A Call of Vampires (A Shade of Vampire #51)

It hadn’t taken the young fire dragon long to make new friends; he and Heron, Jax’s brother, soon became inseparable. Heron Dorchadas, also present and currently grimacing at his brother’s instructions, was an impressive specimen, as far as Eritopian vampires were concerned. The Mara was tall, dark, and handsome as hell—even I had to give nature credit for the gifts it had bestowed upon him. He shared many of his brother’s facial features, with black hair in a permanent bedhead tousle, jade eyes, and a nose worthy of Roman emperor busts, but he was slightly more slender than Jax, with toned muscles, broad shoulders, and long legs. The ladies, both Shadian and Eritopian, loved and hated him at the same time—sure, he whipped up a charming smile with ease, but his penchant for crude jokes nearly got him slapped a couple of times, and, in at least one instance, nearly set on fire (Caia did not mess around).

I turned my attention back to the Shadian females surrounding me, carefully analyzing each one as I noticed how comfortable they’d all gotten with their new lives in Eritopia. Hansa had taken a particular liking to Fiona, mostly because of her strength—she was another “warrior with deadly thighs”, so it didn’t come as a surprise that they’d gotten close. Fiona had inherited Yelena’s auburn hair, keeping it cut below the ears. Her eyes were the color of molten amber, and her physique didn’t exactly match her titanic strength. Sure, the athletic frame was visible, but she was almost two heads shorter than me, petite, with an overall sweetness that made each of her punches a devastating surprise.

Avril was my secret favorite of the bunch, mainly because of the foot-in-mouth syndrome she often displayed during social gatherings and dinner parties—she was my kindred spirit, so to speak. She’d come to The Shade with Marion, and Lucas had adopted her, raising her like his own. She had opted into vampirism at the age of eighteen, and even that didn’t stop her dad from being super-protective. But Avril was always quick to stop him from being overbearing (when she was around). Her medium height didn’t make her any less of a worthy opponent, and her beautiful face was often a distraction for our male recruits during training. Her oval face with heart-shaped lips and pert nose, complemented by her hazel eyes and long light brown hair with blond highlights was a recipe for heartbreak, and her hourglass figure didn’t help either. What made her truly intimidating to some, however, was her sense of smell—hence the “Hound Dog” nickname. Avril was an expert tracker—almost as good as if she were a werewolf. She’d learned how to smell the chemical changes in any creature, thus being able to detect fear and other intense emotions. She could read some of us like open books.

As for Scarlett, she was a phenomenon all on her own, given her incredible speed. She’d also been turned at the age of eighteen and was Avril’s niece by marriage, technically speaking, but they got along more like sisters. She had warm brown hair, which she often combed straight into a ponytail to “help with aerodynamics”, she’d say, and Jeramiah’s sky-blue eyes. She was as tall as me, with an athletic physique, ample curves, and long legs that she used to their maximum capacity.

“Okay, girls, I’m going to take turns with you,” I announced, addressing Avril, Scarlett, and Fiona. “We’ll focus on physical combat for now because I want to assess your offense and defense skills.”

The three vampires nodded firmly, each clad in her black training suit and sneakers. I’d advised them to wear some fingerless gloves, at least, because I had a hard head, and it wouldn’t have been the first time they’d ended up grazing their knuckles while trying to punch me.

“Well, I see you didn’t bother to take my advice.” I nodded at Fiona, who put her bare hands up with a smirk. As usual, that made my skin crawl. That girl could beat me six ways from Sunday, and, judging by the look on her face, she was hell-bent on making it seven ways from Sunday.

“I don’t need them,” she replied politely.

“Of course you don’t.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and took a deep breath. Anjani’s chuckle drew my attention. “What are you so giggly about, my love?”

“Oh, nothing. I’m just looking at you, surrounded by three ladies, about to get whipped,” my future bride replied. Her emerald eyes glimmered with droplets of pure gold, their mesmerizing effect amplified by her rich black hair flowing down her back and over her shoulders in generous curls. I loved the way she looked in her training outfit, her athletic curves hugged by black leather, quietly inviting me to lose myself in her.

“Good to know I’m lucky to have such a supportive fiancée,” I quipped, pursing my lips.

“Shut up and get to work, wolf-boy,” Hansa barked with a half-smile. “These girls are not here for your smooches and coos!”

Anjani lit up with a silvery blush, while I felt my cheeks heat. I blinked several times, then glanced at Fiona, Scarlett, and Avril. All three stood there, watching and waiting patiently. I glanced back at Hansa and Anjani, and decided to keep them busy, too. If I was going to get my ass handed to me by Fiona (again), the least I could do was make sure the others got some action as well.

“How about you, Serena, Vita, and my future wife take on Harper and Caia?” I suggested to Hansa with a smirk. “I’m thinking you’d be of more use to GASP if you trained with our young recruits, instead of standing on the side and being all judgy about how I communicate with my fiancée?”

“That’s perfectly fine with me,” Hansa shot back. “But I will still laugh when Fiona splatters you all over this plateau.”

I chuckled, then gave Harper a stern look, pointing a finger at her like a regular drill sergeant.

“You’d better show this succubus not to mess with us Novaks, you hear me?”

Harper raised an eyebrow, her hands resting on her hips. “Need help defending your ego then, cousin Jovi?”

“You’re not helping,” I muttered, unable to stifle a laugh. The others giggled as well, before I clapped once to regain their attention. “Okay, here’s how we’ll do this. One-on-one sessions, in rotation, each with a minimum of three five-minute rounds. Hansa, Serena, and Anjani can take on Harper. Caia can work with Vita, and I will deal with Avril, Scarlett, and Fiona.”

Harper frowned at me. “I get three opponents and Caia only gets one?”

“It’s actually very fair.” I grinned. “First, because you sold me out just now, and second, because you’re one hell of a fighter and you need to up your game. You’re already comfortable with two opponents, so giving you three is like upping you one level. I’m fighting three vampires here, after all. Proficiency does not reside in the number of opponents, but in what you do with your body and skills. And third, Caia and Vita train best together because they both focus on their fire abilities, which can be crucial to any mission we undertake.”

Silence fell over the group. Anjani beamed with pride, and Hansa couldn’t help but give me an appreciative nod.

“Good thinking,” the former Red Tribe chief said. “I’m impressed.”

“Didn’t think I had it in me, huh?” My lips stretched into a grin.

“On the contrary, I think you’re one of the most impressive and relentless fighters I’ve ever had the pleasure to go to war with,” Hansa replied in a serious tone, then grinned. “You just need a kick in the butt, once in a while, to get you back on track, because you are so. Easily. Distracted.”