Bloodlust - Helen Harper Page 0,2

and good. Despite the imminent and very real danger that Endor offered, I’d been able to think of virtually nothing since but the look in his eyes when he’d realised what was happening. I’d gone back over it again and again, wondering whether I’d made the right decision or not by conceding to the Arch-Mage and the Summer Queen’s demands. Half the time I thought I should have just told the pair of them to fuck off, the other half I didn’t think I’d had any choice.

I reached out and gingerly touched the paper, then drew my fingers back as if burned. He had said he didn’t want anything to do with me ever again. But I knew well that a bit of time and distance could calm frayed tempers. Perhaps he wanted to meet and talk out what had transpired between us, and listen to my side of the story. Or perhaps he wanted to reiterate that he thought I was a piece of low-life dirt not fit to grace the soles of his glossy wingtips.

I stretched my hand out again, trying not to pay too much attention to the fact that my fingers were trembling. This was ridiculous. I was a fucking dragon, for goodness’ sake. I couldn’t be afraid of a stupid piece of paper. More decisively this time, I picked it up and unfolded it, then stared down at the words scrawled there. Disappointment and relief warred inside me. The note was from Tom, not Corrigan. He wanted me to meet him outside the city on Thursday night to begin my transformation training. I’d only ever shifted into dragon form once, and that had been when my emotions were so out of control it was a completely involuntary manifestation. The dragon instincts had completely taken over my body and mind to the extent that I’d been too scared to give myself up to them again. But if we were going to have any hope of truly beating Endor, then I’d have to stop acting like a terrified little mouse and get with the program. Tom was going to use his years of shifter knowledge to help me. I sniffed, trying to tell myself I was completely nonchalant about the whole thing. No problem.

Standing up, I shoved the note into the back pocket of my jeans, scooped up my backpack and left the room, emerging into the busy restaurant floor of Alcazon. As soon as I did so, virtually every head turned in my direction and an abrupt hush descended across the space. My reputation was obviously starting to precede me. I straightened my back and glared at them all, wondering whether I was suddenly the object of the Otherworld’s interest because everyone now knew my so-called secret identity or because they were all aware that I’d very publicly declined the opportunity to be the Lord of the Brethren’s love muffin. Neither thought was a pleasant one, so I glared harder. The majority of the patrons hastily looked away. After years of attempting to keep a very low profile, I was not enjoying any of this attention at all.

I gritted my teeth and began to stride out, hoping I looked a lot more menacing and confident than I felt. I’d just about made it to the door, however, when a figure stepped in front of me. I scowled in irritation until I realised just who, or rather what, was barring my escape. My heart began to sink. I had a horrible feeling I knew what this was going to be about. A flicker of heat lit up inside my belly.

“You’re in my way,” I snarled.

The slender pale-skinned female inclined her head slightly, but the expression in her ruby red eyes indicated she wasn’t about to get out of my path any time soon.

“I was hoping that we might have a word.” Her voice was as icy cold as I knew her skin would be.

I pushed past her, trying not to shudder at the touch of her undead flesh. Unfortunately for me, two more vamps were now up ahead. So that hadn’t been the royal ‘we’ she’d been using there then. Damn it.

“Will you join us at our table?”

I turned back towards her and mulled over my options. I could just ignore her and her bloodsucking friends completely. I knew I could easily bypass them if they really wanted to get in my way. I was very aware that every other being in the room was watching our