Vampire's Forbidden Territory (Sídhí Summer Camp Series #2) (18 page)

“How dare…” Clarisse shrieked, abruptly stopping.

The tips of Sarah’s claws lengthened, pricking Clarisse’s neck. A single teardrop of blood trickled down her neck. The girl shut her mouth so fast her teeth clicked together, stopping a sure-to-be haughty – screaming – reply.

“Harry, I’ve been circling the area for hours, searching for these kids. So, I’ll ask again, what are you doing here?” Alexander questioned. “And why didn’t you report finding Clarisse?” His pale blue eyes narrowed as Harry nervously glanced around the group of teenagers.

“It’s my duty to protect the kids,” Harry said, ignoring the last question. His right eye began twitching in a nervous dance. “Cynthia, one of the councilors from the Fore’Syth clan, had a flash of foresight. She warned me some of the kids from my cabin were in danger.”

“These kids are from cabin twenty-five, not twenty-four,” Alexander said, folding his arms over his broad chest, glaring at Harry. “You are the cabin-parent for twenty-four, correct?”

“Yes, but I couldn’t refuse to help Clarisse when I saw trolls had her. They were carrying her through the forest, heading back to their nest. I’m sure they would’ve eaten her if I hadn’t stopped them,” Harry said frantically. Speaking a mile-a-minute, the blond blurred his words together in an attempt to convince Alexander, whose scowl had turned dark with disbelief. “I’m really glad you showed up. I’ve got to find the kids in my care. If I let one of them get killed, the council will skin me alive! You weren’t there, but after that girl got herself killed the council threatened to collar the cabin parents in silver if we failed to protect the kids who are in our assigned cabin.”

The big man’s last word turned into a howl as Alexander lifted him up by his neck.

“You just happened to stumble across Clarisse when your kids are rafting down the river, a river that is several days hike away.” One handed, Alexander shook him, rattling the man’s teeth in his head. “You expect me to believe a half-baked story? Where are the trolls? Did you kill them?”

“Yes! They’re dead,” Harry said desperately. His eyes rolled wildly around the small glen.

Alexander raised an eyebrow, reflecting his disbelief. “Really?”

“Yes, I killed all of them. Every single troll that touched her I killed with dragonfire,” Harry said, his rapidly spoken words did not feel believable, not when his last words were said in more of a question than a statement.

“He did,” Clarisse said. Her voice squeaked out, but was emphatic in his defense. She blinked several times, but the dazed look on her face didn’t disappear.

Sarah eased her grip on Clarisse’s throat.

Staring at Harry, the redhead’s white face changed from dazed to shocked disbelief. Her normal high pitched shriek lowered to a normal tone. Her voice trembled. “The trolls carried me really far away, before Harry found me. When he attacked them, he nearly set the forest on fire. But some big gray dragon drenched the area in fairy water,” Clarisse said carefully.

No wonder she stank so badly. Fresh poured, the horrific smelling fairy water was something out of a nightmare, crossing spoiled milk, dog crap, and sulfur. Whatever the twisted fairies actually did to the altered water was anyone's best guess.

The girl’s brown eyes never left Harry’s face. The unstable vampire acted more cautious than Katie had ever heard her. It was as if she feared for Harry’s life.

Harry acted just as weird. When Clarisse started talking, his face lost every bit of color. By the time she finished, his look had turned into a silly-eyed look of worship.

“Right,” Beth snorted. “If the guardian believes that load of crap then ‘I have ocean front property in Arizona to sell him’,” Beth said sarcastically, quoting the words to a song popular in the mundane world some twenty years before.

Mitch snorted. His laughter turned into a cough as he tried pretending he didn’t find Beth’s comment funny.

“Perhaps a short stay in Sha’Kharna prison will loosen your tongue into speaking the full truth,” Alexander threatened.

“Don’t you dare throw my mate into that filthy place!” Clarisse shrieked at Alexander. She jumped forward, but only managed to hurt herself.

Sarah’s claws sunk into the girl’s neck as she lunged toward the dragon guardian. The drips of blood turned into several thin streams.

“Don’t hurt her!” Harry bellowed. He struggled to reach Clarisse, turning as frantic as the redhead’s doomed fight against Sarah’s restraint.

“Enough!” Alexander shouted, slamming Harry to his knees scant inches from Clarisse.

With a nearly silently sigh of disgust, Sarah released Clarisse.

The red haired vampire dropped to her knees, wrapping shaking arms around her new-found mate.

Katie curled her lip up. What a mess.

“Wow,” Emily said stunned. Her blue eyes twinkled. “I didn’t think someone like Clarisse could find a mate.”

“My mate’s perfect,” Harry snarled, giving Emily a killer glare.

“Yeah, she’s perfectly selfish and hateful,” Emily said. Shrugging her shoulders, she appeared unconcerned when the blond dragon growled at her.

Sarah reached over and thumped Harry on the back of his head. “Stop growling at her.”

Nick’s mouth dropped open in surprise as Sarah defended Emily, his younger cousin.

Katie smothered a smile.

“Now, out with the truth or perhaps you two want twin shackles at Sha’Kharna,” Alexander threatened.

“My sister…”

“Harry,” Clarisse hissed at him.

Harry looked at Clarisse, gently touching the jagged scars trailing down the side of her face. “Neither of us committed a serious crime. They want a bigger fish to fry.” Harry tilted his head in Alexander’s direction. “If you agree not to file charges against either of us, I’ll give you enough information to capture several Khr'Vurr leaders.”

Alexander snorted. His tone reflected his disbelief. “I’ve already captured several Khr'Vurr who are singing louder than a siren. What more could you add?”

“My sister, Clarabelle, is one of the leaders,” Harry said. His smirk died as Alexander nodded his head.

“We are already aware of her involvement.”

“But do you know who she is? That she’s really a guardian?” Harry asked with a glint of satisfaction in his eyes.

Alexander leaned forward. “Can you prove it? Every Khr'Vurr I’ve questioned has only seen Clarabelle in dragon form. And the guardians don’t have a spiked gray dragon of that size in our ranks. Have you seen her in human form?”

Harry nodded cautiously. “She’s my half-sister, but I’ve seen glimpses of her keeping tabs on me. Clarabelle’s true name is Clara Baroq’Tia.”

Alexander snorted angrily, slapping the flat of his hand against a tree trunk. “Clara was supposed to watch you. Your suspicion of my partner – doing an assigned task – isn’t enough. What else can you give me?” Alexander asked. Waiting a heartbeat he added, “I’d hate to see your lovely mate lose her head over your lack of knowledge.”

Harry bared his teeth at Alexander. “She didn’t tell me who it is, but Clara is after Chi’Kehra.”

“There is no Chi’Kehra,” Nick snapped.

Katie watched Sarah go still, as the sharp smell of hatred and fear emerged from the shifters and vampires, including Nick.

“There is,” Harry insisted. “She’s one of the campers. Clara wants to capture Chi’Kehra to use against the council.”

Alexander, face blank of all expression, intently glanced at each teen. He abruptly chuckled. “Well, I’ll certainly check into your story, but I don’t consider the vampire’s long-lost boogieman a legitimate reason to keep you both out of shackles.”

“How about a portal Clara changed to exit into the Dhark Empire’s worst prison?”

Katie watched in fascination as every muscle in Alexander’s body tensed. “What?” the dragon guardian said into the dead silence.

Harry’s smirk increased. “The exit, for the olitiau portal, was adjusted. The portal now exits into TèVarrn prison, into the Blue-Blood Zone, an area where the most important of political prisoners are kept.”

Clarisse hissed. “You were going to give me to them. Weren’t you?” she demanded, her tone ended in a shriek. She shoved herself out of his arms.

“No,” Harry said, scrambling after Clarisse. “Never! I was supposed to deliver you safely into your father’s care. I swear.”

Clarisse glared at her babbling mate. She sniffed and a single tear slid down her face.

Harry’s face fell.

Katie and Beth snorted over Clarisse’s awful acting. Her fake tears would never win an Academy Award.

“And why exactly,” Sarah asked softly, extending three-inch claws, “is a Clan High Council member visiting TèVarrn prison?”

“They, uh,” Harry stuttered, frantically seeking his mate’s eyes.

Sarah took a single, menacing step toward Harry.

Clarisse hesitated, appearing not to care. But the fear flaring in her eyes spoke a different story. Walking back to her mate, she slipped her arms protectively around his waist. “Tell them everything. Better my father lose his head than you, my Harry.”

_____________

Katie yawned, looking up from her curled position. She sighed in contentment as Jared’s arms tightened around her.

Glancing around the small, dark glen her brow wrinkled with worry. Sarah wasn’t there. She looked again, thinking she may have missed her, but there was no sign of the exile.

Nick stomped across the flat area and around a large tree. His snarling growl was what woke her up.

“She’s been gone for over an hour,”
Jared whispered in her mind.
“I think she probably snuck off to help Guardian Alexander, and Nick’s been ranting ever since, complaining that her scent trail ends a few feet behind that furble tree.”
He nodded toward a giant blue tree.

Nick paced circles around the tree in question. Stopping every once in a while, he leaned down to where Sarah had been sitting. If Katie had to make a guess, she thought he might be inhaling her scent.

Without warning, Sarah ported into the middle of the clearing. She smelled like blood, fresh blood. Upon closer inspection, Katie realized her clothes had bloody splatters on them; it looked like her friend had sliced someone up, getting sprayed in the process.

Katie wasn’t the only one that gasped in surprise.

Nick made it to Sarah’s side before anyone else had the chance to move.

“Where have you been?” he snapped, reaching for her arm.

She easily avoided his grasping hand with a fluid backward step.

“How did you get your bracelet off?” Beth demanded, pointing to Sarah’s bare wrist.

Sarah chuckled softly, darkly. There was no humor.

The hair along the back of Katie’s neck rose in warning. She uneasily took a backward step, tugging Jared along with her.

Sarah’s eyes looked flat, dead of all emotion. “Guardian Alexander needed a guide through TèVarrn Prison. My price was the immediate and permanent removal of the bracelet.”

“He had no right to risk your life like that,” Nick said harshly. His hands curled into balled fists.

 “You no longer have the right to question anything I do. We’ll be free of each other soon enough.” Her lips curled in mockery. “That is what you want, isn’t it Nicholas Andrews, to be free of the filthy exile? Fine. Your wish is my answer. I will never bond with you.” After a slight pause, she cryptically added, “You can thank me when the synth in your blood sings for a sweet little Clan vampire. I’ve been promised you’ll probably meet your new lifeMate within the month.”

Nick’s face turned slack. His head moved from side to side, rejecting her words. A harsh gurgle sounded from the depths of his chest, crossing a vicious growl and desperate gasp of denial.

She coldly stared at him, remaining unmoved by his horrified expression. “You only want me when I’m hurt or you think you have lost me.” She gave another humorless, very scary chuckle.

Sarah turned, refusing to look at Nick or listen to his litany of curses. Her soft, emotionless words carried around the circle of teens. “Guardian Alexander changed the Olitiau Portal to exit at the main camp grounds.”

Without another word, Sarah walked into the forest, expecting everyone to follow her through the trees and back to the relative safety of the main camp grounds.

- The End -

Don’t miss Guardian Alexander & Lizzie’s story!

Guardian’s Beloved Mate: Song of the Sídhí #4

Snippet – Guardian’s Beloved Mate: Song of the Sídhí #4

NOTE:
Guardian’s Beloved Mate
actually takes place ‘during’ the last chapter of
Vampire’s Forbidden Territory.

Guardian Alexander of the DeLeigh Dragon Clan drifted on a warm current. Hard won territory spread beneath him, bursting with the scents of growing things. Spring was finally giving way to summer, and the mountain range, passing below him, bloomed with the greens and blues of mixed Sídhí-Earth vegetation.

Another season come and gone, but he still hadn’t found his Lizzie. His heart cringed at the thought. His mind brimmed with memories of a laughing young woman, flying at his side. Whether Lizzie was in dragon form or human she had been the light of his life, his very reason for breathing. Her disappearance had left him shattered, empty of all emotion.