Calvin glances at me, smiling in an intimate way that I don’t like. “I’ve just joined the institute. I couldn’t stay away from my fiancée.”
I keep my mouth shut even if every fiber of my being is fighting against Calvin claiming me as his anything.
“That’s completely absurd. It’s bad enough that we have to put up with Aurora, and that’s only because she’s the future High Witch.”
“If you aren’t happy, go take it up with the headmaster,” I retort, hoping that she does complain. Not that it would do any good. King Raphael caved to the pressure of the Council of Witches. The Thereses of the world aren’t going to change his mind.
She lifts her chin in an arrogant way, but I notice she has lost her bravado. No matter how powerful vampires are, they all secretly fear witches and mages. I wonder what they’d do in the presence of a warlock. Probably shit their pants.
“You bet your ass I will.” Therese turns around and strides away, her high heels rapping the wooden floor.
“What a nice girl,” Calvin says.
“She’s not a girl. She’s a Blueblood. You’d better remember that,” I snap.
My critical response does exactly what I was hoping it would: it aggravates him. His brown eyes become hard, matching the set of his jaw. I meet his sharp stare without flinching. In the end, he’s the one who looks away first, switching his attention to Vivienne and Rikkon.
“What’s going on here? Is that regular sick?”
Relief washes over me. Rikkon’s glamour is still in place. “Yes, he’s sick. Freshman prank.”
“Can we go now?” he moans again, clutching his stomach.
“Yes, absolutely.”
We continue our trek to his apartment, but unfortunately, Calvin decides to tag along.
“You don’t need to accompany us,” I say.
“It’s no trouble. I’m done for the evening.” A yawn sneaks up on him, which he tries to hide by covering his mouth. “I just came from a meeting with Hanson. He was telling me about his Keepers program. Fascinating stuff.”
Furtively, I glance at Vivienne. Her expression is shut off. No surprise there. Hanson put her in the hands of Boone not too long ago. I don’t know how Lucca had the self-control to not kill the guy.
“I don’t know what’s so fascinating about it. I’ve been forced to attend his classes. They’re a snooze fest. I’ve learned more by taking self-defense lessons at the local YMCA.”
“Why would you need to enroll in a self-defense class?” Calvin asks, sounding truly surprised.
“Really? Do you have to ask? I’m the future High Witch. You don’t think that position comes with risks?”
“That’s why you’re marrying me. I’ll make sure you’re protected.”
“With what skills? I’m far superior to you when it comes to magic, and you look like you need to hit the gym more often.”
Calvin’s pale face becomes red in the blink of an eye, and a vein throbs on his temple. He looks like he’s having an aneurism. Ha! Wouldn’t that be nice?
“First of all, you’re not better than me at using magic. Don’t fool yourself. And the gym? Seriously? Are you out of your mind? We’re not vampires who deal with our issues using fists and fangs. We’re magic users, darling. We’re above savagery.”
I glower at him. I can’t believe he just spewed that prejudiced garbage out loud in a building full of vampires. His arrogant comment may have flown right over Vivienne’s, Rikkon’s, and Vaughn’s heads because the first two aren’t vamps, and Vaughn is too new to the whole thing to feel the jab. But he does earn a few glares from the regulars that are in the hallway.
“Just stop talking,” I say.
We’re almost at the end of the corridor when Rikkon stops suddenly. He glances over his shoulder, frowning. “Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Vivienne asks.
“This eerie voice calling my name.”
“I heard nothing,” Vaughn replies.
I follow his line of vision, and at once, my blood runs cold. He’s staring at the stairs that lead to the catacombs. Shit. Is the specter calling to him? But how can he hear it all the way up here? Vivienne couldn’t hear Madeleine unless she was near the secret chamber.
“What is he talking about?” Calvin looks over my head, probably trying to see what caught Rikkon’s attention.
“He must be delirious thanks to the human food he consumed.” I turn to Rikkon. “Come on, buddy. We need to get that poison out of your system.”
We resume our slow progress, but it seems the clusterfuck of problems has only begun. Rikkon cries out again, falling to his knees when Vivienne can’t support his dead weight. He clutches his head with both hands while grunting in pain.
“Rikkon!” She crouches next to him. “Talk to me.”
“It’s happening again.”
Shit. Shit. Shit. I look around, grimacing at the attention we’re gathering. The few regulars in the hallway move closer, eyes shining with interest. I can’t let them get nearer and discover Rikkon has special powers. What I’m about to do is going to come back to bite me in the ass, but I don’t see any other option. I reach inside my bag, curling my fingers around the first crystal I can find. Using the object as an amplifier, I summon the power within me. Words pour out of my lips in an unfamiliar voice.
“What the hell are you doing, Aurora?” Calvin asks.
I ignore him and finish reciting the spell. The demeanor in the crowd changes from curiosity to sheer panic. At once, they disperse, running in different directions, but far away from us.
Calvin’s beefy hand clutches around my arm. “What did you do?”
“Let go of me!” I pull myself free.
“Dude. What the hell!” Vaughn takes a menacing step forward, but Calvin doesn’t seem threatened by the young vampire.
“You used magic against those vampires without cause. What are you trying to hide?”
I’m about to hex him too when Rikkon mumbles Saxon’s name. A splinter made of ice pierces my chest. I whirl around. “What did you say?”
His eyes are closed and he’s delirious, but Vivienne’s troubled gaze tells me plenty. I turn my attention inward, searching for the mating bond’s magic. Thanks to the potion we took, I can’t sense Saxon across a great distance. However, there’s a tightness in my chest and my stomach is spiraling. He’s in trouble.
“I’m sorry, Vivi. I have to go.”
Her eyes are torn when she replies, “Please make sure they’re okay.”
I nod before running toward the exit.
“Where are you going?” Calvin calls after me.
“I’m going to see my mother,” I lie, hoping that will deter Calvin. No such luck. He follows me outside the building.
“Something is going on that you’re not telling me. We’re getting married, we can’t keep secrets from each other. I’m coming with you.”
That’s it. The straw that breaks my back. I stop in my tracks, pivoting on my heels in the next second.
“Sorry, darling. You’re not.”
I blast him with the strongest knock-out spell I know. The bright energy sphere hits him square in the chest, making him stagger backward, and then finally, he drops to the ground, out cold.
Mr. Goodwin, the familiar security guard, comes running with mouth agape and eyes round.
“Don’t worry. He’ll be fine in an hour or so,” I tell him.
“What should I do with him until then?” he asks.
“He hasn’t moved in yet. Stuff him in his car.”
He blows a frustrated breath out as he stares at Calvin. “That’s what I get for complaining about boredom.”
Another sharp pang hits my chest, making me forget the guard and Calvin. I find my car in a hurry, praying to all the gods that I’m not too late.
Damn it, Saxon. You’d better not die on me.
30
Saxon
Ronan moves toward Karl, aggression clear in his stance, but one g
lance at Cheryl makes him halt suddenly. She narrows her fiery eyes at him, and for a couple of beats, it seems no one dares to breathe.
“Where have you been? Why weren’t you with Manu?” Ronan snarls.
“Because she doesn’t want me by her side,” Karl barks back.
“The king gave you an order.”
“Back off, Ronan,” Cheryl butts in. “You have no right to accuse my brother of anything. Your obsession with the vampire princess is pathetic.”
Whoa. That escalated fast. Why am I even surprised? Cheryl matches Manu in intensity beat by beat. No wonder Ronan couldn’t fucking say no to her all those centuries ago.
“Don’t you two start now,” Lucca interrupts. “Let’s find my sister first and then maybe, Ronan, you can finally resolve your issues with Cheryl.”
She peels her ruby lips back, showing off her impressive fangs. “There’s nothing to resolve here.”
“I don’t want to point out the obvious, but you’re drawing quite a lot of attention,” Derek chimes in, glancing pointedly at the line of humans and regulars waiting to get into his club.
“I’d like to see the security camera footage. Maybe one of us will recognize the human Manu left with,” Lucca says.
“No offense, Lucca, but you’re not likely to recognize anyone. You’ve been up for how long? Three months?” Cheryl pipes up.
Karl breaks from the group and walks toward the front of the club. He begins to sniff the air like a damn dog, not caring that he has an audience. After a moment of acting like Rin Tin Tin, his back becomes rigid as he jerks his head to the left.
“I think he got something,” I say.
Lucca walks over to the guy and takes a deep breath. “I got nothing.”
“Something was done to mask her scent. But I have it now. Follow me.” Karl takes off, running faster than any human could.
Super speed is not a trait familiars usually possess, but Karl wasn’t an ordinary animal when he became a familiar. He was a wolf shifter, the son of an alpha. That gives him extra perks. Despite that, he’s not faster than any of us. Vampires can move in a blur, like The Flash. We keep pace with Karl, though, because he’s clearly the one with the better sense of smell. The landscape rushes by, but I don’t pay too much attention to it. It’s not until Cheryl mutters a string of curses that I take in my surroundings. Hell and damn. We’re in dragon shifter territory.
That doesn’t bode well. Why would Jacques drag Manu here? He must be in cahoots with the scaly shifters.
Karl veers in the opposite direction of the busiest section, and soon, we’re nearing the outskirts of a wooded area. He stops abruptly, raising a hand to signal us to stop. His body is as tense as a coiled spring while he scans our surroundings. The forest is not dense, but on this moonless night, we’re staring at a pitch-black wall. I concentrate on all my senses, trying to control my breathing so it doesn’t make too much noise.
Cheryl stops by her brother’s side and they exchange a meaningful glance. There’s a sudden shift in the air. A chilly breeze hits us, bringing with it the unmistakable smell of spilled blood. Fuck.
Without words, we follow the scent of death, careful not to make a sound. Charging straight ahead would be foolish. We don’t know what kind of situation we’re walking into. Soon, we reach a clearing where two forms are laid six feet apart. It’s impossible to miss Manu’s white skin and hair contrasting sharply with the darkness around her.
“Manu!” Lucca says in a strangled outburst, right before he runs across the field without care.
Karl and Ronan follow close behind him, but considering Karl hasn’t dropped dead where he stands, it’s safe to say Manu is alive. When vampires gain a familiar, their life forces are linked together. It’s what allows familiars to live as long as they do, but it also means if the vampire bites the dust, so does their familiar.
I veer toward the second body sprawled on the ground, the one that reeks of death. Cheryl has the same idea as I do. At first, I thought the dead man was the human who left Havoc with Manu, but as I step closer and really pay attention to the scent of his blood, I realize my mistake.
“Son of a bitch,” I murmur.
Cheryl turns to me, showing in her eyes the same what-the-actual-fuck glint that’s probably glistening in mine. “This is bad.”
“What is?” Ronan stretches his neck toward us, and at the same time, Manu groans back to life.
“What happened?” she asks as she sits up.
“You have to be fucking kidding me.” Cheryl balls her hands into fists just before she walks over to her. Her body is shaking, and I’m not sure if she’s about to shift.
Fucking hell. I run after her, but Karl blocks his sister’s path before she has the chance to get closer to Manu. “Hold up, Cheryl. Don’t go jumping to conclusions.”
“Don’t go jumping to conclusions?” She points at the dead dragon shifter. “Take a look.”
Karl’s expression blanches. He rubs his jaw, and then looks at Manu, who is already getting up with Lucca’s help. There’s blood on her face, just like Rikkon had seen in his vision. But where are Jacques’s associates?
Manu, now back on her feet, walks around Karl. Her ashen face is glued to the young dragon who has been ripped to shreds by, no doubt, a vampire. The bite marks on his neck can’t be mistaken for anything else.
“Oh my God. You think I did this?” she whispers.
“You have his blood all over you,” Cheryl points out.
Manu touches her face, and then glances at her blood-smeared fingers. “How is that possible? I don’t know who he is.”
“You mean was. The dragon is dead,” I say.
“I didn’t kill him!” Manu yells.
“What is the last thing you remember?” Lucca asks.
“I left with a guy, a human. I was going to bring him back to Bloodstone. Then…” She pauses, frowning. “It’s all a blank. I don’t remember how I got here or what happened to him.”
The gravity of the situation has dropped like a bomb over our group. “You don’t remember being ambushed by Jacques or his followers?” I ask.
“No. But my mind feels like it has been messed with.” She rubs her forehead.
Karl puts his hands on his hips, staring at the carnage. “This was clearly a setup. Someone wants to start a turf war between King Raphael and the dragons. Cheryl and I have been dealing with unrest in the Salem pack too.”
Ronan narrows his gaze. “What kind of unrest? And how come this is the first time I’m hearing of it?”
“Don’t let your ego go to your head,” Cheryl sneers at Ronan. “This is wolf’s business.”
“Everything that pertains to supernaturals affects the entire community,” Ronan growls.
“King Raphael is aware,” Karl replies calmly.
“What is the problem with the wolves?” Lucca asks, stepping in between the wolf siblings and Ronan.
“A new pack has arrived in town. Wolves, as you know, are very territorial. There’s been some confrontations already. Marcus Novak, the Salem Pack’s alpha, demanded the newcomers leave immediately. He was challenged instead.”
“And why are you involved? I mean, you and Cheryl left wolf pack life many years ago,” I say.
“Because this new pack has pledged allegiance to Tatiana. If they gain ground here in Salem, it tips the scale in her favor.”
This situation sounds all too familiar. That’s how my father used to conquer villages that supported King Raphael. He weakened them from the inside, created doubt and animosity, turned friends against each other. I glance at the dead dragon again, finally understanding the reason behind his murder.
“Jacques is trying to weaken the king by making him lose all his allies.”
“The dragons never picked a side,” Ronan says.
“Not officially, but Larsson and my uncle have an understanding,” Lucca replies.
“That will go up in flames if they believe Manu killed one of their own,” I chime in
.
No sooner do the words leave my mouth than the ground trembles and a roar as loud as thunder echoes in the forest.
“What the hell was that?” I ask, looking into the distance.
“A very pissed-off dragon,” Cheryl replies, getting into a defensive stance.
A bright orange flame erupts not too far from us, illuminating the sky. A few seconds later, a huge gray beast breaks through the trees, feral and deadly. Its ember eyes are glowing, and smoke is pouring out of its nostrils and mouth.
“Holy shit. When was the last time we saw one of them in their dragon form?” I ask no one in particular, walking backward slowly.
My friends do the same because no matter how fast and strong we are, we can’t beat a fucking dragon.
“I didn’t know they could still shift,” Cheryl mumbles.
The dragon opens its wings to their full span, and glances at the body. I don’t dare to breathe or move as I watch the monster step forward. Lowering its huge head, it nudges the corpse with its snout. When its friend doesn’t wake up, the dragon lets out another terrifying roar, louder than the previous one, and then turns its attention to Manu. It can smell the dragon’s blood on her.
“It’s going to attack!” I yell, a second before a jet of fire shoots from the dragon’s mouth.
Lucca leaps just in time, shoving Manu out of range. They roll together on the ground, but Lucca’s sleeve still gets singed by the fire. The dragon’s chest expands again as it draws air in. It’s going to fire another deadly assault. There’s no way Lucca and Manu can escape a second time.
I draw my katana, then let out a battle cry and charge the beast. The dragon turns, directing its flames toward me. With a power jump, I leap above them with my katana poised high above my head. As I drop, I swing the blade against the dragon’s shoulder. It pierces through the thick skin, eliciting another deafening rumble from deep in its throat.
I fall into a crouch, but I didn’t plan my move with precision, and end up not taking into account the dragon’s spiked tail. The hit comes too fast for me to move or protect my upper body. The impact sends me flying back, and when I land roughly a few feet from its talons, I know there’s something terribly wrong with me. I can’t breathe. It feels like I’m drowning in dry land.
Wild Thing: A Vampire Paranormal Romance (Blueblood Vampires Book 2) Page 19