Talon Read online

  Talon suddenly snorted in amusement and winked at Dace. Damn his ability to read minds.

  Dace frowned in reply. His thoughts clear. Would this union burn all they’d worked on to ashes by having an outsider know their most intimate thoughts? Would he be able to know the targets of their raids and sell them out? How could he know he could trust Talon? Dace wasn’t sure he’d get the assurance he wanted and his thoughts were interrupted by Omar finally snapping out of his stupor.

  “You put him to sleep?” Omar roared. “You’ve left us unprotected!”

  “For the moment, yes, but you haven’t anything to fear. I can sense every living thing within a mile of us. I can inform you, we are quite safe,” Talon replied conceitedly.

  “Damn it!” Omar stormed off in the direction of the sentry and disappeared with his muttering fading.

  “Touchy.” Talon chuckled as he watched the retreating man. “Now, are you ready to discuss this, or shall I just leave?”

  Dace sighed. “Do I have a choice? I know I’m out of my league, Talon.

  “But you are strong,” the vampire remarked as he strolled closer. “Able to fight. You just need the ability to outthink Kaen and his men. All I ask in return for freeing your woman is your assistance. I need eyes to track the Dûr Falas across the city. There are too many for me to watch without catching their attention. And, to answer your thought from a moment ago, I have no intention of passing any information onto the Dûr Falas. You can trust me in that.”

  “How is it you know so much of them?” Dace asked, preparing for the answer.

  “Easy. They’re vampires.”

  Dace was stunned and sat back on his ass in the dirt. Vampires and they had Lainey. “Oh, Vasila.” He used his god’s name in hope that he would protect her.

  “You see, Dace, I fight my own kind. I know their abilities…” he paused, “and their weaknesses.”

  “They have Lainey,” he whispered. Shocked. Horrified. Angry. He felt his revulsion bubble into his throat, ignoring the elf.

  “And Kailani.”

  Bitter eyes turned to the feline face of the vampire. “She is already a vampire. She can outlive them. Lainey won’t!”

  Talon laughed. “Don’t write off my kind so quickly. Being a vampire has its advantages.” He took a chair and reclined back, watching the renegade leader work through his deepest fears.

  “There are no advantages to that. They will kill her or strip her humanity away.” Dace snarled. “The woman I love will be gone!” He hated vampires for personal reasons, and the idea of Lainey being in their hands disturbed him greatly—for more than one reason.

  “Depends on how you view it and if you can save her,” Talon threw in. “The question is time.”

  The fire snapped, startling Dace. Lainey was in the hands of vampires. His own blood thickened as the cold creep of fear flowed through his veins. As he watched the flames lick the wood, he heard a low chuckle from his guest before he threw another log into the inferno.

  * * * *

  Princess Deandra lounged in a hot bath scented with rose petals, relaxing as the water melted her stress away. Her long blonde hair fanned out in a halo around her body, presenting the image of a mystical water sprite. She was stunningly beautiful and she knew it.

  Today was very difficult for her. She was required to choose one dress out of three options for an event that was a few weeks away. She had designed three different dresses from three different tailors, knowing they would all outdo each other trying to impress her. Now she was stuck; they all had designed such fabulously decadent dresses.

  “Just choose the one that shows the most breast, my dear.” Kaen had been listening to her wandering mind for the past ten minutes, amused at first as her shallow thoughts traveled from clothing to her appearance. It was boring and simple, but he was amused by this silly creature. She was frivolous and wanted nothing from him other than pleasure, something he craved at the moment. As long as she didn’t whine at him, he was content to seduce her into submission. Not to mention he was hungry for her blood, not the foul-tasting variety he had downstairs. An itch formed in his throat the longer he sat here watching her.

  Kaen leaned against the far wall, his tall frame wrapped in muscles as he stood, wound tight and ready to pounce. His long black coat hung open, showing his arousal. She was driving him mad with hunger, and her body awoke passions that he tried very hard at the moment to control. He wasn’t ready to release his beast, and so he reined in for a little while longer. There was plenty of time to explore, and he didn’t want to rush it.

  Deandra shot up in the tub and sent small tsunamis sloshing over the edge to the tiled floor of her wash room. “Kaen!” She hated it when he just showed up like this. “You said you would stop doing this.” She looked around for her servants and found none present. “What are people going to think if they see you here?” She stared at him in shock, his bald head uncovered and his searing black eyes burning into her, with his arms crossed across his broad chest.

  “Silly woman.” He approached the tub and lazily ran his fingers through the water until they touched her skin, sending shivers up her warm spine. “No one will disturb us.” His fingertip traced along the swell of her breast causing her pulse to rise. He really didn’t find Deandra’s personality terribly appealing, but her body was divine. He sent a coercion to relax her mind so he would not need to listen to her insistent shallow thoughts.

  In response to his mind control, Deandra lay back in the tub and met his cold eyes as he admired her naked body beneath the water’s surface. She was long, lean, and well-formed with full breasts and large, dark nipples. “Oh, you are lovely, my dear.” He purred as he felt his own body respond to her charm. He had sudden visions of sinking is teeth into those nipples and suckling to his heart’s content.

  “I was thinking that since my day quieted down, I would see if you were free?” He raised an eye brow at her. “Yes?”

  “You’re a tease,” she whispered, spreading her thighs in the water, allowing him just enough view to entice him. That little motion was enough to break his concentration for a moment and he didn’t like the attempt at reclaiming control. Deandra always tried to be on equal footing and it never ceased to annoy him.

  “No more defiance, dear.” He mentally slapped her, and she quieted immediately as his eyes continued to roam her firm body. Her mind emptied of all coherent thoughts other than what his hand was doing.

  Deandra was a problem he had yet to solve. He needed her in order to gain full control of the crown, which he felt was going to transpire sooner rather than later if he had his way. The only real function he had found her to be any good at was in bed with her not talking. She was a crown princess and needed to be visible and accessible to her people. It was a problem. If he made her queen, she would need her wits about her, which meant her voice. This meant he would be required to deal with her.

  If he disposed of her shortly after they were wed, there would be anarchy. There were close blood relatives to take her spot. No one of Ondre’s line must remain and Kaen knew it.

  It was a problem he toyed with daily, usually on his way here to play with her, and it was a loose end he had yet to tie up. To convert or not to convert. Hmmmm.

  Kaen ran a finger along her collarbone and up her neck until his finger tips rested along her jugular vein. He felt the firm beat of her heart picking up its pace as her arousal increased. Her heartbeat was like a pull and it caused a slight cramp to form in the back of his throat the longer he touched the pulsating vein.

  She watched him mutely and she smiled seductively. She invited him in by turning her neck to further expose the region to her vampire lover. When his eyes flashed yellow, she released a throaty moan, causing his beast to awaken without warning. The hand caressing her neck went from tender to choking in a flash. It was clear Kaen went from t
oying with his food to nearly devouring her and it took all the control he had to restrain himself.

  Kaen’s incisors extended and a low hiss escaped his lips as he leaned down, dripping the venom-laced lips along her skin and sending shivers through her body.

  “You are naughty, princess,” he whispered as his lips caressed her skin over the beating vein. If he closed his eyes, he could forget the waspish woman and relish the body that was his for the taking. The tips of his fangs broke her skin and she moaned again as the endorphin laced venom raced inside of the wound, sending wonderful sensations through her body.

  He knew what she wanted—perfection and long life. She wanted to be young forever and never age or wrinkle. He could give it to her but not tonight.

  He sank his teeth into her neck and drank with such force until she experienced an intense orgasm within moments. He wasn’t finished with her though and continued to suckle from her in large swallows. Kaen contemplated taking her to the edge of death, but he knew if he did that, he ended all his masterful designs to rule this kingdom so he pulled back. Converting or killing Deandra would be a fatal mistake at this point in the game. Especially with the added threat of Talon prowling about. He needed to play all his strategies correctly if he wanted to succeed. That meant Deandra had to remain alive for the time being.

  Reigning in his beast, he gathered his control and retracted his fangs, then licked the wounds closed. Feeling the rejuvenating effects of her blood warm his body as it settled in his stomach was enough to make all this worth it. Oh, she tasted divine. If only he could find a way to rule with her at his side as a mute, his life would be so much less problematic! Alas, it wasn’t to be, and Kaen leaned back as his hand slipped down to cup her full breast as he teased the nipple to a point.

  “Get dry and join me in the bedroom, my dear.” He purred as he watched her mind recover from his impromptu feeding. Kaen really didn’t mean to dine on her so early and was feeling the initial waves of regret when he felt a tickle in his mind, signaling one of his men.

  “We have the thieves, sir.” It was Faelwen.

  “Where?”

  “In the dungeons, sir. They are waiting. Shall I prepare the woman?”

  Kaen laughed, a sound that caused Deandra to cringe and whimper. It wasn’t a laugh of joy but of pure malice. “Yes, prepare the woman,” he replied as he retracted himself from Deandra and stood, looking down at her confused face as she struggled to break free of the coercion

  “Looks like our fun just got interrupted, my dear,” he caressed her face tenderly. “Enjoy your bath after all.”

  As he walked away and the effects of the control faded, she demanded, “Where are you going?”

  “It appears more appetizing game has arrived. Your thieves have been found,” he paused, turning back to face her. “Would you like to watch?”

  This intrigued Deandra but she was conflicted with her feelings on the offer. On one hand, she wanted to observe Kaen do what he did in the dungeon. Yet, she wasn’t sure she wanted to really see the blood. She leaned up on her elbows in the now lukewarm water as her wet hair molded to her exposed body. “Is it a woman?”

  “Oh yes, a luscious female if my reports are correct.” One brow rose on his elegant face. “You could partake?”

  She gave him a half-smile. “No thank you. Go play on your own. If you said you had a lovely man, I may have said, ‘yes’.” She laughed heartily. “What would you have done?”

  Kaen frowned, suddenly realizing she wasn’t joking. What would he have done? “You are a dangerous woman.” He commented as he suddenly disappeared from the room, using his powers to transport directly into the dungeons and away from her taunting laugh.

  * * * *

  Kailani watched Lainey through her half-open eyes. The woman moved about the cell constantly searching the thick rock walls for a crack or crevice. She reeked of fear and that was beginning to turn Kailani’s stomach. She knew she needed to do something soon.

  “Lainey, come here,” she ordered, using her voice to manipulate when Lainey didn’t initially respond. “When they come for you, and they will, don’t fight them. It is what they want.” Her silver eyes watched Lainey and read the fear as it flashed in her green eyes. She added a smile in an attempt to calm her.

  “What are they going to do to me?”

  “Convert you, of course. I’ve already told you what Kaen does with his women.”

  Lainey sank to the floor near Kailani and rested her head on the bars. “Convert me,” she moaned. “What of my life with Dace?” She looked at her finger, felt the cinching pain in her heart that all she’d wanted was about to be ripped away from her. “I have to get out of here. I can’t be ruined. I have a life to live with Dace. Don’t you understand? Isn’t there anything you can do to help get us out of here?”

  “Not at the moment,” she shook her head sadly. “I think I can help you later. You have to listen to me now, though. You must remember these words clearly or there won’t be anything left of your mind to save later.” Kailani still had no idea why she was so compelled to help this woman, only that she must.

  “Tell me,” Lainey’s voice was a tortured whisper.

  “Kaen will want you scared. Don’t give him that. Defy him, but don’t fight. Just don’t fear him. If you can do this, you will emerge with enough of yourself intact that I can salvage later. If you are converted through fear, you will become his slave for all eternity. Think about Dace. Defy the fear Kaen wants you to display in order to save yourself. You may still have a chance to be with Dace if you heed my words.”

  Lainey snorted, “A life with Dace? As a vampire? Surely not.” When she laughed rudely, it announced her disbelief in that. Dace would find her an abomination. She knew how Dace felt towards this race.

  “Yes, a life with Dace. It can happen but you first have to emerge through this conversion intact.”

  “Why will fear ruin me?” she snorted again, because Lainey found that ironic. She was ruined either way.

  “Fear does something to mind and binds you to a life of cruelty and malice.” Kailani’s head tilted to the side, “For some reason, I don’t see you as a killer.” A tiny hand snaked out from under her tattered clothing and cupped Lainey’s face in a motherly caress. “Remember, you will still be yourself when it is all over. I’ll make sure of that. I’ll find you myself and, together with Talon, we’ll care for you. You will not be alone. That I promise.”

  Quade watched from his corner and couldn’t believe what he heard. Lainey not fight? This is was insanity. “This is rubbish!” Quade finally exploded. “Don’t listen to this, Lainey. Fight them. Fight for Dace!” he roared.

  Kailani ignored his tirade. “Please don’t fight. Kaen will kill you if you challenge him and if you give him the fear he wants, he’ll ruin your mind.” She leaned in close, sending her soothing breath over the human’s senses setting the coercion that was to come next. “He is known for his torture techniques, maneuvers I know well after being here awhile, and would be saddened if you experienced a taste of what I have.” Kailani leaned in closer, “Don’t fight,” She whispered the coercion in the undertone of her voice, hoping the order would take root in her mind.

  Lainey closed her eyes and accepted the coercion, experiencing a blissful state of mind. “All right, I won’t fear Kaen or fight,” Lainey whispered. “For Dace.”

  Kailani only hoped it was enough. She cast a look in Quade’s direction and met his stone cold eyes. He knew what she’d done to get Lainey to agree to that; however he knew he was powerless to stop it.

  * * * *

  Sometime later, a sinister looking man entered the cell and stood waiting by the open door. “You,” he pointed to Lainey. “Come with us.” He glared dangerously when she hadn’t moved, raising one brow dramatically.

  Kailani sniffed the air from her hu
ddled location and she smelled only death and decay. This man was undeniably one of Kaen’s men and she released a violent hiss in reflex. She made another sound close to a growl pressing against the bars wanting to protect Lainey when she felt more of their half-dead heart beats approaching. Her silver eyes caught what little light was available in the dark cell as she quickly looked in the direction of the open door.

  “Oh, be silent Kailani, you’ll get your turn soon,” came the snarled response from the man. He hadn’t removed his eyes from Lainey through any of this exchange and pointed at her when she had responded. “Move.”

  Lainey pleaded with Kailani with terrified green eyes. The coercion from earlier drifted foggily through her mind and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember Kailani’s words. She just knew she wasn’t to fear this moment. It had something to do with what was about to happen to her, something about becoming a vampire. Lainey shook her head to shake the trepidation but she couldn’t. The only thing she could recall was the concern Kailani had for her plight.

  Kailani sniffed again, this time in Lainey’s direction. Her racing heart caused the back of Kailani’s throat to itch with hunger, which wasn’t a distraction she wanted at the moment. Somehow she needed to calm her down or the thirst would drive her insane. She leaned forward and made eye contact with the nervous human female and released another mental nudge to remain calm, “Don’t fear Lainey. Please remember my words. Be strong. Be true. I’ll find you.”

  Kailani had no idea why she offered such compassion for this pixy-faced woman, yet she did. Even if Lainey couldn’t remember the conversation, Kailani did—in perfect clarity.

  “Now!”

  Lainey jumped at the man’s voice. She scurried to his side as he towered near the door. She cast one last look at Kailani, whose sensual lips mouthed ‘Don’t fight’ before Lainey exited the room.