Thank you for all the reviewers. There will be more pregnancy details via Sonya and Hope the next chapter.
I hope the wait was worth it!
Slan swore under his breath. The finances of the coven were in disarray and there was pressure from the Hungarian government. Apparently there were some property taxes that Kraven never paid off. Looking at the revenue accounts from Zyodek Industries and their other source of Profit, Slan cursed again. There was not enough money to pay off the taxes that were due and the rest of the expenditures that the Coven had. To top it off, he had depleted the "rainy-day" fund when he gave everyone their allowances early. To say the least, Slan was in the middle of a lot of shit.
The weather was not helping his mood. Storm clouds hovered over the mansion and lightning flashed. The following thunder boomed so loudly and followed so quickly that Slan wondered if the center of the storm were over the mansion itself. He was sure that to an outsider Ordoghaz looked like the Devil's house with it's dark grey paint, black shuttered windows, and shingled roof. The wind whipped tree branches against the window, debris flew around outside.
Slan stood at the window watching nature's fury. The rain hadn't broken yet but it would soon. Another bolt of lightning flashed and Slan rubbed a short-fingered hand against his eyes. No, it couldn't have been, could it? There was no one there. No one was outside, in this tempest? No. Slan blinked a couple more times. Another flash of lightning did not reveal the silhouettes of the two people he thought he saw. Besides, the dogs would have started barking, wouldn't they?
The booming thunder masked the sound of someone knocking on his door. Slan jumped when a maid called out to him.
"Sir, there are some people here to see you." Her blue blood-lust eyes watched the regent curiously. He was a short man, and resembled a middle-aged man, despite being around four hundred years old. His mouse-colored brown hair was combed to the side, masking a slowly growing bald spot. While they lived much longer than their human cousins, the vampires still suffered the same signs of aging. Eventually the men would go bald and grey, depending on genetics, and the women would loose what little fertility they had.
His light green eyes glanced at the girl, not really seeing her. "Do you know who they are?"
"No, milord. They refused to give their names. But I caught a glimpse of the girl. It looks to be Erika. She suddenly disappeared from here about a month ago. Never told anyone where she was going. Just up and left."
Ah, Erika. She was a sumptuous little maid, with her light blonde hair and blue eyes. She oozed sensuality in all of her movements. How unfortunate she was completely smitten with Kraven. Slan knew he would give her the world if she were to ask for it. Kraven was fool to ignore a beauty like Erika and go for the Death dealer Selene. Of course Selene had her own allure. The power of her position as Viktor's adopted daughter and one of the head death dealers. Too bad she had betrayed the coven.
"Very well, show them in."
The maid nodded, turning to go she ran into the tall man that had accompanied Erika. His face was in the shadows, but he exerted an aura of confidence and power. Some rumored that he was the missing elder Marcus.
"Show me in? Why Slan, I thought you had more sense than that. Treating an Elder as your equal." Marcus's naturally blue eyes laughed mockingly at the regent.
"Lord Marcus," Slan's short fingered hands quickly smoothed his flat hair, "You, you just disappeared. We went to awaken you, and your tomb was empty. How is that you are here?"
Stepping into the artificial light of the lamps that lit Slan's office, Marcus revealed himself. His authoritative black clad figure seemed out of place in an office where people spent most of their time paying each other false complements and gaining favor through sycophantic ways.
"Does it matter how I am here? I am here. That is enough for you to know." He could not have everyone in his business. It wasn't right for everything to be known about an elder, it was tradition to shroud the vampire elders in mystery and talk about unknown pasts and deeds. Marcus was certain that they would be talking for years to come about how he had suddenly returned with Erika by his side.
Erika, how much he felt for her. She was to occupy one of the rooms of the elder's chambers. She had gnashed her fangs at him when she found out that he wanted her there. It was the mistress's room she had whispered angrily to him. He only replied that he had his reasons, most of which were for her safety. There were many vampires in the coven that would not like his return, and use her to harm him. But he could not bear to leave her back at the holdings in the little town near Czestochowa. No he wanted her near him the entire time.
Slan groaned. He had been a lowly vampire the last time Marcus was in power. Too low to even meet the elder. And now he was the regent. He remembered people briefly saying that Marcus was a flippant pretty boy that cared only for his looks. Of course he could not know that Marcus had wanted people to think him a naive fop. It was better to appear naive, then smart and have aristocrats plotting against your own rule. Instead Marcus manipulated the people with his fake attitude. It seemed to work better than the Iron fist Viktor kept, or the willowy ways of Amelia–even though he respected them both. They each had their own ways of ruling.
Unfortunately Marcus would have to change the system up again. He was no longer a vampire, and he knew if he valued his head on his shoulders he would have to hide the fact as long as he could while he implemented changes that made lycans more acceptable to his brethren. Kraven had made his job so much the easier by betraying both sides. He was the common enemy.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Marcus muttered the old addage under his breath.
"Pardon me, sir?" Slan's quizzical gaze had not left the elder. He was still trying to figure out he would be able to flatter this man he knew nothing about, the man that was rumored to have gone crazy and fled. The one that was rumored to be behind all the killings. No, how did you flatter a madman?
"Tell me about the state of the Coven. As regent you should be well informed. Or have the other vampires been giving you a hard time?" Marcus shut the dark oak door. It was time to take control.
How dare he! Order her around like that. Erika's hand gripped the glass of blood she drank. How dare he tell her that she'd been in one of his suit rooms. She was not his harlot! No matter how much she wanted to be. Not yet anyway.
His harlot? No, Erika did not want to be some common mistress whore. She'd been Kraven's whore. That was not an experience she wanted to repeat. However, she thought she knew Marcus a little better than that. For her safety he told her! She was in his rooms, that he alone had the key to, for her safety! No, Erika was certain he wanted her there for himself. Greedy bastard.
The sound of the key in the lock gave Erika time to aim. The man had only been a half hour, but it seemed forever. The door opened and shut again swiftly as Erika hurled the glass in her hand at it. Damn his quick reflexes. She was angry at him! And now she had a mess to clean up.
"Temper, temper." Marcus stepped over the glass and blood. "Do you not like your rooms?" He slowly approached her with his hands in an upward position, offering a truce.
"Why you insufferable little hy–!" His hand quickly covered her mouth before she could get the word "hybrid" out.
Raising his other hand to his lips, Marcus signaled for her to be quiet. Leaning over her, he whispered, "There are ears everywhere in this house. Even my rooms. Be careful of what you say, People cannot know. Not yet." His words were soft and whispered against her neck. Turning her head lightly, her nose grazed his cheek.
Marcus suddenly dropped his hand and stepped back. Erika's eyes changed from the light blood-lust blue to their normal deeper hue. All her anger was spent. And she suddenly realized how tired she felt. The car ride had exhausted her. It had taken most of the night and then Marcus's talk with Slan. It was only an hour before the sun rose.
Bitting her lower lip, she gave Marcus her best puppy dog look. "I better clean that up." She motioned toward the head of glass and now blood soaked carpet. Quickly crossing the room, she bent at her knees and carefully started to pick up the glass. Marcus was at he side at an instant, trying to facilitate the job.
"Ouch!" In an attempt to hand her a piece, he'd accidently stabbed her finger.
Lifting the hurt digit up to his eyes, the elder stared at it the cut. Enough blood had welled up to for a dome. Erika's eyes were focused on her finger and not on him. She gasped when he bent his head and gently kissed the cut, lapping up the blood.
Marcus glanced up at her then. This mess could wait. Right now, he had more important things to do. Leading her away from the door, he told her to carefully throw away the glass that she had in her hand. Suckling the cut again he moved towards his chambers.
Michael glanced at Selene's sleeping form lovingly. It felt good to just hold her throughout the day while they slept. Tonight they would leave. Selene's farm was close to the southeaster Hungarian-Romanian border. Selene stirred in her sleep. An arm blindly reached for Michael.
"I'm here," he whispered. Her body unconsciously rolled toward him, seeking the warmth her body failed to produce. It was strange he thought. Her metabolism was so high, yet the only time she'd produced warmth was when she had the fever. They had discussed where they wanted to start the search. It had been a while since they had stopped by Budapest.
Selene had suggested it. She said that Michael should probably check up on his lycan brethren, as he was Lucian's heir–albeit unwilling. She did not know of any other lairs besides the one in Budapest. It was likely that there was at least one lycan still there. Even if it was only to make sure it did not become too dilapidated. Michael also suggested that Selene could find out information about the state of the matter of the Coven. If Marcus had returned and maybe find some news about Kraven's whereabouts.
Ok. So that's chapter eight. I know it's mostly Erika x Markus, but they give me stuff to work with! No Kraven or Sonya, or Evan and Nina. But don't worry they'll be in the next chapter.
