Love of A Dragon (Exalted Dragons Book 1)

by K. T. Stryker

  Suddenly Isabel remembered Oz’s wings, how they had been dark at the roots. It all came back to her, it all made sense. Something was off, and it had been off for a very, very long time. Mikael was a shape shifter, and he was going around in his vampire form, turning other people into vampires so they would multiply in numbers. That explained everything. It even explained why the newcomers at the mansion looked so different. Gavin’s efforts at convincing Isabel that he was trying to build an army of succubi was just a pathetic attempt at buying himself some time. “And these vampires, what do they want?” she asked, shaking.

  “Complete and utter destruction,” Oz hissed. “They want to wage a war with humanity, they want us to be known.”

  And suddenly it all came back to Isabel. All this talk about vampires, about how they wanted to wage war against humanity, it all swam into view again before her eyes. It all made sense. Gavin was a liar, and Oz had fallen for it. And Analise? Who was she? “Analise,” Isabel whispered. “How’s she a part of this?”

  “She’s a succubus, just like you,” Oz hissed. “Gavin birthed her decades ago with another angel, she’s been under his spell ever since… she does everything he tells her to do. They’ve been running this place for a long time.”

  “And how do we stop them?” Isabel asked, tears gathering in her eyes. She felt hopeless, like she had gained access to this world when it was already too late. The vampires were taking over; Isabel already felt defeated. Who knew how much damage was already done? She had to find a way to stop this: it was her responsibility.

  “This is why you’re here,” Oz said. “You’re one of the youngest succubi, and the most powerful… it has been prophesized that you will come along and reverse all the damage that was done.”

  “And how will I do that?” Isabel asked, her grip around the iron bars tightening.

  “You will have an ally,” Oz said, his voice growing weaker, more vulnerable. “And he will guide you through it.”

  “And who’s the ally? Please, I need answers!”

  “I can’t tell you who they’ll be… I swore an oath but in time, you’ll have all the answers you need.”

  “Oz, I don’t know if I can do this,” Isabel muttered. “I don’t feel half as experienced as I’m supposed to be!”

  “Don’t you worry about that,” he said, his voice frail. “With time…”

  Isabel’s mind was racing in all sorts of directions. Suddenly she didn’t know who to trust anymore. If shape shifters were in the game, then how was she supposed to identify them? How would she know a shape shifter when she saw one? Isabel was going crazy. She wanted to ask Oz all sorts of questions, but she couldn’t quite gather her thoughts to lay them all out in front of him. In the distance, she heard voices, and it was like they were calling out to her. She clutched the iron bars, her knuckles glowing white. Her hands felt like they were glued to the metal, like they would break it apart at any second. She felt a force rush through her, and then suddenly, without warning, she could feel the iron bars move apart, making way for her to enter. “Oh my God,” she said to herself, her eyes fixated on the little passageway she has created for herself.

  “It’s only normal,” Oz said, his voice coming to life again. “Your powers will intimidate you at first, but then you’ll make peace with them, they will drive you.”

  Isabel could feel the power surge through her. Her desire to feed was manifesting itself in her strength, and for the first time, she felt like she could do anything. She wasn’t just namely the most powerful succubus there is, but this time, she actually felt like it. “I’ve never felt so confident,” she said, stepping in through the iron bars. “I’m going to get you out of here.”

  “No,” Oz said. “A battle is brewing, you’re not going to get us out in time.”

  Isabel turned around and she saw Ava, curled up in the darkness of her cell. “Ava, Ava,” Isabel whispered, reaching out and touching her. She flinched awake, and when she realized it was Isabel, she smiled weakly. “What are you doing here?” Ava asked, crawling on all fours and resituating herself at Isabel’s feet. Her black wings were clearly visible now, and they looked frail, almost broken.

  “I’m here to save you,” she whispered. “It’s only a matter of time before I get you out of here,” she said. There was a pause. “What happened to you, Ava?”

  “I walked in on Gavin and Analise… I overheard them talking about a battle. When Analise turned around, I was there. I was shocked. I didn’t want to be a part of this, and I think I made it quite clear. A “rebel”, they called me, and before I could run away, they took me, and they brought me here.”

  “And what kinds of things do they do to you in here?” Isabel asked, scared. But no one answered her. She could tell by the looks on their faces that they were being tortured.

  “The unspeakable,” Oz hissed. “They starved us, and beat us. Isabel, they tore my wings off, don’t you remember? And I went through all this pain because I thought they were doing it for the right reasons… but it turns out, Gavin really wanted me dead.”

  “And why didn’t he kill you?” Isabel asked. “What does he need from you?”

  “They want to control us,” Ava said knowingly. “They want to starve us so bad that we’ll do whatever they ask of us.”

  “How are they starving you?” Isabel asked.

  “They don’t give us any food, they don’t allow us to feed on each other… what they created by putting us in isolation was a recipe for disaster.”

  Isabel knew exactly what hunger felt like. She had been starved so much by Gavin that, at some point, she felt like she couldn’t even stand on her own two feet. The truth was, she felt for them, but she couldn’t even begin to imagine what it must be like. “I’m so sorry,” she breathed. “I don’t know what to say… Gavin has been starving me for quite some time now, on and off,” she said.

  “Starving you how?” Oz asked, resting his head on the iron bars.

  “You know,” Isabel muttered. “They wouldn’t let me feed….”

  “They’re trying to weaken you,” Oz said. “That way, they have more control over you.”

  Isabel knew the jig was up. There was nothing left to hide, nothing to cover up. Isabel knew exactly what they’re trying to do, and she didn’t like it one bit. Everything was coming together now. “Ava,” Isabel said again. “What did Oz, I mean Mikael, do to you that night at the club?” she asked.

  “He bit me… he shape shifted into a vampire, Isabel, and now I’m on my way to becoming one.”

  There was a pause. “And how will we know who the vampires are, and who the shape shifters are?” Isabel asked. The realization only made her stomach churn.

  “We don’t,” Oz said. “That’s the disturbing part… we don’t know unless we go up against them, but until then, it’s just a dirty game of trial and error.”

  Isabel could feel her energy running low again. She crouched down on the floor and started crying, the weight of her realizations finally taking their toll on her. At that point, she had no idea where to start, or what to do. Was she just going to wait until the vampires took over? Or was she going to show them she was onto them? So many questions were racing through her mind, and a part of her just wanted to drop everything and run away. But she knew she was never going to have her old life back; from the second she laid eyes on Gavin, she knew nothing would be the same anymore. She hadn’t been in touch with her family for months now, the very image of what her life used to look like turning into a distant memory in her mind. “What’s my next step, then?” she asked, her eyes following things that weren’t there.

  The silence of the cells rang in her ears. She could feel their desperation, their hunger; it was seeping into her. She felt starving, herself. She knew she had no choice but to feed on Oz— the real Oz— sooner or later. She knew something was off about Mikael. Her mind kept going back to his pale skin, his bloodshot eyes and his death glare. Oz was never like that. She should’ve known somet
hing was up since they came to Paris. “I’m so stupid,” she muttered, raising her eyes to Oz, who had his eyes closed. “Oz?” Isabel said before she realized he had drifted off to sleep. He looked weaker than she had ever seen him; his wings had grown back, except now, they had a dull shine, like gold turned into copper. Isabel looked closely and she could see dark patches growing near the roots, like something was cutting off the blood supply to certain areas of his wings. She cringed at the sight, and she promised herself she would do anything to beat the vampires at their dirty game. Only problem was: how was she going to tell them apart? She was still new to this world; so naive, so inexperienced that even the boldest of signs weren’t enough to tell her what to do.

  “The prophecy,” Ava whispered, her voice throaty and dry. “It says you’re going to meet someone, someone brave… he’s going to help you fight, to conquer.”

  “And then what happens? What happens after we go up against the vampires?” Isabel asked, eyeing Ava as she struggled to stay awake.

  “The vampires will vanish, and then we’ll all be free. The only ones left will be the succubi, the angels and the rebels,” she said. “Isabel, if you don’t conquer the vampires, they’re going to take over, you’re going to be like a ring around their finger. Then and only then, will they truly control you, all of you.”

  “What do you think their next step will be?” Isabel asked. A part of her didn’t even want to know the answer.

  “I haven’t been around for long… but I hear things. They think that just because they’ve got us in here, that we’re unaware of what’s happening around us,” Ava said, shaking her head. “Well, little do they know… we can hear every word of what they’re saying. They think we’re oblivious, just because we’re starving, but, Isabel… we’ve never been more awake.”

  “And what did they say? Do you remember anything, anything of importance?”

  “They’re going to build an army… they’re going to go around recruiting people, people like me,” Ava said, her eyes dropping to the floor.

  “Like you how?” Isabel asked.

  “Vulnerable. Mikael took advantage of me because I was drunk, and then he did what he did. You know, you would think that the standard definition of “taking advantage” would be to have sex with someone while they’re drunk,” she scoffed. “Turns out it means digging their fangs into your skin, turning you into a vampire.”

  “And now they’re going around clubs turning people,” Isabel said, shaking her head. She didn’t know what to tell Ava. For all she knew, they were both in deep shit. Oz was snoring, and Isabel could just tell he was growing weaker and weaker every day. Suddenly, she heard a loud crash. “I think I need to go now,” she said, bouncing to her feet. “But I’ll come back, I promise.”

  “Don’t be long,” Ava said desperately. It was like she was calling out to Isabel, begging for her help. “I’ll be waiting,” she said.

  “I promise, I’ll do something about this,” Isabel said, turning to leave. In the distance she could hear voices, so she turned around again and rushed past the cells. There has to be another way out of here. Suddenly she found another stairway and took it, floating up the steps until she came across a little red door at the end. What is this, Alice in Wonderland? She turned to knob on the door. What she came across astonished her. She walked into a bedroom, fully furnished in gold plated furniture, and when she looked around, she realized it was Analise’s room, but it was empty. “I thought I saw this room before,” she said to herself. Everything made sense to her. Analise was in charge of the cells, and she wouldn’t be surprised if Gavin’s room was connected to that dungeon, too.

  “Well, I think it’s better if I just got out of here,” Isabel said as she staggered out of the room. She was back out in the hallway again and, judging by the looks on people’s faces, she wasn't supposed to be there. She stuffed her hands inside her pockets and made her way upstairs again, to the tower. She needed to go back to her room. She needed to start planning.

  CHAPTER 8

  Isabel was restless. She was tossing and turning in bed, her head spinning with what Ava and Oz told her about the vampires. A battle was brewing, and she still had no idea how she was going to stop it. She thought about visiting the cells again, but then she decided it was too risky. Isabel sat up, dangling her feet over the side of the bed, contemplating her next move. Her staying up all night resulted in nothing but more nerves, more questions. She decided she had to snoop around if she was going to take matters into her own hands. She got up, threw her robe on and stepped outside, wandering about aimlessly until she heard Analise’s voice. Isabel felt her skin crawl. She looked around, but there was nothing.

  “You don’t understand, someone broke in there last night, I don’t know how the hell it happened!” she heard the voice say. Isabel cocked her head to the side, and when she realized she was standing right outside Analise’s room, she moved in closer, trying to listen in on what was happening. The walls were thin, a bit too thin, and Isabel knew that all this talk was about her. The thought made her sick.

  “What do you mean “broke in”?” another voice said. Isabel immediately recognized it as Gavin’s.

  “I went down there and I literally saw the iron bars, they were pushed apart, like someone had broken in,” Analise said. Isabel could just feel the tension radiating through the walls.

  “And who do you think did this?” a third voice asked. Isabel squinted, trying to identify who it belonged to; it was a strange voice, an unfamiliar one, but there was something about it that made Isabel curious. A part of her felt like she heard this voice somewhere before, and yet she felt like it belonged to a stranger.

  “Who do you think?” Analise asked, rather sarcastically. There was silence. “Tell him, Gavin.”

  “It was Isabel,” he said after a long pause.

  “Wait, has anyone gone missing?” the unfamiliar voice asked.

  “No, I checked. Everything’s in its place,” she said. “That’s not the point… now that she knows where the place is, not even a lock can stop her! She’s too powerful, you don’t understand, this is dangerous.”

  There was a pause. Isabel could just feel the tension building up inside the room. Of course they would find out I did it, she thought. She contemplated running away, but then decided against it. There was a pretty good chance they were going to say something useful. “Gavin,” Analise said. “Did you lock my room the other night?”

  Another pause. “Yes,” he said. “I’m pretty sure I locked it.”

  “So she must’ve used the stairs, like last time,” she said. “Gavin, you need to keep an eye on her more, she can’t just roam around like that.”

  “What do you want me to do, tie her to the bed?” he asked.

  Another pause. At that moment, Isabel felt like she was this close to running away. Her feet were itching, as if enticed by some invisible force. She had never been so scared in her life. Ever since Gavin saw her down there, she had been having trouble keeping it together. No matter how much she liked to deny it, even to herself, Isabel knew they were going to find out that it was her, and they were going to come after her. “Isabel,” she heard Gavin say. She could feel her heart drop to her knees. Were they going to come out looking for her?

  “What the fuck’s that supposed to mean?” Analise snapped. “You just let her roam around like that?”

  “Well, I suppose you think you could’ve done a better job? Listen, here, Analise, don’t forget your place.”

  The tension was oozing through the paper-thin walls. “I have a lot on my plate, Gavin, and you know that!”

  “Hey, I think you need to calm down, what if the newcomers hear us?” the third voice said.

  “He fucked up, Mikael,” Analise said. “He needs to get it together, or our plan’s bust.”

  Isabel took a step back. Mikael. She wondered what he looked like in real life, but for now, his identity remained unknown, behind the closed doors. Isabel wished she
could just barge in and tell them she was on to them. She wished she could get rid of them. She had contemplated using her powers to demolish Analise, but the funny thing was, she didn’t even know if that was possible. How was killing a vampire even possible? Did it involve a wooden stake to the heart, like what you see in the movies? Isabel didn’t know. The tougher question, though, was how was killing a shape shifter possible? She needed to do her research. There was no Internet access, not much technology and very few resources to get through to the outside world. If she was going to find out information about vampires that didn’t involve watching modern day soap operas, then she had to start digging. “Alright,” Analise said again. This time, her voice was calmer. “Did Isabel see anything she wasn’t supposed to see?” she asked.

  “She didn’t,” Gavin said. “She can’t do anything, I’ve got her under my control.” Isabel stomped her foot just hearing that. “What was that?”