Turn: The Kresova Vampire Harems: Aurora

by Graceley Knox

  “Great,” Reina says. “Because I always wanted to get into a fight with an Airbender.”

  “What?” Abe asks.

  I roll my eyes. All things aside, I have the sinking suspicion that Abe, since he’s roughly a million, and Reina’s pop culture addiction won’t ever mesh. Of course, if the Draugur cause a rock slide and kill us all, that won’t really matter.

  “What do we do?” I ask.

  “There’s a back way to the airfield,” Lucian says. I can double back through the last few blocks to reroute, but they’re not going to let us.”

  “Let me out,” Abe says, his voice is a low growl.

  “I…” The hesitation is clear in my voice. He made mincemeat out of the last two Draugur he fought, but he’s still so feral. How do we know this isn’t a trap? How do we know that if he starts killing, Abe can even stop? What if we let him out to save us all but end up losing him all over again in Bucharest, leaving him as some prize for the Draugur royal line? “We can’t.”

  A click sounds behind me, and Row eases Reina up to me in the front seat. The position is awkward, but we manage.

  “He won’t be alone. We’re fast. We beat the hell out of these guys, I hotwire a car, and we meet you at the airfield in a few,” Row says, helping unhook Abe.

  Vicious immortal vampire king a bit confused by the seatbelt.

  God, my life was such an effing shit show.

  Reina’s upset, worry in her eyes. “But they could…”

  “I’ve got this, kitten,” Row says as he and Abe hop out. The ground shakes again even as Row pulls a long dagger from his waistband. “Lucian, get them safe. We’ll follow.”

  My consort doesn’t hesitate, even as Reina cries and begs. He flips the Aston Martin into reverse even as the earth shakes under us and huge rocks, bigger than fucking bowling balls soar towards us. Lucian dodges it expertly, and I’m going to have to grill him on his driving experience because he could win NASCAR right now or best any stunt driver in Hollywood. Looking over my shoulder, even as the ground grows still, I watch Abe and Row descend on the Draugur. While I’m worried for Rowland, I’ve seen that feral, silver glint in my King’s eyes. This won’t last long.

  Good, I hope it hurts.

  We speed through the rabbit warrens and hidden streets of the town. I hold Reina close to me and reassure her. I can’t see through Abe’s eyes, and he’s not actively communicating with me, but I’d know if he were dead. We’re connected now, and if the life were snuffed out of him by the Draugur, I’d feel it as if it were my own. The lights flash by in our race and the ancient architecture from the city rises up to meet us like ghosts from the past. All the while, my wrist aches, and I wish I could have helped Row and Abe more.

  Then again, I’d never want to be the idiot who crossed a famished vampire king either.

  Those Draugur are toast.

  Chapter 9

  We pull into the runway and up a few feet from Lucian’s jet.

  I pull Reina up out of the car and onto the tarmac. She squeals and rushes into Row’s arms as he’s already there, waiting for her. His clothes are torn and there’s blood all over his pants, but I have the distinct feeling that it’s Draugur blood he’s decorated with and not his own. Abe’s beside him, and the power rolls off him in waves. He looks like he’s just gone wandering joyfully through an abattoir and rolled around in all the blood for fun.

  Creepy, but at least he stopped the vampire soldiers who could effing create earthquakes.

  Lucian nods to Rowland and shakes his hand. “Glad you made it. We didn’t see you on the roads.”

  “Thank the king there,” Row says, shoving his blade back in the waistband of his pants. “Old ‘grandad’ there rushed me back here, and let’s just say old Abe is pretty fucking fast.”

  Reina lets out a low whistle and hugs Row tight. “I don’t care if you teleported here. I’m so glad to see you.”

  “You act like you thought I wouldn’t be back in one piece. I’m disappointed, kitten,” he replies, kissing the top of her head.

  “And we’re not getting on the plane and avoiding other killer Draugur from tracking us down because?” I ask.

  “Because,” Lucian replies. “We have another coming.”

  On cue, a bright orange Lamborghini Murcielago screeches to a halt in front of us. Off over the horizon of the far ridge of the airport, a phalanx of dark SUVs roars up the dust-covered road. Every instinct I have screams that it’s more of the enemy vampires, all of them coming for us. Instinctively, I position my body in front of Reina and reach for a small, silver blade I’ve kept tucked in my boots. It’s easier to decapitate an enemy with a handy blade, at least for me. Not that I want to have to go that way. I’d rather just get on the plane.

  But the SUVs are coming up fast.

  Someone hops out of the Lambo, and I throw myself at him. Those piercing green eyes, that long, brown hair still pulled back in a simple braid down his shoulders. I know it’s that monster who bombed Morana’s estate in Paris. He’s the reason Lucian and I were in agony while we healed. Why so many of the Kresova court are really, truly dead. But worst of all, he’s why Carver’s in her clutches. My lover---my consort---is being tortured, and this effing bastard is the reason behind it.

  I land on him and start trying to tear at his eyes. If I’m fast enough, I’ll get to my blade and cut him to pieces. What the hell is he even doing here? Is he part of the Draugur guard? Was he following us from the museum?

  A ball of squealing rage, I claw at his eyes and am shocked when it’s Lucian who pulls me off. My other consort yanks me from the intruder and holds me firmly in his grasp. I’m shaking, and I’m not even sure if it’s with anger or grief. Probably both.

  “He got Carver captured! He’s a monster. What’s he doing here?”

  Lucian pushes my hair back from my face and strokes my cheek. I look into those soft chestnut eyes of his, and I find some grounding. Some hope. “Shh, it’s all right. Marius’s an ally. Where do you think the electromagnetic pulse to disarm the fire alarm at the museum even came from?”

  Frowning, I look between him and Marius. “I don’t understand. You said it was the head of…”

  “…I did because I knew if you connected it all at first to Marius, you’d refuse.”

  Marius nods. “I’m sorry for what happened. I’m glad you were able to escape. Just a moment.” He pulls a trigger device from his pocket and presses it once. I don’t feel or see anything happening; even to my senses, nothing feels different. However, the line of jeeps coming through the hills around the airport stops dead. They’ve ground to a halt. “I have an even better EMP that’s tuned only to jam cars. It’s specific enough to not affect airplanes.”

  “Is that even possible?” Reina asks.

  “I’m very good at tech,” Marius says. “I was an apprentice to Tesla so, yeah, it works. I just never release my best stuff to any market---human or vampire. I want my favorite toys to myself. Now, we should go because the Draugur will spend a few minutes trying to get their fleet to start back up, and then they’ll just run for us.”

  “No,” I demand. Then, I turn my ire to Lucian. How dare he drag this Marius into any of this. How could he possibly think we could trust this fucking bastard after all he’s done. “You’re just going to betray Carver like this? This man is the reason Morana is hurting him every day. I had a vision. I saw what’s happening to him. Just because Marius has a few good inventions, we’re going to let bygones be bygones.”

  Reina frowns and grips my arm. “Good points that we can all have on the plane and in another country not trying to kill us.”

  “We needed the help,” Lucian replies, his jaw twitching just a bit. “We needed someone else.”

  I round on Marius and stare straight up at him. My face comes up barely to his chin, but I strain my neck upwards and force him to answer me. His green eyes are haunting, yet also soft like spring moss. I could lose myself in them, just as I almost did at Morana’
s. No. It’s a trick. I know what he really is. What he’s done.

  “You’re a reckless asshole. You don’t care who you hurt.”

  “You don’t understand everything, Aurora.”

  It’s a fresh stab to my heart. No one can call me by my full name other than Carver, and I might not ever see him again. “It’s Aura, and no, we’re going to talk now. I’m not getting on a plane with some hot headed traitor. You killed hundreds of Kresova and not all of them were killers or hurt humans. One of them was my consort and the man I love.” I correct my phrasing as I eye Lucian and take his offered hand. “One of the men I love and my first mentor as a vampire. Now, I’m just supposed to get on this jet with your crazy ass? How do I know there’s not a bomb on the plane too?”

  Lucian sighs, “Sweetheart, please, Reina’s right.”

  “No, he’s playing us. Has to be. He’s…”

  I would have continued in my rant. God, there were so many other things I had to say to Marius and about him, but I was too shocked to think. When I’d turned for just a moment to Lucian, Marius had made his way to Abe, who was still covered in drying blood, and knelt low before him.

  “My king, the one, true King, I swear my fealty as always to you,” Marius replies. His head is bowed low as he speaks. “I have worked so hard to bring you back.”

  Abehartach places a hand on Marius’s shoulder. “You have served me well, my knight. You have heard my calls and worked to protect me. Your allegiance has been noted, do not doubt.”

  Row coughs. “Great, let’s do this on the plane because I don’t think it’s my imagination that the earth is rumbling up there.” He points to the hill where boulders roll from the sides and the cars shake. “I’d rather not be pulverized Wiley Coyote style, wouldn’t you?”

  “Agree,” Reina says. “Get on the plane, guys.”

  I glare at Marius as we all hurry onto the jet. Abe has declared Marius trustworthy and part of our mission, and I can’t override him. Even if looking at that man makes me furious. The vicious second soul deep inside me, the pure Kresova is spitting angry. She knows as well as I that the bastard wounded our mate---collateral damage or not. He should pay, not be given a comfy seat, some refreshments, and his choice of inflight magazine as we hurry and taxi down the runway.

  I grip the arms of my chair tight as the plane pushes off and into the night. Below me, the line of jeeps and SUVs fades into nothingness on the cliff, and those effing Draugur will have to try and find us another day. Fat chance. I’ll never be in Romania again. Of that, I’m certain. Reina’s shaken up from the drive and the pursuit of the Draugur, and she’s gone to a far corner of the jet with Row. Lucian’s drinking a snifter of brandy in a seat across from me. I want to go to him, but I feel too betrayed, like I’ve been let down.

  When he allied with Marius, he needed to tell me. Trust me. How can we function as a powerful Dria and her consorts---as a harem---if we can’t talk to each other? With Carver gone, I need to rely on Lucian more than ever. After his fiancée revelation, I thought any secrets and hidden truths were behind us. What else is Lucian hiding from me? Will I be able to survive another secret this big?

  God, I never wanted to be home more, in that lovely manor by Versailles and wrapped in Carver and Lucian’s arms. Far from war, far from ancient vampire feuds. Just home.

  There’s a cough over my shoulder, and I turn to try and glare into those mossy green eyes. They’ve haunted me since the bombing, but they call to something deep inside me too. I hate that, and I don’t want to think about what it means. It’s probably just because he spared my life by warning me obliquely. It can’t be more than that, not when I’m mourning Carver and afraid I’ll never see him again. Not when I’m furious at Lucian for not trusting me enough to be honest.

  I have no more room for anyone else in my life, least of all Marius.

  “Can I sit here?”

  I gesture to the empty leather seats all around us. “You can pick any bucket seat not near me you’d like.”

  Something feral and fleeting flashes over Marius’s eyes. With fluid grace he leaps over me and lands in the chair beside me, the one closest to the window. “I really think we need to talk.”

  “I said no.”

  “Does everyone always do what you tell them too, princess?” He asks, even as he straightens his long, brown braid behind his back.

  “I’m not…”

  “You’re a Dria. You might also be a fledgling and painfully new, but you have a lot of power flowing through you too. You’re used to your consorts rolling over for you. You have Abe trusting you, and it’s good that you’re smart and strong. We need that. But I’m here as a loyal knight for Abehartach. He’s who I serve first of all. I’m sorry about your other consort.”

  “Don’t.”

  Wide green eyes meet mine, some of the fire drained from them. “Don’t what?”

  “Talk about Carver like he’s dead. He was alive when the blast happened. We were all in the garden and, yeah, we were burned to hell, but we managed. But never talked about Carvell Marceau like he’s gone. He’s not. He’s the toughest Kresova I’ve ever met.”

  “Where do you think he is?” Marius asks, tone wary.

  “I had a vision.”

  “Dria gift, then. You’re too young otherwise to be clairvoyant.”

  “Yeah, a fun new benefit of being a vampire, along with no heartbeat and a thirst for blood. I saw Morana. She has him captive, and she’s tormenting him.”

  Marius places his hand over mine. There’s a flicker of warmth between us and a curl of heat in my traitorous belly that I’m desperate to ignore. I don’t want him. Damn it. It’s just my inner vampire slut coming out to play. It has to be. “Then I am truly sorry. Morana is mad, has been for millennia. She’ll torture Carver until his mind collapses and then go past that. He may already be gone.”

  “He’d never give up. I know he’s holding on until I can get to him. I know it. So, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” I rub at my temples which are throbbing. As a Kresova, I’m tough, super durable, but I’ve been on a long mission today, and had an ancient vampire king feed from me until I passed out. My reserve tank is below “E” right now. “Now, it’s a long flight back to the States. If you’d like to just leave me alone, maybe you and Lucian can catch up instead.”

  Marius’s expression darkens. “Princess, I just thought trying to smooth things over would be best. We need to cooperate. This team is what we’ve got, and it’s not even a fraction of what we actually need. We better start getting along.”

  I glare back at him and a silvery fury clouds my vision. My words come out distorted over descended fangs. “I need Carver. And I don’t need you.”

  Then my head pounds hard, then my stomach lurches, then I scream.

  Chapter 10

  I’m shouting at the pain drilling into my skull.

  My vision is swimming hard again, and I crash out of the seat I’ve been resting in. My knees and palms land hard on the floor, and a shock jars through my body. Strong hands are on me, and they cradle my body. Looking up, I’m comforted by the concerned, kind eyes of Lucian. I take in his scent, that hint of brandy still on his breath.

  “I don’t feel well,” I choke out.

  “Jesus, sweetheart, you’re pale. Even for us you are.”

  He scoops me in his arms like a bridal carry. I want to point that out, that it’s funny since we’re practically married. Hell, more than that. How many human unions last forever and are literally ordained by fate. Yeah, big fat goose egg there. My focus is fading in and out, so I can’t even get up the strength to tell him what I’m thinking. I laugh, sputter to myself as he carries me back to his private quarter of the plane. The door shuts behind us and I kneel on the bed before him. My anger is still there; I still wish he’d told me all of his plans before we arrived in Bucharest, but I’m not feeling well.

  Abe did take far too much, as I feared. I need him now. Need the blood, the elixir of life
that connects us.

  “I’m not…I’m so hungry.”

  Lucian strips his shirt off and I lick my lips at his broad physique and the pronounced curves of his muscles. Carver is muscled from years of missions as a Tireur, the best of the assassins working for Queen Bitch Morana. Lucian’s a fighter too, in his own way, but he’s broader. It’s almost like a swimmer’s physique versus a football star’s. Heat flares in my belly again, it’s spread from lower---my core---and I’m ready to feed.

  So ready to feel the utter orgasmic ecstasy I’ve missed over the last few days.

  “You gave Abe too much. We really needed at least two Drias for this. The fact you could wake an Ancient at all is a miracle,” Lucian says. Then he brushes his hand over my forehead. “Fuck, Aura, you’re burning up.”

  Moaning, I sway on my knees. “Please, Lucian, need you.”

  “Have it, my love,” he says, bringing my face to his collarbone. “Have everything you need.”

  My fangs are fully descended, and I strike fast, letting the heady nectar hit me hard. It tastes of copper, of course, but also of the brandy he’s drunk and of his strength and determination. It’s a force in its own right, so different from Carver’s but no less right and no less addictive. Carver’s blood is steady like the waves of the ocean; Lucian’s blood is crisp like an alpine forest. Both so steady, both so needed. Closing my eyes, I fall into bliss and keep drinking. Electricity seems to sizzle up my nerve endings and my clit streaks to life as the beginning bites of pleasure lance through me.

  I need him in so many ways.

  Vaguely, I’m aware of shouts.

  Opening my eyes, I watch, confused, as Lucian pushes my fangs. The Kresova soul deep inside of me doesn’t want to let go. I don’t want to let go. It feels so good, and I’m so very close. Greedily, I dig my fangs in deeper. Loud screams annoy me, even if there’s an edge of panic to them. I don’t care. I’m so very hungry---need this---and I must keep going.