Prologue
“The time of the wolf is over
The era of the fae, the warlock, and the sprite is at an end.
The age of the vampire has begun.” ~Cain
“Is that what I think it is?” A newly made vampire stood entirely too close to Cain for his liking. It wasn’t one of his own creation, just a lesser fledgling brought to life for one purpose: fighting the damnable wolves. It was their fault he needed such a large army. And while the vampire king certainly enjoyed having a greater force to command, new vampires had a tendency to be little better than toddlers until they had a few decades of afterlife under their belt.
Cain and the young one stood outside a bar owned by a rogue fae and commonly frequented by many supernaturals. “A wolf left this for you,” the fae had told Cain before passing him a wooden box. Always suspicious, Cain had decided to exit the bar and open the box away from prying eyes. Now that he saw what was inside, he was glad he did.
The vamp king glanced at the male and made a shooing motion with his hand. “Mind my personal space,” he said through clenched fangs. Cain’s irritation wasn’tonlya result of the proximity of the idiot baby vamp but also because of the contents of the box he held. "It has five fingers and a palm. What do youthinkit is?”
The fledgling was smart enough to keep quiet.
While receiving a hand “hand delivered” in a wood box—pun intended—might disturb a human, Cain wasn’t so squeamish. He was a vampire, after all. Severed body parts were as common to him as ants at a picnic. Rather, it was the implied message the appendage brought that unsettled the king. Upon opening the box, Cain had immediately recognized the hand by the golden ring on one of the fingers. It belonged--orhadbelonged—to Ludcarab, the elfin king.
The message the wolves had sent was clear: they were out for blood. No Order member would be spared, regardless of the importance.
“Whose hand is it?” The young one had finally stepped a reasonable distance away.
Cain closed the lid of the box with a snap and held it at his side. He ground his teeth, pondering the implications. He could only assume there were more pieces of Ludcarab scattered throughout the supernatural community. All the Order members would soon know their enemies were on the offensive.
“Someone from whom it should have been very hard to remove,” he answered. Cain slipped his free hand into the pocket of his slacks and headed toward his vehicle. “Take two other vampires with you—older, more knowledgeable ones—and visit as many places as you can where supernaturals like to hang out. See if you find any more …packages,” Cain ordered. “Text me immediately if you do.”
“You got it, boss.”
A disturbing thought filled Cain’s mind. If Ludcarab was dead, then the healer they’d captured was free. “What a damn mess,” he muttered under his breath. He’d need to double check, of course, but Cain was pretty certain the girl couldn’t have killed the elf king herself. That meant she’d been rescued. The healer would have a mate, of course, who wouldn’t rest until she was free or he was dead. It didn’t surprise Cain that Ludcarab had once again underestimated the power of the mate bond, even if it wasn’t complete.
When he reached his car, Alston suddenly appeared in front of the passenger’s side door. Cain had to bite back a curse at the fae’s sudden appearance. “Nice of you to pop in,” he growled at the high fae. Although Cain had actually been on his way to speak with Alston, he didn’t like being taken by surprise. How the hell had the faeknownwhere he was in the first place?
“It’s been a while since we touched base,” Alston said. “Given …recent events, I think it’s time you, me, and Ludcarab sat down and had a nice long chat about the future of the Order.”
Cain smirked as he opened the driver's side door. Apparently the high fae hadn’t heard the news. “Something tells me the elf king isn’t going to have much to say.”
Alston’s eyes narrowed, and his lips drew flat across his face. “Why is that?”
Cain placed the box on the roof of the car and shoved it across. Alston reached out and caught it before the box could slide off.Pity. It would have been funny to see Alston’s reaction when the hand came rolling out across the ground.“Open it.” Cain motioned to the box.
Alston slowly lifted the lid, as if he was scared a snake would jump out and bite him. His eyes lingered on Cain for a moment before dropping to the gory contents within the box.
Cain watched a gamut of emotions run across Alston’s face. First, his brow drew low, as if he was confused about what he was seeing. Then his jaw clenched, and Cain saw the comprehension dawn on the fae’s face. He no doubt recognized the ring. Finally, all the tightness slid away, replaced by a blank look of indifference.
“Is this all that has been sent of him? And what of the healer?”
Something in Alston’s voice gave Cain pause. He tilted his head, as if the change in perspective would enlighten him. “What aren’t you telling me?” he asked the fae.
Alston closed the lid and slid the box back toward Cain. “I asked you two questions,” he responded coolly. “Why would you think I’m keeping something from you?”
“My, my.” Cain clucked his tongue. “Is being out there in the middle of nowhere making you cranky?”
If Alston was surprised Cain knew of his headquarters, the fae didn’t show it. Instead, he simply let out a sigh, his features bland as if he was bored. “We don’t have time for a pissing match, Cain. One of our most powerful leaders has been murdered, and not by wolves. Not to mention our captive is probably long gone. And there’s a magical signature on that appendage.” He motioned toward the box.
Cain narrowed his eyes. Sothatwas what Alston was keeping from him. “What type of magic?”
“Djinn and fae.” Alston paused and his face flushed. “Specifically, Perizada’s magic.”
Cain felt his stomach twist at the mention of the powerful, high fae female. She was supposed to be dead. “How is that possible? And how do you know the wolves weren’t involved?”
