by Sophia North
Her hands went protectively to cover her womb as she walked. A girl. Her and Vlad's daughter.
Penny choked back the tears rising in her throat. The thought that Vlad would never know he was going to be a father, cut to the bone. He may have had reservations at first, given his past. But once the news had sunk in, she knew he'd be thrilled.
Having a child would mean their love would carry on long after Penny was gone. And Vlad would have the eternal purpose of keeping his family safe. Their family. And if they could have one child, surely there'd be many more.
Determined to do everything in her power to stop whatever Haan had planned, Penny drew in a deep breath as she approached the stone circle. She was the Dragon now. And if Haan believed her simple parlour trick earlier was the extent of her power, he'd soon learn the error of his judgement.
As it stood, he'd already revealed his hand slightly on the extent of his knowledge on Dragon powers. It was not up to par. Otherwise, he'd never have insisted Penny dress in her ceremonial cloak and golden girdle as part of the ritual.
Looked like Haan was not so 'Great' after all.
Penny marched along the avenue of torch light, eager for the fight. Haan should never underestimate a dragon's love for her children.
The circle of Rats around the circumference of the standing stones parted when they were whistled to do so. It was then, Penny saw exactly what Haan had planned.
In the centre of the stones were two pyres, and one was already occupied. Tied to a stake, with her long white hair unbound, her grandmother stood defiantly, dressed in nothing but her floor-length cotton nightgown.
Penny would have stumbled from the shock had it not been the piercing green stare of her grandmother's gaze meeting hers. It demanded Penny to stand tall and that retribution would soon be theirs, she just needed to be patient. Quite the communicators, her Gran's eyes. The old woman didn't need to speak the words.
Haan watched the exchange, impressed by the strength he witnessed. Too bad it wouldn't save them. "Penny, welcome to the end. I thought the torch walk a nice touch, wouldn't you agree? The old demented lady came with the package. She's on her way out, but why take any chances? Better to eradicate the entire bloodline in one go - except for the bun in the oven. Also, I'm pretty sure she had a hand in Vlad's escape. Naughty granny."
Penny inhaled sharply. Vlad was free. And more importantly, alive. She'd feared Haan may have already ended his life, now that the need for his continued existence was no longer relevant.
Desperate to search for his face in the crowd, she willed herself not to and didn't. Haan was watching her like a hawk, hoping to see the first chink in her armour of indifference.
"You MacGregor women are the strong silent type I see. Reginald, let's test their threshold, shall we? Light the old one's pyre and see if she screams."
Chapter Thirty-Eight
THE WHOOSH OF THE FLAMES carried Penny's screams to the heavens. But there were no angels listening, only the vile daemon responsible standing beside her.
The crackle and pop of the inferno devoured Esmeralda MacGregor within seconds. The intensity of the heat burned Penny's cheeks as she sobbed and screamed until the fire died down to a steady blaze.
"I have to hand it to the old bird, that was one hell of a death," Haan hooted, clearly impressed by Essie's utter silence throughout her death sentence. "Did you know one of the twin's burnt at the stake was also called Esmeralda? The other was Astrid. Shame your mother called you Penny. It would have been nice for the pair to burn again. The last time your ancestors roasted, I was unfortunately dead."
"Ah-ah, wee Thistle. Not yet," Penny's grandmother whispered in her ear, undetected by anyone else. "There be more to come. Be strong, Dragon. Ye'll know when it be time to strike. And remember...I'll always love ye."
And with that, her Gran's spirit was gone.
Squaring her shoulders, Penny notched her chin, to glare down her nose at Haan. "You're not fit to even speak her name. Does killing old women make you feel powerful? Not so Great now, are you? More like very little."
Haan roared and grabbed her by her throat. "I'm going to enjoy fucking you before driving my dagger into your heart. And I hope Vlad is watching," he spat in her face. Forcefully exposing her neck to him, he traced his finger along her jugular, dropping his voice to a low whisper. "I'll rip into this, the moment I enter you."
He carried on moving his finger to the Dragon broach holding her cloak together. Unfastening it, he jerked the garment from her, leaving her naked. Using his thumb, her brushed her nipple. "But first, I'll suck these right off. Literally." Then splaying his large hand across her belly, his long fingers ran over her womanhood and were about to enter her when a pitiful 'meow' stopped the invasion.
Penny gasped. "Leo!"
Haan was livid at being interrupted, he was just about to reveal his ultimate goal to the proud cunt. His intention to magically steal the child in her womb.
"I fucking hate cats," he roared and made to kick the black and white away. And that momentary lapse was all it took. Leo bounded off before the boot was able to connect, but Haan ended up on his ass by the jerk of an invisible hand. It was Vlad, in his invisible form, who'd put him there.
Haan bellowed and rushed to his feet, swinging his fists this way and that, searching for his invisible assailant. Grabbing a fistful of sand, Haan threw it in a wide arc. "Show yourself, bastard. I know it's you, even when cloaked by invisibility. Which means that bitch Mariam is here too."
Penny's eyes widened. Vlad was here! She wanted to cry out his name, but remained silent. Leo was behind her, apparently licking the ropes that bound her and she didn't want to draw Haan's attention to the black and white's presence. Her instincts told her she'd soon be free, as long as she trusted Leo.
So she did. Despite wanting to use the power felt building within to break free and join Vlad in the fight against their enemy.
Vlad had just succeeded on launching Haan through the air to smack into one of the larger stones in the circle, when Haan cried out, "Igor, what the fuck are you waiting for? Do it! Damn the consequences."
His loyal servant immediately responded by removing a large tuning fork from his belt and struck it against the standing stone where he was stationed. The loud dong reverberated around the inner stones, and as it did so, all the magic within the circle was broken.
Vlad was revealed. But so too was the genuine Darius, Haan's hold over him had also ended. The two vamps stood ten paces apart from one another.
"Brother, take Penny and run!" Darius cried, lifting the dagger Haan had on him to plunge into Penny's heart. He intended to stab it into his own heart instead.
Seeing what his brother was about to do, Vlad spun on his heel to race to her side. Their eyes met, they were about to free. Penny's heart rose. Nothing would ever part them again once she was back in his arms.
Then everything went into slow motion. Vlad lifted his foot, about to take the first step on his way. Instead his body arched forward as the tip of a dagger slid out from his chest.
Vlad's face froze, he looked down and saw it. The dagger had gone straight through his heart. Crumpling, behind him stood Darius, who was Haan once again.
Wrenching the blade from Vlad's back, Haan wiped it clean on the fallen vamp's shirt, then flipped it in the air and caught it by the hilt. "He should have been faster," he remarked dryly. "He almost had me beaten."
Penny stopped thinking clearly. Her rage, her fury could not be articulated. She didn't scream, she didn't speak. But what she did was become the Dragon Unleashed.
Her hands were free, thanks to Leo. Not that it would have mattered if they weren't. She would have ripped them from their bonds easily, so great was her fury.
Lifting her hands, she released a spew of fire straight out from her palms. It could reach any distance she desired, so she made good use of it by torching every Rat soldier she could lay eyes on.
Their perfect formation broke ranks as they ran
screaming all over the place. Those believing themselves to be safe on the distant walls were in for a surprise when she set them alight too. They tried to pitch themselves into the crashing sea below, but it was no escape, save to extinguish their sizzling corpses and bring about a quicker death.
Satisfied with the annihilation of the Rat army, Penny turned her attention to her true prey, Haan. And there he stood, Vlad's stabbed body hauled up to his chest, his dagger poised at Vlad's throat.
"Fuck, that's one hell of a retort!" Haan shouted before softening his tone. "Easy there, pet. Get a hold of yourself. You know the Watcher way, Hearts and Heads. And I'd hate to ruin the burial by removing his unnecessarily."
Penny's chest heaved from her exertions, but it wasn't going to slow her down. A wall of flames flaring to life in front of her, however, prevented any further attack. Haan had managed to distract her long enough to allow Igor to set her pyre alight.
Through the flickering flames, Haan's face grinned wickedly. He dropped Vlad's body to the ground and sheathed his dagger, thinking he'd won. Silly creature.
Raising her hands again, this time Penny emanated shafts of ice from them. Fire and Ice, the ultimate in Dragon power.
The flames of the pyre dissipated under the shower of ice pellets. Haan, wearing Darius's handsome face, looked utterly shocked. If only he'd spent a few more hours studying Dragon lore. He thought they were simply incredibly powerful witches, but they were more, so much more.
Penny advanced, shooting intermittent shafts of fire and ice at Haan's head, as he tried to hide behind various stones. She didn't want him to die too quickly. Her pain demanded a prolonged death to match it.
Doooonnnng.
Suddenly, her magic ceased. Shaking her hands, Penny tried shooting fire again. Nothing. Not even the tiniest inkling of a spark or shard.
Doooonnnng. Again the tuning fork rang. The damn thing was interfering with her magic. Furious, Penny searched the perimeter for the culprit, expecting to find Haan's sycophant Igor behind it. It wasn't.
The guilty party was instead, a beautiful woman, striding into the stone circle like an Amazon warrior. She showed no fear whatsoever on her flawless porcelain white face. In one hand, she wielded the fork, and with the other, she’d suspended Haan in midair. But it wasn't Haan any longer, it was Darius. The ringing had interrupted Haan's hold over him once more.
His deep brown eyes, widened in horror as he saw what had happened. "Nooo! Brother, forgive me," he wailed tortuously. "Kill me, Penny. Please. I don't deserve to live."
Hearing the torment in Darius's voice gave Penny pause. She knew he wasn't the responsible party, but she couldn't imagine letting him live. His was the face that had taken Vlad from her forever. She could never forgive...or forget it.
The woman called out. "Penny, don't! I can save him."
Penny's heart soared at the prospect. Whoever this woman was, she obviously had strong magic. "Then do it. I promise not to kill Darius if you bring Vlad back."
The stranger's face fell. "I didn't mean Elder Barath."
The woman had to be joking. She wanted Penny to help her save Darius! Fat fucking chance. Flexing her hands, Penny felt her power had returned.
Doooonnnng. "I can keep doing this until you see reason," the woman challenged. "Encase Darius in ice. Give me time to discover how to drive Haan from him. If I fail, kill him. If I succeed, he will stand trial for killing his brother, and most likely die anyway. But at least it will be an honourable death."
"Penny, don't do it. I am guilty, end me now," Darius pleaded.
"No," Penny replied softly. "Vlad wouldn't want me to kill you."
Darius was furious. He strained against his invisible chains. "Who the fuck are you?" he bellowed trying to find the woman who'd prevented him from paying for his crimes. "Show yourself, bitch. I want to remember the face of my enemy, so if you ever do think to free me, I'll know who to kill first."
Mariam laughed as she came into his sightline. " 'Tis not the first time you've threatened to kill me."
Darius gaped at her. "Little dove, you're alive!"
"Now, Dragon," she instructed Penny.
Within seconds, Darius was completely encased in a block of ice.
Her task completed, Penny ran to Vlad's body. Her hands shook as she pressed them against his bloodied chest. Lifting her blood stained hands, she started to shake violently. This couldn't be happening. Vlad couldn't really be lost to her forever.
"No, no, no," she begged, pressing his chest frantically. "Live, my love. Don't leave me, please."
Tears ran down her face and dripped onto Vlad's heart wound. Each one sizzled as it made contact. Then suddenly it happened. Vlad's heart started to beat.
"Penny," he rasped, coming back to life.
Showering him with kisses, Penny snuggled against him right there in the dirt. Disoriented initially, it didn't take Vlad long to respond to the woman he loved. He wrapped himself around her and hugged her close.
Content to stay as they were, Vlad began to take note of Penny's state of dress. "Love, you're naked! What the hell happened?" he demanded, moving back to stare into her eyes.
A lock of curly red hair, hung over her nose. She looked adorable and suspiciously guilty. "Penelope MacGregor?" he growled, peering around to take in the carnage.
"Things may have got a wee bit out of hand," she said, trying to downplay the news she could shoot fire and ice from her hands.
"A wee bit?" There wasn't a Rat standing, or anything else for that matter. "Where the fuck is Haan? Or should I say, Darius, his body vamp."
"I encased him in ice right over...there?" The spot where Darius once stood was now empty. Looking around frantically, Penny started to panic. "He was right there a moment ago, with the fiercest looking Goddess I've ever seen!"
Vlad looked at her sceptically. "Know many of your kind, my Gaelic-Greco one? Did this 'goddess' have long, honey blonde hair and a face like an angel?"
Penny didn't know if she liked Vlad's ability to describe another woman's appearance in such detail. "I suppose she was somewhat pretty, but 'angel'?" She wrinkled her nose. "Not a word I'd use."
"Bloody hellfire woman, you're freezing!" he snapped. "Before you get all worked up over nothing, let's get you clothed and warm. It's fucking cold out here."
"You're immune to the cold so I don't know what you're complaining about," Penny returned petulantly. She wanted to know who the woman was.
"Penny," Vlad whispered in awe. "I am freezing. I haven't felt such cold since...human. I'm fucking human again," he roared, pounding on his chest. Yup. Human pain.
In the east, the sky had begun to brighten. Dawn's imminent arrival would certainly be the deciding test for Vlad's outlandish theory.
Penny panicked. "Vlad, don't be too hasty." Her dragon tears were obviously quite powerful. But were they powerful enough to do this?
The rays of the sun broke the horizon and stretched across the landscape. Vlad, arms spread out in greeting, basked in it. His first sunrise in centuries. He was like a child in a candy shop as he ran about whooping in pleasure at not being fried.
Vlad returned to her all smiles. Today was the best day of his life. Ever.
Wrapping Penny in the Dragon cloak he'd retrieved, Vlad kissed her long and lovingly. "I love you, Dragon. Let's get married."
"On one condition," she said, trying to sound stern. Vlad cocked a brow at her, wondering what it could possibly be. As far as he could figure, he'd already bought her everything. And if he missed anything, she had the funds to buy it herself.
His hesitation to ask her what the condition was got annoying, fast. "For the goddess's sake, man. Ask me what I want! You're ruining the moment," she sniped at him.
"Oh, you were being serious. Apologies, my sweet. What condition would you like me to agree to?"
"That you take the MacGregor name when we marry."
Seemed a strange request, but as he didn't give a fuck about the name Barath, it was ext
remely easy to fulfil. "Your wish is my command, Dragon. Anything else before you agree to be my wife?"
"Well, there's one more wee thing," she said, pinching her fingers together and squinting her eyes. "I want to name our daughter Esmeralda. The world's a better place when there's an Esmeralda MacGregor in it."
Vlad's eyes widened. Ah yes, that was exactly the expression Penny had hoped for. "Vlad, guess what? My answer is 'yes', and in case you don't know, I'm pregnant and it's a girl!"
He didn't speak. There were no words. All he could manage was to gather her in his arms and kiss her endlessly.
The End
- The Chalice -
AoV Fire Trilogy - Book III
"There is no easy way from the earth to the stars."
- Seneca
Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat
Prologue
Rome
June 2019
DRUNKEN LAUGHTER CARRIED on the warm night breeze as a group of revellers made their way across the impressively lit Ponte Sant'Angelo bridge. In a penthouse, facing both the bridge and castle of the same name, Gabriel Rosetti stood on a balcony staring down the avenue of light admiring the view.
He'd been absent from the capital for many years because of his work. Being Legatus Legionis of the Praetorian Guard meant he spent most of his time away from Rome, The Eternal City, his home.
"Do you require anything further, Legatus Rosetti?" asked a scantily clad blonde from behind.
Gabriel turned to admire the recently ascended female vampyre. He'd acquired a taste for 'innocents' over the centuries, be they human or vamp. And his staff never failed to provide when the need took him. But the need, it had to be said, had grown rarer and rarer over recent decades.
Monica or Monique, he never really bothered to learn his sexual conquests names, looked particularly delightful in her pale pink silk lingerie. She was barely a week into her new life as a vampyre, and he'd taken great pleasure introducing her to the delights of vampyric passion. But, as with all the others, he'd grown bored with her. One night was enough to slake his thirst.