Chapter Six: Valiris
Friday morning arrived, and Sapphire found herself placed closest to the window in the plane, Adrian directly next to her. She didn't know exactly how she ended up caged in by him, but Ripper and Serena were directly in front of her, so she hoped she'd be able to get their attention if need be.
The woman watched, quietly, as the plane raced down the flight line and then soared into the air.
She hated being in the sky. As a werewolf, she preferred her feet to be on the ground, unless she had physically made herself airborne. She gripped her seat with a death grip, and sweat trickled down her forehead as the plane climbed.
Adrian watched with amusement, sitting back comfortably, his hands behind his head.
When the plane was flying steadily, no longer reaching upwards, Sapphire sucked in a deep breath and kept her eyes averted to the window. She refused to look at Adrian, but she could hear him perfectly as he whispered to her, his breath tickling her ear.
"You can hide all you want and stay hidden in your little world, Sapphire, but you can't avoid me. I will get you."
"Are you after the others?" Sapphire whispered, still avoiding his gaze. "Or are you only after me?"
"Only you," he said quietly.
"Were I to give up, would you promise to leave everyone else in my pack alone?"
"I'd have no need for any of them."
"Why me? Why do you want me so badly?"
"You are the queen of your kind. You're a real challenge to get, and a real victory if you are taken," Adrian said with a smile, his face close to hers, even though she refused to look at him. "Your blood means power, and Valiris is after it. Wouldn't you much rather I take from you before he can?"
"Valiris is after me?" Sapphire struggled, her skin paling.
"Yes. He'll be at the conference, waiting for you. Now I'm giving you a reasonable choice," Adrian said, putting his hand on her shoulder and leaning closer to her neck. "Let me claim you, and I can protect you from him, so you never have to worry about him."
"I think you're under his lead," Sapphire whispered.
"I don't follow him or Ghost. I am my own leader," Adrian smirked, moving his mouth towards her ear. "Just say the word, and I'll relieve you of some of your fears."
"Valiris will still hunt me down."
"Once claimed, it's nearly impossible for a werewolf to be claimed by someone else."
"I'll take my chances with Valiris. I'd rather not get bit once if I don't have to get bit at all, but thank you for your horrific offer," Sapphire said, turning her eyes to gaze into his. "Now remove your hand from me, or I shall call for a stewardess. While she may not be able to kick you off this plane, she can restrain you somewhere in the back."
"How absolutely terrifying."
"Your sarcasm is absolutely harsh."
"I do beg your pardon."
Upon arriving at the hotel in Colorado, Serena and Sapphire were immediately escorted to their room by a bellhop. This wasn't any simple hotel they were staying at. This was the richest hotel in all of Colorado, and one of the highest ranked hotels in the world. Aside from the normal accommodations, all of which were far beyond normal, there was an indoor heated swimming pool, a whole gym, a bowling alley, numerous gift shops, and other well-to-do luxuries. The girls' room was about the size of a small apartment, and they barely knew what to think of it as they placed their luggage in the living area and then watched their bellhop leave.
"So tonight's the first meeting?" Serena asked, plopping down into one of the lush couches and gazing about herself in wonder.
"It is," Sapphire nodded, walking over to an immense window and pulling the curtains aside.
A whole world of pure white snow lay stretched out before her. She smiled slightly, feeling a warm feeling overcoming her. She was home. This is where she had been born and raised, and this was the last place her family had been together.
She glanced up to the mountains, not so very far away, and gasped with surprise and pleasure when she saw a large, furry animal standing atop one of the cliffs, ears pricked and eyes gazing straight in her direction.
"What is it?" Serena asked, joining her friend at the window.
"There's a wolf, right there," Sapphire pointed.
"You know, I think there was a wolf in Florida, too," Serena mused.
"Strange."
The creature lifted its magnificent head and howled, its voice reaching out to Sapphire's heart.
"Jet," she whispered, and then turned away and smiled at Serena. "Shall we get ready for our meeting?"
Both women found themselves, half an hour later, down in the great conference room, which also served as their dining room for the evening. Sapphire left Serena standing at the buffet line and made her way to a seat. She nearly stumbled over someone's foot, and she glared down to see Adrian seated before her, stretched out comfortably.
"What?" she nearly snapped.
"Did you see him?"
"Who?"
"You know who," Adrian smirked, tossing his head in the direction of the buffet line.
Sapphire turned slowly, shivering as his voice infiltrated her terror.
"He moved in on Serena as soon as you left her."
Sapphire came to a stop when she had fully turned, and her whole body seemed, quite suddenly, to lock up.
There he was. Valiris.
He looked exactly the same as he had years and years before. He was a few inches taller than Sapphire and appeared to be nearly forty years old, though there was a certain look to him that kept him somewhat youthful. He was almost slender in appearance, though beneath his tactful business suit there were muscles powerful enough to crush the life out of someone. His blonde hair was slicked back, his mouth was turned up in its familiar cruel smile, and his blue and brown eyes were sparkling with delight and apparent interest as he spoke with Serena.
Sapphire wanted, more than anything else at that moment, to go to Serena and drag her away from the fatal vampire. Then she would be completely exposed, however. But…Valiris would know her, even though it was his wicked desire to play with his prey before he dove in for the kill…
Val turned, as though to acknowledge Sapphire, whom Serena was talking about, and his eyes met the werewolf's. There was no hiding. There was a perfect flicker of recognition in Val's multi-colored eyes, and images of the past suddenly flashed through Sapphire's mind.
The dagger imbedded in Freddie's back. Val's sudden, horrifying lunge towards Sapphire, and the resulting scar that raced from the base of her neck across her shoulder.
Sapphire's legs gave way, and she fell. She found herself being pulled to her feet by two powerful arms, and she turned to see Adrian holding her steadily.
"I told you he was coming for you," Adrian whispered to her.
"Keep him away from Serena. Please, I beg you, don't let him hurt her," Sapphire pleaded. "He wants me, not her. Don't let him touch her."
"You're powerful enough. You keep him away. He only wants you," Adrian snorted. "All you'd have to do is find him alone, turn your head slightly to the side, and your friend's safety would be fairly well secured."
"No it wouldn't," Sapphire snarled, pushing away from him. "He'll hurt her anyway."
She watched Serena walk over to her, Val close at the girl's side, and then sat down next to Serena as the younger girl did.
"Sapphire, this is Val," Serena introduced Valiris. "He's come all the way from England."
"A pleasure, Miss Sapphire," Val smiled, holding out his hand.
"I've learned from experience, Mr. Val, not to hold out my hand to strangers," Sapphire said firmly, sitting up a little straighter.
"Sapphire?" Serena asked. "Since when do you not shake hands?"
"He won't…"
"Rather rude of you," Adrian chuckled.
Sapphire let out a long sigh and held her hand out to Val. She wasn't surprised when he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her hand. She was startled, however, when he gently flipped her hand over, leaving her wrist exposed to him, and then pressed a firmer kiss to her wrist. He closed his eyes against her skin and drew in a deep breath, letting out a satisfied hum as he did so.
"What on earth was that?" Serena asked as Sapphire yanked her hand away from Val.
"Her perfume," he smiled. "It is the same as my late wife's."
"Which one? And you never had a wife!" Sapphire exclaimed. "And I don't have any perfume!"
"Sapphire? You know him?" Serena asked.
"Quiet please, everyone!" the speaker of the evening interrupted.
When the meeting was over, Serena, Ripper, and Adrian remained in the conference room, but Sapphire felt sick to her stomach, and so left the room and made her way towards her room. She didn't want to leave Serena alone, but she didn't think it would be good to baby her, either. Then Valiris would get the idea that Serena was truly important to Sapphire, and who knows what he would do about that.
Sapphire stepped into her room and didn't have a chance to scream before a hand grabbed her by her mouth and shoved her back against the closed door.
She fought with all her strength, moving her hands wildly to protect herself, but a gentle laugh made her stop immediately.
"Jet!" she nearly shouted as her twin brother moved his hand away from her mouth. "I could have killed you!"
"Good thing you didn't," he grinned, brown eyes sparkling.
"You shouldn't be here!" Sapphire immediately exclaimed. "Valiris is here, and so is Adrian!"
"So is Dorian."
"Dorian's here?" Sapphire gasped. "Oh great!"
"He's here for a getaway from his publicity," Jet shrugged. "He told me so himself."
"He spoke to you without killing you?"
"Of course. It's because of Ghost, really."
"Ghost?" Sapphire asked, plopping down onto her couch, confused.
"The king of the vampires. You know him."
"No I don't."
"He has a very strange logic about the whole vampire/werewolf thing. But never mind any of that. I'm here to visit you, not worry about anything."
"But you shouldn't be here," Sapphire insisted as he sat down across from her.
"No I shouldn't, but neither should you. I wanted to let you know that Forrest was nearly bit the other night."
"Where was he?" Sapphire sighed.
"New York. He nearly got bit, but then he was rescued, strangely enough, by a figure in a black cloak. He couldn't see the guy's face, but from his smell, he was a vampire. And I'm willing to bet my two cents that it was Ghost. I think we have vampires on our side."
"I'm tired of hearing about them," Sapphire sighed. "So tell me how you've been! It's been years!"
Jet was quick in his account of the last several years, and he left soon after he had arrived, telling Sapphire he'd see her again and leaving just before Serena entered the room.
"Val is certainly an interesting character," she stated, sitting down on a couch across from Serena. "You know him?"
"Acquaintance from the past," Sapphire sighed. "Maybe we shouldn't talk about him. Don't you owe Whisper a call?"
"I do!" Serena said cheerfully, and immediately pulled out her cell phone.
Serena spent the next hour on the phone, and during that time, Sapphire took a shower and got ready for bed. She said good night to Serena and then saw to it that her friend made it into her bedroom before she made the necessary safety precautions.
She made certain all the windows were locked, and she double-locked the doors. She then went into her room, closing the door, and glanced at her immense bed. She let out a long sigh, and then changed into her wolf form, deciding that she could hear things much better and would be greater prepared for battle if she was in her canine form.
With a graceful bound, she landed on her bed and then curled up. She rested her head on her front paws and then took in a deep breath. She could only hope she'd be able to sleep tonight.
Morning arrived, and Sapphire changed back into her human form and dressed in a business outfit before she left her room. She found Serena seated on the couch, a book open in her hands, and she smiled.
"Good morning, Serena."
"Morning!" Serena said cheerfully. "We ready for breakfast? They have a buffet down in the lobby."
"Sure," Sapphire said, turning to gaze at herself quickly in a mirror.
"Alright, let's go!"
Sapphire walked alongside Serena, and within a few short minutes, they found themselves in the lobby. As they walked towards the buffet, Sapphire quickly looked over the entire room, noting who was there and studying each one carefully to determine whether they would be harmful or not.
Dorian was indeed at the hotel, sitting in a corner, quietly eating a muffin, drinking coffee, and watching the news. Not far from him was Ripper, doing what he did every day. He was reading the newspaper and drinking his coffee, not a care in the world.
Adrian walked in just as Sapphire and Serena were making their way to a table with their food. Sapphire looked away, trying to be indifferent, but she did have to admit to herself that the vampire was quite good-looking, to put it mildly. He was dressed in a dark blue long-sleeve shirt and blue jeans, giving him a casual, yet strangely sophisticated, look. He moved towards the buffet, nodding to Dorian, got his food and then sat down with the other vampire.
"He's definitely cute," Serena said with a grin, noticing how Sapphire was avoiding looking at Adrian.
"Looks have very little to do with anything," Sapphire replied easily.
"But they certainly help."
"I can agree with that, but Adrian isn't someone I want to be with," Sapphire said. "We have a meeting in an hour. Let's eat a bit before then, hmm?"
"Good morning Adrian."
"You called me over here, Dorian. What do you want?" Adrian scowled, sliding into the seat across from Dorian and watching as the man took an elegant sip of his coffee.
"This isn't going to be a harsh conversation, Adrian."
"No. I forgot. You're a member of the vampiric league of peace advocates," Adrian sneered.
Dorian, completely unmoved by Adrian's mannerisms, stirred his coffee slightly and then smiled gently.
"A friend of mine wished me to speak with you."
"What errand did Ghost send you on this time?"
"You're after Sapphire. He knows that," Dorian said, glancing over Adrian's shoulder to see that Sapphire's head was inclined, ever so slightly, barely noticeable, to the side as she was talking with Serena. "Would you care to finish this conversation in one of the sitting rooms?"
"Why? May as well let her know what she's in for," Adrian frowned.
"We don't need to terrify the woman more."
"She's a werewolf," Adrian hissed. "The leader of them. She should know nothing but terror."
"You've been listening to Valiris too much, whether or not you follow his lead," Dorian said, standing up. "Come."
Adrian frowned as he followed the celebrity vampire into a small sitting area and then sat down across from him.
"What does the Ghost want?"
"He would like you to join us. You've been a loner for hundreds of years now, Adrian," Dorian said easily. "He wants you to become part of his band. He assures you that you'll be safer there and he'd like very much to meet with you again."
"I don't need a leader. As far as I'm concerned, I'm much more of a leader than either Valiris or Ghost," Adrian sneered.
"How so?" Dorian asked, leaning forward with interest.
"Look at them," Adrian snorted. "Ghost mopes about, never harming a fly. Valiris has taken over the man's rule, since Ghost won't take charge and be a leader. And Valiris is just vicious; he doesn't care about anyone or anything."
"And he's after your prey."
"Exactly how much do you know about all this?" Adrian growled. "I didn't think it was your business."
"No, but it's Ghost's," Dorian chuckled. "He knows what's going on. Don't ask me how, but he knows."
"Is Whisper telling him anything?"
"I don't think so."
"Tell Ghost to stay out of my business," Adrian scowled, getting up from his seat and moving towards the door. "Yes, I want Sapphire. True, Valiris is my rival right now. No, I will not join Ghost's clan."
"What happened, Adrian? What made you this way? I'm sure you weren't always like this," Dorian said quietly. "What hardened your heart?"
"Ask Ghost. He knows everything," Adrian said, stiffening.
"It has something to do with Arlene, doesn't it?"
"Don't say that name," Adrian said harshly, walking towards the door. "None of that is any of your concern."
"We only want to help you…"
"Then stay out of my business!" Adrian snapped, his pointed teeth flashing as he spoke. "My past means nothing to any of you! Not another word, Dorian!" he snarled, holding up a hand for Dorian to be quiet. "I'm not joining you, and I'm not joining Valiris."
He stormed out of the room and then through the lobby, not even glancing in Sapphire's direction as he walked past.
Adrian slammed the door shut to his room and then stalked over to his drawer where he kept his clothes. He pulled it open violently, nearly breaking the shelf, and then rummaged beneath several shirts before he found what he was looking for.
He pulled out the item of his desiring and then fell back onto his bed, holding the object in his hands above him.
It was a painting of an absolutely stunning woman. She had deep, deep brown eyes, and long flowing brunette hair. Her face was so pure, so unblemished and full of innocence. Her lips were ruby and her whole face seemed to glow.
Adrian scowled, his eyes becoming darker as he did so. This picture simply reminded him of the woman downstairs, the woman he would claim, the woman whose life he would ruin.
The werewolves had taken everything from him. The least he could do was take everything from them in return.