Love of A Dragon (Exalted Dragons Book 1)

by K. T. Stryker

  “Who?” I asked, but I was sure I knew. “Nicholas?” I suggested, and she shook her head. “Vittorio.” I growled. She set her mouth in a thin line. “How?” I asked then waved my hands. “I’m sorry. It’s not my place, even if you could speak.”

  “Oh, she’ll be talking soon enough,” said a low, husky voice that sent chills down my spine.

  “Hello, Colette,” I replied, staring wide-eyed at Rachel, but managing to keep my voice calm.

  “Witch,” the vampire whined, “I’m losing my plaything because of you.”

  “And here I was thinking you were alive because of me,” I scoffed. Rachel gave me her arm, as though to escort me, and placed herself between us.

  “The coffin wouldn’t have killed me. It won’t kill Vittorio either. But you had best hope that the master doesn’t decide to make you his servant and keep you, because his brother will only be crazier and angrier when he finally gets out.” I paused and looked her in the eyes.

  “What do you mean?” I asked. Rachel prodded me ahead and I glared at her before moving.

  “That’s for the master to share, not me,” Colette gloated. I made a rude noise at her and let Rachel escort me. I was fully aware that I was only brave with her at my side. Colette wanted me to ask, which made me want to do anything but ask her. However, even as I silently swore to say nothing to him, my curiosity grew.

  Rachel led me along the corridor and down the sweeping staircase. It curved around, just as I’d seen when I’d reached out with my ability. Emboldened by my earlier success, I tried again. I lowered my eyelids and let Rachel be my eyes while I reached out with my mental “fingers” of psychic power and looked ahead. At the bottom of the stairs I saw two vampires standing on either side of the staircase in servant’s uniforms, with white linen shirts tucked into black fitted trousers, with matching black vests and white gloves.

  The light was brighter at the bottom of the stairs than it had been in either of the quarters I’d been held in. It occurred to me that while the room was the Master’s, he probably spent very little time there. In the large foyer at the bottom of the stairs, a chandelier hung glittering high above our heads; more lights shone from sconces on every wall. The entrance was ahead of us and as I turned I saw a double door that mirrored the one I’d just been facing. It led under the stairs and was also manned by footmen.

  I was led through the interior doors, which were served by another set of vampire footmen; then we walked down the stairs toward the ballroom. The sheer amount of gold in the ceiling and walls was staggering. It served to amplify the light from the giant chandeliers that hung on each end of the dance floor.

  “Is there a ball tonight?” I murmured to Rachel, once I found my voice.

  “No. There is an emissary from the Venatores lamiae arriving to collect your hunter-friend.” Her voice was rough and raw and barely more than a whisper because of her injuries. I felt a stab of shame that I’d forgotten her injury in my panic at the scene before me. Knowing how fast my hand had healed, I was afraid to even speculate at the severity of her original injury.

  I could infer from the number of servants alone that Nicholas wanted to impress upon the visiting hunters both his civility and his strength. Fear speared through me like ice and I clung to Rachel as if I was still a child and she could protect me. But, it wasn’t the vampires lounging in every corner and at every table that overlooked the ballroom floor that I was afraid of. It was the bloodshed I was becoming increasingly certain was about to occur.

  “Rachel, tell me, how long have we been here?” I glanced up at her, but I couldn’t stop looking into every shadow, trying to count the number of vampires behind the vast amount of power being pushed at me.

  “Only a few days,” Rachel said quietly, her whisper full of gravel.

  “A few days,” I repeated. “It feels like forever. I want to go home, but...” I sighed and turned away from her scrutiny.

  She found me a bench against a wall and even though it meant there were vampires above me I couldn’t see; I felt safer there under the bright lights. I stared around me, knowing my eyes were too wide and afraid, and my blood was pounding through my veins too fast. I tried to control both as best I could. Even so, when I saw Nicholas burst through the doors, all logical thought fled my mind.

  He was dressed in red and black; his tight, shiny leather pants laced up the front and tucked into boots that hit him just above the knee. His shirt was silk, a red so dark, it looked like it had been dipped in fresh blood before he put it on. It was unbuttoned low on his chest; framing the flawless white marble of his chest and throat beneath the black scruff along his jaw. Rachel tipped my face up to her and gently shut my mouth at the same time; keeping eye contact with me until I came back to myself.

  “What was that?” I managed to cough out.

  “Not for you,” she whispered in her harsh, grated tone. I nodded and stared at her while I built up my psychic shield. “Faster next time,” she chided, stretching her head to the left, and then the right. “Getting better,” she added softly, patting the cameo in the hollow at the base of her throat.

  I watched as a group of musicians descended the stairs and sat in the corner across the room from me. They tuned their instruments and began a waltz; I watched as vampires filled the floor for a dance. The musicians had no power when I tried to reach out to them. It was then that I realized that they were more human even than I was. There was no taste of power of any kind as I watched the vampires around them; dancing in sweeping, graceful circles across the floor.

  “Not a ball, huh?” I asked, shooting Rachel a look. She smiled and shrugged. “We put on our show, then the Venatores put on their show, and then we get down to business.” I looked around for anyone who stood out as a hunter among the vampires but they hadn’t arrived. I couldn’t see a hunter anywhere; none that I was aware of.

  Occasionally I caught a glimpse of Nicholas, leaning over the hand of some female vampire or other; or he was speaking closely with one of the vampires I assumed were his lieutenants. He was so handsome and untouchable. I was afraid he’d never come to me after irritating him in his quarters.

  The air grew static with anticipation as vampires opened themselves up and pushed out with their power, flexing for each other and deafening me with the sheer press of psychic energy against me. I stretched my jaw and tried to pop my ears, but the pressure was steady and unyielding. My fidgeting increased as my discomfort grew, and the musicians played on without a skipped beat; completely unaware of the danger they were in.

  I glanced up at Rachel and shook my head, jerking to my feet. I needed to get out of that room, away from all that power, before I imploded from the forces pressing against my skull and ribcage. She took my hand and tried to help me walk as I leaned against the wall for ballast. I felt one last push; something new; different from any of the posturing vampires, or Nicholas, or even Vittorio. The violent stab broke the damn in my head.

  I released every ounce of power clinging to my mind, shaking it off like a wet dog and flinging it to every corner of the room. My chest was heaving as I tried to fill my lungs. Vampires on the dance floor faltered. Even those standing against the rails above staggered back in shock as I expelled every ounce of energy and sagged; shaking against Rachel.

  “Little fool,” she hissed, and glanced around furtively, looking for an escape, as the vampires all turned and honed in on me. In an instant, Nicholas was upon me, his hands on my waist, before he spun me out onto the dance floor.

  “I can’t dance, I can’t even feel my feet from all that power,” I whispered in a panic, even though whispering was useless in a room full of super-predators with preternatural hearing.

  “Then it’s just as well you can’t shield right now,” he replied glibly. I felt him enter my mind; a gentle, sensuous touch that showed me images of my limbs moving in time with his, making me feel the way my feet should step with the beat. I stared into his jewel-green eyes and let myself fall, trusting hi
m to keep me safe and not let me make a fool of myself. In that moment, I understood that they were the same goal.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered so softly it was almost just a movement of my lips. He gave a small nod and I knew he recognized I meant for more than just losing control of my shielding.

  “They know you’re powerful now. I don’t know if I can keep you out of our turmoil. You must go with the Venatores,” he admitted. His voice and eyes seemed as unhappy with the prospect as I was about leaving him. Vampires stared from every corner as we swayed together, my body pressed to his.

  “I’m sorry. I’ll stay without complaining; I promise. I’ll do whatever you need.” I suddenly felt black despair at the thought of leaving him, so many questions unanswered; so much about him I still wanted to learn. He twirled me and held me close by turns, dancing until I felt dizzy and weak in the knees. I wanted to dance with him for the rest of the night, and long after. I felt him in my mind and tilted my head so he could kiss me again. My fingers grazed jaw and my other hand went to his chest over his heart. I felt it beating stronger than I ever thought possible, in time to mine.

  I felt his fingers in the loose curls of hair at my neck, and then, nothing. He stiffened and pulled away from me. Before I could register my shock and disappointment I heard a familiar voice behind me and felt Nicholas’ presence leave my mind and shut the door behind him. He had repaired my shield and protected me, without my knowing it. The invasive breadth of his power quickly brought me to myself and I turned to face the men and women standing at the top of the stairs. They were men and women for sure!

  Dominique stood with them, her eyes soft and concerned as they met mine. However, Eldritch and Somayo, one of our lead hunters, looked down at me with open disgust; Simi wouldn’t meet my eyes at all. Somayo moved to one side so I could see that David had been hidden behind his massive frame. He was still pale and his cuts and bruises lay in sharp relief to the whiteness of his normally tan Latino complexion. He stepped forward and glared balefully at me out of his one good eye and I felt my chin jut in automatic response to his judgement.

  “Nicholas, Master of Los Angeles, we greet you,” Professor Eldritch called out; while the hunters all pointed weapons close to the vampires, if not quite at them. I took a deep breath and waited for Nicholas to speak. He stepped forward, putting himself between me and my people and I made a sound of dismay and argument, before a nudge of power from him stole the sound from my lips. I clutched at my throat and looked around for Rachel, who was watching the scene from a position near the human musicians, her skirt hiked up to show a long knife in a garter.

  “You look well, Lady Borgia,” Nicholas said, turning toward the sorceress. “The centuries have been good to you.”

  “You as well, my lord De Elbrecht,” she replied without inflection. “Now that we have reminded everyone in the room of who is titled, and who is not, perhaps we can get on with the exchange.” Nicholas gestured toward David and I tried to creep around his side to better see the hunters that were still stacked up behind Eldritch.

  “You still have something of ours, my lord,” Somayo reminded him, his voice dripping with sarcasm at the title. Nicholas’ chin went up and Somayo staggered as a wall of power slammed into him, and only him.

  “When you are outnumbered and outgunned, hunter, it would serve you to remember your manners,” a pale-haired vampire said. He strode into the center of the dance floor to stand slightly behind me, to the left of his master. Nicholas held up a hand and the lieutenant fell silent; standing at ease; his icy eyes fixed on the large black hunter who was still recovering his land legs from the blast.

  A second, female vampire came up on the other side of us, to stand just at my back. Her power prickled along my skin until I turned my head and glared at her. She eyed me with jade cat-eyes but pulled her power back until I could stand it without discomfort. I brushed her with my own, as a warning, and she closed herself off completely.

  Before I could gloat over my small victory, David stepped forward, taking the arm of another hunter as he descended the first two stairs before stopping. My heart soared when I saw it was Clayton and with a gasp I jerked forward to go to him, happy tears brimming over my eyelashes. I managed two steps before a third vampire lunged between us and grabbed my arm; hard enough that I felt the bone of my wrist grind together under the pressure.

  I screamed in pain and leaped back to the safety of Nicholas’ arms; cradling my arm and staring helplessly at my foster brother and my friend. With a growl, Nicholas shoved me back against the female vampire and lashed out with his fist. I saw a spray of ruby liquid fly from the vampire’s face as his nose was crushed. The vampire fell to the floor and some other vampires picked him up and carried him off to the side of the dance floor, their frocks and trousers getting splashed by the still free-flowing blood.

  “Send her to us, Nicholas,” Dominique commanded. “We do not wish to spill any more blood tonight.”

  “Any more than you did retrieving your hunter, you mean?” he scoffed. “He was in my care, a guest, not a prisoner. You could have waited until the exchange; but honor isn’t a value known to your kind, is it?”

  “Honor?” Eldritch bellowed. He limped forward and slid his sword free of its cane/sheath. Dominique reached out to stop him and he shot her a withering look that made her step back. “Don’t think there’s any pity for witches who consort with demons, Borgia.” I quailed at his words, waiting for lightning to strike him for speaking out against her, but instead she pressed her lips together in a thin line and stood her ground without argument. I looked to David and Clayton for help to prevent Eldritch from starting a bloodbath; which, with the ratio of vampires to hunters, had only one possible outcome. Clayton’s face was calm and determined. I risked a smile at him; reaching out to him with my thoughts on the remote chance he could hear me tell him how glad I was to see him.

  I felt him recoil at the touch of my mind and his eyes widened in fear before he looked away and wouldn’t meet my gaze again. I looked at David and he stared back with sick satisfaction at our friend’s physical recoil from me. There was no stalemate and there was no agreement. The entire ballroom was filled with violent anticipation, leaving a tang of fear and dread like ozone in the air.

  I glanced back at the musicians, all slack-faced and unaware. Rachel was standing guard over them, as much from the vampires, I realized, as from overzealous hunters. I felt panic rearing its ugly head inside me and gathered all my strength, waiting for a blow from one side or the other. I knew I was an enemy to both now, but did not understand why.

  Nicholas pressed me against the long, hard line of his body, and my panic began to subside. I looked at David and understood his hatred. I’d been taken against my will and had been lavished, in his mind, with honor and gifts. He’d followed Colette; the lure; out of sheer stupidity and lust. His broken bones were his reward.

  “This isn’t my fault, David,” I said, my voice ringing out louder than I intended in the taut silence of the room. “You chose to follow the lure. You admitted to enjoying being her food. Your choices, your consequences.” He snarled and leaned forward, but Clay held him back. Clayton glanced at me in confusion, and I knew without a doubt that wasn’t the story David was telling.

  “And what about you and your new master?” David demanded. “Whore.” He spat the insult at me, but I felt nothing but disinterest in his self-pity, and disgust that he’d chosen to manipulate me. Especially when I gladly gave him my loyalty; long before he decided to use me as his practice target.

  “Better the vampire with a sense of honor, than the would-be hunter who thinks mind-raping girls for fun is a worthy pastime.” My voice broke and I shook with anger. At my glance, Clay automatically jerked away from David, as though he wanted to avoid any over spill of my rage.

  “Enough.” Nicholas didn’t raise his voice, yet it rang out over the room and pressed down on the rising energy like a damper. “As you can see, you are surrounded.
Since you have what you came for; I suggest you leave before the Venatores lamiae find themselves short several hunters.” I spun around and faced him.

  “No,” I said softly. “Back away and let them go. I will stay as your hostage; but no more threats. Please.”

  “Do you understand that they killed my people to collect him?”

  I nodded.

  “I do, and I understand that means I will be punished for them,” I glanced back at my friends and mentors; current and former. “These people are my family. I would do anything to keep them safe, just like you would for yours.” My whole body shook with fear and my stomach heaved, but I stood firm. “I accept the punishment for the murders these hunters committed. They were just trying to save us. We were foolish, and ignorant of the world, despite what we know.”