New Kingdom: Australian Court Ch. 04

Feeling his hunter's sense suddenly thrown into high gear, he quickly searched their group for signs of abnormality. Everyone appeared to be engrossed in their plans as they neared the mansion. Everyone except Gabriel. He seemed to be silently questioning someone or something.

Alex suddenly understood. Vampires were near. Unsheathing his blade, he moved closer to Gabriel searching for the newcomers.

"Where are they?" he asked.

"At the house," Gabriel answered.

"Joshua?"

"Is fine. I can't smell blood or death but they are not one of us."

"What can I do? Move ahead?"

"No," Gabriel answered. "Stay with Alena. And Abigail. Keep them safe."

"I will," he answered moving to the warrior's mate. He noticed that she had a similar expression of concern. Apparently she was receiving inside information on the possible danger ahead. She nodded to Alex and pushed Abigail closer to him.

"What's wrong?" Abigail whispered. "Are they here?"

"Who?"

"Phillip and the others. Do you sense them?"

Before Alex could respond, he noticed Gabriel and his brothers move into the front line. Their stature appeared to be cautious but not worried. If Phillip was here, was he bringing bad news? Their path led to a large clearing that provided an unobstructed view of Conlaoch's property. Although he could see nothing out of the usual, Alex could sense the new presence of vampires. His hunter's instinct told him that more than one hundred vampires had recently arrived. His survival instinct advised him to trust Gabriel who was now almost smiling.

"I just don't care anymore," Edward said. "I left my people, on your advice Gabriel, in Phillip's hands. Has he taken the responsibility seriously? Hell no! He's travelled the damn world. Who's taking care of business in the States?"

"Was he always such a whiner?" Conlaoch asked Tec. "Damn it Edward, there won't be any business in the States if we don't annihilate this enemy."

"Whiner? For your information, we had some stability and not the shit that's occurring here."

"Of course not," Tec interrupted. "Only because it started there and moved into our lands."

As the brothers erupted into verbal insults, Alena returned and pulled her daughter close. If her children were going to reign in the New Kingdom, they may need to consider separating the brothers. Looking at the other mates, she found them to be distressed over the bickering.

"It's nothing new," Gabriel whispered in her mind. "We get along better with a few oceans separating us."

"How will they adjust now?" She asked watching Edward go nose to nose with Conlaoch "It gets worse."

"Not really. When Amen and Antony arrive, then we'll have some fireworks. It's our natural pecking order. Antony will torment Heron, Edward will focus on Antony's failures, Conlaoch has issues with Edward, Amen versus Conlaoch...." He explained but suddenly paused. "Promise that you'll stay out of any room where Amen and Tec are together. They actually get physical."

"Are you saying this is normal?"

"It would be the reason why I never introduced you to anyone until we were practically mated," he explained. "It also explains why we rarely have family reunions."

"You must be overflowing with family pride."

"Actually," he added with a nod toward the mansion, "I am."

She followed his gaze toward the men approaching their group. Her maternal instinct told her who he was but her eyes hardly believed it. Two nights away and he had grown even more. Joshua walked with the predatory grace of a male lion. Although he stood taller and his chest was broader, he still appeared slightly insecure as he approached his father.

"I called in the cavalry," he explained. "We needed numbers and Phillip agreed that they were ready."

"I'll confess that I had not considered them," Gabriel responded. "Good work." He hugged his son and then turned to face his brothers. "I hope your leadership skills can fix them." Without waiting for an answer, he walked to the arguing men and said something that suddenly quieted them.

Josh turned to his mother and sister but hesitated before approaching them. Sensing a change in his sister, he looked from her, to Alex and then to his mother. Seeing the slight shake of her head, he shifted his gaze away and inhaled deeply. Even he had to admit that their lives were moving too fast.

Before the soft hand touched him, he knew his mother had moved next to him. Looking into her brown eyes, he realized that seeing her face was his earliest memory. He had always considered it odd that she had given him a name that meant their salvation. When all along, she had been his.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered just before placing a kiss on his cheek.

Feeling more than a little childish, he smiled at her but barely managed to refrain from giggling like a fool.

***

Adjusting the lapels of his robe, Gregorii viewed his appearance with great admiration. The stupid pig had bled all over him but he thought the stains added a certain menacing look to his attire. Backing away from the mirror, he frowned as he stepped over the remains of his dinner. The pathetic creature had died before he had finished his dinner.

Kicking the body aside, he wondered if he would find ever find women who could tolerate his insatiable appetite. Of course his sister could withstand the abuse but she would take as much as she gave. His life might have been foretold in the stupid prophecy but he had no intention of remaining monogamous. To tell the truth, taking his sister would only be amusing as long as he could torment her.

Gregorii stepped into the quiet foyer as boredom started to torment him. Powers such as his should not be hidden and dictated by the likes of Mathias. Unlike his advisor, he was no common vampire who had been sired and left to exist for centuries. Nor was he one of his owns minions created as expendable resources during this war. His existence was like no other.

Standing before the full length mirror, he opened his robe. Beyond the rapid development, he had learned certain skills that were inherent from his DNA. His mind was sharp, cunning, and quick. Dropping the robe to the floor, he knew that limits of his strength had yet to be tested. All of these traits could be compared to those of the Third Creation.

Then the flexed his shoulders stretching the folds of skin down the length of his back. Closing his eyes, he slowly breathed in and out while the bones snapped and arched pulling his skin away from his flesh. When the transition was complete, he opened his eyes and exhaled. He would never grow bored of the sight of his body in its natural state.

Opening the front door, he stretched his wingspan to the full breadth. With a leap to the skies, he savored this newly found freedom. He laughed as he remembered the sickly almost human boy that he had been only days ago. Now, he could target and attack his prey before they were aware of his existence. He was now a perfect combination of the Third Creation's power and the genetic advantages of his fathers, the Panthralges.

He moved swiftly through the darkening skies searching for anything of interest. Having just eaten, he had no need for food. And scaring the locals had quickly become boring. He needed something to amuse him. Something that would inspire his next move to greatness.

Gregorii felt a rush of excitement course through his body. Distracted by the evidence of his arousal, he failed to notice his close proximity until he was almost on top of the crowd. With a quick turn in his navigation, he dipped into the nearest trees to watch the people.

Seeing them for the first time meant nothing to him. How could it? They had foolishly allowed their genetic makeup to be transferred into a laboratory. He scanned the crowd barely registering the various faces all the while searching for the cause of his interest. The brothers argued like fools. Their mates stood obediently nearby like loyal but stupid pets. The guards were no challenge for him.

Focusing on his sister, he watched her sneak glances to the human male nearby. Gregorii inhaled and stopped almost choking when he picked up the human's scent on the girl. While he was not ready for her to become his constant companion, he felt his fury rise at her betrayal. With a human? Of course he had enjoyed the nonconsensual company of many humans. But the fact that this human remained alive meant that his sister enjoyed his companionship too. He was not jealous but disappointed at her weakness.

His erection rubbed uncomfortably against the bark of the tree reminding him to search for its cause. Looking to a man, who appeared younger than the others, Gregorii realized that he was now facing the boy thought to take that which would belong to him. He watched the exchange between him and the man who could only be Gabriel Philandros. After a few moments, the boy moved and stopped. A woman approached him and Gregorii found his answer.

Dark hair flowed behind her as she walked to the young man. Although she was quite small compared to her companions, she moved with graceful steps and demeanor that distinguished her as a person of authority. She smiled and Gregorii thought he would die from the pain in his groin.

To say she was beautiful was an understatement. No language contained the words to describe her but it was not the beauty of her skin, hair or eyes that captivated him. It was everything that made this woman the person standing there. And then he heard her speak....

"I'm so proud of you."

Gregorii shook with a desire that he could not explain. His chest hurt from a pain that he had never before felt. Too late, he realized that his emotions had caused him to snap the branch within his grasp alerting the others to his presence. He soared to the skies escaping the crowd below him.

When he dropped to the earth, he stood at the entrance of his home with no memory of why he chose to return there. He paced the ground frustrated with himself, the New Kingdom and his fathers. Oh yes, he had finally found his fathers' failure. They had perfected their creation of an offspring but they had failed to provide one necessity. He had no mother. With a sinister smile, he quickly decided on his next plan.

He wanted a mother like her. So he would take her from them.