Two days had passed. Two days of meetings that everyone had hit an impasse. The BloodHunter Coven wanted territory where they could do with what they wanted, the High Council refused the lands that they wanted. It went back and forth. Some were pack lands, some where too many humans, too less humans. Killing was limited to a certain amount a month. It was disgusting watching the back and forth.
Everyone decided that today would be a rest day. There would be a gathering this evening of everyone where we could relax and drink. Then we would be back to the meetings in the morning. So again, I found myself in the ballroom, this time a bourbon on the rocks in hand, staring out into the crowd. The BloodHunter Coven had also been allowed to attend.
“Staring daggers at them isn’t going to kill them.” Young came up and clinked his glass against mine without me moving. He quickly downed everything in his glass. “I think I have some stakes in my trunk if you wanna…”
“Yo
My eyes went wide as I somehow still managed to keep up with the song. This broken little twig of a werewolf was Auri. She was alive, barely. So many things were running through my mind as I jumped into the second song. Morgan would have torn the whole hall a part but he wouldn’t have lived at the end of it. May not even have been able to free Auri in the process. She was a slave. A broken doll to Micah. However, Micah would have never brought her over if he knew who Auri was, not with the close relationship we had with Auri. Had she not revealed anything about her but just broke? I stumbled again over the keys but her voice didn’t waver once. There was no passion though, no emotions in her singing. She sounded beautiful but it was hallow and soulless. How could I free her? How could I even get a damn message out of here? If she left this place with them she would be gone again, probably forever. The Bloodhunters popped up when they wanted to and otherwise you would never kn
Young and I went over the different scenarios that could happen. I had access to my own wealth, which was pretty sizable considering my age but I knew Morgan wouldn’t mind me dipping into the funds of the mafia if it meant purchasing Auri. That was if Micah would let her go. He seemed proud of her. Proud enough to parade her into a High Council meeting. “You ready?” Young leaned over while we were in the meeting room. The meeting had gone pretty much the same as the other two days. Each side volleying wants and the other side saying no. “No. I feel like I’m gonna pass out and throw up at the same time.” I was not built for this kind of stress. “Well, suck it up.” I had to lean into the lonely vampire, lonely musician persona. Mafia Italian bachelor who was sick and tired of women. Sick and tired of their bullshit and ready to have someone obey me at every turn. I had to sell it because Auri’s life depended on it.
I didn’t give a shit about the rest of the meeting. I didn’t give a shit what the Bloodhunter coven did or the High Council did right now. I needed to get Auri far away from here. I spoke to Cyra and told her something had come up and to give me the details once they were done. She was still little pissed at me, having overheard the request I made of Micah, as well. I was not going to explain it to her though. “Follow.” I told Auri as well left my room and walked down the hall. I still hadn’t gotten used to the command list. At first, I had tried to not use it. She was unresponsive to the point where she didn’t eat for hours and realized I was in way over my head with this. I kept a quick pace and she struggled to keep up with me but I yanked my phone off the table as we walked out of the castle. The valet was already pulling my car around. I threw my suitcase in the trunk and I opened the passenger side door for Auri. She stood there, waiting. “Get in.” Her
We spent the next few days falling into a routine. She spent time in the morning memorizing the different floors of the house while I made breakfast. We then would go outside and either lounge by the pool or sit on the rocks by the water. She seemed to enjoy being outside the most. We would come in, have lunch and then I would read to her from one of the books in the library. She sat quietly on the couch as I read aloud. She would make dinner and I would try to get some work done on the computer. Morgan was back to not answering his phone and I just had to trust that he was actually hurrying back at some point. She would go to bed after that and it finished out our day. Tonight though, a storm had rolled in. I was sitting on my bed, reading through some emails that had come in. One specifically came in from Micah giving me the directions on where to send his ‘gift’. I sent a message to the men at the warehouse to go ahead and proceed with the shipment. As I hit send, I heard
***Morgan’s POV*** I sat back in the lawn chair. Max sat on the rocks while Auri played in the water. She would smile as the waves crashed against the rocks and sprayed her. It was like raising a child again. Except so much harder. Max was actually doing really well considering. He was never one for gentle and subtle but he handled her with the softest touch. We decided to not tell Logan. Not yet. Not until we could see if there was any chance of rehabilitation. It had taken a bit for her to trust even being around me. Now, she didn’t shy away from me but it wasn't the same. She still didn’t speak, but she sang more and more in the house. There were still days I had to pinch myself. Still confirm I was on this world and not another. That she was actually in front of us. What she made abundantly clear though was that we could not touch the collar unless it was bath time. We didn’t know what made her panic but we had to leave it alone.
***Logan’s POV*** Bryan and Hector picked me up off the floor and set me down on the couch in my office. Hector shoved a glass of bourbon in my hand and after controlling my breathing, I gulped down the drink. I gave him a smile and he gave me a quick nod back. I looked around the room. Bryan was leaning against my desk, Hector taking up his usual post in the doorway, Denise standing next to Leandra, and Leandra was sitting on the edge of the couch next to me. It took a minute to recall what had just happened, but I looked down at the phone I had dropped. I started to have a hard to breathing again. Leandra tried to put her hand on my shoulder but I shrugged it off. “Everyone, out. Please. Except Bryan.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “And when I mean out, I mean out of the packhouse. I don’t want anyone in the packhouse for the next hour.” “Alpha?” Hector looked confused. “OUT. NOW.” I yelled, letting some of my Alpha authori
Before I could blink, Max was holding Morgan by the throat. Max was livid as he held Morgan, who was struggling against his grip. I was frozen in my shock, on my knees, looking at the increasingly panicked face of Auri. She was alive. But at the same time, she wasn’t my Auri. She was rail thin, looking malnourished even for a human. Bones were showing against her skin that you shouldn’t be able to see. She had a collar on, with shackles on her wrists and ankles. There was no flickering of her eyes. They were just grey, looking in the direction of the house, at the two vampires locked in a fight. Auri started to run towards the two of them and my breath caught as she yelled from the yard. “STOP!” She ran past me, grabbing Max’s arm, pulling it as she sobbed: “Stop, stop, stop…” The two men froze, looking down at her. Max released Morgan and he dropped down to the ground. He rubbed his neck as Max kneeled in front of Auri. “I’m sorry, l
‘Logan, what the fuck is going on?’ “What you see. No chase. No leads. She’s here.” I paused. “But at the same time she’s not.” ‘What do you mean by that?’ “I dunno Bryan. She’s empty. She doesn’t know her name. Doesn’t really speak. Hell, she doesn’t even smell like Auri to me. According to Morgan, a vampire turned her into a mindless slave. Tortured her and twisted her. Honestly, I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.” ‘So…now what?’ “I don’t know. I really don’t know…” I gulped down the emotions rising to the surface. ‘Well, figure it out.’ I snapped. “Don’t fuck with me, Bryan. I’m not in the mood. I called you for a level head. For my Beta, who is supposed to have my back. Not you being an sarcastic ass. I genuinely feel in over my head right now.” He quieted for a moment. ‘Sorry Alpha. Give me some time to process this.’ I sighed. “I’m at least gonna stay for a bit. See if I can help. That’s what Morg