Page 4 of Blood and Hexes

A Guilded Cage

Mikar Ash couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this agitated. Or trapped.

It had been three months since the borders of Oldcrest had been attacked, and in those three months, he hadn't left their territory. Not even once.

He had duties he took seriously in Oldcrest. Namely, the protection of Chloe Eirikrson, Levi De Villier's mate. Being assigned to guard her was an honor. She was the one thing Levi valued most. That he'd asked Mikar to be her main bodyguard spoke volumes as to the extent of Levi's trust in Mikar.

If he was honest, Mikar would have expected Levi to have picked someone else—anyone else—for the job. Sylvan, for example. Syl was indubitably Levi's best slayer. Mikar wasn't an ideal protector. Sending him to spy or kill an enemy would have made a lot more sense. Mikar didn't like to sit still, wasn't fond of most people, and had, numerous times, gone directly against specific instructions Levi had given him. He'd had good reason each time, but he knew that every other slayer—even Ruby, the half-wild, entirely mad warrior haunting the hills of Oldcrest—wouldn't have done so.

When he saw a better way to do something, he did it, no matter Levi’s directives.

Yet here he was. Stuck in Oldcrest. Playing chess with Chloe, his protégée. Well, more accurately, losing at chess against Chloe. The girl was a fast learner.

"When do you think Levi will chill?" she asked, moving her tower to ruthlessly attack his king. "It's been ages since I’ve been out in the real world. I need to stock up on body lotion."

At least he wasn't the only one in danger of being bored to tears here.

He moved a bishop into the path of the rook, sacrificing the piece to protect his king.

Without so much as a second of hesitation, Chloe placed her other tower on his side of the board. "Check."

Having no other choice, he moved his king. "I don't know. I thought the paranoia would ease up at the start of the semester," Mikar admitted.

He understood why Levi had been protective through the summer, when most of the students were gone.

The students of the Institute of Supernatural Studies represented both a threat and a layer of protection. Should they stand with their enemies, they could weaken Oldcrest from within, but the bulk of the student body had proven that their loyalties were to Oldcrest. To Levi. And most of all, to Chloe. They'd fought alongside them last year.

Levi should have relaxed when the students came back to Oldcrest. He hadn't.

"You realize I'm here?" Levi pointed out, not lifting his gaze from the computer he was staring at.

They were on the top floor of the tower that Levi and other vampires used to further their own course of studies. He had a laboratory that doubled as a dungeon underground, but he used the elegantly furnished, lavishly decorated study, because it was the one room in the entire edifice reinforced with specific spells that allowed them to speak freely. No one could spy on them in this room—magically or otherwise. Well, that, and they could actually get some cell reception here.

The privacy was the principal reason. Levi's research was paramount to the vampire race, and many would have liked to hinder it. Until recently, he'd been embroiled in research to attempt to create a cure against the bite of a feral vampire. They’d infected healthy vampires and turned them into mindless killing machines that fed on vampire blood. Months ago, they'd found out such a cure already existed—it was in Chloe’s—and in all of the Eirikrsons’—blood. At the moment that included her, her brother, her ancestor Eirikr himself…and perhaps Eirikr’s psychotic daughter.

Chloe had been kind enough to provide a vial every time someone had asked for her blood in order to save ferals, but they hadn't yet managed to synthesize it. That was Levi's next mission.

Some would have loved nothing more than to stop him. There were sups who hated vampires, for one. Vampires were the ultimate apex predators, second only to actual gods. As most of the major gods had long left their world, they were at the top of the food chain. Many didn't like that. They wouldn't have minded if their entire kind was affected by the feral curse. Ferals, while possessing all the natural raw strength and speed of a vampire, were considerably easier to kill than healthy immortals in possession of all their mental capacities. And of course, some vampires simply hated Levi enough to stand against him, no matter what that entailed.

"I haven't lifted the protection measures because every day the number of enemies we have increases as they recruit Eirikrson haters, and we don’t know from what front they’ll come at us next time. If you need body lotion, order it online and have it sent to the postal box. Ruby and Sylvan will pick it up on their regular run into town."

Those two were the only slayers could head out. Although there was a valid reason for that, Mikar still resented them both.

The self-appointed queen who'd been moving against Chloe and the rest of them from the shadows for months would try to attack again. It was just a matter of when. To ensure that Oldcrest remained impregnable, Levi had had the magic shields at the borders reinforced with a spell that only allowed in those who'd been invited by one of the residents of Night Hill. He’d personally extended that invitation to every student, teacher, and member of staff, but they couldn't invite anyone in turn. Greer, the witch who'd performed the spell, theorized that if a resident was holding hands with an intruder, they could technically enter together, but the security risk was minimal. However, if their adversaries could get their hands on a resident of Night Hill, that would be another story. Levi probably didn't believe that any amount of torture would get Mikar to break, but there were other ways their enemy could manage to get what she wanted. Spells, hexes, manipulation. They couldn't afford to risk it.

Ruby technically didn't live on Night Hill: she'd taken residence in one of the caves at the base of Cosnoc, the forbidden eastern hill where Chloe's ancestor, Eirikr, was trapped. As for Sylvan, he was just visiting.Levi hadn't ordered Mikar to stay put—he didn't ever attempt to order him around. He asked, and Mikar complied. He knew his utter boredom wasn't reason enough to risk his friends' lives.

"It's not just about the lotion." Chloe pouted. "I like Oldcrest. This is my home. But I don't like feeling like a prisoner here. We're strong. We shouldn't have to hide."

"We aren't hiding, darling. But it stands to reason that our comings and goings are monitored. Plenty of people want to hurt you, and it's far easier for them to snatch you up out there than while we're safe at home. If you'd like to go anywhere, I'll take you. With adequate security, it's not a problem."

Other than Mikar, Levi had only two slayers—warriors trained specifically to serve him, back when wars between vampire lines were common. Ruby and Sylvan were the remnants of a bygone era. Mikar had been added to their rank, and he certainly had adequate training to fill the roll, but the three of them still weren’t an army.

Technically, Chloe had more slayers than Levi. There were at least half a dozen Eirikrson slayers still alive, but all were traveling with her elusive older brother, Tom. That said, the last few centuries, Levi had engaged the services of various vampires, ranging from assistants to bodyguards, investigators, and spies. They weren't sworn to his service the way the slayers were, but if Levi called upon them, he could surround Oldcrest with an actual legion. Why he hadn't done so yet, Mikar wasn't sure. Perhaps he didn't trust his warriors enough to have them here in this critical time. More than likely, he had a plan in mind. But they were hardly defenseless. They had Alexius Helsing, his delightfully savage mate Avani, Catherine Stormhale, and the newly turned, yet equally ferocious Bash. They had witches they could trust. And in a pinch, they could even call upon the huntsmen. Sworn to fight rogue paranormals, they didn't typically get involved in vampire infightings, but the leader of the local huntsmen was friends with Chloe, and did consider Oldcrest his home.The huntsmen’s aid wasn’t guaranteed, but Mikar would have bet just about anything that when the time came, they’d be right there with them, defending their home. Even Eirikr himself would stand with them, so long as he managed to get out of his cave again.

By “adequate security,” Levi meant that he'd have Chloe guarded by at least a dozen of those warriors, Mikar guessed. Which was exactly why Chloe dropped the matter. As annoying as staying home could be, he knew she didn't want to put any of her friends in danger.

"Fine. But we can't live like this indefinitely. We're going to have to do something againsther." Her voice dripped with abhorrence.

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