Behind Broken Eyes | 3

Chapter One

Thaddeus embraced the silence in the soundproof room, letting the slow beat of Rachael's heart monitor sooth his anger. Once his eyes had dimmed back to a human façade, he allowed himself to approach the sleeping girl.

Doctor Jameson, since finding out her identity, was able to determine her age. Everyone had guessed by her rounded cheeks and the light coat of innocent freckles that she was around the age of fifteen, or possibly sixteen.

Rachael Grey was nineteen – to everyone's surprise. Her mother, Jade, had suspiciously died several years ago and her little daughter hadn't been seen since. No one suspected that Buchannan Blood had kidnapped and killed Dr Jade Grey, and held Rachael as an experiment.

Thaddeus approached the bed and gently wrapped his large hand over Rachael's cold, limp limb. The Lord of the Moon had been through his fair share of torment as well. He was only 13 when he died, and the last five years of his life then had been torture. His little sister had been kidnapped and experimented on, and he was helpless. He'd watched his pack's annihilation, his father had revealed the location of Seraphina moments before the attack, and Thaddeus had been the only one to escape. His plan had been to break out Seraphina while the vampires were busy taking care of the Moon Pack – he thought that he would have enough time, thought that Buchannan wouldn't take an hour to eradicate the most powerful pack of the werewolf world.

He thought he would live.

His death was quick, but not painless. Thaddeus still remembered the second his heart went cold, and no doubt always will.

The Lord placed himself on the stool next to Rachael's bed. He was alive again thanks to her sacrifice – he had a debt to pay her. He was going to kill the last vampire on this Earth.

Thaddeus knew there was one. When he found out the Moon Goddess had risen him from the grave, he knew it was for a purpose. The Goddess had whispered to him on the wind, telling him about the last vampire. The new Master, the new Buchannan; the red-eyed vampire.

The first thing he did when he woke was go and see Rachael Grey – he wanted to see what the vampires had done to her, needed a higher motive besides his own anger. As he went and saw he damage done to little Rachael, the Lord of the Wolves had caught the slight trace of a vampiric scent outside a humans' ward on one of the lower floors. The ward had belonged to a former wolf, a human liaison and valued detective.

Rebekah Morgan – he had heard of her. Back when he was alive, he had heard of the young Beck Hunt who aced every class, filled with so much determination for the wolves of the world. She'd grown up, it seemed, and become a human thanks to a sacrifice Thaddeus couldn't fathom.

His respect for the strong former-she-wolf was gone, though. A wolf, even a former wolf, with any civil contact with a vampire was as good as dead to him. But if Rebekah knew anything about the infamous Red-Eyes, Thaddeus will get that information no matter what.

Whether he would admit it or not, he couldn't catch Red-Eyes alone. Thaddeus had been gone from the living world for too long: it had been fifteen years since he even breathed. He didn't know how this world worked, especially the human side.

Rebekah would become an exception – a former wolf who won't die at his hands thanks to her vampire contact, but she would still pay for talking to the new Master Vampire.

Thaddeus grabbed a nearby folder in Rachael's room, disguised amongst many to look inconspicuous, and looked through the pictures inside. All known associates to the comatose red-haired wolf in front of him;

Princess Thalia Griffin, third-in-line to the Wolf throne and her new husband, Elijah Griffin, Leader of the Hunters. Quentin James, a Hunter under Elijah's command, and his wolf mate, Penelope McKay. Thaddeus quickly flicked past the pictures of Rebekah Morgan, and those of his sister Queen Seraphina and her new family. There was only one other Hunter, Dave, but he was a babbling mess since his wolf mate, Kelly, died... and then one wolf.

Lara Knight.

Thaddeus remembered the feisty and powerful female who fought with all her might from his visits to the Royal Castle – she was trained alongside her two companions, Heath Stevenson and Jackson O'Hara, who just so happened to be the Crown Prince's cousin. Stevenson had died only months before Thaddeus's resurrection because of his incapability to keep the Master Vampire out of the Royal Castle. His guard positions weren't good enough so he copped the blame... by the King's claws. O'Hara was the official Head of Security of the Royal Wolf Castle, and he was busy looking after his pregnant mate Gail.

But Knight didn't have a mate, Greg had died doing his Hunter duties with Kelly. Lara Knight, unlike Kelly's human mate, hadn't faltered in her speech. She hadn't done anything like wolves who lost their mate.

Lara Knight was still kicking. She was still walking. Knight was fighting the loneliness that no doubt ate at her beating heart. The other half of her soul had died, their link severed... and yet she was still fighting.

Thaddeus closed the file, placing it back on the table next to him, and stared at Rachael's sleeping form. Knight, as well as Rebekah Morgan, will be vital assets to him in finding and killing Red-Eyes. He needed them both, but no others. Three was the perfect number to make a master vampire's head roll.

Thaddeus smiled, unaware of the tomato-sauce stained canines peeking out between his lips. He had a debt to repay.

~

Rest of Behind Broken Eyes will be uploaded in January.

Let me know what you think!
Libby xx