Touched by A Dragon:

by K. T. Stryker

  He slowly walked back to the fire and sat in the other chair. He looked me over and I flushed again, my eyes dropping to my lap.

  “Why do you do that? Drop your eyes like an errant child under the scrutiny of a parent?” he asked, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth when I glanced at him.

  “You remember having parents?” I asked, amazed.

  “Not as much as I have experienced being the parent, of sorts. These are monsters to you. To me, they are my children, the good ones and those who vex me, equally.”

  My shoulders sagged. “You aren’t all monsters,” I admitted. “But, Vittorio won’t be punished for what he did to me and David?” I asked him, doing my best to keep my voice measured and calm.

  “He is already being punished. He will not be killed so don’t ask for it. He’s special to me. He was my brother before we were turned and is the last surviving member of my birth family. And now, it is time for you to answer my questions, tiny hunter.” His voice was gentle. He smiled at me and my heart melted.

  “But you have so much more to teach me. What can I do, tell you the best cell phone provider and steer you toward the coolest clothing stores? I’m seventeen and I feel younger in terms of the world. I don’t know anything, except what the Venatores want me to. Because of you, now I know that’s practically nothing.” I took a breath. “But you must know so much, about where I’m from, and what I can do with this ability in my head.” I leaned forward and touched his hand without thinking, forgetting to breathe as electricity shot through me. I sat back and twisted my fingers together, afraid to look in his eyes.

  “You are very brash, for one who seems so afraid of herself.” He chuckled and my eyes met his as I glanced up in surprise.

  “I’m not afraid of myself, I’m afraid of everything else,” I corrected him, embarrassed and ashamed.

  “And yet, the only times I’ve seen you afraid, have been when you were confronted with your own power, your own emotions, and your own beauty.”

  I crimsoned, my face hot. He leaned forward and took my hand, making me tremble as a tingling sensation pulsed through my body. “You are beautiful, and wise, it is easy to forget how young you are.”

  “How old were you, when you were changed?” I asked taking my hands back from his grip.

  “I was twenty-two years old. Almost a man,” he scoffed. “Vittorio was nineteen. Even then, he had a predilection for causing fear in women. He preferred them uncertain and unbalanced when he courted them.”

  I shook my head at him. “I admit, this blanket is not enough cover if he’s going to be the topic.” I shuddered as the mood changed with mention of his brother’s name.

  “We are, who we are. When we’re infected, we don’t change; we simply become more of who we already are. Hunting our food is necessity. Not all are cruel; some refuse human blood altogether. Others,” he sighed and stared into the fire, “others were never human, and they too become even more monstrous than they were.”

  “But you let them live,” I coaxed, and he scoffed and stood, towering over me with the flames behind him, casting an eerie shadow.

  “You live among hunters, who do not discern between good or evil, but if given the chance will hunt everything and anything that is different from them and you presume to judge me?” he stated. His voice was cold and flat and my mouth dried up even as my palms dampened. “What exactly was your brother up to, when you were taken? He is a predator too, after all. How long would you have looked the other way as he used his ability to prey on the women around him?”

  “He can’t help it!” I began, but something in his eyes made me stop. “You have that same ability,” I accused him. “I’ve felt it and seen it work.”

  “But you do not feel it now, do you?” He asked, coldly. For the second time in hours, tears stung my eyelids as I realized the truth of what he said.

  “I think you were right, after all. I’m sorry I asked you to stay, you have much more important business to attend to,” I said. I was proud that at least my voice did not betray the pain I felt as I thought about how long I had desired David; possibly against my own will.

  “I’ll send Rachel to you. You need to be dressed before you say goodbye to your David.”

  “He’s not my—” I started to argue, but slammed my mouth shut and nodded. He left without a sound besides the loud click of the door being locked. I was left reeling from the understanding that my best friend had used his glamor on me for years to manipulate me. It wasn’t until I felt the darkness fall over the last rays of a sunset I couldn’t even see; that I realized I had failed to ask what should have been the most important question of all. What was going to happen to me now?

  Chapter 13

  It was only a few minutes before Rachel joined me, her arms full of fabric. She didn’t greet or speak to me and I was afraid that my last words with her master had pushed him too far. I obediently stood and moved as she gestured, helping her dress me, and tried to fight my tears. She had been kind, almost warm, but it was my fault for forgetting what she was and what I was to her.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered, the words slipping out without my meaning them to. I thought of Simi; the bold, brash hunter who had pushed me harder than any of the others in my class. I also thought of Dominique who had told me I was special and given me her own spells to learn from on my own. I was apologizing to the vampire for being a hunter. In my thoughts, it was the hunter’s I was too ashamed to face again.

  I felt a hand on my shoulder and when I turned the eyes peering into mine weren’t angry, but sympathetic. Rachel winked at me and walked over to the wall nearest the bookshelves. She turned an old-fashioned switch I’d missed in my exploration of the room and low, flickering Edison bulbs glowed. She motioned me to her and when I got close enough; she pulled down the collar of her dress to show me a long, crooked line of dried blood across her throat. I gasped and she folded her collar up.

  “Who?” I asked, but I was sure I knew. “Nicholas?” I suggested, and she shook her head. “Vittorio.” I growled. She set her mouth in a thin line. “How?” I asked then waved my hands. “I’m sorry. It’s not my place, even if you could speak.”

  “Oh, she’ll be talking soon enough,” said a low, husky voice that sent chills down my spine.

  “Hello, Colette,” I replied, staring wide-eyed at Rachel, but managing to keep my voice calm.

  “Witch,” the vampire whined, “I’m losing my plaything because of you.”

  “And here I was thinking you were alive because of me,” I scoffed. Rachel gave me her arm, as though to escort me, and placed herself between us.

  “The coffin wouldn’t have killed me. It won’t kill Vittorio either. But you had best hope that the master doesn’t decide to make you his servant and keep you, because his brother will only be crazier and angrier when he finally gets out.” I paused and looked her in the eyes.

  “What do you mean?” I asked. Rachel prodded me ahead and I glared at her before moving.

  “That’s for the master to share, not me,” Colette gloated. I made a rude noise at her and let Rachel escort me. I was fully aware that I was only brave with her at my side. Colette wanted me to ask, which made me want to do anything but ask her. However, even as I silently swore to say nothing to him, my curiosity grew.

  Rachel led me along the corridor and down the sweeping staircase. It curved around, just as I’d seen when I’d reached out with my ability. Emboldened by my earlier success, I tried again. I lowered my eyelids and let Rachel be my eyes while I reached out with my mental “fingers” of psychic power and looked ahead. At the bottom of the stairs I saw two vampires standing on either side of the staircase in servant’s uniforms, with white linen shirts tucked into black fitted trousers, with matching black vests and white gloves.

  The light was brighter at the bottom of the stairs than it had been in either of the quarters I’d been held in. It occurred to me that while the room was the Master’s, he probably spent very litt
le time there. In the large foyer at the bottom of the stairs, a chandelier hung glittering high above our heads; more lights shone from sconces on every wall. The entrance was ahead of us and as I turned I saw a double door that mirrored the one I’d just been facing. It led under the stairs and was also manned by footmen.

  I was led through the interior doors, which were served by another set of vampire footmen; then we walked down the stairs toward the ballroom. The sheer amount of gold in the ceiling and walls was staggering. It served to amplify the light from the giant chandeliers that hung on each end of the dance floor.

  “Is there a ball tonight?” I murmured to Rachel, once I found my voice.

  “No. There is an emissary from the Venatores lamiae arriving to collect your hunter-friend.” Her voice was rough and raw and barely more than a whisper because of her injuries. I felt a stab of shame that I’d forgotten her injury in my panic at the scene before me. Knowing how fast my hand had healed, I was afraid to even speculate at the severity of her original injury.

  I could infer from the number of servants alone that Nicholas wanted to impress upon the visiting hunters both his civility and his strength. Fear speared through me like ice and I clung to Rachel as if I was still a child and she could protect me. But, it wasn’t the vampires lounging in every corner and at every table that overlooked the ballroom floor that I was afraid of. It was the bloodshed I was becoming increasingly certain was about to occur.

  “Rachel, tell me, how long have we been here?” I glanced up at her, but I couldn’t stop looking into every shadow, trying to count the number of vampires behind the vast amount of power being pushed at me.

  “Only a few days,” Rachel said quietly, her whisper full of gravel.

  “A few days,” I repeated. “It feels like forever. I want to go home, but...” I sighed and turned away from her scrutiny.

  She found me a bench against a wall and even though it meant there were vampires above me I couldn’t see; I felt safer there under the bright lights. I stared around me, knowing my eyes were too wide and afraid, and my blood was pounding through my veins too fast. I tried to control both as best I could. Even so, when I saw Nicholas burst through the doors, all logical thought fled my mind.

  He was dressed in red and black; his tight, shiny leather pants laced up the front and tucked into boots that hit him just above the knee. His shirt was silk, a red so dark, it looked like it had been dipped in fresh blood before he put it on. It was unbuttoned low on his chest; framing the flawless white marble of his chest and throat beneath the black scruff along his jaw. Rachel tipped my face up to her and gently shut my mouth at the same time; keeping eye contact with me until I came back to myself.

  “What was that?” I managed to cough out.

  “Not for you,” she whispered in her harsh, grated tone. I nodded and stared at her while I built up my psychic shield. “Faster next time,” she chided, stretching her head to the left, and then the right. “Getting better,” she added softly, patting the cameo in the hollow at the base of her throat.

  I watched as a group of musicians descended the stairs and sat in the corner across the room from me. They tuned their instruments and began a waltz; I watched as vampires filled the floor for a dance. The musicians had no power when I tried to reach out to them. It was then that I realized that they were more human even than I was. There was no taste of power of any kind as I watched the vampires around them; dancing in sweeping, graceful circles across the floor.

  “Not a ball, huh?” I asked, shooting Rachel a look. She smiled and shrugged. “We put on our show, then the Venatores put on their show, and then we get down to business.” I looked around for anyone who stood out as a hunter among the vampires but they hadn’t arrived. I couldn’t see a hunter anywhere; none that I was aware of.

  Occasionally I caught a glimpse of Nicholas, leaning over the hand of some female vampire or other; or he was speaking closely with one of the vampires I assumed were his lieutenants. He was so handsome and untouchable. I was afraid he’d never come to me after irritating him in his quarters.

  The air grew static with anticipation as vampires opened themselves up and pushed out with their power, flexing for each other and deafening me with the sheer press of psychic energy against me. I stretched my jaw and tried to pop my ears, but the pressure was steady and unyielding. My fidgeting increased as my discomfort grew, and the musicians played on without a skipped beat; completely unaware of the danger they were in.

  I glanced up at Rachel and shook my head, jerking to my feet. I needed to get out of that room, away from all that power, before I imploded from the forces pressing against my skull and ribcage. She took my hand and tried to help me walk as I leaned against the wall for ballast. I felt one last push; something new; different from any of the posturing vampires, or Nicholas, or even Vittorio. The violent stab broke the damn in my head.

  I released every ounce of power clinging to my mind, shaking it off like a wet dog and flinging it to every corner of the room. My chest was heaving as I tried to fill my lungs. Vampires on the dance floor faltered. Even those standing against the rails above staggered back in shock as I expelled every ounce of energy and sagged; shaking against Rachel.

  “Little fool,” she hissed, and glanced around furtively, looking for an escape, as the vampires all turned and honed in on me. In an instant, Nicholas was upon me, his hands on my waist, before he spun me out onto the dance floor.

  “I can’t dance, I can’t even feel my feet from all that power,” I whispered in a panic, even though whispering was useless in a room full of super-predators with preternatural hearing.

  “Then it’s just as well you can’t shield right now,” he replied glibly. I felt him enter my mind; a gentle, sensuous touch that showed me images of my limbs moving in time with his, making me feel the way my feet should step with the beat. I stared into his jewel-green eyes and let myself fall, trusting him to keep me safe and not let me make a fool of myself. In that moment, I understood that they were the same goal.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered so softly it was almost just a movement of my lips. He gave a small nod and I knew he recognized I meant for more than just losing control of my shielding.

  “They know you’re powerful now. I don’t know if I can keep you out of our turmoil. You must go with the Venatores,” he admitted. His voice and eyes seemed as unhappy with the prospect as I was about leaving him. Vampires stared from every corner as we swayed together, my body pressed to his.

  “I’m sorry. I’ll stay without complaining; I promise. I’ll do whatever you need.” I suddenly felt black despair at the thought of leaving him, so many questions unanswered; so much about him I still wanted to learn. He twirled me and held me close by turns, dancing until I felt dizzy and weak in the knees. I wanted to dance with him for the rest of the night, and long after. I felt him in my mind and tilted my head so he could kiss me again. My fingers grazed jaw and my other hand went to his chest over his heart. I felt it beating stronger than I ever thought possible, in time to mine.

  I felt his fingers in the loose curls of hair at my neck, and then, nothing. He stiffened and pulled away from me. Before I could register my shock and disappointment I heard a familiar voice behind me and felt Nicholas’ presence leave my mind and shut the door behind him. He had repaired my shield and protected me, without my knowing it. The invasive breadth of his power quickly brought me to myself and I turned to face the men and women standing at the top of the stairs. They were men and women for sure!

  Dominique stood with them, her eyes soft and concerned as they met mine. However, Eldritch and Somayo, one of our lead hunters, looked down at me with open disgust; Simi wouldn’t meet my eyes at all. Somayo moved to one side so I could see that David had been hidden behind his massive frame. He was still pale and his cuts and bruises lay in sharp relief to the whiteness of his normally tan Latino complexion. He stepped forward and glared balefully at me out of his one good eye and I felt my chin jut in
automatic response to his judgement.

  “Nicholas, Master of Los Angeles, we greet you,” Professor Eldritch called out; while the hunters all pointed weapons close to the vampires, if not quite at them. I took a deep breath and waited for Nicholas to speak. He stepped forward, putting himself between me and my people and I made a sound of dismay and argument, before a nudge of power from him stole the sound from my lips. I clutched at my throat and looked around for Rachel, who was watching the scene from a position near the human musicians, her skirt hiked up to show a long knife in a garter.

  “You look well, Lady Borgia,” Nicholas said, turning toward the sorceress. “The centuries have been good to you.”

  “You as well, my lord De Elbrecht,” she replied without inflection. “Now that we have reminded everyone in the room of who is titled, and who is not, perhaps we can get on with the exchange.” Nicholas gestured toward David and I tried to creep around his side to better see the hunters that were still stacked up behind Eldritch.

  “You still have something of ours, my lord,” Somayo reminded him, his voice dripping with sarcasm at the title. Nicholas’ chin went up and Somayo staggered as a wall of power slammed into him, and only him.