Page 18 of Dhampira

“You knew that was going to happen.”

“The dragons were true shape-shifters. They could take any form they chose.”

I stared down at the dress I’d wished into being. Had my mother known? She’d kept it despite her desire for secrecy. But she’d told me a half-truth, revealing its value without divulging its power.

Bitterness welled in my throat. What else had she kept from me?

Vander’s regard was like a weight. Pushing aside my thoughts, I made my voice light. “So I just tell it what I want to wear?”

“Dragons were telepaths, too. With some practice, you can probably change the gown with a thought.” He looked up at the moon. “We should get some rest.”

He tended to Maddox, giving the horse water and another round of crooned praises. Then he produced two bed rolls and stretched them over the moss, which was softer than my bed at home. When we were settled, he murmured something under his breath and the stones around the clearing glowed the same soft blue as his sword. That accomplished, he removed his cloak and flung it over me.

“Oh,” I said, sitting up. “You don’t have to—”

“Please, my lady, I’m much too tired to out-stubborn you.” He pulled a dagger from somewhere and extended it, hilt-first. “Here. I know I always sleep better with a blade.”

I took it, his my lady ringing in my head. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll gut you in your sleep?”

He lay on his back and closed his eyes, his auburn lashes even longer than I’d first thought. “Just leave my face unscathed. I’m much too pretty for a closed casket funeral.”

The ring of crystals splashed blue light on the trees around us.

I looked at Vander. “Do all vampires have the ability to set wards?”

He grunted without opening his eyes.

No more questions.

With a sigh, I lay down and stared at the stars.

Within minutes, Vander’s soft snores filled the clearing. I turned onto my side, the dagger’s hilt snug in my fist and my gaze on the ring of glowing stones. The events of the day raced through my mind. Unanswered questions followed in their wake. I clutched the dagger more tightly and resigned myself to a sleepless night.

5

Iwoke on my back. Disorientation swept me as I tried to figure out how my bedroom ceiling had become a purple sky. Just as reality crashed back in, a soft sound made me turn my head.

Vander crouched at the edge of the ring of crystals, his body tense and his features hard. His fangs glinted as he placed a finger over his lips, warning me to stay silent. His silver eyes glittered with menace.

Somehow I knew the feral expression wasn’t meant for me.

Even so, my throat went instantly dry, and my heart raced as the promise of danger scented the air.

“No matter what happens,” he said in a low rumble, “do not leave the circle.”

With a jolt, I realized he crouched outside of it.

A dark shape burst from the forest behind him. Vander moved in a blur, spinning and launching himself at the intruder. They collided in midair and crashed to the ground in a tangle of limbs and snarls.

I jumped to my feet with his dagger in my hand. Dimly, I was aware of Maddox rearing within the circle, but I couldn’t tear my gaze from the battle unfolding in the predawn light.

Vander grappled with a wolf twice the size of any I’d seen in Ghedda. They rolled on the ground, fangs flashing. The beast’s fur was gray and matted. Its black claws looked razor-sharp. Its eyes were a fierce, glowing yellow. Vander’s eyes glowed just as brightly. He moved with lethal grace, evading the wolf’s snapping jaws as he pummeled it with vicious blows. All traces of the smiling knight were gone. No one looking at him now would mistake Vander for anything other than a predator.

Maddox pawed at the ground, tearing up chunks of moss in his agitation.

Suddenly the wolf gained the advantage, rolling Vander under it and lunging at his face.

I rushed forward, my fangs snapping down.