The Rise of Vlad (The Seeker Series Book 3) Read online

  “Just let me talk to her,” Angel persisted. “There’s no sense in inviting a war that need not be.”

  “Very well, Angelo. But I suggest that you hurry. I have no idea how long she will sleep before she springs up ready to fight.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  Vlad ended the call and returned his cell to the pocket inside his cloak before venturing back inside.

  He made his way up the stairs to his room, but couldn’t bring himself to venture through the open doorway.

  The shifter’s scent filled the large chamber, mingled with blood and rage. Even in her comatose state, she was pissed.

  Vlad’s lips twitched. The little tart had courage; he’d give her that.

  No matter how much anger and resentment her subconscious experienced while she slumbered, it was nothing compared to the outrage she would feel upon waking.

  Vlad had done the unthinkable. He’d given a shifter his blood. As far as he knew, no vampire in history had ever dared do such a thing.

  He took a step into the room, his gaze touching on her parted lips. Why had he given her his blood? he wondered, taking another step toward the bed. It didn’t matter to him if she died.

  His gaze traveled down her neck to her mocha-colored breasts rising and falling with every breath she took.

  She was a shifter, the worst form of scum to ever grace the earth. A dog that walked around on all fours, prowling the night like the mangy mutts they were. And he’d saved her life.

  Vlad hadn’t realized he’d moved until his knees touched the side of the mattress. He peered down at the sleeping shifter now healing in his bed. And his cock stirred to life once again.

  Anger slammed into him with a force that was staggering. How could his body betray him for a shifter? His natural-born enemy?

  Too intrigued to move, Vlad stared in amazement at the evidence of his now rising lust. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had an erection, yet here he stood, with a throbbing hard-on for the alpha of the damn Kiana clan.

  Chapter Four

  Voices penetrated Nita’s sleep-fogged brain, pulling her out of the nightmare she couldn’t seem to escape.

  She’d been shot and carried through the woods to Castle Dracula, by Vlad himself. His scent had seduced her, drew her in against her will.

  How could that be? There was nothing about a cold, evil bloodsucker that Nita found enticing. Nothing. So why was the juncture of her thighs wet and throbbing?

  Her eyes slowly fluttered open, revealing the reality of her so-called dream. Tall, Dark, and Repulsive stood a few feet from her, speaking softly to Angel.

  “You’re awake.” Angel greeted her, breaking away from Vlad to sit next to her on the bed. “How are you feeling?”

  Nita squinted up at him for a moment before jerking her gaze to her sheet-covered body. “Where are my clothes?”

  “You weren’t wearing any when I found you,” Vlad piped in with a raised eyebrow.

  Memory came flooding back with a vengeance. The trap, the burn of the bullet as it entered her shoulder. The blood…

  “You son of a bitch,” Nita snarled, the amber color of her eyes swirling with iridescent white. “I’ll kill you for this.”

  The humor that sparked in Vlad’s eyes, barely visible beneath his cloak, only pissed her off more. She moved to throw back the sheet, but remembered her naked state.

  “Easy,” Angel urged her, gently pushing her back against the pillow. “Ember is bringing you some clothes momentarily.” He glanced toward her shoulder. “May I?”

  Nita grudgingly nodded. “Only if he leaves the room.”

  “Well, since it is his room,” Angel stressed. “I doubt he’ll be going anywhere.”

  Turning her face away from the object of her disdain, Nita took a deep breath in anticipation of the pain that would come from removing the bandage.

  Angel removed the blood-soaked dressing with infinite care. “It’s almost completely healed.”

  “Vampire blood has its good points,” Vlad remarked, sending Nita into another round of rage.

  “Screw you and your tainted blood,” she seethed, bringing her gaze back to his. “I never asked you for your precious offering, so you can go fuck yourself.”

  A chuckle escaped Vlad, making him appear almost human.

  Nita ground her teeth in fury. “Do I amuse you, Dracula?”

  “Oddly enough, you do,” he responded, pushing back the hood of his cloak to reveal his pale, chiseled face.

  “Well, I find nothing funny about any of this. I came here to help your demon-spawned ass, and this is how I’m repaid?”

  Vlad’s pale blue eyes became hooded. “You will be as good as new momentarily and able to go back to your pack of mutts without a scratch visible.”

  “It’s not my injuries that concern me. You think they won’t scent your blood in me? I’ll be challenged immediately, or cast out at the very least.”

  Angel quickly intervened. “You said you came here to help?”

  Nita’s gaze softened as she met Angel’s moss-green one. “Yes. Since arriving back in Anchorage, I’ve had my feelers out on anything to do with the Seeker Society. I met with one of them about a week ago, and—”

  “Wait,” Angel interrupted. “You found the Seekers’ lair?”

  Nita shook her head. “Not entirely. But I did meet with one of their leaders. I figured I could set a trap and flush them out.”

  “So you came here to what, use me as bait?” Vlad inquired in a deadly soft tone.

  “Not that the thought hadn’t crossed my mind,” Nita shot back. “But no. I came here to give you the guy’s name. I figured the vampires could take it from there.”

  Vlad didn’t look convinced. “Why would you help me?”

  “I didn’t do it for you. I did it for Lucius.”

  “And the man who shot you in the woods?” Vlad continued, drifting closer to the bed.

  “I’m assuming he was sent to follow me and report back.”

  Vlad came to a stop a few feet away. “He won’t be reporting back to anyone.”

  “You killed him, I take it?” Nita asked sarcastically.

  “I drained him. Would you like for me to show where I buried him? You could dig up the carcass when you leave here. Have a light snack on your way home.”

  “And you can go back to hell where you belong,” Nita snapped, returning her attention to Angel. “What are you doing in Alaska?”

  Angel shrugged a broad shoulder. “Ember wanted to see the sights.”

  Nita narrowed her eyes. She could smell a lie from a mile away. “The truth.”

  “He’s here on my behalf,” Vlad intervened. “That’s all you need to know.”

  Angel suddenly stilled, a vacant look in his eyes. “Ember is near.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to see me,” Nita muttered, pulling the sheet up higher against her chest.

  “No more than the rest of us, I’m sure,” Vlad piped in, his arrogant tone pissing Nita off even more.

  Nita waited for Angel to leave the room before swinging her gaze back to the object of her ire. “Why do you hate my people so much?”

  Vlad barked out a laugh. “People? Is that what you’re calling yourselves now?”

  “My, aren’t we a bit hypocritical? Spawn of Satan. You should take a good, hard look in the mirror before tossing around insults. Oh, wait, you have no reflection.”

  “That’s an old wives’ tale, Miss Franks. One would think you’d be a tad more educated on tales, or tails as it were…since you sprout one quite regularly.”

  Nita opened her mouth to tell him to kiss her metaphorical tail, but Ember strode into the room carrying a large bag. Angel followed close behind with a squirming Lucius in his arms.

  “These are for you,” Ember announced, setting the bag on the side of the bed. “I hope they fit.”

  Giving Ember a warm smile, Nita opened the bag and pulled out a pair of jeans, a white tank top, a
pair of skimpy panties. “Thank you. I’m sure they will fit just fine.”

  Ember cleared her throat. “I had no idea what size um” —she glanced around the room before meeting Nita’s gaze once again— “bra, you wore. I’m sorry. Same with shoes. I bought a pair of flip-flops that might work temporarily.”

  Nita held the sheet up and threw her legs over the side of the bed. “I’ll pay you back for these, Ember. I appreciate you doing this.”

  “I’ll give you some privacy,” Angel mumbled, striding toward the door. Ember trailed off after him.

  Nita’s gaze shifted to Vlad, who was now seated in a chair in the corner of the room. She couldn’t see his eyes for that damn hood he’d pulled back over his head. “Are you going to just sit there and watch me dress?”

  He didn’t answer, only stretched his long legs out in front of him, crossing his feet at the ankles.

  Chapter Five

  Vlad wasn’t sure why he continued to bait the shifter, why he cared enough to bait her. But he couldn’t seem to help himself.

  He rather enjoyed the feeling he got from watching her eyes flash fire. She challenged him, taunted him, and made him feel alive for the first time in years.

  She was the enemy…

  He fought a grin as she dragged the pair of jeans beneath the sheet and pulled them on.

  “Fine. You sit there are watch,” Nita spat, maneuvering the tank top over her head without dropping the sheet. “I expect no less from your kind.”

  She stood, allowing her covering to fall away, and zipped up her jeans.

  Vlad’s mouth went dry. Her nipples stood out in stark contrast beneath the white tank top she now wore. Proud and erect.

  “It looks to me as if you enjoy my perusal of your body.”

  Nita glanced down at her chest, her mocha-colored cheeks suddenly stained with a blush. Whether it from embarrassment or anger, Vlad wasn’t sure.

  She slipped on the flip-flops and marched toward the door.

  Vlad blurred across the room, blocking her exit without thought.

  A small gasp escaped her before the iridescent white once more swirled in her eyes. “If it’s a fight you want, vampire, I’d be more than happy to oblige you.”

  Heat swirled behind Vlad’s own eyes. His body became tense, and his cock began to throb in time with his heartbeat. “Even I have standards, Miss Franks. Not many, but I do possess a few.”

  Nita laughed without humor. “You expect me to believe that? I can’t count on both hands the number of wolves you’ve killed over the years.”

  Vlad leaned in close. “It is no secret how I feel about your pack of mutts, but I do not purposely seek out trouble. And I haven’t forgotten your injuries. Come find me once you have healed completely.”

  She moved to step around him, but he continued to block her path. “You have neglected to give me the name of the Seeker you met with, Miss Franks.”

  “Wade. Wade Leighton. Now please step aside and let me pass.” She held his hood-covered gaze for long moments. “Please.”

  Vlad ended the staring contest, backing up only enough to let her squeeze through.

  With an amber-colored glare, Nita inched past him and fled toward the stairs without looking back.

  Vlad followed. Damn him, but he had no choice.

  He arrived at the bottom of the stairs in time to hear Nita speaking with Angel. “I gave the name of the Seeker to Vlad the Overbearing. What he does with the information is his business. I’m done here.” She took a breath and continued. “Thank Ember again for the clothes. It was much appreciated.”

  “Your pack will smell Vlad’s blood the second you step into your territory.” The concern in Angel’s voice wasn’t lost on Vlad.

  “I know,” Nita admitted on a sigh. “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”

  “You’re their alpha, Nita. They have to respect that.”

  “Most will,” Nita agreed. “But there will be trouble. Of that I have no doubt. Especially since Miles Castro has decided he wants to mate with me.”

  Something stirred in Vlad’s chest. Anger? Jealousy? He wasn’t certain. But he damn sure didn’t like it. Nor did he like the idea of the sassy shifter mating with another before he had a chance to… To what? he silently asked himself. Surely he wasn’t considering mating with his enemy?

  Vlad shook off the thought and stepped around the corner. “Angelo? We must ready ourselves to depart. The council meeting is in an hour.”

  Nita kept her gaze trained on Angel. “We’re even now.”

  Angel nodded. “We’re even.”

  Without bothering to acknowledge Vlad’s presence, Nita strode toward the door and let herself out.

  Vlad drifted deeper into the room. “She is not my biggest fan, it would seem.”

  “Nor you hers, I take it?”

  “Shifters were put on this earth as protectors of the human race. They see us as a threat. So, no. I will not welcome them with open arms.”

  “Not all shifters are the enemy, Sire.”

  “You can feed a snake and eventually tame him, Angelo. But that will not stop him from eating you while you sleep if he takes a notion to. It’s in his nature to do so.”

  “People can change, Sire. Given the right circumstances.”

  Vlad pushed back the hood of his cloak. “They are not people, Angelo. They are shifters. Part wolf. And you cannot tame a wild wolf, any more than you can a rattlesnake.”

  “Point taken,” Angel conceded. “But I see something different in Nita. Something loyal and trustworthy.”

  Vlad had also, but he wasn’t ready to admit it. “Just be careful not to get too close. No matter what Miss Franks may or may not be, her pack is a force to be reckoned with.”

  Angel nodded and touched Vlad on the arm. “I’m going to check on Ember. Lucius is going through some kind of change. He’s sleeping both nights and days. She’s trying to get him on our schedule so that he doesn’t get up and wander around during the daylight while we sleep.”

  “You are welcome to stay here for as long as you like. Mordecai can help with Lucius’s care if the child rises before you.”

  “We might just take you up on that. There’s no one else we can trust with him besides Ember’s mother. But if something were to happen…”

  “Say no more. Speak with your mate and let me know what she decides. You can have your pick of any of the guest rooms below or above.”

  “Thank you again, Sire. I think coming here was a good idea.”

  Vlad nodded, attempting to keep his attention focused on Angel and not on the hotheaded shifter probably a mile away by now.

  “Sire?”

  Vlad realized that Angelo was still speaking. “I’m sorry. What were you saying?”

  “I heard from Shon last night. He and Laura are on their way back from Paris. They should arrive in Florida, sometime tomorrow night.”

  “Where did young Shon manage to find suitable transportation for his extended travels?”

  Angel shrugged. “I’m assuming he rented a private jet.”

  “He takes too many risks,” Vlad pointed out, pulling the hood of his cloak back over his head. “His arrogance is going to cost him his life, someday.”

  Angel blew out a breath and swiveled on his heel. “I hope not, Sire. I truly do.”

  Chapter Six

  Nita walked the five miles back to the narrow, two lane road where she’d left her car parked along the side.

  The need to shift on her trek through the woods, plagued her but she resisted. She needed time to think about how to handle the fact that vampire blood now flowed through her veins.

  Alpha or not, Nita had no doubt she would be challenged. Her pack would see the enemy’s blood inside her as a betrayal. No matter that it had been put there out of necessity, not to mention against her will.

  Nita noticed two things at once as she emerged from the trees. Her car remained in the place she’d left it, and four of her pack members hovered
around it.

  Her gaze zeroed in on Miles Castro, lounging against the hood. “What are you doing here?”

  “I could ask you the same thing,” he remarked, pushing away from the car to saunter toward her.

  Nita’s indignation practically choked her. “I don’t recall needing your permission to leave the compound.”

  He stopped in front of her, sizing her up with his electric blue eyes. “I never said you needed permission. I only became worried when you didn’t show up for our date.”

  To say that Nita didn’t find Miles attractive, would be a lie. Yet something about him didn’t sit well with her. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but it was there, lurking just beneath the surface. “Something came up that I had to attend to. I’m sorry about skipping out on you, but it couldn’t be helped.”

  His nose flared slightly and his eyes darkened. “Vampire.”

  “That couldn’t be helped either.” She moved to step around him.

  Miles grabbed onto her arm, and spun her around to face him. “You stink of vampire and that’s all you have to say?”

  Nita jerked free of his hold. “Don’t you ever put your hands on me again, Castro. I was injured in the mountains, and a vampire saved my life. Against my will, mind you, but what’s done is done.”

  Miles stared down at her as if she’d grown another head. “Did you give yourself to him?”

  His words hurt her more than they should. But Nita would be damned if she’d let him know that. “No, I didn’t give myself to him. Not that it’s any of your business.”

  “It’s the entire pack’s business when their alpha disappears without a word and comes back reeking of bloodsuckers,” Miles growled. “You leave yourself open for a challenge.”

  Nita allowed her eyes to change, showing him her dominance. “I will not be intimidated by you nor anyone else in the pack. If someone dares to challenge me, then I will gladly take them up on it.”

  Marching the rest of the distance to her car, Nita inwardly seethed. She had no doubt that Miles was right about the pack’s reaction to the vampire blood in her veins.