Shadow Of The Vampire. Meagan Hatfield

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СКАЧАТЬ the sensations and sank into the wing behind her, relishing the support. Her hand lifted, gripping his strong jaw in her palm. Feeling the powerful muscles beneath bunch and flex and he worked his mouth over hers. His deep groan vibrated down her throat, all the way to her toes. The sound empowered her. To know how much he desired her was intoxicating. Lotharus never kissed her with such passion, with such palpable need.

      Goddess above, help her. But she loved it. Loved the feel of his rough cheeks against her palms, the heavy weight of him above her, even the brawny and rather useful wing caressing her back.

      “What the hell?”

      At the guard’s voice, Alexia jolted.

      Chapter Two

      IN A BLINDING MOVE she couldn’t track, the dragon hauled her to her feet, ripped the iron chain free from the wall and coiled the links around her neck. His other hand snaked around her waist, keeping her back pinned to his front.

      “Get back,” he told the guard in a deep growl.

      Gasping, Alexia brought both hands to her neck. “What are you doing?” she panted.

      The arm around her waist tightened, forcing her farther against his hard, naked body. His head dipped in the crook of her neck, nuzzling into the hair behind her ear. Hot and warm, his breath fluttered against her raw skin.

      “Pity, I know,” he murmured. “We were just getting started, you and I.”

      “You wish,” she bit, jabbing her elbow into his gut. She had the satisfaction of hearing him grunt out a taxed breath before the chain tightened.

      Damn, he was strong. Alexia winced as the chain bit into her skin. She had not expected his surge of power. Apparently, the guard hadn’t either, for he looked from her to the dragon before finally reaching for the gun holstered on his hip.

      “Don’t do it,” the dragon lord warned. “I’ll kill her.”

      A deep hole scooped out of the center of her chest at his words. Never had she felt a bigger fool. The way he’d kissed her, touched her, had been no more than an act so he could heal himself with her blood and escape.

      The click of a gun cocking echoed through the chamber. Alexia noticed the guard held his standard issue, pointed at them. The dragon’s already hot skin seemed to ignite at the threat.

      “I’m warning you, soldier,” the dragon bit out, tightening his grip and taking another step back. Alexia hissed in an audible breath and the guard relaxed his weapon slightly.

      “Go ahead, Derkein.” A deep voice purred in the darkness.

      Alexia’s breath caught.

       Lotharus.

      The deliberate clicking of boots on the stone floor announced his arrival. Alexia’s heart pounded with each one, waiting, watching for him. Slowly, he emerged from the darkness, almost as if he’d been born of it.

      As always, Lotharus dressed in black finery from head to foot and carried himself every bit the ageless immortal he was. Although tall and lean, his body reeked of unspeakable power that caused most mortals and immortals alike to shrink in his presence. Tonight, he wore his blond hair pulled back in a severe ponytail at his nape, showing off the aristocratic line of his jaw. However, Alexia could not take her gaze off his black eyes. They bore into hers, anger and the promise of punishment sizzling in their bottomless depths.

      “Kill her.”

      LIPS DRAWN TIGHT, Declan loosened the chain, holding the woman in a more protective way than before. Her pulse was racing, her body stiff as a board in his arms. A cold blackness crept inside the room that had not been there before this vampire had walked in. His soulless eyes spoke of untold evil, and it was all focused on her.

      And she was terrified.

      Declan’s eyes narrowed in thinly veiled hatred. Vampire or no, any man who thought he owned another didn’t deserve to live, much less enjoy power. His hold on the girl tightened while his grip on the chain loosened.

      “Who are you to choose if she lives or dies?” Declan asked.

      The vampire smiled with the corner of his mouth. “Let’s just say we’re…close.”

      At the small shudder that shook her body, a low growl vibrated in Declan’s throat.

      “But what I think won’t matter,” the vampire continued. “Once the Queen finds out her daughter has become a willing whore and blood thrall to one of her enemies, I’m quite certain she won’t mourn the loss.”

      Caught up in the insane urge to protect her, Declan barely registered the vampire’s monotone words. Then they hit him, each one like a blow to the chest. His brow tightened. The air he breathed dragged like sludge in his lungs.

       The Queen. Daughter.

      Disgusted, he released her. The chains rippled to the floor, clanking in a pile at his feet.

      The instant his grip on her slackened, the iron cell wall creaked. Declan looked up, muttering a silent curse when he realized Lotharus’s full attention was fixed on moving the wall with his mind force. The metal twisted and bowed beneath unseen hands. A second later it sprung free of its frame and jettisoned toward them.

      Without a second thought, Declan grabbed the female by the shoulders, tossing her out of the way. He barely saw her fall safely to her knees before the heavy iron crashed into him. The blow picked him up off his feet, slamming him three feet back and into the wall like nothing more than a rag doll. Stones crumbled and a cloud of dust plumed around him from the hole his back dented into the wall. His body ached and pinpricks of pain shot out in all directions. But strength flowed in his replenished veins, taking over any hurt he may have felt. With a heaving grunt, he pitched the heavy iron aside. In one fluid move, he stood alert, braced for whatever else was coming at him.

      The vampire smiled approvingly. Bringing his hands up, he began clapping his palms together in hard, methodic slaps. Declan frowned. What the hell was wrong with this freak? He could have killed the girl had Declan not pushed her out of the way. Yet he looked as if he couldn’t have been more pleased.

      “Well done, dragon lord.” He ceased clapping, resting his index finger on his lips. Declan’s eyes flashed on the wide-set ruby stone eating up the width to his knuckle. “That is what my little test proved you to be, correct?” When Declan didn’t answer, the vampire ran his gaze up and down his body. “Strange, but it seems you are completely healed. Let’s see what we can do about that, hmm? Seize him.”

      The three guards did not move. Declan smiled and beckoned them to come inside. At the taunt, the first soldier scowled and ran forward. Declan pulled back his arm, landing a stiff jab on the vampire’s nose. He fell to his back. The other two stepped over him, bearing down on Declan. He took one step toward them. His heavy footfall shook the earth with force no human could muster. At the sound, the soldiers looked down. Declan wiggled the toes of his black, clawed foot. When their gazes flew back up, Declan held up his fist, the one that had felled the guard, revealing a swollen club of black scales and talons.

      “He’s changing!” The guard in front skidded to a halt, but he was too late to escape. With his strength renewed, Declan transformed СКАЧАТЬ