Poking the Vamp (Knight Protectors #3) (16 page)
Read Poking the Vamp (Knight Protectors #3) Online
Authors: Celia Kyle
Anger suffused the other vamp’s features.
“Sit down, Joce,” Carac snapped.
“She shouldn’t be anywhere near this room.”
“Sit. Down.” Carac’s order whipped across his flesh. His blood tingled, muscles attempting to follow his sovereign’s compulsion.
“She should be banished from the manse like any other traitor,” he growled and Kate gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
“Joce…” she whispered.
“No. She granted Galla access to that cell. Laila brought her in and her subterfuge nearly took you from me.” He ignored the witch’s tears.
“Protector, cease,” Carac shouted, but Joce remained in place, brushing off the vamp’s power with a roll of his shoulders.
Carac continued to snarl and growl, but Joce only had eyes—and anger—for Laila.
Then a hand encircled his bicep, the grip firm as whoever touched him forced him to turn. “What game do you play?”
Confusion had him furrowing his brow. “I apologize, Sovereign. I—”
Carac shook him and Katherine growled. That could not end well.
Then the vampire stared at him, those eyes intent. “You did not do it intentionally.”
“Do what?”
“Resist me. Defy me.”
“I apolo—”
“No,” he shook his head. “My compulsion did not work.”
“Oh, shit,” Victoria gasped. “Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit.”
When Carac did not correct the young half-vamp, he realized the sovereign was just as stunned over…
“What?”
“You resisted his compulsion. I mean, what did it feel like?” Tory rose and placed her hands on the table, leaning forward as if to hear them better.
Had he resisted? Yes. Yes, each time since binding himself to Kate, it’d been a conscious choice to listen or not. It’d been a
choice
.
“Like water,” Katherine answered. “Like a current urging you to go one way, but still giving you a choice.”
“I had to work a little to defy him, but it didn’t hurt,” Joce agreed.
Carac remained silent a moment and then two before sighing. “This is why they were hidden from us. This is why their existence was erased.”
“Why what?” Katherine sounded confused, but the truth emerged in Joce’s mind.
“Politics, fear, hid
fires
from us.” Joce’s mind finally wrapped the concept around him and the implications were staggering. “If we found our fire, we could resist the masters, the elders, any of them. Our allegiance would no longer be to our sires…”
“But to your
fire
.” Carac’s voice was grim. “I am overjoyed you found her.” He grimaced. “It just makes things more difficult, more dangerous.”
“I don’t understand.” Katherine squeezed his hand and he explained.
“The men—some of them—who hid the truth about
fires
from the race are still alive. Somewhere, anyway. They didn’t want your existence known then. I doubt they want the knowledge spread now.”
“What are we gonna do?”
“We do what we were charged to do by our original king. Protect and defend. From within and without.” Carac’s voice was firm, his words a declaration and a promise. “Now,
please
,” he drawled. “Bring your
fire
and come sit. There are other items to discuss.”
Joce kinda liked not having to listen. But the ability to brush off orders didn’t change his respect and dedication to both Carac and the protectors. With a gentle tug, he led Kate to his position around the table, settling in the chair before bringing her to rest on his lap. His entire body pulsed with warmth as her happiness at being with him filled her. He reveled in her emotions, the sense of wellbeing that came from her along with the joy.
He absently listened to the meeting as it began. Tory recapped the recent events, explaining what she’d discovered.
Or rather, hadn’t discovered.
“There’s nothing,” she said. “Literally nothing about vampires merging with other species.” Victoria shook her head. “I mean, I definitely didn’t find anything when I went hunting for info about daevas, but elementals are secretive. They just… are. I found more about witches,” she gave Laila a side eye, “than I did about them. And witches are a secretive bunch.”
Laila grimaced and nodded in agreement.
“So what do I do now?” His
fire
trembled.
“You try not to suck the life force out of everyone?” Simond drawled.
“Damn, that’s what I planned for tomorrow.” Katherine’s voice was equally bland.
“Lailani,” Carac ignored them both, “what do the witches think?”
“Lailani?” Kate whispered to him.
“He refuses to use nicknames,” he murmured back.
Huh.
“Witches no longer concern themselves with vampires beyond payment for tasks,” the young witch’s voice was nearly inaudible.
“I… see.” Carac sighed and leaned back. “And they do not care that their race will be eliminated by the One?”
Lailani nibbled her lower lip and squeezed her eyes shut. “They feel humans do not care for the earth and the protectors care for and protect them. The protectors, all of them, are on their own.”
Tension thrummed through the sovereign, his muscles flexing, and he sensed his leader’s growing anger. It increased in strength, ticking higher with each passing second. Yet, as quickly as it flew high, it released and settled to resigned frustration. “Very well. We will do our best to protect them when the time comes.”
The elder vamp’s gaze traveled over their motley crew, some vamps clutching females, others alone, but all with the same goal—defeat the One.
“What do we do in the meantime?” Kate voiced the same question that filled him.
“We fight. We pray. We hunt the king of kings. We explore your gifts and we search for answers within these walls.”
So many books, so much time to be spent reading each.
“Above all,” the elder’s gaze was intent and earnest as he enveloped them with his focus. “We live.”
Joce would fight. He would pray. He would hunt for King Arthur’s resting place… he would do all he was asked. And as long as he had Katherine in his arms, he would live.
“About our king…” Tory began, her attention traveling around the circle until her eyes landed on Lailani. “I have an idea about that…”
~~*~~
If you enjoyed this book, please be totally awesomesauce and leave a review so others may discover it as well. Long review or short, your opinion will help other readers make future purchasing decisions. So, go forth and rate our level-o-awesome!
Interested in reading more of Celia’s books? Head over to
AMAZON
to read more!
Ex-dance teacher, former accountant and erstwhile collectible doll salesperson, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Celia Kyle now writes paranormal romances for readers who:
1) Like super hunky heroes (they generally get furry)
2) Dig beautiful women (who have a few more curves than the average lady)
3) Love laughing in (and out of) bed.
It goes without saying that there’s always a happily-ever-after for her characters, even if there are a few road bumps along the way.
Today she lives in central Florida and writes full-time with the support of her loving husband and two finicky cats.
You can find Celia online at:
http://facebook.com/authorceliakyle
Copyright © 2016 Celia Kyle.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.