Dragon Reign: A Paranormal Love Tale Read online

  She made a fateful step, and as she did, she nearly stumbled over the dog’s unconscious form. “No!” she cried out, distraught, and dropped to her knees. She cradled the dog’s limp body in her arms and placed a badly trembling hand against its chest. At the feel of the steady heartbeat, she slumped over with aching relief. “Thank God, you’re okay, sweetheart. You’re okay.”

  But, they weren’t alone, she realized with instant terror, hearing the faint noise behind her. Whoever it was, they weren’t close, but close enough. Staying silent, she stiffened as the stranger edged closer.

  “Nicole.”

  She couldn’t stay the pure horror and shock as it reverberated through her. Though her heartbeat raced with fear, she fought to keep her features controlled. “Who’s there?”

  “You know exactly who’s here. We talked on the phone earlier remember? And let’s just say that you weren’t very nice,” the intruder said coldly, and an eerie quality masked his tone. He spoke in English. Yet, it didn’t hold an American lilt. Perhaps, it was European. “How dare you mock me like you did earlier. Don’t you ever fucking do that again.”

  Trembling, she tightened her hold on Macy.

  “Damn you. You have no right to be here,” she whispered, hating the desperate twinge in her voice. “Macy---what did you do to her?”

  “Damn me? Perhaps you’re the one in danger of being damned, and you’ll realize it soon enough,” the stranger remarked, barely controlling the anger in his tone. “As for your furry friend, don’t worry. I didn’t hurt the she-bitch---just put her out for a few minutes. Besides, you don’t need her. She’s just an unnecessary complication.”

  The accusation played in her voice. “You poisoned her.”

  “Call it what you want,” he said coldly. “Just know that we won’t be interrupted by her nonsensical presence while we get to know one another better.”

  Swallowing hard, she asked, “Who are you?”

  “Though you’re shrouded in darkness, you’re eager to add a name to a face,” the intruder chuckled softly, but iciness seeped through his tone once more. “It doesn’t matter who the fuck I am. The fact that I want you is the only thing that matters. Finally, after all this time we’re together---alone.” He laughed again. “Though you’re struggling to hide it, I can see that my words terrify you. But, you know what? I don’t give a damn.”

  “If you leave now,” she murmured. “I won’t tell anyone that you were here---”

  “Leave?” the intruder asked in an incredulous voice. “Again, you have to be fucking joking. Do you know how long I’ve lived for this very moment?”

  As he moved closer, the hard fear seeped through her.

  “Please, just go. No one will ever know---”

  “Don’t you get it? No one will ever know.” the stranger insisted, and his words were strange and unsteady. “Nothing will keep us apart.”

  “You need help,” she reasoned. “Apparently, you’ve been under a lot of pressure, and you’re not thinking clearly. You don’t have to do this. There’s some---”

  “I don’t need a shrink, damn it!” he raged, and suddenly the air was thicker with taut tension. “I’m rational as all fuck. I don’t have no crazies dancing in my head. Everything that I’m about to say and do to you is real.”

  Now, he was too close, and she sensed him standing directly over her. She stiffened as he lifted a strand of her hair, and for a minute he fingered it between his fingers.

  She couldn’t withhold her shiver of repulsion.

  “Don’t be afraid, my blind little dove,” the intruder said, crazed. “My intent is not to hurt you. Don’t you get that?”

  A warning played in her voice. “Get your hands off of me.”

  “Or you’ll do what?” he spat nastily. “Last time I checked, I held all of the power, and I still do. Now, get you ass your up”

  “No, no, no,” she protested, struggling against him as he hauled her up from the floor. “Let go of me!”

  “Stop being so damned difficult!” he raged again, and his words were near a shout. “This love---what I feel for you---is a gift that I’m willing to give freely. Don’t fight me. Just let our union happen naturally.” She struggled as he hugged her against his chest. “I know that you’re frightened. So, maybe we need something to lighten the mood.” Suddenly, his words turned eerie. “I know exactly what’ll do that. Play for me. I always love to hear you play.”

  “No, no, no!”

  But, he hardly played attention to her protests as he hauled her behind him. They left the darkened bedroom, and seconds later, they were standing at the piano in the living room.

  He clasped her shoulders with his large hands, and then, he whispered at her ear. “Sit down.”

  The fear stabbed through her again.

  She wasn’t dealing with normal crazy here!

  Any action on her part---how would it set him off?

  If she screamed, would anyone hear her?

  With these soundproof walls, she doubted it.

  Shivering, uneasy, she slid onto the piano bench, and to her horror and chagrin, he sat down beside her.

  “Every part of you is exquisitely beautiful,” the stranger said, clasping her shaky hand in his. “And I will treasure every infinite facet of it.”

  Obviously, he kept his hands well-manicured, she deduced quickly, noticing the softness and smoothness of his hands. But, still, she sensed the danger and power in his touch.

  She started when he spoke again.

  The stranger’s word was dead cold. “Play.”

  “What-tt?”

  “Play a song that encompasses our undying love---one that fully exemplifies its true beauty.” Then, he breathed at her left ear. “Do it now, damn you.”

  Trembling, sobbing softly, she tasted the saltiness in the tears as they streamed down her cheeks. Her fingers felt like stiffened boards they were so rigid. Still, she placed her fingertips on the piano keys. As she stroked the first one, it sounded like a screeching sound.

  “You’re really pissing me off. Why are you acting so fucking scared? I’m not going to hurt you!” the stranger shouted, leaving the piano bench abruptly. He released a string of curses as he moved away. The empty air brushed against her. But, still, she sensed that he was near. “You’re going to stop being scared and just accept things. Again, I want you to play a song, damn it.” He paused as if in deep thought, and then excitement played in his tone. “I know exactly what I want to hear! I want you to play, Amour eternel. Doesn’t it mirror us perfectly---the tale of an undying love?”

  “No, I can’t do this,” she whispered, shaking her head, and kept it downcast. “I—I can’t.”

  “Damn it, I said play!” he yelled, rushing back to her. Then, releasing an expletive, he hauled her up. “Enough! I’ve had it with you! You will do as I say, now get up!”

  She struggled against his hold. “No! Leave me alone!”

  But, only the silence heard her cry.

  ***

  At the northern end of the city, the clock gonged on the twenty-story high rise building. Even from his distance, the strong force of its swinging pendulum could be felt.

  Midnight.

  And soon, the city would sleep.

  The cold air swept in.

  Frowning, Xander Sullivan fought his rising tension.

  Time was running out.

  But, whether that was a curse or blessing, he didn’t fully understand.

  The beaming, street lights shone down on the busy Atlanta streets, highlighting the rush of the heavy traffic flow. But minutes later, the traffic finally thinned out, leaving only a single vehicle crawling on the street. The car reached the end of Fifth Boulevard, and then cut a sharp left, finally disappearing.

  And now, he was alone with the night, fully embracing the raw anger.

  A useless pawn…

  That’s all he was in fate’s cruel game…

  Leaning against the sturdy iron-wrought balustrade, he glan
ced to his right, quickly noticing the drawn curtains across the sliding glass door.

  Apparently, his neighbor was abed.

  Tensing, he stared into the darkness.

  A mystery, she was.

  Since he’d moved in, they hadn’t come face to face. It was obvious that they were both outright avoiding the other.

  But, still though, he mulled, what had consumed him to ditch his old apartment and come here? There’d been a fierce urgency, and he’d realized that he just had to it. It was a fierce need that he didn’t comprehend even to this very minute. So, weeks ago, he’d made an impromptu move to Atlanta.

  By now, he thought, turning his gaze to the sky again, questioning fate’s motives weren’t even worth the effort. Fate’s motives just were, and he was hardly in control.

  But, his new neighbor…

  Why did it feel like he should know her?

  Frowning, he shrugged again. “Hell, does it even matter?” he questioned the darkness and cradled the glass of liquor in his hand. “Concerning myself with a cheery over-exuberant neighbor isn’t even part of the plan, right?”

  In fact, he had only one steadfast purpose---a cold fact that’d been bludgeoned into him by his protector, Princeton.

  Again, resentment filled him.

  Did he hold any claims to his life?

  His eyes swept the darkness again.

  Vale.

  Somewhere, far beyond the twinkling stars, his distant world lay. At some point, he’d return as the dragon prince, reclaiming the throne from the murderous dragon lord that’d stolen his very legacy.

  A humorless laugh escaped him.

  But, there was one catch.

  Reclaiming the throne required one thing.

  A human bride…

  She was the very key to everything.

  A living soul that’d be sacrificed for the goods of a dragon world…

  And supposedly, he mulled with a cross look, once they met, they’d forge an intense bond that’d consume them. “My human-bride-to-be, the old souls of Vale claim that you’re the answer to my rebellious heart---my dark soul. Too bad, I don’t hold the same exact sentiments.” Turning, he leaned against the balustrade, and surprisingly, the thin railing supported his weight. “For I am nothing more than a monster,” he whispered, his bitterness spiking. “…and using you for my own selfish advantages proves just that.”

  Quickly, he crossed to the patio table, and once he reached it, he grabbed the glass of sherry wine. After drinking it, he slapped the glass down.

  In the darkness, under the night’s glow, he made an impressive figure. His dark hair was cropped close, and a shadow lined his jaw bone. The Southern sun had left him with a deep tan, and his piercing gray eyes rivaled the moonlight’s. Tonight, a stark white t-shirt and black trousers molded along his well-toned body.

  “Shit,” he murmured, removing the thin Cuban cigar from his pocket. “I need to relax.”

  With a quick flick of the silver-tone lighter, he ignited the cigar. Gazing at the heavens, he took in a long draw.

  Now, the white moon demanded center stage.

  A chill pervaded the air.

  Puzzled, he watched as the cigar smoke made a perfect lasso in the air and then dissipated. “What the hell,” he muttered as the red, burning embers glowed and died. “Is it a crime for a man to even have a good smoke?”

  Cursing under his breath, he dropped the cigar to the concrete, then crushed it beneath his black boot.

  The night was silent.

  But, still, why did it teem with unrest---

  A piercing scream shattered his conscience.

  It didn’t penetrate past the walls or out into the darkness.

  But, he heard it within the walls of his mind.

  She was in danger.

  Instincts spurring him on, adrenaline rushing, he took a daring leap, and with rapid quickness, he landed on the balcony.

  He peered past the thin white curtains.

  Steeling himself, he morphed through the glass.

  Gaze sharp, senses tight, he halted upon entering.

  In the short distance, her frightened pleas met him.

  “What do you want from me?” she pleaded hoarsely. “I—I--”

  In a fast second, he was blind-sided.

  Startled, he absorbed the intense feeling.

  Something primitive…

  Deep inside…

  It breathed with life.

  Dismissing his warring emotions, he edged forward, sweeping past the beautifully decorated living room, and then with extreme caution, he journeyed along the narrow hallway. Through the thin crack in the bedroom door, dim light filtered into the hallway.

  Flattening against the wall, he peered in.

  His gaze traveled over the stranger.

  Black hair cropped in a clean cut, he appeared to be in his mid-thirties. A sophisticated aura exuded from him, clearly ruling out that he was just an everyday street ruffian. Even stranger, his piercing black eyes shone like midnight, and his expression breathed with pure madness. And he was plainly dressed in wrinkled trousers and a white-collared shirt.

  Deranged, fuming with rage, the stranger kicked the lamp from the nightstand. “Why did you have to upset me?”

  “No!” Sobbing, she cowered at the bed’s foot. “Stop, please stop!”

  “Why are you making things so difficult?”

  The man’s glazed eyes veered in his direction.

  Stiffening, he edged closer to the wall.

  Finally, the madman looked away, and then he dropped to the floor. “Shhh, don’t cry. I’m so sorry. Please, don’t be scared. I didn’t mean---look what you’ve done!”

  Taking advantage of the distraction, he moved forward, and they didn’t seem aware of his presence as he stood in the doorway.

  Clasping his head with shaky hands, rocking on the floor, the madman’s words tumbled out. “We’re going to be together, and in time, you’ll see---you’ll understand. I just want to be with---”

  “Get the fuck away from her,” he said coldly.

  In the darkness, her breath caught, and he sensed her relief.

  But, still, she wasn’t in full view.

  Whirling around, the stranger turned his crazed eyes on him. “Who the ---”

  “The very one that you don’t want to deal with, you sick fucker,” he muttered, advancing into the bedroom. Without taking his eyes off the intruder, he asked the woman, “Are you okay?”

  Her voice trembled. “Yes.”

  The strange sensations rippled through him again.

  Even more intense this time…

  Just what was this, he mulled, growing increasingly distracted.

  Now, living fire breathed within him.

  His soul cried out.

  Perhaps, on a strange level, he already knew her…

  Rattled by this startling truth, he spoke again. “Don’t be afraid, I’m here to help you. Okay?”

  “O-kay,” she said on a broken sob.

  He returned his attention to the intruder. “We can handle this in two ways,” he muttered, and his tone was devoid of emotion. “One, you can give yourself up, and it’s done. Or two, you can keep being a damned fool which will likely result in your ass-kicking. Hell,” he gave a cold laugh. “That’s probably coming anyway. But, I still have to play pretend and offer you a choice.”

  “What is this---your warped version of memorandum rights?” Standing, the stranger’s black eyes gleamed with anger. “What are you, a cop or something? Hate to tell you this. But, I’ve never been intimidated by the law.” He laughed. “I’m unstoppable.”

  Stepping forward, voice dripping like cold steel, he said. “Is that so? Tell me, then. What makes you so invincible---the fact that you’re incredibly stupid?”

  “No, that’s you I’m afraid. Take a look around. How did I get in here? There are no signs of a forced entry,” the stranger bragged. “Think about it, man. Maybe I’m a whole lot smarter than you’re giv
ing me credit for.”

  Tensing, keeping his face carefully controlled, he mulled the troubling thought over.

  The madman was right.

  Everything was intact.

  More unease settled upon him.

  Just what was he dealing with?

  Taking another fateful step, he finally garnered a full view of his damsel, and again he was taken back by his intense reaction. Entranced, fighting against the rising emotions, he couldn’t tear his gaze away.

  She was achingly beautiful.

  But, still something was off with her gaze…

  “I’ve got a secret,” the stranger said in a singsong voice, stealing his attention again. “I’ve got a secret.”

  Tearing his gaze from her, he eyed the stranger.

  Like a climatic moment in a horror film, the stranger transformed before him, finally showcasing his fanged teeth. “You!” the intruder raged, and now his eyes were a fiery red. “You will not stop me from taking what’s mine!”

  He tensed.

  What the hell---

  The creepy psycho was a fucking vampire---but of what legion?

  Of course, things couldn’t be easy, he mulled darkly, feeling his own transformation coming on, and the stranger stumbled back in surprise. “Apparently, I have my own secrets,” he warned, revealing his sharp ice-white fangs while approaching. “And let me tell you right now, I’ve been known to get a little damned crazy myself.”

  The intruder gave a cold laugh. “This is going to be more interesting than I thought.”

  An icy smile curved his lips. “I don’t have any doubts about that.”

  Breathless with anticipation, his damsel spoke again. “Please, what’s happening?”

  For an intense second, his eyes went to her. “Don’t be afraid. I need you to trust me. I won’t let him hurt you.”

  Her lips trembled. “Please---”

  Suddenly, whimpering, the dog stirred before staggering to her feet. Still slightly dazed, her dark gaze fell on them. Sensing immediate danger, growling under her breath, she bared her sharp white teeth. A hard glint glazed her chocolate eyes, and her barks echoed against the walls as she inched towards them.