A shout out to @DMHaines whose kind words of encouragement has kept me going.
In a secluded cove concealed within the mountain range, Jan stirred in the earth he had buried himself. The Lycan's link tugged at his awareness, preventing him from sleeping. Yet, he could not move. The sun was still up, and it drained his energy.
He sent his consciousness through Gaia's channels, searching for Ethan. Risky as it was, he needed to go to the young wolf.
When he found him, Ethan was a ball of fire with orange tendrils swirling around it. The inferno was raging with the Lycan's anger, and Jan could almost feel the heat burning him. A strand lashed out towards his cool blue conscience, and he backed away, afraid it would scorch him. But as the orange arm swiped by, he felt little of the searing heat he expected.
He drew closer, and another fiery tendril brushed him. It was pleasantly warm, unlike the frigid consciences of other vampires, but the touch heightened the deluge of Ethan's emotions that bombarded Jan. They were so strong that his own rage bubbled up in response.
Control yourself, Jan. Remember why you're here.
He nudged the boy's conscience, sending waves of compulsion. They filled with echoes of his own tranquil feelings when he thought of his safe home in the forest.
This is harder to do when you're not facing the person, he griped, but he did not stop, focusing on thoughts that calmed him.
Ethan lapped it up, wrapping more tendrils around Jan.
Gradually, the swirling around him slowed, and the churning storm subsided until the tone of the strands prodding him had changed to curiosity. Jan withdrew, not wanting to open himself up to the boy.
Back in his own body, he realized that the weakening effect had lessened somewhat. The sun had passed its zenith and was on a steady descent. With the Lycan calmed, anxiety no longer plagued his thoughts. And he succumbed to sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An unrelenting staccato railing against his conscience woke him up. It was like a series of freezing-cold, cotton-tipped needles thrown against his head. That rude calling could only be Louie Baptiste, his best friend.
Similar to what Ethan had done, he sent out a beacon from his conscience, leading them to where his body lay. If Louie was here, then Ivan, his blood brother, was also here. They were the backup he had requested after leaving the camp.
"Jan, mon cheri!" Louie Baptiste squealed after they entered the cave, rushing to drown him in hugs and kisses. His typical effervescence had not diminished in their year apart. "I have missed you. What have you been up to, you naughty boy?"
Ivan shoved him aside to claim Jan's attention. "It's been long, brother."
Jan hugged his blood sibling. Though they were the same height, Ivan was thicker. His short brown hair was liberally speckled with gray, and a permanent stubble darkened his square jaw. Louie brushed the non-existent dirt off his white shirtsleeves, scowling at Ivan's back.
"Rude as ever."
Ivan ignored him. "So, tell us why we are hiding in the middle of wolf territory."
Together, they sat at the mouth of the cave while Jan told the story. Louie was next to him, looping an arm through his. Jan narrowed his eye at the familiarity but said nothing.
Louie would never change.
Jan recounted the events that had led to their arrival, leaving out his recent psychological entanglement and sampling of Ethan. That felt too... personal.
"It does sound like a witch trap. And you say, there are no witches here?" Jan could already see Ivan's brain working.
"None that I can tell. And I have not met any witch who can cloak her presence from me."
"Maybe they planted the spell and left?" Louie suggested.
"I would have recognized the telltale burnt cinnamon traces when I-" Jan hesitated at this part, knowing how they would react. "- when I bit him. He hasn't met any witches."
"What? You did what?" Jan met Ivan's shocked eyes
Louie gagged as if he had been force-fed sludge from the sewer. "How could you bite a wolf? They're disgusting!"
The blonde vampire did not want to think too deeply into why he had enjoyed Ethan's blood. He did not respond either.
Ivan was the first to recover and scanning Jan's set jaw, moved the conversation along. "And you said this one is a pup, not yet turned."
Jan nodded.
"If it's a witch's trap, then they laid it well. He is in my mind now. I want that boy... to interrogate him, of course," he added a bit belatedly.
He could see questions in their eyes, but he did not have the kind of answers they wanted to hear. A pregnant pause filled the cave.
"Mais attendez!" Louise held up a manicured hand. "If this was by witches, how did they manipulate Gaia's flows? Their patron god is Sol, so they can only work the power of the sun."
Ivan agreed, "The durak has a point. Witches and wolves can't create that pull in the channels. Only Gaia himself could have sent you to the pup."
Louie scoffed at being referred to as a simpleton. He shrugged a shoulder and focused on toying with Jan's cuffs. "But why would Gaia send you to a wolf?"
Jan sighed. "Gaia never tells you why. He just orders, and you have to work it out."
"We should take the boy out of here. Too many wolves." Ivan was already planning. Trained during the political chaos of the Romanov dynasty, his tactical mind never stopped to rest.
Jan nodded. "It won't be easy. The old tracker with him is good. And there are three others in the house. In the middle of wolf territory."
"You know that, and you still want the boy?" Louie taunted. "You could just kill him and-"
"No. I want him alive."
Ivan's dark brown eyes narrowed. "You care for the boy, Jan?"
"I don't care for wolves," he insisted, but the statement rang false even in his ears.
Ivan scrutinized him.
"We can talk about the boy later. I," Louie said with a flourish, "am looking forward to playing with the wolves. Louisiana is so boring... filled with nothing but witches and tedious humans. "
"Vampires and wolves do not play together." Jan reminded him. He started doubting the wisdom in bringing his best friend along. He would trust the former French aristocrat with his life any day, but Louie had a penchant for finding trouble wherever they went.
Ivan stood, wiping the dirt off his slacks. "We can slip in. Get the boy. But not harming the other wolves means they'll signal the pack. So we would certainly have to fight our way out."
"This should be fun." Louis giggled.
A/N
Hi lovelies, thanks for reading.If you loved it don't forget to vote, comment and add to your library.
The inspiration for Louie's character is a friend of mine. If I ever get into trouble he's most likely the cause of it or right there with me.
I would love to here your feedback on the story in general and this chapter in particular.
What did you like?
And what didn't you like?
What did you think about the characters? Louie and Ivan?
Next chapter is already being edited. I will post it in a couple of days.
Ciao!
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Blooded Mate
Fantasy[[MATURE CONTENT]] Pack, family, mate. Loyalty, respect, honor. These are the words that form the foundation of the wolf society. At six years old, Ethan had to choose between his Alpha title and his survival on the night of his father's death. As a...
