CHAPTER FIFTEEN

L ance knew Craig was disappointed in him. He glared at his commander.

If Sofia was his mate, it wasn’t like he’d had any choice but to have feelings for her, whether or not she was their enemy. Craig damn well knew this. Hell, he was a mated male himself. It wasn’t like Lance had a say in the damn matter.

If he had a problem, perhaps he should email Mother fucking Nature.

Lance gritted his teeth.

Craig was his commander, yes. And sure, they weren’t as close as he and Brayden, but they had known each other a long time and shared the immense responsibility of guarding the royal family. It wasn’t official, but Lance was Craig’s go-to guy when he needed one of the SLCs to step up. Him, not any of the others. It was never spoken about, but it was a level of trust Lance was honored to be extended.

They were also drinking buddies, had been each other’s wingman PB (pre-Brianna), and hung out playing pool and shit. Craig may be a powerful alpha vampire no one wanted to fuck with, but those close to him knew he was loyal as hell, and when he cared, he cared deeply.

Despite all that, what irked him the most was that Craig knew his past. He knew exactly why Sofia’s personal circumstances were important to him.

As he watched the large vampire, his mind flashed back to nearly four hundred years ago.

To a past he had long forgotten.

LANCE STEPPED INTO the ring of yet another filthy fight in the underground club he came to every night. He slept in a room above a clothing shop owned by an elderly widow. She didn’t much care for him or how he lived, but she loved the coins he dumped into her hand once a week. He gave her twice the advertised rent, and she never asked any questions. Wise human.

He was the unbeatable reigning champion, and it filled his pockets each night with gold. Soon he’d have enough to build his own home. Where he was going to do that, Lance hadn’t yet decided. He didn’t like being alone or sitting in silence. That just gave him time to think, and when he did, his mind filled with fury. He was happier fighting and fucking. With each punch he received, each punch he threw, he imagined it was the asshole who’d hurt Janie. Some days, that asshole was him; the brother who hadn’t done enough to protect her and then witnessed her taking her life.

Fun fact: it took exactly forty-six seconds for a vampire to burn into a pile of ash from the moment sunlight hit them. First there was a flash, then the body lit up like one of those thick logs which lay burning in a fire for hours. The flash lasted only long enough for an onlooker to catch the expression of terror. Then like a stack of cards, the vampire crumpled to the floor, and that was it. No waft of smoke. No sound. Nothing. Nada.

Forty-six fucking seconds.

Lance knew he’d live with the vision of Janie dying for the next forty-seven million years. Not that he could live that long. Immortality wasn’t eternal. But it would feel like it with what he’d seen. Fuck, it already felt like millions of years, yet it had only been two years since he’d left what remained of his family and buried himself in this life of sex and fighting. And it wasn’t helping a damn bit.

Sometimes he wished he were human so he could drink himself into oblivion.

Lance bounced around, warming up as he waited for his next unlucky opponent to jump in the ring. Getting impatient, he looked out to the ground and noticed a large male leaning against the far wall looking as disinterested as anyone could. Lance wasn’t fooled; he saw right through his bullshit and narrowed his eyes at him. The guy smirked and chewed on a stick of something.

He probably wanted to fuck, Lance thought. Unfortunately for the green-eyed man, Lance had his eyes on a blonde who worked at the establishment across the road. She had the perfect size breasts for him to slide his cock between, and when she finished her shift tonight, that’s exactly what she’d be doing. He just hadn’t told her yet.

Fighting made him horny as hell. Already he could feel the twitch in his pants, but he nudged it with his fist, not wanting the large vampire to get any ideas. Lance had no problem with cock; he just preferred pussy. A little bit like how he preferred beef to chicken. Didn’t mean he never ate chicken. Although he’d never had chicken and beef together, come to think about it...and now he was confusing the fuck out of himself.

His opponent stepped up and, to do the guy’s ego a favor, he dragged it out a bit, then with a punch, punch, swing, and another punch, he was KO’d on the floor. Oh dear, how sad .

Now give me my fucking money.

Twenty minutes later, Lance shoved the gold coins into his pants and made his way across the road. His cock was eager to get his turn at the action tonight. He should find out her name. Or not.

When he pushed through the doors, she was the first person he saw.

She blushed.

His cock twitched.

Lance grinned at her and leaned on the bar as he ordered an ale, guzzling down half of it once it was in front of him. She sidled up to him in greeting.

“What time do you finish?”

“Ten,” she answered, fluttering her lashes and refilling his mug.

“I will walk you home.” Lance winked and found himself a corner table to watch her for the last thirty minutes of her shift.

A huge body planted itself in a chair, blocking his view. The male from the fight. He leaned back in his place and stared at him.

Lance grinned. “Sorry, lad, my dance card is full tonight. Try me tomorrow.”

The male shook his head and frowned.

So he didn’t like being told no, huh? Lance shrugged.

The male leaned on the table. The forearms he dropped onto the wood were easily larger than most females’ thighs. “I’m sure your cock is sweet as pie, but that’s not why I’m here.”

Lance’s grin faded. “What do you want?”

“I’m looking for males. Strong males.”

Lance ran his eyes over the male, taking in all of him. He was a warrior—a powerful one. Dressed in head to toe black, he could see the cleverly hidden weapons on his body. He struggled to fit into the small wooden chair, just as he, his wide shoulders swallowing it up. “That’s not really how I swing, my friend. But I’m sure you won’t have trouble finding other males.”

The male rolled his eyes. “Christ. Fighting males. I’ve been watching you move over the past few nights, and I want to talk. But not here.” He glanced at the female darting glances at them. “Fuck your female, then meet me tomorrow eve before your fight in the alley beside the club.”

So he was recruiting males into his own fight club? Lance wasn’t exactly proud of what he was doing. It was an escape and a way to earn money while he figured his shit out. He wasn’t looking to move up in the world and fight at a club with a shinier door.

“Why would I?” he asked. “This gig is working well for me.”

The male laughed. “No, it’s fucking not. You hate your life.” His smile faded as he stood. “I have an opportunity that could change your life, if you’re smart enough to hear me out.” He stared down at him. “My name is Craig, and I hope to see you tomorrow night.”

Then he turned and walked out the door.

Lance lifted his ale to his lips, trying to fight his growing curiosity. He knew he’d go, if only to find out how Craig had been watching him without him noticing. And if the guy was full of shit and simply wanted to suck him off, then he was okay with that, too.

The next morning, before the sun rose, Lance nudged his cock into the wet, soft folds of Karina (Go him, he’d asked her name AND remembered it) from behind. Lifting her leg, he pressed in deeper, enjoying her surprise as she woke from her slumber. Dropping the dead weight of her leg over his own, he took a handful of her breast and squeezed her unusually large nipple. How he’d loved it in his mouth hours earlier. Coming over her neck had been as good as he’d imagined.

As she cried out, he ejaculated inside her once again, then flopped onto his back. One eye open, he saw the signs of daylight beginning and sighed. His fun was over for now. He’d have to send the pretty little human away. Turning her, Lance used his mind control to instruct her to go home and sneak quietly into her parents’ home.

When she left, he locked up his home, bolting it securely so he was at no risk of being woken, and fell into the deep vampire sleep they all had to partake during the day.

By nightfall, he was stepping into the alley, where he found Craig leaning against the wall with another stick in his mouth.

Lance shoved his thumbs under his suspenders and stopped a few feet away.

“Good,” Craig said and straightened away from the wall.

“So, who do you work for?” Lance asked, getting straight to the point.

Craig’s eyes went dark on him. “Someone of great importance.”

An hour later, he had a lot to think about. He’d been invited to train with a group of males in Rome. At the king’s damn castle. Craig was commander of the Royal Army and was putting together an elite team. He believed Lance had what it took.

Forty-eight hours later, he was riding through the gates. He couldn’t say why he’d gone, only that he saw a potential purpose for his life where there was only a dark, empty void.

Except it hadn’t been quite so simple.

For months, he and thirty other males were trained for twelve hours a night on a grueling schedule. He had never thought of himself as a difficult vampire, but his anger blindsided him so often, he was sidelined.

“De Luca!” Craig had yelled at him one day, pulling him up by his shirt. “Get your fucking head out of your ass or you are out those gates.”

“Fuck you!” he yelled back. “I never wanted this. Why did you drag me into this?!”

Between shoves, Craig directed him inside the castle and into a private room.

“What the hell is wrong with you? I know you have some dark shit in your past, but goddamn it, man, you have the potential to be one of my elites,” Craig yelled in his face. “You going to throw that away for some female?”

Lance saw red and pushed him. “She’s not just some female, you asshole!”

Craig shoved back.

Lance barreled into him, and the next moment they were pounding each other on the floor. He felt himself rip up the wall as the large vampire held him by the neck, giving him a death stare.

“You have one last opportunity to talk or go pack your bags.”

Craig dropped him to his feet, and they both panted, spit flying.

“My sister,” he finally snarled. “The female was my sister. She was raped, and I did nothing. We couldn’t do anything; she wouldn’t tell us who it was. Yet I failed her. One morning, she stepped into daylight.” Craig cursed. “In front of my eyes.”

Lance slumped against the wall and slid down. He wasn’t crying, but emotion vibrated through him as he allowed himself to remember it all.

“I left. I couldn’t stay and face my parents. My father had treated her like it was her fault. He felt as powerless as we all did. My mother was out of her mind but unable to stop my father’s aggression toward her. But I could have.”

Craig slunk to the floor a few feet away and shoved his arms over his knees. “It’s not that simple, De Luca, and you know it.”

The commander was right. At the time, Lance had believed he should respect his father in his own home. Until the moment Janie had turned to dust.

“You can spend your life angry, or you can honor hers and make something of yourself. Help us defend the laws of the vampire race and punish those who hurt females like Janie,” Craig said. “It’s a choice. You can’t stop the anger, but you can redirect it.”

He glanced up at his leader and saw in that moment the male’s own pain.

“With time and training, I believe I can turn you into a powerful soldier. But it’s your decision,” Craig continued. “I’ll be harder on you than anyone else, so don’t think this is some bonding bullshit.”

Lance let out a laugh.

“The prince has entrusted me with building a team, and I only want the best,” he added, standing up. “If you are here in the morning, I expect you to be here in a hundred years’ time. You got it?”

Lance nodded and leaned his head back against the brick.

Before Craig cleared the doorway, he turned. “And if we find out who raped your sister, I will help you hunt him down and kill him.”

THEY NEVER HAD. TO this day, Lance had no idea who the male was, and though his anger was contained, it still sizzled under the surface.

Lance stared at Craig, waiting to be told whether he would be allowed on Sofia’s protection team. Surely he’d proven himself to be a male of control and restraint or he wouldn’t be sitting here right now with this damn M on his chest.

If Craig refused, then what? What would he do? Leave the king’s army?

Their eyes met briefly, centuries of history flashing before them as Lance’s blood pounded in his ears. His jaw tightened, thighs flexed as they stared at one another. Then Craig turned to the prince.

“Lance goes,” Craig finally replied. “In fact, I want all of you in rotation. I don’t want any of us fucking this up for whatever reason. This is our highest priority.”

Lance nodded. “Agreed.”

“Wasn’t looking for a gold star, but thanks,” Craig drawled, raising an eyebrow.

Lance smirked. Craig had two moods: sarcastic asshole or dangerous. It was always the former you aimed for.

“From today, Sofia, you’re no longer our prisoner. You are our spy. Working for me,” the king declared. “No one can know except the vampires in this room and a few soldiers. Craig and Brayden will ensure your breakout appears legit.”

“Yes, sir,” Sofia replied.

Brayden stood and leaned against the king’s desk, crossing his arms. “Okay, here’s what we have. Craig and the team will begin setting the plan in motion while you undergo some basic defense training. I want you to protect yourself if you find yourself in a similar situation...as before. In a week, we’ll have you on the ground.”

Lance looked down at his boots and gritted his teeth. He fucking hated all of this, but if it meant Sofia kept her head and could one day live her life as a free vampire, then he would do what it took. He had to support and protect her and get on board with the plan.

“Thank you,” Sofia said. “I appreciate this opportunity and will do everything I can to help bring down the rebellion and educate the many generations who have been lied to by that monster.”

“ That I can get on board with,” Craig approved.

“Hell yeah,” Kurt, Marcus, and Tom all said in chorus.

Lance caught Brayden’s nod and returned it. He was being entrusted with an important job and was grateful for his work behind the scenes which had made this possible.

“We won’t let you down,” Lance told both Moretti brothers.

“You never have before, De Luca,” Brayden replied, slapping him on the back.

Lance hoped he hadn’t just told the biggest lie of his life.