'The hold up?' Lily asked Harris.

'I got the shit beat out of my metaphysical ass. And then the fool got us exiled from the manor.'

Lily did hear about that Lord Nicholae's exile, the mistress had been pleased.
'That doesn't matter now.' She told him.
'I'm sure you met Edgar, he's the little brat's chauffeur now.'

Harris narrowed his eyes.
'And why is he now in the fray? This plan only involved the two of us.'

Lily shrugged. She refused to be intimidated by this rookie demon.
'Listen old man. The plan has changed, Edgar is here now under the mistress' orders, you can ask her if you'd like.'
Hopefully he didn't.

'Kill the life source and then get out of that body.'
Then she paused.
'Does anyone know about the possession yet?'

Harris shook his head.
'He's figuring it out but he's not entirely sure. Our friends over there didn't really do us any favors by talking.'
Harris eyed the demons who now controlled his maimed body. They could keep that thing, he planned on keeping the much younger and much vital vampire lord.

'I'm not getting rid of this body. Find a way to get rid of the vampire lord and give me this body.'
Lily exhaled at the sound of his whining.
'That's too dangerous of a move. You'll slowly decompose his body.'

'We'll find a way to undecay the body. He's much too valuable as an asset to simply discard.'
Harris argued.

'Listen, with the boy fully under my control imagine the damage I could wreak. I could destroy the alliance, pitch families against families and lead a proper war. His death won't be enough. I could even get the council involved, his death won't do that for us.'

Lily saw the sense in this but that wasn't the plan.
'I'll discuss this with Edgar.'

Harris disagreed.
'Strike while the iron his hot. The vampire is weak, he feels alone. His friends don't trust him, the love of his life absolutely loathes him and even his son is giving him the cold shoulder.'

'That was Lady Sonya's doing.'

'Bless the bitch. She's useful.' Harris laughed. 'He's in a low place right now and we couldn't be more lucky.'

'So what do you propose we do?' Lily asked the demons.

'Send me something. I need the strength. I'll kill the boy, but you need to get me out of there before shit hits the fan.'

Lily nodded.
'I'll try. If this goes wrong, you'll be on your own. The mistress won't be happy should we fail.'

'We won't.' Harris said with all the confidence in the world.

'Drink from Osei's lifeline, there should be some magic flowing in his veins that should be enough for you.'

'And if it's not?' And if it wasn't enough he'd pay the price for listening to the bitch.

'You still need to feed on blood, don't you. The boy has blood doesn't he?'
Harris did not appreciate her sarcastic tone but since he needed her, he'd let this one go.

'Edgar will help you get into wherever their keeping this Jeffery. After that you are on your own.'

'Fair.' Harris replied.

Nicholae opened his eyes but Harris was in control yet again.
And he wasn't in the woods but in the tent.

'Dad?' Jeffery mouthed when Harris indicated that he not a sound.
The noise outside the tent let Harris know the diversion was in play, now it was all up to him.

'What are you doing here?'

'Don't play dumb, we already discussed this. I'm here to kill you.'

'I didn't get to talk to Danielle yet.'

'That's not my problem.' Harris began to salivate at the sound of his son's accelerating pulse.

'I don't want you to die for your mistress if you won't respect this simple wish.'

'The bitch doesn't want to talk to you. And your doting isn't your choice to make.'
The hunger was driving him mad.

'Dad wait.'
But Harris was already on his son's throat draining the life out of him.

'Dad stop. Please.'
Harris Let his pleas roll over him like water on a duck. He couldn't be bothered now when he had victory in his sights.
Lily's guess was good, Harris did taste the power in his son's blood. The rush the blood gave him wasn't as potent as the effect Lily's blood gave him but there was still a rush.
His bones felt stronger, his sight sharper and his mind more open and clearer. The blood was like a tonic chasing away the sickness he felt previously.

'Get away from him, Nicholae.'
Harris froze, surprised by Semi's sudden intrusion. He deliberately stood up and planted his feet beside his son.
Fauna sent a burst of magic at him sending him tearing out of the tent.
'Well shit.' Harris chuckled.
The little witch didn't even give him a chance to play dirty. She was very smart.
Guess Edgar's diversion wasn't diverting enough, he'd have to speak with the idiot about this if he survived the ordeal unraveling before him.
Now he was out in the open wearing the evidence of his plan around his mouth and on the dirt green tunic Nicholae wore.
'Fauna, is that how you treat your Lord? We will have to sit and talk about your behavior today.'

Fauna pushed him and then had the audacity to slap him, surprising both Semi and Harris.
Semi quickly pulled Fauna back.

'Watch out baby girl.' He tasted his blood from his inner cheek.

'Shut up.' Semi screamed.
Harris noticed a few wolves turning their attention to them.
'Calm down, I was weakening him so I could compel him.' Harris grinned raising his hands in submission.
'Didn't you want to hear him tell the truth?'

'You were sucking him dry, you nearly killed him.' Semi complained.

'Oh I couldn't drink five gallons of blood in one sitting Semi.' Harris sensibly argued.

'Don't you see this was the only way. Now if you two would calm down and let's go inside and wait for Osei. He'll confirm what I'm saying. This was all part of the plan.'

The wolves, he recognized, were the once's who usually guarded the tent, they turned around and headed towards their little party.

Panic took hold of Harris.

'He's lying. I can tell.' Fauna spat.

'Listen you stupid son of a bitch you're just a lowly witch employed by my family and you'll learn your place, understand?'

Fauna broke from Semi's hold and tried to physically attack him. Harris grabbed her in a choke hold.
'You don't call your Lord names. I don't like that.'

'Nicholae stop.' Semi tried.

'Cole!'
A painful vice gripped his heart and his grip on Fauna loosened.

Valentina?

Harris stumbled away.
'Shut up!' He ordered the voice in his head. The stupid boy was awake in his consciousness, but briefly. Harris saw to that.

'Don't forget she doesn't love you anymore. She can't stand the sight of you.' He reminded him.
'Look around, nobody trusts you or wants you here. Do you see what your precious Fauna is talking to us? Valentina doesn't need you.'
And she was going to be a huge obstacle in his plans.

Harris barely had Nicholae under control and then he saw Osei fuming and coming towards the tent. So he bolted offering no explanation.

He ran and didn't look back.
A chilling howl tore through the trees into the night.

'F***!' Harris cursed.
This was what happened when shit hit the roof, the fan and damned well everywhere.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'I want him found and I want him dead.'Osei roared.
He felt like such an idiot for trusting the vampire. Somehow he had placed several of the new pups in danger as a diversion o he could get to Jeffery.
It had to be him, all the evidence pointed directly to Nicholae the final nail on his coffin was when he bolted for the woods. Loki and Malaki were already on his tail.

'You don't want him dead.' Danielle said.
'You want to know why he did it.'

'Bro, Fauna has something to say.' Cayden cut into their conversation.

'It's not Lord Nicholae doing all this.'

'What then your saying I'm blind or better yet that's his evil twin?' Osei harshly retorted.

'No.' Fauna cried.
'Couldn't you see? That wasn't my Lord Nicholae. That darkness, the aura of evil around him almost identical to the one the man you called Harris had.'

Osei pulled on the sides of his face with the base of his hands.
'You're saying he's possessed.'

Fauna nodded. Everyone was shocked by the news.

'It makes sense now.' Cayden spoke up.

'No it doesn't.' Valentina argued.
'Demon possession isn't an easy thing.'

'I know that. I've never met one but I'd read about them ever since Lord Nicholae asked me to research about demons and uncompelable men That was after he came to visit you for the first time, Osei.'

Fauna explained. She told them about the change in Nicholae's behaviour the night after his attack by the man possessed by five demons.
'You remember Valentina. You helped nurse his wounds that night. You must have seen the mark.'

Valentina opened her mouth to deny it all but she remembered seeing a dark mark she'd dismissed as a wound.
'You're right.'

'Didn't we all have moments when we thought Nicholae wasn't himself?'

'But he's strong.' Valentina argued again.

'No! No he's not. The demon was able to prey on him because he is weak and a coward. Remember? You called him that.'

Valentina was taken back by her fierce tone.
'What are you trying to say?'

'Nicholae has always felt so guilty and alone. He worked so hard to bring you back and atone for his sins. He tried to help you, Osei, and he didn't care about where that would put him with his family. His own family turned away from him. And not even allowed to speak to his son. He's more alone than any of us could possibly understand.'

Fauna pushed Cayden away from him.
'I'm going to find Lord Nicholae, before those demons and your wolves get to him.'

Valentina held her stomach trying to understand the load of information Fauna had messily dumped on all of them.

Nicholae ? Possessed?

Valentina couldn't believe it.
'It really can't be.' Semi gasped.

'She's right.' Jeffery croaked.
Clarissa crouched before him holding a medicinal cloth to his wound.

'That's not Nicholas or whatever your friend's name is.'

Clarissa tried to quiet him but he kept taking.
She pressed her hand on his throat trying to stop the bleeding.
'How do you know?' Danielle asked. Valentina caught Semi's eye roll from the corner of her eyes.

'Because this isn't the first time he's visited me. My father came to me in a dream, he told me he was possessing a vampire lord.'

Cayden stepped forward waving his hands about.
'Hold up. Back up. What are you talking about
? We're talking about a demon here not your father.'

'That demon possessing your friend is my father. That's what I'm trying to tell you. That's Harris Logan in the vampire's body!'

Osei visibly paled.

'Did he die?' Danielle looked just as confused.
'His body was never found, I though he just went missing.'

'Osei would know. He sent the mangy dogs to finish the job.'
Everyone looked at the Alpha.

'But what you didn't know was my father had already sold his soul to the Mistress. And when he died, he was chosen to become a fiend.'

Osei willed himself not to rub the ache developing in his neck that throbbed right at the base.
He also had a mountain of a headache forming from just thinking about what Danielle thought of him now. He could deny it all but what was the use?

'So why are you choosing to talk now?' Semi asked.

'Because my father tricked me into selling my soul too, then he broke his promise to me and tried then to kill me. You don't need to compel me. I'll willingly talk so long as I get to speak with you, Danielle.'

'Then go ahead. Speak.' Osei said.
But that wasn't what Jeffery has in mind.

'Alone.' He clarified.

'Like hell.' Osei replied too quickly.
Danielle quickly stepped in placing a hand on his arm.

'It's alright.' She said with a straight face.

'What he needs right now is rest.' Clarissa said pointedly looking at the others.

Danielle wasn't too pleased with Jeffery's request. But she knew she'd do it because Osei needed to find out who and what the hell was going on. And Jeffery could be the next key moving forward.
His father wanted him dead for a reason so he was of use to them talking.