She lifted her chin. “That’s too bad since I want all of you dead.” And with the element of surprise in her side, she let loose the throwing stars she always had with her. Like all other weapons of Faeries, the throwing stars were forged of steel dipped in the blood of the race’s fallen heroes. They were the only ones that non-Faeries could heal and represented a gift of trust from the race. Milo had also said it could be her greatest weapon since she did not have the stamina or the killing instinct to really wield a Faerie sword.
The throwing stars struck its targets, hurtling through layers of flesh, muscle, and bone and killing the vampires instantly before spinning back to her hands.
The vampires let out a keening cry, and their leader hissed, “Forget about what Master said. Kill them both!”
Her body went taut, preparing for the hurt that was sure to follow. There was no mercy in the vampires’ eyes, not even a semblance of a soul. She was scared, terribly so, but a part of her realized that she was more scared for Domenico than for herself.
The circle of vampires started closing towards them.
“I’ll think that through if you’re smart,” a light cool voice warned from the darkness.
She jerked at the unexpected intrusion, hairs standing up on her nape.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Three young men came out of nowhere, landing on a pouncing position on the ground. Fangs flashed in the darkness, sending the vampires in a disoriented frenzy.
Domenico relaxed at the sound of that voice, recognizing it immediately. If Riyu Delicazzi was around, then it was a given that his two second in command, Luka Georgiades and Stefan Mancetti would also be there. He turned his head slightly, and he saw that the three had formed a triangle offense around the circle of vampires. It was a well-known position that Caros favored when going to battle, one that left no enemy within the triangle breathing.
Misty heard Domenico’s fangs snap. She looked down at him in confusion, just in time to see him growl. It was low, loud, and menacing, sending shivers up her spine. But there was no time to think about it anymore as the growl acted like a signal.
The three new strangers launched themselves at the vampires the same time Domenico went on attack.
A vampire ran to Misty and she let loose another throwing star, but it only grazed the vampire’s face. Her heart screeched in fear, causing her fingers to fumble and dropping her other weapon to the ground.
When she looked up a split second later, the vampire was practically flying towards her, too fast for Misty to catch her other throwing star.
She kept her scream locked inside her, not wanting to distract Domenico. Misty started backing away, tripped on her own feet, and her mouth opened in silent horror as she felt herself falling backwards.
The vampire’s fangs were inches away from her throat when a blur of black crossed her vision, Domenico throwing his weight on her attacker and they tumbled to the side of the road.
“Domenico!” Her hand shot up to catch her throwing star and she hurtled it back, aiming for her attacker, who was now struggling against Domenico. The throwing star sliced the vampire’s neck open, and Domenico finished the job, his claws dismembering the vampire’s head.
A pair of hands grasped her from behind, and Misty only stopped struggling when she realized that it was one of the Caros helping her up to her feet. “You okay?”
“Relax. I’m on your side.” It was one of the Caros that had come to help her, and the savior was nothing but a teenage boy, his attractive features made sexier by the wicked gleam in his eyes. He bent down to kiss her hand, just in time for her to see another vampire coming for them.
Misty didn’t even pause to think. She grabbed the dagger in the boy’s hand and threw it, the knife slicing the vampire’s skull neatly into halves.
The boy turned around, his eyes widening as the vampire fell to the ground. He looked back at her with eyes filled with admiration. “My heart, be still.”
The flirtatious words, uttered at such a setting, calmed her. Misty even managed a smile as she grabbed the throwing stars from the ground. Magic enabled them to return to her hands after hitting its target but not when it hit something accidentally---like the floor.
Misty managed to kill another when the battle ended, heaps of dead vampire bodies littering the road. Everything became hazy as she watched Domenico shift back, uncaring of his nudity as he spoke with the three young men who had helped them. As they started piling the bodies into a pyramid of the dead, her vision became blurrier and when they lit a fire to burn the bodies, Misty realized that even though she had kicked ass big time tonight, it did not free her from being human.
She fainted.
~~~
It was weird to wake up without any disoriented thought. If anything, Misty felt that she had been sleeping every day of the past sixteen months and it was only now that she had finally woken up. Everything was so much clearer. She knew what she had to do now.
“Domenico?”
No one answered, but she wasn’t afraid or even nervous. Domenico would always look after her whenever she couldn’t look after herself. She took her time studying her surroundings. The room she was in was the definition of elegance, decorated in tones of lavender, cream, and dark grays. She also noted the steel bars on the window. It was, in a nutshell, a beautiful cage.
Someone knocked on the door and in came a familiar-looking boy with ash blond hair and violet eyes. It took her a while to realize he was one of the boys who had helped them fight.
He bowed slightly, and the way he did so with such elegant flourish impressed Misty. He was still in his teens and yet next to him she felt she was the one terribly gauche. “It’s good to see you awake, Princess.” He reached for the intercom mounted on the wall, murmuring something in a language she couldn’t recognize. After the call, he faced her again, and his every move was flawless, reminding Misty of a young English lord.
He smiled.
A young English lord with fangs, that was.
“My name is Luka Georgiades. I am one of the representatives of The Brethren. You have heard of it?”
She nodded. The Brethren was the Caros’ equivalent of the Lyccan Council, the governing body of their race. “Where is…my husband?” The words felt extremely good to say, like a long-missed melody that made her heart whole.
There was the smallest pause, and Misty knew that her words had surprised him. But the younger man – Luka – quickly recovered, saying, “I have already the servants inform him you are awake. He had to leave your side to brief your…escort.”
She frowned at the second pause, not understanding why having an escort had suddenly brought a twinkle in Luka’s eyes.
The door flew open again, and in an instant Domenico was crouched in front her, his hand shaking as he stroked her hair, his gaze rapidly scanning her entire form, checking for injuries.
Misty kept herself still instinctively, Domenico’s worry communicating herself to him. What she had learned at Lyccan Hall about Domenico’s transformation had done a good job at eradicating her doubts. If any doubts had remained, they were extinguished by the feverish light in Domenico’s eyes now, telling her better than any words could of how much she meant to him.
Domenico Moretti truly did love her.
His hands were still holding her face, and she lifted her own hands to cover his, willing Domenico’s hands to stop shaking. This near, his familiar scent wrapped itself around her, and it was all she could do not to pull him down so she could, well, sniff him like a Lyccan. She might not be his real mate yet, but it seemed that she had already gotten some of his Lyccan qualities.
“How do you feel?” His voice was hoarse. He gently touched the bandaged wound on her neck. “Did it get worse?”
She shook her head. “I’m fine but…I don’t think you are?” And it puzzled Misty, it really did. The battle had been fierce, but it had also been a lot less frightening than she had imagined. For so long, she had feared the vampires, turning them into a bogeyman in her mind. But when she had finally come face to face with them, Misty realized that they were only as scary as she would make them be.
And in the end, nothing could be as frightening as losing Domenico – again. In the moments they had been in the thick of battle, all Misty wanted to do was to fight. She wanted to do what she could to keep Domenico alive. To do her duty as a Lyccan princess.
“Were you worried about me?”
When Misty actually turned her head slightly to press her lips to his palm, Domenico couldn’t stop his eyes widening from shock. It was the first time she had voluntarily touched him, kissed him after their separation.
Domenico snapped his mouth shut when he realizing he was gaping.
She frowned. When she pulled back a little, Domenico controlled the urge to haul her back, not wanting to let her go. That he was worried for her was a fucking understatement. He could still remember the terror that had enveloped him when he realized he had let both of them down by failing to detect the vampires’ presence until it was too late. If it had not been for the Caros being there, the ending could have been completely different, with Misty dying in his arms.
Was this the life of a Lyccan princess that he had been once so fucking proud to give her?
The thought of losing Misty in battle was more than enough to send him to his knees, and Domenico knew then and there that he would do everything in his power to keep Misty safe – even if it meant tearing his own heart in the process.
She frowned when all Domenico did was stare at her. “Domenico?”
He pulled himself together with an effort. Only with Misty was he so unmanned…but never again. He had to be stronger than this. He had to protect her and never fail her again like he had once failed Danilo. While Misty had remained unconscious in bed, that was all Domenico could think of. His brother had died because of his ineptitude, and it felt like the past all over again with Misty.
He managed a smile, not wanting Misty to worry over him. “Why are you asking me that when I’m not the one who fainted?”
She said insistently, her unhappy frown darkening, “But you don’t look good. Something’s wrong---”
Domenico didn’t answer. He didn’t have to, not when his full-alert senses had heard the footsteps of the two other Caros that had taken them in for the night. With Misty unconscious, it would be impossible to search for the portal leading to the Faerie realm. Its shields kept the realm invisible to those who were not granted immediate access by the High Circle, and Misty – not Domenico – was the one who had such access.
Since the stronghold of the Caros was much nearer, Domenico had accepted the boys’ offer readily, not willing to risk another attack if he were to travel back to the Moretti compound.
Someone knocked on the door. “That would be my companions,” Luka murmured as he went to the door to open it.
Misty took a good look at Domenico, her eyes narrowing when she saw relief in Domenico’s face. He was hiding something for her, she was sure of it. She glared. “This is not over.”
He blinked, a little surprised and then laughed softly. “You know me too well now, sweetheart.”
“And I will know you even better,” Misty promised, stammering in the end because she felt she was being too forward. But she couldn’t help it. Everything was just so glaringly clear now that she couldn’t wait for things to change…for her to start living again.
Misty waited for Domenico’s reaction to his words. She expected him to be shocked, teasing---but what she totally did not expect was for a shuttered expression to fall over his beautiful face, creating a sudden distance between them.
The other second in command entered first, which Domenico approved of because it meant he was well trained. Alliance or not, there was no reason for any of them to risk their leader’s safety in today’s treacherous times.
Misty curiously observed the two other boys entering her room although the term ‘boy’ was stretching it. They appeared to be seventeen or eighteen years old like Luka, but even so there was no denying the strength and maturity in the way they stood and gazed back at her and Domenico.
They had fought brilliantly during the battle, never hesitating, never losing courage. But they also reminded her a little of Kevin, when he was younger, which was why she couldn’t help blurting out, “Aren’t you all too young to be hunting for vampires?”