The Dioni Chronicles:
Book I: Mikhail’s Hunt
By
Dana LittleJohn
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
The Dioni Chronicles Book 1: Mikhail’s Hunt by Dana LittleJohn
Red Rose Publishing
Copyright© 2007 Dana LittleJohn
ISBN: 978-1-60435-038-8
ISBN: 1-60435-038-5
Cover Artist: Tuesday Dube
Editor: Stephanie Balistreri
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews. Due to copyright laws you can not trade, sell or give any ebooks away.
Red Rose Publishing
www.redrosepublishing.com
Forestport, NY 13338
The Dioni Chronicles:
Book I: Mikhail’s Hunt
By
Dana LittleJohn
Prologue
Many, many years ago, war broke out between the werewolves and vampires. The Dioni Vampire Clan was the last surviving clan of the vampire race. During the war with the werewolves Nikolas Dioni, leader of his clan, took a flag of truce to the leader of the werewolf clan, Isaac Miles. Under that flag of truce, they learned that the war between their people had gone on for so long that no one who was still alive knew what the war was about anymore. Both species had suffered great losses including the demise of all the women in both tribes and they were dangerously close to extinction because of it. They came to the decision to turn to mankind to rebuild their races.
Nikolas and Isaac also decided that the truce between their people must be maintained. They entered into a blood oath to be brothers from that day forward, making the truce a part of their pack rules of existence. After that meeting, they went their separate ways in search of the rest their people, who had been scattered across the globe during the war.
The Dioni Clan began meeting in the Mojave Desert once Nikolas started finding members of his clan, 300 years later he was still holding those meetings each turn of the seasons.
Raising his hands, Nikolas made to quiet the gathered crowd. “My people, as you all know, times were difficult for a long while after the werewolf war for the Dioni Clan. We were a scattered people. It has taken a long time for us to unite again as a clan and as a family. These yearly reunions are a way for us to share what we have learned, what is necessary for us to know, and for us to celebrate with our brothers.” He received a roar of applause and cheering from his people. He nodded and raised his hands again.
“Tonight, my people, is no different. Tonight we celebrate as we come together to honor one of our own. Mikhail has been chosen to receive a wife, a companion for all eternity to help rebuild our race. Mikhail!”
The crowd roared its approval again and opened like the parted Red Sea to allow a tall, dark-skinned man answer the call of his leader. He approached his leader and went to one knee bowing his head. The crowd quieted quickly as their leader spoke again.
“Mikhail.”
“My Lord,” he answered.
Nikolas, an older vampire, sat in his chair leaning forward. His hair was pulled into a short, tight ponytail and his handsome strong features were weathered. His barrel chest was stuck out with pride and he looked down at Mikhail, his newest and most deserving warrior.
“Mikhail, have you completed your training with the elders?”
“I have, my Lord,” he replied and turned his gaze toward a woman approaching them.
She was beautiful and untouched by passage of time. Her long red hair was as bright as fire, her skin as smooth and pale as porcelain and her green eyes were like shards of brilliant green glass. She stopped before them and bowed low.
A small smile touched Nikolas’s lips. “Rise, my wife and speak.”
“My Lord, Mikhail has indeed completed his training in the art of pleasuring a woman. He has taken the basic teachings and has made them his own. No mortal woman will be able to resist him. We are pleased with his growth. He is indeed ready to have a mate.”
“Thank you, my wife.”
She bowed her head to him then to Mikhail and turned to leave.
“Mikhail, the elders are pleased with you. You have proven yourself worthy of a mate. Is your current location a sufficient area to find one to your liking?”
“It is, my Lord.”
“Then do so and present her to us at the next gathering. And remember our rules Mikhail, they have kept us alive and have given us this chance to rebuild our race. Be sure not to break them.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
He allowed Mikhail to stand and turned him toward the crowd. “My people, we have but a few hours under the moonlight to celebrate and renew family ties with our brothers. I invite you to do so for some of us have far to travel.”
Chapter One
Mikhail and his clan brother, Jonathan, have returned to Florida. It has been almost two centuries since they were last here. Things had changed. The plantations he remembered were gone. That suited him well. He liked the way things were progressing in this day and age. He scanned the area as he walked the darkened streets of Miami Beach. He noticed the influx of people had changed, too. People of Spanish descent had crossed the waters to settle here. That, too, suited him well. They had just spent the last two hundred years island hopping between Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba. The music was good, the women were beautiful, and the people generally left them in peace.
Though now he couldn’t afford to be left in peace. He was on the hunt, a hunt for a mate. At first, he thought it would be easy to find one, but as time went by, he realized it wasn’t. He remembered when Richard was awarded a wife. When he brought his wife to the meeting Lord Nikolas made him covenant leader over the New York area. Ever since the women were all killed during the war, only a select few were given the privilege of having a wife to build our race again and make it strong the way it once was. When you were awarded a wife, it was taken as an instant promotion among the people because only the elders and the few covenant leaders had wives thus far. They were the strongest and most gifted among the clan.
A wife of his own...the very thought excited him. He’d heard Richard tell tales after he received his wife. He spoke of how making love to his wife was nothing like having sex with a mortal woman. He said they all had a thirst they didn’t know existed until it was quenched and only mating with a woman of your own blood could fulfill such a thirst. Only then could you achieve ultimate sexual satisfaction and only after she is turned would she share your blood. He could mate with a thousand humans and still never achieve satisfaction like the kind he would have with his wife, Richard had said. No matter how good it was he would never be truly sated.
Mikhail had realized that is what he wanted, and he would know her when he saw her, the one that was to be his wife. She would have fire and would stir his blood at first sight. She would be beautiful. Oh, yes! A beauty he would never tire of looking at over the centuries. Yes, he knew he would know her, but after looking for the last six months, he was getting weary of where he would find her.
His eyes narrowed more as he walked, keeping to his own thoughts not missing anything that moved, like a panther on the prowl.
Jonathan touched his arm stopping him in his tracks. “What are you doing,” he asked with a smile.
“What? What am I doing?”
/> “You’re stalking,” he said accusingly with a chuckle.
“I am not.
“Yes, you are. Relax, Mikhail. This is a different kind of hunt.”
He sighed. “I know, but it’s been six months since the meeting. My patience is growing thin. We’ve left Puerto Rico, gone to Cuba and back here again, and still I have seen no one I would choose to feed off of let alone worthy to spend eternity with.”
He continued walking. “I think you are being too picky, Mikhail.”
Mikhail chuckled. “You will be picky, too, when your time comes. Eternity is a long time to spend with the wrong woman.”
“What makes you think I will be given a mate? I like the variety of different women.”
“Ahh, but they say my friend, to mate with a woman of your own blood, like your wife will be, is like nothing you’ve ever felt. No matter how good the sex is with a mortal woman, sex with your mate surpasses it by far. It could never compare.”
“Hmm, yes, well, you can’t miss what you’ve never had, Mikhail. I’m happy with the variety.”
They laughed and continued walking in the warm night air until they came across a crowd outside of an active nightclub.
“Well, here’s some excitement. Let’s see what they do on Miami Beach now-a-days for fun,” Jonathan said heading down the street.
His brother smiled. “Why not?”
They filtered into Club Noir with the rest of the crowd and found a table just off the small stage in front of the room. The club was as dark as the name implied, but found flagging a waitress was easy.
“What’s all the buzz about?” Mikhail asked the waitress when she came to them.
“Christina is dancing tonight.”
“Who’s Christina?”
“Who’s Christina?” she repeated shocked.
“Forgive me. My brother and I have just returned from Cuba and don’t know the latest news.”
“Christina is like our very own hometown star. She grew up right here in Miami and made it big in New York dancing on Broadway,” she explained excitedly.
“Oh, and she’s back for a visit?”
“No, she’s back for good. She got hurt or something so she came home. You want a drink?”
“Yes, I’ll have brandy and my brother will have bourbon.” She turned to leave, but he grabbed her hand to stop her. “Just one more thing, when does the show start?”
She looked at her watch. “It should start in just a little while.”
The waitress returned shortly with their drinks and just like she said, a few minutes later, the introduction music started playing and crowd went silent. Two silhouetted people walked across the floor toward the stage. Mikhail’s keen night vision told him they were female. He could see the roundness of their breasts and hips even in the suspended pants they wore as if all the lights were on. The dancers positioned themselves on stage and bright white lights flashed just as loud, bold tap dancing began.
The dancers clapped and tapped rhythmically moving sensually to the tango like beats. Mikhail watched the women enjoying their movements greatly. When the dancing was over the crowd erupted in applause and he and Jonathan joined them. The lights came on across the club and one dancer pointed to the other, and the applause grew even louder and whistling began. Smiling the dancer stepped forward and removed the string that held her hair in a bun and waved to the crowd.
Mikhail sat up. “Well, now that’s a bit more like it.”
Jonathan looked at his brother then tried to follow his gaze. “What? Who are you looking at?”
“The dancer on stage, she’s beautiful.”
“Which one?”
“The one leaving the stage now.”
Jonathan watched the women leave the stage as the announcer took their place.
“Ladies and gentlemen we are so happy whenever Christina graces us with her dancing. I hope you have enjoyed the show. Christina has said she will change and she will remain for the free dance.”
They watched the announcer and a few waitresses move the tables and chairs around to clear the dance floor for dancing. A rainbow of lights spread across the floor and music began. The dance floor filled quickly with happy, laughing people moving to the lively Salsa beats.
Mikhail scanned the crowd until he spotted the woman from the stage as she stepped onto the dance floor. She wore a beautiful red fitted dress that opened to a slit showing off more of her left leg. It fit her curvaceous body exquisitely. Resting on her full cleavage was a bright red heart and her dark curly hair hung luxuriously around her shoulders. He continued viewing her beauty, pleased with her so far. Her catlike gleaming brown eyes seem to smile as she spoke to her friends and the smile on her full, sensual lips looked genuine.
The music changed to a slower Salsa beat and the woman he had his eye on hugged her choice of partner and pulled him to the center of the dance floor. Mikhail watched the gracefulness of the beautiful woman that has caught his eye. Her every movement enticed him. She had enchanted him at first sight. This was indeed his wife, his future mate. As that song ended and another began, Mikhail left his chair to go to her.
“I know, but I had a great time in New York and Chicago. I have no regrets,” she was saying when he approached.
“Well, I’m just glad you’re back. Do you want to dance this one with me, too?” her partner said.
Mikhail stepped in front of the man as his hand went out and he took her hand instead. “I think the lady will dance this one with me.” He smiled and pulled her away from him.
“You know, that was very rude of you.”
“That wasn’t rudeness, that was cutting in.”
“Really? Well, it looked pretty rude to me. What if I didn’t want to dance with you?”
He smiled. “But you are dancing with me.”
She stopped moving and realized he was right. “I don’t like pushy, arrogant men. You all are the same, and I have had enough of them and you already.” She dropped his hands and spun on her heels leaving him on the dance floor.
He watched as Christina returned to her friend and they danced out of his line of sight. Mikhail let out an exasperated breathe and returned to his seat.
“So, she shot you down, huh,” Jonathan asked laughing.
“It’s ok. I just have to try a different approach with this woman. This is the one, Jonathan. I want her for my wife.”
“Looks like you’ve got your job cut out for you.”
“That’s ok. If I have to work a little to have her, she’ll be worth that much more to me when she’s mine.”
“Ok. So what’s your plan?”
“I’m going to talk to her again…tonight.”
Chapter Two
After the club closed, Jonathan went outside to talk to a pretty brunette that appealed to him and Mikhail sat on a car waiting around to try talk to the woman he danced with more.
As Christina and her friend, neared the entrance, she spotted him through the open door and stopped.
“Oh my gosh!” she said in an urgent whisper. “There’s the guy I was telling you about; the one that cockblocked Ramon.”
“The one on the car?”
She nodded.
“He’s cute, Christina. What’s the problem?”
“The problem?” She sucked her teeth. “The problem is he thinks he’s all that. He just sidestepped poor Ramon. What if he was my boyfriend or my husband for that matter? He didn’t care; he just snatched me away as if I was his. It was rude and uncalled for.”
“Christina, it’s called cutting in. Men do that when they want the next dance. You would know that if you went out every now and then with a man. He obviously wants to get to know you.”
“Well, I don’t want to get to know him.”
“Why not?”
“I met plenty of men like that in New York, and Chicago, too. They use their good looks to use the dancers and they never want a commitment. They just want to play. I’ve seen too many women get heartbroken ove
r men like that and I’m not going to be one of them.”
“Oh, Christina…”
“No, no, it’s true. I’ve done just fine without a man to ruin my life with their lies and empty promises. So what he’s good looking, and, and, has a really nice body…”
“Oh, you noticed that, huh,” her so-called friend, asked with a chuckle.
“Yes, I noticed. I noticed he smelled really good, too. But so what,” she added quickly. “I refuse to be one of those strung out dancers who get used by those really, really attractive men.” She looked at her friend and they laughed. “Anyway, it’s going to take more than a pretty face to get me if he wants me, that’s for sure.”
“Ok, Christina, you stay strong because I think he just spotted us.”
Christina looked toward the door and saw her friend was right. He was standing and directing his piercing, honey brown eyes right at her. It felt like he could see right through her. Her body started to heat and she felt strange as she realized she couldn’t tear herself away from his gaze. Hard as it was she shook her head and shook off the strange feeling, putting her nose in the air and dragged her friend to the door.
Mikhail stood watching her come toward him. He not only saw them but he had heard their whole conversation as well. It pleased him that this woman found him attractive, that was one barrier out of the way, and now he knew his approach to this woman had to be original. He would have to dig deep into his training to capture her heart… his Christina.
She walked out the door, looked at him, and made a hard left turn right in front of him. He chuckled and followed her.
“I wanted to tell you, you danced the tapping tango beautifully,” he said from behind them.
She smiled, but didn’t turn around. “We were both dancing. Which one of us are you referring to?”
“You both danced beautifully, but I was talking to you.”
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