The Blood King

         Chapter One



Rydere Dardanos studied the darkness surrounding him and his three men. Blackness suited their purpose this night. “Are you sure?”

His second-in-command Aodhan stood a yard away, stroking the head of the wild wolf at his side. Both beasts were only black shadows in the dark night. “As I can be. It’s distasteful, but this is war. We all agreed on that.”

“Yet they are so young. Probably innocent of the old man's sins.” Aodhan’s words seconded what was in the back of Rydere’s mind. It had to be done; he did not have to like what they were about to do, but as king, he knew it was necessary. His people deserved retribution. 

“Mercy, Aodhan? That’s unlike you.” Cormac’s snort was almost too loud in the darkness as the four men watched the small cluster of houses on the Taniss Compound. “This was your idea.”

“Momentary weakness brought on by lack of feeding.” The men knew Aodhan was lying.

“Perhaps Aodhan has the right of things,” the final man said and had Rydere’s attention sharpening. Theodoric was the gentlest of his three advisors, and the visions that plagued the half-blind man had proven invaluable to the men in the past.

“Mercy again? For the children of the man who has killed hundreds of our kind?” Cormac nodded toward the headlights coming up the drive. “Speak now, if you’ve predicted something, Theo, let us know. If not, I say we get ready. I’m hungry. I want a Taniss for dinner.”

“Theo?” If Theodoric said stop, Rydere would stop. He wouldn’t like it, but he would give the orders to do just that.

“Nothing specific, just vague unease,” Theo said as the sound of car doors opening and closing drifted to them on the still Autumn night. The sounds mingled with the light laughter of females. “Something that tells me my life is going to change. But that this is where we need to be.”

“For good or bad?” Aodhan asked as Tajic’s attention sharpened and the wolf raised his head to sniff the air.

“You are just hungry, Theo.” Cormac stepped closer to the other man, clapped him on the shoulder. “Smell the dinner on the air, my friend?”

There were four distinct scents on the air now, one sweeter than the rest. “That will be rectified shortly, my friends.”

“It’s the older granddaughters.” Aodhan’s voice was flat, disgusted. Resigned. “The grandsons could not be found alone tonight.”

“That’s fitting,” Cormac’s laugh was low in the darkness. “As it is our women who suffer the most, physically and emotionally, from this war.”

Rydere felt a stab of grief hit him as he thought of Cormac’s younger sister, who’d lost her mate thirty years earlier. Kindara had suffered so greatly, and had also lost the child she carried.

She’d grieved for her mate until only a shell of the bright Kindara he remembered remained. Now she just haunted the residence. Rydere tried but couldn’t quite understand that grief—he’d yet to find his mate, his Rajni. And he half hoped he wouldn’t. How could he, leader of the entire race, sit back and watch his own wife suffer?

Rydere’s people, the Dardaptos, were being attacked on multiple fronts; Kindara and her family were only a few of the victims. Dardaptoans were disappearing, taken when they searched for the food they needed to survive. It was easy for the Dardaptoans to blend in with the human population, as they shared similar physical characteristics and needs. But a Dardaptoan needed to supplement their regular diet with blood, human blood. That’s when they were being taken. Add to that the curse of an angry god that condemned the Dardaptoans to suffer great losses in childbirth, and Rydere’s people had dwindled to only a dozen or so tribes worldwide. Rydere would do anything to stop the suffering of his people. Especially at human hands.

“They are splitting up now.” Aodhan had the best hunter sight of the four men and he kept that sight trained on their targets. “Separate houses, though two share. Finally we will have our vengeance.”

It had taken Rydere all of the last decade to isolate the human problem facing the Dardaptoan race and to learn that their problems were connected and were laid at the feet of only one human—Leonard Taniss. He’d been taking Dardaptoans for years, draining their bodies dry for his macabre experiments. Kindara and her adopted daughter were only part of a handful to survive.

“I have never taken the time to play with my food. Especially a female morsel.” Cormac’s smile was just visible in the darkness.

Rydere felt a rush of sympathy for the unknown Taniss female who would satisfy Cormac’s appetites. Cormac was by no means a gentle man.

“So when are we to do this?” Theodoric asked, his words hesitant.

In tonight’s plan, the Taniss grandchildren would die to serve the war. Rydere and his people would have their vengeance, then Rydere would kill the old man himself. Had there been more Taniss heirs in residence on the man’s Colorado compound, Rydere and his men would have killed them, too. All Taniss would eventually die for Leonard’s sins.

“As soon as they are in their houses.”

“And the two in the same house?” Aodhan asked.

“You and Theo will take those two. Cormac, you take the smallest house there on the end of the drive. I’ll take that one there.” He pointed to the middle bungalow, with its lit front porch light that beckoned him. “We’ll reconvene back at the hotel. Once you have your target, don’t stick around. Taniss has some strong security on this damned property. We don’t need to get caught.”

“Taniss still underground?” Cormac asked.

“Old bastard is hiding,” Rydere said. “Protected by his security.”

“Too bad for them that the security didn’t extend to his grandchildren.” Aodhan and Tajic took off at Rydere’s nod.

“Gentleman, happy hunting.” Rydere said as he followed. “Tonight, this war ends.”



















Chapter Two



Emily Taniss hated birthdays, especially her own. The finite aspect of time and years gone always depressed her, but her cousins had insisted she celebrate with them. So she’d gone along with Josey, Mallory, and Mickey when they’d pulled her from her office and dragged her to the bar two blocks from Taniss Industries. And she had had a good time. With them, she didn’t have to pretend she was a cold, ruthless businesswoman following in her grandfather’s footsteps. With them, she could just be Em, the oldest Taniss cousin who liked coconut drinks and slow music.

She closed the front door behind her, grateful to finally be inside her house. The cat opened his one good eye—the only one he’d come with—and greeted her from his perch by the window facing the bungalow shared by Mal and Mickey. Their lights were on, the two sisters probably just as exhausted as Emily. They’d been working hours on end trying to figure out just what type of mess their grandfather had left TI in before he’d been forcibly retired and Emily had taken over.

She bypassed the living room and went straight to the master bedroom and slipped her heels off next to the closet. She turned, nearly tripping over the cat. She bent to pet him, ruffling his fur. “I’m never doing it again, Maury, never. I am never having a birthday again.”

****

“That’s the truth of it.” Rydere had watched the small woman as she’d entered the bedroom, studying the eldest grandchild of the man responsible for everything that had happened to his people. He doubted she stood mid-chest on his six-foot-eight frame. Her hair—the deep rich color of the best earth—was pulled back, the style too severe for her elfin face.

She screamed and tried to run past him. He grabbed her so easily. The tiny skirt she wore had hindered her escape attempt, but it didn’t matter. She fought and kicked and bit. He froze her with a small one-word command that even the youngest of Dardaptoans knew. It allowed them to feed without interference, though the human was aware the whole time, unable to fight or move. Green eyes followed him as he circled her where she stood, inert. Terrified.

He inspected his small instrument of vengeance, fingers trailing over the dove gray suit she wore. He knew which one this was. This was the heir, the one his sources told him would replace old Leo Taniss himself. This was Emily.

He stroked one finger down the side of her delicate, feminine face, lingering a moment on her lips, before trailing to her neck. He'd always been partial to feminine necks. Hers seemed so frail beneath his palm.

“You will be quite a delicacy, my little dove. Pity you won’t live long. You were Taniss’s heir, but not now.”

He lifted her into his arms, tucking her floral-scented head beneath his chin. She weighed very little. At any other time, a Dardaptoan Rydere’s size wouldn’t look twice at a human such as she. She wasn’t even snack sized.

He was the first back to the hotel that served as his home. The hotel housed twelve hundred of his kind; an additional thirteen thousand lived in the area surrounding the hotel. Rydere’s suites were on the bottom floor, and it was there he headed.

He carried his captive into his sitting room and placed her on the couch, more gently than he had intended. Her eyes were wide and frightened, young. Her flesh was chilled and he frowned before grabbing a blanket and covering her while he studied her in silence. Cormac arrived carrying a bound blonde woman and leading a dog. He dropped the blonde on the couch.

“Find a new pet?” Rydere studied the woman as she struggled. They shared the same eyes, his little captive and this woman. Leo Taniss’s eyes. Damn them.

“Present for Aodhan’s wolf. She’s in heat and seems to be a smart dog. Figured Aodhan might want to breed them. I’d like a pup or two.”

Rydere nodded. “Aodhan and Theo?”

“Already in their suites. Aodhan had a bit of trouble. His prey was a bit of a fighter.” The darker man touched his face where Rydere could see several fresh scratches. “Seems to be a family trait. You have any trouble?”

He waved a hand toward Emily. Rage filled Rydere when the other man’s hand grabbed her chin, when the other man pulled her face toward him. “Ahh, you’re too compassionate, Ry. You’ve mind-numbed her.”

“Why didn’t you numb yours?” Rydere knew what they were to do was necessary, but was there any reason to keep the women so terrified? It was almost cruel...it was cruel the way they were toying with them. Shame hit him but he shook it off. Cruelty was war, and war was cruelty. He’d learned that long ago. Both sides would host sacrifices.

“Where’s the fun in that? Besides, damned woman is deaf. She couldn’t hear me issue the command.” Cormac tilted his blonde’s chin up and she tried pulling away. He smiled and held her still. “Pretty thing, isn’t she? Scared and pissed, too. As is yours. Only they’re now more terrified for the other than themselves. Both of them are. Admirable. Pity.”

Cormac could read the minds of animals and humans and some Dardaptoans. That trait suddenly angered Rydere—he wasn’t sure he wanted Cormac knowing what his Emily was thinking. Fearing. Rydere nodded toward the blonde woman. “I suggest you adjourn. I’ve a desire for privacy while I eat this evening.”

“Why don’t you let her say goodbye to her cousin here? Might prove interesting, since they are so concerned with each other’s welfare.”

Tears were in green eyes as Rydere looked at both women. The one, Cormac’s blonde, could not understand the language they used; her deafness prevented that. But the heir could hear them. Which would be worse? “No. I’ll keep her as she is. It’s less cruel that way.”

“Compassion for the enemy? How many battles have you fought in again?”

Rydere knew they both remembered the fights at each other’s sides. They numbered too many to count. Not only had they fought in the American wars, but the wars between their peoples and the different Kinds that existed, and had for centuries. “The enemies in this case are just young women who had the misfortune to be related to Taniss. It has to be done, I agree. But why should we make their suffering worse?”

“Because of the way our people have suffered at Taniss’s hands.” Cormac pulled the blonde’s bound hands over one arm then bent, putting his shoulder in her abdomen and standing. She whimpered, but did not try to pull away. “I’ll deal with the dog in the morning. Can you have Jambu take her to his room for now?”

“Of course. And, Cormac...be compassionate. Remember how young that human is. Imagine if it was your niece in her position.”

****

After the other man left, Rydere did free her from the confines he’d placed on her body and mind. He kept the blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

She threw it off and jumped to her feet, though the after-effects of his command had her unsteady. She wobbled and he reached out for her. She backed away. “Who are you?”

“Silence.” Rydere stalked her, his blood filling with the adrenaline that every master hunter understood. Her scent was strong to him, flowers and fear. And a sweetness he couldn’t yet identify. But he would.

“Where did he take Josey? Why did you do this to us?” Her rapid questions were panic-filled though he could tell she was used to being answered. Much like he was.

“Easy. I’m hungry.” Her hair had partially fallen from the pins holding it, the brown strands longer, more alluringly feminine then he had expected. It must have been her shampoo—that sweetness he smelled.

“So order a pizza! What does that have to do with me, or Josey?” She’d backed herself into the corner, and her hands came up. Rydere smirked—as if a small dove could protect itself from a hawk. He captured them in his.

“Vengeance is far tastier than pizza.” He breathed deep, still trying to identify that sweetness. What was it? And why did it call him so strongly?

“You’re crazy!” She tried pulling her hands free but Rydere held on.

“Taniss Industries must pay for their sins. You and your cousins, you are Taniss, especially you. Therefore you will pay for the sins of your grandfather.” Maybe it wasn’t her shampoo, he thought as he pulled a strand of that hair toward his face. Sniffed. Maybe it was something she’d used on her skin?

“My cousins? Not just Josey?” Absolute terror was now in her eyes, the tremors shaking her tripled. She pushed at his chest with hands that were small, weak, ineffectual. “Who else? Who else, dammit!”

“All that you were with in that car.” It mattered not to him what happened to her cousins, he was just puzzled by how the sweetness of her had grown so much stronger.

“Because of Grandfather?”                    

“Because of the old bastard who has been killing my people for years, yes.” Rydere’s hand slipped up to grab her chin. He tilted her head back until it rested against the wallpaper behind her, exposing her delicate neck to him despite how hard she fought.

She was too small for him to get a good angle. He grabbed her waist and lifted her into a better position, ignoring her struggles. “Tilt your head back.”

She ducked her head, tried pulling away from him. One knee lashed out, hitting him in the thigh. She screamed in his ear then tried to bite him.

“Dammit. Stop that now!” He covered her mouth with one hand, avoiding the pitiful attempt her tiny human teeth made. Feminine nails scratched at his skin, aimed for his eyes.

Rydere used his upper body to pin her to the wall. One of his legs shoved between her knees, causing the narrow skirt to ride up obscenely. She had no avenue of escape; they both knew that, but Rydere had to admire the fierce way she fought him. He wanted to taste that courage, to taste that sweetness that beckoned him. And he would.

He used more weight to subdue her, until he could feel every gasping breath as she pulled it in, could feel the pounding of her heart against him. His eyes stared into hers, seeing the tears, fear, and rage growing before he lowered his mouth to her neck.





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