Shadow of the Vampire (42 page)

         
Only you. Kestrel is not yet used to his prosthetic, Ash is too young and Hawk too old."

         
Falcon's face twisted in fury before he turned and roared his frustration to the sky. By the time he'd spun around, his chest rose and fell sharply and his eyes held sorrow, longing and a tint of madness Declan had never before seen in his friend.

         
"I'll do this for you," he said through clenched teeth. "But know this. Tallon is the only thing that matters to me." He held up one finger as if to further prove his point. "The only thing. And if you, her brother, her blood, cannot protect her while I'm gone, then gods help me, what I'll do when I return."

         
"Falcon, you're overreacting, plea--" He didn't get the word out before his friend turned heel, shrugged out of his coat and strode back into the lair.

         
Declan ran his hands through his hair and turned to face the majestic view of his mountain home stretched out before him. He wasn't sure how long he stood there, feeling the icy winds lap his face, before Alexia came up behind him. Sliding one arm under his, she wrapped it around his chest, resting her chin on his shoulder. The contact relaxed him instantly, bringing a happy smile to his otherwise worried body.

         
Turning, he took her in his arms. At the sight of her, all the doubt and uncertainty faded until he saw only her.

         
"Come," he said, tugging on her hand. "After we have Doc take a look at your wounds, I have something I want to show you."

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

         
"ARE YOU READY?"

         
Alexia nodded.

         
Strong arms braced around her middle, clutching her to his chest. The long, smooth length of his tail wound around it, too. The dusk wind spiraled up from the ocean below, causing riotous curls to dance across his handsome face. He began beating his wings, lifting them off the ground. Her heart hammered behind her ribs. Being near him, being in his arms had always been a heady thrill. But ever since the night of her ascension, the effect had increased tenfold. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach at just a look. At a touch, lust rolled through her like a steam train at full pressure. Pressed flush against him now, she felt longing she had never known.

         
"Now I've got you. Don't worry. Just focus, as I told you."

         
Again, Alexia nodded. She closed her eyes and focused on the butterfly tingle glowing in her belly. Focused on Declan, on her love for him. Nothing happened.

         
"I can't do it," she said with a groan, opening her eyes to stare into his. "It's not working."

         
Slow and knowing, his lips curved in a smile.

         
"What?"

         
"Look behind you." He nodded.

         
A glance over her shoulder showed large, scaled wings like his, but of a delicate lilac color. Awe and then sheer panic gripped her. She clutched her arms around his neck, holding him tight. He flattened his palm to her back and clutched her to him, his laughter ringing in her ears.

         
"Don't laugh at me," she said with a smile. He leaned back to look at her and a squeal of panic tore from her lips. "Don't lemme go, either."

         
Panting hard, Alexia forced herself to look down, to will the fear at bay. "Goddess, we're so high up!"

         
They hovered far above the ocean now. Above the cliff, she realized, where not too long ago she'd captured Declan, the mighty dragon lord and King. A smile tweaked her lips at the memory, before they parted in wonder. The sun had set, casting the sky in layers of yellow, reds and purples. She didn't think she'd ever become accustomed to the majestic beauty of the sun.

         
"You best get used to heights, if you want to fly. You do want to fly, don't you?"

         
"I did," she said, leaning back to look in his face. "I do."

         
He smiled. "Good. Then give me your hand. I won't let you fall."

         
They flew hand in hand over the coastline. An intense wave of deja vu floated over her and she realized she'd seen this before. It was just like in her dream. Sure enough, when she looked at Declan, the wound she'd seen on his cheek in the dream was there.

         
Laughing, she rolled into his arms and once again they embraced her readily.

         
"I still can't believe this. How did you know?"

         
A dark brow arched. "Know what?"

         
"That turning me would work."

         
His grin faded. "I didn't. I hoped. My father turned my mother after she was bitten during a vampire attack and she became both vampire and dragon."

         
Alexia nodded, recalling the story he'd told her before, and then she frowned. "I am still part..."

         
"Vampire, yes," he finished for her. "But like me, you are more dragon."

         
A large hand palmed her bottom and a wicked glint lit up his eyes. Undeniable, magnetic desire pulled her to him. Alexia dipped her head, kissing the side of his throat, the space behind his ear, tasting the sweat on his skin, tangy and salty. She ran her hands down his back, over the swell of his butt, feeling the muscles beneath tense.

         
"I'm learning dragonesses are more sexual, are they not?"

         
"Gods, yes," he breathed before pressing his lips to her throat. That slight contact made her heart rate spike and Alexia wondered if he knew how easily he could affect her. Moaning, she wrapped her legs around his hips, locking her ankles at his lower back to keep them in place.

         
"They are fiercely loyal to one another," she panted, threading her hands through his windblown hair. "And aggressive when they mate."

         
It was Declan's turn to groan as Alexia's fangs pierced the flesh of his neck. The dark sound of his lust sent heat spreading from her belly to her toes. She took a small pull of his blood, savoring the delicious taste of him before running her tongue up his neck, planting open-mouthed kisses across his jaw to his lips. His mouth met hers, coming down hard and fast, and she relished every second of it.

         
Alexia lost herself in his kiss until she forgot where they were. The instant she remembered they flew a thousand feet above ground, she pulled back. Her breath caught to see Declan staring down at her with dark, hungry eyes. Grinning, she clutched his back for support as she pressed her hips against his. She found him, rock hard and urgent. The smile fled from her lips and a pool of heat liquefied her lower belly. Flames licked her inner walls in an unquenchable burn only he could sate.

         
"What it's like to mate when you're flying?"

         
A low groan rumbled in his chest and he pressed her tight, molding her small body against his. One large hand covered her thigh, hitching it higher on his waist, while his other cupped her butt, pressing her harder against the insistent length of him.

         
"Little vampire, you're about to find out."

ISBN: 978-1-4268-5991-5

SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE

Copyright (c) 2010 by Meagan Hatfield

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