“That feels nice,” Sarah’s voice came out with more than a touch of flirtation in it. His gaze remained cold as his hands kept moving, patting her down. Though he was thorough, I also got the impression he did it clinically, not enjoying himself in the least.
“All right, wait here,” the dracon said.
When Sarah stepped aside, I stepped up to the dracon. I turned my gaze down, hoping that he would consider me meek and wouldn’t look too closely at my face. I wasn’t in luck. Before he even started checking my hair, I felt his fingers on my chin, and he lifted my chin up until my gaze met his.
His eyes were fiercely blue. “How old are you?”
Strangely, his face didn’t have that unearthly beauty I’d come to associate with half dragons. He was by no means unattractive, but under his smooth skin his features were rougher, wider, and less refined than any other half dragon I’d seen. His hair was dark too, something that I had not expected from someone from Oceania.
“I’m nineteen,” I lied, my voice quivering.
His gaze roamed my face, as if he knew I was lying. Honestly, I didn’t look nineteen, I didn’t even look my age—seventeen. I had inherited my aspect young, and my aging had slowed ever since.
He looked young too, maybe eighteen, though that didn’t mean much in the dracon world. Just about the time I thought he would send me packing, his fingers started threading through my hair, when he caressed over my neck, his eyes widened just a little. “You’ve never been bitten,” he said in a low voice.
“No,” I whispered.
He glanced down at my lips, then looked into my eyes for another few seconds. I kept his gaze, but willed my eyes to reflect how much he intimidated me.
“If you change your mind, no one on this boat will force you.”
“I won’t change my mind.”
He gazed at me for another second, then nodded.
Taking his hands off my neck, the dracon grabbed my wrist with my charm bracelet and lifted it to his face. I looked to his mouth, wondering if he was about to bare his fangs and bite me. But his mouth didn’t open. He leaned in toward my bracelet and sniffed.
“This has a very low level of magic,” he said, glancing at the blue charm on my charm bracelet.
No magic detector I had ever stepped through had detected the water magic on my charm. Either his sense of smell was more accurate than a magic detector, or magic detectors didn’t check for human magic.
He passed right over my portal ring but took a deeper inhale at my bracelet, closing his eyes. He opened his eyes to stare into mine. “What does this do?”
“It’s an enhancement,” I whispered. “For energy.”
He nodded. I stayed silent as his hands softly and impersonally checked the rest of my body for weapons. I had hoped his hands would pass right over my little eastern portal purse, but they stopped directly over it.
“What is this?” he asked. Though he was crouching and I was standing, I didn’t have to look far down to meet his gaze.
“I keep it for luck,” I said.
“Take it out for me, please,” he said, thankfully not going in to get it.
Reaching into the slit in my dress, I unpinned the small portal purse and handed it to him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sarah standing behind the dracon, her eyes fixed on the purse.
My heart wanted to speed up, but I kept my breathing even. While he concentrated on the purse, I pretended to rub my wrist and put my fingers on the clasp of my bracelet. If he opened the purse and discovered the portal to my gun, I’d only have a second to unclasp my bracelet and paralyze him with my ability. He might even react too fast for me to get a good enough hold on him.
Slowly, he ran his fingers over the outside of the purse. It always looked and felt empty, but the vampire was very thorough. He bent the purse this way and that. His large fingers clasped around the zipper.
“The zipper is stuck, it might fall apart,” I whispered. “It was my mother’s.”
He looked into my gaze, eyes narrowing fractionally. Raising the purse to his nose, he sniffed. Then he took one more long inhale through his nose directly over the zipper. “All right,” he said.
When he handed the purse back, I quickly pinned it to my dress. It was awkward, reaching into my dress again while he crouched in front of me. It took a second for me to re-pin it.
After showing him my shoes, he finally sent me to stand by Sarah.
When the dracon got to Sophie he smiled. “She’ll love you,” he said. He ran his fingers through her hair. From where I stood, I had a perfect view of her scowl. Sophie seriously needed to work on her acting skills. She looked as if she was three seconds from trying to gut the dracon.
“What are you?” he asked. “Hawk? Condor?”
“Eagle,” she snapped.
“I hope you know that we’re stronger and faster than you. When we get in there, if you give any sign of transforming, one of us will kill you.”
“I know that,” she said.
“Good,” he said. “Usually I would never allow a were-predator in, but she has a taste for avian weres. All eyes and swords will be aimed on you.” When his fingers were around her neck he said, “It’s been a couple months for you, and a claiming mark—”
“He’s dead,” she said, defiantly. For some reason, even though I had no idea what they were talking about, I was pretty sure she was telling the truth.
“By you?” his voice was low, almost a growl.
“No,” she said. “Not by me.”
They didn’t say anything else as he checked her for weapons, and after another couple of minutes she was instructed to stand by us.
“Should I take them to the main area, sir?” the host asked the dracon.
“No,” he said, “These ones go to the Regina. I’ll take them in.”
“Yes, sir,” he moved back to stand behind the host station.
“Go on in and walk ahead of me,” the dracon said.
We all nodded, and Sophie opened the heavy door, letting Sarah and I walk ahead of her. But as soon as we were through, Sophie again took the lead.
“Head to your left,” the dracon said, following us in.
The VIP area was like a smaller yet more lavish mirror image to the main area of the cruise ship. But where downstairs was entirely draped in black, the VIP area was overflowing with white satin. The chandeliers gave off a low light, but every white satin table seemed to gleam as we passed.
The area was not as small and exclusive as I assumed it would be. There were perhaps a hundred or so tables and three times as many servers. A small group of musicians stood on a raised platform, and a beautiful vampire woman closed her eyes and swayed her hips gently as she sang in a language I didn’t recognize.
We walked along the dining room, directly toward another dracon vampire. He also had that telltale wreath of power, though his was considerably less than the dracon following behind us closely.
All I could see was his back and bright red hair, as his face was buried in the neck of a female server. He lifted her completely off the floor as her blonde, long hair draped over his arm. We came to stand before him, waiting until he finished feeding. After another full minute of waiting, he raised his head from the woman’s neck.
“Harrison,” the new dracon said, giving the dracon beside us a big smile with a little blood on his teeth. He dropped the server in his arms.
She staggered and nearly fell, grabbing the wall to keep her upright. She turned, staggering away with one hand on the wall. One of her straps had slipped down her shoulder, and I saw just a peek of a swirling tattoo on her back.
I jumped as I heard the smack of this new dracon clapping the dracon—who must be Harrison—on his back. “Are you finally taking a break?”
“No, Benjamin, not while there might be traffic entering the upstairs,” Harrison said. “These servers have been checked.”
The new dracon, Benjamin, surveyed each of us, a still-bloody smile on his face. “
Well, let’s send them in. My, my, you’ve brought us regional cuisine.”
I glanced over at Sophie and Sarah, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. Our complexions perhaps had a similar coppery color, mine a little darker tone, but besides that, we looked nothing alike. I guess this dracon couldn’t tell the difference between someone of native New Anglan and Mabiian descent, or didn’t care enough to try.
Benjamin looked back up at Harrison, “You really want to miss out on these?”
Sophie tensed beside me.
Looking over at her, I squeezed my hands into fists.
“I think I’ll survive,” Harrison said.
“All right, all right. Well, at least go in there and check in with Imogen,” Benjamin said, with a good-natured wink, “That one is an order.”
“Yes, sir.” Harrison’s voice held a trace of sarcasm.
Benjamin turned to the solid metal door behind him. Instead of a doorknob, he turned a wheel, then pushed the door open.
Beyond the door yet another satin color scheme greeted us, this time crimson. Of course it would be crimson. The space was considerably smaller and darker than the two previous areas. The chandelier overhead flickered with candle light.
Deep crimson satin covered the walls and furniture. A group of large sofas surrounded a fireplace where a large fire blazed. The light from the fire flickered on the cloth walls.
As we crossed the room to the oversized couches, I moved my gaze over the scene. Aside from the two dracons beside us, I counted ten other half-dracon vampires. There were other vampires as well, but I couldn’t be sure whether they were conventional vampires or descendants of the half-dragons. Many of them stood with the sharp vigilance of guards, while others lounged across the couches.
Harrison gestured for the three of us to join the small group of servers waiting behind the couches.
I didn’t see Bobby until I was directly behind him. He was lounging on a couch facing away from the door, his arm casually over Lorelei’s shoulders. From this angle, looking over their heads, I had a perfect view of Lorelei’s hand on her lap. On her finger sat a portal ring, nearly identical to my portal ring. The ring had a portal only emotions passed through, and it led directly to my grandfather.
I allowed myself a moment of relief. My grandfather had predicted that Imogen would offer Bobby a server. He said she would do it as a veiled insult, offering him one of the people that were truly under his guardianship. Thankfully, she must have paid him that insult because it looked like he was able to select Lorelei.
Lorelei sat comfortably under his arm, looking completely at ease. Bobby sitting with his arm around one of us was such a normal sight, it was almost surreal in such a dangerous setting. I was glad she was there with him; I might not have been able to keep in character if I’d walked in on one of these blood suckers snacking on my sister. Even though she was my younger sister, the dress fit her perfectly, and I am sure more than one of these jerks saw what a knockout she was.
No one paid us any attention as we entered, which was a good thing because I was measuring the space between each dracon. Lorelei and Bobby also gave no indication that they were aware of our presence.
Imogen was unmistakable. Fire seemed to wreathe around her as she sat directly in front of it. Her hair was down and so vibrantly red I could have mistaken it for flames. The small brazier set into the table in the middle of the group sent light flickering across her beautiful face. Now she had one of those perfect faces I associated with half dragons—unnaturally beautiful. She smiled at Harrison, “Brother, where have you been all night?” Her Oceania accent was light, but I still heard it.
“Securing the floor,” he said.
“Why?” she said, snickering and shaking her head. “We brought guards for that. I brought you for your company.”
He inhaled through his nose. “I’m the only one you brought who can smell magic.”
“Well, you’ve done enough. Come sit with me, and for my sake, relax. That is an order.” She patted the seat beside her with a delicate pale hand. “Robert, have you met my youngest brother, Harrison?”
“In a manner of speaking,” Bobby chuckled. “But not officially. Nice to meet you, man. Call me Bobby.” Bobby reached out, offering his hand to Harrison.
Harrison hesitated, looking down at my uncle. After too long of a pause, he shook Bobby’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Harrison, come sit,” Imogen said, half-amused, half-exasperated. She smacked the seat beside her. “It is an order that you do not do any more work tonight. James,” she snapped at one of the dracons sitting on the couch, “Send one of your children out to take Harrison’s place.”
The dracon, who I presumed was James, gave a hand signal to one of the vampires that were standing vigilantly, and the man immediately left the room.
Imogen turned completely to Harrison as he crossed the room and sat beside her. “When was the last time you ate?” she asked him. “How many hours has it been?”
“I can go days—”
“No, you can’t,” she said, shaking her head. “Pick a human and eat something now.”
I saw his jaw clench, but his gaze roved over the group of servers I was standing in.
When his gaze passed me, I stared into his eyes. His gazed passed onto the next girl, but then he glanced back. I willed him to pick me as his bright blue gaze burned into mine. Inhaling, I made myself glance away, then back up into his eyes, giving him a small smile as I did.
His lip twitched into the barest of smiles, then he gave me a very small nod before his focus turned back to Imogen.
Keeping my eyes on the floor, I walked between the couches and along the center brazier to the couch where Imogen sat. I had aimed directly for the space between Imogen and Harrison, but when I was about to sit down, Harrison’s strong hands grabbed me by my waist and set me down on his other side. His arm remained around my waist, though I was pretty sure he never turned his attention from his monarch.
He didn’t feed on me, or touch me other than keeping his arm firmly around my waist.
Glancing over, I immediately knew that the distance between Imogen and me was much too far for me to casually touch her. If I wanted to threaten her, I’d basically need to crawl over Harrison’s lap and grab her.
I knew in my gut that I wouldn’t be able to reach her while Harrison sat between us. He might as well have been an impenetrable wall of defense.
There was an alternative target of course. Unless Imogen was faking it, she obviously cared about her younger brother Harrison. Ideally, I would have to touch her, but maybe the threat might be just as effective if I demonstrated my ability on Harrison.
“Robert,” Imogen said, “Harrison here is the brother I’m seeking a contract for. He’s young, has no wives nor children, and he’s arguably my most powerful brother. I know your father has more than one suitable granddaughter for the match, yet all evening, whenever I bring it up, you change the subject.”
Bobby chuckled. “To be honest, I don’t have the authority to arrange a contract between our families.”
“Then why did he send you?” she said in a clipped tone.
“Well, I appreciate you being frank with me, so I’ll do you the same favor. My father doesn’t trust you, he assumed you’d abduct anyone he sent onto your ship. He sent me because I’m the only one of his children that inherited his ability to teleport. But, I’d be happy to relay a message for you.”
Although everyone had already been silent during their exchange, the hush that followed Bobby’s statement had a tangible weight to it.
Slowly, I slipped my right hand across and off my lap. The position made me look vulnerable, as I had to cross one arm under the other, like I was hugging myself. I moved my hand back to where Harrison still held me gently at my waist. Placing my hand over his, I made skin-to-skin contact.
He didn’t shake my hand off or pull away as I feared he would. Instead, he slipped his hand back and placed his fingers over
mine.
I had the contact, now I just needed to use my teeth to unclasp my charm bracelet when it was time.
Across the room I saw both Sarah and Sophie, their gaze intent on me. Sophie had edged her way away from the other servers, standing almost in between the couches. I pointedly ignored her, not wanting to draw attention.
I glanced again at the group around us. Aside from Imogen and Harrison, the seven other half-dragons seated around us looked very similar. All of them had been blessed with the other-worldly good looks gene, and maybe because they all had the same father, it made them look disconcertingly similar to each other with their matching tawny complexions and hair the same vibrant orangey-red color of a hibiscus kokio. Each of them had at least one server beside them, most of them women. Some of them had multiple servers. Though a few of the servers looked dazed or had blood on their necks, no one was currently feeding. The half-dragon who had escorted us in with Harrison was gone.
After a full minute of silence, Imogen blew out a laugh. “Well, then,” she said. “Since we’ve decided to be frank with each other, I’ll just come out and tell you what I want. I’ve been told that your father has granddaughters with twice the level of power as any other one-eighth blood dragon. I want them in my family.”
“That’s an unsubstantiated rumor,” Bobby said, shaking his head. “We don’t know who made it up or spread it around. You’re not the first dracon who’s tried to find my father’s mythical granddaughters and been disappointed.”
Imogen smiled at him. “You’re forgetting something Robert.”
Bobby smiled, leaning back even more into his couch. “Not surprising, I’m a pretty forgetful guy.”
The smile she gave him whispered of victory. “You forget my contract with your brother Kaipo.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Lorelei glance over sharply, before looking back to her lap.
The arm around me tensed, his fingers pressing into mine. After a second, he relaxed.
“I didn’t know that, but I’m only forty. My father has never mentioned it,” Bobby said.
Not only had my grandfather failed to mention it, he’d lied. He’d specifically told us he had avoided any contracts with her, and he definitely did not in any way mention that Imogen had had a previous contract with my father.
Rex (Dakota Kekoa Book 2) Page 5
