True Mate Page 4

  Punishment was cruel and came down like an iron fist from the Conclave whenever vampire laws were broken. Breaking the law was rare but it happened on occasion. When one vampire killed another without cause, they were punished harshly. A murder after an argument over property rights—especially property rights that had been settled centuries before by the very same Conclave—was punishable by the true death and Sergio knew it.

  “Why are you even here? These property rights have already been established,” I stated.

  “They were put up for sale,” Sergio said, smirking as he turned and swept his clawed hand out toward the eight leather bound volumes on the counter. He turned back to me. “By all rights, that makes them fair game, Vincent. You know this.”

  “Sergio is within his rights,” Justine hissed, grinning widely, flashing her long fangs at me.

  She had a point but all three of them knew that Scott must have opened the box by mistake. Sergio and I had faced the Conclave on this very question before, and he knew better than anyone why I’d fought so hard to retain the ancient manuscripts. The mistake of one simpleminded human wouldn’t undo the Conclave’s ruling but having the books exposed for sale this way, even in error, meant that Sergio could make a new claim. It was within his rights to do so, and we all knew it.

  Fuck!

  I pulled out my phone and held it up, making a calculation I prayed would work. “Fine then. I’ll call the Conclave. Dragging them to the US only to have to adjudicate this matter once again, is going to enrage them but since you insist—”

  Sergio snatched my phone, slammed it to the ground, and smashed his heel onto the screen in a sickening crunch, faster than the human eye could see.

  I glanced down at the pulverized smartphone and then back up at the Spanish vampire, throwing him a smirk. I’d won this go-around but the air between us was thick with rage. I really needed all three of them to leave town as soon as possible. If they decided to linger…an idea came to me in a flash.

  “I declare Prosper Woods as mine by the Law of Embargo,” I said quietly.

  All three vampires sucked in a breath at once, understanding filling their consciousness at the same time.

  “You need a witch to declare the town yours by the Law of Embargo,” Justine spat as the other two hissed in rage.

  “He has one!”

  All eyes turned to Sid who’d stepped into the store, unnoticed by any of us. The witch stood by the front door holding his staff which lit up with swirls of red lighting that encircled it, pulsing out waves of power. I could feel it from the soles of my feet to the hair on my head. I was certain the vampires could feel it as well because all three interlopers stepped back.

  Sometimes I forgot about witches and their power, especially one as powerful as Sid. In fact, I’d not encountered a witch as formidable as the old man before. I’d guessed that he was several centuries old but now I wondered if he was even older than that. Only one thing in the supernatural world of Prosper Woods had more power than this witch before us…my true mate, the unicorn called Romeo.

  I lifted both hands and called out. “I declare Prosper Woods, California, mine by Law of Embargo, the witch, Sid Farrell, mine by the Law of the Soul, and the unicorn, Romeo Harmon, mine by the Law of the Heart,” repeating the words I’d heard said in other places over the centuries. “No vampire can lay claim on anything living nor dead, nor supernatural in this town nor the areas within its surrounds by the Law of Embargo. You and any others wishing to do harm to me or mine, are banned from Prosper Woods until I should meet the true death.”

  I watched in satisfaction as the three vampires were lifted off the ground and propelled by an unseen force toward the front door. It slammed open and the three of them disappeared outside. I ran to the door and stuck my head out with Sid at my side. Blurring across the middle of the sidewalk were the three vampires. The doors to the Rolls Royce slammed open and the two of us watched them being unceremoniously dumped inside.

  As if compelled by magic, Sergio touched the push button, dash ignition switch, and then I watched as the wheel to the car turned without any hands on it, backing the car out of the parking space. In seconds, the Rolls had navigated a precise three-point turn and was racing down the road and out of town. I felt a massive wave of pulsating energy as the automobile burst through the bubble of my embargoed town a minute later.

  “They’re gone,” I said, feeling the relief of the vampires’ absence immediately. A high-pitched scream interrupted my relief and I frowned at Sid for only a second before I remembered I had a human to attend to. I flashed into the store and squatted in front of Scott, catching the screaming old man by both cheeks and turning him to face me. Tears streamed down his face. As our eyes met, I felt my compulsion take hold as he slammed his mouth closed, ending the scream.

  “You’re okay,” I said quietly. “You had a fall which is why you’re on the floor,” I purred. “Tonight, when you find bruises on your neck, you’ll remember hitting the counter before you passed out.”

  Scott nodded dumbly, staring deeply into my eyes.

  “You pulled out your phone and called me when you found the box of old books and then accidentally fell down as you twisted to set them on the counter.” Scott nodded. “You feel embarrassed because you don’t want me to think of you as too old and doddery to do the job you love like crazy. Wake up.” Scott jolted in my hold and I felt the thread of compulsion break between us as I dropped my hands.

  “Oh, my! Thank you for getting here so quickly, Mr. Lasco,” Scott said, blushing bright red. “I feel so foolish for falling like that. I must be older than I thought.” He blushed even brighter.

  “It’s fine, Scott. I was in the parking lot, on my way to see you after you called me about this box of books. Let me help you stand up,” I said.

  He took hold of the hands I offered, and he let me help him to a standing position. When he was steady on his feet, I let go. That was when he seemed to notice Sid standing close by and he flashed him a smile.

  “Oh, Sid, what are you doing here?” he asked.

  Sid smiled broadly at him. “I saw Vincent rushing into the store when I was out sweeping the stoop and I thought something might be wrong,” Sid said, shrugging his shoulders as he leaned on his staff. “I guess we’re both getting old but you more so since it’s your ass on the ground and not mine,” he said in his snarky way.

  Sid dragged his gaze away from Scott’s and smirked at me. I shot him a glare but at the same time, had the sudden urge to kiss his grizzled cheek. The old man had probably saved both our lives just moments before. I’d never felt so grateful for anyone in my entire life.

  “I’ll have to get me one of those, I suppose,” Scott said, smiling as he pointed at Sid’s staff.

  Sid chuckled and dragged his gaze from Scott over to me. “Well, I’m goin’ back to the store. I was just about to lock up when all of this excitement began,” he drawled.

  I joined him as he walked to the door, speaking quietly. “How can I thank you enough, Sid? That’s the second time in as many weeks that you’ve saved my life.”

  Sid turned to look at me, lifting a bushy gray brow. “You’re safe here and since you included the surrounding areas in your claim, most likely in Frederick as well. What’s gonna happen when you need to leave Prosper Woods, though? You gonna give up those moldy old books?”

  I shook my head. “I can’t. My maker left them in my care.”

  “What’s in them?” Sid asked.

  “You don’t know?” I asked, a little surprised. “I would have thought you would know whatever powers they possess.”

  “Whatever powers?” Sid asked. “You mean you don’t know either?”

  I shook my head again. “Robert never told me. Only that they held the key to life, and I was never to let them go.”

  Sid pursed his lips, glancing over my shoulder and then back at me. He lowered his voice. “I believe they are tutorials to every possible power a vampire can possess. The
re are hidden powers that vampires aren’t even aware of.”

  “He said they were ‘books of life,’ but I didn’t ask what that meant,” I replied, feeling stupid. I should have read them before now.

  “Take them home and tuck them away someplace safe where no one will find them,” Sid said. “I’ll come by tonight and put a hex on them so they will remain unseen and unfound even if searched for.”

  I clapped my hand on Sid’s shoulder, instantly feeling the surge of power vibrating from the place I touched him. A sliver of bright purple light poked out from between my fingers and his shoulder. I let go, looking over my shoulder to see if Scott had noticed the light. He had his back to us, and I felt instant relief. I didn’t want to keep compelling memories out of him. His brain would turn into a bowl of mushed peas if I did it too much. I’d met human pets of vampires who seemed normal on the outside but when they opened their mouths, nothing but gobbledygook spilled out.

  I glanced back at Sid and smiled. “Thank you again, my friend.”

  “Yep,” the old man said, leaving the store.

  I watched the door close, and then looked down to see my smashed phone. Cursing, I picked up the pieces and looked at the clock. It was time to go online and order a new phone, then call my lover from the store’s landline to make plans to see him this evening. I smiled at the very thought of it.

  Chapter Three

  Prosper Woods Chronicle. Letters to the editor:

  “The high school football team is having a contest to see who can grow their beards the thickest. It’s bad enough that we have to put up with a daily teen wolf convention, but do they have to grow out their nails too?” Signed, “Principal Harry Bush.”

  I parked my truck at the entrance of the Hawk Hills mine, and Sally and I climbed out. Reaching into the bed of the truck, I extracted the heavy backpack, hoisting it over my shoulder. I glanced around and spotted Dave’s Jeep parked about twenty feet away. The entrance to the mine surprised me. I hadn’t been sure what to expect but the gaping maw measuring twenty feet wide and about the same in height, hadn’t been what I’d pictured.

  The entrance to the mine had been closed up with a combination of chain link fencing and weathered old boards, some of which had been pushed aside, leaving a hole large enough for a man to enter. Large red and white warning signs as well as a singular yellow and black radiation warning symbol had been nailed to the remaining boards. It was clear as a bell to me that the owners of the played-out mine had thought their measures adequate to keep out trespassers.

  They sure as hell had never met a determined teenager.

  “You ready, Sheriff?” Sally asked, walking toward me around the front of my truck. She was smiling and relaxed and it was still hard for me to believe the conversation we’d just had and the things she’d admitted. I squinted my eyes, trying to picture her as a little round hedgehog and was surprised to find the endeavor paid off. Now that I knew what I knew, I realized she looked a lot like the sweet little creature. In human form she had a plump body and a pointy nose, and now that I thought about it, the tips of her curly auburn hair were a little spiky. I held in a smile. Sally handed me a radio, and my head shot up when there was a whistle.

  Dave was walking out of the mine followed by two teen boys. They were both flushed, looking excited as they walked, practically bouncing beside my deputy. I spared a moment to look at the boys and tried to put myself in their place. They’d not only snuck into an old mine where they had no business exploring but they’d found a dead body. They’d have stories to tell their children about how they’d found the body of Sheriff Roy Willis, a man who hadn’t vanished into retirement, but who’d been most likely murdered and put in the mine by his killer.

  “Did you hear, Deputy Sally?” the taller of the boys asked as he and his friend approached them with Dave.

  Sally reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. “I heard, Tico.” She turned to me. “This is Tico Mendez, and his friend, Brady Eubanks. Boys, this is Sheriff Harmon.”

  I put out my hand, and the boys took turns shaking it. “I’m glad to meet, you guys. Thank you for calling Deputy Chesney as soon as you found the body.”

  “Sure. No problem, Sheriff. You want to see him?” Brady asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

  “Yes, but I want you boys to stay out here with the deputy now.”

  They groaned with disappointment, but I ignored them and glanced at Dave. “Did you call the ME?”

  “Sure did. She should be here any minute,” Dave replied, putting a hand on each of the boys’ shoulders. He turned back and nodded his head at the mine. “The body is about a hundred feet into the mine, straight back.” He glanced at Tico and Brady. “Now come on over here and we’ll wait by my Jeep.”

  The boys groaned again, but I ignored them as I set Sally’s heavy pack on the ground and pulled out the Geiger counter, handing it to her. I stuck the radios back in the pack and handed Sally a powerful Maglite, taking one for myself, before zipping up the pack and hoisting it back into place.

  We headed into the dark mine after squeezing through the entrance made by someone who’d pushed the boards aside. I noted the presence of trash littering the ground near the opening. Discarded beer bottles and fast-food bags were covered with dust. It looked like someone had partied inside the mine, and I had to shake my head as I wondered at the stupidity of people who thought it was exciting to spend time in an abandoned uranium mine. Then again, Precious had told me she thought it was a gold mine. Maybe others didn’t pay attention to the radiation sign outside and thought it had been gold as well.

  Ignoring the warnings seemed awfully stupid to me especially when the Geiger counter Sally held began to make a low ticking sound. I glanced over at her, shining a flashlight on the box and watched the hand on the screen moving back and forth on the low end. That made me feel a little better. Enough weird things had happened to me since coming to Prosper Woods. If I started glowing from radiation, I was pretty sure it wouldn’t be a good look on me.

  “So, when Sheriff Willis vanished, a letter arrived afterward?” I asked as Sally and I headed into the mine using the bright halogen of our flashlights to pick our way over rocks on the dirt floor, walking deeper into the shaft.

  “Like I said, he didn’t show up for work that first couple of days but then again, he’d been scheduled off for the weekend, so we didn’t think anything of it. On the second day, we got a letter, and then I called his cell. When he didn’t answer, I drove over to his house to check on him.”

  “That’s the same place I live now?”

  “No. Sheriff Willis had his own cabin, his family home. His people lived here for generations. Anyway, when he didn’t answer the door, I thought it was odd, but I walked all around the place looking in windows and checking the back door. His truck wasn’t parked in the driveway or in the garage which he’d left unlocked, so I drove back to the station. I kept trying his cell, even using a GPS locater, but he must have turned it off because I got no signal. When I checked for his last GPS location on the computer back in the office, its last position was at his home nearly eight hours prior. I guess we know what happened to him now.”

  “This has to be murder, right?” I asked absently. I knew that it was unlikely the sheriff had walked into the mine and laid down to die on his own.

  “I’d say it has to be, but we’ll know more when we scope out the scene and get the ME’s report.” Sally stopped walking and lifted her face. I stopped beside her and turned to look at her. She glanced back at me. “Smell that?”

  I sniffed the air and caught a faint whiff of something animal on the air. I wasn’t sure what it was. “I smell something like wet dog, but I can’t really make it out.” I stared at her wide eyes. “What is it?”

  “Werewolf,” she replied. “Werewolves have been here but not recently.”

  My jaw dropped open as I realized how strange this conversation was. I hadn’t talked about werewolves w
ith anyone other than Vincent, Sid, and of course, Floyd Reardon, the werewolf alpha who had come to kill Vincent.

  “You know about werewolves?” I asked, still kind of freaked out to be having this conversation with Sally who’d only just admitted to being a shifter herself.

  She nodded. “I know Floyd Reardon is the Frederick pack alpha, and that Greg Brown, the bartender at the Prosper Woods Saloon, is a pack member. I also know his whole pack paid Vincent Lasco a visit, intent on killing him, just because he’s a vampire. By the way, nice job on diffusing the whole situation that night,” she said.

  “You know about all that?” I asked, totally shocked. I still couldn’t wrap my mind around my deputy living in the same alternate universe I seemed to have stepped into only weeks before. “Let’s start with you knowing Vincent Lasco is a vampire.”

  Am I really having this ridiculous conversation?

  Sally chuckled. “I know all about that, Sheriff. Did you forget I’m a hedgehog? We’re small enough to remain unseen when we tend to hang out in the woods in shifted form.”

  She had to be talking about the night Floyd came to Vincent’s cabin. “You were there that night?”

  “I was just another pair of eyes hidden in the trees. You, Lasco, Floyd, and his pack had a lot of observers, mostly out of curiosity. By the way, nice work with the magic, unicorn.”

  I gaped at her.

  She leaned over and bumped my side with hers. “Relax, Sheriff. I’ve known you were a shifter from our first meeting. I didn’t know what form you’d take, and it was a nice surprise when you took unicorn form that night. I thought unicorns were extinct. No one I know has ever seen one or even heard about a living one.”