“Everything is okay, Krieger. They’re gone,” I sighed heavily.
“Charity,” Dragus’ accent thickened, which was bad. “What happened? Are you hurt?” He reached for me as if to check me over inch by inch.
“No!” I snapped. “Let’s go inside and get this over with.” It took a lot of work, but I managed to push Dragus out of the triangle. I stifled a giggle when he grunted, obviously frustrated. As we walked toward the house, Ashby and Rowland escorted us with guns drawn watching the tree line. I knew it was pointless for them to be on guard, but there was no way I was going to waste my breath telling them different.
Once inside in the living room, Dragus sat in my recliner. I pulled a stool over in front of him and sat down.
“What happened out there?” he demanded. Ashby and Rowland sat quietly on the couch; Rowland held a notepad and pen, transcribing our conversation. Ashby tinkered with a handheld video camera; obviously meant to catch every moment of the questioning. He pointed the contraption at me and I heard the beep; not needing to look to see if it was recording.
“Go ahead and read my mind. I don’t like repeating myself,” I huffed.
Dragus looked at the Ashby and said, “Note, Charity Harwood, has given verbal approval for me to read her thoughts. I will translate.” He turned toward me and placed a palm on each one of my temples. I closed my eyes and relaxed.
It was a little odd having my thoughts read; it was like watching my memories replayed on DVR. Dragus repeated every moment I had been with Adam Castillo. Even the plan to feed him; I knew Dragus had seen that part, because he laughed.
Just as I saw my reaction to when I first saw Dragus, being pulled out of my thoughts, I pulled back releasing his hands from my head. I glared at him. He was trying to find out what I thought of him. Jerk! I heard the beep of the camera and knew I was not on tape; so I lit into Dragus.
“You asshole! What was that?” I whispered, trying to keep this conversation between us. I heard a muffled sound and looked over to see Ashby trying his best not to laugh. Rowland was carefully studying a very rare painting that was hung over my fireplace. Dragus stood and spoke quietly to Ashby and Rowland before dismissing them, so we could chat. Yeah, chat, my ass! I was going to burst his bubble for sure.
Before I could rip him a new one, he grabbed me by the top of my shoulders and pulled me to his chest. Oh, what a chest it was. I absolutely forgot what the hell I was going to say to him. My hands automatically pressed against his neck. Every time I touched him, it was like a jolt of electricity to my heart. I jerked my hand away from him, as if I had been stung, and looked up into his eyes.
Those blue eyes searched mine, like he was looking for my soul. He must have liked what he saw, because he slipped both arms tightly around my waist and lifted me to his mouth. He had too, because I was almost a foot shorter than him.
Oh man, his lips were like the cashmere. His tongue slowly weaved through my mouth, tasting and testing. It felt like the velvet petals of a rose; he tasted like strength and power, just like his blood. When he used said tongue to flick against my fang, the passion flared and the spot between my legs pinged with jealousy.
I refused to let go, but as with all stolen kisses, they were short and sweet. Dragus whispered my name as he slid me down his muscular stomach. My leg caught the feel of his hardening length, just before he set me to my feet. I smiled in response.
“My lady, please let me help Adam. It worries me that you were out there with the Lycans.” His voice was sincere and his eyes told me he was worried. Dragus used his thumb to brush a stray hair away from my cheek and I shivered.
“They won’t hurt me Dragus, you saw that,” I reminded him.
“I will not let them hurt you either, mi amado,” he sighed. Mi what? I have so got to brush up on my foreign languages. “We will help him. I’ll do everything in my power to keep him safe. There may be a cure. If there is, we will find it.” I don’t know where this change of heart came from. I thought the Krieger were all about destroying Adam and others like him, but now he wanted to help; maybe because Dragus saw his pain and longing through my thoughts.
With nothing more than a brush of soft knuckles against my cheek, he turned to leave. Ashby and Rowland were waiting patiently outside standing next to the jet black Hummer H3, police style. They both graced me with a polite bow and stepped inside the cruiser. Dragus looked back over his shoulder, and smiled. Yeah, if my heart was still beating like it did when I was human, it would have galloped right out of my chest. His compassion reminded me of my long lost dreams.
Man, he sure did move fast. No first date, no flowers, no nothing, he just came right on out with it and kissed me. I shouldn’t be surprised. Vampires are like that. There is an animalist side to our kind, almost possessive. Male vamps are the worst; they just go for what they want. But the cool side is, once they bond, they mate for eternity. No worry about divorce among immortals. It just doesn’t happen. Hell I don’t think it ever has.
The bonding could start and if you separated yourself from your mate, the bonding instinct would eventually fade. Staying around only strengthens the bond. Once the bond is complete, there is no turning back. That is why Lydia is so hot for humans. To her, they’re expendable, like money; where there’s one, there’s a hundred. I’m no spring chicken either, but by no means am I a tramp. I still have class.
I’ve dated both vampires and humans, but never got so wrapped up in a male that I bonded. I quit looking a few decades ago and decided to just live my eternity to its fullest. Buying the vampire bar shortly after we announced our existence was my shot at independence.
We went a little overboard. The Queen had her personal Krieger use their vampire juju to convince the Wall Street Journal editors to allow us to have the entire day dedicated to our announcement. Every page was riddled with the truth about vampires. She planned and worded the announcement well enough to the humans that they knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that we don’t kill when we feed.
Then she tapped into CNN, FOX News, CNBC and all the other major television stations for a live broadcast. And just like that, all hell broke loose. It took almost a year for the humans to calm down and accept us. There were curfews in place for humans and they armed themselves heavily. Until a U.S. Senator took over and admitted that his pretty young wife was vampire. He led the campaign for the Red Cross to start a donor program. Then the U.S government took over. And viola! Here we are today, welcome, by most, feared by the rest.
Dragus
“She has utterly lost her mind,” I grumped after we climbed into the Hummer. “Charity thinks she can help him all by herself.” I couldn’t believe what I saw in her mind. She actually thought she could feed him and keep him like a pet!
Rowland laughed from the back seat, “She is a strong willed woman. Ms. Harwood is going to give you a run for your money.” He laughed so hard I felt the vehicle vibrate a little.
Ashby leaned over and punched me in the shoulder, “Do you really think she is the one Akalika said was destined to be your soul mate? She seems a little pig headed to me.”
I knew he was joking with me, but I still didn’t like them teasing about her. My warning growl gave them a little insight into what would happen if they didn’t stop harping on Charity.
“Jeez, Dragus,” Rowland laughed. “You sound like a bonded male.”
“Rowland,” Ashby spoke his name with a deep warning tone, basically telling him to back off.
“Sorry Master,” Rowland was a smart man and decided to stay quiet in the back seat. I glanced in the rear view mirror and noticed him staring out the window.
I ignored the fact that I wanted to stop the car and punch both of them. “She is the woman I have been waiting half a millennium for. Don’t start on me.”
“You’re right, Dragus. We shouldn’t be like that with you.” Ashby patted my shoulder and I relaxed, a little. “I’m sorry.”
“When we get back to the office, I’m going to
hire a few more Nachtmann to stand guard outside her home.” I was more talking to myself than to anyone else, but they still heard me. Charity needed daytime protection. Her safety was first on my mind.
“Are you sure she will allow that?” Rowland sounded skeptical.
“I don’t give a damn what she will allow or not,” I growled. “She is my concern and I will not leave her alone out there without enough protection.” My chest ached just at the thought of her being there by herself. I reached up and rubbed the center of my sternum. The sensation wouldn’t ease as I tried to loosen the tightness there.
“Do you really believe Adam can control them?” Ashby asked.
“From what I saw, through her thoughts, he was holding them back from attacking her. I still don’t know if I trust his ability. He’s a telepath, not a sorcerer. There is no way he can control animals, even Lycanthropes.” Not even the strongest sorcerer can contain a pack of wild Lycanthropes. I’ve never met one who thought they could either.
Rowland cleared his throat, “If they are attacking our kind, why would they allow one of us to rule them?”
“Good point,” I scowled. Something wasn’t right about the whole situation. Maybe it was just a coincidence that he was able to hold them back along the tree line. I couldn’t put my faith in Adam to protect Charity from the Lycans, I just couldn’t.
“He thinks there is a cure,” I shrugged. “I’ve heard of a witch’s brew that helped an outbreak in Europe awhile back. Charity is going to want to find a way to help. Maybe we can look into it.” That’s all I had at the moment.
“Why don’t you get with Dr. Mason at the hospital? He’s really into all that medicine stuff. I’ll bet he could get information on a potion,” Ashby suggested.
“You may be right. I’ll call him later.”
After we arrived at the station, I called Nachtmann Keith. I’ll admit that even though Charity wanted to hire him, I still wanted him under my orders.
“Master Dragus,” Keith yawned. “What can I do for you at this hour?”
“I’m sorry, Keith. I forgot to check the clock,” I laughed. “I just wanted to ask you to bring a few more Nachtmann over to Ms. Harwood’s home this morning. Make sure one of them is an approved donor. She is expecting a visit from the hybrid and I don’t want her out traveling to the Red Cross. She wants to hire you personally, but I don’t trust her judgment. She may just want to hire you and then turn around and fire you.”
“Point well made, sir,” he laughed sleepily.
“For now, you will take your orders from me. If she wants you do to anything out of the ordinary, please call me first.”
“Yes sir, Master Dragus. I will set that up for you,” he yawned again.
“Get some sleep, son. I will meet you at Ms. Harwood’s home after sunset.” He hung up the phone and I glanced at the clock. It was just after four in the morning.
Chapter 5
Dragus
Tomorrow night was my night off; I planned to spend it with Charity. This was my chance to secure a date with her. The thought actually made me a little nervous. I haven’t dated in a very long time. In fact the last date I had, we ended up at Woodstock; the first one. It was a double date that Ashby had insisted I go on.
After that, I was asked to implement a training program for the new recruits. For the next twenty years, I worked on adding dorms to all of the Krieger Estates and directed one Krieger, at each location, to school the young ones. I like the more hands on training I had experienced when I was first accepted into the Krieger. For the past forty years, the program has been running strong. Although I have my new duties here in Port Royal, I am still obligated to review the program a few times a year. New recruits are processed through my office and I am responsible for approving or denying their membership into the Krieger.
After a hot shower, I made my way to the bed. Sunrise wasn’t too far off, and I could feel the weight bearing down on me fast. Closing my eyes, I succumbed to the pull of death for the day.
Charity
When I came back to life Monday night, I heard voices outside my house. I immediately let my senses take over to see who was lurking around. Four human males were lingering outside and I freaked. Screw calling 111; I dialed Dragus. It took a minute to find my cell phone; I left it in my pants pocket from the night before. By the time I opened it to call Dragus, my hands were shaking. I was scared.
“Charity?” he answered on the first ring. His voice sounded strained. “What’s wrong, mi amado?”
“There are four men outside my home. One is my Nachtmann, the others I…I don’t know,” my voice cracked. Yeah, I was scared. I hope to hell they aren’t hunters. Please don’t let there be a bunch of people outside my door wielding sharp wooden stakes. The thought of getting that close to a wooden stake again made me shiver.
“Everything’s okay, my lady, I sent extra Nachtmann to your house this morning; just as a precaution.”
“What for?” I asked a little confused.
“The Lycanthropes, of course,” he snapped. “Adam may think he can control them, but I’m not sure. I can’t risk your safety, just on his words.”
“You’re worried about my safety?” I teased, raising one eyebrow that I know he couldn’t see. I jumped up from my bed and grabbed a robe.
“I’ll be there shortly to stay with you before he comes tonight. You should remain at home until I arrive,” he suggested. Which was dumb, I had to make my nightly trip to the local Fill-Er-Up for my feeding.
“Sorry Krieger, but I’m starving. I need to make a trip into town, but I promise to return as soon as I’m done.”
“No need. Open your door, Nachtmann Brady Wilson is an approved donor.” Well didn’t he just think of everything? This is what I mean by obsessive males. Annoying as hell, that’s what they are.
“Dragus,” I whispered. “I understand your concern, but you can’t keep me trapped in my own home.” I’ve tried being cocky and that didn’t work; now I’m trying to be reasonable.
“Just humor me for tonight. Please?” he begged.
“Okay, Okay,” I surrendered; only because I was freaking dying of thirst. My throat felt like a box of sandpaper had mated with acid and hatched their babies in there. My stomach snarled with anticipation; knowing food was just outside my door, like Chinese take-out. Hmm, there’s a business idea ready for the taking, take-out donors; door to door delivery for a fee. I may just be a genius. A really, really wealthy genius.
I clicked my cell phone off and grabbed a pair of jeans; topped off with a Nickelback hoodie, and was at my front door in a matter of seconds.
My newly hired Nachtmann, Keith, was standing on the porch with another male. The new addition was about six foot tall and looked just like a young Jude Law and smelled of AB negative. I smiled, thinking Dragus was trying to stay on my good side; sending me the very best.
“Good evening, Charity,” Keith said. He obviously received the paperwork showing that I was his new employer. It was a rule with me, all of my employees called me by my first name, no excuses. Dragus must have instilled it in him and for that I was relieved. The last thing I want to do is break another person into calling me by my name. Calling me ‘Ms. Harwood’ or ‘ma’am’ just made me feel old. I was twenty-six forever!
“Evening Keith,” I replied. “Dragus said that he sent a donor for me.” I looked around hoping it wasn’t the look-a-like. I don’t know if I could handle sucking blood out of him. It might be a little much for my female hormones to take.
“I’m Brady, ma’am. Your friendly neighborhood donor,” he laughed. Oh, goodie! He was my breakfast. Hello hormones!
I opened my door wide and invited him into the living room; then directed him to my favorite beige recliner. The stool was already there; so I pulled it up at his feet. Reaching over, I grabbed the remote and tossed it to him.
“Thank you for doing this,” I said to Brady. “Relax, make yourself at home.”
“No problem, C
harity,” he winked. Wow! Oh, there were so many fantasy’s going through my head right now, they all just got lost in a big ole jumble. I excused myself to go brush my teeth and left him with the remote.
Once I made my way back up to the living room, Brady was still sitting at attention in the recliner. “Okay, I’m ready.” Oh, boy was I ever ready.
I plopped my extremely thirsty self down in the stool and reached for Brady. He leaned over and placed a hand on my knee, well more like mid-way up my thigh. Okay…that made me a little uncomfortable. Of course, I thought he was yummy, but by no way did I put out on the first date or the first drink in this case. A small shiver ran through me as I leaned into his neck, he smelled so good. Goose bumps raised on his arms when my cold breath tickled his skin. There was no waiting left in me.
I bit deeply into his vein just as Dragus walked through the door. Brady let out a deep, pleasurable moan, a very common emotion. Blood drinking was a very sensual act, it happens. My eyes flickered to Dragus and he was frowning. Oh crap! My handsome donor just moaned in front of my almost boyfriend. Well, maybe boyfriend. Whatever, this could wait.
Obviously Brady did not know about our visitor, because he scooted closer to me, grabbed my hand and pressed it into his rock hard cock. With his other hand he grasped my other wrist holding me in place. His grip was too tight for my liking. He moaned my name. His hot breath tickled my ear.
A million nightmares about my past came flooding back. I could see the vampire who had violated me while I lay there helpless in his clutches. I don’t like being grabbed by my wrists. Panic washed over me and I froze. About the time I whimpered, Dragus pulled me off of Brady and had him by the neck. Half a second later, Brady was pinned to the wall.
Blood & Roses: Warriors of the Krieger Page 6