Dragon Heat (4 page)

Yara gave her friend a little shrug and let go of Mr. Happy Hands.

He stepped away so fast it almost threw a couple of people into the

swimming pool and then staggered desperately toward the exit.

Yara gave a husky chuckle and turned to get her drink from her

friend’s outstretched hand. ‚Oh, come on. He had it coming,‛ she said

after seeing the disapproving look on Sam’s face.

‚We have to focus.‛ Sam scowled her. ‚We don’t know how long

they’re going to stay at their VIP area. Do you have the ring?‛

Yara raised her right hand showing a large ring adorned by a huge

ruby-colored rock. For the naked eye, it was just another overrated ruby

ring, but at close range, a trained eye may have just been able to notice a

tiny latch on its frame, which once opened released a very rare and

powerful poison known for knocking out crocodiles in the Amazon.

‚Don’t worry. I got it covered.‛ Yara looked at her friend and

sensed something was amiss. Sam was her opposite. They were both

beautiful in their own way. One was the typical Amazon splendor: tall

with dark hair, slim, toned voluptuous body, and sun-kissed skin; the

other was the perfect example of the Celtic angelic beauty: blue eyes,

blonde wavy hair, narrow hips that accentuated her full breasts.

‚What’s wrong with you tonight?‛ Yara asked, trying not to sound

too rude.

Sam looked back at her with haunted eyes. ‚I

want to finish this mission and get out of here.‛

Yara didn’t buy that. Sam was usually the quiet one, but today her

quietness had an edge Yara didn't like. ‚Are you all right?‛

‚Yeah, I am just< I don’t know. My energies are a bit off, that’s

all.‛ Sam took another sip from her frozen margarita and looked toward

the VIP area on the second floor. ‚Which one, do you reckon?‛

Yara turned her attention back to her target who was leaning

casually on the balcony railing. ‚The blond one.‛ Yara had chosen that

vampire for two simple reasons. He was ridiculously handsome—over six

feet tall, short, golden hair, muscular body, broad shoulders, and an

amazing pair of gray eyes—and because she had seen him in the scene

before a number of times, and he'd never been alone. He had always been

entangled with one or two sometimes three women. That combination

made him the perfect candidate for their mission. Tonight, she was going

to show him what entanglement really meant.

She glanced at Sam and said quietly,‚Look, if you want to head off,

it’s fine with me. I can take care of this by myself.‛

‚No, I’m fine, really. I’m here to watch your back, aren’t I?‛ Sam

could be very convincing most of the times, but tonight her twitchiness

was so visible Yara would bet her left arm there was a light bulb

exploding somewhere in the vicinity.

Yara’s overly sharp sense of smell made her turn her attention back

to the vampires’ VIP area on the second floor.
Damn it.
A redhead with big

tits was walking up the stairs toward the blond vamp, who was obviously

enjoying the view of her cleavage. The sweet smell of the woman’s cheap

perfume was so strong Yara’s stomach lurched in protest.

‚That bitch! Now I’ll have to wait till he’s done with her before I

can get an opening again.‛ She scowled. ‚By the way she is flashing her

boobs at him, I bet it’s a sure thing.‛

Shit, shit, shit!
She hated when things didn’t go exactly according to

her plans. Well, no point on crying over the spilled milk now. Yara was

about to make another acid remark about the redhead but stopped when

she saw her friend’s expression. Sam was paralyzed, staring at something

across the swimming pool. She looked like she had been hypnotized on

the spot. Yara immediately searched for the source of what had entranced

her friend. ‚Holy shit.‛

Sam could not breathe. Across from the swimming pool on the

same balcony where the blond vampire was swallowing the ginger girl

stood the most gorgeous man Sam had ever seen. He was tall with pitch

black shoulder length layered hair. He was wearing black denim trousers

with a tight charcoal V-neck sweater that exposed his lean but strong arms

and very well defined abs. Sam tried to remind herself that staring was

not polite when he stepped away from the balcony railing and started

walking down the stairs without taking his eyes off her. His stare was so

spellbinding that all she could do was try to remember how to breathe.

Was he doing that on purpose? Sam knew some vampires had the power

of hypnosis, but it didn’t feel like she was being put under. She

remembered her name and where she was; she just could not avert her

gaze from his. Sam noted he must be a really old vampire for his narrow

eyes were dark brown. Younger vampires had a strange crimson film

covering their irises. The older they got, the less prominent the redness

became. Of course, to the trained eye, vampires were always recognizable

by the eerie vibe they gave off as much as for their red-glowing eyes when

taken by fury. But not this one. The vampire who was coming toward her

had the most penetrating chocolate eyes she had seen in a long time.

He wasn’t smiling, but he wasn’t angry, either. He had reached the

bottom of the stairs and was now crossing the dance floor. People opened

up the way for him like he was royalty. His long strides were definite like

those of someone confident about what he wants, of someone on a

mission. He reached the middle of the bar. Sam vaguely heard Yara say

something, but for some reason, she could not fathom her friend’s words.

He stopped a few steps from her, his brilliant eyes intent on hers.

He took a breath as if he were about to say something, then gave up,

moistened his lips, and exhaled.

Sam held her breath. He was staring at her with a confused look,

like a child trying hard to decipher a difficult equation. Without any

warning, he closed the gap between them, leaned down, and kissed her.

As soon as his lips touched hers, Sam felt the energies inside her go wild.

He must have felt it too because he pulled away, startled. But it took him

less than a second to recover and kiss her again.

Hikuro was lost. After touching her lips and feeling that electrical

tingling, he could not think of anything else but to keep on exploring the

enigma in his arms. He had first sensed her when he was still sitting on

the couch at the back of their VIP area. He had been focusing on not losing

another chess game to his friend Dyam when the feeling of an electrical

current woke his vampire senses. Immediately, he stood up and went to

the balcony in search of the source. She was there, standing by the far end

of the bar, across from the swimming pool. She was wearing a 1960s style

light blue minidress that complimented her feminine figure. Her light

blonde locks framed her heart-shaped face with barely any makeup. But it

wasn’t her stunning beauty that amazed him; it was the strange glow that

seemed to dance around her aura.

Her lips parted in invitation. He raised his left hand, held the back

of her neck, and deepened the kiss. The initial tingle was now a familiar

buzz that went straight to his shaft. Too soon, she pulled away, blinking

fast. She looked up at him with those haunted eyes.

‚I’m sorry. I don’t usually attack women like this. I don’t know

what came over me‛. Hikuro said, still shaken by the madness of his

actions. ‚Please forgive me.‛

She was scrutinizing him, but he saw her attractive mouth quirk up

slightly. ‚Oh? So how do you usually attack women?‛

The question took him by surprise. ‚Idon’t
attack

women, I<‛ He paused and realized she was grinning. Hikuro could not

stop from smiling and said, ‚Look, how about we start over again.‛ He

offered his hand to her. ‚Hi, I’m Hikuro.‛

After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, she shook his raised

hand. ‚I’m Sam.‛

‚Nice to meet you, Sam.‛

She gave him a small chuckle as if laughing at his sudden change in

approach.

Smiling back, he joked. ‚What? I would appreciate a little support.

I’m trying not to blow it all here.‛

‚Okay, sorry,‛ Sam said, trying hard not to giggle. ‚And what are

you planning on saying next?

‚Well, I have a few ideas,‛ Hikuro replied, narrowing his eyes.

Her eyebrows lifted, and she said, quite serious, ‚Oh, no, you’re

not one of those who practice at home, are you?‛

Oh, dear Apa Dobrý, Hikuro needed a fast recovery because this

encounter was rapidly going from bad to worse. He looked at her

stunning blue eyes again, took a deep breath, and said, unable to stop

himself, ‚You

She stopped in the middle of taking another sip from her green

drink and looked up at him with wide, startled eyes.
Yeah, way to go,

Hikuro, great recovery.
He scowled.

She started taking a few steps away from him and opened her

mouth to no doubt give him a ‚see ya.‛ Hikuro grabbed her hand again.

‚No, wait. I didn’t mean it that way.‛

She looked at him in disbelief. Her patience was probably running

low. What the fuck was happening with him tonight? Hikuro was

well-known for being rational, not a blabbing sack of meat. Before he put

his foot in his mouth once more, he took her hand. ‚Come with me.‛ He

took her through the dance floor, away from the crowd, and up the main

stairway where a huge vampire gave him a short nod and let them

through to the elevators.

Yara could not believe her eyes. What the fuck was Sam thinking?

And how did that vamp get lucky so fast with her usually timid friend?

She saw him come down the stairs and walk through the dance floor

where no one dared cross his way with a dangerously determined look.

She had desperately tried to get Sam’s attention without moving too

much—after all, the vamp’s friends had probably been watching them,

too—but to no avail. Sam had been completely entranced by the vampire

god in front of her. Okay, Yara could almost sympathize with her friend’s

predicament. The vamp was simply stunning with his dark eyes, chiseled

chin, and longish hair, but Sam was the one who had reminded Yara just a

few moments ago that play time was after they finished the job. Yara

pondered the situation. Even if Sam had decided to take over and see their

mission through, she did not have the poison with her or the note. How in

hell was Sam planning on doing this?

The vamp seemed to be dragging Sam to the private lounge rooms

on the third floor. Man, he did not waste any time, did he? Yara could not

just go after them because she did not have free access and the huge

mean-looking vampire bouncer did not give the impression he was in the

mood for charity. But Yara had to do something; she would not leave Sam

without a backup, even if she did want to have a few hours being

devoured by the vamp. That was the core motto of their friendship:

whatever happens, they would have each other’s back.
Damn it!
She really

really
hated when things did not go according to plan.

* * * * *

On the third floor, Hikuro turned left and opened a secured door

with his digital key. He entered the room first and checked if the coast

was clear. His sharp eyesight did not need lights to clearly see danger

lurking in the shadows. Satisfied, he turned toward Sam and held the

door open. She hesitated for a second but went in. Hikuro closed the door

quietly and meant to turn the light on, but the sight of her stopped him in

his tracks. She did glow. Her profile was strangely surrounded by a soft

radiance that seemed to dance around her.

She looked up at him, took a deep breath, and slowly closed the

gap between them. Her lips were soft on his. She shyly raised her hands

and touched his shoulders. He immediately felt the tingling again

wherever she touched: his pecks, his shoulders, his neck.

He encircled his arms around her waist while parting her lips with

his tongue. Their kiss became more urgent, more passionate. Hikuro could

not have enough of her. He reached down, cupped her lean ass, and

pulled her fully against him. She rewarded him with a little groan. Let

Apa Dobrý punish him later, but he had to have her right now.

He lowered his lips, tasting her neck while his left hand made its

way up her stomach and caressed one of her full breasts. She arched in