Page 9 of Burn for the Dragon
There was something about Kohl’s makeup that blocked Hawke from getting anything except the occasional stray word or thought, and it was his belief he got that much because Kohl was only half dragon, and half vampire. Still, most of the time, Hawke was locked out.
With Everly, however, trying to access her mind was like slamming into one of the concrete walls that made up the bottom floor of Kohl’s house. Or five. “No. It’s not the same. It’s a total block.”
Kohl lifted his head, breathing in a sharp intake of night air through his nose. Hawke knew what he was going to ask before he asked it.
“Why can’t she be like me?” He wouldn’t look at Hawke, instead staring out over the water. But there was no mistaking the edge of vulnerability in his raspy voice.
Hawke had asked him once why he didn’t go seek out others of his kind. Yes, his mother had been banned for falling for the charms of a vampire, but she was long dead. Surely, the child she’d carried at the time wouldn’t be judged so harshly. He hadn’t asked to be born. And maybe, if he found the Thunder his mother had belonged to, he would still have family there who would help him learn to control the beast inside of him.
Kohl had just looked at him, confused, and told him he was his family.
“I didn’t sense anything,” he told him now. “She looks human. She smells human. And she has a hearing impairment. How would that be possible if she were at all like you?”
Kohl finally looked over at him. “I don’t know. I don’t know any others like me, except my mom. And she died before I could really learn anything useful about our kind.”
But Hawke shook his head. It couldn’t be. If there were others like Kohl on this continent, they would’ve heard about it before now. “It’s not possible.”
“Why not?” Kohl impaled him with a penetrating stare, daring him to come up with a better reason. His heart pounded within his chest, the sound loud to Hawke’s ears. “I don’t think it’s such a crazy idea. We don’t know every supernatural creature who lives on this continent. She could’ve moved here from somewhere else.”
But Hawke wasn’t convinced. “I would know if she was a shifter.”
“Are you so sure about that? We weren’t even sure about me until the first time it happened.”
“That was different.” Hawke knew he was being obstinate, but he couldn’t help it. He didn’t even know where the hell this attitude was coming from, or why.
Kohl stepped in front of him, blocking his view of the lake. He was slightly taller than Hawke, and the close proximity forced him to raise his chin to meet his eyes. Fire glowed behind the brown orbs. “We don’t know anything about her, Hawke. Maybe that’s why she’s nosing around. Maybe she saw me flying around one night or something and is looking for others of her kind. Maybe she’s without family, like I was.”
Hawke shoved his hands in his front pockets and looked away with a shake of his head. “That’s not the reason.”
“Why are you being so stubborn about this? It’s not a completely irrational idea.”
“Why are you jumping to conclusions? You said yourself, we know nothing about her. Maybe she’s just a nosy reporter who has no care for her own safety? Maybe she works for Parasupe. Maybe they’re trying a different tactic to force one of us to do something they deem a punishable offense. Maybe…she’s nothing but a trap.” He decided not to mention that if that was the case they were all truly fucked, thanks to him and his uncontrollable urges. For now.
Kohl took a step back. “Do you think that’s why she’s really here?”
Grasping the back of his neck with both hands and looking up at the stars to ease the tension there, Hawke sighed heavily. “I don’t know.”
“Well, what did she say when you talked to her tonight?”
“She asked me to help her break into Parasupe.”
“What? Why?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t stick around to get the details.”
Hands on his hips, Kohl stared at the ground. “What do you think we should do?”
A short burst of laughter escaped Hawke before he could stop it. “What do I think? You’re the coven leader now, Kohl. I came here to see what you wanted me to do about her.” His gut twisted even as he said the words. If Kohl decided she was a threat, Hawke would be expected to handle said threat. It was what he did. It was what he’d done for hundreds of years for the previous Master. And he’d never had a problem carrying out whatever was decided. It wasn’t his choice. He did what he was ordered to do, what he had to do, to protect his coven. And whatever the consequence…well, it wasn’t on him.
Kohl shook his head and met Hawke’s eyes. “I’m not the right one to make this decision. Hell, Hawke, I’m not the one who should be leading this coven. I’m not even a full-blooded vampire. It should be you, and you know it.”
“You challenged the Master and won. You did that.” He poked him in the center of his chest. “According to the laws, you are the new leader of our little family, and that’s how it should be.”
“But I’m not a full-blood?—”
Hawke was growing weary of this argument. “It doesn’t matter, Kohl. You won the challenge.”
“No, the beast inside of me won the challenge.”
