Renegade (Shadow Realms): An Urban Fantasy Dragon Shifter Romance

by Amber Ella Monroe

  He stood in the doorway for a few minutes, observing the fluidity of her motions as she walked through his great room. Her hair was deep brown, long, and naturally curly. She could have almost been a hair model or a beauty queen, yet she’d chosen a profession not normally entered by women of her caliber. Her skin was a golden honey color and soft to the touch. She was taller than most women, but not as tall as him. The leather boots she always wore brought the top of her head to his chin. He remembered how her hair had smelled like sunshine when she was thrown into his arms that very first night.

  Her cheekbones were high and her lips were full. She barely ever smiled, but Vicq wanted to change that. Somehow, he’d have to convince her to stay with him…and he would make her happy. Whatever he had to do to make her happy, he would do it.

  She raised her hand to rub the back of her neck, and that’s when Vicq saw the 5 mark that he’d come to recognize and hate. Those scumbags she worked for had burned their brand right into her flesh. She was marked as an enemy to his kind.

  But his enemy was also the woman he wanted for himself. But not just for her blood…

  In that moment, Elaina turned to look at him and gasped.

  “How long have you been standing there?”

  “I lost track of time admiring your beauty,” he replied.

  Her large brown eyes sparkled, and she pressed her lips together and narrowed her gaze. “You love people watching? Is that why you’ve been spying on me?”

  “I just love watching you.”

  “So…” She circled him, her eyes sweeping up and down the length of him. “Are you all better now?”

  “Not entirely. I want to feed.”

  She stopped walking around him, and he picked up on a tinge of fear.

  “Don’t worry, I know how to contain myself.”

  “You’re not thinking about biting me, are you?” she asked.

  “Why would you ask a vampire that question?”

  “Is that why you brought me here?”

  “I wouldn’t have brought you here just to bite you,” he said. “My other reasons are more important.”

  “And they are?”

  “Protection being one. Courtship being the other.”

  She arched a perfect brow. “Courtship?”

  He moved to the sofa where she stood and held out his arm, welcoming her to take a seat. “Or friendship,” he said. “Sometimes you’ll have to question me about these things. I wasn’t born in your time, and English isn’t my first language. My father spoke Pangasinan and my mother spoke Spanish. They used them interchangeably, depending on their moods. I spoke very little English before I was made, which I learned through the blood of others.”

  She took a seat. “Have you ever courted anyone before?”

  “No. It’s not often that I find someone whose blood satisfies all my needs and even awakens some others.”

  “You’re very frank,” she said, giving him a warning glance.

  “I don’t know how not to be.”

  “Well, in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve never befriended a vampire, or courted one. That word sounds so strange. Where are you from?”

  He took a seat close beside her on the sofa. “I grew up in the Philippines where my parents lived together for a short time. My mother’s family was from Mexico and they were merchants. When she was sixteen, she met my father after her family sailed to Luzon to trade. My father courted my mother during the months her family remained. She became pregnant with me, and her family left her behind. I was born out of wedlock. My parents made their living as woodworkers in the Philippines, and then again for a short time in Mexico.”

  “Woodworkers?” She glanced around the room. “Did they make the pieces throughout your home?”

  “No, they’re something I collect to remind me of them. My parents were killed in an earthquake in Mexico when I was nine. The owl on the mantle was made by my mother, however.”

  “I’m sorry about your parents. When were you made into a vampire?” she asked.

  “About sixty-three years ago. I was twenty-nine at the time,” he said. “I had spent the previous twenty years of my human life working as a farmer, sometimes migrating into the US to work. It wasn’t an easy time back then. I wasn’t suicidal, but I often wondered what my purpose was. I met Zaket almost by chance. He noticed me, and watched me working in the fields for several years before approaching me. Zaket was unique in his way of thinking and in his reasoning. He’s never made anyone a vampire as a result of their imminent death. Every vampire he’s ever made was healthy with no signs of death on the horizon. From our first meeting, he revealed to me what he was and how he lived. Vampiro, I called him, but little did I know then that many vampire breeds existed. I was fascinated by his vision and I wanted what he had. I chose death to rise again as vampire and become Dresdan.”

  “Did it hurt?” she asked.

  “I don’t remember much about the transformation. He fed me his dreams and memories to divert my attention away from the discomfort. The change happened over a period of a few days. We are all fledgling vampires before we ever come into our own. The ascension process takes more than a few days.”

  “Ascension.”

  “We ascend through the blood, kind of like a hierarchy. Humans are at the bottom. And then we have blood slaves. On top of them, we have Donors.”

  “Wait…blood slaves and Donors.”

  Vicq nodded. “Yes, these are humans who willingly offer blood to Dresdan. Donors, of course, only belong to one Dresdan.”

  “What’s next?”

  “Fledglings are newly created vampires. They’re like students and really don’t become viable members of the Court until they’ve ascended to Soldier status. After becoming a Soldier, there are very few who will make it as Superiors. Superiors are as close to a Master vampire as many will become. Masters usually serve until death or permanent slumber.”

  “What are you?”

  “I was a Superior to Master Zaket until Russo betrayed him. While he was in slumber, Russo took it upon himself to behead my Maker.”

  Her eyes widened. “Okay…that’s harsh.”

  “I denounced all ties to Russo and what he stood for, so I’m no longer a ranking member of the Court. I run with a circle of vampires called a coven.”

  “Coven?” she whispered.

  “Yes, Elaina. Coven.”

  “What’s it like being a Donor?”

  He smiled. “I’ve never been one.”

  The way she pressed her full lips together stirred his libido. He was so close he could pick up on the imbalance in her blood as her mood changed from complacent to anxious.

  “Do you have a Donor?”

  “No, I’ve fed freely…up until now.”

  She licked her lips. “What do you mean, up until now?”

  “It means I’ve found my preferred blood type in you. All Dresdan have a preferred blood subtype. There are four main types that provide sustenance, whether we like the taste of it or not. Partaking of all four will provide a Dresdan a well-balanced diet. And then there are thousands of subgroups, but only one of those groups appeals to each Dresdan’s appetite. When they find what that subgroup is, nothing else will ever compare. In fact, when a match like that occurs, a mating bond almost always follows. And even though I detect chemicals in your blood from the drugs you’ve been given, I can still tell that you were meant for me.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “I wanted you to know, but by no means am I trying to be pushy. I’m still coming to terms with the fact that I’ve found something a Dresdan can literally take decades—centuries—to find. And some Dresdan never find a mate with whom they can truly bond with.”

  She laughed nervously. “Don’t you understand what I am? A vampire killer. I’ve killed creatures just like you.”

  “Creatures?”

  “Sorry…we were told—”

  “Forget what your organization told you. Everything was a l
ie. Don’t you see that now?”

  Elaina didn’t answer right away. She looked down at her open palms. “This is all so surreal. You tasted me once, maybe twice, and now you think my blood is your magic potion.”

  “It goes both ways, Elaina. You just don’t know it yet, and you won’t know it until I’ve shared mine with you,” he said.

  “But I’m only human.”

  “Yes, but that makes no difference. Humans have cravings, as well.”

  Her gaze rose to meet him. “Then give me your blood.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You said I would know if I tasted you. Prove it.”

  “You want to bite me?” He grinned.

  “No, I just want you to give me your blood from the vein,” she said.

  He laughed. “Doesn’t quite work that way.”

  “Just slit your wrist and give it to me,” she taunted.

  He extended his arm out and turned his wrist over so that it was facing upward. “Go ahead, slit it.”

  She hesitated. “You’re toying with me.” She shot up, walked over to the mantle again, and turned her back to him.

  “I assure you, I’m not.”

  “You are.”

  When she spun around again, he pulled her close and kissed her. Fuck it, she would probably slay him for it, but he just couldn’t help himself.

  When Elaina spun around to confront him, Vicq instantly embraced her and his lips descended onto hers. Blood raced through her veins and throbbed in her eardrums. She was nervous and excited all at once. Maybe a combination of both, but she knew what the consequences of her actions were.

  His heated lips left a trail along her collarbone down to the plump cleavage peeking from the top of her fitted tee. His wicked tongue tasted the sensitive skin there.

  “Vicq.” Elaina grasped his arms tightly as he nuzzled her.

  “You still have time to stop me,” he whispered.

  “I don’t want you to stop.” She arched her breasts toward him. She hadn’t done this in so long. She wanted, needed it.

  He exhaled as though he were relieved.

  “If you want me so badly, take me,” she said.

  He lifted her top over her head with haste. Her bra fell down to the floor shortly after, freeing her breasts to his gaze. He lowered his head and took a hardened nipple between his lips. Cupping her back for support, he suckled gently. Each delicate tug caused a frenzy of lust to spread throughout her body. Her insides felt like they were on fire, heat rising within her like an inferno.

  Vicq gently rolled a nipple between his fingers as he softly licked the other. The contrast—the roughness of his tongue, the softness of his lips, the smoothness of his fingertips, the urgency of his caresses—drove her absolutely insane. Another part of her demanded attention. His wicked tongue caused a heat wave at her core.

  “I want to taste every inch of you, not just your blood.”

  They took turns tasting and savoring.

  His fingertips slipped into the waistband of her jeans. He helped her pull them down her legs and then traced the lace edges of her panty line. The flesh between her legs ached so badly; she couldn’t imagine why any women—blood slave or Donor—would want to endure such torture. Elaina cried out against his shoulder as his fingers circumvented her panties and dipped into her wet heat. He slid his fingers down into her folds, stroking her. Her knees buckled and she held onto his forearms for support.

  Vicq mumbled something against her flesh that she didn’t understand. His accent and the soft foreign words he whispered to her turned her brains to mush. When he spoke English again, he said, “You’re hot for me.” He used his body to urge her backwards until her back hit the wall. “I bet you taste just as sweet as your blood.”

  Elaina pushed her head against the wall and closed her eyes as his fingers stroked her outer lips. Immobilized, she couldn’t even speak.

  “May I?”

  She sucked in her breath and nodded.

  He lifted her in his arms, and just as he’d done to get them here, fled up two flights of stairs at the speed of light. She barely had time to catch her breath.

  After shedding the rest of her garments, he stood over her and gazed down at her for what seemed like several minutes. His eyes traced over every curve of her body from head to toe. A never-ending caress. Sparks of red flickered in his eyes.

  Vicq pulled his own shirt over his head, and her gaze immediately shifted to the ink-like symbol on his chest. Almost like a tattoo, but she knew the vampires were marked based on what breed they were. He unzipped his jeans, threw them aside, and then came down over her, slowly.

  His heavy cock swept against her skin as he peppered her with kisses from head to toe. He brushed his cool fingertips against her skin, as if admiring the feel of her warm body against his own. When he dipped his tongue into the crevice of her navel, she gasped and grabbed a fistful of his hair. He laughed softly into her stomach and then moved lower and blew puffs of air on her belly.

  “Vicq.”

  She anticipated what came next when his lips brushed her thigh. He kissed her sex once, twice…

  “Turn over,” he commanded.

  “Vicq, I need…” She bit her lips. When she didn’t obey him, he licked the inside of each thigh.

  “Don’t you like being teased?” he asked.

  “Yes, but I need something now,” she begged. She never begged.

  “You need what?” He brought his hand over her sex and slid his fingers through her slit. “Mierda, you are so wet.”

  She squeezed her insides against his thick digit, as he pushed in and out of her. The walls of her sex gripped his fingers, and her clit pulsed rhythmically in harmony with his thrusts.

  “Come,” he whispered.

  Her orgasm was near. So near, waiting on the edge. Elaina clutched the sheets when her convulsions began. Her orgasm burned through her like an erupting volcano.

  Vicq grinned and then dipped his head again to place his lips to her clit.

  She gasped and grabbed his hair. His strands felt like silk between her fingers. His mouth felt like heaven against her sex.

  His tongue entered her, and he alternated between thrusting and licking. She showed him the rhythm she liked, holding her fingers against his scalp and lifting her hips off the bed to meet his lips. She came undone again, and this time her climax filtered through every cell in her body.

  Vicq worked his way up her body gently, settling between her legs. He brushed the hair from her face and then kissed her forehead. His eyes burned red and his fangs had already descended.

  Elaina didn’t fear him. She craved him.

  She wrapped her legs around his hips and arched upward.

  He pushed himself into her sex one inch at a time. His cock felt just as good as his tongue inside of her, and when he started pumping, her body grew pliant beneath him and she gave herself over completely. Every stroke sent her further into ecstasy. She savored every one of his kisses.

  He lifted her chin and nipped at the underside of her throat. His fangs scraped her neck gently, testing her readiness.

  She dug her nails into his back, and he began to plunge with determination. He held his fangs against her neck. He was holding back. She could tell.

  “Do it,” she whispered against his hair and then threaded her fingers through his strands. “Is this what you want? Me as your Donor? Your personal sunshine?” She pulled his head in closer to her until she felt his lips against her throbbing vein.

  “There’s no going back, Elaina…once I do this…”

  “I know,” she said. “You’ll crave my blood forever. That’s what you meant earlier.”

  “Yes. I’ll only crave yours.”

  “I want that…”

  He sunk his fangs deeply into her neck, breaking through the skin with ease. She screamed. Another climax consumed her, but this time it felt different. No pain, only pleasure. He siphoned and drank her blood in the same slow driving rhythm that he took
her sex. His release came as he was feeding from her. Streams of semen filled her the same way her blood had flooded his mouth. The feeding lasted minutes, but she would provide what he craved for as long as he craved it.

  Vicq slipped his fangs from her vein and rested his face against her chest. “Elaina…my sunshine.”

  Chapter 14

  “Have you ever made another vampire?” Elaina asked.

  They were seated on the grass at a river’s edge under the moonlight. Vicq was resting back on a tree, while she leaned into his chest enjoying his embrace and the view. Her legs were stretched out with his and her head rested close to his heart. The sounds of nightlife and the rustling of the tree branches blended beautifully with the water rippling downstream.

  “I’ve made many. Too many to count. Both while I was serving under the Court and about a dozen more after I fled,” he said.

  “What happens to vampires who flee from the Court?”

  “It’s a punishable offense to denounce ties to the Court. Most are captured and executed.”

  “This Court is always led by a Master vampire right? Is the one who betrayed your Maker the Master of the Dresdan Court now?”

  Vicq’s body tensed against her. “Sí.”

  “If he wronged you and the Court by betraying another Dresdan, why can’t he be removed as leader?” she asked.

  “That’s not how the Court is operated. If one manages to kill a Master, they reap everything. My Maker, Zaket, was also Russo’s Maker.”

  “Are you the only one in your Court that hates Russo for betraying Zaket?”

  “No, I’m not,” he said. “There are dozens who denounced ties and fled. Some have already been captured, especially the ones who formed covens and tried to devise a plan to regain control of the Court and the Dresdan population.”