by D. R. Rosier
Their eyes widened.
Lisa said, “I’m here to speak with the council.”
They looked unsure for a second, and I wondered if the violence would start already. Except, they were both looking right at her.
Lisa commanded, “Kneel.”
They both dropped to their knees, and they both looked terrified. I was a little frightened by it, and I was turned on in equal measure. I also felt like this was pointless, that sooner or later it would come down to true violence. Maybe not today, but I didn’t think anything that happened here would impact the council back in Europe. Even if she somehow convinces Gene, would the others accept that?
I trusted Lisa though, and she knew a lot more about vampire politics than I did.
Lisa smiled, “Better,” and walked in between them, opened the door, and we moved down the stairs.
A shiver went down my spine, I could hear over fifty vampire songs below us, five of them were far stronger than the rest. I assumed one of those was Gene, three were the council, I wouldn’t hazard a guess at who the fifth powerful vampire was. None of them were as old or powerful as Lisa. Fortunately, they weren’t all in the same room, there were maybe ten others with the five. I couldn’t hear any humans or other races down here at all, just upstairs.
We exited the stairs, and walked down the hallway to the council chambers. The floors were marble tile, and the walls burgundy. The council chamber walls and floor were the same, but they had a long curved red oak desk on a dais with the council and Gene sitting behind it. There was no other furniture in the large room, apparently only the council got to sit down. There were two guards, and the fifth powerful vampire here was a mage of some kind. I couldn’t feel his magic, but I could see how he was dressed.
Everyone froze as we walked in, and the atmosphere turned extremely tense.
Gene hissed, “Annaliese.”
“Eugene,” Lisa replied.
Gene frowned, “I go by Gene now.”
Lisa smirked, “And I go by Lisa.”
They stared at each other for a moment, and then Gene spat, “What do you want?”
Lisa said, “We were attacked by five would be assassins last night, I’m sure you got the police report. One of them had interesting things to say. I believe he called you, and understand these aren’t my words, a sniveling coward and bootlicker.”
Gene said coldly, “You didn’t answer the question.”
Lisa laughed, “I suppose I didn’t. I’m here to tell you I want peace, but I do not fear war. The false charges against me will be lifted, call the rest of your council and see to it. There will be no more assassins, not one. I suggest this council sees to that, or we will have war. I’ve been minding my business for three hundred years, and I have allowed your deception and power play to stand, for the simple reason that I do not give a fuck. I will put up with no more harassment.”
Gene chuckled, “Are you saying your innocent?”
Lisa snorted, “I’m saying it was self-defense, and I had no designs to rule. You made that part up. I could just challenge you, and then head to Europe, I’m growing weary of this conversation, and your bullshit.”
Gene said, “I’m just one man on the council, I can but try.”
Lisa shook her head, “Let me clarify this for you. I don’t want to rule, I never have. That means I don’t give a fuck about appearances, or power plays.”
Gene raised an eyebrow, “You’re point?”
Lisa said, “Simply this, if you continue on this course I will kill you, and I will butcher the council and live up to the name you gave me. I will bathe in their blood. Then I will walk away, and enjoy my simple life. Maybe the next world council will be smart enough to leave me the fuck alone. Is that clear enough for you Gene? No politics, no confusing double talk, just bald facts and a threat.”
She turned to the rest of the council, “Keep your dogs on a leash, if I’m attacked again, the same goes for you. You are the council, control your people. We’ve shared this city for almost a hundred years, and I’ve stayed out of your way, it would be a shame if it came down to senseless violence now.”
The council looked murderous, but they stayed silent.
Gene replied skeptically, “Do you really think you can take us all?”
She shrugged, “I’m older than all of you, it wouldn’t be easy, but yes. I do really think. It’s up to you, this can be over, and I’d prefer to live my life in peace, but don’t mistake that for weakness, it is simply a lack of ambition to rule on my part. Dying is another matter altogether. You have my offer, I suggest you think hard on it before making a decision.”
She turned, and I followed her out of the room. No one tried to stop us, and it wasn’t until we were outside that I spoke.
“You are a crazy bitch.”
She laughed, “Your crazy bitch.”
We got into the car, and she drove us towards home.
“Think they’ll listen?”
She sighed, “Probably not. But I had to try. Threats were really the only hope of peace, as a rule vampires don’t respect weakness. It’s also likely they won’t believe me, and think it’s all part of my plan to rule. People tend to see other people’s actions through their own values and ambitions, and they all want power and rule.”
I changed the subject.
“You still up for tonight’s date?”
Tonight, was Friday night, and we had plans to spend it with Harold at his mansion. Then tomorrow morning I’d be doing more training in his heavily warded underground room. I was pretty sure I’d be awkward until I grew more as a dragon, but I should still practice.
She nodded, “Of course, I haven’t had cock in a week.”
She added sheepishly, “It will be good to see him too.”
I laughed. True enough, I was looking forward to our date as well.
Chapter Thirteen
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Harold smirked, and kissed my forehead, “They’re worth at least two.”
I laughed. It’d been a good night so far, a very good night. Harold had cooked us another dinner, and then he’d taken us back to the bedroom. The man had stamina, and although Lisa and I helped each other out as well, we were both quite sated by his cock. He hadn’t lasted under our combined attentions more than a minute the first time, but the second and third round he fucked us long and well.
I was more than sated, for now.
Right then we were lost in afterglow of great sex, and I was cuddled into his side, and Lisa was cuddled into his other side. He looked a bit thoughtful, and I wondered if this was all too good to be true. It really wasn’t fair, as things stood now he wasn’t quite equal in our threesome.
Lisa and I loved each other, and had committed for life. I loved her before we even kissed that first time I think. She’d been my best friend, my only true friend, and only female friend ever. More of that introspection. Point was, we were a package, and came as a package. We would also outlive Harold by many centuries, as much as Lisa would outlive me which I tried not to think about.
I didn’t think of Harold as our boy toy, as just a warm body with a cock for our pleasure, he was more than that. At the same time, there was more truth in that idea than I was comfortable with, Lisa was the love of my life. I could fall in love with Harold given enough time, but I wasn’t sure how it would work in the long term. Could he be an equal partner among the three of us, or was that impossible? Lisa and I had agreed that we belonged to each other, and that we’d allow others into our bed to keep life interesting and fresh, but not separately.
Only together, with others in our bed, it was both of us or nothing.
That was my answer, wasn’t it?
I slept with Lisa alone all the time, yet I’d never do so with Harold, and he knew it. While I believed any man would be thrilled to have the two of us in bed, and I wasn’t being arrogant by thinking that, Lisa and I were both beautiful and quite talented that way. I wondered how or even if it cou
ld work long term. Ego, pride, and perhaps a desire for family would eventually outweigh the wild debauchery and pleasure we brought to his bed as friends with benefits only.
Perhaps I was only projecting as all that went through my head, but even now Harold looked unsure, which was why I’d asked him the question. This was only our third threesome together, and already I could sense its end. I wouldn’t hold it against him either, he was a good man and wanted more than hot sex and threesomes, even if it was me and Lisa giving them to him.
How could I object to that? If anything I was the bitch in this equation.
I knew he wanted more, for the simple evidence of just how much energy his orgasms yielded me. Not as much as Lisa, because she truly loved me as I did her, but far more than a simple one-night stand to scratch an itch would provide. He obviously cared for me, and while I cared for him… it wasn’t enough. Not yet, and it might never be.
Selfishness. I was selfish, because I didn’t want to give him up, despite the fact it wasn’t fair. I would though, without rancor, if he desired it. He was truly a friend, and a member of a very small list of men who weren’t affected by my powers or pheromones.
It was a crude thought, but in my mind his cock was far more replaceable than his friendship.
“I don’t have two pennies, maybe we could work off a trade?”
He smirked, “So your sexual favors are only worth two cents?”
I slapped his chest, while I tried to hold back a grin.
“Asshole.”
He chuckled, and pulled me against him and claimed a kiss. I sighed into his mouth as he broke it, and then watched him share a kiss with Lisa.
He sighed, “A part of me thinks I should just keep quiet and enjoy this. You’re both wonderful, in bed and out. I care about you both, but… I want a family someday, and an heir to teach my magic and secrets. You’ve both made it quite clear I won’t be enjoying that with you.”
Lisa said, “Wow, kicked to the curb right after sex.”
I giggled, Lisa’s tone had been more teasing than serious.
He shook his head, “I want what you have together, I want an equal to share my life with, not a bi-weekly booty call, even if it is the best sex I’ve ever had in my life.”
Lisa kissed him softly.
“You deserve that Harold,” she said, “but while you’re looking for Mrs. Right, we could… continue our intimate friendship? Unless your heart is getting too tangled? We don’t want to see you hurt.”
This was the weirdest breakup ever, and I hoped it would end with more sex. Maybe I was twisted, because it seemed like a perfectly good suggestion to me. I’d rather have his friendship and his cock on that basis, than Lisa and I picking up some stranger at a club for a night of wanton depravity.
Maybe because friends with benefits was so much better than what I’d had before. Lisa was enough for my heart, but my body needed a man on occasion, and I think Lisa did too. Although, sometimes I wondered if she was just catering to my siren nature.
Harold shook his head, “I thought you would both be furious. I’d like that, but if I do find someone to pursue…”
“Then we’re just friends. I won’t be the other woman.”
Lisa kissed him, and then nipped his neck.
I reached down and felt him hardening in my hand, well it looked like I’d be getting my wish after all. Breakup sex, and hopefully a lot more of it in the future. I don’t suppose much had actually changed, except the definitions of things between us. We were still friends, and we were still fucking.
Lisa said, “I haven’t had a snack yet,” and she kissed his neck at his pulse point, which made him twitch in my hands as I started to stroke him.
I smirked, “Neither have I,” I teased, and then I started to kiss my way down his body. She could take his blood, I was going to drink something else…
Chapter Fourteen
The stone cracked as I forced water to seep into the cracks, freeze, expand, and added more water, over and over again. Another statue was being attacked by a whirlwind of sharp ice shards, chipping it away. At the same time, yet another one was blown apart by a frozen spear of ice. The latter was only possible, because he had a sink full of water for me to play with.
I lunged forward and shattered the first statue with a claw. I was a little bigger now, I guessed I’d outgrow the twelve-foot ceiling soon. My body was close to the size of a van instead of a minivan. I’d a feeling that I’d be growing quickly, at least in the beginning. I knew it would take over a century to reach the size of a barn, but the first third of that would happen in just a decade.
I also created a sheet of ice on the wall, to see my reflection for the first time. My head was the size of a black bear, and I could already cut a human in half given the size of my jaws. My neck was long and almost dainty compared to my head and body, but filled with muscle, sinew, and bright blue scales, the color of clean blue water in the tropics.
It was too bad I couldn’t show myself, or use my water magic overly much, or I’d never lose a fight again as long as it wasn’t another dragon or powerful mage. I spent most of Saturday morning working on my balance, fighting in this form, and controlling the element of water. I also figured out how to make the shields against other magic which made my scales grow a bright blue.
It was a little frustrating having to hide it, and knowing that there were many things I wouldn’t be able to learn about dragon magic. It wasn’t that I only had to figure out how to do things, but I also had to figure out what things I could do. The latter was much harder than the former.
Lisa asked, “Do you have a beast form?”
I turned my whole head and looked at her.
“Beast form? Like bear and wolf shifters?”
Bear and wolf shifters could do a partial transformation. They’d grow taller, stronger, sprout fur and claws, increase their senses of smell and eyesight, but still be in a humanoid form of sorts and walk upright.
I closed my eyes and listened to my song, the two tracks, the human in me was submerged and quiet, as my dragon track was loud and obvious. I couldn’t figure out a way to do it. I stopped listening with my siren ability, and felt inside for my shifter magic. I felt a surge of annoyance and frustration, I wished I could ask Theo about it, but I couldn’t.
I shook my head, “I don’t know. If I can, I don’t know how. Maybe one day I’ll find a siren and dragon willing to teach me the subtleties of my magic and abilities, until then I’ll have to muddle through.”
Muddling through was better than dying after all. Hell would freeze over before a full-blooded dragon would teach me, and a siren would discover my secret and put me in danger. I was doing well enough with what I knew and already could do, I’d just experiment when I could.
“It would help to know what exactly I’m capable of. Harold might know what a siren and dragon can do, maybe he can at least point me in the right direction of what is possible.”
I didn’t know much about sirens, but I wasn’t sure there was much they could do that I didn’t already know about. Perhaps some more songs or notes to control others, or some kind of attacks, but I knew what I needed to survive there.
Dragon magic was a closely guarded secret. I knew the obvious stuff, they could control their element, were resistant to other magic, and they had warding magic of some kind. The first two I already had a handle on, the latter was beyond me at the moment, I didn’t know what kind of wards, or if there were spells involved or raw magic and will. Dragons were very secretive, and didn’t share their limits or abilities outside of the obvious which any observer could pick up.
But Harold was a researcher of magic, perhaps he could give me pointers?
Lisa frowned and pulled out her phone.
“We’re being called into the office.”
We were rarely called in on a weekend, but it happened.
“Does it say why?”
She shook her head, “Nope, just to get our asses into the office.”
I nodded, playtime was over, and I shifted back to my human form.
Harold walked in and smiled, “I have perfect timing.”
I giggled, and walked over to my clothes, and thoroughly enjoyed his eyes on me, and the scent of his lust. Damn, I was totally a slut. Nah, just an exhibitionist for my lovers. I couldn’t explain how… titillating it was for me, and exciting. I could force every man in a room to stare at me in longing desire with my siren magic and pheromones, but when Harold and Lisa admired me and my body, it had nothing to do with those two things. They wanted… me. Not what I was. That feeling was priceless and failed to thrill me.
I slowly got dressed as Harold talked, and then put up all my knives, my sword, and my nine millimeters.
Harold said, “I overheard that last bit, I don’t know much about dragon magic. I do know that unlike a mage, dragons can only perform magic related to their element. Theo is fire, which is how he can turn invisible and conceal himself, as well as keep an eye on everything in his domain, by looking through fires. A water dragon is different. You can create water from your magic directly, you shouldn’t need a sink to create a large ice spear. I’ve also heard water dragons can scry other beings they’ve met, and places that they’ve already been. Both picture and sound. I can’t confirm this last one, but healing is also something I’ve heard water dragons can do. I’m sure there’s much more that I don’t know, dragons are secretive and don’t share. All I really know is the more blatant uses and rumors. I’m not even sure if Theo can help there, even if he was willing to share, because water dragons don’t share with fire dragons, and the magic is different.”
I said, “Thanks, we need to go.”
Harold smirked, “I know, I’ll see you soon,” and then he turned and walked away.
I wondered what that was about?
Brent studied us across his desk. He looked unsure, and annoyed.
“What’s up boss?”
Brent sighed, “You two are still on suspension, we all are really, with one exception. I don’t know who Harold knows, but you two are joining him Monday morning for a trip down the Austin. He’s putting his wards on the governor’s mansion on Monday, and on city hall the following night. Apparently, he demanded you two for the job, I trust that there won’t be any issues?”
