House of Wrath: The Vampire Project Book 5 Read online

  House of Wrath

  The Vampire Project Book 5

  Jonathan Yanez

  “Throw me to the wolves and I’ll come back leading the pack.” –Unknown

  House of Wrath

  Copyright © 2017 by Jonathan Yanez. All rights

  reserved.

  Archimedes Books

  Santa Ana, CA 92701

  Formatting: Archimedes Books

  ASIN: B074FY2J55

  No part of this book may be reproduced,

  scanned, or distributed in any printed or

  electronic form without permission. Please do

  not participate in or encourage piracy of

  copyrighted materials in violation of the

  author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the

  hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters,

  places and incidents either are the product of

  the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously

  and any resemblance to locals, events, business

  establishments or actual persons—living or

  dead—is entirely coincidental.

  Created with Vellum

  To Kimberly, these books wouldn’t be the same without you.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Epilogue

  Of Angels and Men

  Also by Jonathan Yanez

  Afterword

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Leah

  “You want to send them all?”

  “Did I stutter?”

  “No, but leaving New Hope with a single regiment of vampire soldiers may not be enough to quell an insurrection if the people rise against us.”

  Leah looked at Commander Steel from her seat in her new throne. She had done away with the gaudy chair her sister had chosen to rule from. Leah had simpler, if not more, commanding taste than the late queen.

  She sat on her recently commissioned seat, a throne of pure obsidian stone, which glimmered in the presence of the mage lights set high overhead in the throne room. Her temper matched her dark dress. News of her mage engine and, more importantly, of Elizabeth’s defeat on the road to Azra had just reached her.

  Mage engines would come and go, but an apprentice with Elizabeth’s power came once in a lifetime. The reports were muddled, but one thing was clear: a witch was protecting Azra; a witch strong enough to defeat Elizabeth, one who’d fought with yellow magic.

  “My queen?” Commander Steel stood at attention. The way he’d said the words told Leah it wasn’t the first time he’d said her name. “We leave only one regiment in New Hope?”

  Leah’s anger broke free from her usual calm resolve. “Our enemies are in Azra! They’re out there in front of us! I want you to have the entire army ready to march by tomorrow night. Leave no one behind; take every vampire soldier with you!”

  Leah’s voice had boomed in the massive open space that made up the throne room, words echoing off the walls and reverberating back in toward the room. Although the queen and the commander were the only two in the room, it would have been a safe guess that her guards on the other side of the large doors had heard her screaming.

  “Commander, you have the most powerful army in the known world at your disposal. Use them to crush our enemies in Azra. Whatever it takes.” Leah gritted her teeth at an image of Azra in flames in her mind. She could practically hear the screams of the dying in her ears. “The wolf monsters tethered to Elizabeth will have scattered. Don’t waste your time trying to reel in the beasts. What of the mage engine itself?”

  “It’s in perfect working order.” Commander Steel met her eyes with a mischievous grin. “As soon as it released your apprentice and the monsters, the conductor reversed the unit and it rolled into New Hope without a scratch. If it’s not too forward of me to ask: Will you be joining us?”

  “I’ll be catching up with you.” Leah drummed her long, slender fingers on the cold arm of her throne. “Powerful wizards aren’t the only weapons to be had in the Outland. I’m sure the vampire army will be more than enough to overwhelm Azra, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

  A dark shadow loomed across Commander Steel’s face. Leah knew he would understand her meaning. Before his transformation into a vampire, before his rise to commanding the New Hope army, he had been a mercenary in the Outland, himself.

  “I know you know what you’re doing, but they can’t be trusted.” Commander Steel shook his head, trying to maneuver the conversation in such a way that came out firm yet respectful. “They’re dark, evil men and women—”

  “I understand your hesitation in using their particular skill set. But that’s for me to worry about, not you. Go”—Leah waved him away—“and do as you are ordered. If you do your job, maybe we won’t have to use them at all.”

  Commander Steel swallowed hard, then bowed at the waist and exited the room. His heavy boots made loud clicks on the marble floor.

  Leah watched his back disappear through the doors. She was alone with her thoughts again, the same thoughts that kept leading back to her younger sister. It had to be her. It could be no one else. Leah had made a point of keeping track of any witch or wizard capable of such power. When one tried to control the board, you kept track of all of the pieces.

  It was clear Croft had somehow masked her mark. The little brat had remained quiet all these years, amassing an army of her own in Azra. Leah should have guessed.

  But dwelling on these thoughts would get her nowhere. It was time to act. Leah rose and lifted her black wand from the holster she wore on the side of her right hip. Channeling her magic came as naturally to her as lifting her own hand.

  Purple light danced at the edge of her wand as she traced a large circle in the air in front of her, while an ancient spell danced across her lips. At once, the circle of magic floating in the air shimmered. A ripple of energy brought an image of darkness in front of her. Instead of seeing the rest of the throne room though the circle, she was now viewing a dark room.

  The viewing portal was large, big enough for her to see a massive bed lying against the far wall. Floor-to-ceiling curtains were closed, a pair of fluffy, blue slippers having been placed methodically by the foot of a dresser.

  “I was wondering when you’d come and ask for my help,” a male voice drifted from the bed and through Leah’s spell. “I’ve heard you’re having quite the problem in your corner of the world.”

  “‘Problem,’ is a strong word for what’s going on here, Dominic.” Leah paused, choosing her next words carefully. “I’m not much of a gambler. I’m going to crush Azra and kill every last one of them. My vampire army is strong eno
ugh to do that now.”

  “But … ?” A shadow figure sat up in the bed and swung bare legs over the side to slip naked feet into the pair of blue slippers. “Maybe they’re not? Or why would you be coming to me?”

  “I wouldn’t mind having your help and the help of those you serve in all of this.”

  “Ahhh … and there it is. You understand the Fallen have little to no interest in the dealings of your petty squabbles. What’s in it for them if they decide to help?”

  Dominic rose from the bed and sauntered over toward Leah’s spell. He was tall, good looking, with dark features and a body that would make any man envious. He reached out of sight for a moment, and the sound of liquid being poured filled Leah’s vision.

  He came forward, right up to the spell wall now, and sipped at a red wine he swirled in a golden chalice.

  “What is it that they would want?” Leah asked, already wondering if she wanted to know the answer to her question.

  “I’ll be honest with you Leah.” Dominic looked her up and down with hungry eyes. “They have their hands full battling their celestial counterparts in their shadow war here on Earth, but I might be swayed to step in and be your knight in shinning armor.”

  “And in return?”

  “Oh”—Dominic smiled at her with a mischievous grin—“I think you know what I want.”

  Chapter 2

  Sloan

  “It was him. I know it was him.” With hurried abandon, Jack threw provisions into a sack. “I saw his eyes. He saw me. I just know.”

  Sloan bit her tongue. How was she supposed to tell her friend, this boy recently turned a man, that it may not be his father he’d seen on the battlefield? The last thing she wanted to do was take his hope away, but Sloan wasn’t the type to sugarcoat the truth.

  Just like Jack, she had seen the werewolves break out of the mage engine. Caught in the middle of the fight, she hadn’t seen the large, white werewolf Jack insisted was his father.

  “What if it’s not Marcus?” Sloan leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms. “I know Leah has the ability to raise the dead; she proved that with Aareth’s wife. I can follow your logic that the Burrow Den beast biting your father would then turn him into a werewolf like Aareth, but you have to admit, this is a stretch.”

  “Elizabeth told me he was alive.” Jack picked up a large canteen from a shelf in the supply room, then his eyes searched the unfamiliar Azra larder before finding a giant, wooden barrel with a spout. “I didn’t know if I could believe her at first, but after the fight, after I saw him … it’s him Sloan, I know it is. He looked right at me and didn’t attack me, even before those yellow mage collars they wore were deactivated.”

  “And what about Abigail?” Sloan was doing her best to keep the parenting tone out of her voice. She didn’t have kids of her own or a younger brother, but if she did, she imagined this is how an older sister or a mother would feel. “How are you even going to track him? He scattered with the rest of the werewolves when Elizabeth was defeated.”

  Jack turned the spout on the barrel, testing it to see if it was indeed water before he filled up his canteen. He was silent for a moment. Sloan already knew nothing she could say would make him stay. She was only trying to have him reason out his plan. In all honesty, hearing that Jack even had a plan at this point would make her feel better.

  “Abigail will understand.” Jack closed the tap and screwed the lid onto his canteen. “She and her mother have a lot of work to do on the path to Elizabeth’s recovery. She’ll understand. I won’t be gone long.”

  “You didn’t answer my second question.”

  “What’s that?”

  “How are you going to track him? He could be halfway back to New Hope, or terrorizing Term right now.”

  “I’ll find a way.” Jack draped the canteen strap around his shoulder. He grabbed the sack of food, then thought twice about his rations and crammed in a few more packages of dried meat and fruit. “I’ll find a spell; I’ll ask people. You forget, my father and I are the very best trackers in the Outland. I’ll find him.”

  “I’d go with you if I could.” But Sloan pushed the idea from her mind. There was no way she could leave Azra now. The entire city was looking at her for help in the face of the coming war. “Maybe I can get away just for a few days.”

  Jack stopped in front of her. He looked exhausted, but he still managed a smile on his tired face. “I know you’d come if you could, but that’s not what’s going to happen. I’m going to be gone for a few days, and I’ll be back with my father.”

  “All right.” Sloan stepped to the side, admitting defeat. “Be careful. If you don’t come back in one piece, I’ll kill you.”

  “He’ll be fine.” Aareth’s strong voice interrupted the two. “I’m going with him.”

  Sloan and Jack directed their attention to the road, where a setting sun silhouetted Aareth’s large shoulders. The once-city inspector now turned werewolf wore his usual black coat, boots, and a rueful grin.

  “I don’t know if that makes me feel better or worse,” Sloan lied. A sense of gratefulness was already filling her. Jack and Aareth travelling together would tenfold lessen the burden of worry she felt.

  “You don’t have to come.” Jack shouldered his pack. “I can do this myself.”

  “Oh, I know.” Aareth shrugged. “I don’t have to do anything. I want to do this. Partly for you, partly because if it is Marcus out there, I owe him.”

  “What about training your pack of werewolves here?” Jack asked, turning to Sloan for permission. “Is he allowed to come?”

  “What? I don’t need her permission to go with you on a play date.” Aareth scowled at Jack. “I turned an Azra soldier named Jaxon before we left to fight the New Hope mage engine. Edison is helping with his transition, and Croft has to do some weird moon thing to turn him anyway.”

  “He should probably stay here.” Sloan raised her right eyebrow at her werewolf friend. “But he’s a grown man. He’ll have to make his own decisions.”

  Sloan saw Jack’s tense shoulders lower. He even gave a brief smile. As much as Jack would go alone if he had to, it was clear now that he hadn’t wanted to make the journey by himself.

  “I would tell you two to be careful,” Sloan said to Jack and Aareth, “but I know those words would be a waste of my time.”

  “We’ll back before New Hope gets here.” Aareth turned to leave, yet hesitated for a moment. “You know that has to be their next play, right? They’re coming.”

  “Yes, yes, I know that.” Sloan waved away Aareth’s words. “Get going. I’m a big girl. I can take care of my own wars.”

  Sloan stood in the road watching Jack and Aareth talking to one another as they traveled down Azra’s sloping path that led to the city gates. It seemed an eternity ago that she had met the boy and his father, and the then-shady former inspector. In reality, it hadn’t been that long at all. Sloan owned underwear she’d had longer. It was the events surrounding them that made the two men like family.

  “You look like you’re going to drill holes in their backs,” Cherub’s voice boomed behind Sloan. “Is there something wrong? Should I bar them from leaving the city?”

  “No, no.” Sloan turned to the gargoyle leader of the Azra army. “They’re going to find Jack’s father. How are preparations for the city’s defense coming?”

  “We’ll be ready.” Cherub shrugged into her long, white cloak that protected her skin from the sun’s rays. “I still hate the idea of not being in the first engagement. Theo is recovering from his wounds, but I fear Croft has lost sight of the real goal.”

  “Elizabeth.” Sloan already knew what the female gargoyle was talking about. In a way, she couldn’t blame the witch. Croft finally had her daughters with her, and they needed her, both in their own ways. “You and I are more than capable of preparing the city until Theo is healed and Croft has her head on straight again. Her entire family has been through so much.”

  “Your
assistance would be helpful; however, I feel like you have your own issues to deal with at the moment.” Cherub looked behind her, back up the main road of Azra and to the capitol building. “The woman you turned before you left is a handful. You should really spend some time with her, and the other humans you plan on forming into your vampire squad.”

  “Why?” A sense of dread inked through Sloan’s veins. She was already responsible for turning an Azra guard. If anything happened to Babs, or as a result of her actions, it was on Sloan. “What’s wrong with Babs?”

  “You should really go see for yourself.” Cherub’s hard, grey eyes were too cold to read.

  Sloan took off up the hill, the worst scenario playing through her mind.

  Chapter 3

  Sloan

  “I feel like a million dollars!” Babs squealed. As soon as she walked outside into the courtyard, she ran and embraced Sloan. “Thank you! I feel like I can lift a unicorn and out-race any winged creature.”

  Sloan stood rigid under the woman’s embrace. Not only was Babs invading her personal space, but sweat laced the woman’s skin in a thin layer of stickiness.

  “Okay, there’s not going to be anymore hugging while we train.” Sloan gently un-clamped herself from the woman and patted her on the arm. “How are you feeling, hunger-wise? How’s your temper?”