Touched by A Dragon: The Exalted Dragons (Book 2)

by K. T. Stryker

  I saw them before they saw me, but David’s eyes followed me as I rounded the pool and sat down next to them. The look of sheer shock that flitted across his face thrilled me, but the one that followed made me grateful I was already sitting. His brown eyes went almost black as they filled with something I’d never seen from any man before. It was dark and possessive and so utterly masculine that my throat closed off and my face and neck crimsoned.

  “Woah, Caroline,” Clayton blurted. “Like, damn, girl!” He gave a low whistle and I laughed and shook my head.

  “I can always count on you to make me feel less nervous, Clay,” I laughed. “Thank God you’re here. I’d probably be depressed otherwise, when I got home and no one noticed me.” He arched his eyebrows at me.

  “Fat chance, honey. Don’t worry, we won’t let anybody carry you off to be their sex slave.” I gasped and stammered.

  “I’m going for a swim. You guys are really something else.” I poked Clayton in the ribs as I passed him, then handed him my hat as an afterthought. “You better have put on sunscreen, or the hunters are going to think we brought home our very own sun-roasted vampire by the time we leave.” David chuckled and tossed Clay the sun block that had been laying on the table between the chaise lounges. Clay complained that he had no one to apply it, but just as I held out my hand for the tube of lotion, David stepped between us.

  I couldn’t see David’s face, but Clay’s went pale, then sunburn red, in an instant. His jaw clenched and his hands fisted at his sides, but like a flash, it was over, and I was left wondering if I’d imagined it. I would’ve written off his sudden change of mood if the guys hadn’t been clashing more frequently than I’d noticed before. I took David by the hand and pulled him to the side of the pool.

  “Whatever is going on between you guys, you need to get it figured out, David,” I cautioned him. “Clayton and I are your friends. Don’t push us away.”

  “Clayton and I, huh? It used to be you and me then him, remember?”

  “Not likely I’d forget, David. But, I made room for him, even though it made me jealous sometimes.” He scoffed. “No, really,” I continued, “You guys can talk about stuff and have things in common that make me feel left out. Whatever you think he’s done, or said, let it go. He’s your friend. He’d kill for you, dumbass.”

  David rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. He nodded and waved to get Clay’s attention. I should’ve known that he was up to no good, because he agreed so quickly. But, it was still a complete shock when the ground disappeared from under my feet. I hit the water with a shriek and surfaced to the sight of both guys clutching their sides, laughing. I sank to the bottom and launched myself straight up like I was roof running, and grabbed David’s shoulder and Clay’s shorts. Their faces changed from mocking to shock as I pulled them into the water on top of me, submerging us all.

  When we had recovered, we hung on the edge of the pool near the snack bar. It wasn’t long before we found another girl to make us a foursome and played chicken in the middle of the pool. I sat on David’s shoulders, and the redhead on Clay’s. Despite being in the water, it wasn’t long before I was completely parched, and asked David if he’d come with me to get drinks.

  “Clay actually offered to buy this round,” David replied.

  “True story, Caroline, let me grab my wallet.” Clay came back with his wallet and my hat and we walked to the bar. I listened while Clay pointed out the tropical flora that the resort had put in, which didn’t belong in the area. He was well-versed in herbology. I’d never thought of how that information could matter outside of the all-important salves that hunters used to prevent vampires from using glamor and clouding their minds. I was impressed and told him so, and laughed as he blushed.

  “It’s just me, Clay, I can admit to you that you’re good at stuff,” I teased. He smiled, but didn’t say anything in response. He bought fruity drinks for me and the redhead, Tracy, and beers for himself and David. It seemed that whatever had gone on between the guys had passed, and I tried to let go of the sensation that there was another shoe about to drop.

  Tracy was with her older siblings and their families. She was happy to tag along with us to avoid becoming the nanny to her nieces and nephews. I was grateful for one more reason to avoid mentioning hunter-things and to just relax. Clayton was like a puppy, serving her hand and foot and buying her lunch, plus all her drinks. She kept watching David, but I chalked it up to his unidentified talent and ignored it. After all, he was almost as generous with me as Clay was with his new friend.

  We agreed to meet up with Tracy for a late supper and dancing at the club on the resort. We went to our rooms to relax, check in with our respective responsible parental-types, and wash off the salt. The sun was already low in the sky when we walked down to the garden to meet Tracy. I felt a chill down my spine that had nothing to do with the temperature, and everything to do with the recognition that when that golden orb disappeared, the monsters would come out to play. I’d been at the Venatores school for so long, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d stopped to enjoy a sunset, instead of fearing them.

  I’d felt confident in my little black dress, until we met up with Tracy and another girl she’d brought with her. Both were dressed to the nines, more skin showing than covered. I felt frumpy in my short black strappy dress and sandals. Tracy still had eyes for David, and I suppressed my usual twinge of jealousy and irritation when she brushed up against him and batted her eyelashes. I was sure David would never hurt Clay by encouraging her, and she would be gone in a day or two anyway.

  The restaurant was busy, so we were encouraged to sit at the bar while we waited. We filed into the narrow bar area, with me on one side of David; Tracy on the other, and Clay sandwiched between the two girls. On another day, I would’ve made a joke about how lucky they both were. Her persistent attention toward David and her inattention to Clay were getting under my skin.

  When I saw her hand on David’s thigh, my kettle reached the boiling point!! I felt hot rage rise in me like steam, ready to pour out of my mouth if I didn’t keep it closed. I grabbed David’s arm and forced him to turn towards me, making her hand fall away.

  “What the hell are you doing, David?” I hissed at him, trying to keep my voice low enough to avoid a scene. “You know Clay likes her! You know that you can have any girl you want! Why can’t you just once, just one damn time, tell someone ‘no’, and have a little integrity?”

  “Seriously? You’re going to do this here?” He jerked his arm out of my grasp.

  “I’m not doing anything. I’m asking you not to do this to your friend.” I looked at him, but hardly recognized the petulant, selfish boy in front of me.

  “Okay, you want me to say ‘no’. I get it,” he paused and glanced over his shoulder at Tracy, then faced me and looked me in the eyes. “No, Caroline. You need to let me go and understand that you and I aren’t here for a romantic getaway. Go find yourself a nice guy, no one is stopping you.” I felt cold. The color drained from my face and I felt lightheaded. I imagined knocking him from his barstool with a stiff right to his jaw, but instead, took a deep breath.

  “I hope she’s worth it, David,” I murmured, leaning in so he could hear me. “I can’t help but wonder what you’re going to do when you get home, without the friends you left with. Are you sure that her attention, her liking you, is really worth losing the two people who always have your back?” I slid off the barstool and stormed away without waiting for a response. I was too angry and hurt to pay attention to the niggling fear that still sat between my shoulder blades.

  Unfortunately, as every hunter worth their salt knows, anger is a great way to lose focus. It’s the one emotion that causes more stupid choices and deaths to our kind than any other outside factor. But I wasn’t a hunter yet. I rushed headlong through the garden of tropical flowers, trying to find the shortest path to my room.

  I strayed from the path and almost instantly stepped on a loose stone that kick
ed my already injured knee out at a bad angle. I cried out in pain and fell hard, sitting in the dirt, in the dark. I cursed David and my knee and the stupid idea to take a vacation in the first place.

  “What a great first day of vacation,” I said aloud to myself.

  “Are you talking to me?” replied a thickly accented voice far too close behind me. I whipped my head around, but could only see the silhouettes of flowers and palm trees on a canvas of shadows. My pulse sped up and I swallowed past a lump in my throat. “No, sorry, I was talking to myself. I tripped. Have a good night!” I called out lamely. The darkness shifted when I looked back over my shoulder. My stomach clenched and heaved. Something was there that didn’t want to be seen.

  “You shouldn’t be out here in the dark alone. Let me walk you to your hotel.” The voice was closer, but no matter where I looked, no one was there. Fear crept up my spine as psychic power poured over me. This wasn’t like Lady Borgia’s power, that I felt inside my head. The power I felt now made me blind to whatever it was I felt breathing on my face.

  “I am a student of the Venatores Lamiae. You will hear from them, if you touch me,” I gasped.

  “Venatores,” the voice in the darkness scoffed. “What use do they have for pretty, tiny creatures like you?”

  There was a whoosh of air and a disembodied hand grabbed my throat, squeezing tightly enough that I could choke out raspy whispers, but not scream for help. An earthy smell of sweat and mold and decay filled my nose and I struggled harder, to no avail.

  The monster held my throat and pinned me to his chest, his clawed hand over my heart, as though we were lovers. I trembled and he sighed, his foul breath moving my hair. In my last conscious moment I felt his papery, dry lips on my temple. Sheer terror swept through my mind as I threw up my psychic shields, my last defense against the evil that overcame me.

  Chapter 4

  My head was on fire. I was so disoriented that it took a moment to realize that I hurt almost everywhere else too. My knee screamed with sharp, stabbing pain when I shifted; it was hot and swollen to the touch. Even though I wasn’t bound; the darkness of my surroundings was so thick that I had the sensation of being all alone in a vast emptiness. My heart pounded harder as I automatically put my hand in my pocket for the little oblong pill; before I remembered it was gone!

  I began to hyperventilate, bright stars appearing in my vision against the pure black canvas all around me. I struggled to my knees and put my forehead on the cool stone floor to focus and calm down. I slowly erected my mental shields, picturing them shutting out the darkness and the stars, until I no longer felt blind. I reached out the way Signora Borgia had begun teaching us, visualizing my mind like fingers stretching out in front and around me. As I reached out with my mind I could feel; almost see; the wall ahead of me. Emboldened by my success I crawled forward; dragging my hurt leg behind me until my fingers met cool, dry stone. This stone was cut in blocks; I traced a line of mortar laterally until I found a corner and continued along that wall until I brushed a doorframe with my fingertips.

  I used the frame to inch myself into a standing position, grateful that the ceiling was high enough above my head that I couldn’t touch it. Exhaling the breath I’d been unconsciously holding in a heavy sigh of relief, I ran my hands over the door. The door was made of a thick steel frame with wooden slats. I felt air move against my face, and as I slid my hands up the center of the door to the slight breeze, I found a barred window trimmed in the same cold steel as the door itself. I decided if there was a door and a window; then at least I wasn’t in a stone box. I’d found my exit! I sank to the floor with relief as my legs, which were like useless wet noodles; collapsed under me.

  I was in trouble obviously; but I wasn’t sealed in a crypt. A crypt wouldn’t have doors with windows; just stone boxes for dead, or undead, bodies. It seemed a ridiculous thing to want, but I half-hoped I’d been stolen by organ thieves. I was barely a student of the Venatores lamiae, but I still knew how to fight a human and win; even injured.

  Even I as I dared to let that hope form in my head; logic, and the sheer blackness around me shot me down. I breathed in deeply and reached out with my other senses, trying to get a clue as to where I was despite my blindness. The walls around me were dry, but the air that whispered over my face was musty and damp.

  It was impossible to tell the time of day. After finding the corner farthest from the door; I put my back into it and listened for anything approaching through the corridor outside my cell. It was only going to be a matter of time before whomever, whatever, had taken me was going to come back. I had no intention of being caught off-guard again.

  In my cell, the darkness and silence felt like an endless night. I couldn’t imagine what perverse creature could find comfort in a life underground. If my captors returned and tried to turn me; I swore to myself that I would force them to kill me.

  “Kill or be killed, I guess,” I said to myself, jumping at how loud my voice sounded in the darkness.

  “Oh my God, hello?” A young, female voice floated back to me in the darkness. I jumped again, my heart racing. Why hadn’t I considered I wasn’t alone?

  “Hello!” I called out. “Who’s out there?”

  “I’m Becca. I’m in a dark room, it’s so black in here.” She sounded distant, like she was at the other end of whatever hallway joined our cells.

  “Yes, there’s a window in the door of the cell. But it’s so dark. The entire corridor must be sealed off from light.” Silence enshrouded me again, and in a panic, I called out to her, just to hear her voice. “Becca, can you guess how long you’ve been here? Or tell me how you were taken?”

  “I was staying at the Fairfield resort in Malibu. I went to a beach party with my friend. A man grabbed her, I screamed, and that’s the last thing I remember before waking up here.”

  “Okay, can you move around? Try measuring your room with steps. Find the door.”

  “Yes. Okay.”

  I stopped talking for a few seconds, trying to stay calm in the heavy silence so she could concentrate. I counted out thirty seconds in my head, then forty, before she screamed.

  “Becca! Becca, tell me what happened!”

  “Kenzie? Kenzie?” I heard her repeat a name. It sounded like she was crying, but not immediate danger.

  “Becca!” I called out again, “What happened. What’s going on?”

  “Kenzie isn’t answering.”

  “Are you sure it’s your friend?” I thought fast. If they were putting more than one girl in a cell, maybe we were due for more company.

  “Yes, she had her hair in a braid.”

  “Okay, good. Touch her face. Can you feel her breathing?” I waited.

  “Yes, yes, she’s alive!” Becca sobbed, her voice thick with emotion. “Oh, God, Kenzie, wake up!”

  “Becca, how long have you been awake?”

  “Only since right before I heard you.” I thought for a moment. I must have been taken long before the others, and whatever they’d done to put me out had worn off, but not before they’d come back with Becca and her friend.

  “Becca, I’m sure she’ll wake up soon; okay, just stay calm and we’ll figure this out together,” I reassured her, trying to ignore the sick feeling in the pit of my own stomach. I’d been awake for at least a couple of hours; but who knew how long the effects would last.

  In a panic, I ran my fingers down the line of my neck on both sides, following the carotid artery and jugular veins. I did the same with my arms, checking the veins at my elbows and wrists. I was almost afraid to continue, but I undid my pants and slid them off. I felt over my hips, down my thighs, and down my legs to my ankles. No bite marks; I hadn’t been bitten anywhere on my body.

  I started shivering; I had no idea if it was from relief or shock! Tears formed a lump in my throat; I hugged my knees to my chest and rocked while I cried until I could speak again. Becca and I had been silent for a few minutes as she tended to her friend, but I had to know if
either of them had been bitten either.

  “Hey, Becca, are you still there?”

  “Yeah, are you all right?” She paused before continuing. “It’s okay if you’re crying; I was too. I just meant are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine. I do need you to do something for me. I need you to check your veins for puncture marks.” I sighed, waiting for the questions that would lead to her telling me I was crazy.

  “Do you think the guys that took us injected us with drugs?” It was as good a reason as I could give without sounding like a lunatic, and she was already in a black hole with no idea if her friend was hurt or sick. I was worried a vampire had put her under so deeply that she might never wake up.

  “Yeah,” I replied, rubbing my face with my hands. “So, you know, anything like that. It might not even be noticeable, except for a sore spot over a vein, like… like a bruise you don’t remember getting.” I took a shaky breath. “I checked myself, and I didn’t find anything, I just want us all to be sure. Your friend,”