Drake Chronicles: 02 Blood Feud (5 page)

“Jerk,” Lucy muttered. She stepped forward, breaking the uncomfortable silence by linking her arm through Solange’s and then through mine, gingerly. Surprisingly, I let her. “Come on,” she said cheerful y. “You guys can watch me eat chocolate.” The front door opened behind us.

“Solange, are you—”

He didn’t finish his greeting.

Vampire hunter.

CHAPTER 3

Isabeau

I didn’t think, I just reacted.

A Helios-Ra agent should not be able to breach the security of the Drake house now that they were the ruling family, especial y when he had a broken arm. I might not consider them
my
ruling family particularly, but I wasn’t about to let Solange get staked by a hunter after al the trouble we’d gone to to save her.

Shockingly, I was the only one who felt that way.

If I’d had a moment to let the group’s reaction, or lack thereof, register, I might have wondered at it. They merely glanced at the intruder and were now positively aghast that I was flying through the air, double fangs bared.

I didn’t like hunters.

This one was fast, I’d give him that. He slipped on the nose plugs that hung around his neck. It took him far less time to realize I was attacking than it had taken the others. The look of surprise on his face might have been comical if he hadn’t been reaching for the release button on the Hypnos powder I knew was hidden in his sleeve. Once the secret was out about their new drug, it had spread like wildfire through the underground informants.

“No!” Solange yel ed, but I wasn’t sure whom she was shouting at.

I landed in front of the hunter before the Hypnos powder bil owed in front of him, but only barely. I dropped into a crouch and rol ed out of the way. I’d never actual y experienced Hypnos, but I’d heard enough about it to want to avoid it. It had been created by the Helios-Ra as one more weapon in their arsenal in their fight against our kind.

Vampire pheromones could befuddle humans, could make them forget what they had seen or done, and could even make them succumb to us without the faintest threat of violence, if the vampire was strong enough. The Helios-Ra had grown tired of battles ending with their hunters wandering around perplexed and weaponless, or kil ed outright while they waited meekly for fang or knife. Certainly not al vampires were as civilized as the Drakes purported to be.

And now Hypnos was beginning to travel among the vampire tribes, making us vulnerable to one another in a way we had never been before. Pheromones didn’t work on other vampires, but Hypnos, by al accounts, did.

I didn’t have time to cover my nose and mouth. The powder was so fine, like delicate confectioners’ sugar on a poisoned pastry. I reached for a stake, fingers fumbling.

“Don’t,” the hunter snapped. “Don’t move. Quiet.” I only took orders from Kala. I tried to leap to my feet but couldn’t. The drug real y was as nefarious as I’d heard. He had ordered me to stay where I was, and that was al I could do; I couldn’t even move my mouth to speak. Even though every part of me screamed for release, every muscle ached with the pressure of it and my mind gibbered like a cornered badger, al teeth and claws and the need for violence.

But al I could do was lie there.

Charlemagne stood over me, growling, hackles raised. The Drake dogs growled in response but clearly hadn’t yet decided who the enemy was.

Logan tried to approach me, moving slowly and warily.

“Isabeau, don’t panic.”

Don’t panic?
Don’t panic
? I was virtual y trapped inside my own body, unable to make it do what I wanted it to. I was at the mercy of royal vampires and a hunter.

I was an idiot.

I hadn’t learned anything from Kala to protect myself in this situation mere hours after leaving the Hounds’ caves. I probably deserved to die here in a puff of dust. But that would leave Greyhaven free, my first and second death utterly unavenged.

Unacceptable. I actual y growled, like the dogs, with my frantic need to be free.

“Isabeau, listen to me.” Logan crouched to look at me since Charlemagne wouldn’t let him any closer. His eyes were very green, very intense. His jaw was tight. Behind him, Solange touched the hunter’s arm, as if she worried for him. He took her hand in response.

This family made no sense.

“The effects wil fade soon,” Logan promised me soothingly, giving me his ful attention. The light from the lamps made his cravat look like frozen snow. “You’re not in any danger. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

I glared at him, then over his shoulder pointedly. He flicked his sister and her hunter a brief glance. “Kieran’s a friend,” he explained. “He won’t hurt you either, I promise.” I wanted to tel him that I could look after myself.

But I couldn’t.

I might never forgive any of them for seeing me this way.

“I’m sorry,” Solange said to Kieran, then to me. “Real y. He’s not like the other Helios-Ra.”

Kieran didn’t look particularly flattered by that. He wore the unrelieved black of most hunters. He looked just like the other Helios-Ra to me. “Is she a Hound?” he asked, sounding stunned. His arm was encased in a soft cast.

“She’s a guest,” Logan snapped. Lucy crouched next to him, looking sympathetic. Charlemagne didn’t move. A drop of his saliva hit my neck.

“I know it sucks, Isabeau,” Lucy said. “Kieran did it to me two weeks ago.”

“Shit,” he muttered. “You guys had me tied to a chair.” Lucy waved her hand like that was hardly a good enough excuse. “Whatever.” She turned back to me. “You’l feel normal again in a few minutes. Promise.” She real y meant what she said, I could smel the truth of it on her even if I wasn’t entirely convinced.

I couldn’t stand the way they were al just staring at me. I knew what I must look like in my battle leathers and scars and double what I must look like in my battle leathers and scars and double fangs and my angry dog by my side. I was proud of being Kala’s handmaiden, of being a Hound, but the rest of the vampire tribes clearly didn’t see us the same way.

“Let’s give her some space,” Logan said quietly, as if he knew what I was thinking. “I’l stay here. Why don’t the rest of you wait in the living room.”

“Are you sure?” Solange asked.

“I don’t think she’l be too happy when she comes out of it,” Kieran added doubtful y.

“Just go on,” Logan nearly sighed.

When they left it was marginal y less awful. I would have preferred to be completely alone. The thought of Logan seeing me at my weakest didn’t thril me. But stil , there was a certain kind of comfort to his presence, which made no sense since we’d just met. Must be another effect of the Hypnos.

I tried to move again, but couldn’t. I was able to speak though, which was a relief. It must be starting to fade. “Charlemagne,” I croaked. “
Ça va
.”

He sat on my foot, unconvinced but obedient. Logan stayed where he was.

“Do you want me to carry you upstairs to your room?” he asked.

“No,” I said witheringly. I wasn’t a delicate flower, I’d survived the Revolution and being buried for over two hundred years. I could handle ten more minutes lying on the floor. It had better not take longer than ten minutes. Though I couldn’t remember exactly what it was like to lie in a coffin, I imagined it felt a little like this. I was glad I’d blocked it out, or lain comatose for centuries. Sweat gathered under my hair, cold on the back of my neck. It took a lot to make a vampire sweat. My expression must have been wild, because Logan cursed.

“This isn’t how we meant to introduce you to our family. I hope you won’t hold it against us for too long. The hunter is a little exuberant. He’s not used to us yet either.” I snorted as control over my voice final y returned. “I can’t believe a Helios-Ra hunter feels he can just walk through the front door.”

“He and Solange have gotten … close.”

“Does she have a death wish? We didn’t save her to hand her over to the likes of them.”

He shook his head, his tousled hair fal ing over his pale forehead. “He … loves her. Wel , he’s crushing on her anyway.” I didn’t know the term but I understood its meaning wel enough. I sighed. “I thought she’d be smarter.” He raised his eyebrows. “She’s plenty smart.” He looked thoughtful. “You don’t believe in love then?”

“No.” I wanted to look away, couldn’t. “I don’t know.” His smile was decidedly rakish. I’d seen its like on young aristocrats at my uncle’s house. I tried to ignore it. I flexed my toes but wasn’t able to do much more.

When the front door opened both Charlemagne and I tensed.

I struggled to sit up, to reach for a weapon, any weapon. Logan rose and stood between me and the new arrivals. The four who burst in had to be his brothers, the physical similarities were too pronounced. Charlemagne growled, standing up again. They pronounced. Charlemagne growled, standing up again. They stopped mid-conversation, stared at the wild girl prostrate on the marbles.

I ground my teeth. This was hardly the way to foster respect for my tribe.

“Logan,” one of them drawled. “Your technique’s slipping if you need dogs to keep them from running away.”

“Very funny, Quinn,” Logan muttered. “This is Isabeau.” They froze each to a one, staring.

“Isabeau, my brothers: Quinn, Marcus, Connor, and Duncan.

Sebastian’s stil at the caves.”

“
Un plaisir
,” I said dryly. My Hounds training might not have prepared me to be gracious under any circumstance, but my aristocratic upbringing had.

“Nice to meet you.” Connor blinked. “Why are you on the floor?”

“Hypnos,” I said.

Quinn snorted. “Dude, Hypnos and dogs? I thought you were the one who was supposed to be good with the girls, Darcy?” I recognized the nickname; I’d read voraciously once I’d grown accustomed to my new body and appetites. I’d needed to grow accustomed to hundreds of years of history as wel .

“Shut up,” Logan said. “Kieran blew Hypnos on her.” Quinn bared his fangs. “Why the hel did he do that?”

“Wel , to be fair, she did try to kick him in the head.” Quinn grinned at me. “I like you already.” I tried to push myself up again. I couldn’t lie there for another second while they stared at me curiously. I was too anxious to be able to retract my double fangs. If I’d been human, I would have been hyperventilating by now. Logan glanced at me, cursed.

“I’m taking you upstairs,” he muttered. “Cal off your dog,” he added, scooping me up into his arms. Charlemagne was right there, pressed at Logan’s knee.

“
Ça va
,” I whispered, even if I wasn’t sure I entirely believed it.

Charlemagne trotted by our side as Logan climbed the stairs, carrying me lightly and easily. I was mortified and grateful. The conflicting emotions didn’t make the present situation any easier to handle.

“I know you said you didn’t want me to do this,” he whispered.

“But it’s better than al my brothers cracking jokes over your head, right?”

I nodded because I didn’t trust my voice. The fact that I could move my head enough to agree with him was heartening. He noticed the smal movement.

“Any minute now,” he promised.

The second floor of the house smel ed even more like smoke and water. The far wal was faintly scorched. He fol owed my gaze.

“Hope,” he said succinctly.

Hope had led a rogue unit of the Helios-Ra who’d kidnapped Solange and tried to burn down her parents’ farm. It had only been a week ago at most and the damage was stil visible.

Logan took me down a hal and kicked a door open to a guest room. The windows had thick wooden shutters with strong iron locks on the inside. There was a narrow writing desk and a padded chair by a fireplace. The mahogany bed was huge and soft-looking, with a smal discreet fridge by the end table. I knew it would be stocked with blood. I was stil young enough to need to feed immediately upon waking, something al the Drake children must also be dealing with. It raised my opinion of their hosting capabilities so far, drastical y.

Logan laid me gently down on the bed, leaning so close that I could see the flecks of darker green in his irises. I swal owed.

“I feel like I know you,” he murmured. “Is that weird?” I didn’t know what to say. Charlemagne hopped up to lie next to me on the quilt, breaking the moment before I could find a reply. Logan stepped back.

“I’l leave you alone,” he said. “When Lucy came out of the Hypnos she broke Nicholas’s nose. I’d wager you have a stronger swing and I happen to like my nose exactly where it is.

No one wil disturb you,” he added fiercely. “Come down whenever you’re ready. I’l be waiting.”

He bowed. “
Mademoiselle
.”

The door shut very quietly behind him. When I could hear by his footsteps that he was down the stairs and out of earshot, I al owed myself a very smal sigh. Charlemagne tilted his head curiously.

“This isn’t going at al according to plan,” I told him.