81 likes on facebook – I needz morez!

Once my facebook author page hits 100, I’ll raffle off a signed, printed book.  I know, that’s QUITE the incentive, but I’m a giver.  =D  And on that happy note, an excerpt from Book 2.

 

 

 

     Simon Huntington was an enigmatic man, as well as an old vampire.  He was the leader of his clan of vampires and carried that power easily on his shoulders.  Simon was also the main figure in the Piper’s Blood Memory:  an inherited memory that is passed with the received gifting bite.  Every Jameson and Hammerthynn werewolf carried this blood memory and it influenced their actions around Huntington and his mate, Ellis Duban, previous leader of Clan Tacharan.  She wasn’t there with him standing at the front gates of the Greater Pack’s property.  Before this moment, neither one would have come within a mile of the gates, but here was Simon, standing alone, demanding to speak to the Commander.

 

Charlie had quickly returned to the Den and changed into his uniform:  dark green fatigue pants and a khaki colored button up with the sleeves rolled up to his biceps.  He walked down the long road to the gates in his combat boots and greeted Simon with a simple nod instead of tearing his throat out.  He was the only Piper present who could do that.

 

“This must be important if you’ve come right up to the door, Simon.”

 

“Charlie, where’s your Commander?”

 

Simon rarely addressed Charlie by his first name.  The man was nothing if not polite.  With a sigh Charlie looked at Simon and gauged his body language.  Usually Simon was impeccably dressed, from his perfectly coiffed, short brown hair, to his three thousand dollar suit he wore effortlessly.  Today he was wearing just slacks with a button up and his hair looked ruffled and out of place – testimony to that was when Simon ran his hands through his hair, obviously agitated.  Charlie felt the anxiety Simon was feeling, practically oozing out of every pore.

 

“What’s going on, Simon?  Why are you here?”

 

“Where is she?”

 

Charlie held onto his blank expression, trying to strengthen his bluff.  “Where is who?”

 

“Vivienne, where is she?”  Simon looked past Charlie and concentrated toward the direction of the Den.  “She’s not here.  Where is Vivienne?”

 

Simon was almost frantic, his face contorting into a hundred different emotions.  This was the vampiric bond that tore Vivienne and the Commander’s relationship apart.  Something born out of a sort of emotional tie between the two of them, making them able to communicate with each other without words and feel each other’s emotions.  Vivienne’s disappearance was hurting Simon and this worried Charlie.

 

“Alright, listen to me.  I’m going to tell you this, but I strongly suggest you do nothing.”  Charlie waited for Simon to calm down before he told him.  “Vivienne’s left.”

 

“Why?”

 

Charlie hesitated.  He had wanted to say Vivienne had left because of what Simon was doing to her relationship with her mate, but it wasn’t his concern.  He really had no idea why Vivienne had disappeared, requiring the core of the Pipers to go after her, but the nature of her relationship to the Pipers – i.e. her father, he assumed it could only be one reason.  “Presumably on an errand for her father, Vigo.  She’s been gone for about five days and is somewhere up North in a territory you do not want to be in.”

 

“What’s north?  Whose territory is that?”

 

“Alpha Stephan Michaels.  He’s a Jameson descendant.  You know the family.”

 

And Simon did.  He paled with an anger that filled the entire surface of Simon’s face.   Stephan Michaels was the oldest son of the now deceased Alpha Ian Michaels.  Stephan had stepped up into his father’s Alpha position once the old Alpha’s role in sending a severely demented first-born son to the Pipers was revealed.

 

In 2006, Ellis Duban and Simon had been captured and tortured by the now dead rogue Piper team.  Four Pipers were killed that day, three of which by Ian Michaels, Jr.’s hand.  How Piper Michaels made it through the extremely selective process to be a Piper was beyond the Commander and Beta.  They had only the recommendations from Alpha Michaels SR., but had not been privy to the detrimental evaluation Vivienne Sena had done.  The old Alpha Michaels had that eval pulled and put the Alpha’s Pipers at great risk which facilitated his and his namesakes’ own death.  The damage to his family’s name was felt far and wide.

 

The new Alpha Stephan Michaels lost not only his father and a brother, but his spot as the next Alpha’s Piper.

 

“Did you know Vivienne had a sister?” Charlie asked.

 

“Indy?  Yes.  What does she have to do with this?”

 

Charlie was stunned that Simon knew about the half sister, and Vivienne’s own mate had no clue.  It made him question the depth of Vivienne’s relationship with Simon.

 

“What is going on?  What are you feeling from her?”

 

Simon’s face tightened again and he shook his head.  “She’s hurting, where ever she is, they’re hurting her.  It’s like she’s right here.  Where is Michael’s territory located at?”

 

“Ontario and its surrounding regions.  But Viv’s family was wiped out years ago.  What do you know about Indy?”

 

“Viv’s father had another family west of the Sahara.  From what I can gather, she and Viv are the same age, but Viv didn’t find out about her until about twenty years or so ago.”

 

“Twenty years?” Charlie practically yelped.  “She kept that from Vigo for twenty years?”

 

“It was bad enough he spared her, but he missed Indy.  From what she’s said about her father, he finishes a job, no matter what.  She uses Indy and her pack for small jobs.”

 

“Indy is part of the Greater Pack.  The implications alone of having a family member of the opposite pack….”

 

“If Indy came here for Viv, then something is wrong.  You’re in charge here?”

 

“The CO and Beta took the core and went looking for her.”

 

“I can help, I have resources-”

 

“No you can’t.  You’d be dead the second you stepped into that territory, Simon.  Things are bad enough between the CO and Viv as it is.”

 

“What are you talking about?  Why didn’t you go?”

 

Charlie narrowed his eyes at Simon.  “Things with me are still unsure.  I’d be more of a liability than help, but I can stay home and babysit just fine.  And things are extremely bad between Viv and the CO.  You of all people should know that.”

 

Simon’s expression was concerned and just a little guilt ridden.  The bonding had not been Viv’s choice, but that didn’t matter to the CO.  The fact was that she had hid it for months afterwards.

 

“Go home, Simon.  Let the Pipers do their job.  Vivienne will be fine.”

 

Charlie watched as Simon struggled with the fact that his help would not be welcomed.  At least, that was until Lewis spoke up in Charlie’s earpiece.

 

“Charlie, have him wait.”

 

“Simon, wait a second.”  Turning his head to the side, he spoke aloud.  “What’s up?”

 

“CO wants him up in Canada.”

 

Charlie flicked his eyes back toward Simon who was watching Charlie anxiously, again a sight he never thought he’d see.

 

“They’ll use his resources, the Commander doesn’t care.  He’s not to bring Ellis, but he’s to choose a team carefully if he brings one.  Keep it small, two or three of his men.”

 

“What is it?” Simon asked.

 

“The CO wants your help after all.  No more than three with you and absolutely not Ellis.”

 

“Thank you, Mr. Hammond.”  Simon looked as relieved as he could be as he turned away and walked quickly down the drive, back through the main gates.

 

“Don’t thank me just yet, Simon,” Charlie said quietly.

 

Charlie knew Lewis was watching from the Situation Room.  Simon’s reaction to Vivienne’s disappearance was rare for the vampire.  Simon Huntington was steel and ice, but today he looked broken.

 

Lewis’ voice sounded sad as it filtered in through his ear piece.  “The Commander is going to kill him when they get her back.  You know that, Charlie.”

 

“With his bare hands, Lewis,” he said without a doubt.