Knights of Black Swan, Books 7-9 (Knights of Black Swan Box Set Book 3)

by Victoria Danann

  Sol stood up, looking at ease with arms crossed over his chest, and answered slowly. “Seen the news lately? The numbers of missing women have become alarming and we’re not getting anywhere. Not to mention the fact that our best team has been off duty for a while.” He let that hang in the air for a moment, probably to make us feel guilty. It worked. “We’ve reached a point where the potential benefit outweighs the risk.”

  I threw my hands up in frustration and then grabbed for the rib that protested mightily. I decided ‘twas time to sit and try to calm myself.

  “You’ve asked Elora to perform a service for The Order. She said yes. I don’t mean this to sound disrespectful, but why are we here?”

  When Kay said “we”, he nodded toward Storm and me.

  “Because you’re going to escort her there and back.”

  Storm made a rude noise that sounded a lot like disbelief, but Kay went on. “What does he mean by private, unbound audience?”

  “It would be more accurate to say semi-private. There’s a very large mirror in his, ah, room that is observation glass on the other side. You’ll be able to hear and see everything that transpires.”

  Elora laughed softly. “Well, we must be certain you all feel more secure.” She looked at Sol in open challenge. “I have a condition.” We all looked at her. “When we return, I want to be accorded the same freedoms as anyone else. I want to be able to go shopping or to performances of the arts or take classes or whatever. In the future, whether or not I’m ‘accompanied’ should be my decision.”

  Sol sat down at the end of the table. “I can’t give an answer without consulting with Monq.”

  “Alright. Get him in here.” Elora sounded imperious.

  “I’d watch my tone if I were you, young lady.”

  Elora rose in an explosion of intensity that startled all of us. “I don’t work for you, Mister Sovereign. And unless you want to change that and make my employment official, what exactly is my motivation for ‘watching my tone?’ What am I to fear? Incarceration?” The last word was scalding with sarcasm. “It’s simple. You need something from me. I need something from you. If such negotiating tactics work for a vampire, why not for me?”

  Sol appraised her with a hard glint in his eye and a tick in his jaw. Then he reached for his phone and dialed Monq. “Can you come to my office straightaway?” He said to the group in general, “Wait here,” and left the room.

  It was a stunner to see my sweet, and normally gentle, woman act like a meth-crazed commando. She just kept gettin’ more and more interestin’.

  Kay looked at Elora. “No need to hold back. Just come straight out and say how you feel.”

  “Look,” said Storm, “I know this place must feel confining.” Elora snorted. “And I agree it’s time to adjust your security clearance so you can move around more freely, but this audience with Baka thing… Ram is right.” He glanced toward me in acknowledgement and I thought surely we must have been transported to another dimension ourselves. ‘Twas simply no’ part of Storm’s M.O. to say things like, ‘Ram is right’. “For once.” He had to add that. O’ course. “You don’t just have tea with a vampire. They’re danger in the first degree. Tricky. Lethal. And evil -regardless of what the training manual says. And this is the oldest one we know of.”

  Elora was unmoved. “I’m not being dismissive. I’ve spent enough time with the manual and the annals to know that what you’re saying is true. But I’m not the girl next door.” Reconsidering that, she turned and gave me a conspiratorial smile. “Well, I am the girl next door to you.” To Storm, she stated the obvious. “I’m strong and fast.”

  “And way too cocky!” Storm interrupted.

  “Even if that was true, it’s not your call, Sir Storm,” she said.

  “And you’re not worried about the fact that he specified ‘unbound’? If all he wants to do is talk, why would he care whether he’s bound or not?” Storm asked.

  “Good point,” I said with a finger pointed at Storm to indicate that I was in complete agreement. Therefore, she should listen to me.

  Kay said, “Putting that aside for now, there’s the issue of trance.” He looked ‘round. “We had nearly a decade of training to resist it. It’s not something you can pick up in a weekend workshop. If you’re hypnotized, all the strength and speed in the world won’t help you.”

  “Not a problem. I’m not hypnotizable.” She looked at me. “Is that a word?” I stared, no’ knowin’ whether or no’ it was a word and no’ carin’ . Vocabulary was the last thing on my mind. When I did no’ respond, she said, “Ask Monq,” then looked at her fingernails.

  The three of us were exchangin’ looks indicatin’ various degrees of shock, when Sol and Monq walked in.

  Kay got right to it, which was more than fine by me. “Is it true she can’t be hypnotized?”

  “Yes. It’s true,” Monq said. “A very useful trait should she decide to proceed with the meeting.”

  I could no’ believe my ears. Monq was supposed to be the smartest of all of us.

  Elora looked at Sol. “Did I mention that somebody needs to take care of my dog while I’m gone? Someone of my choosing.”

  Storm looked at Monq like he was a traitor. “You’re going along with this madness?”

  He was nonplussed. “Sir Storm, this is an ideal assignment for Ms. Laiken and, so far as security clearance goes, her profile scores indicate candidacy for top level duty.” He leaned toward Storm and stage whispered loud enough for all of us to hear. “She outscored you!”

  Storm huffed in response. “Why not just bring him here?”

  “Baka has proven to be reliable to the letter of written agreement. Once a deal is made, he can be trusted to abide by it, but he will not hesitate to take advantage of any contractual loophole, no matter how minute.

  "We brought him here to assess the developing situation before it gets away from us completely, but transporting him, and striking bargains with him, well, there’s always a slight chance that we didn’t write a flawless contract. The facility in Romania is without equal. Until we need him out, he stays in.”

  Quietly, Elora turned toward Sol. “So. Do we have a deal?”

  He looked her over and said, “Yes. If you take the vow of secrecy. And, by the way, since you work for me now, you will give me the deference I require.”

  “Yes sir,” she said, nodding seriously.

  “You need to go get your inoculation.”

  “What’s involved in that?”

  “You never had shots as a child?”

  “You mean with needles like they use in the infirmary?”

  “Yes.”

  “No.”

  “Well, they administer tiny little doses of the vampire virus combined with an antidote and it instigates an immunity in your system.”

  “Okay.” Then she brightened and turned to the three of us. “Road trip!” She sounded like we were off to Disneycamp. I was gettin’ angrier by the minute because I believed both Sol and Monq had downplayed the danger of bein’ alone in a room with the most infamous vampire ever. No’ havin’ ever faced a vampire, she could no’ begin to imagine what it meant. To her the prospect was as much at arm’s length as one of her stupid stories. “When do we leave? How long will we be gone and, most importantly, what do I wear?”

  Storm lifted his chin at Monq, crossed his arms over his chest. “What if the three of us refuse to go?”

  Bam! I thought. A trump card. Way to go, Storm.

  “Then we’ll send one of the other teams,” Sol replied and I deflated just as quickly as I’d been excited.

  Storm pressed his lips together, probably to keep from turnin’ the air blue. I flopped into my chair in utter disgust, but my rib immediately reminded me there was a price to pay for forgettin’ the injury. I winced, but did no’ make a sound.

  It seemed we had no other options. If we did no’ go, some other team that cared less about Elora’s well bein’ would take our place and that was unac
ceptable. All we could do was go along and hope for the best.

  The Operations Office arranged for papers so that she could travel internationally. I went with her for the first shot in the series.

  When she looked alarmed at the sight of the needle, I said, “’Tis no’ nearly as long or scary as vamp fangs.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me and took the shot like a champ. I waited with her for the two hours of observation required. While we were waitin’, we started the process of gettin’ her outfitted for the trip.

  I sat my laptop on the table and answered her questions about what to take. At the end of the two hours, we moved the operation to her apartment.

  ‘Twas heaven bein’ close enough to smell her jasmine scent and feel the radiance of her body heat. ‘Twas hell to be so close to her and no’ reach out to wind that shiny hair around my fist, or bury my face in her neck. Or pull her close to find out if her body would mold to mine the way I fantasized that ‘twould. A thousand times an hour.

  As she concentrated on laptop shoppin’, I took my time studyin’ every luscious curve. Sometimes I thought she might be turned on by my attention, because I’d have the pleasure of watchin’ her nipples tighten and bud through the lightweight silk knit top, but it could have been drafts.

  My hands were so close to reachin’ out and touchin’ that I had to put them between my thighs and the chair, literally sittin’ on them.

  I chose to believe that she worked hard to ignore the signals passin’ between our bodies because the alternative was that she really was no’ that interested. Paddy. I had no idea what I’d do in that event.

  I saw that she’d ‘gone away’ again, lost in thought. I tapped her knee lightly. “Elora?” When her eyes unclouded and she focused on me, I said, “Welcome back.”

  “Sorry.” She smiled. “Where were we?”

  “Talkin’ about dress-for-warmth technology. I think you’d look good in that color.” I pointed at a jacket that was a dark red and slapped away the thought that ‘twas the color of new blood. “O’ course you look good in every color.”

  “Silver tongue.”

  I smiled. “Come taste.”

  It had become a familiar exchange. I could no’ wait for the day when she would no’ reply with a scoff and a huff.

  “That takes care of clothes. Now on to the next homework phase.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I need to learn all I can about this Istvan Baka. Right now, all I know is that he’s an old vampire held captive by Black Swan, he’s good at negotiating, and he’s arrogance personified.”

  “How do you know that? The arrogance, I mean.”

  “That day I saw him in the Hub. It was written all over him.”

  “Oh. Well, I’m no’ exactly the end-all authority, but I’ve heard he sits in a plush accommodation writin’ vampire romance novels under a nom de plume. And that they’re best sellers.”

  She blinked slowly. “You are joking, right?”

  “I can see why you’d think so. It does sound fanciful and farfetched. The irony is juicy, huh?” I stood up, stretched and yawned. Either the healin’ or the worry about Elora was drainin’ my energy. “Probably just a rumor.”

  That was when I caught her starin’ at my abs. “Hey! Caught you checkin’ out the machine. Look at this.”

  I raised my tee and treated her to my version of a belly dance. The fact that I was able to it without pain meant I was almost well.

  It took longer than expected for her to pull her eyes away and say, “Ughhhh!” She closed the laptop with a resolute click. “Does it even cross your mind that this is not appropriate behavior? You could use a few months of finishing school, you know that? On second thought, make that years.”

  “Finishin’ school?” I repeated and said, “Now that is a joke!” Would she no’ just be astounded to learn that royal progeny get ‘finished’ to death?

  “No, it’s not a joke! Blackie has better manners than you do, elf.”

  I toyed with bein’ offended, but decided ‘twas a fair comment. After all, part of my rebellion against bein’ a royal was to reject cultivated aires.

  “Really? That bein’ the case, in your book it would be better manners for me to fall on my back with big, naked balls rollin’ from side to side, tongue hangin' out, askin’ for a nice tummy rub? 'Cause I can manage that. Right here and now.” I pointed at a spot on the floor next to her feet and imagined gettin’ naked, rollin’ around, and beggin’ like Blackie did. Maybe he was onto something.

  “And besides…“ She had a way of sidesteppin’ when she did no’ want to answer a question, “…doesn’t that,” she pointed to my stomach, “hurt your injury?” Her eyes then narrowed to slits. “Or have you been faking this whole time to get attention?”

  Faking it? I could no’ seem to form a thought beyond that grossly unfair accusation. The very person who'd done the damage claimin’ I was fakin’! I think my mouth was hangin’ open when I saw the mischievous light in her eye and knew she was baitin’ me.

  “Got cha.”

  I felt an appreciative smile formin’ all of its own accord. “Seems I’ve taught you well.”

  She huffed and gave a throaty kind of laugh I had no’ heard before, but definitely wanted to hear again. In addition to makin’ me rock hard, it made me want to press my face between her breasts and ask her to do it again so I could feel the vibration.

  In truth, I did no’ know how much longer I could hold out. Flirtin’ with Elora was fun. Sure. But no’ as much fun as touchin’. Wouldn’t you know that the first woman to no’ be throwin’ herself at me would be my mate?

  How’s that for karma?

  I mean, it had been almost six weeks since I’d had a good body-buffin’. First time that could be said since I was, well, let’s just say I was young. As it turned out, everything they said about wantin’ your mate and just your mate was true. Seemed my only chance of ever gettin’ laid again was to wait until Elora realized that we were supposed to be together.

  Human-elf pairin’s were uncommon, but did happen occasionally. I’m no’ sure about what Mother Nature was thinkin’ on that one because humans are no’ monogamous like elves. For one thing.

  CHAPTER 13

  Ram

  Storm and Kay were already waitin’ at the jeeps in front of J.U., talkin’ to the drivers, when I held the door open for Elora. She hesitated.

  “What’s wrong?” I said.

  She smiled at me. “It’s an occasion. The first time I’ve been outside in this world.”

  My heart clenched in my chest at the simple happiness she expressed from something taken so much for granted.

  She stepped through the door pullin’ her rollin’ bag, and looked up into the night sky. “Look, Ram, the moon is almost full. What a beautiful night.”

  Storm gestured for Elora to climb into the backseat of the jeep nearest him and she did. He swung himself in next to her before I had a chance to protest, leavin’ me standin’ there with my thumb in my butt.

  I got in the other jeep with Kay, but had a sour feelin’ about her ridin’ next to Storm.

  “What’s the matter with you?” Kay said.

  “Nothin’.” I pouted.

  “Uh-huh.”

  When we pulled up to the jet on the tarmac, I saw Storm lean over and whisper something in Elora’s ear. That was when I realized it would be a miracle if I got through this without killin’ my teammate.

  I hurried to get on board so I could snag the seat next to Elora no matter where she decided to sit. She went straight for the bench seat and strapped herself in. I practically dove for the seat next to her and looked up in time to see the consternation on Storm’s face. Now I must tell you, I had no desire to flaunt my success, but I could no’ have suppressed a smirk if my knighthood depended on it.

  Storm sat down across from us and looked at me like he wanted to scrape me off his boot.

  I heard Elora’s voice and looked up, but she was talkin�
� to Storm. “So, what’s up with the V.I.P. treatment?”

  “The Order owns six of these. We share this one with other installations in North America, but they’re shuffled as needed.”

  “And you’re not worried about the carbon footprint?”

  Storm looked confused and glanced at me, as if I knew what the fuck that might be, before sayin’, “What’s a carbon footprint?”

  “It’s the ecological cost of the amount of fossil fuel being burned.”

  He shook his head. “We’ve been on nuclear for a long time.”

  “Okay.” That seemed to resolve that Q and A. “So how long is the flight? And where are we landing?”

  “Bucharest,” he said. “About eight and a half hours from now. We’ll have some dinner and sleep through the trip. When you wake up, we’ll be in Romania.”

  Once we were at cruise altitude, Minerva came by to rattle off what was stocked in the kitchen. I noticed that Minerva spoke to me and made a point of pretendin’ that Elora was no’ on the plane.

  “Give us a minute,” I told her. She smiled her Hollywood smile and moved to the back to discuss the menu with Kay.

  Elora leaned into me and whispered. How pitiful was it that her breath on my face was the most erotic thing I’ve ever felt. My entire body tensed like ‘twas turned to stone.

  “Would you get me a corned beef on rye with Dijon? And a Diet Coke with lime?”

  “O’ course. Would you like to tell me why you do no’ want to order for yourself?”

  “I want to get to Romania alive. So I think it’s best that Cat Face not know which food is mine.”

  I pulled back to see her face and chuckled. “Cat Face, eh? I can get her fired if you want.”

  Elora cocked her head. “Really?” I nodded. “No. I don’t want to get her fired, but she won’t be getting a tip from me.”

  My laughter got a smile out of her and a scowl from Storm sittin’ across the aisle from us.

  When the food arrived, she took the deli sandwich and left to go sit next to Kay. That was no’ part of my plan, but at least Kay was no’ a rival. I knew this because he made no secret that he was committed to his girl. Body, heart, and soul. Maybe Berserkers were monogamous like elves. I’d never asked. We usually practiced the don’t-ask rule in B Team, accordin’ to the philosophy that if a bloke has something to share, he will do so unprompted.