Storm of Shadows Ch. 11

I know there's been a long break between chapters. Life and a close family bereavement has gotten in the way and writing has been very low on my priority list. I am hopeful that in 2020 I will rekindle my love for writing. I promise I will complete Storm of Shadows. Thank you so much for your patience and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

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Rhianna Armand stepped into her brother's home deep in the heart of the forest, a sense of coming home settling over her. It didn't matter how much her life had changed over the last three decades, she always felt a sense of home when she was close to Rafe. For a long time it had just been the two of them, their familial bond becoming closer than most siblings after the death of their parents when she was only three and Rafe had just turned eighteen. Life had been so much less complicated then, two human siblings oblivious to the supernatural world that existed all around them. Even when her best friend Millie joined their tight family group, it had all still been so simple. Until the day Rafe had died at the hands of a wild animal and everything had changed.

At the time she had thought life wasn't worth living, and then she'd met Caleb, learned of the world of vampires and werewolves, and that her beloved brother wasn't really dead but was in fact now a wolf shifter. A poignant smile crossed Rhianna's face as she made her way towards Rafe's study to the right side of the ground floor. Now she was a vampire, Millie was mated to another wolf shifter Alpha, and they were embroiled in the supernatural world as if they'd known about it forever. Life was definitely more complicated now, but she wouldn't change it for the world. Even if it meant sometimes she had to butt heads with her brother as she anticipated she might have to this morning.

Rafe was sitting behind his desk as she knocked the study door and pushed it open before he could grant permission to enter. He knew why she was coming over, she'd phoned beforehand. He smiled as he looked up, ushering her forward into a room that was already full of people. Freya Eriksson and her mate Dayton Alexander were sitting on the large brown leather sofa positioned in front of the study window. Nors Eriksson was leaning against the wall beside them, and Joshua was perched on the arm of a chair at the cold fireplace.

"You don't need to look so surprised, Annie. I know I may be overprotective of my pack at times but even I can see the wisdom of sending others over to Europe to protect Dara and Kothi and hopefully assist in finding Gard and Rayne," her brother said, rising from his desk to stride forward and give her a huge bear hug.

"I am so used to having to argue for everything I want," she laughed softly. "It's disconcerting to find an alpha male so reasonable for once." Seriously, it was challenging dealing with all the alpha males in her life. It was a relief to know this time was going to be easy.

Rhianna greeted the others in the room and then found a spot on the sofa beside Freya and Dayton. "You know what we're proposing to achieve in Europe?"

"Find the enemy," Freya replied, brushing her multi-coloured streaked hair back over her shoulder as she sat close to her mate. Her eyes flashed in anticipation and she looked more feral than usual. That was understandable. Since mating with Dayton, the pack had become her life, a place for her to belong to, after so many centuries of being alone with only her brother Nors to anchor her to sanity. She took her responsibilities seriously though, and Dara was her niece courtesy of her mating with Dayton. No one would get the chance to hurt her family and live to tell the tale. Dayton's deep blue eyes held the same resolve.

"We're to watch the watchers and make sure no one harms Dara and Kothi," Nors added, long auburn locks secured at the nape of his neck with a strip of brown leather. "The only clarification I want is do we kill anyone we find tracking them or do you want them interrogated." He leveled his gaze at his sister, silent communication travelling between them. Sometimes Freya needed things spelled out in black and white, so there could be no claims of ambiguity in a situation.

"If it's safe to try to extract information then gathering intelligence would be preferable," Rhianna replied after a moment's thought, though her brow puckered in a small frown. "Let's just not forget what happened to Pietro over there. We don't want to be too overconfident."

"So I can kill them," Freya asked, her expression fierce. She'd spent so many years in the pack living by the pack rules which meant reigning in her more baser instincts. The restrictions chafed at times because of her volatile vampiric nature, however she understood the need for those rules.

"You are free to do anything that protects yourself and our family and allies over there," Rafe answered. "Intelligence gathering is fine if you're able to get the chance but coming home safe is the most important thing." He glanced at Rhianna as if challenging her to disagree with him.

She merely smiled and nodded her head. "That goes without saying."

That appeared to mollify the vampire and she sat back with a contented expression crossing her stunning face. She looked so smug that her mate shook his head with a wry smile. "You're so bloodthirsty, love of mine," he grinned.

Freya shot him a level look, not the least insulted by his comment. "Of course, mate. Is that not why you love me?"

There was no real need to reply to that comment so Dayton merely laughed and draped his arm across the back of the sofa with a deep chuckle, his love and pride for his mate clearly evident in his body language.

"I think we need to set a clear hierarchy of who is in charge on this mission," Nors commented. "There are far too many alpha personalities on the team. We can't have things going to shit because everyone thinks they're the biggest badass there."

It was a valid point. Dayton was used to being a pack beta but Freya, Nors and Demetri were all on the Ancient Council. Joshua's dominance level was also an unknown, being that European vampires were so closemouthed about their hierarchy. Rafe had three additional members of his pack going over to Europe and therefore could make the decision, however he turned to Rhianna for her thoughts.

"Demetri will not submit to anyone other than himself leading," she sighed though a fond smile crossed her face as she thought of the volatile vampire. "I think it's a no brainer that he will lead the stateside part of the team. Joshua will be his backup though. He knows Europe better than any of us, and has vital contacts over there we may need."

The blond vampire nodded his head, having sat silent until this point. "I think that's wise," he concurred. "No offence Freya but your reputation from your time in Europe precedes you. We need a cooler head in charge for this mission. In addition, anyone who is mated and produced hybrid offspring will immediately be looked on with suspicion by European Supernaturals, so that basically rules out, Freya and Nors."

"A wolf will not be entertained either." He nodded his head sympathetically at Dayton who didn't appear the least offended. It was now common knowledge that European shifters were second-class citizen's according to vampires over there.

"So we're in agreement, Demetri and Joshua lead the mission." Rafe stood back up as he spoke, a note of concern on his handsome face. "I don't want to hear of any trouble over there that isn't directly related to finding Gard and Rayne and getting all our people back safely." His deep brown eyes rested on Freya, who shot him a scowl.

"Why do you always look at me when you say things like that, Rafe?"

Her mate burst out laughing, planting a quick kiss on her pouting lips. "Because trouble has a habit of following you around, my love."

She kissed him back, a half smile causing one side of her mouth to tile up. "I suppose it does," she conceded, looking far from repentant at the thought.

"I guess I need to speak to Aaron about pack security," Rafe continued, satisfied his message to his impulsive pack member had been made. "Elina and Lily have gone over to the Hanlon Compound. Kal is off into the city with Brandon and some of the Praetorians to investigate the new wolf activity over there. With three of my top pack members off to Europe and the Romanov twins being more active in the Vampire Council to back up Mara while Demetri is away, there is a gap in pack security that will need to be plugged."

Rhianna rose too, nodding as she did. "Talk to Mackenzie. He can probably spare some Praetorians to increase patrols around the compound. Now they don't need to protect the children, they're at a bit of a loose end. Perhaps talk to Jared too and see if he would like any additional backup at the Hanlon compound. I think Karn went with the girls so he could maybe act as liaison between the Praetorians and the pack?"

"Great idea," her brother agreed, giving her a quick hug. "I take it Caleb is organising transportation for everyone to Europe?"

"Yes. Everyone should meet Demetri in an hour at our house," Rhianna answered. "Caleb's set aside one of his jets so they can leave as soon as possible."

"Okay, sounds like everything is settled then. You better pack some gear and head over to Demetri's. Call me every day with an update. I'm sure Demetri will be doing the same with Caleb."

The others said their farewells heading out, leaving the siblings alone. Rhianna moved to sit on the vacated sofa, her brother sitting beside her.

"How are things going with Ava? Do you think you'll be able to save her?"

Rafe frowned, concern etched across his handsome face. He ran a hand through his hair, a sure sign that he was worried. "It looked as if Reasa had made a decent connection yesterday, but after a few hours Ava deteriorated considerably. Liam had taken Pippa home to work on her own grief, but we had to reunite the pair to save not only Ava but to calm Pippa down. It appears her promise to Tali is the main thing keeping her grounded at the moment. Being separate from Ava caused her to have a meltdown."

"The fact that Ava is still here in some form proves that she is strong, Rafe. If anyone can help her through the loss of her mate, it will be this pack. You have so much more experience saving wolves than any other pack alive today." She chose her words carefully, reminding her brother that not only had Rafe and Dayton both been saved from going rogue, but that they also now had the formidable skills of Liam and Reasa who could heal even vampire minds.

"Sometimes I wonder who is taking care of whom here," her brother chuckled ruefully, mussing her curls as he was wont to do.

"I don't mind taking the odd turn every now and then," she grinned back at him, giving him a quick hug. "Now, where is that lovely mate of yours? It's been ages since I've been able to visit with Lacey. I might as well steal as much time as I can while I'm here."

Arm in arm they headed out the study and towards the large dining room. Yes there was a lot of uncertainty and danger surrounding them all, but sometimes they had to take a moment of blissful normalcy to remind themselves of just what they were all fighting for.

"We will stop here for a rest."

Agony's declaration whispered through the trees surrounding them, and Natalia knew she was the reason they were pausing for a rest. The vampires and Vârcolac could have carried on for days without stopping, but she was only human, and despite being extremely fit due to being raised in a wolf pack, there was a limit to her stamina, and she was almost at breaking point.

She didn't view it as a weakness though. Some might have, seeing physical power as being strong. Natalia had learned over her reasonably short life that strength came in many different forms, so she wasn't offended that the others paused for her benefit only. She saw the stop as a chance to talk with Mila. She'd been noticing some subtle changes in her gifts as they made their way up the huge Carpathian Mountains and the Seer was probably the best person to talk to about it as she shared a similar gift.

"Mila, can we have a moment to talk please?"

The stunning dark-haired vampire turned sightless eyes to her and smiled gently. "Of course, Tali. Come, we can talk just over here."

Natalia was still amazed that the blind woman moved so gracefully. If someone didn't know about her visual impairment, they would never be able to tell that the vampire saw in such an usual manner. Natalia guessed that Mila was using the wind rustling the leaves and shrubbery as a means to take a snapshot of her surroundings and plot her course over to a fallen log a little way away from the clearing the others were now scrutinising.

"Is something wrong, Tali?"

"Not wrong," she answered in a lowered tone. They were far enough away that most of the others couldn't hear them talk even with their enhanced hearing. She wasn't so sure that Agony and Dara couldn't hear but she needed to discuss her thoughts with Mila too much to worry about them overhearing.

"It's just...I know some gifts allow others to see auras around people. I heard about it once a while ago, but I don't know too much about it."

Mila's expressive face showed surprise and her gaze quickly turned in Dante's direction. How she knew where he had moved to in the clearing, Tali didn't know, but her new friend always seemed to know exactly where Dante was.

"Yes, some can see auras surrounding others," Mila finally answered after a subtle nod from the male vampire. "Dante is one such person. He saw Kothari's red aura even when he was masked to everyone. That's how he knew he had infiltrated the coven. If you need to know about auras perhaps Dante would be the best person to ask?"

Natalia hesitated for a second and then nodded her agreement. The dark-haired male appeared beside them almost instantly. She fought to hide a smile that threatened to escape her. He really didn't like being away from Mila at all. She was surprised that they were not already mated. Perhaps one day she would discover that held the two of them apart, when it was so clear to see that they loved each other. Today wasn't that day though, she needed information about her gifts.

"How can I help you, Tali?" Dante spoke in a calm, sincere tone that screamed out she could trust him. Oddly enough, she did trust both Mila and Dante even though she barely knew them.

"Mila said you see auras as a colour?"

He nodded. "You're aura is pale mauve, Mila's is sunflower yellow. Kothari is red and Dara is sky blue. I could go on listing everyone, but I think the ones I've already listed explains what I see."

Natalia frowned, confusion colouring her expression. "Since we arrived here I've started to notice...I don't know how best to explain it, it's sort of like shadows around everyone. However, they're not coloured as you've just described. Everyone was sort of a shimmering silver...not all over and all the time...just every now and then when they tilt their head expressively. I thought maybe I was seeing auras, but it doesn't sound like what you see, Dante."

He agreed, looking at Mila for her thoughts.

"I've never heard of anything like that before," the vampire said, her own expression perplexed. "It's definitely not aura viewing. At a guess, I would say it sounds more like you're seeing some kind of mental energy surrounding people. Why haven't you said anything and what made you mention it now Tali?"

Natalia sighed, took her glasses off, and began cleaning them. "At first I thought I was imagining it, then when I realised that I wasn't I started to look more closely at everyone. I probably wouldn't have mentioned it for a while yet but then I noticed someone's shadow had changed."

Dante was immediately alert, shifting his position slightly so that both Mila and Tali were obstructed from view by the rest of the group. "What do you mean changed?"

Natalia slipped her glasses back on. "The blonde female vampire in Louis' group doesn't have a silvery shadow any more. It's turned black and it's there all of the time."

It didn't seem possible that Dante could become any more alert, and yet his body stiffened further, and his voice was barely audible the next time he spoke. "Don't mention what you've just told us to anyone else until I've had a chance to check it out. If you notice anyone else change to black, let me know immediately."

His gaze shifted to Mila "Take Tali back to the others and keep her as close to Agony as possible without it looking suspicious. I need to talk to Dara."

"Dante?"

He ran a hand down Mila's cheek bending in close to her ear. "I need to check something out. I don't know if I'm right or not but as soon as I know, you will know. Just look after Tali for now. She may have just become the most important member of this mission." Without another word, he turned away and headed over to find Dara.

Mila watched him go and then uttered a soft sigh. "Come on, Tali. I've learned to trust Dante's strange feelings over the years. Let's get back to the others. I'm sure we'll find out what this is all about soon enough."

Natalia wasn't sure what was going on, but she wasn't as adverse to the idea of staying close to Agony as she should have been. What that meant she didn't really know. Her inbuilt radar appeared to have become accustomed to having him close. She followed Mila towards where he had last been seen, surprised to find that he wasn't in the clearing anymore.

Mila appeared to be watching Dante as he spoke to Dara so Natalia walked a little way into the trees to see if she could find Agony. She sensed that she was going in the right direction, her once erratic abilities becoming more honed the longer she was around the Vârcolac. It was as if their presence had somehow enhanced and sharpened her abilities. While the changes were a bit disconcerting, they also gave her a sense of being strong enough to compete with all the lethal beings surrounding her. Perhaps Mila had been right when she said that Natalia was needed for the success of the mission. Dante seemed very interested in her new ability to sense shadows around the others. Maybe there were more new abilities that would become known?

As she mused about the changes, her thoughts turned to her mother. It was hard not to focus on what was happening stateside, if Agony's alpha could save her from going rogue. The whole trip Natalia had been fighting the sense of hopelessness that threatened to overwhelm her every time she thought of her mother, and she couldn't even bear to think of her father. When she thought of him, the pain was a deep ache inside. She knew it would be worse if her mother went rogue and had to be put down. She couldn't even contemplate the anguish losing her mother would cause.

No, Natalia had to keep hoping that some miraculous feat would happen, and everything would be okay. She knew it was probably wishful thinking, but she couldn't give up that small hope. If she did...then she had no idea what would become of her. She would have no parents and no real home. She didn't even know if her Alpha would allow her to stay with the pack without her parents, she was just a human after all. Her mother had to be saved, and this crazy mission had to succeed. If she kept willing it then it had to happen. Everything was going to be okay...it had to be.

A flash of movement up ahead drew Natalia out of her reverie, and she realised that she'd walked much further from the clearing than she had meant to. A small shiver ran down her spine, her gaze travelling her surroundings. Could she have been any more stupid wandering off on her own in dangerous territory? Who knew who or what was out there on the tall, imposing mountainside? They were on the trail of Agony's abducted parents for goodness sake. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Natalia couldn't believe how reckless she'd been.