Supernatural Enforcement Bureau, Book 1, The Dragon and The Vampire: Book 1 (16 page)

As Jake started the spell that would put him in direct contact with Esther his attention wavered and completely lost track as Creed and his men were thrown through the air as Starr disappeared before his very eyes. In her place was the biggest beast he had ever laid eyes on. A Dragon now taking up space for just a second before it turned around, knocking the Vampires out of the way again with its vicious looking spiked tail.

He stared at it open mouthed as it gained height, the downdraft from its wings blowing dust and leaves all over the place. As it gained height, he realized he hadn’t completed his spell. Jake took a step back, staying hidden in the trees as he started it once more. This time he managed to complete it without any more earth shattering interruptions.

Esther’s voice was clear in his head. “Yes, Jake, what is it?”

Jake focused more fully on what he was doing, desperate not to lose the connection. “We need you here, Esther. Can you come now?”

Esther’s voice sounded loud in his ears as she said. “Yes, Jake.”

He waited, in case she gave him any further instructions and it was a moment later he felt a soft hand on his arm. Jerking in fear his eyes flew open to find the powerful Witch standing in front of him.

She gave him a small smile. “I think we’ll wait here in case we’re needed. I don’t want either of us getting caught up in the fisticuffs going on inside.”

Jake nodded his head, not saying a word as Esther moved slowly towards the building. He noticed there was no sign of Creed or his men and he was alone. He fought down his fear and took a few steps out towards the building where he could clearly hear the sounds of battles inside. Although he was a little apprehensive he stood his ground and waited to see what would happen.

*****

As Starr’s Dragon materialised, s
he turned quickly, far quicker than anything of her size should be able to, swishing her tail behind her and knocking the Vampires off their feet...again. Creed’s cursing could be clearly heard, as she beat her wings and took off into the sky, circling the building and trying to figure out how to help.

Her Dragon was far too large to gain entrance, so she landed near the obliterated doorway and changed. She was in the building and on her way to her mate before Creed or his men could even get close.

Her speed kept her ahead of the elite squad as she moved with a lithe grace, heading towards her mate’s scent. It was in that split second that she realized she could tell his scent apart from all the others that assaulted her senses. Her Dragon imprinting him inside her so strongly that she could easily find her way to her mate.

As she ran, she saw several fights going on, seeing Serge’s large Wolf leaping high and crashing into a Vamp that was running away. As the large beast made contact the two bodies crashed through a wall, plasterboard and rubble raining down on them. She didn’t even hesitate for a moment to see the outcome, only rushing onwards as her heart rate sped up with worry for Ronan.

She accelerated her speed, flying past the numerous battles going on around her. She flew through a broken doorway and into a large, open area, just inside the precariously leaning roller door. Her eyes finding Ronan as he fought viciously with three Vampires. Her nose twitched as the unmistakable odor of fresh blood hit her, seeing all four in front of her had wounds of varying degrees.

Ronan had his back to her as she moved forward and into the fight. Starr’s years of running and taking care of herself came to the fore as she ran, going straight for a Vamp on her mate’s right. The force of her body running at such speed as it contacted with the Vamp had them both tumbling to the ground. She was up and using her throwing knives before the Vamp even had time to shake his head.

Her aim was true, the first knife embedding in his left eye, right up to the hilt. The roar of pain that erupted from him caused a large smile to appear on her face as she used another knife. Once again it hit its mark, his right eyeball now surrounding the blade. His hands flew to his face, pulling the offending weapons free, before he started to crawl away...blind. Starr leaped forward, a roundhouse kick connecting solidly with his face. The Vamp fell forward unconscious as she whirled around, looking for the next threat.

Ronan was fighting ferociously with one of the Vampires and she was pretty sure it was the one that had attacked them the previous week. Her eyes looked for the third Vamp, seeing him trying to get in back of Ronan. She screamed loudly in warning at the same time as her feet moved. She was there at Ronan’s back in a split-second, barring the man’s access to her mate.

Her mouth drew back in a totally feral snarl as her eyes locked with the Vamp’s. She found two more of the throwing knives and prepared to launch them when she was knocked flying by Ronan’s large body. Starr landed on the ground with a loud ‘oomph’, the rogue Vampire seized his chance and pounced on her back.

His arm snaked around her throat, pulling back roughly, cutting off her air as his head lowered. A moment of panic hit at the thought of this awful being feeding from her, weakening her at best, killing her at worst. As his foul breath reeked against her cheek she brought her arm up, plunging a blade into his neck with such force that it didn’t stop until her fist met his skin.

Starr took a long, deep, breath as the tight hold on her windpipe relinquished. She pushed with her knees and arms, thrusting her head backwards and was rewarded by the sound of bones breaking. As she garnered her strength to try and dislodge the Vamp from her back, she heard running footsteps, several pairs. Her heart sank at the thought of taking on even more of these bloodsuckers, when suddenly the weight on her was gone.

Her head swiveled quickly, and she glimpsed the Vamp that had her pinned down, flying through the air to land in a broken heap many feet away. A hand appeared in front of her and she looked up to see Creed standing with a scowl on his face. She took his offer of help and he hauled her up quickly.

“Ronan!” she screamed as she turned to find her mate.

He was still in a fight with the powerful Vampire, although he now seemed to have the upper hand, pummeling the face into a bloody pulp. She ran towards him, only getting one foot in front of the other, before being brought up short, as Creed grabbed hold of her. He pulled her back and into his rock hard body, one arm now around her waist as she struggled to get free.

His breath touched her ear as he hissed against it, “You are
not
getting away from me again Dragon, so just settle down.”

Starr swung her eyes to look into his, the pools of darkness watching her intently. “Help him!” her voice was loud and commanding as she continued to stare into his face.

Creed raised an eyebrow before answering, “Don’t think he needs it.”

Starr swung her head around, just in time to see Ronan landing a punch with such force, to the other’s face, that it picked him up and propelled him through the air, blood pouring from every part of his features.

Chapter 16

Ronan had never felt anger like this in his entire life, not in his more than four centuries walking this earth, had he felt complete and total wrath. His body had reacted the instant Starr entered the loading bay area, where he had chased the powerful Vampire that had attacked them previously. Using his speed and size to hunt him down, getting closer and closer until they ended up in a down ‘n dirty scrap...him against that Vamp and two of his underlings.

His skin prickled as Starr drew closer, his senses alerting him to the fact that she was in the building. The fear he felt at that moment almost crippled him in its intensity. Then his anger erupted, directed solely at Creed for allowing her to put herself in danger. As the fight continued, with all of them having injuries to one extent or another, he prayed that Creed would be able to get his mate out of here.

Ronan and his team had known as soon as they entered the building that they had misjudged things badly. Expecting one team of hunters to be in the ramshackle, derelict, structure; that team usually consisted of two or three Vampires and a dark magic wielding Witch. What they found was a veritable nest of Vamps, at least a dozen scattered in various rooms.

Ronan honed in on the Vampire he was after, scenting him now that he was in the building. Everyone else split up and started their own little skirmishes, at least one resulting in the death of one of the Vamps. Ronan’s sensitive ears had picked up the moment one of their Wolves ripped a head clean off; that was a sound that just couldn’t be mistaken for anything else.

He had only one purpose, and that was to take down the one being in this rotting building, that he was certain could give them the information they required. Information that would lead them to the person behind the hunt for Starr. That was the one and only thought rampaging through him. His need to keep his mate safe so strong in him that he could barely breathe.

Ronan’s fight was just heating up, when he felt that Starr was close, very close. He could even hear her heart, stuttering wildly in her chest as she ran. His concentration lapsed for a nano-second, the three rogues taking advantage as they rained blows down on him. He felt blood seeping from a wound on his head as he struck back, using his greater size and strength to beat them off. Their leader was stalking towards him as the other two tried to outflank him, he moved like lightning, a low sweep of his leg taking down one of the weaker Vamps.

He straightened up, readying to take on the one in front as a body flew at the other one, the one he’d sensed trying to circle around him. Ronan was so sure that the other being in the room was Starr he would’ve bet his life on it. Her scent strong in his nostrils as he breathed it in. His heart beating frantically, at the thought of her being here, in the same space as three very nasty Vampires.

What he didn’t expect was her taking one of the two weaker Vampires out almost immediately, using throwing knives, no less. Then engaging the other, he could feel her at his back and as that thought distracted him, the one in front attacked, sending them both flying backwards. He knew he had knocked Starr down, he only hoped she wasn’t injured or she would be easy prey for the other Vampire in the room.

He fought like a man possessed, desperate to end this, so he could check on his mate. The next sound to assault his sensitive hearing almost stopped his heart. Starr was choking and he was powerless to help. He rained blows down onto the Vamp he was fighting, knowing it was imperative he finish the fight before Starr was dealt a death blow.

Ronan was almost about to turn from the one he was fighting to help Starr when he heard footsteps approaching, fast. The scent of Creed hitting his senses at the same moment, thank God, he knew the elite guard would take care of Starr. If not, then he would dole out a punishment so severe he doubted Creed would survive.

He focused solely on the man in front of him now and attacked with a ferocity that gave him the upper hand. Ronan used all of his strength and every dirty trick in the book to best the Vamp, finally landing a punch with every ounce of his massive strength behind it. He watched as the man’s face exploded as he flew up and backwards, landing in an unconscious heap.

Ronan whirled around, stalking towards his mate and Creed, who was now holding Starr immobile. As he stopped in front of the guard his anger was barely in check, “You had one mission brief. One. Can you tell me why you failed in that?”

Starr’s stepped forward, her eyes pleading with him. “Ronan, it wasn’t…”

He cut her off, his eyes locking with hers, “I’m talking to Creed.”

He saw anger rising in her face, as she moved forward again, this time ignoring his outstretched hand, pushing it roughly aside. Starr’s voice held her own anger as she snapped out at him, “You’ll listen to me! It was my fault! I changed and there wasn’t a whole hell of a lot they could do to stop me! So, Ronan, if you’re going to be angry with anyone, that anger should be directed at me.”

Creed actually snorted as Ronan turned to face his mate. His eyes held hers as he fought for control. She stared straight back, not backing down from him, which surprised him greatly...most folk would quiver in fright if his anger was directed anywhere near them. He clenched his jaw tighter, attempting to gain control over his emotions as Starr stepped even closer.

His mate’s arm moved toward his face, her fingertip gently wiping away a trickle of blood from his wounds, before cradling the side of his face. He saw the worry in her eyes as she whispered  to him, “You’re hurt, Fang.”

At the sound of her pet name for him, he pulled her roughly towards him, crushing her against his body. “Don’t ever do that again! Do you hear me? I can’t have you in danger,
grá mo chroí, my attention was distracted the moment I knew you were in the building. You have to do as I say on a mission, please Starr, you have to understand that I cannot focus properly if I think you’re in danger.”

His voice was barely audible, a large lump in his throat, as she slowly nodded. “I’m sorry, I heard you and thought you were in trouble. I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. It wasn’t Creed’s fault, he was stopping me from getting to you so I changed to Dragon to get away.”

Ronan looked to Creed who stood impassively, having already instructed his men to take the three Vamps lying on the ground into custody. Ronan nodded once as Creed met his eyes, he didn’t expect the guard to say anything, so he was a little surprised when Creed did.

Creed looked to Starr and then back to him. “I apologize for failing my mission. I can assure you it will not happen again. Starr, if there’s ever a next time, I’ll tie you up if I need to.”

Starr’s mouth opened to answer, but Creed had already turned away, following his men out of the building.

Ronan used his finger under her chin to close her mouth. “I’ll let him too! If that’s what it takes to keep you safe, Puff.”

With that he took her hand and followed Creed. His ears already telling him that the rest of the fighting had finished, hearing orders being barked out by Sam, they walked to join everyone outside.

As they finally made it out of the building they saw several Vamps on their knees, silver handcuffs binding their wrists behind them. He felt Starr stiffen next to him, felt her anger at these beings that would hunt her kind down. His own ire rising to the surface as they moved forwards.

Sam turned, a smile freezing on his face. “Behind you!” he roared as everyone else turned in their direction.

Ronan whirled around, placing Starr at his back, as a man appeared, as if from nowhere. The magic rolling from him like a fast flowing river, his face a mask of hatred. Ronan’s heart stopped, fear for Starr foremost in his mind, as he heard her gasp at his back.

Where the hell was Jake and Esther? he thought, as the man’s hands started to move quickly in front of him. Ronan braced for the impact of the magic, knowing he may well not make it out of this alive. If his body took the full force then, hopefully, Starr would survive, that was all he cared about.

The man’s hands flew outwards as shouts, yells and other noises reverberated in his ears. “I love you, Puff,” he whispered, knowing this would be the last time she would hear those words from him. A Vampire stood no chance against dark magic, his heart aching in that split-second when he realized he would not live a long life with his mate.

Starr’s scream was so loud it hurt his sensitive ears, as the power from the Witch hit. His senses told him it had made contact, he felt it, but what he didn’t feel was pain, or any other sign that it had hurt him. What the hell?

As the power washed over him and faded away, he saw the shock on the Witch’s face, at the same time as he heard soft footfalls...Esther. Thank fuck, was all he could think, as his own shock hit. How the hell had he survived? He had no idea, only that he had and his heart swelled as he felt Starr’s hands grab him from behind, her arms circling his waist.

“What the hell just happened?” he asked, as Esther’s hands flew outwards, knocking the Witch to the ground, but not killing him.

Esther’s voice carried strongly to everyone present. “Here, use these bindings to tie him up.” as she pulled several lengths of very thin twine from her pocket.

Ronan’s first thought was that the twine wouldn’t hold a child, far less a powerful Witch. Creed and Sam took the twine, looking at it with frowns as Esther urged them on. “It’s spelled, he won’t be able to break free or use his magic. Quickly now boys, hurry, before he wakes up.”

Sam and Creed used their speed, having the Witch’s hands and feet bound in seconds, as Esther turned with wide eyes to look at Ronan. He could see the question in her eyes as she walked towards them. He shook his head. “I don’t know, I have no idea why his magic didn’t affect me, so don’t bother asking.”

Esther looked between Starr and Ronan, a look of realization dawning. “I think it’s because of Starr’s blood. I assume you are feeding from your mate?” At his nod she continued, “The kind of dark magic they are wielding originates from Dragon blood, your mate is a Dragon, even though it is not her actual Dragon’s blood that you are feeding on I think that’s the reason the dark magic had no effect on you. This is marvelous! We can use this to our advantage when we go to the Rockies!”

Starr looked between them, worry on her face. “What if it was a fluke? We can’t risk that again. I won’t allow it! We are not using my mate as some kind of guinea pig to test that theory, so just get that thought right out of your head this minute!”

Ronan pulled Starr closer. “Hey, don’t get all uptight. This is something to discuss in the future, right now, we need to get these prisoners back to base to start their interrogations.”

Esther was nodding her agreement. “True, we can revisit this...development...at a later date. I need to get the Witch back, so I can carry out cleansing spells on him, to rid him of the dark magic before we can question him. I think I should take you back now too, if that’s okay with you?”

Sam stood to the side, listening in as Creed walked over, the Witch slung over his shoulder. His friend slapped Ronan on the back. “You go, let Esther do what she has to so we can get whatever intel we can. The quicker the better. I’ll deal with clean up here, there are a few dead. I’ll burn them, then take the survivors back to base.”

Ronan was going to argue when Starr spoke up, “Yes, we’ll go now, I want to get your wounds cleaned and dressed.”

Her voice was like steel and Sam laughed. “You better do as your told, boss, looks like she’s not gonna take no for an answer.”

Sam turned and walked away, giving orders as he went. Starr tugged on his arm. “We need to get home.”

Ronan saw the worry in her face, although he knew that after he fed his wounds would disappear, it was obvious she wanted them to leave. Who was he to argue with such a request? He stroked her face gently. “Okay, Puff, we’ll go home.”

Creed moved closer as Esther motioned them all to join her, the old woman’s hands moving quickly as she performed her spell. A moment later they were in the entranceway of the bureau’s building. Creed walking to the stairs at the rear to take the rogue Witch down to a holding cell.

Esther looked up at Ronan, her eyes twinkling. “I’ll go and deal with this Witch. You take care of your mate.”

He was just about to say that Starr was fine, she didn’t need ‘taking care of’ when Starr tugged on his arm again. As he looked down at her upturned face he could clearly see lust there, her pupils dilated so much that they almost took over the violet of her eyes.

“Come on!” she squealed as she pulled him towards the elevator, Esther’s laughter ringing in his ears as the old woman followed Creed.

As soon as the elevator doors closed Starr pulled his head down, her mouth taking his with an abandon that he had not felt from her ‘til now. His arousal hit hard and quick and it pressed into her as he held her close. They continued kissing until the doors opened on their floor, where he leaned down and picked her up, carrying her the rest of the way.

Her lovemaking was wild, uninhibited, raw, and although he reveled in it, he wondered why. What the heck had gotten her so riled up?

As they finally lay atop the bed, both panting like racehorses after a marathon gallop, he finally asked her, “I’m not complaining, Puff, but what the hell’s got into you?”

Starr blushed as she looked up at him. “I’m not sure. I think it was the thought of losing you. When that Witch appeared and you pushed me behind you, I knew you were gonna take his blast. I thought you would die. So, when you didn’t, it kinda affected me...big time!”