Page 35 of Tempt the Dragon
With one last glance at Mel and her nod of agreement, they walked through the open gates and kept going even after hearing the gates close and lock in place behind them. His beast was present in every step he took, the surge in adrenaline buzzing through his veins was proof. It wantedher, of that there was no doubt, but she’d just told Aiken in very clear terms to cut it out with the dragon talk, so he kept his lips shut tightly. As they came up to the stairs that would lead to the double-wide wood doors, the beast surged forward in a way that had Aiken stumbling.
It began with a sensation like something was growing, from his ankles up his calves and into his thighs, itmoved and stretched until his fingers wiggled. Beside him, Mel stopped and looked over at him.
“What are you doing?”
He heard her question but couldn’t reply. His beast was giving her the answer as it continued to reach out to hers.
“Stop it,” she said through clenched teeth but he couldn’t. The beast had never dominated him like this before and he struggled to pull it back, to endwhat he could tell from the grimace on her face was uncomfortable to her as her beast responded to his.
When she stomped up the steps ahead of him, Aiken jerked back with the force of what felt like a door being slammed in his face. The beast shirked in the background, thoroughly chastised and rightfully so.
“Jerk,” she murmured when he finally came up the steps to stand beside her.
He could’ve apologized. Could’ve tried to explain that in those moments he hadn’t been in control, that he planned to honor her wishes and stop pushing her, but that would’ve been talking about dragon stuff again. Besides, he needed her to stay focused on the matter at hand. With quick steps he warned his beast and tried to get his head back into the plan.
The two who’d opened the gates forthem 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 toenter 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 answeredthe 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 anexceptionally 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 hardwoodfloors 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 quippedfrom 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 othertype 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 withthe 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 surroundingthem.
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 Bloodwalked 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 bouncingfrom 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 originatedfrom.
“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 abouta 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.”
