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No one thought Chadwick was ready, but after forty-two years he’d already made great strides within the European covens. There was compatibility and prosperity all over Europe, so he knew his attendance here couldn’t be justified much longer. He and his army were needed elsewhere. It was his duty now to control the vampires of the world, not just on one continent. It took an extremely strong vampire to do that. Chadwick was well over a hundred… just a couple decades and some change from his bluesy twos. Not young by any means, actually older than most of the vampires walking the Earth, but he hadn’t been ruling long, by vampire standards.
His luggage was packed and waiting just outside the rented cottage where he’d been staying with only the closest members of his escort. His best friend was supposed to join him on his next trip; he’d recently finished serving his fifty years in the Royal Court’s guard and was finally being promoted to Chadwick’s highest position – his second. Wick couldn’t wait. His oldest and closest friend was a riot and fun to be around. He could be just the light distraction Wick needed sometimes. And, he was also the only person that knew of Wick’s secret. His terrifying secret.
Wick stepped off the private jet and was ushered quickly across the tarmac to one of seven large Tahoes waiting for them. He was accompanied only by his twenty-member personal army. The trip had been pleasant enough. But as soon as he breathed in the foreign air he caught the stench of pollution, mayhem and discord.
“What is it, my Lord?” His captain, Erman, looked around then lowered his voice. “Wick? Do you sense something?”
Wick had stopped walking, turning in all directions. His escort went into alert mode. Wick’s senses were far more advanced than any of the young vampires serving on his escort or in his army. “No.” Wick frowned. The air wasn’t too humid and the weather wasn’t terrible, but Wick couldn’t help the unease he felt the minute his foot touched the ground. He hadn’t been to the US in over forty years.
Something felt different, like he was being pulled towards something. He had nowhere to be at the moment. It was past eleven at night. All Wick wanted to do after being stuck on a jet for thirteen hours was eat and rest.
“It’s nothing. Just haven’t been here in a while. Very little has changed. Like the smell.” Wick crinkled his nose and settled into the backseat of the middle SUV. The first two would go in different directions, as would the last one. Wick’s SUV would drive in the direction of the home he was staying in for the duration. The others were decoys. This was necessary for his safety and his guards’. All the windows were specially tinted black for day transport if absolutely necessary. Wick usually didn’t take those types of risks, even though daylight didn’t have the same effect on him that it did other vampires. Still, while he may not burst into flames, the sun’s rays never felt good on his skin for too long. He preferred the call of the night.
“I think the home you’re staying in will be to your satisfaction.” His captain didn’t turn to look at him from the front seat as he spoke. He was ever vigilant and serious. Wick felt the vampire was a bit too uptight regarding the security, but this was his first international trip with Erman. They had to find their rhythm. One thing Wick was certain of was that Erman would sacrifice his life for Wick’s.
“I doubt it. Where’d they put me up this time? In an eighty-story tin skyscraper set atop endless slabs of concrete? A nice monochromatic penthouse with about fifty gadgets that I have absolutely no use for? Floor to ceiling windows that can’t be opened, only giving you a tease of the air and freedom just on the other side of them?” Wick mumbled on while he watched the city landscape go by. He had no desire to be surrounded by people.
Wick was a little surprised when they kept going past the exit ramp for downtown where the posh hotels and condominiums were, instead continuing to drive for miles. The city fell as a backdrop and nothing but trees began to line the two-lane highway. Wick finally looked up from his emails, no longer able to mask his curiosity. A sign up ahead read Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Wick raised one dark brown brow at the sight of mountainous terrain ahead of them. He’d seen photos of this forest many years ago and he still remembered them. Gorgeous ponderosa pines and spruces towered over them. He cracked the window so he could breathe in the fragrant aromas of nature.
Very few people knew those intimate details about him. That he was different than most vampires. Not only because he was born and not made, but he felt and sensed differently.
