“This village does not belong to any vampire.” Mrs. H’s voice rung out with surprising force for someone so little and frail. Sparks emitted from her finger tips, and she glared straight at Dimitrius. He had to admire her spunk, misguided as it was, and he bowed his head and smiled.
“Of course not,” he said, and Mrs. H lowered her hands and studied him. Dimitrius let his shields down briefly to enable her powers to read him, and when her eyes widened in recognition, he yanked them back up again and faced his maker.
Aegleaca really didn’t look too good right now. Her wound was still bleeding, her complexion ashen, and smoke was beginning to rise of her skin. Nothing bar taking her head off would kill her, but she was fast approaching the point where the assembled shifters would be able to overpower her, and that clearly dawned on her, too.
With a forced laugh his maker straightened and pointed at Dimitrius.
“This is on your head.” With a whirlwind of movement she was gone, and Dimitrius pinched the bridge of his nose. He might have just condemned them all, especially the humans his maker had brought with them. Her need for blood would be great, indeed.
Behind him chaos broke out. Some wolves streaked past him and after Aegleaca, and had it not been for Eva throwing herself at his back, he was pretty sure Leon, Ronan, and Sasha would have him pinned back in the sun already. Eva ducked under his arm, and he pulled his trembling girl in for a hug, before he turned and faced the stern committee judging him.
Mrs. H sat down heavily on a chair, and shook her head, when Dimitrius shrugged out of his shirt and draped it over Eva’s shoulders. The action exposed Eva’s mark on his body, and the assembled shifters did not disappoint in their response.
“Fuck!”
“What the fucking hell?”
* * * *
Eva closed her eyes and snuggled back into Dimitrius’s comforting embrace, as the insults flung through the air, and the general disbelief, anger, and sheer animosity of her kind hit her in the gut with such force, she found it hard to breathe.
Part of her wanted Dimitrius to run, to save himself, because she wasn’t at all sure this lot would not still kill him. What’s more she couldn’t shake the niggling worry that he would let them, especially if they threatened her.
She took another deep breath of his reassuring scent to appease her inner animal, and his pectorals flexed under her lips when he kissed his skin.
“You should leave, Sir.” She whispered the words, and Dimitrius cupped her chin to make her look at him. Amusement crinkled his black eyes up at the corners, and he winked at her.
“And miss all this fun? No way, girl.” He glanced briefly to either side of them, where the shifters were closing in on them again, and he sobered, and pulled her tighter into his frame. “Besides, the fur bags seem rather tense, and until they calm down, there is no fucking way I’m leaving you alone with them.”
“Watch who you’re calling a fur bag, dead man walking.” Sasha’s words came out distorted, as his panther took over. Half shifted he made a rather terrifying sight, and Dimitrius turned them slightly, putting himself between Eva and the panther shifter.
“Give it a rest, Sasha. Dimitrius is my mate, and you will not harm him.” Eva glared at the panther, and he shook his head and snarled at her.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” He did back down though, grumbles shaking his massive chest all the way.
“I have to concur with our hot headed young friend here.” Master Sabre’s deep voice made everyone look at him. Stood behind Mrs. H, one hand on her shoulder, he looked deep in thought, as did Leon, who stood the other side of their elder. His lion didn’t seem to be able to make up his mind as to whether he ought to kill the vampire, or stay and look after his mother-in-law.
Guilt made Eva’s insides churn anew when she properly looked at their Matriarch. Mrs. H’s complexion had taken on an ashen glow, and she seemed to be struggling for breath.
“Mrs. H? Mum, are you all right there?” Leon spoke for them all, when he crouched low and studied his wife’s mother. Ronan, too, looked concerned and all animosity toward her and Dimitrius seemed forgotten in that tense moment, as everyone in the room focused on their village elder.
“Stop crowding her. Can’t you fur bags see, she can’t breathe.” Dimitrius’s annoyed tones cut through the tense silence surrounding them all, and before Eva could blink, he was on that stage, and had shoved both Ronan and Leon out of the way. The shifters turned on him, baring their teeth, and Eva held her breath, as Dimitrius moved in the blink of an eye. One second he was looking down on Mrs. H, the next he’d opened his wrist with his fangs and held the bleeding gash up to their village elder’s lips.
“Here, drink. You’re going into cardiac failure, and I really can’t deal with you dying on them all now.”
A collective gasp went through the room, and time stood still for the fraction of a second it took for Mrs. H to draw another, painful, and shuddering breath into her lungs. She looked up at Dimitrius, and the gentleness in which he grasped the back of her head and guided her lips to his cut wrist meant Eva’s vision blurred with unshed tears.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, when Joanne Hastings took a tentative sip of Dimitrius’s blood, and then sucked in earnest.
“That’s it, a little bit more, and you’ll be as right as rain.” Dimitrius’s gaze sought Eva’s, and she mouthed a silent thank you at him. Amusement danced briefly in his eyes, before he took his wrist away from Mrs. H and his cut healed in front of their eyes. He cupped Mrs. H’s chin and seemingly satisfied with what he saw stepped back, and pushed his hands into the pocket of his trousers.
The others crowded round their elder, and Eva grinned when Mrs. H told them all off.
“Get out of my face, you ugly lot. I’m fine now. A temporary moment of weakness, that’s all. Crisis averted thanks to our vampire friend here.” The hulking mass of testosterone fuelled shifter males fell away as she stood up, and approached Dimitrius.
“Vampires have never been our friends, Mrs. H. You, of all people know that.” Ronan’s deep growl spoke of his annoyance, and Joanne rolled her eyes, and fixed her gaze on the bear shifter.
“I’m well aware of that, Ronan, but this man here is Eva’s mate, and you all of people know what that means.”
A faint blush stained the man’s sculpted cheek bones, as Mrs. H threw his earlier words back at him, and Eva’s heart beat faster, as a glimmer of hope lit up in her chest. Maybe this would all work out after all.
“Are you saying we just forget about all the evidence against him?” Leon asked. With his arms crossed over his massive chest he looked far from happy. Sasha chose that moment to cough into his hand. Nonetheless a clear bullshit could be heard, and Ronan smiled grimly.
Eva glared at the panther shifter, and Sasha flipped her the finger, and bared his teeth at her.
A warning growl from Dimitrius turned everyone’s attention back to the vampire in their midst. Head down, fangs bared, his black eyes flashed in annoyance, as he focused all of his attention on Sasha, and Eva thought it wisest to get between the two of them, before this escalated.
“Sir, don’t. It’s fine.” Her murmured words had the desired effect, and Dimitrius retracted his fangs with an audible click. He didn’t take his eyes off the panther shifter though, and Eva had to smile at the way her Sir wrapped his hand around her neck and pulled her into his side in a clear display of ownership.
Master Sabre clearly thought so, too, because his face cracked into a reluctant smile, as he took in the scene in front of him, and Eva relaxed further and snuggled into Dimitrius’s side.
Mrs. H cleared her throat, and banged her walking stick on the ground.
“Not at all, Leon, my dear, but let’s look at this evidence again, shall we. In view of recent revelations we may come to a different conclusion.”
Leon grimaced, and Ronan inclined his head to give his consent.
“Master Sabre, when and where was tha
t CCTV footage taken again?” Mrs. H asked and Eva tensed.
Dimitrius didn’t say anything, just tightened his hold on her neck, and stood up straighter. The action calmed her, secure in the knowledge that her Sir had her back. His thumb drew lazy circles along her jaw line, as though to reassure her further. It proved a most distracting notion, and Eva had to concentrate really hard to follow the ensuing heated conversion. Dimitrius didn’t say much, even when he was addressed directly, other than to say da, and nyet.
“So to recap all this,” Mrs. H finally said. “The only crime we can actually pin on Eva’s mate is the fact that he killed this man.” She held up the gruesome picture again, and Eva winced.
“That’s reason enough,” Ronan said, and Eva bristled against Dimitrius. He let her go with a sigh, but kept one hand in a loose hold on her shoulder.
Mrs. H ignored Ronan and addressed Dimitrius herself.
“Tell me, why did you kill him.” She paused and regarded the picture through narrowed eyes. “Like this, I mean.”
Eva felt rather than saw Dimitrius shrug his shoulders.
“Because I could,” he said, and waves of growled protests erupted. Mrs. H stilled the room with a wave of her hand.
“That the only reason?” she asked, and Eva half turned to see Dimitrius’s face. His sardonic smile was back in place and he drawled his answer.
“I was hungry, and sometimes I like to play with my food.” A deadly silence fell on the room, and Eva willed him to explain himself. Why was he being so obtuse, dammit.
“Sir, please, just tell them the truth.” Even to her own ears she sounded rather pathetic, but this was important, and he was not doing himself any favors here. Whatever head way he had made by healing Mrs. H, he was fast losing again by his belligerent attitude now.
Dimitrius focused his attention back on Eva, and his harsh features softened as he gazed at her.
“I told you there are no such things as good vampires, myshka.” He murmured the words softly, and she closed her eyes and shook her head. When she opened them again, he wasn’t looking at her anymore, but the rest of the room.
“Bearing that in mind, you should gather your resources. There is a wave of freshly turned and hungry vampires coming your way. I will make sure Aegleaca and my sisters are gone, but I will not get involved in your fight with those baby vamps. Having seen Eva in action, I have no doubt she can handle herself. She tells me the rest of you can do as well, so I will bid my leave and let you plot.”
Ronan stepped in front of him, waves of fury rolling off his massive frame.
“You can’t just drop this on us, and we’re not done with you yet. You killed that human, and —”
“And I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Put your claws away, fur bag. One bit of human scum is nothing to me. One could say I did society a favor.”
Ronan growled low in his throat, and Dimitrius laughed, and stared him down.
“So, you’re appointing yourself judge and executioner now, vamp?” he said.
“Isn’t that what you’re doing, bear?” Dimitrius countered, and flashed his fangs at him. “Don’t fool yourself, shifter. I’ve been around a long time, and your esteemed leader’s magic”—he tipped an imaginary hat to Mrs. H who smiled at him—“has the power to slow me down, but it can’t stop me, and it certainly wouldn’t stop Aegleaca. I chose to make this village my home, and contrary to popular belief, vampires are capable of self-restraint. Killing my food supply makes no sense whatsoever. It just leaves a terrible mess, which can be rather satisfying.” He moved in a flash to pick up the picture of his dismembering that killer.
“But this is too hard on my dry cleaning bill.”
He winked at Eva, bowed to the rest of the room, and then disappeared in another flash. Papers scattered across the room, and Eva found herself surrounded again.
Chapter Twelve
By the time Eva could drag herself away from the council meeting, dusk was falling, and she approached Dimitrius’s house with a certain amount of trepidation. Once everyone had calmed down enough to let her speak, and she had been able to bring them up to speed, they had hashed out a rough plan to keep the village safe from the incoming vamps.
No one bar her, and perhaps Mrs. H trusted Dimitrius. Not that she could blame them per se. They didn’t know him, like she did. Not even telling them about Ethel had won them round. They were steadfastly determined to think the worst of him, but at least they had agreed to leave Dimitrius alone, as long as he kept out of their way, and did not harm any more humans.
Sabre’s intel from the capital had helped somewhat, as had the fact that there hadn’t been any more attacks made by the notorious serial killer. It lent credence to her defense of Dimitrius’s story. The returning wolves’ news that a large van and a Porsche convertible had left Tulip House shortly after Dimitrius’s return to his place had further reassured the council.
Due to the blacked out windows, the wolf patrols had not been able to ascertain the identity of the occupants of the two vehicles, but it seemed reasonable to assume that they had been Aegleaca and her minions. Eva had had to smile when the burly men had reported that Dimitrius seemed to be engaged in the act of cooking.
“Why would a vampire cook?” Ronan had asked and run a hand over his stubbly jaw.
Mrs. H had glanced at Eva with a small smile and said, “Well?”
“He says it relaxes him. It’s cook, fuck, or kill. I think we can all agree that the latter is not acceptable, and the first means that the homeless shelter benefits greatly.”
Sasha had grinned and punched her in the shoulder.
“And the second he can’t do without you, is that what you’re saying, girl?” he’d asked, and Eva had surprised them all by her answer.
“Not if he wants to keep his fucking head, he can’t.”
Sasha had whistled through his teeth, and Leon had given a short humorless laugh.
“Well, that settles it. The fates are fucking mad, mating you with a vampire. No offense to the elements, Mrs. H.” Leon had thrown his mother in law a worried look, and Joanne had smiled and nodded.
“No, they tend to work in mysterious ways. For now, let’s all agree on a plan of action, and give Eva’s mate the benefit of doubt. Tonight’s battle is what’s important. I don’t like the sound of those newly turned vamps. They’re at their most dangerous when they are fresh, and from the little he said, I deduce that they are the byproduct of one of his Maker’s offspring, so I would say it’s fair to assume they will be stronger than your average vampire. Go home everyone, get some rest, and make sure the humans are all staying behind locked doors tonight.”
Thus dismissed, Eva had jumped on her bike, and without any conscious effort at all, she’d found herself heading off to Dimitrius’s place. She breathed a sigh of relief when she parked her bike next to his Jag, and sniffed the air. Nothing amiss so far, and most importantly no sultry perfume permeated the air. That didn’t guarantee his maker was gone, of course, but it was as good a confirmation as any really. What she did smell were the most delicious cooking scents, and her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten at all so far.
Before she could knock at the door, it swung open to reveal Dimitrius. One eyebrow raised, and with his crooked smile firmly in place, he waved her inside with a muttered, “Come in, woman. I could hear your stomach growling from in here. When will you learn to eat properly? You can’t fight on an empty stomach, and if it wasn’t for that fight, I’d tan your ass raw for neglecting your needs like this.”
He delivered a sharp swat to her butt as she walked past him, and Eva yelped, and making a big show of rubbing her behind, smiled up at him.
“I missed you, too, Sir.”
His harsh features relaxed further, and his eyes lit up in devilish amusement.
“Watch it, minx. There is nothing from stopping me of tanning that back side when you’ve won the fight tonight. Now sit down. There’s a curry with your name on it.”
<
br /> Eva giggled and did as she was told, and mere seconds later, he set a plate of steaming and delicious-smelling food in front of her.
“Eat,” he said and dropped into the chair next to her. When she pulled a face at him, he hooked his foot around the leg of her stool and pulled her closer to him. One hand in her hair, he yanked her head back to expose her throat, and a shiver of need went through her, when he dropped his fangs and ran them along her skin.
“I want to eat really fucking badly, too, right now, so don’t push your luck.” He released her just as abruptly and when she sat there, staring at him open mouthed, he shrugged his shoulders, picked up her fork and scooped a large amount into her mouth.
Eva grumbled, but one look at the dangerous glint in his black eyes, and she dutifully chewed and swallowed.
“Good girl. That wasn’t so hard now, was it? Again.” He scooped up another large helping, and Eva wrinkled her nose at him, but ate that up, too. A sip of water was next as he held the glass up for her, and when she made a grab for it, he swatted her hand away.
“No, don’t make me tie you up. I’ll feed you, and you’ll keep eating until I’m satisfied you’ve had enough.”
Eva stuck her tongue out at him in between mouthfuls, and he shook his head and smirked.
“Gag added to my bags of tricks for later. Keep going, girl, and we’ll have an interesting night ahead of us.”
“I thought we did anyway,” Eva replied after several more forkfuls, and she put her hands up in defeat, when he tried to get her to eat more. “No more, please. I’ll be rolling along the fields, otherwise.”
That earned her another grin, and he tapped her nose with one long finger.
“Hmm, squashing them might work.”
The Vampire's Protector [The Protectors 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 13