by Maya Daniels
“For whom? Me or you?”
“As I said, my theory …” Soren butts in.
“I don’t give a fuck about you or your theory right now.” Snarling at him makes him take a step away from me. “I will deal with you in a moment.” There is a lisp to my speech from the fangs throbbing in my gums.
“For either of us, love.” For the second time, Zoltan allows me to see him. Really see him without the walls he built to hide himself from the world. His face swims in my vision from the unshed tears filling my eyes. “I knew what you were to me the first time I saw you.”
“Not the night I came at the Academy.”
“No.”
“When you saved me from the shadows.” Not a question, but he still answers.
“Yes.”
“Were you planning on telling me the rest?” As soon as the words are out, I hold my breath, dread drilling a hole inside me. I’m not even sure what the right answer to that is.
“Not until I knew for certain. It is not something you should guess at, at least that is how I feel about it.”
I believe him.
As much as I hate to hear it, I know he is telling the truth. Not just by the sincerity on his face but by the truth ringing true through our bond. I want to shrink away from it even while I want to cling to it harder.
I’m a mess.
Leaning back on the armchair, I refuse to let Zoltan’s flinch get to me. I may not blame him for everything, but I am still angry that he has kept things from me. My focus turns to Soren, who by some miracle has stayed quiet long enough to get some information out of Zoltan. And to think I couldn’t get him talking a week ago. Who knew I’d be praying to all the gods for the Dragon Blood to keep his mouth shut?
“What can I so I don’t feel like I’m missing a part of myself because of the broken oath?” Pinning Soren under a glare, I watch him like a hawk. If a muscle twitches wrong I’m going to go straight for his throat, even if it kills me.
“Fully form the bond you freely accepted with Zoltan.” The ancient Fae looks like I’m taking his firstborn, all gloomy and butthurt.
“We did that.” Like hell I’ll tell Soren the details of how many times Zoltan and I have exchanged blood while he had me pinned with his cock inside of me. Judging by the vampire’s smoldering gaze, he remembers each of them, too.
“He will have to speak the words, and I will need to witness.” Folding his arms over his chest, Soren pursed his lips. “This might not be a bad thing.”
“Are you listening to yourself or do you just let whatever comes to your head pop out of your mouth?” I breathe slowly, refusing to let anger take over my rational thought. Nothing good has come out of it so far.
“I will do it.” The hungry, too-blue eyes do not move away from my face, and my stomach clenches in response to Zoltan’s deep voice.
“I shall bring my blade.” Soren whirls out of the dining hall like the wind.
The dread redoubles in my gut. The Dragon Blood is acting too eager when only ten minutes ago he did nothing but complain about it.
Somehow, I have a feeling Zoltan and I just jumped from the cooking pan into the fire.
Chapter Four
Waiting for Soren to return turns out to be more painful than anything else I’ve experienced so far. My emotions keep going from excited, to shitless scared, and then back so fast it’s making me dizzy. Lost in my own thoughts, I jump off the armchair when someone clears their throat at the entrance of the dining hall. This damn room never has anything good happen in it, not since the day I originally found it.
“Zoltan, you are needed in the training rooms.” The shifter shuffles from foot to foot, nervously darting his gaze everywhere else but at us. “There is an argument that will turn bloody if it isn’t stopped.”
Absentmindedly, I watch the male that I’ve never seen before, noticing the fine sheen on his upper lip and the beads of sweat gathering around his hairline. The slight tremor of his hands doesn’t go unnoticed, either. I file everything in my head while I stare dispassionately at him. There are more pressing matters at the front of my mind.
Zoltan begins standing, but halfway up he stops at an awkward half crouch as if he has changed his mind. He’s probably not sure whether to stay or go. With everything coming at us from all sides, and with the crazy crap Soren no doubt couldn’t wait to bring up, I can’t blame him. I also won’t hold him back. We can’t afford to start killing each other here, not when Roberti may very well unleash literal hell on us at any moment. As much as I want to cling to him and as much as I wish he could hide me from the harsh truths I’m facing, I wave him off.
“Just go deal with it.” Giving his hand a reassuring squeeze, I don’t turn to watch him leave, focusing entirely on Tenebris still stretched across my feet. “I’ll be here when you get back.”
“I won’t be long.” His boots beat a steady rhythm on the floors until they fade.
“What in all the worlds is happening, Tenebris?” The shifter lifts his face to mine as I lean over him, tracing my fingers over his smooth fur. “Is it a blessing or a curse?” Cold sweat drenches the back of my shirt just thinking about what Soren said.
Offspring.
My hand, as if it has a mind of its own, reaches for my flat stomach, and Tenebris zeroes in on the movement with laser focus. Catching myself at the last second, I snatch it away and fist my fingers until the nails pierce the skin of my palm. Fury unfurls in my chest, my powers pulsing wildly and making the armchair I’m sitting on rattle. My mouth opens, a string of curses dying on the tip of my tongue when a dull thump echoes from across the room. My head snaps in that direction, and Tenebris bristles at the sound as well.
My gaze jumps from chairs to tables, then I examine the windows and walls, though I find nothing. There is no one there. The yawning emptiness of the large room feels just like the sensation left inside me from the broken oath. The flickering flames create dancing shadows before my eyes, and I watch them in fascination as they shy away from the silvery moonlight that is tracing patterns on the floor through the arched windows. I used to love the night.
Roberti took that away from me first, and now Soren has only added to my hatred for the darkness.
Another dull thump sounds from the far-right side of the hall, but this one is much louder than the last. The place is hidden by thick shadows where neither the flames nor the moonlight can reach it. A slight darkening flickers as if someone or something is moving, and goosebumps erupt over my arms and legs. Tenebris snarls low in his throat, the hairs down his spine prickling.
“Do you see something?” Pushing the question at the panther under my breath without moving my lips, I try to shift on the armchair without being too obvious about it. “I can feel that we are being watched.”
And it’s true. I can feel the stare like ghostly fingers slithering over me. It makes my skin crawl. With all my senses on high alert, and with a tight grip on Tenebris so he doesn’t pounce before we know what we are dealing with, I let my vision shift, releasing the hold I have on my powers. When bright colors dance and twine through the large space, I know my eyes have changed.
I feel her too.
The dragon sharing my body.
We made a tentative truce for the sake of surviving what’s yet to come at us since we are both control freaks unwilling to let the other lead. It works for now, but when she pushes her energy through me and it fills my insides to the point of pain while stretching my skin to near bursting, I can’t say how long our mutual agreement will last.
The shadow shifts again pulling me back to the present.
The broken and knotted sickly green threads are my first glimpse at what has graced me with its presence. A subtle odor like stale grapes tickles my nostrils, not overpowering but just enough to turn my stomach inside out. Tenebris bristles under my palm, and that’s when the creature steps out, revealing itself to me.
“Holy shit you are an ugly motherfucker.” The words rush out before I ca
n stop them, and they only make my self-invited guest hiss at me.
Her body is wiry and covered in fine hairs. Even her bare breasts, as tiny as they are, have a dusting on them that make her look more animal than anything else. Large ears stick up on either side of her head just like those of a hyena, while thick, lush curls of hair fall around them reaching past her shoulders. The face is what makes me flinch in disgust.
Large, much too large eyes with bright brown irises watch me unblinkingly, a red pupil expanding and retracting with every breath I take. The skin on her cheeks and forehead is peeling as I watch, leaving the muscle underneath exposed and gleaming in the moonlight. Instead of a nose there are just two holes for her nostrils, while her mouth is only a horizontal slash that reveals two rows of razor sharp teeth when she grins at me.
“What in all the hells are you supposed to be?” I can’t stop staring, but mostly it’s because I’ve never seen anything like it.
One second she stares back, the next she pushes off the floor and sails through the air with both arms raised over her head. Claws as long as a daggers burst from her fingertips just as she drops down in front of me, slashing in a wide arch at my chest. Tenebris pounces, plowing at her stomach and taking her down hard. They roll for a few feet before she takes hold of the panther and throws him off her like he is a dirty rag. I’m already up and moving before Tenebris lands on all fours, which is an accomplishment for him after flopping like a noodle through the air.
We both circle the creature as she scrambles to her feet.
“I see Roberti is still playing crazy scientist, huh?” My dragon sends waves of excitement through me, and I know she is itching to test her powers against the creature.
She flips around and follows every move I make, hissing like a feral beast. With no indication that she’s about to move again, she jumps high over my head and drops right on top of me. At the last second I dance away, letting her hit the floor hard enough to crack it. The stench intensifies and I gag, putting as much distance as I can between us. She is trying to jump me from above and either crack my spine or carve me open with her claws.
Tenebris hits her body from the side and brings her down again. Taking advantage of it, I bounce on the balls of my feet and join the tumble of limbs. Searing pain makes me gasp when she catches me with her swiping claws, ripping the skin on my upper back and shoulder open. Cocking my arm, I punch her right in the center of her face where her nose should be. Black blood sprays across my face, and when I glance at her, it drips down her chin while she grins at me just like before.
“How did you get in here?” My question is followed by multiple punches to her face, the skin on my knuckles ripping open from the impact to her skull.
Placing a hand at the center of my chest, she shoves me off her and sends my body flying through the air. I hear something snap when my back collides with one of the long tables, and the thing breaks into splinters. When the sickly-green knotted threads of her energy brighten before my blurry eyes, I roll to the side in time to avoid another one of her jumps. Fear and rage burn through me, and it takes my breath away. But they aren’t my feelings. Zoltan knows something is wrong and his emotions are bursting through our bond. The feelings leave me dazed for longer than I can afford. A kick to my head has me rolling further down the room and away from the creature.
“I’m going to rip you apart limb from limb.” Groaning, I lift on my hands and knees, breathing through the pain so I can jump on my feet. “That fucking hurt.”
Tenebris tries to pounce on her again, his jaws snapping to get a taste of her, but this time she swats him away like a pesky fly. The creature might be ugly as hell, but that doesn’t stop her from being incredibly strong. Not something you would guess just by looking at her.
“Die.” Bloody saliva bubbles out of her mouth when she hisses the words like a snake.
“I’d rather not, but thanks for the offer.”
Knowing that stubbornness won’t get me anywhere, and in this case it might get me killed, I let the dragon take over. My body becomes more pliable and flowy as my arms raise and my knees bend into a fighting stance. The creature throws herself at me, but this time I’m ready. Taking hold of one of her arms and placing my other hand on her hip, I lift her over my head and slam her thin body on the ground. The crunching of bones is like music to my ears. I straddle her while she is down, pressing her arms close to her sides with my thighs as I snatch one broken leg from the table. For a second, fear flashes through the light brown of her eyes, but all life dims when the thick wooden leg breaks through her chest and pins her to the floor.
My harsh breathing echoes off the walls through the suddenly-quiet dining hall.
“Francesca.” Zoltan’s shout precedes him through the entrance.
“I’m fine.” Pushing off the creature, I stand just in time for him to snatch me to his chest. “I had a visitor.”
“What the hell is that?” The feral growl in his voice tilts my lips up.
“Roberti has too much time on his hands it seems.”
Tenebris circles the body and sniffs it, his growl rumbling in his chest like a running motor. I wiggle my fingers to call him to me and away from it. He follows my call begrudgingly, but his eyes stay locked on it.
“Maybe we should pay him a visit?” Craning my neck, I look up at Zoltan’s face.
“It might be time, yes.” His arms tighten around me.
“I have the dagger,” Soren announces from the doorway, but he stops dead in his tracks when he sees the dead creature.
“Your dagger can wait.” Ignoring his scowl, I tug Zoltan and Tenebris out of the dining hall, leaving the Dragon Blood to examine my kill.
How’s that for making him proud?
Chapter Five
The fact that those who ran when they heard the commotion (and probably saw Zoltan running through the building like his ass was on fire) part before me when I exit the dining hall may have more to do with the vampire looming at my back than me.
Or so I want to believe.
The idea that I’ve become someone they fear doesn’t sit well with me. Even after their symbolic fist to the chest greeting they bestowed on me, I’m not really convinced it’s simply a newfound respect for a half blood. Dragon Blood or not, I’ll always be lacking in the eyes of the pure bloods.
“Why did Soren call you Blood King?” I finally murmur under my breath when we exit the double doors and step outside.
Zoltan pretends like he is scanning the area, but I see the side-eyed glance he gives me, and I don’t miss the slight stiffening of his shoulders. Since everyone that has met him knows he is more stubborn than a mule and has the same level of arrogance as Fenrir, I wait him out. If I keep asking or I push him too hard, he will clam up.
Or lie.
My jaw clenches in frustration.
“Well?” So much for waiting him out. “I would like think we are past the point of you hiding things from me. Right?” I pinch my thigh because that last word sounds like a question, and there really should never be any doubt about this.
“Right.”
Oh, great. The one-word wonder has made an appearance. I almost missed him.
The moon is looming over the forest like she is bending over to smell the scent of dew on the leaves and the heavy smell of the damp soil. With the silence surrounding us, the occasional hoot of an owl or the chirp of a cricket is the only thing adding to the crunching noises our boots make on the gravel. And if the silver orb gets any lower, she will look like she’s devouring the trees. A warm red and orange glow falls over us from the large windows of the building to our left, making our shadows extend and dance as if they have a mind of their own. In my peripheral vision I catch the bright eyes of shifters pop in and out through the trunks of the trees, the guards ever watchful of anything that dares move around here. Too bad they didn’t pay attention when the creature decided to pay me a visit.
“Where are we going?” Zoltan’s soft, deep voice ha
s butterflies swarming in my lower belly.
“Now you are asking?” Ignoring his smirk and raised eyebrow, I glare in front of me at an invisible foe. “That should’ve been the first thing out of your mouth before you followed me.”
“You didn’t give me an option to ask, or decline for that matter.”
“If I tell you to jump off the building and land on your head, would you do it?” My half-cocky grin is frozen on my lips when he shrugs.
“If you push me off it I’ll have no other option but to do what you want.”
“Poor Zoltan. He has no say in his life. The mighty Daywalker is being bullied by a female.” I’m not sure why I’m getting so angry with him. Well aware that I’m pushing him so I can start a fight, I’m still not able to stop the words from coming out of my mouth.
Stopping in his tracks, he snatches my upper arm and tugs at me until I face him. The breath is lodged in my throat, and it’s as thick as a fist, which prevents me to swallow. His eyes are glowing like stars on his face, and the two sharp points of his fangs are poking out from under his upper lip, denting the bottom one. His features sharpen before my eyes. And then his fists clench, his nostrils flaring and the muscles of his chest and mars bulging.
Everything I am reacts to the aggression wafting off him in waves. The dragon blood warms my veins, my powers stretching as if in answer. My skin feels too tight to contain me. My body follows through by getting more pliable, my legs shifting so I stand on the balls of my feet with my knees slightly bent as if ready to attack. Bright colors burst to life all around me, my eyes changing to that of a dragon at the same time as my gums throb from the extending of my fangs.
“You are bleeding.” Words garbled around the fangs that are as thick and as long as my pinky, Zoltan looks me up and down with such an intense stare I involuntarily shiver.
A jolt goes through me when he reaches for me. The ground under our feet trembles in reaction, making the wolves in the forest sing a warning song. The howls get closer so fast I can feel the heat of the pack at my back. Low snarls are accompanied by the feral cry of a couple of felines, too. All of them are at my back facing Zoltan, my magic and connection to this place forcing them to protect me at any cost.