***
“I did not expect you for several hours yet,” Gerard said from his seat by the fire, his dark eyes assessing.
“The bishop died sooner than expected.”
“Unfortunate.”
“That was my doing I’m afraid,” Thomas said from the shadows behind Gerard where he had taken up residence.
Michael’s sire spun, fangs bared. “You will give me your name and how you came to be here at once.”
Thomas arched a brow. “I don’t think so.”
Gerard paled and turned to Michael. “Ki—”
That portion of a word was all he managed to get out before Thomas’s hand wrapped around his throat. “None of that. We both know he’s quite incapable of killing me. At most he would buy you a few moments in which you would attempt escape and fail miserably.”
Michael watched with wide eyes as his master struggled against the other vampyr’s grip. His fingers clawed at the arm holding him, his feet kicked. And Thomas Kendrick watched it all with muted amusement as if an adult finding entertainment in the antics of a small child. “I am here at the bequest of the Wardens to investigate the deaths of the priests and monks.”
Gerard’s eyes rolled to the side to look at Michael.
Thomas clicked his tongue. “I’ve talked to your offspring. No, I believe these deaths fall at your feet. You have the power of compulsion over our kind. This man would have no more murdered those people on his own than I would. You ordered him to torture and kill them.”
He tightened his grip and Gerard made choking sounds. “And if I hadn’t believed him before, I would have when you attempted to use it on me. Stupid that.” Michael winced as the sound of cracking bone filled the air. Gerard crumpled to the floor, his head at an unnatural angle. His mouth opened and closed and his eyes blinked up at the Warden.
“He’s not dead,” Michael said, immediately feeling idiotic for pointing out the obvious.
Thomas pulled a long knife from a sheath on his thigh. “No. And he won’t be until all his blood runs out. Did he at least bother to explain when he changed you that our existence is based on blood magic?”
Michael nodded.
“You want to kill a vampyr, you bleed them dry. If there’s not enough blood to maintain the spell, they can’t heal and they’ll die. Decapitation and fire are the most effective ways to kill one of our kind.”
Michael gaped in horrified fascination. “Why are you telling me this?”
“If you intend to stay alive, you’ll need to know.” He bent over Gerard and wrapped long fingers in the crippled vampyr’s hair. Lifting the head, Thomas proceeded to use the wicked blade in his other hand to cut through the skin and bone of the neck. Michael tried to look away more than once but found himself oddly entranced.
The moment Gerard died, a freedom like nothing Michael had ever felt before washed over him accompanied by a pain so acute it doubled him over with its intensity.
“It will pass.”
Michael didn’t believe him. The pain was excruciating. Surely it would kill him. He collapsed to the floor and panted through it. This new existence had brought him so much pain. Maybe it would be a relief for it to end. As suddenly as the agony came, it left. Stretching out experimentally to see if it would return he glanced up to find Thomas wiping blood from his face and arms with a cloth.
“I told you it would pass,” he said. “It was the severing of your connection with your sire. You are connected to no one now and you have a decision to make.” He squatted with his elbows perched on his knees. “If you still wish to die, I can kill you.”
“Or?” Michael said when he didn’t continue. He needed to know all of the options. Now that Michael no longer had to obey Gerard’s every whim, his eternity didn’t look as bleak.
“Or you come with me. Ordinarily I would have you swear a blood oath.” He paused and looked over shoulder to the now shriveled body of Gerard. “But given the circumstances I will not. I will teach you how to survive, to thrive. What you do with it then is up to you.”
It wasn’t a difficult decision to make, but there were some things he had to know first. “Is there always so much pain?”
Blue eyes studied him. “I will not lie and say there will be no more pain. Life is pain. But I will teach you to endure.”
Michael mulled that over. “Are there many like him?”
“You’re going to have to clarify. If you mean insane or cruel, I’m afraid the world has an abundance of those, both vampyr and no. If you mean his ability to command other vampyrs, I have never met another capable of it.”
Tension flowed from Michael’s shoulders and the other vampyr must have noticed because he continued talking. “If you swear a blood oath to someone and then betray them, you will feel discomfort, perhaps even pain depending on the level of betrayal, but your will is still your own.”
Michael nodded once. That was all he needed to know. “Then I will go with you.”
Thomas held out a hand and helped him to his feet. “Your life is your own now. You decide who you are and who you will be. So who are you?”
Michael no longer wanted the name that belonged to a weak, naïve priest. His name needed to remind him of his past, remind him that he was no longer a victim. Of all the options, only one kept echoing in his head. “Bishop. My name is Michael Bishop.”
Want to read more in the Realm Walker universe? The first two books in the series are available now.
Realm Walker
An estranged mate, a mangled body and a powerful demon who calls her by name…
As a Realm Walker for the Agency, Juliana Norris tracks deadly paranormal quarry using her unique ability to see magical signatures. She excels at her job, but her friends worry about her mysterious habit of dying in the line of duty without staying dead. That's only the first of her secrets.
Most people don't know Juliana became the mate of master vampire Thomas Kendrick before he abandoned her seven years ago. Most people don't know the horrors she endured at the hands of the vampire he left in command. Most people don't know her true parentage, or why a demon on a world-threatening rampage has taken a personal interest in her…
Even as Juliana pursues the demon, it goes after all she holds dear—including Thomas, who is back to claim her for his own. But if she can't reconcile her past and learn to trust herself again, she will lose him forever.
Death’s Daughter – Realm Walker book 2
Juliana Norris, Realm Walker with the Agency, is an Altered. A fact that she runs up against every time she's forced to work with human police officers, and their species-ist commissioner, on cases they can't solve themselves. Which happens more than they would like to admit.
Her gift—the quality that makes her the best Realm Walker in the business, without boast—is the ability to read magical signatures. Whether the gift came from her father, the dark fae god of death, or the mage mother she can't remember, is anyone's guess. And when Altered children start going missing with only wild magical signatures as clues, her heritage is the last thing on her mind.
She can't afford such distractions, and she definitely can't afford to worry about the fact that her mate, master vampire Thomas Kendrick, hasn't spoken to her since she saved him from a demon—maybe it's because she had to stab him to do so. Because whoever is kidnapping these children must be very powerful to wield wild magic. Very powerful, and very dangerous indeed.
About the Author:
Kathleen Collins has been writing since kindergarten. While her skills have improved she still writes about monsters and the people who play with them. When she’s not writing she spends her time playing with her two boys. Three if you count her husband.
Connect with me:
www.kathleencollins.net
www.facebook.com/kathleencollinsauthor
www.twitter.com/kathy_collins
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