by M Guida
“What secret entrance?”
“According to King Nico, it’s only through Shadow Tower. Only vampires knew about it.”
Lucien cocked his eyebrow. “You and Dante knew about this passageway?”
Two red balloons formed on Katona’s pretty cheeks. “Okay, no. We didn’t know about it. Apparently, Anton had warded it, but King Nico knew the counter spell.”
Lucien laughed and tossed his head back. “I bet that stuck in Anton’s crawl.”
Amusement flared in Katona’s bright blue eyes. “I have never seen Anton so surprised. I think King Nico is more mysterious than Anton.”
“Is he as old as Anton?”
Katona slapped her thigh. “Heavens, no. Dante and I were born vampires, so was King Nico. Anton was actually one of the first vampires. There are rumors he was made by Vlad, the first vampire.”
All the Vlad movies flashed in my mind and I couldn’t believe I was related to the most vampire of all time. “You mean Dracula turned him?”
Katona winked. “Worried you’re related to Dracula?”
It was my time for heat to flash over my cheeks. “I see Rhys spilled the beans.”
Katona smiled amusingly. “When have you ever known Rhys to keep a secret?”
“I resent that.” Rhys’ teasing tone made us all turn.
Rhys and Dante had quietly slipped into the infirmary. Dante was a treat for sore eyes. He was just as dashing as the tall, dark, mysterious type with his long black hair and deep brown eyes.
Dante put his finger to his lips. “Shhh. If Greenwood, hears us. He’ll chase us out.”
“Correction––I have heard.” Dr. Greenwood stood glowering from his office. He pointed. “Now, out.”
I was tired of lying around. “Dr. Greenwood,” I asked shyly. “Can I please get up?”
He motioned with his hands. “Shooo. All of you. You too, Lucien.”
Lucien stood and stuck out his chin. “I’m not leaving.”
Dr. Greenwood put his hands on his hip and went nose-to-nose with him. “If you wake, Xavier, I’ll personally see that you end up in a bed next to him permanently.”
Not wanting to see them getting into a shouting match and waking Xavier, I cleared my throat. “Lucien, I’ll get dressed and join you outside.”
Dr. Greenwood flashed his gaze over me. “If I think you’re ready to get up.”
I swear he used that tone to piss off Lucien who had a murderous look in his eyes.
Katona looped her arm through Lucien’s. “Come on, Mr. Warrior. Give your mate some breathing room so she can get dressed.”
I flashed Katona gratefully look. Lucien reluctantly allowed her to escort him out of the infirmary with both Rhys and Dante following close behind.
After the door shut, Dr. Greenwood put his palm on my forehead. “How are you feeling better?”
My stomach growled. I nodded. “I am. I’m a little hungry.”
“Would you like some Forest Amaranth broth? I can make some quick.”
My dragon protested. “As much as I would like some, I think I need something more substantial.”
He pushed out his lips. “Forest Amaranth broth fulfills all of your needs.”
“I’m sorry.” I flashed him my best pleading look that usually helped me get out of trouble when I was a kid. “It really is delicious, but what I really want is to be with the Defenders again.”
His eyes softened, and the tight lines around his mouth faded. “I understand.” He sighed. “You don’t have a fever, but I wouldn’t suggest you battle any more shadow demons for the time being.”
“I won’t.” I grinned and glanced over at Xavier. “What about him?”
“I’ve given him a sleeping draught. He won’t wake for a couple of hours.” He bowed slightly. “If you’ll excuse me, I must check on my patient.”
Within a few minutes, I pulled on my clothes. I noticed they weren’t the same ones I’d worn when I fought the shadow demons. Someone must have brought me some clean ones. I threw on a pair of jeans and a purple T-shirt.
I checked on Xavier before I left. He was still pale, but he seemed to breathe easier.
When I came outside, I immediately smelled roasting meat, and my mouth watered. My friends sat around the fire pit. I didn’t see the Kings, Anton, or Montae, and I was glad. I just wanted to be with the Defenders.
Lucien looked up and grinned. He hurried over to me. The breeze brushed his fine jet-black hair over his high-boned cheeks. The sunshine highlighted his face, revealing the dark shadow of a beard that would gently chafe my skin when we kissed. He was by far and away the most dangerously handsome Defender under the wide blue sky. At Legacy, the girls had always openly admired him while the guys had marked him a force to be reckoned with.
And he was mine.
He lifted me up around the waist and twirled me around. “Finally escaped from the dungeon?”
I gave him a teasing smile. “The infirmary is hardly a dungeon.”
“Not when you’re locked up with Montae and cut off from you.” He tilted his dark head.
I stared at his lips and her own slackened as a spray of goosebumps shivered up her arms.
He kissed me so deep, long, and tender that I leaned into him and moved my palms up his broad chest to lock around his neck. Heat coursed through my veins, and when his calloused hand slip around my neck, tremors spread down my spine. I curled my fingers into his thick hair.
He looked down at me with hooded eyes. “I’ve missed kissing you.”
“And I you. I’ve been so hungry for you.”
My stomach let out a lion roar, and my cheeks heated.
He tilted his head back and laughed, making his chest rumble. “And here I thought I was what you were hungry for.”
I ran the tips of my fingers down his back and grinned as he trembled. “Do I scare you?”
“Only the thought of losing you.”
Someone cleared their deep throat. We both groaned.
Montae turned visible. “The kings have requested your presence on dinner.”
The Defenders were heading toward the cafeteria, so tonight wouldn’t be a cookout.
I gave him a stern look. “Do you always sneak up on people when they’re in an intimate moment?”
He grinned mischievously. “Only when I’m sent on an errand.” He headed across the courtyard. “I think you’ll be surprised of the guest who came with King Nico.”
I searched Lucien’s eyes. “What’s he talking about?”
Lucien avoided my gaze and then clasped my hand. “Come on. You’ll see.”
He out stretched out my arm, but I refused to move. “Tell me now.”
Lucien pursed his lips to hide a smile. “Do you want to sit here and argue?” He gestured with his arm. “Or do you want to meet the surprise guest?”
I let a long frustrated sigh. “I’m not sure I like the surprises that have been coming my way.”
But I stopped fighting him and allowed him to lead toward the cafeteria. The smell of roasting meat, fried potatoes, and bake bread made stomach jump up and down with happiness. I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten, and I was starving.
When we walked inside, I stopped dead in my tracks, my hunger forgotten. I couldn’t breathe and I squeezed Lucien’s hand tight. The Defenders sat at the Royal table, but a guy with the same red hair as Bo had his back to me.
I looked up at Lucien. “Who is that?”
“Bo’s younger brother, Zayne.” He tilted head toward the table that was crowded with three kings, Anton, and Montae.
My eyes nearly bulged out of my head. “What?”
“Zayne defied his father’s wishes and escaped from Embers Kingdom. He wants revenge for his brother’s death. He and Bo were very close.”
“But won’t the king coming looking for him?”
“Yes,” he said grimly. “Hopefully, there won’t be war over him coming here. King Jackson’s not right in his mind and might blame us fo
r kidnapping the next heir to the throne.”
I clasped Lucien’s arm. “That’s the last thing we need.”
Anton beckoned with his hand. “Raven and Lucien, please come over here.”
My gut tightened as the third king stared at me curiously. He sat next to Anton and looked like an older version of Dante. Unlike his son, he had short curly hair that curled around the nape of his neck and framed his face. He was a handsome devil, and he filled out his black sweater nicely, but what caught my attention was the red cross he wore around his neck. It was similar to the one that Anton wore.
“King Nico, this is Raven Erickson, the Golden Phoenix’s daughter.”
King Nico rubbed his dark beard. “Like your father, I’ve heard many tales about you.”
Montae grinned behind the rim of his wineglass and I wanted to spill it all over him.
I couldn’t shake the fear gripping my gut. The hair rippled on the back of my neck and I bowed my head. “Your Majesty.”
“I went to school at Legacy when your parents were here in their final year. I had just started. Even back then there, your parents were legendary. It’s nice to know the legend lives on.”
“Thank you.” Two rosettes burned on my cheeks.
Lucien leaned close. “Did I tell you how beautiful you are when you blush?”
King Nico lifted his red wine glass toward me. “We will talk some time when it’s happier times.”
I smiled. “I would like that.”
“Your Majesties,” Lucien said. “And Dad.” He pulled on my arm. “Come on. I have someone I want you to meet.”
I dragged my heels. “Lucien, what if he doesn’t want to meet me? Or he hates me?”
He shrugged. “He doesn’t. I have already spoken to him.”
His certainty always astounded me. He never thought he was wrong.
The others at the table stopped eating and Bo’s brother turned around. Everything stopped around me. The murmur of the men behind me, the clanging of silverware, or the sounds of people scurrying around in the kitchen. The same thick red hair, the same blue eyes, and the same smirking grin stole my breath. He reminded of the person I saw outside of Legacy hiding behind the trees. I squeezed my eyes tightly and opened them again, but this was no trick of the light.
Chapter 14
I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, waiting for me to do something really stupid. It took everything I had not to run around in the cafeteria screaming and keeping my cool, but my insides were trembling. All I could think about was the red dragon, dying to protect me.
Lucien softly bumped my shoulder. “Raven, this is Bo’s younger brother, Zayne.”
Zayne cast his gaze over me. “My brother told me all about you.” He winked. “And he was right. You are a beauty.” He stood and stuck out his hand. “You’re the silver dragon that will lead us to victory.”
I shook his hand, but I couldn’t stop trembling. “You look so much like him.” It was the only thing that I could muster to say. Probably a stupid thing to say.
He shrugged. “Everyone says that we look alike. If you met my family, you would know we’re all carbon copies of each other, including my dad, King Jackson.”
I lowered my gaze at the king’s name, the man who cursed my very existence.
“I know my dad is a killjoy.” Zayne dropped my hand and his eyes turned serious. “I know my older brother. He wouldn’t have hidden behind the walls of Embers Kingdom and allow Ryker and King Cormac to put us under a siege. He would have fought for justice.”
“Why didn’t you attend Legacy?”
“I’m not old enough yet. I was supposed to attend next year, but my dad wants me to attend Draco Academy for dragons. He’s going to have a fight on his hands. I want to follow in Bo’s footsteps.” Zayne puffed out his chest. “I’m coming here.”
I frowned. “Why did you come here now?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” He narrowed his eyes and raised his clenched fist. “I want revenge.” Anger shook his voice, and I wondered if he would be able to manage his fury when he met Ryker or worse, Cormac.
Mina broke the rising tension. “He’s a little feisty.”
Zayne lifted his eyebrow and sat down. “Feisty?”
My stomach growled louder.
Lucien put his hand on my neck. “Let’s get you something to eat before you fall down.”
We went through the cafeteria line, just like we always did, but this time, our servers were our professors, which still seemed strange to me.
Professor Soto smiled. “Raven and Lucien, it’s so nice to see you.” She gestured with her hand. “I have barbecued shredded pork or barbecued shredded chicken. Which would you like?”
Lucien smiled. “Both for me.”
“I’ll have the pork.”
Professor Soto loaded our plates with the meat and freshly baked buns. Down the assembly line, we got salad and green beans from Professor Griffith and dessert from Professor Elfiel. I couldn’t resist having two pieces of pie, cherry and peach. I love pie and I hadn’t eaten for at least twenty-four hours.
We brought our plates back to the Royal table and for a moment. It felt like a home, but we weren’t all here. I missed Poppy and Xavier, and of course, Bo. We had taken hits, but we weren’t completely defeated. Not yet.
“Old times, huh?” I murmured.
Dante took a drink from his wineglass. “Yeah, I guess so. Just odd without the whole team.”
I cut the bun in half. “What does your dad plan to do?”
Dante finished his drink. “What else? He plans to fight. In the first Supernatural Wars, the demons enslaved the vampires. Something we’ve never forgotten. We’ll never submit to Ryker’s demands again.”
“My dad is also sworn to fight in the war.”
I finished swallowing my first bite of my delicious barbecued pork sandwich and then scanned each of their faces. “You all heard Anton thinks we need to use the Puriforgio Virtueus spell again.”
“Yeah, we heard.” Dante tore off a piece of bread and swirled it in barbecue sauce. “But what’s the point if we don’t have your parents and who knows how long Xavier’s going to be laid up in bed.”
“Even so, I think we need to practice.”
“I want to be part of it.” Zayne clutched his fork and knife.
Mina flashed him a motherly smile. “You don’t even know what a ‘part of it’ is.”
“Neither do you,” Lucien said. “You haven’t been a part of the spell.”
Mina’s eyes widened, and she returned to finishing her pie.
I looked at each of them over my glass of wine. “That’s why I think we all need to practice. We have members that have never done this before.”
Rhys drummed his fingers on the table. “The problem is time. We don’t have much of it. Cormac and Ryker are gathering their forces as we speak. When you father returns, we must practice with him. Hopefully, he’ll return soon.”
I nodded, praying he was okay. I couldn’t lose both my parents.
The flaky desserts took my mind off my missing parents, and after finishing the last of the cherry pie, I had to admit I was feeling stuffed.
I reached for my wineglass and accidentally knocked it over my shirt. I jumped up. “Shit.”
“Look.” Mina grinned and stood up. “It’s Xavier.”
We all turned around. Xavier hobbled next to Dr. Greenwood, who held his arm. Instead of bringing him over here, he escorted to him to the king’s table.
Something in Xavier’s dark eyes made me uneasy.
I slowly stood. “We’d better get over there.”
Lucien took my hand. “I think you’re right.”
Xavier’s face was pale and tight. Dr. Greenwood brought him a plate of barbecued pork and chicken, but Xavier didn’t make a move to eat it, which was extremely unusual for him.
Dr. Greenwood frowned. “You need to eat something, Xavier.”
“I can’t eat. Not yet. Not until I tell everyone w
ant happened.”
Anton poured a glass of wine into a decanter. “Drink this first.”
The kings passed the goblet down to him. Xavier picked it up, but his hand shook so badly, some red liquid spilled down his shirt.
Mina grabbed a napkin and handed it to him. “Here.”
“Thank you,” Xavier murmured. He blotted his shirt and then took a deep breath.
The skin on the back of my neck itched, and my gut tightened. Xavier’s sad eyes didn’t bode well. I squeezed Lucien’s hand.
Xavier looked up. “I found it.” His voice shook as badly as his hand had.
A sudden hush rolled over the kings’ table, and all gazes focused on Xavier. It was so quiet I swear I could hear water dripping in the kitchen.
Anton leaned forward and placed his folded hands on the table. “What did you find, Xavier?” His voice seemed so loud compared to the eerie silence that surrounded us.
Xavier stared at me. “Ryker’s prison. I saw the twisted tree. I can lead us there.” His soft voice was like dynamite going off in between my ears.
All this time I’d been searching for the bloody prison. Not even the Magic Orb could reveal its whereabouts. I swear my heart simply stopped for I felt nothing, not the exhale and inhale of my breath, not the pulse in Lucien’s palm, not the touch of his fingers rubbing my back.
I blinked, still not believing my ears had processed what Xavier had said. The quest that I had tried to unravel for so long was about to be revealed. Could it really be true?
“Raven?”
I looked up at Lucien’s concerned face.
“Are you okay?”
I shook my head. “No, not at all.”
Xavier downed another glass of wine, his eyes huge.
He was hiding something. I could feel it. “Xavier, how did you come to find the prison?” I tried to ask gently, but I couldn’t hide the fear in my tone.
Beads of sweat broke out all over his pale face, and he rubbed his trembling lower lip. “I was filled with grief. All I wanted was revenge over Poppy. She was my life, and I never claimed her. I was waiting to graduate from Legacy. So, stupid.”
