“Finn’s not going to like how the vote turned out,” Robbie murmured.
Dylan nodded. “The council has voted. And everyone’s not happy with Finn’s decision, obviously, including me.”
Henrik thought this over, then tilted his head. “But you didn’t banish him.”
“I agree there’s a benefit to this union, though we still have to be careful,” Dylan said. “Now we only hope the vampire community do not murder him right off and be done with it.”
The three quietly brooded, wondering how things were turning out at the other end.
*****
Things were going terribly.
The plan had been simple, really. First, have Lucinda march into the mansion with Nell and call an emergency council meeting, and state the reason of said meeting once everyone were gathered—that of her union with a dragon shifter, one that involved his involvement in her life and the vampire community.
Two, have him reveal himself in the middle of the meeting, where he had been invisible earlier.
It was the second that had almost all the vampires in the room revealing their fangs, ready to attack. They only stopped when Lucinda ordered them not to, though Finn could feel her tremble through their bond.
Oscar looked positively furious.
“You think we are going to be pleased with this news?” he said, practically sneering.
Lucinda held her head high, meeting his gaze head on. “I didn’t tell you to please you. I told you to tell you. It’s done. I’m mated with a dragon shifter who has been guarding me since the vampire ball—and who has saved me from the demon realm, time and again. And who has been here during the vampire battle to help keep the peace, I might add. Now, is anyone going to protest that right now and challenge my authority?”
The way she said the last statement, in a soft, velvety tone, was enough to have chills running up Finn’s spine. It apparently had the same effect on the others, who didn’t speak a word of protest—not even Oscar, who still looked bothered.
“He is going to be a valuable member to our kind,” Lucinda said.
A council member raised her hand. “As second-in-line?”
Lucinda shook her head. “I respect our council enough to keep the vampire leadership line intact. Finn Jackles will be my protector—for life, I might say. And for those who protest, I may take it to mean you don’t want me to be safe.”
No one protested that.
The silence wore on, broken only by another council member raising his hand. “Welcome to our world, then, Mr. Finn Jackles.”
Oscar glared, but kept his mouth shut. Finn kept his eyes on the governing council head, knowing there was something hidden within that rage that needed to be checked. He remembered the horrible incident with Victoria, felt a frustration at the outcome and unfairness of that situation.
Soon, he thought. Soon, that vampire was going to get his due.
“The first and second-in-line will be decided by next week,” Lucinda said. “I will choose from the remaining participants of the battle. Meeting adjourned.”
She didn’t wait for the council members to file out as she walked out first, Nell tagging along. Finn followed them to her office, where they used the secret passage and took a ride home to her house with their new car and new driver, Eddie. Eddie was young and enthusiastic, and positively smitten with Nell, blushing furiously every time the assistant smiled at him.
Day one with the vampire community had fared okay.
And it wasn’t over yet.
*****
The decision of the shifter community didn’t fly well with Finn, and he ended up staying all day in Lucinda’s home as he mulled over it.
That they would banish him from headquarters—including emergencies, apparently—meant the trust was completely gone, never to be repaired again. Henrik reminded him that at least he wasn’t banished from the whole community forever, and that was something to mull over.
Still, he brooded, opting to stay there and keep his communication with the shifters at a minimum for now. Lucinda tried to cheer him up—in her own way, of course.
“You’ve got your life ahead of you,” she said calmly, sitting on the couch beside him and awkwardly patting his back with one hand. “They can all go to hell.”
The advice was so unusual that he couldn’t help smiling—then bursting into laughter when she added that she could help them go to hell, should he wish.
Finn grinned, then winked cheekily at her. “You can always cheer me up by making me come, you know.”
Lucinda frowned in thought, and Finn was about to burst out laughing again. But he was cut off when she suddenly lunged, slamming him down on his back and straddling him.
“Okay,” she said, tone serious. But there was a certain twinkle in her light green eyes that had him grinning wider as her mouth met his.
*****
A second emergency meeting was called when Mico was found in vampire headquarters—and caught. It turned out Sophia had been visiting to call on her, and had used the same method she’d done with Belvar to catch him.
“I owe you twice now,” Lucinda said as they crossed paths outside the meeting hall.
“Well, if we’re going to be technical… you owe me once,” Sophia countered. “I owed you for killing Killian for me.”
Lucinda nodded. “You were looking for me?”
“Actually, I was looking for Finn to see how he was doing.”
“Brave,” Lucinda said softly.
The witch grimaced. “Or foolish. Too many vamps here. Anyway, looks like you have a demon to interrogate, so I’ll take my leave for now and come back another time.”
Finn appeared beside them, hugging Sophia fiercely before standing by Lucinda’s side. “Nonsense. Right, Luce?”
The nickname made Sophia blink, but she caught herself when Lucinda nodded her head.
“Of course. Give us a few minutes. This will be taken care of and we can have dinner right after. And you can come to this meeting.”
The simplicity of the invitation from such a complicated creature had Finn’s heart warming. They firmly set up the dinner invitation before heading inside the council room, where the council members were already waiting.
Mico, the captured demon, was warded inside a drawn circle in the middle of the room, calmly looking around. It was such a contrast to Belvar’s furious state that Finn immediately went suspicious and flanked Lucinda tighter.
Not that she needed it.
The vampire leader coolly greeted the council members before turning to the demon.
“You have exactly ten seconds to explain why you have broken into headquarters without permission.”
Mico smiled, showing off pearly white teeth. His red eyes gazed brightly at his surroundings, his hands clasped behind him in a formal manner.
“I apologize for popping in like this,” the demon said. “Usually I don’t dwell into the lives of other predatory creatures… but there was just something I needed to know.”
“And what’s that?” Oscar asked, voice hard.
Mico tilted his blond head. “Is Belvar truly dead?”
Lucinda lifted her chin. “Of course.”
“Oh, good,” Mico said casually. “That makes me a bargain demon now. I actually just wanted to ask you something before proceeding with my first task.”
“And what is that?”
“Miss Bennett, a witch named Mya owes us something and we need her to pay the price. Now, I do believe the vampire community also stakes a certain claim on her for the supposed betrayal she has done to you, and you are currently hunting her. Am I correct so far?”
Lucinda raised a brow. “Go on.”
“She needs to pay the price of her bargain to us demons, and I don’t want the vampire or shifter community to be up my neck for doing so. You need to tell me now if my task will interfere with your hunting.”
“May I know what kind of bargain this is?”
“Strictly confidentia
l, Miss Bennett. But it doesn’t involve your world, so to speak.”
Silence, except for the soft murmurs that spread across the seated council members. Oscar looked like he wanted to say something in the matter, but ultimately the decision was Lucinda’s, so he kept his mouth shut and waited.
Finally, Lucinda nodded. Then she smiled—that cool, calm little smile that had Finn trying to keep his grin from coming out.
“Your task will not interfere, Mr. Mico. Go ahead and claim her part of the bargain.”
“Oh, good.”
“That’s coming from the vampire clan. I cannot speak on behalf of the shifter clan.”
Mico shrugged. “Understood. I’m planning to talk to them after this. Now, can I be released?”
Sophia, who had remained silent beside the door of the meeting room the whole time, turned to Lucinda for directions. Lucinda nodded once. Closing her eyes, Sophia chanted some words and immediately dispelled the wards. The demon disappeared in a swirl of smoke, leaving the room in silence.
“Meeting adjourned.”
And that was that.
*****
A month after things have somehow settled, Finn took Lucinda to her backyard, where the moonlight shone bright and the stars twinkled.
“I think this is the spot.”
Lucinda stared at the area he was pointing at, right beside her favorite rose bush. “Spot?”
“To set up the portal,” Finn said casually, “You know, so we can access my home in Ireland anytime we want. What do you think?”
Silence. Finn began to grow nervous as it wore on.
Then she smiled so brilliantly that the nervousness vanished, replaced by a warm joy that was a long time coming.
“That sounds absolutely great,” she replied.
Things were looking up.
*****
THE END
Dragon – Charlie – Book 3
PROLOGUE
Red had never trusted Mya as far as she could throw her, but there were some things that you simply couldn’t help. Mya was a very popular witch—the kind that was able to induce desirous feelings if need be, which made her very much in-demand when it came to one-time (or two-time, or three-time) jobs. Mya was also very talented when it came to locating people—an uncanny ability that most witches couldn’t really perfect, no matter how much they practiced.
She was also very pretty—not necessarily a talent, per se, but it got you gigs.
The meeting they set up at a fancy, low-key club in New York City was a private one, intended to lay out all the terms and agreement of their bargain. Red needed help locating a witch that could give her reprieve from all the people—human and non-human—trying to catch her. Mya had gone underground due to her recent mishaps with the vampire and shifter clans, and the pay Red was willing to provide was just too irresistible for a witch who reputedly liked money a lot.
So it was just a matter of bargaining right.
Red arrived first, noting down with satisfaction that there were only a few people in the club: a lone man on the long bar, some young couple on the floor dancing playfully, and a teenage girl sitting at a table and looking like she would rather be anywhere else. The girl was the one who caught her attention the most, considering she had a very big scar marring the left side of her face and seemed to want to hide it with her hair as much as possible. Red wondered what she was doing in this club so late; she looked to be about fifteen, too young to be here alone. Then a movement near her caught her line of vision.
The teenage girl was forgotten as soon as she set eyes on Mya.
Mya was very easy on the eyes, with her figure full of curves in all the right places and those golden-green eyes that made you think of tigers in meadows—beautiful and predatory. Obviously, the witch didn’t think getting a disguise was needed, even when creatures left and right were searching for her, as she sauntered confidently in Red’s direction in her natural physical appearance. She was wearing nothing but a crop-top and leather skirt, with matching leather boots up to her knees to complete the look. She sat down and gave Red a bright smile, showing off white teeth and a pleasant demeanor.
Still, something about her felt...off. Red inwardly squirmed under her disguise, not entirely comfortable in the other's open scrutiny. Her blonde wig was fine enough, but her blue contacts were not entirely her style, and it drove her crazy trying not to repeatedly blink. She checked her invisible ward warning her of any kind of nasty magic and found it intact. To distract herself, she returned to Mya's smile and asked how she was doing.
The witch said something about needing sanctuary from a couple of nasty vampires, and Red felt a surge of sympathy as Mya confessed how relieved she was to finally meet a witch who knew how she was feeling. Red patted her shoulder and they both lamented about how complicated their lives were at the moment over a couple of drinks and some club chips. Then, once the pleasantries were over and they were considerably more comfortable with each other, Mya leaned forward.
“So what is it that you needed? You tell me all about it and I'll do my best to help,” she said warmly.
Red glanced around hesitantly before removing the item from her pocket. It was an old white handkerchief—so old, it was practically yellow and fraying at the edges. But that wasn't important.
What was important was the stain of blood on the upper right corner.
“I need your help finding a witch,” Red said. “I was hoping this thing would be enough. I'm trying to look for a place to hide, somewhere undetectable, and this witch is my only chance at the moment.”
“Oh? And who is this witch?”
Red took a breath. “My mother.”
One who'd been gone from her life since she could last remember.
The surprised look in Mya's eyes said it all. Red's mother wasn't only elusive—she was also very famous in her own right, one of the many talented witches in the world.
“What are you giving me in return?”
Red spouted off a figure, to which the other whistled.
“Love that,” Mya declared, holding out her hand. “Here, let me see that hanky and see what I can do.”
Red reached out to pass the napkin, their hands both holding on to it—
Her invisible ward broke in an instant, a sign of dark magic at play. All of a sudden, things happened at once. Mya stood up, and so did Red. The handkerchief was gripped tighter on the other side, and something metallic filled her nostrils. It took Red less than a second to realize it was her blood as pain bloomed in her stomach and singed up her head. Instinctively, she snatched the handkerchief right away and staggered backward a step as she stared at Mya in shock.
The witch smirked. “Sorry. The shifters want you. And I need their sanctuary from that bitch Lucinda.”
“You’re going to regret this, Mya.”
“Not really. I don’t care about you. I want your blood, though, so come closer.”
The shock of getting magically stabbed was wearing off, and fury replaced it. Mya made a move to come closer, greed in her eyes as she reached to wipe Red’s blood—one factor needed when locating someone.
In an instant, Red snapped her hand—and the invisible ward activated, rendering her wounds caused by black magic gone. Mya stared in disbelief, then understanding, already making a move to retaliate—
Red kicked her in the shin before she could.
Then she was running out of the door, out of the club, and into downtown New York where she knew things were about to get worse.
*****
Cold and hungry, Red made a stop at a nearby Chinese food restaurant and ordered some fried rice in a box, which she ate in record time while navigating the streets. The crowd was almost dwindling as midnight came close, and it was all she could do not to panic and go back.
Mya was her only chance at escape, and the witch had betrayed her.
She listed her options in her head and remembered that there was a motel a few blocks away that was away from the shifter
and vampire territory. Red decided that would be her stop for the night until she found a better place to stay in. Tomorrow, she was going to try Mya the hard way—by threatening and kidnapping, if need be.
The street leading to the motel had a few suspicious-looking people. Red quickly made an escape for the nearest alley, gathering her jacket close and trying not to shiver. She chanted in her head, a spell to keep herself invisible for a few seconds—
“You’re not bleeding.”
The unfamiliar voice startled her from her thoughts, as she hadn’t noticed any presence at all. Red turned around and cut through her chant, already preparing an attack spell in her mind. She paused in surprise when she saw the teenage girl from the club staring at her with wide eyes. Red couldn’t detect any magic in her, and she inwardly sighed in relief.
“You really should go back to the club, or go home…” Red started.
“You’re not bleeding,” the girl blurted out. “I saw you bleed in the club, followed your scent…but you’re not bleeding.”
To have the girl follow her scent that easily meant she had a hypersensitive sense of smell. Probably a young shifter. Thank goodness her disguise was still on. Red prepared to create a distraction and escape, but another voice came.
“Oh, good. You were stupid enough not to ward yourself this time.”
Mya’s smirk registered in Red’s vision before she was shouting at the teenage girl to run.
Red created the diversion in a whirl of smoke and colors, then ran.
She ran and ran, and never looked back.
CHAPTER ONE
There were plenty of things Francesca Alison could complain about, like the traffic that was making her late for her appointment or the too many tourists bustling about Los Angeles without a care in the world. There was also the late payment from a friend for a certain shipment, which in turn made her own payment for her rent this month late—a fact that was going to get her kicked out if she didn’t find some alternate money soon.
And who could forget Aaron, the hot guy who promised to meet up for a date with her last night, but never actually showed up?
Dragon: The Clan Legacy Series Page 26
