“I wasn’t going to leave you alone,” Francesca snapped, yanking her arm away from his grip. “Now where do we go?”
Charlie looked her in the eye. Instead of fear, there was only determination there. “We run.”
Someone in the crowd screamed, finally spotting the dead vampire.
And they both ran like hell.
*****
They kept running, even an hour later, with more vampires crossing their path every now and then. Francesca wondered out loud how the vampire leader could allow such a thing to happen, when supposedly she was allied to the shifter community. There was only one explanation, of course, one Charlie still had to confirm when he had time later to make a phone call back home—but that was only for reporting’s sake, because it was pretty much obvious.
These weren’t Lucinda’s men.
Had Lucinda sent some men, even without Dylan’s knowledge, Finn would have informed Charlie immediately.
Her vampires would also not be trying to kill them.
As it was, the running pair barely had any sleep to begin with, and Charlie could feel Francesca getting tired beside him, even when she didn’t say a thing. She wasn’t an athletic shifter—that much he deduced from observing her alone, even if she had lots of energy inside her. A quick break was what they needed—somewhere to hide and wait it out until daytime came again. While daytime wasn’t necessarily deadly to vampires, it irritated their skin and made them avoid it like the plague.
But Taipei seemed to be surrounded. If they wanted to rest, they needed to do it somewhere else.
He had no choice but to shift again.
The only area he knew nearby that would allow him to shift properly was the baseball field, an area they passed by when they were still headed for the main city. It had been crowded earlier, but it looked empty enough now as they broke the padlock on the gate and entered without preamble.
Charlie quickly divested himself of his clothes before shifting to his full form, with Francesca manning the area. He felt her freeze a few seconds later.
“Charlie…”
A hiss came from his right. He didn’t need to make any sign to ask her to ride him, because she was already scrambling on top him just as the first rogue vampire came at them. Rogue vampires were normal vampires, but the lust for blood had turned them ravenous and unable to control themselves from taking more. Charlie just had time to look one in the eye—red, crazed eyes—before the creature was lunging at him, trying to crawl up towards Francesca since it couldn’t penetrate through his scales. It snarled, skin peeling off its body as its lizard-like figure tried to tackle her.
Francesca made a move to kick, but Charlie beat her by shaking his body and smashing it with his tail. The snarling creature quieted as it was crushed, blood splattering on the ground.
The rogue’s stink hit his nostrils, strong and foul. More snarls came as more rogues ran inside the baseball field.
“Oh, God,” Francesca muttered in disbelief.
Charlie did his best to fight all he could. But the more he stayed on the ground, the more Francesca became vulnerable—and it was her they wanted to prey on, considering they couldn’t kill him. With one last smash of his tail, Charlie raised his wings in the air and ascended, shaking off the blood and stench that had now surrounded his scales as he flew up and away from the field filled with rogues below. Taipei was going to be dangerous tonight, and he had to warn someone.
But first, he had to escape with Francesca.
She shivered above him, and he realized they hadn’t added to their thin clothes as the flight was so unexpected. He did his best to stick away from the clouds this time, where the cold would render her chilly.
They needed to find shelter soon.
CHAPTER NINE
They descended a few hours later into an unknown town where they stole some coats to look at least presentable and went inside the town’s hotel to check in for the night. Charlie sternly specified to the concierge to have dinner served in ten minutes and their fridge stocked, and not to be bothered at all for any other trivial matters during their stay.
The money he produced was enough to have the staff agreeing to their demands. Immediately, they were taken to a standard-sized room with a queen bed with soft-looking sheets that made Francesca want to rejoice. Unfortunately, it only had one bed, and it was the only room available as they were all booked.
“We’ll take it,” Charlie said.
Then they were left alone.
They got rid of their coats, and Francesca finally noticed now that they were in the light that Charlie’s body was covered with blood. Judging from the stench, it wasn’t his blood at all. He looked down at what she was staring at, almost as if realizing it just now, too.
“I’ll take a quick shower,” he said. “Make sure to lock all doors after room service comes in.”
Francesca nodded, sitting on the floor so as not to ruin the bed yet. It wasn’t like she smelled that good, either.
Ten minutes on the dot, room service knocked to serve their dinner in a covered tray and stock their fridge. When they were gone, Francesca locked all the doors and double-checked everything before removing the tray covers one by one.
Roasted chicken with gravy. Potato pie. Pineapple rice. Her mouth watered, but she decided to wait for Charlie to finish his shower so they could eat together.
“Your turn.”
His voice startled her, because she hadn’t heard him come out. Charlie was rubbing his damp hair with a towel, and he was wearing gray sweatpants and nothing else. The sight made her mouth dry, and she quickly turned away and cleared her throat.
“Right.”
“Wait.”
A hand touched her ankle, and Francesca looked down in surprise. There was dried blood there, something she hadn’t noticed earlier.
“Does this hurt?” Charlie asked, thumb smoothing over the gash beneath the blood.
Her cheeks heated, even while a flicker of pain passed. “Not much. I…didn’t even notice.”
He nodded. “All right. Go take your shower. I’ll fix this after.”
His hand had stayed on her ankle, warm and surprisingly comforting. A low ball of heat curled inside Francesca, one that was unwelcome.
“Okay.”
Abruptly, she stood up and went for the bathroom.
Hell, she practically ran for it.
After the shower, he did good with his promise to fix her up, using the first aid kit that the hotel had in one of their drawers. She’d washed the clothes she had on while in the shower, and had no choice but to settle for the hotel pajama set while waiting for her clothes to dry out.
Charlie had done a basic warding technique on the doors and windows, using materials like salt and some onyx stones. Then they sat together to eat their meal in companionable silence, and in minutes, all the food on the tray was gone. Still being hungry, Francesca wandered to the fridge where she found some Belgian chocolates in stock. She took one and bit into the piece, feeling the creaminess melting in her mouth. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him watching.
She held out her hand where the remaining piece was. “Have some.”
He shook his head. “Unhealthy.”
Francesca snorted. “Not everything has to be healthy.”
Charlie gave her a small smile, preparing some blankets for bed. “I try to keep my control on that matter as much as possible.”
She rolled her eyes. Then, feeling mischievous, Francesca casually strode towards him until she was standing right in front of him. She leaned her head forward.
“Charlie?”
“Hmm?”
“Where are you sleeping?”
“Well, since there’s just—”
Without preamble, she inserted the piece into his mouth before he could continue talking, keeping her finger there so he wouldn’t let it out. Charlie blinked, his only indication of surprise. She expected him to remain stiff, to keep his composure until she got tired of him.
I
nstead, Charlie’s tongue took the chocolate, licking her finger in the process as he ate it. Her breath left her lungs at the heat, and a small ball of spark started in her stomach and lingered. Her mind wandered to the places his tongue could heat her up, and she cursed herself for her wayward thoughts.
Abruptly, she pulled her finger away.
“We need to get some rest before we find the witch,” Charlie said, as if nothing had happened. “Do you want me to sleep on the floor?”
“I…you can sleep on the other side of the bed. I don’t care.”
Charlie nodded. Then he prepared both sides in silence.
*****
Francesca couldn’t sleep. She did her best to resist tossing and turning like she used to when she couldn’t sleep, so as not to bother him. Because of that, she ended up lying straight on her back, stiff as a board and feeling antsy. Charlie’s even breathing somewhat calmed her down, and she ended up staring at the ceiling and trying to count sheep. Then, dragons.
“Can’t sleep?”
Charlie’s low, semi-sleepy voice filled the room, and Francesca kept staring at the ceiling. He didn’t move, so she deduced he was doing the same on his side of the bed.
“Yeah. We’re doomed for tomorrow, I suppose.”
“Not necessarily,” Charlie said. “Determination and adrenaline can go miles before exhaustion will take over.”
There was something hidden in his tone, and she bit her lip trying to analyze it. In the end, Francesca gave up and glanced at him.
“I will do whatever is necessary to stop exhaustion from taking over.”
“It won’t stop it in the end,” he said mildly.
“I’m very determined.”
“You’re not trained for this.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“You could die.”
“I want this. Badly. It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
His body moved beside her, and Francesca glanced over again to see that he had changed position to the side so he could face her. She whipped her eyes back to the ceiling, determined not to look.
“Sometimes it may not be worth it.”
Francesca stayed silent for a few seconds, trying to organize the words in her head.
“How long have you been flying?” she asked lightly.
“Hmm?”
“Flying, shifting. Since you were…what, ten?”
“Younger,” he replied. “I was the youngest shifter among us, gaining the ability at three years old. That was…years ago.”
“And how does it feel?”
Charlie didn’t respond for a while, making her think that perhaps he had fallen asleep. But he spoke a few seconds later. “I was scared at first. I was three, and things hadn’t really been explained to me yet. On my first attempt, I panicked in flight and shifted back to my human form, then fell and broke some of my bones.”
Francesca imagined it—the fear of falling, the innocence of a young boy who had a skill but didn’t know how to use it. She’d bet anything he tried not to cry, too—tried to take it like a man, and become even more determined to push through on the next flight.
“Mighty brave boy you were,” she murmured with a smile.
“More like foolish.”
“No, brave,” she insisted. Forgetting the ceiling, Francesca shifted positions too until she was facing him, and they eyed each other levelly. “You were brave, and that's what I want to be. You were free, too. I want all of that.”
“The freedom?”
“Everything,” she said. “The freedom of shifting, of no pain. I should be a shifter by nature, yet for the life of me, I can't do it. I want it so badly.”
She wanted a lot of things so badly. Her heart screamed there was one more thing she wanted, but she ignored its shout and focused on something else.
“I also want to feel beautiful again,” she confessed in a whisper, almost ashamed of the statement. But it was the truth, and she didn't want to lie now.
Silence met her statement, and Francesca turned until she was lying on the other side, facing the wall. She felt him move beside her, perhaps to turn to his side of the wall, and that was that. Francesca closed her eyes. Then—
“You're beautiful,” he murmured in a low, sincere—husky—voice.
Her eyes flew open. Francesca stared blindly at the wall as she absorbed his words, as her heart took it in. She heard his soft breathing, couldn't tell if he had fallen asleep or not.
You're beautiful.
The words surrounded her like a blanket, emotions rushing all over each other. Exhaustion finally took over, and Francesca closed her eyes again and succumbed to it.
Her sleep was dreamless and wonderful.
*****
She woke up in the middle of the night, when a voice murmured in her half state of sleep and something warm settled on her mouth. She thought it was a kiss, and like a fool, opened her mouth to willingly respond. The force on her mouth did not budge, and that made Francesca realize that she wasn't being kissed.
She was being kidnapped.
Her eyes flew open instantly, and she thrashed her body before she could fully see. A body trapped her from above, and she would have struggled further if not for the scent that drifted through her nostrils—that of clean, warm male. Charlie.
Charlie was above her and trying to get her to quiet down.
Another scent hit her nostrils—similar to the one in the baseball field, reeking of something dark and horrible. She froze, gaze holding Charlie's as he slowly slid his hand off, brought his head closer.
“Rogues and vamps at the door,” he said quietly, placing his hands at her sides and shifting them slowly. Then, his arms. “I've got the map here, some food, and your clothes. We will need to fly through the window to get away.”
She could barely hear him, but she heard enough to make her nod.
“When I release you, you are to run to the window and unlock it. Then jump on my back as fast as you can.”
She nodded again, prepared herself to move.
“But first, we need a distraction. Moan loudly.”
At first she thought she was hearing it wrong—or was dreaming some soft, erotic dream. But Charlie placed his lips on her ear, tickling it with her breath. His voice was practical when he repeated his instructions. “Moan. They need to think we're...busy.”
Busy. Oh, God.
Reluctantly, Francesca moaned. It was soft and unconvincing, and his mouth nipped her ear to tell her so. The action sent a shot of hot sensations running through her body, and startled, she surged up against him until they were body to body, heat to heat.
She moaned—for real this time.
The heat left her, and it took her a second to realize Charlie had left. Remembering what she was supposed to do, she slid out of bed and crawled towards the window, hand reaching out to unlock it.
A low, sexy groan came from behind her, and the answering throb in her had her freezing.
“Hurry,” he muttered.
The moment was gone. Francesca unlocked the window, and it slid open without so much as a whispering hiss.
What happened next was too fast for her to absorb fully—vampires breaking the ward, the rogues surrounding the room and crawling up the ceiling. One of the rogues started to leap for her, but a claw grabbed her arm first, yanking her harshly towards the open window. Francesca fell down, Charlie beside her, and she forgot how to scream as the ground rushed up to meet her.
Then he was shifting fully, soaring up abruptly and taking her with him. Francesca started to slide, but managed to grab on to a scale and painstakingly mount up, until her position was secure and she was no longer in danger of falling.
They flew. They flew towards the sky, away from the vampires trying to kill them and into the sun that was just starting to rise.
CHAPTER TEN
Since staying in the city was tedious and would just keep drawing the radar of the vampires trying to get to them, Charlie had decided mid-f
light that they had better get to their destination soon and get it over with. He'd sent a message yesterday to Henrik to inform him of the situation, and had gotten a few missed calls since. He hadn't answered any yet, as he knew the dragon leader would simply order him to abandon the mission for now and have Lucinda deal with the vampires first. There was a message about Oscar possibly being involved. Oscar was the head of the vampire governing council, and one of Lucinda's non-supporters in politics—something about him not in line with her civil method of finding Mya, and wanting to get the deed of capturing her done with his own hands and own men.
Meaning Francesca was collateral damage, if that were to proceed.
Meaning, he couldn't follow Henrik yet, because he needed to protect Francesca.
A dragon not following his dragon leader was against an instinct ingrained since the start of time, and he simply couldn't disobey—which was why ignoring the calls was the only option now until he found a better solution.
First things first: find the witch, get the potion. He could think about taking Mya later, when this was over and done with.
Then, maybe Francesca.
Charlie's mind went back to their conversation in the hotel. He remembered the wistfulness in her voice, the desire to shift that called out to him. If anything, when all this was over, he vowed he was going to do his best to help her out, if only with that.
Francesca leaned to the side on top of him, and he had to snort through his snout loudly to get her attention. He felt her go rigid, her fingers freezing against his scales.
“I'm up, I'm up,” she grumbled. He felt her go on alert again, and smiled inwardly.
The map was in the pouch he had around his leg, but there was no need to take it out as he'd already memorized its contents. There was a cave in the mountain region of Taiwan that was invisible to the human eye, one not found in the map, but Mya had drawn there. If they got there, they would have a starting point. With that in mind, Charlie kept on flying, skipping breakfast and doing his best to keep her awake as much as possible. He heard her stomach grumble, felt her search inside the hastily-packed hotel bag for food. She came up with some apples, grumbling under her breath about his healthy pick. He bared his teeth in amusement as she reluctantly ate.
Dragon: The Clan Legacy Series Page 32