The Sanction

Chapter 16

Graeme stood in the thickest part of the forest and waited. Around him the scent of freshly killed prey assaulted his nose. There were silent steps running in sequence to his left. Wolves, he knew, paying him no mind as they disappeared into the mist as if they were wraiths. Above, the sky was an inky black. The cold was stingingly numb. With each breath he took, vapor clouded before his eyes. The wind wrapped him in frigid arms, and his muscles flexed and shuddered. Concern and worry rode him hard. With each passing hour, his despair for his mate grew until the dead weight that replaced the heart in his chest suffocated him.

Tonight, he would make the arrangements. Tonight, he would sell his soul if needed.

He paused and closed his eyes, straining to listen, scenting the air. The hackles at the back of his neck raised in warning. Instinct as old as time kicked in, and before he could contain the change, it rippled throughout his body. The odor of putrid flesh stained the stagnant air. On his feet now, he heard the first soft footstep crunch the freshly fallen layer of snow. In the dark before him, the vampire stood. His body was deceptively relaxed, bottomless eyes the color of clear glass fixed upon him, studying him with a curious expression that was also riddled with scars. The hair atop his head was shorn to the scalp. Odd, for the Hunters were a vain lot, known to take pleasure in their locks. Graeme shifted. The vampire's eyes hardened at the slight movement and did the same, this time strategically positioning his feet into a comfortable fighting stance.

"Are you the one called Sutter?" he grumbled.

The vampire's grin was menacing. "Are you the one who kidnapped my niece?" Graeme shrugged as if it were as inconsequential as the light snow that began to drizzle from the sky. Sutter's eyes lowered to slits. "What do you want Were?"

Graeme's breaths were heavy, intense. "It is said that you are the one to hire for...difficult tasks."

Sutter considered him with sharp eyes. "No job is too difficult, if the price is right."

"Name your price then."

"What is the task?"

He inhaled, flared his nostrils at the stench there, and continued stiffly. "The Coven has taken her from me. They have taken Amarinda."

The vampire smirked as if he was not at all surprised. "And you want her back." His tone was laced with mockery.

Graeme felt his fingers twitch. "I want you to bring her to me. Where she belongs."

For a stunned moment the vampire's expression turned from curious to icy. Features strained, he studied Graeme with suspicion. "The price will be high as I risk my own capture," he finally muttered into the night.

The breath Graeme was unaware he held was exhaled in a rush. "Name your price then."

For a lengthy moment the vampire's eyes stayed fixed upon him before he responded. "A favor."

Graeme frowned, the large streams of smoke trailing from his nostrils carried away with a light wind. "A favor?"

The vampire offered a sinister smile, his eyes half crazed but his words surprisingly clear. "Yes. I will deliver sweet Amarinda into your care, but only if you agree to attend me when I call upon you."

Graeme felt agitation slither through his body and forced the growl that lurked in his chest to sink to the base of his stomach. To be so summoned by a vampire, and a mercenary vampire at that, was more than a blow to his pride. Already he stung knowing that he could not retrieve her on his own. Still, her safety, her place at his side as his mate meant he would sacrifice nothing less than his life itself. The battle must have shown a hundredfold on his face, for when he finally met the vampire's empty stare, it was to be greeted with a wicked grin of victory.