They were being housed in a hotel, separate from the vampire castle. There were a few vampires around. They worked as staff in the hotel and conference area. Servers, receptionists and housekeepers. Bay kept hoping he would see her. So far, no luck. Chances were good he wasn’t going to have much luck either.

He was tempted to ask, maybe someone knew her, but he didn’t want to draw attention to himself and definitely not to her. He had no idea what her name was or what she did. Who she was.

No idea.

No clue.

It was frustrating. The castle was big, with more than one entrance. It had four huge towers and an enormous central section. According to the vampire server he had questioned, it even had several floors underground. He shuddered at the thought. Dragons weren’t partial to confined spaces. Point being, his mystery female could be anywhere. In any one of the many rooms.

Bay forced his attention back to what was happening around him. He took a final bite of his steak and pushed the half-eaten meal aside. His stomach churned.

So far, the species meeting had gone well. After the initial introductions, Blaze had explained the history between the dragons and the hunters, as well as all the background information about the hunters. All fairly boring.

Inferno bumped the side of his arm. “Aren’t you going to eat that?” He pointed his fork at Bay’s plate.

Bay shook his head. “No, it’s beef.” He made a face, “I much prefer deer steak. Not as tender but far tastier.” It was true, he did prefer deer meat, but that wasn’t the reason he didn’t want the food.

“Mind if I…?” The male raised his brows. He looked down at Bay’s steak, his fork already in the meat.

Bay nodded once. “Take it,” he mumbled.

Inferno grinned, taking the meat and dumping it on his own plate. He sliced a large piece. “I can’t believe both of those males rule.” He gestured to where Brant and Zane were standing. The vampire kings.

Bay shrugged. “We have four kings.”

“Yes, but Blaze is the ultimate decision maker. The vampires rule equally. Not only that,” his voice dropped a few octaves, “they share a female.”

Bay raised his brows. “Now that is strange.” He couldn’t imagine. He scrutinized the males. They were very different. Brant was tall and although built, he didn’t come across as a warrior. He wore fancy human clothing. Gold glinted on his cuffs. The male was what females would consider to be good-looking.

Zane was the opposite. Not as tall but extremely honed. The male looked ready for battle in his leather clothing. There was a curved sword slung across his back. His hair was cut close to his scalp. Nothing fancy about him. Hard and rugged. So different and yet they had made it work. Sharing a female. Bay couldn’t imagine it. Dragons didn’t share. Forget it!

Two more vampires sat at the end of the table. They had been introduced as York and Gideon. They were the leaders of the vampire warriors. He hadn’t figured out yet who outranked whom. They wore the same clothing as Zane.

The elves sat to one side, dressed in silk attire. Their heritage evident by their pointy ears and long hair. The king wore a simple, gold crown. They ate large bowls of sliced fruit and kept to themselves. So far, they hadn’t interacted much, and they spoke in hushed tones.

To Inferno’s left were the shifters. All alphas. They wore human attire. Jeans and button-down shirts. Only two of the males talked together. The other two kept their distance. One even sat away from the rest. It was clear that there was no love lost between them. Right then, he was thankful that the dragon kingdoms had put aside their differences. It was vital if they were to stand against the hunters.

“So next, Blaze is going to talk everyone through the interactions with the hunters to date.”

Bay nodded. There had been a number of incidents over the last year. “Yeah, then there’ll be a Q & A session before breaking for the day.”

“Tomorrow, we discuss the way forward and how we can work together to stop the slayers.”

The shifter next to them snorted. Bay couldn’t remember his name. Inferno tensed, his eyes narrowing for a moment before slicing off another piece of meat and eating it.

“I’m not too sure about team-building activities.” Bay raised his brows. “What kind of activities? Who decided on the program?”

“The bloodsuckers,” the shifter grumbled. “It’s stupid! I will be leaving long before then.”

“We’re here to unite against a common enemy,” Bay said.

“Bullshit.” The shifter sat back in his chair. “These hunters are your enemy. Not mine!”

“They potentially—” Inferno started.

“You call them slayers. Dragonslayers…dragon being the operative word. You dragons are trying to get the other species to do your bidding.”

Inferno’s whole frame tightened. He shoved his plate to the side even though he hadn’t finished what was left of the meal.

Bay didn’t like where this was going. “We thought it pertinent that the rest of the species were aware of the hunters,” he interjected.

“Well, isn’t that nice of you.”

Inferno nodded. “Yes, actually I do think—”

“Bull! You want us to fight your battles for you. It’s clear from the few interactions we have had with your species that you think yourselves far superior to the rest of us. I thought the bloodsuckers were bad, I—”

“Stop calling the vampires that!” Bay spoke softly. “I’m not sure why you’re so angry but—”

“Don’t tell me what to do, dragon. You don’t call the shots, even if you think you do. Let me ask you something, where were the dragons when we were being stalked by the Feral? When our people were being abducted? Where were you then?” Bay had heard of the Feral. They were griffin shifters. They were an elusive species who kept strictly to themselves. They were strong, fast and deadly.

“We only heard about the abductions after—” Inferno began.

“I don’t want to hear excuses,” the male snapped, pushing his chair back. “When we needed help, there was no-one to be seen. Now that you are the ones in trouble, we’re all expected to drop everything. It’s typical!” he spat, looking royally pissed off. “I had to leave my mate and my cub for this.” He snorted.

“If you feel so strongly about it, why are you even here?” Inferno growled. The male was bristling.

Bay needed to stop this before one of them lost their temper. “Maybe we should all calm down.”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” The shifter’s face was red, his shoulders were tense. His hands curled into fists.

Inferno’s jaw was tight, his eyes were bright with anger as well.

The shifter locked eyes with Inferno. “Why I am here is none of your damned business.” The shifter spoke under his breath. Why was he so angry? “All you need to know is that I wish I wasn’t. I knew it would be a waste of time, and it is. You scaly assholes can fight your own damned—”

“What the fuck did you call me?” Inferno yelled as he pushed his own chair back, jumping to his feet.

The shifter did the same.

Inferno was a hothead. “Wait!” Bay tried.

“You heard me.” The shifter was also on his feet, bumping chests with Inferno.

The other males in the room stopped what they were doing and silence befell the room.

“Don’t,” Inferno snarled.

“I called you a scaly assh—” the shifter didn’t get to finish. A white-hot blast left Inferno’s mouth. The flames engulfed the area. Bay fell backwards to avoid being burned, landing flat on his back.

The ceiling was scorched. No longer a pristine white, it had streaks of black. One section smoldered. Smoke filled the room. He coughed as he moved to his feet. Then it started. The screaming. Loud shrieks of agony.

The shifter was rolling around on the ground. His hands clutched to his face. His shirt was burned off around the neck and chest. His skin red and blistered. His long hair burned. His scalp, red and flaking.

His face.

More screaming.

“What the fuck?” one of the shifters snarled as he rushed over to the downed shifter.

“I told you bringing Cooper was a bad idea,” the bear shifter announced, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “I heard the last part of the exchange and he had it coming.”

“Yes, but,” Blaze looked pissed, “was that level of retaliation completely necessary?” He spoke to Inferno.

“Yes, that fucker needed to be brought down a rung or two,” Inferno snarled. “For a moment he forgot who he was talking to.”

“That was one of the highest-ranking alphas,” one of the shifters announced. “Many seasons your senior.”

“Leave it, Ward.” The bear shifter put a hand on Ward’s chest.

Inferno snorted. “I am Prince of Fire. I outrank an alpha by a long shot.” He said alpha like it was an insult.

The shifter on the ground continued to writhe and scream, his hands still plastered over what was left of his face. It looked melted. His eyes were gone, a hole in the place of his nose.

“We need to help…him.” Bay pointed at the shifter. Trying to redirect the male’s attention. This whole situation could become ugly and fast. Inferno still looked angry. So did the wolf alpha, Ward.

“Yes, you are right,” Brant said, moving forward. “He needs to see the healers. They can mix him something for the pain and dress those wounds. Make it bearable for him during the healing process.”

Bearable.

Bay doubted anything a healer could do would make that bearable. Torrent looked on, a look of distaste on his face.

“He should be left to suffer,” Inferno barked. “He deserves it.”

“Stop!” Blaze commanded, his eyes on Inferno.

Inferno narrowed his eyes as well. “I am well—”

“I said to stop.” More evenly delivered this time. Somehow more forceful.

“You take his feet,” Ward instructed the bear shifter.

“I’ll take him.” Bay stepped forward. He picked up the still screaming male, trying not to cause further damage.

“Follow me.” Brant looked indifferent. Completely calm. “I’ll show you the way.”

Bay nodded, having to hold on tight as the male continued to twist and turn in his hold.

“I have scheduled for you to undergo the procedure tomorrow at ten. You should be here an hour before, to get settled in.”

This was the worst part about her job, hands down. It was part of the reason why she struggled to find young healers. Most of the healers were elderly and getting ready to retire. It was a dire situation.

Angelique’s lip quivered. “Are you sure there is no other way?”

Ceri shook her head. “The child is as good as lost already.”

The female made a sobbing noise and covered her mouth, “I can’t believe I was so careless.”

“You had your partner wear a condom.”

“Yes, but,” tears ran down her cheeks, “it broke. I should have gone on the birth control like you said. I was stupid and now.” She put a hand to her belly.

“I know, it’s difficult. This will be one of the hardest things you will ever have to endure.” She leaned forward and took Angelique’s hand. “It’s not your fault your pelvis is narrow. Not your fault you can’t birth this baby. You have a good chance of dying if you try to have this child. The baby will most certainly die. The only recorded cases where the baby survived, was because the mother gave her life to make it so, and even then, it’s not always successful.”

The young female whimpered softly and nodded her head. “I have no choice then?”

Ceri pulled in a deep breath. “I’m afraid not.”

Angelique bit down on her bottom lip and nodded again. Tears coursed down her cheeks.

“You will—”

The door to her office flew open and an unknown male, a shifter walked in. “What is the meaning of this. You can’t just—”

“One of our visitors needs your help,” Brant growled as he walked through the entrance as well.

Bay!

Her heart sped up. Had something happened to Bay? “What is…? Was the—?”

Thank god! She caught sight of him carrying a male. Her heart felt like it was slamming against her ribcage as his intense blue eyes caught hers. He stopped in his tracks but quickly picked up the pace again.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Angelique said, already walking.

“Yes. Stay strong,” Ceri called after her.

Then she caught his scent and despite the audience, her fangs erupted. Try as she might, she couldn’t get them to retract. Hopefully, her king would assume it was the strange species and the severity of the situation. Sometimes an adrenaline spike could cause a physical reaction as well. “What the hell happened?” she snarled, as adrenaline flooded her system. “Who hurt him?”

“One of the Fire dragons. There was an argument.” Brant said.

One of the shifters snorted, looking angry.

The male in Bay’s arms was screaming, his hands clutched to his burned face. Despite the scent of wolf, bear and charred flesh, she could still get his scent. It seemed to rise above everything else.

Chili, dark chocolate and smoke.

Her mouth watered. Focus, Ceri! This was no time to lose it. Her nail beds tingled. Hopefully her eyes were normal. Her irises still green instead of blood red. Her breathing was elevated, as was her heart-rate but again, that could be blamed on the situation.

“Put him on the bed!” she instructed.

The male continued to writhe. “Do something!” the wolf shifter shouted at her as Bay put the male down.

“Do not use that tone with me, or I will ask you to leave,” she snapped, already moving to the bed so that she could examine the shifter.

“Ceri,” Brant warned.

She wasn’t about to apologize. This was her office and she wasn’t going to accept being ordered around by a wolf.

She could feel the dragon’s eyes on her. Could hear the rush of his blood and the beat of his heart. Could feel the warmth radiating off his body even though he was a few feet away. Her fangs throbbed, making it hard to concentrate. Thankfully he moved away, just a little. Giving her the space she needed to be able to form coherent thoughts.

When she looked down, she saw that her nails had sharpened. Shit! She needed to control this. She was so thirsty…for dragon blood. For his blood. Concentrate on the job at hand!

Ceri began her assessment of the male, he was badly burned. To the extent that even if she knew who he was, she probably wouldn’t be able to recognize him. He was in agony. Ceri switched on the kettle which was still lukewarm from the cup of tea she had made earlier. “I’m going to make a strong herbal tea. It’ll take a couple of minutes. Then you’ll have to hold him down so that I can get the mixture down his throat. It will knock him out cold for at least an hour, possibly even two. Then I’ll be able to dress his wounds. It’ll help speed up the healing process as well and soothe the wounds when he wakes up. At least the worst of the pain will have subsided by then. The healing process will be well on its way.”

She assembled what she needed as she spoke, placing the leaves she needed into a beaker. Two shifter males held the shifter down.

“What is his name?” She gestured with her eyes to the injured male, having to speak up to be heard above the moans. Thankfully he had stopped screaming.

“Cooper,” the wolf shifter said, not looking up. “It’s okay,” he soothed the male. “The healer will help you.”

“Can I assist in any way?” Bay asked, stepping towards her.

“No!” she all but yelled, trying not to breathe, and turning from the dragon. Ceri swallowed thickly. “Thank you,” she added, not wanting to seem rude. “I’ll manage,” she mumbled. Thankfully he moved back. Ceri pulled in a deep breath through her mouth. Good lord, but she could taste him on her tongue. She almost groaned out loud. She felt her nails lengthen and sharpen.

“How is he?” a male asked from the doorway, dragging her attention back to the problem at hand. It was another dragon shifter. This one had a golden chest.

“How do you think he is?” the bear shifter snarled.

“Let’s keep this cordial,” Brant interjected.

“One of your males,” the bear pointed at the male at the door, “did this, and over nothing!”

“It wasn’t exactly over nothing.” When Bay spoke, gooseflesh rose up on her arms. “Your male said some things he shouldn’t have. I’d say that the response was a little harsh but—”

“A little harsh?” the bear snapped. “I’d say you’re underestimating the situation.”

“Stop!” Ceri interrupted. “I have a job to do and this isn’t the time to argue.” She finished straining the leaves. The water had turned a bright green color. She added a few ice cubes from the freezer. They clinked as she stirred the liquid. She added a few more, going through the motion. Repeating the process one more time until the herb mixture was cool enough to drink.

By then the downed shifter was moaning and mumbling incoherently. When she moved to the side of the bed, she realized just how badly he had been maimed. His lips were gone, leaving his teeth exposed in what looked like a grimace. “I’m going to give him all of this.” She held up the beaker. “I’ll need to use a syringe.” He wouldn’t be able to drink it down without a mouth, without lips.

Ignore the dragon.

Ignore him!

Her fangs were still elongated. Still throbbing. If anyone noticed, they didn’t say anything. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as she thought. She took a syringe from her supply cupboard and headed back to the bed. Then she sucked up some of the liquid. “I’m trying to help you, Cooper.”

The male continued to mumble and moan.

“You need to drink this. It will knock you unconscious for a while.” She spoke clearly and concisely. She wasn’t sure whether he had heard her or not. “You may need to hold him.” She spoke to the males at the bed. Both were frowning deeply, looking greatly concerned over their downed friend. “Take his shoulders…carefully,” she added when she saw the burns there as well. Not as bad as his face, but still. “You need to lift him a little so that he can drink without choking.”

“I know how he feels,” the dragon at the door said. “Poor bastard.”

Once the males had him up slightly, Ceri put the syringe tip between the male’s teeth and slowly depressed the plunger.

The male spluttered and choked but he also swallowed. “Another one,” she urged, placing another full syringe between his teeth and slowly pushing. They went through the process several more times. “That’s enough.” She motioned for the shifters to lower Cooper.

“What’s wrong with your eyes?” the bear shifter asked.

“Nothing,” she mumbled.

“No really, they’re a little on the red side and don’t tell me they’re bloodshot because I’ve seen bloodshot and that’s not what it looks like.” The shifter narrowed his eyes at her, distrust evident.

“It’s a tense situation. High octane, high adrenaline,” she said, looking away.

The bear’s jaw tensed and then he nodded. “You seem calm enough.”

“Like a duck,” she countered. “He’s unconscious.” Ceri pointed at Cooper.

“I want that male punished.” The bear pointed at the dragon who was still at the door.

“He will be.”

“I mean it, Torrent!” the bear yelled. “And a public apology.”

“They had a squabble. Some things were said. It happened in the heat of the moment.”

“Bullshit!” the same shifter countered, pointing a finger at Torrent.

“Stop!” She wanted to roll her eyes. This was probably how the initial squabble had started in the first place. “That’s enough.” The last thing she wanted was to have to treat any more burn victims. One was bad enough. At least the male was oblivious to the pain now. She needed to prepare another herbal tea, ready for when he woke up. She’d make it a little weaker this time. She also needed to dress the wounds in an aloe and tea tree salve.

His scent hit her nostrils. Her nipples tightened and her fangs throbbed. “Out!” she shouted, panicking when she realized how close he was and how thirsty she had become. It was worse than ever. She could feel the last couple of weeks acutely. The longing, the hunger, the need. The lack of blood. Thirsty. She was so thirsty. Her mouth dry. Her throat raw and burning. Her stomach hollow.

“I was about to—” He was coming closer. She was afraid of what she might do if he came too close. Her nails were long. Her fangs throbbing. Her eyes were probably all out red. She turned to her herb shelf, away from the males in the room. Away from him.

“Out!” she yelled again. “Everyone. Get out now! He needs to rest.”

“But—” the bear shifter began.

“You can come back in two hours to check on him. Now go!”

“Are you sure I can’t help?” Bay asked. That voice coupled with his scent. Need coursed through her.

“I’m fine!” she snapped. “He’s asleep. I don’t need help.”

“You said you had to dress his wounds,” Bay added.

She glanced his way, noticing the look of concern on his face. “Thank you.” She swallowed again, her throat felt not just dry but raw. “I can manage on my own. I would prefer it.”

“Are you alright, Ceri?” Brant asked.

“Fine. I have a lot to do. That’s all.” She began to gather items she needed for the salve. “I need to cancel my next couple of appointments. Need to treat Cooper.” She gestured towards the shifter, all the while praying they would leave already.

“Are you sure you don’t need help?” Bay asked.

“Yes, I’m positive!” she tried not to sound angry and failed.

“Let’s give the healer some space,” Brant said. “Under the circumstances, I think we should cancel the rest of today’s proceedings,” his voice grew softer as he turned his back and headed for the door, “give everyone a chance to calm down. We’ll pick back up where we left off tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” the dragon, Torrent said.

She glanced over her shoulder. Bay had moved back but he was still looking her way. His eyes lit up and he stepped towards her, pulling in a breath. He was about to say something. The raging need inside her had become like a piercing scream. She’d do just about anything to stop it. She turned away, ignoring him. Praying with all her might that he would take a hint.

She had to hold back a loud sigh as she heard him retreat. Ceri concentrated, instead, on gathering the items she needed to make the salve. Her heart beat rapidly and her mind raced.

She was going to call Drago and organize to go out with him at the end of her shift. It was time to get over this problem of hers. What scared her more than anything was that she’d caught the scent of the male at the door, Torrent, and it had held no interest to her. The male was also a dragon shifter and yet, he held no interest at all. Panic welled. She needed to get over Bay as a matter of extreme urgency.