The Dragon and the Vampire

by A. K. Michaels

  Ronan assessed the two in front of him, both obviously hunters, one far more powerful than the other. He could feel the power rolling off the one on his left, that’s the one he kept eye contact with. The other he could dispatch quickly, this one would take a little more effort. Neither of the two even acknowledged his words, apart from moving forward far slower than they had been. They could obviously feel Ronan’s own power, which he harnessed quickly and was just about to use when the more powerful of the two made his move.

  The Vamp all but flew at him, his strength almost, but not quite matching Ronan’s own. A very powerful punch was coming his way, Ronan only just managed to move slightly, so that it landed on his shoulder and not smack bang in the middle of his face. Ronan countered with a punch of his own, which landed on the side of his attacker’s face. The crack of breaking bones sounded loudly, as blood spurted out of the Vamp’s nose and mouth.

  The force of the blow knocked the one in front of Ronan from his feet, flying for a couple of feet, before landing heavily in the middle of the road. From his peripheral vision, Ronan caught sight of the other moving to flank him. He moved so fast he was almost a blur, turning and taking the few steps to meet this other threat head on.

  Ronan saw the surprised look on the other’s face a split second before he smashed his elbow into it. Ronan grabbed his hair and pulled his head quickly and forcefully down, smashing his face into his now rising knee, the blow so vicious and strong it would kill any human. Finally, he pushed the now unconscious Vamp away, and he fell to the road, blood completely covering his face.

  Ronan whirled around, ready to deal with the more powerful of the the two, however, all he found was a small pool of blood. The other Vampire was gone. He heard the pounding of feet and then his friend’s voice.

  “What the fuck? What’s going on?” Sam was looking between Ronan and the Vampire lying in the street.

  Ronan pointed to the small pool of blood in front of him. “Get our best trackers out here, I want them to find the one whose blood this is. He’s powerful and I don’t want him getting as close to Starr again. Do it now, Sam!”

  Sam nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”

  Ronan turned to walk away, hearing Sam shout orders as he did so. He picked up the discarded shopping then stopped. “That other one,” he pointed to the blood covered Vamp lying in the gutter, “question him and find out what he knows, ask Esther to help. If he seems beyond redemption, Sam, you know what to do.”

  Ronan walked away, wanting to find Starr, and he heard Sam answer, “Hell, yeah.”

  Chapter 12

  Starr stood in the entrance-way, a slew of elite guards around her. Ronan’s heart ached at the fear he saw on her pale face, all color having drained away. Her eyes were wide and she looked angry as well as scared...he knew the feeling because that was exactly how he felt.

  Fear that she had been in any kind of danger, his anger rising at those that still hunted her. He also felt rage that those two had got so close. Surely Esther’s spells should have alerted them?

  As soon as Starr could, she extricated herself from her ring of guards, flying into his arms. Ronan dropped the bags and enveloped her, holding her tightly against his body. She seemed so small and slight as he held her, so fragile. His heart lurched at the thought of anyone taking her away from him. Ronan knew it would destroy him if that happened.

  “Ronan! Ronan, can I talk to you a moment please?”

  Esther’s voice interrupted the silence, he looked and found her standing nearby, a calm smile on her face. ‘How the hell could she be calm after what just happened?’ he thought as he nodded his head, a grim look on his face.

  Ronan pulled away from Starr then picked up the bags once more. “Come on, we’ll get inside and then we can talk. Before we do, I have to warn you, Esther, I am not happy.”

  Starr held onto his arm as they made their way to the elevator, not letting go until they were safely inside their apartment. Ronan noticed that as soon as all three of them entered, she closed, locked and chained the door. The sight of her doing so was like a punch to his gut...once again, Starr did not feel safe in their home.

  Ronan moved quickly, taking the numerous shopping bags to their room, placing them on the bed and standing straight. He took several calming breaths before returning to the lounge area, finding Starr sitting on his recliner. He went over to the chair, ignoring Esther for the moment, removed Starr, sat down, then placed her on his knee. She snuggled into him, her heartbeats clear for him to hear.

  He knew adrenaline would be coursing through her system and he needed to calm her down. Holding her securely in his arms was the only way he knew how to do that. A moment or two later he heard her take a deep breath in, letting it out slowly, as her heartbeat returned to a more normal speed.

  Ronan’s own anger was veiled, not wanting Starr to feel the extent of his emotions, as he finally addressed the old Witch. “What happened?” His tone contradicted the way he felt and he was aware Esther would know this.

  Ronan heard her small feet walking closer to stand at the side of the chair, her eyes showed the anguish that was flowing through her. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what happened. You should have known. We all should’ve known. I have no excuses Ronan, none at all. I can only assume, I don’t have hard facts…”

  Ronan raised his eyes and met Esther’s, his own would definitely be showing his anger. “What can you assume?”

  Esther moved a little further forward. “I can only assume that the dark magic Witch has counteracted my wards and alert spells. The only way for me to neutralize that is for me to use dark magic also. Is that okay with you? If so, I can prepare myself and be ready later today to carry out the necessary spells.”

  Starr’s head swirled around, staring at Esther with something akin to shock on her face. “How? How do you wield dark magic?”

  Esther smiled down at the upturned face of the girl. “I do have a small supply of Dragon blood, which was gifted to me many years ago from a grateful Dragon, from Italy. However, there are other ways, not quite as powerful but more than sufficient to place some wards and spells. If I was going into a situation where I needed to deal with another dark magic Witch, then I would have to use a small part of my dwindling stock.”

  Ronan watched Starr’s reaction, noting the small puckering of the skin between her eyes, a sure sign she was thinking deeply. He was only slightly surprised at the words she spoke.

  “If you need some I’ll get Ronan to get you some of mine. I don’t want to upset you, but I don’t know you well enough to trust you to do it yourself.”

  Ronan tried hard not to laugh at the look on Esther’s face in reaction to Starr’s bluntness. He definitely didn’t blame Starr for her reticence, after all, she was only now learning to trust him. He saw Esther nodding and heard her quiet, “Thank you.”

  He hugged Starr closer to him, where she lay her head on his shoulder. “Okay, if you get me a syringe, with a large bore needle, I’ll get you a small amount. Please let me know when the new wards are in place, I’m going to have some guards on the roof until everything is safe again.”

  Esther’s voice was quiet as she spoke, it was obvious she was upset at what had just happened. “I’ll get to work on it now and I’m very sorry, Ronan, I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

  With that the old woman left, having to unlock and unchain the door to do so. As soon as she closed the door Starr went to move from his lap. He held her still, as she looked up into his face. “You’re safe here. There’s not a hope in hell that any hunters can get in the building and up here, so please, Starr, leave the door.”

  There was a moment when he thought she was going to argue, before her body relaxed and cuddled further into his hold. He pulled his phone out with his left hand and dialed Sam.

  “Sam, can you please ensure that there are elites on the roof. At least until Esther confirms she’s done new wards, she’s gonna use dark magic this time as she thinks
the hunter Witch used his to break through the ones already up. Can you also get a delivery of food sent up for Starr. I was going to take her out to dinner tonight, but now I think we should stay in. Also, how’s the interrogation going? And the trackers?”

  Ronan fired off his questions quickly, wanting the answers just as fast. His friend was all business as he replied, “Elites are already in place, I sent them up after you left. I’ll make sure the old Witch lets me know when things are in place. The interrogation is over, he had no information at all, the other Vampire that was there is his Sire and he was ordered to work with him. I’m not sure what to do with him though. If we let him go his Sire will easily find him and order him to work as a hunter again. On the other hand, we all know we can’t ignore a direct order from our Sire. So I’ll leave it up to you, he’s in the holding cells at the moment, so he’s not going anywhere. The trackers, Serge is leading them but so far they’re only tracking the scent, there’s no sign of him. If that changes I’ll let you know. Now, tell me, is Starr okay and is there anything else I can do?”

  Ronan thought that was the longest conversation he had heard from Sam in a while that was all business. No jokes, no cuss words, the tone, especially at the end, clearly showing how worried he was for Starr. Ronan knew this was one of the reasons he loved Sam like a brother. He knew Sam would always have his back, and do whatever it took to keep Starr safe.

  “Thanks, Sam, that’s everything. If we could get some food sent up for Starr later then we’ll be fine. Starr’s fine, just shook up as we thought we were safe here. Obviously, we made an error in judgment. They know she’s here now so we need everyone to be on alert...I mean everyone. Set up a rotation so that there are always patrols around the area, nothing is to be allowed through. The Witches especially have to be available, at all times, to counteract those dark magic Witches. We can’t take any more chances, Sam. After the bonding party I want to set up our own hunting parties. I want those fuckers found and dealt with. I’m not gonna sit around and wait on them coming after Starr. We take the fight to them from here on out.”

  Ronan stopped to take a calming breath, as Sam filled the silence. “Hell yeah, that’s what I’m talkin ‘bout! We’re gonna chase them right on back to Hell, where they came from, and that’s if they’re lucky!”

  Ronan chuckled at his friend’s response, Sam always did like a good fight, the more dangerous the better. “Okay, Sam, we’ll deal with them after the weekend. You let me know if Serge comes up with anything though. Just in case he does get a lead on that Vamp, he’s powerful, so he’s not just a bit of muscle like the others we’ve come across. I’ve a feeling that Vamp has all the information we’ll need to hunt these bastards down, so he’s a top priority.” Ronan darted his head down to place a gentle kiss on top of Starr’s hair, she looked up, a small smile playing on her lips.

  She was calm once more, her heart rate completely back to normal, as she relaxed in his arms. He tuned back into the conversation as Sam said, “No problem, talk later,” then hung up. He placed his phone on the side table next to his chair and settled down to just relax.

  After a very short time Starr struggled to sit up, turning and looking him all over. “You need to change and shower, you’ve got blood on you and it’s kinda getting to me. I can smell it on you and it’s not real pleasant.”

  He looked down and saw what she meant, blood splatters covering various areas of his clothing. The scent pungent and foul, how had he missed that? He guessed he had just been happy that Starr was safe and in his arms.

  Using his very strong, thick, thighs, he stood straight up, Starr still in his arms. Turning, he placed her back onto the leather. “Okay, I won’t be long.”

  Starr’s face showed a flash of panic before she seemed to get a hold of herself, gave him a small smile and nodded her head, as he walked to their room. He started to strip on the way, t-shirt in his hands and jeans unbuttoned by the time he reached their room. He removed his boots and jeans, placing the clothes in the hamper, before heading to the shower.

  Ronan washed quickly, not wanting to be away from Starr too long, grabbing a towel to wrap around him and a smaller one to towel dry his hair. His eyes nearly popped out of his head as he entered the bedroom, finding Starr laying on the top of the covers...resplendent in a set of her new lingerie–soft, black lace covering her breasts and very small, matching, thong panties.

  A small snarl escaped his throat, as he threw down the towel in his hand, before pulling away and discarding the one wrapped around his hips. Within the two seconds that it took, Ronan was already hard as he joined her on the bed.

  Neither spoke as he lay beside her, propped up on one elbow, as his other hand caressed the soft lace. Starr lay smiling up at him, his fingers playing and teasing, until her nipples were rock hard beneath the material. He bent his head forward, taking one into his mouth through the material, as his hand softly snaked lower to cup her mound.

  As she lay quivering at his touch, she let out a soft moan, arching her back towards him. Ronan moved his hand to slip inside her panties, gently rubbing her very sensitive spot, the resulting thrust upwards of her hips, having him chuckle against her breast.

  “Stop teasing, Fang,” she whimpered, as he continued to work her with his fingers.

  “Come for me, mo chroi, come for me now.” Ronan moved to take her mouth, sliding his tongue along her lips, nibbling on the bottom one, as he whispered against her.

  His fingers dipped lower, her opening warm and wet, pushing inside gently then moving back to her clit, her own juices coating her as he circled her swollen nub. As his lips and tongue took control of hers, her orgasm hit, moaning into his mouth and writhing beneath him. He kept his finger moving until she was completely finished, then lowered her panties completely.

  Ronan moved further down, taking the small lace panties from her ankles and throwing them on the floor. His hands ran up the insides of her legs as he crawled upwards, over her hips, up her stomach, finally resting on her breasts. He left the bra in place, only moving the lace down to free her pert, perfect mounds.

  His head followed his hands and his mouth started to suckle on one then the other, as his thighs spread her legs wide. His hardness jerked against her warmth, as he pushed to gain entrance. Her sheath slick and hot, he strained to contain himself.

  They moved as one, in tune with each other, as both rose to release. Ronan’s fangs erupted forcefully and he gently raked a breast with them. Starr moaned louder, grabbing hold of his head and pressing it into her chest. Ronan took this as an act of consent, so he pierced her soft skin and lapped gently at the blood that escaped. He licked over the wound to heal it before moving up towards her throat. The vein almost shouting aloud at him to come and feast.

  His razor sharp teeth sank in and he pulled mouthful after mouthful down inside him. Starr screaming beneath him with abandon, at the pleasure his bite elicited. Another moment and he forced himself to withdraw, roaring her name, as his seed erupted deep inside her. His heart pounded, his blood rushing through his system so fast, he could actually hear it, and his love for this woman grew to astronomical proportions.

  Ronan placed his forehead on Starr’s, his eyes boring into hers as he muttered, “Oh, Starr, táim i ngrá leat, táim i ngrá leat.”

  It appeared as if Starr guessed at the meaning of his Gaelic this time, as she answered, “I love you too.”

  Chapter 13

  The next few days seemed to fly past. Ronan and Starr staying locked up in the apartment, getting to know each other and spending hours and hours on the roof talking. Starr transformed once just to let Ronan retrieve some of her blood for Esther. He took only one small syringe full, refusing to take any more.

  His wonder at seeing the Dragon just as breathtaking as before, Ronan wished the threat to Starr had been taken care of because he wanted nothing more than to once again ride on her back. That wasn’t something he was willing to take the chance doing though, not until the hunter
s had been taken care of.

  Serge and his men worked tirelessly trying to track down the Vampire that had attacked them. But so far, they found nothing, not one single sign of him. Serge refused to give up and Sam told Ronan it appeared as if the Wolf was taking it as a personal affront that he couldn’t find him. Sam laughed as he relayed the information to Ronan, how Serge was angry, upset, and utterly confused as to why the Vampire continued to elude him.

  Ronan wished they could catch a break, but since the attack a few days ago there had been no sign of any hunters, either close to their office or anywhere in the surrounding area. The Bonding party was that night and come Monday morning he was going to be donning his combat gear and going hunting. He vowed not to stop until the threat had been eliminated, full stop!

  Ronan and Starr’s first argument had only just finished, his blood still rushing through his system alarmingly fast as he tried to damp down his anger. She had told him, not asked, but told him in no uncertain terms, that she was joining him in the hunt. He had used every inch of his six foot six to try to make her change her mind, even raising his voice at one point...a fact he now regretted.

  He was standing ramrod straight, his forehead leaning against the window in his lounge, as he stared outside. He didn’t see a thing, his mind going over and over the fact that his mate wanted to place herself in harm’s way. Not something a new bonded Vampire would ever agree to. However, Starr had been more than a match for him, standing toe to toe and staring up into his face with anger flashing in her eyes. At one point it almost looked as if there were fireworks going off in those violet pools.

  Ronan was now standing with only a towel wrapped around his hips as he tried to calm himself. Tonight was a big deal, it was their bonding party, everyone he cared about, apart from his Sire, would be there. His friends, his co-workers, his mate...a mate who was now royally pissed at him.