Releasing the Dragon: Myths and Legends, Book One (32 page)

I inclined my head in response to her
greeting. "Scarlett."

Rook stood aside so she could come farther
into the room. "Good evening Scarlett, I have something I'd like to
show you. Please, take a seat." He gestured to the chairs we had
been sitting in. "Would you like something to drink?"

Scarlett shook her head and sat as
instructed. Rook lounged beside her. I started pacing behind them,
thinking about who could be impersonating Scarlett.

Before showing Scarlett the video of her
impostor Rook explained, "We're investigating the incident with
Malachi that occurred on Tuesday night. This surveillance video was
recorded just minutes before he took over Serafina's mind in
Mystique."

Scarlett visibly paled as we watched the
video of her and Malachi. When the video was over she swiveled her
chair around. "That is not me, you have to believe me, I wasn't
even in the resort on Tuesday night." She looked at me with tears
in her eyes, beseeching. "I know I said some awful things to
Serafina the other day but that was when I thought she was just
some human you were fucking. I would never betray you or our people
by helping those animals."

I stopped pacing and took a deep breath, then
I leveled my gaze on Scarlett letting my eyes burn with red flames.
She shrank into her seat and lowered her eyes. "I suppose it’s my
fault that you feel you can speak to me that way. I've always let
you get away with more than anyone else because I felt I owed you
for what happened between us so long ago. But that stops now. In
the future you will remember that I am your king and Serafina is my
mate and your queen. You will speak to us, and about us, with the
respect we deserve or you will find out exactly what it feels like
to be on the bad side of a pissed off dragon. Do you understand
me?"

Scarlett tried to meet my eyes but couldn't
quite make it. "Yes, My Lord, I understand."

"Now, I believe you Scarlett, we called you
here to warn you. Someone is obviously trying to set you up and
until we know who that is, you should watch your back."

"Thank you My Lord. If I hear anything that
might be important I will let Rook know immediately." She kept her
head bowed while she spoke.

"Make sure you do that. You can go now," I
growled and she took off like she'd been fired from a cannon.

I resumed my pacing and once the door closed
behind Scarlett I asked Rook, "Have you tried using the cameras to
trace where the impostor came from?"

"We're still working on that but so far it's
a dead end. The Scarlett impostor first appears on the cameras when
she walks through the front doors. She waits around in the lobby
until Malachi shows up then she exits through the front doors as
soon as he heads over to Mystique."

"I'd like to think none of our people would
betray us, but my gut tells me I'd be a fool to believe that again.
Whoever the impostor is knew Serafina was important to me and
therefore knew the vampires would want to know about her. That
means it wasn't just some outsider. It was someone who knew I'd
been spending time with her, someone who works in the resort. Why
don't you have Lucien track the whereabouts of every female living
or working in the resort that has slightly bigger hips and breasts
than Scarlett? Maybe we'll find something interesting."

"He's already looking into that. So far he's
been able to rule out several of the sex demons because they were
in the private party rooms entertaining guests all evening. There
are a few females who were unaccounted for and I plan to question
them myself later on tonight."

"Keep me posted. Serafina and I will be
spending the evening at Lilith's tonight. Then tomorrow Garrek and
his female will arrive for the press conference. I'd feel a lot
better about their security if we didn't have a traitor plotting
against us."

"I'll let you know if we find any leads, but
for now you should take off." He pointed to the security monitors
and the live feed of Detective Ruby cutting across the casino on
her way to Rook's office.

"I'll check in with you tomorrow if I don't
hear from you before then." I left his office quickly. Unlike Rook
I do not enjoy being questioned for hours on end by the beautiful
Detective Ruby. It was almost the time for Serafina to be finished
with rehearsals so I headed in that direction. We still had plenty
of time to make it home for some quality time together before we
planned to go out for dinner at The Inferno followed by dancing at
Lilith's. I was hoping a wonderful night of dinner and dancing
would help her forget some of the horrible things she'd been forced
to witness the night before.

"Wow, Rook told me it would be there but I
hadn't expected it to be so beautiful!" Serafina exclaimed.

She was focused on the portal that sat just
to the right of the stage. The gateway was a shimmering rainbow of
colors forming a translucent barrier between this club and the one
in New Orleans. We'd enjoyed an elegant dinner at The Inferno and
had just arrived at Lilith's Lounge. Everywhere we went in the
resort our people welcomed Serafina with open arms and she loved
them for it. Her love for them overflowed through the bond filling
me with absolute joy.

She turned to me with excitement sparkling in
her eyes. "Can we go through it just once. I want to know what it
feels like."

I pulled her close and kissed her lips.
"Anything for you." Going to New Orleans wasn't really a good idea
but I just couldn't refuse anything she asked of me. "As long as we
don't venture out of our club it should be fine. I don't want to
take any chances with you right now, especially not while you're
with child. We still don't know what the rest of the prophecy
refers to and Travali may seek revenge for Malachi."

The reminder dampened her mood a little.
"Don't worry, I'll keep you and our child safe," I promised and
kissed her again, longer this time savoring her taste.

When she pulled back she said, "I keep
thinking about how easy it was for him to invade my mind. I was
completely helpless. He could have done anything to me and there
wouldn't have been anything I could do to stop him." A shudder ran
through her.

I wrapped my arms around her tighter and
looked into her eyes. "They won't be able to do that now that the
dragon is awake. His magic will protect you through the bond. You
won't ever have to worry about being helpless like that again." She
gave me a thankful nod then we stepped through the portal.

Once we made it through the portal Serafina
stopped and stared in stunned silence at the displays of debauchery
around the club. "What is the name of this club," she finally asked
with wide eyes.

Chuckling I replied, "Forbidden
Fantasies."

She scanned the room taking in the live
entertainment as well as the video screens showing vampires engaged
in sexual acts while drinking from their partners. Some of the live
entertainers were in full view while others were hidden behind
screens so that all we could see were shadows of ecstasy playing
out behind them. It was all barely legal and just short of
pornography but mind control kept local law enforcement from
shutting us down.

Serafina shook herself then looked at me with
lust in her eyes. "There are sex demons here aren't there?"

I nodded. "There are always one or two sex
demons on duty here, not enough to create the atmosphere of
Mystique, but just enough to loosen everyone up a bit."

"And what's down that hallway over there?"
She pointed to an open doorway that led to the back of the
club.

"Party rooms where our guests can play out
their forbidden fantasies in private," I answered with a shrug.
Serafina just shook her head with amusement curving her lips.

Just then Doyle and Clarissa approached us
from the dance floor.

"Finally had enough of the old man eh?" Doyle
grinned at Serafina and asked, "Care to take a whirl on the dance
floor?"

"I will never get enough of Dragon even if we
live a hundred lifetimes." Serafina answered then kissed me. "But
since you asked so nicely, I think we will survive being separated
long enough for one dance."

"Speak for yourself," I growled. "I might not
even make it through half a song." I pulled her close and gave her
a dizzying kiss. "That was to remember me by while you're gone." I
grinned and released her into Doyle's care. I went to the bar and
perched on a stool where I had a clear view of the dance floor and
the bartender set a basket of popcorn and a drink down in front of
me.

"I'm surprised you're willing to let her
dance with other men so soon after your mating," Clarissa commented
from beside me.

"Doyle isn't really what I would call 'other
men’; he's more like a brother to me. I have no fear of him trying
to take what is mine and he'll keep her safe from anyone that
would. Just look at how he's keeping all the human males from
getting near her." We looked out to see Doyle and Serafina dancing
alone in the middle of the dance floor. There seemed to be an
invisible bubble that prevented anyone from getting too close to
them. "He may not have a mate yet, but he understands what it means
to be mated. Besides, most shapeshifters are only homicidally
possessive of their mates until the bond is completed. The bond I
share with Serafina is set in stone and no one will ever be able to
break it."

Clarissa considered that for a moment while I
ate some popcorn. "I honestly don't get the whole mating thing
myself. Why would anyone want to tie themselves to one male or
female for the rest of eternity? Think about all the really good
sex you'll be missing."

I chuckled. "Trust me Clarissa, my sex life
with Serafina is anything but lacking."

She looked a little annoyed. "Yes, but how
long will you be satisfied with the same woman? You could
theoretically live forever. That is a very long time to have only
one sexual partner."

I looked at her and wondered how to explain
mating to a sex demon who only understands lust and knows nothing
about love. "Clarissa, a mating bond is much more than sexual
desire or pleasure. It's a deep passionate love that grows with
every moment we share. When our bodies are joined, that love fills
my soul and completes me in ways I had never imagined. If I ever
lost her it would be more devastating than losing my dragon."

I was surprised when her eyes flashed with
anger before returning to their usual seductive green. I hadn't
expected jealousy from a sex demon. They were driven by their
sexual needs and desires and rarely formed emotional attachments.
That was why I often chose them and Clarissa in particular, to be
my blood donors. Apparently I hadn't paid enough attention and
Clarissa had become more attached to me than I thought.

"Not all mated pairs live happily ever after
in monogamous bliss," she countered.

"True," I agreed. "Some mated pairs enjoy
having another male or female join them in bed, usually someone who
is very close to both of them. But even in those cases, the mates
never engage in sexual relations without the other being present.
Inviting someone into their bed is for their mutual pleasure.
Honestly though, I don't know how they do it. My entire being is
repulsed by the idea of making love to another woman. Not to
mention I'd rip the head off anyone who even thought about having
sex with Serafina."

I watched her closely while I said the last
part looking for any type of reaction. Whatever she'd felt a moment
ago was buried under the seductress persona she used to lure in her
prey. If not for that one slip I would have never guessed Clarissa
cared one way or the other about my mating.

After a couple of hours of dancing and
laughing with Clarissa and Doyle, Serafina and I were about to head
back over to Lilith's when Scarlett came in off the street. She
noticed us looking at her and hurried through the portal without a
word.

"That one has been spending a lot of time
here in New Orleans, and I don't mean within the walls of this
club. She has been going somewhere in town every chance she gets
for the last week now," Clarissa informed us.

"Isn't it dangerous for any of our people to
spend time in New Orleans?" Hearing the concern in Serafina's voice
meant a lot to me after the way Scarlett had treated her.

"We have treaties in place to ensure the
safety of our people when they visit New Orleans, but I still
advise against traveling here alone. Even coming here in groups is
not usually a good idea," I told Serafina.

"Well that depends on what you're coming here
for," Doyle chimed in with a wicked grin.

I shook my head. "Doyle likes to start fights
with the locals when he comes here. I keep telling him he's going
to start a war one of these days."

"It'll never happen. Nobody takes me
seriously enough to believe I speak for anyone but myself. Besides,
the vampires I fight with are out trolling the streets looking for
the same thing I'm interested in."

"And that would be?" Serafina inquired.

"Trouble of course," Doyle grinned at me and
the ladies burst out laughing. "But on a serious note, Dragon is
right. Scarlett shouldn't be hanging out here alone. I wonder what
could be so important for her to put herself in that kind of
danger."

"That is a question I very much want the
answer to," I murmured almost to myself and watched satisfaction
glint in Clarissa's eyes. "I'll track her down tomorrow and see if
I can't talk some sense into her."

"It might be best if someone else talks to
her. I think it could be a little soon after our wedding for her to
accept anything you have to say with grace." Serafina reminded me
that Scarlett was the one person who was likely hurt the most by
our mating.

"You're probably right, I'll see if Rook can
take care of it for me. I already have plans to meet with him in
the morning."