Detrand

My first thought when I awoke was Adelade’s face, and her look of disappointment when I refused to answer her questions regarding her mother. And the look of horror when I snapped Treveti’s neck and her determination as she flew through the air to stake him. I grinned. I had no idea she had the ability to kill a strigoi. And yet, she could have turned her stake on me, for such was my stupor when she managed to actually deliver the final death on Treveti that she could’ve easily managed to harm me.

Then I grinned at my own naïveté. Of course the daughter of Colleen would kill a strigoi with one swift blow of her stake and look up in concern to another. She had been taught that, just like the living, we were as different as the sands of the sea.

I frowned, thinking of my feeble attempts to apologize to her for ruining her father’s, no - her, home. Even though I could feel the anger that she still held, she’d attempted to assuage my feelings.

Scowling, I sat up. She shouldn’t have looked at me that way, like she actually cared. She shouldn’t consider my feelings. I was no good for her, and she should fear me appropriately. It only took one moment to give in to my blood lust, and she would be a carcass for the ravens. Just as my blood lust began to rear it’s ugly head last night when I kneeled at her feet and practically begged her to forgive me. If it hadn’t been for the fae’s enhancement, I would’ve drunk her to my heart’s content.

“Lula!” I stood up and threw off my shift.

After a second, she burst in my room and yelped. “Sir!” She covered her eyes with her hands.

I went to my closet and she peeked through her slim fingers. “I hope you’ve rested sufficiently, because we have work to do.”

“I have, sir.”

“Good.” I came out fully dressed and pulled my chair up to my bed, and pat the mattress. “Sit.”

She moved slowly and, noting that I wasn’t angry, she jumped onto the bed. It moved under her, and she jumped again, grinning, as she bounced.

I sighed. “Woman, quit playing, we have work to do.”

She forced her mouth into a straight line and looked up at me, a look of seriousness on her face.

I tried not to smile as I sat in the chair facing her. “I must ask you, what are your feelings for Rowan?”

Any amusement she still held slipped from her face. “He is acceptable.”

I ran my fingers through my hair and tried to remind myself that the living, by their very instinct, held back their true emotions if they felt at all threatened. So I slouched in my chair and crossed my legs, in order to tell her instincts to back off.

I took her hand in mine and tried to look her in the eyes, but she only stared at my chin. “I have given him permission to take you tonight.”

She gasped, but said nothing. I saw the slight tick at her neck and wondered what that meant, so I softly released my senses, probing her.

“Lula.” The command in my voice made her look into my eyes.

“Are you willing to go to him?”

She nodded slowly, and I used my senses to pull her true thoughts from her. He made her feel pleasure, but she was scared that he would lose control of himself. A valid concern.

“If I promise you that he will not harm you, would you desire this, for yourself?”

Her face was unreadable as she searched her desires, but I felt a lightness to her feelings. Finally she spoke, and she released her breath as she said it. “Yes.”

I nodded. “Good. Now,” I pulled my hand away and she tucked it under her thigh, “tell me about last night. How did the shifter react?”

She shuddered, and I imagined she was thinking of something she’d seen last night.

“He held himself aloof during the whole thing, but managed to stay near Salina and even stood in between her and the fight.”

I raised my eyebrows. “And how did she react?”

Lula laughed. “She shooed him away.”

“And what about when they changed? Did he change with them?”

She stared off for a moment, trying to remember. “I think so.”

“Lula.” My voice was deep, a reprimand.

“I was worried for you, and I was trying to help—”

“Your concern was to watch for the shifter, not to take care of me.” She looked at the floor now. “And then what?”

“He disappeared. After the fight was over, I looked for him, but he was gone.”

I sighed and tapped my foot. “He will be second in command now.”

Her eyes were wide and they stared at me intently. “Did they kill the shifter you fought?”

“Jessiah?” I frowned. “No, but he will no longer be a part of the pack, which will be very difficult for him. A shifter longs to be part of the pack, especially if they have no family of their own, occasionally a lone shifter may starve themselves to death.”

Her face fell. “So you baited him into a challenge so that you could see how the other wolf would react?”

“I needled him, yes. But I had to prove myself to the pack, or they would challenge Salina. I don’t have time to clean up after a shifter war, or find another leader if Salina lost.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I would rather one wolf suffer than half the pack.” My eyes darkened. “And if Derek killed Agosto, then he will suffer a thousand deaths, as well as Salina, for not controlling her pack.”

She nodded in agreement and I stood up. “I have business to attend to. Is Rowan awake?” I knew that he wouldn’t be up, but I didn’t tell her that.

She shook her head and jumped off the bed. “He won’t be up for some time.”

“Would you like to travel with me? I need to discover the whereabouts of the shifter.” She hesitated, and I held her arm. “If you have other plans then I won’t be offended.”

“Adelade and I have a previous engagement, if that is okay with you.”

At the mention of her name, I frowned. “Lula, you must discourage her from making contact with me.”

She raised her eyebrows. “If I may be so bold, sir, I think the contact has been of your own making.”

Frowning even deeper, I took her shoulders. “I am not myself when I am with her, you must tell her to stay away.”

The side of her lip lifted. “And yet, you are the king of this castle. Can you not wish her away yourself?”

I turned away and growled. “Just leave for your engagement.” Then I turned back to her and gripped her hand as she turned away. “Lula, I promise you that Rowan will not harm you.”

She swallowed hard and nodded, even as her cheeks tinged pink. “Thank you, sir.”

* * *

I moved towards the city to find the shifter who could tell me Derek’s most hidden places and I found her brushing down a horse that was waiting at the docks. Her face was sweaty, even in the evening air, but her clothes were cleaner and she smelled of cheap soap.

“Myla.”

She dropped the brush and swiveled towards me, her hands held high, then she smiled. “Hello, Detrand.”

I frowned. I was becoming too soft, that even those below me felt they need not fear me. I stepped into her personal space and she backed into her horse, even as I released my strigoi senses to allow me to influence her.

“I need to know where Derek is.”

“I don’t know where he is.” She put her hand on my chest to create some space between us, but her attempts were weak as I stroked her softly with my senses. I stepped even closer, so close that she could see my fangs.

“I need you to find him for me.” Her desire to help me began to leek into my senses, and my strigoi purred, content at the deception my powers gave me.

“What are his hiding spots? Where does he go when he plots and schemes? He’s second in command now. Where will he go to plan his ultimate demise, though he does not know it?” My breath was on her neck now and goose flesh ran down her arm. I gripped her shoulder and extended my fangs.

Her fear blew into my senses, making me pause, but I lowered my teeth into her neck and she began to moan as she clutched herself to me. I pulled on her neck, feeding on her as my hands held her tight. She went for my pants but I gripped her hand and pulled it behind her, so that her chest was pressed into me, her hand held tight behind her.

I drank her blood, not bothering to be gentle and even though my poison made her shudder against me, her instincts warned her to bolt. Torn between her desire and her instincts, she gripped my arm tight. Her body was alight with passion, and she rubbed against me, even as her nails clawed at my skin.

When I had drunk enough to make her faint, I pulled my fangs out and put my lips against her ear. “I am not your friend, Myla. I can fulfill your most savage desires, or empty your body of its life source so quickly, that you won’t feel the soft knock of death at your door until it is too late.”

She clasped my neck, unable to stand, but I pulled away and she fell to the ground. “Find him. Or I will kill you, and bring your sister to my home to serve my kind.”

Anger sparking her shifter powers, she growled, even as she knelt at my feet. “Your sort will never touch my sister.”

I turned my back to her and walked away. “You’d better find him quickly then.”

* * *

I stalked the streets invisible, looking for Derek myself. Block after block of nothing made my strigoi restless. I searched the taverns, the fine dining establishments, and even the whorehouses, but he was not to be seen. My instincts told me he was not at the mansion in the forest but as my choices became more limited, I headed towards the warehouses near the docks before I went to the forest on the hill.

As I moved towards Stefano’s warehouse, the voices of Adelade and Lula drifted through the air, along with another male. I growled, feeling an utter sense of protectiveness and possessiveness. I slipped in quietly and noticed that it was Stefano’s man, the one with the glorious muscles and the twinkle in his eye. I watched them closely, looking for any sign that Adelade was attracted to him and then decided to slash my eyes out because all I ever wanted from that woman was a taste of her blood and nothing else.

His arm reached around her, showing her how to position her thumb on the stake and I felt a low growl in my throat. I slipped away and, making myself visible, reentered the warehouse.

As soon as my presence was felt, the three of them fell silent and stared at me, their mouths open, and Lula even dropped her stake. She opened her mouth to speak to me, but no sound came out. Eventually she found herself and moved to approach me. “Sir, we were practicing, in case it was necessary. For our life only.”

I looked at Adelade, who was eyeing me and nothing else, not that I blamed her after how I ran from her the last time she saw me. The handsome man was slowly backing away and I looked back to Lula.

“Of course, you must learn to protect yourself. Even though you are under my protection, and I would kill anyone who dared try to harm you,” I looked at Adelade as I said this, “there are others who cannot contain their blood lust, or other beings, human or otherwise, who could attack you.”

I reached into my inner pocket and pulled out an ornately carved stake with a sharpened end that glimmered with silver. “That sliver of wood you have would just break into two.” I handed the carved stake to Lula. “Use this.”

She grasped it, noting the way it fit her grip perfectly and the fineness of the carving. “Did you make this?”

I glimpsed at Adelade who was studying her own. Looking back at Lula, I nodded.

She clasped it to her chest and a tear sprung to her eyes. “Thank you!”

I waved her away. “Stop it, woman.” And I couldn’t help the smile that slipped up my face, but I moved to approach Adelade, who began to nervously fidget with her stake. “I could make one for you, if you like.” Damnit, I felt like a lover on a first dance, and reprimanded myself. “If I can find the time.”

She looked at me with a strange look on her face, and I wished to know what she was thinking. I nudged her gently, so softly that she wouldn’t notice the way my senses invaded her mind. She didn’t want to offend, but this gift was the last thing her father had given her. And she’d lost his letter to her to the street rats. I growled, vowing to find the bandits and hang them from their toes. Her eyes widened and I realized that she had no clue what I was thinking about, and probably thought I was upset she hadn’t accepted my gift immediately. I snatched the stake from her, my movements as fast as a viper snake, and she cried out, surprised. Her hand reached out to take it back, a natural instinct, and then she snatched her hand back and tucked it under her arm.

I weighed it in my hand. It was heavy and solid, and still held traces of Treveti’s blood. I remembered the way it cracked through his ribs, the memory of the sound causing a shiver up my spine. I should pray that she would never turn this on me. I gave it back to her. “This one is better. Keep it.”

She snatched it from me and then her face tinged pink as she realized how she appeared. I turned away from her, if only to give her a moment to recover, and looked at Lula.

“Where is the man who was training you?”

She pointed to the corner, and I turned towards him. He stood, feet a length apart, his hand gripped tightly to a knife. He held it towards the floor, noting that I didn’t attack Adelade or Lula, but it was ready, in case I turned on him.

I wanted to laugh at him, I could be on him in a second and he wouldn’t even have a chance to stab me. And unless that knife was dipped in the ashes of an oak, it wouldn’t kill me. Furrowing my brow, I breathed in deeply. It was dipped in the ashes of an oak and I determined to speak with Stefano. He was obviously seriously infatuated with this man, and was giving away the secrets of the strigoi.

I turned my back on him. “Here,” I indicated to Adelade. “This man can continue to help Lula, and you can practice on me.” I grinned at her, showing her my teeth.

Her eyebrows shot up. “I could never.”

Moving cautiously at first, the man gave me a wide berth as he approached Lula. She took his hand gently, assuring him that I wouldn’t harm them. Taking in a deep breath, he moved behind Lula. She stood still as he took her hand in his, and moved her whole arm, showing her how to move it so that it wouldn’t break if she hit something hard.

Lula seemed slow to pick up on how to make the movements, and the man was patient with her. Although the way her heart picked up as his chest pressed against hers made me believe there was another reason why she was so slow to understand. I bit my lip and licked my blood. Rowan would kill this human if he knew what they were doing at the docks, and, unwilling to have a war between Stefano and Rowan, I determined to put any flirtation to a stop immediately, for the man’s sake.

“His name is Landon.”

“Hmm?” I looked at Adelade and felt the blood rush to my head as I realized that she was wearing something new, and she was beautiful even though her attire was completely unconventional.

“You called him ‘the man’. His name is Landon.” Her emotions simmered under the surface, still unnerved from our exchange at her house.

I grunted and turned all my attention to her. “When I instructed Sophie to buy you new clothes, I didn’t intend for you to wear men’s clothing.”

Suddenly, an explosion of emotion burst from her. She frowned and was grasping her shirt tightly, her face twisted in sorrow. “Why did you burn all my clothing? Is there anything at all that is precious to you? Do you have to have your way with everything?”

I took a step back, alarmed by her sudden burst of fervor. “You are under my protection, and as such, will wear clothing appropriate for a woman under my charge.”

She frowned and stepped closer to me. “I was sent by my father to pay off his debts. To cook and clean, to scrub your floors and light your fires. And yet, you allow me no penance, no way to pay off his debt.” Her face scrunched up and alarm bells rung in my mind. “Will I ever have a way to be free? To be free to choose what I wish to wear and how I wish to wear it?”

“Is my household so shameful, the clothing that I purchase for you so horrible, that you wish to flee from my house and never return?” My heart was beating wildly and I held my breath, for such was my desire to know the answer in her heart. Would she ever see me as a man and not for the wild untamed beast that was always ready to unleash itself upon the world?

As soon as I realized that this was the true desire of my heart, I grew angry. She was a human, to eat and to tame, not to hold or caress with loving kisses. I would not fall for this beautiful creature who had managed to tempt me with her sweetness.

I looked away, growling, but still holding my breath in anticipation of her answer, when I realized that her mood had swung again and an intense sadness overcame my senses.

“You took everything from me. My only home that held such great memories, of times with my dear sweet mother, and my kind and loving father. Lily has taken over my mother’s bed and vanity, and the clothes on my back were the only materials that I owned that my mother touched. You took that from me.” Salty tears pooled in her eyes, but she held them in, unwilling to show her weakness and an immense shame overcame me.

I opened my mouth but there was nothing I could do now. Angry at Lily’s boldness, I determined to recover the vanity and ban her from my house. But the clothes were now gone, destroyed. I probed her gently, unable to determine what to say. She missed her mother, the one woman she thought could guide her through her new life that was filled with the constant anticipation of the many dangers that befell women of this time.

Instead of apologizing I stepped closer to her. “I loved your mother also, and wish that there was something I could do to bring her back.”

She blinked, surprised at my answer. “You loved her?”

Now I was surprised. “She never told you?”

She shook her head. “Why? How?”

I looked away, not wanting to reveal the truth of my defenselessness because I never desired to appear weak. However, she had shown me her weakness and I felt obligated to give her something in return.

“Your mother found me once.” I looked off towards the water, remembering. “I was grieving one night and drank too much, which weakened me. Someone attacked me and they caught me unawares.” I remembered the way it felt, the stake that broke me. How it burned, so close to my heart that it tore through me. “Your mother, she found me, and chased off my attacker.” I laughed and looked at her. “You reminded me of her, that night I met you for the first time. Though you won’t remember.”

“I do remember.”

My mouth dropped. “How is that possible? I entranced you.”

She shrugged. “What happened next?”

“She ran for your father and they drug me home, nurturing me back to health.” I looked away again. “Your mother gave me her blood, and it saved me. Even after that, I visited them from time to time, and I grew to love their kindness, which they allowed me to demonstrate, even though I knew they were also afraid.”

Adelade was silent and I turned back to her, curious.

“They never told you?”

She shook her head. “I think they wanted to protect me. Is that why my mother could never forget you? Why she called for you in her sleep?”

I frowned. “No. When your mother fell ill, the only way I could heal her was to give her my blood.” I swallowed hard. “When I partake of someone, they become a part of me in a sense. I can feel them if necessary, even across great distances. But if I have partaken of someone, and then they, in return, partake of me, they also can feel me. As strigoi, our powers reduce the effect that this has, but your mother, she was human and therefore,” I looked into Adelade’s eyes as they stared intently into mine, “she would always struggle to block me. My feelings and emotions, and even my hunger.”

Anger sparked in Adelade’s eyes. “How could you do that to her?”

I lifted my eyebrow. “It was her choice, Adelade. And your father agreed. In fact, they begged me to help so that she could live, even though I had no desire to curse her so.”

Adelade grew silent and I suddenly realized that Lula and Landon’s fighting had grown silent and I turned towards them. Lula’s face and armpits were sweaty and she grabbed some water to clean her body. Landon watched her out of the corner of his eye and I made a noise to get his attention.

“Are you leaving?” I faced Lula but my question was directed at Landon.

“I must return home.” Lula smiled shyly, and by the pink tinging of her cheeks, I knew that she was returning home to Rowan. That she could hold an interest in both Rowan and Landon, I was not surprised, but I knew that if she gave herself fully to Rowan, she must never act on her feelings for Landon, or he would die. Or worse, be turned.

Landon bade her farewell and Adelade hugged her tightly, kissing her cheek and gripping her hand tight for a moment before Lula walked towards the door, pausing only for a moment to give me a knowing smile. When she was gone, Landon turned towards us and shifted uncomfortably.

“Should I stay to continue your lesson?” He looked at us expectantly.

“No.”

“Of course you should.”

I turned towards Adelade and grunted. “You will practice with me from now on.”

She folded her arms. “He’s done a perfectly acceptable job. I’ve killed one already, remember?”

I frowned and pulled her close to me, my lip turned up. “That doesn’t count. He was unconscious and lying still on your floor.”

She faced me stubbornly. “It counts because I could’ve easily missed, but I staked him just where he needed it.”

I growled. “I will teach you. I can teach you moves that no man or being could teach you. I am swifter, smarter and—”

“Completely full of yourself,” she completed my sentence. “Landon can teach me as well as any other person, can’t you Landon?”

She turned and realized what I already knew, that Landon had quietly slipped away, unwilling to get in between us.

* * *

“Looks like your partner has abandoned you.”

She took a step back. “And who’s fault is that?”

I grinned and swung around her, gripping her neck softly as my voice breathed in her ear. “The one who will teach you from now on.”

The sweetness of her blood called to me and, pleased that the Fae’s renewed magic was keeping me from ripping her throat out, I ran my nose up her neck.

She moved forward, determined, and turned, pulling the stake between us. “Teach me then, to defeat the strigoi.”

I pulled her close again and swiveled her so that her back was to me. Her chest rose and lowered as she breathed rapidly.

“Landon taught you how to strike downward.” I took her hand and pulled it up and downward in an arc. She followed my motion as I imitated Landon.

“That works perfectly if you are facing their backside.” I shifted her so that she was looking at me now. “But if you are facing your attacker, there is too much room for the strigoi to take your stake from you.” I bid her to strike me. As her hand came down I caught it easily.

She nodded, understanding. I took her hand and, starting from her chest, I swung it forward. “If you move from here,” I put my hand on her, and the vibration of her heart beat through my hand, “there is little room for error, or for the strigoi to disarm you.”

She stared at me with wide eyes, and I realized that my hand on her chest was causing her heart to beat faster. I moved my hand away from her. “Practice.”

As soon as I moved my hand, my sway over her broke, and, with her lips in a set line, she attempted to stab me. I allowed her no room for mistake and, moving quickly to disarm her, I slapped the stake to the ground. If a strigoi, or any other beast attacked her, they wouldn’t give her mercy, and I gave her the same favor.

She shook her hand as she bent to retrieve her stake, and the sight of the swell of her breasts made me feel as if my heart was beating faster. I closed my eyes against the temptation and focused on the lesson.

“Again.”

She rose and began to move. At first, she moved slowly and I turned with her to keep her in my sight. And then she was suddenly beside me, aiming for my chest. I still moved fast to disarm her, but this time I gripped her close to me, the stake on the floor again, and she breathed heavily. She was good; she’d almost caught me by surprise.

“Is this what Landon has been teaching you?”

She grinned, happy that it had worked so well, and shrugged.

I pulled her away from me. “Again.”

We worked tirelessly, and her movements became a graceful dance as she tried to attack me. Again and again I disarmed her but she didn’t give up, and soon we were both drenched in perspiration. As she moved, I noticed the way her body swayed rhythmically, the way her hair flowed behind her like a graceful lion and I had to push down my strigoi to keep my emotions at bay. I couldn’t entirely compel her as I could with the others. She was beauty and she was danger, a siren call for my strigoi.

I should run from her as fast as my feet could take me, but I found myself waiting for something, although I knew not what.

After several attempts, I gripped her hand and moved her fingers so that they were held loosely on the stake. “If you hold it too tight, it will break your hand when you pierce one.”

The look on her face betrayed that indeed, it was hurting from when she’d staked Treveti and a feeling of such tenderness overcame me that before I knew it, I was kissing her fingers one by one. She stared at me, eyes wide, and unsure how to react. Her chest rose in quick breaths and the desire to have her under me came upon me so quickly that my fangs slid out. She gripped my shirt as I tasted the tips of her fingers, placing small kisses on them.

I placed my hand on her back, pulling her closer and she dropped the stake. It clattered to the ground forgotten, as she stared at me so intently that every intention to flee from her was abandoned. I couldn’t leave her, for she had bewitched me with a powerful magic, and I was under her spell.

I breathed in and growled; she smelled faintly of the dianthus from the garden, and the smell was so sweet, that I wanted to take her here in the filthy workshop.

But it was too dirty for my sweet Firewitch, as the dianthus was commonly called, and so I gently pulled her chin towards me and kissed her soft and tenderly, exactly the way she should be kissed. Her reaction was so strong that it took me a second to realize that her arms were around my neck and she was kissing me back with such feeling that I made a guttural noise as my passion poured over me. I gripped her tight, trying to rein in my desire to rip off her clothing and mark her as mine.

Then there were was the sound of quickened footsteps and I pushed her behind me to face the man who appeared in the doorway.

* * *

Dominique, my loyal servant, clasped the edge of the doorway breathlessly. I moved towards him, pulling Adelade with me.

“Sir,” he managed to gasp out, and I pulled him up.

“Speak quickly.”

“Your house. It’s been lit on fire.”

Adelade gasped. “Lula and Sophie.”

The Fae. Those nasty things. The king must’ve exacted revenge for burning his wares and for taking the Queen into my arms.

I pressed Adelade’s hand into Dominque’s. “Take her somewhere safe.”

She pulled her hand from his and ran for her stake. “I’m going with you.”

I growled. “You will do as I command, or I will tie you to the mast of my ship to keep you from harm.”

Suddenly she was beside me, the tip of her stake centered over my heart, scowling. I stepped back, surprised. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m coming with you, that’s what.”

I put my arm around her back, pulling her to me. Her face held a scowl and I ran my hands through my hair. When did I become so weak? Her chest rose and fell against mine and I frowned. “You are slow, and will only delay my coming. I’ve already lost precious time arguing with you.”

She took a step back, dancing out of my arms. “Go swiftly, and I will meet you there.”

Rolling my eyes, I gripped her arms and marched with her towards the house. Dominique ran ahead of us to summon men from the city streets to help us.

Agitated over my impediment, I pushed her further and soon she was running to keep up with me. Spotting a leashed horse, I pulled its reins loose and pushed her upon it. A man came running out, and I reached in my jacket and pulled out a stash of coins. Throwing them on the ground, I mounted behind her and we raced towards the house.

I leaned forward, clasping her to me, and she gasped when she saw the house. Before I could stop her, she slipped from my arms and tumbled towards the ground.

“Stupid Firewitch.”

I jumped gracefully to the ground, but she was already up and running towards the flames. I ran swiftly to stop her, and grasped her arm tight. “Don’t be an idiot. You’ll burn to the death if you go in there.”

She turned towards me, a look of desperation on her face. “No. You’ll burn to death in there.”

In a temporary madness, I released her and she was gone.