by A. C. Arthur
“Positive.” The ominous tone of that one word being spoken ricocheted off the walls.
Warrick went to the back of the room and sank down into the high-backed velvet chair pushed against the wall. He propped an elbow on the arm of the chair and ran his fingers over his goatee. “I could have taken her tonight. I had her in my arms and I could have easily made her mine. Then my part would be done and my elevation to the Royal Blood would be complete,” he said, frustration sifting through his chilly body.
“This power that you seek cannot be rushed. Every piece must be carefully moved into place. You know this, and you agreed.”
The glossy bastard was twisting his words. “I agreed to do this so that I could move into my rightful place.”
Warrick was the unconfirmed son of two lords within the Burgess Royal Blood, the group of vampire lords assigned to rule over a certain territory. His father had been born of a lord who served in the Royal Capitol—the global council of vampires. And his mother had been in love with his father but promised to another lord. She’d kept that promise and mated the lord, but slept with his father regularly, until becoming pregnant with him. With such a scandalous entry into the world, the Royal Blood denied Warrick any holdings or place of stature in Burgess, but allowed him to be called lord by whomever was bold enough to do so, knowing the Court’s ruling on his existence.
Partnering with this one who hailed from the Spirit Realm and called himself Hoan was not ideal, but would bring Warrick what he wanted. In exchange for helping Hoan acquire the power he needed in this realm, the lords who looked down on Warrick would be sentenced to the bowels of the earth in the Spirit Realm while Warrick rose to his blood right position in Burgess and across the sea. Marrying Shola would give him access to the Mobo family mausoleums, under which rested the tombs of a legion of ancient vampires. Those of which he would raise to dominate and take control of the small village. The fact that she would also make a scrumptious little wife whose blood had smelled as sweet and seductive as her body appeared was a perk he could not resist.
“You agreed because you are greedy and power hungry and angry at all who despise you for being born,” Hoan rasped. “You are impatient and making a mess. All problems that will lead to failure. I am here to intervene.”
“I don’t need any intervention.”
“I need her alive. You have put her life in danger twice.”
Warrick shook his head. He hadn’t been the one to put her life in danger, but he knew who had, and he would deal with that accordingly. But in his years on this earth, he’d never allowed anyone, not even those who thought they were above him with their royal and untainted blood, to speak to him as if he were an inept idiot.
“This will play out exactly the way I told you it would. You’re in my territory now.”
“But you are not in control.” The icy voice never changed its tone.
“You bet your shimmering ass I am!” Warrick countered. “There’s nothing you can do in this realm. If there was, you wouldn’t need my help. So for the next week and a half, you’re gonna hang back and let me do my part.”
For endless moments, the sludge wavered in that space. The part that resembled a hooded head remained still while the rest of the body swayed from side to side. On the floor, the metallic liquid mixed with frosty white smoke, a sulfuric stench filling the air.
“You do not want to take this lightly,” Hoan stated.
A wintry breeze filled the room as the silhouette traveled across the floor so that it was now at Warrick’s knees. Warrick looked down and then slowly stood.
“You do not want to make me angry,” Hoan warned.
In the next seconds, the room filled with icicles as sharp as pitchforks, extending from the ceiling until one was pointing directly to Warrick’s heart. It was meant to intimidate, or quite possibly kill him, but Warrick was a lord vampire, regardless of what the Court said. He was more powerful than the low-level vampires in any realm, and even the knights who had money and position in the human world, but were still second class in the Court’s eyes. He’d done things over time to assure his power was a step above all others as if in preparation for this moment.
Now, he inhaled deeply, taking in huge gulps of the chilled air, and then with a slow motion, pursed his lips and breathed it back out. Only this time, it came out as a moist mist of watered-down blood. The mist sprinkled on the sharpened icicle, melting it and casting an undeniable heat over the surrounding chill. With that cleansing, Hoan vanished, and Warrick once again sat in his chair. He leaned back against the cushions and closed his eyes.
He would have Shola N’Gara as his wife, and together, they would rule not only Burgess, but the entire Royal Blood of the Human Realm. Who or whatever got in their way would die. It was as simple as that.
Chapter Eleven
“I overheard her on the phone yesterday inquiring about a box and so I searched for it,” Bleu said when they were all gathered in the main conference room.
It was just after dawn and Theo had barely been able to rest through the night. He’d refrained from calling the meeting as long as possible.
“You used your remote viewing power to track a box of rocks for her?” Theo felt odd asking the question. Not just because they were talking about a box of rocks, but because he’d used his power to open the doors with his mind and had been fighting like hell to keep his beast at bay. All since Shola’s arrival.
“You didn’t hear her on the call. It sounded important,” Bleu insisted.
“They were rocks!” Theo countered and then clenched his teeth in an effort to get a hold on his rising temper.
“River rocks,” Magnum spoke up. “The River Tribe all but worship the Niger River. Anything that comes out of it is sworn to have some type of mythical power straight from Oya, guardian of the river.”
Shola loved the water so this made a little more sense, but it still didn’t stop the rage from pulsing through his blood. “What would she do with the rocks?” he asked.
Magnum shook his head.
Not the response Theo wanted, so he looked to Ziva. “And you’re certain she was in the room alone?”
Ziva nodded. “I’m certain I checked every inch of that room, and that I never left from in front of that door. The only door,” she said. “But I definitely heard voices, a male’s and Shola’s. That’s when I tried to get in, but the door seemed to be bolted shut.”
“And then you had the vision?” Theo didn’t want to think on the male voice that Ziva heard just yet. He wanted the complete story before letting his mind wander over all the possibilities.
“The second in as many days. Blood, some sort of liquid metal and the burst of fire.”
“When was the first?” Bleu asked her.
“The day before, at the dress shop. When you were with her at the mirror, I wanted to get the second head piece for her to try. I was in the dressing room when it hit me. Shola in a wedding gown marrying someone.”
Theo nodded. “That’s her purpose for being here.”
“No,” Ziva insisted. “She was different. Her eyes were different, and there was joy. I could sense joy. There’s no joy in her right now.”
“What does that mean?” Steele asked.
“It means she doesn’t want to marry this guy,” Aiken added. “I got that same impression from her last night when we arrived at the Owing Center.”
“This is a load of crap.” Steele shook his head as he complained. “You two are all in your feelings on any given day. What’s happening here has more to do with dishonesty, secrecy and demonic activity than some grand love-and-happiness-for-all bullshit.”
While Theo was totally on board with what Steele was saying, he did acknowledge that it was too damn early in the morning for the guy to be such a grouch.
“Okay, fine,” Theo said with a pointed look at Steele. A look th
at also conveyed the “keep your trap shut if you’re not gonna say anything nice” vibe. “I know she’s not telling the truth. Nothing in the things Bleu dug up tells me any more than what we already knew. But there’s no denying something’s after her.”
“What do we know about this husband-to-be?” Bleu asked.
Theo shook his head. “Not enough.” He’d searched every digital corner he could find for the name Warrick Camden and had come up empty. The next search needed to be on the demonic level.
“I’ll do it,” Steele announced.
Theo met his orange-tinged gaze.
“You want somebody to go under and find out who and or what this dude might be into. I’ll do it.” Steele didn’t look away from Theo until Theo gave a slight nod.
Theo had known the Eze brothers for almost a hundred years now. They’d come to him as outcasts from their clan, misfits in the way of life being lived in their homeland. And Theo had given them sanctuary. He’d given what had taken him a while to build. They knew each other now, all of them, as well as any person or dragon could know another.
“I’ll go with him to watch his back,” Magnum stated and earned an immediate frown from his younger brother.
“She won’t abandon her mission,” Ziva told Theo. “Whatever it is, it’s important to her.”
“Important enough to sacrifice her life.” The words stung Theo’s throat and he was glad his hands had been resting on his thighs beneath the table, because he clenched his fingers so tightly at the thought, his claws extended and pressed painfully into his palm. Shola N’Gara would not die in Burgess because of some job she came to do; that was a promise. He was pretty sure that declaration had more to do with the impeccable record of the Legion Security Company than any feelings the man and beast might be harboring.
Ziva surprised and irritated him by replying, “Yes. I believe she will.”
Theo stood abruptly. “You don’t know everything!” he snapped and seconds later took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as he realized all eyes were on him.
“The newborns were taken care of last night. I trust the minds of our human staff members were properly cleaned before they were sent home,” he said.
Bleu was the only one brave enough to nod. He’d already admitted to using his power, so it made sense that he’d take the full brunt of the breach. Theo nodded his approval. “It’s Sunday. Ziva, you can check on them before they come to work tomorrow morning. Steele, I want a full report the moment you return. Bleu and Aiken, I want this place sealed up tighter than tight. Nothing in or out unless it’s one of us.”
Curt nods followed all around, except for Ziva, who gave him a smirk that said she knew something he didn’t. Theo didn’t have time for Ziva’s mind games. Whatever she thought she knew about him or this situation, from her visions, he didn’t want to know.
* * *
It was always quiet here. Tranquil and serene. A place where Theo went to come down from the thoughts and memories of his past. He was never going to be the whole of what he was before. That life was forever behind him and for good damn reason. It had to be. Coming to the Human Realm and keeping forces that were beyond a human’s control, or even belief, at bay was his job. It was the job he’d assumed when he left the Far Realm and all the horrific things he’d done there.
So he understood being dedicated to a job. He could totally relate to someone finding their purpose in life and going for it with gusto. What he didn’t understand or couldn’t even pretend to rationalize was evil. He stepped out of the cave and into the waning daylight, wondering if that was why Shola was here.
The minute his booted feet touched the moss-covered rock of the surface just outside his cave, he felt it—he wasn’t alone. In this private portion of the structure he’d designed, the place where none of the other Drakon who lived here would dare come, he felt the undeniable presence of another slip beside him like a warm breeze.
He stepped with intent over the rocks and then jumped down about four feet to a pure grass surface. Standing for a moment, he looked around, nostrils flaring as he scented the air, picking up a familiar aroma of flowers and earth. To his right was more grass for another forty feet. A thick copse of mature trees stretched toward the sky with branches full of leaves that dipped and leaned until they created a canopy that in some areas prevented the sun from shining through. To the left, grass carpeted the earth for at least a quarter mile before easing into a slope that eventually led to the river. From here, he could hear the trickle of water.
That’s where she was.
He didn’t rush, but took steady steps in that direction, while the earthy fresh scent that had tickled his nostrils seconds ago grew more intense, until it filled every crevice of his soul. The undeniable urge to get closer to the scent pushed him forward until he came upon a spot where the grassy hills broke apart and the arms of the river stretched through the land. In the distance, trees formed an aisle, ushering the water down the rocky path until it would eventually empty into the larger body of water known as the Susquehanna. And like an angelic frame set amidst a picturesque landscape, she stood between two of those trees, arms folded over her chest as she stared down at the water.
When he came closer, he realized she knew he was there. She didn’t speak, and for what seemed like endless moments, neither did he.
Long lashes fanned against her smooth skin when she closed her eyes. He was looking at the face she showed to the world, no rhyme or reason as to why he could sometimes see her soul identity and other times did not. It didn’t matter; in whichever form, he liked looking at her, much more than he knew he should.
“How did you sleep last night?” he asked when their silence had stretched on for far too long.
“Fine. Tell me who the woman was that was killed at the hotel.”
So they weren’t going to do small talk. He was cool with that.
“Her name was Grace, and she worked at a club downtown called Twilight.”
“Why was she in a room booked under my name?”
“I don’t know. Do you?”
She leaned forward to gaze at him intently. In that moment, she held every part of him hostage, every sense that he possessed was trained on her, whatever she needed or wanted, he would give.
One brow arched and her lips quirked. “If I knew I would not have asked you.”
Touché.
“As I told you before, I believe someone is after you.” He’d wondered all night how he should play things with her after all that had happened in the last few days. On one hand, he’d considered locking her in one of the rooms he’d had built on the lowest level of the Office. There’d only been one other occasion when he’d used those rooms, when a feline shifter had needed refuge.
On the other hand, he wanted to believe that she had no idea what was going on, that she was really focused on whatever she thought her job here was, and that she would stop at nothing to complete it. Unless, he stopped her first.
“Nobody knows me here,” she replied and eased back into her position against the tree.
“But somebody knew you were coming. We were attacked on our way to the hotel.” The thought still pissed him off and solicited an angry thrust from the beast. “There were two rooms reserved under the name N’Gara at the hotel. Grace Brinkley was killed in one of them.”
Again, he hesitated, giving her the chance to add to the story, to come clean with him, if there was something else she knew. She didn’t, and fury bubbled deep in his gut once more.
“I do not understand. Nobody in the Western World knows me except Warrick. Nobody knew I was coming here except Warrick and you. I mean your company. I know my father hired you, but did he say why?”
He stared out to the water another moment before answering, debating whether or not what he was going to say was going to matter. “Your father contacted Magnum and asked only that you be
guarded until the wedding.”
“Because he is Yoruba,” she said. “Like us.”
He nodded. Magnum and Steele had never told him they were from Africa, nor had he asked. There weren’t many Drakon on the Human Realm, and the ones who were, stuck with their clans. They didn’t reveal themselves to the humans, and most didn’t give a damn about the preternatural occurrences on this realm. The Drakon were born to rule and to take care of their own. Nothing else.
“That box Bleu gave you. Why was it so important?”
“It is mine,” she snapped. “I shipped it so that I would have it here.”
“It was filled with rocks.”
She did not respond.
“Magnum said they may have been river rocks blessed with some type of power.”
“Magnum should mind his business,” she said and pushed away from the tree.
She walked until she was standing just a few inches away from the river’s edge.
Theo followed, stopping right beside her. He was so close that he could smell the sweet scent of the shampoo she’d used in her hair.
“You’re my business now,” he said quietly. “If someone is after you, they’re going to have to go through me, and I promise you I’m not easily beaten.”
She turned, tilting her head to look up at him. He liked when she did that because it showed her tenacity and unwavering strength, or undeniable stupidity considering who and what she was actually facing. But she had no idea. In that very moment, he believed that she had no clue what he actually was, and if he could believe that, then would it be so farfetched to say she had no clue as to what was actually going on around her?
“I am not afraid of you.”
And she wasn’t. Theo had known that since the night she’d climbed onto the back of his bike, and then again when she’d climbed off his bike prepared to fight the tracer demonics. Shola N’Gara wasn’t afraid of anything. He admired that about her, but also wondered how her fearless spirit played into everything that was happening.