I jumped at the sound of knocking on the driver’s side window. Powle was standing there looking puzzled. I opened the door and turned to get out, but was stopped by a hand on my shoulder.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” I barked.
“You want to talk about it?” he smiled. For some reason, he knew what was on my mind. I could sense it coming from him.
“I can’t stop worrying about her,” I whispered.
“Ahh, you’re bonding with Ms. Harwood,” he laughed.
I stared at him in disbelief. There was no way that I would be bonding with her this soon. I shouldn’t have these feelings for her for a few more months. He stood there waiting for me to say something, but I was so confused, I didn’t know what to ask first.
Powle cleared his throat, “You feel this magnetic pull to her when she is far away.” It wasn’t a question, but more of a statement. “Anytime you are with her, you feel complete; almost like you found a missing part of your soul. Her safety is your main concern, even over your job as a Krieger. The thought of another male coming within a foot of her makes you want to destroy everything in your path to reach her. Am I getting this right?”
He was hitting it dead center. Of course, Powle and Bastian knew what I was going through. They have been bonded for years. Their wives are tucked away safely at the estate. That’s why they can do their job without worrying about their mate’s safety.
The Krieger Estate has top of the line security all over the grounds. No one can get in without a security clearance equal to that of the Pentagon. There are tunnels under the mansion and the family homes that lead to a safe house underground, in case of a breech. Their wives are safe, and it saddened me that Charity was not there within my home.
“Yes,” I whispered. “It gets worse every day. The pull on my chest, it doesn’t hurt, but it’s a little uncomfortable. I find myself worrying over everything.”
Powle patted my shoulder. “That’s part of the bonding. Well, it’s part of being in love. The feeling never goes away; you just need to learn how to ignore it.”
“Ignore it,” I laughed. “How the hell can I ignore it?”
“Eventually you will learn to put it in the back of your mind. Until you reach that goal, just try your best to set the feeling aside.”
“How many times a day do you check on Lady Elise?”
He smiled briefly and then hung his head in shame, “Only about a hundred times.”
A moment of disgust - at myself - paralyzed my body. I only check on Charity about half of that. She doesn’t always know when I do it, but I do. Hearing Powle’s confession bothered me. I looked at him and he was smiling.
“She’s going to be fine, brother. Brock and William will not let anything happen to her.”
“They better not,” I growled. The thought of them allowing her to get hurt, caused a million punishments to run through my head.
“They know better, Dragus. Now check in on her and let’s get to work.” Powle walked off the give me a moment.
I closed my eyes and used my powers to sense Charity. She was home already. Brock was outside checking the perimeter of her yard, while William was doing another walkthrough of her house. Charity was curled up in her recliner reading a book. She was bundled up in a blanket and her feelings were content. I sighed and released my connection to her mind.
A black Krieger Hummer pulled up next to my own and parked. A crew from Campeche Beach had arrived a few hours ago and Palo picked them up at the station. Palo stepped out along with four new faces. I headed over to introduce myself.
“Master Dragus,” Palo greeted me with a firm handshake. “These are the Krieger of Campeche Beach.”
I nodded as I took in each of them. The largest of the group, a dark haired Italian, was the first one to shake my hand. His issued Krieger shirt said his name was Ermanno. The second was named Luka. He wore his hair cut extremely short, military style. His dark green eyes were menacing and from his Russian accent, I could tell he hasn’t been in the States very long. But his English was spoken to perfection. The third was an Irishman by the name of Keon. His deep auburn hair fell around his face, hiding his features. He seemed shy, but highly trained to his job. I sensed he had led a traumatic life during his time as a human. The last one was Nikolas and he was the only blonde one in the group. His large deep set eyes told me he was not afraid of anything. He was a true warrior through and through.
“Thank you all for coming,” I nodded respectfully to the group. “Our goal tonight is to find any hybrids we can find and have them transported to Sacred Heart hospital. We only have just over two hours till sunrise. We will need to meet back here at four-thirty.”
After I gave the new Krieger my cell phone number, we broke off into groups and headed out into the forest. Nikolas was my partner and we walked due south off the main trail through the park. The night was clear, but the cover of the trees made it rather dark in the thickest part of the forest.
Nikolas kept a watch to our east and north, I watched to the west and south. We trudged through overgrown weeds and vines, for about a mile. Several trees were over on their sides and decaying alone in the forest. Occasionally, we would come across a small animal carcass or two. They were hidden underneath a blanket of fallen limbs. This was typical behavior of the Lycanthropes. They protected their kill by feeding in a hidden area.
Nikolas stopped to probe at one of the half eaten animals and turned to speak. Before he spoke one word, a branch snapped behind us. We spun around to find a full blooded Lycan trying to creep up behind us.
The animal looked small compared to the others we have seen lately. I assumed it to be a female. Her yellow eyes glowed under what little bit of moon light that was breaking through the treetops. She growled low and menacing as we took a step closer to her. Nikolas and I unsheathed our knives that were strapped at our hips.
The werewolf scratched the ground like a bull ready to attack. Nikolas lunged for her throat and missed, rolling on the ground just behind her. She turned around to stalk him, like a wounded animal. I used this advantage to run at her from behind. Before I made it a few feet, she turned and leaped for me. I shifted to my left and with my knife I was able to slice into her shoulder when she flew past me.
Nikolas was back on his feet and tried to rush her while she attempted to turn around for another attack. In one swift move, the Lycan lunged for Nikolas’ throat and bit deep. His blood curdling scream echoed through the woods. She dropped him at her feet and made a run for me.
Her teeth and muzzle were covered in the Russian’s blood as she lunged. I caught her around the neck and buried my knife deep into her throat. She yelped out and fell to my feet. I removed my silver dagger and used it to remove her head with one slice of the knife.
I flipped open my cell phone and called the hospital. The operator answered immediately.
“Sacred Heart, how may I direct your call?”
“This is Krieger Dragus. I will be there with a Lycan victim in a few minutes. Have the doctors ready!” I snapped the phone shut and slipped it into my pocket as I reached down for Nikolas.
“Hey brother, how are you holding up?” I asked, breathless. He nodded, but couldn’t speak. The Lycan had bit into the spot where his neck and shoulder meet. The flesh was torn away and he was bleeding badly. I grabbed him by the shoulders and held him as close as possible. “I’m going to get you to the hospital. Hold on.”
Nikolas took a deep breath just a second before I zapped us out of the forest and into the Hummer.
Dr. Combs was waiting for us with a gurney and three nurses.
“We will take it from here, Master Dragus,” Dr. Combs patted my arm, but looked at me with concern. “Have you been hurt or is this his blood?”
“I’m fine. Just take care of him,” I insisted.
After the doctor followed Nikolas into the trauma center, I walked back to the parking lot. I dialed Palo’s cell and told him to have
everyone meet back at the vehicles. It was too dangerous to continue on this close to sunrise.
They took the Campeche Beach Krieger back to the estate and had them set up in the trainee dorms.
I left instructions for the hospital to call me immediately on any news and left for the mansion. I walked in and found a maid walking through the main hallway. She stopped when she saw the condition of my clothes. “Master Dragus,” she curtsied. “What happened?”
“I’m fine Lucy,” I smiled to make her less uncomfortable. “I’m just going up to my room to retire for the day.” Lucy curtsied again and rushed out of the room, back to the servant’s quarters.
I trudged my way upstairs and immediately got into the shower. A few minutes later I heard the shutters rolling down over the windows and I knew it was getting close to dawn.
The shower helped the aching in my muscles, but it could not take away the pain in my chest. I checked on her one more time before death took me for the day. She had already retired and although I knew she wouldn’t know it, I still reached for her. Using my mind, I brushed a stray hair away from her face. It must have fallen over her cheek when she fell into her death sleep. I made a silent promise to see her as soon as I could get to there after nightfall.
After a silent kiss to my sleeping beauty, I felt death pulling against me. The next thing I heard was my last breath of the day leaving my body.
I arose about an hour before sunset the next evening. My first priority for the evening was to visit Charity. I called over to the dorms and spoke with Keon. He would meet me at the vehicle the moment the shutters lifted. Brock and William had stayed at Charity’s guest house for the day, since they had not left in time to make it back to the dorms before sunrise.
Once I was dressed I made my way to the dining room to find my morning packet from the human police telling me about the events of the day. There had been only one disappearance reported and they believed it to be a Lycan attack. A human female had been reported missing just after dawn this morning. She was last seen leaving her home and her car was found bloodied and abandoned on the side of the road around noon.
Simon, my butler, quietly slipped in and handed me a goblet of AB negative. He slipped out before I could say ‘Thank You’.
While I quickly reviewed the reports, I considered meeting with the Chief of Police and talking to him about a possible curfew for the town. Just for a few days, so we could concentrate on the Lycans. This way we would hopefully be able to keep our forces on patrol instead of splitting our time between the hospital and the forest.
The shutters rattled just a second before the motors kicked in. I stuffed the paperwork back into the manila envelope and made my way outside.
Keon and the other Krieger met me at the Hummer. Once inside, we headed off toward Charity’s house. I explained to them that there was a high concentration of Lycanthropes around her land. My instructions for them tonight were to patrol the area while I checked on Charity.
As I got closer to her house the pull on my chest seemed to lessen. I breathed a sigh of relief.
My cell phone rang and I noticed it was William. I quickly checked on Charity and she was still under her death sleep, so I knew she was okay. I answered the phone, curious as to why he was calling. “William, what’s going on?”
“The Lycan’s are here,” he yelled. “You need to get here as soon as possible. I don’t know how long we can hold them.”
“Protect the house,” I growled. “I’m about three minutes out.”
I snapped the phone shut and pressed down on the accelerator. Less than a minute later, I felt Charity’s panic pierce through me. With a growl, I pushed the Hummer as fast as it could go. I had to get to her immediately.
Charity
When I came alive the next evening, I wondered where Dragus was and if he would make it over here before I had to leave. I decided to shower while I waited on him. As per ritual, I let my senses range out to check the security around the house.
Panic swept through my body as I sensed tension and realized there was a fight raging in my backyard. Three Nachtmann and Brilliam were going hand to hand with about ten werewolves. I rolled out of bed, snatched up my phone and called Dragus. I found myself sitting in the corner of my room in the fetal position. He answered on the first ring.
“We’re coming!” he yelled into the phone. “Stay in your room until I get there. Do not open the door for anyone but me. Do you understand?” His voice cracked with stress as he shouted orders at me. There was no way I was going out there, because I could hear growls and shouting outside my back door. I was too terrified to move.
“I…I promise. Hurry Dragus, I’m…scared,” my voice was more of a whisper. Yeah, I may be an old bad ass vampire but those werewolves scared the living daylights out of me. I knew when to call for help, because I hadn’t survived this long without having some smarts about me.
“I’m almost there, mi amor. I will come to you as soon as it’s over. Don’t worry,” he pleaded. He never said ‘Don’t be scared’ and that made me even more terrified. I felt the brush of lips against mine and I sighed from the little bit of strength he offered.
I hung up the phone and moved to the middle of the bed, like a child who just woke up from a nightmare. My nightmare was too close for comfort right now. Growls continued outside my home.
This may be the dumbest things I have ever done and I know Dragus will be mad, but I just had to connect to Adam. So, I sat up straight on my bed and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath in and out to help center myself and I raised my arms in the air. Searching for Adam was harder than I thought. The Lycan’s minds caused my head to hurt, but I continued.
“Adam,” I called out loud. There was no answer, just a lot of fuzzy thoughts that I couldn’t decipher. “Adam, if you can hear me, ask them to stop! Talk to the Lycans; see if you can control them. We’re trying to find a way to help!” The attempt at a connection with Adam had my head throbbing from the fuzz eliminating from the werewolves. After dropping my arms, I heard vehicles arriving and shots being fired.
The roar of the werewolves and the shouting coming from outside vibrated throughout the house. Then yelps from the animals that prowled around my home became stronger and I knew that more had joined into the fight. I was too scared to use my senses to guess at how many.
There was no contact from Dragus as the war raged on. I heard more screaming coming from outside, my heart broke, because there was nothing I could do but stay here. If I could just get outside to them, I might be able to distract the Lycans; give the Krieger enough time to regroup and attack.
When I tried to stand, I felt Dragus’ invisible hold strengthen on the tops of my arms. “NO! Stay in your room. I’m fine.” I gasped when I heard Dragus in my thoughts. His strong ghost hands stayed on top of my shoulders for a few minutes, probably making sure I didn’t try to get out anyway.
Trying to relax, I walked over to the corner beside my dresser and slid down the wall. Granted the dresser held no protection for me, but I couldn’t be seen from the door. That way, I figure, if someone could get in here, I would at least be hidden. Who am I kidding? That would just prolong my death.
All I could do is sit here and hope that the Krieger and the poor human Nachtmann were okay and that worry only turned to tears. Then the fear made the tears flow even more. What a mess this was. Why did they choose to attack here on my land?
My cell sat on the bedside table ringing; demanding to be answered. I materialized next to my bed, grabbed my phone and zipped back over to my corner. Lydia was calling; she was at work already and must be wondering where I was.
“Where the hell are you? You didn’t show up at the R.C. and you’re not here. What’s going on?” she was furious. I remembered that I forgot to tell her about my commitment to Dragus. Lydia and I probably won’t be dining together anymore. But that would have to wait, I was freaking out now.
“I…I’m at home,” I cried. “There are Lycans e
verywhere! The Krieger are fighting them. Dragus told me to stay in my room. I’m scared Lydia.” My voice cracked and I couldn’t speak anymore for the tears that were streaming down my face.
“Oh Queen Elizabeth! What can I do, Char? Do you want me to come there?” Lydia was in full freak out mode, typical behavior for her.
“Do not leave the club! I’m fine. Dragus is handling it. I will call you when it’s all over.” I couldn’t talk to her when she was like this. There was no reasoning with her. Knowing Lydia, she’s sitting there contemplating coming over to ‘help’.
My arm started to burn, not terrible pain, just a slight burning. I wondered if I had unintentionally been rubbing it and made it raw. I flung my phone on top of the bed and waited. The sounds were dying down outside, but I had no clue what was happening. The fire in my arm warmed and I wondered again what the hell was causing this weird feeling.
Fist pounding on the door made me jump up from the floor, but I backed into the corner. Dragus never called or sent me a mental note that he was coming for me. I bit down on my lip so that I wouldn’t scream. My only thought was to stay quiet until he got there.
“Ms. Charity! Open the door!” A voice I didn’t recognize mumbled through the metal door.
“Dragus told me not to open the door for anyone, but him!” I shouted back.
“Charity,” Dragus’ voice was muted and strained. I appeared at the door and unlocked the bolts. When I opened the door, I almost collapsed. Dragus was being held by Brilliam and his arm was draped in blood. A Krieger I didn’t recognize was waiting behind them outside my room.
“He’s hurt,” Brock struggled under the warrior’s weight. I moved over and allowed them to bring Dragus into my room. I cleared off my bed and then had the trainees put him right in the middle. Brilliam backed away from us slowly as Dragus watched their every move. I didn’t even look when they closed the door. I was too busy checking the wound on his arm.
Blood & Roses: Warriors of the Krieger Page 15