Dragon: The Clan Legacy Series

by J. S. Striker

  Obviously, now was not the time.

  An image of Lucinda flashed in his head as she fought the demons with him, strong and graceful in her every strike. Those eyes had flashed with emotion once or twice, telling him she wasn't the always-polished, no longer emotional Lucinda that she led everyone to believe. He remembered her lips as they sank down his wrists, drinking his blood and making warmth sink through every part of his body. He had wanted to sink into her, too—had wanted to put his hands all over her, touch all that silky skin and perhaps taste it slowly with his mouth. With his tongue.

  His cock hardened in the shower, even with the hot water still pouring down.

  Finn shook his head and fisted his hands when they started to itch. No.

  No, hell no.

  He wasn't going down that path. Shifters and vampires didn't mix—especially a common shifter and vampire royalty.

  It was a disaster in the making.

  The best thing to do was go out and slake this inconvenient lust. Get a drink, flirt with a woman, and get the vampire out of his system.

  But again, now was not the time. Lockdown, after all.

  Frustrated, Finn turned off the shower and stepped out. Still naked and wet, he continued walking until he reached the back door of the castle where he stepped out again and stared up at the clear sky.

  Then Finn decided to clear his mind for a bit and shifted, flying up and up and leaving the castle and all wayward thoughts behind.

  *****

  Lucinda stayed in the basement with Nell for days, declining to leave until the other woman was stable. Finn only managed to convince her to wash up and clean herself up on their first day there—and that had only been a few minutes as she returned to her wooden chair in record time, politely declining Finn's offer of a bed and warm food.

  That wouldn't have been a problem if she was human, and he could just bring her any food from the kitchen from time to time. His cook was fantastic, and had stocked the fridge with food ready to heat up before leaving for a vacation. But Lucinda needed blood—hadn't had it for days, and the stress showed on the pressure lines around her mouth and her steady, shallow breathing.

  Most vampires couldn't even last hours without blood to sustain them. Lucinda hadn't had any since the vehicle ambush, because the tiny sips she got from him didn't count.

  A few more days later and Finn finally put his foot down. Marching down the dungeons with only one intent in mind, he stood right in front of Lucinda and ignored Nell's yelling.

  He crossed his arms.

  Lucinda looked up.

  “If you don't stand up right now and go, I'm going to physically force you out of that chair and drag you out.”

  She raised a brow. “Whatever for?”

  “You need to feed. Now.”

  Surprise flickered in her eyes as their gazes held. Finn continued talking in a low tone.

  “You can pass by the back gate of the castle, as it's the only one I haven't locked at the moment. There's a forest just ahead where you can do your hunting.”

  Finn expected her to refuse primly, like she always did his other offerings. But silence permeated the air—save for the noises Nell was making, already dying down for the night—as Lucinda closed her eyes.

  She opened them back after a few seconds and finally nodded.

  They switched places right off. Just before she reached the end of the dungeon, just slightly out of his sight, her clear voice carried over to him.

  “Thank you, Finn.”

  He gave her silhouette a small salute. “Anytime.”

  When she returned a few hours later, she looked considerably fresher and brighter, like a cat that’d just lapped up a whole bowl of cream. Her skin glowed slightly under her pale demeanor as she informed him she was ready to switch places again.

  “Not fair,” Finn complained. “You haven't even slept yet. That is the second most important part of this switch.”

  “I didn't know there were parts,” Lucinda intoned suspiciously.

  Finn gave her his patented charming grin. “Oh, there are lots of parts. So go get on with the second most important part and come back when you're done.”

  Lucinda now looked amused. “Fine, I will get on with the second most important part.”

  When she came back in the morning, Nell was awake—fully awake and begging to be taught to resist the temptation to kill.

  *****

  When Finn opened one of his communication portals for a few minutes to check if he had any important messages, his phone beeped nonstop. Four messages stood out, and he read them all twice.

  From Henrik: I want a full report when you come back to New York headquarters. So will Masters. Be prepared.

  From Charlie: My mission's not quite as adventurous as yours, if I do say so myself. Heard the happening. You take care.

  From Robbie: Where the hell are you? Reply ASAP, idiot.

  From Sophia: Everyone's looking for Lucinda. Be careful and don't trust easily.

  Like he needed a reminder on the last one.

  Nell had passed the wild, crazed phase and was still alive—a testament to her mental strength. But then again, one had to be mentally strong to be a vampire leader's assistant. She asked Lucinda again to help her resist the temptation, this time more calmly.

  Lucinda conceded.

  They started by giving Nell blood first, for sustainment. Lucinda deliberately kept it low, in tiny sips even while Nell pleaded for more. Eventually, the pleading stopped and the sips were taken happily, no matter what animal the blood was coming from.

  There were more mental and emotional barriers Nell had to establish, and Lucinda assisted her with every little one until night ended and day came. She forgot to sleep again often, forgot to get blood on time, often resulting in Finn having to insist again until she reluctantly let him sub. Oftentimes, Nell would hiss at him, but they slowly got along as Finn chatted with her about anything and everything, reminding her of her humanity. The whole process was taxing, taking a toll on Lucinda as the bags under her eyes grew darker even when she already had time to sleep.

  This wouldn't do.

  One time, Finn fixed her coffee—a terrible idea as instead of keeping her awake, it kept her too alert and sensitized to every little detail. Lucinda's body practically vibrated on the first cup, and Finn laughed as she gave him a frosted glare and demanded he fix it.

  That was when the idea popped in his head.

  When Nell was asleep after a particularly rigorous mental training, Finn pulled Lucinda aside and handed her some clothes.

  “What–”

  “Get dressed and don't argue,” he said. “I'm opening a portal and we're going out.”

  She stared at him. “Out?”

  “Out,” Finn confirmed, putting a hand on her still-vibrating shoulder. “I'm going to fix your caffeine malfunction.”

  In other words, he was taking her out to his favorite village to de-stress.

  He knew they both needed it.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The portal where Finn led Lucinda took them to a small village in the middle of the sea, where the houses were made of huts and a small community of villagers lived. Her first look at it gave her a start of surprise, considering this wasn't the place she'd expected him to take her to.

  Night time was approaching when they arrived, and Finn led her straight to the tavern where most of the villagers apparently gathered to relax after a hard day's work. There was a low, cheerful buzz going around, and Finn led her straight to the long bar where they sat on stools beside each other.

  The bartender, a man named Jon, greeted him with friendly recognition, asking him how he was doing and how long he would be staying. Finn said something about importing the goods next week, and only staying here for a few hours as he needed to get home tonight.

  Once the bartender became preoccupied with another customer, Lucinda shot him a curious look. “What do you import?”

  “Anything and everything
. I'm the wealthy landlord who likes this village a lot and stays here from time to time. Next week they'll be in for a lot of berries and some china patterns for the women.”

  Yes, he was wealthy—the castle and the vast land it stood on were testaments to that. He had a lot of paintings and vase collections, too, sprinkled around the ancient castle and giving it a touch of modernistic style. Subtly, she let her gaze trail down his outfit, which consisted of simple, loose pants and a black shirt. She knew that he had the wraparound on his leg for the extra clothes, in case of emergency shifting—knew he had a knife strapped on his boot and a dagger on his waist.

  Wealthy warrior, more like.

  The tavern's lights were dim, accentuating the mess that was Finn's hair. It stood up straight and uncombed, red and bright and much like his personality.

  The bartender came back to take their order, and Finn took time to introduce Lucinda—his guest, whom he was touring around. The bartender politely asked her if she liked what she’d seen so far, and Lucinda replied that it was a charming little village and she couldn't wait to visit again soon.

  “That it is,” Finn agreed. “We'll have the house specialty of fish and chips and beer... if the lady here has no objection.”

  Lucinda shook her head.

  “And nice touch on the flattering,” he murmured near her ear.

  A shiver ran down her spine at the vibration of his voice. She inwardly shook it off and shrugged. “I flatter for a living.”

  The food arrived fast and hot, and they ate in companionable silence. Finn finished first and started regaling her with stories of the antics of the villagers and his dragon shifter comrades, and the way he told the stories gave her the realization that he cared for these people he was talking about—cared for them with an intense passion that vibrated in his every bone.

  The food was so delicious that Lucinda couldn't resist ordering a second batch, and finishing that, too. Then they served her sweet salad—another house specialty, creamy and refreshing.

  “You know,” Finn said, eyeing her in fascination as she spooned the cream in her mouth, “I only took the job so Robbie wouldn’t be alone. I thought you would all be menacing and merciless in the beginning.”

  “We are,” Lucinda confirmed.

  Finn snorted. “Could've fooled me.”

  Another spoonful of the dessert, then she narrowed her eyes at him. “Nell's a special case.”

  The way he remained quiet after indicated he understood. His earlier statement was mistaken, of course.

  Lucinda tilted her head, thinking it over. “You should also know I thought all shifters were rough and crude...”

  He perked up, already expecting a praise of some kind.

  “...but Henrik proved otherwise,” she finished, eyes twinkling under her lashes.

  Finn groaned, raising the glass of beer. “Damn. Touché.”

  “Finn! Oh, Finn!”

  The sultry female voice came from Lucinda's back, and she turned her head just in time to see a flash of red and the scent of roses wash over her nostrils before Finn was completely surrounded. He received the bundle with ease and accepted the hug, blue eyes warming.

  “Sandy,” he greeted warmly. “It's good to see you.”

  Finn finally tugged the woman back gently and Lucinda was treated to a view of voluptuous curves and a red top that accentuated huge breasts. Her brows went up when those breasts jiggled, the woman's hand squeezing Finn's shoulder as she fluttered her lashes.

  “It’s absolutely great to see you,” she breathed out. Her mouth went near Finn’s ear, and Lucinda’s enhanced hearing heard the whisper of missing him and his company. Then, a stream of dirty words and something about having him inside her again that had Lucinda’s brows going up again before she hid her expression behind the glass of beer.

  Finn the goof became Finn the flirt as he toyed with the woman good-naturedly without accepting her invitation—because really, that was an invitation more than anything. Instead of getting mad, the woman merely winked at him, softly rubbing up against his body once before sauntering off with a seductive sway of her hips.

  Finn’s gaze obviously appreciated the view. He took a gulp of beer before turning his gaze to Lucinda.

  “Sorry about that,” he said.

  “You don’t look sorry,” Lucinda replied.

  The answer must have surprised him, because he suddenly chuckled—a low, vibrating sound of humor that warmed up the place and made her reluctantly smile back.

  “Ah, there’s that elusive smile,” he teased.

  She would have smiled more, but a prickling in her neck told her she was being watched. Already knowing, she eased back and behaved. “Your lover is looking at us, you know.”

  “Hmm?”

  “The woman earlier.”

  “Oh.” Finn shrugged. “She’s not my lover.”

  Lucinda gave him a disbelieving look.

  “Well… not my only lover. I don’t necessarily have time for a full-time lover; I’m a very busy shifter for that.”

  Lucinda stared. “So she’s…?”

  “I slept with her once… fine, a few times. It’s all casual.”

  “So she is your lover?”

  “We don’t really define it.”

  Curious, Lucinda kept staring at him, fascinated at this new knowledge. Vampires were all about the lovers, but what she knew from outside sources was that shifters were all about their mates and lifelong commitments, and this was just too interesting and odd to ignore.

  “So you’re a ladies’ man?”

  He coughed into his drink at the term. “Jesus. If you want to call it that, then yes. Maybe.”

  Right.

  “I don’t believe you,” she scoffed.

  “Sweetheart, I am one. I could seduce any woman in this bar and trust me, they’re going to love it.”

  The gleam behind his eyes told her of some experience he’d had regarding that, but her stubbornness persisted.

  “You couldn’t seduce me,” she said confidently.

  “You haven’t even seen it yet,” he argued.

  “Oh, yes, I have,” she confirmed. “Vampires are the masters of seduction, and whatever seducing you have in mind will never be up to par.”

  Silence followed her declaration.

  Then Finn lifted his glass of beer again, the spark of a challenge in his eyes as he dared her with his next words. “We’ll just see about that now, won’t we?”

  The practical answer would have been a no. But Lucinda knew what she was talking about, so why not have a little fun for now? She could humor him.

  She lifted her glass and toasted his.

  “Do your best.”

  *****

  They drank for a few more hours, switching from beer to wine until the alcohol slowly got into their system. Finn didn’t seem to be a lightweight, considering he had more glasses than her and could still manage to rouse the tavern into a few laughs and tease her in the process. It was like their guard and leader status disappeared, and they were just two friends hanging out in a bar—the goof and the woman, looking to relax and surprisingly having fun together.

  Vampires weren’t lightweights either, but Lucinda had never really been a drinker. She felt the warmth of the alcohol settle inside her faster than it should have, just like the coffee that he’d given her earlier—a shot of zing that livened up her system more than necessary.

  Alcohol had a different effect; it made her sleepy and left her body almost numb, ready to tumble into the next shot as his jokes got funnier and the tavern looked even more welcoming.

  They finally called it quits around midnight, walking arm in arm towards the hill behind the tavern where the portal back to his castle was located. It was a pretty cool setup, if she did say so herself—and she was definitely a bit disappointed that this setup just wouldn’t work for the vampire world, because of so few loyalties between them. Shifters were all about the family and the loyalties, while her kind was all
about bloodlines and the struggle for power.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by a warm embrace, followed by a bright light that almost blinded her. She closed her eyes and clung to him, asking him what he was doing.

  “I’m bringing you back,” he murmured—and then the bright light disappeared, and they were suddenly soaking wet.

  Apparently, sudden rains in Ireland weren’t such a rare thing.

  Finn lifted his face up to the sky, reveling in the water as he laughed. “Isn’t this great?”

  “It is,” she agreed pleasantly. The rain only accentuated the beautiful night sky and the green of the fields, making it even more enchanting in her eyes. They walked out of the forest area until they reached the end, and his castle loomed straight ahead, hauntingly stunning amidst the weather.

  He tugged on her arm.

  “I bet you I can reach the castle first,” he declared. “Shifters are faster.”

  It was childish, so to speak. She really should tell him so, and ask him to walk her to the castle like a proper guard and get her there safely. Just because they had more drinks than usual—her, at least—didn’t mean they had to act like kids running around the fields, enjoying too much of the rain. She was a leader, for crying out loud.

  The thoughts shouted for attention in her head.

  Lucinda ignored them all and ran ahead.

  “In your head, maybe,” she called out behind her.

  She heard him laugh, felt the joy in her system explode in a rush as she ran like she hadn’t before, determined to reach the so-called goal first.

  She laughed when she heard him follow.

  They were still laughing when they got to the castle, reaching for the front door at almost the same time. A triumphant feeling surged inside Lucinda when her fingers reached the knob first. She pushed the heavy double doors with ease, streaking inside and on to her room.

  A force in her path stopped her, and Lucinda found herself pressed against the wall by a wet, warm body.