'And you were turned into a vampire when he attacked your village?'
'Yes,' she said quietly, darting a nervous glance at his guards.
'Come here, child. Sit by me and tell me what you know.'
She approached him slowly, her expression fearful as she cast another nervous glance at his men standing guard behind her.
'Do not fear my men. Balkathan enslaves children,
'Please, may…may we speak alone, Your Highness?
He understood her fear. His guards would frighten any child, whether the child was a vampire or not, and he gave them a quick look. 'Wait outside.'
They went outside and closed the door behind them. He directed his attention back to her. 'What is your name?'
'Dahlia.'
'Tell me, Dahlia, what do you know?'
'Well, it's not so much what I know, Your Highness, but more what
All of a sudden he noticed a change on her face. The innocence left and was replaced with a malevolent look. His blood ran cold. Silently, he cursed himself for his foolhardy mistake and growled as his beast rose to the surface.
It was too late. She moved like the wind and she clasped her hands on his face before he could shift. The effect of her touch was instant. He grew weak as something cold penetrated his mind. He fought the iron grip she had on his thoughts. She was probing, digging, pushing deep into his mind looking for…someone. Katya!
Blackness overwhelmed him as his body sunk to the ground, his last thoughts on Eve.
Chapter Ten
Eve smiled at Katya's reflection as Hesta helped her daughter slip into a gown. It was the colour of chocolate and had delicate cream lacings trimming the low neckline. 'You look lovely, Katya,' Eve said.
Her daughter returned the smile through the mirror. 'The king has sent me so many lovely gowns, I don't know which to pick from.'
Hesta tightened the laces on Katya's back. 'The master is a very generous man, my girl. Do not be fooled by his harsh exterior. Beneath him lies a man who has a big heart.'
The healer gave Eve a long look, her weather-beaten face softening and Eve looked away nervously. The old woman was obviously--Eve gasped! She couldn't complete her thought because something fierce slammed into her stomach. Her breath caught and she stiffened violently. Drago! She grasped the armrest of her chair and rose unsteadily to her feet. Hesta and Katya stopped what they were doing and stared at her, worry lining their faces.
'Mama, what is it? You…you look ill!'
Eve felt ill--with panic and fear. Small tremors ran through her limbs as she tried to speak. She sensed him! She sensed Drago and he was in mortal danger!
She caught her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were blood red and she bared her fangs. She hissed as she shot a glance at her daughter and Hesta. 'This cannot be,' she spat.
'Mama, you're scaring me. What's happened?'
There was no time to explain. She sensed the presence of one of her kind and Drago's emptying thoughts. 'Drago's in danger!' she yelled. 'Hesta, he's in the Great Hall. Alert the guards!'
Without sparing another second, she sped from the room and flew down the hallway. She sailed down the stairs and flew towards the Great Hall. The guards growled when they saw her appear suddenly.
'Balkathan's vampire is in there!' she screamed before she crashed through the doors and ran a frantic gaze around the room. She unsheathed her wooden stake from her back and splayed it out before her.
She saw Drago on his knees by his throne with a child-demon's hands on his face. Oh my God, was she too late? Flying through the air, she grabbed the girl by the hair and yanked her off him. She glanced fearfully at Drago and saw him collapse on the floor.
The child-demon hissed at Eve as she pulled a small wooden contraption from a pocket on the side of her gown. She flicked a lever with her finger and the contraption snapped open, taking shape of a wooden stake.
'You're too late!' the child hissed, lunging at Eve. 'I already know where she is and after I kill you, I will kill her.'
Eve sprang to the side, barely avoiding the girl's stake. She heard Drago groan and shot him a panicked glance. He rose unsteadily, his hands clenched at his sides. Slowly, he turned his gaze to hers and her heart wrenched at the look on his face. It was a mixture of rage and fear and something else she couldn't define.
'Protect Eve,' he roared hoarsely to the two guards rushing into the hall.
The guards shifted into their wolf forms and lunged towards the child-demon. Eve knew it was suicide because their strength was no match for the young girl's speed and she sprung in the air between them.
'No!' Drago roared and he shifted into his Lycan form.
Eve faced the child-demon, the wolves growling behind her, and pointed her stake to the girl. 'I have never killed a child before. Please, don't…don't make me do this.'
Dahlia bared her fangs and hissed. 'I am not a child.' With lightning reflex, she flung her stake at Eve.
Eve heard Drago roar with rage and before she could react, his Lycan form vaulted between her and the stake. In one swift movement, it entered his abdomen and he groaned as he fell to the ground. Rage blinded Eve and she
