Caressed by Moonlight (23 page)

Victoria slowly nodded as she remembered the night on the ship when Dorian had reached into her dreams. He had drawn her to him and if it had not been for Falcon she may not be sitting in this very room. Dorian had been set on making a meal out of her.

“I will tell Kal that I had to release you from a trance Dorian had put you in. That will explain why you remember nothing of your voyage or your journey across the land, and why you were so distressed by Dorian's death.”

“You think of everything,” Victoria said.

“When you have been around as long as I have, my lady, you learn how to lie quite convincingly. It's not a talent I'm proud of but it will keep you alive.”

“I am not as great of a liar as you are. He will surely know–”

“Kal is not as strong as your husband. Yes, Dorian can detect even the smallest of lies. He can smell them. Kal cannot. All he can do is listen to your breathing and your heart. So if he presses you for answers, just stay calm, keep your breathing even and your heart steady. He will never know the difference.”

“Thank you, Jacque.”

“I will not accept thanks.”

“Someone is coming,” Victoria whispered her eyes on the door, her ears buzzing with the sound of footsteps. She took in a beep breath, she needed to stay calm just incase it was Kal. Her fear would prick his interest since she wasn't supposed to have memories of Dorian, and that included last night.

“You’re hearing is improving,” Jacque commented as he headed for the door. “Hide the dagger.”

Victoria gasped, she had forgotten about the weapon. She quickly tucked it under a pillow. She had just straightened her back when Jacque opened the door.

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“Don’t worry, I will send up some food,” Jacque called over his shoulder before closing the door. “Hello, Kal.”

“She is awake?”

“Yes, and she’s starving.” Jacque shook his head. “The poor girl.”

“Has she mentioned Dorian?”

“I have bad news,” Jacque sighed. “The girl remembers nothing.”

“What?” Kal’s hands fisted at his sides.

“Dorian had her under some kind of mind control.”

“No! He’s dead.”

Jacque faked a convincing confused expression. “What do you mean?”

“Once a vampire dies his mental hold vanishes.”

“Yes,” Jacque nodded.

“She should remember.”

“Well,” Jacque shrugged, “Dorian was very old. His powers could have been limitless.”

Kal’s eyes burned with hatred.

“He’s dead!” Slamming a fist against the stonewall, he growled between clenched teeth, “And that whore is useless to me, unless you’re lying, witch.”

“Question her yourself.”

“I intend to,” he snapped. “But first we will go and collect that bastards body. I hope the sun scorched it. I want the thing to be so repulsive the clan demands it be tossed in the fire.”

Kal’s angry stomps echoed through the corridor. Victoria sat on the edge of the bed, eyes closed as she listened to the two men retreat. Tears slipped down her cheeks, her hands shook in her lap, and she cursed her now more than perfect ears, for she heard every acidic word that dripped from Kal’s lips.

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Chapter Thirty-Four

Kal’s roar was heard for miles, animals started in fear as humans took refuge in their homes. A demon was enraged somewhere and that could only mean death was near.

“Where the hell is the corpse?” Kal demanded of the blood soaked earth where Dorian’s body had lain. “He’s dead! He couldn’t have just gotten up and walked away.” Snarling he turned his crazed red eyes to Jacque. “Where is it?”

The witch gave a lazy shrug.

“I stabbed him. He fell here.” Kal’s nails lengthened into deadly claws. “He was here!” Sinking to the ground, he ripped at the ash-covered soil.

“George, what is your report?” Jacque asked the vampire as he rejoined the party.

Nervously glancing at Kal, who still slashed and cursed at the earth, he cleared his throat and prayed that the crazed vampire would not turn on him. “I searched the surrounding area and found nothing.”

“How far did you go?” Jacque pressed. The witch knew how to cover his tracks, so it came as no surprise to him that nothing was found.

“A mile.”

“Could it be possible for the king to just turn to ash and dust like the rest of us when exposed to sunlight?” Roy inquired.

“That may explain why he is gone.”

“You fool!” Kal snarled, pushing himself to his feet. His eyes burned red, his fangs were drawn and claws ready to tear flesh from bone. The naïve vampire stepped back, bumping shoulders with Jacque.

“Dorian is an ancient, he could walk for hours in the sunlight and not be harmed, even though he is dead, his body would decay just like a human’s,” Jacque explained.

“Someone has him,” Kal’s voice was a low growl.

“Someone must have picked him up. There has to be a traitor in our camp.” His eyes shifted from George to Roy. “And I’ll rip their head off with my bare hands when I find him.”

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“We need to regroup,” Jacque suggested. “Perhaps send search parties out. If a vampire took the body, they would have had to wait until dark, they couldn’t have gotten far.”

Those words seemed to calm Kal a bit, his claws retracted and his eyes faded back to light brown, but his fangs still stood proud.

“You two,” pointing at the two vampire soldiers he commanded, “put together four search teams and send them out in each direction. I want the entire territory combed.” Shifting his eyes to the witch, he snarled, “I want to talk to the whore.”

Victoria sat in the armchair by the hearth, her feet tucked under her. She slowly recited her lie again in her head; she did not dare speak it aloud for she feared the guard, posted outside her door, would hear. She prayed over and over that no one had heard Jacque’s plan, but then again, it had been day and not many vampires were strong enough to be awake while the sun ruled the sky.

She needed her story to be solid. She needed to believe it.

She could not afford Kal smelling her lie. He had to think she was just some whore Dorian had taken a fancy to. Most importantly, Kal had to believe that she remembered absolutely nothing of her travels.

Victoria jumped when the hall doors slammed open down stairs. The entire fortress shook. Kal must be back. The great hall fell silent. She closed her eyes and focused her senses; angry footsteps quickly crossed the stone floor and mounted the stairs.

Not a breath, later her door flew open.

Teeth bared, eyes sizzling with rage, Kal took hold of her arm and yanked her to her feet. Victoria did not have to feign fright; she felt it to her core. This creature was ready to rip her throat out.

“Where is he?” Kal hissed.

“Where is who?” she gasped. Her heart thundered in her ears. His grip tighten, she winced as his claws dug into her flesh.

“Don’t play with me, woman! Where is your lover?”

“I–I’ve had many lovers.” Her mouth was dry, her body shaking.

“Dorian Vlakhos!” he raged.

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“I’m terribly sorry sir, but I have had too many lovers to know them all by name.”

Roaring, Kal shoved her away. Victoria tumbled, taking the armchair down with her. Landing on her back, her head smacking the floor with a loud crack, the world spun before her as Kal took hold of her once more, his fingers wrapped about her throat, drawing her up off the ground.

“The rich foreigner you met.” Jacque’s voice kissed her ears. She wanted to sigh, ‘oh thank God’ but thought better of it.

“He’s tall, dark–”

“Yes, yes,” she squeaked. “The Russian Prince.”

“Kal, let the girl go so she can speak, you’re choking her,”

Jacque implored.

Kal’s growl was deep and deadly as he released her abruptly. Victoria collapsed to the hard floor, her knees stinging from the impact.

“The prince?” Kal snapped. “Where is he?”

“I don’t know, sir,” she answered. She tensed waiting for Kal to strike; instead Jacque grabbed hold of the vampire’s wrist, steadying the hand that was about to slice her cheek open.

“I spent one night with him. That’s all, just one night. He paid me handsomely. I’ll give you all the money if you like. You can have it all,” her voice shook as she forced the words out and was surprised how true they sounded. She had practiced all night.

“We don’t want your money. It’s yours, I have no doubt you earned it,” Jacque said in what seemed to be a forced civil tone. Victoria had to give him credit. He was quite the actor. “Is that all you remember of him?”

“Yes, when we were done, he paid me and had his driver take me home in his carriage.”

“You were on a ship?”

“I have never been on a ship in my life. I may be a whore, but I won’t lower myself to sharing a seaman’s bed. They are filthy bastards. I only deal with those who have money.”

Kal’s eyes scorched her, she knew he watched her every move. She willed herself to stay calm and keep to her story.

“Very well,” Jacque sighed. He lowered and shook his head. “I told you that she remembers nothing. She was under a spell, Kal.”

Victoria gasped. “What kind of witchery do you speak of?”

“Nothing, dear,” Jacque assured her. “Have you eaten?”

“Not since you left this room before.”

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“I’ll send something up to you.”

Kal thundered from the room, slamming his fist against the wall on his way out. The girl was a dead end just like the witch had said. He smelled no lie from her. He wanted to rip her pretty little head from her slender neck. It didn’t matter if she remembered anything about Dorian or not, she had still meant something to him in order for him to bring her along on his journey. He had to possess some feelings for her. A man like Dorian could find sex anywhere. Why would he need to carry a whore around?

Grumbling, he descended the stairs to the hall and ordered his men to gather. He had a traitor to find.

“Do you think he suspects anything?” she whispered.

“No, I think we’re safe, but he’ll be on a witch hunt now,”

Jacque said with a chuckle.

“Why?” she said, ignoring the pun.

“He wants to find a traitor among his men. The problem is that no traitor exists.”

Victoria nodded as she put it together. Kal’s men were loyal. It was Jacque who was causing all the problems.

“Is he angry because he couldn’t find…” her voice trailed off, she didn’t want to voice her question, someone may hear, but she had to know the answer.

Jacque turned and headed for the door.

“Jacque wait,” she insisted, her eyes filled with tears waiting to spill over.

“Yes, the body wasn’t there.”

Relief flooded through her. Her husband may be dead but at least his body would not be desecrated. She now knew that Jacque could be trusted. He said he would take the body to Dorian’s allies but she had not fully believed his words. Kal’s anger proved the witch was trustworthy.

“Your husband is safe to recover.”

Victoria’s mouth fell open. She couldn’t speak. She couldn’t breath.
Safe to recover
, the words echoed in her mind.

Could he be alive? Was it possible? She had watched Kal drive the dagger into Dorian’s heart. She had seen the agony on her husband’s face as he fell to the ground. His blood pooled and soaked into the earth beneath him.

“Do you think he could be–” She stopped. No she could not say it even though the question burned her tongue. She would not fill her heart with false hope.

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Jacque said nothing as he stepped out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

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Chapter Thirty-Five

“What do you think?” Raphael asked the old woman.

“It’s hard to say,” Edwina said. “He’s lost a lot of blood and his heart has been pierced. He’s got cuts and bruises all over him and many internal injuries.” She wiped the sweat from her brow. She had been working on the king for sometime now, hours continued to pass as she bathed and dressed all his wounds.

“Will he survive?”

“Oh, yes,” she assured the vampire. “Your king will make a full recovery, he is an ancient after all, and his powers are great. I assume he’ll be up and ready for all out war in a few more hours.”

Raphael’s shoulders slumped with relief. Dorian would pull through and they would save their people.

“I suggest you go and share the news with your colleagues, they are just as concerned as you are about the man.” Edwina smiled, her wrinkles growing deeper. Raphael kissed her forehead and headed down stairs.

As the door to the bedroom closed, Dorian woke with a start. His fighting instincts flaring, he shot up and almost knocked the old healer to the floor.

“Calm yourself,” she commanded. “I don’t want you ripping open any of your new flesh.”

Dorian relaxed at the familiar voice.

“I’m sorry old woman,” he chuckled. “The last thing I seem to remember is fighting for my mate’s life.”

“Understandable,” she conceded with a shrug as she continued to wrap the bandage about his bicep.

Looking about the room, he noticed something or rather someone missing. “Where is Victoria?”

“You must mean your queen? Is that her name? A beautiful name and I’m sure she is equally beautiful.”

Dorian’s body tensed, the way Edwina spoke it was as if she had yet to meet Victoria.

“Where is she?”

“I’m not sure I should be the one telling you this, in your current condition, but–”

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The door swung open, its hinges screeching in protest.

Raphael froze, his eyes wide. Amazement swept over him in a wave of happiness.

“You’re awake!”

Ignoring his second’s shock, he demanded, “Where is Victoria?”

Raphael’s face went from complete surprise to total stone in an instant. He shook his head and gathered himself.

“Kal has her.”

Dorian was up and dressed in a blink, Raphael hadn’t seen him move, and all Edwina could do was gasp.

“I’m going to get her.”

Raphael stood firm in the doorway. “You’re not fully healed yet.”

“If I were on my death bed, I could still wipe the floor with Kal. Now step aside.”

“I can’t do that, my lord.”

“You don’t have to.” Dorian shoved his second aside with a flick of his wrist. “I just did it for you.”

“She is safe for the time being.”

“She isn’t safe unless she is with me,” Dorian snapped.

“My king,” Raphael called as he jogged to catch up with Dorian, who was already down the hall and half way down the stairs. “We must plan.”

“Damn Dorian, you sure heal fast. We thought we had lost you.” Horace beamed at the bottom of the stairs, clapping the king on the back as he passed. Raphael glared at the general before grabbing Dorian’s arm and swinging him around.

“We need to talk. There is much to discuss and plan. The full moon isn’t even two days away.”

Dorian growled. His mate was in danger, his enemy had her captive and her change was on the way. She would be in so much pain, withering and crying as her body mutated, he wouldn’t be there to sooth her or feed her. She would need his strong blood in order to survive, many women died during transformation.

Males dominated the vampire race. He could not just leave her there alone.

His heart slammed in his chest, his limbs shaking. He needed Victoria, here, now, in his arms. He needed to hold her, smell her soft scent. He needed her blood.

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He prayed that Kal did not find out that she was his mate.

It was a death sentence. His little kitten must be so frightened in the den of the big wolf.

“I have to get her.”

“You will have her Dorian, but first we must decide what to do with Kal and his followers,” Raphael insisted. “He plans on hosting his coronation ceremony the night after next. He’s going to gather the remaining clansmen in the courtyard of the fortress and we are positive that he plans on killing every last member who has not fled your land.”

Dorian took in a deep breath. He had to listen to reason. He knew he was in no shape to fight, even with all the rage and loathing he had inside him. He needed at least a few more hours.

He just hoped that Victoria could last a few more hours.

“Jacque Spinle has vowed to protect her,” Horace added.

“He’s a Red Order witch,” Dorian snapped.

“And he’s the one that brought you to us. He could have let Kal take you, he would have tossed your ass in the fire, no doubt,”

Raphael pointed out.

Dorian scrubbed his face with his hands. He had to calm down. He had to tap down the urge to run, to beat down the fortress doors, to kill every soldier there, especially Kal, and to take Victoria up in his arms. He must wait. He had always been a sensible, calculating man, but where Victoria was concerned his instincts took over.

“Fine,” he sighed. He slowly walked to the table the men were gathered around. Maps of his land and fortress covered the large surface. He studied the notes Raphael and the generals had made.

“We were thinking of attacking from the south east corner,” Raphael began, keeping a close eye on the king. Dorian looked like a corpse. His skin was translucent; he could clearly see every artery and vein in Dorian’s hands, neck, and face. The deep scratches were gone, the bruises had vanished already, Raphael marveled at the speed of Dorian’s recovery. His own had taken weeks, however Dorian hadn’t been shot with poisonous arrows and was much older.

“How many men do you plan on taking?” the king asked.

“We estimate that Kal’s vampire followers number in the two hundreds. He still has a small group of witches with him; however, most have deserted his cause to seek the employment of
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other Red generals. Jacque has informed us that you took the pleasure of killing Mark yourself.”

“Indeed, I did.”

“We were going to take three hundred to lay siege,”

Horace continued. “It’s odd that we are still making war as if in the middle ages. But I suppose in this back country, we are still in the Middle Ages, so isolated from everything.”

“It keeps large numbers of people away,” a soldier added.

“We don’t need that many men,” Dorian announced.

“There is more than one way into Cassius’ Fortress. You say that Jacque is currently in the castle? Do you have a way to contact him? He can leave the west gate in the flower garden unlocked. Ivy conceals its existence. There is also a way that I’ll take but I will not share that with you. This passage is for Mylonas’ Kings only.”

“Jacque normally rides the border every day just before dusk. I’m sure we can find him,” Raphael confirmed.

“Great. Horace, I want you to assemble your strongest soldiers. We will take only forty.”

“Forty!” Shock echoed in the high vaulted hall.

“If we get in undetected then there is no need for more men. Once I have re-established control, no one will challenge me.”

“What will you do with those that betrayed you?” Raphael questioned.

“Those that willingly followed Kal will be put to death. I can’t risk this kind of madness happening again. But there are many that did Kal’s biding by force. I will hold court once everything is settled.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Horace, get your men prepared. I would like them to run some drills. I assume you have a training station.”

“Yes, it is down stairs.”

Horace went off to collect his soldiers while Dorian rubbed his chest. The knife wound was painfully healing. A Shaw blade was the most deadly of weapons, but the owner of the weapon wished him no harm, therefore the blade had not killed him. He had just been paralyzed. He could hear Victoria’s screams and sobs in the recesses of his mind. His heart ached for her.

“Dorian, would you like to sit down?” Raphael asked, his voice low as he moved to his leader’s side. “You are terribly pale.

Would you like a bleeder?”

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Dorian’s upper lip curled with disgust at the question. He could not bear for his mouth to touch another’s wrist or throat. He needed his woman. She was the only one he would feed from. He would make love to her as he pierced her smooth flesh with his fangs.

“No.”

“Edwina said you lost a lot of blood. You will heal faster and better if you feed.”

“I said no!” Dorian roared. His second stepped back, bracing himself for a blow that was not delivered. “I apologize, Raph, I’m not myself right now. All I can think about is Victoria.”

Raphael nodded. He knew what his king was going through. He had loved his wife when he was human and when she was taken from him during childbirth, he knew true pain and suffering. He shook his past away; there was no reason to dwell on things that could not be changed. She and his son had died and he was changed into a vampire. Fate played some cruel games at times.

“You will get her back, my lord.”

Dorian’s body screamed for nourishment. Healing was taking most of his energy and he wasn’t sure how long he could go before he started to lose his sanity and this time Victoria wasn’t here to save him.

“I just need to make it one more night,” he whispered.

“Raphael, will you please find some chains and place them in my room. If the madness comes upon me before the full moon–”

“I will see to it that your mate and your clan are saved,” his second assured him.

“And you will restrain me?”

“Yes.”

Dorian’s fangs elongated as he clenched his jaw against the searing pain in his chest. His body cried out for blood, his head swam with need. The madness was beginning to claw at him.

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