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Zander’s smile curved up on his right side, smirked on the left side. “If you’d told me two years ago that Kirsten and Lauren would be fighting by your side, I’d have called you crazy.” His smile faded. “What can I do to help from behind the scenes? A vampire’s strength also lies in his allies. I can’t fight for you, but I can provide people, weapons, and ammo. My newest Citation can be there in just over four hours.”
Zander had gifted his old jet to Gavin as a parting present, which had allowed the older vampire an excuse to purchase the latest and greatest — the fastest jet money can buy.
As tempting as it was to ask for a few of Zander’s warrior grizzly shifters, he shook his head. “I have plenty of weapons and ammo. I can’t ask you to put the lives of your people at risk to help me defend my territory. If Medved assumes most of the vampires who came to me did so because they are mere actors and acrobats, he’ll soon learn the error of that logic.”
Because while it was true some of them were actors who couldn’t fight worth a flip, it wasn’t true of all of them — nor was it true that he hadn’t brought other fierce fighters into his coterie. He’d had to promise to teach them some of his secrets, but he had some lethal vampires under his roof, and now in his cave.
“What do you know about Medved’s people?” Gavin asked.
“His animal is, obviously, the bear. If you could arrange for Horse and Gabby to merely be close, not necessarily part of the battle, you could possibly draw enough of their energy to negate much of the bear energy you’ll face. If you could drink from Horse…” Zander gave a miniscule shrug. “It’s doubtful you have something to trade for it, but I’m putting it out there. Drink from one of your bears, though, and if Ambrose will give up a vein, take him up on the offer.”
Zander paused, looked away, and then back to the camera. “The bat will give Medved echolocation, the bear will give him the ability to scent even better than a vampire. He’s strong both physically and metaphysically. I would feel better if I knew you could feed from Ambrose.”
Chapter 17
Lauren returned after two days in the construct, though Mordecai assured her only forty minutes had passed in the cave. She had both a bear tattoo and the axolotl, and she’d spent enough time with both that she knew their strengths and could use them. The bear was a protective female, and Lauren had no trouble releasing her, though bringing her back when she thought Lauren was in danger was a work in progress. Still, she could mostly control the bear under other circumstances.
The axolotl’s name was Axe, and her bear’s name was Calysta, though she’d already started calling her Cally.
Her mom popped them twenty yards from the entrance of the cave, and Lauren realized her mother had already been here to scout where to bring them, because Lauren scented a wolf and a hawk shifter, and realized Gavin had placed sentries near the mouth of this cave, yet her mother knew how to bring them in so they weren’t immediately seen.
“It’s Lauren and Kirsten,” Lauren said. “I’m telepathing Gavin to let him know we’re here. A few seconds, and he’ll give you the clearance you need.”
“He doesn’t have to give us clearance for you, only for your guest. You have been cleared to enter any and all properties Gavin owns.” A half second, and then. “You both have clearance.”
Lauren had merely opened the pathways so Gavin could ‘hear’ what she told the guards. Now, she heard his clear mental voice in her head.You weren’t gone long.
Longer than you think, but that’s a story for later.
Just know that if something happens to you, I won’t mind destroying the world to find my vengeance.
But no pressure, right?
She’d need to talk to him about that — but later. Not now. Definitely not now.
* * * *
Nearly two hours after Lauren returned, Gavin stood in an old mine with all the vampires and shifters he wanted to walk into this fight with. The local wolf pack was staged a few hundred yards away, and had also gathered a veritable army of bears, eagles, owls, and other assorted shapeshifters.
This mine is entered through a sinkhole, with steps built for the tourists, rather than using an elevator shaft, which meant this portion of his army would be able to surface as a group, though they’d be at a tactical disadvantage while racing up the steps. They were staged a few hundred yards from the base of the stairs, and Gavin telepathically ordered everyone into their prearranged groups.
While traversing the eleven miles through the cave system, he’d considered the ramifications of Lauren’s new bear. Lauren had sent the bear off her when she’d arrived, and it was ahugegrizzly. She’d made certain her bear understood that the people in the room were friends, and the bear had walked around, sniffing everyone. Cally and Lauren had then walked into another room, so the bear could once again merge with Lauren. Only a few people understood the tattoo thing, and Gavin wanted it to stay that way.
Most of his people would only remember that Cally is on their side, but not how they’d met her.
Without going into detail, Lauren told him she’d been gone days, enough time to get two tattoos, and for them to heal enough she could begin to learn how to best utilize them. The axolotl had allowed her leg to heal much faster than expected. It wasn’t back to one hundred percent, but it was much better.
He looked around at his little army, saw everyone was in place and ready, and he telepathed Kirsten to let her know he was ready for them. He sent the message so Ambrose would hear, because the demigod was standing right beside him, and he didn’t want there to be any accidents.
Seconds later, Kirsten and Lauren appeared by Gavin’s side, where he would lead the procession. The other humans Kirsten had flashed in headed off to their groups without being told. They were here because of their sniping skills, so they wouldn’t be directly on the field of battle.
Ambrose’s status as demi-god allowed him more leeway than Mordecai was given, so he could be here, but technically, he wasn’t supposed to fight. Still, Gavin’s old friend was good at finding loopholes.
Friend. Gavin didn’t have many of those, and in fact didn’t even realize that’s what Ambrose was until Gavin had spent time in a living nightmare.
Before they’d left the cavern, Gavin had made sure everyone with him had a blood tie to him. Kirsten’s was gone, so he’d created another. It meant he’d had to explain one of his strengths to her, but he intended for her to become something of a friend as well, so he only regretted having to do so a little.
With everyone present, he sent his magical feelers out, counting the minds who weren’t blood bonded to him, comparing the numbers. He had forty-eight people in the cavern with him, and Nick was at two o’clock, ninety yards out, with another thirty-six cats, plus two dozen miscellaneous shifters from the theaters. The local wolfpack was twice as far away at nine o’clock, with forty-one wolves in human form and another thirty shifters, also in human form. So, nearly one-hundred-and-eighty-people, all blood-bonded to him, were staged to fight with him.
