He could try.

And I’d kill him if he did.

CHAPTER SEVEN

(Butch)

Lazarus and Annalise escorted us all to an empty parlour. With its old portraits, antique furniture, and the painted ceiling, it was even grander than the parlours at Antonio’s half of the mansion at The Hollow.

No sooner were we all seated than Lazarus turned to me with a troubled expression and said, “I feel I should warn you to be careful of Marco. He is one of my most loyal vampires. He serves me well. But he can act rashly. I will warn him to steer clear of you. But Imani is his first-born and he believes this gives him rights that no one else should have. As such, I would advise you to keep your wits about you. If he comes for you, you will not sense him until it is too late.”

Rather than assuring him I could take Marco, I just inclined my head.

“Tell us what you know about dragon shifters, Lazarus,” said Sam.

“They are a fascinating species. Strong. Fierce. Dangerous. Ferociously protective of their own. In their dragon form, they are even stronger and their outer coat of armour comes in various colours. Some look rather exotic, others quite medieval.

“They can shift shape as easily as they can walk, but they cannot maintain their dragon form if they are weak. When they die, their bodies return to their human shape. In their dragon form, the majority have the ability to breathe scalding heat, smoke, and fire. But there are some that can breathe air so cold it encases their target in ice.”

Imani raised her brows as she said dryly, “Charming.”

“They live in droves, each of which is ruled by an Alpha. Unlike many species, they do not war amongst each other and they have no hierarchy of power. They simply exist. I admire that about them.”

Jared crossed his legs at his ankles, looking deceptively relaxed. “I heard they don’t like vampirekind much.”

“That is true,” confirmed Lazarus. “Once it was discovered that their blood had healing properties, people were convinced it could somehow cure vampirism. Those driven to find a cure often kidnapped the shifters and kept them prisoner while they used their blood. Some vampires, however—much like myself—found nonviolent ways of obtaining dragon blood. I pay a high price for donations. Dragon shifters have a weakness for gold and jewels.”

Sam’s brow furrowed. “Why would you want their blood?”

“To use for my trials,” he replied. “Annalise and I were Turned without our consent. I have dedicated most of my vampiric life to finding a cure. Unfortunately, my attempts have so far been unsuccessful, but I have not lost hope.”

“Do you do these trials on yourself?” asked Jared.

“No. It is not difficult to find volunteers, despite that some of the serums we developed have proven fatal. Many are so miserable with this life that they would rather be dead than be a vampire. The majority of the time, the serums have no effect whatsoever, even with dragon shifter blood.”

I cocked my head. “Given how much they hate us, I’m surprised they’d sell their blood to you.”

Lazarus looked at me. “As I said, they have a weakness for gold and jewels and pretty things. They like to accumulate valuable possessions. They hire out their services in other ways, too. For instance, they’re often used as mercenary groups.”

I stilled. “Mercenary groups?”

“A single dragon can wipe out a small town in a matter of minutes. You can imagine what an entire drove could do.”

I exchanged looks with each of The Hollow’s vampires; by their grim expressions, they were all thinking the same as me: It was possible that someone intended to hire a drove of dragon shifters to destroy The Hollow.

Sam spoke to Lazarus. “You’re on good terms with the local drove?”

Lazarus hesitated. “‘Good terms’ is not the phrase that I would use. We have a treaty. The drove does not cross into our territory, and we do not cross into theirs.”

“We need to meet with the local drove,” Jared told him. “Can you set that up?”

“I very much doubt that they would agree to that.”

“It’s important,” said Jared.

Lazarus shook his head. “I’m sorry, they would do me no favours.”

Annalise pursed her lips. “They might agree if…”

“If, what?” prodded Sam.

“If Marco were to ask,” Annalise finished. “The Alpha is quite cordial with him. There is a mutual respect there.”

“After what he did to Imani, I won’t ask that prick for anything,” snarled Jared, taking the words right out of my mouth.

“I swear, I won’t see it as a betrayal if you ask for his assistance,” vowed Imani.

My jaw hardened. “Imani, he—”

“This is bigger than me, Butch,” she said. “He might not agree to help—he likes to play games too much. But there’s no harm in Sam and Jared asking him.”

The Grand High Pair fell silent, and I guessed they were discussing the matter telepathically. Their expressions gave nothing away.

Finally, Sam said to Lazarus, “Call Marco in here.” The Master Vampire nodded at Annalise, who then left the room.

I gave Sam a ‘You have to be fucking kidding me’ look, at which point she studied Imani’s face carefully.

“You sure you’re okay with this?” Sam asked her.

“I’m sure.” She looked as positive as she sounded.

Minutes later, Marco entered the room. His eyes immediately sought out Imani, and his face softened. “Hello again, sweetheart.”

Fucker. I wanted to slide my arm around her shoulders and make a possessive statement that he couldn’t miss, but it would no doubt piss her off. So I did nothing; I kept my expression blank, unwilling to let Marco see just how much his very existence got to me.

“Marco,” began Lazarus, “the Grand High Pair needs to meet with the local dragon drove. Can you arrange that?”

“We don’t mean the shifters any harm,” Jared quickly added. “We just have some questions.” When Marco didn’t speak, Jared pushed, “Can you do it?”

“The drove tolerates me well enough,” said Marco. “But they would not be inclined to meet with you or your mate. You’re the most powerful vampires alive; they would feel threatened by your presence. You can’t really blame them for that. If the situation were reversed, you would be just as wary.”