by Honor James
“So,” Volos said as they slid into the car. “Where are we off to now?”
Good question. Opening the folder, he pulled off a card and held it up so Volos could see the address. “Let’s go and meet our mate up close and personal.”
“Cool.” Volos grinned, starting the engine. “She is really not going to know what the hell to make of the two of us.”
* * * *
Azure had removed her cloak and was now sitting crossed-legged on the floor before the glass windows that looked out over the city. She was braiding her hair and watching the twinkling lights as she did so.
She was safe here, her guards ensuring that the suite was secure, and that the glass that separated her from the city was not only bullet-and bomb-proof, but able to hold back magic as well. So here she sat, looking over the city at the honest beauty she could see that the humans created. “I can understand the draw of this place,” she spoke aloud to her guards.
“These pj’s, to start with.” She smiled and ran her hand over the beautiful, soft silk of the pajamas that she was lounging in now.
Securing her braid with a band, she rose on bare feet, walked to the double chair and dropped down into it. “That took far more out of me than I had anticipated,” she admitted. “I feel as if the crescendo is coming. I simply hope that the ones they assign to our teams will be ready and willing to do whatever is needed to save our peoples.”
“They will be, Majesty,” the guard nearest the door said quietly, once more running a blade over the leather sharpening strap that he kept close for his knives.
“I hope that you are correct,” she said, and pulled her legs under her and placed her chin on her knees, seemingly waiting for something. She just didn’t know what the something was.
A knock at the door had her jolting, but her guards just shared a look. The one closest moved to it and opened it slightly, speaking softly to whoever was out there. After a moment, he held up a finger, eased the door shut and turned to her. “They are here, Majesty.”
Azure looked up with shock. “Already?” she asked, and nodded. “I hadn’t expected them this quickly. I had expected folders or jackets so that we could go over them and choose our team.” She looked to the guard once more. “Then let them in.” She had thought they would get to choose their team, but she was obviously wrong.
“We did see their jackets,” the one still sharpening his blade said. “We gave the Council our approval of the choices.”
The other nodded and pulled the door open. “Please, come in,” he said, stepping back out of the way.
When they came in, Azure noticed they were the same two men she’d seen going into the Council’s antechamber. The taller one with the short, white-blond hair grinned at her guard. “Maurice, good to see you,” he said before he looked to the other. “Graven, how are you, you old dog?”
“Well.” He grinned. Slipping the blade back into the sheath, he stood and went to give him a hug. “You’re looking good as well.”
“More or less. Had some bones tested earlier, but so far, so good.” He chuckled.
Rising to her feet, Azure looked at the men, her head cocked to the side and a frown on her face. “I know you,” she whispered very quietly. “I don’t know from where, but I feel as if I know you.” She felt it deep inside of her soul, not in her mind, but in her heart and soul, and she didn’t understand that at all.
All four of the men shared a series of looks before Maurice cleared his throat. “Princess Azure, this is Drake and Volos,” he introduced each man to her. They each bowed their heads slightly her way and smiled. “You likely saw them at the assembly today, Majesty.”
It had to be that, she thought to herself. Even as she had that thought, however she knew that it wasn’t all it was. “Of course,” she said instead. “Graven and Maurice have approved of you to join this team. Have you been told what it would consist of?” She knew that they wouldn’t know just what she was, and for that, she was thankful. “We will be going in and helping our people.”
“We were briefed,” the one called Volos said. He was tall, not as tall as his friend, but definitely taller than she was. He had long, reddish-brown hair, and if not for the scruff around his jaw, he’d have a very, very young-looking face. “We know exactly what we’re getting ourselves into, Your Highness.”
Azure nodded. “Thank you for being willing to go into this, then. Thank you for being willing to be part of saving our peoples like this. It means a great deal to me that you are willing to do this.” Her arms wrapped around her waist. She was still trying to figure out just how she knew the men. It was more than a brief glance at them in the Council Chambers. It was deeper than that, and it was driving her a bit mad, actually.
“Of course, your highness,” Drake said with a small, crooked grin on his face. “Well, we’ll get out of your hair for tonight. Just thought we’d stop by to introduce ourselves. We need to get a few things done before we actually get this party started, so, if you’ll excuse us?” he said. He was looking at her, but Maurice and Graven were nodding and shaking their hands.
“Azy,” she said quietly. “My name. You can call me Azy,” she said as she stepped in closer to them. “What are your names?” If she had been told their names, it had gone out of her mind. Right now, she had to know their names, was almost desperate to know them.
“Volos,” the slightly shorter one said. He was grinning at her. Obviously, they’d been introduced and he was amused by her.
“Drake,” the taller, blond one said. He took her hand in his and, lifting it up, pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “And you’re, Azy. Volos, Drake,” he pointed to his friend and then himself. “We good now, Princess?” he asked with a grin. He was pulling her leg, teasing her.
She felt her knees go weak. “Vhampire and Draygon,” she breathed quietly. She knew that now. She knew that because of the markings that ran up and down her spine, the intricate markings that she had been born with. “Oh my,” she whispered. “And you knew this?” She looked to her guards. “How long have you known?”
Graven put a hand under her elbow to steady her as Maurice made a face. “I’ve known them for a number of years,” he admitted. “We both have. But no using the D-word outside of these chambers. The Draygons are dead, the race wiped from existence, Majesty. To say otherwise could be a death sentence.”
“I know.” She knew that was what her guards were, and understood the situation. “But they are mine,” she breathed quietly. “You have all seen the markings on my body. You know that they are mine.”
A pin could have been heard dropping a mile away in the silence that came after her words. Drake’s fingers tightened on the hand he hadn’t let go of as both he and Volos turned deadly stares on her guards.
“She wears low-back outfits now and again,” Graven said, his words rapid-fire. “We have never seen more than that, we swear it on the Goddess.”
A low rumble filled the space she was sure came from Drake. Given how his eyes flashed to pure gold and then back, it was a really good guess. Not that Volos looked any less deadly at the moment.
“They are typically the ones that make me cover my back. If it had been up to them, I would wear turtlenecks all the time,” she whispered. “They have been my guard since I was born. But you.” She looked to the two of them. “Did you know that you were mine before you agreed to be part of the team?”
Drake’s eyes came back to meet hers and he shifted his hold so she could see the cuff around his wrist. “Take it off,” he said softly to her. He didn’t say anything else. He didn’t confirm, nor deny anything. But he also didn’t answer her question.
With shaky hands, she removed the band from his wrist and looked at the markings there in shock. “You did,” she said softly. “Is that why you agreed to this task, or did you agree because you believe in the cause?” Her fingers lightly traced the markings on his wrist, unable to stop herself from touching him.
“I believe in you,” he said. Lea
ning in, he lowered his voice. “Little Necromancer,” he whispered softly. When she shot him a stunned look, he shrugged. “Draygons can’t be made to do anything. It’s why we were being killed off by those jealous of us. Magic doesn’t work on us because of the inherent abilities within the beast that protects us. Your secret, while safe from the rest because of that chamber, wasn’t actually forgotten by me. Volos did forget, but I brought him back up to speed because there cannot be secrets between mates. Ever.”
“I know that they aren’t able to forget. That’s why my father assigned Graven and Maurice to me. So that they would never forget why it was important to keep me safe.” Even her people forgot her abilities from time to time, all but the dead ones that reached out to her, those knew what she could do. “I’m happy that you have survived.” She squeezed Drake’s hand as she spoke. “Now what happens?”
“Now we go back and collect our stuff. Tomorrow we return and we start figuring out how to make this work. Your plan, and us,” he told her. “For tonight, get some rest and try to relax. You were seriously stressing in the Chambers earlier today. Not good for the body, you know.”
“How did you know?” She then smiled and shook her head. “Never mind, of course you knew. You are who you are.” She took a deep breath and allowed him to release her hand. “We will begin tomorrow.” She just hoped that no one died during the night or they would begin this night instead of another.
“Good night, princess,” he said softly. Stepping back, he nodded to her guards. “You two know how to get ahold of us if you need to.”
“Of course, si—” Graven choked off his words and coughed. “Drake.”
Maurice shot him a look before smiling at the men. “We will see you in the morning if all goes well.”
Volos shot her a grin and winked. “Sleep well, princess. Dream of me,” he said, blowing her a kiss before Drake shoved him out the door.
Azy watched the door. She then looked to her guards. “I have a feeling that they are going to run me in circles.” A smile turned up the corners of her mouth. “I look forward to it, too,” she admitted and took a deep breath. “For now, I am going to go and try to relax and get some sleep.” She touched each of her guards’ hands, an affectionate gesture that she had given to them since she was born. “Rest well when you both find your rest?” she asked quietly. “And if I have need, I will ensure that you are both awakened so we can start this night. Hopefully, however, I will get this night’s respite.”
“Good night, Majesty,” they both called after her.
Chapter Four
Morning dawned with a bit of overcast and a slight chill to the air. But there had been no need to wake during the night, thank the Goddess. And today, she would get to see her mates again. Mates she could hear in the other room with her guards.
“I don’t know, those are rather fattening. I doubt she’ll want any,” she could hear Maurice saying.
“You’re just saying that because you have been eying it since they opened the box,” Graven said in return. “They brought it for her, so keep your paws off it unless she decides she doesn’t want that delicate, fattening, divine treat for her morning meal.”
Walking out still in the pajamas she wore the previous night, Azure looked to her mates and approached them. Taking the spot that had been left open between them without thought, she looked at the box and felt her mouth water. “Are those donuts?” She had found she rather loved donuts, loved anything sweet, actually.
“Beignets, actually,” Volos said. He grabbed the last take-out cup from the tray and handed it to her. “Hickory coffee as well. Cream and sugar are in the bag if you need to doctor it up to your satisfaction.”
“Oh heavens.” She took the coffee and turned down the cream and sugar. “I like it plain. I’m fascinated by the pastries and coffees that they have here on Earth.” Taking a beignet, she settled in and took a bite. A slow sigh escaped her lips and she nearly moaned in appreciation of the delightful treat that she was given.
“This is utterly fabulous,” she whispered as she licked her lips. “This is my first time on this side of the Veil and I’m finding many things that I enjoy.”
“That’s good,” he nodded with a grin. “There are many things here on Earth that our peoples have enjoyed. Some things”—he shrugged—“not so much. But as long as you’re enjoying yourself, that is a good thing. Tell us, what are some of these things that you enjoy?”
“I enjoy silk and soft things. I enjoy watching the lights of the city at night. I enjoy the happiness and laughter of children in the park,” she said as she ate. “But that’s about all that I’ve been able to do since coming here. This is only my second day,” she admitted. “It’s far too dangerous for me to be here for too long at a time. Especially if the Dead begin to become restless and find me near, wanting to know how I will ensure they are avenged.”
He nodded slowly and passed her a napkin. “That’s understandable,” he said gently. “We will find a way to ensure they get what they need to be at ease in their passing. It won’t be easy, but we have him on our side,” he said, jerking his chin toward Drake.
Azy looked to Drake and nodded. “I believe that we have a wonderful team, even if it is just the five of us. We will work well together, if for nothing else than the fact that we all understand just how important this is for us all, that our races aren’t experimented on.” She knew that this was the first time that this issue had been voiced aloud, but it was one she worried over all the same.
“It’s best to keep it small,” Drake said softly. “Less chance of having us exposed or the mission compromised. Plus, with a smaller number of people, that means a smaller number of items and gear to be moved when we need to move. We can get places faster, since it’s a limited number of vehicles because of our smaller numbers. Everyone would expect a team to be large and obvious. No one’s going to be looking for the small team that slips in under their noses.”
Maurice cleared his throat. “We have the morning reports as well, Majesty. Drake and Volos have both looked them over and we’re doing some additional information pulls on the ones that caught their eyes. Since they’ve worked with the AEDA from time to time, we have that resource to assist us in gathering more information.”
Volos nodded and set his cup of coffee down. Taking the folder from Maurice, he handed it to her. “We had some of the tech guys do some in-depth digging. They are good at sneaking in behind pesky firewalls and around security measures to see what those behind them don’t want the general public to know. We found a couple of really curious entries that don’t fit with the work they were supposed to be doing.”
“We think that they are fronts.” Drake picked up the explanation. “That the facilities are actually where they are keeping some of our people to use for their tests and experiments. We can’t be a hundred percent sure, of course, not without getting inside, but they are places to start. We also have the tech guys digging around, looking for other potential facilities that raise any red flags.”
Azure looked at the files before her and nodded. “This will be a good place to start. I know that we have a great deal more that we will have to overcome. However, I’m certain that we will do it. We will find all of their hidey-holes, even if I have to wake each and every single one of the dead to do it.”
“Mm.” Volos made a face. “Let’s not. We can totally say we did, but let’s, very seriously, not do that.”
“He’s got this fear of the dead,” Drake said quietly, obviously for her benefit, since Maurice and Graven were just shaking their heads and rolling their eyes respectfully. “Says if he doesn’t mess with them then they won’t mess with him. Which, really, isn’t a horrid idea. But I think he’s just a little more terrified of the people he’s killed wanting to come back and get even with him if they had the chance.”
“I don’t have the luxury of being able to allow the dead to remain that way. They reach for me. I am not able to ignore them.” Azure’s word
s held a deep sadness to them that spoke of her desire to be able to do just that—allow the dead to rest. “Especially when they are murdered horribly. I wish that I had defenses against them. However, I don’t. So I’ve learned to listen and do what needs to be done. It is how it has to be.”
She felt Drake rubbing a knuckle over her arm slowly, the movement soothing. “And we’re here to help,” he said quietly. “But if we can stop them from getting killed off in some horrifying manner because some freaks need to slice and dice one of the Races, so be it. I do need to ask, just for clarity’s sake…Is it only the Races that call to you, or do Humans as well?”
“Now that I’m on this side?” Her look said it all. It was now everyone pulling at her. At least at her home, she could focus and it was only the Races. Here on Earth, it was everyone. “The worst are the human killers, the monsters of their own races. They hurt, actually hurt.”
Maurice was the one that spoke up next. “There have been times that she’s been physically harmed. Perhaps now that her mates have shown up into her life, you will be able to keep them from harming her.”
“Not sure how that would work, but we’ll definitely give it a go,” Volos said. Leaning back, he propped an ankle up on the opposite knee. “Tell us what happens when one contacts you, starting with how they contact you all the way through to when they eventually go back wherever they come from. Do they ever contact you more than once? Or is it a one-shot deal for them?”
“The ones that died horrifically will continue to contact me over and again until their souls are laid to rest. Until I’ve finally heard what they have to tell me, they will continue to show themselves to me. Some can speak, some can’t. Honestly, some people I don’t realize that they are dead until I go to touch them or they reach to touch me and there is nothing but vapor.” There was hesitation, and at her guards’ nod, she took another breath. She whispered. “And some can hurt. Those that have so much anger when they die, they hurt me. They revel in causing pain. Those are the ones that I have to force to the other side.” She saw the looks and gulped. “I can force them into their ever-after. I can force them into the light, but it takes a bit from me. I can make them accept their deaths, but it’s painful, for me and for them.”
