As the connection faded, I promised myself I would help Adam. Finding him was going to be a problem, one that was now mine to solve. He begged me to not let them kill him. The Lycan poison was taking his humanity; he was struggling to hold on to his memories. If he didn’t get control over it, he would go mad.
The convulsions in my body increased as I returned to myself; the pain all but vanished. Someone was shaking me; annoying me. My eyes flashed open and as my vision cleared, I noticed I was at an odd angle. Instead of looking at the washing machine, I was staring at the ceiling. So much for holding on tight; I had fallen out in the floor.
“Charity!” Dragus’ voice thundered in my ear. His huge hands were wrapped around my shoulders and he was the one shaking me. Even though my eyes were open, he continued to shake.
“What!” I said, annoyed. Fighting him off, I staggered to my feet.
“Who were you connected too?” he demanded, in that storm ridden voice. His eyes narrowed, watching for me to lie. How the hell did he know I was a telepath? Damn Krieger, they knew everything about everyone.
Part of the governments restrictions were that vampires must register with the city. Paperwork, fingerprints and DNA were required before someone could become a citizen. Documentation of abilities was a requirement. Changing someone from human to vampire also took loads of paperwork and had to be approved by a judge, human of course. Some lawyer in California even proposed a new law that humans could have the option of being turned written into their living wills. So instead of life support, they could opt for emergency vampirization, as I like to call it.
“No one you need to be concerned about,” I lied. Well, I had too. Adam begged me not to tell and for some crazy reason, I felt obligated to help him. “Why are you here?”
“Do not change the subject on me, answer my question,” he thundered. It was then that I realized that Dragus already knew that Adam was a telepath. Although he looked mad, I couldn’t help but notice how much concern he used in his voice. His features hardened just slightly as he watched for my answer.
“No!” I yelled.
“Charity, please tell me,” he begged, his sultry voice returned. He used my first name and damn did it make me smile. His words rolled off his tongue like a seductive purr. That threw me off guard and for a second I almost spilled.
“No,” I whispered.
He reached up to cup his hands around the top of my head; for a second I thought he was going to kiss me. Yeah, well, reality sucks, and his intentions struck me quicker. I jumped back and knocked his hand away.
“Oh, no you don’t Krieger! You do not read my mind, unless you have my permission,” I growled. Dragus and his band of warriors had the ability to read thoughts, but only with touch. By law, they must have a civilian’s permission or a government court order to do it. I have never let a Krieger clasp their big meaty paws around my skull, and I don’t plan on letting Dragus do it now.
“My apologies,” he bowed. “You startled me, Charity. I heard screaming and I took it upon myself to enter your home to help you. I found you rolling around on the floor crying and grabbing your head. Are you hurt?”
I bit back the accusations I wanted to fling at him, because he was worried. How romantic was that? Big bad ass warrior, busting through my door to defend me, and he used my first name instead of my lady. Ah, swoon!
“I’m fine. These things happen all the time,” I swatted my hand out to the side, dismissing his concern. “Why are you here?”
“I spoke with Lydia Duncan earlier; she told me you were staying home tonight. So, I expanded my rounds to survey your property.” He spoke so nonchalantly, I totally bought his excuse, at first.
The way Dragus looked at me held a deep compassion; like he was truly worried for my safety. Well, that was his job. Right? No, there was something else there in his eyes. Could he have really been in my dreams all those years ago? Does he know who I am?
He held my gaze for a few seconds too long, and then looked away. Man, he was hard to read. I never really knew how to deal with him.
“Well, go ahead and make your sweeps. I have laundry to do,” I snapped. All of a sudden his eyes narrowed and his nose twitched, like he smelled something bad. Before I could turn away, he grabbed my hand at the tips of my finger and in one swift move he slid the sleeve of my sweater up, exposing my wound from a few nights before.
“Oh! My lady, you have not healed,” he gasped, carefully examining my arm.
“I, uh yeah,” I stuttered. “I used the ointment and took some blood, but it didn’t heal very well. I’m hoping after tonight’s sleep, I should be better.”
Dragus dropped the hold on my hand and immediately removed his leather coat. He was dressed in his standard issued black Krieger shirt. His biceps were so huge that the end of the short sleeves protested by hugging those luscious arms. I was momentarily distracted and didn’t notice his wrist held up to my face.
“Take my blood, my lady. It should heal you proper. I can smell that the wound is infected, most likely that stake was made of Hawthorne,” he suggested. Hawthorne wood is one of the strongest materials to make a stake out of. Vampires are highly allergic to it. If it didn’t kill you, most likely you would get a bad infection from the wound, and warrior blood was an awesome antibiotic.
Well, I wasn’t going to argue. Rumor has it that drinking from a Krieger is just as good, if not better, than a hot night in the sack. Bottoms up! I grasped his arm with my hand and noticed it only wrapped halfway around his wrist.
I sank my fangs into his vein and drank. As I drank, I floated. The taste was immeasurable; nothing like it in the world. Oh man, it was sweet like honey. No! This was much sweeter. If you could ever consume strength and power, all wrapped up in a sweet juicy package, this was it. I know I moaned a few times, but I couldn’t help it.
“Charity, enough,” he whispered. Dragus pulled my chin away from his wrist and when I looked up, he was smiling. My eyes stayed locked on his as I washed my tongue seductively over his wrist.
“Thank you,” I whispered. I looked down at my arm and watched as it healed completely. Then, I quickly checked his wrist for any sign that I devoured his skin, because I’m fairly sure I wasn’t gentle with him. There were two faint pink marks left from my bite. Good, because I didn’t want to embarrass myself today, looking like a slob.
“I’m taking off work for the next two nights, but will make sure someone is here to watch your land. Please be nice to the Nachtmann,” he laughed. “He’s only being told to do what he is paid for.”
Well, didn’t he just give me an idea, “I want to hire him to be my permanent Nachtmann; can you arrange that?” Dragus looked at me like he was trying to figure out what my change of mind was for, but I didn’t say anything else.
“That can be done tonight. I will send the paperwork with him in the morning.” After a second he smiled. He seemed pleased.
After I sent Dragus on his way, I finished laundry and worked on my plan.
If this Nachtmann was on my payroll, he had to answer to me, not the Krieger. So, I’d put him to work. He can help me with getting to Adam during the day. But how was I going to help him? Well, first thing was teaching him not to eat people. Yuck! I wonder if he would eat animals. Where in the hell would I get a slab of meat for him? I can’t just walk my vampire self into the local IGA and ask the meat cutter for his scraps. That would be too obvious, and most likely would gain a lot of unwanted attention.
I don’t know a lot about his condition, but I do know that he is also a telepath. My telepathy only works with others like myself. Obviously, Adam was looking for the closest mind sharer he could connect too. He was in a forest, not necessarily the one in my backyard, and connected to me, but he could be anywhere. The closest vampires to me are six miles away and I don’t think they’re telepathic. So, he could be in the wooded area anywhere on my ten acres, or on Mr. Gerald’s property a few miles up the road. I wanted to help him, but by no means was I
going to walk into Lycan infested woods in the middle of the night. No way! I’ll wait till he comes to me.
Dragus
I smiled as I walked out the back door of her house. Once my blood touched her lips, I felt my body connect to hers. Her mind wasn’t completely clear, but I could make out the tone of her thoughts. She was concerned for the hybrid who contacted her. His information in the system told me he was a very strong telepath and now I understand why he was on her property. Charity’s file also said she too was a telepath, but not quite as powerful.
She wouldn’t tell me that it was Adam who contacted her, but I knew otherwise. Charity felt obligated to help him, because he was in pain. For that I felt rage. He was using her to lure her out of the house so he could attack her. There had not been any other bodies found over the past few days. This means he was most likely hungry and knew he could lure her out into the open because they share the same ability. Even more likely than that, he was scared and used the forest to hide.
I paced the back of her property line, trying to get a feel for Adam. He had been here earlier but his scent had faded slightly; telling me he hadn’t been gone long. I didn’t sense any other Lycanthropes in the area either.
Before leaving, I carefully walked close enough by the house to see inside the windows. She was sitting in the recliner reading a book. I flinched at my intrusion of her privacy. I could have myself arrested for doing this, but damn I had to check on her. Leaving her alone, I made my way to the Hummer.
As I drove back over to the office, I thought about Charity. I know for sure she is my destiny. Akalika assured me that she was the one, and I trust him completely. But how in the world do I convince her that she is the one I’m destined to be with?
He was there when I had actually had my first dream as a Krieger. That first dream had scared me to death. I had awoken and ran straight to his room at the Krieger mansion I was stationed at in Germany. After beating on his door, the man, that was closer to me than a father, took me inside and told me what those dreams meant. I could dream walk, but only with my intended mate. So, I learned from him how to find her; how to walk in her dreams and contact her. I needed to see her again.
Maybe I will stop by her place tomorrow and formally ask her out. It was my night off. She seemed more than a little irritable toward me. Did she remember me from the dream? Could it be that she doesn’t remember me? Maybe she remembers me and doesn’t want anything to do with me.
Either way, I’m not giving up without a fight.
Chapter 4
Charity
I returned from the Red Cross the next evening thinking about Adam. The only way to help him was to contact him. As adverse as I was to going toward the woods, I reigned in my fear and made the decision to try a connection with him. But the first thing I needed to do was look for any Krieger. I’m sure they would be back to check on the property sometime tonight.
Which gave me an idea, a dumb one, but it was an idea. Dragus was supposed to be off work tonight and there were no other Krieger in the area. You better believed I checked! Although I don’t get cold, I still grabbed my black hooded sweatshirt on my way out the back door. It had started snowing about an hour ago and the wind had picked up out of the north.
I had a large open backyard that abruptly stopped a couple hundred yards back at the tree line. A gust of wind caught my golden hair and whipped it around my face, so I tucked it down the back of my hoodie, and stepped off the patio. The night air was crisp and cool. The faint sound of an owl flying off in the distance had me smiling at his freedom. Flying was not something I could do, but others who can tell me that it is the most exhilarating experience one can have.
As I walked, I let my senses range out looking for trouble. By the time I reached the tree line, I found a few Lycanthropes, but they were far away. I felt safe, for now. If they get to close, I would just rely on my superfast vamp speed to get my dumb ass back in the house. I’m not a fool, when in doubt….run like hell! That’s my motto.
Once the wind died down, I closed my eyes, concentrating on my telepathy. Raising my hands in the air was just something I did, because I swear it helped channel my mojo. As I concentrated, I felt for other minds in the immediate area. There was a bland, sort of humming sound coming from the Lycans that sort of made my head throb. If I ever tried to connect to someone who wasn’t telepathic, it gave me a headache.
I pushed harder, looking for him. When he had connected to me yesterday, his mind was a little fuzzy around the edges, but otherwise still very close to vampire. That gave me hope. I mustered up all of my power and called to him.
“Adam Castillo! Come to me,” I heard my voice echo through the forest and hoped like hell he heard me before the Lycans did. Once the echo faded, I tried again; this time louder.
“Adam! I’m here to help you! Please, come back to me!” The pull of his mind was getting closer, but he still would not connect with my thoughts.
It was then I heard footsteps. I held onto my telepathy, trying to reach for him. His mind was there, I know because I felt it. For some reason, Adam wouldn’t use our shared ability to connect with me. I was not powerful enough to take over his mind, like he could do with me.
Along with his soft steps, I heard the crunching of tiny twigs and leaves under heavy paws. Crap! I was too close now to stop. “Adam,” I asked, one more time. If he didn’t answer me in three seconds, I’m gone.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “I’m here.”
I lowered my hands and opened my eyes. Adam was standing just inside the tree line. He looked ten times worse than he did that night at my club. His hair had once been sandy blonde, now it was a matted, bloody mess. In the picture, his eyes had been emerald green, now they’re a strange glowing yellow, just like a Lycanthrope. His shirt was missing and his jeans were in tatters. But what disturbed me the most, was that he had started sprouting werewolf fur. The tops of his shoulders were covered with patches of fuzzy brown down like hair. Thankfully, that was the only place he had begun to fuzz over, that I could see. I don’t know how long the process would take before he became a rouge vampire-Lycan hybrid.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, because I didn’t know what else to say.
“How the hell do you think I feel?” he laughed.
“I’m sorry,” and I was. No one should have to go through this pain. “Are you hungry? What can I do to help?”
“I’m starving,” he cried. “I didn’t want to kill them, but the hunger is unbearable.” He fell to his knees and wept, clinching the side of his head. I felt the brief shot of pain that ravaged his body. The pain wasn’t as bad as the night before.
“Okay, look, we have to talk fast. The other Lycan’s are coming and I don’t have much time,” I said in a rush. “Can you eat animals, like dear or bears, even rabbits. You can’t go around eating humans or vampires, that’s just gross.”
“I couldn’t help it. I was in the city when this happened and that is why I fled to the woods. I knew that I could get away from people and try to live out here. I’ve been eating with the other werewolves; they have taken me in. Hell, for some reason some of them listen to me; follow me where ever I go,” he shrugged then nodded back over his shoulder.
I looked around to his left and right and saw the glow of yellow eyes. I gasped and took a few steps back. There were twelve extra sets of eyes peering out from the forest. They had arrived in a pack, just like wild dogs.
“I…I’m sorry. I have to go.” My voice stuttered as I turned to run. I was scared. I swear this was the dumbest thing I have ever done.
“Wait!” Adam called. “They won’t hurt you, I promise.” He sounded so sure that I hesitated.
I spun around to see Adam standing there with his arms out to the side like a crossing guard holding back children. He stepped forward begging me with his stare to stay. The face of a child looked back at me; begging for help.
I began to shake. My hands trembled and the hair at the back of m
y neck started to rise. All of my instincts roared to life. This was wrong. I was scared.
“There has to be a cure. I don’t know how much humanity I will lose once I complete the transformation. There are others who still have some part of their mind, but mine is slipping. I’m trying to hold on to my memories so that I don’t forget. That’s how I found you. I sensed your telepathy at your club that night and I had to connect with you.” His head turned to the left as we both heard tires turn off the main road into my driveway. Adam backed into the tree line and I felt his connection slam into my brain. I knew he had more to say, but needed to get back into the shadows. The other Lycanthropes stood their ground and did not move.
I raised my hands, closed my eyes and spoke to the hiding hybrid. I only had a few minutes before whoever was in my driveway came around back looking for me.
Please stay in the woods, don’t go into the city. The Krieger are looking for you. I will do what I can to help, but you can’t eat any more people. Okay? I begged.
Thank you. I will connect with you at midnight tomorrow. I’ve told the Lycans not to harm you. You should be safe. The Krieger are coming. I…I must go.
The connection was lost and then I heard the heavy pounding of footsteps running toward me. I opened my eyes and saw the werewolves slink back into the trees, one by one. When I turned to my right, three Krieger were coming up on me fast; weapons drawn. Oh shit! I was in trouble now, because Dragus was in the front, flanked by Ashby and Rowland.
They swarmed and made a triangle around me, all facing out; their shoulders touching. I felt like a three-sided warrior sandwich. How the hell was I going to get out of this one? I couldn’t lie now; Dragus has probable cause to listen to my thoughts. If I wouldn’t let him, he would get a court order and then I would probably end up in a judge’s office. A hassle I did not want to deal with.
Blood & Roses: Warriors of the Krieger Page 5