“I guess we’ll find out once Camille returns with Smoky. By the way, Smoky is half-white, half-silver dragon. Do not mess with him. Don’t even think of putting any moves on Camille, especially when he’s around. He’s one of her husbands and he only shares her with the other two men in her life.” I grinned at the geek boy.
He blushed. “I wouldn’t have anyway. I . . . I have a crush on Shimmer.”
That was news. “I thought Alex had a crush on her.”
“He does, but he’s got a girlfriend. She’s a succubus and she’d rip his dick off if she thought he was looking the other way.” Ralph snorted. “But she expects him to accept her nature. Really, it’s not the best pair-up. I think he should dump her. She takes advantage of his good nature.”
“Sounds like a match made in heaven. Not.” Delilah grinned. “Jerry Springer fodder.” Even though she was engaged to a half-shadow dragon, half-Stradolan, my werecat sister had a celebrity crush on the trash-talk king himself. She’d made us sit through far too many of his shows. Camille and I did simply because . . . well . . . Delilah was our sister and we loved her, quirks and all.
“Yeah, well, Glenda—don’t laugh, her name is Glenda—is a bat out of hell. I don’t like her.” He paused, grimacing. “Don’t mention I said that, okay? She’s scary.”
“Yeah, we get it. So Alex has a thing for Shimmer, and so do you.”
“I have a crush on her, yeah. But she’d never go out with me.” He shrugged. “I’m out of her league. And probably safer that way. Dragons can be messy. And mean.”
“Tell me about it. Best to stay on their good side if you can.”
Camille’s husband Smoky was a terror when crossed, but overall, he was a good man and had adopted all of us when he married her. But take one step against her—or us—and it was crispy critter time. Literally. He, like most dragons, could breathe fire.
But just as we were hunkering down to wait, a noise alerted me. I held up my hands for Delilah and Ralph to stay where they were and crept back down the tunnel, only to meet somebody coming our way.
Fuck! Another vamp, this one a big burly guy. A startled look washed across his face, but he didn’t hesitate. He launched himself at me without stopping to ask questions, and I met him head on.
The tunnel wasn’t all that large, so when we engaged, we blocked it for anybody looking to get through. As the noise of our fight echoed through the passage, there was no hiding the fact we were here.
He was tough, but I was stronger and I realized he was fairly new to the life. He wasn’t caught up in the bloodlust like a newly minted vamp, but he definitely hadn’t gotten the hang of his abilities yet. Which meant I had a good chance. I managed to roll him over beneath me and, straddling him, clenched my fists over my head and brought them down to smash his nose.
He roared, flailing for my throat, but I leaned back, out of his reach. His anger added to his strength and he was bucking beneath me. I had to get a stake through his heart or I was going to have trouble controlling him much longer, and if anybody else joined the fray, I was fucked.
“Stake!” I shouted.
Delilah tossed me her dagger and I caught it, shouting as the silver burned against my hand. My fingers blistered as I aimed it toward his heart, praying I was on target. Even as smoke began to rise from my flesh, I drove the dagger down, plunging it deep. Blood sprayed everywhere and I fell on the blade, driving it as far as I could before letting go and stumbling back. The vampire froze, then vanished in a spray of dust and ash.
“Fuck, my hands.” I held them up—they were blistered and red, and hurt like a son of a bitch, but they’d heal. I let Delilah pick up her dagger.
“Sorry—that’s the only thing I had ready and you looked like you needed a weapon immediately.” She worried her lip.
“I did. Don’t fret over it.” But even as I spoke, I turned to see if anybody was following on his tail. We’d made enough racket that Shimmer had to have heard. And while there was no one in the tunnel, I could hear voices from the main chamber.
“We have to go in. We can’t let them corner us in here. We’ll stand a better chance out in the open.” I charged into the room. Better to have the drop on anybody in there than give them a chance to prepare.
Shimmer was standing behind the sofa, a cunning smile on her face. Beside her stood two vampires, one on either side as if they were guarding her.
“Freaking A’! Look—a cave troll!” Delilah’s shout startled me as she lunged forward and dragged me back, pointing to the right.
Praying she was wrong, I turned to see that yes, it was true. Somehow, somewhere, Julian had managed to get hold of a cave troll.
The creature stood a good eight feet tall. He was small for a cave troll, but really, height didn’t matter. A troll was a troll was a troll. And this one had a collar around his neck. The glowing metal was enchanted. No doubt Julian had control over the creature. He wasn’t here, though, so the troll must be charmed to obey certain orders. Either that or Julian was a coward, watching from some hidden vantage point. And somehow, cunning and sneaky he might be, but a coward? I had my doubts.
“Troll? Troll!” Ralph’s cry of sheer terror jogged me into action. I pushed him back, out of the way. Regardless of what he said, I had the feeling he’d never had to face a monster quite like this.
The vamps guarding Shimmer seemed to hang back, and then I realized, they weren’t just guarding her from us, they were guarding against her breaking away, which had to mean they feared we might be able to bust through the charm.
Delilah and I advanced on the troll.
The troll lurched forward. He was hefty, but at least he only had one head, unlike dubba-trolls, who were two headed. Cave trolls were bad enough, though. At his height, he was a mountain of flesh, and he was wearing only a loincloth. I had no interest in what lay beneath. Trolls were stupid, and a charmed troll might as well be a battering ram.
Delilah moved to the right, while I took the left. The troll was carrying a hefty axe in his left hand and I dodged as he swung at me. One thing about trolls—they might be stupid, but they were quick. The swing of his axe whistled through the air, missing me, but hitting the wall near me as I ducked out of the way. The blade thudded heavily, and a small trickle of debris showered to the floor from the stone bricks that made up the walls.
Delilah lunged in as he swung at me, stabbing him in the side with Lysanthra, her dagger. The troll bellowed as she danced out of the way, avoiding his fist as he punched in her direction.
I tried to gauge the possibility of getting to his neck, to bite through his jugular, but the collar he was wearing would prevent any access. I’d have to go for his chest—either that or a thigh. And the thought of biting into the troll’s femoral artery grossed me out, though I’d do it if need be.
I launched myself toward him, scrambling up his body like I might scale a rock wall. Delilah stabbed at him again while he was off guard, this time thrusting deep into his side. Blood spurted and the scent spiraled me into a frenzy, it was so thick and viscous, and the battle had heightened my hunger.
The troll dropped his axe to try to fend me off. Clawing at me, he managed to grab one of my legs, and pulled hard as he tried to dislodge me. It felt like he might dislocate my knee if I didn’t let go, so I loosened my grip. The next moment, he tossed me aside like a used tissue. I landed hard, but came up ready to fight.
Delilah was left to face him down by herself. He reached to retrieve his axe, and she took the chance to dive in, stabbing him again in the side. But her blade hit tough skin and bounced off without doing much damage. He roared, bringing his arm around, swinging at her with the blade of the axe.
I let out a screech and dove for his legs, rolling into him with a thud. I might be petite, but I had my vampiric strength behind me and I packed one hell of a wallop. As I landed against him, he was in mid-twist, aiming f
or Delilah, and as I hit, he wavered. Sensing I’d unbalanced him, I bit deep into his calf, latching on with my fangs, making it hurt as much as I possibly could.
With a shout, he dropped the axe again. Delilah brought her dagger up to meet his face, slicing into his right eye. He screamed, then, a terrible, gurgling scream, as the blood splattered out from his socket.
I rolled out of his reach, and leaped to my feet. Delilah twisted her dagger hard, then yanked it out, diving to the side as he stumbled. Taking advantage of my position, I grabbed his axe and swung, driving the blade deep into his back. He let out a roar and began to topple. As he hit the ground, I lifted the axe again and brought it down across his neck, cleaving his head from his shoulders. As his head rolled to the side, his gaze startled and surprised, the cave troll shuddered and died. Blood pumped from the stump of his neck. It was altogether too messy.
“Where’s Julian?” I turned on the vamps that were guarding Shimmer.
They began to back away, eyes wide, as I headed in their direction. Just then, Camille and Alex raced into the room, followed by Smoky. Six-foot-four, almost albino, Smoky immediately took over the room. His silver hair fell to his ankles, and the damned dragon always wore white—a long white trench over white jeans and a pale blue shirt. And he never, ever got dirty. Now, he strode forward, passing me by, on his way toward Shimmer.
She began to back away as a faint look of recognition crossed her face. The vamps took one look at Smoky, and hightailed it toward the other entrance. Alex and I were on them, and though they put up a fight, neither was a match for us, especially since I was still holding the troll’s axe. We dusted them without getting a scratch.
As we turned, Smoky had hold of Shimmer and he was gazing into her eyes, muttering something under his breath. Camille, Delilah, and Ralph were keeping watch over the other entrance.
“Shimmer. Shimmer, come back. Hear me. You must obey me. I am Lord Iampaatar, son of Lady Vishana, son of the Iamfosan Dreyerie, Lord of the Celestial Caste, and you will listen to me.” As he spoke, his voice rolled through the room with a deep thundering command. Shimmer began to shiver, and the glaze fell away from her eyes, the blue springing back to life. Another moment, and she fell crying into his arms.
I glanced over at Camille, but she was keeping watch, not paying much attention to what was going on in dragon-central. Another moment, and Smoky bustled Shimmer over to us.
Alex reached out cautiously to pat her on the shoulder. He looked both awkward and concerned. “Shimmer . . . ?”
She pressed her lips together, her eyes wet. Another moment and she hung her head. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to . . . I don’t know why I . . . I’m just sorry.” She looked so confused that I felt sorry for the girl.
“You were under a charm.” Alex paused. “Shimmer, do you know where Julian is?” He looked around. “I’m not comfortable staying here. Something feels off.”
“He’s right.” Camille paled. “We have to get out of here—now! I don’t know what but something is going to happen.” She headed for the other entrance, the one that would lead directly to the base of the mausoleum. Without a word, the rest of us followed. As we hightailed it up the stairs, Shimmer looked bewildered but followed orders.
We were partway up when a muffled noise below us rocked the stairwell. And then, the shockwave hit.
“Faster! Something blew!” Ahead of me, Alex grabbed hold of Shimmer and began to run, yanking her along with him. I turned to see Smoky wrap his arms around Camille and Delilah and vanish. With no time to think, I took hold of Ralph’s hand and did what Alex had—began to race up the stairs, dragging the poor Were behind me. He let out a loud noise, but then everything was eclipsed by the explosion that roared up the stairwell.
As we spilled out onto the ground and I tossed him away from the building, another explosion rocked the park. The mausoleum slowly began to implode. And then, with one mighty roar, it tumbled in on itself, caving through the ground into the tunnels below, a massive pile of debris.
Chapter 7
Quickly, I made sure Ralph was okay, then looked around for the others, praying they’d made it out alive. The storm thrashed through the night, and I shaded my eyes with my hand from the rain. A faint movement caught my eye to the left—Smoky, with Camille and Delilah, stepped out of the Ionyc Sea. And to my right, I saw Alex and Shimmer, picking themselves off the ground where the shockwave had thrown them. We were all here, all alive.
The mausoleum was demolished. Totally gone. And if we hadn’t been alert, if Alex and Camille hadn’t sensed something about to happen, we’d be down there, under the rubble.
As we met beneath the shadow of one of the trees, I glanced back at it. That hadn’t been the vampire nightclub. And I doubted if Julian had ever been down there. No, it had been a trap, to catch and kill Alex. And it had almost taken us along with it.
“We should get out of here.” Delilah groaned, rubbing her head. “I hurt, and frankly, I don’t feel like taking on any more vampires tonight. We rescued Shimmer. Let’s leave Julian for another night.”
Alex nodded. “I think she’s right. Julian’s smart. He won’t stick around, if he’s even here. Not tonight. He’ll go back underground, think of another way to get me, and return when he’s had a chance to rest up. Besides, it’s only a few hours till dawn, and neither you, Menolly, or I can afford to take chances.”
And so, with retreat seeming the best option, we turned and walked out of Severance Park. The cops would be along soon, but all they’d find would be a pile of rubble where the mausoleum once stood. We’d tell Chase in the morning. Right now, we were alive and soaked, and we needed to rest.
***
We invited Alex, Ralph, and Shimmer back to our house. Alex frowned as I invited him in, but I told him I’d revoke my greeting once he left, and he gave me a thumbs-up.
“Can’t be too careful, love.” He winked at me, but this time it was a friendly wink and I returned it.
Camille and Delilah headed upstairs to shower. Hanna, our housekeeper, showed Shimmer to the guest bath, while my lovely wife—Nerissa—who was home from the ball, brought her a change of clothes. Shimmer was taller than Nerissa, but they were of similar stature, and the jeans and shirt should fit her.
As I dashed downstairs to rinse off and change, I got a call from the FH-CSI. The woman I’d found earlier had died and they staked her before she could turn, in case the vamps had been toying with her in that way, too.
Feeling unaccountably sad, I stood under the shower and lathered up. The cold didn’t bite as deep with me as it did my sisters, so I didn’t need a long hot shower, but the water was cleansing and helped me feel like myself again.
As I reemerged into the kitchen, Hanna was stirring up a pot of soup and a batch of biscuits. She nodded to the counter, where two bottles of soup-flavored blood waited. “For you and the gentleman vampire.”
“Thanks, Hanna. You’re a doll.” I didn’t hug many people, but now, I spontaneously grabbed her and planted a quick kiss on her cheek, then went to fetch the others.
Trillian and Morio, Camille’s other husbands, had found clothing to fit Ralph and Alex, and they were dry and clean, sitting near the fireplace, talking with the guys. Shade, Delilah’s fiancé, was keeping watch from the edge of the room.
I sidled up to him. “What do you think?”
He cocked his head. “Good folk. A bit chaotic, but basically—I like them. They could be handy allies in the future, though I don’t think we should tell them about Shadow Wing. No need to burden them with news better left unsaid.”
I flashed him a toothy grin. “That’s what I feel, too. I think . . . I think we’ll end up friends, you know?”
And with that, Camille and Delilah reemerged, and Shimmer, and we all trooped into the kitchen for food.
***
Shimmer had no
clue where Julian or his vampire club was, but she did have a question. “How can I keep Julian from charming me again?” She glanced at Smoky. “If you hadn’t come along, I could have done some serious damage.”
“That you could have. There’s a technique I can show you that will help you focus your inner strength against glamour and the like. It’s easy and quick to learn.” Smoky quickly turned to Camille. “Don’t worry, I would never use it on you, my love.” But he laughed, and a long tendril of his hair rose up to stroke her arm.
A sly smile stole across her face. “Right. Tell me another one, dude. Shimmer, Smoky can help you—seriously. And maybe, Shade?”
“One way or another, we’ll help you find that part of yourself. I’m surprised you haven’t already developed it. Most parents teach their dragonettes how to protect themselves right away.” Shade shrugged at Delilah’s look. “What? That’s the truth. I’m not being rude.”
Shimmer laughed. “I’ll tell you why not. I grew up in Lost and Foundling: The orphanage dreyerie for unclaimed dragon children.”
Shade ducked his head.
Smoky’s expression grew grim. “Lost and Foundling? That’s a rough place. I’m sorry you had to endure that.”
By the look on Shade’s face, and Smoky’s, the orphanage must have been hell.
Shimmer smiled fainly. “Thank you. It wasn’t easy. I have no family. No one knows who my parents were, or what my parentage is. I was discovered freshly hatched on the shores of the Western Waters, on Silver Beam Bay. No one came forward to claim me. I had to make my own way. They don’t coddle you at Lost and Foundling—you scratch and scrabble your way up and any infraction is a good excuse for a beating. I had no one to learn from there. No friends, nobody. I have no caste.”
That explained a lot. In fact, that explained a great deal of what we knew about her. I knew enough to know that a foundling dragon would be outcast. Lineage and hierarchy were everything among the dragon castes, and with no caste, Shimmer had no identity.