The Devil's Wolf

Ashlynn gestured to Cael to follow as she trailed Elior and Serena into the elevator. It took a moment to attract the devil's attention from the gargoyles, and they had to trot to catch up. Serena selected the first floor and the lift rose smoothly. Both the vampires were entrenched in their phones.

"Saw something you liked?" Ashlynn murmured to Cael.

He leered. "Several somethings. Just because I have mates does not mean my eyes have gone blind."

"I thought they had the aerodynamics of elephants."

"As gargoyles. As men," Cael's lip curled. "They are not displeasing. Are you jealous, my mate?" he purred leaning over her and nuzzling under her chin with kisses. "Because you do not need to fear, I find you and the vampire sufficiently pretty to fulfil my needs."

Ashlynn inhaled but did not resist his seduction. The vampires were, apparently, oblivious to Cael and herself. "New phone?" Ashlynn asked Elior reaching out to tug on the sleeve of his suit as Cael's hand closed over her breast and he ground himself up against her side wantonly.

"Hmm?" Elior barely glanced up, his attention on the screen. "Yes, we keep a supply."

"I guess you need to, the rate you go through them," she commented, breathless beneath Cael's seduction. "Can I have one? I am using Alister's at the moment, and it needs charging, and he will probably want it back, too."

"Of course," Elior looked up and chuckled. "Cael, give our mate breathing room. You cannot f-k her in the elevator with Sabrina watching - though I am sure Sabrina would not object, both Ashlynn and I would." He stroked Ashlynn's hair back from her face, as Cael moved back with a groan, and then Elior paused frowning. "You are wearing about an inch of make-up. I believe it is the first time I have seen you wear it."

"Jacinta and Rebecca did it, for the social media post."

"Ah, of course," he nodded with understanding. The elevator doors opened into a hallway with many doors and blue-green toned carpet. "Operational level," he said to them as he started down the hall. "Meeting rooms and offices, and the harem waiting space."

Serena stepped into one of the first rooms, closing the door behind her.

"That is a bit ick, you know," Ashlynn commented. "Harem waiting space. I bet it is more like a sex lounge, knowing you vampires."

"Hmm," Elior's tone confirmed her suspicion. "Though many vampires would tell you that it depends on how the harem is formed," he replied. "Some vampires recruit by force and make their harem blood slaves, something that I actively discourage. Others woo to recruit volunteers and whilst they share their blood, they do not make their harem slaves.

"Having a harem has its practicalities in that the vampire always has an ample supply of blood available to him or her, and the humans in return age slower, live longer, and enjoy the wealth that vampires accrue. I have personally," he opened a door into an elegant office space. "Never felt the need to have a harem."

"No, I bet you have plenty of volunteers to feed off of," she hadn't thought about how he fed, and was surprised by her flash of jealousy, imagining him with another person's body pressed against his whilst he fed.

He met her eyes, correctly interpreting her tone, and he opened a mini-bar fridge tucked into the cabinetry of the office and drew out a bag of blood. "I prefer the modern convenience of bagged blood. We own several blood banks, legitimately, and run regular collections from our volunteers and harems in order to supplement the supply. It does not have the personal connections, but it is a less enjoyable form of sating the hunger," he tore a corner with his teeth and drank from the bag neatly and efficiently, whilst withdrawing from a drawer a laptop, setting it onto the table and starting it.

"I prefer it however," he added. "Normally, because of the lack of personal connection. Now I have mates however..." He left that open as he finished the bag, and he walked over to the cabinetry which housed the mini-fridge and took from a drawer an unwrapped mobile phone.

"Here you are," he told her. "It will probably need to charge. Now, what are we going to do with the two of you whilst I work?" He put his hands on his hips, pushing back the jacket of his suit and revealing the tidy waistcoat below it. "If I let you out of my sight, you will no doubt get into some form of trouble."

"I was thinking Cael and I could take a couple of phones flying with us, and take some aerial shots for social media," Ashlynn suggested as she opened the box and took the mobile phone out. She turned it on. It was at fifty percent, which was better than Alister's which had been redlining for a while. "I need the practise flying."

"She does," Cael agreed sweetly.

She glowered at him. "I am not that bad."

He rolled his eyes at Elior and pulled a face. "I have never known someone with wings so adept with them," he told the vampire in a poorly disguised undertone. "Did I tell you she flew into a window like a dazzled pigeon on her first flight," he hit the fist of one hand against the palm of the other. "Just like that."

"You will be targets for any gun-happy fool if you did so," Elior didn't like the idea. His phone rang, and he sighed. "We will continue this in a moment. Be quiet." He looked at the read out on the screen and frowned. "I don't know this number." He sat on the chair behind the desk and put the phone to his ear. "Yes?" His expression changed, the Other in his eyes flashing red. "Ah. Hello Caleb." The vampire on the other side of the line spoke for a long moment, and Elior's eyebrows drew together. "No. We are having this conversation because you and the human governments are starting to realize that you have bitten off more than you can chew, and I haven't even revealed my hand yet - something which you suspect. "I will tell you what you will do, and that is surrender. Each and every last vampire traitor. The human governments will issue an apology and will be held accountable for every vampire death during this war. That is what you will do, Caleb. In return, I will kill you quickly," the red eclipsed the grey in Elior's eyes. "Rather than removing your skin and sealing you in a glass coffin full of botflies so that I may watch you slowly be eaten alive.

"It has been pleasant having this chat," he finished. "And good luck tracing this call." He disconnected.

"Botflies, eh?" Ashlynn was impressed. "Do you have a ready supply of glass coffins lying around?"

"Twelve, in the basement," he replied absently. "They are a useful deterrent. Return downstairs and tell them to brace for attack. Caleb called for no other reason than to try to locate me, and if they suspect I am in the building, they will move to take it."

The lights went out and they all looked up, waiting for them to come back on, which they did not.

"I would say downstairs know," Ashlynn observed. "We will take the stairs." Or end up on an elevator stuck between floors, she suspected.

Elior walked around the table and took her face between his hands in order to kiss her lingeringly. "Be safe. Both of you," he added looking at Cael meaningfully including him in the statement.

The devil heaved a sigh, and stepped up to tug the vampire against him, leaning over to kiss him as he drew the other man's hips to his. Elior groaned, his hands closing around Cael's back, pulling the other man closer as Cael's fingers threaded into the vampire's hair, cupping his skull, and disheveling the careful ponytail. Elior's fingers gripped Cael's shoulder, the kiss heating between them, until the devil grunted thrusting forward, seeking relief for his hard on. "F-king oath," Ashlynn blew out a breath and waved her hand over her chest. "I think I just made a mess of my borrowed underwear."

The kiss eased, and Cael's grin was wicked. Both men were hard. "Be a good blood sucker and stay alive and I will take care of that for you when I return," the devil promised.

"I think Elior's blushing, Cael," Ashlynn mocked the vampire thoroughly enjoying the heat between her men. "You have got him all flustered. You have got me flustered, too, and seeping like a f-king snail, damn you."

Elior laughed, the sound startled. "He has got me something," he agreed and adjusted the lie of his suit trousers. "I will be down as soon as I have threatened a few heads of state. Let's hope that shield holds."

"I am hoping that it doesn't," Cael picked up his sword. "I am clean, fed, and rested. I am ready to f-k or fight."

They took the stairs down to the foyer. In the darkness, the room swum with the flashing blue and red lights from the police barricades outside, and the shadows of people moving slid across the walls, hinting at activity beyond the glass. The gargoyles were positioned amongst the vampires, and all watched the glass expectantly. Cael and Ashlynn crouched next to Raiden and Cecelia.

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The Other flashed golden in Raiden's eyes. "They have shut off power to the building. They have probably also turned off the water. They may be planning to force us out through the deprivation, or maybe aim to affect our morale. I don't think they're about to launch an attack - if that were their intention, they would have done it immediately after turning off the power."

"Without power, we can't charge our devices, and we have no internet connection other than mobile," Ashlynn observed. "They could be trying to prevent us from communicating with the rest of the world."

"Good point," Raiden raised his eyebrows. "Considering social media is the weapon of choice for both you and Elior."

"Non-combatant approaching," crackled over the human's amplifier. "We repeat, non-combatant approaching."

"That's interesting," Raiden murmured.

The doors opened and a woman stepped in. She was immaculately dressed in a suit from her sharply pointed stiletto heels, seamed stockings, right to her precisely coiffed blonde hair. She paused one step inside the door, sliding her eyes around the re-outfitted foyer, her expression pinched neutrality. She carried a laptop tucked under her arm.

"I am here to negotiate with Elior Cohen," she announced. "For the surrender of Cecelia and Ashlynn Grenmeyer."

"Elior isn't here," Cecelia stepped forward with all the confidence of an alpha female werewolf defending her cubs and pack. As she did so, she drew her power into her hands, glowing in blue sparks that traced up her arms and set the Other in her eyes glowing golden. "And neither is my daughter. But you can speak with me." Her smile said, if you dare, quite clearly.

"Is there a room that we can converse in?" The blonde woman was unflappably calm even in the face of Cecelia's power and challenge. She did not step further into the room, but let Cecelia move closer, almost submissive in her posture, but contrived in doing so.

Dior, a hulking, impressive six and half feet of solid muscle and naked skin, stood as Cecelia approached his position, falling in behind her like a bodyguard, a physical threat to add to the danger that was Cecelia. The blonde woman's eyebrow raised minutely. "I wasn't aware that this was a clothing optional affair," she commented.

"The gargoyles will shift form in order to fight," Cecelia stopped half-way down the room, forcing the woman to come to her. "Shifting is difficult on clothing. There is no point in wearing it, therefore."

"Not something within my experience or expertise," the woman replied with considerable aplomb. "Would you care to show me to a room where we can converse. We can get Mr Cohen on video conference, if necessary."

"No," Cecelia's smile was pure alpha wolf. "You can turn right back around and clip-clop your way back to whoever sent you and tell them that when they return power and whatever else they might have turned off to this building we will talk." "Unfortunately, I cannot do that," the woman's gaze was solemn. "This building has been disconnected from the grid so that when they detonate the explosives that they have placed around the ground floor and subterranean level it does not take out the entire city's network."