Skarlet Kiss

by Elise Whyles

  “Shh, you’re in need of help. He cut you deep.”

  She trembled wildly, stuttering out a language he didn’t understand. Studying her, he sighed. “Ainu, you’d do well not to speak. Come, let me care for you.” He stood, her slight weight in his arms. Her teeth chattering, she struggled, her feet kicking, hands flailing in protest as he turned from her assailant.

  Liam glanced skyward. The gray cloak of a gathering storm circled around them. Snow began to fall; soft, fine, white flakes he knew would not remain as such. He shivered at the slow drop in temperature and glanced down at the woman in his arms. She appeared to have passed out. Her lashes lay against the paleness of her cheeks, her lips parted, chapped, bloodied. Heaving a tired breath, he transformed, his massive body unfurling as he stretched his wings out. With her wrapped in his forearms, Liam took to the sky.

  * * * *

  Una blinked in the dim light. Her eyes squinted as she stared past the large, dark object toward the opening. Snow swirled amid shrieking winds. The sound was eerie, as though a woman wailed in grief. The blizzard seemed to pause beneath the weight of her stare before the flakes danced away again.

  She shifted her weight onto a hip, her hand going to her neck. She could feel Anagor’s teeth ripping into her flesh. The tearing of her muscle, of bone, the hot flood of blood flowing down her throat. Beneath her fingertips she recognized the feel of the satin she wore in the temple. The hard knot in the fabric atop a thick bundle of it.

  Her attention settled on the being between her and the cave’s opening. Squat, heavy, he appeared more of a beast than a man as he leaned forward. She stifled a scream at the faint echo of a cough moments before flames erupted, shooting skyward. With the illumination came a clearer vision.

  His blond hair hung in dirty strands around his shoulders. Stubble covered a square jaw, and a ragged scar traced along his temple to the corner of one eye. Green eyes stared into the flames, the dancing gold reflected in their depths. His mouth formed a grim, unfriendly line.

  “What do you mean to do with me?” Una glanced around, noting there was not much by way of comforts. A low, fur covered pallet lay in one corner next to several jugs and a pile of bones. Hanging from the ceiling was a peculiar weapon. A narrow strip of sinew was strung between two points, carved from what looked like bone. Next to it was a long, narrow, round device holding sticks with feathers.

  The flickering firelight caught on something metallic, reflecting off it. Una gasped. Leaning against the wall was a long, straight pole, the height of Anagor, with two blades affixed to the tip. She recognized the battle axe, the lance, and sighed. He was obviously a great warrior and wealthy by any standard.

  “Well? What do you mean to do with me?” Una turned back to him. Disappointment crashed into her at the confused look on his face.

  He tilted his head as though trying to decipher what she said. After several heartbeats he shrugged and spoke, the language as foreign to her as this place.

  “Fabulous. I am in a strange, cold world with a host who cannot speak my language. Why could Amuliana not send me somewhere more familiar?”

  “Amuliana?” Furious, the man straightened, his hand going to the dagger affixed at his hip.

  Una nodded. “Yes, my goddess. Do you know where her temple is? I must get there.”

  “Amuliana…” He gestured wildly with his hand for a moment before stalking toward her and lifting her by the lapel of her fur coat. Fury darkened his eyes to a stormy green, the pupils narrowing to look more like a reptile’s eyes. Harsh, bitter, the words spilled forth beyond Una’s understanding.

  “I have no idea what you’re saying.” Una grabbed his wrist and tugged. With the force of a fist to the gut, power surged. Flowed through her.

  The chill of winter faded to be replaced by the damp, wet feel of the marshes. Smoke curled through the air, and the fragrant scent of burning wood filled her nose. Laughter, warm and loving, filled the air. A massive stone house nestled beneath the bows of a huge tree, moss and vines creeping up the sides. Windows aglow, it reeked of family, of love.

  Una gasped, her hand slipping to his chest. She felt her heart freeze at the duel rhythms beneath her hand. The rapid beating of not one but two hearts filled her head. Golds and greens swirled around him, purple tendrils licking at his jaw, his throat.

  “You’d do well not to mention the bitch’s name in my presence again. I’ve heard about her, how kind and generous… Ha, benevolent goddess my arse. She’s a self-absorbed, twisted demon spawn with no thought to the lives she destroys. I should have let your hunter finish you off. Now I’m stuck with ye.”

  Una jerked as she realized she understood exactly what he was saying.

  “What manner of beast are you to have two hearts?” Una ripped away from him, stumbling back into the shadows. “’Tis a dream. I know of no man with two, what evil has possessed me to hear of such a thing? Oh goddess, why? What have I done to deserve this curse?”

  “Oy.” Her savior turned to pace to the mouth of the cave. “It appears we’re here until this storm lets up. It would be best if you tried to rest, priestess.”

  “You can speak my language?” Una darted over to him. “Answer me, sir, what magic is this you can understand me?”

  “It is rare for one of your age to be unmarked.” A calloused finger traced her lips, his eyes narrowed. “Maybe you were taken at a young age, I know not. Nor do I care, Ainu woman, just leave me to my solitude and you’ll do well.”

  “I will not leave you to your solitude, it seems to me you’ve had far too much of it.” Una gaped at him. “I thank you for your assistance, but I am…”

  “Alone, half frozen, with half your throat ripped out.” He nodded at her wound. “Unless your precious goddess will save you, I think it best if you rest.”

  “Why, you insufferable lout!” Ignoring the pain growing in her neck, Una raged. Her hands flailed, a fine tremble racing through her fingers with each passing moment. Anger flared, plucking at the threads of her control. Her voice rose, and her breathing escalated until she was all but panting with emotions. “I am a…”

  “About to faint.” His chuckle slid through the haze around her vision moments before darkness closed in.

  Chapter 3

  Bede glanced up from in front of the flickering candles and sighed. She paused at the sound of footsteps growing closer instead of fading down the hallway. Was Gawain home so soon? Rising to her feet, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, she hurried to the door of their chambers when at the palace and pulled it open.

  Her smile faded at the grim, tattooed face staring at her. “What do you want?” She pressed a protective hand to the swell of her abdomen. “There is nothing here for you, my lord.”

  “Relax, young one.” Angrail crossed his arms over his chest, a relaxed, almost happy look on his face. “I come seeking your counsel.”

  “My counsel? On what?” Bede forced out through a tight throat. “I have no opinion on what death does.”

  “Nay, you do not. You do however, have my wife as a friend.”

  “Your wife?”

  “Yes, the lovely demoness you and your queens interrupted in the dungeon.” Angrail had the decency to blush at the memory of the totally abandoned lovemaking they’d caught them in the midst of.

  “I have nothing for her either.” Bede paled, swaying on her feet. The huntress was one of the underworld’s most skilled collectors. Stories of her bravery, of her skill, were whispered in darkened corners to scare children, too often scaring the adults as well. She’d taken many a vampire to their fate…was he after Gawain? Surely not, Gawain was training with his men, healthy, hearty, aye, lusty.

  “Be at ease, we’ve no interest in you or your family, my lady. Instead I seek to know what you’d have my wife do with a soul who yearns for rest but has condemned itself to torment.”

  “Soul? Which soul?”

  “What in Stylox are you doing at my door? There is nothing for you to take
here, ankoù.” Gawain snarled, his hand on the hilt of his sword. He shouldered his way past Angrail and stepped in front of Bede.

  Clutching the back of his tunic, Bede peeked from behind his shoulder. Death wasn’t someone a body could put off. If the ankoù was here, there would be nothing they could do. Though he hadn’t said he wanted either of them.

  “Dearest, perhaps we should hear him out. What harm can it do?” Bede whispered tightly.

  “Plenty.” Gawain turned and his hand settled on her stomach. “There is much at risk.”

  “Vampire, if I wanted the unborn, do you think I’d come to the door in such a matter?”

  “He has a point, husband.”

  “What do you want then?” Gawain asked.

  “As I was telling your wife, there is a soul who is torn. My wife’s master has not sent anyone for him yet, as he belongs to Amuliana. However, I am not so loyal I can’t ease suffering. I ask your guidance.”

  “Why us?” Gawain demanded. “We care nothing for her followers.”

  “He is one you know.” Angrail exhaled slowly. “Anagor, sunwalker, craves death. Amuliana will not grant it.”

  “He should perish for what he has done.” Bede clutched at Gawain’s sleeve. “He stole my sister from us, kept her all those years. She surely has perished by now.” Bede’s voice broke. Grief, fresh and raw, poured forth. “I only pray the one who guided her was kind.”

  “Ah, Bede, forgive me.” Anguish tightened Gawain’s voice as he pulled her flush against him. “I have failed you.”

  “Nay, ’tis better she be at peace.” Sobbing, Bede clung to him.

  “Your sister?” Angrail frowned, a vacant look coming into his eyes for a moment. “About your height, hair pale as a sunrise?”

  “Aye, she’d be about my size. But Una, my beloved sister, had dark hair like me. She was hardly more than a babe when Anagor stole her from me.” Bede hiccupped, wiping her face with the backs of her hands. “She is…”

  “Alive. Even now she hides within the lair of a dragon warrior.” Angrail shrugged. “Anagor meant to kill her, but the dragon saved her from him. I know no more than this.”

  “How can that be? She would be old. She would be on death’s door…” Bede clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening as she realized just what she’d said. “Oh dear, I am so sorry.”

  A quick grin lifted the frown from Angrail’s face. “Do not be sorry. It would be true if she were mortal. Anagor did not realize just what he was doing when he bit her.”

  “If he bit her without killing her, he could bring her across.”

  “Nay, Anagor’s ability to transform others was chained long before.”

  “Then she could still perish from his bite.” Bede clung to Gawain’s hand. “We must help her.”

  “She will come to you in time. She is not near death, rather she is nearing her rebirth,” Angrail assured her. “What of the sunwalker?”

  “Do as you feel you must with him. And my sister? Where is this dragon holding her? Perhaps we could rescue her?” Bede grasped Gawain’s hand tightly. “We could teleport there and save her, bring her here. Bring her into this world. I would risk—”

  “She cannot come here.” Gawain sighed. “Hema will not allow another mortal within his realm. Wife, I know this pains you, but I will save her. This dragon will beg for death before I am through with him.”

  “You cannot kill the dragon for no reason. Even you must realize the time for warring with them is over.” Angrail raised an eyebrow. “Have you spoken to your goddess yet? She will tell you he is not to be harmed.”

  “I doubt—”

  “Perhaps I am mistaken, but the man who protects your sister is not one you or any vampire would dare to challenge. He is of a line equal to yours.”

  “He is a dragon.”

  “He is fated.” Angrail heaved a breath, his brows drawing together. “Gawain, you have met this dragon male. You have fought with him before and let him walk away. If you challenge him, if you seek without knowledge, you will risk the girl’s fate. Just as Bede is yours, she is his. I am a messenger of death, I guide souls, ’tis my duty. This woman you speak of has a duty you do not know yet.”

  “You speak in riddles.”

  “He speaks the truth.” Sweet, softly accented, Selene’s familiar voice filled the corridor.

  Kneeling beside Gawain, Bede tried to calm her racing heart. Fear and hope mingled, mated within her to form a hard knot in her chest. Please, I beg of thee, give me my sister back.

  “Mother of all, you honor us.”

  “I was not aware Nerafail was so lenient in allowing his army to ask for permission before carrying out their task.” Selene skirted around Angrail, her gaze hard.

  “If he were my master, I would grow concerned, but he is not.”

  “Anagor has suffered enough, mist. Let him know peace. Death has long been a quest for him—he stands on the brink and begs for it. Years of self-loathing are penance enough.”

  “As you wish, goddess.” Angrail bowed and turned, a cloud swirling around him before he vanished.

  “Mother, he spoke of my Una, said she is alive. We must go to her.”

  “She will come to you. Even now, she seeks awareness.” Selene’s smile warmed Bede’s heart as the goddess knelt. “Have faith, there are those who continue to watch over her.”

  “When? When will she be returned to me? Where?”

  “Bede, you are one of my favorites, your heart is in the right place, but even you cannot know all details. Una’s life was written long before this day. Just as your tale was written in the sands of time. Trust the dragon to bring her to you.” Selene paused, her tongue darting out to lick at her lips. “It is time for her heart to awaken to the truth of her nature—and her dragon lover’s.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Bede demanded. “She is my sister, I will love her no matter.”

  “Yes, she is your sister, but you are a vampire—she is more than just a vampire.”

  “Mother of all, surely you would not—”

  “Patience.” Selene patted her cheek and rose. “All will be revealed in due time.”

  Spitting out a curse as Selene vanished, Bede stared down the corridor. After ninety years apart, she wanted Una back. Surely, the girl deserved the peace and ease she’d have within their world? Why were the gods so fickle? Did they not understand that mortal hearts were different than theirs? She wanted her sister back and she’d do whatever it took to accomplish it.

  “Have faith, my love.” Gawain pressed a kiss to her temple. “Selene is generous. She will help Una all she can. There is more at play here than simply Selene and the mist. Do you not remember Khrund is watching over Una as well?”

  “I fear for her though. She is my sister and I have spent many nights wanting to see her, to tell her I love her.”

  “She’ll come to us. Trust Selene. She’s wiser than she appears—after all, she gave me you.”

  “Go, slay your men.” Bede laughed as she swatted his chest. “I’ve work to do.”

  Long after Gawain had vanished into the silence, Bede stared down the corridor, part of her wishing a portal would magically open and Una would step through—the other part fearing her return.

  * * * *

  Tall, leafless trees swayed in the wind as the carriage rolled along. Huddled atop the wet straw, Una clung to her sister, the soft echo of a lullaby filling her ears. She stared at the girl on the other side of the cage. Her face bruised, her lip split, she clutched at the tatters of her clothing. A heavy chain was wrapped around her ankle.

  Shuddering in fear, Una glanced away. Glowing eyes peered back from the darkness. The soft snuffle of dogs loud in the night.

  “It will be okay, I promise you.” Warmth and love flowed from the feminine voice. “I will do what I must to protect us.”

  Eyes filled with lust, with violence, stared. A lantern hung from the edge of the rickety wooden roof. “Come, sweet, ’tis time you
earned your keep.” Rough, filthy hands reached through the dim light.

  Screams of fear, of anger, swirled around her head. Una's hand reached out, clawing the male. Frantic, she pummeled him, her blows being brushed aside with ease. A yawning hole swirled before her eyes. Dark, rolling clouds of smoke swirled from it. Beyond it, emptiness slithered, the darkness spreading with each passing heartbeat. Evil lived within, the void split by glowing red eyes, by a sinister, bone chilling laugh as claws reached out to tug at her, tangling in her hair, in her clothes.

  “Frails are not to be touched.” Low, furious, the voice shattered the darkness.

  The cold ground raced to meet her as she stared at the towering male. A sword glinted in the firelight as he pulled the fat, wretched man away.

  “They are mine.” Fangs flashed, dripping with blood, his eyes glowing with a fierce rage.

  “Wake up.” Calloused hands shook her shoulder, pulling her from the dream.

  Staring into the green eyes of her host, a shudder raced down Una’s spine. Snow covered his dirty-blond hair and shoulders. He wore the thick fur coat she’d been wrapped in, and heavy boots covered his feet.

  “You were screaming. Come, let me take a look at your wound. I’ve food for you after I’ve cleaned it and replaced the bandage.”

  “How long have I been here?” Una whispered as he unrolled the bandage from around her neck and removed the pad.

  His touch gentle, he cleaned out the bite, wincing with each flinch she couldn’t hide.

  “You’ve been asleep for three days. I went hunting this morn.”

  Una glanced beyond him to the roaring fire and swallowed. Thick, juicy meat hung from the spit, the flames licking at it hungrily. The pop and hiss of fat sent waves of aroma at her. Her eyes locked on the base of the fire, rocks formed a circle, but there was no wood, no tinder, nothing to be burnt.

  “If you can hunt, the weather must have improved?” Una struggled into an upright position. “Perhaps someone is looking for me? A woman?”