“Hungry?”
A frown spread across her face, and she glanced away, guilt replacing the passion I’d just seen. “Sorry. I’m horny, and that usually makes me hungry, too.”
“Drink, Eira. You only need to ask, and I will give.” I stretched my head to one side, baring my neck to her for easier access.
“I don’t need it.”
“Then just take a little.”
She licked her lips and fixed her gaze on my neck for a moment.
“Give me a kiss first,” she said, her voice hushed and more tender than I’d heard it all evening.
I lifted an arm and wrapped my hand around the base of her skull, pulling her mouth to mine. She tasted sweeter than any dessert. Her lips were soft, but so much strength lay behind them. Her life had been a fight, more so than mine. No one knew I was an Other unless I stayed somewhere too long and they realized I wasn’t aging. My eyes were a natural hue of blue. I didn’t have super strength… I just didn’t age.
Elvin could live for thousands of years. We had natural immunity to sickness. We didn’t fear cancer or other degenerative diseases. But we could be killed, just like humans. My brother had been shot and bled out right in front of me. It could’ve just as easily been me.
“Be with me, Killían. Don’t fade away to your past,” she murmured into my ear then bit down on my neck.
“Ahh,” I gasped, feeling each pull she took of my blood. Only the initial bite caused pain. Once the venom from her fangs started to flow into the wound, it numbed it and sent messages to the brain that the bite was pleasurable. Ingenious, really. A predator that could make its prey feel pleasure as its life drained away.
Eira released my neck, and an involuntary shiver coursed through me as she swept her tongue across the wound.
“How does that heal it? Your tongue?” I asked, rubbing my fingers across where she’d bitten. I couldn’t feel anything. No scar from the earlier bite or this one.
“My blood heals the wound.” She climbed over me and off of the bed.
“Your blood?” The knowledge was new. In all these years, I’d never heard that vampire blood healed. It was a well-kept secret indeed.
She picked up her clothes from the floor and began to dress.
I sat up and slid to the edge of the bed. “Don’t we need to clean your clothes?”
“Nope. They are from Calliope’s shop. They’re clean.” She tugged her shirt on and sighed. “It’s too bad they can’t stitch themselves back together though,” she said, sticking her hand through the massive hole in the side of the black t-shirt. “And yes, my blood is healing. I sliced my tongue on one of my fangs just enough to seal and heal the bite. It only takes a drop or two.”
“Amazing.” Knowledge for me was a craving, just as the thirst for blood was for a vampire. Our people were hardwired to learn and gather knowledge. The Elvin created dragon steel. We also kept the giant libraries of Orin up-to-date… at least, we had before the Incanti took over.
“It’s not really something vampires publicize. Can you imagine how the humans would hunt us if they knew?”
“True.” Walking to the closet, I pulled out a new set of clothes and an extra shirt for Eira. “Here.” I turned and handed her the extra shirt. “It’s too big, but at least it’s in one piece.”
“Thank you.” She pulled her ragged one off and slipped into mine. I dressed quickly. Sitting on the edge of the bed again, I put on my boots before following her out of my bedroom toward the stairs.
She paused at the bottom of the staircase and held up a hand, signaling me to freeze.
“What is it?” I whispered.
“Men. There are four heartbeats outside the house. They aren’t on the porch yet, but they will be in the next sixty seconds.”
My gaze drifted to where my swords hung on their perch above the front door. Her hand clamped around my waist, and we moved faster than I could focus on my surroundings. When we stopped, we were standing at the base of the ladder that led up into the barn, and she was holding both of my swords.
I’d seen vampires disappear from sight, but I had no idea they could carry someone with them when they used their speed like that.
She held a finger to her lips and then unclasped the double sheath, handing me only one of the swords. I nodded, slipping the strap over my shoulder and securing it in place. She did the same with my brother’s sword.
We climbed the ladder and tiptoed to the barn door. “Why do you have soldiers looking for you?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
“Shit.” The dagger. Somehow they had to have found out I had it.
“What?” She turned back and glared at me over her shoulder. “What are you hiding? Those are SECR black ops soldiers.”
“We have to kill them first. I’ll tell you after.”
She narrowed her eyes, her glare colder than sleet in a Texas winter. “Fine.”
One second she was there, and the next she was gone, the barn door wide open.
I stepped forward and stopped abruptly as she reappeared directly in front of me, holding four limp bodies by their gun straps. So much for them being highly trained operatives. They apparently didn’t a have a chance in hell against a more experienced vampire.
She dropped them to the ground with a thud and then crossed her arms over her perfect breasts. “They’re dead. Now what are you hiding in the house?”
“A dagger. They must’ve used a spell to locate it. No one knew I had it.”
“What kind of dagger?”
“One of the Shamesh keys.”
She took a step backward and audibly swallowed. “You’re kidding.”
I shook my head. “I picked it up out of a field outside of Sanctuary. It was right after the Snøen mor fought with some guy.”
“I— You—” she started, but kept cutting herself off. “Snow-en what?”
“Diana Blackmoor. She was called the Snow Mother. I will keep it safe until the Blackmoors are ready to return to the Veil.”
“You know D?”
“D?”
“Diana. Miles. Eli. You know the Blackmoors?”
“From a long time ago, yes. How do you know them?”
“I saved Diana’s life a few months ago and brought her to Sanctuary. I’ve met Miles and Eli a few times in town.” Her face was blank of emotion as she wiped her bloody hands on her pants. A few seconds later, the bloodstains were gone. Just poof, like magick. “Well, regardless of how we both know the Drakonae living in Sanctuary, the SECR was able to locate that dagger. It’s not safe here anymore.”
I stared at her for a second longer before my brain began processing again. It pained me to think how close I’d been to her all this time. My eyes drifted to the bodies at her feet, and battle mode enveloped me again.
“There’s a barrel in the barn for their guns and a shovel next to it. I’ll help you bury them after I fetch the dagger.”
She pursed her lips and nodded. Bending over and grabbing the dead soldiers by their gun straps again, she lifted all four of them as if they weighed no more than a feather pillow.
I jogged to the front door, unlocked it, and went inside. This hadn’t been my plan, but a good plan adapted to changing circumstances. I sprinted up the stairs and into my bedroom; the musk of sex still hung in the air. I shook my head as if that would help clear it. Fat chance. Her scent filled my lungs, and I felt my need for her grow with every passing second. It was like being an adolescent boy again. My body was determined to make me walk around with a constant hard-on.
Opening the closet, I pushed aside the loose wooden panel and grabbed the dagger. I tucked it in the waist of my pants and hurried outside.
When I reached the barn, it was empty. The big sliding door on the other side was ajar as well.
“Eira?”
“Out here.”
I crossed through the dark barn and came out the door on the other side. She was digging a grave so quickly I couldn’t see her actual movements, just the
general area her body was occupying.
Three other fresh graves showed to the right of the one she was currently digging. They were evenly spaced to match the pattern I’d started with the fruit trees that spanned the large field behind my house. How had she known?
She hopped out of the grave and tossed the lifeless body of the last soldier into the deep hole. A few moments later, the dirt covered him, and she was walking past me with the shovel.
“Do you have it?”
“Yes.”
“I’m tired. We need to take your bike to Sanctuary. If I blur us there, I’ll need to feed again before you’re capable of giving me more blood.”
“You could carry me all the way to Sanctuary?”
“Yes, but it would weaken me. I’ve blurred too much already today. I need to conserve energy before we head to Savannah, not wear myself out completely.”
I walked with her through the barn, closed the front door after we passed through, and headed toward the porch where my bike waited.
An hour later, we crossed Main Street Circle, the heart of the town. Eira pointed down a turn off next to the café, and I followed her directions until we ended up in front of a small, whitewashed brick house. A light was on in the front window, but curtains blocked the view into the home.
I pulled into the driveway and parked the bike. After Eira got off, I set my helmet on the seat.
“Whose house is this?” This part of town was unfamiliar to me.
“Hannah and Meredith Bateman live here. I need a new ring ASAP. Then we’ll talk to Garrett and Travis. They should be more than willing to help.”
“Why?”
“Charlie’s their mate.”
“Oh.” That would definitely motivate a Lycan. Though it was rare to come across a Lycan triad.
Eira knocked on the front door of the house and it opened, revealing a cute redheaded woman. Another pretty redhead appeared next to her a moment later.
“Eira!” They both spoke at the same time.
“Hey, girls,” Eira answered, the stress disappearing from her voice.
“So who’s the hottie you brought with you? Is he the sacrificial lamb for the evening? We have wine in the fridge.”
I raised my eyebrows with momentary concern until all three women let out a whoop of laughter.
“You should’ve seen his expression,” the first redhead snickered. “He really thought I was serious for a minute.”
“Come on in,” the second woman said, a grin spreading over her whole face. She opened the door wider, and we entered the house, following her down the entry hall and into a small living room off to the side. The floors were wood, and the walls were painted a rich burgundy. Art hung scattered across all the walls, and mason jars full of various ingredients lined a set of shelves on the far side of the room. The scent of lavender was strong in the house along with various other common herbal scents.
“Killían, this is Meredith,” Eira said, pointing at the first woman who’d answered the door. She was a little shorter than the other redhead who I assumed was her sister. Her amber red hair was straight and hung just to her shoulders.
“This is Hannah.” She waved her hand toward the taller sister. Her hair was more of a reddish-blonde, and her cheeks were covered with a cute spattering of freckles.
“Pleased to meet you, ladies.”
“Where did you find him, Eira, and does he have a brother?”
Eira and I both stood silently, and awkwardness filled the room. It wasn’t their fault. The comment was meant in fun. Eira whispered something into Meredith’s ear, and the poor woman’s face turned as red as her hair. She passed the bit of info to her sister’s ear, and Hannah turned equally as red.
“I’m so sorry. I had no idea. My mouth brings me trouble wherever I go.”
“It’s fine. You meant no harm.” I shrugged and shoved my hands into my pockets.
“What can we do for you, Eira?” Hannah asked, dropping into one of the tall leather captain chairs behind her. “You sound stressed.”
“I need another daylight ring. Mine was taken.”
“What happened?” Meredith asked before walking to the shelf of mason jars and boxes of who-knows-what.
“The pack was double-crossed. Charlie was taken, along with several others when we crossed the bridge at Vicksburg. They had witches cloaking them. I didn’t know they were there until half the group was dead or gone. I barely got away with my life.”
“Oh God! You’re not going after them alone, are you?” Meredith walked to the center of the room and put down a pestle and several bundles of herbs on the coffee table in front of Hannah. “I have everything to make the spell. Let me go hunt in the bedroom for a gold ring.”
“What about this one?” I pulled a small, filigree gold band from my pinky finger. I’d worn it since the day I lost Eira on that beach. Bought weeks before the battle, it would’ve been her wedding band.
Eira caught my gaze and scrunched her forehead in confusion.
“That’s perfect.” Hannah stood briefly and took the ring from my outstretched hand.
“I was going to give it to you a long time ago,” I said, holding Eira’s gaze. Her eyes widened with realization, and tears pooled in her Caribbean blue eyes. She blinked them away and turned back to her friends. Both of the women were busy at work on the table. Hannah was mixing and grinding ingredients as Meredith measured and dropped them into the pestle.
“Add a few drops of your blood, Eira,” Hannah said, gesturing to the stone bowl.
Eira bit her wrist and held it over the bowl full of ingredients for a few seconds.
“Why does it need her blood?”
“It binds the spell to her. The ring will only recognize her body. Another vampire can’t use it,” Meredith answered.
That was a nice fail safe. I moved to the side of the room and sat on a small red ottoman while the two witches chanted in Latin about sunlight and darkness and blood. I’d never heard the exact spell before, but I knew enough Latin to know the magick they were using was old and very powerful. The Batemans must be descendants of some very powerful witches. Not just any witch would be able to wield the power they were channeling.
It seemed like hours passed before they were finished. But a glance at the clock proved me wrong. Only thirty minutes had gone by.
We thanked them both, and they warned Eira again to be careful as we left their house, making me promise to take care of their friend. They didn’t need to.
I would die to protect her.
Chapter 14
KILLÍAN
I stopped the bike in front of a small building with a neon sign that read Tattoos. But the open sign wasn’t lit.
“They aren’t here. No heart beats inside. Let’s try the café. A lot of people in town eat most of their meals there.”
I started the bike again and drove down the narrow road toward the town’s center. The big castle loomed on my right as I turned onto Main Street Circle and headed around to the café. The lights were on, and voices poured out into the night air from inside the large restaurant. The rest of the town was pretty quiet and very few lights were on in the stores around the circle.
Pulling to a stop in front of Rose’s Café, I parked and walked right behind her to the door. A blue transparent screen flashed around the building when she pulled open the French door. The barrier only showed itself each time a door was opened or closed. A nifty spell all the buildings in town possessed. According to the Pixies, it kept Djinn from being able to teleport in and out. Made them have to use the door like everyone else.
“Killían!” Raven waved from behind the counter. “Eira?! I thought you were going to be gone a couple months? Is everything okay?”
I followed Eira to the counter, and we took two of the empty stools. “Have you seen the Lycans Travis and Garrett? I need to speak with them,” Eira asked.
“Eira, what a surprise,” a female voice sounded from behind us.
I turned and
gulped air. Diana Blackmoor and her husbands were closing in fast. Eira didn’t seem fazed at all by the Drakonae royal trio and leapt from her stool to embrace the pregnant woman. Diana was barely showing, but her clingy dress revealed a definite baby bump.
“Diana. I need to talk with Travis and Garrett. Charlie, her parents, and several other pack members were taken prisoner by the SECR. By Xerxes. Have you seen the Lycans?”
I stood and stared as Diana hugged and then placed a friendly kiss on Eira’s cheek. Like they were the best of friends. Then Miles and Eli both took turns embracing my beloved.
“Wait, Eira,” Diana spoke, looking toward me. “This is the Killían you spoke of? Your Killían? The man who gave you the Goddess Sea diamond?”
Eira nodded, stepping away from the giant Drakonae males and returning to my side. “I stumbled upon him through an accident of fate. I can’t explain it. I was nearly dead, and I found my way to his barn.”
“The diamond pulled you to him. It’s probably another reason you felt pulled to Sanctuary after bringing me here. The diamond knew he was close by. It started acting like a homing beacon.”
Eira turned her gaze to me, questioningly.
I nodded. “The diamond’s pull would’ve increased the closer in proximity you were to me.”
“I’ll get Travis and Garrett. They’re over in the corner. I saw them come in a while ago,” Miles said, before leaving the circle.
“I didn’t make the connection last time we met. But, any friend of Eira’s is a friend of ours. Our home is yours whenever you are in town,” Diana said, offering her hand. “You seem so familiar now that I think about it. Did we know each other in the Veil?”
She expected me to shake her hand. I couldn’t refuse, though it seemed so unorthodox. But we weren’t in the Veil anymore.
I extended my hand, taking hers. She gave it a firm shake and clasped her other hand over mine.
“Thank you. And, yes, but the honor is mine, your highness.”
Diana squeezed my hand tighter. Her eyes opened wide with recognition. “Killían, son of Konáll Njörd. You have your father’s eyes. I remember you now. Your line was the royal family’s sword makers and librarians. Did your family escape as well?”
Sanctuary, Texas Complete Series Box Set Page 54