magnificent towers of the royal palace. Roots buried deep beneath crumbling walls.
Tightening a veil of glamour, Drusal blurred his features, ready to infiltrate the throne
room of a viper. The longer she was unaware of his presence, the longer the skin would
stay on his back. Small animals, probably rodents, rustled in the undergrowth. Larger
animals lived in the deep forests, but the numbers were dwindling, due mostly to the
unrelenting hunger of the shape-shifters. If, or more hopefully when, he and his
brethren departed an unforgiving realm, the game may flourish again. Taking a long
steadying breath, leather clad feet walked over the threshold of a hell-bitch’s nest.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
While Cat slept, in a glamour induced dreamless void, a grey mist uncurled from the floor,
seeping to coalesce into a tall figure, covered entirely in a cloak of darkness that absorbed
the meagre amount of light in the room. Moving closer to the bed, a breathy laugh of utter
triumph disturbed the air in wispy little flurries of deepest black.
“As promised thou art a dainty little creature Iscatya Edan-Fire, we shall do well together.”
Long fangs dropped into place as the long limbed creature leant over Cat, fangs ready and
eager to sink into the softly glowing skin of her neck.
Even in sleep Cat’s awareness of danger was on guard, tilted hazel eyes flashed wide open,
a scream tore from a throat already pierced by the fangs of a vampire. Locked in a mind
numbing haze of pain she tried to fight off the dark thrall shutting down her defences.
Whoever this intruder was, his strength outstripped Phillipe’s by miles.
Summoning the last ounce of consciousness she sent out a searing mental scream.
Drusal please find me…. Her world slowly dimmed, as a fiercely strong mind overcame
a mind made less than useless, by her mate’s kind hearted but disastrous intentions.
The awakening was painful, a subtle cage of light trapped Cat on a floor covered by soft
red carpeting. Lifting her head slowly, the bites covering arms and legs brought the acid
bile of nausea rushing up her throat. With a soft groan she managed to shift to a sitting
position. Emerald eyes fell upon the figure lounging in a deep armchair, long legs
outstretched to cross at the ankles. Firm chin resting on clasped hands, deep brown eyes
watched Cat, with the intensity of a predator stalking succulent prey.
“Little one, you wake at last.” A warm smile stretched wide a perfect mouth, revealing
long fangs that had caused her immeasurable pain.
Her memory of recent events remained hazy, for which she was extremely grateful.
Being fully conscious when a bevy of blood hungry creatures gnawed on her body would
more than likely have sent her on a one way trip to La La Land. A straight jacket, and
padded walls, the best she could hope for… Testing her strengths, summoning the burn
of the elements, Cat leeched a stream of energy through her veins, fighting back the pall
of darkness crowding her mind. “I’m awake and Royally pissed off…”
Lashing out to shatter the barrier that held her prisoner, she winced at the wave of utter
desolation that invaded her mind with piercing screams.
“Ahhh… My Iscatya, I have surrounded thee with wounded souls. To an empathic being
such as thyself, the barrier is impervious. Every endless wail, each gut wrenching cry of
despair will batter thy senses, until the wish to join them is fulfilled.”
There you go, La La land was still in the picture. Bollocks to that. She was thinking furiously,
looking for a fissure, a weakness in a cage of broken souls. Falling back to sit cross-legged
on a carpet that had no place in Hell, Cat revaluated the prison she was locked in.
The problem uppermost in her mind was how her shields had been breached? Had Drusal
betrayed her? The fear that her lover had turned his back on their bond scared her more
than the predicament she was in. A lesson in over-confidence was hers to learn from.
“Ok so I’m trapped, but I’m not defeated.” Sending out a sliver of her senses, she quietly
assessed the wall of tormented spirits. The damned were eager to touch her essence.
No sign of the pain that robbed Cat of any emotion except anger, registered on her face
as she picked at the tatters of a dress Drusal had admired. Rage brewed at how easily she
had been taken, fire travelled through her veins just waiting for the right moment to be
released. “I presume you are the master Philippe spoke of?”
Wriggling in place, the logical solution to her dilemma was to elicit more information.
A small nod indicated she had assumed correctly.
“How were you able to break through the barrier surrounding my home?” Running her
fingers over the smooth nap of the carpet, Cat saw the hint of admiration in deep brown
eyes.
“The Earth… In building a wall of force, the ground was neglected. I employed the happy
information imparted to me by Istirina, to delve deep in the caverns beneath thy home to
retrieve that which belongs to me. It is a gift, a talent employed by the vampire nation,
to merge with the molecules of the earth. A cumbersome and slow method of travel, but
extremely effective…” A wide smile of satisfaction lit up a face as perfectly beautiful as
any of the Sidhe.
“Oh silly me…” Cat had not considered blanketing the earth. She should have done, in
hindsight. Phillipe had employed the same technique, to escape the torment of her burning
rage. Istirina had made her appearance through the soil of Withins Hill, she knew of the
plague’s form of travel. The bitch Queen had made a move on the males, by selling her
only Granddaughter to the Vampires. The one consolation in a pretty bloody mess, was
the absolution of her mate, he was not the guilty party.
“I won’t make that mistake again.” She muttered, blanching at the deep laughter of the
master Vampire.
“Iscatya any mistake you made is superfluous to your life now. I am your Master, you are
mine.” Easing to his feet, the vampire flicked his fingers at her in dismissal of any plan of
escape she could possibly conceive.
“I have fed from you, as have my minions. Their strength is renewed by your blood.”
Pacing in front of the softly glowing cage, a wicked smile softened the harshness of a
male who had condemned Cat to a life of gratuitous hunger for the blood of others.
He reminded her in some ways of Drusal, the speech pattern alternating between modern
and medieval. That’s where the resemblance ended. The features were too dissimilar for
them to be in any way related.
“I gifted you with my own blood, a bonding to the king of the Dark Court. With that one act
I made you co-ruler of all the vampires abiding throughout the dimensions. Together we will
bring an end to the infestation of the Sovereign Court.” Stopping to face the livid female
confined behind a glowing cage, the King bowed low. “I have waited long to have my
revenge on a female unworthy to hold dominion over the Sidhe.”
With an explosive blast of enraged power Iscatya was alive and well, with all the potential
of a female endowed with elemental forces that could rock the earth on its axis. The rags of
a dress that held memories of intimacy with her bonded mate, hung limp and blood soaked.
Strips of pale green cotton barely covered the abundance of curves her alter image was
endowed with. Burgundy hued hair aflame, Iscatya wanted to leap forward to douse the
darkness of a tainted soul. Sinking her fingers into the glowing wall, a gasp caught in her
throat at the turbulence of mental torment that kept her from attacking the vampire.
You will be a magnificent Queen Iscatya… Flares of incandescence wreathed the male as
he drew on the fire he had stolen with her blood. Lifting his head, the light of love and
tenderness glistening in pools of deepest brown echoed the pain she felt.
You are worthy to lead my Court into the light. I give all to you, Granddaughter of my
heart, as I took all from you in the knowledge it would destroy this body. I did all I could to
make you strong enough to defeat the witch who betrayed us both.
All that had been the master, fell in a soft dusting of ashes, drifting in a fine mist as did the
glowing wall of her prison. Cat had been the means to release her Grandfather from a life
that had pained his empathic senses. Suicide by Granddaughter…
“No…” Falling to her knees, awash with guilt, Cat cried for the loss of a male more worthy
to rule than her Grandmother. She had been played like a chess piece by them both.
Ashes fell from numbed fingers, swept away by a cool breeze that caressed her skin with
a gentle benediction.
I am of the earth and air, released from my body I am able to start anew. One day we may
meet again… I look forward to that day.
Lord Teyrnon’s mental voice held love enough to salve a portion of the pain she felt at
being the means to destroy his mortal body, the ache in her heart would live with her
forever. Why did you do this? Cat screamed into the ether.
You are the ultimate issue, of a line powerful in all the elements. I have watched your
emergence with some trepidation. Phillipe was sent to subdue the latent talent until
I had full knowledge of your heart. I failed you as a Grandparent but I have gifted you
with the strength to take on the task of becoming a beacon of hope for the repressed
nations. The voice in her head was as ethereal as a breeze rustling the leaves of a tree.
We could have been together, why leave me alone?
Cat was aghast at the sacrifice Teyrnon had made in inciting her rebellious nature, to
make her blood rush with the flames of rage.
My soul is too jaded to continue the fight. Prodding a reaction from you, calling forth the
blaze of an element not my own, released many such souls toward the light.
“Prodding…” You call that prodding… Why couldn’t you just ask for my help?
Shaking her head in confusion Cat lifted her face to meet a swirling mirage of atoms that
resembled the essence of the male who had burned to ashes. A disembodied hand ran
trailing fingers over a face that resembled so closely his previous mate.
I see your grandmother in you, she is beautiful too, but your beauty is not just skin deep.
I could not in truth ask for your help without her sensing it. Istirina’s betrayal of our one
remaining tieset me free to imbue you with the power to assume control of the dark Reign
I fought for, to survive at the dissolution of a bonded mating. In one act of spite she has
sealed her fate. I take with me your grace and beauty as I go to face the Fates.
Fare well my Granddaughter, live to be the promise I see in your soul.
With a soft cry at her loss, Cat abased herself in the full form of allegiance, protection and
love. Goodbye Lord Teyrnon, my Grandfather. I will try to be worthy of your trust.
The door of the underground chamber slammed open. A figure dressed in the same
enveloping cloak that Teyrnon wore as he stole Cat from her home, disguised the form
that fell to its knees with a gasp of horror.
Lord Teyrnon’s misty shade dispersed into the air fingers lingering on Cat’s face.
“Cat what have you done…?” The unmistakable timbre of a soft French accent assaulted
her ears in condemnation at the destruction of the High King of the Dark Court.
Struggling to her feet, exhausted by the pain of numerous wounds, Cat faced down the
vampire who had subdued her powers at the behest of her Grandfather.
“I think I’ve just inherited a Kingdom, so I am staking my claim as Queen of the Dark
Dimension.” Reaching out a hand to the vampire who still held a small place in her heart,
she beseeched his help. “Phillipe….”
He was at her side in less than a second.
“My Grandfather is gone. All that he accomplished is now mine to rule or use.” Steel
fingers latched onto her hand, a frisson of Dark energy held Phillipe still as he assimilated
the difference in the tenor of power emanating from the being, who had once held his life
in her hands.
“Blood and sand… You are truly the Queen of the Dark Court.” His gaze locked onto the
seamless transition from fiery Sidhe to the plain old, comfortable human alter ego.
Licking at his lips, Phillipe remembered the rich and fulfilling taste of her blood.
With a mental slap Cat reinforced her control over his hunger. If she had to rule a plague
of vampires, it started here and now, with the monster who started the ball rolling.
“Yep… I’m the Queen, for what it’s worth…” She was nearly on her knees again with the
incessantly stinging ache of numberless vampire bites.
“Well my Queen, you better get your Royal ass moving, because a rampaging wolf is
systematically taking out your subjects in a storm of fangs and claws.” Tugging on her
hand, Phillipe led the new monarch of the Dark dimension from the cavernous room,
tossing a discarded cloak around her shoulders to cover an embarrassment of naked
flesh. Arched metal doors gaping wide, the wild howl of a beast in distress echoed
over craggy mountains and a desolate plain.
Drusal slipped unnoticed into the throne room, hidden in the finery draping the walls in
gossamer clouds of finely woven silk swags of red and gold. Catching the eye of the Lord
Turi, he indicated for the huge warrior to meet him at the outer reaches of an immense
room. Ensconced in an alcove formed from the living branches of a silver birch, he bowed
low to a male who had shown an unwanted desire for his mate.
The show of equality was difficult, but Drusal was learning the need for respect from the
love welded to his heart.
“Lord Turi, Iscatya has asked that I seek out her mates, to confirm you are unharmed.”
Emboldened by the seeming subservience of the Dark Hound, Turi curled his lip in quiet
distaste at the possessiveness shown by an unworthy pretender to a mate marked bond.
“Aye we are safe, thanks to a female who had the foresight to protect thy kin.”
A long sigh of relief left Drusal’s lips.
“I know you have no love for me brother… I ask only that you accept my concern for your
wellbeing as an act of faith, at the chance of a life of freedom Iscatya holds out to us all.”
A laugh rang out at Drusal’s back, a tinkling, glass shattering sound he knew well.
“The promised ‘Visit’ has transpired dog, how nice… How fares my Granddaughter all
alone in her bed?” The malignant smile on generous lips, waiting to be kissed with sensual
delight, filled his soul with dread. A soundless scream filled his head, a cry from his mate
A snarl of hate, building into a crescendo of howling pain brought the Court to a halt.
“Where have you secreted my mate?” Bearing his teeth Drusal advanced on the Queen,
solid reinforcement stood at his back, in the form of the Lord Turi.
“I delivered her to the Court she truly belongs to.” Swishing long scarlet robes to brush
the feet of Drusal and Turi, the Queen dismissed them both with a shrug of one shoulder.
“The life of an insignificant child means nothing to me. Be ready when I call for you.”
Turi gripped onto his brother’s arm.
“Go Drusal… Seek out your mate. We will distract the Queen long enough for you to
track down and return with our hope for the future.”
Sinking to his knees Drusal touched his forehead to Turi’s hand.
“I vow my life is yours to take if I cannot save her. I deserve to be enslaved by the Queen
in your stead for allowing Iscatya to be taken from us.” Drusal offered Turi the full form
of allegiance, protection and love. A shimmer of green and gold, swept him from the
threat of debasement and debauchery in the bed of an unhealthy Queen. Atoms swirling
in a maelstrom of disarray, he came together at the foot of Cat’s huge bed. Sniffing at the
air, he recognised the dark stamp of evil that had permeated the picnic grounds.
Locking down an icy fear, he stripped off his clothes to stand naked in a pale swathe of
moonlight, a keening howl of despair pierced the night. Translocating directly to the park
where innocent children had played, shifting to wolf form, he employed the keen sense of
smell that would lead him to his mate. Snuffling at dark peaty soil, Drusal located the portal
that offered egress to the Dark dimension. Howling a challenge to the night, the wolf slipped
through the portal ready to tear the life from the High king himself.
He emerged into a scene of grotesque structures, a nightmare of writhing shadows under
Burn for Me (Edanholme Book 1) Page 20