“Hey, I didn’t mean--”
“I know. The experience taught me a lot. And although I may not have any more biological kids, I have something way better.” He inclined his head to Elizabeth, who was chatting with Guinevere. Dressed in a medieval style gown made of white, she reminded him of an angel. Her coppery mane of unruly curls was piled on top of her head, baby’s breath and white daisies woven throughout. As if she felt his gaze upon her, Elizabeth looked over at him, beaming.
“And what’s that?”
“A family who accepts and loves my faults as much as my gifts.”
“That we do.” Jared took a swig from his beer bottle. “Speaking of, I’m not sending Echelon back to Romania. While you were gone she was a huge asset to us here.”
“So Alex said.” Lance shrugged.
“Are you okay with that?”
Lance stared at the bubbles slowly making their way to the surface of his beer. “Believe it or not, yeah I am. Look, I know I’m never going to be indestructible. Adventures in Camelot proved that. I’m not too proud to know I’m going to need help. Hell, even my father had other men to rely on. I welcome Echelon. It means I can have a day off now and then.”
“I’m glad you feel that way because I already told her she’s staying.”
“Way to keep me in the loop.” He laughed. “But seriously, you’re in charge. It’s your call.”
“No, bud. I’ll always run things by you first.”
Jared fell quiet again, giving Lance the impression something more was on his mind. “Alright say it already. I know when you are avoiding a something.”
“What do you mean no more biological kids? Beth is pregnant, right?”
Lance sighed. “That happened before I was tortured by Rimmon. He took everything from me in that cave.”
“Shit. I didn’t know.”
Jared gripped Lance’s shoulder like a vice. His hand grew blazing hot and something like a lightning bold coursed through Lance’s body centering on his groin. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Lance became lightheaded. When the electric current faded, he fell back into the seat behind him.
“What the hell was that?” Lance looked at Jared bewildered.
“Just repaying a debt. You can thank me when I have to add another wing on the house for your next litter.” He clinked his Sam Addams with Lance’s and sauntered off to find Alex.
The scent of heather permeated his senses. Lance smiled to himself. Elizabeth’s hand rested on the shoulder Jared scalded. He lifted her hand to his lips and guided around her to sit on his lap. “Enjoying yourself?”
“Aye. You have a unique set of family and friends.”
He glanced at his watch. “You know, all these people should be clearing out of here soon. Half of them can’t be out when the sun comes up. What do you say we get a head start on them?”
Elizabeth’s fingers played with a lock of his hair that curled above his collar. “Oh? What did My Lord have in mind?” Lance whispered his detailed intentions in her ear making her blush. “You are wicked, Christian Du Lac.”
“You love me that way.”
“Aye, I do. But do you not think we will be missed?”
Jared inclined his chin in their direction from the other side of the tent. “I don’t think we have to worry about it. Looks as if Prince Pain-in-my-ass will cover for us. It’s the least he can do.”
“Then it would be rude to let such a gift go to waste.” She smiled at him sweetly.
“Absolutely.” Lance rose from his chair, holding her firmly in his arms. She laughed, holding on tightly as he nearly ran over anyone in his path.
When he finally put her down, they were already locked in the confines of their room. Elizabeth backed away from him toward the bed. “Impatient, are you?”
“You have no idea.”
He followed, stalking her like she was prey. Lance pulled his tie loose and tossed it across the room. Next went his jacket. It landed near the window seat. He unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt. The back of her legs hit the bed as he reached her. Her heart pounded in her chest. Lance turned her to face away from him. Untying the laces, Lance pushed the dress off her shoulders. He ran his tongue over the scar on her shoulder where he marked her in the cottage. A chill of anticipation ran up her spine.
The dress fell loose around her feet and she stepped out of it. Elizabeth turned in his arms, licking her lips. She reached up and unbuttoned his shirt. Lance shrugged out of it, dropping it to the floor next to him. Her hands touched his chest and he wrapped an arm around her waist to lower her gently to the bed behind her. His mouth claimed hers, leaving Elizabeth breathless.
Lance shifted to her side, placing a hand on her abdomen. “I still can’t believe this is real.”
She placed her hand on top of his. “Aye, ‘tis amazing is it not? To be honest though, I am glad the sickness has passed. The wee one did not like anything Cook prepared in Camelot.”
“I can’t blame him. There were times I thought the food would walk off the plate.” He shuddered. “I’m so glad I live in this time period.”
“I am looking forward to sampling everything your world has to offer. The meats, breads and sweets. Especially the sweets. Your mother told me such stories about the food alone.”
“Well, let’s not rush that.” He smirked. “Do you remember what I said about mentioning a guy’s mother when you were in bed with him?”
Elizabeth’s mouth twitched. “Aye, something about blocking a rooster.”
Lance sighed. “Yes, and the mood is gone.” He braced his arms to push up from the bed.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Nay! Do not leave me.”
He laughed, allowing her to pull him back down. “That’s never going to happen again.” Lance’s eyes glowed. “You are my heart, my soul, my everything and I will move heaven and earth to make sure no one ever takes you away from me again.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
As the first rays of sunlight peeked over the mountain across the river, Echelon made her last trip around the grounds. She understood why it had become one of her many duties while Lance was gone, but there never seemed to be a need for them. No one knew their little compound on the Hudson River existed.
Yawning, she covered her mouth and squinted, sunlight reflected off something in the brush surrounding the driveway. Moving aside the branches she reached down into the lead leaves, pulling out a cellphone.
Echelon frowned. Who would have dropped this out here? Taking once last glance around, she walked up the driveway, turning her prize over. Entering the house, she made a beeline for Jared’s office, hoping he was still awake. She found him enjoying a last brandy with King Arthur before he and his queen went back to their own time.
She bowed at the door. “Forgive me for the intrusion, but I have something that may be of importance.” Jared waved her in. She approached his desk and tossed the cellphone on it.
Jared picked it up and went to the contacts. He flipped through the device’s details, frowning when he came across the owner’s name. Drakkar “Where did you find this?”
“Buried in the leaves along the driveway.”
“Have we had anyone working on the grounds lately? Gardeners? Construction people? Anyone?” He began skimming through the music.
“No, Highness. It has been quiet here.”
“Thank you, Echelon. I’ll take this from here.” He nodded. “Have some breakfast.”
“Good day to you.” She bowed her head to both of them and retreated.
“Now, I may not know what that thing in your hand is, but I can tell from the look on your face it is not good.” Arthur sat back in his seat.
“No, it’s not. I don’t know who this belongs to, but its presence leads me to believe someone is watching us.” Jared placed the phone back on the desk.
“You should increase your rounds. Perhaps they are here during the day when you are unable to venture out?” The King sat silently, working something over in hi
s mind.
“Maybe, but I don’t think so.”
“Would you like me to leave Galahad or Lancelot to help out for a while? They can help Christian keep watch while you sleep.” He offered.
“Thank you, but no, Your Majesty. I’m sure this is likely nothing. Probably some kid out hiking, judging by the contents. I’m not that worried.”
“My boy, you have much to learn. No item, whether it was purposely left or accidentally, should be brushed away. Watch your back, Prince. I have a feeling something is coming for all of you.”
The Beyond Time
Playlist
The Allman Brothers ~ I’m No Angel
Ashes Divide ~ Sword
Black Veil Brides ~ Unbroken
Bon Jovi ~ Bed Of Roses
Breaking Benjamin ~ I Will Not Bow
Bryan Adams ~ Everything I Do
Bryan Adams ~ All For Love
Dakota Moon ~ ‘Til We Meet Again
Daughtry ~ Broken Arrows
Disturbed ~ Indestructible
Five Finger Death Punch ~ Remember Everything
Framing Hanley ~ Alone In This Bed
Heart ~ These Dreams
Jorge Quintero ~ 300 Violin Orchestra
Kansas ~ Carry On My Wayward Son
Kiss ~ Beth
Linkin Park ~ Numb
Metallica ~ Of Wolf And Man
Nickelback ~ Far Away
Nickelback ~ Leader Of Men
Queen ~ We Will Rock You
Savage Garden ~ I Knew I Loved You
Seal ~ Lost My Faith
Seal ~ Kiss From A Rose
Shinedown ~ Better Version
Shinedown ~ Simple Man
Skillet ~ One Day Too Late
Sting ~ Fortress Around Your Heart
Sting ~ Fields Of Gold
Stone Sour ~ Through Glass
Stone Sour ~ Stalemate
Straight Line Stitch ~ Yesterday’s Gone
30 Seconds To Mars ~ This Is War
From the Author
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READ ON FOR A SNEAK PEEK OF
Drakkar
Beyond the Lie
The Dark Order of the Dragon Series
Book 3
Wonderful. My first night of freedom from the bitch and my head is pounding like a mother-fucker.
Drakkar pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. He couldn’t remember ever feeling this way. Like someone stabbed him in the forehead and twisted the dagger for good measure. Breathing through the pain, he tried to remember what happened. The last thing he remembered, that bastard Bonatelli got out of the black Escalade and ran into the house. Next thing he knew, he was here.
Where was here anyway?
“Hey, are you alright?”
He rubbed his eyes blinking away the painful blurry vision. When he could finally focus, there was a girl his own age crouched in front of him, concern written all over her face. Drake’s mind raced to try and figure out what to say. She tilted her head to the side, red lips pursed. Her narrowed, black-rimmed toffee-colored eyes regarded him.
“Are ya deaf? Do you need help?” She touched his head lightly. Her black and red-streaked ponytail fell over her shoulder, tickling his hand. For some reason, Drake wanted to touch it and feel the silky strands laced through his fingers.
“Hey.” She snapped her fingers in front of his nose. “Stay with me here. Do you want me to get you some help? Someone I can call for you?”
Drakkar shook his head slowly. “No one to call.” He looked past her and searched their surroundings. He sat on the pavement against a brick wall. About twenty feet away were baseball fields. He was in a park somewhere. Okay, good. At least he wasn’t in a high-traffic area.
His gaze swung back to the girl staring at him. “Who are you?”
The girl sat back and smoothed her red plaid skirt over her thighs. “I’m Serenity, but most call me Nettie for short. I was on my way home when I saw this flash of light behind the dugout. I thought it was weird to have lightning with no clouds, so I came to look.”
She shrugged. Her white blouse shifted, showing off her midriff and silver bat belly ring. A steady throb started in his gums. Drakkar licked his lips slowly. He blinked, catching himself staring and forced his gaze upward. It would be so easy.
“When I got up here, I found you passed out against the wall. How did you get here? Did you cause the flash? Are you like a witch or something? No, that’s not right. You’re a guy, you’d be a warlock. Are you a warlock? That would be so totally cool! What’s your name?”
Drake covered her over-revved lips with a finger to silence her. The girl must be a demon. No one else could cram that many thoughts into one breath. “Listen, I’ve got a pounding headache. Can we t take it down a notch while I try to think?”
Nodding, she smiled. “Absolutely. Let’s start with something easy then. What’s your name?”
“Drakkar.”
“Ooo, now that’s an exotic name. Drakkar.” She mimicked the way he said it, rolling the r as he did. “I like it. So, Drakkar what happened to you?”
Drake was mesmerized by the way she said his name. Coming from Serenity, it sounded natural, not forced the way Absinthe spoke to him. Most of the time his mother sounded disgusted when she said his name. But this human female actually liked saying it.
“I--I really don’t know what happened. One minute I watched someone get out of a car, the next I woke up to you staring at me.”
“Whoa, what’d ya take? Are you tripping on somethin’?”
She felt his forehead again and waved a hand in front of his eyes. Drake grabbed it, holding it firmly but gently. “No, I didn’t take anything. Human drugs have no effect on me, anyway.”
“Human drugs? What do you mean by that? You’re human. What else could you be?”
“I’m a vampire.” He replied matter-of-factly.
Serenity scooted away from him. “No way! You’re a vampire? Show me.”
Drake blinked. “Seriously?” She nodded. “Okay.”
He curled back his upper lip, exposing lethal fangs. Before he could stop her, she reached out and touched one with the tip of her finger.
Drakkar jerked away. “Don’t.”
“Why?” She moved closer again.
“Just don’t.” He pushed to his feet and stalked to the fence, leaning over it. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Hurt me? Oh, are you like those sparkly vampires? If I nick myself, you’re going to attack me?”
Drake rolled his eyes with a sigh. “Vampires do not sparkle. We look like everyone else. We just need blood to survive. You have no idea how much I hate Hollywood for that shit.”
“Uh, sorry?”
“It’s okay, I get it. They couldn’t exactly get real with teenage girls. If the writers actually told the truth their little money making franchise would go up in smoke. Oh the horror of that!”
“Hey. Not all of us buy into it.”
“Sure you don’t.” He laughed. “If you
didn’t, you would have run by now. No, I can tell you still have a romanticized idea of my kind in your head. But yeah, I could hurt you if I get a whiff of fresh blood. Kill you even. So just don’t, okay?” He crossed his arms on the top of the fence.
“Okay.” She joined him at the fence. “So you’re a vampire. That’s cool, I guess. How old are you anyway? I’m sixteen.”
“I’m sixteen too and before you ask the next obvious question, no I was born this way. You cannot be made into a vampire by getting bit.”
Serenity laughed. “Good guess on the question but that doesn’t explain what happened to you. Did you black out because you were hungry?”
“No, I ate earlier. I don’t only need blood. I eat regular food too. The blood gives me something the food can’t.”
“If that’s not it, what made you black out and wind up here?”
“I wish I knew.” Resting his chin on his arms, Drake closed his eyes playing back everything he remembered. It gave him no clues. He was missing something.
“Well, you can’t stay here all night. Or is the whole sunlight thing just a myth, too?”
He lifted his head smirking at her. “No, it’s kinda right. It won’t kill me, but I’ll be nursing severe burns for a week. What time is it anyway?”
Nettie looked at her watch shaped like a skull. “It’s about four. Oh my God! My Mom’s going to kill me.”
Drake growled possessively. “I won’t let her. Why would she anyway?”
She laughed. “Easy, killer. She wouldn’t really, just ground me till the next century if I’m lucky. I’m late getting home from the party I went to.” She nibbled on her lip. “Hey, do you have somewhere to go?”
“Yeah. But I really don’t want to go there.” Just thinking of going back to the mansion made his skin crawl. He did not want to be subjected to Absinthe tonight.
“Then here’s a crazy thought, come home with me. My mom won’t mind. She’d rather a friend stay, especially after parties, than drive home. We don’t have to mention the whole vampire part or the fact you didn’t drive.” She looped her arm through his. “Come on, Drakkar. I promise you’ll be safe with me.”
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