Cat's Choice: The Chosen's War

  She spent the day with Cloe and Tripp, looking around the compound and meeting people. She began to feel comfortable, despite her apprehension being around a large number of shifters. They were completely different than the ones she had been exposed to before. They were friendly and open. She did n’t feel threatened by a single shifter.

  Tara met them for lunch in the main dining area of the Pack house and proceeded to fill her plate again and ask about everything she had done in the morning. Slowly, she began to feel at ease with the group, especially Tara. She reminded her so much of her mother.

  When night came, Tara went to the room down the hallway next to hers, and Cloe went to the room across from her . She had stayed true to her word, and her mates and twins moved in with her for a while. She met them all at dinner and loved the children as they played with their food. Cami and her mates were also there with their children. They all carefully avoided talking about the Vampire s, instead focusing on making her feel welcome.

  Tripp once again stayed in her suite, though this time, she insisted on him staying in the guest room. For only a brief moment she considered telling him to leave, but for some reason , she couldn ‘t bring herself to do it. He had touched her constantly today, slowly making sure she felt as ease with him . She grinned, wonder ing what the next day would bring. As she changed into her night gown, she frowned.

  Tomorrow she would have to learn when the Vampires were coming ; she needed t o be prepared.

  Chapter 7

  Cat knew the Vampires were arriving tonight. She felt the dread from the first moment she opened her eyes this morning. Quin and Jaden assured her she would not be in any danger, already Tripp and Tara were preparing to stay with her the whole afternoon and night in the suite. She talked to them yesterday and had not felt like she wanted to even leave the room.

  She believed the Alphas when they said she would be safe, all the shifters in t he compound she met had gone out of their way to prove to her she could trust them. It was the little things, the security men showing her their offices and room where they could monitor the whole compound. The Enforcers who showed her the weapons, they crafted to kill the Vampire s should they attack. And finally, the Council , who had taken her down to the rooms, they expressly had crafted to house the twenty Vampire s that were coming to the compound tonight. They showed her the locks on the doors that would not allow them out to wander unless they had permission.

  Quin and Jaden and given them ground rules until they proved they were not going to harm anyone. The clan leader was gracious enough to agree to the terms. Quin had mentioned Diavolo’s name, and the clan leader had been disgusted with the Vampire , telling them that they knew about the Vampire and his clan of deviants. They assured Quin they were nothing like him and would not attack. They wanted to help the New Council .

  The last five days had flown by so quickly. Cat settled into the Pack happily, even began to flirt with Tripp, who took that as a good sign. His mother explained the claiming and bonding. Tripp left the room for that talk. It was embarrassing enough knowing his mother was t a l king to his mate about sex. But Cat was innocent. His mother ordered him to go slow and make sure she was properly wooed before claiming her.

  Cat began to feel the stirrings of attraction when Tripp, and s he were together . Not having felt this since she met Diavolo, she was very hesitant . Look where that led her, she refused to make the same mistake. However, she knew in her heart that Tripp was a wonderful man. He was kind and attentive. He made sure she was taken care of before he was and also knew when she began to feel a little afraid. Ju st today he wrapped his arms ar ound her when an angry cat shifter had been punished for something.

  It also helped that Cloe and Lacy both spent a few hours every day with her alone. Tripp had encouraged her to trust Lacy, especially when she told Cat that she saw the mate connection between her and Tripp.

  Cat’s anxiety began to grow as she felt the sun sink slowly behind the mountains. Tripp and his mother both tried to draw her into a movie, but she felt the looming threat of being in the same house as a Vampire . Would they smell her blood? Would they insist that Quin and Jaden turn her over ? Diavolo said there was something about her blood, but they had never discovered what.

  She mentioned it to Cloe, who ran tests, but so far she had not discovered anything unusual about her blood. It mad e her feel a little better, maybe Diavolo lied to her, but it didn’t explain the other Vampire s who tried to get her. She only hoped that Quin and Jaden were correct in trusting the clan who came.

  She knew that all the Council, and the children were told to remain in their rooms tonight, no one wanted to chance that something would happen. She learned that Lagon was the protector o f the children, although she had not quite figure d out how one man could protect all of them at once. He was muscular, but Tripp was bigger.

  She looked at the watch on her wrist, a present from Tripp yesterday. The plane would be landing soon.

  Chapter 8

  After the ceremony was completed, Orfeo was escorted to the family’s private jet, where he slept in the jet’s bedroom through the day, until the following night. Just as he awoke, the jet was passing over Denver’s airport, heading toward the New Council’s private runway.

  Orfeo got out of bed and dressed in only his robe. He went to sit in the passenger area of the plane. There were only Orfeo’s guards and the three donors who had chosen to accompany them. So he had no worries about what he wore in front of them. He opened the blinds over the window in the plane ‘s hull and looked out into the night sky. He wondered if his mates would be looking at the same stars he was.

  Apprehension, as well as anticipation, coursed through Orfeo’s veins. He had spoken to the Alpha of the New Council and had been informed that one of their members had had a run-in with Diavolo. He remembered Diavolo from his you th . He had wanted Orfeo as a lover at one time, but, despite the fact the Diavolo was quite beautiful, Orfeo’s skin would crawl just from his touch. Orfeo could feel other’s feelings, but Diavolo always seemed to be de void of any feeling but anger.

  Diavolo’s small clan was killed by a mob of angry humans for killing many of the villagers. He was the only one who got out alive, because they thought; he was a small , human boy who the Vampire s had captured to eat. They didn’t know that Vampire s were able to have children of their own. They dragged Diavolo away from his mother’s bosom, and he watched them cut off her head right in front of him. He cried out for her, but her body had already turned to ash.

  Diavolo turned in the arms of the man holding him back, and hid his face against the man’s neck. As the man hugged Diavolo close to give him comfort, he struck, piercing the man’s neck with his fangs and ripping his flesh away. The man cried out in pain as he dropped the child and tried to stop the fountain of blood spurting from his throat. The villagers turned to him, and as they tried to help the man, Diavolo snuck away into the forest.

  He lived in the forest for years, sleeping in caves during the day, and drinking from small animals, and sometimes unsuspecting humans that would venture into the woods.

  When he had arrived at Orfeo’s village, he was a young man, almost to his eighteenth birthday. He had lived alone for so many years and had been hardened with hatred and anger. Orfeo’s father thought he could help Diavolo acclimate back into society, become part of the clan. So his father welcomed Diavolo and took him under his wing.

  For years, his father tried to teach him the difference between right and wrong. He tried to teach him that killing humans was not right. That we should be able to live in harmony with them, not s laughter them like animals. Diavolo would argue with Attilio , pointing out that if we were to live in harmony , then why did they need to hide ? He claimed the Vampire s were superior to humans and should exterminate as many as possible. Orfeo’s father tried to be patient with Diavolo because he knew what Diavolo had gone through.

  Orfeo’s mother didn’t even like the Diavolo. She saw the evil in him
that his father was trying to overlook. When she would point out what Diavolo’s family had been killed for, was justified, and remind him of how many humans Diavolo had killed since. His father would just say that the boy was scared and didn’t know better, and he would show him the way it was.

  Finally, one night, Diavolo convinced Orfeo to accompany him to a masqu e ball. Orfeo didn’t want to go, but his father insisted that he needed to be nice to Diavolo and treat him with kindness. To please his father, he went.

  When they got there, almost right away, Diavolo disappeared, leaving Orfeo by himself. Orfeo didn’t mind because he couldn’t stand to be near Diavolo, and there seemed to be many beautiful women and men at the ball. As the ball was getting underway, and all the people were laughing and dancing, the lights in the room went off. As they slowly came back on, Orfeo saw Diavolo standing in the middle of the stage, just smiling down at Orfeo.

  “My children,” he yelled out to the crowded ballroom. “I would like you to meet Orfeo Ambrosetti .”

  Orfeo turned to the crowd and found that the people were all circling around him, staring and leering at him.

  “Orfeo is the son of the great and powerful Attilio Amb rosetti, father of the Vampire s,” Diavolo said mockingly , laughing humorlessly .

  Orfeo turned to Diavolo. “What is this Diavolo? What ‘s going on?”

  Diavolo smiled at him. “Why , Orfeo. I am just introducing you to all my children,” he said, waving his hand as if to gesture to all the other people. “It seems your father is not the only ‘father of Vampire s’.’”

  Diavolo jumped from the stage, and the crowd dispersed, giving him room to walk straight up to Orfeo. When he was standing in front of Orfeo, he reached up and put his hand on Orfeo’s cheek.

  “So beautiful,” he said as he rubbed his thumb across Orfeo’s lower lip. “I have always loved you, Orfeo.”

  Then he pushed his hands through Orfeo’s hair, dragging Orfeo toward him as his lips smashed against Orfeo’s. Orfeo fought Diavolo , biting his lip, then pushing him away.

  Diavolo glowered at Orfeo, rubbing the blood off of his lip and spitting what had pooled in his mouth onto the floor.

  “I have asked you time and again to be my lover, and yet you still push me away,” he yelled at Orfeo. “You would rather take a piece of human trash as a lover than me.”

  “That is because you make my skin crawl,” Orfeo spat back.

  Diavolo growled, “Is that so? Well then, I guess there is just one thing left to do.”

  Diavolo turned away from Orfeo. “Kill him. Rip him apart.”

  The lights went out again, and Orfeo felt the weight of a body barreling him over. He could see the man as clearly as if it was day, and saw his fangs as the man went to bite a chunk out of him. He fought the man on top of him, slicing open his throat with his fingernails that had extended. Then he jumped to his feet and continued to fight t he people as they came at him, a ttacking him from left and right. He pushed through the crowded ballroom, receiving sc ratches and bites on the way. But he refused to allow them to drag him down.

  Finally, he pushed through a set of French doors to the gardens outside. They chased him through the doors. Too weakened from blood loss to shift and fly away, he ran quickly towards the edge of the l awn where the gardens met the forest. Through the woods, he could hear the other Vampire s all around him. But he continued to run. Occasionally , one would jump out at him and attack. He would fight back, usually killing them in the process. Since he was a pureblood and not a turned Vampire , he was far stronger and faster than the Vampire s chasing him. So he was able to stave off their attacks and escape them. But it wasn’t until he found a small cave, hidden by a bunch of brush and hard to see right away, that he was able to duck inside and hide from his attackers. They passed over him, never noticing the small cave.

  After what seemed like hours, Orfeo climbed out of the hole and started to walk toward where he hoped was home. His skin was sliced opened in places all over his body. He was losing blood quickly and becoming weak. Just as the sun started to peak over the horizon, a nd he was about to give up hope, s omeone jumped out from the shadows pulling him into the darkness.

  Orfeo yelled and fought until he recognized the voice of the person who was trying to hold him. It was his mother. She had known that Diavolo was up to no good when he had invited Orfeo to that ball and had someone follow them. Just when the attack started, the spy raced back and reported what was happening. His mother had sent many of the largest men in the village after him, and they had killed many of the Vampire s who were chasing him . That’s wh y the attackers stopped looking. They had gone from the hunters to the hunted. But they couldn’t find Orfeo until he came out of his hiding place.

  Orfeo’s mother linked with her son’s mind, something that could only be done if the Vampire was their child or one that they sired, and looked through his eyes to see where he might have been. She was relieved and grateful that he was still alive.

  Once they arrived at their village and told his father what had happened, a hunt had been declared to find Diavolo and do away with him once and for all. Unfortunately, he was never found.

  For many decades, Orfeo’s father searched for Diavolo. He was enraged that Diavolo would dare to hurt his only son. But Orfeo knew also that he was broken hearted because he had treated Diavolo like a son, and h e had been taken advantage of.

  Orfeo was pulled away from his memories by a small hand touching his arm. He turned his head to see one of his donors kneeling beside his seat; her head bowed.

  “Yes, what is it?” Orfeo tried to sound pleasantly enquiring, but his voice came out tight and almost in a growl.

  The woman kept her head lowered. “Signore , I am here for you to feed.”

  For the first time since he had awakened, Orfeo realized he did not feel the hunger pains that had been gnawing at him for so long . His body, for the moment, felt sated in all ways, and he had no desire to feed.

  He placed his hand under her chin and pushed her to look at him. He smi led sincerely at the woman. “I thank you for your offer . I am not in need of sustenance at this time.”

  Orfeo could see she was on the verge of tears. For donors, the feeding was almost like an addiction. It took them higher than any drug ever could. He didn’t have sex with his donors, as they were like servants and deserved his respect. He would never take advantage of their enthrallment. Instead, he went to others of his kind, strong enough for his passion.

  Once again, she bowed her head.

  “Isabella, there is no need for such shyness , I am not angry . You have been a very loyal servant ; and now , as reward for donating your life’s blood, I am releasing you from feeding my hunger any longer.” He smiled at her, hoping to comfort her in some way. He saw how h er eyes darted to one of the guard’s standing at the cabin’s door watching with great interest.

  “Is there perhaps something you wish to ask?” He stood, and taking her hand, helped her to rise from the floor.

  “I did not betray you, Signore!” she said.

  “I know you did not. I would be able to taste it if you had. The time nears when I will find my mates an d simply have no need for any other. Come, come, no need for shyness between us, “ h e cajoled.

  “W-What if I wish to be with a Vampire ? What if I want to be with him forever?” s he almost whispered too low for him to hear her. Luckily, Vampire s have a great sense of hearing, so he just smiled wide and turned to look at the guard her eyes kept darting toward s .

  He gestured for the guard to come to him. “Abaven, please come here.”

  At first, he didn’t think Abaven was going to move. Then he straightened his tunic and walked over. It was a rule within the clans that the donors chosen for the Sire and his family were not allowed to gift other Vampire s with their blood . This was for their protection and also to keep the donated blood strong . Blood took a few days to replenish and tasted thin until it resided in the body for a time. If a
donor gave blood to others, then often they would be unavailable to give when called for . In other clans, when this happened, some Sire s would exile them from the clan , as giving weakened blood to a Sire meant h is magical skills wouldn’t be fully rejuvenated . It was seen as a type of betrayal. Attilio never did any of that , he simply released them from service , as if they had been fired from a job. As Attilio’s son, Orfeo would follow in his footsteps.