THE ANOINTED 3: PROPHECIES OF FIRE (8 page)

“But you are a politician yourself, are you not?” asked Andrew.

The crystal cut glass stop halfway to Anais’ lips before he gave a short harrumph and downed the liquid.

“I guess you can say that, but we consider ourselves to be so much more. A puppet master of world events comes more to mind. For years, we have set into motion the policies that will put this earth at war at a time of my choosing. From civil unrest in the Middle East to the genocide in Africa. These are all pieces on the board to be manipulated at our whim,” he paused momentarily in thought. “It will be my gift to my brother, once he’s able to regain his full awesome power.”

Anais was like a living host for his brother that had been banished from the heavens. Until they were able to recover all his essence from unsuspecting hosts, he would not be able to regenerate an ancient power that had been dormant ever since Lucifer’s unsuccessful coup.

“You know, you should’ve killed the girl. It’s only the human weakness in you that allowed you to let her live.”

Anais switched the subject so quickly that, for a moment, Andrew was taken off guard by the words.

“No need to be shocked at the extent of my knowledge, nothing happens around me that we are oblivious to.”

Andrew thought carefully before he spoke. “She’s more use to us alive,” he finally said. “Turn potential enemies into assets.”

“That may be so,” Anais replied. “But your instructions were to kill every Vae Victis operative that was there and you chose to counter our orders and take the girl hostage. You would risk our wrath over this?”

Andrew made sure he met Anais’ eyes carefully. The hair on the back of his neck rose to tell him that this was very dangerous ground.

“Yes, I would risk it on something I know that could be beneficial to the downfall of our common enemies.”

A silence was followed by the statement as Anais watched him.

“Very well, but any failure to achieve such a benefit will result in our wrath becoming a very harsh reality.”

Andrew bowed his head in respect.

“I expect nothing less, my lord, my thanks for allowing me this opportunity.”

“Fair and we will be force to kill the girl ourselves. And believe me, it will not be an easy death.”

Andrew was well aware of the ultimatum that Anais had sent to Nathan and his good jaw muscle clinched at the thought. He had promised to feed on her soul, but it was a ruse to lure the possession leader to him. Sam was supposed to be dead and buried in an unmarked grave somewhere until Andrew had intervened on her behalf. Now, Anais was threatening to do it for real. A horrible death.

“No matter what my lord, Samantha will only die by my hand, if any.” He finished with a snarl.

“Do you dare challenge us as your rightful lords and masters?”

The tone in Anais’ voice had the underlining threat of a barely contained violence. Suddenly, an imprint of a screaming face tried to stretch out the side of Anais’ face in fury. Cold fear raced through Andrew as he recognized what could only be Lucifer himself, trying to escape the prison of Anais’ body.

“No, my brother, we must not destroy our creation. At least until he explains his words,” Anais said soothingly. The face retreated and disappeared. “My brother seems to think that you’re becoming a problem. A problem that is ungrateful of our generosity.”

“No, my lord, that is not the case or a challenge to your authority. But I ask for a certain…understanding in this matter.”

“Understanding has nothing to do with your total disregard of my orders,” Anais hissed. “Shall I completely erase your human side for you to understand that our mission is what’s important? Do not risk it over human thoughts of family.”

“And if I turn her over to our side and cause?”

“Then I will commend your efforts, for true Vae Victis believers would rather disassemble you limb by limb for even that very suggestion. What makes you think this will be any different? Because she’s your niece?”

“No because I will force her to see reason. Her loyalty is to her family and right now, she believes it to be Vae Victis. I will show her otherwise.”

Anais poured himself another scotch.

“You will be cruel enough to make her soul forfeit? To what purpose?”

“When your brother walks this plane, he will be allowed to rule for a multitude of years before true war begins. Samantha will be a fine shadow walker in his armies.”

“Is that right? You believe she has what it takes to walk in the shadows? That’s very high praise indeed,” Anais replied with raised eyebrows. “Maybe we should take a more personal approach in this matter.”

Andrew couldn’t help but shiver at the words. Anais’ personal involvement meant a painful and excruciating process that could very well shatter Samantha’s mind, if he attacked it with force. Even though he would kill her if he couldn’t turn her, he couldn’t put her through such an experience if he could avoid it. Anais meant what he said, he didn’t just say things in passing.

“But this issue is not why we summoned you here today. We have other things we need you to do.”

“Of course my lord, I’m here to serve.”

Anais gave him a smile, as if he knew a secret.

“My brother says we shall see about that.”

With a look from Anais, Edward grunted before turning and leaving the study, closing the thick double doors behind him. Andrew looked surprised that the Pallida Mors had been asked to leave the room.

“It’s a rule of power, my omnipotent,” replied Anais, seeing the surprise. “Even though we trust Edward with our lives, when you move pieces on the board it’s best to use deception whenever possible.”

              CHAPTER TWO

MADRID, SPAIN

Manuel Garcia tried to control his rapidly beating heart and fought not to give in to the desire to look back. A feeling of cold dread rose in his stomach steadily, as he lost his trained discipline to glance back quickly to see the shadows and half features of the two men who were closer now. What did they want? He wondered as he picked up his pace while reaching into the left flap of his brown leather coat to grip a set of throwing knives that laid in specially made sheaths in various places. So occupied with his thoughts, he ran into a man coming around a corner and apologized quickly in Spanish, as the man glared at him before hurrying off again with his face set into a thin grim line.

He didn’t have to look that the men had drawn closer during the incident with the man and he prepared himself to send these men to the afterlife if he was provoked or attacked. The war with the godforsaken Vae Victis had changed rules that their order had lived by for years, but it was the anger that one of their elders was found with a gunshot wound to his head that made their order evoke the rule of killing in defense of themselves and the church.

He thought back to when he had first heard of the news of the Cardinal’s apparent suicide and then the discovery of the Vae Victis Flag, a blazing sun surrounding a sword and shield, after the church had tried to assassinate their leader. It was too much of a message to be a coincidence. The retribution had been swift on both sides.

With this thought, the gun that was tucked in the small of his back beckoned to him, but he quickly dismissed this option as an overreaction to the situation. He wouldn’t use it unless it was absolutely necessary. Was he letting the problems of his church make him overly paranoid? Once more, he cursed the Vae Victis, who had become exactly what the church had always knew they were. Pawns of the fallen angels.

Almost absently, he released the hilts of the throwing knives and crossed himself while he whispered a plea for forgiveness for his earlier blasphemy. He had let his anger get the best of him but he felt much calmer now, even as his mind continuously turned. The two men who followed him had started tailing him the moment he had exited the Vatican security organization safe house with an important dispatch for their contact for their contact in the city.

Looking up around him, he knew that he was closer to anther safe house and he darted into a narrow alley and disappeared into the darkness. The safe house wasn’t far. The two men who had followed came to the mouth of the alley and stop. Looking at each other, they started to smile.

A terrified scream pierced the night, followed by three consecutive gunshots before another scream. Knowing that there was no need to rush, the two men took their time entering the alley to the scene that greeted them. A fully turned lycanthrope had the priest pinned on the ground with its massive arms holding his arms at his sides. Its animal jaws were opened wide, posed over the priest’s exposed throat ready to rip and shred in a blood lust frenzy. It probably could smell the blood pumping through the priest’s veins.

“That’s enough Jake, I think you more than secured him.”

The werewolf turned its bright yellow eyes at the man who had spoken and relied by snapping viciously, as if challenging the words.

“Have it your way,” the man told the werewolf with a shrug. “If you allow your lesser base needs destroy our task, then it will be you who answers to the omnipotent.”

The werewolf went a little pale at the words, causing the man to laugh roughly.

“Man, I never knew one of our kind could turn such a color while in that form. Calm down,” he said gently as Jake growled. “And keep your mind on our task. Now, let’s see what we have here.”

The man came over and squatted down while turning his head sideways to study the Vatican agent with eyes that started to glow yellow to combat the darkness. The priest spat in his direction defiantly.

“You have big balls to attempt to spit on me with a three-hundred-pound werewolf sitting on your chest ready to tear out your throat for the meat beneath. I must say, I admire your courage.”

“Any man with a clear conscience and clean hands has no fear of death. But you, may your dark soul burn in the eternal fires of the almighty! I will not reveal any secrets to Vae Victis spawn!”

“Vae Victis? No noble priest, we have no ties to those who we consider enemies.”

Leaning over, he picked up a small glass encased cylinder that must’ve fell from the priest’s hand in the brief scuffle. It was small enough that there was no doubt that the priest had instructions to swallow it if he was captured.
But Jake had gotten to him first
, he thought as he also spotted the gun and picked it up also.

“What has the world come to when priests run around armed? You should’ve had better aim, priest, you didn’t hit Jake here once.”

The man saw that the priest was handy with a blade as two throwing knives were embedded to the hilts in Jake’s furry chest.

“I walk in the light of the lord demon! He will ever be my protection against creatures such as you.”

“But where is your god now, priest? I don’t think he heard your screams.”

The priest glared at the words. “They weren’t screams, they…I was just startled, that’s all.”

“Yeah sure, and I’m the freakin’ king of Spain. Don’t you know we can smell your fear, priest? It covers you now like a perfume. Fool yourself all you want priest, but don’t try to lie to us.”

“Do your worse demon, but you’ll never be able to break our codes!” the priest yelled, trying to show courage despite the man’s words. With a smirk, the man abruptly stood with the ground and stepped on it, shattering the glass. Twisting his foot, he grinded the codes into the ground.

“This is not what we came for.” Puzzlement crossed the priest’s face.

“What? What…what do you want?”

The fear smell on the priest increased. The man savored the smell before lifting the gun at the priest’s face.

“We needed someone in your order to go meet your god priest, you’re just the first one to come out of the door.”

Four shots followed the words without hesitation to echo around the alley. The man studied his handy work and was grimly satisfied before he tossed the gun aside. Jake released the dead priest and shifted back to his human form. The two knives looked gruesome protruding from his muscular chest and he yanked them free one by one before licking the blood off of the blades, as his wounds rapidly closed.

“A waste of perfectly good meat if you ask me,” he said gruffly, looking down at the now dead priest ruefully. “The smell of his fear and blood is making me hungry.”

“You’re always hungry Jake, but orders are orders. Now drag this lump of dog meat back to the street, so someone will find him.”

Grumbling, Jake did as he was told.

“And don’t forget the message,” the second man reminded them, speaking for the first time.

“Yeah, we wouldn’t want to have to do this again. Kind of a waste of time if you ask me,” stated Jake.

“No one is asking you Jake, now just shut the hell up and do it. You seem to have a lot of opinions tonight.”

“And make sure the gun’s found with the body, we want it to look like what it is. An execution,” the second man said as Jake went to work.

It took almost an hour before the priest was found with half of his skull missing by a shocked couple. Lying on his chest was the murder weapon and a small flag with a blazing sun surrounding a shield and sword.