Touched by A Dragon:

by K. T. Stryker

  “He’s done nothing to bring you harm, Caroline. Don’t let your prejudices put you on the wrong side of his temper and your time here will be pleasant.” Her phrasing, “your time here” gave me the small hope that David and I could still leave here together.

  I nodded and followed her out the door, congratulating myself on my bravery as bloody imaginings filled my head with every step.

  Chapter 10

  The banquet hall was empty but for a long table surrounding by high-back, velvet cushioned chairs. At one end there were candles and place settings for two. Vampires in the white uniforms of servants followed me in; placing fragrant platters of chicken and baked bread on the table before exiting silently. My mouth watered at the sight and smell of the feast in front of me.

  My pulsed jumped at the realization that I was to be alone with the master. But at the same time I was relieved that not only was I not going to be on the menu; I wouldn’t be forced to watch the monsters feed. Rachel pulled back my chair and briefly touched my shoulder, then left me alone. The candles guttered and chills went down my spine as I tried to see into the shadows just beyond their light.

  I was feeling the effects of a full day without sleep and reached for the glass in front of me; hoping to feel more refreshed with some water. It was a shock when the fruity tang of wine hit my lips instead and I choked a little on the liquid as it went down my throat.

  “Miss Caroline. I hope you have found the accommodations to your liking, despite your earlier mishap.” Nicholas’ voice was suddenly at my shoulder and I gasped and froze. If it was possible, he was taller and more imposing by the candlelight of the banquet hall than he had been when first awakened. Pride; more than bravery, guided my nod of response. Watching him was like seeing a big cat at the zoo and realizing the glass between you had disappeared. I stayed very still; watchful and quiet. He stared back at me with eyes that appeared black and bottomless in the flickering light and my pulse sped further.

  “Don’t you approve of the accommodations?” he asked. His face was unreadable, but his voice held amusement.

  “I would feel better about it if I hadn’t just found out my fellow hunter was bleeding and broken. Is he going to be okay?” Nicholas sighed.

  “He is in pain, but he will live.”

  “I have to see him for myself. I’m sure you understand.”

  “You’re very demanding for one in your position,” he growled. His voice was low and calm, but the undercurrent of anger raised the hair on my neck.

  “Please, I apologize for offending you and you have provided me with everything I have needed since I was ta— since I arrived. But even you were worried when you saw me in that kind of pain. I can’t pretend I’m a guest at a party after that,” I pleaded with him.

  “I understand that you will not be able to enjoy a meal until you have made certain we did not kill him,” he sighed again. “Eat what you can stomach, to regain your strength and I will show you the darker delights of my kingdom, if you have the stomach for it.” The look in his eyes when he said “delights”, made my stomach quake. Still, I forced a few forkfuls of food down, trying not to look like a cow with him watching me.

  He stood and offered me his hand when he was satisfied. I’d had enough, and he led me through the kitchen down stairs to part of the building that reminded me of my first prison cell.

  “Why was David here?” I asked, after a minute of

  uncomfortable silence. Being quiet with Nicholas was not like the quiet between two humans. When he was quiet, there was nothing to indicate he was there. No footsteps or breathing. Even his clothes moved silently as he walked and the silence filled me with dread.

  “Vampires who begin as humans keep all their predilections of their former life. Just as the two females who awakened me are likely to remain a couple; vampires usually have a strong opinion of which gender they prefer to feed from.”

  “So David was brought to be food for someone other than you?”

  “He was chosen, along with other males and females to be here for anyone who needed them. What happened to him was unfortunate. The rest of the donors have already been returned to their homes, with no recollection of what happened to them.”

  “And the other two girls from your awakening?”

  “To awaken me, we needed to drain them to the point of death. It’s an honor to be chosen to be the first new children of a master when he wakes. It takes a trusted lieutenant to make the choice. A matter I left to my brother, Vittorio, whom you have met.” I shuddered inwardly and hoped he didn’t notice. Vittorio had taken me. “Introduction” was too kind a word to use for kidnapping.

  “So, I’m alive because I didn’t make the cut?” I scoffed, but inwardly felt torn between relief and being offended. I had no desire to be a vampire. But the attention Nicholas had given me made me feel more important than I ever had.

  “You would have fed me, if I wished it,” he replied. “I wanted to learn from you.” My feet stopped moving and I stared up at him, wishing I could read his thoughts as he so freely did mine. I didn’t understand what I saw in his eyes; but my heart fluttered in my chest and for a moment it was hard to breathe.

  “What could I possibly teach you?” I asked, hoping the dark hid the hot blush I felt in my cheeks. He laughed gently and tugged me into motion again, placing his hand over mine on his arm.

  “I have been asleep for fifty years, seeing only what my coven saw in the night. When I entered your mind, I learned about what has changed in the daylight. How people have changed, social orders, fads, and technology. But, I desire to hear you talk about it all.”

  “You care about technology?” I asked, incredulous.

  “Why does that surprise you so much? What else does an immortal creature have to keep them from going mad, but curiosity about the evolution of the world around them?”

  I nodded, thinking ahead, at the end of whatever he thought I could show him.

  “Will I get to go home?” I bit my lip and looked straight ahead at the stairs ahead. I balked at descending them, even though it was a wider and less daunting staircase than the one I had ascended from in my first prison cell here.

  “That is not for you to worry about yet. I expect you to be more compliant after you are assured of your friend’s prognosis.”

  I glanced sideways up at him; his dark hair curling on the high collar of his shirt, an emerald green silk that matched his eyes. I was heading toward David; the boy whom I had spent most of my life half in love with. Now I couldn’t stop being distracted by this man who was so self-assured and powerful. He had nothing to prove to anyone and it was my company he wanted.

  He stopped before a door guarded by one of the male vampires who had opened Nicholas’ coffin at the awakening. He too bowed and backed away. My pulse thumped as Nicholas opened the door and motioned me through.

  At first I stayed close to the wall, searching the room visually and with my mind for any other vampires. All I found was a bed at the end of the room and in it; my friend; his skin as pale as the sheets under him with blooms of black and purple bruises on his face and arms. I was sure if I lifted the light coverlet that lay over him, I would find more of the same down his abdomen and legs.

  The swelling in his face forced one eye shut, but he glared at me from the other until I came closer and he recognized me. His eye went wide with fear and something else I couldn’t identify.

  “David, what did they do to you?” I rushed to his side, unable to hold back the tears that flooded down my cheeks. I was trembling as I touched his shoulders as gently as I could. “I tried to find an escape and instead I found you.” He closed his eye and I sat back and sobbed into my hands. “I felt your wounds,” I confessed, tears sliding down my cheeks. “I felt your pain and it was the worst thing I have ever endured.”

  I felt his bandaged hand over my own, and wiped my eyes on my sleeve so I could see him properly. He tugged at my hand, moving his lips like he was talking. I leaned in, plac
ing my ear next to his mouth.

  “You’re warm.” I sniffed and chuckled.

  “I’m still me.” I felt his body relax next to me on the bed. “The vampire that did this to you. She terrifies me.” His head shook slightly, and his mouth and throat worked as he tried to swallow. A glass of water appeared at my hand and I held it to David’s lips, letting him draw in small sips until he nodded and pulled away.

  “There was a girl. But she didn’t do this.” He held up his bandaged hands. “I remember her. She said her name was Colette. She was on a path that led to the beach.” He closed his eye, his breathing shallow. “Clayton. He was right behind me, I don’t know if he’s alive.” He sniffed, and I wiped his nose with a corner of the bedsheet. “She fed on me. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced; like sex but better,” David told me, his voice raspy. I scoffed.

  “I’ll have to take your word for it.” He managed a weak smile through his cracked, dry lips. “Of course. Of all the people who have been taken, you were too special to be food.”

  “Don’t. Not now. I have no idea what will happen to me. “I ignored the leaden fear in the pit of my stomach. “Did you tell them you were a hunter in training?” He frowned.

  “I don’t remember what I said at first. I invoked the Venatores when the male took me and bound me. It was like I was drugged, too high to argue or fight back.”

  “There were two vampires?” I asked, confused.

  “In the beginning, there was just the girl. Then the male came and he bound me. They fought and he took me and beat me up. I didn’t see the girl again until just before he came.” David pointed at Nicholas. “There are at least twenty of them, Caroline. We’re going to die here.”

  “Hey, now. This is the master, Nicholas. He promised to get you back to the school as soon as you were well enough. Can you sit up?” He let me assist him into a half-upright position against the pillows. Nicholas stepped forward and bowed at the neck at David.

  “I will leave you to your reunion. Caroline, when you’re finished, come to me. Your friend needs time alone to rest; he’ll be safe here.” I nodded and watched him go, wishing I’d thanked him for saving David and letting me see him.

  “What about you?” David asked as I watched Nicholas leave. I slowly turned back to him, a strange feeling in my stomach.

  “I will do my part and hope I get to leave too.” I gave him a weak smile.

  “You really felt my pain.” I nodded. “I felt you too. I thought it was the vampire; until I heard the scream and realized it wasn’t me. Then I didn’t know what to think.” He stroked my finger. “I should never have left you alone.”

  “But you did! And then you didn’t try to find me after a pretty girl caught your eye,” I said, my voice empty of emotion. “I thought you were my only true friend. I would have done anything for you.” He closed his eye; his breathing shallow again. I took a deep breath. He’d hurt me, but that was no excuse for attacking him now while he lay there in pain. “David; I will do everything I can to get you home safely. Can I count on you to at least tell them I’m still here?” My voice broke and I breathed out a shaky sigh.

  “We’ll come back for you,” he promised. I nodded, but my heart sank. I didn’t believe him. I couldn’t count on him to keep me safe; not anymore.

  “If you don’t, then I’ll find a way on my own.” I could see that he knew I had lost faith in him and anger flashed in his good eye.

  “Hey, I’m in here, because of you. Why are you angry?” He blurted. I stood, shaken by his accusation.

  “No. You’re here because you thought with the wrong body part. I would never have gone off in the darkness alone. If you’d bothered to go to my room, you would’ve known something was wrong.” I backed away another step, painful realization dawning in me. “I don’t belong to you anymore, David. I love you and it’s killing me to see you hurt. But I’m done lying to myself; that you still care about me.” I turned and ran headlong into Rachel. She held me upright and led me away from the bed.

  “Caroline, the master still waits on you for supper.” She stroked my hair and held me tight for a moment. She whispered in my ear: “The first heartbreak is always the worst. Come child, your new master awaits.”

  “Oh, Rachel, I can’t. I can’t go to supper with him and share polite conversation while David lies in that bed.” She held the door and I led the way through, shivering at the sheer quantity of vampire energy that hit me when I walked out into the inhabited hallway. They seemed to ignore me as they went about their business, but I felt each one in my head like notes in a melody and I knew that they were forever etched on my memory.

  “It doesn’t serve you to anger him, Caroline,” she warned me. I nodded.

  “I know. But, I’ll take my chances. Please take me to my room.”

  Chapter 11

  When I felt the hot angry wind blast through the bedroom door throwing away the chair I’d put under the latch across the room; I had a split second to regret not listening to Rachel. Then I felt icy fingers around my throat and stars began to dance in front of my eyes. As I was strangled to near unconsciousness I felt another long-fingered hand slide down the front of me, slipping beneath my neckline and cupping my small breast in a bloodless hand.

  The familiar, terrifying power of Vittorio; the vampire that had taken me, along with a new fear bloomed in my heart. I would have preferred an eternity of torture at the hands of Nicholas, than one moment enduring the touch of the monster that held me. I grabbed at his hands, as frantic to get him out of my bodice as I was to stay conscious. I tried, but couldn’t scream, and the only sound that emerged from me was a gurgling, bubbling whisper.

  Just as the darkness began to seep in from the edges of my mind; I managed to reach out for Rachel, the only vampire I thought might come to my aid. For just a moment; his hand slipped and I caught a ragged, gasping breath.

  “Don’t bother calling for help. No one can hear you,” he whispered to me, clenching his hands tighter. I went limp and he released my throat and stood in front of me, staring down at me as I coughed and shook from fear. I was in trouble, but I was still conscious. It was a win for me and I searched the room for ways to exploit it. Near the fireplace were iron tools, but they were out of reach.

  He grabbed the bodice of my gown and pulled me to a standing position. “I hate my brother’s Victorian sensibilities, quite frankly. But I do appreciate the ease of undressing a whore in a dress.” He pointed one clawed finger and sliced through the fabric, and I felt a swift burning pain followed by wetness; I knew he’d drawn blood.

  “Someone will stop you,” I spat, shoving as hard as I could and rearing back to kick him in the knee as he held me inches above the floor. He slammed me up against the wall next to the fireplace. I kicked out wildly and spilled the set of tools, hoping they were close enough to grab if he dropped me. With one long arm, he grabbed the poker from the tools I’d scattered to the floor with my struggling and jammed it under the burning logs.

  “Maybe, but not before I’ve had my fun,” he hissed, spittle flying into my face. “Do you really believe my brother would choose you over me?” He yanked on my dress and it tore like paper, falling away from my chest and stomach while the remainder hung off my back by my sleeves. “Ask Colette, if she can speak when she’s released from her coffin in a hundred years or so.” His mouth was on my neck as his hands wandered over me and I felt the prick of his fangs breaking the skin, forcing a shriek of sheer terror from me as I pounded on him with impotent fists, kicking and screaming like a crazy person.

  Suddenly, he dropped me in a pile on the floor. I wrapped my arms over my neck and curled my legs in to protect my soft parts, still screaming. When another blow never came, I dared to look around. Nicholas and the black-haired vampire were grappling on the other side of the room. As I watched the slender vampire danced away from the master and sliced at his face with his claws, drawing blood. I glanced down and saw that the poker was still in the fire.
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  I grabbed it; not thinking; and my hand burned instantly from the heat of the handle. I forced myself to hold onto it and staggered at them. I raised the poker as high as the agonizing pain would allow. I stabbed it into Vittorio’s leg, high up on the back of his thigh. He yowled in pain and jerked away; taking the poker and layers of skin from my hand with him. Nicholas stood between us as I sagged to the floor. Nicholas motioned with his head and vampires flooded into the room and grabbed the other vampire by the arms and legs.

  “Lock Vittorio in a cell,” he ordered, straightening his jacket. “Make sure you take the poker out first.” The male vampire closest to him nodded and yanked the poker out of Vittorio’s thigh. I gasped as I realized how deep I’d managed to impale him. I only wished I’d been able to raise my arm to the level of his heart.