Ten, p.48
Ten, page 48
“Don’t you remember the last time we had a difference of opinion, father?” Lorcan growled.
“Just learn your new place in the order, and you might even live through the year,” Arthur warned.
Merlin gave a little bow. “Congratulations, to you both,” he said before locking them in the room.
“I’m starting to see why you killed him,” Paige said as she rubbed her temples. She stared awkwardly at her new husband before she flung off her hat and let her curls fall over her shoulders. Lorcan took his time undoing his tie and unbuttoning his shirt.
“I am sorry that it has come to this,” Lorcan said.
“What? That our entire pack is being used as leverage to create an army of vampire bodyguards. . . or that you had to marry me?”
she asked.
“Both,” he offered. Paige slid over to him and helped unbutton his cuffs. He slowly unzipped her dress.
“I didn’t think it would be this awkward,” she confessed as he pulled off her gown. He actually averted his eyes as she sat next to him in her underwear. Finally, she just flopped against the pillows and buried her face in one of them.
“Please, can we get this over with?” she begged.
“Once I’ve had more of your blood, I have no idea how badly it will affect me,” Lorcan said. “It’s bad enough losing Mina’s strength
—”
“She’s really gone?” Paige asked.
“As gone as she will ever be,” he said softly. “Normally, one is given decades to recover from a divorce, but my father clearly has
other plans.”
“Look, we just fake as much as we can, and you drink the bare minimum. I’ll ask to convert Kyle first or whatever the hell they want me to do, and he’ll take care of you. You just have to be strong for as long as it takes for them to let him join us.”
“Your last batch of blood nearly killed me,” Lorcan said softly.
“Just tell me, A rún, why didn’t you tell me that they had a sample of our combined blood?”
“Sorry, I guess I never planned for an arranged shame-filled vampire wedding,” she said. “If I had known what that bastard Ivan was planning— damn it, I’ve made a mess of everything!”
“Not everything,” Lorcan said.
“Really?”
“After all, you made a beautiful bride,” he said before tilting up her chin. She tensed as she felt his fangs slide along her neck, and his hand slide up her thigh. She tilted her head around and nuzzled his neck awkwardly.
“The last thing in the word I wanted was some overblown Catholic wedding. I mean, there is just enough religion left in me that wonders if I’ve just punched my ticket to hell for this,” she whispered.
“I’m afraid the murder probably outranks this travesty, and all that premarital sex, and you eat pork. . . oh wait, that’s Judaism—”
Paige laughed bitterly as she wrapped her arms around him.
“Maybe there is something to Merlin’s belief that we pathetic humans are still controlled by religion. Steve told me that there are no atheists in wars, and I’m starting to believe him,” she sighed.
“We are at war, aren’t we?” Lorcan said staring off at the wall. “A rún—”
“I guess you get to call me that now. I’ll have to find some obscure term of endearment to call you, I suppose,” Paige said as she slipped around him and bared her neck again. Lorcan leaned over but hesitated rather than bite her. She grabbed his jaw and glared. “Look, right now, Merlin thinks he has all the cards—”
“He does,” Lorcan sighed.
“He does have our friends, that’s for sure. So for now, we give him exactly what he wants, we play whatever sick game he has in
store and then the second he gets too cocky—”
“A rún, this is madness,” he whispered.
“Maybe, but try to have a little faith,” she whispered back. “Have some faith in yourself, and have some faith in me, old man.”
“You are amazing.”
“Good, now that that’s settled, let’s get on with it. We haven’t got all night,” she growled before shoving his face against her throat.
This time he sunk his fangs in.
Georgia crept as quietly as she could down the halls of Pendragon castle. Her eyes widened as she saw another blonde— one alcove ahead of her— and a security guard’s foot, barely sticking out from behind a column. Minerva whirled around and glared at the stunned human.
“Really? You?” she asked.
“Look, I don’t care what you’re actually doing, but I do need your help sneaking around this castle,” Georgia said.
“And why on earth should I help you, Berliner?” the Jaeger asked.
“Because, like it or not, I did rip splinters out of you with my magic boob tape, so I reckon that you owe me one, Minnie.”
“Point taken,” the vampire sighed. “So just tell me what you want, and then stay out of my way.”
35
GEORGIA TOOK a timid step towards the door that was marked with the words “West Dungeon.” Minerva, on the other hand, amused herself by dragging the unconscious guard around the corner.
“It’s a sanctuary. Don’t get your höschen in a bunch, Berliner.”
Georgia turned the key and pushed the door ever so slowly. She peeked around the squeaky door and listened for any guards. She jumped as she felt something touch her shoulder.
“Hey, don’t give us away,” Minerva said as she too peered into the dank, dark cellblock. She sniffed the air and wrinkled her tiny elf nose. She paled slightly.
“Minerva?” Georgia hissed.
“You go first, Berliner.” Minerva said as she shoved Georgia into the hall.
“Hey, am I ever going to get that phone call?” a dry Midwestern-sounding voice said from one of the cells. “I mean, I really think I should get some rights even if you aren’t exactly fans of the Geneva Convention.”
Georgia took a few more steps into the hall. This particular section of the castle was only illuminated with dingy, flickering fluorescents; and a particularly pungent odor of sweat and pee wafted from every direction.
“Hello! Angry, entitled-American here. . .” the stranger trailed off as Georgia tiptoed towards his cell. He cocked his head and winced
as his jaw hit the massive metal collar around his neck. “You’re not a bloodsucker.”
The stranger grabbed the bars and gave her his best puppy-dog eyes. His matted, red hair stuck to his forehead, and he sported an epic five o’clock shadow. Georgia recoiled as she saw black claws protruding from under his nails.
“Sorry about that, it just sort of happens when I get really nervous,” he said. “It’s really not what you think.”
“You’re a werewolf,” Georgia said as she studied him further.
“OK, it is exactly what you think, but I’m really a rather nice werewolf, more of a werepuppy, if you know what I mean. I’m Kyle, nice to meet you.”
“Um, I don’t think you’re the werewolf that I’m looking for,”
Georgia confessed.
“Story of my life,” Kyle sighed. He pointed over his shoulder. “If you’re looking for the one who crashed the party, he’s right over there.”
She peered around the bars and gasped at the skeletal, bruised, creature hanging in the next cell over. Blood caked his sunken chest and his head hung limply. “Oh, my god,” she whispered.
“He needs help. If he doesn’t eat soon, he’s going to die,” Kyle said. “If you have any pull up there, just tell them to give him a protein shake, or they are going to break their precious sanctuary rule.”
“Minerva!” Georgia called. The creature in the cell let out a weak moan.
“Berlin—” The vampire stopped short and stared at the shaking creature struggling for every breath. “That one doesn’t look so good.”
“Do we have the keys for in here too?” Georgia asked as she yanked on the door. “Come on, you knocked out the guard—”
“Are you insane? That is a—”
“Werewolf – the same one that attacked Mr. Lambley—”
“And you,” Minerva added. “He’s clearly rabid.”
“That’s a bunch of horse shit,” Kyle added from his cage. “The poor guy was drugged and goaded into it. Morgan wouldn’t harm a fly normally!”
“Morgan,” Georgia whispered. “Awkward Morgan was totally a werewolf, and he was with Lord Pendragon’s date.” She turned back to Minerva. “Please, do we have the keys?”
“I won’t let you do this, Berliner,” Minerva said. “That thing is dangerous.”
“And why do you suddenly care about my well-being?” Georgia asked.
“If he kills you, I have a feeling that our new Lord Pendragon will be very upset—”
“Are you really afraid of that?” Georgia asked as she pointed to his visible ribs. “I thought you were a badass vampire bitch.”
Minerva pulled the old-fashioned key ring out of its convenient nesting place in her cleavage. As she set them in Georgia’s hand, she smiled wickedly. “Well, I suppose if he kills you, Arthur will be upset for a while, but I’ll be there to comfort him,” she purred. “Good luck, Berliner. Oh, and if these monsters do go after my friends again
—”
“I get the idea,” Georgia said flatly. “Thanks, Minerva.”
“I just hate being indebted to an appetizer,” she sighed before making a beeline for the west dungeon door.
Georgia shoved the key in and steadied herself against the bars.
Once she was ready, she ripped it open and began furiously unlocking Morgan’s shackles.
“Do the neck first!” Kyle called from his cage. Georgia nodded and changed her tactic. Less than a minute later, the surprisingly-heavy, smelly prisoner fell into her arms. It was her turn to be awkward as she all but dropped him on the floor. She looked back at the rather burly redhead.
“Werepuppy, huh?” she asked as she held up the keys.
“Look, I want to help my friend, and get us the hell out of here—”
Kyle said.
Georgia ran back and unlocked Kyle’s cage. She kept staring at his claws as she removed the collar from his neck. The werewolf smiled as innocently as he could.
“We’re not monsters,” Kyle said again. “I promise.”
Georgia unlocked his arms. True to his words, Kyle ran right past her and dropped to Morgan’s side. As he checked for breathing and a pulse, his face remained remarkably calm. He scooped up the other werewolf and nodded for the door.
“We have to get him fluids fast—” Kyle said.
“I think I know of a place, but—”
“He’s going to die.”
“Follow me,” Georgia said as she pulled open the dungeon door and led them to the stairs. She let out a sigh of relief as the guards still snoozed on the job. “Thank you, Minnie,” she muttered, as she was able to make it within one hallway of the infirmary before she finally ran into another soul.
The servant jumped and screamed as she saw Kyle holding a bloody body. Georgia just pointed to the infirmary and blurted out,
“Lady Jaeger got a little overexcited.”
“I need to inform Lady—”
Georgia stood as straight and tall as possible and conjured her most authoritarian voice. “Do you really want an incident, Servant?”
she asked. “It’s a sanctuary, and if it came out that there was a death on Lady Pendragon’s watch—”
“Oh, my,” the woman gasped.
“Exactly, and if the Jaeger family was embarrassed somehow, do you think that would look good for any of us?”
“No ma’am,” the servant said as she held open the infirmary door.
“Should I get the nurses?”
“I’m the nurse,” Kyle said quickly. “Can you get us some human food though, preferably one of those recovery shakes the red ribbons use?”
“Discreetly,” Georgia added.
“Yes, ma’am,” the servant said before running off.
Georgia let out a sigh of relief that both Mr. Lambley and Steve had already left. Kyle turned into a medical machine, getting Morgan into a bed and an IV of saline into his arm in only a few minutes.
“Are you a nurse?” Georgia asked as she watched him work.
“Doctor actually,” he said. “Let’s just hope you scared that servant enough. You’re Georgia, aren’t you?”
“You’ve heard of me?” she asked.
“Yeah, you kind of work for a relative of mine,” he said sheepishly.
Georgia squinted and got a good look at his green eyes and square face. She raised a brow. “You can’t possibly—” she said.
He let out a sigh. “Yes, I’m a distant descendant of a certain Elizabeth Lambley, sister to—”
“Geoffrey Lambley,” Georgia finished. “And you’re a werewolf?”
“By accident, yes,” he said as he started cleaning wounds. “My sister was really sick as a child, so the family helped out. Being a bondsman wouldn’t save her since antibodies don’t stop tumors—”
“So, the Pendragon family knew about werewolves all along?”
Georgia asked.
“Only Lorcan,” Kyle confessed. “He saved a werewolf from the Lung family, and she saved his family in return. Of course, the first thing my twin did was bite me in a fit of rage, and, voila, ended up a werewolf too before anyone could bat an eye. I bet you’re wondering why I’m explaining this to you—”
“Because he’s also a werewolf, and I think he might be my brother,” Georgia finished.
“Are you like a witch or something?” Kyle asked.
Georgia shrugged. “Um, maybe. Nothing would really surprise me right now after my dead boyfriend turned out to be King Arthur, and I just watched my. . . friend’s great-granddaughter marry a vampire lord. My perspective may be a little skewed right now.”
“Yeah, I could see that,” Kyle sighed.
“Is, um, what’s her name—”
“Paige?”
“Yeah.”
“A werewolf too?” Kyle asked.
“Yeah.”
“Yeah,” the redhead sighed. “and she was totally Morgan’s girlfriend before, um, yeah. This is a really fucked up week, isn’t it?”
The door burst open, and a harried pair of servants ran in with armloads of blender bottles. The woman who had met Georgia in the hall gave a little salute. Georgia returned it.
“We saw Lady Jaeger in the hall with the blood on her mouth.
She did not look happy,” the servant confessed. “It looked like she was heading straight for the Guinevere suites. Should we warn Lady Pendragon or Young Master Lambley now?”
“No!” Georgia said a little too quickly. “I don’t want to cause you any more trouble. You just get back to business as usual, and I’ll warn Mr. Lambley myself. Let’s hurry and make sure nothing looks out of place.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
As soon as the door was closed, Georgia let out a huge sigh. She tapped her fingers against the wall and then slapped her forehead.
“What is Minerva doing?” she asked.
“Minerva? Isn’t she Young Mistress Jaeger?” Kyle asked.
Georgia’s eyes widened in horror. “That’s right. The servants would only call Lady Asrun or Claudia—”
“What’s so special about the Guinevere suites?” Kyle asked.
“It’s where I was staying. . . and I think one just became the honeymoon suite.”
Paige hammered her fists against her throbbing temples. Her ears pounded, and her shoulders shook. As her eyes snapped open, she could see blood dripping from her claws.
“Mordred, can you hear me? Mordred, come back to me—”
Paige stumbled and grabbed her head. She could see bodies piled around her feet and a ring of men in armor brandishing spears.
One of them stepped forwards and pulled out his sword.
“Mordred, haven’t you done enough?” the stranger asked, but she recognized his cold tone. He pulled off his helmet to show off his mane of red hair. “You can’t fight me forever, my son,” Arthur sighed.
“It’s fate to serve at my side, and fate—”
“Is your most faithful dog. It always comes back to find you,”
Paige spat as she lunged. She ended up falling to the floor and
yowling as she crashed back into the present. Her tail flopped over her back. Her nose throbbed from landing on one of her shoes.
“A rún?” Lorcan asked as he rolled to his side. He curled into a ball and shivered even though he was wrapped in every blanket on the bed. Paige twisted around and tried to comfort him with a smile, but it ended up becoming more like a tortured grimace between the two.
She pushed the hair out of his eyes and kissed his forehead.
“You’ve got a fever again,” she whispered.
“Something was wrong with your blood,” he said. “So many drugs. . . can barely—”
Paige nodded weakly. “I feel like I’ve got mono and just ran a marathon,” she said. “But I’m starting to get my head on straight.”
“Yes, it’s good to be back,” she heard behind her. She closed her eyes and sighed. When she opened them again, a perfectly-healthy, smirking version of Lorcan waved to her from her vanity mirror.
“Mordred,” she hissed.
“Don’t call me that,” the real Lorcan grumbled from the bed. “We need to get Kyle and get out of here—”
“We’re all getting out of here,” Paige said weakly. Her stomach growled audibly. “And we’re gonna get something to eat.”
She grabbed her neck. “I told you not to drink so much,” she grumbled. “I’m still infected with whatever Merlin did to me.”
“You’re the one who drank too deep, A rún,” Phantom Mordred taunted from the mirror. “Did you miss me so much?”
“I hate you,” she mouthed to the mirror. She then turned her attention back to the very real problem of a feverish vampire. “Oh god, you’re as warm as I am, Lorcan.”
“We need to do something, A rún. I don’t look so good, and if anything happens to my old body—”
