Lycan King

all, Gretchen,' he said firmly.

'She was tainting the well with her blood. The well is poisoned,' Gretchen persisted.

'I said that is all!' Drago thundered. 'Leave us.' He shot her a harsh look. Damnation, the wench was getting out of control. He'd known for months he had to break things off with her.

'But, Drago, she was poisoning the water!'

'No, she wasn't,' he said, turning his gaze to Eve. One drop of my blood will cure her madness, she'd told him. She wasn't trying to kill his people. She was trying to help them. With every turn of his head, this woman was proving herself to be a champion, a hero. He would have never believed in a thousand years a vampire of her valour existed. He drew in a ragged breath, realising he had done a gross injustice to her, thinking she was evil. She wasn't. His instinct had been right when he showed her his tunnels. She was honourable, her integrity unquestionable.

Gretchen released a low growl and left the Great Hall. Drago swept a dark gaze around the room and immediately his guards went back to what they were doing.

Grimly, he returned his attention to Eve.

She looked around the room, her expression nervous. 'I…I didn't expect so many people here.'

Her expression gave way to fear and he frowned. She looked terrified. 'Do not fear my guards. They all know you are our ally.' She nodded, but the fear remained on her face. 'Let us sit down.'

He saw her nostrils flare as she darted her gaze frantically around the room. 'Can we…can we sit over there,' she said huskily, pointing to his throne. It was the only isolated spot in the room.

A dawning realisation struck him and he narrowed his eyes. 'You do not fear my men,' he said. 'You fear your thirst.'

She gave him a look that was a strange mixture of fear, disgust and anger. 'Yes.' She released a strangled breath. 'This is no good. I have to go. I'm sorry, but I'm not used to being around so many people.' She took an unsteady step back. 'I haven't…I have to…' Her expression flickered with suppressed emotion. 'I'm sorry. I must go.' And she turned and fled.

Chapter Six

What a fool she was! All the Lycan blood in the room made her dizzy with hunger. Dammit, why hadn't she locked into Gretchen's mind and removed any memory of them at the well? She choked back a rising sob as she ran down the long corridors. Where the hell was the exit, she thought frantically.

Finally, she spotted a door and ran outside. A sharp stab in her gut made her wince with pain. Oh God, why did she put herself through this every single night? Prolonging her nightly feeding rite was only asking for trouble. And yet, she couldn't help it. She hated feeding. Even though the act gave her an exquisite rush of ecstasy, the remnant of her human self was still repulsed by it, even after four hundred years.

She ran into the courtyard, past the entrance, to the perimeter of the grounds. The castle was atop a vast mountain and she inhaled deeply, looking down at the village below lit by torches and lanterns.

Without another thought, she stared up at the night sky and sprinted into the air, flying over the village to a field past the town's edge. She landed firmly on her two legs and groaned, squeezing her eyes. Dammit, the pain was worse. She knew she could hunt for an animal in the village, but that was too risky. She didn't want to jeopardize a villager's life if she couldn't find a stray dog and her thirst consumed her. She'd have to find a wild animal past the fields in the forest near the horizon. Gritting her teeth against the hunger, she rose and sprinted high in the air, soaring through the flat fields.

She prayed she was going to make it to the forest in time. After what seemed like forever, flying through the air, she caught a movement to her left and gasped. She landed on the ground and narrowed her gaze on the spot. A fox! Relief flooded through her veins.

She was about to sprint through the air to catch it when her vampire hearing caught a rumble in the distance behind her. She spun around, stared into the darkness and froze.

A massive Lycan was running at incredible speed towards her. Even from this great distance and with the absence of light, her vampire sight still made him out. He was over nine feet tall, with a smatter of hair all over his massive, muscular body. The only covering he wore was a dark loin cloth over his genitals.

She bared her fangs and hissed at the approaching beast. The fox ran to safety and Eve hissed at the Lycan who stopped before her. Up close, he was even more terrifying. His jowls looked fierce enough to rip a stag in two and his amber eyes glowed ferociously. He was a monster.

She was too weak to take flight, too weak even to run, but she stood her ground and hissed up at him.

And then he shifted. The brows meeting at the bridge of his nose disappeared, the dangerous incisors faded away, the fierce talons withdrew. She stood there, dazed as she watched the muscular figure of a man take shape. It was Drago dressed only in a black loin cloth.

Her breath caught as she ran her gaze over his body and when she stared up at his face, she froze. His expression was both astounded and furious. 'Why didn't you tell me you fly?'

'You never asked,' she said before collapsing on the ground.

* * * *

He lowered himself next to her and gently lifted her on his lap.

She lifted her blue gaze to his and said huskily, 'How did you find me?'

He ignored her question. The truth disturbed the hell out of him and he pushed it at the back of his mind. He ran his gaze over her face and frowned.

'What is wrong?' he asked abruptly, fear making his nape tingle. 'You look weak, paler.'

She licked her lips. 'I…I need to feed.' She glanced over his shoulder and squeezed her eyes. 'Dammit, you scared the fox away.' She winced, gasping in pain.

'Eve, what is it?' He tightened his hold on her and shook her gently.

She gasped for breath. 'If I don't feed…I will die,' she said faintly.