Blood at Stake (Warriors of the Krieger Book 2) (7 page)

Chapter 8

Ashby

With Dragus gone, I was technically in
charge, but all I wanted to do was to stay here with Lydia. Her
tiny tongue stroked across the two tiny puncture wounds on my neck,
sealing the spot where I gave her nutrients for the night. The idea
that I was providing for her caused my ancient heart to swell with
pride. I didn’t realize how much I’d enjoy having a tiny woman to
call my own, until I woke up that morning already mated to the
fiery redhead.

“Ashby,” she whispered and pulled her auburn
hair over her shoulder. I kissed her, tasting my blood on her
tongue. “You need to feed, my mate.”

The vein in her neck pulsed in time with her
heart. Our hearts beat slower than a humans, but the sound of a
vampire heart was like a lullaby to our senses, like one was to a
babe. The gentle hum as it beat slowly soothed me, just as her
unique scent enticed me. In fact, now that we were mates, I would
be able to find her just from her scent alone. Her natural smell
was like a winter’s night, cool and crisp. Her blood inside me was
a natural tracking device. My mouth watered as I inhaled her
uniqueness. My fangs had already started to ache from the feel of
her finding nourishment at my vein, but now, they demanded I take
my meal at her throat.

I struck her pale, slender neck with that of
a beast. I couldn’t help my desire for Lydia. As true mates, my
body and soul connected to her on a level different than I’d ever
known. It was almost like we were one.

Her phone rang, and I released her vein to
hiss at the intrusion. My mate pulled me back to her neck as I felt
her fumble for the sound. The room quieted, and I purred my
approval. My protective instincts flared as I pushed out with my
ability to sense the things around me, thankful that I found
nothing.

“Thank you,” I said, as I released her vein,
closing it with a quick swipe of my tongue.

“Have you told anyone?” she asked softly,
pulling her auburn hair back over her delicate shoulder. I pushed
it away again, causing a soft smile to light up her face.

“I find that I quite enjoy looking upon your
throat,” I admitted, stroking the silky flesh where I’d just taken
my meal. Lydia was still in my lap, and I refused to let her
go.

“You didn’t answer me,” she laughed.

“I’d rather not do that until I must,” I
sighed. “Can we just have tonight?”

“Sure,” she whispered.

I captured her lips again, sipping and
drinking her tiny mouth. When I pushed my tongue against her bottom
lip, she opened for me willingly.

“Tell me about yourself?” she asked after I
eventually released her lips. Her beautiful mated eyes were glossed
over from our few moments of tender kissing.

“I was born in Umea, Sweden. My mother said
that I was born on the hottest day in 1689. My father was a
fisherman and barely made it home in time for my birth.” It was
hard to remember my family. It’d been so long since I thought of
them that my memories took me back for a moment. Lydia waited
patiently for me to resume my story with her head resting on my
chest. Her ear was against my heart.

“I was twenty-seven and had lost my wife to
the plague,” I admitted. If she wanted to know about me, then she
was going to know everything.

“I’m so sorry, Ashby,” she gasped and sat up
so that we were looking eye to eye. “Did you have children?”

“No,” I shook my head. “I spent most of my
time on a boat. We had been married for a few years, but she never
became pregnant. Our marriage was arranged and thankfully we were
close friends.”

“How did you become a
Krieger
?” she
asked, placing her cheek against my chest again, finding a
comfortable spot to listen to my story. I wrapped my arms around
her and pulled her tight against my body so that we are almost
molded together. Lydia fit me perfectly.

“I was always large for my age, even as a
boy. It seemed like I was needing new clothes or shoes every few
months. My strength was ten times that of men my age. Most people
gave me a wide berth when I walked through the streets. I always
felt like I didn’t belong in my own skin.

“One night, while I sat in the pub with some
friends, a stranger entered the place. He had this air of authority
about him that made everyone sit up and take notice. Whispers
floated through the room that he was a vagabond and some assumed a
killer. Something about the man made me want to go to him, to find
out what his true nature was. It was the strangest feeling, like he
was…family. I guess that’s the best way to describe it.”

“What happened next?” she asked in awe, like
she was truly interested in my story. From our connection, I could
tell that she was in total suspense. I laughed and kissed the top
of her head, silently telling her that I was going to get to that
part soon.

“I stayed at the pub until everyone cleared
out for the night,” I continued. “The man also stayed, drinking his
ale slowly and acting like he couldn’t hear what the humans were
saying. It wasn’t until closing time that the man approached me. He
introduced himself and asked if he could have a moment of my time.
We talked for a while, but it wasn’t until we left the pub that he
told me why he was there. He said that he was a protector, and he
was in search of others like himself.”

“Who was the man?” she asked.

“Dragus,” I admitted. “He told me about the
Krieger
. He told me everything about what he did, except the
fact that he was a vampire and then he left.”

“He
left
?” she gasped.

“Yes,” I nodded. “He left. I went home and
crawled into my empty bed, wondering about this strange man and
what he could offer me. He said that I could make a difference in
the lives of others, but I didn’t know until the next night that
I’d be protecting vampires.”

“What happened the next night?” she asked. I
nuzzled her palm when she placed it on my cheek. The action was
automatic…like it was something we’d done for years, instead of
days.

“I don’t think Dragus intended it to happen
the way it did,” I laughed, remembering how frustrated Dragus was
that it didn’t go as planned.

“We were walking out of the pub just as they
were closing down and heard a woman’s muffled scream. Dragus
growled and ran toward the sound. I followed. We found a male
vampire feeding off of a human female. He’d ripped her throat out,
and she died before we even found them. Her cry was probably her
last attempt to get someone to help her, but we were too late.
Dragus dispatched the vampire right in front of me. I was in such a
state of shock that it took me a few minutes to put together what
I’d seen.”

I’d been frozen with fear when Dragus pulled
a wooden stake from under his coat and stabbed the vampire in the
chest. The vampire hissed loudly, his skin turning pale. The skin
shriveled quickly. Eventually, the corpse sizzled and turned to ash
before my eyes. Seeing that, when I didn’t know what was really
going on, scared the hell out of me.

“When I started to back away, Dragus turned,
and I saw his fangs. In his anger, he’d revealed himself to me. At
that time, I would’ve been outcast by the townsfolk if I’d gone
running around screaming ‘vampire’. Dragus’ only words to me were,
“I could really use the help.” Something about what he was doing
called to me, and somehow I
knew
that was what I should be
doing.”

“How long before you were changed?” Lydia
was sitting up again, watching me with interested eyes. Her tiny
head was cocked to the side, her hair hung free. I ran my hands
through the auburn strands, smiling at its silky feel.

“It was only a few nights,” I admitted. “I
had nothing left in Umea. Dragus gave me a day to say goodbye to my
family. I told them that I’d found a job elsewhere and would send
them letters if I could.”

“What happened to them?” she asked, her hand
still on my cheek. I found comfort in the gesture. It felt like
home when she touched me.

“They lived for another ten years. Mother
passed away first, and my father followed a few months after.”

“I’m sorry,” Lydia sighed and sat up where
we could look at each other again. “It must’ve been hard on
you.”

“Thank you,” I replied, pulling her back to
my chest, where I desired her to be. “I like you here.”

“I like being here,” she smiled against my
shirt.

Chapter 9

Lydia

My whole life, I’d always been small, but
when I was in Ashby’s arms, I felt even smaller. Ashby was just
huge
. We talked most of the night, and the entire time I
remained on his lap. We were on my couch, just like two teenagers
finding love for the first time.

Love? Where the hell did that word come
from? We’d mated, yes, but love? There was a connection there that
I’d never had before. This was different from the connection I had
with Charity.
Well, obviously, you dumbass
, I thought to
myself.
You’re mated!

“Where’s your safe room?” Ashby suddenly
growled, his body stiffened with whatever he was sensing. He turned
so that he was over me protectively, shielding my body from
whatever danger was lurking outside. I was slumped down in my couch
cushions, while he had both hands on either side of my hips. I was
looking straight into his massive chest, as he closed his eyes,
reaching out with his senses.

“What are you doing?” I gasped, as he
continued to shield me, his head pivoted in the direction of every
window.

“Where is your damn room,
Alydian
?”
he demanded, using my given name.

“Back of the house, in the basement,” I
blurted, quickly. He used my real name and his fangs elongated.
Blood seeped into his eyes as he scented the air. Something was
wrong…very wrong.

“They’re coming,” he said, as he scooped me
up into his arms.

“Who’s coming?” I demanded. My body started
to shake from the fear of what was about to happen.

“The humans who shot you,” he swallowed
hard, his body vibrated as he carried me toward my safe room. I had
a room that was different from my bedroom. This safe room was in
the basement and had all of the things I would need to live on,
like blood…and television. The room was set up like a bank vault
and had its own air supply piped in from a secure location. If
these humans wanted to flush me out by putting something into the
air ducts of my house, this room would not be affected. Leo had
taught me to be safe, to be one step ahead of my enemies.

“Where the hell are you going?” I demanded,
as he dumped me on the sofa and headed out of the room. I started
to stand, but a warning growl from his chest caused me to stop dead
in my tracks. When Ashby growled, it was something to be afraid of.
The sound was completely animalistic and scary as hell, even more
so than when Dragus growled at Charity. The sound was so loud and
deep that it rattled my chest and the picture on the wall above
where I was standing. I’d
never
heard a vampire make that
sound before.

“
Stay
,” he demanded, before pulling
his phone out of his pocket. Ashby pressed a key on his phone and
he was quickly connected to whoever he was calling. “At Lydia
Duncan’s place. The humans are coming, there are about ten of them.
I need backup immediately.”

Ashby ended the call as quickly as he placed
it. He reached behind himself and retrieved a gun I didn’t even
know he had on him. I watched as he checked all the little
mechanisms and ammo to make sure it was ready for use, then he
turned the gun around, holding it by the barrel. “Keep this with
you. Shoot anyone who isn’t a vampire.”

“Wait…
what
?” I backed up, holding my
hands up in the air. “I don’t know how to use that damn thing.”

“Put your finger on the trigger,” he
instructed, pulling me by the hand. He placed the gun in my palm
and folded my fingers around the grip, but kept my index finger
straight out. “Release the safety first. Point then shoot. That’s
it.”

“What if I miss?” I gasped, looking at the
gun like it might go off and shoot
me
.

“You won’t,” he assured me.

“You have a lot of faith in me,” I chuckled,
nervously.

“It’ll signal to me that you are in danger,”
he admitted. The corners of his eyes crinkled with worry and
stress. His whole body changed in an instant. He went from mate to
warrior right in front of my eyes. “I’ll be here before you can
shoot the gun a second time.”

“Okay,” I nodded, because that was all I
could think to do at the moment.

“Lydia,” he said, taking my face with his
hands. “I want you to lock yourself in, and I’ll come back for
you.”

“No…no, no, no,” I shook my head repeatedly.
“Dragus said that to Charity once, and he came back hurt. So,
no…no…
no
!”

“You don’t have any choice,” he paused to
reach out with his senses. “They’re here, love. I have to go. Just
do as I tell you.”

Before I could argue, Ashby had locked me
away in my own safe room, with a loaded gun and no fucking clue
what the hell was going on outside my house.

Immediately, I laid the gun down on the
table by the vaulted door, pointing the business end away from me,
but where it would be easily accessible if I needed it. I couldn’t
hear anything that may be going on outside of my house, due to the
thick concrete walls of my safe room.

My hands shook as I thought of him being
outside, alone, with those stake wielding humans. Why were they
after me? What did I have that was so special that they were back
to try and take my blood? Obviously, I was not the only one they’d
attacked. And why the hell were we afraid of humans anyway?
Vampires were a thousand times stronger!

The
Krieger
were even more powerful.
I only knew of one special talent Ashby had as a
Krieger
.
Dragus had the ability to do several different things. Could Ashby
have other powers he didn’t tell me about? Oh, damn! Did he
actually read my mind the other day?