Chapter Seventeen - word count 2688 - Download the PDF
17.
      His knees hurt, and the pain in his back was growing steadily worse.  Sandamar stayed in his position on the stone floor, the cold seeping into his bruised knees.  If he moved he was dead.  There was no way around that.  His master had told him to kneel and he would kneel till the stars burnt out if that was his master’s will.  
      Head bowed he waited for acknowledgment from the creature to which  he’d sworn his allegiance.  
      Time passed and the vampire remained kneeling in the subterranean cavern, the dank smell of mold in his sinuses.  He didn’t dare look up at the alcove where he’s master waited enjoying his servant’s pain.  Even if he had looked up all he would have seen was mud colored flames burning dully in the dark.  
      At last his master spoke, his voice an unearthly reverberation of two octaves.  
      “Gabriel of the Forsaken has decided to once more meddle in my affairs.”  
      “Yes my lord, he has extended the dragonling his protection.”  
      “More than that.  He has set the Omega to defending the girl.”  
      The temptation to raise his eyes was almost more than Sandamar could take.
      “With all due respect Sire, the Omega are a myth.”
      “Vampires were a myth too until recent years, you fool, The Omega are very real.  Do not be fooled by propaganda, they exist and are extremely dangerous.  They are also the only reason you still live.”
      “Sire?”
      “Who do you think stole the dragonling from you to start with?”
      The master’s laughter chilled Sandamar to the bone.  
      Seth and his cats!  They are The Omega?  Sandamar was stunned by the conclusion.  He’d had them under his nose, he could have captured them and been handsomely rewarded by his master, but he hadn’t even hadn’t even known he had them.  
      “I was unaware Sire.”
      Sandamar screamed as pain lanced through his body throwing him so he landed on his back.  
      “Because you are an imbecile.  Be very cautious Sandamar, I will tolerate no more failure from you.” The double octave voice held pure venom.  
      “Yes my lord.”  Sandamar gasped out through the pain as shifted back onto his knees, never raising his eyes.  
      “I will not fail you again, my lord.”  
      “Good.  Are the preparations made?”
      “Yes Sire, we have them watched, as soon as the dragon lord tries to move his sister, she will be ours.”
      “Be sure none of her protectors survive.”
      “Yes my lord.”  
      “You know where to take the dragonling?”
      “Yes my lord.”  
      “You are dismissed, but heed me Sandamar, fail again, and I will kill you.  So slowly you will beg for a thousand deaths before I am done with you.”  
      “My lord, all will be done as you have asked.”  
      “One more thing.”
      “Yes sire?”
      “I will be sending another servant to you, he will be able to contact me on short notice.”
      “How will I know this servant sire?”
      “He is a snake demon.”
      “Understood sire.”
      “Good, now leave, the sight of you turns my stomach.”  
      Sandamar bowed low keeping his eyes on the floor and not turning till he was out of the dungeon where he held his meetings with the master.  Once out, he hurried up the corridor.  All must go as planned, or Sandamar’s life would be forfeit.  
      
      Namara was pissed at Dragon.  Nothing unusual there.  He was your typical overbearing, overprotective, bully of a big brother.  This time he’d gone to far.  He hadn’t even given her a chance to say goodbye to the lycos who had saved her life and the friends she’d made at the compound.  
      She sat in the back of the Limo, and fumed.  They hadn’t left yet.  If she didn’t think he’d burst an artery she’d get out and go say goodbye.  
      The door of the Limo opened, and Namara took a breath to start yelling at her oaf of a brother but quickly choked it back when Darius got in the car.  
      “Were you going to leave without saying goodbye?” he asked in his smooth accent.  
      Darius sat down pulling the backpack he’d been caring onto the seat next to him.  
      “I…um… What are you doing?”
      “Traveling with you.”  
      “Why?” she was completely taken aback.  
      “Do you want the truth, or the lie I told your brother?” he grinned at her.
      “The truth would be nice.”  
      “I think Dragon’s behaving like an ass, and risking your life by taking you home.  So I’m coming along to play body-guard.”  
      “And the lie you told my brother?” His answer had left her flustered, she felt warmed that he would do something like that for her.  When she already owed the lycos her life.  
      “I told him that I’d always admired your people and that you invited me to visit.”  
      “I’ll remember that just in case he mentions it.” She smiled.
      The door of the limo opened again and Dragon climbed in.  He’d barely sat down when the car moved.  
      “You really won’t allow me to say goodbye will you?”  Namara was hurt.  He was being inconsiderate in the extreme.  
      “I’m sorry sister, but we must make all haste.  It is dangerous to linger.”  
      Darius snorted.  
      Dragon raised a brow at the other man.  
      “You should have traveled during the day.  Gabriel knows what he’s talking about.”  
      “And you are here by my grace.  If you have to criticize its not too late to leave you behind.”  
      Darius held his hands up in surrender  “It’s all good, I’ll keep my mouth shut.”  
      Dragon nodded but said nothing more.  
      The tension in the Limo was thick.  Dragon knew Namara was upset with him.  He also sensed something between Darius and Namara.  That worried him a little.  At least his presence in the car stopped any real conversation between the two of them.  
      It was a long drive even at the excessive speeds they were doing.  So Dragon settled back and closed his eyes.  
      They’d been on the road about two hours when the engine cut out.  
      “Oh shit a brick house!” Darius cursed.  “It’s on.”  
      “What?”  Dragon opened his eyes to look around.  
      “Sandamar’s people have stopped the car.”  
      “No they haven’t.” Dragon tried to argue but there was a scream from the front of the car.  
      “Okay so maybe they have.  Namara you need to get out and take your dragon form.”  
      She gave him a flat stare the held up her hands showing the bracelets that he hadn’t removed.  
      “Damn it!  I forgot about those infernal contraptions.”  
      Darius rolled his eyes.  “Well I need fighting room.  Namara should stay here.  We can get out and defend the car.  That is the best way to keep her safe.”  
      Dragon nodded and reached to open the door.  “Thank you for your help Darius.”
      “Don’t thank me yet, we still have to get her out of this situation.”  
      He gave Namara a cheeky grin “Don’t worry, we’ll have you out of here in no time.  Lock the doors behind us.”  
      Then followed Dragon out of the car.  
      
      There were just too many of them, Darius and Dragon were being swarmed under.  The two other dragons had long since fallen and Darius could feel his strength failing.  
      He had a nasty gash in his side and a couple more bad wounds.  The bastards were using silver.  So healing wounds was slow business and he didn’t have the time to be slow right now.  
      Dragon had taken his alternate form almost immediately.  Watching as he swooped and killed was spectacular, but it hadn’t lasted long.  This group of vampires and trolls had some good magic users with them and one had cast a spell that caused Dragon to keep shifting back to human every time he tried to take dragon form.  So there was no way he couldn’t stay airborne.  
      Even in human form Dragon was still a masterful fighter and between the two of them they dusted dozens of vamps and the troll corpses were pilling up.  Still the enemy kept coming.  
      They  were side by side, their backs to the car fighting with every last ounce of strength to keep the vampire horde away from the car.  Out of the corner of his eye Darius saw a troll swing the deadly club.  
      “Dragon watch out!” it was too late, the club connected a solid  blow to Dragon’s head and he crumpled to the ground.  
      The distraction cost Darius because he felt a blade bite into his ribs.  The world grayed out.  He heard himself roar as he shifted to his full lion form instead of just fighting with claws.  
      He’d wanted to stay by the car door as long as he could, fighting in lion form would not have allowed that.  That decision had been a bad one, because it was too late.  He was too hurt.  He heard another roar, which told him he was in mortal danger because only S’rief roared like that.  
      
      Drew and Selphie were in the compounds big kitchens.  Selph was baking a chocolate cake.
      Ross had gone to Selphie and tattled that Drew was feeling a bit down.  
      Selphie had marched up to Drew’s room and practically kidnapped her, telling her the only thing for an achy breaky heart – her words not Drew’s –  was chocolate.  And that while chocolate was delicious in its natural form – the chocolate bar – it was spectacular in one of Selphie’s cakes.  
      So Drew sat at one of the long wooden tables in the kitchen while Selphie chatted and mixed batter.  
      “You know Selph, I’m pretty sure there is such a thing as a chocolate over-dose.”  She said eyeing the huge mug of hot chocolate that Selphie had just deposited in front of her.  
      “Oh nonsense, you are a wereleopard not a werewolf.”
      Drew was confused for a moment then got it.  The whole dogs are allergic to chocolate thing.  
      “That was the silliest bit of nonsense I’ve ever heard.”  Drew laughed.  
      Selphie tried her best to look innocent but in the end she had to laugh with Drew.
      “Okay so it’s not true, but even if it were, being female would have saved you from that allergy.  No woman can be allergic to chocolate.”  She made that statement with such conviction that Drew burst out in fresh peals of laughter.  
      All the chocolate in the world could not cheer her up as well as Selphie, when the nymph was determined to cheer her up.  
      Seth walked into the kitchen to poor himself a cup of coffee.  He’d almost turned around when he had heard the sound of Drew’s laughter, but he’d been curious to see what was entertaining her so he’d gone into the kitchen.  
      “What’s so funny?”   he pored the coffee and sat down opposite Drew at the bench.  
      She’d sobered the moment he walked into the kitchen, but she was not going to let him make her miserable.  She’d treat Seth like any of the other guys.  That’s the way he wanted it. So she answered him.
      “Selphie’s obsession with chocolate.”  
      “Yeah,” he grinned showing off dimples.  “Selphie’s cure all.”  
      “Yeah well, she’s baking chocolate cake.”  
      “Oh the big guns, who is she trying to cure this time?”
      Drew was saved from answering that painful question when Marcus came bailing into the kitchen as if his feet were on fire.  
      “Oh thank the gods I found you Seth.” He gasped out of breath.  
      “What’s wrong?”
      “S’rief was hanging out in my room with Swift.  You know he does that when Dar isn’t around.  When all of a sudden he just roared and phased out.”
      “Go find Ross, I’m going to Gabe, then I’ll find Jesse.”
      Seth jumped up and was out the kitchen in the blink of an eye.
      “Selphie?” Drew didn’t have a clue what had just happened.  
      Selphie had gone pale and sunk into the kitchen bench.  
      “S’rief is Darius’s sentin.  If he phased… Oh gods please no”
      Selphie sunk her head into her hands.  
      “Is Darius…” Drew couldn’t finish.  She hadn’t known Darius long but if he was gone it would feel like she’d lost family.  
      “Hopefully not, if he’s lucky he’s just severely injured. That sounds like an awful thing to wish for, but if you sentin comes to you in a fight.  You know things are bad.”  
      “Seth and the others?”
      “They are probably going to go look for him.  The sentin’s have bonds to each other.  One of the others should be able to find S’rief.  Probably Swift, those two are close.”  
      “And where S’rief is…”
      “You’ll find Darius.”  
      
      Jesse came skidding into the kitchen a huge lion at his heals.  
      “S’rief just came to me where is Darius?”  
      “He’s got to be close. Did Seth find you?”  
      “I haven’t seen Seth.”
      S’rief roared  and sped towards the back door.  
      “Just follow S’rief, we think Darius is badly hurt.” Selphie told the doctor. “Gracious, this is the second time in as many days that I’m chasing a sentin.”  
      S’rief stood on the lawn in the grounds looking skywards and roared.  
      Though it was dark there were enough stars for Drew to see something flying towards the compound.  
      Drew heard Seth and the others come out side.  
      “It’s a dragon.” Ross said.
      “It is Dragon.”  Gabriel answered “And he’s struggling to stay air born.  Jess can you help me.”  
      Drew watched as Gabriel pulled his black tee-shirt off over his head. Standing in just his boots and leather pants.   Jesse followed his example, quickly unbuttoning his shirt and stripping it off.  As if the musculature that these two had just unveiled wasn’t impressive enough Drew nearly fell over when they both bowed their heads and rolled their shoulders.  Wings burst from both men’s backs.  Gabriel’s a pure white, Jesse’s a dove gray.  The wings were so large the tips of the feathers brushed against the grass.  They jumped into the night stroking the air with their wings the minute they were fully deployed.  
      “They really are angels.” She muttered completely astounded.  
      “Yeah they are.”  Seth spoke softly near her.
      “I have this urge to say – way cool.”  
      “Indulge it, ‘cause its not often you will see an angel wearing wings.”  
      She smiled at Seth “Way cool!”
      He smiled back.
      Drew turned. “Ross can you do that?”  
      “Nope, I wasn’t born with that ability.”  
      The brothers moved with speeds that were phenomenal so they quickly reached the struggling dragon.  
      Jesse took something out of Dragon’s forearms and Gabriel held the dragon, his wings helping keep the hurt creature in the air.    
      S’rief was pacing the manicured lawn in a state of agitation.  When Jesse touched down gently the lion was there immediately.  Almost tripping the angel up.  
      “Be calm S’rief. I will take care of him.” Jesse gently told the sentin.  
      Drew felt her throat knot up.  Darius’s large form hung limply in Jesse’s arms.  She didn’t know a body could hold that much blood.  Most of Darius’s blood seemed to be on his clothes and skin.    
      Jess moved past them quickly, not even bothering to fold his wings down.  He barked orders as he strode to the house.  
      “Marcus, help Gabriel with Dragon as soon as they land.”  
      “The rest of you get hold of every angel you can find, and call Cole and have him bring the wolves we’ll need as many lycos as we can get too.”  
      “I’ll get the angels.” Selphie volunteered.  
      “I’m on the wolves.”  Ross started to the house.
      “No you aren’t, in this case your healing abilities make you more angel, and I’ll need you near.  Seth can get the wolves.”
      Dragon and Gabriel landed, and as soon as his feet touched the ground Dragon morphed into human form, and slumped.  Marcus rushed forward to help Gabriel.  
      “Lets get him to the infirmary.”
      Drew ran after Selphie, she had to do something to help.  She’d never seen such damage done to bodies before.  
      Selphie had the phone to her ear as Drew came in.  
      “Drew could you put a fresh pot of coffee on please.   It’s going to be a long night.”  
      Drew nodded and got to work.
 
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