The Allies of Old; Book Two Renewal: Chapter Sixty Six "Horrible, Terrible Timing and a Dash of Sh%@ Luck"

Book Cover created in acrylic by the extremely talented @therealpaul

If you have not read the first book of the series, "Reborn", it is advisable you do so before reading "Renewal" or you will be lost. This link will provide you with a series summary as well as all sixty-eight chapters of Reborn

Table of Contents for Fifty Five chapters of Renewal, created by @bashadow

Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64

Chapter Sixty-Six

Tyros stared down at the sleeping female in his bed, his mind a distorted jumble from lack of rest. He could tell by her diminished scent that the sexual marathon was over so he decided it was time to get some answers and mentally cleared away the cobwebs in his brain.

He shook her awake and she turned towards him blinking in confusion.

“Where did you come from?” he asked immediately.

“I…what do you mean?”

He studied her for a moment, wondering again if she was another human turned vampire. “How old are you?”

“Two-hundred and ninety, give or take a few years.”

His eyes widened and he repeated himself, “Where did you come from?”

“I live in London.”

“Always or recently?”

“Mostly always.”

“Then how have you gone undiscovered?”

“I…” she stared at him for a moment then started laughing, the tone of it bordering on hysteria.

After a minute it tapered off and she smiled broadly, her eyes wild with what appeared to be the beginnings of madness. “Turn or die they told me, turn or die, turn or die…” she sang the words then let out another peal of laughter. “I didn’t want to die, wanted to live, so I drank him to death. So long ago. Never saw the sun again,” her smile stretched even further making her look like a jack o lantern, “that is until I decided I didn’t want to live anymore and I walked into the sun, but did I burst into flames? Nope. I just sat there in the sunshine.” Her distorted grin faded slowly and she looked away from him towards the window.

Tyros stared at her, his mind whirling through the possibilities. She had thought she was condemned but obviously she’d been wrong. Perhaps she hadn’t actually killed the human she’d drank from…

“You never did it again, drained the life of a human?” he asked.

She turned her unfocused eyes back to him and shook her head slowly. She spoke quietly this time, “I never wanted to, not like Terrina or any of the others. I was always different, but they never knew.”

“Who’s Terrina?”

Her voice went back into sing song mode. “Dead. She’s dead, so is Paulo, he’s dead, those males are probably coming for me now even though they vowed, I didn’t see them, one of them might not have really vowed…”

Tyros gripped her arm to stop her. “What males are coming for you?”

“The demon hunters. Paulo stole their human girls….” she trailed off.

Tyros’s mouth dried. “Names. Tell me the names of the hunters.”

She looked up at him and blinked. “Um. Mathias, and there was a Lyncane….”

“Fuck,” he interrupted. “What happened to the human girls?”

She blinked a few more times. “Terrina slit one girl’s throat and PauIo took her away and then I sent back the other one who looked like a vampiress so they wouldn’t come after me….” She looked back at the window as she trailed off once more.

Tyros stared at her. Jess’s throat slit. He felt a small prick at the thought of the girl dead. He needed to know more. Demetrius had sent spies to infiltrate, maybe he’d have information.

“Stay here,” he told the half-mad female, “you’re safe here.”

She nodded absently and he strode from the room.

**

Jess took a long time in the shower. When she finally stepped from the spray she watched in fascination as her pruned fingers smoothed out once more. She had not yet lost the wonder associated with her enhanced state, from super hearing to super fast healing.

She sat down on the edge of the toilet and inspected her legs which were freshly shaven. Unfortunately hair did not magically stop growing, one small inconvenience she still had to deal with.

She stooped down and pulled out her favorite scented lotion. Although she didn’t suffer from dry skin and probably never would again, she still found the act of smoothing it over her skin soothing somehow.

By the time she made her way back outside she was feeling calm and refreshed, a state of mind that unfortunately only lasted for five minutes before being blown apart by Anna’s announcement. Austin was on his way there, would in fact be there any minute.

She sat down at a table and gripped the edge of it as panic turned her stomach inside out.

“What’s wrong?” Anna asked in the middle of her explanation, which was something to the effect of Michael having a package for Jack McClaron, who was in California where Austin was heading the following day to start training.

Jess managed to push “Nothing,” out through numb lips as she prayed that Austin wouldn’t say anything. A fairly hopeless prayer since according to Anna she hadn’t actually talked to him, Josh had called and arranged for him to come after learning Michael was there. Which meant when he got there he would naturally assume she had been the one to contact Anna.

Anna started to say something else but stopped mid word as the Brothers Three ushered Austin onto the patio. Jess watched with a sense of doom as he was introduced to Michael and then led over to the table where she and Anna were seated.

The males gathered around them and it was almost, though not quite, a full minute before he blew her in.

“So, I thought you were gonna call me?”

She stared at him in silent agony as Anna cocked her head to the side.

Jared misunderstood the question’s direction and growled. “Why would she call you?”

“Uh, I was talking to Jess,” Austin frowned a little and turned back to her.

Her throat was frozen along with the rest of her. She could actually sense Anna’s confusion from beside her.

“Err, what do you mean?” Anna finally asked.

“Well, she was supposed to let me know when she contacted you.” Austin was now leaning forward slightly, studying her face, and Jess could only imagine the “deer caught in headlights” expression she was wearing.

“I don’t…I’m not following this at all,” Anna said helplessly.

All eyes were now on Jess and she could feel the weight of them, the Brothers Three, Michael, Anna, Jared, Austin, and still she could not force a single syllable out of her clogged throat.

Austin leaned back running a hand through his hair. Jess had not taken her eyes from him and it seemed it was just now beginning to sink in that she had not told them about their run in. Unfortunately he mistook the reason for it, evidenced by his next damning statement.

“Christ Jess, I understand you might feel a little foolish explaining the circumstances of our impromptu meeting, but if that’s the case you probably should have called and gave me a heads up.”

“Um, when…when did you see Jess?” Anna asked without moving her gaze from Jess’s profile.

“Three days ago.”

No one said a word for a few seconds and then Michael leaned forward.

“You saw her three days ago and she knew you?”

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