The Dresdan Coven Trilogy

by Amber Ella Monroe

  Strike first. Don’t ask questions. No regrets later. It was one of her mottos, and she was sticking to it.

  She felt cold, clammy fingers at the back of her head as the other Dresdan captured her. His fingernails felt like pins digging into her scalp. His other hand was around her waist, pulling her upward and against him. Before she knew it, she was being dragged.

  As the Dresdan solider cornered himself against a row of shelves, Vicq and Emory followed. Her heart beat furiously against her breastbone. The inside of her mouth was dry and she ran her tongue across her lips and found droplets of the Dresdan blood there. She swallowed from the foreign taste of it and grimaced as the soldier yanked her head back and exposed her neck.

  “I will fucking kill you!” Vicq spat. His body shook with rage.

  “Is this your Donor,” the Soldier leered. “You oughta keep a better eye on her.”

  Elaina struggled against the Soldier, but his grip only became more painful. His fingernails had pierced her hips and drawn blood. Ragged pain seized her body and her dagger slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.

  “The 5,” the Soldier hissed. “A District tracker. What games do you play, Superior?”

  “Drop her,” Vicq warned, “or I will tear you to shreds.”

  “Russo will make you burn for this, traitor,” it hissed. Fangs scraped across her neck, and the Soldier’s body shivered against her own.

  His teeth barely nipped her flesh when she lifted her foot and stabbed through his shoe with the heel of her boot. He hollered in shock, and his grip loosened on her.

  Elaina took that moment to execute a spin kick, connecting her boot with his jaw. He crashed back first onto the floor. She snatched up her dagger, pounced on him, and stabbed him in the neck. This time, she did not let up. She tilted his head to one side and descended on him.

  As she’d done dozens of times before with Vicq, she siphoned the blood. It tasted sweet and felt icy cold when it hit her tongue. When the liquid flowed down her throat, it chilled her insides. He struggled against her, yet she held tightly to him. The more she took, the more her body responded in satisfaction. The feeling that rushed through her was a different kind of high. Not the sexual or fulfilling high she felt when she took from Vicq. This high was different. She felt triumphant in her kill. The emotions of the Dresdan Solider washed through her. Anger. Hunger. Regret. Fear. Rage. The feelings sent her over the edge and her body convulsed with what felt like raw elation.

  It seemed there was an endless supply of blood, and she took until his veins no longer pulsed with life.

  Elaina tore her lips from the deceased Soldier’s neck and rose. When she turned around, both Vicq and Emory were frozen to the spot, looking at her wide-eyed and in shock. Emory’s eyes swirled with speckles of red while Vicq’s were a solid, fierce crimson. But Vicq’s expression was no longer clouded with rage. Somehow, his madness had transposed to fascination.

  Emory’s lips turned up into a grin. “How does it feel?”

  Elaina didn’t answer him. Instead, she licked her lips and sheathed her dagger in the belt loop of her jeans. She crossed the room to grab her trench coat. In two seconds, she’d shrugged into the garment again and was headed toward the door.

  Vicq was on her heels. She could hear him rushing behind her as he attempted to keep up with her unusually fast pace, using his teleportation powers to eat up the distance between them.

  He caught up to her next to a shiny black Lamborghini. Exhausted, she gave up, falling against it and into his arms. She drug the sleeve of her coat across her face to rid herself of the blood evidence before lifting her gaze to meet his.

  He stared at her for a long time under the moonlight and then leaned in to kiss her. She finally exhaled as his lips brushed against hers like the finest silk. In that moment, she felt like a human again. A human capable of real emotions and devoid of all animalistic instincts. Yet she was still high. Her veins throbbed from the aftermath of the kill.

  “What have I become?” She whispered when they parted to catch their breaths.

  He smoothed his calloused fingertips across her face. “The woman I love.”

  Chapter 12

  The morning after the attack, Elaina and Vicq rented a cabin to spend the next day and a half. Being raided by Dresdan Soldiers and the endless, nonstop driving to ensure they weren’t being tracked by any other vampire enemies had really taken a toll on their bodies. Both of them had agreed to stop and regroup. Come sundown, they’d pack up and head out again.

  After all, Elaina didn’t know what to expect when she arrived at the sanctuary. Would they welcome her as she was? Unchanged? In stasis. Not quite human, but not truly vampire, either.

  The cabin was situated far into the dense mountainous region. Once they left here, the winding roads, hills, and valleys would lead them deeper into the wilderness until they reached Vicq’s coven. Apparently, they had less than two days of travel ahead of them. Before long, she’d join his coven to pursue a greater purpose--to shut down District 5. She wanted to enjoy the uninterrupted moments in Vicq’s arms while they lasted.

  “I don’t want to lose you, Vicq.”

  “You won’t.”

  “You’re going up against someone who everyone else fears,” Elaina said.

  “Who does everyone else fear?”

  “Russo,” she said. “I might not know the intimate details, but I know enough about your organization to understand how the politics work. You once told me before that Russo rules with an iron fist. He bends the rules to satisfy his own goals.”

  “Don’t worry about him.” Vicq pulled her in closer, molding their naked bodies together. “Leave that to me.”

  Her core was still heated from an intense round of sex, yet a cool breeze flowed across their skin through an open window next to the bed. She shivered and snuggled deeper into his embrace. “You’ve helped me deal with my problems, and I’ve gotten you into a deeper bind. We could have all been killed back there.”

  “Those Soldiers were trailing Emory last night. He’d failed to clean up his mess after he fed,” he said. “And even if they were after me, you’re not the main reason.”

  “What’s the main reason? Because you started your own coven?”

  “That, too.”

  Elaina didn’t know what he meant, or what he could be failing to tell her. She needed to figure it all out, and she wanted to return the favor by helping him. To do that, she’d have to delve deeper still.

  A weary expression crossed Vicq’s face. “Don’t you trust me anymore?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You practically lied to me. I thought I had no one. It took a plan by some District 5 trackers to take me down for you to come to me?”

  “I’m sorry for that, but I will do whatever I have to in order to keep you safe. And I do mean whatever. Do you believe that?”

  “Yes.” There was no doubt about it.

  He kissed her gently on the lips. “Then believe in me.”

  “I do.”

  “Things will work out...,” Vicq whispered. “Join me at the waterfall.”

  Before she could respond, he’d teleported them from the confines of the cabin to see water cascading over the mountainside. The quick move was like a flash right before her eyes, giving her body no chance protest, even if she’d wanted to. They’d glimpsed a view of the water feature on the way to the cabin, but had yet to experience it up, close, and personal.

  “You have to start warning me before you do that,” she said, as a fine mist of water coated their naked bodies.

  “I imagine I won’t have to,” he replied softly, brushing his nose against the back of her head. “It won’t be long until you’re be able to do it yourself.”

  “And more power brings more enemies, right?” Although, this time, she was referring to the later afternoon sun peeking through the leafy branches hanging above them. She glanced up towards the sky and basked in the rays.

  Vicq brought her deeper under
the branches, which provided just the right amount of privacy and shade from the glare. “Know thy enemies well. Some you will have no choice but to destroy, others you will learn to tolerate.” His breath was hot and heavy against her neck.

  The water fell from the cliff and crashed thunderously against the rocks next to them. The sound of it was surprisingly soothing and served to release the tension that had crept up on her.

  “Who will teach me the ways of the Dresdan?”

  “You will learn them as you ascend.” His lips meshed with the delicate skin on her throat. “Through the blood.”

  “As I am learning now...” The words left her lips as his tongue glided against her throbbing vein. She tilted her head to the side, allowing him easy access.

  “And as you will learn them indefinitely...” His fangs dropped, cutting through the skin at the same time.

  She fell back against him as he fed slowly and long from her. Minutes into the feeding and she knew that he’d breached her mind and now delved within her memories. He liked to ride them like a wave, as if they were his own. Shards of light flashed before her eyes as specks of the previous nights rushed through her: Her rationale behind not letting him get between herself and District 5; her anger toward him for hiding in the shadows and allowing her to believe that he was dead; her blind rage against the Dresdan Soldiers who’d threatened her life, as well as her lover’s existence.

  It dawned on her that she’d do anything for Vicq. She would kill for Vicq. Even live a life on the run to enjoy secret, coveted moments like these. When she’d become his Donor, she’d given up everything. In return, she’d achieved some semblance of freedom and the courage to stand up to those who would—and had—harmed her.

  She didn’t know how much time had passed, but her knees grew weak. Vicq sensed this and extracted his fangs from her vein. He swiped his tongue across the holes to seal them and gently turned her around to face him.

  “The feeling is mutual,” he said, eyes blood-red and bright from nourishment. “I would kill for you, too.”

  The lovemaking that followed was slow and sensual, just as he’d fed from her. With only the sound of the waterfall crashing behind them, they succumbed to all their desires, forgetting their troubles, if just for that moment.

  Chapter 13

  Elaina pulled a handful of hotdogs, several bags of chips and nuts, and an assortment of snacks on the counter of the convenience shop. The man behind the register gawked at her as she slid two gallons of water next to them.

  Being on the run entailed fast, quick, unhealthy drive-up-and-go food. She didn’t know when they would stop again since Vicq insisted on taking the roads less traveled. Just an ounce of Vicq’s blood would have satisfied her real hunger, but the processed food she was about to partake in would keep her content until she reached sanctuary for a more peaceful change. Since the attack back at the warehouse, she’d been ravenous to feed like that again, but what better way to practice the will to resist temptation than during one’s transformation.

  “Twenty-nine dollars and eighty-one cents,” the cashier demanded.

  Elaina handed the man a fifty. “How far is the nearest town?”

  “Nickels is fifty miles northeast. After Nickels, you’ll reach the mountains.”

  “The mountains, huh?” Vicq had said that they were close.

  He handed her back some coins and wrinkled bills. “Yeah, are you a tourist? Where are you from?”

  “Yes, I’m a tourist.” She averted her eyes, stuffing the money into her pockets.

  The clerk’s eyes swept over her items. “Do you need a bag?”

  Elaina’s gaze trailed across the pile of food. She bit her lip, feeling a bit of regret. Vicq had instructed her to bring back lunch only, but instead, she’d treated herself to a picnic. “Um, yes. Of course, I do need a bag.”

  After thanking the clerk for bagging her items, she headed for the door and braced herself for another few hours or so in the Lamborghini. Warmth coated her skin as she exited the store. She’d forgotten how inviting East coast weather could be. The humid mist felt good against her, and provided her with comfort, if only for a few seconds.

  In this type of climate, her Texas-native parents would’ve been stretched out on hammocks in the shade. She grinned just thinking about them. Her gun-toting dad would have been riding around on the lawn mower in an attempt to keep the grass on his two acres of land in check. Had she listened to their warnings and remained in small town Texas like the rest of her childhood friends, she might not have been in this situation.

  Her eyes immediately honed in on Vicq, who knelt down to replace the air cap on a tire just as she’d walked out of the store. Dusk had settled less than an hour ago, and she had suggested that he stay in the car to reserve his energy.

  Elaina sighed and shook her head. How on earth did they put up with one another? They were both stubborn and did the opposite of what the other asked. Still, she loved him and wondered how she’d ever managed to be without him for so long. She knew she’d met her match when he’d succeeded in talking his way out of the execution she’d planned to dole out to him so very long ago. Persuasion was something he seemed to excel at.

  As if he knew what she were thinking, Vicq looked in her direction. Even now, his gaze showed desire for her. It didn’t take making love to him to prove that a passionate, loving soul existed deep within him. Because of what he was, he’d had to develop a thick skin. And the loving soul got lost sometimes. More often than it probably should have. Elaina was humbled that she had the ability to bring out the virtue in him in a world of evil. A world where his enemies wanted him dead. In spite of it all, it took a determined fighter to live. Vicq was that fighter.

  Elaina stepped out onto the curb, and a van lurched out of nowhere.

  Dust rose up and blinded her. She jerked back onto the walkway, and the bag slipped from her fingers. Something snatched her by the waist, taking her by force. In the blink of an eye, she knew what had happened. She’d been caught. Her body was dragged into the interior of the van, and someone threw her against the side panel.

  “That Dresdan vamp is out there!”

  “Close the fucking door!”

  Their shouts drowned out the blood rushing through her veins, pounding between her ears. Panic set in as her heart fluttered in her chest. In the shock of it all, she’d forgotten to breathe. As her breath rushed out of her, the door was slammed closed. They’d locked her up like a prisoner in a cell.

  Elaina opened her eyes just in time to see her captors—three of them. District 5 trackers, all of them. The mark emblazoned on their necks told her that. The biggest one lurched toward her, and she thrust her boot out at him, smashing the bottom of it against his face. The other grabbed her arms and legs as the man she’d kicked groaned out in pain, holding his bleeding nose.

  In the struggle to break free of their hold, the van pitched forward. Her heart dipped down into her stomach. They’d finally found her. She wasn’t ready to die. Not today. Not any day. Not when the one person she wanted the most had promised a lifetime of happiness, even if they had to fight like hell to earn those moments.

  She broke loose and jumped for the sliding van doors.

  “Are you gonna open the doors and jump, Elaina?” The gruff voice of the big one she kicked in the face stalled her actions. The bottom half of his face was bloody. “Out of a fleeing van? You want to die, don’t you?”

  Elaina swung around and glared. The interior of the van was so small they were hunched over, but they still stood on the ready to subdue her. One of them had a long, thick rope. Just like the others who’d tried to capture her back at the Courthouse after work.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  Bloody Face guffawed and snorted. “I think you know the answer to that question. Don’t you know where you belong? Don’t even act like you don’t know the rules, babe.” He turned to his colleagues. “Tie her up.”

  She sidestepped the man with the ro
pe and thrust him headfirst into the door.

  “Grab the guns,” the maniac who drove spat.

  Certainly, they didn’t mean to shoot her to death.

  The van swayed as it sped down the road at a high speed. They had to have been going over eighty miles an hour. If she could get to the driver, maybe...

  Catching her off guard, one of the men shoved her against the panel once again.

  “Why are you fighting? There’s no escaping now.” Bloody Face picked up a needle from a suitcase. The other drew closer with the rope.

  If given the choice, she would never choose to die in the presence of an enemy. She wouldn’t allow them the victory of watching her slow death. It may have been easier if they’d shot her dead on sight back at the store.

  She backed away until her ass hit the opposite wall. “I’m not a dog, and you won’t tie me up.”

  The tracker thumped the needle, readied it for insertion, and held it up for his inspection. She was familiar with the drug. District 5 used it all the time on anyone and everyone they wanted to, all for terrible reasons. The pale yellow liquid inside would render her unconscious for hours.

  “Well, we won’t tie you up, then. We’ll just put you to sleep.”

  A loud boom sounded overhead. They all looked up to see the dent in the ceiling of the van.

  “Vicq!” Her scream pierced her dry throat.

  The van swerved again, and their bodies plummeted to the floor. A string of curses flowed from her attackers’ lips.

  Elaina stumbled forward on her knees to the front of the van. Before she could reach the driver, Vicq thrust his arm inside and grabbed hold of the steering wheel. The driver yanked the cigarette lighter from the burner with one hand while steering with the other.

  Elaina cringed at the sizzle when the lighter made contact with Vicq’s arm. The smell of burnt vampire flesh filled the air. She rushed forward and grabbed the driver by the neck. He held his body firmly in the seat as she tried to impede his control of the van.