Page 1 of Shadows and Desire

PROLOGUE

The Hadden Coven of Pittsburgh successfully relocated nearly three-quarters of its membership to the mountain retreat located just south of Pittsburgh. Two units of soldiers, led by Killian Frey and Noori Hasan, remained in Pittsburgh.

The Cyprian Knights also remained within the city, holding back the tide of the abhorrent shadows. Nathan's hex plagued the Hadden Center but was also bleeding out into the city, affecting hearts and minds.

Master Hadden settled his people in the mountain lodge and assigned Josef McQueen, his second in command, to care for and protect their people. He traveled between the two sites, spending the majority of his time in Pittsburgh with his soldiers.

It soon became clear that splitting his forces between Pittsburgh and the mountain lodge would not be sufficient in the long run. It was unknown how long it would take to find a Charmer to reverse Nathan's hex, and in the meantime, the negativity and hopelessness continued to grow within the city.

He called his leadership together and ordered them to put out a call for soldiers and warriors looking for a coven and a cause and prepared to fight. It was not without risks, but Nik trusted the knowledge and skill of his leadership to sign up only the best. Those chosen would become full members of the Hadden Coven with all rights and responsibilities in accordance with their rank and station.

The first unit of recruits, numbering thirty-five, arrived at the mountain lodge within days of the call to begin their training. When finished, they would take their place beside their fellow soldiers in Pittsburgh.

After approximately two months of recruiting and training, Master Hadden had an army prepped and ready, and among their number, to his great pleasure, was a hellhound. Their strength, tenacity, and imperviousness to magic, among other things, made the hellhound a valuable addition to the team. Many highly skilled men and women joined the Coven from across the nation, some looking for a home and some looking for a cause. All were welcome.

Soldiers were stationed at the Imperial Club an exclusive and luxurious club located downtown and owned by the Hadden Coven. It used to be the home and the command center for the Hadden Coven before the move to the Hadden Center. The Imperial continued as the elite nightclub and maintained a coven presence, but the power center had shifted to the financial district and the Hadden Center.

Now the Master and his army had come home, and the Imperial was brought back to her previous level of power and importance, and she was more than up to the task. It remained open as a working club and appeared as nothing more than that to the locals but beneath the glitz and the glamor was a finely tuned and battle-ready army of vampires and a hellhound.

CHAPTER ONE

Kannan Lieth finished his training at the mountain lodge and was then transferred to Pittsburgh. He’d never been to this area before but was finding it similar to the Boston area apart from the waterfront. This was the beginning of a new life under a new Master, and it felt right. He hadn’t served a master in decades and he missed the connection of a master and the security of a coven.

He entered through the back with his duffle and waited as instructed. "Kannan Lieth?" A man a little shorter than him, wearing a suit and carrying a clipboard, walked up to him.

“Yes.” He responded evenly.

"My name is Andrew, and I'm Master Hadden's personal assistant. Follow me, and I will take you to your quarters." Andrew smiled and turned away. Kannan could smell wolf on the young vampire, but it was common knowledge that several of Hadden's people were bonded to wolves. Which was the least odd of many of the pairings present in this Coven.

He found this refreshing since his old Coven disavowed any bond that wasn't a vampire. Individuals who found their beloved outside the vampire race were forced to deny them or leave.

Not many in his old Coven ever found their beloveds and it was thought to be Fate's punishment for ignoring her plan. The leadership refused to hear it and held fast to their outdated ideas even as membership continued to dwindle, and morale disappeared.

This was a good place, and he felt the positive vibe the second he met Master Hadden. The man was honest, driven, dedicated to his people, and powerful. He was more powerful than any vampire Kannan had ever met, and yet he did not use that power for personal gain. Everything he did was for the good of his people.

Kannan settled into his new home and his position as one of ten surveillance specialists assigned to patrol the south section of the lowlands. Pittsburgh had been divided into many sections each being guarded, surveilled and patrolled by Hadden soldiers. The south section of the lowlands was one of the more problematic locations and required specialized skills.

Kannan was considered a sensitive and had the ability to sense thoughts, feelings and intents. It served him well in his prior Coven as he worked security for several of the Coven owned businesses. His ability to read people on a deeper level allowed him to avoid many potential problems. It also helped him to see the end coming when his Coven began to splinter tearing people apart. He made his departure before things completely disintegrated.

He was having lunch in the dining hall when Gage, one of the men in his unit came to sit with him. He and Gage had developed a tentative friendship. Gage was also a new recruit from a coven out west. “We’re going to check out the Ruby Light tonight and I think it would do you good to come with us.” He announced and leaned on the table giving Kannan his full attention.

“Who is we?”

"Remi, Mael, and Micheal said he might stop by along with his beloved Cole, and a few others talked about coming as well." Gage was a friendly guy and easy to be around. Kannan liked him, and so did many others.

"You convinced Mael to join you? I'm impressed." Kannan laughed. Mael was the only recruit who was not a vampire. Mael was a hellhound referred to the Hadden Coven by former pack mates who were currently members of Coven DuCane and mated to one of his soldiers. Mael was looking for a cause and a purpose, and he found it in Pittsburgh. From what Kannan had heard, Master Hadden was very pleased with the addition of a hellhound, as was Killian Frey, Mael's commander.

“He’s ready for a break just like the rest of us.” Gage expounded. “We’ve been trained and tested and tested and trained but I got to say this is the finest coven I have ever worked with.” Gage was speaking the truth. Kannan had some doubts about the Hadden Coven when he first heard of their call for membership, but he took a chance and he’s glad that he did. Nikolas Hadden was an exemplar leader as were all those in leadership.

“We’re meeting at the Ruby Light at nine, be there.” Gage emphasized and Kannan gave him a nod. “Good.” He said before jumping up and moving to another table. He was gathering as many people as possible for this night at the Ruby Light. He was a good man and excellent for morale.

"We're all going to the Ruby Light tonight." He whined. "You have to come, Eric. It won't be any fun if you're not there." Eric glanced across the room at Ron but did not comment. Ron tended to be overly dramatic, and this supposed party at the Ruby Light could very possibly be a figment of his imagination. Ron was Chester's boyfriend, and Chester was Eric's friend and roommate. Ron started to whine audibly and threw himself back on the sofa. Eric didn't like Ron. There was something about him that gave him the creeps, but Chester was in love, so Eric kept his opinion to himself.

"You have Chester and your friends from work." Eric reminded him. "You don't need me there." It sounded terrible. Eric hated bars and nightclubs, and he had a suspicion that was the only reason Ron was insisting he go.

The man had an odd controlling streak that was quite distasteful. He enjoyed forcing or manipulating people into doing things they did not want to do. He was tired of listening to his relentless badgering, so he got up and went into the kitchen to get himself a glass of water.

"Can't you just show up for a few minutes at least?" Chester had followed him into the kitchen. "I know he's a lot, but he really means no harm. Do it for me." Chester was completely bamboozled by this guy, and he didn't even know it. Eric finished his water and set the glass aside, leaning back on the counter as he regarded his friend.

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