17*The Crimson Victory: The Crimson Vampire Coven (The Crimson Coven Book 17) Read online

  The Crimson Victory

  The Crimson Coven

  By. B.A. Stretke

  Copyright © 2020 by B.A. Stretke

  Published by Superiorland Publishing

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person (living or dead), place, or event is purely coincidence.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  EPILOGUE

  About the Author

  More Books from B.A. Stretke:

  PROLOGUE

  Lucas Reid valued friend, vampire soldier, and Crimson Guard lay dead in his grave. He was killed in an attack on the night club, The Crimson Clover. The Casters lead by Fane Minea, ruler of the Vampire Council, launched an assault on the Club, and it was the death of Lucas Reid which sparked the Great Vampire War.

  The Crimson Coven ruled by Master Alexander Stone was victorious, laying to waste the Vampire Council along with its leader Fane Minea and his minions the casters. They sought to kill Master Stone and destroy the power of his Coven, but in the end, they only achieved their own demise. The Crimson Coven now held leadership from coast to coast.

  Unbeknown to all, although Lucas’ body lay in the Coven cemetery, his essence had been cast into the ether, he was split in two. He’d been trapped by a caster spell before the dagger had pierced his heart and now lingered in a dimension separate and isolated where he waited and hoped to be found.

  Time passed slowly for Lucas in the place of lonely shadows. Gradually he began to give up hope as it seemed that Fate had abandoned him, and he was destined to remain lost. Having been separated from his fleshly body, he was but an essence incapable of finding his own way home. He was trapped forever, it would seem, in a place of darkness and silent shadow.

  Then, just as all hope had deserted him, it finally happened, a man appeared before him lost and confused just as Lucas had been in the beginning. But this man was solid flesh and bones and Lucas knew that people would be looking for him. They would find this man and when they did, they would find him.

  CHAPTER ONE

  It had been nearly four months now since Lucian had discovered him and brought him home along with Dr. Daniel Culpepper. Daniel inadvertently sent himself into an alternate dimension by reading aloud an ancient text, but luckily found Lucas in the process.

  Lucian explained that Fate’s design had brought Daniel here not only to meet his chosen but to also free Lucas. Dr. Daniel Culpepper was a scholar in ancient and dead languages in which the spell entrapping Lucas had been written. While killing time in the Coven library, he couldn’t resist thumbing through some old books. He just happened to read the exact spell that had trapped Lucas, sending himself to the same realm.

  Fate had not abandoned him and for that Lucas would be forever grateful. His good friend Talbot told him he’d been gone for eighteen months but to Lucas, it had felt like a hundred years. Time in the void was different and it had a lasting effect on him. Lucas hadn’t discussed it with anyone, not even Talbot but there seemed to be a lingering darkness near him that he couldn’t seem to shake off.

  He felt a sense of doom, depression, and anxiety as the shadow pressed closer and drew energy from his sadness. It sounded crazy but it was how he felt. He should talk to someone about it but feared he may be losing his mind and didn’t want to alert anyone to that fact.

  He forced a half-smile and pushed the negative emotions to the back of his thoughts and placed a barricade in front of them. He had no time for such thoughts. He was home, back with his friends, and his people and his life was getting back on track.

  Since he had returned Cullen first put him with his friends Raul and Talbot for the simple reason that Lucas was comfortable and easy around them. He could mostly be himself and it gave him time to acclimatize himself to the changes in the Coven and get back up to speed in terms of his position as a Crimson Guard. He’d had a few instances of talking to himself and reacting to something that wasn’t there that made his friends wonder but he was able to pass it off as a joke. They gave him the benefit of the doubt because they knew him, and they were friends.

  But now it had been four months since his return, and he was being assigned to the front gates. It would be his first assignment without a trusted friend close by. He’d worked with Raul and Talbot almost exclusively but now it was deemed he was well and prepared for independent duty. He felt both satisfied and anxious about the assignment.

  He would be working with a guard he just recently met. Trent Wells was promoted to guard three months ago and before that, he was assigned as a soldier in the field. Lucas was a stranger to this man, so it was important that he make a good solid impression and not act like something was following him. His friends laughed it off, but Trent would find it peculiar and perhaps a dangerous liability. His behavior, if strange, would not be ignored it would be reported.

  It was the front gate, he told himself, just check people in and out and try to ignore the nagging presence of doom that tended to descend upon him at inopportune times. It was just a holdover from his time in the void and it would dissipate but for now, he needed to keep it under wraps and ignore the negative feelings.

  He could handle this, because if not, he would be taken off all duties and referred to treatment. He refused to show such weakness as breaking down after captivity and requiring treatment. As a soldier, he’d been one of the best and as a guard, he’d excelled, he would not end his career having been broken.

  …

  Karam Nour exited his car and carefully looked around, but the field was empty. It contained nothing but overgrown grass and weeds up to the tree line. His tracker specified that the energy had spiked in this location although there was no indication of such, just the silence of the wild.

  There should be marks, some indication that it was here or had been here. He checked the tracker, again and again, it showed an energy spike in this specific area identical to the spike last month in Crimson City. The issue is here somewhere, he was sure of it and he was adamant that he would discover the source.

  He brought the tracker back to his car and laid it on the hood and then turned back to the empty field. Why would it spike here, there was nothing around for miles? He was deep in thought when his phone rang. Pulling it from his coat pocket he noticed it was Dr. Thatcher, his boss. “Hello, sir.” He answered.

  “Where the hell are you Karam?” He burst. Dr. Thatcher was not a calm or considerate man, but he’d been useful, so Karam had played the part of a meek and dutiful assistant to the old goat. He was the head of the Computer Engineering Department at the University of Pennsylvania and Karam had been with him for nearly three months, but it seemed like an eternity. The man was not an easy taskmaster.

  But his need for Dr. Thatcher and his access to University supplies, equipment, and records was past and he needed to move on with phase two of this mission. There was no more time to placate the man or run his silly little errands. Karam k
new where it was now, not precisely, but he had the general area roughed out and very soon he would find it, send it back where it came from and then he would go home.

  “Come to my office immediately, we need to talk,” Thatcher spoke with venom in his voice. He’s probably upset that Karam wasn’t there to correct the stack of papers on his desk and clean his office. The man was a veritable slob and a little on the lazy side. Karam rolled his eyes and then delivered the line he’d waited months for.

  “I won’t be returning Doctor. I’ve accepted another position. My resignation is in your inbox and my University credentials are in your top drawer. Thank you.” He finished and closed the call before Dr. Thatcher could respond. He didn’t have time for explanations that no longer mattered.

  …

  “Come on, I’ll walk you out and introduce you to Trent. He’s looking forward to meeting you.” Talbot dropped his arm around Lucas’ shoulders and pointed him to the exit.

  “You don’t have to babysit me, you know. I’m well able to find my way to the front gate I’ve done it thousands of times.” Lucas balked. He appreciated his friend’s concern, but he didn’t want to be seen as weak or incapable and he was beginning to feel that way with the care he was being given. He’d had a couple of episodes since returning that worried him, but he felt he couldn’t confide in anyone. To show such a defect of mind and emotion would surely get him canned and he couldn’t lose the one thing that was keeping him sane and that was his job.

  “I’m not babysitting, I would never do that to you. I’ve enjoyed having you work with me and maybe it’s me who’s having the issue. Maybe I’m not ready to let you go.” Talbot’s theatrics were award-winning and soon he had Lucas laughing which was his goal.

  Lucas stopped and regarded his friend. “Thank you, for everything but I need to do this alone. I’m okay.” He assured and Talbot nodded and patted him on the shoulder. He could see that Talbot wasn’t convinced of that fact, but he didn’t challenge him on it.

  “I know you are.” He just stared at him for a few moments and then added. “Meet me for dinner this evening.”

  “Will do,” Lucas said and headed for the door. He chose to walk to the gate which gave him a few minutes to think about the exchange with Talbot. He’s aware something is off otherwise he wouldn’t be so attentive. Lucas decided he needed to be more careful about reacting to things that aren’t there, and he probably should work on his temperament. Drowning in crippling sadness and despair is no way to live.

  A day at a time, that’s what the doctor told him when he first returned but the days were beginning to stack up with very little reward. He would be himself for a while sometimes as long as a week or more and then it would hit without warning. It was difficult to hide but so far only his closest friends seemed to notice.

  If he didn’t get a handle on it soon, Cullen would ultimately pick up on it and then where would he be? Lucas quickly stifled that thought before it led to the sadness that always seemed to be there waiting to attack. He had no reason to be sad but sometimes he couldn’t seem to pull out of it.

  …

  “How is he?” Cullen asked.

  “He’s himself but there’s something bothering him. I’ve tried every approach and he will not open up.” Talbot sat in Cullen’s office discussing Lucas. “Raul has tried as well, and Lucas remains closed off to us both. I don’t know what it is, but I feel as if he won’t be whole until it is dealt with.”

  “His mind is all fog and shadows whenever I try to get inside. There is nothing that I can get ahold of just images, vague shapes, and silence.” Cullen told him and then stood to walk over to the large window and looked out as if considering his next words carefully.

  “We’ll see how he does on his own without you and Raul propping him up. If there is a problem, it will come to a head and hopefully, we can deal with it.” He turned from the window to capture Talbot’s gaze and held it. “If this does not get resolved, Lucas will be placed on leave and referred for care.”

  “He’ll get it together,” Talbot swore. “He’s Lucas Reid, nothing stops that man, not even death.”

  …

  Karam gathered his equipment and rounded the vehicle with the intent of heading back into town. He’d get a room for a few days and do some investigating. The thing was here, he was certain of it. This was his chance to prove himself to his brother and he wasn’t going to fail.

  He was tired of sitting behind a computer and delivering research and information to the men in the field, he wanted to work in the field. They said he was too small and inexperienced but if he could show them that he can handle this creature on his own, then they would have to take him seriously.

  He was taking a big risk, he could be dismissed and discharged from the Brotherhood for not following the rules. But he didn’t want to live his life behind a computer and that was all his future would hold. In his heart, he knew the risk was worth the hope of reward.

  Just as Karam turned his back to the field and was about to get into his car the air changed becoming energized. The electricity spiked prickling his skin and, at that moment, he realized the thing had been there all along watching him and waiting.

  He slowly turned towards the open expanse of the field just as it hit full force driving him hard against his car. He should have known better, but the excitement of the hunt blurred his need to be cautious and now he would pay dearly for that mistake.

  The pain radiated through his entire being as he was tossed about and beaten into unconsciousness. The last thing he sensed before he lost awareness was the sudden and pungent odor of sulfur acrid in its intensity and a deadly oversight on his part. This was not what he’d thought it was, not at all. The Doyen had been correct in their judgment, he was too inexperienced and definitely too small.

  …

  Lucas leaned into the open window and took a mental read on the driver. He’d been on the job for four hours now and it was going well. The oppressiveness that seemed to plague him had eased as his mind became focused on his job. “Your name and business?” He asked.

  “Damien Forsythe. My sister Amy is married to Magnus Colburn a security officer here. They’ve invited me to lunch.” The young man stated and maintained eye contact. Lucas could clearly hear the truth in his words. The human appeared to have nothing to hide. Lucas nodded and straightened before motioning to a soldier in the gatehouse to accompany the man inside.

  He watched as the soldier got into the man’s car and they drove off towards the Plantation. He was shocked by the number of bonds that had been found during his time away. There was Magnus, Sorin and Fulton Raines just to name a few. They were all happy and settled and Lucas couldn’t help but wonder if he’d missed his chance. Did his beloved come to Crimson while he was trapped in the ether?

  There hadn’t been another bonding in the last eight months according to Talbot and people were beginning to believe the time was ending. Fate gifted in bursts there would be a rash of bonds forming for several years and then it would come to an abrupt halt. The last time there had been a burst it had taken eighty years before another beloved was discovered. It was Cullen finding his beloved Ethan which had sparked the new flood of bonds.

  He stared longingly into the distance and hoped that Fate would continue to smile upon them for a while longer. “What are you thinking about?” Trent asked with a warm smile. “You looked so lonesome.” Lucas turned to regard him with an answering smile that he wasn’t completely feeling.

  “Just thinking about all the new bonds that have taken place and wondering if it’s over or if there’s still a chance for me.” He gave a short laugh.

  “It’s been months since the last, which was Amy and Magnus, so it’s starting to look like it might be over.” He said with a resigned expression. “You and I will have to wait for the next round of Fated matches it would seem.”

  “Does that make you sad?” Lucas asked with genuine interest. Trent appeared independent, solid but did he
secretly long for his one and only like everyone else? Lucas was simply curious.

  “Yes and no.” He answered thoughtfully. “I’m sad that it wasn’t my time, but I remain hopeful for the future. My beloved is out there, I have no doubt, and someday we will meet.”

  Lucas was surprised by the depth of the man’s answer. “Well said.” He told him and then added. “I wish I could feel as positive about it as you. All I feel is a deep envy whenever I see newly bonded couples.” Trent gave a short laugh.

  “To be honest, I envy them too,” Trent admitted. “But I have faith that Fate will reward me in time.” He ended with a hopeful smirk. “Let me be sappy, I need it.” He pleaded and continued to laugh, and Lucas joined.

  “It’s yours, I hope you’re right. Good luck, man.” Lucas patted him on the shoulder and at that moment accepted that he really liked Trent Wells. His day was shaping up quite nicely, and he had hopes of getting back to normal. The oppression would come back he didn’t try to kid himself about that, but he would handle it like he handled everything in his life. He took things as they came and didn’t look for trouble. He would deal with this shit the same way.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Noa and Lenny, two Crimson City deputies, responded to a report of trouble outside town in a vacant field near the Baker farm.

  “The report stated that a succession of explosions was heard followed by a power surge and a general feeling of strangeness in the air, whatever that means.” Lenny read off the details to Noa who was driving them to the location.

  “Strangeness around here could mean absolutely anything, so we need to be on our toes,” Noa warned.

  Lenny chuckled. “Do you really think there is anything that could bother a couple of hellhounds like us? We’re strangeness personified.” He barked a laugh.