Seeking Eternity Ch 05

Miranda walked beside Theodore along the maze of hallways that characterized Michael Gilford's secret haven. Built beneath the Gilford estate by Michael's great-great-grandfather, the area was known only to very few people – mostly to those who had served the slayer society for decades. Miranda was first taken to this place two years ago after twelve years of unquestioning obedience. The man on her left, however, had known this place for far longer.

"How have things been with Lee lately, Miranda?" Theodore asked, glancing at her.

"Can't complain," Miranda answered with a shrug. "We get things done, although that recent mission to tail Raine was a mess."

Theodore chuckled. "We all fucked that up, didn't we?"

The silence that fell between them was one of comfortable companionship, born of more than a decade's worth of working together to accomplish a common goal. The two of them had been partners for more than six years, until the growing intimacy between them scared Miranda enough to ask Reginald Gilford for a change in companion. The request must have stung Theodore quite a bit, for he had asked to be transferred to their headquarters in Europe not soon afterwards. Years later, they still had not talked to each other about it – and Miranda preferred it that way. After all, things had drastically changed for her ever since Reginald died, and there were a lot of things that she could never discuss with Theodore now.

An abrupt left turn brought them in front of a steel grey door, which Theodore opened with a swipe of his badge. Inside, Michael Gilford was sitting on a chair facing the first of the glass walls that separated onlookers from the only prisoner in this subterranean hellhole.

The woman's eyes were drawn toward Miranda and Theodore as soon as they joined Gilford. The force behind those green eyes was shocking to behold, but unlike the first time she saw the prisoner, Miranda was ready this time.

The head of the slayer society greeted the newcomers with the only question that mattered nowadays. "Have you found her yet?"

"No, we have not," Miranda answered, meeting Gilford's eyes. "We will keep on looking."

"Make sure you do." Gilford turned his back on them again to look at the restrained woman, who was, even then, watching the three slayers. "Has she not contacted Myles yet?"

"No," Theodore replied. "Myles continues to worry about Raine."

Miranda kept her mouth closed as she met the green-eyed gaze of the woman behind the glass walls. A mocking smile touched the woman's lips, as if she taunted the slayers with their failure to locate one of their own.

Miranda hid her own smile. She felt a certain kind of affinity toward this prisoner, perhaps due to the numerous secrets that she herself kept.

Take the hungry vampire that she set upon Myles, for example. Miranda had practically dragged the vampire there in her quest to find out the identity of every player on board. The timely arrival of a powerful vampire to save the woman's neck only proved Miranda's suspicions that there were layers and layers of betrayal involved in this senseless battle for supremacy. It was to be expected. However, the one thing that she did not expect when she was first brought down this underground facility was the woman they were keeping in shackles. Miranda knew of the existence of vampires, but not of wolves. Not until she came face to face with one. Their existence only proved that she knew so little of what was really going on.

Not that she expected to learn everything. Experience taught her that such a feat was impossible. If she could not find out all the secrets within the slayer society itself, how would she manage to know the secrets of the whole world?

She surreptitiously glanced at Michael Gilford. He did not trust her as well as she wanted him to, but that was understandable. Most of the people who joined the society did so for revenge against vampires who had killed their loved ones. Miranda was one of the few who joined because she wanted to kill vampires. As cold as he was, Gilford knew better than to fully trust her.

Which only meant that she must find out Gilford's secrets from others he trusted more. Very much aware of the man standing beside her, Miranda started formulating a plan.

*****

Ashford glanced at Raine's sleeping form one more time before closing the door. She was safe. That was everything that should have mattered. But it was not. It could not be.

Face grim, he walked down the hall to the library at the very end. Raine's sudden transformations had to stop, but the help of her pack was necessary for the endeavour. Cassandra had been hesitant to offer help, as Ashford knew she would be, but the female wolf had promised him that she would try to talk to their alpha. It was worth a shot. But it would be days before he heard back from the CEO of Titan-Argentum, and Ashford needed a remedy now.

The library was silent when he entered, although Ross, Adam and Amélie were inside. Ashford had no doubt that the three vampires had been listening to know if Raine would wake up.

"Where is Melisande?" Ashford asked no one in particular as he sat behind the large oak desk inside the room. Ross had reported what happened earlier in the day, and Ashford would be damned before he let it go. If the woman had kept away from Raine as Ashford had instructed her to, none of this would have happened. This was the second time that she had willfully disobeyed him, and Ashford was quickly losing his patience.

"With Seth," Adam answered. "I've informed her of your wish to talk to her tomorrow."

"Good." He turned to Amélie. "Any suggestions as to what I should do with her?"

Amélie shook her head and took a sip of red wine from the glass she was holding. "I told you long ago to cut ties with her. I know that she is your child and all, but she is also the lover of a renegade vampire. We all know how Seth is. He lets her do what she wants."

"If I could turn back time, I would do as you said." Ashford's voice revealed his annoyance. "Unfortunately, I have not found a way to do so yet. Any other suggestions?"

Amélie sighed exasperatedly. "Talk to Seth. If he could keep Melisande in line, we would have less of a headache. If there is someone Melisande would listen to, it is her lover."

"Except that Seth doesn't want to have anything to do with us now, does he?" Ashford said. His stare dared Amélie to say otherwise. "And I know what your next option would be, but killing Melisande is out of the question."

"I don't know how to help you then,

brother

," Amélie said. "You are too soft on your children."

Ashford shook his head. Whatever Amélie thought about the vampires he had sired, they were all loyal to him. Not all vampires could claim such about their children. Even Ashford's own sire, Iulius, had been betrayed by one of his own. Melisande could be a headache when she let her sexual appetite get the best of her, but even she would lay down her life to fight for Ashford.

"I don't need you to remind me," he told Amélie. Resting his elbows on the desk, he leaned forward. "If only there is another way to get through to Seth..."

"There might not be, but there is a way to get through to Melisande." Ross, who had been quietly sitting on one of the chairs in front of the desk, shrugged when the others looked at him. "Miranda."

"Hmmm." Ashford was thoughtful. "I see..."

"And who is this Miranda you are talking about?" Amélie wanted to know.

"A slayer," Adam answered. "She has been planted into Reginald Gilford's organization ever since she was young."

Amélie was taken aback. "You all know her?"

"Family secret," Ashford drawled.

"Fuck you." Amélie's retort made Ashford grin. Turning to Ross, she asked, "What about this Miranda?"

"She has been..." Adam paused for a moment, looking for the right word, "

acquainted

with Melisande some time ago."

"A vampire bedding a slayer," Amélie said. "How very original." Fixing an eye on Ashford, she asked, "What will you call this penchant you and your children seem to have, brother?

Family trait

?"

Ashford did not take the bait. If there was something that could ruffle Amélie's feathers, it was any implication that she was excluded from the family. Not that she ever would be. Amélie was Iulius's favourite child, just as Ashford was his first. Having been principled enough not to start her own line even during those troublesome centuries of fighting the wolves, Amélie was virtually alone when they lost their sire. But she kept close to Ashford, however much he thought she disliked him. And that was fine. He needed as many allies as he could get, especially now.

"This Miranda..." Amélie had turned her attention back to Adam and Ross. "How can we use her to get through to Melisande?"

"Mel cares for her," Ross answered. "We all know that Mel likes her fair share of women, although most of them do not get to lie with her twice. But Mel has been with Miranda more than twice. And that's saying much, especially when considering what Miranda's day job is."

"Night job," Adam interjected, grinning at Ross. "I'm certain she doesn't hunt vampires during the day."

"And how many times has little Mel been with this slayer?" Amélie asked.

Adam chuckled. "More times than I care to remember."

Amélie frowned and looked at Ashford. "Have you been keeping tabs on your children's sexual behaviours now? Frankly, Ash, I am shocked."

"As I am," Ashford agreed, although he could not help the grin that came to his lips when both Ross and Adam burst out laughing. The pair had always loved teasing Amélie. "I asked them to keep an eye on Melisande. What they choose to see and not see while performing their duty is none of my business."

"To be fair,

aunt

," Adam said, earning a sharp look that would have frozen lesser men, "we were not even after what Mel does between the sheets. But when you see hordes and hordes of girls fall into bed with her over centuries, you get curious when you see a face more than once or twice." Turning to his sire, he added, "I was actually shocked to find Miranda with Mel the first few times."

Ashford shrugged. "I have my eyes and ears inside Gilford's organization. What those eyes and ears do in their spare time is, again, none of my business."

A snort came from Amélie. "You are too soft."

"Remind me again when we go to war," Ashford snapped.

His words cast a sombre atmosphere in the room. The inevitability of war seemed to be a given unless Ashford gave the Council of the Wolves what it wanted. But serving Raine's head on a platter was unthinkable; he would use everything in his power to keep her safe. If it meant asking his whole coven to lay down their lives for his cause, then so be it, but the Council would never get their hands on Raine for as long as he lived.

"When will the others arrive?" Amélie asked.

She was referring to Ashford's other children, whom he had summoned after Melisande brought Raine to his house. It was only a matter of time before the Council finds out that he was harbouring Raine, and Ashford needed his army close.

"They should all be here in a few days," Ross answered. "Within the week, I assume. They understand the urgency of the situation."

Adam directed his question to Ashford. "How are things with the wolves?"

"We have been in touch with Cassandra," Ashford answered, leaning back on his chair. "She knows we have Raine. She does not believe that we will manage to keep her safe, of course, but that is to be expected. We have failed her before."

The stark reminder of what happened only a decade ago made everyone in the room flinch.

"We need to hand her over to her pack," Amélie said with a sigh. "At the rate things are going, Raine must be taught how to control her transformations. Only the wolves can help her."

"I have no problem with that." Even as he said the words, Ashford felt hollow. Of course, he had a problem with that. He had already claimed the woman, and she stole from him the one thing he thought he had lost centuries ago. But what needed to be done had to be done–for her safety and for the good of all. "If her pack promises that they will keep her safe, I would hand her over to them."

"How likely is it that they will do so?" Adam asked.

"We all know how the wolves feel about their half-breeds," Amélie said. "There's a fifty-fifty chance that this will work, as I tried to remind your sire."

"We needed to take the gamble," Ashford explained. "And you know that as well as I do, Amélie. The wolves are bound to find out about this, anyway. We can either ask for help from her pack by divulging information willingly, or we can wait until they find out from their Council and thus earn their ire."

Amélie shook her head. "But if they refuse to help us, you have just hastened the inevitable."

"As you said, it is inevitable," Ashford said. "We took our chances. If Cassandra manages to pull this off, we have bought ourselves more time and more allies."

Amélie sighed. "And if she fails?"

"We will be ready."

*****

Cassandra released a deep breath as soon as her vehicle got past the gates of Collbreed mansion. She did not like driving in the dark even though it had been decades since a vampire was foolish enough to attack her. There were things that she could never get accustomed to, and this was one of them. But bringing her chauffeur was not an option she had wanted to consider, as she knew that there would be strangers in the alpha's house: she could not risk the safety of a human when there were wolves from other packs nearby. So she drove by herself for hours, lamenting the fact that she could not change into her wolf form for such a trip. After all, she did not want to talk to the leader of the pack naked.

Cassandra stayed inside the car after turning the engine off. She had spoken to a man through the intercom by the gates and was told that the master of the house would be alerted about her presence. Cassandra had no doubt that Collbreed would send someone to fetch her; in the meantime, she needed to rehearse what she would say to him, and this was as good a time as there would ever be.

She had taken a whole day to think things through, and Cassandra considered herself ready. The leader of the pack might not easily approve her request, but she had to try. The vampires were growing uneasy, and she would be damned before she turned her back to her granddaughter again. Raine needed her now more than ever; Cassandra could not fail her this time.

A rap on the window caught her attention, and to Cassandra's surprise, it was Collbreed himself who stood outside. He opened the door and offered his hand to guide her; Cassandra greeted him in return. "Good evening, Nicholas."

Outside the car now, Cassandra bowed to him. She might be more than twice his age and even head of the congress of elders, but, at twenty-seven, Nicholas James Collbreed was still leader of the pack. As such, he was Cassandra's superior in every way, and it was only fitting that she bowed her head as a sign of respect.

"Cassandra," Collbreed acknowledged her. "I was not aware that you planned to attend the party."

Cassandra hid a smile. Collbreed must know that she was not here for the party. At her age, she understood that when the alpha threw such events, it was not for the elders to attend. "I came to talk to you about a very sensitive matter, which I'm afraid cannot wait another day."

Collbreed gave her a curt nod and gestured toward the house. "If you please, I would like to discuss it inside."

"Certainly," Cassandra agreed, bowing again. She waited for the young man to start walking toward the house before falling into step after him.

As Collbreed opened the door of the mansion, Cassandra braced herself for the things that she was about to see. She was a young wolf once; she knew what went on in these kinds of gathering. Young wolves could be quite brazen in their search for their mates, and the strong scent of arousal floating in the air was keen indication that things were as she suspected.

Collbreed led her to the common room of the mansion, ignoring the calls of many of his friends. Left and right, Cassandra noticed young men and women engaged in different forms of conversation–some with their mouths, some with their bodies. There were even a few that were already going at it like dogs in heat. Cassandra noticed it all but said nothing, keeping her head straight. She was young once, and she understood how strong the call for mating was. Sex was both a want and a need, and willing partners abounded in these kinds of gathering. By experience and observation, she knew that this behaviour would last only until a wolf found its mate, after which loyalty and territorialism would take over and take hold for life.

The young man headed for the red door at one corner of the room. Inside was the Collbreed library with its enormous collection of manuscripts about the great ancient families–both of wolves and of vampires. One end of the room was dominated by a large desk sitting in front of a fireplace, and it was there that Collbreed led her now.

"Please have a seat," he said, gesturing to one of the chairs in front of the desk. Then, eyeing the desk, he added, "I will be back."

Cassandra looked at the things scattered on the desk. There were the lampshades on either ends, three closed books, a notepad, a pencil holder in the shape of a wolf, an antique globe, an intricately designed hourglass, an open laptop facing the chair behind the desk, an open book beside it, and a half-full glass of whiskey with a huge chunk of ice in it. As she took her seat, Cassandra realized that Collbreed might be hosting frequent mating parties, but he was clearly not an avid participant. Which was curious, given that the man had not yet found his mate.

Then again, what did she know? The man must have his reasons. Four years ago, when his father was still alive, Nicholas had been quite...

normal

. He had been participating in parties like the one he was now hosting, and by the looks of it, he had been in search of a mate. Then, months before his father's demise, things changed for the young man. He became brooding and distant, and the tension between him and his father had been very palpable. There had been some girls whom he dated for weeks–one even lasted a full three months–but all of his relationships had been fleeting.

Cassandra knew all this, of course, because she was a member of the congress of elders. They had been observing Nicholas, worrying about him. At his age, most wolves had found their mates, especially when they were head of the pack. But not Nicholas Collbreed.

There had been rumours circulating around–alarming rumours that the elders did not even want to consider, but the more she thought about it now, the more Cassandra was convinced that the rumours might have been true. Perhaps, Nicholas had indeed already found his mate, but his father might have intervened. Which could only mean that the woman was not a wolf.

If that's the case

...

The library door opened, and Nicholas strode in, holding a bottle of whiskey and a glass with a chunk of ice. He placed them on the desk, closed the laptop, and sat on the executive chair.

Cassandra studied Nicholas as he poured her some whiskey. He was a handsome man, tall and muscular, with the radiant blue eyes and copper blonde hair that had been part of the Collbreed legacy for generations. Cassandra and the other elders had watched countless women–both wolves and humans–fall for him over the years. Yet, here he was, still without a mate.

"I wonder what kind of business would prompt you to seek me out at a time like this," he said, handing her the glass of whiskey.

Cassandra snapped out of her reverie and accepted the drink. Collbreed's lack of mate was not her problem–at least, not yet. A few more years down the road, however, and it just might be, for her and the other members of the congress of elders.