It was obvious Demetri had been sleeping when he'd called him, his thick, black hair was rumpled as if he'd just run his fingers through it rather than a brush. It was loose around his shoulders, his back T-shirt and jeans making him look every inch the lethal predator that he was. Green eyes searched and found Caleb sitting in the dark, and Demetri entered the room to take the armchair across from his friend, his hand reaching for the waiting glass of wine on the table at the side.

He didn't speak as he took a drink from his glass, his beautiful face devoid of all expression as he waited for Caleb to speak.

"I'm glad you came alone," Caleb finally said, sipping from his own glass. "I hope Mara wasn't too annoyed at me calling you away."

Demetri's expression softened, as it always did when his wife was mentioned. Gone was the deadly predator and in its place was a husband very much in love with his mate. He only relaxed this way when surrounded by those he truly trusted, and it made him even more devastating to look at when his eyes glowed with such love for Mara. "She said to tell you that if this is something that impacts on the Council then you'd better let her know because there were enough grumblings from the other members that you keep them out of the loop the last time."

Caleb wasn't surprised at that and nodded his agreement. The vampire council had only just learned that there was a poison out there that could kill vampires by destroying their regenerative abilities. They had still to update them about finding an antidote and discussing a way forward that all vampires could receive an inoculation to mute the threat from Europe. Too much had happened in too short a period of time. It was hard keeping up with events.

Caleb's thoughts were on Gard and Rayne though. A slow burning fury was bubbling up inside that someone had dared laid hands on the emissaries he'd sent to Europe to find out what the fuck was going on over there. He had yet to make a call to Joshua for an update. He wanted to have something concrete in place to tell Rhianna when she woke, so that his mate would know events were in motion to find them and bring them home.

"Tell me about the attack," Demetri said when his friend remained silent. "Was anyone hurt? Is Pietro okay?"

"Reasa was badly injured but is recovering. Pietro was involved but apparently Reasa threw herself in front of a poisoned bullet to save his life. I don't think it even crossed her mind that as he was mated with Cassia now and had been taking her blood that he was most probably already immune to the poison. She just reacted and in that reaction almost died. Anakatrine returned her immortality back to her."

Demetri's expression turned surprised as he listened to the news, a trace of unease in his eyes. "Caleb, don't take this the wrong way but that freaks me the fuck out the way Anakatrine just takes and gives back vampire immortality as if it's a common day occurrence. We need to make sure this knowledge never comes to the Council's attention, our friends excluded of course. If the others found out...well I don't want to think how they would react to Annie if they knew what she was capable of."

The low growl from his friend was expected. "If they come anywhere near her I will rip the lot of them to pieces!"

His fierce expression brought a half smile to Demetri's face. "I would be right there with you, my friend, as would Alexei, Andrei, Mara and Stephan to name but a few. No one will ever lay one finger on our Annie. This is not like the past when Anakatrine and Callain stood alone against the first Council. Events will not play out as they did then. You have my word on that."

His friend's reassurance appeared to mollify Caleb for the moment, and he sighed and ran a hand through his tousled hair. "The attack was from the European vampires. They were all killed with the exception of the leader, Michael, who appears to have gotten away. We need a search of the city and eyes and ears on all ways out of the country. I want him...and preferably alive. I have questions only he can answer."

Demetri nodded his agreement. "I will get on that as soon as we're finished here. What about Gard and Rayne? How the hell could someone catch them unawares, Caleb? They're two of the oldest living beings to walk this planet. Did you speak with Joshua?" He was partial to the blond European vampire who had helped him save Pietro's life a few months ago. If anyone could help ferret out what had happened to the missing couple then Joshua should be able to.

Caleb swallowed back his wine and poured another glass, replenishing Demetri's at the same time. "I'm going to call him shortly. There hasn't been any time yet. I wanted to speak to you first." His expression when troubled when he met his friend's intent gaze. "I'm between a rock and hard place here, Demetri. My gut reaction is to send you and some others across to Europe to find out what happened but I can't afford to lose any more key personnel when we still don't know what we're dealing with there. If I don't send someone then Annie's going to insist that she goes and I can't let that happen."

"She'll invoke the vampire Queen to overrule you," Demetri growled, displeasure crossing his face at the thought. "You won't be able to argue with her. "

"Agreed," Caleb sighed, weary resignation crossing his face. "Callain will though, so if it comes to that I'm going to have no choice but to let those two fight it out and hope he has enough influence over Anakatrine to make her see sense. I can't lose Annie, Demetri. I will do whatever I must to ensure that doesn't happen."

Demetri rose, finishing his glass of wine and setting it down on the table. "The best thing we can do is have some answers for her when she wakes and we're not going to have that by sitting here talking all night. While you talk to Joshua, I'll see about trying to track down this Michael character. I take it the twins are sticking close to the pack at the moment? Will Nors and Freya be available to assist or does Rafe need them too?"

"I'll talk to Rafe and get him to free up the Erikssons. He has enough muscle with the twins staying close to the pack. Truth be told, I want Freya and Nors trying to track down Michael. They have a particularly vested interest in hunting him down as Liam's mate was the target of his attack. By the time you get home, they should already have been alerted to the fact you'll be calling."

Caleb felt better now he had a plan of action in place. For too long now they had been reacting to whatever was thrown at them from Europe. It felt better to be in control, to at least be doing something. As Demetri headed out he picked up his cell phone and placed a call to Rafe first. He would speak to Joshua afterwards, once Demetri had the tools that he needed to perform his task.

*****

"Freya? Where the hell are you?"

Dayton's sleepy mental contact brought a smile to the tall, beautiful vampire as she wove her way through the houses in the compound on her way towards her brother's house. She had thought she would have had more time before he woke but it appeared her mate was far too sensitive to her absence. She couldn't deny the bubble of satisfaction that welled up inside her. It was good he noticed she was gone, even if it meant he would be unhappy that she was. "Caleb needs Nors and I to try to follow Michael's trail into the city. He has requested Rafe to release us from pack security for now and our Alpha has agreed."

"What? You didn't think this was important enough to wake me? Wait up, I will come with you."

There was mild reproof in his voice and it made her smile widen. She adored his over protectiveness, even when it was unwarranted. It was a sign that he loved her, not that she needed any signs of that. He'd spent the last twenty five years proving how much he did, and she was a lucky woman to have a mate so loving.

The only sadness she felt at his words was the very faint trace of concern she detected that he tried so hard to mask. Even after all this time there was a lingering shadow in his mind that he might one day lose her as he lost his first mate Faith. She supposed it would always be there, and she could understand why. While it had been a tragic event in Dayton's life, it had shaped him to be the man he was today. Faith deserved to have her place in his heart and his memories. She would never take that from him and she would accept his over protectiveness because he needed to take care of her, whether she required it or not.

"I would prefer one of us to remain with our daughter, Dayton, just in case anyone is foolhardy enough to try a second assault on the pack. Michael is a vampire and therefore it's logical that vampires will have a better chance of tracking him down as we can anticipate better how he thinks. Nors will be with me so no harm will come to me."

For a long moment her words were greeted with silence, and then a resigned sigh echoed through her mind.

"And this has nothing to do with the fact that Michael hurt Reasa and in doing so, Liam? There isn't a smidgeon of revenge in that beautiful mind of yours, is there, my love?"

Freya laughed softly, the sound causing her brother to turn around from where he was kissing Ashleigh goodbye at their front door. She had reached their house and was walking towards the couple as she answered him. "Of course it does, my mate, as you very well know."

It was her turn to have a small amount of reproof in her mental voice that he would actually question that. "No one touches my family and lives to tell the tale. I offered Reasa sanctuary in our home and I let her, and Liam, down. I will not let either of them down again. Michael must pay for his transgressions, Dayton. It cannot be any other way."

Her mate sighed softly, and then sent a pulse of love down their mate bond. "Fine, I will stay with Elina. Just don't do anything reckless, Freya. We need you home with us, safe and sound."

"As if," was her droll response, sending him her own love and reassurance. "Keep our bed warm for me, lover. I will return soon."

Freya broke off her conversation, smiling at the blonde wolf who had come to be as dear to her heart as her brother. "Are you giving Nors as difficult a time as Dayton is giving me?"

Ashleigh's eyes sparkled with amusement as she shook her head. "I've long since learned that I am wasting my breath when it comes to this mate of mine. Bear with Dayton; he will reach that point eventually."

Freya's expression clearly indicated that she doubted that very much but she smiled at the other woman. "How is Reasa? Has she recovered?"

"I presume so though it's hard to tell since Liam locked them in his room the instant Mallen gave her the all clear."

There was quiet amusement in Ashleigh's tone and Freya was pleased to see that she was coming to accept Reasa into their family. It would have made things challenging if she had continued to resist her son mating with the woman who had initially come over from Europe to assassinate him. It was good that they would have the best of starts to their life together with the blonde wolf's acceptance.

"The sooner we get this over with the sooner we will be home," Nors pointed out, dropping a quick kiss on his mate's lips before turning to his sister. "Do you want to start at the attack point?"

"That makes sense," Freya answered, waiting until Ashleigh had headed back inside the house and the door closed securely behind her. "You will have to take the lead, Nors. I cannot trust myself not to take Michael's head if I get my hands on him and that will only irritate Rafe as our instructions are to bring him back alive. I can do without another lecture on what it means to be pack."

Her brother smiled, quickly tying his long auburn locks back on a ponytail at his nape. Freya's resigned tone about pack etiquette always made him smile, as well as earned her his pride. His beautiful sister had come such a long way in the last quarter of a century, though she hadn't lost sight of her limitations. Realistically, he should have been the one concerned about possibly losing control as it was his son and his mate who had been hurt by Michael's actions. However, he had spent all his life being the reasonable one, always looking out for Freya, that it was second nature that she would turn to him when she was worried about being able to maintain control.

"Dead vampires tell no tales, Freya, and we need Michael to be singing like a canary. Try to keep that in the forefront of your mind just in case you do come face to face with him, and I am not there to intervene."

She rolled her eyes at him, stretching her arms above her head to loosen some of the tension in her shoulders. "Singing like a canary? Where do you get your vernacular from? Actually, don't answer that, I've heard how most of the pack speak. I swear you grow more like a wolf every day, brother mine."

"Something you might benefit from," he countered as he turned in the direction where the assault had happened only hours before. "Come on, I want to get this over with so I can get back into bed with my mate."

"Lead on, then, and I will dutifully follow." Freya couldn't hide her amusement as he snorted loudly and then took off into the trees. She also couldn't deny the bubble of excitement that was starting to infuse her. It had been a long time since she had not only been on a sanctioned hunt, but also spent any alone time with her brother. It felt as if the years had suddenly rolled back and it was just the Erikssons against the world. She hadn't realised how much she had missed it.

Smiling she took off after Nors, vanishing into the thick treeline surrounding the main pack compound. Her vampiric senses kicked into gear instantly, as she focused on the task at hand. In less than ten seconds, she had caught up with her brother and was fanning out on his left side, immediately falling into old habits of when they had hunted together in the past. Freya took a wide circle towards the attack point just outside their boundary line, meeting up with Nors as he circled in from the right.

"He headed that way," Nors growled, wrinkling his nose at the confusing scents all around them.

"You're sure?" Freya wasn't really questioning her brother. He wasn't usually wrong about things but the area had already been sanitised and the vampire bodies burnt. There was still the lingering scent of death all around them, mixed in with the many packs scents of everyone involved. It wasn't unreasonable to double check they were picking up the correct scent.

"Positive...he has a rather unique... odour."

Freya backtracked over Nors' trail until she picked up what he meant. "There's something very wrong with him," she commented, her tone conversational despite the fact she was wrinkling her nose at the smell.

"I guess we'll find out what when we catch up with him," her brother answered. "Let's find where he went to ground..."

*****

Michael sat in the library of the safe house waiting for Candrea to arrive. He had placed a light in the window as she had instructed him when they'd first met, but his patience was wearing thin as he waited. The abduction of Reasa couldn't have gone more horribly wrong...well he supposed it could have, he could have been killed along with the rest of the team he'd taken with him.

One moment he had been in a position of absolute power and the next, wolves and ancient vampires had descended on them on masse and retreat had been the only option. He needed to talk to Candrea. He needed an exit strategy back to Europe. Though he hated to admit it, he needed the other vampire to give him some advice on how he could present this failure to him.

Michael was afraid to report back to their Master just yet. His wrath could be a terrible thing, and the blond vampire was in no doubt that the Master would not be happy to learn that he'd failed to neutralise Thereasa, and had learned nothing of worth from the aborted attack. Perhaps Candrea would have some way of dressing it up so it didn't appear to be such an abject failure. If only the stupid slattern would get his message and show her face at the safe house!

"Michael, your agitation is a palpable thing. Tell me what has transpired."

Cold slivers of dread trickled down his spine as his Master's voice rebounded through his chaotic thoughts. "Master...Master, we were ambushed. The ancient vampires arrived with their wolf pets and slaughtered everyone."

Heavy disapproval flooded his mind, so thick he could almost reach out and touch it psychically. A split second later, pain exploded inside his mind, sending Michael crashing to the flood clutching his head in agony.

"Be still! Be silent!"

The order was inescapable, and Michael strove to obey even as tears streamed from his eyes. He had disappointed his Master. It was only fitting that he be punished for his failure. He could feel him scything through his thoughts, ripping the knowledge directly from his weak mind. The pain was agonising, Michael's body bowing up in a razor sharp needles appeared to rasp over every inch of his body. He tried to protect himself, to dull the agony, but there was no hiding from the Master.

"Imbecile. Fool. I should never have honoured you with this task. You have nothing to show for your time here, Michael. I was already aware that the pack would be heavily defended from my other sources. Your failure cannot be tolerated; you know that, don't you?"