by A. C. Arthur
The two who’d opened the gates for them were joined by two more, one of which circled around Aiken and Mel to open one of the twelve-foot-high doors. Doing so brought on a loud creaking, which said the door could use some oil. It wasn’t opened wide before the guy slipped through into the darkness beyond without speaking a word to them.
Hesitating momentarily, he stepped inside first. Normally, he would’ve allowed a woman to enter before him, but not in this instance. There was no telling what was beyond that door and while the three men still standing behind Mel could’ve made a move, he was banking what was before them held more danger.
It was chilly inside, was his first assessment of the situation. With his beast on high alert the search for heat signatures was in full force. Those men in black who’d answered the door registered in the normal range, another reason he knew they weren’t vampires. Mel, on the other hand, was still flying beneath the Drakon radar and he gritted his teeth when he glanced over to see she was right beside him.
Wall sconces came alive with warm golden light as the man in front of them walked. They hung on each side of dark paneled walls, illuminating what felt like an exceptionally long foyer with plush crimson colored carpet beneath their feet. He knew this was the Royal Blood headquarters but from the outside the house hadn’t looked this large. Finally coming to the end of the foyer, the man in black took a left turn through another set of double wood doors.
It was brighter in this space, more sconces on walls of a lighter panel color, glossed hardwood floors echoing the sound of their booted feet. There was a lot of gold in this room—at the windows, which from the outside were covered by steel shutters, on the inside were decorated with heavy gold drapes, on the chandeliers that hung in measured intervals and the chair perched on a stage covered in bloodred silk at the farthest end of the space.
“This guy’s full of himself,” she quipped from beside him.
He couldn’t help but agree as he noted red velvet couches with gold arms and legs, gold knobs on the many doors along one wall, and a massive black wall rug with the Royal Blood flag appearing as if it were blowing in the wind at the center. It was the oddest thing he’d ever seen and Aiken had seen a lot in his many years on different realms. It could be magick or some other type of trickery on behalf of the vamps—he wouldn’t put anything past them—but seeing it brought his mind back to the matter at hand.
Not only did they want to talk to Montoy about Duncan, they also needed to ask about the Royal Blood flag being found at the scene of a murder.
One of those doors on the side creaked open just as they were guided to stand a few feet away from the stage with the golden chair and weird-ass hanging rug. Two men dressed in white tuxedos came out first.
“Centuries,” he leaned closer to Mel and whispered.
She kept her gaze focused on the two moving in perfect synchronization as they walked toward the stage. They came to a stop, one on either side of the twenty-five-foot stage, the color of their outfits a bold contrast to red, gold and black surrounding them.
Hikeen Montoy came through the door next, the room suddenly filling with a frosty breeze.
It was Mel’s turn to lean into him. “Chief Gaudy Bloodsucker’s in the building.”
Aiken resisted the urge to grin.
Wearing an excellently cut dark gray pinstriped suit, polished Wessex leather monk-strap shoes, lighter gray shirt and shiny black tie, the Chief Lord of the Royal Blood walked at a slow and easy gait. Hikeen had silver white hair on top of his head and mustache, and a snow-white goatee. He didn’t look at them while unbuttoning his jacket, but Aiken knew that when he did turn his gaze to them, it would be with the icy, almost iridescent blue eyes that amazed and mesmerized humans. Eyes that in no way depicted how vicious and cold-blooded this vampire could be.
Four more centuries came out behind the chief, the last one in the group closing the door behind them with a loud click. Montoy stepped up onto the stage and took a seat in that hideous-looking chair.
“Damn, how long does an entrance take?”
Everything in the room seemed to still at Mel’s words, which weren’t spoken as quietly as Aiken hoped she’d meant them to be. She’d been bouncing from one foot to the other in what he knew was her impatient stance. He was more than ready to get this meeting underway, as well, but as he’d been in Montoy’s presence before, he knew there was an insane amount of pomp and circumstance to the dude’s appearance.
“Glad to see you’re prompt and ready to go.” Montoy spoke with an Australian accent but nobody actually knew where he’d originated from.
“We’ve just come from a murder scene.” It was time to get this underway. This place was odd and the vampires surrounding them were irritating the fuck out of his beast. “Where we found something of yours.”
At his words Mel reached into the inside pocket of her coat and pulled out the flag. He watched as Montoy’s cool gaze landed on it.
“You called this meeting to ask me about a piece of material?” The Chief Lord sat back in the golden chair, lifting one leg to cross over the other. “Are you dragons bored here in Burgess? Perhaps you should venture back to the Far Realm, where there’s more to keep your attention, what with news of another rebellion on the rise there.”
There was no rebellion on the Far Realm. With Theo as emperor, the Noble Drakon were working to mend the rift between the lands that was brought on by the former emperor’s demonic possession. But he didn’t have time to school Montoy on any of that.
“This same flag was also seen in the back of a car that one of your vampires was riding in. His name is Duncan Sankano. We have reason to believe Duncan is here in Burgess to, for lack of a better word, shake things up.” He could’ve just said to raise a vampire army, but if Montoy could be dramatic in his décor and entrance, then Aiken could be too.
The Chief Lord’s bushy eyebrows, which were probably meant to look menacing, but came across as unkempt, lifted. “So you’re spending your time following a flag now?”
“We’re spending our time trying to keep the balance of power on all realms. Duncan’s attempt to raise dead vampires might tip the scale. And I stress the word might because you know we’re not about to let that happen.” It wasn’t a struggle to remain calm while speaking to the leader of the vampires. In addition to the others dubbing him Mr. GQ, he’d also claimed the title of being Mr. Cool. Aiken wasn’t easily rattled—when Mel wasn’t in town—and so his opponent never saw the blistering sting of his rage before it smacked them in the face.
Montoy rubbed a hand over his goatee. “Did Theo actually send you here to threaten me?” A chilling laugh filled the room and Mel moved next to him.
She wanted to speak or more likely run up on that stage and grab Montoy by the tie, squeezing until his eyes popped out. That urge had soared through Aiken’s thoughts, as well.
He clasped his hands, standing with his legs slightly spread. A nonchalant shrug came next. “No threats. We’ll call this a fact-finding meeting. You give us the facts and we’ll do with them what we deem necessary.”
With the hand not massaging his beard, Montoy drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair. He didn’t speak for a few seconds, but nodded his head. The motion wasn’t directed to any one of the men in white specifically, but the one who’d remained closest to the door moved. He opened the door and in walked Enes.
Things had just gotten a little more interesting.
Chapter Ten
How bad was this gonna get?
Her fingers flexed at her sides as she watched this new player enter the scene. They were outnumbered, and while normally Mel didn’t have to worry about her hunts going to shit, tonight an eerie weight rested between her shoulder blades. She was willing to bet it had something to do with the fact she was standing in a house of vampires, waiting for one of them to decide she’d make a good meal.
; “Come closer, Enes. I want you to see what the dragons have sent us tonight.” The way the Chief Lord said that only solidified the thoughts currently rumbling around in her head.
To be clear, she wasn’t afraid. To the contrary, she was itching for a fight which was why her fingers were now balled into a fist. She hadn’t been sure about walking up into the enemy’s house like all they had to do was share a cup of coffee and small talk and all their problems would disappear. This was Theo’s plan, and Aiken was standing there talking calmly to this creepy-ass vampire king like he thought that plan might actually work. She knew better.
“They’re looking for Duncan.” Montoy continued talking to the one who’d stepped up onto the stage to stand beside him. “Have you seen him?”
Enes was smaller than Mel had imagined she would be. Though she’d never received a description from any of the dragons, she’d just assumed the woman who’d pushed past Ziva’s feisty and dominating exterior, would have to be of a certain stature. Instead, she was guessing Enes was no taller than five feet one or two. She wore sage green leggings with matching knee-length wedge boots and an equally as fitted long-sleeved white shirt. Her hair was cropped close and dyed a striking blonde.
“No. I haven’t seen him.” Enes’s reply to Montoy was short and Mel wondered if that was because the woman didn’t want to say much or if she was simply telling the truth. Mel was positive Montoy didn’t know the vamp that stood not three feet away from him had also been feeding information to the dragons.
Montoy lifted his hands, palms up as if in defeat. “There, you see, she hasn’t seen him.”
“That doesn’t mean you don’t know why he’s here and where he’s hiding. We saw him in this area just two days ago. Did you two have a meeting or was he just riding around and happened to come across your house?” Aiken was still using that cool-ass tone that could either make her wet or irritate her to the point of screaming.
Clenching her teeth until she thought she might crack her jaw meant she was leaning toward the latter right now. Why didn’t he just come out and say what needed to be said? That they knew about Duncan assisting him to raise the vampire army and they were going to stop it. With an imperceptible shake of her head she answered her own question.
They didn’t want to tip their hand too much. But wasn’t it too little too late for that? Montoy was no fool. He couldn’t be a leader and not at least be smart enough to know that if they were here asking about his partner in this dubious crime, that they already knew what was going down and were really here to tell him his plan wasn’t going to work.
“I don’t have control over where people drive in this city. That type of surveillance is in the purview of the Legion Security Company, isn’t it?” He was playing with them. They were never going to get any answers and she was getting tired of playing nice.
She was also sick of the intrusion on her body. Her arms felt heavier, the muscles in her legs ached as if she’d run a marathon and her hands hurt. Or rather, the tips of her fingers itched, a pinprick of pain at the bed of her fingernails. Not being able to control what was going on physically was putting her in a very bitchy mood. And Aiken’s insistence that she remain silent but also take ownership of a big-ass dragon that lurked inside of her was wearing on her already frayed nerves.
“What about at your club? Is he hiding out there tonight because you knew we’d be coming here?” She suspected Aiken’s question was aimed more toward Enes because he and the other Drakon were still debating whether they should trust the information she was feeding Ziva. From what Mel had heard, all the information Enes had given so far had been spot-on and helpful to the Drakon. So why was she standing there with her hands clasped in front of her as if her allegiance was to Montoy and no one else?
“We know he’s not like other changed vampires. Is that why he’s tearing out witches’ throats?”
“I just got word of those murders. They happened earlier today. Duncan wouldn’t have been out in the daylight.” Enes spoke evenly, as if she were an automated bot giving a report.
There was something about this one that held Mel’s attention. Perhaps it was because she continued to search for the possible bond that was between Enes and Ziva. Or it could just be that she was sick and tired of standing here silent, waiting for who knew what to happen.
“I wonder how Theo will decipher your disrespect when I relay all the lies you told me tonight.”
Montoy’s body seemed to elevate out of the chair, the movement was so fast and so elegant at the same time. Now he stood, those icy eyes turning to a bright gold with one blink. “Don’t get cocky, dragonboy. You’re here because I’ve allowed it. I decided to entertain a couple of winged creatures for a few moments. But I don’t take orders from your emperor, so I don’t give a damn what he might perceive as disrespect. Burgess is my city. It’s always been my city, even while Theo and the rest of his dragons have been hiding in the mountains. Coming here and making baseless accusations is what’s disrespectful. And I’ve had enough.”
On those last words Montoy’s arm moved, and before she could speculate as to what might happen next, Aiken had used his power to lift Montoy’s chair from the platform. The next seconds came in a flash. Aiken directed the chair around until it formed a barrier between them and the vampire. Montoy lifted his arms, extending two fingers. The power the vampire was aiming at them hit his sacred chair instead, bending and twisting it until the chair fell to the floor in a crumpled mess.
“We’re not hiding, Montoy. We’re right here in your face telling you whatever you and Duncan have planned isn’t going to work. We’ll protect this city and the realms with all the power of the Drakon.” Aiken was moving now, extending an arm and directing her to get behind him. Instinct, combined with the tone of his voice as he’d spoken to the vampire, had her following his directive.
“You dare to come in here and threaten me!” The Chief Lord was full-on angry now and so were his centuries, whose eyes had gone golden, fangs extended.
Aiken shook his head. “Just leaving a message.”
Before she could blink, Aiken had opened his mouth and tilted his head back a couple inches. The wall of fire that spewed from him produced a blast of heat that filled the room instantly. That weight she’d been feeling in her body increased, the back of her throat burning as she watched the fire in front of them burn. In the next second her arm was being jerked and she was forced to break into a run behind him. They ran down that hallway as fire burned behind them. The sound of the flames echoed in her mind as she moved.
They were outside and almost to the truck when she pulled free of him.
“Why are we running? He didn’t tell us anything about Duncan?”
Aiken was already climbing into the truck, slamming the driver’s side door by the time she jumped into the passenger seat.
“He was playing with us, just like he always does.” He was talking while hitting buttons on that watch they all wore. “Yeah, we’re leaving. How close are you?”
“They’re coming!” she yelled when she looked through the windshield to see a crowd of vampires dressed in white tuxedos heading for the truck. That pinprick of discomfort that had been circling her nailbeds escalated to a full, tearing pain that had her gasping.
“I’m bringing the party to you.” Aiken was talking, but she didn’t know to whom, and then he was putting the truck in Drive and pulling off so fast the tires screeched on the asphalt.
The force of the truck moving slammed her back against the seat and she dropped a hand down on the door handle. Her body shook with a motion she was certain wasn’t due to the speed limit Aiken was clearly ignoring. Something else was happening...something she hadn’t anticipated.
“Why are we running?” It was better to stay focused, to worry about the matter at hand. “We need to stay here until Duncan shows up. How do you expect to catch him if we’re always running
in the opposite direction?”
“One, we’re not running and two, you’re the very last person to talk about going in the opposite direction.” She should’ve known he’d take the comment in that way.
“We have a job to do, Aiken. That’s all I’m trying to say. This whole meeting seemed counterproductive and you know one of them, probably Duncan, killed that witch.” A scenario she couldn’t get out of her mind. If she’d caught Duncan that first night, he wouldn’t have been able to kill that woman, or the other two.
“We’re doing that job!” he yelled and pulled the truck off the road. “The question is, when are you going to help us?”
He’d jumped out of the truck, slamming the door behind him before she could respond. Cursing, she opened the door and started to step out. Her legs wobbled and she grabbed the side of the door to steady herself.
“What the hell?” Five seconds, that’s all she was giving herself to shake whatever the hell was happening and get her head in the game. Aiken had already disappeared down an incline into a wooded area.
She stared in the direction he’d gone, blinking because her vision had gone blurry. Red, fuzzy, blurred...and then crystal clear. Straight through the trees, Aiken ran at full speed toward three others—Magnum, Steele and Reese. Slamming the door behind her, she ran toward the trees, ignoring the pressure in her legs and arms, the feeling of her skin tearing at her fingertips.
A gush of cold air whipped through the area, bending the trees until branches cracked and fell to the ground. She felt a vamp coming up behind her, knew he was going to knock her down, but when he did, she rolled him over until she was on top. Fangs bared, he bucked beneath her, reaching up to flatten his hands at the back of her head. This one was strong. She strained her neck in an attempt to pull back from his grip. He was pulling her down to his open mouth and she was slapping at his arms in brief movements that weren’t going to save her life.
