"Can you…can you close the drapes?" she asked Drago. The agonizing throb on her thumb ebbed and she gritted her teeth, waiting for the pain to subside. Dammit, why wasn't she more careful? She had to pay more attention to her surroundings.
His dark gaze dropped to her hand and he strode to the windows and dragged the thick drapes together. Then he went to the dresser and lit the brass candelabra.
With grim determination on his face, he strode to her side and took her hand, his touch surprisingly gentle. She held her breath, staring up at him. He inspected the small scar forming on her thumb and she saw something wild leap at the back of his eyes.
"Will it go away?" he asked roughly.
"No. Vampires are severely allergic to the sun. We scar forever. And if our entire body is in direct sunlight for a lengthy period of time, we…" she paused, "burn."
A sound from the corner of the room drew her attention and she gasped, watching her daughter coming out of an adjoining chamber. Her scar completely forgotten, she stared at Katya and froze.
She looked terrible! Not the lovely beauty Eve remembered, but a gaunt woman with dark circles under hollow eyes and listless, long brown hair. Eve's heart thudded in her breast. Dear God, what happened to her child!
Katya muttered beneath her breath. "Dammit! Get off me!" She brought her hands up and dragged her nails along her cheeks and neck, leaving long, red scratches.
Eve let out a strangled sob and rushed to her side. "No!"
Her daughter turned and stared at her. "Who are you?"
Eve froze. There was no recognition in Katya's eyes and for the first time Eve was frightened. She saw the scratches on Katya's neck and face fade and she swallowed hard. "It's me, your mother. Dear God, what's happened to you," she said shakily. "Oh my God! My baby."
"My mother is dead. Is this a joke?" Katya threw Drago a dark look. "What are you up to?"
Eve snapped her gaze to Drago, but he wasn't looking at Katya. He was looking at her. "It appears you have a problem," he said quietly.
Her eyes burned with tears and she stiffened at the brief flash of pity she saw on his face. Angrily, she brought her hand up to her face and wiped an errant tear.
She turned to her daughter. "No, I don't have a problem," she said firmly. "I haven't spent two years looking for her to give up now." She gritted her teeth. She knew what she had to do and she wasn't looking forward to it. Going into another's mind was exhausting. Worse, she hated it because she was violating them.
Yet, in this instance, she had no choice. She had to see for herself what was going on in Katya's mind. Faster than a bolt of lightning streaking the sky, she sprung to her daughter and grabbed her face. Katya growled, her eyes turning amber and Eve knew she was beginning to shift, but it was too late. Eve had already locked into her mind and had sedated her before she could shift. She heard Drago suck in a harsh breath.
"Your Highness, how does she do that?" the guard standing by the door asked. "I've never seen anyone move so fast."
"Quiet," Drago ordered. "And stand guard! Her speed is no match for Katya's strength, so be prepared to attack if Katya shifts."
Eve wanted to tell him her daughter was under too deep of a trance to even bat an eye, but she refrained. She needed to concentrate and dig past the mayhem she was encountering in Katya's mind.
She saw images dancing in her mind's eye--all of herself in her daughter's memories-- embracing Katya, playing with her, brushing her hair, kissing her goodnight. She also observed other images of Eve teaching Katya the art of combat, showing her how to wield a sword and how to use a bow and arrow.
Eve's eyes stung with tears, but she kept on, pressing further into her daughter's mind as she remembered the night Balkathan's army attacked them.
Their village never stood a chance. Eve swallowed hard, ignoring the searing pain in her head as the memory resurfaced.
She told Katya she wouldn't be long as she went into the nearby woods to feed, but by the time she'd returned, she'd seen the bloody aftermath of Balkathan's attack. Villagers lay dead with their throats torn while all the houses burned with raging fires. A few remaining Lycans stayed behind, destroying what was left of the village and she attacked them as her heart raced with real fear.
Where was Katya?
The five remaining Lycans had been no match for her. She was a four-hundred-year-old vampire who had survived many wars, had fought many battles. She threatened the last surviving Lycan with a slow painful death if he didn't tell her where Balkathan had taken his prisoners.
The Lycan had laughed cruelly. "It's too late, demon bitch. All the prisoners have been turned. The men are going to his army barracks and the women will serve in his harem."
Before he could say another word, Eve had plunged her silver dagger into his chest. She searched for Katya frantically that night, amidst the debris and smoke and dead bodies, but couldn't find her.
Despair and fear filled her as she realised her daughter was one of the prisoners. Her daughter's beauty was unmatched and Eve realised with dread only a fool wouldn't place her in his harem--and Balkathan was no fool.
Eve inhaled sharply, opening her eyes as she stared at Katya's serene expression. She closed her eyes again and went deeper into her daughter's mind. She saw the suffering her daughter had endured in Balkathan's lair--the torture, the repeated rapes from Balkathan's wolves. Eve felt sick and dug deeper to see if Balkathan had raped her daughter. He hadn't. She almost sagged with relief.
The other women in the harem had accepted their fate, but Katya had fought back, bravely and courageously until the rapes had stopped and Balkathan had sent her to isolation in a dark and filthy place. Katya was starved. She wasn't allowed to bathe. She was given hardly any water to drink. In addition, her cell was filled with night crawlers of all kinds--crickets, worms, ants. A rage grew in Eve's stomach, rising to her breast, choking her. She wanted to kill that demon bastard for what he'd done!
No wonder her daughter had gone mad.
Slowly, she retreated from Katya's mind, placing her deeper in sleep at the same time. When she withdrew completely, she looked over her shoulder to the guard. "Help me put her in bed," she said huskily.
The guard rushed forward and lifted Katya in his arms while Eve drew back the covers. He laid her down and she covered her daughter. She blinked rapidly, refusing to cry as she stared at the sleeping woman who was once a happy, vibrant beauty with her whole life ahead of her.
Eve bent down and kissed Katya on the forehead, whispering, "I love you." She straightened, drawing in a long, shaky breath.
"Are you all right?" Drago asked deeply.
She gasped and spun around. He was standing directly behind her, his expression unreadable except for the telltale muscle working along his jaw.
She didn't respond as she removed her dagger from her belt and slit her wrist. Drago cursed roughly and grabbed her hand. He pressed his palm on her cut.
She looked up at his handsome face darkening with concern. "You're confusing me for a mortal woman," she said coldly. "I am neither, not mortal, nor a woman. I'm a vile creature, remember? Let me go."
His mouth was grim as he let go of her hand and she turned to her daughter. Leaning over her, Eve placed her wrist on her daughter's mouth and let a few droplets of blood touch her lips. Katya murmured in her sleep and her tongue flicked over her lips, licking the blood. Satisfied, Eve drew back.
"Go get Hesta," Drago ordered his guard. "Quick! Tell her she must stitch a cut."
"It's not necessary," Eve said. She lifted her wrist and they both watched her wound slowly fade and disappear. "It will take my daughter a day before her madness disappears. I've made sure she sleeps the whole time. She'll be ravenous when she awakens, so you must make sure there is plenty for her to eat." She stepped away from him. "I will take my leave now." She then went for the door.
"The housekeeper will prepare a chamber for you," he said abruptly.
She turned to look at him. "I won't be
staying."
"Where do you think you're going? You must be here when your daughter awakens."
"I must go."
"You don't strike me as the kind of woman who gives up."
Her eyes welled with tears and she inhaled sharply. "I haven't given up," she said. "I know where Balkathan hides and I'm going to his lair to kill him."
Chapter Three
Without saying another word, she left Katya's chambers. Drago cursed roughly and followed her into the corridor, grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. Her expression was defiant as she glared up at him. Her eyes welled up and a tear rolled down her cheek. She brushed it away furiously.
"You can't stop me," she said on a rising sob.
Drago's heart thudded in his chest. He understood her pain. Wouldn't he want to rip the limbs from anyone who harmed his son? "How do you propose to get past all his Lycan and vampire soldiers? It's suicide."
"I'd rather die than stand by and let him get away with what he did to my daughter."
"Balkathan deserves to die, but nothing will be accomplished if you march into his hideout without an army. The attack will require planning, strategy."
Her face quivered and his heart slowly thawed. He wished he could erase what he imagined were horrifying scenes from her mind when she'd gone into her daughter's thoughts, but he couldn't. For the first time in his life he felt helpless.
"Drago, my daughter was raped. Repeatedly. She was starved and beaten and…" Her face crumbled.
He was unmanned. Grimacing, he gathered her tightly in his arms and held her close to his chest. "I'm sorry, Eve," he said quietly. "I'm very sorry."
Even though she stiffened against his chest, he was surprised she didn't struggle out of his arms. He rested his head gently on the top of her head, tightening his hold around her. Slowly, his compassion faded as a more significant development arose.
In her tight warrior garb, he felt every contour of her body…the sultry curve of her hips, her firm breasts and her small waist. He stiffened. He knew it was comfort she wanted and if he kept holding her body against his, like this, it was more than comfort he was going to give her. He gritted his teeth. It was that damn leather outfit she was wearing. He fought his aroused wolf. Gently, he pushed her away and stared down at her pale face.
"I want nothing more than to plunge my own silver into that demon's chest," he said, "but Balkathan's army is huge. Bigger than my Lycan guards. To destroy him, we need to take him by surprise. My son is returning from his honeymoon in a few days. Twenty of my finest guards are with him. When they return, we will attack and I promise you, we will avenge your daughter. The best time to attack will be during the day when his vampires are asleep. It will lessen the numbers against us."
"I've travelled under sunlight before."
He took her hand and showed her the scar on her thumb. "A mere sunbeam scarred you. If something should happen and you're exposed to the sun, you will die. I will not allow that to happen, Eve." The thought of her burning to a crisp shook him and for the first time in two hundred years, fear pulsed through his frame. The realisation stunned him.
"I'm already dead, Your Highness," she said, her eyes dimming with regret.
Suddenly, something tight inside of him unraveled and before he knew what he was doing, he grabbed her shoulders and dragged her into his arms. He silenced her gasp with his mouth on hers and he kissed her. Shock reverberated through his frame. Her lips weren't cold and lifeless. They were warm and soft, their touch inciting a fire within him he thought long extinct. He gathered her body close to his and a rush of heat flared through his veins.
She tasted sweet and he deepened his kiss, moving his mouth hungrily over hers. This was madness. He wanted to taste all of her. He released a low groan and slid his hands over her bottom, pressing her body against his erection. Damnation, was she bewitching him with her vampire magic? She must be, he thought, because he desired her like no other. He hadn't meant to kiss her. He just wanted to prove to her that she was still a woman capable of feeling. Somehow that reasoning flew out the window the moment his lips touched hers. Now all he wanted to do was take her upstairs to his bedchambers and make love to her.
He cursed his inexplicable lust for her. Lycans did not mate with Vampires.
He dragged his mouth from hers and pushed her away from him. "If you were dead," he said, his breathing laboured, "your heart wouldn't race as it does now."
Her expression shifted, the passion he'd seen on her face disappearing. "I felt nothing. As you just mentioned, Lycans do not mate with Vampires."
Realisation hit him in the gut and he growled. "You went into my thoughts."
"I didn't mean to," she said. "It just happened. Besides, what harm is there when we both agree. This is madness."
Having her agree didn't sit well with him. "You lie. Your response to me was real."
"A very small remnant of my human self." Her face hardened and she went back to being the cold, undead beauty. "Balkathan's lair is a three day's ride from here. In bandit territory, behind the waterfall below Mount Trotus. That settles our deal. I will be leaving with my daughter after sunset." She turned away from him.
He knew he should let her leave, but for the life of him, he couldn't let her go. "Don't go." He clenched his jaw, realising what he was going to say next was ludicrous. He barely knew her, dammit, and she was a vampire. "Stay here with your daughter. I can offer you both a home, security, protection."
"Thank you, but I don't need anyone to protect me."
"Then stay for a few days, until your daughter has completely recovered."
She remained silent and he could tell she was thinking this through carefully. He also knew she loved her daughter very much and would think of Katya's comfort before her own.
"All right," she finally said. "I'll stay until Katya is well enough to travel."
He nodded, disturbed by the extent of his relief. "Follow me," he said.
He'd wanted to ask her so many questions about herself. When did she turn into a vampire? If she had a daughter, where was her husband?
Yet he refrained. He needed to keep his distance from her. In the short time he spent with her, he went from loathing her because she was a vampire to understanding she was a woman whose demons ran deep and there was also that small matter that she made his blood boil to distraction.
He had to stop it before he lost control.
* * * *
As she strode beside him down the long corridor, her thoughts kept going to their embrace. She didn't know if she should be disappointed or offended that he'd thought it was insane to kiss her. Yet, he was right. Vampires and Lycans did not mate. Could she fault him for thinking the obvious?
She had had lovers the past four hundred years, but none of those men occupied her thoughts as much as Drago did. She didn't understand her attraction to him and she wasn't about to analyse their connection. Vampires didn't have happily ever-afters, only eternal hell. The Lycans were the lucky ones because they stood at chance at love. Legend was there was one mate for every Lycan. She thought about her daughter and wished Katya would find her one, her soul mate.
He stopped in front of a door and opened it, moving aside to let her enter. She walked past him, her shoulder briefly skimming his massive chest, and she tensed, hurrying to get inside.
The room's lovely décor stilled her thoughts and she looked up in surprise at Drago's face. She couldn't tell what he was feeling or thinking because his face was etched in granite. "This chamber is too extravagant. I can sleep with my daughter in her room."
"Not until I know she's cured. You'll be safe here."
"My daughter would never harm me."
"She is a Lycan, Eve. Her strength is greater than yours and until she remembers who you are, you will stay here." He pointed to a small door in the corner. "That is your bath chambers. Lena will be your personal maid. If there is anything you require, let her know." He pointed to the white drapes covering the window
s. "Those drapes will remain closed and this candelabra will be sufficient to light your room. Dinner will be served after sundown."
"I don't eat."
His mouth thinned. "Perhaps you can join me just the same?"
The less time she spent with him, the better, she thought. "I appreciate the offer, but I prefer to remain here in my chambers."
He narrowed his gaze on her. "Do you have any belongings that need to be brought in?" His gaze fell on her daggers and stakes strapped to her body. "Or anymore weapons?" he asked dryly.
"No."
"A horse that needs tending to?"
"No." She didn't think this was the time to tell him exactly how she travelled. "I'll just take a bath and retire for a few hours before the evening. I haven't slept in two days and I usually sleep during the day."
"As you wish," he said brusquely.
He was going for the door, when she realized something. "Wait!"
Slowly he turned and stared at her with his dark, brooding gaze.
"I just wanted to say thank you for looking after my daughter. She's all I have left and I'm deeply grateful to you, Your Highness."
He remained silent for the longest time as he stared at her. "Call me Drago," he finally said. "And you're welcome."
She remained lost in thought, seated on the edge of the bed for a long time after he left. She brought her hand up to her lips, remembering their kiss. Something inside her had stirred and awakened and a wave of emotions washed over her. Confusion, passion, fear. She could still feel his warm, sensual mouth on hers, his hard muscles pressing against her body.
Angrily, she rose from the edge of the bed and began removing her weapons. She had survived four hundred years because she had never let her heart rule her head. Warriors didn't let their guard down, ever.
Lycan King Page 2
