Rhani (Dragons of Kratak Book 3)

by Ruth Anne Scott

  That was how they fed on the humans – they ate away at their life force, draining everything inside that made people live and function. That made them human. I had to tell myself that there was no other way when I was forced to kill one of the hosts. That the person I was killing wasn't really a person any longer anyway.

  I didn't like doing it, I respected humanity, but I also had a job to do. And I was very good at my job.

  I edged out a little further, trying to catch what they were saying. Thankfully, my senses were heightened, so it wasn't too difficult to hear them – especially given that they weren't taking great pains to be quiet about it. They had no clue I was there. Which was perfect.

  “I'm telling you, she is here in the city,” the first man said.

  The second man, tall with dark skin and broad shoulders ran a hand over his bald head. “Are you certain of this?” he asked. “Our people have been looking for this child for quite some time. She is the key to everything.”

  “I know that,” said the first man again. “And I am certain.”

  “How?” asked the first woman. “How can you be so certain?”

  “The child we seek gives off a certain – resonance,” he said. “There is an aura about her. A certain scent. Once you catch it, it's unforgettable. And I was there that night she was born. The night she vanished. I remember it all too well.”

  “And where did you see this woman?” the tall, dark man asked.

  “On the street,” he said. “It was a chance encounter. Completely random. I take that as a sign that our time is coming. That our time is near.”

  They all stood in silence contemplation for a moment, giving me a chance to process what I was hearing. I had no idea what they were talking about. A child who was the key to everything? Obviously, this woman – whoever she was – was a key figure in whatever they were cooking up, in this big “thing” that was supposed to happen. Which meant, I needed to find her.

  Unfortunately, they were pretty vague about who this woman was, where they'd seen her – or anything of substance really. Which meant, I was going to need to ask a few tough questions of the one who'd seen her on the street. Which meant, I needed to get down in there to do the asking.

  I grinned as I stood up and jumped down through the broken window, drawing the silver sword strapped to my back and letting my wings slow my descent. I landed softly and already had my sword in motion before the Shongtal could even react. Red light flared from the eyes of two of them and their dead husks hit the floor.

  Spinning around, I threw my sword up just in time to block the downward arc of the tall, dark man's blade. Our steel rang out against each other, echoing around the empty warehouse.

  “You don't belong here, Warden,” he grunted.

  “No, it's you that don't belong here, demon.”

  The other man – the man I wanted to talk to – waded in with his blade at the ready. I needed him alive, so while still engaged with the first man, I lashed out with my foot, catching him under the chin. The man's head snapped backward and he fell to the ground like a limp pile of laundry.

  He was getting to his feet again and I knew I needed to end things with the dark man quickly. Taking on two of them at a time wasn't the problem. I just wanted to make sure the man I wanted to question remained alive.

  I summoned the heat within me and felt it building. Being of the Fire Clan, I had a few fun weapons at my disposal. The Shongtal realized what I was – a moment too late, as it turned out. I opened my mouth and launched a column of fire directly into the face of the husk the demon was wearing. Stepping back and dropping his sword, the Shongtal grabbed at his face, which was burning out of control. I stepped forward with my sword at the ready, about to finish the deed when he threw his head back and opened his mouth wide. I watched as a column of thick, black smoke poured out of the husk and shot off through the air like a malevolent spirit – which it was. That one had escaped and would no doubt report back to his boss, but I couldn't worry about that at the moment. I had more pressing concerns.

  The empty husk fell to the ground in a heap, its head and face still engulfed in flames. A grisly sight, no question. But I couldn't allow myself the luxury of dwelling on it. I spun around and found the other man already rushing at me, the blade of his dagger coming straight for my throat.

  I allowed him to get close and then used my sword to knock his blade to the side and drove my elbow straight into the nose of his husk. I heard that distinct snapping sound as something broke and the blood began to flow straight down his face.

  Stunned – but only a bit – the husk turned to look at me, looking ready to continue the fight. I lashed out with my foot and swept his legs out from under him, putting him on his ass. One of the benefits of being more than three centuries old was that I'd had time to master many disciplines in the martial arts. It was something I thought should be required of any Warden, but I wasn't the one making those decisions.

  Though keenly aware I could be killed at any moment, I was also not afraid of death – and knew that my training made me pretty tough to kill.

  The husk was starting to rise again, so I kicked it in the face, knocking it back down flat on its back – and then kicked the dagger out of its hand. It went spinning off into the darkness of the warehouse with a clatter. Standing over him, I rested the point of my blade on its chest, applying a small amount of pressure – just enough to get its attention.

  “I have some questions for you,” I said.

  “I've got nothin' for you, Warden,” it sneered.

  “No?”

  With a flick of my wrist, I sliced open the creature's cheek. Blood flowed and there was the distinctive sound and smell of burning flesh. The Shongtal had no tolerance for silver whatsoever. The creature screamed and writhed in agony beneath me.

  “Nothing?” I asked. “Come on now, it's a few harmless questions. And after that, I'll let you go.”

  The creature wearing the man's face shot me a look of pure, intense hatred. “I know you, Warden,” it said. “You've got quite the reputation. I already know you're not gonna let me go, so why should I tell you anything?”

  I smirked at him. “Never believe half of what you hear,” I said. “Goodness, you Shongtal are all gossip and rumors, aren't you? A regular sewing circle.”

  “Screw you.”

  “Look, I only need a couple of questions answered,” I said. “You do that, and on my honor as a Warden, I will let you go.”

  Honestly, letting him go wouldn't impact me very much. My reputation was true – I never left any Shongtal I came across alive. And they feared me because of it. It was in my best interest to continue building on that hard-earned reputation. But at the same time, letting one go wasn't going to cost me anything at all. Plus, if he gave me some information I could use, it would actually be to my benefit.

  The creature looked at me skeptically, his eyes narrowed, his gaze baleful. The Shongtal were all about selfishness and self-preservation. They didn't want to die anymore than anybody else did. Which gave me the upper hand.

  “What do you want to know?” the creature hissed at me.

  “Who is the woman you were talking about earlier?” I asked. “What is she the key to?”

  The creature laughed. “You really think I'm going to tell you that?”

  I shrugged. “Thought I'd ask. Seems a shame for you to die when you can give me a little something and live.”

  “I give you something and I end up dead anyway,” it said. “Does it matter whether it's by your hand or that of my King?”

  I shrugged. “That's your decision to make,” I said. “But I have a feeling you'd stand a better chance with your own kind than you do with me.”

  “You don't know the King,” it said.

  “Not personally, no,” I said. “But I hope to make its acquaintance one day. Because when I do, I'm planning on killing it.”

  The creature laughed, a dry, raspy sound. “So arrogant,” it said. “So cocky. Di
d it ever occur to you that you are the one who is going to die?”

  “I wake up every day and think it could be my last,” I said. “And if it is, so be it. But I'm not going to live my life fearing it. So, who's the girl?”

  “Nobody you know.”

  “Probably not,” I said. “Humor me anyway.”

  The creature stared at me but remained silent. I pressed the point of my sword down a little harder, encouraging him to speak. The creature grimaced and grunted in pain as the silver began to burn its flesh.

  “Who's the girl?” I asked.

  “I don't know who she is,” it shouted, its voice echoing around the warehouse. “I just happened to run into her.”

  The creature was breathing heavily and looking at me with wild eyes. The silver was having the desired effect, causing it an inordinate amount of pain – which only made me smile.

  “And where did you just happen to run into her?”

  “On the street!” it shouted. “I already said that. Are you stupid?”

  I smirked at him. “Which street, moron?”

  The creature grimaced again, groaning in pain. “Fluker,” it hissed through gritted teeth. “Fluker Street.”

  I thought about it for a second and recalled that Fluker was in an older neighborhood. It had had a lot of small shops and artsy stores – sort of a hipster paradise.

  “Was she just passing through?” I asked. “Did she work there?”

  “I don't know, man!” the creature shouted. “I just saw her on the street. She wasn't carryin' any bags or nothin'. Now, get that sword out of my chest!”

  “One more question,” I said and the creature moaned in agony as the silver continued to burn its skin. “What did she look like?”

  Its eyes were wild with pain and it looked so stressed out that if it had been human anymore, I might have feared it having a heart attack or a stroke. But it wasn't, so I didn't let up on the pressure on my blade.

  “Red hair,” it hissed. “Short. White skin. Curvy.”

  Not much to go on, but I doubted that the creature had much more to give. I was pretty experienced when it came to interrogation and could tell reasonably well when somebody was more or less tapped out. It wasn't much, but at least it was something.

  I took a step back and picked up my sword, keeping it handy – just in case.

  “Go,” I said. “I appreciate the cooperation.”

  Rubbing its chest with one hand and holding its wounded cheek with the other, the creature slowly got to its feet, keeping a wary eye on me.

  “Y – you're letting me go?” it asked.

  “I gave you my word on my honor as a Warden,” I said. “See, unlike you lot, I'm a man of my word. So, go. Just know that the next time I run into you, I'm going to kill you. Unless, that is, you have some more juicy little bits of information for me.”

  Having informants was always useful. It was rare that I could flip one of the Shongtal, but it wasn't unheard of. I'd had a few Shongtal informants before – not that they ever lasted very long. Once they were compromised – and discovered – they died pretty terrible deaths at the hands of their brethren. But if I could land another one, all the better for me.

  The creature looked at me, visibly surprised that I was holding true to my word. Honesty among the Shongtal was a rare commodity indeed.

  “This is how trust is built,” I said. “We can have a mutually beneficial relationship. You feed me information, you keep breathing. I'd say that's a win-win, wouldn't you?”

  Without answering me, the creature turned and ran off into the darkness of the warehouse. The door banging open and hitting the wall echoed all around me, announcing its departure. I shrugged. I knew I'd run into it again and when I did, it would either feed me information or it would die. Over the years, I'd found that it got a little easier for them each time they gave me a little intel.

  I'd just have to wait and see whether or not, this one would come back to me. Until then, I had a mysterious redhead on Fluker Street to ferret out.

  Chapter Five

  Astrid

  “This dress is too tight,” I complained. “And the skirt is way too short.”

  I sat in the passenger seat of Piper's BMW, trying to pull the hem of the skirt down while also trying to pull the top up to cover more of my breasts. She'd brought along a couple of outfits, hair products, and enough makeup to paint up every woman in a brothel.

  When she was done, I'd looked at myself in the mirror and felt like the world's biggest fraud. Of course, the phrase that had immediately come to mind was “putting lipstick on a pig.” But I didn't say that in front of Piper – mainly because I didn't want to have to endure another of her self-help pep talks. I loved her to death, but that was definitely something I could have lived without.

  “Please,” Piper said. “You look smokin' hot, Astrid.”

  Smokin' hot was about the last thing I felt like in that moment. I wasn't stick thin like Piper. I wasn't the typical blonde, blue eyed, Southern California beach bunny that we were famous for. I was short, had full breast and hips, brown eyes, and pale skin. About my best – and only – asset was my long, red hair. Men seemed to like that well enough.

  “Do you really think I'd take you out to a posh, trendy place like Heat if you weren't looking tip-top?” Piper asked. “I mean, I do have a reputation to uphold and all.”

  She laughed, but I knew there was a little bit of truth behind her words. Not to say that she was shallow, but ever since she started working for a high-profile defense firm, Piper had become a little more image conscious than she used to be.

  Not that I blamed her. She was often in the public eye and had to uphold a certain standard. Which meant that if I wanted to hang out with her – at least in public – I too, had to uphold that standard. Which was why I didn't often go out on the town with her. She was a lot better at looking hot and presentable than I was.

  I remembered though, our days in college. All those nights spent in sweat pants and t-shirts, eating ice cream in front of the TV or at the coffee house. Unlike Piper, I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life. She was focused and determined – she was going to be a lawyer. And to her credit, she powered through school and had done just that. And was apparently doing quite well.

  I, on the other hand, was more or less directionless. Just sort of ambling by. I'd gotten my degree in Library Sciences and figured that with my love of books, it was just sort of a natural progression. But after a few years of working in a library, I realized that I was bored.

  So, I'd used the inheritance my parents had left me to open my bookstore. And I had to admit, though stressful at times, I was enjoying it a lot more. I finally felt like things were right in my life. That the puzzle pieces had finally fallen into place and that I was where I needed to be.

  I looked over at Piper and was struck, as always, how beautiful and confident she was. I was about the exact opposite of her, and it made our friendship all the more remarkable to me. We'd been thrown together in a dorm room and were more or less opposites in every way. We had few things in common, but I admired her for her dedication and laser-like focus to her education. In a lot of ways, that part of her rubbed off on me.

  What had never rubbed off on me though, was her nature as a social butterfly. She was never short of men chasing after her and there were more than a few times I'd had to pretend to be asleep while she and her flavor of the evening screwed away in our dorm room.

  But somehow, despite all our differences, we'd forged an ironclad friendship. We got each other in way nobody else did and we'd found that those differences actually complemented one another.

  As we liked to say, she was the peanut butter to my jelly and I was the cheese to her macaroni.

  “So, what is this place, anyway?” I asked. “Heat, was it?”

  She looked at me like I'd lost my mind. Or was just an uncultured heathen – which, I admittedly was.

  “Heat is only the trendiest, hottest sp
ot in town,” she said. “It's where the A-List goes to be seen.”

  “Well – is it like a restaurant?” I asked. “A night club?”

  “Both,” she said. “It's one of LA's premier restaurants and it also has an accessible nightclub called Fire.”

  “Heat and Fire,” I said. “I'm sensing a theme here.”

  Piper laughed and shook her head. “We really need to get you out more often,” she said. “Show you that there is more to the world than just – books.”

  “Hey, I happen to like my books,” I said. “Books never let me down. Never break my heart. The written word is magic.”

  “Okay, that was a really nice way of me saying that I really need to get you laid,” she said. “And laid well.”

  I laughed and shook my head. Piper was an uninhibited woman, and although I admired her for it, I knew that it wasn't the way I wanted to be. Or at least, the way I thought I could be. I just wasn't anywhere near as outgoing as she was.

  We pulled up to a restaurant that looked – incredible. When I imagined places the LA elite went, this probably covered it. We pulled to the valet stand and our doors were opened for us. A long red carpet led from the curb to the front of the restaurant. Though the lighting outside was dim, there were torches on the columns that lined the walkway to the front door. Dense foliage stood behind the columns, giving it an almost jungle feel to the exterior of the place.

  The doors were opened for us and we stepped inside. The interior of the restaurant was somewhat dark and foreboding. I knew they were there because there was an ambient glow about the place, but I didn't see a single light fixture anywhere. Instead, torches hung on all of the walls, there were multiple fire pits inside the restaurant, giving off more light than heat.

  Black and a deep shade of red were the dominant colors in the restaurant, and there were several tall glass cases filled with lush, jungle-like foliage scattered throughout the dining area. The interior was a little warmer than I would have liked, but overall, it was pretty pleasant inside.