Forsaken Hunger Read online

  It was the ultimate solution for both sides.

  As Gabriel stepped out of the elevator to ground level, one of his assistants flagged him down. “Dr. Aikins, Lady Ilsa and korvaute Weiss have requested a conference call with you. I’ve patched it through to your office.”

  Gabriel ground his teeth in irritation. What the hell did the Rei’jin and korvaute Weiss want now? The business with the Drakonem should be done. He still had no idea who had made the accusation a week ago, or more importantly, who had witnessed him disposing of one of his specimens. Most likely it was a member of a different race. If it had been one of his own, Commander Weiss, head of all leisonguardes, would have sent a team to investigate before involving the Drakonem.

  Fortunately, thanks to one critical mistake of the past, Gabriel had long since prepared himself for this possibility. When Commander Weiss had demanded to check out his workplace, Gabriel hadn’t hesitated to take him straight to the building constructed specifically to act as a front for his real operation.

  A state of the art laboratory built directly on his property behind his small mansion. It was fully equipped with an active security system, trained poignots with medical degrees, and all the technology necessary for his supposed research into the fertility of Vampyre females. Even the electronic records in his database there had been thorough enough to fool the high council of the house of Avram. Gabriel had also provided fabricated paperwork from the private office in his mansion for good measure.

  The entire investigation had been dropped in three days. What possible reason could they have for this further interference?

  He strode past the nursery to the cluster of offices at the back of the facility and entered his. It was designed to appear exactly like the one at his laboratory, where the call had been routed from. After donning a white lab coat, he clicked the alert on his desktop computer then faced the widescreen mounted to the far wall.

  Lady Ilsa’s regal image appeared in front of a background of colorful paintings unique to their culture. She was seated in a high-back chair wearing a blood-red satin dress that hugged her sleek form provocatively. Long black hair framed her pale face, accentuating her thick lashes and full red lips. She was the accumulation of centuries of pure-bred royal lines and mates chosen solely for their beauty and grace. The effect was mesmerizing until it came time to conduct business. As far as he knew, only one of the five Vampyre houses across the world had royalty who did not rely completely on their council and commanding officers to handle their governing affairs. And that one resided in Siberia.

  One of Lady Ilsa’s many mistresses stood behind her, brushing her hair sensuously. It was no secret that the lady enjoyed an alternative lifestyle. She flaunted her female lovers as freely as she did her riches. No one minded this, so long as she abided by the same breeding law that ruled all Vampyres. That every male and female do their part in the procreation of their race unless physically unable.

  So far, the lady and her consort had two sons to boast of.

  The mistress rushed out of sight when korvaute Weiss moved to Lady Ilsa’s side. His peppered hair and granite countenance matched his demeanor, cold and intimidating. He spoke first in a deep voice. “Korvaute Aikins. Sorry to interrupt your studies. We wanted to check in to make sure you haven’t been disturbed by any…outside parties.”

  Gabriel sat down behind his desk with a frown. “I don’t quite follow you, Commander.”

  “The Drakonem who contacted us a week ago seemed a little too suspicious for me. I think he may not be done with you yet.”

  “Just what are you trying to say?”

  The lady huffed exaggeratedly. “He thinks a Drakon may have been sent after you. Personally, I don’t see any cause for alarm. You have nothing to hide. If there is a puppet out there, he will only return to his master empty-handed.”

  Weiss’ lips thinned in disapproval. The Lady wasn’t exactly known for her patience, or her knowledge of history. But one didn’t chastise royalty outright, no matter high your rank.

  When Gabriel saw his head leisonguarde, Rhys, enter his office, he lowered a hand to signal the man to stay out of sight.

  “While this may be true,” Weiss went on, “I would like to assign you additional guards. I can post half a dozen at your house and a dozen at your lab. I also think you would do well to keep a personal bodyguard to accompany you at all times. While Drakons are essentially mindless killers, they shouldn’t be underestimated. If one is after you, as I suspect there is, I wouldn’t put it past the creature to fabricate evidence against you.”

  Gabriel would’ve laughed at the irony of that statement if the situation weren’t so dire. Commander Weiss had a well-earned reputation for excellent instincts, and Gabriel wasn’t about to question them now. Neither could he accept the man’s offer of additional guards, though. Anything they saw could equally jeopardize his operation.

  An idea came to him and he kept his face troubled. “I see, and I greatly appreciate your concern.” He tipped his head toward the Lady. “I wonder, Commander, if you would allow me to choose the leisonguardes to protect me. Many of them are my friends. I could have a list to you by this evening.”

  Weiss seemed taken aback by his personal request but didn’t argue. “Very well. Take care, Doctor.”

  When the screen went blank, Gabriel threw his coat off and stalked to his liquor cabinet. A Drakon! His little slip up was quickly turning into a fiasco.

  “A Drakon?” Rhys asked, mirroring his thoughts.

  Gabriel downed a shot of vodka then poured himself another before turning to his most trusted leisonguarde and advisor. “Korvaute Weiss is under the impression that the Drakonem may have sent one after me.”

  Rhys took a seat opposite the desk and planted his booted feet on the chair beside him. “I’ve never known the commander to be wrong about a hunch. You should heed his warning.”

  “Of course I should!” Gabriel shouted. When Rhys merely lifted a brow, he sighed and rifled a hand through his dark brown hair. “I’m sorry, my friend. You’re right, which is why I agreed to the additional guards. Choose men that you trust to keep up appearances at my home and laboratory. I’ll have to stay away from the facilities for the next week or two until this situation blows over.”

  Gabriel wasn’t too worried about a Drakon discovering his facilities. Each one was registered as a business under the ownership of humans. And those humans were hosts for the Djinn he was working with. If anything suspicious were to happen, they would report to him immediately.

  He took a sip of his liquor then sat down again. “All this for a dead little human whose name no one even cared to get.”

  Rhys snorted. “I’ve already talked to Forrest about having his men commandeer a funeral home in this area. That’ll take care of any future complications with the disposal of specimens.”

  Gabriel sighed again, suddenly tired. “Give me some good news, Rhys. How did your meeting with that woman go?”

  Rhys grinned widely. “I found her.”

  A bolt of elation slammed into Gabriel’s chest. He sat forward with narrowed eyes. “You found my Daneya?”

  “I have her address right here.” He handed a napkin to Gabriel, who took it greedily. “It’s about an hour away. She and her daughter are staying temporarily with a friend. Cherri told me they’ll be there for a short while at least.”

  Gabriel stood and began to pace, feeling his excitement build by the second. “Good. This is good. We can leave with a team as soon as the sun sets.”

  “It’s not going to be that easy, sir. I checked out the friend she’s staying with this morning. He’s the director of the DCM unit in this area and his house is located in the middle of their residential community.”

  “They’re still just humans. They pose no threat to us.”

  “Maybe not, but a Drakon does.”

  Gabriel scoffed darkly. “We aren’t even sure if there truly is one sent to investigate me.”

  “All the mor
e reason to be careful,” Rhys countered. “Cherri is expecting a visit from me this weekend. Let me convince her to meet me somewhere with Daneya and the girl. I can take them with only a few men and bring them back here.”

  “That’s three days away,” Gabriel said, shaking his head. “I can’t wait that long.”

  Rhys jumped to his feet and jerked Gabriel to a stop. “You have to. If a Drakon has been assigned to you, it can sense where you are at any time. It could track you right to Daneya.”

  “I said no!” Gabriel shouted. “I’ve waited too long to sit on the sidelines now. I have to go.”

  Rhys fumed silently, his hand flexing on Gabriel’s arm before he finally let it drop. Gabriel couldn’t fault his friend’s anger. He knew going after Daneya himself would place his entire operation in danger, but he couldn’t sit idly by while others went to fetch his wayward possession. Daneya was his, and he would be the one to bring her home.

  “I’ll take a team with me under cover of night. We’ll be in and out before any of the surrounding vigilantes ever know we’re there.”

  “What do you mean ‘I’?” Rhys asked warily. “I’m going with you, too.”

  “I need you to stay here and station those additional guards at my house and laboratory. Besides, if anything does go wrong, and I’m not saying it will, I don’t want Cherri to recognize you. We might have to use her later.” Gabriel waited for acknowledgment of his orders. By the look of turmoil on his friend’s face, he knew the conversation wasn’t quite over.

  “I’ll stay on one condition. I want the woman, Cherri.”

  He cocked his head in surprise. “For yourself?”

  Rhys’ voice softened and his lips twitched. “She is submissive and trusting. I think she’ll make a good specimen.”

  Gabriel had the distinct feeling that wasn’t all Rhys wanted to make of her, though he kept his thoughts to himself. If the little human made his friend happy, he was all for it. He nodded once. “You have my word.”

  After Rhys left, he downed the rest of his vodka then took out his cell phone with a smile on his face. He had a kidnapping to prepare for—and not a lot of time to do it in.

  Chapter Four

  Saden stood cloaked in shadows by a line of trees at the start of the quarter-mile driveway. At the other end lay Gabriel Aikins’ mansion. A testament to modern architecture with sleek angles and glass surfaces. He barely recognized it from his childhood years. Back then, it had still retained the authentic charm of its Dutch Colonial style.

  He shook his head at the downward progression of the race he’d been born into. For all the majesty of the Vampyres’ heritage, their greed and lust for power were beginning to rival those of humans. It made him glad he could no longer claim ties to them, or their dying culture.

  Unfortunately, his memories weren’t so easily erased.

  He recalled the day his parents had died in the ongoing war against the Djinn. Both had been leisonguardes of great skill. He’d been seven years old at the time, and his sister two. They had been moved into his uncle’s house that night. There had been some dispute about whether his sister should go to a couple who lacked children since his uncle was unmated, but his parents’ instructions on their welfare had been explicit. They had trusted Gabriel to care for their children.

  Saden was only thankful they had died before they could find out just how misguided their trust had been.

  For a moment, just a moment, he was tempted to abandon his mission. Walk away from the house he’d sworn never to visit again. gods, how he wanted to! That had been the one good thing that’d come out of being made a Drakon. The promise that his past life was no longer his right to embrace. Yet here he was, charged with immersing himself in it once again. Of all the sick degradation Serrakus had subjected him to over the years, this definitely topped the list.

  Saden summoned the piece of Serrakus’ soul that lived inside him and flung it out in search of his target. Unexpectedly, Gabriel’s energy flared to his senses not ahead of him, but behind by about thirty miles. What the man was doing and where was not his concern at the moment, however. Right now, the distance gave him time to sneak into the mansion and find what he could.

  He faded to his dragon form and took flight. Movement around the perimeter of the mansion caught his attention. He circled twice, counting six armed men and women pacing along the perimeter.

  Damn Serrakus!

  His enquiry about Gabriel to the Rei’jin of the house of Avram had destroyed any tactical advantages Saden might’ve had. Without the element of surprise, he was screwed in more ways than he could count. It left him vulnerable and his mission exposed, but not impossible. He still had a few secrets of his own.

  He took back his corporeal form on top of the mansion near a sunroof. After attaching a suction cup to the glass, he concentrated his Drakonem power into a single point and used it to slice a large circle out of the glass. It came away easily and he laid it aside before dropping down into the room below. He was in Gabriel’s extensive library on the second floor. Two doors down the outer hallway, he came to his target’s study. Unlike the exterior of the house, the interior hadn’t changed much. The dark wood furniture and low-key decorative style was the same as he remembered.

  Saden was betting the man’s habits hadn’t changed either. Gabriel had always been a paranoid sort, even in the privacy of his own home. Everything of a personal nature, including family heirlooms and photos, were likely still in the attic where Saden had discovered them long ago. Those weren’t all Gabriel chose to keep hidden. Upon moving in as a boy, Saden had uncovered many of the secret hiding places his uncle had installed in the house. Including the one in his study.

  Saden went to a corner of the room and pushed aside the credenza there. He knelt down and felt along the bottom of the wall until his fingers found a small pressure panel. It triggered a spring mechanism that released the lock of the hidden door. Judging by the silent ease with which he was able to push the door inward, it was apparent Gabriel still kept this secret alcove in use. It was the hind end of a utility closet in the outer hallway and designed to be completely unnoticeable.

  An overhead bulb lit the small area, showing two tall filing cabinets and several stacked tubs. Saden rifled through one of the tubs first. Papers were organized within by color-coded files, and all of them dated back to at least four decades ago. No matter how incriminating they might be, Saden needed current evidence. If Gabriel was still experimenting on humans as he suspected, nothing short of up-to-date, irrefutable proof would be enough to detain the man.

  He used a picklock on one of the cabinets and searched through the files on the top shelf. Each one seemed to be the profile of a human female. They included pictures, life histories and medical records. The dates on these were more recent, going back only over the past ten years. When he pulled out the first file to read further in depth, his blood ran cold.

  Daneya’s headshot stared back at him from a corner of the file, her amber eyes wild with fear. He scanned over the information on the following page, his gut clenching in dread.

  Name: Daneya Perodee

  Age: 17

  Known relatives: Mother, Trina Perodee. Father, Scott Perodee—Died in a car accident in 1995. Sister, Emily Perodee—Deceased.

  Address: 4455 Tunnel Ln. Riverside, CA.

  Saden stopped reading. His hands shook and vision clouded over with rage. Seventeen. She’d been seventeen when this information had been gathered on her!

  He stared at the photo again. There was no doubt in his mind it had been taken by Gabriel or one of his cohorts. No one showed that much fear without good reason.

  How had Gabriel managed to capture her? During that time, Marco had been watching over her. The same man who’d asked Saden to protect her when his punishment had forced him out of the country. Yet Marco had mentioned nothing of Daneya’s involvement with Gabriel. His thoughts whirled at the implications of this. The knot of dread building in his gut became a fore
boding weight he couldn’t ignore.

  He had to check in on her.

  After replacing the file, he pulled out his cell phone and called Blade. Heavy panting met him on the other line, then his friend’s voice.

  “Yeah?”

  “Blade, did you track Daneya like I asked you to?”

  “Sure, of course,” Blade said breathlessly. “She took her daughter and roommate and moved in with some guy. Name’s Vincent Condretti. He’s the head of the DCM unit here.”

  “Where does he live?”

  “In a gated community on the outskirts of North Valley, about twenty miles northeast of her house. Why?”

  Saden cast the Drakonem’s power out again. Gabriel was on the move, headed in the same direction Blade had given. Fuck if this night just didn’t get better and better. He put a lock on the alarm hammering in his chest and said, “Get to Vincent’s house. Now! I’ll meet you there.”

  “Saden, what’s going on?”

  Saden heard a whiny moan in the background on Blade’s end and frowned. “I’d ask you the same thing but I really don’t want to know. Just get your ass over there. I think Gabriel might be making a move on Daneya.”

  “Your Gabriel? Shit, okay. I’m on my way. Hey, uh, where do you keep your towels?”

  “My…what?” He paused for a second as Blade’s question sank in. “Are you in my house?” he yelled as quietly as possible.

  Blade hesitated then answered, “I hung a tie on the front door.”

  Saden growled. “Just get dressed and get the woman out of there before you leave.” He hung up, swearing as he put everything back in order.

  Outside, he replaced the glass on the sunroof, zeroed in on Gabriel and sped toward him in his dragon form. The Vampyre was going faster now, probably traveling in his vehicle on the highway. Saden rose higher in the sky to gain more speed. Fifteen minutes later, Gabriel’s spark of energy came to a halt.