Dragon Song

by Denna Holm

  “Well, no, I don’t remember anything like that. I always thought Djinn were just a made-up story. Like I said before, a fairy tale.”

  “I’ve never seen one either, but I know they are very real, very dark creatures.”

  Faith nodded toward Leif. “What do you think they’re gonna do?” She leaned closer to him, whispering in his ear, though Aeson knew the tracker would still hear. “I mean, my dad is working for the people who are probably holding your uncle. This vampire isn’t gonna hurt him, right? My dad isn’t a bad person.”

  Aeson sighed. “He might not be bad in your eyes, Faith, but he’s still helping to hold my uncle prisoner. He’s being tortured. Just putting silver cuffs on him will be agonizing. It’s not right. But to answer your question, no, the Hunter won’t harm your … father. At worst, he’ll take his memories, make him forget he’s ever seen a serpent shifter, the same as he’ll do with everyone else involved.”

  “Oh. You mean like us then?”

  Aeson sighed, wishing it could be different. “Probably.”

  “How will he do it?”

  Aeson shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never been around a Hunter before.”

  “He’ll probably have to suck our blood?” Mark said, his eyes opening wide.

  “Shut up, Mark. That’s gross,” Faith replied.

  Well, maybe he will. He’s a flippin’ vampire, Faith. Vampires drink blood.”

  The tracker chuckled, opening his eyes as he sat up. “I can see none of you are interested in getting any rest.”

  “Ask him?” Mark said, nudging Faith’s side.

  “Ask him what?” she replied, shaking her head.

  “You know what? Don’t be stupid.” He leaned in closer, whispering. “Ask him if the vampire is gonna try to drink our blood when he erases our memories.”

  A question Aeson wouldn’t mind having answered himself, though he’d never have the courage to ask. Faith’s brother was a courageous young male, though he hadn’t grown up listening to tales about Hunters and how cold and brutal they could be. Sociopathic is what he’d always heard. No feelings for other beings, no emotions. They did their job, whatever it took.

  “Do you guys come here often?” Mark asked, apparently deciding to give up on the blood question.

  “Not often,” Leif replied. He looked around. “I haven’t been to Earth in over six months. The Council keeps a fairly close watch over our people. We can usually tell when one is likely to go rogue.”

  “Usually?” Faith said.

  “Some slip through the cracks, usually the ancients. They know how to mask their true motives. It’s much harder to anticipate when one of them will lose control and go rogue.”

  “What causes them to lose control?” Mark asked.

  “Desperation mostly. If a destined mate can’t be found on our world, they sometimes decide it fair to take a human mate as a substitute. Humans are unique in that they are compatible for breeding with many other species. But when it comes to blood drinkers and humans, it’s not generally a good match for either side. Unfortunately, by then the ancient has already lost touch with reality. He or she can’t see the truth of what they’ve done. They try to convert the human, which rarely turns out well.”

  “So you have women rogues too?” Faith asked. “What do you mean by ‘the truth of what they’ve done?’ What happens when they try to convert a human?”

  “Yes, though it’s rare for a female to lose control. As far as what happens…” He hissed, exposing his fangs. “Humans are almost always driven insane, at least if they don’t already carry Laizahlian DNA. Their craving for blood becomes uncontrollable, and they don’t care who they take it from. They are messy feeders and tend to kill when it isn’t necessary. If it’s a rogue shifter, and the human is bitten…” He shuddered. “Trust me, you don’t want to know what happens. It’s nasty.”

  “I’m surprised you’re so open to telling us all this,” Faith said. “Isn’t it forbidden or something?”

  Leif just offered her a secretive smile.

  Because the vampire was going to erase their memories. It didn’t matter what he told them.

  “What do you do with your rogues when you catch them?” Mark asked. He reached over and scratched Axel behind the ear, the dog rolling to his back, exposing his belly.

  “It depends. If they cooperate with the Hunter, they are taken back to Laizahlia and placed in an asylum until they can be deemed fit for society again. If they fight…” He shrugged. “…they are generally euthanized. In most cases, it is more humane to put them out of their misery.”

  “And your Hunters do that?” Faith asked, shivering beside Aeson.

  “Yes.”

  “Will my parents come for me tonight?” Aeson asked, changing the subject again. He could fly home if his sire was there to help him focus.

  “Probably, unless Xavier decides he might need you to help in freeing your uncle.” Leif cocked his head, then looked over his shoulder, jumping to his feet. In seconds, he’d melted away into the brush.

  “Wow,” Mark said, standing. “I’ve never seen anyone move so fast before. You think the vampire is here already? It’s not even dark out.”

  “I don’t know,” Aeson replied. “It could be another human.” But he suspected it was the Hunter. His heart started to pound again, nervous about meeting one of the ancients. It was a dangerous situation he’d inadvertently brought Faith and Mark into.

  The oppressive energy hit him first, almost taking his breath away. When Faith rubbed at her neck, Aeson suspected she’d felt it too. A few minutes later, Leif stepped back into view. Behind him came a muscular male with silver hair and glittery green eyes. Though several inches shorter than the tracker, there was no doubt who was in charge here.

  Aeson lowered his eyes respectfully and hoped Faith and her brother would follow his lead. He didn’t want them to accidentally challenge the Hunter. He should have warned them, not that he had any more experience than them in dealing with an ancient.

  “Tell me of your uncle?” the Hunter said, his deep voice carrying a power all its own, making it impossible to disobey.

  Aeson looked up, licking his suddenly dry lips. “Faith overheard her parents discussing a dragon shifter being held by their military not far from here. Her sire works for them, though I don’t know in what capacity. My uncle disappeared late last fall, about the same time Faith’s family was being asked to move here.”

  Faith scooted in closer against Aeson’s side, holding tight to his arm. Mark simply stared at the intimidating Hunter, his mouth hanging open.

  “Can you or your father guide us to this building?” Leif asked.

  “Um, not us,” Faith said, looking between the Hunter and Leif. “My dad would know, but he’ll never agree to take you there. I’m not even supposed to know about this.”

  Leif cocked his head, as though listening to something, then he stepped over to Mark’s side, squatting down beside him. He looked like a giant up against the boy as he rested one large hand on his shoulders.

  “Come to me, Faith,” the Hunter said, his power rushing over them again.

  “Why?” she said, squinting as she rubbed hard at her temples, obviously in pain.

  “What’s going on?” Aeson said, struggling to push to his feet. “The tracker said Faith and her brother wouldn’t be hurt.”

  “Stay,” the Hunter said, his gaze landing briefly on Aeson. “Do not interfere, young serpent. You are in enough trouble here.”

  “Hey!” Mark said as his sister rose and started to walk stiffly toward the Hunter. “Faith, what the hell?”

  Leif tightened his hold on Mark’s shoulder. “She won’t be hurt, Mark. Relax. Xavier needs information and this will be easiest, and safest, for your sister.”

  “But he’s a bloodsucker. What if he takes too much?”

  If Mark’s words bothered Leif or the Hunter, neither one showed it. The Hunter was focused on Faith, while Leif kept control of Mark. Aeson c
ould do nothing but sit there and watch as the vampire took Faith into his arms, turning her away from him as he pushed a few strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail from her neck. Faith’s eyes looked blank, as though her mind had been sent somewhere else.

  Though Aeson knew in his mind the Hunter would never truly harm Faith, his guts still tightened as Xavier leaned over, exposing his fangs before he bit into her neck. Faith didn’t flinch or react in any way as the vampire took her blood. A few minutes later, the Hunter pulled back, no hint of a wound showing on Faith’s neck.

  “You may return to your seat by Aeson,” the Hunter said softly, giving her a little nudge.

  Faith shook her head, awareness entering her eyes again. She glanced behind her a second, all color draining from her face, then ran back to Aeson and slid down beside him, shivering. “What happened?” she asked, her fingers trembling as she took hold of his arm.

  “What did you learn?” Leif asked, thankfully interrupting before he could reply.

  “She doesn’t know much more than they’ve already told us. Her father is a scientist, an expert in infectious diseases, his specialty more those spread from animal to human. He works developing vaccines for their soldiers.”

  Leif released Mark, who ran over to stand behind Aeson and Faith. The tracker rubbed his chin a moment, obviously deep in thought. “Do you think they fear getting sick from the serpent?”

  “No. I think they wish to find a way to activate the shifting gene in a human body. They want to use serpents for military purposes yet understand it will be all but impossible to train one who’d been born and raised in the wild. I’ve dealt with this type of scenario before, with cat shifters.”

  “Is that all they think of us?” Aeson asked, trying hard not to be offended. “Animals?”

  “Yes and no. Humans tend to fear what they don’t understand,” the Hunter replied. “It’s in their nature to try to control what they fear. Also, in shifters, they recognize the potential to use them as a weapon.”

  “Is it possible for them to activate a shifter gene in a regular human?” Aeson asked.

  “No, not a full human, though it remains a possibility in a human who already carries dormant shifter genes. As we’ve only recently learned, there are many such humans on this world.”

  “Serpents too?” Aeson pressed, growing even more afraid for his uncle.

  “Not as likely. There are fewer of you than there are other types of shifters, though it remains a possibility we can’t afford to ignore,” Xavier replied.

  “So what do we do now?” Aeson asked.

  “I’ve already contacted your alpha. He and a few other of your males, including your father, will meet us at the scientist’s home. We will attempt to free your uncle.”

  “What about us?” Mark asked, holding the dog’s collar, though Aeson didn’t believe the animal was brave enough to attack the Hunter or his tracker.

  “We will take you home. I’ll decide later if I think we’ll have further need of your assistance.”

  “You won’t hurt my dad, will you?” Faith asked.

  The Hunter didn’t reply.

  CHAPTER 12

  “How are we going to get Aeson back to our house?” Faith asked. “He still can’t walk on his leg.”

  “Transport,” Leif replied. “We don’t have time to walk.” He pulled some sort of rectangular black box from his belt and spoke into it in a language Faith couldn’t understand. “Come,” he said, motioning toward the intimidating vampire. “Xavier will help you through the pain.”

  Faith shook her head as she stood, helping Aeson up. She couldn’t remember what had happened between her and the vampire, but the big guy still scared the hell out of her. Mark kept staring at her neck, like she’d been bitten or something, but Faith couldn’t find a wound. All she knew for sure was she didn’t want to get anywhere near the badass guy. “Where’s your transport?” And why the hell would it hurt? There’s no way in hell they could get a car up here. Maybe a four-wheeler, but how would they all fit? Maybe they had more than one.

  Leif scratched at his smooth chin. “You won’t like what happens if you refuse Xavier’s help, young human. Trust me, it is not a pleasant means of travel. You and your brother should each take Xavier’s hand. I’m sorry, Aeson. You’ll have to suffer along with me.” He grinned, though the lines looked tight around his eyes.

  “Go ahead, Mark,” Faith said. “I’ll stay by Aeson.”

  “What about Axel?” Mark asked.

  “Bring the dog with you,” the vampire said, crouching down.

  Though pale, and obviously scared, Mark dragged a reluctant Axel over to the vampire. The shepherd immediately dropped to the ground and rolled to his back, exposing his belly and throat as he whined.

  “Weird,” Faith whispered, holding tight to Aeson’s arm. Her dad’s dog acted as scared of the vampire as the rest of them. She’d never seen the big shepherd behave this way before, which only made her glad she’d decided to stay over by Aeson.

  “Everyone ready?” Leif asked. When no one said anything, he spoke into his black box again.

  Faith looked around, expecting to see other people show up with four-wheelers. What she hadn’t expected was for her skin to start tingling. Then burning. “What the hell?” she said, holding her hand up. It was turning transparent. Then the pain really kicked in, and she screamed.

  Seconds later, Faith opened her eyes, finding herself on her hands and knees, puking her guts up. Aeson was a few feet away, doing the same, his injured hand pressed to his chest.

  “Oh, my God,” she muttered, wiping the back of her hand over her mouth. “That was freaking awful.”

  “I tried to tell you,” Leif said, helping her stand. “You should have accepted Xavier’s help.”

  Faith shook his hand off her arm and took a few shaky steps away. She glanced over at her brother, who was talking excitedly to the vampire. Oddly enough, the vampire appeared amused by her brother, his hard expression softening a bit as he nodded at whatever Mark had said. Axel was nowhere in sight. Smart dog.

  “You okay?” she said to Aeson, reaching down to help him up.

  “I don’t know,” he replied. “I’ve never been through anything like that before.”

  Faith jumped when someone touched her on the shoulder. She felt the blood drain from her face when she looked up, finding the vampire there.

  “Excuse me, but I need to heal Aeson before we go to your home.”

  Faith looked back to Aeson, raising her eyebrows in question.

  “It’s okay,” he said softly. “I’ll be fine.”

  She stepped back as Xavier took hold of Aeson’s arm, his touch gentle. “My blood will heal you, young serpent. Since you are a shifter, it won’t take much, a couple of swallows.”

  “Will it create a bond?”

  Xavier sighed softly. “Of a sort, yes, but it can’t be helped. I have never abused a bond before, and I won’t with you either. Ask Leif, if you are still concerned.”

  “Unless you reach out for him, young serpent, you won’t ever know it’s there,” Leif said. “I’m bonded to all the Hunters I work for, and none of them have ever abused it.

  “Okay,” Aeson said, nodding.

  Faith cringed when the vampire bit his own wrist and held it out for Aeson. Her new friend didn’t hesitate to accept it, swallowing a few times before he released him.

  “Thank you,” Aeson said softly.

  “You’re welcome. Now, we should go inside and wait for your father to return home,” Xavier said to Faith. Once the serpents arrive, we’ll have him take us to Aeson’s uncle.”

  Faith shook her head, glancing toward Mark, who looked absolutely fine. She, on the other hand, still felt like every muscle in her body had been put through a grinder, not to mention her skin still burned.

  “I can offer you blood too,” Xavier said, his expression totally blank. “Traveling is a painful experience, especially difficult the first time. You will b
e uncomfortable for several hours without my blood to help heal you.”

  “No thank you,” she said quickly. “I’ll be fine.” Faith shuddered as she glanced toward Aeson, who was putting more weight on his injured leg. “You need help?”

  “No, I’m fine,” he said, taking a couple of limping steps.

  Amazing, Faith thought. A few minutes earlier, he hadn’t been able to stand without help. She looked around, shocked to find they were now standing in a familiar area about two hundred yards from their house. Though they were mostly hidden from view by the forest, she could see the roof, smoke coming from the chimney. Mom is gonna kill me when I bring all these weird people inside. Dad, too, when he gets home. And he’ll never agree to take them to Aeson’s uncle.

  Unless the vampire somehow forces him to. Faith shivered, knowing he could do it too.

  She opened the front door and stepped inside, wondering if she’d need to invite the vampire in. How much of their old tales was even true? She stepped aside, holding the door open while everyone walked in. Nope, he didn’t need an invite. Xavier walked in last, like he owned the place or something.

  “Dinner will be ready in about an hour, you guys,” her mom called from the kitchen. “Why don’t you go get cleaned up. Mark, can you bring some wood in and stack it up by the fire first?”

  “Um, Mom,” Mark said. “We got company here.”

  “What?” she said, peeking her head around the corner. “Oh, I’m sorry.” She stepped out, wiping her hands on a towel. “Um, can I help you with something?” Her face turned a little pale as she took in Xavier and Leif. Then her sight locked on Aeson, her eyes narrowing. “Get out of my house,” she hissed.

  “Mom!” Faith said. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Get him out! I know what he is. You’re not welcome here. I’m gonna call your dad.” She started to walk toward the phone but froze when Xavier spoke.

  “Please sit down. No one here means you or your family any harm.”