Dark Deceptions Revised

Last Chapter



“Master, we’ve established contact with the Chosen One.”

“Good. And the Hunters?”

“They have no inkling to our
plans, master. They are clueless. We have lost Renaldo and numerous servants.”

“Renaldo was an overeager fool
who didn’t listen to directions. He didn’t deserve to see the glorious end to
my plans. As for the servants, we can always create more. Now go.ck tck to my
orders and very soon, we’ll have an end to all Carpathians and the world in our
hands.”

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Chapter 6



Heero wiped the blood fris fis face with the back of his hand, sneering
disgustedly at the body lying prone beneath him. The darkness in his soul
called to him, seducing him to succumb to the ultimate of all ends. He felt it
stirring in his blood, begging for release of any sort. Heero’s cobalt eyes
wavered from blue to red as struggled against the call of evil. He wouldn’t
become the vampire. Not now, not here . . .

A soft whimper sounded behind him.
Whirling, Heero gazed down at Duo, taking in his wide frightened eyes and
trembling body. The darkness dimmed as he took a step forward. Duo pressed
himself backwards and away, a soft cry escaping his parted lips. Pain flashed
through Heero as he hunkered down in front of Duo.

“Hey,” he said softly, “I’m not
going to hurt you, Duo. I would never hurt an innocent.”

Duo’s eyes were all pupil with
just a sliver of violet circling the black. “What are you, Heero?” he
whispered.

Heero looked away briefly before
turning his gaze back to the braided young man. “I’m a friend,” he replied
honestly.

Duo opened his mouth to speak
only to be interrupted by a loud grinding. He glanced over Heero’s shoulder and
watched the elevator doors being shoved open. Concerned faces peered up at the
two as men hurried to rescue and retrieve them.

“Sir!” one individual called
out. “Sir, are you alright? What’s your status?”

“Functioning, Iroaku,” Duo
answered shakily. “I’m fine. Heero’s in here with me. Enemy . . . uh . . . has
been disengaged.”

“Roger, sir. It’ll only be a
moment longer for the crew to get the doors open, sir.”

“Just hurry, please,” Duo
mumbled under his breath.

Heero could feel the agitation
swirling inside Duo. He sighed, raking a bloodstained hand through his
disheveled hair. He sent out a call through the private mental paths connecting
him to Trowa and Wufei.

~Status, you two.~

~I managed to rescue Miss Relena,~
Trowa answered. ~I’m heading to the hotel as we speak.~

~Good. And you, Wufei?~

~The same. Winner is safe in my
care.~

~Affirmative. Duo’s men are
currently opening the doors to the elevator. I should be out in ten minutes.
Everyone rendezvous in Duo’s room for further discussion.~

~**~**~**~**~**~*~***~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Wufei was the first to appear in
Duo’s suite, Quatre cradled in his arms. He turned at the sound of the door
opening and came face to face with Trowa, his arm wrapped around Relena’s
waist.

“Growing attached to him, Chang?”
he asked dryly.

An ebony colored eyebrow quirked
upwards. “You’re one to talk, Barton,” Wufei retorted. “Are you going to set
her down anytime soon?”

Heavy, tension filled silence
reigned for countless minutes, onyx eyes clashing with emerald.

“k itk it off, you two,” a new
voice snarled. Heero leaned against the doorframe, one of Duo’s arms slung
around his shoulders as he held the boy upright. “We have more important things
to discuss.” With the toe of his boot, Heero slammed the door shut behind him.
He gently set Duo on his bed and motioned for Trowa and Wufei to do the same.
Three sleeping bodies lay still on the thick, large mattress, knocked out by a
hefty dose of mental compulsion.

Scowling, Heero prowled back and
forth at the foot of the bed. “This makes no sense,” he declared. “First Relena
is attacked, which could be understandable. Next is Duo. And then a collaborated
scheme that resulted in the three becoming separated. All done by servants of
the vampire. It just doesn’t compute.”

“Let’s look at the facts,” Trowa
stated. “At the carnival, Relena is targeted. Afterwards, Duo is attacked at
the park while with Quatre. Quatre in the meantime was me kno knocked out and
passed over for Duo. Today, Duo was trapped purposely in the elevator with a
zombie. From the reports of the security detail, Relena was taken in the
hallway. Quatre tried to follow and fell into a trap where he was abducted as
well. Ra ana and Quatre’s abductors went in two different directions until they
were dealt with by us.”

“If you ask me, this last attack
was a ploy to keep us distracted,” Wufei announced. “Heero went after Duo. I
rescued Winner and Barton went for Relena. They want our attentions diverted.
But from what?”

“Well it’s obvious these three
are their primary objectives. If there is a specific one, we don’t know.”

“Until we do, I suggest a more
open course of action,” Heero put in. “Barton, Chang, you will hand in
applications for employment and ensure your activation as bodyguards to Winner
and Peacecraft. I’ll stay on and guard Maxwell. These attacks are organized and
planned out, something never done before by mindless zombies and vampires. We
could be dealing with something entirely new and dangerous. I’ll notify my
father of these occurrences and see if anything like this has been discovered
elsewhere. In the meantime, we protect these humans with our very lives.”

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Duo moaned, hand flying up to
rub his forehead. Sunlight filtered from between the blinds to strike his
closed eyelids. Pain speared his brain with numbing intensity. Groaning, he
rolled over, his back to the invading sunlight as the pounding in his temple
increased tenfold. Another squeak sounded. Eyes flying open, Duo realized tsounsound had not come from him, but from Quatre lying next to him.

“Quatre?” Duo asked
incredulously. “What the hell are you doing in my room? In bed with me?”

Squinting, Quatre looked up into looming violet eyes. “Huh?
What are you talking about? The last thing I remember is lying on my bed in my
room.”

“Did we . . . uh . . .style="mso-spacerun: yes"> go out drinking last night, Q-ball?” Duo
questioned.

 <
<

“If you did, you must have
dragged me with. God, my head hurts!”

Duo flipped around, eyes
widening even further as Relena struggled to sit up. “Relena!” he exclaimed. “Holy
shit, don’t tell me we had a threesome!”

Quatre propped himself up on his
elbow, his hand reaching up to rub his eyes. “No worries, Duo,” he mumbled. “We’re
all fully dressed. Kind of hard to have a threesome fully clothed.”

“Thank God!” Duo groaned as he
flopped back onto the pillows. “Just what the hell is going on here!?”

“Another attack is what
happened.”

Three sets of eyes whipped
towards the owner of the voice. Heero stepped forward from the shadows, arms
crossed over his chest.

“Relena and Quatre were
apprehended but my friends managed to rescue them in time. You, Duo, was
trapped inside an elevator with your would be killer.”

“That’s right!” Quatre suddenly
exclaimed. “I remember now! I woke up feeling your fear!”

“You felt his terror?” Heero inquired
disbelievingly.

Blushing, Quatre nodded. “Yes. I
was almost choking on it. I sent my guards to go find you. Relena appeared at
my door and then – ”

 p>

“And then some jerk threw my
over his shoulder and ran off!” Relena cut in.

“Yes! I tried to follow you,
Lena, but when I went around a corner, another man came up and dragged me away,”
continued Quatre.

“Shit! That’s just peachy!” Duo
groused. “Not only was my security breached, but the assailants had access
inside the hotel! Goddamnit it, can it get any worse then this!”

Smiling wryly, Heero stepped
aside. “Since I’m your assistant, I took the liberty of hiring two more men to
protect Winner and Peacecraft.”

Two figures stepped forward,
green eyes dancing as a smirk crossed the other boy’s asian features.

“You!” Duo shouted, pointing his
finger at Trowa. “You’re the guy at the park!”

“And you’re the one who rescued
me!” Relena put in.

Trowa nodded at the both of
them. “I told you I was a friend of Yuy’s,” he answered, directly the statement
more or less to the astonished Duo.

“And you’re the one with the
katana,” Quatre spoke, glancing at Wufei. “Thank you for rescuing me.”

Wufei tilted his head to the
side in acknowledgement. “It is my sworn duty to protect the weak and innocent.”

“Okay, fine and dandy, pleasure
to meet you all,” Duo cut in. “Now what the hell is this ‘I took the liberty of
hiring to more men’ bullshit, Yuy?!”

“Exactly when I said, Maxwell.
You said it yourself, your security was breached. Trowa Barton and Chang Wufei
are the best men I know of who can handle extreme circumstances. The added
detail will take time off your schedule, allowing you to focus more on who’s
attacking you and why. Barton will be assigned to – ”

“Quatre,” Trowa interrupted,
gazing directly at the slender blonde.

“Very well. Wufei will then be
assigned to protect Relena. Since I’m your assistant, I’ll be guarding your
back, Maxwell.”

“Hey! Who’s the boss around
here? Huh? Last time I checked, it was me!”

“Of course you are, Duo,” Relena
soothed, used to his bursts of anger. “But listen to Heero. He obviously knows
what he’s talking about. Let’s go along with his plan while we’re here, in
Europe. If things change overseas, then we won’t have any further use for Mr.
Barton and Mr. Chang, correct?”

Duo scowled, mumbling under his
breath as he pouted. He sank back against the pillows, arms crossed over his
chest as he glared arrows at Heero.

Smiling, Relena turned to the
three hunters. “It’s agreed then,” she declared. “Welcome aboard, gentlemen.”

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Duo stomped down the hallway,
hands clenched into fists at his sides. He jammed his finger on the elevator
button, his foot tapping impatiently for the doors to open. He had just received
word from Darlian that they were changing plans again and instead of
traveling to the United States, they would stay here, in the Europeans. Duo
seethed, knowing full well that Yuy was responsible for these abrupt change of
plans.

The elevator stopped at the foyer
with a pleasant ding. He stormed out, his body taking him to where Quatre was.
The soft strains of a pianold bld be heard above the hustle and bustle of
people. Entering the music room, Duo watched Quatre’s fingers dance across the
keys, the haunting melody filling the music room located off of the main lobby.
A shadow shifted, blending further into the darkness. All his anger reared up
as Duo caught the sight of Trowa dutifully doing what was once Duo’s job.

“Hey Kat,” Duo called out,
stepping forward. The music halted as Quatre looked up, a soft smile on his
face.

“Yes? What is it, Duo?”

“Change of plans, Q-tip. Looks
like we’re staying in Europe for a little while longer. His Royal Pain In The
Ass made sure of that.”

Quatre chuckled, knowing Trowa
was somewhere in the room listening. “Duo,” he admonished. “I’m sure Mr. Yuy is
taking whatever means available for a safe and cautious journey.”

“Oh yeah? And what the hell am I
supposed to do in the mean time? Twiddle my damn thumbs while he takes over my
job? You know, Kat, this all started after he came along. If I hadn’t dragged
us off to that damn carnival, none of this would have happened!”

“You don’t know that for sure,
Duo. It could have easily happened on a trip to the mall, or a restaurant. “

“Maybe, but I still don’t like
it. And you can tell Yuy that yourself, Barton!” Duo shot over his shoulder.

“I’ll be sure to inform him of
your feelings,” a disembodied voice sounded.

“Anyway, you should go upstairs
to pack,” Duo said, turning back to his friend. “Relena’s already geared up and
with her father. It’s just you and me who are the slackers.”

Quatre nodded, pushing away from
the piano. “I guess I’ll meet you in the lobby area in a few,” he stated. “See
you soon.”

Duo watched Quatre walk off.
Trowa broke from the shadows and followed behind the pale blonde, eyes scanning
for any possible danger. Raking a hand through his bangs, Duo retreated back to
his room to pack.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

The door slammed open with a
resounding bang, the panel collided with the wall be it it and almost splintering
the wood. Standing at the doorway was Duo, chest heaving, eyes glazed with a
maddened light.

Heero merely offered him a blank
stare. “Hurry up and pack, Maxwell,” he ordered. “We have no time for your
theatrics.”

Duo’s snarl was worthy of a lion’s.
He stalked forward, ripping the drawers open and shoving his clothes
haphazardly into his suitcases already piled ontop of his bed and waiting for
him. Soft cursing could be heard as each drawer was jerked open and smashed
shut. A glint of amusement lighted Heero’s eyes as he saw the mound of Duo’s
clothes stacking up, a sleeve of a shirt hanging out from the side, a sock on
the other, the edge of a pant leg peeking through.

“Your clothes are going to get
wrinkled.” Heero couldn’t help but antagonize the boy.

Duo hissed between his teeth at
Heero, giving a fair interpretation of a snake before slamming the lid of his
huge suitcase down. He struggled for a moment to zip it shut, finally succeeded
only after he had to sit ontop of the damn thing to close it all the way. He strode
to the bathroom, grabbing his shampoos, conditioners, and other hygiene
supplies with one big swoop of his arms and throwing them all in a smaller
carrying case. Next came his weapons which he neatly loaded into the
last suitcase. Most of his weapons were knives of various sorts, and of course
a couple models of his scythe. The only firearm he held in his possession was
currently strapped to Heero’s back because he had no weapons himself and Duo
wasn’t about to let him wander around without being properly equipped. Not that
he cared or anything.

With a barely suppressed urge to
kill held back, Duo glared up at Heero and sniffed royally, his pert nose
pointed up in the air in disdain.

“What now, Yuy?” he demanded.

“A couple of your men will be
coming around to pick up your gear. We are to head to the lobby and wait for
Quatre. Relena’s already on her way to the airport with her father. Barton and
I will accompany you and Winner.”

“I don’t get it, Yuy. Why stay
here? Why not travo Amo America, like I originally planned. If the
attacks are base from here, it would make sense to distance ourselves away from
them.”

“What you say is true, but if we
run hid hide now, we may never find out who’s behind all these attacks. Also, I
have personal contacts and associates that may come in handy in the Europeans.
It would be easier to request aid from them if we stayed here.”

Duo conceded the battle. For the
moment. He wanted to get the assholes besmirching his professional name and
putting his friends in danger more then anything. If Yuy wanted to play that
way, Duo would dance to his tune. For the moment.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

 p>

Heero reclined in his seat,
tuning out the flight attendant who was babbling with Duo beside him. He
glanced to his right, pleased that Trowa had placed Quatre by the window, just
as he had done with Duo. Easier to protect a person in a corner and you as
their shield against danger.

“Is there anything else you
would like, Mr. Yuy?” the young female asked politely. Heero shook his head.
With a smile, she continued, “If you should change your mind, please don’t
hesitate to ask me for assistance. This will be a relatively short flight, so
please enjoy yourself.”

Heero leaned his head back,
closing his eyes in a moment of relaxation. Duo hummed to a song he was
listening to through his headphones and Heero could hear the soft murmurs of
Trowa and Quatre speaking. Knowing this was perhaps the one chance he would get
to contact his father, he sent a message on the private mental path he shared
with his family.

~What is it, Heero?~ Gregori
immediately answered.

~Disturbing news. Duo, Quatre,
and Relena were attacked yesterday, all by different zombies. It was precision
planning, coordinated and exact. I’ve never come across such careful
deliberation before.~

~I have. It’s happening in
America as we speak.~

Secretly, Heero was pleased he
changed Duo’s plans. They would have been in the same circumstance they were in
now, only with even more limited resources.

~What’s going on, father?~

~The vampires are gathering,
Heero. For what, I don’t know, but they’re joining forces with each other.
Nicolae Von Schrieder’s lifemate was converted by a vampire. Your mother and I
have only recently returned from healing not only her, but Dayan’s lifemate as
well. Destiny spoke of a call to all vampires to congregate. A whisper of
movement for all vampires to band together and hunt down Carpathians as one
force. She told us the vampire who spoke to her stated they had eyes in the
hunters’ camps, Heero.~

The young Carpathian cursed
silently. ~You speak of traitors,~ he hissed.

~I speak of an evil threatening
to consume us,~ Gregori retorted. ~We cannot discredit anything at the moment. Destiny
also informed us that the vampires are searching for a specific female. A
female with a psychic ability who can touch an object and know who has touched
it and the history associated with it. Why they would hunt this woman is anyone’s
guess, but we have sent Nicolae’s brother, Vikirnoff to locate and find this
female before the vampires do.~

~Truly?~

~Yes. What is also disturbing is
what Gary Jansen told me recently. He met an old warrior named Traian Trigovise
and his lifemate Joie Sanders in Austria where he was sent by our Prince.
Traian had battled vampires that discovered a cave with ancient and powerful
spells created by wizards.~

~Wizards? Father, this is
something that sounds straight from a fantasy novel.~

~Wizards existed, boy, side by side with Carpathians. Just
because the humans blew everything out of proportions and added meaningless
trivial nonsense to everything doesn’t mean they weren’t real. The vampires
were after those spells for some unknown reason and they want a female who can
touch objects and know everything there is to know about it. Those three
mortals you’re guarding are now targets for these monsters and it’s up to you
to protect them. You’re the only thing standing between them falling into the
clutches of the vampires.~



. . . TBC . . .



~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Traian and Joie from the novel
The Only One. Nicolae and Destiny are from Dark Destiny, both by
Christine Feehan. I love this woman!