ROMANCE: SHAPESHIFTER ROMANCE: Dragon Baller's Bride (Dragon Shifter Alpha Male Romance) (Paranormal Romantic Suspense) (51 page)

“John, I can't ask you to do that-”

“Then it's a good thing you don't have to,” John winked. “Funny how things work out like that.”

J
ohn had offered
to stay the night and keep watch over the apartment while Leliana got some sleep. At first, she protested, but when he brought up the point that vampires were involved and he would at least be able to get her out in a tight spot, she had no real counter argument. So, he stayed in the living room and kitchen area, keeping an eye out for signs that they weren't alone in the area and that they were being watched. It was silly, but the extra protection of one of her dearest friends helped her exhausted mind get a good night's sleep. When she woke at dawn, she offered him her bed to rest in until they left, which he took gratefully. As she sipped her freshly brewed coffee, she contemplated the task at hand. She still had about ten hours before she was to meet up with that vampire that she had a run in with, and she still didn't know how to feel about it.

On the one hand, she couldn't deny that the stranger had captivated her in some odd way. She knew that it had almost nothing to do with him using a charm on her, because she would have become helpless to his whims, which didn't happen. She supposed that was part of the reason she was intrigued by him; he could have easily charmed her into just obeying his every whim last night, but he didn't, and opted to simply talk his way out of the situation when he could. That alone put him in higher regard than most strangers that she met in dark alleyways.

That wasn't to say that she necessarily
trusted
her newfound ally, just that she was intrigued by him, and wanted to learn more. In this day and age, with the world at war and everyone out for themselves, it was hard for her to want to trust anyone outside of her closest friends, but here she was, putting her life in the hands of someone she literally met less than a full day ago. She opted to pass the time by looking over cases, drinking more coffee, and making sure that her .45 was cleaned, loaded with bullets with crosses engraved into them, and secured in her thigh holster, where she could easily access it should things turn south quickly.

“Morning,” John yawned from the bedroom suddenly. She looked up from loading her gun in its holster and blinked at him before stealing a glance at the clock. It was evidently already noon, which meant that she needed to start getting ready.

“Afternoon,” she greeted with a smile. “I should shower and get ready – I'll be leaving here at about three.” He nodded sleepily, clearly not quite ready to face the day. “There's still half a pot of coffee, but feel free to make more if you need it,” she said as she stood up, stretching her arms above her head. When he nodded with a sleepy grunt of confirmation, she laughed softly and brushed past him as he shuffled off to the kitchen, no doubt to drink some coffee. It was still so bizarre that she was getting dolled up for what may very well be a death trap, she thought to herself as she walked into the bathroom.

Still, she conceded as she started her shower and got ready. Best to make herself look presentable.

Water poured from the faucet, and by the time that she shed her clothing and stepped in, steam had begun to rise from the tub and fill the room. Once she was inside and the water hit her bare flesh, she all but moaned sexually as the hot water began to work at her aching and tired muscles. For a while, she simply stood there, letting the water race down her creamy ebony skin in rivulets, before finally forcing herself to lather her hair and body, scrubbing away the last months' worth of stress, knowing that she was going to have to be at her best in order to constantly remind herself that it was not, in fact, a date with anything but death if she wasn't careful.

Finally, as she emerged from the shower and toweled off, she felt like she was filled with more energy than she had felt all week, and felt almost normal again for the first time in a long time. Pulling on her undergarments and brushing her hair out, she draped her towel around her and walked as fast as she could back in her bedroom to stave off the chill. Thankfully, John was still in the kitchen, occupied with consuming enough caffeine to wake up to bother noticing. She pulled her closet door open and began to scan the clothes hung there to try and find something suitable for this meeting. With a sigh, she settled on a long sleeved, off the shoulder sheath dress made of soft ruby fabric that clung to her every curve and flared off at the hip and cut off at the knees, the perfect dress to keep her gun hidden with. She plucked it out of the closet and set to work dressing herself.

Her makeup, an alluring smoky eye shadow and accentuated with full garnet stained lips, was put on with relative swiftness, if a bit fumblingly- it had been a while since she'd tarted herself up, after all.

Satisfied with how she looked so far, she let her steadily drying hair fluff out, pulling the thick tresses into a neat bun while she rummaged around for a hair clip. Pinning her hair to hold it in place, she found her old faux gold hair clip, with costume gemstones that matched her dress in it, and pinned it to the side of her bun to accentuate the style.

Pleased with how her hair and makeup turned out, she began to debate between her three pairs of shoes. Settling on a pair of black kitten heels, just short enough that she could still easily move but stylish enough to be worn at a formal meeting, she stepped into them, giving herself a once over in the mirror. She hardly recognized herself for how different she looked with a little bit of makeup and a dress, as opposed to her typical business attire and peacoat.

“All set, then?” John asked as she walked out of her bedroom. She nodded, and noted that he was noticeably more awake now that he had some sleep and some coffee in his system, which she was grateful for. “That dress is really flattering on you. You look beautiful in it, even if I know you'd really rather be in your work clothes.” They shared a laugh.

“Thank you, John, that means a lot.” She sighed. “We'd better head out and meet up with this guy. Who knows what would happen if we were late.” John nodded, his smile fading.

“I'll stick to the rooftops and keep close to you, that way if anything happens, I can swoop in and grab ya.” He said with a smirk. She nodded.

“Sounds like a plan, John. I'll head out and stick to the sidewalk so it's easier to spot me.” With the plan in motion, Leliana left her building and made her way to Gia's. It was a nice shop, she had to admit, as she came here often for some coffee or hot chocolate if she had a day off where she could just sit and take in the atmosphere. Sadly, this wasn't one of those days. Shame she didn't have time yesterday, as this might very well be her own personal death march.

No, she thought with a shake of her head. Thoughts like that weren't going to help her walk away alive, not if she went in expecting to die; a person like that might get reckless. As small as it was, she resolved to go to that coffee shop after all of this was over and order the biggest mug of tea that she could buy. It might seem insignificant, but she always liked to stick to the plans that she made, and she resolved to see this one through. Thankfully, the walk wasn't long, and it didn't take her that much time to get there. She stole a glance at one of the higher building rooftops and saw a flicker of what she sincerely hoped was John moving to a better vantage point; she only had a few blessed bullets, after all.

“I can't say I'm surprised that you're early,” she turned at the sound of the stranger's voice, and began to hope even harder that it was John that she saw on the roof. “Or that you didn't come alone.”

“You didn't tell me to,” she reasoned, shifting her weight onto one foot to cock her hip. His bright blue eyes followed the motion appreciatively, and she couldn't help but feel at least a little pretty because of it – call her an old fashioned broad, but it was always nice when her hard work paid off, no matter what it related to. His chuckle rumbled in his chest, and she swore that she could feel it in hers as well. She shuddered at the sensation.

“That's fair enough, I suppose. I might have, if I knew that your friend was going to be another vampire.” He said smoothly. “I don't like...competition.” His eyes roved over her entire body, making her shudder again. She felt like his gaze was doing more than undressing her; it felt like he was staring into her very heart to learn all of her secrets, and she wasn't entirely sure whether or not she liked that feeling.

“You two should get along just fine, then,” she said, understanding the meaning behind his words; he was interested in her, and she couldn't deny that she held some interest of her own. Whether or not she would act on it would depend on what went down tonight, and if they both made it out of it alive. “I grew up with him, so it isn't like that. We're practically siblings, and I'm sure his wife would shoot me on principle if I bothered with him.”

“Ah, that's good,” he purred, offering her his arm. “Shall we head to the meeting, then? I simply can't wait to show you off.”

“You never introduced yourself, sir,” she said, but looped her arm in the crook of his as they made their way to the nearest entrance to the metro, the only way to get to the Underground.

“Ah, how incredibly rude of me,” he said as they walked down the steps and into the darkness of the metro. “It's Victor. Victor Marley, and I'm something of an... independent party in all this as well.”

“
S
o
, you're not with the Excavators or the Syndicate?” Leliana asked with a frown. “And yet, you still got in invitation to this meeting between them? How?” Just when she thought she had a grasp on the situation, there was always a curve ball, she thought with no small amount of frustration.

“I'm just as I said; an individual party. I take care of some of the less than savory things that the Syndicate doesn't want its hands dirtied with. I get paid, and that's that.”

“Are you involved with the kidnappings?” She asked in a low voice with an arched brow.

“My, you certainly don't speak in riddles. I admire that,” he said with a soft smile. “But no, nothing like that. I'm mostly just a courier for them. But I learned of these kidnappings that the Excavators are doing on behalf of the Syndicate and, well,” he grimaced. “I want out of the game. They've gone too far with this.”

“A man with principles,” she said as they ducked into one of the vault entrances to the Underground. While it wasn't forbidden to go there and the place was common knowledge, it was better that no one saw them specifically going down just yet. “Something I can admire. You wouldn't happen to know where any of the kidnapped people went, do you?”

“No, but I intend to find out at the meeting,” he said with a shrug. “I heard you talking to that Mister Cooper, and knew that the both of us would have a greater chance of success than just myself going down there and demanding answers. I'm assuming you're armed?” She nodded. “Good, I like to see someone come prepared. And I can smell this John fellow not far behind us. Things will go much smoother with the three of us, I'm sure.”

“I would rather nothing happen to either of you,” she said honestly as they began to work their way through the streets of the Underground. As strange and other worldly as it was, Leliana felt more at home with the feeling of cobblestone under her shoes and the smell of the underground lake than hearing the taxi cabs rushing past her apartment back above ground. “If we get out of this, I intend to show my gratitude, Victor.”

“Is that so?” He asked with a tilt of his head as they stopped in front of the Red Baron Inn. Vampires, werewolves, and humans alike all shuffled past them with barely a glance in their direction. Some things simply bridge the species gap, Leliana noted with a sigh. “And just what were you going to do to show me such gratitude.”

“Invite you over to my place for coffee,” she said with a wink. “And see what happens after that.” Maybe it was the fact that they all could very well die, or the fact that she had been utterly charmed by this vampire, but whatever the reason was, Leliana couldn't properly articulate just
why
she rocked forward on her toes and pressed her lips to his in that moment beyond the fact that doing so just felt right. “Ah,” she said with a flush when he didn't respond. “Perhaps I've been too forward.”

“Or not forward enough,” he rumbled as he reached towards her, touching her chin with startlingly familiarity, as though he had always known her and was merely reaching out to her very soul. His hand didn’t stop there as he allowed his palm to go up the side of her face, gently stroking her cheek. She sighed and kissed the palm of his hand before pressing against it slightly. He carded his hand through her hair then, bringing her gently to his lips, pressing his against hers gently. His lips were soft and warm and they moved skillfully over hers. She sighed blissfully against his talented mouth, hands coming up to grip the front of his coat. She felt him grip her shoulders just firmly enough to know that she was grounding him in that moment, and she was grateful for his reciprocation of her affection. “But let us save this for the victory party, yes?” He asked with a fanged grin. “We wouldn't want your friend to get too uncomfortable,” she flushed even deeper and stepped away from Victor fully. She had completely forgotten that her best friend was waiting for them to go in so that he could stay behind and wait for when he was needed as backup. “And besides,” he said, crooking a finger under her chin and guiding her eyes back to his. “We have a day to save, yes? So let's save it.” She nodded firmly, hooked her arm in his once again, and together, they opened the door to the inn and stepped inside.

S
he had to admit
, as awful of an organization as the Syndicate were and for how dirty their money was, they spent it well in the Red Baron Inn, as far as she was concerned. The place was decorated in rich reds and deep blacks, and the place felt like a proper Victorian inn, something that was rather hard to come by, even in the Underground. The carpet was plush under her shoes and the walls were ornate without being tacky. As much as she hated the Syndicate, she had to concede to the point that they had very good taste in interior decorating.

“Ah, so good to see you again, Mister Marley,” said the bellman behind the counter with a smile that looked entirely too tight for her comfort. She subtly shifted closer to Victor, who wore a nearly predatory grin.

“Evening, Greer,” Victor said politely, placing a hand at the small of Leliana's back to reassure her. “I've come for the meeting. I even brought my 'plus one' this time.”

“Oh, how marvelous!” The man, Greer, said, his face stretching impossibly wider around his smile. Leliana's stomach churned at the sight, and already she was beginning to dread coming here. She hoped that John was going to stay out of sight and not try anything rash too soon. “Right this way, they've been expecting you!” He said, ushering them into a room marked, 'ballroom,' beside the door. He held the door open for them and bowed grandly. “Please, do go on in!” He leered at them, his gaze lingering on Leliana for far longer than would be considered appropriate as they walked past and into the room. All the while, Victor didn't remove his hand from the small of her back, and continued to guide her as they walked.

The room that they entered was far less of a ballroom and much more of a business suite, but she was hardly in a position to split hairs about it, she thought as they came to a stop just inside the room. The door clicked shut softly behind them, leaving them in the dim lighting of the space. In the center of the room was a plush armchair that seated the woman that Leliana knew as Veronique Lawson, the head of the Syndicate. The private eye's jaw tightened, and she mentally ticked the seconds it would take her to draw her pistol and end things. Then, she scanned the room, and found that it wasn't just the three of them in the room; the more she looked around, the more goons she saw surrounding the three of them in the dim lighting of the space. If Miss Lawson was looking to intimidate her, she couldn't deny that she was effective at the job.

“Ah, Mister Marley, Miss Tornbeau, how lovely to have you as our guests,” Veronique practically purred as she crossed her legs sensually in her seat. “And so surprising that you finally took us up on the offer to bring in someone with you, Victor,” she smiled like a snake about to devour a mouse. It was hard for Leliana not to squirm with discomfort. “You picked a pretty one. My compliments on your...” she licked her lips, her tongue playing over her elongated fangs slowly to accentuate them. “...Tastes.” Leliana suppressed a flinch and stepped forward.

“I think we both know why I agreed to come.” She said in a clear voice.

“My dear, I'm sure I don't-”

“Don't pretend, Veronique,” she ground out, her patience at an end. “I know that the Syndicate isn't so sloppy as to leave so much evidence behind. Not even the Excavators are that careless.” She knew she was baiting them, and it was clearly working; those in the room that were Excavators growled at her, baring their fangs at her. “And you knew that someone would come snooping. You knew that it would never be the cops, so you had every local private eye on watch to see which family broke and asked for help first.”

“Perceptive,” Veronique said, clearly surprised but somehow not even phased. “You're better than the other investigators I've had to deal with,” she leaned further into her seat toward them. “I
like
you.”

“Prove it, and let all the people you've kidnapped go.” She challenged. Veronique let out a surprised cackle, accompanied by the chuckles of the other men and women surrounding them.

“Oh, you're
bold
, aren't you?” Veronique sneered. “Tell you what – I'm feeling generous. I'll let them go and return them to their homes tonight on one condition.” Leliana didn't like the way that she was eyeing her, or the way that some of the goons around them were beginning to shift. None of it spelled good things for them, she thought as she recalculated whether or not she would have enough time to draw her pistol. She knew that if even one of the vampires in the room was armed that she didn't stand a chance of even getting her gun out of its holster. She cursed internally.

“Name it, and I'll consider,” Leliana said, hoping that it would at least buy her some time to think of a way to get out of this. Dammit, where had John gone? She hoped that nothing had happened to him. Veronique let out a low laugh as she leaned back in her armchair.

“You'll owe me a favor, one that I'll be able to collect wherever and whenever I want. One that isn't negotiable, and that you
have
to complete as I say, or I take your life.” She smiled low and cat-like, and Leliana's skin crawled. She didn't like this idea one bit. She knew that if she took it, she would most likely have to do something unspeakable in exchange; she may not have gotten to know Veronique for very long, but she didn't need to know that this was how she operated.

“Don't take that deal,” Victor said low in her ear, his breath caressing her face. “She's a viper, and one favor could ruin you.”

“Oh, don't listen to him, darling,” Veronique said in mock hurt. “It's just one itty bitty little favor, after all.” Leliana knew better, but feared what would happen when she gave her answer. She could certainly guess, and just hoped that these goons were all terrible shots.

“No deal,” she said in a clear voice. “I know better than to trust you.” Though she put on a brave front, she clenched her hands to hide the fact that they were shaking.

“Ah,” the Syndicate leader said with a pout. “How disappointing. And here I thought things were going so well between us.” She shrugged and waved a hand. “Oh well. It was nice knowing you.” Leliana saw some of the goons reaching for their guns, and knew already that unless something happened to disarm them, she was done for; even with Victor, he was only one vampire. Surely he wouldn't be able to help her, let alone assuming that he would even want to.

Everything that happened after that seemed to occur in slow motion. She pulled out her gun just as one of the goons took a shot, squeezing the trigger on her life, she was sure. Then, the next thing she knew, the gun misfired and she felt the bullet whiz past her, grazing her cheek but not fatally injuring her. When the shock wore off, she saw John and Victor whirring past her, claws bared, teeth gnashed, and taking out guards two at a time. They must not have been expecting it, or maybe not all of the guards were vampires like she originally thought, but she took a few shots at some of them. The ones that were vampires began to scream and writhe because of the blessing bestowed upon her bullets, but the others merely flinched and dropped their weapons. Veronique was shouting something at the few of her men that were still standing, but Leliana had no real chance to see it, as Victor scooped her up like a groom would his bride and dashed off out of the building, through the Underground, and into the night.