Shadow of the Vampire (40 page)

         
"Alex, do you trust me?"

         
Alexia pinched her eyes and focused on speaking to him with her mind. "You know I do."

         
His smile beamed through her like sunshine. "Good girl. Now, when I give the signal, do exactly as I say."

         
She frowned, but did not argue. She didn't have time.

         
"You should have just stayed dead." Lotharus's hands clamped down on her shoulders, hauling her to him. "A woman's place is not in the seat of power. Just ask your dearly departed mother."

         
Something primal and raw inside her sparked at his words. Something she'd never felt before. Ash coated her tongue and the walls of her throat thickened and warmed. Waves of energy pulsed out of her, through her, around her. She drew it in. A fist crashed against her nose, but she didn't feel it. Another slammed her ear. However, it was Lotharus's howl of pain that she heard.

         
She dodged the swipe of his staff with an ease that surprised even her. And when he released a frustrated bellow and tried to hit her again, she caught the wood stick in her hands.

         
Lotharus's mouth opened, but no words came. His face grimaced, twisting in pain as she wrenched his arm back and kicked him with such force he burst through the cavern wall, spilling onto the sandy beach outside.

         
Alexia curled her fingers around the staff and stepped out after him. A rush of salty ocean air shot over her, and the heels of her boots dug into the sand with each step she took. When she rounded the cavern, her gaze immediately shot to her left. The first fingers of dawn's light traced the sky over the horizon.

         
Minutes. They had minutes before the sun came up, scorching them all to dust. Lotharus sensed it, too. Frantic, his dark eyes scoured the beach for aid. A shifted Declan stepped through the hole in the cliff wall. His bare chest was riddled with cuts and bruises. By the looks of it, he had laid waste to most of the soldiers. The few others who remained stood on the beach, their gazes on the crystal in Alexia's possession.

         
Lotharus scurried to his feet, clutching only the hem of his black robe in his hands. "What are you all standing there for? Kill them," he shouted. When the soldiers didn't move, Lotharus shot eyes filled with dread of the approaching daylight to Declan. "You. Dragon lord. Stop her," he pleaded, actually dropping to his knees in front of him. "Stop her and I'll give you anything you desire."

         
"I don't think so, you son of a bitch." Declan bent down, hauling Lotharus up by the front of his coat. "You tortured me and raped Alexia. You're done."

         
With a growl, he tossed the ancient against the rocky cliff.

         
"Alex," Declan shouted. "Shove it in his heart. Now!"

         
At his call, Alexia snapped the staff over her knee. Grabbing the baseball-size stone, she tore it free from its mount. The crystal warmed in her palm and Alexia got the distinct feeling the rock wanted the fate she was about to hand it.

         
She stepped up to Lotharus, hatred surging in her veins as for once she looked into his petrified eyes instead of the other way around. "You want power? Take it," she said, jabbing her fist into his chest as hard as she could. Lotharus's perplexed look was the last thing she saw before an unseen force slammed her backward, leaving the crystal embedded in his heart. Lotharus's black eyes widened, his hands closing over the wound. Bright and pulsing light strobed out of the hole in his chest, threading between his fingers.

         
Large hands covered her shoulders from behind. Alexia allowed them to guide her behind a boulder and force her to the ground. Declan's strong arms shielded her head in a canopy.

         
A heartbeat later, blinding white light ate up her vision. A jet of heat blasted hard against them. Declan tightened his body against her, pressing them against the rock wall as Lotharus's scream pierced her ears. She covered them, keeping her hands over them until the cloud of energy ebbed and settled.

         
Breathing hard, Alexia lifted her head, peeking over the rock. Sparking embers, charred ash and a glowing red ring were all that remained of Lotharus. Releasing a shaky breath, she swept her gaze around. Soldiers lay sprawled on the ground beside them like broken dolls. Brilliant shards of glass, the remnants of the crystal, coated their bodies and sprinkled the sand. Each piece flickered, catching the bright rays of the early morning light.

         
"Are you okay?" Declan panted in her ear.

         
Light.

         
Alexia looked toward the ocean and froze, unable to speak. The sun, the bright ginger sun, danced in front of her vision, blanketing the sea in intense orange, purples and reds. Its radiance and heat hit her like a wave. Pure and absolute warmth such as she'd never felt before flooded her skin.

         
She swallowed, waiting for the incredible burn to tear through her body before she, too, disappeared in a breath of ash like Lotharus. She supposed if she had to see anything before she died, the majestic beauty of the sunrise over her ocean home wasn't the worst thing she could imagine.

         
"Alex." Declan's voice sounded like it came from underwater or miles off. It must already be happening. Slamming her eyes closed, she burrowed into his chest, trying to hide from the fate sliding over her skin with each passing second.

         
Strong hands forced her head up, tilting her face toward him. At the sight of him, a pang of longing ripped through her. "I love you," she breathed, twining his arms around her neck and holding him tight. His arms met her, a hand coming to palm the back of her head, the other on her lower back.

         
"I love you, too, Alexia."

         
The panic of impending death fled from her soul the minute he whispered those words against her ear. She closed her eyes.

         
At least they died having tasted hope.

         
Her memory recalled that random thought from the day she'd met Declan, and a smile spread across her tear-coated lips. She'd tasted hope, tasted love, and that was all she'd ever wanted, even though she'd like to hold on to all of it a bit longer.

         
"Alex, you're choking me," Declan said with a laugh, unwrapping himself from her embrace. When she frantically tried to keep him in her arms, he cupped her cheeks, his eyes locking on hers with blazing intensity. "What is it, what's wrong?"

         
She nodded toward the water. "The sun," she said in a low voice, as if, if the star heard her, it would find her and strike her down.

         
Declan's expression knotted in confusion before it relaxed in understanding. Taking her hand in his, he brought her fingers to his lips, kissing the tip of each one. The motion drew her gaze. He'd reached her pinky before she noticed delicate fingernails had taken the place of her black claws.

         
"But..." She lifted her gaze to his.

         
"You're changing," he said. "Remember?"

         
The truth settled over her, hazy at first and then purging in its clarity. Of course. That's why Declan hadn't seemed concerned that they were outside the catacombs at sunrise. He'd known.

         
A smile tweaked her lips and she blinked in wonderment. The sun had risen in the sky, its heat coated her face in a warm glow she'd only read about. So bright she had to squint to see Declan's face clearly. It was full of concern and love and completely covered in filth. A laugh tickled her throat, but she contained it to a smile. His lips mimicked hers before he swooped, covering her mouth with his. She opened unquestionably for him and his tongue ran along her lip and then deeper. Moaning into his mouth, she ran her hands under his arms to clutch his wide back, pressing him closer against her. Although she never wanted to let him go, Alexia slowly pulled back.

         
Again the warmth of the sun washed over her. A soft wind rolled off the ocean, breathing over her kiss-dampened lips. She licked them, tasting the sweet salt air on her tongue. The primitive sensations pulled her back to reality. Forced her to face how very much her life had changed in just the few short hours since she'd left Declan's bed. In truth, Alexia couldn't believe she was still alive. Realizing others had not been so fortunate, she bit her lip and looked up at Declan.

         
"Lotharus?" she asked.

         
"Gone," he replied, nodding his head toward the cliff where they had last seen him.

         
Alexia tilted her head, finally truly taking in the site, the brevity of what had happened. "How did you know to destroy the crystal that way?" Eyes still fixed on the spot, Alexia moved to stand.

         
"Doc," he said, taking her by the arm and helping her up. "She said the crystal had the power to rule all or destroy one. We always took that to mean races. However, as I watched Lotharus fight, I realized the crystal gave one person the power to rule and held the power to destroy the ruler."

         
She nodded at the logic, but couldn't stop a questioning frown from tensing her brow. "But you carried the crystal inside you and didn't implode."

         
Declan smiled, placing his hands on her rib cage as he helped her maneuver down the bank of sand. "Alone, the crystal was a worthless paperweight. He needed it to harness your power, your mother's power. Lotharus could only hold on to them for so long without it."

         
Alexia stared at the blanket of ash on the sand. That was all that was left of Lotharus and the horrible yoke he'd put on her and her mother. Bending, she picked up the heavy garnet ring. The one Lotharus always wore on his forefinger. Something caught her eye as she moved to stow it in her pocket. Alexia held the ring up, noticing two capital S's had been carved in delicate script into the stone. They flowed with almost serpentine curves, the tail end of each letter coiling around the other. She frowned. Certain she'd seen such lettering before, but unsure where or what it meant.

         
"Like a perfume, the power Lotharus absorbed would leak and evaporate until none of it remained with him," Declan continued. "But with the crystal, he could channel and control the power indefinitely."

         
Alexia pressed the ring into a fold in her sweater and smiled up at Declan. "Okay, well, what about the whole dragons aren't allergic to the sun thing?" she joked. "When were you planning on telling me about that?"

         
Declan turned and Alexia's heart expanded painfully in her chest at the handsome smile that crossed his face.

         
"In my defense, there wasn't a lot of time."

         
"You could have warned me," she said, reaching out and pinching him. "I thought I was dying."

         
"I'm sorry," he said with a laugh, dodging her next attempt to squeeze him. Instead, warm arms encircled her, one cupping her under the knee and another around her back. He lifted her as if she were a feather, tucking her against his chest. "But I promise to spend all night making it up to you."

         
His blue eyes settled on her with an intense force she had already learned to recognize, but wasn't sure she'd ever get used to. Desire, heavy and raw, wrapped around her in a silken ribbon and she was glad he held her, for she was certain she couldn't have stood on her own. Then a wicked smile curved his lips and he bent his forehead to hers.

         
"So, don't you have something you're supposed to tell me?"

         
Alexia felt a beaming smile pass her lips and she tightened her arms around his neck. An urge to tease him reared its head, but quickly vanished. Instead, she tipped her lips to his ear. "I love you, too, Declan Black," she whispered.

         
The hands on her waist and legs tightened and she heard his smile in his low voice. "Does that mean you are ready to be my mate, my love, my Queen?"

         
Alexia leaned back to look at him, but before she could reply, his final word sunk in.

         
Queen.

         
"Declan." She grasped his face, forcing him to look at her. "I don't think I can be your Queen."

         
"Why not?"

         
She tried to keep back her smile. "I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think your parents are still alive. And I think I know how to find them."

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

         
DECLAN RELEASED HIS hold of Alexia at the mouth of the cavern, shifting back into his human form. His eyes quickly scanned her body, gauging her state of well-being.