Stephani Hecht Drone Vampire Chronicles 13(10) Vengeance Paid in Blood

Even though the Drones have struck a staggering blow
against the Pure Born government, the war is far from
over. Now on the defensive against more attacks from
their enemies, it’s never been more dangerous to be a
Drone or one of their allies. However, Toby and his
warlock mate, Blaine, have no choice but to leave the
safety of their clan and venture out into this hostile
world. If they are to be truly happy together, they must
get rid of the evil warlock who not only threatens their
happiness, but their lives. So they set out to find and
destroy this menace before it can come to them.

As they hit the road, they run into additional danger

and forge alliances in the most unlikely of places. Time
is running out, though and they soon find themselves in
a fight for their lives. Will Blaine and Toby be able to
eliminate this darkness that is endangering them or will
they be doomed to fail?

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entirely coincidental.

Vengeance Paid With Blood

ISBN: 978-1-55487-898-7

Cover art by Angela Waters

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Vengeance Paid With Blood

Drone Vampire Chronicles Thirteen

Stephani Hecht

Dedication

To all the brave kids out there, who face real life

repression every day of their lives. Hang on, because IT

DOES GET BETTER!

Chapter One

The fact that the Pure Born Vampire Regulation Force,
had lost numerous soldiers, plus most of their
headquarters in battle was a tough pill to swallow. But
when it came to light that the ones who’d defeated them
were lowly Drones, it became downright impossible to
comprehend.

Drones—the lowest of the low. The bottom of the

food chain. The inferior beings of their race.

How they managed to not only launch an attack

against their superiors, let alone come away the clear
victors, both shocked and intrigued Brand. A Pure Born
vampire who’d lived for over one hundred years, he’d
never witnessed such a colossal fuck up.

Shit, what a mess and he was the lucky bastard who

got to come to Michigan to clean it all up. Had he not
secretly been partially responsible for the end results, he
would have been pissed.

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While the attack occurred days ago, few parts of the

shattered building still smoldered. Their defeat was so
complete and devastating that most of the wounded had
yet to even be attended to, instead being left to suffer
while the few remaining survivors staggered around in
shock. The smells of blood, puss and waste mixed in
with the scents of burning rubber and plastic. All around
lay pieces of shattered equipment, broken glass, and
other debris. In places, huge sections of wall were
missing and Brand could see out into the cool night.

On either side of him were his two second-in-

commands, Antonia and Britannia. So loyal they’d
willingly die for him, they were the only ones who knew
what part Brand played in the attack. Brand planned on
keeping it that way, too, since many would consider his
action treason. Never mind the fact that Brand had done
it for the good of the VRF. Michigan had harbored a
disgrace, a blight to the entire Pure Born race and Brand
had simply seen to it that the embarrassment was taken
care of.

He gave an internal smile as a warm feeling of

success rushed through him. Yes! While it may have
been humiliating to lose to the Drones, at least they’d
done him a favor by killing Corbin, the former leader of

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the VRF. Actually they’d done more than just kill the
waste of space. Going by the fuzzy images from the
security cameras, the Drones had torn the Pure Born into
a million, tiny vampire pieces.

Brand walked through the charred space that stood in

the center of what had once been an opulent grand hall.
Now all that remained was the gouged and scarred
marble floor, three walls and one-half of a white pillar.
No big deal. Now that he was in charge, Brand planned
on making several changes. The second being rebuilding
the structure to his specifications. First though, he would
deal with the Drones. For while they’d done him a solid
favor by killing Corbin, Brand couldn’t let their
rebellion go unanswered.

It was time for the Drones to once more learn who

their masters were. Brand would bring them to heel or
kill them all for their disobedience. In truth, either
option was fine by him. After all, the thing that made
Drones who they were was that they were turned
vampires as opposed to a born one. So if he had to kill
all the existing Drones, then they could just make some
new ones. This time Brand would make sure the fresh
batch knew their place, too. Drones were to be servants,
to grovel at the feet of their betters and to do all the

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manual labor. They sure as hell weren’t supposed to
think for themselves or carry weapons and form a
rebellion.

The toe of Brand’s boot hit a pile of wounded. While

they may still technically be alive, the stillness of the
vampires let Brand know that they weren’t going to be
hanging around much longer. He let out a low hiss of
pleasure as he noted one body twitch. Even though the
soldier wore the crest marking him as Pure Born, which
meant they served on the same side, Brand felt no pity
for the vampire. He only held contempt for the creature.
The injured vampire lay on his back, his face mutilated
almost beyond recognition as he gazed up pleadingly
with his unruined eye.

Turning to one of his two female companions, Brand

ordered, “Dispose of this problem.”

Antonia gave a curt nod. Like Brand and the other

female, she had white blonde hair, alabaster skin and
icy, blue eyes. Also like him, she carried the ability to
completely shut off her emotions when the job called for
it. She calmly pulled a gun from her shoulder holster and
straddled the soldier’s body.

Small fires still dotted the ruins of the building, the

flames reflecting off her slick, black leather bodysuit

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and thigh-high boots. Some would call her beautiful,
others would label her as terrifying. Brand knew she was
both.

Her smile grew wider, revealing two perfectly

shaped white canines as she pulled the trigger. The
soldier’s body jerked once more before it grew still and
moved no more. Not sparing the corpse a second glance,
she slid the gun back into the holster before retaking her
place to his right.

The few surviving VRF staff and soldiers began to

trickle into the room. They all wore such haggard,
defeated expressions on their soot-streaked faces that
Brand was tempted to order Antonia to bring her gun
back out and start shooting. In the end, he held back
from issuing that order, but only because he needed the
disappointing failures to help him during his
reorganization efforts.

“The head council sent me the instant they learned of

the Drone attack,” he announced in a loud voice as he
flicked a cold glare over the destruction. “How a band of
rebels who were once humans managed to best born
vampires is a true testament to how lax the VRF in this
area has grown while under Corbin’s rule. Were he still
alive, I’d execute him myself for his failure.”

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A general stepped forward and quickly lowered his

gaze to the ground. “Sir, the Drones were allied with
some supernatural beings we never encountered before. I
don’t know what or who they were, but they were strong
and highly skilled warriors. We didn’t stand a chance
against them, especially since the Drones had their
Sunlight Grenades, too.”

Brand already had a sneaking suspicion of who the

strangers were, but he decided to keep that conclusion to
himself for the time being. He just sank into the one
remaining chair as he trained a hard glare on the general.

“I don’t care what kind of creatures allied themselves

with the filthy Drones. We won’t tolerate this kind of
rebellion anymore. It appears that the VRF government
has allowed the lesser vampires to believe that they can
actually be equal to us.”

He gazed over the survivors, making sure each one

of them felt his displeasure. “This will not be allowed to
happen again. I think that maybe it’s time we teach the
Drones what happens when they disobey their masters.
Starting today, I want the VRF to show no mercy. If a
Drone so much as looks in the wrong direction, I want
them rounded up and put into a paranormal prison. Plus,
if any of them take up arms against us, I want them

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immediately eliminated in the most painful way
possible. That means, I want to send soldiers into every
one of the clans who joined in this rebellion. I want
them completely liquidated. There will be no survivors.
Maybe then the other clans will think twice before they
decide to attack us.”

“So, do we start with the clan from Pontiac?” the

general asked.

While the temptation was great because they’d been

the ones who led the attack, the fact that they were allied
with the unidentified paranormals made Brand decide to
treat that clan with caution. At least for the moment.

“No, but there is no reason why we can’t attack the

clans bordering them. Let the Pontiac clan live in fear as
they see their fellow Drones being decimated.”

He shared a smile with Antonia and Britannia. He

could smell the excitement and eagerness rolling from
them. His mates loved bloodshed even more than he did.
By the time they were done, the Michigan Drones would
be begging for mercy.

* * * * *
Toby struggled to zip up his pants as he ran down the

main hallway of the Pontiac Drone dwelling. His
predicament wasn’t made any easier, thanks to the fact

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he’d somehow managed to put his boots on the wrong
feet and his shirt on backward.

A few snickers from the warlocks and vampires he

passed let him know that the rest of the population was
fully aware of his embarrassment. Great! With this
group of gossip gabbies, by midnight, every single
creature in the tri-state area would be aware that Toby
was late for yet another shift because he’d lost track of
time while sexing it up with his new mate.

He skidded around the corner and dashed into the

large room his Drone team worked out of.

Somebody must have planted a tracking device into

his ass or something because as soon as he burst in,
every vampire turned to look at him, as if they were just
waiting for him to make his embarrassing grand
entrance.

What’s worse, going by the knowing smirks on their

mugs, they were enjoying his predicament way too
much.

Toby glanced down at himself, letting out a groan as

he saw his appearance was even worse than he’d first
thought. His fly never had managed to get done, so his
pants hung down way too low on his hips. While his
goods didn’t flash all about, he did give a pretty decent

Vengeance Paid With Blood

show thanks to his bright green underwear. His
bootlaces were loose and dangling on the ground so
much, it was a miracle he hadn’t tripped during his mad
dash. And he felt pretty certain his hair stuck up in a few
places since Blaine loved to pull it when things got
really intense in bed.

Great! Nothing started a day better than looking like

a two-cent floozy on her way out of a job. He let out a
low curse and switched his shirt around so at least that
was right only to have his face heat further in
embarrassment when he glanced down at it. Not only
was his tee on backward, but it wasn’t even his. Instead
of the normal all black, his shirt had white and purple
letters that declared, Prince. Purple Rain.

Of course, his brother Micah had to comment on it.

“Hey, that’s my shirt.”

Toby shot Micah a duh glare. “Since you’re the only

one in the family who gets freaky over eighties music, I
kind of already figured that out.”

A bit thinner, Micah had the same dark brown hair

and deep blue eyes as Toby. Where they both tended to
be pretty easy going, Micah sometimes took it too far,
carrying his blasé attitude out into the field. A trait that
drove both Toby and Micah’s mate, Ozzie, crazy.

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“If you don’t like my music, then why are you

stealing my style?” Micah persisted.

“Mom must have accidentally mixed it in with my

clothes when she was doing our laundry. She’s been
going crazy trying to make sure she has all of mine and
Blaine’s stuff ready for our trip.”

Toby straightened up the rest of his clothing before

he took a seat in front of one of the many computers
lining the room. Since their team also made most of the
clan’s weapons, there were tools and other various
pieces of machinery mixed in with the mess, making for
a slightly chaotic work area. Okay, maybe it was more
than just slightly. It was so bad that most of the other
teams wouldn’t even venture inside their FEMA worthy
disaster.

“So, when are you and Blaine leaving? I though you

guys were supposed to take off the day after the battle?”
Jeremy, another team member, asked.

Where most of them had gained muscle mass and

battle skills after being turned, Jeremy was one of the
unfortunate few who stayed skinny and bumbling. With
sandy brown hair, gray eyes and a shy disposition,
Jeremy had the tendency to blend into the background.
The only reason he even spoke to Toby was because

Vengeance Paid With Blood

they were close since they used to be roomies. Normally
Jeremy didn’t talk to anybody.

“We had to put it off a few days because Blaine

needed to get some supplies,” Toby answered as he fired
up the computer.

Micah frowned as he sat down at the computer next

to Toby. “I still think it’s too dangerous.”

“We don’t have a choice. Since we know without a

doubt that dark warlock is coming after us, we have to
hunt him down first.”

“You should just wait for him to show up here. That

way you’ll have all of us to back you up.”

“That’s what Tarick will expect us to do. We believe

it’ll be better to take him by surprise.”

“Who’s Tarick and why is he so bad?” Jeremy asked.
“Tarick is a dark warlock who has an obsession with

Blaine,” Micah said.

There was a whole hell of a lot more to it than that,

but Micah thankfully left those details out. Toby sent
him a small smile of gratitude. He knew that the last
thing Blaine wanted was for everybody to know that at
one time he’d served as Tarick’s sex slave. True, Blaine
had been young, unwilling and only agreed to protect his
twin, Kale, but Blaine made it clear it wasn’t something

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he was proud of.

“It’s goes beyond just a normal obsession. Tarick

vowed that he’d kill anybody Blaine mated with,” Toby
revealed.

The group all shot him looks of shock. Jeremy

swallowed hard before saying, “I guess that explains
why Blaine resisted claiming you for so long.”

“Yes, but now that we’re together, I’m going to be

damned if I let one cranky warlock stand in our way,”
Toby growled.

“That’s it, this isn’t just any warlock. I’ve been

doing some research on Tarick and he is scary crazy,”
Micah butted in.

“What did you find out about him?” Jeremy asked.
“That he’s to be considered so evil that even the

Ninth were leery of him.”

Jeremy’s eyes grew wide at the mention of the worst

dark coven in history. “If they were afraid of him, then
he must be Satan or something even worse, like maybe
Sarah Palin.”

Toby snickered while Micah kept his lips pressed in

a tight line. Giving a sigh, Toby tried to put his brother
at ease, “Hey, it’s not like we’re going to be totally
alone out there. Kale and Ian are going with us.”

Vengeance Paid With Blood

Micah let out a low hiss of displeasure. “Is that

supposed to make me feel better? Ian is the last warlock
I would trust to have my back.”

“He’s not that bad….well, at least not usually. Or

maybe I should say that he’s at least trying to change his
ways.”

“Yeah, I could tell that when he bit that werejackal

yesterday in the cafeteria,” Micah drawled as he rolled
his eyes.

“Hey, with Ian that’s like a kiss hello,” Toby

countered.

“Okay, then how about last week when he blew up

one of the clan’s vehicles?”

“He apologized for that and promised never to do it

again,” Toby defended.

“Only because Ethan threatened to turn him into a

eunuch.”

“As much fun as this conversation is, we should

probably get to work.” Toby sighed, eager to change the
topic. While he knew Micah was only looking out for
him, it still grated on Toby when his younger brother
tried to rule his life.

“Yeah, we should get busy. Especially since this is

the third time in a row that you showed up late for your

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shift,” Jeremy goaded.

“It’s not my fault. I moved into Blaine’s room and

the warlock side of the building is further away,” Toby
argued.

Jeremy narrowed his gray eyes. “So, are you really

going to try and tell me that’s why you showed up late
and half dressed?”

Toby shot off a grin he knew was all wicked, yet

satisfied. “Okay, maybe part of the reason was because
Blaine decided to help me out in the shower.”

A small whimper escaped Jeremy’s slightly parted

lips. “Not fair. I would love to have a warlock of my
own.”

Off the top of his head, Toby could think of one

warlock in particular who would love to fill that role. He
decided to keep that opinion to himself. After constantly
having others butt into his life, he knew how annoying it
could get.

He put his headset on and began contacting all the

surrounding clans. One of his many jobs was to get
status updates from all the nearby Drone groups. As a
result, he’d become close with quite a few other
vampires and was on a first name basis with most of
them.

Vengeance Paid With Blood

He decided to start with the Clan Davison since he

loved to start his workday chatting with Debbie, head of
their communications. He hailed her, frowning when she
didn’t immediately reply, which struck him as odd since
Debbie never strayed far from her computer. He liked to
tease her that she probably took the thing to bed with
her.

“Davison, this is Clan Eric, please respond,” he tried

again.

Since Eric was the leader of their clan, they always

used his name when formally addressing themselves.
Most clans either went by the name of the city in which
they were located or the first name of the head of their
group.

Static met his ears for a few seconds before the

receiver let out a painful burst of noise. He jumped as he
pulled the earpiece slightly from his ear. An image came
over his screen. Blurry at first, it gradually took shape.
When he finally was able to make out what it showed,
his stomach convulsed in terror.

“Shit, get Eric,” he barked.
Clan Davison was under attack and, from the looks

of it, they weren’t playing for the winning team. While
the camera angle allowed for only a partial view, what

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Toby saw didn’t bode well for the vampires.

Bodies moved around the room, some running,

others looking as if they were being tossed around. The
few distinct vampires he could make out were either
dead or on their way to being deceased. Blood coated
the back wall and a smoky haze filled the room. Sound
began to come through, serving to add more horror to
the images. Screams, pleas for mercy, cries of agony—
they were all there and each one hit Toby like a blow.

After what seemed like hours, a familiar face filled

the screen. Plump, with a mane of wild red hair and big
green eyes, he instantly recognized it as his friend,
Debbie. Relief filled him until he caught the deathly
pallor of her skin.

“Deb, what’s going on?” he demanded.
“The fucking VRF is attacking. They didn’t even

give us an option of surrendering or let us evacuate our
young. The bastards just started bombing the hell out of
us. They’re inside the building now and shooting
anything that moves.”

She had to shout to be heard over the chaos around

her, but Toby still detected the tinge of hysteria in her
voice. At that moment, he realized that his friend
probably only had seconds to live and he never felt more

Vengeance Paid With Blood

helpless in his entire life.

“Did they at least say why they’re attacking? If your

clan really did something to tick off the VRF, they
should be arresting those responsible, not obliterating an
entire clan.”

“They didn’t say anything. They just showed up and

started killing us.” She let out a broken sob. “Toby, I’m
scared.”

He felt a sob of his own building up in his throat as

he reached out to touch the screen. The other members
of his team surrounded him, Micah placing a comforting
hand on his shoulder.

“It’s going to be okay, Deb. We’ll send out some of

our soldiers to help you.”

The thing was, it wasn’t going to be okay and they

all knew it. Deb still gave a wavering smile.

“Really?”
“Sure, and they’ll bring you back here. Just think,

we’ll finally get to meet in person.”

Tears coursed down her cheeks even as her smile

grew a bit wider. “I’d love that. I’ve always said that—”

A loud gunshot broke off whatever else she may

have said. Toby jumped as a crimson wave of blood
covered the camera lens. His fellow team members let

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out gasps of horror as Toby shook his head in denial.

“Deb? Deb? Deb, are you there? Come on, sweetie, I

need to hear your voice so I know you’re okay,” he
begged.

“Toby, she’s not there anymore,” Micah said in

soothing tones. “They killed her.”

Toby continued to shake his head. “No, that blood

isn’t hers. I’m sure it belongs to somebody else.”

Micah gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “We all

watched it happen. It’s hers.”

“No!” Toby tore off his headset as horror and

disbelief roared through him. “Why would they want to
murder her? Deb isn’t a soldier. She’s just a civilian
communications clerk. What in the fuck did she ever do
to the VRF?”

“She’s a Drone. That’s enough for them,” Micah

replied grimly.

With a roar, Toby threw his headset across the room.

“So what in the hell was the big battle we won for? It’s
only made the VRF mad and now they’re going to come
down harder on us than ever before.”

As if on cue, several of the other communication

stations came alive. All of them distress calls and all of
them from a different Drone clan. The vampires in the

Vengeance Paid With Blood

room all shared looks of horror. It appeared Toby’s
prediction was already coming true.

Stephani Hecht

Chapter Two

As soon as Blaine heard about the attacks on the other
Drone clans, he rushed off in search for his mate. Since
Toby was still relatively new to their world, having been
a vampire less than a year, Blaine knew the man would
be upset by the recent developments.

Blaine wasn’t surprised by the VRF’s actions. Since

they’d already ruled over the Drones with an iron hand
before, a direct attack wouldn’t be taken lightly. Even
before the battle, Blaine knew what the repercussions
would be to the Drones. He just hadn’t expected it to
happen this quickly.

He went into the workroom, his gaze scanning the

mess in search of his mate. When he saw Toby standing
in the middle of the room, his shoulders stooped in grief
while tears filled his blue eyes, Blaine’s chest tightened

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painfully.

Toby ran over to him and threw himself at Blaine.

Thanks to the vampire’s muscular build, he almost
knocked both of them on their asses, but Blaine didn’t
complain. He merely wrapped his arms around Toby and
held on tight.

“They killed Debbie. I watched her die,” Toby

rasped.

“I’m sorry, babe, I know how much you liked her.”
“She was my friend and they killed her just because

she was a Drone. She didn’t have a gun on her or
anything. Hell, her clan didn’t even participate in the
attack on the VRF headquarters. Yet the Pure Borns still
went in and liquidated an entire dwelling of Drones.
Why?”

“Same reason as always. They hate us for being

former humans,” Micah spat out angrily.

The normally carefree vampire had a dark, haunted

look in his eyes. Going by what Blaine had heard about
the treatment Micah received from the Pure Borns, he
didn’t blame the guy for being a tad bitter. Extended
periods of torture, followed by forced transformation
had a way of doing that to people.

“We all knew this would be coming,” Blaine said

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gently. “Winning the battle was just our first step in a
long, hard war.”

“I know, I just thought that since Corbin had been

killed, things would get maybe a little better for a
while,” Toby mumbled.

“I’m starting to think that maybe it was too easy to

kill Corbin,” Blaine ventured.

Toby glanced up, confusion playing over his eyes.

“What do you mean?”

Before Blaine could answer, Eric, the clan leader,

walked in. Tall, with buzzed blond hair and piercing
blue eyes, he looked like he’d walked out of a human
made military movie. Which really wasn’t a far stretch
since Eric had served in the armed forces when he’d still
been human. He now used the battle skills he learned
from that time to lead and train his clan members. He
also happened to be Toby’s brother-in-law since he’d
recently married Toby’s sister.

Following him was Ethan, the coven leader. Not only

was Ethan young to be the ruler of a coven, but he also
happened to be half-vampire, both of which would have
put a death sentence on his head a few years ago. It was
only due to the great respect and love of his magics that
Ethan had been able to not only take over his coven, but

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rule it efficiently.

Ethan smiled, the gesture making him look more

boyish. Add in his sunny, blond hair and boy band looks
and one could almost forget that the warlock was so
powerful he’d singlehandedly taken out almost the entire
Ninth coven.

“What’s going on?” Eric demanded, getting straight

to business.

As Toby gave a detailed report of the incident,

Blaine watched the rest of the team field all the
incoming distress calls.

“How many clans are currently under attack?” Eric

asked.

“Last count was eight. We lost contact with four of

them though, so we don’t know what’s currently going
on with them,” Micah replied.

They stared at the leaders, waiting for orders.

Although Blaine didn’t know what they possibly could
do. By the time they rounded up soldiers and drove to
the other clans, all the damage would be done.

“There’s some werewolf packs in the vicinity of five

of the clans, do you think they’d be willing to go do
some recon for us? See if they could help any
survivors?” Jeremy suggested.

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Toby gave a slow shake of his head. “I don’t think

that’s going to fly.”

“Why not?”
“The last time I tried hailing one of the wolf packs,

they sent a death threat my way. Not only did they do it
verbally, but they sent me a dead cat via UPS.”

Jeremy blanched. “They actually sent an animal

carcass?”

“Well, it really was just a stuffed Garfield doll, but

since they drew some fangs on it, the threat was still
clear.”

“They dissed Garfield? That’s so wrong,” Micah

chimed in.

“That’s okay, I sent them back a decapitated Odie

toy to get them back,” Blaine cut in, although his heart
wasn’t really in it. It was hard to joke around when the
cries from the besieged Drones still crackled through the
room.

The transmissions went on for a while before they

slowly, one-by-one grew ominously silent. Blaine put an
arm around Toby in an effort to calm the vampire. When
Toby sank into the embrace, Blaine’s heart broke just a
bit. Toby was very proud and for him to be showing the
need for comfort in front of others proved how upset he

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truly was.

After what seemed like hours, Ethan finally spoke

up, “I could contact some of the neutral covens nearby
and see if any of them could do some recon for us.”

“But most of those covens practice dark magic,”

Blaine pointed out, a bit taken aback that, after
everything that had gone down in the past, Ethan would
trust dark magics with any task.

Although in truth, the suggestion didn’t totally

surprise him. Ethan had a habit of using unconventional
means to gets things done. It’s what made him a great
leader. It was also why many outside of the coven feared
him. Which was fine with Blaine because that meant
many potential dangerous enemies gave their coven
members a wide berth. Nobody wanted to piss Ethan off.

“I don’t care if their battery toting, pink bunnies so

long as they get us some damn answers,” Ethan replied.

“Gotcha, you should probably ask Ian for help then. I

think he still has contacts in that world,” Blaine
suggested.

“I don’t think, I know he does. You have a good

point though. He may finally be useful for something
other than blowing up demons and scaring away skunk
apes,” Ethan quipped.

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“Do you want me to talk to him or are you going to

handle it?”

Blaine prayed that Ethan would just deal with Ian. It

was already bad enough that the grumpy warlock would
be coming along on the trip. Blaine didn’t want to have
to start dealing with the jerk’s attitude a day early.

“I’ll do it. He actually sometimes listens to me now,”

Ethan offered.

Blaine let out a sigh of relief that didn’t go

unnoticed, judging by the small smirk on Micah’s face.
Blaine gave a half-shrug in return. He and Ian never got
along, so why pretend he liked the guy just because they
were going roadtripping together?

Eric studied Toby carefully, the leader’s eyes

narrowing in concern. Blaine glanced down, his gut
clenching when he noted the sickly pallor of his mate’s
skin.

“Toby, go back to your room and get some rest. We

can cover your station tonight,” Eric offered.

When Toby looked as if he was getting ready to

protest, Blaine interrupted, “That sounds like a great
idea. I’ll take him there right now.”

Blaine grabbed Toby by the hand and led him back

to their room. News of the attack must have already

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spread because the mood in the entire building seemed
bleak and restrained, almost taking on a funeral home
vibe. There were even a few soft sobs here and there.

Once they got back to their room, Blaine closed the

door, shutting them off from the rest of the world. Toby
wandered over to their bed and sank down on the
mattress. He remained silent, his gaze directed at the
floor.

The quiet bothered Blaine, but he didn’t push.

Instead, he walked around their small, closet-sized
room, lighting some candles. Most of them were infused
with herbs and oils that held calming agents in them.
Blaine burned some sage for good measure to ward
away any remaining negative energy. Once that was
complete, he crawled into bed.

Tugging on the back of Toby’s shirt, Blaine urged

his mate to lie down. Once they were prone, he pulled
Toby to his chest and spooned him.

“Why did the fuckers have to kill Debbie like that?

They gunned her down like she was some animal or
something. They didn’t even give her a chance to fight
back,” Toby rasped.

Blaine gave him a tight squeeze. “That’s what the

VRF does best, killing innocents.”

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“Do you think they’ll attack our clan next?”
After mulling that question over a while, Blaine

finally said, “No, at least not right away. They’re too
scared of us at the moment.”

“That didn’t stop them from attacking our first home

in Detroit.”

“That was nearly a year ago. A lot has happened

since then. We have more sunlight weapons at our
disposal, plus we’ve made some pretty strong alliances.”

“I guess you have a point. Do you think they’ve

figured out it was angels who helped us in the battle?”

“I’m sure one or two of them suspect. At least the

high ranking ones do,” Blaine replied as he idly played
with Toby’s fingers.

He buried his nose in Toby’s hair, closing his eyes in

bliss as he drank in the sweet, yet musky scent that he’d
come to associate with his mate.

His mate.
Those two words still felt so new, yet so right to

Blaine. After denying himself even so much as the hope
that they’d be together, Blaine continued to be in awe of
his good fortune.

“What are you thinking about?” Toby asked.
Eager to get Toby’s mind on a less grim topic,

Vengeance Paid With Blood

Blaine readily confessed, “About how we almost didn’t
end up together because I was such an idiot.”

Toby’s soft chuckles filled the room, bringing a

smile to Blaine’s face.

“You were an idiot,” Toby agreed way too quickly

for Blaine’s liking.

“Don’t hold back, tell me how you really feel.”

Blaine pressed a soft kiss to Toby’s temple to show that
he didn’t really take offense to the words.

“Just think of all that wasted time when we could

have been together,” Toby added.

“I was trying to protect you.”
Toby turned his head slightly and rolled his eyes.

“Current meltdown aside, I’m a tough guy. In case you
haven’t noticed, I’m pretty capable of handling myself
in battle.”

True, there weren’t many that could take Toby on

physically, but Tarick wasn’t any paranormal. Blaine
had seen the guy do things that could give Ed Gein
nightmares.

“It’s only natural for me to want to protect my mate.

You would be the same way if our situations were
reversed,” Blaine reasoned.

Toby thought that one over for a moment before he

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gave a slow nod. “I guess you have a point. If anyone
ever tried to hurt you, I know I would get homicidal.”

A crooked smile crossed Toby’s lips. “I guess that

makes me what I never wanted to be—a monster.”

Blaine gave him a quick, hard kiss. “Never! You’ve

just had to adapt to a new, violent, scary world. If you
ask me, I think you’ve done a wonderful job of
adjusting.”

“Does it ever get any easier? Losing friends in

battle?”

Damn, how Blaine wanted to lie about that answer,

but Toby deserved better than that. So in the end, Blaine
admitted, “No, it doesn’t. It hurts every fucking time.”

“The VRF isn’t going to be happy until we’re all

dead, are they?”

Blaine silently cursed as he had to field yet another

no-win heartbreaking question. “I think the only thing
winning that battle did was piss them off and give them
the excuse they’ve been looking for to finally liquidate
every one of us. Just like I think that somebody high up
wanted us to kill Corbin. While I wasn’t there when he
died, I saw the surveillance video. He was left alone and
vulnerable to attack.”

Toby scrunched up his nose. “Now that you mention

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it, there weren’t any Pure Born guards or soldiers there.
It was just Corbin in his office. He didn’t even have any
weapons on him. Shit, do you think we may have
inadvertently done the VRF’s dirty work by offing that
bastard?”

“Don’t get me wrong, Corbin deserved to die for all

the crimes he did. I especially feel that way because of
how he tortured and nearly killed Nolan. I just think that
the VRF wanted him dead even more than we did.”

A shiver went through Toby’s body as he snuggled

deeper into Blaine’s arms. “This isn’t going to be a
pretty war, is it?”

“I’ve never seen one, human or paranormal, that

was. The battle was just the first step and we’re going to
suffer through a whole lot more losses.”

Blaine prayed to the goddess that he could somehow

manage to make sure all his loved ones made it through
alive. Most of all, he worried about his mate. While it
was true that Toby was a damn good soldier, that didn’t
mean he was invincible.

“I love you more than anything in this world. You

know that, right?” Blaine asked.

Toby let out a soft humming sound as he wiggled in

tighter. “Yeah, I know and I love you, too. Even though

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you can be stubborn as hell sometimes.”

They were silent for a few moments before Toby

asked, “You want to hear something weird? When we
leave tomorrow, I’m actually going to miss this place.
How crazy is that? Just a few months ago, I hated this
building and everybody associated with it and now I’m
getting sappy thinking about leaving them behind.”

“You were still a human when you first came here

and just learning about this world. Plus, you’d just lost
everything from your old life, thanks to the VRF and the
paranormal world. It’s only natural that you felt some
fear and resentment.”

“Now, I know it was the best thing that ever

happened to me. If it hadn’t been for vampires and
magics, I never would have met you,” Toby replied.

Blaine’s stomach clenched at the thought of never

having met Toby. Now that he’d claimed his mate,
Blaine couldn’t fathom living without his vampire. “And
now that we’re together, nothing is ever going to tear us
apart.”

“I’m going to hold you to that promise.”
Blaine went in for a deep, hot kiss. He put all his

love and fears into it, his tongue sliding out to taste his
mate. Toby wiggled around so they were fully facing

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each other. Gazing up with passion-infused eyes, Toby
whispered, “Make love to me. Show me that there’s at
least a little bit of good in this world.”

“Okay, but only if you promise to feed from me

afterward.”

Until recently, Toby’s phobia of blood made it so the

vampire didn’t eat nearly enough. Things were better
now because Toby learned that his fear didn’t carry over
when he drank from Blaine. That still didn’t mean
Blaine stopped worrying about his mate. So he made
sure that Toby fed at least once a day.

As soon as he saw Toby’s fangs drop, Blaine knew

his concession was readily agreed to. Toby even went so
far as to run his tongue over one sharp incisor, a low
moan rumbling from his chest.

“Feeding and fucking are my two favorite things to

do with you,” Toby crooned.

Blaine went in for another kiss, this time he took the

time to slowly stroke and tongue Toby’s fangs, since it
was a well-known fact that they were an erogenous zone
on a vampire. Sure enough, Toby let out a hiss, his body
arching into Blaine’s.

Blaine rolled them over until he was on top. Then he

pulled away, but it was only so they could slowly peel

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off their clothes. Given their current position, things
were a bit awkward, but they managed and soon Blaine
had all of Toby’s bare skin at his disposal.

He slowly ran the palms of his hands down Toby’s

chest, stopping long enough to lightly pinch his nipples.
Toby let out a strangled cry as he bit his bottom lip so
hard his fangs cut into the delicate flesh.

“You’re so gorgeous,” Blaine praised as he wrapped

his fingers around Toby’s thick cock.

“You…too…” Toby stammered as he thrust up into

Blaine’s fist.

Blaine swiped his thumb over the top, gathering up a

few drops of precum, then brought his hand to his mouth
and licked it clean. “You taste good, too.”

Toby’s tongue darted out to lick away the droplets of

his own blood lingering on his lip. The move looked so
wanton, so sexy, so taboo that Blaine’s dick gave a
happy little jerk. He knew then that if he wasn’t buried
balls deep into Toby within the next couple of minutes,
he would shoot off just when things were getting good.

Stretching to the side, Blaine grabbed a vial of

essential oil from the top of the nightstand. Opening the
cork, he breathed in the deep floral scent that filled the
room. Pouring a generous amount of it into his hand,

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Blaine slicked his fingers up so much that he nearly
dropped the bottle when he went to put it up.

Toby gazed up, his eyes so full of passion they

appeared to be black. “Please, hurry and stretch me out.
I need your cock in me now.”

“Easy,” Blaine soothed as he carefully slid one

finger inside Toby’s ass. “We have all night.”

“And I plan on you fucking me several times, too. I

just need you to take me hard and fast now, so the edge
is off,” Toby complained.

While Blaine had half a mind to give into Toby’s

demands, another part of him loved torturing his
vampire. So Blaine continued to take it slow, adding a
second finger then a third.

By that point, Toby ceased begging, instead letting

out soft whimpers and cries of pleasure. So Blaine
decided to reward his good behavior. Taking his fingers
out, Blaine used the remaining oil on his fingers to coat
his cock. He then lined the tip up to Toby’s hole.

“Mine,” Blaine growled as he thrust all the way

inside.

Toby yelled his pleasure as he wrapped his legs

around Blaine’s waist. At the same time, he curled his
arms around Blaine’s shoulders and pulled him in tight.

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Reveling in the close contact, Blaine began to make

love to Toby with quick, fast thrusts. After a few
moments, Blaine felt it. The gentle probing of Toby’s
tongue against Blaine’s mating mark. Need rippled
down Blaine’s spine at the thought of Toby sinking
those sweet fangs into his neck.

“Yes, baby. Do it. Bite me,” Blaine urged as he tilted

his head to the side.

That seemed to be the only invitation Toby needed.

He bared his fangs, gave a soft hiss, then struck. Blaine
cried out as pain mixed with ball-numbing bliss. Then
he felt Toby’s lips working against him as he sucked in
blood, and Blaine lost it. Roaring, he threw back his
head as a hard orgasm slammed into him.

Toby let out a muffled whimper as his body jerked

right before hot cum splashed between them, covering
their stomachs. Blaine continued to thrust, even after
every drop of semen was wrenched from his body. It
wasn’t until Toby gave a shuddering sigh and extracted
his fangs that Blaine pulled out.

Blaine kept still until Toby licked the bite marks

closed. After that task was complete, Blaine got up and
padded to the bathroom for a towel. Coming back, he
cleaned both of them up before climbing into bed again

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and pulling Toby into his arms.

After pressing a soft kiss to Toby’s temple, Blaine

ordered, “Get some sleep. I have a feeling we’re going
to need to be as fresh as possible for the trip.”

Toby nodded and within minutes, his breaths evened

out, showing he’d slipped off. Blaine stayed awake
much longer, his mind too filled with worry to rest. Try
as he might, he couldn’t shake the bad feeling that
something major was going to go down during the trip
and it wouldn’t be good for the Drones or their magic
allies.

Stephani Hecht

Chapter Three

Toby shoved his bags into the back of the Hummer and
slammed the door shut. The noise echoed through the
empty parking garage. Since the sun just set, most
everybody else was just getting up, so he currently was
the only one moving about the dwelling. He knew it was
only a matter of time before the place was hopping
though and he wanted to have the car loaded by then.

“You know, I never got why you vampires get such

hard-ons over those big vehicles,” Ian drawled as he
came over.

Okay, so maybe Toby wasn’t the only one up after

all, but he now found himself wishing he was. It was too
damn early to have to deal with the warlock. Ian looked
more full of attitude than normal, too. That ever-present
smirk more pronounced than usual.

Vengeance Paid With Blood

He didn’t wear the typical green and black leather

uniform from his coven, opting instead for a pair of
worn jeans and faded red tee. That didn’t make him any
more approachable because his dark eyes, short black
hair, muscular build and cocky attitude still gave him a
whole badass vibe.

Ian ran a hand over the Hummer. “Seriously, Fangs.

These things are downright unhealthy for the earth.”

Toby snorted. “Since when do you care about the

planet or anybody else other than yourself for the
matter?”

“That’s not fair at all, Sparkles. I care about many

things. Just the other day, I gave a hundred bucks to the
SPCA.”

“You donated money to stop animal cruelty?”
Ian shrugged. “What can I say, Sarah McLachlan’s

commercial moved me so much, I was powerless to
resist.”

Toby opened his mouth to call bullshit on that claim

only to have another thought pull him up short. “Did you
just call me Sparkles?”

“Of course, I did. Isn’t that what all vampires do in

direct sunlight—twinkle?” Ian asked with a goofy grin
that looked foreign on his normally steely visage.

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“Are you going to be this much of an ass the entire

time we’re on the trip?” Toby demanded.

Damn it, his head already pounded and they hadn’t

even finished loading up the vehicle yet. Toby figured it
would take a day tops before he felt downright
homicidal toward Ian.

“Given past history, it’s a pretty safe bet that I’ll be

annoying the whole mission,” Ian replied blandly, his
face expressionless.

“Then why don’t you try to be different for once and

actually be nice?”

“What fun would that be? Besides, thanks to the

Wonder Twins, the Hummer is already going to
overfilling with gee-golly-willikers goodness.”

As if answering some cue, Blaine and Kale came

into the garage. Ian pasted on a fake grin. “And what do
you know, here come the little angels right now.”

Kale and Blaine glared in response, but as usual, it

didn’t seem to bother Ian in the least. If anything, Toby
could have sworn it only seemed to encourage the
warlock further.

As always, when he stared at his mate, a warm

feeling filled Toby’s chest. Just the way his dark hair
curled slightly at the collar or the way his dark-eyed

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gaze could look intimidating, yet caring at the same time
never failed to set Toby’s bells off.

God, he’s so perfect, so hot and he’s all mine! Who

would have thunk it?

“Remind me again why we have to take this asshat

with us?” Kale snapped as he nodded in Ian’s direction.

Ian cocked his head to the side. “Because said asshat

is your only chance at finding this dark warlock.”

“I think you’re overestimating your value. We could

find him just as easy as you can,” Kale scoffed.

“No you couldn’t,” Ian shot back with a calm

certainty.

“Why? Because we’re not big and evil like you? You

seem to forget that we lived with the Ninth for a while,
too,” Kale argued as he took a step closer to Ian.

“Ah, but unlike you two Polly Annas, I actually was

a good student when I studied under them,” Ian
countered as he, too, took a step forward.

By now they were only inches apart, their angry

faces so close they could have kissed. Toby shared a
shocked expression with Blaine. Usually Kale was
considered the more mild and easygoing of the twins, so
his attitude toward Ian was totally unexpected.

“Why should we even trust you?” Kale challenged.

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“For all we know you could be leading us into some
kind of trap so you can backstab us.”

“Leading you into some kind of trap? Who even uses

that phrase in real life? You must be reading too many
comic books.” Ian made a tsking noise. “I would have
expected more from you, Mary Sue. That kind of
behavior is so…well, human.”

“Do you have something against humans?” Toby

asked.

Anger surged through him. Not only had he been

human just a year ago, but his mother still was one. He’d
be damned if he’d sit by and listen to some two-bit Chris
Angel wannabe trash her.

Ian rolled his eyes. Something he did so frequently it

was a miracle he didn’t get permanent vision damage.
Besides his mouth, they were probably his most used
body part.

“No, I happen to think that they serve many good

purposes. Like say for target practice or werewolf bait.”

“God, you really are an asshole, aren’t you?” Toby

breathed.

“That’s what everybody says, so why let them down

by acting any differently?”

“I don’t know, maybe because you’re sick of being

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hated so much?”

That earned him Ian’s undivided attention and not in

a good way. The warlock pinned him with a look so
cold, yet so hot with fury that Toby’s heart raced. Blaine
reached out and placed a protective hand on Toby’s
shoulder, showing he felt the threat, too.

“I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to…” Toby stammered.
Without another word, Ian spun on his heel and

opened the back of the Hummer. They all flinched when
he slammed the door with a hard bang.

“Crap, I didn’t mean to piss him off before we even

hit the road,” Toby said helplessly.

Blaine gave him a one-armed hug. “I wouldn’t feel

too bad. Ian goes through life pissed at the world.”

“Once again I ask, why are we letting him go with

us?” Kale demanded.

“Because while he may be a bastard, Ian does have a

point. He’s our best chance for finding and defeating
Tarick,” Blaine replied grimly.

They finished packing the rest of the equipment. In

addition to their bags, they were also taking along
various weapons, including a box of Sunlight Grenades.
As always, Toby felt a heavy dose of trepidation even
being near the weapons, despite the fact he’d used them

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numerous times out in the field. Just the idea of handling
something that could instantly fry him to a crispy critter
skeeved him out.

“Here, let me,” Kale offered, rushing forward to take

the box. “You look a little nervous about handling these
babies.”

“You would be, too, if they could kill you in under a

second,” Toby groused as he gratefully handed over the
rectangular-shaped box.

“Yeah, I’d rather deal with that than having to deal

with Ian.”

“You really don’t like him, do you?”
Kale cocked one dark brow. “And you do?”
“No, but you seem to especially despise the guy.”
“Let’s just say that Ian has a way of running his

mouth off too much. We had a bit of an argument a few
days back and I’m still stinging over it.”

Toby blinked in surprise. He hadn’t realized that Ian

and Kale spoke at all, let alone enough to have a fight.
“What did you guys argue about?”

Something that looked suspiciously like guilt crossed

Kale’s face, before he schooled his features. “Just stuff,
nothing of real interest.”

Somehow Toby doubted that, but he decided to keep

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that opinion to himself. Instead, he tossed in one last bag
before Kale carefully loaded in the grenades. They all
got into the vehicle. Blaine took the wheel, while Toby
climbed into the passenger seat. Ian slouched in the
backseat, his eyes closed, looking like the town drunk
sleeping off a bender. Kale tossed him a look of utter
disgust as he slid in next to him.

“So, where do we go first?” Toby asked.
While they’d discussed the mission several times

over the past days, they still hadn’t ironed out an exact
plan of action.

“We’re going to Embers,” Ian spoke up, his eyes still

closed.

Toby had no clue what Embers was, but going by the

opened mouth looks of shock on Blaine and Kale’s
faces, it must not have been a good place.

“What’s Embers?” he asked nervously.
“One of Detroit’s most notorious dark magic bars,”

Blaine replied tightly.

“If it’s so popular, then how come I never heard

about it when the clan still lived in that city?”

“They were smaller back then. Most dark magics

fear Ethan, so they don’t like to call attention to
themselves when he’s around,” Blaine said.

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Ian finally opened his eyes. He gave that annoying

smirk of his. “But now that Ethan’s gone, all the mice
have come out to play.”

“Is it going to be dangerous?” Toby asked, wincing

as he realized how naïve that question sounded.

Shockingly, Ian didn’t scoff at him, instead, he gave

a thoughtful nod. “Yes, even more so for you because
you’re a vampire. While several dark covens have
aligned with the VRF, that doesn’t mean that they like
fangsters. Most of them won’t hesitate to kill a vampire
on first sight.”

“And how about you? What do you think about

vampires?” Toby challenged.

“Until a few months ago I couldn’t stand them. That

all changed when my brother fell in love with one. Now
I would die to protect Donavan’s mate.”

Toby shook his head. “That’s a copout answer, since

it just tells me how you feel about one vampire. What do
you think about all of us in general?”

Ian’s face grew impassive as he stared at Toby.

Finally the warlock let out a put-upon sigh. “Okay, I’ll
admit. It doesn’t exactly stink living here in Pontiac with
you guys. A few of you even manage to amuse me
sometimes.” He then closed his eyes, effectively ending

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the conversation.

Toby shared a stunned expression with Blaine, while

Kale scooted away some. As if he worried that Ian
suffered from some warlock version of Mad Cow
disease and it was catching.

Toby realized there was a lot more to the warlock

than any of them thought. Maybe Ian wasn’t as bad as
everybody thought. Or at the very least, maybe he had
reasons behind some of his actions.

Stephani Hecht

Chapter Four

If Toby learned anything in his brief time as a vampire,
it was to always expect the unexpected when it came to
the paranormal. So when they arrived at Embers, he
shouldn’t have been shocked by what they found, yet
damned if he wasn’t.

When he imagined what a magic hangout would look

like, he had visuals of a seedy bar with a lot of shady
characters lurking about. Maybe even a few black cats
slinking around or a cauldron or two. He sure as hell
never dreamed that Embers would come off more like
some swanky high-end nightclub that looked like it
should have Hollywood celebrities hanging out there.

Toby realized he really shouldn’t have expected

cauldrons and stuff. Since he was mated to a warlock, he
full well knew that most magics didn’t lug that junk

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around. At least not for everyday spells and stuff. Toby
had seen them use some of the expected props in the
past, but it usually only came out when they needed to
work some heavy magic.

The whole interior was done up in black and silver

tones, from the plush booths, the glossy tables, the rich
carpet and the long bar in the back. Jennifer Lopez’s On
the Floor played, but not loud enough to make it so they
had to shout to be heard. And there were even rows of
expensive liquor lined up behind the bar.

Not everything was completely unparanormal

though. Toby took in a deep breath, the familiar scents
of spices and essential oils filling his senses. He’d long
ago begun associating that smell to magics. This time it
carried something else—something dark and sinister.

Numerous magics milled around. While some wore

leather and hoods, just as many wore high-end designer
clothes. Most of them didn’t pay their group any mind,
although a few did shoot murderous glares in Toby’s
direction.

“Why do I get the feeling they won’t be forming a

fan club in my honor?” Toby joked.

A particularly muscular, squat witch walked by, her

red painted lips curling up into a menacing hiss. Toby

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started to return it until Ian introduced a sharp elbow to
his ribs. Toby grunted in pain, then scowled as he
discreetly rubbed the injured area.

“I was only trying to let her know that I didn’t

appreciate her welcome,” Toby protested.

“She’s a seventh level witch,” Ian snapped.
“What does that mean?
“That she could blow you to smithereens with just a

flick of her fleshy wrist.”

A jolt of shock shot through Toby as he studied the

witch’s departing back. Sure, she looked like she could
handle herself in a dark alley, but she didn’t look that
threatening.

“Ethan doesn’t look like much either, yet I can’t

think of any creature alive who could take him on,” Ian
replied, as if reading Toby’s mind.

“Sometimes the smallest individuals carry the

strongest magic,” Blaine added and he put a hand on
Toby’s shoulder.

“I still don’t understand what seventh level means?

I’ve never heard the magics in our dwelling use that type
of specification before.”

“That’s because it’s only a dark magic thing,” Kale

explained.

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“So, did the Ninth ever assign you a level when you

lived with them?”

“Lived with?” Ian gave a surprisingly bitter laugh.

“Don’t sugarcoat it. We were their personal property,
their bitches. Not any of us wanted to be there, but we
weren’t given the choice. Kale, Blaine and Ethan were
fostered there for training. Me, Lachlan and Donavan
were forced into servitude when the Ninth took over our
childhood coven. It wasn’t a basket of laughs living with
them either, I’d slit my own throat before I ever went
back.”

Okay, so maybe Ian did have some issues other than

being an asshat. Call Toby crazy, but he didn’t think the
warlock was emotionally healed from his time with the
evil coven. It didn’t help that Ian, Lachlan and Donavan
had spent several years in a paranormal prison in
addition to all that. So maybe they should be happy that
Ian hadn’t turned out much worse

“Okay, did the rat-ass bastards who destroyed your

life ever assign a level to you?” Toby tried again.

He knew his new approach had worked when Ian

flashed him an approving grin. “Yeah, I made it to
twelve. Your mate and his twin only managed to earn
their sixth level.”

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Kale threw his hands up is disgust. “And we’re

supposed to be ashamed of that fact?”

“You should always give every challenge in your life

one hundred percent of your effort,” Ian quipped.

“Who are you, my father?” Kale demanded.
“So all the dark covens use the same system?” Toby

interrupted in hopes of avoiding another argument
between the pair. If they didn’t hate each other so much,
Toby would have sworn they were in love for all the
attention they gave each other.

“The Ninth started the tradition and the other baddie

covens followed suit.” Ian gave a mock scoff. “Those
little copycats.”

“Nobody ever accused dark magics of being

original,” Blaine said.

“That’s true. Just take a look at this place. It looks

almost exactly like a few of the human night clubs I’ve
been to,” Ian agreed.

Despite the dangerous mission they were currently

on, Toby smiled. “You go to human night clubs?”

Ian surprised him even further by blushing a bit.

“Sometimes I just like to get away from everything and
clear my head. I’ve found that loud music and dancing is
the best way for me to do that.”

Vengeance Paid With Blood

Toby waited for a punchline or sarcastic zinger, but

it never came. Instead, Ian took one step forward and
slowly scanned the bar as if looking for something. He
must have found whatever it was because he gave a
satisfied smile, then ordered, “Follow me and let me do
all the talking.”

They trailed after him, winding their way through the

crush of bodies. The entire time, Blaine kept his hand on
Toby’s shoulder. Toby realized his mate was
proclaiming his ownership. Damn if that thought didn’t
go straight to Toby’s cock, too. Just the idea of Blaine
claiming all mine had Toby nearly whimpering in desire.

His arousal must have been clear because both Kale

and Ian rolled their eyes.

“Damn it, don’t you two ever give it a rest?” Kale

demanded.

“Yes, guys. Kale gets cranky when you get all horny

on him. It makes him realize everything that he’s
missing out on,” Ian drawled as his mouth curled up into
a snide smile.

“Yeah, I don’t see you sharing the mattress with

anybody special either,” Kale shot back, his eyes
flashing with anger.

“That’s because there’s only one person I’m

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interested in, but he doesn’t realize it yet.”

This time Toby didn’t bother trying to hide his

shock. “You’re actually attracted to somebody? Who?”

“It’s somebody from home and no—I’m not telling

you who it is.”

“Do they like you back?”
Ian gave a brittle laugh. “No, he hates me just like

everyone else does.”

“Oh,” Toby mumbled, his heart going out to the

warlock. “Not everybody hates you. I don’t.”

Whatever scathing response Ian may have had for

that was forgotten as they approached a booth set in the
far corner. Sitting in the center of the black, horseshoe-
shaped seat was a female. With long, glossy raven hair
and sharply cut bangs over her bright green eyes, she
was the image of beauty. A fact further attested to by the
numerous gorgeous men who flanked her at the booth.

She wore a black leather bodysuit that looked as if

it’d been spray painted onto her voluptuous body. The
top of it was sleeveless, the dark color setting off her
creamy shoulders to perfection, which was why she
probably picked the outfit in the first place. The fact that
her boobs nearly spilled out of the front was probably
just an added bonus to her.

Vengeance Paid With Blood

“Ah…Ian, you’ve finally come out to play with us,”

she crooned, a tight smile coming over her brightly
painted red lips.

She stretched out an arm over the table and Ian took

it, bending over to give the back of her hand a brief kiss.
“Davenport, you’re looking stunning as always.”

She grinned further, showing off a row of evenly

spaced razor sharp teeth. An unwanted gasp slipped past
Toby’s lips. He felt a heat come over his face that
quickly spread when she turned and pinned a glare on
him.

“What? Hasn’t the Fledgling ever seen somebody

who’s half-empusa before?”

“You’re an empusa?” Toby stammered.
The empusa he heard about were mean and

bloodthirsty. They sure as hell didn’t look anything like
the female in front of him.

“You act surprised,” she surmised with an arched

brow.

“I’m sorry, it’s just you’re so beautiful.” He tensed,

worried that he’d managed to stuff his foot further into
his pie-hole.

A genuine smile spread over her face. “Oh, Ian. I

like your fang-boy.”

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“He’s not Ian’s,” Blaine growled as he tightened his

grip on Toby’s shoulder.

Davenport seemed to notice the twins for the first

time. “Oh wow, look at that. We have our own Mary
Kate and Ashley.”

Great, just what they needed, another smartass. No

wonder she and Ian were such great friends, they spoke
the same language. Since Ian held Davenport’s attention,
Toby allowed his gaze to shift to her boy-toys. While
they all looked to be warlocks, Toby felt certain his
group could take them if it came down to a fight. The
men all had a polished, pampered feel about them. He’d
be willing to bet that most of them were just little evil
trust fund babies who’d never gotten into a real fight in
their lives.

“So, what does Ian want with me today?” Davenport

all but purred.

“We need to know if you’ve heard anything about a

warlock named Tarick.”

She pulled back, her gaze flickering with alarm

before a low growl rumbled in her throat. “That one is
bad news. Even you don’t want to mess with him.”

“Now, now, Davenport, when have I ever backed

away from a good fight? Besides, I remember Tarick

Vengeance Paid With Blood

from my time with the Ninth. So I know what a dick he
can be. Just like I remember how he loves to play dirty.
Lucky for me, I fight even dirtier.”

Toby’s mouth parted in outrage. How was it that Ian

had failed to mention the fact that he already knew
Tarick? Ian tilted his head to the side and traced a very
faint scar running vertically along his throat.

“Besides, I owe Tarick some payback for giving me

this as a going away present when the Ninth shipped me
off to that paranormal prison.”

Davenport tapped a red nail against the top of the

table as she studied him carefully. “I don’t know if I
should tell you anything. I don’t want Tarick pissed at
me.”

Ian let out a loud growl as his eyes grew stormy with

anger. His jaw ticked as he shot a warning glare to her
companions, the clean message being don’t any of you
even think about playing hero right now. Ian then
slammed the palms of his hands on the table and leaned
in so his face was inches from Davenport.

“Female, you don’t want me pissed at you. Trust me

when I say that’ll be a lot worse for your health than an
angry Tarick.”

Davenport’s face lost what little color it had as she

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loudly swallowed a few times. When a couple of her
companions shifted forward to help, Toby, Blaine, and
Kale all whipped out their Glocks and leveled them at
the males.

As he stood there in his best badass pose, Toby had

to bite the inside of his cheek to hold in the hysterical
laughter. He could scarcely believe how much his life
had changed over the year. Not only was he a vampire,
but a highly trained soldier who hadn’t blinked twice
over pulling a weapon on somebody else. The worst part
was Toby knew he wouldn’t hesitate in using it, if the
situation called for it.

All around them, it was business as usual in the rest

of the bar. The patrons of Embers were not letting
something as silly as a good old-fashioned standoff get
in the way of their good time.

“Fine, I’ll tell you where I last saw him, but you

have to swear to me that you won’t tell him who gave
you the information,” Davenport replied.

Where her voice had been all silk and phone sex

operator before, now it’d taken on a small, shaken edge.
She nibbled on her bottom lip, red lipstick sticking to
her hideous teeth. Toby barely restrained a shudder as he
thought about the poor sap who had to tongue that

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mouth. Yuck and hell no didn’t even begin to cover it.

“You won’t have to worry about that because as

soon as I find Tarick, he’ll be dead,” Ian boasted.

She shook her head. “You may be bad, but he’s

badder.”

“No, he isn’t and badder isn’t a real word. If you’re

going to give me ominous warnings, you could at least
use proper grammar.”

Toby barely held in his bark of laughter. That

comment coming from Ian defined irony since the
warlock’s working vocabulary consisted of forty-five
percent curse words, thirty percent death threats and
twenty-five percent sarcasm.

When Davenport still hesitated in answering, things

got ugly fast. Ian raised a palm and began to chant in a
low voice. Nothing appeared to happen at first, then
Davenport let out a wail of pain. One of her numerous
fangs popped from her mouth and clattered onto the
table. Eyes wide, she brought a protective hand to her
mouth as she let out a whimper of terror.

“You may only be half-empusa, but you do share

their biggest fear. Losing the means to their food source.
You keep dicking me around and you’ll be gumming
your victim’s throats for the rest of your short, blood-

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deprived life,” Ian threatened in a voice so cold it sent
shivers down Toby’s back.

“Fucking, warlock bastard,” she hissed between her

now bloodstained fingers.

“Calling me sweet little pet names isn’t going to

soften me toward you. Now tell me where in the fuck
Tarick is. And I don’t want any of this I-may-have-
heard-where-he-might-be crap either. I want his exact
location.”

“I don’t know it,” she wailed.
“Bullshit!” Ian yelled, slamming his palms on the

table once more. “I can smell his stench all over your
body. So I know you fucked him recently. Now you
better tell me where he is, or else I’m going to slowly
extract every one of those disgusting teeth.”

Toby darted a glance over to Blaine, wondering how

his mate was reacting to Ian’s actions. Blaine kept his
gaze locked on Davenport’s men. To anyone else,
Blaine’s face would have looked devoid of emotion.
Toby wasn’t just anybody though, he knew his warlock
better than anyone did and he could see the underlying
anger there.

“He’s in Chicago,” Davenport blurted, her eyes

glinting with hatred.

Vengeance Paid With Blood

Ian cocked his head to the side. “Now, see. That

wasn’t too hard.”

“You fucker! Next time I see you, I’m going to drain

you dry,” she hissed.

A menacing smile curled Ian’s lips. “Do you

honestly think you could take me? Because if so, then
why wait? Come and get me now.”

It came as no surprise to Toby when she didn’t move

at all. He knew an empty threat when he heard it.

“Why bother?” she spat. “You’re as good as dead

anyhow. If Tarick doesn’t get you then the VRF and
their new leader will. Word is he’s placed a huge bounty
on all of your heads. Plus, he’s going to start paying
other paranormals to kill any Drones they come across.”

Horror sliced through Toby. While things had been

dangerous before, if the VRF really did go through with
that plan, there wouldn’t be anywhere that was safe for
the Drones. His stomach clenched when he realized
Blaine had been right. The attacks on the Drone clans
had just been the beginning of the new leader’s war on
the Drones. Unlike Corbin, the newbie probably
wouldn’t let his personal needs conflict with his job
either.

Ian gave Davenport one last glare before he flicked

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his gaze over to Kale. “I’m done with her. Let’s get the
hell out of here before I do something rash like
incinerating her from the inside out.”

Sill keeping their guns out and at the ready, they

backed their way to the door. The rest of the crowd still
ignored them, even going so far as to bump into them a
few times when they got too close to the dance floor.

Once they reached outdoors, they holstered their

weapons. Toby let out a sigh of relief as his shoulders
sagged. “Wow, that was just buckets of fun.”

Blaine glared at Ian. “Did you have to play Hermey

on her mouth?”

“I was going to rip her windpipe out, but I promised

Kale that I wouldn’t murder anybody,” Ian sighed as if
that concession pained him.

“So, you just maimed them instead?” Blaine

demanded.

“Hey, babe, cut him some slack,” Toby soothed. “He

did manage to get Tarick’s location. If anything, we
should be thanking him.”

“I wouldn’t waste too much time feeling sorry for

Davenport either,” Ian cut in. “I can guarantee that as we
speak, she’s calling Tarick to warn him we’re coming.”

That revelation sent a surge of worry through Toby.

Vengeance Paid With Blood

He put a hand to his stomach. “Do you really think she’s
going to tell Tarick we were asking about him?”

“I can guarantee it.”
Blaine muttered a curse as he ran a hand through his

dark hair. “So that means he’ll be waiting for us.”

Ian snorted. “Please, he’s already been waiting. After

what he did to you, Tarick has to know that you would
be coming for him someday.”

Blaine tensed as he darted a concerned look in

Kale’s direction. While he’d told his twin some of the
details about what he suffered while under Tarick’s rule,
Toby knew Blaine had only glossed over the worst of it.

Toby worried that Ian may say something stupid or

revealing, but in the end, he didn’t. He just gave Blaine
a smile that was…understanding? He then went to the
car and climbed into the backseat.

“So, now what?” Kale asked, his gaze lingering on

the vehicle.

“We have no choice. We have to go to Chicago.

Besides, we’re just getting a jump on the inevitable. If
we don’t find and kill Tarick, he’ll come after Toby. I’m
not going to stand by and let that threat to my mate go
unchecked,” Blaine declared.

Toby and Kale shared a worried look, but they didn’t

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bother arguing.

Vengeance Paid With Blood

Chapter Five

Blaine wanted to leave for Chicago immediately, but Ian
insisted on meeting with a few more contacts to verify
Davenport’s information. While it grated on Blaine to
have to wait, he admitted that it probably would be wise
to make sure they were actually headed in the right
direction before leaving.

So they first had to go to a zombie’s apartment,

where the bag of decay agreed that Tarick had taken up
residence in the Windy City. Afterward, they tracked
down a faun named Hank…and Blaine still had trouble
believing a half-goat going by that name…who
confirmed the story as well.

By the time they finished with Hank, they only had

an hour until sunrise. Since they couldn’t travel then
because of Toby, Blaine suggested they find a hotel

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outside of the city limits where they could crash for a
few hours.

It took nearly that entire hour to make the short drive

to the hotel and check in. Toby and Blaine took one
room, while poor Kale got saddled with Ian as a
roommate. Kale didn’t voice any complaints, but he did
shoot off a you-owe-me glare as he took the room key.

Once that was settled, Blaine ushered Toby inside

and quickly pulled all the drapes closed. He then put the
Do Not Disturb sign up to ensure the maid didn’t barge
in. Toby dumped his bag on the bed and let out a loud
yawn.

“Damn, I’m beat and we just got started,” Toby said.
“Are you hungry? I could run out real quick and pick

something up,” Blaine offered.

Toby yawned again as he shook his head. “Nah, I

can wait until we get up.”

Trying to keep his voice as casual as possible, Blaine

asked, “How about a shower then?”

A sexy smile spread over Toby’s lips. “That sounds

like fun. Are you going to come in and help me get those
hard to reach spots?”

Blaine chuckled as his cock began to stir with

interest. “I think I can force myself to perform that

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unpleasant chore.”

Toby kicked off his tennis shoes. “Ha! You better.

Do you remember the first time we showered together?”

Blaine toed off his own shoes, a small burn of

embarrassment covered his cheeks as he recalled that
not-so-proud moment of his past. “Yeah, it was right
after I got pinned down by that skunk ape. It wasn’t that
long ago that it happened.”

“Tell me about it. I swear that stench is still burned

into my nostrils. I don’t think I’ve ever run into
something that stinky and I used to live in a farming
community.”

Toby slid off his tee, revealing his perfect upper

body. His washboard abs just screamed to be touched,
nibbled and licked, but Blaine held back, wanting to get
into the shower as quickly as possible. He took off his
shirt, too, tossing it to the side before reaching for the fly
of his pants.

“Goddess, I wanted to fuck you so bad when we

were in that shower,” Blaine confessed as he took off his
jeans and underwear.

“Since we were in the infirmary and there were

several witnesses that would have been a bit awkward.”

Blaine groaned as Toby lost the rest of his clothes.

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Now completely nude, Toby reached down and stroked
his own erection a few times, a small gasp coming from
his parted lips. Blaine’s own dick felt so hard it bordered
on painful. He still didn’t move to give himself any
relief, too caught up in the show Toby was giving.

“There’s something I’ve been wanting to do all day,”

Toby said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“What’s that?” Blaine asked, his gaze still locked on

Toby’s hand, which continued to slowly move up and
down.

By way of answer, Toby let go of his cock, walked

over and dropped to his knees in front of Blaine.
Looking up from under his thick lashes, Toby said, “I’ve
been dreaming of doing this to you since we left
headquarters.”

Blaine nodded his consent, earning a pleased smile

from Toby. He then lowered his gaze and began to
concentrate on the task at hand. Blaine closed his eyes
and allowed the bliss to overcome him. From the first
tentative lick, to the eventual strong sucks, it was all
perfection.

Halfway through, he lowered one hand to fist in

Toby’s hair. Toby hummed his approval, the sound
somewhat muffled by the cock in his mouth. Blaine’s

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breath hitched as Toby took him so deep the tip of his
cock bumped into the back of the vampire’s throat. At
the same time, Toby reached up and began to slowly
rake his nails up and down the outsides of Blaine’s
thighs.

Pleasure shot through Blaine at the added

stimulation. He tried to hold himself back, but lost
control. Crying out Toby’s name, Blaine gave into his
orgasm as he filled his mate’s mouth. Toby didn’t seem
to mind, carefully swallowing before licking Blaine’s
cock clean. Toby then sat back on his heels, a satisfied
smile on his swollen lips.

“Come here,” Blaine ordered as he held out a hand to

help Toby up.

Once Toby was standing, Blaine pulled him in tight,

capturing his mouth in a hot, carnal kiss. As he dipped
his tongue inside Toby’s mouth, Blaine detected the tang
of his own cum. While it should have grossed him out,
instead it turned Blaine on even more.

“Shower,” Blaine growled against Toby’s lips.
Toby nodded and Blaine led the way to the

bathroom, stopping only long enough to snag a small
tube of lube. Once they got into the standard hotel-all-
white-and-tan bathroom, Blaine turned on the water and

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adjusted it until the temperature felt perfect.

They washed each other, letting the whole rinse and

repeat thing work as foreplay. Until then, Blaine never
realized a bath pouf could be considered a sex toy, but
damn if he didn’t learn otherwise. Toby ran it slowly up
and down the length of Blaine’s cock, causing it to grow
hard again. After giving that same satisfied smile from
before, Toby went around and began to run the pouf
over Blaine’s ass.

Blaine’s breath hitched as the slightly rough material

glided over his skin. Little bubbles of soap popped in its
wake, making Blaine’s flesh tingle. Toby put a hand in
between Blaine’s shoulder blades and pushed.

“Lean up against the wall,” Toby ordered.
Blaine hesitated as he realized what Toby wanted. A

small dose of fear soon followed. He hadn’t bottomed
since his time with the Ninth while he’d still been under
Tarick’s control. It’d left Blaine hating the experience so
much he didn’t know if he could repeat it ever again.

Then he glanced over his shoulder and met Toby’s

gaze. The love and caring he saw there nearly took
Blaine’s breath away. He realized that he could do
this…no, he needed to do this. If for nothing more than
to finally be able to be free from the emotional damage

Vengeance Paid With Blood

Tarick inflicted on him.

“It’ll be okay. I promise to take good care of you,”

Toby soothed as he ran a hand down the center of
Blaine’s back.

Inexplicably, Blaine felt himself relaxing under

Toby’s caress. He wordlessly nodded his consent. Toby
gave him a reassuring smile before leaning forward to
place a kiss on the nape of Blaine’s neck.

Grabbing the bottle of lube from the shelf, Toby

cracked the lid and poured some of the liquid on his
fingers. He then began to rain kisses along the side of
Blaine’s throat, right about where the mating mark was
positioned.

Tingles of pleasure rolled over Blaine’s body as

Toby began to suck and kiss the area, his fangs teasing
but never piercing the flesh. It felt so good that he didn’t
even flinch when he felt a finger probing his hole.

“I’m just going to start with one,” Toby assured.
He began to nibble on Blaine’s neck again as he

slowly worked the finger in and out. Blaine waited for
the familiar sense of panic to overtake him, but all he
felt was an amazing closeness to Toby. Soon Toby
added a second finger and then a third. The entire time,
he continued to nuzzle Blaine, murmuring words of

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praise.

“Do it, take me now,” Blaine surprised himself by

pleading.

Toby gave him the sweetest of smiles before pulling

his fingers out and replacing them with the tip of his
cock. He slowly pressed inside, his concerned gaze
never leaving Blaine’s face.

Blaine hissed a bit from the burn and forced his body

to relax. Once Toby was fully inside, he stilled and
waited for Blaine to get adjusted to him. Gradually the
pain receded to be replaced with whispers of pleasure.

“Move,” he ordered.
Toby began to thrust. First slowly, then faster as they

both became overcome with passion. Soon Blaine found
himself pushing back to meet Toby halfway. All the
while, the hot water from the shower beat down on
them, adding even more sensation to the erotic
encounter. Then Toby shifted his angle so his cock
brushed against Blaine’s prostate and it was all over.
Yelling his release, Blaine shot off, thick ropes of semen
painting the tile.

“Love you,” Toby grunted as he came, too, his dick

pulsating inside Blaine’s ass.

Blaine sagged against the wall, his legs barely able to

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hold him. Behind him, Toby gave a breathy laugh as he
rested his forehead against Blaine’s back.

“Was it okay for you?” Toby finally ventured.
“Okay? It was fantastic,” Blaine answered.
Toby retrieved the pouf from the shower floor and

quickly washed them both again. Turning off the
shower, he leaned out and grabbed a couple towels.
Handing one to Blaine, Toby said, “Come on. Let’s get
to bed.”

* * * * *
Toby was having one of those strange kind of

dreams where you know you’re asleep and dreaming,
but you just don’t care. As he ran down the beach, the
sun bright in the sky and the sounds of children’s
laughter filling his ears, he knew it really wasn’t
happening. Since he was now a vampire, beaches just
weren’t a part of his day planner anymore. Yet, he still
found himself having a great time, even taking time out
to make a sandcastle.

He and Micah always loved playing in the sand as

children. One summer they’d driven up to Mackinaw
and played with this huge, red bucket the entire time.
Strangely enough, that was the same bucket he used on
the dream beach. It even had the same dent in it from

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when he’d taken a shot at Micah’s head.

He’d just finished molding the left tower when a

shadow came over him. Before he could look up to see
who approached, a black boot shot out and stomped the
castle flat.

“Hey, that’s not nice,” Toby protested.
He turned to glare at the newcomer, only to come up

short when he spotted who it was. With short blond hair,
piercing amber eyes and a sleek build, the man had a
whole dangerous vibe about him that set off all of
Toby’s vampire survival instincts.

“Who are you?” Toby demanded, proud that his fear

didn’t carry over into his voice.

The stranger glared down at him and suddenly

blondie looked like he was twelve feet tall. Toby
swallowed nervously as he clutched his tiny, yellow
plastic shovel. Not that it would make much of a
weapon, but it was better than nothing.

“You know who I am. Even a vampire like you can’t

be that stupid,” the man seethed.

Toby’s heart galloped with fear. “Tarick?”
“Yes, and I’m not happy at all.”
“Why? Are you bummed because the season finale

of The Bachelor was on last week? I wouldn’t be too

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sad, I’m sure they’ll renew it for next year.”

Even as that smartass comment slipped from his

mug, Toby cringed. Dream or not, he had a sneaking
suspicion it wouldn’t be a good idea to piss the warlock
off. Sure enough, Tarick gave Toby’s sandcastle another
stomp, completing the destruction.

“Not cool, dude,” Toby muttered under his breath.
“I’m not happy because you have something of

mine,” Tarick spat.

“Your Lady Gaga CD?”
“No.”
“Your copy of Supernatural, season three?”
“Try again?”
“Your Eggo.”
Tarick leaned in until their faces were only inches

apart. “Are you deliberately trying to provoke me?”

“No, I just can’t seem to shut up. I keep seeing the

zingers and have to go in for it,” Toby blurted, a cold
sweat breaking out over his body.

“I don’t understand what he sees in you.”
“Never underestimate the power of a big dick and

great recovery time.”

Tarick reached out and grabbed Toby’s wrist. Pain

shot through Toby, followed by the strong scent of

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burning flesh. Desperate to get away from the freak and
his pain, Toby tried to pull back, only to discover that
Tarick was stronger. Which came as a shock since
magics were generally weaker than vampires.

Even though he tried to hold it in, a scream worked

its way past his mouth. Then just as he thought things
couldn’t possibly get worse, of course they had to. The
sand rumbled, then came to life as millions of red ants
erupted from the ground.

“Oh, hell no!” Toby exclaimed as he renewed his

struggles to get away.

His escape attempts didn’t work out any better than

they had before. Soon the ants were crawling all over
him, their tiny mouths biting and pinching.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll go back

home and forget all about Blaine. He belongs to me and
I’ll be damned if I let some Drone take him away,”
Tarick hissed, his eyes glowing eerily.

Toby tried to fire off another flippant comment, but

all that came out was another stream of screams. Once
he started, he couldn’t stop. More and more ants crawled
over him, some of them getting into his mouth, nose and
ears.

“Toby! Toby! Damn it! Wake up!” Blaine’s worried

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voice broke through the haze covering Toby’s brain.

Waking with a jerk and a high-pitched scream, Toby

flailed his arms around. It took him several moments to
realize that he wasn’t on the beach anymore, but was
instead back in his hotel room.

Toby opened his eyes and frantically looked down at

his body, fully expecting to see it still covered with ants.
When all he saw were sheets and his nightclothes, Toby
let out a sob of relief.

“What in the hell is going on?” Ian demanded from

the door.

Kale was there, too, his eyes wide with worry. He

gripped the edge of the door as he stared at Toby and
Blaine. “Are you okay?”

Toby opened his mouth to reassure them, but all that

came out was a squeak. Ian lifted his face and sniffed the
air, a low curse rolling off his lips. “Fuck, it’s Tarick. I’d
recognize that stench anywhere.”

Blaine shook his head. “He couldn’t have been here.

I would have sensed him.”

“He was in my dream,” Toby whispered.
Even though he knew it would make him look like a

wimp, Toby threw himself at Blaine and buried his face
into the warlock’s chest. Blaine held him tightly, before

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placing a soft kiss on the top of Toby’s head.

“What did he say to you?” Blaine demanded.
Even though he didn’t want to, Toby carefully

recounted every detail of the scary-as-fuck encounter.
When he got to the part with the ants, Kale let out a
shuddering breath as he shook his head.

“So, was Tarick using some kind of magic to make

my dream real? Because I felt pain and everything in it
and that’s not supposed to happen,” Toby asked.

“Yeah, it’s really dark magic. It’s so powerful that

most covens outlawed it,” Ian explained as he crossed
the room and knelt by the bed.

Strange as it seemed, Toby took some comfort in the

jerk being there. Because while Tarick may be evil,
Toby knew Ian, Kale and Blaine could be pretty
powerful once they learned to work together. He just
hoped they figured out how to do that before it came
time to face Tarick for real.

Ian reached out and gently took Toby’s arm, pulling

it toward him so he could examine it. When they all saw
the bright, red handprint burned into the flesh, a
collective gasp went through the room.

“Well at least now we know for sure that Tarick is

expecting us,” Kale surmised.

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“Which means he’ll be harder to kill,” Toby added.
Ian shook his head. “Maybe not. I think we just

figured out his biggest weakness—his hatred for you.”

“Ouch, thanks…I think,” Toby replied. “But how is

that a weakness.”

“Hate is a strong emotion and it can make you do

stupid things. We just have to use that to our advantage
somehow,” Ian said.

“And just how are we supposed to do that?” Toby

demanded.

“Lilith.”
Blaine’s brow creased in confusion. “What’s a Lilith

and how can it help us?”

“Lilith is a she. A succubus to be exact.”
“And how exactly is she going to be of any use to

us?” Blaine asked.

“Because that dumb, little blonde is going to be our

secret weapon. The last thing Tarick is going to expect is
for us to be bringing a bloodthirsty demon along to be
our muscle. While Tarick is distracted with trying to
murder Toby, Lilith can go in and kill the warlock
instead.”

“How can you be so certain she’ll help us?” Toby

wondered as he cradled his injured arm to his chest.

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Ian smiled. “Because she’s going to love you. Lilith

has always had a thing for little puppies.”

Vengeance Paid With Blood

Chapter Six

When Toby found out that he was going to get to meet
an actual succubus, he expected her to be big, scary and
maybe have horns or red skin. He even anticipated some
fangs and black wings. One look at Lilith dispelled all
those misconceptions. Sure, she had a pair of dainty
white fangs and huge-ass black, leathery wings, but
other than that, she looked almost human.

Short, with a body that had curves in all the right

places, she looked like a cross between Anna Nicole and
Hayden Panettiere. She wore all red leather, from her
too-tight pants to the bustier that was low in the back to
accommodate her wings. She completed her look with
thigh high hooker boots.

They met her in an old parking garage that’d long

been abandoned. Her ride, a red Porsche, was double-

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parked and had a bumper sticker that read, If you ride my
ass, you better be pulling my hair.

When she saw them approaching, she let out a squeal

of excitement, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she
clapped her hands. “Ian! It’s been forever since I saw
you. Where have you been and who have you been
doing, you little slut.”

As they got closer, Toby noticed her bright green

eyes had vertical pupils, giving her a slight cat-like
appearance. In return, her gaze hungrily took them in as
she let out a sad sigh. “All this yumminess and I won’t
get to taste any of it, will I?”

Ian shook his head. “No, Toby and Blaine belong to

each other and you know I don’t like females.”

She glanced over at Kale. “How about this one?”
“He’s mi—” Ian pressed his lips together. After

taking a few breaths, he continued, “You’re not Kale’s
type either.”

When Lilith gave Ian a knowing smirk, all the pieces

finally clicked into place. The way Ian seemed to always
go out of his way to end up on the same missions as
Kale. Him volunteering to go on the road trip. The way
the warlock always made it a point to goad Kale. It was
all because Ian held a secret attraction for Kale. One that

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went pretty deep, going by the murderous glare Ian shot
Lilith for even thinking about touching Kale.

Lilith tilted her head to the side, a lock of golden hair

brushing against her creamy shoulder. “Okay, I can get
my fun somewhere else.”

She turned and gave Toby and Blaine a mock pout.

“Please, don’t judge me or think of me as a slut. I just
have to get some sex at least once a day or I’m not fun
to be around. In fact, I get downright homicidal.”

“Because succubi live off sex,” Blaine replied with

an understanding nod.

“That and angel’s blood,” she informed them with a

cheery smile.

Toby blinked at her sudden mood change. To say

Lilith was a bit off would be an understatement. He
turned to Ian, “First an empusa and now a sex demon.
You really do have some interesting friends.”

“Wait until you meet my swingers group. They’re

the really fun ones.”

It took Toby a few moments to realize the warlock

was pulling his leg. Toby started to roll his eyes only to
stop himself when he realized it would make him look
too much like Ian.

“So what does my Ian want with me?” Lilith asked.

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“We’re looking for a warlock named Tarick.”
She pursed her glossed lips together. “Oh, he’s a

great big meanie and I should know since I used to shag
Satan.”

This time it took Toby a few moments to realize the

demon wasn’t pulling his leg. “You actually slept with
the devil?” he blurted.

“Yes, and let me tell you, his prowess was way

overestimated. If you know what I mean.” She held her
forefinger and thumb an inch apart to emphasize her
point.

Blaine let out an impatient sounding groan. “So will

you be able to help us defeat Tarick or not?”

She nibbled on her bottom lip with one fang for a

few beats before asking, “If I do that for you, what will
you do for me?”

“What do you want? Money?” Blaine asked.
She waved her hand dismissively. “Blah! I already

have plenty of that.”

“Gold?”
“Got a bunch of that, too.”
“Guns?”
She gave an exaggerated bored yawn. “I can get any

type of weapon I want within an hour. So, I don’t need

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you for that either.”

“Then what do you want?” Blaine demanded.
Toby noted how Blaine’s jaw began to tick,

something that only happened when he really got angry.
Not that Toby blamed him. Lilith was proving to be
frustrating and tiring at the same time. In other words, a
female version of Ian.

“I want you to take me home with you,” Lilith

announced.

Blaine shook his head. “Sorry, not happening. Ian

already told you that I’m with Toby and we don’t share
our mates with anybody else.”

“I don’t want to go with you for that reason. I need

to hide out for a while and nobody will ever think that
I’d hang out with a vampire and a bunch of warlocks.”

Toby frowned, certain she was leaving out some key

points to her reason. “Who are you running from?”

She gave another dismissive wave of her hand. “Oh,

you know…a murderous demon who wants to skin my
ass. Not in a good way either.”

“I don’t know if that would be such a good idea.

We’re mingling with humans a lot and I’m sure they’re
bound to notice you have a huge set of wings sprouting
from your back,” Toby pointed out.

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She snapped her fingers and the wings vanished.

“And now that problem is gone.”

Shocked, Toby opened and closed his mouth a few

times before he turned and shrugged at the others.
“What do you guys think? The Hummer can easily fit
one more.”

Blaine let out a long sigh, but nodded. Lilith let out

an excited giggle as she ran to her trunk and took out a
bag that looked to be bigger than she was. Toby moved
forward to help, but she easily tossed it over her
shoulder, displaying an amazing strength for such a
small thing. But then after all, she was a demon.

“I want to stop by McDonalds for dinner,” she sang

as they left the parking garage.

If she was worried about leaving her pricy ride in the

middle of the abandoned structure, she didn’t show it.
She even gave it a cheery goodbye wave.

“You want to go get fast food?” Ian asked, the

corners of his mouth twitching.

“Yes, I’m dying for a burger and fries. I’ve been

craving them for days.” She gasped, her eyes widening
in horror. “Oh, no! You don’t think I’m knocked up, do
you?”

Ian rolled his eyes. “Lil, demons can’t get pregnant.”

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“Oh, yeah, you’re right,” she said, her voice taking

on an airhead lilt.

Toby shook his head in disbelief. How in the hell did

Ian think this piece of fluff could help them? Lilith
probably had trouble picking what shoes to wear in the
morning, yet Ian thought she was the key to defeating
Tarick.

“We are so screwed,” Toby muttered under his

breath.

“I agree,” Blaine said.
They all piled into the car. Since it was Toby’s and

Blaine’s turn to ride in the back, they got saddled with
Lilith. She chattered nonstop and by the time they got to
the restaurant, Toby knew the succubus’s favorite color
was red, her favorite TV show was My Big Fat Gypsy
Wedding and that she hated black coffee. He also knew
her favorite sexual positions and that Stictar demons
were to be avoided at all costs because they were
notorious premature ejaculators.

As they walked inside, she continued to yammer

away. By that point, Toby slipped into autopilot, just
nodding without really listening. When they found the
restaurant just as loud as their demon, Toby groaned.

Despite the late hour, a group of what looked to be

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ten-year-olds were running around. They wore identical
red baseball uniforms and they all somehow seemed
more hyper than Lilith. A feat Toby never imagined
possible.

“Ugh, little humans always smell funny. Like juice

boxes and candy,” Lilith observed with a sniff.

“Be nice, Lil,” Ian warned.
She gave a dismissive toss of her hair. “I’m going to

the bathroom, so order for me.”

She turned and left, her high heels clicking loudly

against the tile. The line for the food was long, so Toby
occupied himself with reading the menu while he waited
for their turn. He got so caught up in trying to find
something halfway healthy, he almost missed it when a
half dozen VRF soldiers sauntered into the building and
got in line behind them.

Dressed in jeans and t-shirts, the Pure Borns could

have almost passed for humans, had it not been for their
hulking build and haughty attitudes. Toby tensed, at the
same time tilting his head slightly to the right to meet
Blaine’s gaze. His mate gave the slightest nod in return,
letting Toby know he wasn’t the only one who picked
up on the threat.

Toby held in his breath as he waited for a hand on

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his shoulder. A commanding voice to inform him that he
was under arrest. When the seconds slowly ticked by
with neither happening, it only served to make him more
nervous. A sentiment shared by the others, going by the
heightened smell of fear rolling off them.

Finally, it became too much and Toby started to turn

around so he could confront the Pure Borns. He moved
just in time to see one of them reaching for their gun.

“Everybody get down!” he yelled.
Throwing his arms around Blaine’s waist, Toby took

them both to the ground as a hail of gunfire filled the
restaurant. The humans began to panic, screaming as
they all scrambled to escape.

The soldiers either didn’t notice or just simply didn’t

care that there were children in the building as well. The
vampires just continued to spray gunfire through the
area.

Blaine grabbed Toby by the arm and dragged him to

a booth so they could take cover under a table. Toby
cursed the fact that they only had a small handgun each
to fight back with. While they had plenty of bigger
weapons, they’d stupidly left them behind in the car.
The warlocks couldn’t use their magic to fight back
either, not with all the human witnesses around.

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“Ian! What in the hell are you doing?” Kale yelled.
Toby glanced over, his stomach dropping in horror

as he saw Ian do a quick army crawl over to where the
human children huddled together in a corner as they
cried in fear.

“Is he doing what I think he is?” Toby had to yell to

be heard.

“Yeah, I can’t believe it either,” Blaine replied in

awe.

When Ian finally reached the children, Toby realized

they would have to provide a distraction so the warlock
could get the kids to safety. Scrambling out from under
the booth, he let out a loud war cry and he brought up
his one piddly gun.

Blaine let out a string of angry curse words, but

followed suit, coming out from under the table to help
return fire. As soon as they started shooting, the VRF
soldiers turned their full attention their way. Toby barely
had time to duck behind a corner to avoid the steady
stream of bullets coming their way.

A thrill of victory went through him when he caught

a glimpse of Ian as he began to usher the kids out a back
door. At the same time, Kale evacuated a group of adults
out of the front.

Vengeance Paid With Blood

Blaine and Toby continued to pepper the Pure Born

with return fire, so Ian and Kale could continue to
evacuate the humans. The process was slow and tedious.
Not only because the people didn’t always want to
cooperate, but because of the limited firepower Blaine
and Toby had.

What shocked Toby the most was the utmost

patience and determination Ian showed. He gently
coaxed the terrified children out, he didn’t even stop
when one of them bit him on the arm. Going by the large
crescent shaped bruise it left behind, it looked like it
smarted, too.

Just as Ian finished ushering the last kid outside, a

bullet finally found him. The warlock let out a cry of
pain as a spray of blood blossomed from his right arm.

“Ah, shit no,” Toby cried as he watched Ian drop to

the ground.

Toby rushed forward to help, only to draw back

when a heavy blanket of bullets came his way. He shot a
hopeless look in Ian’s direction, his stomach clenching
in dread when he noted how still the warlock looked.

Then things went from scary to strange when Lilith

casually strolled out of the bathroom. She wrinkled her
nose in disgust at all the destruction. Then her gaze went

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to Ian and she let out a loud gasp.

“What in the hell did you do to my BFF?” she

demanded in a loud voice.

When the Pure Borns actually hesitated a moment in

their attack, Toby had to bite back hysterical laughter. It
just all seemed so surreal, the succubus, the vampire
soldiers and the fact they were fighting in a very human
restaurant. It was as if a scene from a cheesy action film
had come to life and bitch slapped him in the face.

Then things got even more freaky when Lilith let out

a growl as her wings reappeared. She let out an
animalistic sounding hiss as long dark claws sprouted at
the tips of her fingers.

“Nobody hurts somebody I care about and gets away

with it,” she growled.

The soldiers finally seemed to get their wits back and

they started to fire on her. She smiled…showing off a
whole new level of crazy. Spreading her wings out even
further, she launched herself at the Pure Borns.

She moved so fast, even with his enhanced vampire

vision, Toby had trouble following her. The soldiers
began to fire on her in earnest, but she managed to
dodge the bullets with a smooth ease that awed Toby.

As she approached the first soldier, she raised her

Vengeance Paid With Blood

hand and used her claws to rip out his throat. The move
was so cold, yet so violent that Toby jerked in shock.
Before the first body hit the floor, Lilith took out the
second vampire, this time by quickly twisting his head
until there was a loud snap. She grabbed a dagger from
that body and used the blade to take out numbers three,
four and five. When she came to number six, she
paused.

The soldier still held his gun, but no longer fired it,

instead he just stood there, eyes wide in terror. As Lilith
moved in closer, he actually began to whimper and
tremble. Toby would have felt sorry for the guy had he
and his cronies not just opened fire in a building full of
kids.

Lilith tilted her head to the side as she gave the Pure

Born a dazzling smile. She still held the dagger in her
hand, the blade now coated with crimson. Blood dripped
from the tip of the blade, the droplets making small,
smacking sounds as they hit the ground.

“I’m a scary bitch, aren’t I?” she asked the soldier.
When he gave a shaky nod, she beamed in pride. She

held out her free hand and he quickly gave up his gun.
She spun the weapon around a few times before leveling
a hard glare at the vampire. “I’m going to let you live,

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but only because you have a cute ass and I want
somebody to take a message back to the VRF.”

“What message is that?” the soldier asked in a

trembling voice.

“That Lilith is fighting for the Drones now and she’s

pissed off. Not only did you hurt my Ian, but you put
human children in danger. While they may smell funny,
that’s not a good thing to do. Any asshat with half a soul
would know that.”

A laugh bubbled past Toby’s lips. He couldn’t help it

though. It wasn’t every day that one heard a demon give
a lesson on good morals. Lilith giggled in turn before
she made a small shooing gesture with her head. The
Pure Born didn’t need to be told twice, he motored so
fast out of there that he nearly left behind skid marks.

Once he left, Lilith let the weapons clatter to the

ground as she rushed over to Ian. Kale was fast on her
heels and they knelt down on either side of the fallen
warlock. Working together, they gently rolled him over.

When Ian groaned in pain, Toby let out a relieved

sigh as he realized the warlock hadn’t been mortally
wounded.

“We need to get moving,” Blaine said. “The human

authorities are going to coming.”

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Kale scooped the still semi-conscious Ian up and

held him to his chest in a surprisingly gentle manner.
They rushed out to the Hummer and were pulling away
just as the sounds of sirens came from off in the
distance.

Blaine drove while Kale and Lilith tended to Ian in

the back. Toby took the passenger seat and twisted his
body around in an attempt to see how Ian was doing. He
couldn’t see much because Kale’s large body blocked
him. When Ian’s cranky voice finally sounded, Toby felt
a huge wave of relief.

“How’s he doing?” Toby called.
“He’ll be fine. It was just a flesh wound,” Kale

replied.

“That’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one in

fucking pain,” Ian bitched.

“You’re just grumpy because you fainted like a girl,”

Kale shot back.

Toby noted Kale said that in a lighthearted, teasing

manner instead of the usual venom he directed at Ian.
Interested to see how his mate was reacting to the
sudden turn of events, Toby darted a glance at him.
Blaine stared in the rearview mirror, his lips pressed
tightly together and his dark gaze filled with concern.

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Not that Toby could blame him. He knew he sure as

hell wouldn’t want his brother getting close to the
coven’s bad boy. A few hours ago, Toby would have
been inclined to fully agree with Blaine’s feelings about
the warlock. Many thought of Ian as evil with a dash of
homicidal maniac. Toby himself had believed that. But
then that was before he saw Ian risk his life to save a
group of human children he’d never met before. Such
showed that whether he liked it or not, Ian had a
compassionate side to him.

Vengeance Paid With Blood

Chapter Seven

Blaine stretched out in bed, before he reached out and
pulled Toby tight to his chest. Toby let out a happy
sound as he snuggled in deeper. Even though it was mid-
evening, they were in no hurry to get up, instead taking
the time out to enjoy each other as they waited for Ian,
Kale and Lilith to come back from their recon of the
Chicago paranormal bar scene.

“Do you think we should have gone with them?”

Toby asked with a frown.

“You heard Ian, he didn’t want to raise too much

suspicion by being seen with a vampire. Especially one
who is highly wanted by the VRF. Since they know
you’re on the team that makes the Sunlight Grenades
they put a particularly high bounty on your head,”
Blaine reminded him.

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Toby made a disgruntled sound that became a moan

as Blaine ran a finger down the vampire’s side. Even
though they’d already made love twice, Blaine hadn’t
nearly had his fill of his mate.

“What did Ethan say when you called in your report

to him?” Blaine asked.

“He already heard about a commotion going on at a

McDonalds and figured it was us. He said the VRF
covered it up so the humans think it was just another one
of your everyday shootouts between gang members.”

Blaine chuckled. “I can’t believe it, but for once, the

VRF was good for something.”

“Yeah, well, don’t forget, they were the ones who

turned the home of Happy Meals into the OK Corral in
the first place.”

Blaine traced idle patterns on Toby’s arm. “After

what Lilith did to them, maybe they’ll think twice about
doing something like that again.”

Toby snorted. “I doubt it. Although she was pretty

amazing to watch in battle. No wonder Ian brought her
along for this mission. Tarick is going to have a hard
time coming up against that vicious little thing.”

As always, just the mention of his former master’s

name brought on a wave of apprehension. Blaine’s

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breath hitched as he wondered what it would be like to
finally come face-to-face with his tormentor after so
many years.

Just as usual, Toby seemed to read his mind. “I’m

going to be by your side the entire time. So will Kale.
You’re not alone in this battle anymore.”

“I know and while that brings me comfort, it also

scares the hell out of me. I know what that bastard is
capable of and I don’t want him anywhere near you or
Kale.”

Toby gazed up from under his lashes. “Have you

ever told Kale the whole story of what happened?”

Blaine tensed. “What? That I basically traded my ass

to keep him safe? No, I can’t tell him that. I won’t tell
him. Kale has enough of his own regrets. He doesn’t
need to pile on mine, too.”

“So, you don’t think he has a right to know?”
“It would destroy him,” Blaine answered with dead

certainty.

Toby looked as if he wanted to argue that one, but in

the end, he just pressed his lips together and gave a
slight nod. When a knock sounded at the door, Blaine let
out a sigh of relief at the diversion. They quickly got
dressed before Toby went and answered it.

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100

Lilith, Kale and Ian walked in and sank down in

various chairs. Ian held his arm a little stiffly by his side,
but otherwise didn’t show any other signs of having
been recently shot. The fact that he carried on and
refused to give up on the mission made Blaine respect
the warlock even more.

“Did you find out anything?” Toby asked as he sank

down on the edge of the mattress.

Kale nodded. “Thanks to Lilith’s powers of

persuasion, we were able to get the bastard’s exact
address.”

“I know we only have a few hours of night left, but I

think we need to attack right away before Tarick realizes
that we know where he’s at,” Ian said.

“I agree,” Kale added.
Toby turned to Blaine. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s time we finally ended this thing. Let’s go

get the bastard.”

Tarick’s evil lair turned out to be an old farmhouse

that was in the middle of nowhere. They parked a half
mile away and walked the rest of the way, so they could
launch a surprise attack. As they cautiously approached
his location, Ian let out a huff of irritation.

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101

“Seriously? He lives in this?”
Blaine glanced up at the sagging, white home. While

it looked as if it hadn’t seen the business end of a
paintbrush in years and desperately needed a new roof,
he’d encountered much worse places. “What’s wrong
with it?”

“It’s so damn cliché. I think every horror movie and

Scooby Doo episode was set in a house like this,” Ian
spat.

“Maybe he just likes old fashioned décor?” Toby

said with a shrug.

“Yeah, because evil warlocks are so into decorating.

They’re magical Martha Stewarts,” Ian drawled
sarcastically.

Kale gave a soft laugh. “I can just picture how

Tarick would look in a lace apron and checkered dress.”

Toby rolled his eyes at the pair before he turned to

Blaine. “So what’s the plan?”

Blaine searched his mind for only a moment before

coming up with what he hoped was the perfect plan. “I’ll
challenge him while the rest of you surround the yard.
That way we can box him in and hopefully use Lilith to
take him out.”

“Do you think it’ll be that easy to kill him?” Kale

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102

demanded.

“No, but I’m hoping with the combined magic of

three warlocks added to the brawn of a vampire and
succubus, that we’ll be able to get the upper hand.”

“You guys should all just stand back and let me

handle it,” Ian growled.

Blaine gave Ian’s injured shoulder a pointed look.

“No offense, but with that thing, I don’t think you could
take on a first level student.”

“Hurt or not, I can take Tarick,” Ian snarled.
“If that’s the case, why do you still carry a scar from

the last time you fought him?” Kale pointed out.

“That was a long time ago. I’ve grown as a warlock

since then.”

“Enough to challenge somebody as strong as

Tarick?” Blaine challenged.

“Yes,” Ian quickly replied.
Blaine shook his head. “Look, I appreciate the offer,

but we don’t have time to sit around and argue over
who’s the biggest badass in magic. Besides, this is my
battle.”

Ian opened his mouth to argue, but in the end,

surprised Blaine, by closing it and giving a curt nod.
“Fine, just be careful and expect him to go in for your

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103

biggest weakness, which is Toby.”

A jolt of fear shot through Blaine at the thought of

his mate being a target. He schooled his features to hide
his reaction and just gave a nod of his own. “Okay, let’s
do this.”

The others fanned out while Toby stayed by his side.

When Blaine began to argue, Toby held up a hand.
“Sorry, I’m sticking with you. That’s not an option.”

By the stubborn set on Toby’s jaw, Blaine knew it

would be useless to argue, so instead, he let out a snarl
of frustration. “You can be a real brat sometimes.”

“Yeah, my mom told me that a lot when I was a kid.”
“Okay, but if things get froggy, I want you to run for

cover.”

“I’ll run, but only if you’re still with me. I won’t

leave you behind,” Toby argued. “I may be your mate
and I understand that makes you overprotective of me,
but I’m also a trained soldier and a vampire. Both of
which make it so I’m a pretty tough opponent.”

Blaine flinched as he realized Toby did have a point.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to infer that you were weak. I just
worry so damn much about you getting hurt.”

Toby gave him a crooked smile. “I totally understand

that, since I worry about you, too. Now let’s go kill this

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104

bastard so we can get on with our lives.”

They left the cover of the trees and marched into the

center of the yard. By the time they reached their
position, Tarick had come outside and stood at the
bottom of his porch steps, showing he must have sensed
their presence. Blaine only hoped the warlock didn’t
detect the others or else his plan would be going to hell.

“Oh wow. He looks way older in real life,” Toby

whispered.

Blaine silently agreed. Since the last time they’d

seen each other, Tarick must have aged twenty years.
His blond hair now hung in dull, limp chunks around his
lined, pale face and his blue eyes looked watery. He
shuffled forward, a loud cackle coming from his thin
lips.

“You’re even more stupid than I remembered.”
Alarm bells went off in Blaine’s head. “How so?”
“I thought I would have to actually work at hunting

you down, but instead, you just show up on my
doorstep, like some kind of willing lamb for sacrifice.
What’s more, you brought your pathetic excuse for a
mate with you.”

Ian’s warning rang in Blaine’s head. Sure enough,

the first chance he got, Tarick had lashed out at his mate.

Vengeance Paid With Blood

105

Pulling in his anger, Blaine said, “There is nothing about
Toby that’s pathetic.”

“He’s a vampire, isn’t he? That’s enough right

there.”

Blaine could barely make out the silhouettes of Lilith

and Kale as they crept up from behind. He held his
breath and prayed that Tarick wouldn’t detect them until
it was too late for him to fight back. Just as he’d begun
to dare to hope they’d be successful, Tarick’s lips curled
up into a sinister smile. “You want to know who else is
stupid? Your twin brother and the succubus who’s with
him.”

Blaine opened his mouth to scream out a warning,

but it was already too late. Tarick yelled out a stunning
spell and spun around, shooting the magic first at Kale,
then Lilith. They both let out cries of pain as they
crumbled to the ground. Before Blaine could recover
from that shocking turn of events, Tarick spun around
and shot him and Toby.

Well, damn. That hadn’t gone as planned at all. Not

only had Blaine failed to take down Tarick, but he
hadn’t even gotten off a shot of his own magic. What’s
more, their secret demon weapon hadn’t managed to lay
one claw on Tarick. The whole thing was so

Stephani Hecht

106

anticlimactic and disappointing that, as a whole, he’d
have to consider the entire mission a colossal fuck up.

Scrambling to his knees, he reached out for Toby,

letting out a sigh of relief when the vampire groaned.
Blaine thanked the Goddess his mate was alive…at least
for now. He wouldn’t stay that way for long though.
None of them would unless Blaine figured out a way to
get them out of this mess.

“Hey, Tarick, you stupid puss-eating, scab-festering,

waste of skin. You missed one,” Ian sang as he stepped
from the shadows.

Tarick let out a low hiss. “You! I thought I killed

you.”

Ian wrinkled his nose like some mischievous imp.

“Want to hear a funny story? It didn’t take. Not only did
I live, but now I’m really pissed at you.”

Tarick shot off a magic bolt Ian deflected with a flick

of his wrist. “Are you still using that tired old spell?
Here, let me show you a new one.” Ian yelled off a
string of dark magic incantations.

Blaine reached out and pulled Toby tight to his chest

as the air crackled with energy and the power that could
only come from dark magic.

Tarick’s eyes grew wide in fear as he took a step

Vengeance Paid With Blood

107

back, but the spell had already reached him. A spiral of
fire worked its way up his body. Tarick screamed as he
tried desperately to counteract the spell. For a moment,
Blaine thought he might be successful.

Then the ground shook violently before a crack

appeared behind Tarick. As Blaine watched in horror,
two thin, red fire demons sprang from the earth and
wrapped their spindly arms around Tarick.

Tarick fought back, kicking and screaming, as they

dragged him toward the crack. He was no match for
their strength in the end. They threw him in before one
jumped in afterward. The last fire demon paused long
enough to flash a salute to Ian, then followed his
companion.

Ian returned it before he muttered some more words,

sealing the crack back up. The warlock then fell to his
knees and bowed his head, clearly drained from using so
much magic.

Kale crawled over to him and put a comforting hand

on Ian’s shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Ian nodded.
At the same time, both Lilith and Toby began to stir

as they woke up. Blinking his eyes, Toby asked, “What
happened?”

Stephani Hecht

108

“It’s so fucking unreal I don’t know if I believe it

myself and I saw it all go down,” Blaine breathed. “I do
know one thing. We’re damn lucky to have Ian on our
side, because I wouldn’t want to ever have to face him
in battle. We thought Tarick was scary powerful, yet he
didn’t last a minute against our favorite, sarcastic
warlock.”

Vengeance Paid With Blood

109

Chapter Eight

After they managed to pick themselves up, they made
their way back to the hotel so they could lick their
wounds and regroup. After everybody showered and
changed into fresh clothes, they met in Blaine and
Toby’s room to report to Eric and Ethan.

They all huddled around Toby’s laptop as he hailed

the coven. Soon the images of both the leaders appeared
on the screen.

Toby found himself smiling as he gazed at the

familiar faces from back home. “Hey, guys.”

“How are things going? Were you able to locate

Tarick?” Ethan asked.

“Not only did we find him, but we destroyed him.”

Blaine went on to give a detailed explanation of the
battle.

Stephani Hecht

110

When he got to the part of how Lilith helped so

much and that she’d be coming back with them, Eric
didn’t even blink in surprise. Which showed just how far
the vampire and his coven had grown in the past couple
of years. Once Blaine finished, Eric gave a satisfied nod.

“Good work and I can’t wait to see you all when you

come home.”

Ethan leaned in closer to the screen. “Ian, we do

need you to go out on another mission for us.”

“Sure, what do you need?”
“We’ve had several more clans and covens attacked,

plus numerous Drones have disappeared. It’s obvious
that the new leadership of the VRF is going to be far
more aggressive than Corbin ever was and we need to
bring in more firepower to our side.”

“So, you want me to go to the neutral clans and

convince them to join our side,” Ian surmised.

When Ethan nodded, Toby let out a gasp of outrage.

“I thought you guys said most of the neutral clans
practice dark magic!”

“They do, which is why we’re sending Ian. Out of all

of us, he’s our best bet at getting them to listen to our
offer of allegiance,” Ethan said.

“No way! You can’t just send him in there alone. I’m

Vengeance Paid With Blood

111

going with him,” Kale burst out angrily.

Toby didn’t know who looked more shocked by that

proclamation, Blaine, Ethan or Ian.

Ethan recovered first, “Fine, if you want to go with

him, you have my permission.”

“I’m going, too,” Lilith said.
Blaine shot Toby a questioning glance. Toby smiled

before adding, “We’re tagging alone, as well. Why
break up a winning team?”

Ian’s mouth parted in shock. “You guys would really

do that for me?”

Blaine threw one arm around Toby’s shoulders.

“Hell yes, like my mate said, we make a great team.”

As Toby sank into the comfort of Blaine’s embrace,

he couldn’t help but smile. Even with the dangerous
mission that lay ahead of them, he couldn’t have been
happier. Not only did he have the man he loved by his
side, but Toby finally knew who he was. He was a
vampire…a Drone…a rebel…and most of all, he was
Blaine’s. Who could ask for a better life than that?

About the Author

Stephani Hecht is a happily married mother of two. Born
and raised in Michigan, she loves all things about the
state, from the frigid winters to the Detroit Red Wings
hockey team. You can usually find her snuggled up to
her laptop, creating her next book.

Contact her at:
Email Address:archangelwriter@yahoo.com

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/StephaniHecht

FaceBook:
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profil&id

=1109353859

MySpace:
http://www.myspace.com/stephanihecht

Blog:
http://stephanihechtauthor.blogspot.com

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