AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Joshua brushed a kiss against her forehead. “Mate, he will be dead before that command ever leaves his mouth.”
Mate. Keri closed her eyes and wondered how a drug and magic could create this feeling of belonging and being cherished by a stranger. It felt like love. And that was the most frightening part of this whole situation.
Chapter 6
KERI UNTANGLED HERSELF from his embrace and stood, nervous energy not allowing her to sit still any longer. "We need to free the humans and vampires that are trapped in his harem right now."
Joshua rose from the couch, his movements fluid despite the tension evident in his shoulders. "I can't lose focus on my mission. I'm here to kill Anatol. Cut off the head of the snake, and the body dies."
"If we take away his minions, though, we can weaken him," Keri argued, trying to think strategically like a vampire. "It could make your job easier."
Joshua shook his head, his expression conflicted. "My clan sent me here for one reason: to eliminate Anatol. Every moment we delay puts more lives at risk."
"Those people are suffering right now," Keri pressed, her guilt threatening to overwhelm her. "Who knows what I did to them when I was under Anatol's control? Or what he's making them do against their will. We have to make this right."
"This is war," Joshua said stonily. "And in war, sometimes difficult choices must be made for the greater good. My clan is counting on me to end this threat."
"Easy for you to say when you're not the one still being held captive," Keri shot back, immediately regretting her words as she saw rage cross Joshua's face.
A muscle ticked in Joshua's jaw. "You think I don't understand the weight of this mission? The lives at stake? Don't presume to lecture me on the cost of this war."
The raw emotion in his voice made Keri pause. She took a deep breath, trying to rein in her own feelings. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
Joshua's expression softened slightly. "Of course you didn't." He ran a hand through his hair, a surprisingly human gesture for a vampire. "It's not something I talk about ever. But maybe you need to understand."
Keri moved closer to him, drawn by the vulnerability she sensed beneath his tough exterior. "Tell me," she said softly. "Help me understand."
Joshua was silent for a long moment, his gaze fixed on some distant point. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, almost a whisper. "I was born in 1914 in a New York slum that makes modern ghettos look like paradise."
Keri's eyes widened. "You're over a hundred years old?"
A wry smile tugged at Joshua's lips. "Give or take a few years. When you've lived as long as I have, you stop counting."
He moved to the window, staring out at the night sky. "I was just a kid when my parents died of influenza. One day they were there, the next..." He shrugged, the gesture failing to hide the pain in his eyes. "I was alone. I survived on the streets, stealing, begging, doing whatever it took. And then, one night in 1930, I thought my luck had finally run out. I was cornered by a gang, sure they were going to kill me. Instead, I met Victor Nicolau."
"Was he the head of the clan?”
“Still is,” Joshua said, a hint of warmth entering his voice. "He saw something in me that night – potential, he called it. He offered me a choice – stay in the human world that had done nothing but take from me, or join his family and gain the power never to be helpless again."
"And you chose to join them," Keri said
“Wouldn’t you?”
She thought about it and slowly nodded. “Yeah.”
"The transformation was difficult, but what came after changed everything. For the first time in my life, I had a family.”
Keri swallowed hard. She would become a vampire for that, too.
“Victor became the father I'd lost. Elena, his mate, showed me kindness I'd never known, and their son Markus became the brother I'd always wanted."
His eyes took on a distant look, filled with a mix of emotions. "They trained me, honed my skills, gave me purpose. And now, they've entrusted me with this crucial mission."
"To kill Anatol," Keri said, understanding dawning.
Joshua nodded, his expression grave. "The Vasiles have been a thorn in our side for decades. Their experiments, their disregard for both human and vampire life – it threatens the delicate balance we've worked so hard to maintain. Anatol is the worst of them all."
He turned to face Keri, his eyes intense. "This isn't just about following orders. My clan saved me. They gave me a home, a purpose. I owe them everything. And now, they're counting on me to end this threat once and for all."
