Blood & Roses: Warriors of the Krieger (25 page)

“My lady, I am Simon. Anything you need
please let me know and I will take care of it.” Simon was an older
man, maybe sixty when he was turned. He was balding and what hair
he did have was completely gray. Simon was even shorter that my
five foot six.

“Thank you Simon.”

“I will show you to Master Dragus’ chamber,
my lady.” He motioned for me to follow him out of the foyer.

We took the marble staircase up to the second
floor. I ran my hand along the cool rot iron railing as we climbed.
The oil paintings that lined the stairway depicted the fields of
emerald green grass in Ireland. I wanted to reach out and touch
them, because the paintings looked so real, like I was looking
through a window instead of an actual painting.

Once we topped the stairs, Simon turned to
the right and we followed a long hallway, lined with more pale
cream colored Turkish rugs, all the way to the end. A set of double
doors greeted us. Simon opened both doors to reveal a master suit
almost as big as my farmhouse. To the left was a teak four poster
bed, adorned with a maroon down comforter and thousands of red and
gold pillows. At first the bed looked to be king size, but the
massive space of the room deceived my eyes. As I approached, I
noticed the bed was much larger. Obviously custom made for the
Krieger’s
size. This bed must have been ten foot square. I
made a mental note to find a tape measure soon. Yeah, it was that
freaking huge! On the other side of the suite, a massive flat
screen television and a sitting area with couches and chairs
completed the room. I laughed when I noticed an XBOX 360 sitting
next to the television. It was totally out of place here in this
room and I thought I knew exactly how it felt. I also felt a little
out of place.

I swallowed and noticed how dry the back of
my throat felt. Dragus and I didn’t have time to feed this morning,
and I was getting thirsty.

“Simon?” I asked. “Is there any way, I could
get some B positive. The
Krieger
rushed me out of my house
before I could feed this evening.”

“Oh, yes, my lady,” he bowed. “I will have a
servant bring some right up.” Simon slipped out of the door and
closed it quietly behind him. While I waited, I shed the comforter
and folded it up, placing it on the chair by the door. That left me
a little exposed in nothing but my sheer gown.

A light knock sounded on the door. I opened
it a crack to see who it was, hoping it was the servant with my
drink. I was parched. A beautiful brunette was standing there
smiling. Her yellow eyes gave away that she might be one of the
twin’s wives.

“Lady Charity,” she curtsied. “I am Lady
Michelle, Bastian’s wife. May I come in?”

As customary, I opened the door and curtsied.
“Please come in.”

Michelle wore a cute pair of Apple Bottom
jeans which she filled out perfectly. Those jeans fit a certain
type of body style and although I thought my assets were well
endowed; my behind could never fit snuggly into those jeans. Her
white top sparkled with sequins spelling out the same logo.

“How are you? We heard about the attacks and
are so glad you made it here safely.” She reached out and gave me
an unexpected hug. I sensed she was a very caring creature and I
liked her instantly.

“I’m a little shaken, but otherwise good.
Dragus, William and Brock were in the process of wrapping me up in
my comforter when I came alive this evening. It was very confusing
at first as to what was happening.”

“I know you must be worried, but the
Krieger
will be fine. Dragus knows what he is doing and now
that you’re here, he can concentrate on the Lycans,” she smiled and
for some reason, I felt better from hearing the strength of her
words.

“Thank you for coming up here. Are you sure
it’s safe for you to come from your home to the main house?” I
asked.

“Oh, the estate is guarded heavily. Nothing
can penetrate this place. The
Krieger
and the trainees watch
the walls and we’re safer here than any other place in the world.
All
Krieger
Estates are secured,” she shrugged.

I looked down at my hands and noticed they
were shaking slightly. Michelle reached over and took them into
hers. “Do you want me to call down to see what’s taking so
long?”

“How did you know?” I asked, confused.

“Simon passed me in the hall and told me he
would be sending someone up.” What a common answer. At first I
thought she might be physic or a mind reader. I laughed slightly to
myself.

The knock on the door had me floating toward
the smell of blood coming from the other side. Michelle grabbed my
forearm and pulled me back, “Sit on the bed, my lady. I will get it
for you.”

The oversized bed was the softest thing I had
ever felt. It actually felt like I was sitting on clouds and the
softness distracted me from my thirst, but only for a minute.

Michelle returned with a tray holding two
goblets of B positive. I took the first one and made quick work of
the liquid inside. Granted it was bagged blood, but it worked.
After the second one, I felt better, but not quite satisfied. I
would have to glutton myself on human blood now to satisfy me.
Drinking Dragus’ blood is richer than humans. This made me need
more human blood just to get an equivalent to his.

Michelle sat with me for a few hours talking
about our past and my future as the First Lady of the
Krieger
. She was changed at the age of twenty five during
the Vietnam War era. She had been engaged to a man in the Army, but
he was killed in combat only months after being sent overseas.
Bastian and Michelle had been married almost fifteen years and she
loved him more than eternity itself.

“Where are you from, originally,” I asked at
one point.

“I was born in New York City. It’s been years
since I was home. Most of my family has passed away. I have a few
cousins that are still alive, but they don’t know who I am.”
Michelle’s face dropped when she spoke of her family. Obviously,
she didn’t like talking about them much.

“Where is Powle’s wife? I haven’t met her
yet.” I asked.

“Lady Elise, she usually stays at their home.
She doesn’t come out very often. I’m sure she will come over to
meet you soon,” she shrugged. I sensed there was something she
wasn’t telling me. I hope she was as nice as Michelle, but the way
she talked about Powle’s wife had me concerned.

“What are our roles here?” I asked because I
need to know what I had gotten myself into.

“Being First Lady of the
Krieger
, you
will be in charge of the estate. Anything you say shall be done.
Master Dragus has always taken the role, because he is the head of
the area. Lady Elise and I are your subjects. Sort of like your
right hand women.” She laughed and her voice sounded like wind
chimes.

“Honestly, I have no idea what to do. Will
you help me?” I begged. This new life was confusing. The
formalities were breed in me long ago and that’s the easy part. I
have encountered a few Lady of the
Krieger
, but have never
spent a lot of time around them. They are always heavily guarded
and if you were to get close to one, it was a miracle. A Lady of
the
Krieger
usually had one or at the most two bodyguards
with her at all times. I had to laugh because Dragus had already
appointed my two.

“Sure, my lady, that’s what we’re here
for.”

“Thank you,” I whispered.

Sunrise was about an hour away and Michelle
left me to go back to her family home on the estate. I jumped when
I heard a clanging sound outside the windows. I looked over and saw
panels sliding down sealing the windows tightly. I’d thought about
buying those for the house a few years back, but decided I was
happy with my basement bedroom.

There was a marbled Jacuzzi tub in the
bathroom that had twelve jets. (Yes, I counted them!) The thing was
so huge that we could have probably fit five people in it. I found
some bubble bath under the sink and filled the tub almost full of
water and bubbles. A relaxing bath was not something I should be
doing while my lover was out fighting the Lycans, but I needed it
to calm my nerves. Most likely, I was feeling some of Dragus’
stress as well as my own. He was even braver than I had ever
realized.

Suddenly the pull for him lessoned and I knew
he was coming home. It wasn’t long before I sensed him entering the
room. I was still immersed in bubbles when I heard the door to the
bedroom open.

“
Mi amor
?” Dragus called to me. His
voice was strained.

“In here,” I called out to him. His heavy
footsteps pounded as he walked quickly into the bathroom. We both
breathed a sigh of relief when our eyes met. I reached for a towel
to get out, but Dragus used his speed to snatch it out of my hands.
I looked at him confused.

“Don’t get out, I like watching you in our
bath.” He leaned over to kiss me. Once our lips touched, my panic
seized, and all I wanted to do was to pull him in with me. But I
had other questions.

“What happened at my house?” I reached out
for the towel again, and he surrendered it reluctantly. As I
stepped out of the tub, Dragus pulled me into his arms and kissed
the top of my shoulder. I wrapped myself in the towel and looked at
him, wondering why he hadn’t answered. “Dragus, answer my
question.”

“We were able to dispatch most of the Lycans,
but not before there was some damage to your home,” he paused.
“It’s going to need work.”

“How much work are we talking about?” I bit
my lip waiting for the answer I knew was coming.

“They were able to gain access to your main
level and did quite a bit of damage.” His eyes never left mine
while he waited for my reaction. What could I do, get mad and
scream? Surprising to me, I remained calm. There was nothing I
could do now that would change the situation.

“Well, I have insurance. I need to sell it
anyway, since this is my new home.” I shrugged and leaned into
Dragus for support. Sometimes all I needed was to smell his musky
male scent to calm my nerves. “Please tell me that I can still get
my clothes out of the house?”

“Yes. I’m sending someone over there during
the day to pick up your personal items. They should be here by
sunset tomorrow night.”

“How bad are the attacks?” I asked,
nervously. I watched as he grimaced slightly.

“Nowhere near as bad as the attacks in London
a hundred years ago,” he shrugged. He seemed so unconcerned over
the threat these Lycanthropes were posing. Obviously this wasn’t
the first time he has dealt with an attack.

“Why are they attacking? Adam said that they
wanted the humans for their own.” I was confused. It made no sense
to me. I thought that full blooded Lycanthropes had lost all of
their human qualities once they turned.

“They are more animal-like, but still have
human-like thoughts. They know how to reason or to justify what
they are doing. Unfortunately, the Lycanthropes want us to suffer
as they have over their life span. They are angry creatures. Who
could blame them?” That made a lot of sense; they were human and
turned against their will into animals. I was thankful he could
explain some of the questions I had, but I was still worried. His
explanation shed some light onto their nature that I had been
clueless about.

I didn’t have much more to say, because
morning was coming and I was almost dead to the world. Dragus
retrieved my night gown from the bathroom and helped me dress. I
fell asleep comfortable in this oversized bed made for a
warrior.

Chapter 12

Charity

The next evening I awoke in Dragus’ luxurious
bed to the sound of the shower running, but I just wanted to stay
in bed. The softness reminded me of the feather bed I had when I
was a child. My mother knew that I liked my bed super soft. She
stuffed my mattress with as many feathers as she could so that I
would be comfortable. Sometimes I really miss my mother. Like now,
when I know that I’ll soon be mated. She would have been so happy
to be the mother of the bride.

Rosanna Harwood was a woman who wouldn’t take
no for an answer. We looked very much alike, except if I remember
correctly, her hair was a little longer than my own. Once my father
died, she took over the house and the land, working until her hands
bled and she couldn’t hold her head up at dinner. Thinking of her
made me sad and I didn’t want to cry in front of my mate.

I tugged the covers up to my chin and waited
for him to come to me. My cell phone rang, demanding my attention.
I reached over and snagged the contraption, flipping it open.

“Hello,” I grumbled.

“My lady?” the voice on the other end was
Lydia, in all of her morning perkiness. I really hate morning
people.

“Lydia, if you call me that again, I will
reach through this phone and strangle you.”

“Sorry, Charity, old habits die hard,” she
laughed. “Dragus sent Ashby to retrieve me. I’m on the way to see
you. This is so exciting. I’ve never been inside a
Krieger
Estate.” Lydia was beside herself at the opportunity to look around
the mansion. There was no way I would let her go snooping around
here; she would just have to wait until I could give her a detailed
tour.

“I’m assuming they are going out looking for
the Lycans again tonight. I want you to meet Lady Michelle,
Bastian’s wife. You will love her.”

“Sounds great! See you in a few.”

I tossed the phone back on the table and
rolled over in the bed. The water cut off and shortly before the
bathroom door opened. Dragus stood in nothing but a towel. The
steam from the shower rolled out into the cool air of the bedroom.
His hair was out of his usual ponytail and hung across the tops of
his shoulders. Little beads of water rolled down his muscular
chest. I couldn’t help but smile.