Immortal Heat (The Guardians of Dacia Book 1)

by Loni Lynne

  "Wow! It's so beautiful. " Tina stared out into the night. "You mean no one can see in at all?"

  "Nope. Not even if they were standing on the narrow ledge out there." He motioned to the half foot of stone edging the glass was secured to. "I'm also a big believer of green energy. I've harnessed the sun's energy through various solar panels on my roof and have propane only for emergency."

  Tina smiled up at his friend, admiring him for his environmental concerns. She wasn't always easy to read either, but moments like this, her mind was completely lax.

  Draylon didn't miss the longing in his friend's eyes as they lingered just a little too long on the petite woman. His smile was short lived as he realized it could never be. Mike wouldn't allow it, not with someone as wholesome as Tina Johnston. But then she was a bit of a spitfire if her martial arts training back at the blood bank had proved anything.

  "So, are we going to stand here discussing décor or are you going to tell us what the hell's going on and why we're here?"

  Marilyn wasn't one to be forgotten. Straight-forwardness had crept into her personality since they'd first met. Any mild-mannered traits being replaced by Alpha female—this with the change shouldn't be a surprise. Eventually, the only thing to curb her dominance would be an Alpha male mate.

  Draylon looked to Mike. Tina joined Marilyn in the power play, now that her curiosity of the scenery had been satisfied. Mike raised an eyebrow, crossing his muscled arms over his chest and gave a slight nod.

  "Shall we sit?" Draylon suggested, trying to take the edge off of the thickness in the room. No one moved. "O…kay. We'll stand."

  He wasn't sure where to start. Some things were difficult to explain. "How much do you remember of the past, Marilyn?" He figured if he had a starting point he could jump in from there.

  She thought for a moment. He could see the pain and the turmoil of trying to remember bits and pieces of the past month or so. He just prayed to the gods she hadn't kept in mind all of the incidents they'd shared.

  "I'm having difficulties in some areas, but I keep seeing flashes of scenarios that I'm not sure are dreams or real so please let me know which are which," Marilyn revealed.

  Draylon nodded.

  "I remember chocolate cake in a restaurant…you were sitting at the table across from me." She closed her eyes, deciphering the past. "You were in a leather duster jacket…wings…no—that doesn't make sense." Her brow furrowed and she shook her head. "There were blond groupies…that attacked. A car chase, an accident…you decapitating them."

  So she did remember, but it was all in scattered moments and pieces. She struggled to put the puzzle together and make sense.

  "Then we were in a house with an old woman…Nannie…Connie…Nonni! Her name was Nonni."

  She stared at him, her mind opening. He could easily slip in right now and try blocking further thoughts, but it wouldn't help the situation. She looked down, remembering.

  "…have you ever had tea with a witch…" she mumbled and looked back up at him. "You asked me that. I remember. And then two wolves who turned into men…naked men. A cart full of hay, we were traveling to a city where your friend fed me, and I got violently ill. And then a house, a large Tudor style mansion in the mountains, but it was more like a prison…"

  Okay that was enough. If she tried to consider more of the situation, things could get dicey. With great stealth, Draylon meandered into her thoughts without her knowing and blocked the rest, hoping it would work this time.

  After a moment he cautiously asked, "What else do you remember?"

  She struggled but gave up and shook her head. "Waking up in my bedroom apartment."

  Marilyn let out a deep exhale of breath and sat down, exhausted, in the soft leather conventional sofa. Finding memories could be taxing. "Did any of that actually happen? You were in most of the scenes I recalled."

  "Yes…they happened." Draylon stated.

  "But what about her? She turned into a wolf." Tina spoke up. "What is that all about?"

  He looked to Mike for support, but his friend only grinned at him. This was all on him. Taking a deep breath, he decided to dive in and test the waters. The worst thing they could do would be to laugh at him and think he was a loon.

  "Romania is a mystical land…always has been, even when we were known as Dacia, before the Romans conquered. Our people were all powerful. Other tribes and clans refused to cross the Danube into the dark forests of Dacia because of our magical supremacy above all others. Our prophet, Zamolxis led us into battles, terrorizing our foe. We were unstoppable, we were his immortal warriors."

  "I've read about Dacian history. It's my main thesis," Marilyn replied. "I want to know the other stuff."

  "In order to understand the other stuff you must understand our past," Draylon demanded. "Our present and future is all based on our past. We are immortal warriors. Our kind does not die the same as humans. We still live in our world of Dacia and yet have to live among the mortals as well."

  "Why?" Tina asked sitting next to her friend, taking her hand in hers to soothe.

  A light aura glowed from her, passing into Marilyn's hand. Draylon could see it plainly. He turned to Mike who didn't appear to notice. Draylon shook his head to clear his vision. Perhaps he was exhausted and hallucinated. When he looked back the light was gone.

  Chapter Thirteen

  "Why?" Tina repeated.

  Marilyn could see the confusion and wariness in the man. The same she'd experienced only moments ago—and now felt a refreshing calm. God bless, Tina. She always had the ability to calm her when things seemed too much to take.

  "We have learned it is easier to adapt to the mortal world than stay secluded in our own. Over the centuries we nearly annihilated our own kind by fighting among ourselves for dominance, too many alphas and not enough betas tend to lead to self-destruction of a species. We found ways to adapt and live within the norm, but we still must be very careful."

  "Because of your immortality," Marilyn said.

  "Yes. Every few decades we must 're-invent' ourselves, move to a new location and start over in society. We don't age so people would become suspicious as time goes by."

  "So what are you actually?" Tina asked. "Are you a vampire?"

  "No, he's not," Mike spoke up. "But I am."

  Tina gasped and placed a hand to her throat.

  "I'm not going to bite you. Even if I did, I would never let you remember me doing so," Mike soothed. "And I take less than normal lab work-ups for a physical, so it doesn't affect you physically."

  "Still…a vampire?" Tina whispered.

  "It's a long story. One I don't like to get into." Mike shook his head.

  "So is he a Vamier vampire?" Marilyn questioned Draylon. She remembered the gang attacking in the airport, trying to bite her, as bits of memory began to tie in with the situation they were discussing.

  "Originally, yes. But we were able to get to him in time and help him to adapt to a better way of life. Others are not so lucky."

  "Who's Vamier?" Tina asked. "Wait. Isn't that the name of the professor you were going to work with for the semester or something?" Her brows knitted with confusion. "Vamier—he wouldn't be the owner of the Greater Baltimore Blood Bank, too, would he?"

  "He does own the Baltimore blood bank and various others around the world," Draylon stated.

  "Yes. Yes it was. Professor Aiden Vamier from Cluj-Napoca, Romania." Marilyn's recollection kicked in again. "Wait. He also owns the Greater Baltimore Blood Bank?" She looked from Draylon to Tina and back. "He's a vampire and you were warning me away from him."

  "He wanted you. Not to work with but to capture," Draylon explained. "We still are not sure why."

  "I did a paper on Dacian history and folklore. He was intrigued by it and sent for me to work with him. I was honored. He's the foremost expert on pre-Romanian history in the world."

  "No doubt." Draylon scoffe
d. "He was there. Trust me, he could give you blow-by-blow accounts of what happened in the late B.C. of our country. But what you wouldn't get is the truth. You'd get his version of history."

  "So what is the truth? There is very little beyond the Roman conquest…"

  "Marilyn." Draylon sat down next to her in his blanket wrapped, half-naked body. It was difficult not to peruse the toned structure of his chest and abs, but the nasty silver streak of scar tissue always drew her interest. There was a story there. "You must understand, our history is much more than folklore and mythology. We are the ones who the myths and stories were told of. The villagers feared us for a reason. Their stories of boogie-men and evil spirits were handed down because of us. We are the true Dacians. We were the ones the Romans could not conquer. But we had destroyed ourselves before the Romans could."

  Marilyn shook her head. "I'm not following you."

  "You know of our prophet, Zamolxis the Great. He is more than a prophet, he is our god. He was sent to us by the god of the sun and moon to mold us into a great people. He asked for the gods to create creatures to help the Dacia in battle against their neighboring foes. Those creatures were known as Zmei.

  "Folklore made them into evil shape-shifting creatures that turned into flame to creep into women's bed chambers and seduce them as a mortal man in their sleep. They stole women to take them as their own. The stories became so elaborate that history told them as dragons stealing the damsel in distress…"

  "…and the handsome prince slays the dragon and rescues the lovely maiden. Yes a typical fairy tale troupe. But that is not what a Zmeu is?" She looked to Draylon for more answers.

  "No. They ar…were shape-shifters. Most held a distinguished character depending on their paternal DNA, but all had their true form and that of a human. Animal forms in both land and flight usually were their secondary characteristics.

  "The only problem with the race was they were all males. There were no female Zmei to breed with. Every ten years an honored warrior's daughter was selected to be betrothed to one of the Zmei. She was taken away to be prepared for her wedding day by the other females and the goddess Zamora, who looked upon the Zmei as her coveted pets. The women considered it a great honor…until one day when one of the intended brides refused to wed because she was in love with another."

  "What happened?" Tina asked, enthralled with the story.

  Marilyn had heard this story before, somewhere. "The woman wed the Zmeu against her wishes. After awhile she began to fall in love with her mate, only to have her previous lover gather an army of men and storm their home, destroying the Zmei. All died, except one." Her monotone speech sounded recorded, even to her own ears.

  Silence followed. Draylon stared at her, keeping her mesmerized within his gaze. For a moment she thought she could actually envision the horror of the poor Zmei as flames danced in his eyes and screams of terror both human and beast echoed in her head. Gasping, she snapped out of the trance.

  "How sad." Tina sighed.

  "Angered, Bendis, the moon goddess, asked all the gods to do something about the atrocity. The sun god, Derzelas took away the light of day from the clan who destroyed the Zmei. They had to live in the dark of night. Bendis demanded they suffer by not hunting her wild beasts. They would have to learn to live off the blood of their fellow man. Sanziana, goddess of fertility, took away their ability to breed by sexual procreation. The only way to create more of their kind was through changing humans—but they had to have permission.

  "The story didn't stop there. The young Zmeu bride wept over the slaughter of her new family. But her former lover captured her and forced her to wed him. She despised him, seeing how he really was. He wasn't the one to love, and besides, he had even a darker side now. Full with child, she managed to run away one night to the sanctuary of her father's home village. But she wasn't welcomed. Her family and clansmen shunned her because of her part in her betrayal. So she took refuge in Zamolxis' home where she was cared for until her child was born, and Zamolxis took her and her child to the safety of a neighboring land."

  "So where do the wolves fit in?" Marilyn asked.

  "They were always there. They were Zamolxis' immortal warriors, the ones who'd shunned the young woman," Draylon continued and shook his head. "Unfortunately, Zamolxis was upset that they wouldn't give her a chance to redeem herself or explain how she'd accepted the Zmei as her family. It wasn't her fault…" Draylon didn't sound pleased, as if he didn't agree with the woman's innocence. "So he had his immortal warriors live the life as their battle mascot, the wolf. Clans fought for dominance. Alpha against alpha, they shifted into wolves when battles were necessary. It was these battles against clans that caused the rift in strength, making the Romans able to conquer."

  Marilyn took it from there. "Many of the Dacia became Roman slaves. Women were used as concubines. The ways of the Dacian people was destroyed."

  Nodding, Draylon continued, "Our numbers began to die out as some of our remaining clan left to find freedom. Those with life mates were lucky. The younger breed, not so much. Women were scarce. After awhile the clan had to share mates, but the interbreeding took its toll and produced weak pups or infertility among them. There are now less than a hundred males in the Delvante clan…the only remaining true Dacian clan left…and no females."

  "…until now," Marilyn muttered.

  "At first that is why I thought Rick wanted me to keep you safe. You would be in danger from the male population struggling to reproduce. It wouldn't be fun. You would be used as a breeding mare, nothing else. But it's more than that. Vamier wants you and is stopping at nothing to get to you. I had to send you back here to safety."

  "Could he want her because she's the link to his enemy's survival?" Tina asked.

  Draylon looked to Mike who shrugged casually.

  "It's a possibility, Dray."

  Rubbing his shadowy growth on his chin, Draylon appeared to ponder the thought. "It is probable, but no, I think there is something more they're after…I just don't know what. And Rick's not saying."

  Marilyn couldn't sleep, her mind raced with everything that had happened tonight and with what she could remember from before. Tina and she had been given guest rooms in the massive underground retreat connected by a Jack and Jill bathroom. They'd discussed the situation they were in and decided perhaps it was best to stay safely hidden for awhile.

  But that was mostly Tina's decision. Marilyn knew after what they'd encountered at the blood bank tonight Tina didn't trust being exposed. Marilyn didn't like confinement, but she would stay for her friend's sake, until they could figure out what else they could do. It wasn't that she didn't feel safe here…she did. But she struggled with what Mike and Draylon were capable of doing. A vampire and a shape-shifter wolf? Not a very secure scenario. She chuckled to herself. She was one to talk.

  Frustrated to be wide awake, she got out of the comfy bed and tiptoed down the hall, wearing a men's button down dress shirt and a pair of boxers that Mike had let her borrow to sleep in. The pitch black didn't hinder her. Her vision was so much sharper than she remembered. But that wasn't all that was heightened. Breathing in the musky scent of dominant male, Marilyn followed her nose through the labyrinth halls and into the main room where they'd been most of the night. The signature spice pricked a memory. It hit her with the force of a solid punch to her chest. Catching her breath, she leaned up against the wall as the haze cleared from her mind, and she viewed the image of her…her and Draylon…on a desk…

  Oh my God. She clasped her hand over her mouth to keep from gasping aloud. Had she…did she? No, that wasn't her. She shook her head. After her horrible failure with Daniel, there was no way she'd be bold enough. How could the image be her…doing that!

  Needing to sit and clear her head of the disturbingly intimate thought, she made her way into the dark room and sat down heavily in the large over-stuffed leather chair. The musky scent enveloped
her. She inhaled the aroma like a lovers embrace, curling up into a contented ball in the chair. Staring out into the night, mesmerized by the twinkling of lights making up the silhouette of Frederick fifteen minutes away, Marilyn jumped as a huge black shadow passed in front of the window.

  Coming out of her seat she ran to the window, pressing her face against the glass to see what it was. All was calm. What she could see. The flat panel of window didn't give anymore view along the peripheral sides of the walls so whatever it was could be long gone or just on the other side of her vision. She waited to see if it might reappear. Minutes ticked by.

  "You should be in bed."

  Marilyn squealed at the deep, whispered tenor behind her. A figure moved forth from the dark shadows of the cavernous room, its eyes blazing with an unearthly glow, but it might have only been a trick of her mind, a reflection off of the glass—oh my…he was naked.

  Draylon stood there in front of her in all of his natural glory. Her voice got stuck somewhere between her aching need and her salivating mouth. She stared at him as if she were enthralled in animated time.

  "Are you typical of all Dacians?"

  Draylon walked towards her, and her breath stopped in her lungs. All man and muscle mixed with a natural grace in his step and posturing. She looked up for fear of staring at…wow…yeah. Her thoughts went crazy as she involuntarily looked down. The word, magnificent came to mind. He smiled. A genuine smile. It was in the quirk of his lips, the relaxed line of his jaw, but more importantly, it was in his eyes.

  "No, I'm not typical…and thank you."

  The sexiness of his softly spoken words had her pressing her thighs together for fear she would make a puddle on the floor. She tried to figure out what he was replying to, forgetting he could probably read her mind. Mentally slapping a hand to her forehead, she cleared her throat. "You're welcome."