The Kings Fire Read online

  The King’s Fire

  The Dragon Ruby Series

  By Leilani Love

  The King’s Fire

  Dragon Ruby Series Novel

  By: Leilani Love

  Copyright © Leilani Love 2015

  Published by Leilani Love

  © Cover Art by Cora Graphics

  © Girl Stock - Hot Damn Stock

  Edited by Lynn Chen

  License Statement

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976 no part of this publication maybe be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by or any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be constructed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons living or dead, is completely coincidental.

  Dedication

  Special thank you to Lynn for taking a chance on

  a girl you met online.

  You worked very hard to help me with this book and

  I’m blessed to call you a friend.

  I also want to say thank you to my friends and family.

  I love you and without you guys I would have never had the

  courage to do this.

  Chapter 1

  Aithne couldn’t believe she was stuck rescuing her sister, again. Her mother, Boudica, had found out that her oldest daughter, Ally, had been captured by the Vampire King Lazzaro. “Shit.” she swore softly, as she watched two of the human guards talking. Waiting for an opening, she wondered when her sisters would ever learn. Both of her older sisters were always chasing after men who they thought were good looking and rich. Time and time again, her sisters proved that the more handsome the man, and the more money he had, the more nefarious he probably was. Not all men, of course, but well, more were than weren’t.

  Their mother had always been strong, and had pushed her daughters to follow in her footsteps. By the time their father had died, her older sisters, Ally and Cinnie, had already been promised for marriage and ready to be married. The Romans had decided to attack when their mother had refused to step down as the clan leader, and had destroyed all hope of that future. Both of her older sisters resented the fact, that in one moment, the life they had been promised was taken away. Aithne was the youngest of the three, and had an easier time adjusting to the change in their lives. Because of this, she often found herself cleaning up after her sister’s messes.

  Aithne watched as a tall man came around the corner and gave the two guards orders. Just by the aura around him, she knew he had to be the leader. Where the two human guards were both attractive and strong, this one stood a head taller. The way he walked, his head held high, commanded authority and respect. The three were built like linebackers, but this one, this one she was sure, was mixed with something supernatural. Once he finished giving his orders the leader and one of the guards walked off, heading west of the compound leaving the human guard alone.

  Aithne watched him, waiting for her opening. Not sure what type of supernaturals he employed, she’d rubbed wolfsbane all over her body while preparing for this rescue. Wolfsbane was great at helping to mask ones scent. Although she was prepared, and was being cautious, she still tried to keep downwind. She had trained for hundreds of years on how to fight both humans and supernaturals. Her only goal was to get in, get her sister, and get out, with no killing, if possible.

  Just then, the guard’s phone began to ring. He looked at the screen, then discreetly answered. As he began to talk to the person on the other end, Aithne crept up, ducking behind a tree near him. She could hear a woman on the other end. Licking her lips, she smiled, knowing he was definitely distracted. ‘Men are just too easy,’ she thought to herself. She heard him say he would see her later before hanging up.

  Slipping out from behind the tree, she quickly wrapped an arm around his neck. Her knife skillfully pressed into his sweet spot, right between his ribs. The position was an easy one for her to achieve. Normally, she stood five feet ten inches. However, she was currently wearing heeled boots that made her just over six feet tall. This made her almost the same height as the guard. “If you move, I’ll slide this knife right between your ribs and into your heart, do you understand?”

  She could feel his whole body tense up at the sound of her voice. Most men hated the idea of having a woman get the jump on them. The way his body tightened when he heard her speak, let her know he was surely one of those types. She pressed the blade against him, hard, trying to discourage him from being stupid. She could hear him growl before asking, “What do you want?”

  “You, my friend, are going to help me inside to get my sister.” She needed him to let her in, but knew that once they were inside, he would cause problems by alerting the other guards nearby. Lazzaro was known to be paranoid. She knew that once she got inside, she would be dealing with his fanged friends.

  “Dumb bitch, once you’re inside, you know they’re going to kill you,” he said between gritted teeth, as she pushed him forward.

  With the knife still pressed to his ribs, she whispered. “Well if I go, I’m taking you with me, so you best pray I make it out of there alive.” Aithne had cased the property earlier, so she knew there was a small side door up ahead. She guessed it was most likely the servants’ entrance, from when the house was originally built. Out of all the doors, this one should have the fewest guards.

  When they got to the door, she pushed him forward. When he didn’t move to open the door, she nudged him with the silver blade of her dagger, just enough to break the skin and heard his hiss of pain, “You seem to be going out of your way to save a girl who’s probably not even here.”

  “I think you’ll remember her. She’s five foot six, waist length black hair, green eyes, and large breasts.” She heard him snicker softly to himself. Holding him the way she was, her body was pressed against him and she knew that the snicker was due to her less than formidable chest size.

  Once she was inside, she knew she needed to rescue her sister quickly, before the vampires inside discovered her. “Where are they keeping her?”

  When he didn’t answer, she pressed the tip of her blade into his ribs, cutting deep into his skin. She heard his sharp inhale of discomfort. “Tell me.” She demanded.

  “The girl is upstairs, but you’ll never get that far. They’ll kill you first.” He retorted, his body shaking in anger.

  Aithne removed the knife from his ribs, then swiftly used the hilt to hit him on the side of the head. She landed right in the spot where she knew he would be out for several hours. Pulling him into the bushes that lined the perimeter of the house, she used her zip ties to bind his hands and feet. She tore off a piece of cloth from his shirt and shoved it in his mouth. Then removed his belt and used it to hold the gag in place. Even though she figured he would be out for a while, it was better to tie him up and hide him, instead of taking any chances.

  Taking a few steps back to the door, she listened for any sounds. Not hearing anything, she turned the handle and walked into the house. The door opened into a servants hallway. It was long, and led to a set of stairs on the right. A little surprised that no one was visible, she wondered where they could be. She had expected to have seen at least a few guards roaming around, and she knew something was off. So far, this had been way too easy.

  Carefully walking up the
stairs, Aithne peeked around the corner to see two guards standing in front of one of the doors. Rolling her eyes in frustration, she could see there was no way for her to sneak up on them. Both stood well over six foot tall and were sporting broad, muscular chests. With bodies so big, she wondered how they even managed to get up the stairway.

  Her sister was going to owe her big after this one. One of the other doors in the hallway stood slightly ajar. Aithne checked to see if they were looking in her direction, then quickly ducked through the door. Luckily, the room was empty, so she was able to take a moment to assess the situation. She knew she couldn’t take both on at once, so it was imperative that she get them separated. Reaching into her pocket, she found a quarter and decided to flick it so it would bounce of the metal globe that sat on the desk. The sound would be just loud enough that the vampires would hear it, but not loud enough to make them both leave their post at the same time.

  The guard closest to her doorway, responded to the sound and walked toward the room. Hiding behind the door, she watched from the slight opening until she saw him reach the door. It creaked loudly as he pushed it open. Just as he made his way over the threshold, she unhooked her black shillelagh that was hanging from her belt. Using the wooden knob on the hilt, she hit him just hard enough in the back of his knee that he fell forward with a grunt. Aithne then slid the long, slender club around his neck and pulled back as hard as she could. He began to struggle against her, but the more he struggled, the closer he came to passing out.

  Suddenly, his head flew back, hitting her hard in the temple. She blinked back stars of pain, but in doing so, her grip loosened on the shillelagh. The guard turned and lunged for her. Aithne reached into the pouch on her belt and grabbed one of her poison laced daggers. As he rushed her, she stabbed at the side of his torso, nicking just enough skin to make her happy. With a menacing smile, the guard flashed his fangs and Aithne watched as his eyes turned blood red. With his rage in full throttle, he charged at her again. Jumping out of the way, she barely managed to escape his grasp. She was enormously thankful, that she had so many years of training to help her deal with these blood suckers.

  Watching him closely, she noticed his movements had started to slow. With a grin, she signaled for him to come at her. As he reached for her, she watched his eyes began to roll back in his head, then with his next step, he toppled to the floor.

  Aithne heard the creak of floorboards outside the room, which let her know the second guard was headed in her direction. Grabbing another poisoned dagger from her belt, she stood in the doorway and skillfully threw it at him. Knowing he would be able to dodge the first one, without any hesitation, she threw a second, hitting him in the bicep.

  He pulled the dagger from his arm and Aithne smiled. The poison would take a few minutes to kick in, and she hoped she would be able to distract him that long. She wanted to be sure that he didn’t have time to call for help. But in a flash, he was right in front of her. He grabbed her by the neck, lifting her up and pinning her against the wall. Struggling against him, she kicked and scratched at him, trying to get him to loosen his grip. The fangs in his mouth began to slide into view, as she continued to fight against his strangle hold. Luckily, the poison from her dagger began to take effect, and he finally let go of her and stumbled to the ground with a hard thud. She thanked the gods the poison hadn’t taken any longer to knock him out.

  Cautiously, Aithne approached the door that they had been guarding. She pressed her ear to the door and listened, but since she didn’t hear any sounds, she turned the door knob and stepped inside. She had to blink her eyes a few times, so they would adjust to the lighting as fast as possible. When they finally adjusted, she could see a figure on the bed. She started to take a step forward, then saw the shadow move, reaching toward the nightstand and turning on the light.

  “Lazzaro.” she whispered.

  Lazzaro stood up. Aithne tensed, not sure what he was planning on doing. As tall as she was in her heeled boots, Lazzaro’s height made her feel small and inferior. His shoulder length blond hair, looked soft to the touch as the light reflected off of it. His icy blue eyes bore into hers as he purred her name. “Aithne,” he said as he rose to stand before her. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

  Aithne flinched as he tried to run his finger along her jaw line, she instinctually smacked his hand away. Her gaze settled on his body, taking in the fact that he was fully dressed. He was wearing a pair of form fitting black slacks that showed every twitch, of every muscle in his legs. His light blue silk shirt, emphasized his cold blue eyes as they observed her. She had to admit, he was definitely the type of man to turn her sister’s head. He wasn’t as large as his guards, but even so, she knew he was just as dangerous. If she were forced to fight him, her chances would be slim. “Lazzaro, I’m touched that you would be waiting for me. Can I ask why you decided to honor me so?”

  Lazzaro chuckled, a wicked smile curving his lips. It made her stomach churn. “I need a favor, Cara Mia.” He walked over to the bar he had set up and offered to pour her a brandy, then proceeded to pour one for himself.

  Declining his offer with a shake of her head, she glared up at him when he handed her the glass anyway. She placed the glass on the counter, then turned back towards him, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “I’m in need of your special skill set, to obtain a certain someone.” Lazzaro continued.

  Aithne raised an eyebrow at his request. “Why do you need me, are your servants that unreliable?”

  Lazzaro gave her the once over, then smiled. Just below his upper lip, you could see the tips of his fangs. “Your ability to blend in, without anyone knowing how dangerous you truly are, is what I need, my dear Aithne.” Crossing the room in just a few steps, he backed her up against the wall. His arms pressed the wall on either side of her, effectively caging her in. Slowly, he moved his hand to her jaw, running his fingers along the edge, as he had tried to earlier. “You do this little job for me, and I’ll return your sister.” Pausing for a moment, his face watched hers. “She’s unharmed and will stay that way, unless…”

  Glaring at him, she tried to stand a bit taller. She absolutely hated being trapped in this position. She would, of course, do what she could to save her sister. However, she couldn’t help but wonder who was stupid enough to earn the wrath of the vampire king. “What do I have to do?”

  Chapter 2

  Watching the girls play in the yard, Viktor sighed. He was still surprised that Violca had agreed to move herself and her sisters into his family home in Colorado. For the most part, they had taken over the East wing of the house, so they could have their own space. When he heard a playful growl outside, he glanced around to see Chase run up and grab one of the girls, swinging her around in his arms.

  Since graduating, Eva, the second oldest sister, had requested to live on her own. Agreeing to a compromise, she had moved into an apartment building that Viktor and Chase were able to secure. Eryk, one of the black panthers they had taken in, had agreed to be her roommate. After all, they were both going to be attending the same college. It was also agreed that she’d keep several guards around her. Not so close as to make her feel smothered, but close enough to give everyone peace of mind.

  Viktor continued to watch Chase play with the two youngest sisters, Sari and Angyalka. He felt nothing but happiness for his friend. Chase was the first dragon to find his mate since before the division of their people. He wasn’t sure if their mating meant balance was being restored to his people, but it felt like there was now hope. His people were tired. Dragons had been created by the gods to kill the titans. Once the job was done, they were supposed to have been killed. The love of a young maiden was all that had saved them. Maybe love could save his people again.

  Viktor looked up to find Violca standing in his doorway, her violet eyes watching him intently. He gestured toward the window. “The sounds of children and laughter are nice to have around.”

  Violca moved toward the wi
ndow and smiled softly as she looked out at her sisters and mate. Viktor noted that her long, dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, with little wisps of hair escaping and framing her face. Viktor felt a stab of envy as he watched her gaze down at her family. He watched Violca laugh, as the girls tried to grab one of the guards and get him to play with them as well. “You know, your guards have been very lenient with the girls. They have a tendency to indulge them.”

  Viktor chuckled softly as he turned and walked back to his desk. “Yeah, they handle my guards a little too well.” With a tilt of his head, he looked up at her. “Did you need something?”

  Violca shook her head. “No, I just walked by and saw you looking out the window.”

  Viktor observed her for a minute. Violca was an interesting woman. She had the ability to heal people with a simple touch, when it came to light wounds. For more serious injuries, she was able to pull magic and strength from her bond with Chase. Her healing ability extended beyond just healing people; she also helped to keep the land flourishing. Eva had the gift of telepathy. Viktor knew Eva’s gift was going to develop into a strong asset. The three younger girls seemed to still be developing their individual abilities.

  Viktor had been searching for his old friend David, a warlock. The girls needed someone to help them learn how to use their magical abilities. They had been sifting through their family’s grimoire trying to learn on their own, but they were having a hard time. The girls could benefit from some guided instruction.

  Viktor’s brother, Dmitri, was determined to use the sisters to unlock the power of the Dragon Ruby. Since Viktor and Dmitri’s parents had been killed by the Orion hunters, they had been at odds. Shortly after their parents had passed, Dmitri had received a prophecy from the Fates. Dmitri believed that the prophecy meant that in order for them to keep their people safe, they needed the original powers that the gods had given them. The powers that had been taken from them and hidden in the Dragon Ruby. The prophecy they had received had only caused a huge rift between them. Dmitri had then decided to go off on his own, recruiting other dragons and other supernaturals to aid him on his quest.