Page 16 of A Drink of Destiny
Only Sharon Claudis wasn’t in the dark room. It was only Annila and Alvis. He held her wrist to his mouth, devouring her blood. I froze for a second. What the fuck was going on? Had Sharon managed to enrage my mate? Was there magic to make vampires gobble up innocent people? Did she have it?
Across the room, a floorboard creaked and I pounced without thinking. If that was Sharon, she was dead meat now.
“Dad!” the man shrieked as I smashed into him.
I wasn’t anyone’s dad, but this wasn’t Sharon squirming under me holding onto my long-curved saber canines like she might drive me home. It was someone with red glowing eyes. Someone who smelled vaguely familiar.
“Raiel!” Alvis’s words found my ears deep and throaty. “Don’t maul my kid!”
I froze. Alvis had mentioned having sons, but he also made it sound like they lived in some far-far away place.
“That’s Arrick and I’d appreciate you not ripping out his throat if it’s not too much trouble,” Alvis said. “Also, son, I’d appreciate you not playing dentist with my true-mate.”
The guy laughed and long, white fangs glinted in the dark. He let go of my teeth and I backed away slowly, keeping myself between Alvis and the newcomer. Had Arrick come to eat Annila? How had he gotten inside the house without me hearing him? Was Alvis’s little show just something meant to distract me.
“Where’d you find him?” Arrick asked his father.
“There’ll be time to fill you and your brothers in on that later,” Alvis said.
I turned my head to look at Annila. She was marveling at the fact the bites on her arm had already healed.
“What is going on? Are you playing some love game with him and the dragoness? I felt you panic. So I used the mirror to get here. I know you hate when I do that but what use is having the ability if I never use it?”
The mirror? I knew a few witches in my time who could travel that way but it wasn’t a common ability. How did he even know which mirror would lead here?
“I’m fine, Raiel. At least I am now,” Annila said.
“It’s not a lovers’ game nor was I eating her. There wouldn’t be so much damn blood on the floor if I was. I’m way too old to be that messy,” Alvis sighed and flicked his finger.
The overhead light came on and the rest of us all let out little surprised noises of protest. The big light was never fun in my lion form. I was a creature of the dusty dawn and dusk not one meant to live under the perpetual mini suns every house on Earthside constantly used.
“What is it then?” Arrick asked.
“He was sucking her magic out of me for now,” Annila said. “At least that’s what it felt like.”
“That’s a pretty good description of what I did,” Alvis nodded.
“Then why so much panic?” Arrick asked, looking his father up and down.
“Because it was a lot of blood. I forget how hard dragons bleed. It’s like they dump bucketfuls out of themselves,” Alvis sighed. “I was caught off guard and for a moment thought I hit something important.”
“And you’re wearing a bedsheet toga,” Arrick pointed out, and his carrier shot him a warning look. “Well, you are, Dad,” he rolled his eyes.
“Since you’re here, you can make yourself useful and go check for bears,” Alvis sighed again. “Check everywhere but no snooping! This isn’t my house. I’ve barely been here a night!”
“Sheesh! So much faith in me!” Arrick rolled his eyes and started to head out of the room.
“Only eat shebears!” Annila called after him.
“Wait a minute!” Alvis looked around. “Where’s Arrow? Wasn’t he…”
My lion gave in and let me shift back into my fleshy form now that there was a crisis that didn’t involve ripping and shredding an intruder apart.
“Shit!” I swore under my breath. “Maybe he crept out once he realized what we were going to do?”
“I’d have heard him leave,” Alvis shook his head and glanced at Annila.
“He was here. I remember him telling stories about when he had to carry me into the hospital because the stretcher was too hard for me to lay on… then I…” she pursed her lips together. “Then I don’t remember.”
