by Nadia Heaton
“Trust me, you want to hear this now.” Rashid pushed past him into the apartment. “I came to warn you. I’m not entirely sure how it happened yet, but Lisette has been turned into a vampire. Not only is she a vampire, but she’s retained her witch powers. I wouldn’t be surprised if she figures out that you were involved in the attack in Spain. You need to be careful. You might have a very powerful enemy coming at you.”
“WHAT? You were supposed to make her suffer, not give her superpowers!”
Teo’s rage was almost comical; he was practically hopping up and down on the spot in indignation.
Nobu came up behind Lisette, putting a hand on her shoulder. “He doesn’t look happy.”
“Nope.” Lisette let the spell drop. She’d seen all she wanted to for now. “Are we ready?”
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I am, and I’m the only one who can do it. Who knows how many people Mirabelle has stirred up to want war? I’m the only vampire-witch hybrid. If anyone can forge a path for us, it’s me.”
“The united covens haven’t had a queen in a long time. Jermaine and Savion told me a bit of the history.”
“I know, they told me too.” Lisette looked around at their room. This castle had originally been a sunken ship, but vampires had converted it centuries ago. She and Nobu would be living here for now, once the coronation was done. Though first, the two of them were going to go to an isolated spot Nobu had found and spend some well-earned time alone.
Vampires weren’t ones for excessive ceremony. They went into the large hall to find about a hundred vampires, representatives from all the major covens, already seated. Savion had been elected the speaker, and thus the one with the right to crown their queen.
He and Lisette stood on a platform before all the others.
“We all know why we’re here. Things between vampires and witches have never been so precarious. We need real leadership, not the fragmented decisions of individual coven leaders. Lisette has agreed to be our voice and our guide in this. If anyone has an objection, let them speak now.”
No one spoke. Lisette trembled slightly, but she was resolute. She would do everything she could to protect her people – both witches and vampires.
“Lisette? Do you agree?”
“I agree.”
Savion slowly lowered a crown made of bone and coral onto her head. The moment it touched, the vampires started cheering. Lisette smiled shyly at them. She had no idea how to do this, but she and Nobu were going to figure it out together.
Blood was served in wine glasses as Lisette spoke to everyone, getting herself familiarized with her most powerful allies. Nobu never left her side. Eventually, the two of them were able to sneak off.
“You’re sure you’ve worked out the gill thing?” he checked.
“I’ve got it. I had Savion throw things at me yesterday to distract me, and I was fine.”
It was possible for vampires to breathe underwater by doing a partial transformation, leaving them human but with the gills of a ray. The skill took some practice to master, but Lisette had put a concerted effort into it.
They held hands as they walked to the nearest port. Outside was pure ocean, held back by vampire magic. Talking would be difficult when underwater. Neither of them had perfectly mastered the skill of telepathic communication when underwater. They’d progressed to sharing emotions, but exact words were still difficult.
“Anything you want to say before we go?”
Lisette smiled. “I think we’ve pretty much covered it.” She had apologized for rejecting Nobu at first after he changed, which he had graciously accepted. They were committed to building a life together, for them and their people, no matter how hard it may be. For the moment, nothing else really needed to be said.
Nobu opened the door, and the two of them stepped through the barrier that held the water back. Lisette closed her eyes, focusing on the gills of a ray. A slight ticklish feeling at the sides of her neck told her she’d succeeded. She breathed in a deep breath of water, feeling it pass smoothly through the gills.
The two of them started swimming, Nobu in the lead. Vampire eyes could see perfectly underwater with no need for human diving equipment. The two of them followed the ocean floor to a beautiful coral reef with brightly colored fish swimming in all directions around it.
They came to rest on a flat rock, just barely touching its surface. Lisette didn’t think she’d ever get tired of swimming underwater. It was magical.
As Nobu leaned in to kiss her, the water between them seemed to heat up slightly. The contrast of the heat of their bodies versus the cool of the surrounding water was intoxicating. They kissed fiercely, both breathing harder, their gills flaring in and out to keep up.
Lisette grabbed at Nobu’s clothes with the intention of undressing him, but her strength got away from her, and they clothes tore away in ribbons. Whoops. Nobu didn’t seem to care; in fact, he was doing the same to her. They’d look like quite a sight, swimming back naked, but that was a problem for another time.
As they wrapped themselves in each others arms, connected in the most passionate uninterrupted kiss, Lisette couldn’t tell if she was just imagining the concussion in the water around them. Lisette knew that her powers had increased since she’d been turned, and this wouldn’t be the first time they’d done something unexpected, just like a young witch’s powers did when she was still growing and learning about them.
For a while, they lay on their backs, watching the ocean creatures swim past above them, but apparently, Nobu was far from finished. He took her hand again and swam with Lisette to a particularly beautiful formation of orange coral. Underneath it was a bed of something that looked like the seaweed version of grass. Bethany would probably know what it was called, but Lisette had no idea.
Nobu placed her onto the grass under the coral before climbing in with her. Looking up through the contorted coral pieces was like watching the scene above them through a very interesting pair of glasses.
There wasn’t a lot of space here, but Lisette was prepared to be creative. They held each other close, making fierce love over and over again, until even the fish swam away and minded their business.
It was many hours later – or perhaps even a fully day – when they returned to the palace. Lisette was well acquainted with the walk of shame, but it didn’t happen as she expected. Attendants were waiting with clothes, food, water and blood for her and Nobu. None of them so much as blinked at their nakedness and their distinct air of dishevelment. Being queen came with some perks, it seemed.
Lisette finally managed to shake off the other vampires at the door to her and Nobu’s chambers.
“We have to do that again.” She didn’t think she’d stopped smiling in hours.
“Agreed. I think there’s a fish or two we haven’t sent into therapy yet.” Nobu flopped down on the bed, and Lisette snuggled eagerly into his arms.
“We’ve got a strategy meeting tomorrow. We’re going to have to figure out what to do about Mirabelle. My family is keeping her confined for now, but that can’t last forever.”
Nobu kissed her lightly. “We’ll talk about that tomorrow, then. Today is our day off, remember?”
“I remember.” Lisette gave him another tender kiss. “I love you.”
“I love you, Lisette. I know this isn’t the life you wanted, but just think about it – we’re immortal, now. We never have to be apart.”
“I like the sound of that.” Lisette kissed him once more, full of hope for the future.
* * *
Turn the page for a preview of the fourth book in the Flames of the Sea Series, Silent Fate.
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Preview - Silent Fate
Book 4 - Flames of the Sea Series
Nadia Heaton
1
Ariana dashed between the trees, dodging trunks and leaping over bushes. She was used to moving quickly in the ocean, but vampires were much more adept at travelling through w
ater than over land. She could use the practice.
She had enjoyed her last few years in Russia, but she was ready to come somewhere warmer. Vampires struggled with the cold, and this meeting in France would at least be warmer. Maybe once this was done she’d spend some time in the Caribbean. That was where most vampires congregated, and for good reason.
Of course, there was no telling how long she’d be here. Rashid hadn’t told her all the details when he’d called her, but Ariana had picked up enough murmurings to know it was something big. A new queen of their kind had been crowned, something that wouldn’t have been done unless the circumstances were truly dire.
Ariana wondered if this trouble was witch or human related. Probably witches – it was always witches. Her mouth twisted in distaste as she vaulted over a small pond. Though she had been raised by many vampires over the years, all with their different likes and dislikes, every one of her kind was certain of one fact: they hated witches.
The ground before her dropped sharply, and Ariana grabbed onto a tree branch, swinging herself up and around. Though she moved at lightning speed, her vision didn’t blur, and the split second was all she needed to make a determination.
The drop was small enough for her to jump safely. Had she been human, it would have broken her legs, but for a vampire, it was nothing. On the completion of her swing, she let go and landed easily, bending her legs for a moment to absorb the impact before tearing off.
To amuse herself, Ariana imagined she had a coven of angry witches chasing her. Of course, her instincts told her to turn around and tear them apart, which was one of the reasons this was a good exercise. Sometimes, you had to run rather than fight, no matter how much you might wish otherwise.
A nearby log provided cover, and she dove over it, pretending to be dodging spells. Ariana had no idea what was coming, and she felt better putting in at least some practice. Witches avoided the sea, so any conflict between their kinds was likely to take place on land.
As she ran, Ariana thought back to the family she’d been staying with. For the last twenty years, she’d moved to a different vampire family every half decade or so. She was approaching the age where she would be considered an adult by vampire standards, but for now, she went where Rashid told her to.
No one had ever explained how Rashid got custody of her. He’d never given her any information about her parents, though Ariana hadn’t been able to figure out if this was simply because he didn’t know, or if he didn’t want to tell her.
It had been an interesting life, learning about the culture and customs of vampires in different parts of the world. Ariana had never really had a family of her own, and sometimes she wished it was otherwise, but she was mostly content.
She knew from her history lessons that the fragile peace between vampires and witches went through upheavals every couple of generations before re-establishing itself. Reading between the lines of what little Rashid had revealed, Ariana suspected that this might be more than the an a simple re-establishment of old accords.
Vampires from all over the world were coming to this meet. The family she’d been staying with in Russia had been tied up with commitments at home, but a number of her friends in the area were going to meet her there.
Individual covens seldom came together to hold large scale meetings, and when something like this was initiated, it was a cause for concern for all of them.
Ariana was so immersed in her thoughts that she completely forgot to pay attention to what was right in front of her.
The next thing she knew, she was hitting something warm and solid. She went tumbling through the grass, but quickly gained her feet, coming into a fighting crouch, ready to defend herself.
The person she’d run into took longer to find his feet. A few seconds of appraisal was all Ariana needed to know that he wasn’t a threat. He was human – no danger to a vampire. She stood up straighter, smiling at him. Had he seen how fast she was running? No human could go at the speeds she’d been keeping up, and it was standard policy for vampires to keep their existence from the mortal population.
“I’m so sorry, I guess I wasn’t watching where I was going.” Her eyes flicked down his body. Gosh, but he was attractive. Ariana had never had much time for humans, but this one was positively mouth-watering, and not in the ‘I want to suck his blood’ way. More like the ‘I want to suck his dick’ way.
She felt herself blushing, and quickly moved into action. She came closer to him, lifting his arms and walking around him, efficiently checking him for any kind of injury. He seemed unhurt, but stunned. He gaped at her, as though unsure of what to make of this strange woman who had bowled him over.
“Are you alright?”
He opened his mouth, but instead of words, a line of beautiful pink and red butterflies burst out of his mouth. Ariana stared at him in amazement. The man clapped his hands over his mouth, but she was still staring at the butterflies. They flapped up through the trees and out of sight.
Once more, he tried to speak, but only succeeded in emitting some truly spectacular blue and purple butterflies. Wow, this wasn’t something she’d seen before, and Ariana had seen a lot in her time. The beauty of the butterflies quickly faded to unimportance in her mind as she realized what was going on. Clearly, this was an enchantment of some kind.
“Did witches do this to you?”
Relief broke out over the man’s face, and he nodded. Pity for him and anger at the ones who attacked him warred inside her. Ariana knew that a human was no more of a threat to witches than to vampires. No one would have had any reason to curse him like this – no reason other than simple cruelty.
Without thinking, she reached forward and took his hand. “Don’t be afraid. I will help you.”
He tried to speak again, once more only creating more butterflies. His beautiful face was filled with frustration, and Ariana ached to help him. She tried her best to read his expression.
“Show me what you mean,” she urged. “You can’t talk right now, but that’s not the only way to communicate.”
The man seemed to think about this for a moment before turning her hand palm up. He started tracing letters onto her skin, his touch sending tingles through her. Ariana became distracted, and he had to do it twice before she got what he was saying.
“Julio. That’s your name?”
Julio nodded, smiling.
“Alright, Julio. If you come with me, I can help you. You can trust me.”
Julio shrugged, showing her an exaggerated confused expression.
“You’re not sure how I can help you?” Ariana guessed, and he nodded again. Keeping her secret was no longer an issue. If he knew about witches, he was allowed to know about vampires. “I’m not a witch, if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m a vampire.”
As she’d expected, Julio backed up a step. She let him, dropping his hand and trying to appear unthreatening.
“It’s not like you think,” Ariana explained. “We don’t attack humans – at least, most vampires don’t. Our kind has its criminals, but then, so does yours. For the most part, we feed off animal blood or donated human blood. We’re allowed to feed off a human if they give their permission, but as so few humans know about us, that doesn’t happen often. You’re safe with me, I promise.”
Julio nodded hesitantly, and took up her hand again, squeezing it. He tilted his head slightly to the side, still questioning.
“Right. Well, I’m currently on my way to a meeting. A bunch of vampires are coming. A new queen of our kind has been crowned, probably in response to something we’ll find out about at the meeting. The important part – at least, for you – is that she’s not just a vampire. She’s also a witch. If we petition to her to give you your voice back, I can’t see her turning you down.”
Julio’s eyes lit up; he seemed torn between hope and disbelief.
“She may not be able to do it,” Ariana admitted, “but if she can’t, I’m sure she will know how we go about this.”
At the word ‘we’, Julio’s brow scrunched in confusion. He shrugged again, gesturing between them. his question was clear – why was she helping him?
“Vampires and witches don’t like each other very much,” Ariana explained. “Most of us will be happy to undo a witch’s work, especially something like this. Aren’t supposed to attack humans, and I doubt you attacked them first.”
Julio shook his head frantically.
“These are troubled times, but that’s no excuse to overreact. I’m sure we’ll be able to sort this out.”
It took a few minutes for Ariana to understand what Julio was asking next. He managed to mime out a crown on his head, then shrugged, his expression confused again.
“The queen? Oh, I haven’t met her, but she wouldn’t be crowned unless she had our interests at heart?”
Ariana had to keep back a giggle as Julio mimed blasting a spell at something. She knew it wasn’t funny, but she couldn’t help grinning at the bizarre conversation they were having. “She’s both a witch and a vampire, but by allowing herself to be crowned, she’s clearly chosen our kind over witches. We can trust her. You’ll see.”
They were still holding hands, and Ariana took an experimental step in the direction she’d been headed in. Julio followed her willingly enough, so she started walking. His human pace was infuriatingly slow, and eventually she came to a stop.
“How do you feel about riding on my back? Vampires are strong, so your weight won’t bother me.”
Julio nodded enthusiastically, grinning. Maybe he already knew about vampire speed. Ariana would barely be slowed down by carrying him. She crouched down, waiting for him to get secure, then set off running into the woods.
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