Page 37 of Tempt the Dragon
Chapter Ten
How bad was this gonna get?
Her fingers flexed at her sides as she watched this new player enter the scene. They were outnumbered, and while normally Mel didn’t have to worry about her hunts going to shit, tonight an eerie weight rested between her shoulder blades. She was willing to bet it had something to do with the fact she was standing in a house of vampires, waitingfor one of them to decide she’d make a good meal.
“Come closer, Enes. I want you to see what the dragons have sent us tonight.” The way the Chief Lord said that only solidified the thoughts currently rumbling around in her head.
To be clear, she wasn’t afraid. To the contrary, she was itching for a fight which was why her fingers were now balled into a fist. She hadn’t been sure aboutwalking up into the enemy’s house like all they had to do was share a cup of coffee and small talk and all their problems would disappear. This was Theo’s plan, and Aiken was standing there talking calmly to this creepy-ass vampire king like he thought that plan might actually work. She knew better.
“They’re looking for Duncan.” Montoy continued talking to the one who’d stepped up onto thestage to stand beside him. “Have you seen him?”
Enes was smaller than Mel had imagined she would be. Though she’d never received a description from any of the dragons, she’d just assumed the woman who’d pushed past Ziva’s feisty and dominating exterior, would have to be of a certain stature. Instead, she was guessing Enes was no taller than five feet one or two. She wore sage green leggingswith matching knee-length wedge boots and an equally as fitted long-sleeved white shirt. Her hair was cropped close and dyed a striking blonde.
“No. I haven’t seen him.” Enes’s reply to Montoy was short and Mel wondered if that was because the woman didn’t want to say much or if she was simply telling the truth. Mel was positive Montoy didn’t know the vamp that stood not three feet away fromhim had also been feeding information to the dragons.
Montoy lifted his hands, palms up as if in defeat. “There, you see, she hasn’t seen him.”
“That doesn’t mean you don’t know why he’s here and where he’s hiding. We saw him in this area just two days ago. Did you two have a meeting or was he just riding around and happened to come across your house?” Aiken was still using that cool-asstone that could either make her wet or irritate her to the point of screaming.
Clenching her teeth until she thought she might crack her jaw meant she was leaning toward the latter right now. Why didn’t he just come out and say what needed to be said? That they knew about Duncan assisting him to raise the vampire army and they were going to stop it. With an imperceptible shake of her headshe answered her own question.
They didn’t want to tip their hand too much. But wasn’t it too little too late for that? Montoy was no fool. He couldn’t be a leader and not at least be smart enough to know that if they were here asking about his partner in this dubious crime, that they already knew what was going down and were really here to tell him his plan wasn’t going to work.
“I don’thave control over where people drive in this city. That type of surveillance is in the purview of the Legion Security Company, isn’t it?” He was playing with them. They were never going to get any answers and she was getting tired of playing nice.
She was also sick of the intrusion on her body. Her arms felt heavier, the muscles in her legs ached as if she’d run a marathon and her hands hurt.Or rather, the tips of her fingers itched, a pinprick of pain at the bed of her fingernails. Not being able to control what was going on physically was putting her in a very bitchy mood. And Aiken’s insistence that she remain silent but also take ownership of a big-ass dragon that lurked inside of her was wearing on her already frayed nerves.
“What about at your club? Is he hiding out theretonight because you knew we’d be coming here?” She suspected Aiken’s question was aimed more toward Enes because he and the other Drakon were still debating whether they should trust the information she was feeding Ziva. From what Mel had heard, all the information Enes had given so far had been spot-on and helpful to the Drakon. So why was she standing there with her hands clasped in front of heras if her allegiance was to Montoy and no one else?
“We know he’s not like other changed vampires. Is that why he’s tearing out witches’ throats?”
“I just got word of those murders. They happened earlier today. Duncan wouldn’t have been out in the daylight.” Enes spoke evenly, as if she were an automated bot giving a report.
There was something about this one that held Mel’s attention.Perhaps it was because she continued to search for the possible bond that was between Enes and Ziva. Or it could just be that she was sick and tired of standing here silent, waiting for who knew what to happen.
“I wonder how Theo will decipher your disrespect when I relay all the lies you told me tonight.”
Montoy’s body seemed to elevate out of the chair, the movement was so fast and soelegant at the same time. Now he stood, those icy eyes turning to a bright gold with one blink. “Don’t get cocky, dragonboy. You’re here because I’ve allowed it. I decided to entertain a couple of winged creatures for a few moments. But I don’t take orders from your emperor, so I don’t give a damn what he might perceive as disrespect. Burgess is my city. It’s always been my city, even while Theoand the rest of his dragons have been hiding in the mountains. Coming here and making baseless accusations is what’s disrespectful. And I’ve had enough.”
On those last words Montoy’s arm moved, and before she could speculate as to what might happen next, Aiken had used his power to lift Montoy’s chair from the platform. The next seconds came in a flash. Aiken directed the chair around untilit formed a barrier between them and the vampire. Montoy lifted his arms, extending two fingers. The power the vampire was aiming at them hit his sacred chair instead, bending and twisting it until the chair fell to the floor in a crumpled mess.
“We’re not hiding, Montoy. We’re right here in your face telling you whatever you and Duncan have planned isn’t going to work. We’ll protect thiscity and the realms with all the power of the Drakon.” Aiken was moving now, extending an arm and directing her to get behind him. Instinct, combined with the tone of his voice as he’d spoken to the vampire, had her following his directive.
“You dare to come in here and threaten me!” The Chief Lord was full-on angry now and so were his centuries, whose eyes had gone golden, fangs extended.
Aiken shook his head. “Just leaving a message.”
Before she could blink, Aiken had opened his mouth and tilted his head back a couple inches. The wall of fire that spewed from him produced a blast of heat that filled the room instantly. That weight she’d been feeling in her body increased, the back of her throat burning as she watched the fire in front of them burn. In the next second herarm was being jerked and she was forced to break into a run behind him. They ran down that hallway as fire burned behind them. The sound of the flames echoed in her mind as she moved.
They were outside and almost to the truck when she pulled free of him.
“Why are we running? He didn’t tell us anything about Duncan?”
Aiken was already climbing into the truck, slamming the driver’s sidedoor by the time she jumped into the passenger seat.
“He was playing with us, just like he always does.” He was talking while hitting buttons on that watch they all wore. “Yeah, we’re leaving. How close are you?”
“They’re coming!” she yelled when she looked through the windshield to see a crowd of vampires dressed in white tuxedos heading for the truck. That pinprick of discomfort thathad been circling her nailbeds escalated to a full, tearing pain that had her gasping.
