Vengeance in Blood (Book 2): Tribulations Read online

  “My, this man is beyond anything I’ve imagined,” Maliki mumbled and saw a dark look cross Besseta’s face. “Besseta, I’m just stating what I know. I mean him no harm.”

  “He’s mine!” she snapped.

  Maliki tilted his head to her. “Anyone that should try to harm him, I pledge to you, I will attempt with everything I have to hand you their head.”

  Surprised by the statement, Besseta stumbled back. “Ah, thank you, I guess.”

  “I can’t wait to meet—” Maliki stopped. “Is the notebook for me as well?”

  “In a way,” Besseta said, opening it. “It’s the questions I’m to ask.”

  “If I may?” Maliki asked, and Besseta nodded. She turned the notebook toward him, and he read the questions. “Well, we’ve had no contact with the European League in two days and lost contact with the South American League yesterday. We contacted vampires that live in Europe and have only been able to contact a few. Only the last one we contacted said anything useful. She told us everyone was going underground after several unexplained disappearances.”

  Maliki continued reading the questions and said, “Ah, you told him about my gifts.”

  “It was necessary for Kenneth to understand how you could come by the information from the ones you caught,” Tiffany spoke up.

  “Ah yes, that would be important,” Maliki agreed. “Well, we got our hands on two of the council members. After reading what you sent me, I went and had another chat with them. There are several people close to the council that could be incubi and succubi. The most promising is a female scientist who is leading the ‘virus research.’ It’s difficult to know because human males are very susceptible to the succubi. They fall under their influence without touch. She was due to show up at the site you destroyed the next day. We don’t know where she is now.”

  Besseta cleared her throat. “The succubi have telepathy to control without touch?”

  “No,” Maliki said. “Many human males are just that blind to beauty. I compare human males to lustful dogs around a succubus. Granted, I’ve run into a few succubi that had powerful mental abilities and one incubus.”

  “I know you’ve killed three,” Besseta told him.

  “Thankfully, it wasn’t those three,” Maliki responded, shocking her. “From what I’ve gathered, unlike most of our kind that have telepathy, they aren’t hindered by one that possesses that same ability.”

  “I’m grateful I never met one,” Besseta sighed.

  “Yes, you should be,” Maliki agreed.

  Thinking of something, Besseta asked, “Maliki, do you block your thoughts from me?”

  “Of course.”

  Looking at Tiffany, Besseta said, “Told you; that’s why I only get a word now and again.

  “Ah see, little Besseta, you are one of the gifted that aren’t hindered by others’ abilities,” Maliki said. “I could talk about our abilities for decades, but we need to move on,” he said, looking down at the notebook. “There is another one that is close to the council that could be an incubus. He’s a recruiter; I think that’s what the man called him. I sent several to try and collect him, but they didn’t find him.”

  Reading further, Maliki looked up. “Your Kenneth wrote these questions?”

  “Yes, and I know his handwriting is very neat,” Besseta replied with a sigh, wishing Maliki would quit referring to Kenneth.

  “No, question nine: Have you heard any word or rumor of any vampires acting hostile to other vampires without implants?”

  Besseta nodded, and Maliki just stared at her. Besseta looked over at Tiffany, who started shaking her head. “I take it you have?” Tiffany asked.

  Slowly, Maliki nodded. “Today, I received word that a member of the South American League was killed by one of his guards. The guard had passed through a metal detector. I sent out word to all the other Leagues about that. I just thought it was just a guard wanting a position on the League.”

  “What about our laws?” Besseta asked. “If you kill unprovoked, your life is forfeit.”

  “Please, Besseta,” Maliki said. “How do you think Bereno got his seat on the League?”

  Besseta cringed at the name. “So to take a seat, you have to kill the one sitting in it?”

  “More or less, but others might challenge you for it. Bereno was lucky only two challenged him,” Maliki said, and Besseta cringed again. “Really, Besseta, I never knew what you saw in him. Bereno is a total ass.”

  “Okay!” Besseta shouted. “Enough about him. I know I was an idiot to even think about him like that. Shit, I don’t need both of you telling me I fucked up.”

  “I tried, Maliki, so don’t look at me like that,” Tiffany warned.

  Sighing, he said, “It’s just so many of us, me included, look at Besseta with envy. She has a purpose other than just living. She has a drive and spirit.”

  “Maliki, I tried, so drop it and continue,” Tiffany said, seeing Besseta blush in shame.

  “Yes,” Maliki said, following Tiffany’s gaze. “I take it Kenneth told you why he wanted these questions asked.”

  “No,” Besseta mumbled, looking away.

  “I surmise he wants proof of his theory,” Maliki said, and Besseta didn’t respond. “Well, he has it. Only a succubus or incubus can take over a being like that.”

  “It’s only one case,” Tiffany pointed out.

  “Confirmed case,” Maliki objected. “There are rumors it happened in Europe.”

  “Damn,” Tiffany mumbled as Maliki looked down, reading the notebook.

  “I’ve heard no reports or rumors of werewolves working with vampires or the Strong Hands,” Maliki said, pausing his reading. “No, I’ve not heard anything strange about werewolf activities.”

  “You would think we could get along,” Tiffany huffed.

  Maliki looked up. “Hey, I’ve tried, and they just change and attack me.”

  “I have as well,” Tiffany said as Besseta finally turned to look at them.

  “No, we haven’t found any more of the council of the Strong Hands. I received reports of a compound in Arizona, but the two I sent never returned,” Maliki told them.

  “Maliki,” Besseta said. “When you send others off, from now on, tell them to just watch. You’re losing too many sending them off to attack.”

  “That’s what I sent those two to do, Besseta.”

  Besseta grunted. “Maliki, you need—” She froze, and her eyes got wide. Leaping up, Besseta landed on the table, looking past the basketball courts into the trees. “Something is close and moving toward us,” she said in a low voice.

  Spinning around, Maliki tossed the notebook on the table and stared into the tree line. “I don’t see anything,” he said, smelling the air. “I only smell my guards.”

  “I’m telling you; something is coming,” Besseta warned, and Tiffany floated up and settled beside her.

  “What makes you think this?” Tiffany asked, staring into the trees and sniffing the air.

  Shaking her head and trying to figure out what was going on, Besseta said, “I caught a scent and for a second heard a thought. But it wasn’t like any thought I’ve heard before.”

  “Neither a succubus nor incubus would attack us. They aren’t stupid. That’s the problem; they are very intelligent. What they lack in strength, they make up with cunning,” Maliki said.

  Gasping and feeling her legs getting weak, Besseta mumbled, “Oh shit. I’ve smelled it before.”

  “What!” Maliki shouted, looking around.

  “Werewolf,” Besseta said. “It’s just walking to us now. Somehow, it knows I smelled it.”

  “Impossible. Werewolves don’t have telepathy to vampires. They only have telepathy to their pack and kind,” Maliki protested.

  Besseta crouched down. “Well, you can tell him when he gets here. I’m thinking this is a good time to leave.”

  “Hold on, Besseta,” Tiffany said, holding her arm. “You know if he’s alone?”

  �
�Yes,” Besseta whispered.

  “Why didn’t you recognize the scent?” Tiffany asked.

  Shaking her head slowly in disbelief, Besseta said, “This one smells kind of like the ones I’ve smelled but different.”

  “Different how?” Tiffany asked.

  “Like powerful—real powerful,” Besseta mumbled with fear creeping up her spine.

  “If he’s alone, we needn’t run,” Tiffany spoke confidently.

  Maliki relaxed. “Yes, one is of little worry.”

  “Uh-uh,” Besseta disagreed. “I think this is one to worry about.”

  Suddenly, Tiffany grabbed her nose. “Oh my, he does smell different.”

  Maliki nodded. “It’s a pack leader, the alpha male of a large area.”

  “Oh good,” Tiffany smiled. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to one in years.”

  Besseta slowly turned her head, looking at Tiffany in shock. Maliki gave a soft whistle, and two gusts of wind blew up beside them. A male and female vampire appeared next to him. “We have a werewolf coming.” He pointed toward the trees. “Circle around, and see if more are coming. I’m not in the mood to fight a pack tonight, so if you find more coming, let me know.” Both took off in a gust of wind.

  “From the smell, he’s old,” Maliki said, looking over at Tiffany.

  “Yes,” she agreed. “I’ve never smelled one that old.”

  “Besseta, can you re—”

  “Maliki! It can hear us now,” Tiffany interrupted.

  Besseta shook her head. “Something is weird. I swear I hear two thoughts from the same thing,” she said in a low voice.

  “Hush,” Tiffany said, seeing Besseta tremble.

  “It knows I can hear its thoughts, Tiffany,” Besseta said in a normal voice. “How, I don’t know.”

  “Interesting,” Tiffany said, impressed.

  “Oh shit, that thing is big,” Besseta gulped, seeing a massive form moving through the trees.

  Maliki looked over his shoulder. “There are no others close. My guards have moved out thirty miles. They crossed this one’s trail but haven’t come across any others.”

  “Talented guards,” Tiffany grinned.

  “Yes, Maurice is remarkable how far he can communicate with me,” Maliki smiled.

  “Guys, we really need to get out of here,” Besseta said, jumping off the table.

  “Nonsense,” Tiffany said, watching the massive form move toward them through the trees.

  “It doesn’t like the fact neither of you are scared,” Besseta let them know.

  Maliki laughed. “Over one wolf? Please. I don’t care how old he is. I’ve killed too many to be afraid of just one.”

  “Oh man, he didn’t like that,” Besseta said, looking around for her escape route.

  “Well, Maliki, it seems we will once again fight side by side,” Tiffany said, jumping down beside Besseta. “Don’t run; we will need you.”

  Besseta was close to panic. “Tiffany, I still haven’t seen the top. It’s having to move its head around the branches, and that isn’t a young stand of trees.”

  “It’s of no bother,” Tiffany tried to comfort her.

  Suddenly, the massive form broke through the trees standing next to the basketball court. “Holy shit,” Besseta moaned, seeing the werewolf take a step toward them. The top of its head was above the backboard, and its chest was twice as wide. There was very little hair, but what was there was a dark gray.

  The werewolf’s maw was several feet long and over a foot wide as it opened its mouth, showing them teeth six inches long as it stopped in front of the basketball goal. Even with how massive the thing was, the arms seemed much too long and ended in hands with really long claws.

  Its lower legs bent backward like a wolf’s. The legs were muscular down to the backward bend then narrowed rapidly, ending at giant paws. The arms were also rippling with muscles but ran thick to the wrists.

  “Okay, he is kind of big,” Maliki offered nonchalantly with a wave of his hand.

  Staring at the massive form, Besseta didn’t even want to know what size the man would be when it changed back. “I’ll take your word for it,” she finally said. She jerked her head up. “It really doesn’t like you, Maliki. I mean it fucking hates you.”

  “Well, so much for talking to it,” he sighed.

  “Maliki,” Besseta muttered. “I think it’s trying to read my—no our—minds.”

  With a quick jerk, the massive head was looking at Besseta, who would’ve taken off running but found she couldn’t move. She strained to move any part of her body as the air around her held her in place, then Besseta felt Tiffany touch her arm. “It seems the wolf doesn’t like you now,” Tiffany said.

  “Let me go. I’m going home,” Besseta told her. “I know I can outrun it.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure,” Tiffany giggled, and the wolf stared at her. “Don’t let the size fool you; this one can run fast.”

  A deep growl rumbled in the wolf’s chest. “Besseta, are you sure it’s trying to read our minds?” Maliki asked.

  “Very sure,” she mumbled, feeling the force around her release. “It’s confused that it’s having trouble.” As the last word left her mouth, the werewolf shifted toward them and froze. “Oh, it really doesn’t like that,” Besseta almost yelled.

  Glancing over at Tiffany, Besseta noticed she was smiling, but small beads of sweat were breaking out on her face. “Yes, I can play as well,” Tiffany said.

  Besseta jerked her head, looking back at the werewolf. “There are two different thoughts coming from it. One’s a female and is really pissed. I mean, she wants to disembowel us.”

  “What of the other?” Maliki asked.

  “It’s weird,” Besseta asked. “It’s male, but only some words are coming through. In between the words is like gibberish.”

  “That is werewolf,” Maliki smiled. “You don’t speak wolf, Besseta. That’s why you can’t understand it.”

  Confused, she asked, “Why the hell am I hearing a woman’s thoughts coming from it?”

  “Oh on that, I’m not sure, but I think you are hearing the succubus controlling it. Something I’ve never heard of a vampire able to do,” Maliki said, moving over to Tiffany.

  Besseta took a step back. “Yep, that’s it,” she said. “She wants to kill us, everyone we know, anyone that knows us, and she wants to do it very slow.”

  “Is she the one controlling the Strong Hands?” Maliki asked.

  The thoughts rushed through Besseta’s mind and she tried to calm down to hear them. Taking slow breaths, she said, “Yes and no.”

  “What?” Maliki asked, and Besseta just shrugged.

  Raising her hand with her palm toward the werewolf to help focus her mind, Tiffany panted, “You mean there is more than one over the Strong Hands?”

  “Tiffany, she really wants to kill you,” Besseta informed her.

  “So I’m right?” Tiffany strained.

  “Yes,” Besseta answered.

  Maliki leaned over. “Tiffany, will you be able to hold it?”

  “For a while, but it is taxing,” Tiffany admitted as sweat started dripping off her face.

  “Besseta,” Maliki said. “Succubi and incubi don’t work together, so how can more than one be running the Strong Hands?”

  “She thinks you’re a fucking idiot,” Besseta told him, and Maliki smiled.

  Turning to the wolf, he said, “Thank you.”

  “They work together for their own good,” Besseta told him and felt a wave hit her mind, making her stumble back. Tiffany raised her other hand to the werewolf as Besseta caught herself.

  “How many of our kind do they have?” Maliki asked.

  “A lot,” Besseta answered.

  He shook his head. “Well, that isn’t good.”

  “Four hundred and sixteen,” Besseta told him.

  “Well, not that bad,” Maliki grinned. “How many werewolves?”

  Besseta’s entire body went numb as her k
nees got weak. Her weight drove her down as Besseta collapsed to her knees. Maliki looked over to see Besseta’s mouth and eyes wide open in horror. “Almost all of them,” Besseta said in a low, airy voice.

  “Really not good,” Maliki groaned, and Besseta jerked her head back. “Is the man thinking anything?”

  “Her thoughts are too loud; I can’t hear them clearly,” Besseta barely got out as the thoughts rushed her mind.

  Maliki looked at the werewolf. “What’s your name?”

  “Her name is Elizabeth,” Besseta answered.

  “Seems they have been planning this for some time,” Maliki said, looking at Besseta.

  As he spoke, Besseta’s body gave a jerk. “Since long before any of us were created,” she told him. “They all know you, Maliki and Tiffany. You didn’t bow to their wishes, so you are destined to be punished.”

  “I like being known,” Maliki grinned.

  Quickly, Besseta jumped up to her feet. “You listen, bitch; you come after him, and I’ll slowly peel the skin from your fucking body!” she screamed.

  Tiffany suddenly relaxed and dropped one arm, not needing to concentrate so hard to hold the werewolf. “How did you do that?” she asked Besseta.

  Never hearing Tiffany, Besseta roared, “Whore, you even think of touching him, and my quest will become your extinction!” Suddenly, a thunderclap sounded, moving Maliki and Tiffany back.

  Tiffany dropped her other arm as Besseta just disappeared and reappeared, pummeling the werewolf’s body, knocking it down on its side. “You hear me, bitch? I’m going to break every fucking bone in your body with a rock every fucking day for a hundred fucking years!” Besseta screeched, pounding the massive body across the basketball court. “He’s fucking mine, you sorry whore!” Besseta bellowed and jumped up.