“I’m not shacking up with anyone.”
“Good.” Tristan stepped out of her grasp and smoothed his clothing. “Interspecies relationships are forbidden among vampire royalty for a reason, Princess. They make us vulnerable. Your one and only priority should be the coven.”
“I was raised at my father’s side and have participated in his rule from the time I was a young. I do not need a lesson in duty from you.” Her fangs were fully extended now, and Tobias dug his fingers into the sleeves of his coat against a chill that had nothing to do with the weather.
The other vampire backed away from her with a slow swagger. “No. No, you do not.”
“Stop following me.”
“No.”
“Tristan, let me put this as plain as I can. In less than a month, I won’t need Calvin to punish you for disobeying a direct order. If you continue to defy me, my first order as master will be to have your heart torn from your chest and burned at my feet.”
Tristan’s eyebrows shot up. He scoffed at her and circled two fingers above his head as he took an exaggerated and elaborate bow. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
In the next breath, he was gone, his body twisting into a whisper of darkness before disappearing entirely. Sabrina cursed, climbed into her blue Nissan, and peeled out of her space, tires squealing.
Mine. The dragon inside Tobias stirred, scales pressing and twisting against the inside of his skin. He tried to rein in the protective instincts that raged, foreign and unwanted, behind his brow. He shouldn’t have underestimated her. As caring and soft as Sabrina could be, she’d handled herself well with her adversary. Still, he needed to keep her safe. He wouldn’t forgive himself if he didn’t, and neither would his inner dragon.
Chapter Fourteen
The truth was that medicine was more of an art than a science. Sabrina had always wondered at the miracle of it, how people could be at death’s door, their skin gray, their breath as shallow as a whisper, but with the right drugs, the administration of oxygen, or a medical procedure, they could be brought back to life again. Her kind were immortal and her father expected she’d be as well, despite her human blood. Certainly she healed like an immortal. She’d never been ill and had stopped aging in her early twenties. Until the poisoned dagger, she’d never been seriously injured.
The thought made her realize that what Tobias and his friend Raven had done for her yesterday was what she did for humans on a regular basis. They’d healed her, cared for her when she couldn’t care for herself. Her heart ached. Tobias deserved better than her, better than how she’d treated him the past twenty-four hours. He deserved a woman who would throw her arms and legs around him and absolutely rock his world after the kindness and selflessness he’d shown her. Truth was, she desperately desired to do just that. But after learning it was Tristan who had destroyed her apartment, she knew she was doing the right thing pushing Tobias away. Tristan was dangerous, and he knew she’d spent the night with a human. If he found out that human was Tobias, he’d do something horrible to him to get under her skin and force her to abdicate the throne. She would for him. But stepping down would be counterproductive. Only by rising to power could she protect him by rule of law.
Staying apart was the only way to keep his secret.
Sabrina concentrated on her work, resolved to try not to pine for Tobias. It was almost noon when she took her first break and jogged down to the cafeteria for lunch.
“Let me guess, your favorite is alphabet?” Tobias handed her a bowl from his place in the soup line directly in front of her. Damn it. How was it that in a hospital this size, she kept running into him?
“Why would my favorite be alphabet?”
“You can spell out Eat Me with the noodles. Gives you a sense of accomplishment when you do.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Chicken noodle is my jam.”
“Oh?”
“What do you eat when you’re sick? Chicken noodle. If I eat it, I’m curing the illness before I even get it.”
“You can’t get sick because of what you are, not what you eat.”
“How do you know? It might be the soup.”
“That makes no logical sense.”
“Logic is highly overrated, Doctor. You should ditch the logic in favor of magic.”
“I think I’ve heard someone say that before.” He winked at her over a half smile and slowly poured himself a bowl of chicken noodle.
She filled her bowl and passed him by to sit down near the windows. He waited a beat and then sat down across from her.
Dropping her spoon, she rubbed her temples. “Tobias, I don’t think sitting together is a good idea. Every second we spend together just makes it harder.”
“I understand that you believe we need to stay apart, but I need to tell you something. It’s important.”
She sighed. “What’s going on?”
“I owe you an apology.” The steam from the soup kissed his cheek, and she thought the resulting blush of his skin was the most enticing thing she’d ever seen.
“Why?”
“I followed you today.”
“What are you talking about? When?”
“I saw you talking to Tristan in the parking garage.”
She narrowed her eyes. “The Coke can. That was you?”
“Yes.”
“You had no right spying on me.”
“I know. You’re right. I’m sorry.” He looked down at his bowl. “Why do you think Tristan ransacked your apartment?”
“It was him, wasn’t it? He denied it, but I picked up his scent.”
Tobias nodded. “It was definitely him unless, of course, he has recently been a guest in your home?”
She scoffed. “Never.”
“Then it was him.”
“As I mentioned to you before, Tristan is my father’s trusted advisor and the next in line for coven master after me. He’s highly respected and has a following among my coven. He’s been gunning for me since I can remember. He wants to intimidate me so that I step down from the position.”
“He wants to be master, huh?”
“It’s more than that. He’s a misogynist and thinks humans are barely a step up from animals. I threaten everything he believes in.”
“Because if you became master, he’d report to a half-human female?”
“More than that. A vampire coven is a lot like a hive of bees or maybe a colony of ants. It’s in our genetics to follow our master. Once I become master, he will all but have to obey me. It will become uncomfortable for him to not follow my lead.”
“How uncomfortable?”
“He’ll feel sick to his stomach. It’s not impossible for vampires to disobey. It happens. And he can break from the coven and suffer no illness. But my father always said when it came to vampires, it was easy to find defectors—just look for the ones hurling their lunch.”
“So not only is Tristan hungry for power, he’s desperate to not have to obey someone he hates, namely you.”
“Exactly. Which is why I’m worried about him finding out about you.” She lowered her voice. “About us. He’s following me. He knew I spent the night with a human last night. If he finds out who you are, he will use you to get to me. He might even hurt you.” She placed her hands on the table and lowered her voice to a whisper. “I wouldn’t push you away if I didn’t think it was absolutely necessary.”
He nodded but didn’t leave.
“Did you hear what I said, Tobias?”
Lowering his voice to a whisper that would have been impossible for a human to hear, he asked, “Do you think he sent the werewolf?”
Sabrina paused. “No. There’s no reason to believe that. The werewolf would have wanted me dead for more reasons than Tristan.”
“Maybe, but how did the wolf find you? Not once but twice? During the day. In places your kind does not frequent.”
Her eyes widened. “Places I don’t frequent. I’ve never been to Maverick’s before, and it’s been years since
I visited the museum. But it couldn’t be Tristan. He sleeps during the day. How would he know where I would be?”
“He could be paying someone to follow you. Or working with the wolf directly. If Tristan is working with the werewolf, he might have supplied your workplace and address, told him how to track you. I assume he knows where you work.”
Sabrina looked over her shoulder. The cafeteria was full of strange faces. Was one of them working for Tristan?
She shook her head. “Tristan knows if he hurts me, my father will kill him. No questions asked.”
“Only if your father believes Tristan did it. Much easier for him to blame a rogue werewolf.”
Damn, she couldn’t argue with his logic. Tristan wanted to hurt her. Would he go so far as collaborating with a werewolf? Are you in danger, Princess? When Tristan had said those words, there was an inflection in his tone as if he’d known the answer. Sabrina frowned. She wouldn’t put it beyond the slimeball.
“Collaborating with our enemies is low, even for Tristan. But it’s possible.”
Leaning across the table, the hot soup steaming between them, Tobias met her gaze. “Move in with me, Sabrina. I can protect you.”
“What? No. That’s ridiculous.”
“You’re worried your nearness will put me in danger, but it is far more dangerous if we are apart. Together we can protect each other.”
“No.” She lowered her chin, a nervous laugh bubbling up in her throat. “We are not a couple. We don’t owe each other protection.”
“One word from you and that could all change. Everything would change. The only one keeping us from being a couple is you.”
As hard as it was, she simply shook her head and raised an eyebrow. “I’ve been to bed with you twice, Doctor. My goddess, what more do you want from me? Blood? Oh wait…”
He leveled a sultry male stare in her direction. “Oh, I have some ideas.”
Sabrina shifted in her chair and took interest in her soup. All they could have was this, their working relationship. She had to make him understand. “Everything changes once I take my place as master, Tobias. We need to bide our time, keep our distance until it’s safe.”
He shook his head. “If Tristan is targeting you like we think he is, it’s going to get worse before it gets better. I can’t protect you if we’re apart.”
She buried her face in her hands. “You don’t need to protect me. I’ll protect myself.”
The look he gave her said it all. She hadn’t ended up with a poisoned dagger in her chest by protecting herself. She shook her head and picked up her spoon.
“I think they’re skimping on the chicken in the chicken noodle.”
His brow furrowed. “Yeah. I’m pretty sure they dunk a leg in and call it a day.”
Without another word, she started eating. He followed her lead. There was more he’d wanted from her, but thankfully, for now he let it go.
The first tears began to fall the moment Sabrina materialized in her apartment at the end of the day, a bottle of wine secured in her grip. Every time she thought about Tobias, she felt torn in two, like one arm was chained to her coven and the other to her desire for him, and both had become semitrucks traveling at top speeds in opposite directions. Despite the risk, she’d enjoyed seeing him today. After lunch, they’d managed to bump into each other again in the break room. Perhaps the energy she’d absorbed from him played a part in the crazy need she felt to be in his presence. Had her taste of dragon blood been addictive?
The pain that was happening in the general region of her heart might have been withdrawal, but she was apt to believe it had more to do with the way he made her feel every time he looked at her, like she was everything. Like she was worthy. All she wanted to do was dematerialize to his home and take him up on his offer to live with him.
That would be a tragedy. The intense twinge of longing Sabrina fought to deny was too close to a bond to flirt with. Bonded vampires within the species had to be treated as a unit in every regard. The attachment was so complete it was considered cruel to separate them. The mates of vampires who died in battle were known to walk into the sun rather than live without their partner. She’d made light of bonded couples in the past, questioning the sanity of anyone who would willingly enter into such a relationship. Now she could feel the attachment building within her, a tug deep inside her bones drawing her to Tobias even when she knew Tristan was watching her every move.
She threw her parka on the sofa and shuffled into the kitchen to pour a glass of the cabernet she’d procured to drown her sorrows. It was times like this that she was glad she was half human. Full-blooded vampires could not get drunk from alcohol, and she planned to tie one on until the edge was off this reckless crush.
No sooner had she raised the glass to her lips than a knock came on her patio’s sliding glass door. Definitely a vampire. Anyone else would have come to the main door of the apartment. She couldn’t see who it was thanks to the glare from the kitchen lights bouncing off the glass, but she set her wine down and hurried for the door. If a vampire was visiting her here, she’d be expected to receive them. Aside from Tristan, she’d welcome anyone from her coven inside.
“Father!”
Calvin Bishop stepped into her apartment and shook the excess snow from his hair and shoulders. He wasn’t wearing a coat, and his skin was luminous in the darkness. “Sabrina, I’m glad you’re home. We need to talk.” His gray eyes flashed as she slid the door closed behind him.
“Come on in. Have a seat.” She pecked him on the cheek, and he encircled her in a tight embrace.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” His eyes scanned the room, and his nostrils flared. No doubt he could sense the recent turmoil, smell the blood. Everything was back in order, but her father had a sixth sense about these things.
“Just having a glass of wine.”
“I don’t know how you can drink that swill.” He eyed the glass on the counter. “Aren’t you afraid it will dilute your true nature?”
She swept the full glass off the counter and placed it in the sink. Out of sight, hopefully out of mind. “It actually tastes delicious if you have human taste buds.”
He frowned. “I have no doubt, considering the way the humans are always gulping it by the gallon. But you are a vampire, Sabrina, the daughter of a master and soon to be master yourself. Appearances are important. That’s why I’m here.”
Her stomach clenched. This was an unexpected conversation. Had Tristan said something to him about her condominium being ransacked? Was that the real reason for her father’s visit and inspection of the room? She’d kill the sleazeball. “What’s going on?”
“You’re ascending to master of our coven very soon. This is no small thing. You will be only the third female in the position and the first hybrid.”
“I’m honored. I take the responsibility seriously.”
“Good. Then you will understand why things have to change.”
“Change how?”
“You have done the coven a great service providing us with blood from the hospital for our stores. Many sick vampires have been saved with that blood. New vampires have been introduced more gently to the vampire world with the help of that blood.”
That was one way to put it. Normally new vampires woke up so hungry that it wasn’t uncommon for them to kill a few humans before mastering responsible feeding habits. Those odds had greatly improved with the introduction of a bag feeding before they were allowed to hunt. “I am happy to do it.”
Her father took a seat at her table and crossed one leg over the other. “When you are master, you won’t have time to perform your human job at the hospital and also devote yourself to a coven of this size.”
“Why not?”
“It’s time for you to resign, Sabrina, to start living like a vampire full-time.”
Sabrina’s cheeks turned cold as all the blood seemed to drain from her head. Was the room spinning, or was that her brain whirling desperately f
or something to say? She forced a smile. “It won’t be any problem. I’ve always been able to balance my work at the hospital with my responsibilities to the coven.”
His jaw tightened. She had the oddest thought that he looked like a mannequin just then. His back was unnaturally straight, his skin and hair flawless, his dress pants and shirt perfectly smooth, as if no wrinkle would dare mar her father’s appearance. It was odd having a parent who never aged but even odder to have one who rarely if ever changed. Calvin was a product of the Renaissance, old-fashioned and patriarchal. The look on his face was one she’d seen before. He was laying down the law, and there was no room for negotiation.
“Although your contributions in this regard were acceptable before, when you take on my responsibilities, it will be necessary for you to be more accessible to your charges. You must stay underground with the others. There are no days off from being master. You know that.”
An invisible vise squeezed her chest. Sabrina swayed on her feet. “Of course… Yes.” The words formed of their own volition. Everything in her, her very blood, urged her to agree with her father. He was master. No one argued with Calvin Bishop. “Obviously the coven will need me to be accessible to them.”
He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Not just accessible. You must become one of them, fully and unequivocally. It is time for you to embrace your true vampire identity.”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I thought I had. What else do you want me to do?”
“You will sell this place and you will move into my quarters in the tunnels. You will resign from your job. You will eat, sleep, and work with the others.”
“But… but what about the bagged blood?”
“Another vampire has been hired as a late-night janitor. He is exceptional at compelling humans. He will take over your duties.”
Deep inside her, the thought of sleeping in the tunnels all day festered like an old wound. She cleared her throat. “I wonder, though, if my talents of being a daywalker would be better leveraged here. It could be a way to establish dominance over our enemies, something they aren’t expecting. It’s what makes me strong. It’s an advantage.”
Windy City Dragon Page 12