Chapter 3

When the girls went back upstairs, they found Bryce had Kyle in a headlock, and Liv was sitting on the sofa in the corner sipping a cocktail while watching The Tonight Show. The opening monologue had just started.

“What the hell?” Tori demanded.

Liv shook her head. “Bryce told us scary stories for a while then these two started sparring.”

“He cheats!” Kyle said, his face twisted beneath Bryce’s steel tight grasp.

“I dinna cheat! I’m hundreds of years older than ye are! I’m stronger than ye, and the Vampire Council is stronger than me.” He let go of Kyle who stumbled back, and flashed Tori his most innocent face. “I’m just trying to prove a point. Ye cannae just think this will all be settled in a fist fight. It’s more than that.” Bryce pointed to his head, tapping his temple with his finger. “It’s keeping yer wits about ye. None of us should attempt to take on one of the four alone. It’s too easy for them to just snap yer neck. And that’s if yer lucky. If they should win, it’ll be torture for us all. And a slow torture at that.”

“So I guess we only have once choice,” Liv said, standing up.

“Whit’s that, lass?”

“They can’t win.”

“Aye.” He smiled slowly at Liv. “They can’t.”

Erin leaned against the bar, running her palms over its smooth surface. “And classic styles will kill these creatures, Bryce? I mean they’re not immune to a stake, right?”

Bryce rested his elbows onto the bar and nodded slow. “They may be old, but they’re still vampires. Stake through the heart, decapitation, sunlight and silver. Any of those would work. They’re just quick, and wise. Averill, I expect will stay close to Dante—that wretched hybrid. I’m sure I can get them where I want them in their lair. Averill always did like to remain comfortable. The twins, they like the nightlife. Killing is how they amuse themselves and Willena be cornered so easily.”

“But between Tori and that necromancer friend of yours, we have an incredible chance.”

Bryce and Tori exchanged confident looks. “Aye. That we do.”

“I just wish we had more time,” Liv said softly.

“If we dinna leave when we planned, then they’ll start to look for us. It’s best we still have the element of surprise.”

“Are our flights all taken care of, Erin?” Tori asked.

“Yes. I booked us on the same flight, but the other clan members are traveling separately. They know the drill. We meet in Kensington in five days.”

Hearing the number was setting the clock. The atmosphere of the bar settled into a tangible quiet as everyone avoided each other’s eyes.

“Is Derek at the Cloisters?” Bryce asked looking at Erin.

“Yes. He’s doing what we are, training with the clan members that haven’t gone abroad yet.”

“Right. I’m going to go see him.”

“I’ll come too.” Tori jumped off of the bar stool, but Bryce shook his head.

“If ye dinna mind, lass. I’d like to go alone. I have things wi’ Derek that must be settled.”

“Alone?” Tori repeated and Bryce could see the disappointment in her eyes. He had never asked to be alone since he made her. Yes, they had been apart, but it was never Bryce who requested it.

“Dinna worry yer pretty wee head. I just want to go over a few final details wi’ Derek and make sure we’re on the same page. I’ll be back before sunrise.”

“Before sunrise?” The horror in Tori’s voice was apparent. It was bad enough for Bryce to be leaving, but to disappear until dawn was not like him.

“Maybe sooner,” he added in an attempt to soften the blow. “The point is, I dinna want ye to be concerned. I’m a big boy.” He winked and flashed a grin at her, trying his best to seem calm and in control. Tori nodded and sat back down on the stool. Bryce walked over, gave her a kiss goodbye and told everyone else he’d see them tomorrow night. When he reached the door, he stopped and turned around. “Kyle, if ye and Liv are going hunting, why not take Tori? I know she’s hungry.” Kyle nodded and gestured in Liv’s direction that it was time to go. Bryce turned to Erin. “If ye want a ride back to Derek’s, now’s yer chance.”

Erin looked at Tori, who appeared even more crestfallen now that Bryce had invited Erin to tag along. “I’m okay. I’ll take the subway.”

“Don’t be stupid. A ride is a ride. Go with Bryce, I’m fine with Kyle and Liv,” Tori reassured.

Bryce pulled on his leather jacket and put his hands on his hips. “See? Problem solved. C’mon, Slayer.”

Bryce wasn’t used to feeling Erin’s arms around his waist as he drove his Harley along the Henry Hudson Parkway. She felt different than Tori, softer, and being that close to her felt wrong. Funny, a few months ago and he wouldn’t have questioned it. This wasn’t the first time Bryce had given Erin a ride. Working together for a few years they had many late nights where he dropped her off at her apartment before catching a quick snack and heading to bed. So many nights alone together. So many nights when she could have attacked him. She was a slayer, and he’d failed to see it.

“Why are you avoiding Tori?” Erin shouted into his ear. Bryce chose to ignore her.

“The engine is too loud. I canna hear ye, lass.”

“Bullshit. You have vampire hearing, Bryce. Don’t fuck with me.”

He laughed at that. She was right of course, but it still didn’t make him feel like the proper time to bond with her.

“I’m nae avoiding her. I just need to talk to Derek. One night apart won’t kill her.” Bryce took a sharp turn and felt Erin squeeze up against him in the process. He felt his lips curl into a grin. Tori wouldn’t have been so easily startled. She trusted his driving. “Relax there, Slayer, I’ve got vampire reflexes, remember?”

“I remember when you used to call me Erin.”

“Aye. That’s when I thought ye were a sweet bartender, not a lethal weapon.”

“Look who’s talking!” Erin shouted into his ear.

“It’s nae the same. Ye knew whit I was. Ye had the advantage.”

“It’s exactly the same Bryce. I knew what you were, but you kept it from me.”

“I never harmed ye. I never even tried once to compel you. I could’ve glamoured ye a thousand times. I didnae.”

“That’s true. But I also gave you no reason to wipe my memory clean. I did my job well. I’m still the bartender you hired.” He felt his mouth twitch at the memory of Erin strolling into the bar, eager to take on the night shift. She had just turned twenty-one, and Bryce doubted she would be able to even pour a beer properly, but she talked him in to giving her a chance. He never regretted taking her on, she really was the best. Even when he found out what she was, it didn’t truly bother him. It almost felt like they could hide from the reality of what they were when they were behind that bar. They weren’t the Slayer and the Vampire. They were two people, pouring drinks and interacting with the world that passed through the doors of Galloway’s. It was a simple life, but it was a damn good one.

Bryce turned off at the exit that led to Fort Tryon Park. Erin loosened her death grip as the castle came into view. They parked in back and Erin let Bryce in. He could hear several voices as they got closer to Derek’s bed chambers. When they entered the open doors, Bryce found Derek sitting at his table, feet up laughing with a vampire called Kane. The two looked pretty opposite. Derek looked like he was from the old world. He had strawberry blond hair, a thin beard that neatly followed his jawline, and piercing blue eyes. His skin was chalky but dusted with freckles. Kane was a mass of muscle, and the tattoo sleeves that covered his arms showed he couldn’t have been turned more than a few years ago. Maybe a decade at the most. They were the permanent scars of his past. A vampire heals too quickly to be able to have a tattoo. Tori figured this out before she turned and had a sun tattooed to the inside of her wrist. Kane, like every vampire, was pale, and his spiky, dark brown hair made him look even paler. Based on the faint wrinkles by his eyes and brow, he probably died in his mid-thirties, leaving mortality behind. He was a boxer from Boston, and although he had spent his whole life in the ring fighting, Bryce was doubtful Kane was prepared for the rage of the Council. Despite his uncertainties, Bryce liked Kane and was glad to have him on his side.

The two vampires sensed Bryce as soon as he entered and turned to face him. “Evening, Bryce.” Derek said, swinging his legs down and scooping Erin up at lightning speed. “I didn’t know ye were coming back so soon, my sweet.” Derek kissed her temple, closing his eyes as he did so.

“Neither did I. Mopey here seemed like he needed company, so I accepted his lonely offer.”

“I was being chivalrous!” Bryce barked.

“If that’s what you want to call it,” Erin cooed before returning her attention to Derek. “Where is everyone else?”

“Training in the medieval wing. I allowed them to fool around with the weaponry and left them trying their best to recreate the Battle of Stirling.” Derek and Kane laughed, but Bryce remained quiet. They were preparing for a real war, not about to play solider like a bunch of schoolboys, Bryce thought.

“Bryce,” Derek said with an air of caution in his tone. “They’ve been training every night since they arrived. They needed a break. They know what they’re up against.”

“Do they?” Bryce looked at Derek warily. But before he could answer he spun around and tossed Kane against the wall, just inches from the lit fireplace. Kane’s eyes filled with rage as he shook off the initial shock, then charged at Bryce who dodged him. Kane rammed right into Erin who grabbed him by his muscular upper arms and slammed him to the ground. She pulled a stake out of her back pocket and pointed it at his heart.

“If ye cannae escape from us, are ye certain ye will escape from them?” Bryce stepped over to Kane and offered him his hand. Kane knitted his brow together, glancing from Bryce to Erin. She bounced the stake lightly against his chest and smiled.

“Nothing personal. If a vamp is charging at me, I’m going to switch into defense mode.” Erin hopped off of him and Derek wrapped two arms around her to shield Erin from Kane’s wrath. Although, after that it was quite clear that if she wanted to, she could have killed him right then and there.

“Wouldn’t have been the worst way to go.” Kane looked past Derek and grinned mischievously at Erin, who furrowed her brow and returned her stake to her back pocket. Derek looked at Bryce, who cleared his throat to get Kane’s attention.

“I just dinna want anyone to let their guard down. That’s all,” Bryce said to Kane, his hand still extended out to him. Kane looked at Bryce’s hand like he was having a silent war with himself, then slapped his palm against his and stood.

“I’m here to fight for you. I’m your blood line.” He smacked his hand against Bryce’s upper arm. “No need for games with me.” Then he turned his attention back to the tiny figure who had just knocked the wind out of him.

“C’mon Erin, after that stunt you owe me a drink. I hear you make a mean cocktail.” Kane sauntered out of the room and into the hallway, taking his arrogance with him.

Erin’s expression remained unchanged, she looked at Derek, not sure how to respond. Derek kissed her forehead. “Take him to the back cellar where I keep the blood bags. He won’t hurt ye.”

“Hurt her? No.” Bryce crossed his arms. “Flirt wi’ her?” He laughed heartily. “Aye, most likely.”

Erin rolled her eyes, gave Derek a kiss on the cheek and walked after Kane.

When the two couldn’t hear their footsteps anymore, Derek offered Bryce a seat in front of the fire. “Scotch?” Derek asked, already pouring himself a glass.

“Please.”

“We havenae really spoken, have we?” Derek poured a second glass and gave it to Bryce.

“We’ve spoken.”

“I’ve turned yer whole world upside down. We’ve spoken about the past, aye. About what lies ahead. Strategy. The vampires I turned to avenge my mother and obtain our freedom. But have we spoken? Have we spoken the way we should?”

“I’m missin’ sumthin’.” Bryce took a long drink of the scotch and ran a finger across his forehead as the flames of the fire hypnotized him.

Derek sat beside him. “Tell me about Tori.”

Bryce went rigid. He knew Derek didn’t mean any disrespect, but even hearing her name on another man’s tongue sent him into high alert. He was not jealous. He knew she was his, and he was hers. But the need to protect Tori rippled through his veins. Even now he wondered if he was wise to leave her. She was hunting with Kyle and Liv, but they were still young. Older than Tori in vampire years, true, but still young.

“Whit d’ye want to know?” Bryce brought the crystal rock glass to his lips.

“Why her?”

Bryce felt like Derek had smacked him. Why her?

“I only ask because ye only had one other mate in yer five hundred years of immortality. That was Miranda, my mother. Ye dinna easily claim a mate, Bryce. So, I know Victoria is special.” He paused for a moment. “In a twisted turn of events, you’re the only family I have. Meaning if Victoria means the world to ye, she means the world to me. Make no mistake, I will protect her.”

Bryce was tempted to say that she only needed him for protection, but they were going against the Council. It would be imprudent to be so arrogant. They were dangerous and every extra set of eyes on Tori was what he needed. Granted, with her mastering her powers, maybe it was the clan who would be looking to Victoria for help.

“Ye see me as family?” Bryce didn’t know if the thought was endearing or disturbing. He was not this man’s father. His birth occurred before his mother was turned.

“Yer a private man. I respect that. But that doesnae mean that I dinna want to know ye better. We’re fighting for a common cause. I’d like to know who stands beside me as we face the High Council.”

“Funny. Ye seem to have found out about me all on yer own.”

“I told ye, Miranda wrote to me,” Derek said exasperated. “It was through her that I discovered ye.”

“Och, I know. I’m just still digesting everything. I went from being alone to having a mate to having a lineage and fighting a war in a few months. It’s nae like I planned to ever go back there. Did I miss it? Aye. I did. I miss my land. I want to go back to Scotland more than ye can imagine. I want to bring Tori there and show her the land I was bred on. But I was exiled here. I never tried to go back because I feared being in this situation. Yet here I am. Looks like I couldnae escape my fecking destiny. I’m being pulled back to the past. I will never be able to live until Averill is dead.”

Derek finished the last of his scotch, got up and poured himself another. He walked over to Bryce and refilled his glass as well. “I agree, her reign needs to end. It’s time to take back the throne.”

“Is that whit ye think? I dinna want to rule as a king. I want my freedom. I want to travel at my leisure. Come back to the city. Run my bar and feck my mate. That to me is a perfect life.”

“Aye. It is a perfect life, Bryce, until another vampire monarchy takes over. The Council has ruled for centuries. They’re the only law the European vampires know. If you get rid of them, you leave vampires that have never had to think before free to roam wild. No,”—he shook his head—“destroying the Council is just the beginning.”

“Was this always yer grand plan? To take over the throne? Ye knew I wouldnae want it, so is power and glory whit ye so desire?”

Derek locked his gaze on Bryce. His eyes cold as ice. “I desire peace.”

“Funny to hear the word peace upon the lips of a killer.”

Derek took a long drink then threw his glass into the flames. Bryce knitted his brows but kept quiet, curious about what he had to say. “I am a vampire. It is in my nature to prey upon the weak. If a human crosses my path when I am hungry, I feed on them. The lion does not apologize to the antelope. The lion does what he is designed to do. But even still, a lion is regarded as a thing of exquisite beauty. Even a lion enjoys the luxury of lying in the rays of the sun wi’ out being challenged. That’s all that I want.”

“And yet, the lion is the king of the jungle.”

“We are what we are, Bryce. Do I wish to reign as a king? No. But I truly want peace. It can happen. That’s the cause I fight for.”

“Impressive words from a man who has never fought in battle before.” Bryce stretched his arms up and stifled a yawn. Power made men fight for the wrong reasons, he was never one to want it. That was the defining factor between him and Averill. If he wished to rule, he’d be the one next to her right now, not Dante.

“How d'ye know what wars I have or havenae fought? Yer not the only military man around here.”

Bryce looked down at his glass. It was almost empty again. He drained it and placed it on the table. “Yer right. I made a rash judgment. Maybe ye have great plans for whit the future of our species should be. Maybe ye know how they should be ruled, but right now let’s just see if we can get that far.”

Derek nodded in agreement. “Ye still havenae given me an answer.”

“Answer to whit?”

“Why her?”

“I think I may just need sumthin’ stronger than scotch before I start giving away all my secrets.” Bryce curled his top lip to reveal his descending fangs. His thirst was taking over.

Derek crossed the room and opened a cabinet that had a small refrigerator hidden. Pulling the door open, he took out a blood bag and tossed it to Bryce. “That’s from my own private stash.” Bryce fangs fully extended. He hadn’t hunted in a few days, and he was quite hungry. He tore into the bag and sucked it clean. “Another, if ye have it.” He didn’t meet Derek’s eyes. It was his own fault he was so weak from hunger. He wasn’t putting things in the right priority. Derek tossed him another bag, and again, Bryce licked it clean. This one managed to satiate his thirst more, but nothing compared to a fresh kill. He would have to hunt before he returned home. Derek sat down beside him and waited.

Calmer now that his thirst had been momentarily satisfied, he revealed his power to Miranda’s only son. “When I drink from a person, whether they be human or vampire, I can read their thoughts. Their life sort of flashes in my mind. I see the good, and the bad. Wi’ Tori it was beauty beyond my imagination. There was a sadness to her, but also a strength. She satiated my hunger; she quieted my thirst. She silenced the demons that had been screaming at me since Miranda perished in those flames. That’s why her.”

Derek didn’t show any emotion at this news. “I assumed, given the power Tori has, that there had to be something remarkable about ye as well. Thank ye for yer honesty.”

“Well after all that ye’ve done, ye deserve that much. So ye see, that’s why Averill doesn’t draw me in the way most progenies are drawn to the one who sired them. One taste, and her life was just sour on my tongue. I didnae want that life then and I want it even less now.”

The vampires were quiet for a moment and then Bryce stood up and leaned against the wall of the fireplace. The warmth of the flames felt nice against his cold skin. “Have yer men been drinking the tea that Elora sent over?”

“Are ye kidding? After Faolan bit Tori and she survived, well, I dinna think anyone questions the power of Elora’s wolfsbane brew. She’s a good person to have on our side. Who knew a witch would want to align themselves wi’a vampire.”

“We’ve been friends for a long time, she’s trustworthy, ye needn’t worry.”

“I’m nae worried. I look forward to meeting her in London.”

Bryce nodded and sucked in his bottom lip as he rubbed his chin. “I need to know that if circumstances change that ye’ll nae do anything stupid.”

Derek glared at him. “What do ye mean?”

“I mean that certain things may have to transpire in order for some of us to get out of there alive.” Bryce crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, trying his best to seem casual. Derek didn’t seem to accept his relaxed behavior so easily.

“What sort of things?” He asked, his eyes narrowed together.

“They may want something. A prisoner perhaps. We need to be prepared on all fronts to survive this thing.”

“Are ye daft man?” Derek shot out of his chair. “I’m nae about to hand over a member of our clan to fulfill their sadistic need to torture us. Whit good would that be?”

“Och. I dinna mean for ye to turn in just anyone. I mean if things get severe, then I’m prepared to turn myself in. I’m whit Averill wants anyway. Whether she wants me dead or alive is up to her, but if it means I can save ye all—save Victoria, well that’s the card I’m willing to play.”

Derek slipped a hand into the pocket of his suit pants and leaned another hand against the wall. The fireplace all that separated the vampires. “Does Victoria know this?”

“Nae yet.” Bryce sighed. “It sort of came to me today. I wanted to tell ye first.”

“And after Averill tears ye apart, whit’s to say she won’t be going after Tori? After any of us? Yer actions are heroic, aye, but I dinna want ye to be a martyr. Not for some ancient vampire bitch who feeds on revenge.”

Derek walked over to Bryce and rested his palm against Bryce’s shoulder. “I have things under control here. The clan is prepared. Go home and make love to yer mate until the sun rises.”

Bryce nodded and headed to the door but turned around. “Ye know, ye should take yer own advice.”

“It’s nae bad advice.” Derek lifted his head and ran a hand over his short beard. He had a smile on his face, almost as if he were embarrassed to share talk like this with Bryce.

“Aye, but if ye dinna take Erin to yer bed tonight, I think Kane might offer to share his sleeping bag wi’ her.” Bryce wagged his brows and gave a knock on the door frame.

“Yeah well joke all ye want, Kane is a great fighter and he’s on our side.”

“I dinna doubt he’s on our side, but that doesnae mean he won’t try to get the girl too.”