Chapter Nine
A clawed hand reached through the window. It wrapped around the chained gargoyle. “Got you, you little bastard.” Pure joy.
Viktor’s smirk did not last long as his charge squirmed in his arms until she all but fell to the floor. “Trixie.” He tried to catch her but was yanked by the collar at his neck. Eoin was dragging him along with the gargoyle. “Wait,” he shouted. “Wait a second.” He spun to grip the chain and yanked Nick from Eoin’s grasp.
Trixie stood frozen in front of her sister.
Ruby sat on the floor, side pressed to the wall and knees drawn to her chest. What was she wearing? Or not wearing? He had not noticed her half-nakedness until now. Her gaze, so full of fury a moment ago, was now pure terror and focused on his fledgling.
Trixie knelt in front of her. “We’re not going to hurt you. The dragon is here for the gargoyle. That’s all.” Her tone soft and gentle as if speaking to a small animal. Supernatural creatures mostly lived in the open. There were a still a few closet shifters and, of course, vampires kept to the dark. Humans did not like being reminded of their fragility though. Her and Viktor’s presence, with a gargoyle and a dragon, might have been too much for Ruby.
He had damaged Trixie’s relationship with her sister. “This could have been handled better.”
“You think?” Trixie shot back at him over her shoulder.
“I was not the one who jumped into a strange gargoyle’s arms.” If she would just give him a chance, he could help her on this journey. At least, until he could introduce her to the local vampire nest. She needed a little faith in him.
Ruby used the wall to help her stand and she sat on the edge of the couch, her gaze never leaving Eoin. “Why does he want Nick?”
The gargoyle sighed. “I killed your sister.”
The flash of red in Ruby’s eyes had Viktor moving in front of Trixie, but the redhead snatched the lamp next to her and smashed it on Nick’s head. “You awful monster.” She gestured to Eoin. “Eat him.”
The dragon puffed out a chuckle. “Not yet, little warrior.” But he did grasp Nick again.
“There is the problem of this.” Viktor rattled the chain connecting him to the gargoyle. “It is time for it to come off.”
“That’s not part of the deal, Viktor. You shouldn’t have left the castle either.”
“My charge was in danger. You expected me to remain in that room and do nothing?” Trixie was his. If anyone should understand that, it was Eoin. She was a new vampire with wild urges and no one to help her control them. If he had not been here, she would have fed upon her sister, possibly killed her. “The only reason you knew where to find us was because I borrowed a cell phone on the way here to call you.”
“I thought you said he’d follow the scent trail like you,” Trixie whispered behind him.
“I did not want to leave it to chance. Eoin has been unpredictable since he mated.”
“I can hear you.” The dragon jerked the gargoyle closer, in turn making Viktor stumble forward.
Trixie rushed to his side. “Maybe we should do what the fire breathing dragon wants.”
“You are not capable of carrying three people safely. You only have two hands.” Viktor had many reasons for not wanting to return. Nothing nefarious, but he wanted to repair the damage done between Trixie and her sister. There was also that dhampir cursing shifters in Riverbend. Dark magic had a way of backlashing and Riverbend was part of his territory.
His fledgling’s gaze had gone glassy as she stared at Ruby. Her stomach growled loud enough to rival Eoin’s.
“She needs to feed. Let me take care of her before things grow out of control and you must chain both of us in your dungeon. I will return tomorrow night, you have my word.”
Eoin released the gargoyle only to grip the chain directly linked to Viktor’s neck and yank him against the window. He lost his hold on Trixie and she lunged for the only source of human blood in the room.
Ruby threw herself back against the couch.
Using his supernatural speed, he kicked Nick into Trixie’s path. They went down in a tumble of wings and chain. The gargoyle pinned Trixie to his chest and dragged her back to Viktor’s hold.
“You saved me,” Ruby mumbled as she stared at the gargoyle in confusion. “I thought you were the bad guy.”
Trixie’s shoulders shook. She sobbed silently against Viktor’s chest. He pulled her away and checked for injuries. Her face was a mess of blood-streaked tears.
“Enough of this.” Eoin reeled both him and Nick to the open window. The dragon clung to the side of the building with his claws like a huge scaly cat. Traffic below had stopped and a crowd was forming. Eoin broke the collar around Viktor’s neck with a well-placed claw. “On your word, Viktor. I’ve helped you because you asked, but don’t expect my patience to be infinite.”
He bowed as well as he could while holding Trixie.
The gargoyle blew Ruby a kiss before being dragged out by the dragon and carried away.
“What will he do with Nick?” Ruby stood on the far side of the apartment, arms wrapped around her body.
He shrugged. “Who cares?” He wiped Trixie’s face clean with his hands. “Did I hurt you?”
“No.” She glanced at Ruby. “I’m sooo sorry. I didn’t mean to jump you. I—I…”
“Lost control.” He finished her sentence. “It happens.” Hopefully, she had not inherited his lack of will power.
Viktor scanned the apartment. Three doors led from the living room kitchen combo. Two of them bedroom and the third a bathroom. “Which one is your room?”
“We’re staying here?” Trixie shook her head. “That’s not a good idea. I already tried to eat Ruby twice. We—we should go to your place or that nest you mentioned.”
Such a sweet thing. He caressed her beautiful, sad face. “But you did not hurt her. She will be safe as long as I am here to control you. I will protect you both.”
The tears in Trixie’s eyes dried. “You’re going to control me? That sounds awful.”
He ran his gaze over the silken strands of her shoulder-length hair, the bright color a contrast to his dark world, a beacon of joy. Those thick tresses tempted a man to fist his hands in the softness, tug her close, and sink his teeth—deliciously, carefully—into that full bottom lip. The curve of her waist and the flare of her hips a perfect place to grip.
“Like a master?”
“Yes.” It came out husky.
Ruby’s snort cut through the sexual tension. She no longer appeared afraid. “I’m going to make some popcorn and watch. This will be entertaining.”
“I can’t believe you’re cracking jokes. This is serious shit, Ruby.”
Viktor decided he preferred an angry Trixie to a sad one.
Her sister remained on the other side of the apartment, not cooking popcorn like she said she would. “Look, I’ll be honest and admit that feeding you scares me.” Ruby took a big, shuddering breath. “But the idea of you going off with Mr. Control Freak scares me more, so I’m willing to try.” She tentatively crossed the room and glanced at him—he nodded—before grasping Trixie’s hand. “Stay.”
He separated the sisters before the contact was too much for Trixie.
She slid behind him. Her hunger was so strong it pulsed between their connection and began to drive his own insatiable needs. Shit.
“You are willing to feed her from your own vein?” He had to feed Trixie, because he did not have anyone here to control him if he lost his shit. Never having known his own sire, he had not realized how strongly connected he would be to Trixie. So now he had both their bloodlust riding his poor will power.
“No.” Trixie dug her nails into his flanks. The sharp pain triggered dark desires of pink hair fanned on his silk sheets and her pleas for mercy a song in his soul. She tugged him away from her sister and his fantasy, plastering her slight body against his back.
He closed his eyes counting backwards from ten. Her hands were so soft. He bet the skin under her breasts was softer. Or better yet, the insides of her thighs…
“I’ll hurt her,” Trixie’s desperate whisper broke his train of thought.
“If you need it, Trix. I don’t mind,” Ruby offered.
He opened his eyes, surprised to find Ruby close with her arm extended.
“I mean, you don’t want all of it, right?” she asked.
Yes…
“Yes.” Trixie echoed his thought. “This is a bad idea, Viktor.”
He licked his lips. “Yes, I agree.” Instinct made him want to drain Ruby. Share her with his Trixie. Feed his charge and care for her.
No.
Trixie would be devastated. He knew this in the core of his heart and the link that bound them. Her tearstained face had torn at him and he never wanted to see her cry again.
“I shouldn’t have come here.” She clung to him, needing his strength, relying on him like no other had done in centuries. “What should I do?”
Hunger was a palpable force in his veins and Ruby’s poultry scent made it difficult to think. “Ruby, maybe you should back away now.”
He stared at the ceiling—praying? Pleading?—to whatever gods listened to vampires for clarity. He wanted a bright future for his fledgling and all his thoughts led to nefarious choices. Drinking Ruby dry was wrong. He had spent weeks in the castle dungeon, fighting for his sanity. He had thought he was under control, then he’d bound himself to a starving baby vampire. He took a deep breath and dove into old memories, those of when he was human, a leader among his people. In those days, he knew right from wrong. Something should still remain to help guide him.
Ruby backed away into the kitchen, hands clasped to her throat. The concern on her face was honest and pure. She loved her sister. That much was obvious. Maybe there was hope for Trixie. If he failed, she had Ruby to lean on.
“There are other ways to feed.” The red fog of need faded enough for his thoughts to clear. “I need a phone.”
“Mine’s broken.” Trixie’s big blue eyes met his. He could spend eternity swimming in her gaze.
The jingle of keys and change pulled his attention away from her beauty. Ruby was emptying her purse on the counter top. She grabbed her phone and tossed it toward him. “Use mine.”
He dialed, knowing the number by heart. Once it rang, he returned it to Ruby. “Tell them your address and that the delivery is for Viktor. It is all they need to know.”
Ruby did as ordered.
“Now that food is ordered, bedroom?” He guided Trixie toward the closed doors.
Ruby set her hands on her hips. “What are you planning to do? Fair warning, Trix. I think your master is into BDSM.”
“Ruby.” Trixie pressed her hand to her forehead.
“Give me a break, I’m not an idiot. I know the culture. You don’t. Mr. Control Freak keeps talking about being chained in a dungeon. Duh.” Her sister, though standing across the room, looked ready to tackle him.
His charge dropped her face into her hands, ears flushed.
He tucked her hair behind it and traced the lobe. “I too know this culture, but I refer to the dragon’s actual prison hold in his castle and he is not my lover.” He shuddered. “Thank you for that horrid image, Ruby. It will take weeks for me to forget it.” He leaned closer to Trixie and whispered, “Show me your room.”