Chapter Nineteen
“Get him on the plane!” Andras yelled. “We leave now.”
It felt as if his skin was peeling away from his muscles, piece by piece, little by little. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t move. Someone hauled him over their shoulder. Who? He didn’t know. His wolf was in a catatonic state and Hunter was no better.
The plane’s engine rumbled around him. Voices spoke at once in hurried tones and didn’t make any sense.
Grief washed over him. He’d never thought he would find a life-mate and he’d lost her so quickly. His chance for a family of his own was gone. Erzsebet had left him and now, with Asha gone, he’d live the rest of his short life alone and that’s how he would die.
He cried and howled, mourning a love that was lost. Andras tried to reason with him. He could feel the Alpha control trying to reach him, but no amount of power could find him.
He was lost.
“Is he going to be okay?” Kristof asked Andras as he kept a watchful eye on Hunter.
“I wish I could say yes, but I just don’t know.” Andras also kept his own eyes on Hunter. No matter how hard he tried to reach him and his wolf, he couldn’t pull them out of their grief.
Hunter huddled into a ball at the back of the plane. They’d done everything they could to make him comfortable, but none of the brothers could mend a broken heart or repair a broken life-mate link.
Andras ran a hand across Hunter’s slick brow, wiping away the sweat that beaded across his forehead. Hunter’s skin was hot to the touch but he shivered as if cold and his teeth chattered, all the signs of shock.
The pilot’s voice came over the speaker, announcing they were preparing to land.
“What’s the plan?” Kristof asked.
“We go to the blood-suckers’ den, kill them all and give Hunter the redemption that he needs. It probably won’t be enough to snap him out of this, but at least he’ll know that justice was served,” Lajos said.
“As much as I’d like to teach the Vampires a lesson for taking one of our own, the four…” Andras peered down at Hunter. He wouldn’t be any help in this state. “The three of us won’t be able to saunter into New York, take out a den of Vampires and expect to leave without being harmed.” He shook his head. “We have to do this the right way.”
Kristof lifted an eyebrow. “And that is?”
“We pay a visit to Adir, the head of the Vampire House in there. He’s Clarissa’s sire.”
Both Kristof and Lajos groaned, and Andras didn’t blame them. The wolf inside him wasn’t happy, either. While Andras had never met the head of the Vampire House, he could imagine that he was just as arrogant as Clarissa and her crew had been, maybe even more so. But there were rules in place and Clarissa had broken one of the most important ones.
The ride to Adir’s mansion didn’t take that long, but it was the wait to request an audience that irked Andras’ nerves. He and Kristof had sat straight-backed and alert for the two-hour wait, and while Lajos appeared more comfortable and relaxed, Andras knew his demeanor was a façade and he was just as alert.
Meanwhile, Hunter hadn’t snapped out of his catatonic state. He could follow directions and move and walk on his own but beside that he was nonresponsive. Andras also felt the loss of both Erzsebet and Asha through his Pack bonds, but he didn’t have the luxury of shutting down to the world—he had a job to do. And no matter how much he hurt and the sorrow he felt from those losses, he knew it was just the tip of the iceberg compared to what Hunter was feeling.
“I’m liking Lajos’s plan more and more as each minute passes,” Kristof said under his breath. Kristof was usually calm, but his frustration at waiting to be seen was beginning to show.
Lajos perked up at hearing that. “I’m still down. Let’s get out of here.”
Andras was a second away from agreeing when a human woman came into the parlor. She’d been the same one who’d introduced herself as Adir’s personal assistant. She was of average height with brown hair and brown eyes. Nothing in particular stood out about her. It was as if she could blend into the background. That fact alone struck Andras as odd since Vampires preferred humans that were as pretty and equally compelling as them.
“Adir will see you now,” she announced in a light voice.
Andras stood and Kristof and Lajos followed suit, ready to go with her. Instead of leading them out of the room, she clasped her hands in front of her and stepped to the side.
A Vampire much taller than the woman entered. He appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent, with dark skin that looked sun-kissed, perfectly styled brown hair and hazel eyes that showed age and wisdom. His features were sharp and had well-defined lines. He could’ve passed for a man in his middle forties, but Andras, although he didn’t know this Vampire’s exact age, assumed he was much, much older than that. The suit he wore was expensive and looked to be made just for his body.
“Sorry for the delay,” Adir said, his voice deep and sultry. Andras guessed his voice had lured many victims, men and women, to their deaths. “But as you can imagine I’m very busy.”
“I appreciate that you’re able to see us on such a short notice. I wouldn’t have imposed if the matter wasn’t important.”
Adir extended his hand. “Yes, yes, I know. That’s why I decided to see you.”
Andras shook his hand. It was like touching cold steel. Then he indicated to the others. “This is Kristof, my second, Lajos, my third, and Hunter.” He paused when he glanced at Hunter. Hunter stared at nothing in particular, his face impassive. “My fourth, and the reason we’re here this evening.”
“Please, please, have a seat.” Adir settled into a large chair opposite of them. When everyone took their seats again, he said, “What can I help you with?”
“As you may or may not know, we had an issue with our business and hired one of yours, Clarissa, and her team, to work for us.”
“I’m aware that you hired Clarissa to help with financial matters. There was someone who was embezzling money from your company? She is very good at what she does. I trust you were satisfied with her work?”
Andras nodded. “Yes, she did find out who was embezzling from us. It turned out there was a Vampire who was compelling one of my own to steal and deposit money into an off-shore bank account. Clarissa helped to catch him.”
Adir narrowed his eyes. “This Vampire, is he one of mine?”
“No,” Andras answered. “He belonged to a rogue Vampire clan from Hungary. He and I have crossed paths before. I had asked Clarissa to give him to me so that I could question him and she didn’t.”
Adir seemed to think about what he’d said for a few minutes. “I will speak with Clarissa and make sure that she makes the appropriate reparations.” Adir started to stand. “Now if that is all…”
Andras put up a hand. “Thank you. But that isn’t why we’ve made this trip. Clarissa, she has a human assistant—”
“Asha,” Adir said. “A very lovely woman. Did she do something to offend you?”
“Not Asha,” Andras said. “Our offense is with Clarissa.”
A perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose. “Clarissa?”
“While they were in our employment Hunter imprinted on Asha. They’re now life-mates.”
“Ah, life-mates.” Andras couldn’t tell if Adir was amused or surprised or a little of both. “They’re bonded forever.”
Andras gave a slight nod. “Yes.”
“Well, I suppose Clarissa wasn’t too happy about that. She’d been grooming Asha to officially join her family. And I suppose that is why you are here? Clarissa is upset and you need me to smooth things over with her?”
“I wish it were that simple. You see, Clarissa has taken Asha away and, I fear”—he tilted his head toward Hunter—“that she has killed her.”
Adir was silent then he said, “Was Clarissa aware that Hunter and Asha were life-mated?”
“Yes, she was aware and she made Asha leave with her anyway.”
“Thank you for coming to talk with me first.”
“It was the most respectful thing to do.”
Adir stood. “Shall we go pay Clarissa a visit, then?”
Andras blinked in surprise. He’d prayed all the way to New York for Adir to be sympathetic to their problem, but had planned for a cold response. The Vampire in front of him wasn’t at all like the others he’d met.
Andras stood as well. “We can’t get Asha back, but we would like…” Andras didn’t quite know what he wanted. When they’d first planned this trip, it had been a retrieval mission. Now…now he didn’t have a clue. But maybe at seeing Clarissa punished, Hunter would somehow find the strength to recover.
Wolf-Shifters lived upwards of five hundred years, and although Hunter wasn’t even close to that age, the loss of a life-mate guaranteed that he wouldn’t live for more than five years at the most. Both he and his wolf would continue to decline until one day they would give up on living. They would die of a broken heart. It was inevitable.
“I know a lot about your kind,” Adir said. “And I know how grave the situation is for one of you to lose a life-mate. I can’t reverse the hands of time, but hopefully, I can resolve this to your satisfaction.”
Kristof and Lajos helped Hunter to stand.
“Thank you,” Andras said.
Hunter inhaled a sharp breath and he opened his eyes wide. Andras, surprised by his sudden movement, turned toward Hunter. When he hardly breathed before, he took breaths so deep that his chest heaved. He looked at Andras with shock in his eyes.
“She’s alive.”