Blood at Stake (Warriors of the Krieger Book 2)

by Theresa Hissong

  “I think I’ve loved you since the day I met you,” I admitted. “It just took fate to make us see it.”

  “Lydia,” he murmured into my neck, nipping and biting as he thrust deep.

  My back rested on the wall as he continued to pound into my sex. I felt the quickening deep in my belly. I called out his name as I came undone. Ashby growled when he found his release as well.

  “My love, my mate,” he vowed. “Let’s rest.”

  “Yes,” I said, kissing the vein on his neck that gave me nourishment. The pull of the morning sun rushed us into the bed. Ashby wrapped himself around me just as I took my last breath.

  Chapter 16

  Ashby

  My eyes opened, and I found myself wrapped tightly around my mate. She was still in her death sleep, and I didn’t want to move. Lydia’s hair fell over her neck, obstructing it from my view. Running my fingers through the silky tresses, I moved the strands back so that I could place a kiss on her cold, soft skin.

  Before my lips moved away, I felt the first thud of her heart, and her skin immediately warmed under my lips.

  “You can do that every evening when I awake,” she purred.

  “I seem to be unable to keep my lips off of your beautiful skin,” I admitted. “Your scent is addicting…like a drug.”

  Rolling over, she rested a hand on the side of my face, concern etched in the corner of her eyes. “What happened last night?”

  “I really don’t know,” I admitted, pinching my eyes closed trying to remember what exactly took place in the woods. All I remembered was hearing her cries, and the need to protect her took over. After that? I had no memory of the events until I had her in my arms.

  “You let your Vatakas free,” she whispered.

  “Did it scare you?” I asked.

  “No,” she smiled, shaking her head. “I’ve never felt as safe as I did in your arms.”

  “I don’t remember much,” I admitted.

  “You saved me…you and him,” she frowned. “I’ve never seen what I saw last night. Your change looked painful. Are you okay?”

  “Yes,” I sighed, pulling her naked body closer to my own. My cock hardened at the feel of her soft skin against my body. I knew she felt the desire I had for her, by the swift intake of breath and the contented sigh that came immediately afterward. “It is something that warriors don’t talk about, because only under extreme stress will the Vatakas come forth. It’s like our super-secret extra power, I guess.”

  “The other warriors were,” she paused, as if she was trying to decide what word to use. “…concerned.”

  “I’m sure they were,” I said, rolling over onto my back. “Dragus will want me in his office this evening to discuss what happened, but I’m not leaving here until you tell me what happened to you. Are you okay?”

  “I am now,” she frowned, looking down at the sheets. When she started twining the fabric around her tiny fingers, I grasped them in my hand and kissed the tips.

  “That answer concerns me, Lydia,” I admitted, sternly. “Did they touch you?” The question came out as a protective growl.

  “Not in the way you think,” she stated, vaguely.

  “What way, Lydia?” I demanded.

  “They touched me, but they didn’t rape me,” she said, looking down at her hands. “They said rude things, and one of them groped me.”

  “Are you okay? Really?” As I asked, running my hands over her body. Whatever wounds she had were already healed, but the ones to her mind could last for years. I wanted nothing more than to wipe those images from her memories. “I want to kill them again.”

  “I’m okay,” she nodded. “I’m okay, because you saved me, Ashby.”

  “I won’t let anyone touch you again,” I vowed.

  “I know,” she smiled, kissing my jaw.

  “Who were those men?” I asked.

  “Two of them were humans,” she said, sitting up in the bed. She pulled the sheet up to cover her breasts. “One of them was something else. His scent was like Kai’s, but there was a musky overtone to it that made me a tad nauseous. His name was Myles, and the way one of the humans talked, this Myles guy was the one who thought he could transfer our blood to change humans. I didn’t get much information from them before you arrived.”

  “I will find out who is behind all of this,” I promised. “We won’t stop looking until the people responsible are caught. The crime against you was bad enough the night of Dragus and Charity’s wedding, but now that you are a mate to a Krieger. The witch, human, or whatever they are, now have a bounty on their heads. By the laws, I have a right to kill every single one of them for harming you.”

  “I understand,” she sighed, looking up at me through her lowered lashes. “Is it horrible of me to hope that you shred them to pieces? Like you did those men last night.”

  “No, baby,” I said, cupping her tiny face with my hand. I kissed her soft lips and rested my forehead against hers. “It’s not horrible of you. They deserve the vengeance I plan on taking out on them.” And that was a promise I intended to keep.

  I dropped her off at Nights and hurried over to the station, finding Dragus already in his office. I knocked on the door and entered, not waiting on him to ask me inside. He finished typing up what was probably the report for what happened in the woods.

  There would be no charges filed against me for murdering those humans. In our world, my actions were justified. My mate, the mate of a Krieger, was kidnapped, drugged, and violated. Lydia was not sexually violated, but the fact that those men had touched her in a demeaning way still constituted being violated. They deserved what they got.

  “Stand down, Krieger,” Dragus said, snapping my attention back to my brother.

  “Sorry,” I sighed, heavily. I didn’t realize I’d been growling with my thoughts.

  “You’re lucky,” he began. “Setting your beast free is dangerous. Civilians could have been hurt. Humans could’ve seen your beast.”

  “It wasn’t an option,” I said, scrubbing my face with my hands. “It just happened. I had no control over it, Dragus.”

  “I know,” he said, slamming his fists on his desk, not flinching when everything on top jumped and rattled. “If you’d been in public, the humans would have seen it, and we’d have lost ten year’s worth of trust. We obviously still have hate groups and those who would rather see us destroyed.”

  “I understand,” I said, sitting forward and resting my elbows on the top of my knees. He was right. Setting a beast free was not something the humans and their government needed to know. The Krieger were a hundred times more powerful than any civilian vampire, but the Vatakas side of the Krieger was even deadlier.

  “I can’t write you up for this,” he smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. My boss and maker was concerned at my behavior, but it was obvious that he completely understood. “Hell, I probably would have done the same damn thing if my Charity was taken. My advice to you is to get a good hold on your feelings for my mate’s maker and make it permanent. The queen should’ve been notified of your mating by now, and she won’t be happy if she finds out from someone other than you.”

  “Damn,” I cursed, shaking my head. I’d forgotten all about notifying our queen. She would be the one to approve the mating and bless us as a couple. She’d even officiate our wedding, sealing us together for eternity.

  “Yeah, damn is right,” Dragus laughed. “But no need to worry, I already sent in the notice on your behalf.”

  “You did?” I asked.

  “It’s my gift to you and Lady Lydia,” he smiled.

  “Thank you,” I replied.

  “Don’t thank me yet,” he laughed. “You still have to make it through the wedding.” I saw him cringe. I smiled to myself. In the hundreds of years that I’d known Dragus, I’d never seen him nervous. There wasn’t an opponent that rattled my best friend, but that wedding, and the fact that he couldn’t see his bride for twenty-four hours, made him a mess. We’d threate
ned to tie him to a chair several times throughout the night.

  “I’ll leave that to her,” I shivered.

  “Good luck with that,” he laughed, standing up from his chair. “We have to go talk to Mistress Laveau. She’s expecting us.”

  “Does she know anything that can help us?” I asked, hopeful.

  “I was able to bag the chains that held Lydia to the table, and I’m hoping she can tell me who may be enchanting these weapons.” He opened the drawer in his desk and removed a clear plastic bag. I snarled when I saw the drops of blood on the chains, knowing that blood belonged to my mate.

  “Let’s go,” I growled.

  Chapter 17

  Ashby

  “I assure you, Krieger. I have not sensed this type of magic in forty years.” Kai Laveau sat at her kitchen table drinking some sort of herbal tea that smelled awful.

  “Where did you last see this type of magic used?” Dragus pressed. We’d both refused to take a seat at her table and opted to stand where we could see the doors to her home. Traditionally, vampires and witches didn’t get along. The only reason why Kai worked with us was because of her loyalty to Dragus’ mate, Charity.

  “The vampire trials in the nineteen seventies,” she said. “Witches in the southwest had been killed by a clan of vampires and the clan leader, Master Suran spelled silver chains to restrain any vampires that were accused of killing witches.”

  “Where is this Master Suran now?” I demanded. If this was the man who’d spelled the bullets and the chains, I would turn over every stone in this town to find him and shred him with my own hands.

  “He was killed about thirty years ago,” she said. “He was shot.”

  “Are you sure he’s actually dead?” I asked. Something about this whole thing sounded fishy, and I didn’t like it one bit.

  “He was dead when I went to his funeral,” she said. “I wanted to see for myself that he was out of the picture. He was a deadly witch and a lot of people wanted him dead.”

  “Is there anyone else who would know how to place spells on the bullets or chains?” Dragus continued with the questioning.

  “Not that I know of,” Kai said, shaking her head. “Word is that those spells cause something dark to seep back into the person casting those spells. I wouldn’t utter one word of that spell if you paid me all the money in the world, Ashby. But I can tell you this, keep an eye on Lydia. If these guys are after her more than once, then she has something that they want…something they need. What that is? I have no idea.”

  “We need to go,” I said, turning for the door. I’d left her unprotected.

  Dragus told Kai we’d be in touch and thanked her for her help. I rushed out of her little apartment and hurried out to the Hummer. Dragus slid into the passenger seat and didn’t protest when I pressed the gas all the way to the floor.

  “What is so special about Lydia that these humans want her blood?” Dragus mused from beside me. He called Rowland and asked him to pull Lydia’s file to see if there was something…anything in it that could tell us why they were after her.

  “Get someone over to Nights,” I said. “She can’t be alone.”

  “Harlow is on his way,” Dragus said.

  I pushed the vehicle to its limits as we drove back to Port Royal. Thankfully, we didn’t have much traffic on the road and arrived within twenty minutes.

  The club was packed, and I felt Lydia’s confusion as we entered the building. I flinched when I imagined her horror at meeting Harlow for the first time. It was an expected reaction to anyone seeing the Krieger up close.

  I didn’t bother knocking on the office door when I found it closed, opening it wide to fit through the frame. Lydia was sitting at her desk, a glass of wine in her hand. To my left, Harlow was standing at attention at the door. His hand was on his weapon, ready to defend my mate if the need arose.

  “Hey,” she smiled, looking over my shoulder at Dragus. “What’s wrong?”

  “We need to talk to you,” I said, walking around the desk to take her hand into mine.

  “Did Kai give you any leads?” she frowned, noticing our worried gazes. “What…?”

  “She explained that the only person who knew this dark magic to cast a spell on the bullets and chains died years ago,” I began, taking a seat in her office chair and pulling her into my lap. Dragus and Harlow slipped outside to give us some privacy.

  “I don’t understand,” she said, twisting around on my lap so that she could look me in the eyes.

  “Kai believes that you have something special in your blood, and that is why someone is constantly after you,” I sighed. “Do you have any idea why they would want your blood?”

  “No,” she gasped. “I’m nothing special.”

  “You’re everything,” I whispered, looking her deep in the eyes. I only continued when she nodded her understanding of my statement. “The fact that the only person known to cast these spells is dead, and you are somehow involved, worries me. I’m having a guard placed with you until we find out what’s going on.”

  “Him?” she asked, pointing toward the door.

  “I can have someone else take the job,” I said, softly.

  “No,” she said, shaking her head. “Harlow is fine to hang out with me. I don’t mind.”

  “If you’re sure,” I said, stroking the side of her face. “He will protect you with his life.”

  “It’s his duty,” she smiled. “I’m sure he will.”

  “It’s just not his duty,” I growled. “If something happens to you in his care, I will end his existence.”

  “Okay,” she sighed, reaching for her drink. I smelled the wine mixed with blood and bit back a snarl at her taking someone else’s blood other than my own.

  “I need you to think,” I urged. “Is there any reason why your blood is what these men are after?”

  “How many others have they attempted to drain?” she asked, her brow furrowed in thought.

  “One that we know of,” I admitted.

  “I’m sorry Ashby,” she said, closing her eyes and releasing a deep breath. “I have no idea why they want me. I’m just a night club owner, nothing else.”

  “We will find out why they are after you, I promise,” I vowed.

  “I know you will,” she said, leaning into my body. I kissed the top of her head and let her press her face into my neck, where she kissed it softly.

  “Are you ready to go home?” I asked. “It’s been a long night, and I just want to take you home where I know you’ll be safe.”

  “Yes,” she smiled. “I’ll let Jackson lock up so we can head home.”

  We were clueless as to who wanted Lydia and her blood, but I made a promise to myself as I held my beautiful mate. If anyone, vampire or human, harmed one hair on her head…the Vatakas would be the least of their worries, because I would slaughter them and bathe in their blood.

  Chapter 18

  Lydia

  Ashby was beyond worried, and I wasn’t much better. My enhanced abilities were on high alert even with my mate there to protect me. He’d asked one of the new recruits to watch over me, and I didn’t mind one bit.

  Harlow was a scary son of a bitch. He made Rowland look like a puppy dog. The newest Krieger had massive scarring on his neck. The left side was covered with his warrior tattoo of a dragon, showing his affiliation with the warriors of our race. The other side was puckered and colored with different shades of pink and white from someone’s failed attempt to repair the damage many years ago.

  We’d left the club around two in the morning, wasting no time returning to Ashby’s home on the estate. As we pulled in, warriors were conducting drills on the front lawn with the new recruits. I noticed Rowland working with three males I’d never met before.

  “Those are the other men we picked up,” Ashby said, noticing my eyes drift across the new arrivals. “Zin is the Native American, Dante is the one with short brown hair, and Kale is the blonde.”

  “Are they all going
to be working with you?” I asked.

  “No,” he said, pulling up alongside his house. “Dante will be an instructor with Kale. Zin is just starting his training, and if he scores well could be inducted into the Krieger in about six months.”

  “Wow,” I gasped. “Training takes half a year?”

  “We are always training, but yes initial training takes that long,” he said, stepping out of the Hummer and walking around to my side. I took his offered hand and smiled into the soft kiss he placed on my lips. “We push them to their limits and then start over again. They have to be able to protect themselves and those who need protecting.”

  I nodded and walked ahead to get the door. Once inside, Ashby cursed when his phone rang. “I have to take this.”

  I nodded and took a seat in the front room on one of the two brown leather couches. A huge flat screen television took up the main wall in front of the furniture, but I didn’t turn it on because I had to think. My mind was too busy scrambling for answers as too why those people wanted my blood.

  As a human, my life was simple. Once I found Leo, he taught me to love my new race. As a vampire, I could do anything I wanted. The possibilities were endless. Leo showed me that there were no limitations anymore. As a woman…a human woman, my life was pretty much planned out for me. Grow up, marry a good man, keep the house, have babies and host boring parties to socialites and whoever else we were to impress.

  Since I was turned, I’d learned to travel the world. I’d seen everything from the North Pole to the heated deserts of Death Valley. I had seen war and peace and everything in between. Leo wasn’t always by my side, but when we were together, he spent most of his time teaching me about life…about the joys of living even though we were technically dead.