Storm of Shadows

"I'm going with them," Mila said quietly, not looking at Dante as she spoke. She didn't need to see his expression to know he would be furious at her announcement. It wasn't that she wanted to hurt him, she just knew that this was the right thing to do. If he didn't want to throw his hand into the mix, then that was his choice. She, however, had never really had a choice, not since the moment she'd had her vision of the Justice Seeker.

When the expected explosion didn't materialise, she turned in his direction, but he was sitting so still her vision wouldn't come to her. "Dante?" It was unlike him to be so silent. He always made some subtle movement so she could effectively

see

.

"Have you had another vision? One that I am not aware of?" he finally asked, tilting his head to the side as he spoke.

Mila let out a small breath, relieved that she could now see his expression though he was giving nothing away. "No, but I don't need to have another vision. I have known since the first one that this is what I have needed to do. You have known too, Dante. You've just been fighting it in your need to protect me." She reached up and gently touched the side of his face, knowing he hated the thought of her being in any danger. "There is no escaping this course of action, my friend. I

must

do this. If I have to do it alone, then that is how it will be."

"Right...like that's ever going to happen," he drawled, a resigned sigh mixed in with his words. "Okay, you win, Mila. We will go with them, but I swear to every God everyone on this planet believes in, that if you get yourself hurt in any way, I am going to make you rue the day we ever met. Are we clear on that, sweet one?"

Laughter bubbled up, and she brushed his cheek again. "I will never rue the day I met you, dear Dante. Just the thought of that is an oxymoron. The Justice Seeker's mission has more chance of success if we help him. This is the right thing to do, and I will always be safe with you at my side, not that I am without my own means of defence. I did manage to hold off a fair number of vampires until reinforcements arrived."

"You almost bloody died, woman! I thought my heart would stop beating when I saw you lying there covered in blood."

"But I didn't, and the girl was saved," she countered, her tone patient though his overprotectiveness was starting to grate on her soul. She was aware of just how difficult it was for her friend to see her in danger, but he had to remember who she really was. "I am not a helpless invalid, Dante. I know I have more challenges than some, but I

am

able to take care of myself. Please don't make me less than what I am. I know you don't mean to, however you are in danger of doing the very thing that would infuriate you if anyone else tried it."

A rueful smile danced across his lips and he rested his forehead against hers. "You are far too patient with me," he conceded. "You are right to call me out on my smothering behaviour. We will do this your way, and I will do my best to remember that you are the most amazing woman I have ever known, and you don't need me to hold your hand."

"Very touching," Louis interjected, walking over from his completed task. "Do you want to tell me what the hell is going on now? Just what game have you been playing, Castillo, and how does it affect my coven?"

"You are free to leave at any time you wish, vampire," Agony growled, as he joined them. "I have no need of you despite what Dara says. However, if you are completely unaware of the danger here in Europe, then you are not fit to be a coven leader. Frankly, so far I fail to see why Freya would give you the time of day, let alone count you as an ally."

Louis glared at him, though there was a hint of wariness in his eyes. "I see plenty, boy, more than you can imagine, and I will be sure to let Freya know that you doubt her intelligence. I would be more than happy to sit on the side lines and watch you explain yourself on that one." If he thought to unsettle the Vârcolac, he was soon disappointed when the boy threw his head back and laughed.

"Yes, that would indeed be a fun conversation to have," Agony agreed, the first hint of true amusement crossing his face.

Dante rose, pulling Mila up with him, ensuring that he was between the two other males. He didn't want the bloodletting to begin again, though it appeared that Louis's bravado was actually creating a small bond with the Vârcolac as opposed to irritating him.

"You know the covens have started working together, Louis. What you don't know is how widespread it has become. I've travelled all over Europe and everywhere I've been in the last quarter of a century, I have seen the same thing, smaller covens joining together to create larger ones. The Weres are vanishing too, the covens are hunting some more ferociously, and others are just disappearing as if they never existed. "

He paused, letting the information sink in. Everyone had now turned to him, listening to what he'd discovered on his travels. "Mila...do you want to tell them what you know?"

The small, dark-haired vampire nodded, giving her friend a reassuring smile. This would be so hard for Dante to allow, but he was being true to his word, he was allowing her to be who she was. "You can all see that I don't have conventional sight, but I can see when there is movement around me, it's like I receive a snapshot of my surroundings in a still picture form. My lack of sight has given me a special ability, I receive visions of things to come, and they are becoming stronger as my abilities grow."

"You saw me."

It wasn't a question but more of a statement, and she turned to Agony with a smile. "I saw you, and I see you, Kothari, son of Gard and Rayne. You are the Justice Seeker, and already our world here has run crimson with the first blood I have foreseen. It will flow with more blood, an unending stream if we do not help you; however, that was not my first vision of doom for us all. My first inkling of danger occurred before I had even met Dante."

Dara was listening, her call finished with Rafe, and her expression surprised. "For some reason I thought Dante was your Sire," she mused.

The other woman laughed, a beautiful tinkling sound that seemed out of place considering what had so recently occurred. "Goodness no, my Sire was Abraham. He, too, was rather overprotective and kept me hidden away. Dante was his friend and it took him a whole century to learn of my existence, and that was only because Abraham knew he wasn't long for this world and he wanted to give me a new protector."

Just the thought of her departed friend was enough to bring sadness to her expression, but she worked to shake it off, knowing she couldn't do anything about the past. "The first hint that something was wrong came when I was with Abraham. I woke from a nightmare of endless blackness, terrified and screaming. My unconventional sight failed me for the first time since I became a vampire. It was as if everything was gone, there were no vampires, no Weres, no humans. Everything was just black. I told Abraham then that there was something walking this world that was so evil everyone would die if it wasn't defeated. We started our self-imposed mission to seek out that evil that very day, and I have been searching ever since."

"What happened to Abraham?" Natalia asked. "If it wouldn't be too painful to tell us."

Mila swallowed to fight back the tears she knew would come. She had to tell the whole tale so they could know what they were up against, but it was so hard to re-live the worst moment of her life. "He got too close, sweetheart," she said, her voice shaking. Dante wrapped his arms around her from behind, lending his support to give her strength to continue.

"He didn't tell me he had found the person we were looking for. He knew I would want to go with him. Instead, he brought Dante to me, having already told him all about me, and the evil ahead. Abraham said he was just going to speak to a source about another rumour he'd heard. When he didn't return after a day, we went looking for him."

Mila's voice broke and Dante's arms tightened further, but she swallowed hard and continued. "We found his body in an abandoned hut in the forest. Abraham still lived but his mind was an empty shell. It was as if someone had entered his head and destroyed every single part of him. He was nothing but a living corpse, all that he had been was just gone. Dante did the kindest thing for him. He took his head and we gave him a funeral pyre. Whoever, or whatever, had done this thing to Abraham was powerful beyond all measure."

She knew tears slipped down her cheeks, but she was not ashamed. Abraham deserved to be mourned and remembered. These people had to understand what they were up against. "Somehow, my beautiful friend managed to hold out against this power. He was able to hide Dante's existence and mine. If he hadn't...we would have suffered a similar fate. Abraham was the oldest vampire in Europe and he was taken down by something much more powerful than he was, and now the two oldest beings to walk this world are missing too. Do not underestimate our enemy. It will only lead to yours and probably all of our destruction. "

Silence fell over the campground, and then Dara spoke, her expression pensive. "Something similar has occurred stateside," she announced, and everyone turned to look at her. "I've just spoken to my Alpha. Freya and Nors Eriksson managed to track down the vampire Michael who orchestrated the attack on our pack. They found him in a similar state, his mind completely wiped."

"Saves me killing him myself," Louis commented, though he was clearly shaken by the news. "Michael has been with my coven for the last ten years. If he was under the influence of this enemy then there is no telling what information he passed on about my coven."

"All the more reason for you to get involved then," Dante said. "Though, you shouldn't trust anyone who hasn't been with you for a least a couple of centuries. I wish there were a way to somehow test people to see if they are part of this unknown enemy's team."

Dara swallowed but held her peace. There was a good chance she could delve the vampire minds but she would need to go deep and that would leave her vulnerable. She couldn't afford to be vulnerable right now, and she wasn't keen on so many others knowing about her ability. Thankfully, Louis had sent the members of his coven away before Mila had told her story, but her gaze went to the treeline anyway. Had some of them stayed to overhear?

"I'll go," Agony said, his thoughts in tune with hers. He took off at supernatural speed, and they stood in silence while they waited for his return. It didn't take him long and his expression was unconcerned. "No one remained to listen in, which could be viewed as an indication that those who were here can be trusted. Personally, I feel we have too many people in the know as it is, but you will likely disagree with me."

"The people I brought with me I have known most of my life," Louis announced, a frown marring his brow. "I wouldn't have trusted anyone else to come here with me. They are not a threat."

Agony didn't argue with him, instead he kept his gaze on Dara. "What else did Rafe have to say?"

The change in subject was unexpected and it took her a moment to focus on what he'd asked. Then she smiled an evil smile, devilment in her eyes. "You mean apart from the long rant about what he was going to do to you when you came home?" Their Alpha had been very vocal on that topic, once he was assured that his errant pack member was safe and well.

"Dara..."

"Oh, very well." She turned to Natalia, giving the younger woman a brief smile. "Do you have any other pack members around, Tali? Where is your Alpha?"

Natalia blinked in surprise, and then blushed when everyone looked at her, unaccustomed to being the only one who could answer for her pack. "She's off on some secret mission somewhere, and she sent Fox, our head beta off on some mission before she left. Terra took the children onto the next rendezvous point, but I don't know where that is. Mama does but I don't think she can tell us at the moment."

Fox? Cassia had mentioned a wolf called Fox before she'd left. They had to be one of the same as it was quite an unusual name for a wolf shifter. "I don't know where your Alpha went but I am fairly certain Fox went stateside. My sister Cassia met him and mentioned that he appeared to be a decent guy. He may be on his way back from what she said, though I would have expected him to be here by now as he left before I did." It was just another anomaly to add to the growing list...like a female alpha. Dara couldn't recall hearing of a female alpha stateside though she supposed given how fragile Were life was here in Europe it only made sense that alphas were conceived in all shapes and sizes.

She was also concerned that there were children out there alone with no protection, only this Terra person. Judging from the small size of the pack, it wouldn't be unreasonable to assume that Terra was likely barely into adulthood.

"Would it be too much trouble for you to see if you can find this rendezvous point?" she asked Agony, knowing he wouldn't want to do it. His expression said it all, and she prepared for the inevitable tirade that didn't come.

"Fine, I will look but only after you tell me what Rafe said." Agony folded his arms and gave her a level stare, his posture letting her know in no terms that he wouldn't move from the spot until he'd heard everything.

"If we can find other pack members then we can give the care of Ava, Pippa and Tali over to them and continue on our way. If not, we will have to send them stateside to the pack and they will care for them until such times as we can find their alpha or other pack members."

"No!" Mila and Agony spoke at the same time, their gazes colliding in surprise that they'd done so.

"Oh, for goodness sake! What now?" Dara exclaimed, frustration riding her hard. For every step they should be taking forward, it appeared that they were taking ten backwards.

"Pippa is under my protection," Agony growled, his eyes drifting to the little girl. "I gave her my word and she almost died. She must stay with me."

"Natalia must remain," Mila said firmly. "She is crucial to the success of finding Gard and Rayne. She cannot leave, Dara, or all will be lost."

Dara looked from one to the other and then her gaze fell on Natalia who was looking rather shell-shocked by the other woman's insistence that she remain and was somehow crucial to their success. She had little time to make a decision and she didn't even know if she could get the others to accept her decisions as final.

Squaring her shoulders, she settled on Agony, giving him her no nonsense look. "Agony, we cannot take a baby with us to Romania and you know that. In addition, we cannot separate Pippa from Ava as she's the only person keeping Ava from going rogue. Now, I'm certain you don't want us to be back where we were only an hour ago and we cannot take Ava with us, so they must return to our pack. There is no other way you have to see that. I know you're not intimating that you don't trust Rafe and Lacey to be able to care for the child either. I can call Joshua and have him take them to Rafe. I trust him as does Caleb and Demetri. You can trust him too."

She didn't wait for his agreement, turning her attention to Mila and Natalia. She wanted to send the younger woman back with her mother and Pippa, but she was aware of her importance to Kothari, and Mila's vehemence just hammered that point home. They really had no option but to take the human girl with them, even if it did place her in danger. "Tali, I know it's a lot to ask, but we need you to stay with us. I'm not going to lie and say that this won't be dangerous, because you've heard what we're up against. I promise we will do what we can to keep you safe, both Agony and me, and all the others who come with us. Can we count on you to help us?"

Natalia's first instinct was to scream no. She didn't want to leave her mother, and she didn't want her to be sent away either. Why couldn't they all stay together? Even as she thought it, she knew in her heart that it couldn't happen. Her mama was sick and what Dara said was true, she needed Pippa more than she needed her own daughter right now. If she agreed to stay, her mother and Pippa would be safe. Whoever this enemy was in Europe would have a harder time hurting them if they were on another continent.

Nodding her head slowly, Natalia looked at her mother and then turned back to Dara. "They will be safe with your alpha, and they can come back when our alpha returns?"

"Of course they will, and they can, sweetheart. This is just a temporary measure to give them the care they need. It's not forever. You will see your mother again, Tali."

That was all she needed, to know that they would be safe. Her instincts would have been screaming at her if her decision to stay was the wrong one, but despite the clear danger she would be in, this was the calmest she'd felt since before Pippa arrived in their camp. Kneeling down beside her mother, Natalia brushed a stray strand of hair from her temple. "Ava, you and Tali are going on a big adventure to meet another pack of wolves. Isn't that exciting? Why don't you take Pip...Tali into the tent to gather up some things for your journey?"

"Come on, baby, we're going to see some new wolves. Won't that be fun?" Ava crooned, standing and scooping the little girl into her arms.

"It will be okay, Pippa," Natalia whispered to the child. "You will be safe and cared for."

"I'll look after your mama for you, Tali," she whispered back. "I'll help her get dressed, and make sure she doesn't go to sleep forever."

Pippa's young eyes were far too old, and her words brought a strangled sob from Natalia, but she managed to put a shaky smile on her face. "You are so brave, little one. We are so proud of you."

"I'm not happy about this," Agony grumbled, though he didn't make any move to stop what was happening. Dara's logic made sense, but he still couldn't see why the human girl couldn't be sent away too. It would be less of a distraction for him if he didn't have to deal with Kothari making moon eyes at the her. "Call Joshua. I will see if I can locate where the remaining pack young went to." He turned and vanished once more, relieved to be away from everyone for a little while.

"Are you coming with us, Louis?" Dara asked the coven leader. "If you are and want to bring some of your coven with you, make sure they fall into the 'known forever' category." She was already pulling out her phone to call Joshua. With any luck, he wouldn't have any objections about doing her a favour.

Louis just stared at her, his expression unreadable. As far as he was concerned, what they were planning was nothing short of suicide, despite having that crazy bastard Agony on their side. However, he had to consider what was best for his coven. If he didn't go and they failed at their task, it was only going to buy the rest of them a short period of time before this unknown enemy showed his hand, buoyed from having defeated some of the most powerful vampires and hybrids on the planet. Possibly, a few extra vampires could help the mission succeed. Wasn't it in his coven's best interest to help?

"Louis?" Dante's expression was pensive as he spoke. It was clear his friend thought they had a better chance with him on board.

"Fine! I'll come," he grumbled, knowing he really didn't have much of a choice. He had to throw his hand in on one side or the other, so it was better the devil he knew than the one he didn't. In addition, he had a feeling Freya wouldn't be best pleased if he didn't help out her pack mates, and he didn't want her on his ass. "Give me half an hour to organise. I will be back."