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

by Amber Ella Monroe

  “Oh, do I?” She straddled him on the chair and slid the collar of his shirt aside.

  “Yes—”

  Vicq gasped as she bit his jugular firmly. After ignoring her hunger all day to work on her plan, she’d become ravaged by hunger. Soon, they were both consumed by the pleasure of the moment. Elaina taking what she needed, and Vicq acquiescing to every desire. He fed her vision after vision of his travels to a brick house with a white picket fence, the three young boys who he’d rescued from the clinic, and the apprehensive and kind old woman. It brought joy to her to witness Vicq’s compassion for others, for humans…not just for himself and Dresdan-kind.

  Vicq’s cock hardened where she straddled his lap. He took advantage of the situation, opened his fly, and tugged her panties aside. She cried out when he pulled her hips upward and then downward again to take every thick inch of his cock inside her. She rode him until every part her was filled with passion. As he pushed up, she rocked into him, tilting herself so that her clit received the force of each downward thrust.

  “I love you, Elaina,” he rasped.

  “I love you, Vicq.”

  Soon, he sent her over the edge, giving her a deep, soul-shattering orgasm. Just before she came down completely, he gripped her neck and bit her, feeding off of her sex-induced high. His balls begin to tighten against her pussy, and he sped up his movements until finally, a sea of liquid heat spilled into her. He groaned against the delicate curve of her neck, licking off the remnants of spilled blood.

  There was a soft knock at the door, and before the person could be warned against entering, it was opened.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were…” It was Melrose.

  Elaina un-straddled Vicq and straightened her skirt, pulling the tight fabric down her hips. Vicq remained seated as he stuffed his semi-erect cock back into his pants.

  Elaina licked the corner of her mouth, tasting what was left behind from her feeding and then asked, “What is it, Melrose?”

  Melrose’s face was flushed with embarrassment. “Leila sent for the two of you. She thinks she’s found our new home, and she wanted you two to look at some pictures.”

  “We’ll be up there in a moment,” Vicq replied.

  “Sure.” Melrose’s gaze washed over them once more, and she licked her lips briefly before turning around and walking out of the room.

  “She’s infatuated with you,” Vicq commented.

  “Are you sure about that? Maybe she wants us both.”

  “I’m positive. It’s you who she wants.” Vicq rose and kissed her on the temple.

  “Well, too bad I’m taken,” Elaina replied, assisting him with tucking the tail end of his shirt into his pants. “I want more. Let’s meet on the mountaintop after we see this new place Leila found for our coven.”

  Vicq grinned. “Bet on it.”

  Chapter 15

  Elaina tossed the last of the equipment in the storage container, secured the latch, and then passed it off to Eli, who carried it off toward the van.

  “You know we’re going to need more artillery, right?” Vicq informed as he stood to the right of her, filing some blades.

  “I could always rob a District facility or two.” She shrugged. “But then that would give them reason to believe something was about to go down, and I’d rather take them by surprise. Any suggestions on where we could find some more weapons?”

  “I might be able to get us more, but we’re working against time.”

  “Then let’s do whatever it takes to get it done,” she said. “If we want to storm the District headquarters and the main field station on the same day, at the same time, we’re going to need all the help we can get.”

  Vicq flipped out his cell phone and punched in some numbers. While he was occupied with his calls, Elaina studied the maps again. She couldn’t believe that she was only days away from executing a plan that could change virtually everything. Closing up District shops wasn’t even when the most difficult work would begin. She still felt an obligation to hunt rogues who preyed on humans and that instinct within her had never died. It probably never would.

  “You okay?” Vicq asked, bending over the map with her.

  “Yes.”

  “You look worried,” he said.

  “Maybe. We have a lot of work ahead of us.”

  “We do.”

  “When will you tell those boys about what happened to them?” she asked, out of the blue.

  Vicq appeared confused at first, but after a moment had passed, he smiled. “I probably would have already told them, but I don’t want them to see me as…the monster. Hopefully, we can find something on their parents once Eli gets the District data files copied over, but I can’t…they can’t be more than thirteen years old, and I won’t bring them into this.”

  “When I fed from you last night, and I saw what you’d done for them and how much you cared about them, I felt everything. I felt the rage and pain from the night you rescued them. I felt the fear racing through your blood when you drove them across county lines. You were hurt when you had to turn your back on them, leaving them behind.”

  Vicq sighed.

  “Is that why Dresdan rarely ever feed on each other? Because they learn too much?”

  He turned to look at her. “You’re learning quickly. When you allow another Dresdan to take blood directly from the vein, they gain a slight—or healthy—advantage over you, depending on how you look at it. The blood contains a lot of memories, and virtually anything you’d ever want to learn about a man is in there. You can draw from our strengths and our weaknesses. You can use the truth to destroy and betray us. You should be very careful about who you let open up a vein in your neck, now and in your eternal future.”

  “Noted,” she said.

  “I got ahold of an acquaintance of mine who knows a weapons dealer. What time are we supposed to meet with your dad tonight? We might be able to make the exchange first.”

  “Ten.” She looked down at her wristwatch. “We’ve got a few hours. Think we can handle both deals tonight?”

  “I—”

  A sea of thick mist clouded around the area in front of the sanctuary, followed by the ancient scent of what could only be a hoard of other Dresdan. No one had a chance to escape as the trespassers boxed them in.

  None of the Dresdan belonged to Vicq’s coven. Elaina had become acquainted with everyone by now, and not one of them looked familiar.

  Vicq took her arm and shielded her body with his own. Members of Vicq’s coven formed a tight ring around him, showing their fearless intent to protect their leader.

  “What’s going on?” Elaina whispered.

  “A Superior and his Soldiers. From the Court,” Vicq replied.

  “Shit.”

  When the trespassers fully materialized, she spotted the Superior right away. He was marked about the chest in the same manner as Vicq, with the symbol of the Dresdan Court.

  How had they found this place? It was a sanctuary. No one knew where they were located except coven members.

  Elaina got her answer to the question when one of the Soldiers shoved a badly bruised and battered Logan into the Superior’s grip.

  “Nice of you to lead us here,” the Superior told Logan, producing a lengthy dagger from his coat pocket. “Now, I’m afraid your duty is done, and you’re of no use to me.”

  “Wait!” Logan held up his hand in defeat. He looked frail. Pale and gray. And nearly drained of life force. “You said you’d take me to Russo and that I’d be given a reprieve. Please!”

  The Superior paused. “I did say that, didn’t I?”

  “Please…” Logan knelt in front of the Superior and begged to live. “You gave your word.”

  “He ratted us out,” Elaina mumbled under her breath. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing right now.

  “I gave my word to Russo. I answer to no one else.” He swung the blade from left to right, once, and Logan’s head and torso dropped to the ground. “One t
raitor down…” His gaze swept across the line of coven members. “…dozens more to go. Who’s next?”

  With the exception of a chorus of gasps and a few startled screams of mortification, all Elaina could make out was the sound of branches cracking as the chilly wind whipped through the forest.

  The Superior returned the dagger to the strap inside his coat. “Now, before anyone else makes any sudden moves, I have a message straight from the Master himself.”

  Vicq pushed forward through the string of coven members protecting him, only to be cut off by a line of Soldiers. Elaina tried to break through the line after him, but they wouldn’t allow her to pass.

  “I knew you were alive, Vicq. You couldn’t fool me. You have mad skills when it comes to escaping death, don’t you? You’re not like your Maker—who went down like a bitch.”

  Vicg shifted through the line of protection, tearing off the head of one of the Soldiers. If Vicq’s goal was to leave mere inches between him and the Superior who was taunting him, he had succeeded. The only thing separating them was the rage that igniting between them.

  “You can tell Russo he needs to be man enough to deliver his own messages,” Vicq demanded.

  He still gripped the severed head, and he dropped it at the Superior’s feet where blood splattered on his boots.

  The Superior’s gaze shifted from the Soldier’s head on the ground to Vicq.

  “Such unnecessary violence…but that’s expected coming from you. If memory serves me correctly, you were one of our most ruthless Superiors until you turned soft. The way I see it, we did you a favor. You had a traitor in your midst, and all it took was the promise of freedom and ascension within the Court to get him to spill the beans on what you’ve been up to.” He rubbed his chin. “On second thought, I lied. He had about an ounce of loyalty left in him. He refused to give your location until I nearly bled him dry. Have you got anything to say, Superior?”

  “I’ve said what I had to say to Russo. His days are numbered. I’ll see to that myself.”

  “Threats to the Master are punishable by instant death.”

  “What are you waiting for?”

  “I wasn’t sent to take your life. I have orders to allow you to make your choice. You’re being given twenty-four hours to do so. You have very few places to hide now that your traitor has revealed some key secrets of your coven.” He opened his hand, palm up, and a Soldier handed him a rolled up slip of paper. He unfolded it and read it aloud. “Under the Dresdan Court, Vicq and his coven of fourteen are ordered to disband, effective immediately. Any followers who disobey will be hunted and put down accordingly. As for you, Vicq, you have twenty-four hours to report to Master Russo. If you don’t report, we’ll dismember your little car-thieving hybrid.”

  The Superior stopped to hand him the message.

  “Hybrid?”

  “Oh, don’t look so confused. Please tell me that you remember those who refer to you as their Maker now.”

  “Emory…” Vicq crushed the note in his palm.

  “Yes, that’s his name—Emory.”

  “He’s not a hybrid.”

  “Hybrid. Transitioning. Whatever you call it. He’s not one of us, yet he knows many of our ways and drinks our blood. Don’t you know it’s against code to leave a man in transition? You’ve broken many laws, Vicq. You’re worse than the traitor bleeding out on the ground beside you.”

  “What have you done to Emory?”

  “Nothing yet. Twenty-four hours, Vicq. Starting now.”

  The Superior and his group of Soldiers dissolved with the fog and disappeared.

  Chapter 16

  All fourteen of Vicq’s coven members huddled in the back of the van. Some were seated on equipment, and others were standing. They were on the road because they had no choice but to abandon their old sanctuary as it stood.

  “We’re with you one hundred percent, Vicq. When we had nothing, you took us all in,” Leo said.

  Vicq shook his head. “No. If you want to live, you have to leave me.”

  “We won’t,” Eli protested. “If we’re going to be hunted, we might as well stay together and fight as one. We’ve planned a very important mission tomorrow—a raid on the very same organization that is trying to annihilate us all. That’s more than Russo has ever done for any of the Dresdan who serve him.”

  Brandon pushed off the wall of the van and said, “He’s right, Vicq. We all feel that way. We came to you and joined you, knowing the consequences. You wanted to take down Russo. You told me you still do. So do we. I’m with you.”

  With Logan gone, they were down to thirteen of Vicq’s original coven members. One after the other, the coven members recited the phrase ‘I’m with you.’ Elaina didn’t hesitate when it was her turn. She never planned to leave Vicq’s side, even if there wasn’t a mission to complete. She was devoted to loving him.

  Vicq rose to a standing position in the van. “Fine, but I have an ultimatum. We have to disband after the raid. By that time, my twenty-four hours to report will have expired, and I don’t want any of you near me when it does. As you probably know, I’ll never report to him. I don’t go running when Russo calls. He’s not my Master.”

  “What about your friend, Emory?” Leila asked.

  “I have a plan. After we raid the District, my next target will be the Court.”

  A wave of silence fell over the van.

  “How will this plan work?” Brandon asked.

  “I’ll need to gather allies, which means contacting every coven that has denounced ties to the existing Court. That’s where I’ll need your help. In order for this to work within the timeframe I have in mind, I need two of you to start recruiting covens now.”

  “What about the District raid?” someone inquired.

  “I can spare two of us from that mission to go tackle an equally important one,” Vicq replied. “Besides, we’ll have more weapons soon, and we also have the manpower behind us with the Refuge members joining in. Do I have two volunteers to start the quest for off-the-grid covens?”

  “Me. I’ll go,” Brandon said.

  Another coven member agreed to work with Brandon.

  “The rest of us will move forward as planned. After the District raid, we’ll disband temporarily. Then, I’ll join Brandon and Luke’s efforts to round up all the other covens.”

  “You’re implying that we overthrow the existing Court. What if this doesn’t work?” Leila exclaimed. Her voice trembled. “I can’t see this working.”

  “Don’t worry, Leila. It will,” Vicq reassured her. “Your assignment is to find us another sanctuary. If your predictions are correct—and I hope they aren’t—we’ll need someplace where we can go. If the mission does fail, we’ll regroup and try again. If it takes years…decades…to take back our Court, we’ll do whatever we have to for however long it takes.”

  Resolved with Vicq’s plan and reassured by his intentions to take back the Court, everyone fell silent in the van, meditating on the swift change of events.

  Elaina rose next to Vicq and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “Come with me,” he said.

  They shifted out of the van and joined each other next to a junkyard surrounded by a chain-link fence.

  “You have a sound plan,” Elaina said, settling next to the fence beside him.

  “Yes.”

  “But you’re worried. You do want your Court back, don’t you?”

  “I do. I promised Zaket that I’d lead it one day.”

  She moved to face him and closed the distance between them. He immediately wrapped his arms around her.

  “Tell me what happened to Zaket. Why would he ask you to lead if vampires live forever? Didn’t he plan to survive?”

  “It’s true that Masters rule as long as they live unless the Court is overthrown…or if the Master himself ceases to exist or disappears from the face of the Earth. Zaket wished to end his own life.”

  “Why?”

/>   “His wife died.”

  “Vampire’s take wives?”

  “She was human, and she didn’t want to become a vampire,” he said. “She wanted a traditional marriage and a normal life, and he gave that to her. For once in his existence, he had the one woman he would’ve done anything for, and she died. His will to live faded from there. My commitment and loyalty couldn’t even bring him back. He became disinterested in the politics of the Court, and soon, we had Superiors running their own units as they saw fit, which led to conflicts within the ranks. Even less concentration was given to reducing our rogue population. Finally, after seeing the damage of his neglect, Russo admitted that Zaket was defeated and not fit to rule us. He wanted to end it himself. I was supposed to rule. I didn’t want to, but of course, I couldn’t tell him that.”

  “And that’s when Russo beheaded him while he slept.”

  Vicq nodded. “He told everyone that he put our Maker out of his misery, but he also rose to Master at the same time.”

  “Then he wanted to rule all along.”

  “Yes. When you kill a Master, you absorb all of his powers, his knowledge…everything.”

  “But it belonged to you. Zaket chose you.”

  “Russo and I were both Superiors, and he was just as entitled as I was, but I don’t agree with how he ended up in possession of the Court.”

  “I’ll help you get your Court back,” Elaina said.

  He took both of her hands in his. “I won’t let any harm come to you. Not over this. This isn’t your fight, it’s mine. That’s why I want you, along with Leila and Melrose, to disband like the others and leave me after the raid. When Leila secures another sanctuary, you go with her.”

  “No.” Her throat tightened. “I’m not leaving you behind.”

  “Don’t.” He spoke firmly in a low, authoritative tone. “Don’t make this any more difficult than it already is.”

  Her frustration turned to anger. “You can’t…”