Blood at Stake (Warriors of the Krieger Book 2)

by Theresa Hissong

Well, hell. “Yes,” I snarled. “You are no fun.”

  “Never said I was,” he smirked, just the corner of his lip twisted.

  “And you’d tell Ashby if I tried to give you the slip, huh?” I smiled, not really angry at the man. He was a warrior and trained to anticipate anything…even watching over a stubborn redhead.

  “You better believe your ass I will,” he nodded.

  I went to the kitchen, finding a bottle of red wine and a pint of blood in the refrigerator. I pulled a goblet out of the cabinet while the blood warmed in the microwave. I mixed the wine and blood together in a fifty-fifty mix, then decided to go a little heavy on the liquor. With everything going on, I thought I deserved something to relax me. As I walked back into the living room, Harlow raised a brow at my cup, but didn’t say anything when I took a seat on the couch I’d just been pacing in front of for most of the evening.

  I shot a text to Meadow and told her I wouldn’t be in tonight. She replied that everything was under control at the club. Charity was at the mansion doing her head-of-the-estate duties and here I was…alone.

  The sound of soft footsteps approached, and I stood up to see who was arriving, but Harlow zipped past me, holding his hand up in silence, telling me to stay back. He peeked through the little hole in the door and relaxed his hand on the gun at his hip.

  “Lady Elise is here to see you,” he announced, opening the door with a bow, fist over heart. “My lady.”

  “Thank you,” she smiled, stepping through the doorway.

  “Hello, Lady Elise,” I said, standing up to greet her.

  “Please, just call me Elise,” she chuckled. “These brutes are always formal, and it drives me nuts!”

  “Glad I’m not the only one,” I glared at Harlow over my shoulder. He just shrugged and resumed his position against the wall.

  I’d met Elise when Charity had been brought to the mansion for her safety when the Lycanthropes were terrorizing the town. Tonight, Elise was dressed down in jeans and a cute purple blouse that buttoned down the front. She looked very young, maybe in her early twenties. Her hair was long and jet black. Her eyes matched my own mated pair, and her accent was thick and sounded Romanian.

  “Would you like a drink?” I asked, holding up my cup.

  “Wine mix?” she asked, raising a brow. The corner of her lip lifted in a quirky smile. I really liked her. She’d fit in great with me and Charity.

  “Yes,” I smiled.

  On her nod, I made my way to the kitchen, Elise following behind. “What can I do for you?” I handed her the warm wine/blood concoction and chuckled when she moaned at the taste.

  “I just wanted to check on you,” she said. “I’ve been worried as to why these humans want your blood specifically.”

  “I’ve been thinking the same thing,” I admitted.

  “This is why I stay on the estate and at our home,” she sighed. “If anyone found out that I’m a Born Blood, then I would be hunted and destroyed like my family.” I saw a hint of sadness reach her eyes, but quickly vanished as she turned up her goblet, downing the rest of her drink.

  “So, what is it about my blood that is so special? And how do they know about me?” I wondered aloud.

  “Hopefully Ashby will find out,” she said.

  “I don’t want to be stuck here,” I admitted. “I have to work, and I have a business to run.”

  “But is your business worth risking your life?” she asked, causing me to curse at the truth to her statement.

  “No,” I said, shaking my head. “No, it’s not.”

  “Come on,” she smiled. “Let’s have another glass of wine and watch television. There’s nothing we can do until the warriors return for the evening.”

  “You’re right,” I smiled, but it didn’t reach my eyes.

  Elise left around two in the morning, saying she wanted to take care of some things at her house before sunrise. I hugged her when she left and thanked her for coming over to keep me company.

  Harlow never left his post by the wall, standing where he could see all access points in the room. From where he stood, he could see the front and back doors and most of the windows on the main floor. Ignoring him, I stood up and made my way to the back of the house.

  I decided to take a shower and braid my hair before sunrise. Ashby’s bedroom was in the back of the house and there were no windows in the enclosed room. A steel door sealed tight when we took to our death sleep each day.

  The shower was hot and welcomed. The dark tiles in his masculine bathroom made the room feel more comfortable, and I found myself resting my forehead against them as I let the heated water trail over my body. I rubbed my neck where the bullet had entered, still feeling the phantom sizzle of my flesh as the enchanted metal almost took my life. I wrung my hand over my wrist, remembering where the chains had draped across them as I was pinned to the table in the cabin when those men took my blood. I could’ve been raped and killed, but my mate found me and saved me.

  The sound of the front door closing shook me out of my thoughts. A heartbeat later, Ashby was sliding in the shower, taking me into his arms.

  “Hey, love,” he whispered, cupping my face so that he could look into my eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  “Oh, nothing,” I sighed, closing my eyes and just letting his touch soothe me. “I was just lost in my thoughts.”

  “You’re safe,” he promised.

  “I know,” I replied, kissing his strong jaw. He cupped my face gently in his massive hand and touched his lips to my own.

  We spent the rest of the night chasing the sun as we found pleasure in each other’s arms.

  Chapter 22

  Ashby

  “There’s been another body found,” Dragus cursed. “We have to head out. Be ready in fifteen minutes.”

  It’d been a week since I’d tried to keep Lydia from going into the club to work, but that only lasted one night. She’d been back at work the next night, but this time with Charity and four Krieger guards to keep them safe.

  “Yes, sir,” I replied, turning off the computer in my office.

  Rowland met me at the office door, his blue-black eyes searched my face. “How’s Lydia holding up?”

  “As well as she can, giving the situation,” I cursed. “I have a bad feeling that something’s going to happen to her, and I worry every time she is away from me.”

  “Harlow is a strong warrior. He will protect her,” he said.

  “I know he will,” I growled, following Rowland down the hallway and out toward the parking lot. Powle and Bastian took a separate vehicle, while Dragus, Rowland, and I piled into the other SUV.

  As Dragus drove, I closed my eyes and reached out for her with my mind. All I felt was her presence and nothing else. I wished we could communicate the way Dragus and Charity could with their minds. I was just thankful that in extreme circumstances, Lydia could call out for me like she did when those men had her in the cabin.

  “They are fine,” Dragus chuckled. “Charity and Lydia are in their offices and Harlow, Brock, Adam, and William are all there keeping an eye on things.”

  “Okay,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose.

  As we rounded the corner of Newton Road, several police cars lined the road in front of the farm house where the body was found. Several human officers mulled around, looking grim. Dragus parked the truck and we all exited the vehicle about the time Bastian and Powle were arriving.

  “Thanks for coming, Krieger,” an officer said, walking up to us with his hand out. We made our introductions. “My name is Matthew Constantine, and I will be working with you to find out who is behind all of these murders.”

  “What happened inside?” I asked, peeking over the man’s shoulder. The detective was a few inches shorter than my six foot four. He looked to be in his early forties, and he kept his brown hair cut tight to his scalp. His blue eyes appeared to be older than he was, and I’d bet he’d seen more than most men his age.

  “There is a h
uman female, age twenty-three, drained of blood inside the upstairs bedroom,” he cursed. “These women we keep finding are in their early twenties and that pattern concerns me.”

  “What concerns you the most?” Dragus asked.

  “They are all the perfect age for breeding,” he said, handing over a packet of paperwork sealed in a manila envelope. “The autopsies have come back and most of them had been raped. Can you tell me anything to help me put these puzzle pieces together?”

  “What?” I cursed. I felt my blood surging through my veins at the thought of these women being tied down and taken against their will. If a vampire raped them, that alone could kill them. We didn’t have sexual relations with humans for the simple fact of our strength and the heat of the moment, could hurt them…possibly kill them.

  “Can your race breed?” he asked.

  “Hell no,” Dragus cursed. “What in the hell is going on?”

  “These women were in the part of their cycle where they could reproduce when they were drained of blood. Whoever had them tried to get them pregnant as they introduced the vampire blood into their system.” The officer ran his hand through his hair and cursed. “Can you tell us why they would be wanting to breed vampire children?”

  Dragus looked at the four of us sending a silent message as to if we thought it would be okay to tell the human officer about the Born Bloods. There was nothing we could do to keep it from them and all of us knew it. We all gave a short nod of agreement and watched as Dragus pulled the human off to the side to speak to him in private.

  “I want to know who the hell is doing this,” I cursed, my hands clenched at my sides.

  “We will find out,” Powle said. “This is why Elise doesn’t leave the estate.”

  “She knows that it’s dangerous, brother,” Bastian said, gripping his twin on top of his shoulder and looking deep into his eyes. Something passed between the two men, and I looked away at the bond they had together.

  “We need to get with Doctor Mason and find out if he can find out biologically if these changelings can reproduce,” Dragus said as he walked up to where we were all standing. “Because whoever is trying to force change on these human females…I have a feeling they are trying to breed an army, and that is something that we do not want on our hands.”

  “Damn,” I cursed, looking at my fellow warriors. “It’s time we sweep the city. I want these people found and brought in for punishment. If they are out for my mate’s blood and end up getting to her again, I will not be responsible for the destruction I may cause.”

  “Agreed,” Powle and Bastian replied instantly.

  “Let’s regroup back at the estate,” Dragus said, conviction evident in his voice. “Rowland, I want you to head to the hospital and meet with the good doctor. We will gather recruits to hit the streets for any information they can find. It’s time we end this.”

  Chapter 23

  Lydia

  Harlow was standing at the entrance with our bouncer, Gunther. The two of them looked like twin towers of destruction as my employee checked ID’s and let customers into the club. Charity was in her office doing payroll for the week while her guards were in the back making sure no one breathed on her wrong. That poor girl didn’t like all of the security, but accepted it because she was sickeningly in love with her warrior and head Krieger of Port Royal, Master Dragus. I accepted my one bodyguard and didn’t protest him following me around…much.

  Meadow was on a break, leaving me to wait her tables. I’d made my rounds, removing glasses from empty tables. I wiped down a booth and nodded for Gunther that he could let in another group waiting to get inside.

  Tonight was extremely busy, and I loved nights like this. We always made a killing and left our customers smiling as they walked out the door. Nights was the premiere vampire only club in the area because we worked our asses off for years to keep this place at the top, and everyone who walked into the building knew we were a high-class establishment. We didn’t have dirty back rooms where vampires could get a snack or have sex up against dirty walls. There were other clubs in town, but they were usually shut down for sordid happenings in their filthy back rooms. Drugs, humans and sex were not allowed here, because it only caused trouble.

  “Hello, love,” a familiar voice spoke from behind me. I jumped with a start and spun around to see the one person I hadn’t expected to be in my club.

  “Walter,” I said, averting my eyes. “What brings you here?”

  “What’s wrong, Lydia? Why won’t you look at me?” Walter stepped closer, and I took a step back. How the hell was I going to tell the man who warmed my sheets for the past eighty years that I wasn’t available anymore?

  “I…um,” I paused, steeling my nerves and looking up into his eyes. “I’ve been wonderful, Walter. We need to talk.”

  “Mercy,” he gasped. It only took him about half of a second before he bowed low before me. “Who is the lucky warrior?”

  “Krieger Ashby and I mated just a few weeks ago,” I answered.

  “Are you…happy?” he asked, but gritted his teeth.

  “Very much so,” I replied, truthfully.

  “That was awfully fast,” he chuckled, darkly. “We were just together three months ago. Are you sure you love this Krieger?” The way he said Krieger sounded like he was spitting out something filthy from his mouth.

  “It happened very fast,” I said, stepping aside from a couple that was getting up to leave. “I’m sticking with my decision, Walter. I love him.”

  “Sure,” he said, glaring at my newly transformed eyes.

  “Would you like to come to my office? So we can talk about this?” I asked. “I don’t want you to be angry with me, Walter. You’ve always been a good friend to me.”

  “Friend!” Walter growled, blood filling his eyes as his anger bubbled. “Eighty years! Eighty years I courted you and…nothing! You are nothing more than a cheap wh…”

  He didn’t finish what he was saying, because I clocked him in the mouth with a well-placed punch to his jaw. That just angered him even more. When he spun around, I gasped as he reached for me with his left hand…his right was balled into a fist, and I knew he was about to strike me. I tried to pull away, but Walter grasped my upper arm in his tight grip, his fangs were long and deadly in his mouth. I closed my eyes and waited for him to deliver the blow.

  That strike never came, because Harlow was suddenly there, pushing my ex-lover to the ground with a knee to the back of his neck. “Are you okay, Lydia?” Harlow looked up from his spot on the floor, checking me over with his eyes.

  “I’m fine,” I said, biting my cheek to keep from crying.

  Sudden chaos erupted in the club when gunshots sounded from the front doors. Gunther took a bullet to his side and immediately growled out a curse. Vampires scattered, most of them heading for the fire exits at the back of the building.

  Walter was released as Harlow shoved him away in his attempt to protect me. I gasped as a bullet hit the table next to me, slivers of wood raining down as I was taken to the ground by my bodyguard.

  “Are you hit?” he growled, pulling a weapon from a hidden holster at his side. “Answer me!”

  “N…no,” I cried. “What’s going on?”

  “Human hate group,” he cursed, pulling me close to his side. “We are going to run to…fuck!”

  I started to ask what the hell he was about to say, when I heard glass shatter. Harlow snatched me up from our spot on the floor and then we were running. The scent of gasoline tickled my nose as we reached the back door of the building.

  In an instant, my world slowed to an almost nonexistent speed. Customers and employees ran around us, calling out for their partners and friends. I looked over Harlow’s shoulder as he reached the back exit to the building. A flash of blinding light was the only warning before my club exploded in a fiery ball of wood, glass and metal.

  Harlow was blown off his feet, tossing both of our bodies, along with my customers and employees, ou
t into the alleyway behind the club. Car alarms sounded and people screamed in pain and fear. My head cracked against the hard pavement, causing stars to dance across my vision. The stench of charred flesh and the alluring scent of blood surrounded me as I lay completely still in the parking lot.

  “Lydia!” Charity screamed, tears clogging her voice as she dropped to her knees over me. “Oh, thank heavens you are okay.”

  “Charity, we have to move,” Adam barked behind her, lifting her up and over his massive shoulder. “Harlow will take her.”

  Shaking my head, I tried to sit up, but my brain felt heavy, and I slumped back onto the ground, but I wasn’t there long. Harlow cradled me to his chest as he ran toward the Krieger Hummer parked at the back of the lot.

  “You’re bleeding,” he cursed. When I looked at my guard, his fangs were extended, long and thick. Blood trailed down the left side of his face from a gash at his hairline.

  “So are you,” I said, relaxing in his arms.

  Sirens wailed from a distance. Adam placed Charity in the back of the SUV and moved out of the way so that Harlow could place me next to her. We immediately wrapped our arms around each other, crying for all we were worth.

  “Are you okay?” I asked, leaning back to check her over. “Oh! Charity, you have a gash on your chest.” In fact, her shirt was ripped from the collar at the neck, down across the front and thankfully it stopped just above her breasts. The gash was deep.

  “It doesn’t hurt,” she sighed, closing her eyes. I ran my hand over her beautiful, long blonde hair.

  “Feed,” I ordered, holding my wrist up to her mouth.

  “I’ll be okay,” she said, leaning back on the seat. “You are bleeding, too. Let our mates get here, and they can feed us. I’m not taking blood from you.”

  “It’s all gone,” I cried, looking at the destruction of our club when the fire department arrived. Several men hurried out of the huge red vehicle and started hooking up hoses to run water to the building.