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Nadya threw his reports on the floor in disgust. “You’re pathetic! For the first time in millennia of war, we can capture dragons. I’ve delivered a dozen to your team for torture, study, and experimentation, yet you still can’t tell me why we can’t turn one into a fucking vampire.”
He flinched away from the anger blazing in her eyes. “Your Majesty, it seems that the power of Therian blood overwhelms the vampire infusion, burning away the invading magic before it can make permanent changes. We’ve tried increasing the amount of vampire blood ingested to gallons, but it damages the subjects too quickly. We only have one left, Your Unholiness.”
Screaming in fury, Nadya whipped her arm toward the scientist whose name she had not bothered to learn. A thick coil of darkness crashed into the vampire, throwing him across the room into the stone wall. The hollow thunk his head made when it hit the wall pleased Nadya, as did the almost artistic spray of blood and brain matter when his skull shattered. The scientist crumpled to the floor, lifeless.
“Damn it,” she muttered. “There goes another one.” Nadya needed to control her anger, but it was hard when they were all incompetent. She shouted for her assistant to send in the next scientist, who was about to receive a surprise promotion.
Another newborn vampire crept through the door, looking petrified. Nadya had sent out her minions to retrieve the best scientists in the world—the best ones she hadn’t killed—and she’d forcibly turned them to solve her dragon problem. The woman was middle-aged, with mousy brown hair that hung limply around her shoulders and eyes the blue-gray of stormy seas. Those eyes widened in shock and horror when she saw her predecessor’s crumpled corpse.
“Do you have any brilliant ideas about why none of the Therians survive the conversion to vampire?” Nadya asked, her voice dripping malice and impatience.
The woman eagerly nodded. “Yes, my queen. It’s the magic in the Therian blood. I know your ultimate plan is to capture the dragon king and turn him into your puppet, and I think your problem is that the blood is too pure. You need a dragon who isn’t a full-blooded Therian.”
Nadya growled again, signaling that her patience with the conversation was growing thin. “You fool!” Her voice was calm and cold. “All Therians are pure-blooded. Nikoli was an imbecile, but he outlawed mating with humans and executed any offspring.”
The scientist opened her mouth to respond but was saved by a knock on the door.
“Enter,” Nadya commanded. She kept weak vampires who weren’t good in battle around as clerical help. One of her messengers appeared. “I received word from Jean-Pierre, Your Majesty.”
Finally, something that caught her interest. “Give it to me,” she demanded, expectantly holding out her hand. The messenger passed her the envelope, and she scanned the note it contained.
My Queen,
I located the exiled Therian, Timofey Petrov, but he rejected my offer of alliance out of hand. I informed him that I shall be staying at the tavern for the next month should he change his mind.
There was an unfamiliar scent at his isolated home that I couldn’t place. I caught the layered scent of another person and saw glimpses of a man connected with Timofey in the minds of locals, but few here have met the dragon.
He doesn’t often leave his home, and few know of his existence, let alone actionable information about him. I shall continue to monitor the area for more news and will inform you immediately should anything of interest develop.
Yours in service,
Jean-Pierre
Nadya smiled. At last, a promising lead. She’d sent Jean-Pierre after Timofey shortly after learning about his exile and the subsequent hatred it had fostered in his heart for all Therians. Perhaps, with a proper incentive, he might become a willing ally who could offer useful insights into her enemy’s mind. Timofey had served in the palace, so he would have better information than the commoners she’d recruited.
Relaxing on her throne-like seat, Nadya thoughtfully tapped the paper, waving a hand to dismiss the messenger and the terrified scientist.
“What have you been up to during your exile, Timofey? And what will it take to make you mine?” she mused to the empty room.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Enfield, New York, Friday, December 14, 2012
The Mosiers acted like they’d always been aware of the supernatural world. They’d known Uuka and his pride were guarding their home, but the Therians had mostly kept their distance. Since Ash and Dani returned, the panthers had been daily visitors.
They’d left their home in Kenya to avoid conflict with another Therian clan and the encroaching humans. Uuka’s prowl was small, and the opportunity to directly serve the Therian king in a new country had appealed to them. The panthers were loyal to Luca, and they took their duty seriously.
The attack on the Addams’ house had rankled them.
Uuka had performed mental gymnastics to convince the authorities that the house had burned in an explosion after a gas leak. He’d sent the Addams to stay with family in Ohio while they waited for the insurance settlement to be paid. The experience had been so traumatic for them that Uuka hadn’t had to work very hard to convince them when he proposed an alternate explanation that made more sense than what they’d seen.
After Abuya’s inexcusable betrayal of their honor and the sacred mission they’d been entrusted with, Uuka had called his panthers together for a meeting with the Mosiers. The tall black man paced the room in agitation, moving with the grace of a cat even in human form. His Therians had lined up against the wall, though Abuya was bound. Ash and Dani sat on the loveseat, and Brian huddled close to Melinda on one side of the sofa.
“You were the victims of this coward’s broken honor, and that entitles you to a say in what happens with him,” he told the Mosiers. Uuka turned to his people. “You all know how I feel about the value of a man’s word and how little use I have for those I cannot trust. However, we are stepping into this new life together, and I want to give you a voice you didn’t have in our homeland.”
Chuki caught his gaze and nodded. “We all know why you broke away from the prowl to create this one, brother. I will follow you anywhere without question for that alone, but I want to hear what Abuya has to say in his own defense before we make a decision.”
Uuka nodded. “Of course. I do not do any of this lightly, and his reasons matter. Whether they matter more than his betrayal remains to be seen.” He gestured at Abuya, who shuffled to the center of the room.
