Vladimir watched Zeke in the rear view mirror of the black Hummer. The man hadn't said a word about Erza's episode the night before, but Vladimir didn't trust him. One slip was all it would take for the Council of Nobles. The rats had been gunning for her since she took the throne. They didn't believe a woman was capable of ruling their race, let alone leading their elite Warriors. Vladimir, Roderick, and Lucius had worked for centuries to keep Erza's secret, that her Curse was the very Madness that plagued their people. If the Council ever found out, they would order her execution, and the Leonidas House would be no more.
Vladimir had discussed the issue of an heir with Erza once. He fingered the thin scar beneath his right eye. It had been the first and only time she'd ever bested him in a fight. Only Roderick's and Lucius' intervention had kept her from killing him. None of the men had ever brought it up again.
Anyway, that damned human had better keep his trap shut. I won't lose Erza because of some loud mouthed scholar! He thought with a frown. Remembering the boy's minutiae of a back-story the previous evening, he wondered about Zeke's apparent humanity.
He felt the vehicle lurch to a stop and studied the street as he exited the SUV. According to Zeke, this burg of New Orleans didn't often see tourists. The small shops dotting the cobblestone lane ranged in wares from natural medicines to love potions and séances. Vladimir guessed that not many tourists would be interested in such things. He sure as hell wasn't.
Zeke led them up the street and stopped before a pale green door. Flecks of gold formed a frame around a hunk of stone mounted in the center of the wooden plank.
"Pyrite. She says it attracts money," Zeke said with a shrug when he caught Vladimir's perusal.
Damned youth shouldn't be so perceptive of his elders, he thought, grimly ignoring Zeke's explanation.
"You brought the bag, right?" Zeke asked, fidgeting with something at his neck and darting glances around the street. Vladimir narrowed his eyes at the nervous wreck Zeke had become.
"Yes, I brought the bag. You insisted we stop and pick it up, so of course I brought the blasted bag," Vladimir grumped.
"It's best to just get it over with, Lad," Roderick advised, his tone bland.
"I know, but you don't know my sister," Zeke sighed.
Vladimir rolled his eyes. How dangerous could a sister be? Human females were generally vapid, whiny creatures in his experience.
"Okay, remember; don't talk unless you're asked a direct question," Zeke said before taking a deep breath and opening the door.
Vladimir filed in behind the Warriors. He shouldn't have been there, but Erza's morning phone call had ordered all the men to accompany Zeke. She also left Roderick in charge once more. One didn't question their Regina. So, Vladimir was stuck behind the Warriors in a tiny shop filled with--crystals?
He let his gaze roam over the stringently clean store. He'd have to ask the owner her secret to keeping the white carpet from getting grungy. A dark counter held an ancient, ornate cash register. Wide windows allowed the bright southern sun to naturally brighten the room. Rainbows sparked across the pale cream walls as sunlight bounced off the crystals hanging from displays in the windows and on the ceiling. Not a single inch of space was void of the glittering stones.
"Um...Hi, Prue," Zeke said, drawing Vladimir's attention to the woman arranging a display across the store.
The woman froze. She slowly straightened and turned to face them.
Not much more than five feet tall, her thick, sable hair fell in loose waves to the middle of her back. Her coral lips contrasted well with her pale skin, but her heart-shaped face paired with high cheekbones made her eyes seem huge. Vladimir's chest tightened and his body heated as he gazed at Prudence Ramsey's lovely face.
Her luminous amber eyes widened in horror as she gazed at Zeke's chest. Her eyes hardened and narrowed as they shifted to Zeke's face. Vladimir could almost hear the absolute rage rolling off her in waves.
"Oh, come on, Prue, its pink! I'm not going to be nice to something that's not only inanimate, but an unmanly color!" Zeke cried, holding up his palms in a pleading gesture.
Bad way to start; going on the defensive like that, boy. Vladimir grinned, wishing for a bag of popcorn and a recliner as he watched the burgeoning fireworks.
Prue flicked her long, sable hair away from her face and arched a delicate brow.
"Prue..." Zeke whined but stopped when she raised a dainty hand. She flipped her palm over and gave the 'give me' gesture. Vladimir wondered if she was mute. She could give Lucius lessons in silent communication!
Zeke fumbled with something at the back of his neck and dropped a leather cord into her hand. She lifted the cord and studied the pink prism at the end. Vladimir's gaze traced the shape of her coral lips. The top was a perfect bow; the bottom a full pillow. He wondered how they'd taste.
He shook himself from his thoughts. What has gotten into me? I have never thought of a woman in such a way! His eyes flicked to her tempting mouth again as the lush pillow hardened into a grim line. She slipped the stone from the chord and set it in the window.
She turned towards Zeke and then flicked her gaze to the Warriors and back once.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
"They need our help, Prue. Well, they need your help, specifically. They're looking for a cave, and the only thing they have to lead them there is a crystal amulet," Zeke explained.
Prue raised her eyebrow again, this time pairing it with a shrug.
"You know those stories John told us as children?" Zeke asked, his demeanor cautious. Vladimir saw Prue's bow-lip curl up in a silent snarl. Interesting.
"I see you remember. Well, some of them were true. These men are the Warriors: the Wolf, Eagle, and Horse. They're trying to find answers about what the Snake did," Zeke explained.
Vladimir bottled his anger at being discounted again. The Fox was not one of the Warriors, so he didn't count. Good for nothing more than cooking their food and cleaning their chamber pots. Erza granted him more rights than tradition, and his station, allowed. Sometimes he took that for granted.
Prue pursed her lips and grabbed a vivid blue stone from her desk. She rolled it around in her fingers, staring into its depths.
Long minutes passed in silence. Faolan opened his mouth, no doubt to give some smart ass remark, but an elbow in the ribs from Lucius and a hard look from Roderick snapped the kid's mouth shut.
Vladimir's focus never left Prue's curvy frame. At the quiet commotion, her eyes jerked up from the stone. Her amber glare pierced them each in turn, before settling upon the middle of their chests.
"You have stones around your necks, but they're veiled. I can't read them. I require their inspection." Prue's low, raspy voice made Vladimir's blood hum and rush through his veins.
Without waiting for permission from Roderick, he transferred the white paper bag to his left hand and pulled the amulet dubbing him the head of his house out of his shirt with his right. He did not take it off, however. He stepped forward, offering the pendant to her with a wizened hand. The sight disgusted him. God, how could he forget how repulsive he was? He hated being trapped in his body. It didn't hurt or move slowly like he'd heard elderly humans complain about, but everyone assumed he was an ancient, feeble old codger with one look at him.
He heard Prue's gasp and turned his attention away from the appearance of his frail hand. Her eyes widened in awe and...Appreciation? No, his eyes must be acting as cruel as his body looked. She took the disk from his hand almost reverently.
"Look how beautiful you are, my friend. You've had such a long life, and what wonderful masters! Especially the current Fox. He is loyal, kind, protective... yes; I can see he has a bit of a temper. Mm hm," Prue muttered to the stone. Vladimir didn't know whether to blush in embarrassment or jerk the pendant away and call her a quack.
"You, I can work with. The crystal is happy with you as its owner, though it would like it if you let it sit in the sun more," Prue said, gently replacing the stone against his chest and giving it an affectionate pat. Vladimir's skin prickled deliciously at her touch.
"Next," she said, snagging Faolan's amulet from beneath his shirt, giving it the same thorough examination.
"A bit young and impulsive, also a bit of an ass, but I can live with that," she said, moving on to Lucius.
"Quiet. Really quiet. Yikes! I would be, too, if I had your problem," she said with a wince, releasing his disk and turning to Roderick.
"Zeke...he doesn't have a vibe. Why doesn't he vibe?" she asked, stepping back from Roderick. She bumped into Faolan, who rested his hands on her upper arms. Vladimir growled viciously in his throat.
The men, besides Roderick, stared at him. Their jaws dropped open, and eyes wide in matching looks of astonishment. Prue stood staring at the stoic Roderick as Vladimir continued to snarl at the young Colt.
"Faolan, take your hands off me. Zeke, bring me that man's crystal," Prue instructed quietly.
"How do you know my name?" Faolan asked stepping away from her. Vladimir stopped growling and shook himself. What the hell? He'd just growled at a Warrior over a woman. A human woman at that!
"The same way I know you play guitar, the crystal told me," she replied, extending her hand.
After inspecting Roderick's dark disk for several long minutes, she looked up at him. Her amber eyes brimmed with tears and her low voice choked on her words.
"You must find your other half quickly. You're almost out of time," she said, giving the amulet back to him herself. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment and seemed to come to some silent agreement. Roderick nodded in apparent understanding of her cryptic remarks, before replacing the ancient disk around his neck.
"Will you aid us, Lady Ramsey?" Roderick asked.
"I have conditions, but yes, I'll help," Prue said, snagging a satchel from her desk and throwing rocks inside.
"Your conditions are...?” Roderick asked. Vladimir tracked her progress around the store, her fluid glide entrancing.
"Our sisters come, too," Prue said, standing defiantly before Zeke.
"What? Prue... How long have you been wearing that stone?" Zeke's voice, incredulous at first, turned low and dangerous. Vladimir instinctively reached for his daggers, searching the street through the windows.
"Um... Since yesterday," Prue whispered hugging the bag of rocks to her chest. Vladimir studied the gem in question with his peripheral vision. It was just a milky white stone shaped like a teardrop. Why was Zeke so upset?
Zeke cursed impressively in several languages before turning to the Warriors. "The only time she wears that stone is when our family is in serious danger. Look, you may not believe me, but my sisters aren't safe. Prue and I have to protect them, so if they don't go, we don't go. End of story," Zeke said, stopping with his arm half raised to throw over Prue's shoulders. He slowly lowered it as his face clouded over. He never once touched her.
"Vladimir, you are the Regina's advisor and confidant. How do you believe she would handle this?" Roderick asked.
"How many sisters do you have?" Vladimir asked, pleased the Warrior valued his opinion. It took the sting out of not being born a Warrior.
"Too many to count, but we're only talking about two," Zeke replied.
Vladimir thought about it. Tactically speaking, Prue and Zeke would work better if they cooperated. Kidnapping them when they believed their siblings in danger would be counter-productive.
"Send someone after each sister and bring them along. These two are no good to us if they're worrying about their family instead of the task before them," Vladimir said.
A twinkling tune blared in the quiet shop. Prue jerked a cell from her pocket and quickly put it to her ear.
"Emmy, I was just about to call... What?" Prue listened for a moment, her alabaster skin turning a sickening grey in seconds. "Lock the doors, Emmy, and get in the safe room. Don't come out unless you hear the signal. Got it?" She snapped the phone shut and dashed toward the door. "He's after Emmy! Hurry! We have to get to her!" she cried, panic causing her voice to tighten and become shrill.
"Who is Emmy, and who is after her?" Vladimir asked keeping pace beside her. He steered her toward the large black Hummer as the others followed closely.
"Emmy is our sister. Our father is hunting her. We don't have time for this!" Prue cried, jerking open the driver's door to climb in. Vladimir gently but swiftly plucked her from the running board and threw her over into the passenger seat. He stuffed the paper sack between the seat and the console as he settled behind the wheel himself. In her panic, she was unfit to drive them anywhere.
The last of the Warriors slammed the door shut just as Vladimir gunned the engine and peeled out of the parking spot. He prayed, to whatever God his people belonged to, that they arrived in time.