She blinked up at him several times before asking, “Are you all right? How do you feel?’
“Never better.”
She glanced at his shoulder. “What about the tattoo? Does it feel any different?”
With a shake of his head, Quinn peeled off his shirt. And frowned. The dragon appeared to be bigger, the scales blacker, brighter, than before. Looking up, he said, “That can’t be good,” as he met Seleena’s gaze.
She bit down on her lower lip. Then, watching Quinn’s face, she said, “Serepta.”
He grimaced as the dragon bit him.
“It didn’t help, did it?”
“Well, it’s no worse than it was.”
“Does it only bite you when someone mentions her name?”
“Yeah.”
Seleena frowned. “I don’t understand that. You would think the dragon would object when someone mentioned my name. Or Nardik’s. Or even yours. But not hers. She’s the one who cast the spell. It just doesn’t make sense.”
“Hel, none of this makes sense,” Quinn muttered. Little had made sense since Seleena released him from that damn statue.
“I’m sorry.”
“Hey, it’s not your fault.”
“She’s my daughter. I can’t help feeling a little bit responsible.”
“Forget about it.”
Seleena nodded. If only she could, she thought sadly. There was much in her past she wished to forget. Most of all, she wished she could forget that, willing or not, Quinn had once been her daughter’s lover.
Chapter 17
Serepta stood at the foot of the Crystal Mountain, her brow furrowed in confusion as she gazed up at the Fortress. She remembered coming here, but she couldn’t remember why. She shook her head, hoping to clear her thoughts, as she walked a few yards into the midnight-shadowed woods, felt the cobwebs clearing from her mind as she went. Pausing several yards away, she glanced over her shoulder, stared up at the house, now barely visible in the mist hovering over the top of the mountain.
Of course! Her mother and Quinn were lodging there. That was why she had come here. So, what was she doing, standing here in the woods?
Summoning her preternatural power, she willed herself to the top of the mountain, felt her mind grow cloudy as she walked slowly toward the massive structure.
She stopped abruptly. She might not be a witch any longer, but she recognized the shimmer of magic that hovered around the house. It was a spell, she thought irritably, most likely one of confusion or forgetfulness.
She cursed under her breath. If her parents hadn’t deactivated her magic, she could have undone the spell with ease. As things stood, she was helpless to thwart it.
But that was about to change. Turning away from the Fortress, she hurried down the mountain. Her laughter filled the air as she transported herself to the nearest spaceport.
Inside, it was a simple matter to mesmerize a pilot to do her bidding.
A short time later, they were airborne, on their way to Caynn, a small planet not far from Brynn Tor. Caynn housed a secret coven of wizards known only to few witches who reveled in the Dark Arts. Why hadn’t she thought of visiting them before?
After landing on a barren stretch of ground, Serepta ordered the pilot to wait for her return. A thought took her to a walled citadel located at the top of a barren rise.
Her parents might have won the last battle, Serepta mused as she vaulted over the high wall and rapped on the thick oak door. But they were about to lose the war.
She felt a shiver of anticipation as the door swung open, revealing a tall woman clad in a hooded brown robe.
She regarded Serepta through deep-set green eyes. “Who are you? How did you find this place?”
“I am Serepta, daughter of Nardik and Seleena.”
The woman spoke a single word. It unleashed a surge of power that almost knocked Serepta off her feet. “Be gone. I detect no sentient magic within you.”
“My father took it from me.”
“Then be gone. You have no place here.”
“Wait!” Serepta cried as the woman started to shut the door in her face. “I know there is someone here who can help me.”
The woman shook her head. “No, you are mistaken.”
Serepta pressed her hand against the door, preventing the woman from closing it. “I will not leave until I’ve seen him.”
“Foolish child. Be gone, I say, before I turn you into a mouse and feed you to the cat.”
Gathering her vampire strength, Serepta grabbed the woman’s arm and flung her across the room. “I have power!” she shouted.
The woman never hit the wall. Lifting her hands above her head, she floated gently to the floor. “Vampire,” she murmured, her voice tinged with surprise. “Tell me, were you witch and vampire at the same time?”
“What if I was?”
“I did not know such a thing was possible.” Her expression of disdain changed to one of keen interest. “Come in.”
Serepta felt an odd shimmer in the air as she crossed the threshold.
“I am Lanna. Follow me.”
Serepta followed her down a long narrow corridor that opened onto a large square room furnished with several couches and low tables. An enormous fireplace took up most of one wall. Several ancient weapons and tools of torture adorned the other three walls. Most would consider them an odd choice for décor, she thought, but she found them vastly appealing.
“Wait here,” Lanna said. “Sit, if you wish.”
Serepta nodded. Her magic might be dormant, but the magical residue in the room was overpowering. With her nerves on edge, she paced the floor, pausing now and then to study the weapons, recognizing some of them as implements once used to torture men and women, and even children, suspected of witchcraft.
She turned at the sound of footsteps.
A man stood in the doorway. Small and slight, with a mane of snow-white hair, he wore a long black cloak, his hands tucked into the voluminous sleeves. Dark magic radiated from him, filling the whole room, making her feel small and helpless. And more afraid than she had ever been.
He floated toward her, his feet not touching the floor.
It took all her courage not to flee his presence.
“I am Wyrick.” His voice echoed like thunder, unexpected from such a diminutive figure. “Who are you?”
“I am…” She swallowed hard. “Serepta.”
“Illegitimate daughter of Nardik and Seleena.”
“Y…yes.”
“And a vampire.”
Serepta nodded.
He looked at her for stretched seconds that seemed like an eternity before asking, “What do you want of me?”
She took a deep breath. “I want you to restore my magic.”
“To what end?”
“I want to avenge myself on those who have wronged me!”
“Your parents?”
“Yes!”
“And what will you give me in return?”
“Anything.”
He placed his right hand over her womb, then shook his head. “Barren.”
Serepta stared at him in shock. He wanted a child? “There must be something else I can offer,” she cried, her voice thick with desperation.
“Bring me a woman of child-bearing age. She must be young, untouched, of pleasant demeanor, and lovely of face and form.”
“And you will restore my magic?”
“Yes.”
He waved his hand, murmured a quick incantation, and Serepta found herself outside the walls of the citadel.
Serepta stood there a moment, weak with relief because vampires were unable to conceive. She would rather remain without her magic than share her bed with that frightening little man.
With a shake of her head, she returned to the Airship. So, Wyrick wanted a woman, she mused as she settled back in her seat. Someone to give him a child.
She smiled as the pilot took off.
She had the perfect woman in mind.
&nbs
p; Chapter 18
Seleena rose to her feet. Arching her back, she stretched her arms overhead. She had spent the last two days searching the grimoire for answers, but she was rapidly losing hope. There were spells to neutralize real dragons, but no information on dragon tattoos other than what they had already learned. She found spells to repel vampires, spells to weaken their power, but nothing to cure a human of being undead.
Nardik had sent word that he was continuing his search for Serepta, but to no avail. If she still resided in her castle, she was well hidden.
Quinn had grown increasingly restless. He hunted more frequently, a fact which bothered Seleena greatly. The tension between them was palpable. She knew he was avoiding her and it broke her heart. She wanted him desperately and yet she was reluctant to give herself to him, not only because he had been her daughter’s lover, but because she was afraid of how bereft she would feel if he decided to leave. Love was a powerful force, strong enough to topple kingdoms and change the course of history.
And then there was the dragon tattoo. It troubled her deeply. Sometimes she thought of it as a living entity - one that was just biding its time, waiting to strike.
Sometimes, to her complete and utter shame, she almost wished Serepta was really dead and buried.
She thrust the horrible thought from her mind. No mother worthy of the name would ever think such a despicable thing.
Sighing, she went to the window and drew back the curtains. Where was Quinn?
She hadn’t seen him since last night and this night was nearly gone. Had he left for good?
Tears stung her eyes. Surely he wouldn’t leave without a word? Then again, what reason had she given him to stay?
Sinking down on the floor, she murmured, “Oh, Freyja, what am I going to do without him?”
Meowing softly, Freyja rubbed her head against Seleena’s cheek.
And that was how Quinn found them when he materialized in the room.
“Here, now,” he said, hunkering down beside Seleena, “what’s wrong?”
She sniffed back her tears, her heart giving a little leap of joy at the sound of his voice. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?” He lifted one brow. “Really? Nothing’s making you cry?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine. Just…just…”
He trailed his fingertips down her cheek, pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “Did you really think I’d leave you without saying goodbye?”
She looked up at him, eyes wide. “How…how did you know…?”
“Apparently tasting your blood allows me to read your thoughts.”
“What?” She sprang to her feet, hands fisted on her hips. “Don’t you think you should have told me that?”
“Hey, I didn’t know.”
“I don’t believe you!”
Quinn frowned up at her. Now that he thought about it, it seemed he could always read her mind, or at least grasp an inkling of what she was thinking, feeling.
Rising, he reached for her, but she backed away, her expression furious.
Shoving his hands in his pants’ pockets, he said, “Tell me what you want, Red. Do you want me to stay? If not, just say the word.”
“Of course I want you to stay!” she snapped.
“Then what are you so mad about?”
She looked at him as if he was some kind of idiot. “Because you were gone and I didn’t know where you were, or if you were coming back, and…”
This time, when he reached for her, she went into his arms. “I’m sorry.” He brushed a kiss across her cheek. “I won’t do it again.”
Nodding, she sniffed back the last of her tears. “Where were you?”
“I went to Serepta’s castle. I thought maybe I could find her lair. I searched every inch of that damn place. I have to agree with Nardik. If Serepta’s holed up in there, she’s sure as Hel well-hidden.” Grimacing, he said, “Damn, he’s here.”
“Nardik?”
Quinn nodded as the door flew open and the wizard strode into the house.
Taking a deep breath, Seleena smoothed a hand over her hair. “Nardik, what brings you here so late?” she asked, then bit down on her lower lip. He had every right to be here at any time of the day or night. It was, after all, his house.
“Annis has been kidnapped.”
“Kidnapped!” Seleena exclaimed. “Who would do such a thing?”
“Who, indeed?” he muttered.
“Serepta?”
He nodded.
“But why? And how?”
“A man attired in the garb of the Queen’s guard arrived at the convent last night with a letter from Gryff saying that Marri is desperately ill and desired to see her sister before it was too late. Naturally, the Reverend Mother agreed that Annis should go home.”
“How did you find out?”
“In the morning, one of the young nuns found the guard’s body lying outside the walls, drained of blood. She sent word to the castle. There is no doubt that the guard was killed by Serepta.”
“But why would she take Annis?”
Nardik shook his head. “Marri is beside herself. Every knight in her service is scouring the countryside searching for the girl.”
“Have you tried locating her?”
“Of course.”
Seleena sank down on the sofa. If Nardik couldn’t locate the girl, there were three possibilities. Annis was dead. She was hidden behind a powerful ward of some kind. Or she was no longer on Brynn Tor. “So, what do we do now?”
“We wait,” Nardik said. “This must have something to do with regaining her magic, although I fail to see how kidnapping Annis could help to accomplish that. If I hear anything, I will let you know.”
Seleena walked him to the door and bid him goodnight.
Returning to the living room, she curled up in a corner of the couch. Meowing softly, Freyja jumped onto her lap. For a moment, Seleena stared into the hearth, one hand absently stroking the cat’s head as she tried to make sense of the kidnapping.
“Worrying won’t help,” Quinn remarked, taking a seat at the other end of the sofa.
“I know, but Annis is so young, so innocent. She knows nothing of the world. She must be terrified.”
“Yeah.”
Seleena regarded him a moment. “You said the dragon bites you when you mention Serepta’s name.”
“Yeah, it happened just now.”
“Is it an actual bite?”
“What do you mean?”
“Does it draw blood?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never paid any attention. Why?”
“Take off your shirt.”
“What are you getting at?”
“I’m not sure,” Seleena said. “Maybe nothing.”
Quinn tossed his shirt on the side table. “Now what?”
“Serepta.”
The dragon lashed its tail, then bit into the muscle on Quinn’s arm. Several drops of blood oozed from the tiny wound. The dragon lapped them up.
Seleena nodded, as if she had known such a thing would happen. “Because of its black color, I was sure it was a fire dragon. But it’s not. It’s a blood dragon, even though they’re usually red.”
Quinn glanced at the tattoo. “So?”
“I think Serep….I think she conjured the wrong dragon.”
“What do you mean?”
“Fire dragons are fiercely loyal to their masters and will only do their bidding. No matter how you tried, no matter if you were the most powerful wizard in the land, a fire dragon would never obey your wishes.”
“So?”
“A blood dragon will only serve the first person - man or woman - whose blood it consumes.”
“So even if she kills me, she won’t be able to reclaim her magic.”
“Exactly.”
“How could she make such a mistake?”
“The spells are quite similar, almost word for word. If she mispronounced a word, or said it in the wrong order while conjuring a fire dragon, the re
sult would be a blood dragon.”
Quinn ran his fingertips over the ridges along the dragon’s back. A low rumble, reminiscent of Freyja’s purr, issued from its throat. “That’s not going to help me if I’m dead.”
Seleena sighed. “It doesn’t help us now, either. And it doesn’t explain why she took the girl.”
Quinn dragged a hand over his jaw, his brow furrowed. “I hate to say it, but maybe she’s discovered another way to get her magic back.”
Chapter 19
Annis paced the tiny, windowless cell that imprisoned her. It held no furniture, only a quilt that had seen better days. She had no idea where she was or how she had come to be there. The last thing she remembered was walking out of the cloister with one of Marri’s guards. She had no memory of what had happened between then and now.
There was no light in the dungeon. No way to determine whether it was day or night. No way to know how long she had been there. She fought down the panic trying to engulf her. She told herself there was no need to worry. When she didn’t show up at the castle, her mother would send Nardik to look for her. She would pay whatever ransom was being asked. Perhaps the wizard was on his way, even now.
What if he didn’t come? What if there was no ransom demand? What if some twisted creature had kidnapped her with some other motive in mind?
Fighting tears, she wrapped her arms around her middle and sank down on the quilt. “Nardik, please find me. Please. I’m so afraid.”
“No one will find you.”
Annis’ head jerked up, her gaze searching the gloom. “Who’s there?” She squinted against the light that suddenly appeared in the cell.
A woman clad in black, her face as pale as death, stood in front of the cell door.
Annis took a step back. “Who…who are you? Why have you brought me here?”
“I am Serepta. Perhaps you’ve heard of me.”
“Serepta.” Annis murmured the word with the same sort of horror people used when they spoke of the plague.
The woman’s laughter filled the air. “So, you have heard of me.”
Annis stared at her as if seeing a ghost. And perhaps she was. Marri had told her that the witch was dead, killed by Gryff’s hand.
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