His granddad had told him numerous stories about The Great War fought on Sídhí. Shapeshifters were the loyal henchmen of the Dhark Lords or rather – at that point in time – the sadistic umbra.
Beth blinked up at him, shock flickering through her eyes as she glanced at his mouth.
His fangs had extended in an age-old warning. Do not mess with a ticked-off vampire, it might be the last thing you ever do. Vampires had a hot-tempered reputation for a good reason.
He felt a moment of pleasure flash through him. Withholding his smile, he relished the thought of how much fun he'd have antagonizing someone - no, something - like the offensive creature standing in front of him. "I know all about shifter customs. I know a major one includes torturing their prey, before eating them, their human prey.”
“Shifters do not eat people!” the tall blonde shouted at him. Her eyes began flickering silver in the morning sun.
He ignored the sleek girl’s outburst and focused on her companion. Well, really, he glared at her, putting as much menace in his next words as possible. “Do not ever touch Emily again. You got me?”
He wanted to make sure the filthy creature understood Emily was under his protection. He'd kill anything that hurt the young girl.
Grabbing Emily's arm, he carefully tugged her backward. Having tremendous strength, even bound by silver, was something he was overly conscious about. He’d rather rip his own arm off than hurt a friend.
Emily’s innocent blue eyes grew huge with shock as Mitch forcefully pulled her away from the disgusting shifter. He worried the girl was simply too trusting.
He hid a shudder of revulsion. He hated the mutt touching her. Emily might be older than he was, but after Jared (Emily’s older brother) bonded with Mitch’s twin sister, he considered the young vampire to be part of his family. Therefore, she fell under his protection whether she liked it or not.
“Mitch, stop it,” Emily said, slapping at his hands in a futile attempt to make him let her go.
An image of a yapping Chihuahua nipping at the heels of a Great Dane popped into his head.
He grinned despite himself. As much as he cared for the young vampire, he felt sorry for the poor guy who ended up being her lifeMate. Getting stuck with Emily's constant chatter - for several thousand years - would drive anyone totally nuts.
Mitch ignored Emily's words. Folding his arms across his thick chest, he dared the bewitching shapeshifter to say anything.
Ugh! He couldn't believe he had thought the shifter beautiful, but honestly, he couldn't help it. Her long multi-colored hair ranged from light honey to mahogany. The tips of it curled and flipped around her body, glinting with a healthy glow. Her dark amber eyes flashed with sparks of golden bronze and red as she gazed at him, ill-concealed anger flashed in their depths.
An angry buzz, like the blurred note of music, zipped through his head and was gone. For a split instant, he felt pulled toward her. Like a moth pulled toward a burning flame. He swallowed convulsively, wondering if all the old stories about shifters were true. Could they mesmerize the unwary?
Beth’s gaze flickered over him in apparent disgust. Turning, she pointedly ignored him and spoke to Nick in a husky soft voice that sent a shiver of desire straight to his most private area. She had a gentle lilting accent, nearly a Southerner crossed with a Scottish burr, but not quite. “I'm Beth and this is Brianna. Are you guys from cabin twenty-five?”
At Nick's slow nod of agreement, Beth continued, “I thought you must be, but I'm surprised we were able to catch up with you.”
“Then why did you bother?” Mitch asked nastily, making his dark thoughts on her presence known. His list of cabin mates had just gone from bad to the ultimate worst possible scenario.
Her jaw tensed; she appeared to be gritting her teeth. “Ella, the cabin mother, gave us no choice. When we checked into the cabin, she said all cabin mates must stay together and play together. So after nearly a week of hiking, here we are,” she paused, smirking at him with full lips, “like it or not”.
Mitch growled softly. He had already known the answer. After the disaster a few days ago, a dark blue-scaled Guardian caught up with them and suggested they change their plans to join their sister cabin as the other teens rafted down the river.
Clarisse (a clan vampire and giant pain in the backside) pitched a fit. She wanted out of the bug-infested woods, as she called it.
For once, Mitch agreed with the self-centered vampire. He was sick of the arrogant dragons sticking their snouts in everything. The interfering dragons – and their ridiculous attempt to create peace between the Sídhí races by hosting a Peace Summer Camp – had ruined his plans to explore Clan Valley with his granddad.
He grunted a response to the shifter's remark, curbing a grin of slow burning anticipation. He couldn't get out of the camp, but at least he had one thing to look forward to. From the shifter's tense reaction and muscle twitching jaw, she had a temper. OMG! He couldn't wait for the fun to begin. Baiting her into a fury would be a piece of cake.
A shadow passed over them and a black dragon, the size of a small jet landed in the middle of the sun splotched meadow just south of the tall trees where they had made camp.
Mitch shook his head and headed toward the dragon, not understanding dragon mentality. A couple of days ago their group had barely escaped death. You'd think the stupid dragons would cut everyone some slack and return the teens to the main campgrounds, but no, that would be too easy. Instead, the scaled trouble-makers first flew Clarisse to the campsite then brought in Nick and Sarah.
Mitch didn't mind Nick being around. As full bloods went, the vampire was an okay guy. A bit arrogant, but that was part and parcel of being Sídhí. As far as the other two, he refused to consider anything about them in a pleasant light. He disliked Clarisse and Sarah with a hot-blooded intensity.
Mitch shoved his frustration to the back of his mind, focusing on something a thousand times more important. “Hey, Sis!” he shouted enthusiastically. For seventeen years, they had never been separated, not until a few days ago. He had missed her something fierce.
A second later, he caught Katie as she flew into his arms. Her golden hair, identical to his own, swirled around him. He gave her a welcoming bear hug, mentally adding for her ears alone, “Don't ever scare me like that again. I thought I'd lost you.”
“I love you, too,” Katie said impishly, grinning from ear to ear.
“Ditto,” he said gruffly, uncomfortable uttering the L word. Gooey sentiments didn't come easy for him.
Katie's eyes left his face, searching for her newly bonded lifeMate. The instant her eyes found Jared, surrounded by his family, her entire face lit-up with ill-contained love.
Mitch felt a moment of burning jealousy flare in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't help it, he didn't begrudge his sister her happiness, but he dreamed of finding his own lifeMate. He knew that when he did find her – his perfect other half – he would adore her. The synth crystal in his blood would allow nothing less. Seeing Katie's look of love returned by Jared's look of pure adoration only made Mitch want to find his lifeMate that much more.
Emily and Nick, Jared's younger sister and older cousin, had Jared in a group hug, but his eyes were automatically drawn to Katie. Mitch was glad his sister had managed a few days of privacy with Jared before the dragon's thrust her into a group setting once more.
After several minutes of congratulating the new couple, everyone settled down and began discussing the day's plan. Of course, the stupid dragon picked that moment to butt his scaled head into their business.
“There are a couple of small trails branching off the main path. You might try Blue Bertha, but whatever you decide you need to stay in this area for a few days,” Alexander said arrogantly. Not waiting for a reply, he surged into the bright morning sky.
“Well, wasn't that helpful?” Emily asked sarcastically, in a rare show of annoyance.
“He's in a hurry,” Jared said, his eyes softening as he w
rapped an arm around Katie's waist. “The guardians received a hot tip on who tried to kill us and he wanted Katie and me out of the main campgrounds.”
“That makes sense,” Nick said. He spoke to Jared, but his eyes followed Sarah as she moved farther away to stand under the shade of a large tree.
Mitch curled his lip in gut wrenching disgust. There was no way in the world Mitch's synth would ever sing for a lousy member of the Dhark Empire. Revulsion seeped through him as he watched the two of them glower at each other. Ever since Nick and Sarah showed up the day before, they had given each other the silent treatment. It was creepy, even to someone as tough as Mitch was.
Everyone gathered around the cold fire pit, discussing the various trails. As conceited as the dragon appeared, he had suggested an interesting destination. They all agreed Blue Bertha sounded like the best option.
The teens broke camp and started up the trail toward the unique hot spring situated several hours away.
Mitch kept near Katie’s side. He didn’t doubt Jared could protect her, but he didn’t want to take any chances, especially with their natural Sídhí abilities restricted by the silver bracelets the dragons had locked around their wrists.
When she abruptly stopped, he nearly ran right over. Perhaps walking in front of her wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
She craned her neck up, looking toward thinnest part of the forest, which lay ahead and to the left of the trail. “Is that smoke I smell?” Katie asked worriedly.
Fire!
A short green snout, with a huge bulging deformity, shoved its way into Clarisse's face, not three inches from the redhead’s nose. Putrid dragon breath billowed in waves around her head, smelling worse than week-old trash. Smoke hovered around his snout in a gray cloud.
Ugh! Didn't the scaly barbarian know what a toothbrush was for?
“No,” Harry said, the growl in his hateful voice grew more noticeable.
Clarisse blinked, trying to figure out if he had just answered her unspoken question. His next words put his snarled word in perspective.
“Absolutely not, you will complete the plan exactly as outlined. Absolutely no deviation from the plans will be allowed,” Harry said, snorting as a stream of smoke trickled out of his nostrils.
“I'm sick to death of all these blasted trees,” Clarisse said, kicking her booted foot through a thick pile of brown pine and blue furble needles. “If I do it then I want a real bubble bath, a manicure and a pedicure twice a week for the remainder of camp, and the food of my choice for a month.” She wanted to demand more, but his lips had curled up at her second demand, by the third, he was gnashing his sharp teeth.
She didn't know what his problem was; she had only listed the necessities. The minor stipulations were more than her due. If she'd been at home, at her father’s mansion in Clan Valley, she would have added several more necessities.
“Your father is being more than compensated. The last Khr'Vurr assignment given to a Clan vampire was horribly messed up. Your family owes us. The research we provided on the mundane's genetic weaknesses will shave decades off his company's research. Your prissy attitude is offensive. Correct it,” he demanded in an arrogant tone of voice.
She clicked her teeth together, angry the stupid dragon was treating her like a servant. The entire screwed-up mess was not her fault, but an aftermath of her sister’s bumbling mistake.
She hated it, but she didn't have a choice, not if she wanted to save her family's honor. She’d follow the dragon's moronic orders, but on her terms.
Harry sucked in the smoke curling around his snout. The thin stream of smoke disappeared into his flared nostrils and he instantly choked, coughing on his own smoke.
Clarisse inched backward as he started violently hacking up spit. At the first sign of flame flickering out of Harry’s snout, she dashed behind a tree.
His shoulders bunched up and he hacked loudly, a belch of dragonfire shot out of his stubby snout, barely missing her hiding place. The thin stream of bright orange fire hit one of many windblown piles of blue and brown needles scattered across the sunny glen. The dragonfire burst the dry tinder into crackling flames.
She snarled, baring her teeth in fury. If she hadn't moved, she would've lost a foot. The imbecile needed to be put on a leash.
Harry hopped up and down, uselessly flapping his wings as he tried to stomp-out the growing fire. He coughed and hacked-up more dragonfire. This went on for nearly five minutes as he tried putting out multiple fires and get his breath back at the same time.
Clarisse slowly circled the open area that lay nestled among towering trees. Occasionally, she stopped and simply watched the dragon’s antics. Ten minutes later, she was upwind, allowing the stiff wind to blow the flames and smoke away from her. She crossed her arms. Casually leaning against the spongy trunk of a blue furble tree, she watched the tank-sized dragon make a fool of himself. His antics grew more comical as he desperately tried to contain the rapidly spreading fire.
What a wonderful way to begin her day. She hadn't had this much fun since she tricked Eric into believing she was his lifeMate. The stupid twit had actually believed her.
The flames grew bigger, matching the intensity of her smile.
If the forest, which surrounded the Peace Camp, caught fire she could go home. She sighed in pleasure, relishing the tingle of excitement racing through her. Now, wasn't that a wonderful thought?
Remembering where she slept last night, she chuckled. The temporary camp was downwind, along with the teenagers she had been forced into sharing her summer with. Getting rid of her cabin mates was even more exciting than burning down the main camp grounds.
If her luck held out, those stupid teens would be caught in the blaze. Sídhí healed from almost any injury except beheading and burning to ash. She grinned, knowing the flames might take care of all of her problems. Well, all but two of her problems would go up in smoke.
Her fangs glinted in the sun as she laughed. Her only regret was Katie and Jared. The two people she really wanted burned to a crispy critter weren't at the small camp.
Blue Bertha
Katie sniffed the air. She hadn't smelled any smoke in several hours, but she kept checking. A forest fire was the last thing they needed.
She glanced at her fellow hikers, Jared’s little sister Emily and his cousin Nick were in the very front. Sarah was third in line and glaring a hole in Nick’s back.
Katie didn’t know what had happened, but Nick and Sarah were giving each other killer looks. The last time she’d seen them together, Nick acted like a love-sick puppy, like he desperately wanted Sarah as his mate. Katie couldn’t imagine what had happened between the two, but it must’ve been a major fight.
As if that wasn’t enough drama, Katie was surprised to meet two new cabin mates. The girls seemed nice enough, but Katie knew looks could be deceiving. During the Great War, shapeshifters had been part of the Dhark Empire. Rabidly loyal foot soldiers that attacked anyone their dhark overlord commanded them to kill.
Brianna, the taller of the two girls had golden blonde hair cut in a chin length bob. She was as distant and brooding as a mountain top. The sullen shifter rarely talked, but when she did speak, it was always to her companion, Beth.
Beth was Brianna’s total opposite. More than a few inches shorter than Katie, Beth reminded Katie of a kitten, all claws and spit fire. She also had a much curvier frame with honey and chocolate streaked hair that fell to her hips in curls and waves.
Mitch made his dislike of shifters blaringly obvious. Rarely a minute passed without him snarling at the shorter girl. His remarks grew sharper and increasingly antagonistic as the morning went by.
Beth gave, as good as she got. Her snarky remarks about Mitch’s stupid humor had Katie struggling not to laugh.
The day moved ahead and the two bickered back and forth.
Katie was a few steps in front of Jared, who was last in line, as the group made their way toward Blue Bertha, their overnight destinat
ion.
According to the brochure Emily dug out of her backpack, Blue Bertha was an odd twist of nature. The hot spring itself wasn't unusual since the entire mountain area was dotted with caverns and hot springs. No, the weird part was the odd colored water.
The natural hot spring, sat way below the surrounding mountains in a deep valley. The water bubbled up through layers of earth, finally pooling in a rocky crevice near the Basilisk Nature Preserve. The unique spring lay within the largest known concentration of naturally growing blue furble trees. Perhaps its location was what made Bertha so unique.
Hikers and scientists alike continued scratching their heads in confusion over Bertha and the weird blue water she produced. Not blue like normal water, but neon blue, a vivid turquoise that glowed in the dark.
The brochure warned campers not to drink the water, but that's all it said.
Leave it to the dragons not to provide a straight answer and shout dire warnings at the same time. She should be familiar with the dragon’s behavior by now. The Scaled Arrogant Ones never explained anything, but expected everyone to jump and obey.
Katie glanced around. The trail looked no different than a dozen others with its familiar mint bushes, sky-reaching furble trees, and tall markles with their odd, red finger-like growths wiggling out the top of each bamboo-like chute. The hike was very peaceful, rather boring after the excitement of the last week.
Much later, she regretted her complaint about being bored.
The hillside quickly lost its thick vegetation, and the hot sun beat down on them. The path became very steep, nearly unmanageable. Jared stayed behind her, giving her the occasional helping hand whenever she needed it. It was mid-morning by the time they reached a split in the trail. Drenched in sweat and breathing hard she was ready for a break.
Someone needed to remind her why she agreed to rejoin her fellow cabin mates. The answer was totally beyond her understanding. She started to ask Jared that exact question, when she felt his humor tickling the edge of her mind.
Vampire's Forbidden Territory (Sídhí Summer Camp Series #2) Page 2
