Declan took a deep breath and stared at the floor. The abject pain he'd felt when he'd thought her dead, the overwhelming sense of loss, pricked his conscious again at just the idea of anything happening to her. Gods, he knew with absolute conviction he would not survive losing her again.
"Don't think I can do it?"
At her question, he looked up and forced a smile. "No." He uncrossed his arms and stepped to her, taking both of her hands in his. "I know you can. But it's going to be dangerous, Alex. I've only read about what that crystal is capable of. There are so many variables."
Alexia squeezed his hand tight. "All we have to do is get the crystal from Lotharus and destroy it. Together we can do this. I know it."
"But you're still weak, not fully changed, not as strong as you will be."
Alexia pulled back, her eyes wide. "What do you mean, changed?"
"Alexia, you were nearly dead when I found you." He swallowed. "I was too late."
A tiny disbelieving laugh bubbled out of her. "That's absurd. I'm here. Now."
"Only because I fed you my blood."
Her blond brows drew closer. "But I've drank from you before."
The statement sounded more like a question and Declan dreaded giving her the answer. This was what his father had told him about, the clawing guilt and agony of playing a god when you were just a man. He'd given her life, yes. But was it one she wanted? Did she want to be by his side? Did she want to be Queen of the dragons instead of the horde?
"This is different," he said on an exhale.
Seconds felt like minutes until she finally spoke. "What are you trying to tell me?"
"Alexia, you're...changing. It's already begun."
A flame of panic fired behind her eyes, morphing their newfound color to a deep ruby. "Into what?"
Oh, gods. "One of us."
THE MINUTE A LEXIA heard the words fall from his lips she knew them to be true. Although she couldn't pinpoint it before, she felt different inside. As if that always present, always gnawing darkness that lived inside her for so long had been filled with light.
She glanced back at Declan and her heart throbbed painfully. He looked stricken, like he hung on her words, waiting for the hatchet to fall. Waiting for her to scream at him, and for what? Saving her life?
Alexia walked into his arms and wrapped hers around his neck, pulling him tight. Placing her lips to his ear, she took a deep breath, drawing in the unique and intoxicating essence that was all him.
"Thank you for saving me," she whispered.
A shudder moved through his body. His big shoulders tensed. And then his arms slid around her waist, strong and firm, and her head buried in the crook of his neck. He released a breath, as if he'd been holding it in since he'd told her what he'd done.
At the feel of his embrace, a tremor of joy, of happiness, of completeness rushed through her, making her smile and hug him tighter. His palm cupped the back of her head and her body bowed into him, arcing into the space between their bodies, filling it. The heat from his other hand radiated through her cardigan, seeping across her lower belly.
Goddess, this was what she'd craved. What she'd wished for all her life and only experienced now. Contact, utter, true and uncontrollable. And now there was nothing to keep them away from each other. Instead of destined to be apart, they now had every reason to be together. They could be together. Alexia smiled, her gaze catching on her reflection in the vanity mirror across the room. At first, she hardly recognized herself. No longer did she appear depressed, lonely or sad. Instead the woman staring back her glowed with confidence, life and love.
Love.
It hit her then that she'd never told him. Never said the words aloud.
"Declan," she said, pulling back slightly. His head lifted, his cobalt eyes staring into hers with intensity that nearly stole her breath. "I--" she began.
"Shh." A finger on her lips silenced her. Although a frown tightened her brow, he did nothing but smile. Then his hand moved to her cheek and his lips replaced his finger. Slow and sensual, his mouth slid against hers, their mouths mating as their bodies just had.
"Promise you'll tell me later," he said when they parted.
Alexia smiled. "I promise."
DECLAN FOLLOWED A LEXIA through the maze of the catacomb, even though somewhere in the back of his mind he knew which way to go. All dragons could use mind speak when in animal form. But their connection was a melding of two hybrids and grew stronger with each passing day, making him wonder if one day he'd be able to read her thoughts.
Alexia led them to a wide cavern, much like the one where Lotharus had held the ascension ceremony. At the memory, fire burned behind Declan's throat. He damped it down. He'd be able to use it soon enough. They bent at the waist, hiding behind a shelf of rocks. Peering out the windowless stone opening, Declan realized they were in some sort of crude amphitheater. On the ground below, there appeared to be a stage with seating all around. The level where he and Alexia hid resembled balcony boxes, each one a pocketful of armed soldiers.
"There are a hundred of them at least," he heard himself say aloud.
"All we have to do is stop one," Alexia replied, nodding toward the lower level.
Tipping his gaze back to the stage, he noticed Lotharus sat on what Declan assumed to be the Queen's throne, addressing his soldiers. Although he wore no crown to proclaim his new position in the horde, the staff propped at his side caught Declan's eye. It looked similar to one he'd seen in an auld text. More specifically, the scroll Doc had showed him that contained their knowledge of the dark age. Atop the polished wood staff sat the stone. Its multifaceted surface reflected the candlelight illuminating the cavern. The normally transparent crystal now burned a soft orange and blue. While delicate, the center appeared dark and angry, as if forged of fire, glinting like an opal when bowed to the light.
"He has the crystal with him."
Alexia tilted her head, trying to get a look at him from over the lip of the rock. "How can you be sure?"
"It's there, on top of the staff." He motioned toward it.
A woman passed in front of Lotharus, a tray of gob lets in her hands. Declan's gaze followed her, his eyes zeroing in on a strange mark on the side of her throat.
"What is that symbol?"
Alexia looked at him, following his line of sight to the female. "It's a symbol of our horde. Each pureborn colonist comes into this world with one."
He cocked a brow. "You don't have one."
The corner of her lips twisted in a coy smile. "The royal bloodline has a different kind of mark."
She lifted a hand, sweeping her long curtain of hair over her shoulder, revealing her long neck. When she turned her back to him and put her chin on her chest, he saw it.
"A Lunel," he said. Four crescent moons faced each other, their points hung like fangs. The mark was so intricate he couldn't believe it was natural and not a tattoo.
Pictures flipped in his mind of Lotharus over her, taking her. Declan clamped down his jaw, slamming down the violent, blinding urge to kill and focusing on what the vision was showing him. The Lunel. He saw the mark, had seen it the first time he had the dream, only he was too blindsided by his anger to notice.
It struck him why Lotharus had taken her the way he did. It was never about her. It was about the throne, about power.
Tunneling his hand in her hair, Declan bent, searing his lips on the mark. She sighed and relaxed back against him.
"Only the women born of the royal bloodline have this mark," she said with a sigh. "Everyone else bears two crescent moons to show they are part of our horde."
"On their neck?"
She shook her head. "It can be anywhere."
"Has a child ever been born without a mark?"
Alexia shrugged. "If they were, I would imagine they would be kept hidden or sent away. Lotharus is unwavering in his mission to keep our kind pure. I shudder to think of what he may have done." She paused, her eyes narrowing. "In fact, th
ere was talk years ago about a child. A female heir to the throne born of my uncle, Yuri..."
She paused, her eyes widening before she clutched his forearm. "Declan, the vision."
"What vision."
"There was a child born to the royal family, my royal family. A female child, daughter to my uncle and de scent of the Queen's line. Declan, I have to--"
A great uproar shook the cavern walls, cutting her words short. Peering over the ledge, Declan swept his gaze across the room, trying to discover the source of the sudden mayhem. It didn't take long.
"What is it?"
"More women."
Alexia scooted close enough to look down at the scene. Shackled women of various ages were being led into the den. They wore what looked like burlap sacks, some frayed and split at the bottom. Each carried a tray of food in toward the unruly soldiers.
"That bastard."
Declan looked over at her. The smooth line of her jaw tensed in anger and her hands bit into the stone.
"Do your women not serve the men?"
Her eyes met his and his breath caught. He wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to those breathtaking eyes. A frown tensed his brow when he realized he hadn't even told her they were a different color, and he wondered briefly if she even knew.
"Women are revered. Women rule. They do not serve, especially not the men. Pureborns know this," she said on a strained breath. "This barbaric depravity is all Lotharus's doing. Only his soldiers dare degrade the women like this," she said with a nod, sliding her gaze back to Lotharus.
Declan reached out, his hand covering hers. "You sound ready to stop him."
She turned back to face him, a small smile curving her mouth. "I'm ready to try."
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
"MY BROTHERS," L OTHARUS SHOUTED, standing from his throne. Curling his fingers around his staff, he tapped the end on the ground like a mallet. The ex cited voices quieted at once. A surge of power vibrated through him as he began the speech he'd practiced for a century.
"At last, a new era is upon us. An era we vampires once embraced and accepted, yet let slip away. An age where men hold the seat of power. Where a King, not a Queen, rules the horde."
"Not if I have anything to say about it."
Lotharus whipped his head about to see who was speaking, though he already knew. Alexia stepped out from behind an outcropping.
"My dearest Alexia." Casually, he stepped down the short flight of stairs to greet her, a wide smile on his face. "What a wonderful surprise. I thought you'd passed during your ascension."
The women gasped, whispering praises to the Goddess that the Queen's daughter yet lived, and immediately fell to their knees before her. However, the soldiers tensed their massive bodies, coiled and ready to spring at his order.
Alexia moved her hand to the front of her sweater. In a confident move, she swept the curtain of black fabric to the side, revealing her midsection. "More like you thought you'd killed me."
Lotharus's gaze dipped. At the sight of perfectly smooth skin where a plunging broadsword scar should have been, his smile faltered briefly. However, he recalled the crystal in his hand, remembered he now held all the power and felt his confidence renew.
"A mistake I shall not make again." He nodded toward the crowd. At once his soldiers sprung toward Alexia, following his silent order.
A screaming roar echoed in the catacomb chamber seconds before a gush of flame sprayed down, eating the soldiers in its violent stream. Waves of heat swept across the room, rolling over the chairs and nearly overtaking the stage.
"Get back to the compound," Alexia shouted to the women, who quickly stood and scurried away.
However, Lotharus was focused on the dragon now turning toward him, its eyes alert, its lips curling back in a snarl. Lotharus knew it was about to strike again. He lifted the hand holding the staff, blocking his face just as flames poured from the dragon's mouth. The hot jets of fire hit his invisible force shield, curving over it, leaving him unscathed. After a moment, the dragon ceased the blast.
Lowering his hand, Lotharus felt a victorious smile curve his lips, and snapped his gaze to Alexia. Her eyes widened as he shot the crystal toward her. Her body tensed, awaiting whatever blow might strike her. However, the earth quaked underfoot as the dragon lord landed in front of her, blocking Lotharus's aim. Massive and black, the dragon paced in front of her like a rabid guard dog. Its jowls snapped and lips quivered as it watched Lotharus. He trained the staff on the Derkein, waving the crystal in front of him as if it were made of flame, trying to ward it off or at least back it up. The dragon only gnashed its teeth and took another step forward.
Frustrated, Lotharus lowered his staff and turned to his men.
"Don't just stand there," Lotharus yelled to the soldiers. "Kill it!"
The dragon's blue eyes twinkled with an intelligence no animal possessed before it pushed up, launching twenty feet in the air.
"I'll fend them off, Alex. You have to get that crystal."
Alexia heard Declan's voice in her mind and smiled. "With pleasure," she answered beneath her breath.
Dropping her arms, she clenched a dagger in each hand. Circling him, stalking him, she waited for him to make the first move.
"What do you think to do, Alexia? I taught you everything you know."
A bubble of doubt floated into her mind. She smashed it. She couldn't afford to entertain the notion of failure.
"I have your mother's power. I have your power, right here." He held up the staff. The Draco Crystal glowed, throbbing red like a beating heart. Her eyes narrowed on it for a second before she grunted, tossing the first and then the second dagger at the staff. Lotharus spun with the speed of a tornado, easily evading the weapons as they clanked against the wall behind him.
"Damn," she muttered.
Lotharus cocked his head, his usually immaculate hair falling over his face. "Did you want this?" He twirled the staff in a taunting fashion before releasing a snarl. "You're going to have to come and get it."
Alexia slapped a hand to her thigh, reaching for her Glock. Before her hand touched the holster, Lotharus appeared by her side. "I don't think so, lover." Fingers dug into her scalp and tugged. The next thing she knew she was airborne, flying backward at highway speed. Although she'd braced herself, the crash into the cavern wall sent stars bursting behind her eyes and shot rockets of pain through her body. Limp, she fell forward, landing face-first in the dirt.
"Alex!" Declan screamed her name in a roar. The heavy beat of wings pounded the air above her, followed by the tortured cry of a soldier. Slipping her fingers through the loose earth, she flattened her palms and tested her weight. She winced at the stab of pain lancing between her shoulder blades.
Again, the dragon bellowed, as if her pain were his own.
"I'm okay," she said in an attempt to reassure him. Arms trembling, she pushed herself up to her knees. A boot kicked her stomach. Woofing out a breath, Alexia fell to her side and rolled. Cradling the ache with one hand, she patted her leg with the other.
"Looking for this?"
Lotharus stood over her, dangling her Glock in his fingers. A cloying sense of dread filled her, suffocated her. He was so fast. So strong. Their last battle rolled in her mind and for the first time tonight, she wasn't sure she could beat him.
"You're stronger."
At the voice, Alexia looked up. Declan loomed above her, black and beautiful. He held a soldier in his massive talons. His sapphire eyes fixed on her. Snarling, he tossed the soldier against the far wall with a pitch of his arm.
Suddenly, a rapid cadence of gunfire exploded. The dragon howled, the sound twisting Alexia's heart with an intense ache she'd never experienced before. Steadily, the gun beats continued to ricochet off the walls in earsplitting pings.
A machine gun.
Alexia's eyes instantly zeroed in on the soldier with the weapon.
Gaze scouring the ground, she saw a fallen dagger in the dirt and lunged for it, her
body sliding against the rocky ground. Anticipating her move, Lotharus stabbed his staff toward her legs, the sharpened end aiming for one bare thigh. Alexia dodged it and hoisted the blade. Grunting in effort, she arced out her arm, sending the weapon flying across the room.
Without watching to see the knife hit, she rolled, popping to her feet. The machine gun's rattle slowed to a stop. The soldier's dead corpse thudded to the ground an instant later.
Alexia faced Lotharus, ignoring the fact she stood on rubbery legs, ignoring the sensation of her quad muscles literally shaking beneath the cool fabric of her skirt. "Come on, lover," she spat, mocking his words to her earlier. "You know you want it."
His lips curled at the corner. "I already have everything I wanted from you."
Lotharus shot the crystal-tipped staff at her. Sizzling jolts of lightning crackled through her body. The powerful shock wave blasted her off her feet, tossing her in a circle before dropping her on the ground with a thud. The back of her head struck the dirt, making her head throb in a skull-splitting ache. She brought the heel of her hand to her forehead and shut her eyes, hoping to stop the pain.
"Alexia, if you cease this folly, bow to me and declare me King before the horde, I might let you live." Lotharus's voice sounded close. Too close. Alexia forced her eyes open, forced them to focus and immediately saw him above her.
Pursing her lips, Alexia did a backward somersault, rolling up to her feet. "Bite me."
He bared his fangs. "Love to." With that, he launched toward her. His body torpedoed in a spiral, making it impossible to track his moves. Alexia did the only thing she could and braced herself for impact.
DECLAN TENSED, feeling Alexia's pain shoot through him as if he had taken the blow. Daring a look down, his heart thudded. Lotharus had her pinned to her back, his fangs hanging, ready to sink into her flesh.
Something stabbed through his left wing. The tissue sizzled and burned. Declan kicked back his head and roared as silver bullets burned and scorched his flesh. Swirling his tail in a circle, he let it fly toward his attacker. The tip pierced the vampire in the head. Ripped from the body, the head rolled like a bowling ball across the floor.
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