Iliaria and Anatharic, again, had not taken the seats offered to them. They remained standing. I felt Iliaria move up behind me. The weight of her hand rested on my shoulder. Wisely, Augusten took note of it, and removed his hand from mine.
I silently thanked Iliaria.
“Yes,” Renata said, her attention shifting from Iliaria to Augusten. “Some of the Dracule are rising against the vampires. They attacked our stores and tried to burn our crops.”
Augusten leaned back in his seat, appearing thoughtful. “And what do you want from me and mine, Renata?”
“To warn you. If you have not already been attacked by the Dracule, there is a chance that you may be.” She shook her head, waves glistening in the candlelight. “We have not yet figured out if they are targeting our clan alone or if this is a move against all of us, Augusten.”
For what seemed a long while, King Augusten did not say anything. He pushed his chair out and rose. “Come,” he said and the others at the table started to stand. “No,” he said, glancing at them. He looked at Renata and then me. “You.”
It was Vasco who protested. “We will not leave them alone.”
“Vasco,” Renata said, only his name. Vasco dropped back into his seat, obviously not thrilled with her command but obeying without quarrel.
Renata offered her arm to me and I took it while Augusten led us away from his dining hall.
“You truly believe the Dracule are gathering an army to attack our kind?” he asked Renata.
The hallway he led us through was dark and tunnel-like, lined with a few burning torches.
“An army?” Renata shrugged lightly. “I am not so certain they are gathering such strength in numbers, Augusten, but I do know they have made moves against us, and from what I have heard, they may move against neighboring clans.”
Augusten stopped at the end of the hall, bringing us to a halt behind him. “We have not been attacked, Queen Renata. Why should I show concern if we, the Bull Shoal, are left untouched?”
“How long do you suppose it will stay that way, my lord? Do you not believe us?” I asked. “The Dracule that have banded together do not despise merely our clan. Their leader despises all vampires. I would not think for a moment that when they are done with us, this war will dissipate. They will more than likely move to conquer another front.”
“And you know this how, little one? Perhaps it is only your clan that is in their line of sight and not ours. If we raise hand, then we will draw attention to ourselves. What you ask of me, you ask of my people.”
“Noble and wisely spoken, Augusten, but by not raising hand with us, you may harm your clan more. What then?”
Augusten placed the tips of his fingers against his temple as if we were giving him a headache. “I must think on this, Renata. I cannot be rash. Will you stay and pass the day here?”
“One night, Augusten.”
“I will consult my Elders and send word to the other nearby clans,” he said. “You will have my decision come next nightfall.”
Augusten clapped his hands together, and one of his hooded guards moved through the archway in front of us. His guardsmen knelt.
“Yes, my lord?”
“I will need ink and parchment,” he said.
“As you wish, my lord.”
His tall guardsmen disappeared.
“It is dangerous to send out riders, Augusten. We took a risk simply coming here.”
Augusten turned on his heel, expecting us to follow. “I do not have to send out riders, Queen Renata. You should know me better than that.”
Renata spoke to his back. “Then pray tell, how do you mean to contact the other clans?”
“I have my ways.”
Augusten pushed aside a large rock with ease, admitting us through another doorway.
The room we emerged into was lined with wooden shelves and rows of books. His guardsmen stood near a high-backed chair of brownish-red leather. Augusten sat, crossing his legs and taking the tablet and parchment from his guard.
He gestured toward the leather couch across from his chair. “Make yourselves comfortable.”
We did so as Augusten dipped a long quill in the inkwell his guard held and began to scribble a series of short notes, tearing the parchment and rolling it carefully.
When he was done, he dismissed his guard with a bow of his head. I caught a glimpse of the man’s face beneath the hood. He appeared young and boyish, with a wisp of blond hair that cast his blue eyes in shadow. He looked like a teenager.
The boy returned carrying a small gilded avian cage. Augusten opened the latch and retrieved a large-eared bat from inside. The bat clambered up Augusten’s sleeve, appearing docile but inquisitive.
“Would you like to hold him?” Augusten asked, catching my obvious interest in the little creature.
“May I?” I asked, feeling somewhat childishly excited at the prospect.
Augusten had me cup my hands together and placed the teacup sized creature with its crown-like ears into my palms. Its fur was creamy and soft and dusted with colors of coal and ash. The bat turned in my hand, its beady black eyes assessing me mildly.
“I always thought they were blind,” I murmured, feeling the bat watching me. “But you’re not, are you?” I asked it.
The bat chittered softly.
You’re seriously not thinking about keeping that creepy fuzzy thing as a pet, are ye?
So what if I am, Cuinn?
It’s a flying rodent, he said. Wouldn’t ye prefer…oh, I don’t know…a puppy or something?
The bat made a fuss, squeaking and chittering as if it’d heard Cuinn’s insult.
Actually, he’s not a rodent.
Augusten stroked a finger down the bat’s back when I handed it back to him, and when it quieted, he tied the little piece of rolled parchment comfortably around the bat’s neck, showing considerable gentleness with it. I sensed the bat quite liked Augusten.
Augusten raised the bat in his hands and I felt his shields part like a curtain. His power caressed my cheeks, tickling strands of my hair and sending them dancing.
The bat chittered again before flying away.
“Clever, Augusten,” Renata said. “You’ve used your power to bespell bats.” The corner of her delicious mouth twitched in bemusement.
Augusten retrieved another bat from the gilded enclosure. “A handful,” he said, “no more. It’s far more efficient than traveling.”
Augusten placed another of the bats in my hands. This time, he did not let me hold it long. He secured the parchment, and then took it, raising it to meet his eyes, calling his power, and sending it flying off with the others to fulfill its mission.
He sent five bats in all, each to carry their master’s messages to the nearby clans. He rose and handed the empty cage to his guard.
“Now, we shall wait and see,” he said. “My guards will escort you to your chambers. We will dine once more on the eve and I will give you my answer.”
Istania and another of his guard appeared in the doorway to escort us to our rooms for the night.
“My thanks, Augusten.”
He nodded at Renata, waving his hand. “It is nothing.”
I curtseyed slightly and probably a bit awkwardly since it wasn’t something I was accustomed to doing, as it was not obligatory among the Rosso Lussuria. “It is appreciated, my lord.”
“I have shown the others to their chambers,” Istania said. “I will lead you to them and to your own private quarters, my queens.”
Queens?
I glanced uncertainly at Renata, who smiled sweetly and knowingly. Surely, I had not heard Istania right.
We were escorted to our chamber, which was an odd, circular shaped room. The ceiling and floor had been cleaned of any debris or natural formations. The stone walls were smooth, as if they’d been polished, and a wooden doorway had been established along the western wall, separating our room from the others. A large, elaborately carved canopy bed graced the center of th
e room, draped in blue and black silks. A menacing creature was carved into the headboard, its sharply triangular face and horns pushing out toward the room, framed by intricate carvings of small flowers.
Iliaria was sitting on the bed when we entered.
“They have posted guards outside our doors,” she noted with mild indignation. “Anatharic will be staying in the room with the others. I will stay here with you.”
“I would do the same were they guests in my Sotto, Dracule.”
“I know,” Iliaria said. “As would I, but I do not trust their guards to keep you safe.”
When it came down to it, neither did I.
A gentle knock sounded at the door, and I waited for Renata’s nod of approval before answering it.
Istania held a bundle of clothes in her arms. “The king requested I give you these.” There was no distaste or displeasure in her that I could sense, only a subtle calmness. “That door there,” she gestured with a dip of her head toward the only other doorway in the room, a doorway I had suspected led to a closet of some sort, “leads to your own personal bath. If you require anything else, do not hesitate to ask one of the guards posted outside your door. We do hope you do not take their presence amiss, as they are for your protection as well as ours.”
“No insult has been taken,” Renata said smoothly, tipping her head in thanks.
Istania mirrored the gesture and held the clothes out. Truthfully, I wasn’t certain they would fit and if they did, I didn’t know how Augusten managed to find clothes for us on such short notice. None of us had thought to bring a change for ourselves. Istania left and I set about making myself useful and putting the garments away in a wardrobe just beyond the door leading to the bath.
When I had completed the task, I took in the bathing room. It was spacious, and though the clan of Bull Shoals had probably altered it, the spring-fed pool appeared to be a natural occurrence. Beautifully crafted brass lanterns were placed on stands throughout the room, flickering and reflecting off the surface of the water.
“It has its own quiet charm, doesn’t it?” Renata asked.
“It does. Have you spoken with Vito or Vittoria?” I asked.
“Yes. All is well. There have been no further attacks.”
“The others aren’t questioning their authority for the time being?”
Renata’s mouth curled slyly. “Not with Severiano at their backs, no.”
“That’s good,” I said. “Will we return on the morrow’s evening?”
“I suspect,” she said, “it all depends on what word Augusten receives from the neighboring clans.”
“What if they’ve been attacked, my lady? If the Dracule are targeting all of us, what then?”
“What do you mean, Epifania?”
“Should we not band together as Damokles and his henchmen have and fight back? It would be easier to eliminate the threat if we stood together as vampires.”
“Mmm,” she murmured, toying with a curl of my hair that had broken free, “that is why I believe Damokles is targeting one clan at a time. It is far easier to bully one than it is three.”
“I do not want to put any of the other clans in danger, my lady, but I don’t think this is a battle we can fight alone. The Dracule have heard rumor that Damokles seeks to convert even more Dracule to his cause as we speak.”
Renata sighed, releasing the lock of my hair. “I know, cara mia.”
I changed the subject, feeling we would gain no more ground on it. “Well,” I said, “if we are staying here for the rest of the night and throughout the day, what exactly are we supposed to do?”
She smiled mischievously. “Dolce mia,” she said in a purring voice. Her arms slipped around my waist as she pulled me in against her. “Have you not learned by now that we have little problem finding something to do?”
I placed my hands on her shoulders, rising on the tips of my toes when she bent to kiss me.
“What will you, my lady?”
She tugged the ribbon in my hair loose, sending the weight of it spilling and swaying freely down my back. “We will get to that.”
She kissed me and her lips were tender and sweet.
As it was Renata’s night, Iliaria left the room and went to sit with the others. Renata took my hand and guided me to the bed. I went willingly into the circle of her arms, feeling at home and at ease despite the unfamiliar surroundings. For a long while, we simply lay there, idly exploring one another. Renata toyed with my hair and I traced circles on the small of her back.
She pushed my thighs apart with her knee and I moved against her, sliding up and down on her thigh and circling my hips. I buried my face in the bend of her neck and her hand sank lower down my body. She squeezed and I moaned when her nails dug into my skin.
Renata tugged at the back of my shirt and I rose to let her draw it up over my head. She pulled the garment off and cupped my breasts, guiding me to her mouth. She nibbled and teased my breasts in a way that made me shudder with pleasure.
“Mmm, I have always liked that about you, Piph.”
She bit the side of my breast, her fangs piercing me. I gasped as she sealed her mouth over the wounds, sucking lightly.
When she drew away, I asked, “Liked what, my lady?”
Renata sat up and pushed me onto my back. Her hand marked a path up my chest before she dragged her nails over me from my neck to my waist. My eyelashes fluttered closed while she touched me.
Her hands played over my hips. “You do not hide yourself in the bedroom.”
I smiled slightly. “You never asked me to.”
She began peeling my leggings off. “No,” she said, a flicker of something impish passing through her gaze. “No, I want to see all of you.”
And she did, tossing the leggings aside and spreading my thighs. Renata lay back against the pillows and pulled my lower body onto her lap. Her fingers splayed me and she watched her hand while she traced me. She played over a particularly sensitive spot and I clawed at the blankets.
Renata laughed softly. She pushed her fingers inside me and my muscles responded, cinching as I moaned at the feel of her. She worked me with a slow and steady hand, and while she did so, she continued to watch me, to watch her fingers as they moved in and out of me. She eased out slowly. When she pushed into me again, it was harder and less controlled. I cried out softly and shoved my hips toward her hand.
She shifted, curling her body against mine. She eased out of me again as she spread the honey of my desire over my most sensitive spot.
She brought our faces close, still flicking and playing between my legs. Renata pressed her lips against mine in a kiss that was deep and sensual. Somewhere during our kiss, I spent myself, crying out my pleasure against her lips.
When I tried to raise Renata’s gown, she pulled me into the circle of her arms. I didn’t resist her and lay with my head on her shoulder.
“Not yet,” she murmured against my hair.
I nodded without asking why. When she wanted me to please her, she would let me know. She always did.
Some minutes before dawn, I heard the door between the two rooms open quietly.
Iliaria stood at the foot of the bed watching us with her strange eyes. Her features were pleasantly blank. “Anatharic thought you might want this,” she said making her way to Renata’s side. “Were it not so close to dawn, I would not have interrupted.”
She held her hand out, palm up. Renata sat up quietly and when she saw what Iliaria held out, she looked at her in surprise.
“Is he certain?”
“Yes, put it on.”
Renata took the slender ring with its small cloudy gem from her. She slid the Stone of Shadows onto the middle finger of her right hand, the same finger on which I wore mine.
“Are you certain?” she asked.
“I would not give it to you if I was not,” Iliaria said. “It is by far easier than having Epiphany wake you with blood and blade.”
“It is,” Renata said, giving he
r a sidelong glance. “But it means I will be awake throughout the day, Dracule. You will have to share Epiphany.”
“You tell me what I already know.”
“The Great Sire has my thanks,” she said.
“We must speak of strategy,” Iliaria said. She sat on the bed to face us both. “Anatharic and I have those that are loyal to us, those that we may call upon and trust if we need to.”
“At the moment, things are dependent on what word we receive from the clans Augusten has sent word to. This is not yet a full-fledged war, Dracule.”
“Not yet, but we must prepare. Damokles will make this a war, Renata. He is picking at your clan solely to find weak spots.”
“And if he has attacked no others?”
“We must convince them to stand with us. It is only a matter of time until he attacks the others. The vampires must show a united front in this.”
“We need to form an alliance,” I said. “But how? If they haven’t been attacked, they have no physical proof we speak the truth. How do we convince them to fight what they will essentially believe is our clan’s battle and not theirs?”
“It would be easier if Damokles has attacked another clan,” Iliaria said, seeming frustrated. She shook her head. “I do not know. We must consider the possibility that he has not and what to do under those circumstances.”
“What would you do, Dracule?” Renata asked.
“The only thing you can do, that I can discern. I would form an alliance with those clans willing and that believe this is not solely your battle to fight.”
“Those may be few and far between.”
“I know. Would that there was some way to convince them otherwise. I believed Anatharic’s and my presence would be sufficient evidence that you are telling the truth, but King Augusten seems hesitant to believe.”
“Mayhap,” I said, thinking furiously, “Mayhap it’s not about convincing them that we’re telling the truth.”
Summoning Shadows: A Rosso Lussuria Vampire Novel Page 12