Lynxar Series - The Vampire King: Books 7-13 (7-Book Bundle)

by Hart, Melissa F.

  “Now that the vampires know who you are, you’ll be in danger.” Lynxar said to Dawn Bright. “Perhaps you should stay with one of us from now on.”

  “It’s okay; I already have a bodyguard.” Dawn said, smiling at Archer. He took her in his arms and kissed her gently on the lips. Almost losing her today had made him realize just how much he was in love with her.

  Chapter Four

  Over the next few days, Lynxar and Archer both shared everything they knew about the crystal coffin, Lord Vladimus, and Prince Vlorian with the other two members of the AHF.

  “I suspected that my dream meant the vampires had brought the coffin here to earth,” Lynxar said, “and Prince Vlorian confirmed it with his words. Where do you suppose he has hidden it?”

  “I don’t know. It would emit a powerful magical aura of energy and light. I haven’t been able to detect its presence anywhere.”

  “Nor have we.” Lynxar said gravely.

  “Perhaps you should take Dawn and the crystal key someplace far away, so at least they aren’t in the same place as the coffin.” The Ghost suggested to Archer, but the guardian shook his head.

  “Now that they’ve found us, I can’t be certain they wouldn’t just follow us anyplace we tried to go. We should make our stand against Prince Vlorian here; where at least I know I’ve got friends to help me.”

  All members of the AHF agreed and dedicated themselves trying to find the coffin, night and day. They each used their individual powers to the best of their abilities. Lynxar had his ability to read peoples thoughts, move things with his mind, and had super speed and strength. Lynxonna had his same powers, plus her husband was the city’s mayor, which gave her inside access the others didn’t have. The Ghost could turn invisible and his alter ego, Bryan Hillman, was a billionaire with ample resources at his disposable. Archer had incredible vision that allowed him see things no one else could see, going beyond distance, to the microscopic level. Still with all their powers, none of them were able to locate the coffin. The days turned into weeks, and they all grew frustrated and despaired that they never would.

  “Still no luck?” Dawn asked, as Archer came home to their apartment looking defeated and tired.

  “No. I must have searched every inch of this city by now. Perhaps it’s not even here. Maybe the vampires have taken it someplace else by now.”

  “Maybe.” Dawn said, and put her arms around him consolingly. “Are you hungry? Can I fix you some dinner?”

  “No thanks. I’ve lost my appetite.” Archer said, and then noticed the apartment was unusually quiet. Aurora usually came bounding into his arms, excited to see him and tell him about her day at school. He’d grown to care for her like his own daughter. “Where’s Aurora?”

  “Oh, she’s having a sleepover at a friend’s house tonight.” Dawn said lightly.

  “Is that safe? She needs to be protected just as much as you do!” Archer was instantly upset and Dawn felt touched by his concern.

  Smiling easily at him, she said “Don’t worry. The friend is Lynxiennia. Rachel and Lynxar promised to keep a close eye on her.”

  “Oh, good.” Archer sighed with relief, and then looked chagrined at Dawn. He should have known better than to doubt Dawn’s parenting skills. She was a terrific mother and he knew she’d never do anything that put Aurora in danger. Making a sexy look, and deepening his voice, Archer said playfully, “So, does that mean we’re alone together?”

  “It does.” Dawn said, feeling playful herself. “You know, Dr. Speedlight. I don’t think we’ve ever been alone together. What should we do?”

  “It’ll be strange not having to wait for Aurora to fall asleep and then locking our door to make sure she doesn’t come in while we’re making love.” Archer thought aloud.

  Dawn grinned and said, “Not only that, but we won’t have to keep quiet to avoid waking her up. We can be as noisy as we want and do it anywhere we want!”

  “Oh, really?” Archer said, feeling turned on by the idea. “So, if I wanted to strip off your clothes right here in the kitchen, I could?”

  Dawn nodded her consent and Archer skillfully removed her clothes, kissing his way down her body as he did so until she stood naked before him and her breathing and pulse had quickened.

  “You’re not noisy yet.” Archer said with a playful tone. “Let me see what I can do about that.”

  He held out his hand like he always did when summoning his bow and arrow, but this time, he manifested a different object. Dawn looked to see it was a small vibrator toy.

  “I’ve never used one of those!” Dawn blushed.

  With a voice that was gentle and patient, Archer asked, “Would you like me to try it on you? If you don’t like it we can stop, but I have a feeling that you’ll like it lot.”

  “Okay.” Dawn said, feeling embarrassed and yet excited at the same time. She never realized it could be thrilling to try a sex toy; especially with someone she loved.

  Archer turned on the toy and it began to vibrate with a low hum. He touched it to Dawn’s skin and it made her giggle. Then he moved it slowly to her most sensitive places and she felt waves of intense pleasure roll through her body.

  “Oh my!” she cried out loudly.

  “Do you want me to stop?” Archer asked with concern.

  “No, I want more!” Dawn gasped, crying out in pleasure. “Touch me with it right there! Yes!”

  Dawn gripped the kitchen table for support, as Archer brought her to orgasm with the toy. It was the most incredible sensation of her life. Archer found it sexy and stimulating too, as revealed by his throbbing organ.

  “Your turn to climax!” Dawn said, seeing his need and wanting to feel him inside her now more than ever. She pushed him onto the kitchen table and he lay on top of it. Then Dawn climbed on top of the table too, straddled his waist and mounted his organ. A moan of pleasure escaped her mouth as she enveloped him with her sacred folds. Instinctively, she clasped her hand over her mouth, but then she realized with delight that she didn’t need to keep her voice quiet. Thrusting wildly on top of him, she cried out loudly in ecstasy as she orgasmed and Archer let his own groans of pleasure join hers as he climaxed with her.

  When they had finally finished, they both collapsed on the table top, sighing happily.

  “Well, we can’t use this table for dinner ever again.” Archer joked, and Dawn laughed along with him.

  “We’ll have to buy a new one.” Dawn said with a grin.

  “We’ll need to get all new furniture anyway when we move into our house together.” Archer said and Dawn looked up at him with surprise.

  “What are you talking about?” she asked, feeling her heartbeat quicken with happy excitement. “Are you asking me if I want us to live together?”

  “Well, we kind of live together already, here in your apartment.” Archer said, suddenly feeling sheepish. He swallowed hard, found his courage and continued on. “What I’m really asking you is; will you marry me?”

  “What?” Dawn gasped, utterly surprised. She loved Archer deeply, but she had never considered marrying anybody since her husband had died. She loved everything about Archer, how he made her feel as a woman, and how good he was to Aurora. She realized that for first time she could picture herself spending the rest of her life with him, and the idea made her very happy. Of course, she had felt that same way about Aurora’s father, but when he had died, the pain had been almost unbearable. She didn’t know if she could survive that kind of loss again if anything were ever to happen to Archer. She said to him, “I don’t know; I have to think about it.”

  “Take as much time as you need.” Archer said, trying to hide how disappointed he was that she hadn’t said yes immediately. Still, he knew that he would wait for her forever if he needed to. Then something occurred to him, and he said to her “Are you worried about Aurora? I asked her if it would be okay with her, and she gave her full blessing.”

  Dawn smiled, picturing the scene with the two of them together. It wa
s clear that they loved each other as a father and daughter, and it made her heart soar. Shaking her head, she said “No, actually I was worried about you. I lost someone close to me before, and you’re constantly putting yourself in danger, battling vampires and now you’ve joined the AHF to protect Colossal City. What if something happened to you?”

  Archer finally understood. He looked very somber as he tried to think of the words to best soothe her fears, but he realized he needed to be fully honest with her. Taking her hand in his own, he said “I have a great many powers and abilities, and my people live for thousands of years, but it is true that I am not immortal or invincible. I do have weaknesses. So far, the vampires have not discovered any of them, but one day they might. I would die to protect you and Aurora. I understand if you think it’s too risky to marry me. Perhaps you are wise not to love me.”

  Dawn felt the tears running down her cheeks and it made her realize what she should have known from the start. She said to him, “If anything ever happened to you, the pain of losing you would already break my heart. You already have all my love. Yes, I will marry you!”

  “Really?” Archer cried out happily. He took her into his arms and kissed her passionately.

  When they finally paused to catch their breath, Dawn smiled broadly and said “Yes, really; but not until after you eliminate Prince Vlorian and the vampires. Then we can begin our new life together, free from the danger of either one of us having to lose the other.”

  “Well, in that case, I’d better find him quickly!” Archer smiled.

  Chapter Five

  “They’re getting closer,” the young vampire said in a worried tone.

  “My lair is utterly undetectable. They haven’t found me yet and they’re not going to,” the fat man growled in his deep and gravelly voice. His obese body barely fit into the leather chair in which he sat, watching his monitors. Lynxar and Lynxonna walked right over the secret ground entrance to his fortress without even pausing.

  “But they keep passing by here. They must be detecting something,” the young vampire continued to fuss.

  “They’ve passed by here a thousand times over the years, and they haven’t discovered me yet. That’s what makes me the Mafia King,” the overweight gangster laughed heartily. He hefted himself out his chair and strode across the room to the crystal coffin that was displayed proudly in the center of the room. He ran his fat hand over the smooth surface of the coffin and patted it like one would a pet. “I’ve been waiting all these years for a chance to get revenge on the Alliance of Hero Friends and reassert my power over Colossal City. Now at last, I have found the way to do it, while they keep searching for me, not even realizing I’m right under their noses.”

  “I don’t think they are searching for you; they are searching for the coffin of Lord Vladimus.” The older, more confident vampire said. The Mafia King detested the one called Prince Vlorian. He was far too full of himself.

  “It’s the same thing!” the Mafia King growled. “I have the coffin, so when they search for it, they are searching for me.”

  “Actually, the coffin belongs to me.” Prince Vlorian said haughtily. He thought the Mafia King was just as much of a self-obsessed fool, as he knew the gangster thought he was. Still, they needed each other, and so they had to find a way to tolerate each other. In an effort to placate him, the vampire prince said, “Still, you are right. You’re fortress is as undetectable as you promised. Tell me, when will you enact the next part of your plan?”

  “When I’m ready, and not before! This is my city and my turf! I ain’t gonna let some nobody from another planet come in and start acting like he’s the boss!” the Mafia King blustered. Prince Vlorian rolled his eyes and waited for him to quit his tirade. It was something the former gangster did often. No doubt it was his temper tantrums that lead to his defeat to begin with.

  The Mafia King talked often about how he had once stolen the powers from the AHF and used them to rule Colossal City. He made very little mention of how they defeated him and forced him into hiding. He had been obsessed with finding a way to defeat them again, ever since.

  The Mafia King had developed specialized equipment which he used to scan for superhuman abilities. They had led him to find Prince Vlorian and his group of vampires. The Prince thought about killing him at once, but he saw the wisdom in keeping him alive. The equipment he had was just what the vampires needed to find the guardian of the crystal key, who would then lead him to the key itself.

  The Mafia King was eager to make an alliance with the Vampire Prince when he thought they would help him overtake Colossal City and even promised them a safe place where they could hide their coffin. So far, he had lived up to all he had said; except for his final promise.

  “I’m beginning to doubt that you really can deliver your word.” Prince Vlorian taunted.

  The Mafia King turned purple with rage and clenched his fists into tight balls. “I never go back on my word; it’s just taking a little more time than I expected.”

  “So you admit you can’t really defeat the AHF like you promised me.” Vlorian sneered.

  “According to the tale of your own defeat, they have a fourth member now. That changes things.” The Mafia King said, with barely contained rage.

  “I can handle the guardian, now that I know what he can do. However, the others make it more difficult. Hold up your end of the bargain and take care of them, and I’ll take care of the guardian of the key keeper.”

  “I’ll give the orders and make the plans around here!” the Mafia King roared, slamming his fists against the coffin.

  “Careful with that.” Prince Vlorian said in a cool tone of warning.

  “Why? It can’t be broken by strength alone; otherwise I’d have opened it long ago and I wouldn’t need you at all.”

  “Being careful implies respect.” Prince Vlorian said icily. “When we get the crystal key, and Lord Vladimus is free once more, you’ll want to show him a lot more respect if you want his favor.”

  “When I set him free, he’ll be the one answering to me; just like you’d better start doing if you want my help! I’m in charge! I’m the Mafia King!” the fat man roared, stomping around the coffin like a child throwing a fit.

  Rolling his eyes again, Prince Vlorian decided to play along for now. He needed this fool to create a distraction that would occupy the AHF. Only then could he defeat the guardian and get the crystal key. Then, he would kill this insolent jerk and feast on his blood. With a tone that was almost too polite, he said “Fine. Please tell us, what are your plans for capturing the Alliance of Hero Friends, so that we may assist you?”

  “That’s more like it!” the Mafia King grinned, missing the sarcasm in the vampire’s voice. He sat back down heavily in his chair, and turned his monitors so they showed an image of Hillman Research Hospital. With a gloating air, he said “Next week is the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new surgery wing of the hospital. They’re all going to be there and we’re going to make sure it’s a ceremony they don’t ever forget.”

  “How will you do that?” Prince Vlorian asked.

  The crafty gangster pushed a few buttons on his computer and suddenly red dots glowed all over the hospital.

  “What are those?” the young vampire that was with Vlorian asked curiously.

  The Mafia King grinned evilly and said “Those are the indicator lights for a new kind of bomb I’ve invented. I’ve planted one on every support beam underneath the hospital. With the push of a button, the entire place will be crumbling into a pile of dust, with the heroes stuck underneath it all. They’ll never survive underneath all that steel. I guarantee it!”

  Chapter Six

  “Do I look all right?” Dawn Bright asked nervously, smoothing the pleats of her dress with her hands as she sat in her chair on the main stage in front of the new wing.

  “You look absolutely lovely.” Archer said. “In fact, I would say that you’ll be the most beautiful lady at the ceremony, but you’ve got
some tough competition with this little girl right here!”

  Aurora giggled at the compliment that Archer had obviously directed at her, and twirled once more in the new pink dress before taking her seat.

  “I just hope it doesn’t rain today.” Dawn continued to fuss. “Look at all those dark clouds in the sky. They’ve entirely blocked out the sun.”

  Archer used his powers to manifest an umbrella and handed it lovingly to Dawn. He said, “Rain, I can handle. I just hope I don’t mess up my speech. I’m used to blending in to the background, not public speaking.”

  Dr. Rachel Deering approached them, looking very relaxed and put together in a fine suit. She smiled at them and said “Don’t worry about a thing; I know you’ll do great. I’m going to say a few words first, and then I’ll introduce you Archer. You’ll give a brief speech. Then Bryan Hillman and the Mayor will cut the ribbon, and that’s it. Easy as a piece of cake!”

  “Will there really be cake?” Aurora asked, hopefully.

  “Actually, yes there will.” Rachel smiled at the little girl. “There will be a reception right afterward with all the cake you can eat!”

  “Well, not all the cake she can eat.” Dawn laughed. Then she looked over and noticed the strange expression on Archer’s face. Putting her hand on his arm, she said, “What’s wrong?”

  “Where is your crystal pendant?” he asked her. His voice was tight and his face looked pale.

  Feeling scared, Dawn reached under her blouse and pulled out the necklace she kept hidden there. She handed it to Archer and cried out, “It’s glowing! That means they’re here!”

  “I just saw Prince Vlorian in the crowd, but I wanted to be sure it was him.” Archer said, pressing the pendant back into her hand with a reassuring pat.

  Rachel said, “I’ll alert Lynxar and the rest of the AHF!”

  “Good!” Archer said, as he manifested his bow and placed an arrow in the string. “Dawn, take Aurora and go with her. I will watch your every step. If anyone comes within twenty feet of you, I will protect you.”