"The bet was with someone I no longer know or acknowledge."
The silence in the room was deafening except for the annoying ringing in my ears. I waited for the next round of obscene name-calling and wasn't disappointed.
"Oh my Uncle God, you are such a douche canoe," she groused before she shoved me over and sat down next to me. "You made the bet with Raquel?"
"What did I tell you about betting with my sister?" Ethan said as he shook his head.
"It doesn't matter anymore. She's leaving and we are not mates."
"I call bullshit on that and anyway, she can't leave," Astrid said. "She's tutoring Sammy and he loves her."
"Let her leave," Ethan said softly. "She can't stay here if she can deny fate. It will destroy Heathcliff."
"Fate makes mistakes," I informed them and then laughed without humor.
"No, it fucking doesn't," Astrid snapped. "This is all such a clusterhump of doodoopoopcaacaa."
"What did you just say?" I asked, confused. Had my hearing been damaged?
"Shut up," Astrid hissed grumpily. "I'm trying to use words that won't land me in the I have to duct tape my mouth Hall of Fame. Just fucking go with it, buttwind."
"Will do," I said as I bit back a grin. I was surprised I could still smile. Life would apparently go on even if I didn't want it to.
"This is redonkulous," she muttered as she examined my mutilated face. "Raquel is your mate. What is her balleating problem? And don't you dare tell me it's her tale to tell," she said as she turned away from me and narrowed her eyes at Ethan.
"Fine," he said. "I won't say it."
"But you won't tell either," she said.
"Can't."
"I can withhold panty privileges," she threatened.
"But you won't," Ethan replied with a grin.
"You are such a… sexy piece of hot Vampyre man meat." She giggled and blew him a kiss.
"Can't listen to happy people in love," I said as I stood and made my way to the door of their suite. "Need to go sleep for a week. I'll be fine when she leaves. I'm sorry for the damage and for removing the appendages of half of our army. Won't happen again."
"See that it doesn't," Ethan said as he walked me to the door. "You'll get through this, my friend."
"Not sure I want to," I told him honestly as I left.
Never had I uttered a statement so true.
***
I sat bolt upright in my bed that still smelled of Raquel and slammed my hands over my ears. My body had healed in the time I'd slept. The ringing inside my head was gone, but a new one replaced it. The warning alarms in the compound blasted shrilly. It felt as if I'd only slept for a minute, but a quick glance at my watch proved me wrong. I'd slept for five hours. It was late afternoon and something was very wrong. Yanking on my clothes and grabbing my sword and knives, I raced from my suite toward the strategy room.
In the hallways, I passed dozens of armed Vamps headed to the first floor. It was utter chaos.
"What the fuck is going on?" I asked several as we sped along the hallway.
"We don't know yet, sir," one yelled from behind me.
"I heard we're being attacked by Trolls," another shouted.
Fuck.
***
Ethan watched the screens that monitored the grounds of the compound closely as several of our top generals gathered what troops we had in the ballroom. The strategy room was as high tech as they came. The walls were covered in screens that showed every inch of the thousand-acre compound. Astrid held Samuel and examined the monitors over Ethan's shoulder. The Baby Demons floated around her head and chattered with excitement. Martha and Jane, two old, profane, and offensive Vamps Astrid had unwittingly allowed to be changed over when she found them dying, flanked her and stared at the pending drama with beady eyes. Everyone made room for me as I approached.
"Trolls?" I asked as I sat down and put on an earpiece.
"At least ten," Ethan said as he closed his eyes and mentally communicated the information to the generals in the ballroom.
"Do we know what they want?" I asked tersely.
"They want Samuel and the one who dies," he answered.
"That makes no sense," I muttered as I tried to make out the background noise coming over the headset.
"What kind of idiots are they?" Astrid demanded as her hair began to blow around her head—a sure sign of an impending shit storm. "We're all dead. We're Vampyres, for fuck's sake."
"Fuck cake," Sammy yelled and clapped his hands.
"No, baby, I said fuck's sake," Astrid corrected her son. "Oh my Hell," she shouted. "I said Buck's rake… Buck's rake. Do you understand? Not fuck cake… which doesn't even make any sense. Buck's rake. Got it?"
"Yep, crazy potty word Mommy. Me understand." Sammy grinned like a loon and gave his mortified mother a wet raspberry on her cheek.
Martha handed Astrid a roll of duct tape and she promptly put a large piece over her lips.
"Did the contingent already leave for Europe to go to the Summit?" I asked Ethan.
"Yes, four hours ago," he said in a clipped tone.
I thanked God Raquel had left to go home. The thought of her being in danger made me sick. My love for her outweighed my hatred. I never wanted to see her again, but I needed to know she was safe.