Moonlight

Chapter 21

"Marin, what an unpleasant surprise."

"Amusing," The vampire said dryly.

His attention turned to Merissa with a devious smile.

"She was right under our noses all along. How truly ingenious. Now, I require information from you Gamichee and I hope that you will be well behaved and provide me with the names and locations of the other three children."

"I don't know where they are."

"And I don't believe you. Perhaps you require a little encouragement, yes? How about I tell you that I know where Lennon lives and that darling child that your delinquent brother brought into this world. You must understand that as a Larmen by blood, the child must die with Lennon. Once you three, Lennon and the child are disposed of, that will free up two seats on the council. I will seize control of your club and the records within it and then I will find the remaining Korden children. That will make one more. Such a grand time, isn't it?"

The three of them jumped when gunfire rang out but it was not the gun that was pointed at them. Marin's eyes widened as he sank to his knees, revealing his killer. Lyla moved around the vampire, ice-cold facade in place.

"No one threatens my family and gets away with it." She growled softly.

Raising the gun again, Lyla shot the vampire in the head. His body slumped to the ground and Lyla turned her head, looking over her shoulder at Gamichee.

"You talk too loudly."

Returning her gun to the holster hidden under her jacket, Lyla returned to the path. She'd had her nightly conversation with Eloise disturbed and Lyla was not a happy woman. There were not enough hours in the day, she was tired and even though she was struggling with her thoughts about him, Lyla wanted to return to Sammy quickly.

Gamichee stared, slack-jawed. Lennon's chiding words were ringing through his head, reminding him not to underestimate Lyla.

The body at his feet was an issue. Pulling out his phone, Gamichee flicked through the contacts list and rang Carson. He'd organise for a small team to come in here, collect the body and dispose of it before dawn. Hopefully, it would be the last of the issues with the council.

Stepping around the body, Gamichee thought about the issues and then rang Carson a second time.

"Carson, retract the orders."

"I haven't had a chance to place them, you only just ended the last call."

"I was thinking about the issues. Have a team come in here, package the body and send it to the council with a message."

"Perhaps, don't mess with us?"

"Something along those lines. I want them to know what will happen if they come into this city and try to destroy us."

Carson's lips twitched as his eyes narrowed. Bold but dangerous, true to Gamichee's nature.

"It could start a war. Are you ready for it?"

"They started the war many years ago, my friend. We are merely playing the game. Ensure that the team is not careful with the body, he deserves no respect in death because he gave none in life."

"As you wish."

The call ended and Gamichee continued out of the older section of the cemetery. Reaching the end of the path, Gamichee searched the long row of trees nearby. There he saw Lyla sitting by a grave. Lennon and Sammy were with her.

"Do you think it would be alright if we went and said hello?"

"Mmh, maybe not tonight. Lyla looked pretty tired. Is the nurse still helping out?"

"To the best of my knowledge she is."

"Come on, we'll wait for them at the end of the path. Let Lyla approach us."

Gamichee nodded, it was a better suggestion. In time he would come here and say the words in his mind. He'd ask for forgiveness and tell Eloise that if he'd seen the future, he would have approached Nironsa in a different way. Gamichee felt a lot of guilt over that night. He thought that if he'd tried a different angle then maybe she'd still be alive. Lyla would have her daughter and Sammy would have his mother.

The problem was, Gamichee knew that her death was always going to happen. That's how Nironsa was. She was the first that he'd managed to impregnate but she was not the first girlfriend to die by his hand. Usually, they were still human and sold in the market. Maybe Eloise was different, she was the first that he'd turned into a vampire so it was possible that she was destined for a different future. Was his involvement the catalyst for that terrible night or was it because her mother wanted her to come home?

Gamichee heard the tail end of the fight, he'd heard how Eloise was talking about her mother. She reasoned that if she was in the club that maybe her mother had changed her mind on vampires and she'd accept their love. Nironsa snapped back and told her to keep moving. That was when they ran into Gamichee, unimpressed and ready to unleash his fury on his brother.

Every part of that night still haunted Gamichee. From seeing his brother's mind break and then kill the mother of his child and the supposed love of his life, begging him not to be horrible to her desperate mother and then finally, seeing his body slump into the limousine. Just one bullet in his forehead, a perfect shot from the marksman that was skilled beyond comprehension. Gamichee warned Nironsa not to taunt the woman and he foolishly stuck his head out the sunroof.

With a sigh, Gamichee discarded the thoughts of that night before he did something that he knew he would regret. The thoughts in his mind had him regretting them alone, actually doing them would be enough to send him off the deep end.

They waited and when Lyla was done, she got up from the ground and took Sammy. Lennon pushed the stroller, giving his friends a nod.

"It's the noisy ones." He crooned.

Sammy went into Gamichee's arms, whether he was ready for him or not. Lyla sighed sadly as Ris wrapped her arm around her shoulder.

"We drove so no walking home for you three tonight."

"Great. I'm so tired."

"You look it. What's happened, where's the nurse?"

"She quit," Lennon said far too loudly. "Lyla was too demanding. Gamichee's going to line up another nurse, right?"

Gamichee rolled his eyes.

"Of course."

Reaching the exterior of the cemetery, Gamichee looked up the path. With a flick of his hand, Gamichee waited. The distant sound of an engine starting filled Gamichee with relief.

"How many entrances are there to this cemetery?"

"Multiple." Lyla offered. "Worried about your man up there?"

"I worry about everyone. I'm sure that's how we remain alive, is it not?"

"Can't be stabbed in the back if you're looking over your shoulder."

"How true. Now, how do we get this contraption into the car?"

Lennon stepped forward, pulling the carrier out of the frame. While Adley put it into the trunk, Lennon strapped the carrier into the back seat.

"Look at them, domesticated already. Perhaps now we won't find you gallivanting around the countryside, hmm?"

Merissa smiled uneasily as she watched Lennon joke about it, Adley laughing. She couldn't help but wonder if Adley would want to return to his days of freedom.