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The North American Brood held traditional vampire culture in high esteem. One of the most fundamental of those traditions was bleeding humans straight from the source, regardless of the havoc the act caused in human immune systems. The research that highlighted this side of vampire feedings had come out after Louisa had already begun practicing. While most new-generation vampires had no problem swearing off the practice, they had an easier time than the older generation, who had experienced the pleasure that came from drinking from a warm body. A pleasure comparable to when a succubus took in sexual energy. Warm, freeing, pure ecstasy.

Louisa was one of the few who’d experienced the high but walked away rather than risk the consequences. It wasn’t in her nature to harm. This, above all, made her an unpopular choice for the North American Brood heir. It was only Louisa’s above-reproach proficiency with the dark arts that earned her any morsel of respect. Talent, hand in hand with the fact that hermother, Rosario the Cruel-aptly named- was the current Grand Vampire, cemented Louisa’s position.

Once, Master Japhet would have looked forward to declaring war against the Coven if they so much as breathed in Rowan’s direction wrong. He used to look forward to a fight with the organization. But, in a recent development, he had found the love of his life. Years full of vacations alone with his beloved made him complacent and too happy to risk a back-slide into violence that he’d known too well.

Like Rowan’s father, Master Jah had been through enough war to last a dozen lifetimes. Rowan would do everything in her power that all of her loved ones lived in days of peace if she could help it.

“It saddens me to ask this, after such sweet words, but what in the world did you do to make Mitchell Tech call me?”

Louisa grimaced for half a second before a cool mask slid into place. She stood. “Not the slightest clue. I really should get back to my work and follow our Kin’s lead.”

She was gone before Rowan could say another word.

Rowan groaned and turned to her phone. Sometimes, it sucked to be the point of contact for their minor operation.

Chapter 2

Alessandro had only left Dragon City minutes after the news reached him. Still, he had been too late. By the time he arrived at the smoldering gate of Draconis, there was a barrier of fire installed that made the wrecked grounds past the gate invisible to outsiders.

The press, lined up behind metal dividers right outside of demolished storefronts, talked to a calm, black-haired dragon who was assuring everyone that everything was under control.

He stalked onto the grounds, and astonishment roiled through him as he took in the sight of roots as thick as some full-grown trees reaching towards the sky. He watched as several earth dragons worked in groups to get a single root back into its rightful place when it should have taken one dragon per tree.

No building on the estate remained intact, and a group of wind dragons manually cleared the debris-strewn ground instead of using magic.

Slowly, eyes turned to him, and as they realized who had arrived, they fell to their knees, casting their eyes away.

Alessandro scowled and crossed his arms, a tendril of smoke escaping his nose. “What happened?” He demanded.

From the group of dragons working on the roots, a woman with a honey-hued afro, dark skin, and glacial hazel eyes stood to address him. Alessandro wasn’t surprised she was the first to stand. Terra was not only his Earth General but, as his younger sister and second-in-command, was best equipped to receive and temper his foul mood.

“My Lord, we have yet to find the cause. One second we were of normal temperament; the next, blinded by absolute rage, aimed toward each other. We would have resorted to killing, but a white-haired elf showed up and…” She was hesitant to continue. “She drained us of our magic.”

Alessandro took a moment to process what she’d said. “An elf came and took down over 50 dragons with a bit of draining magic?”

“A bit?” Blaise, his Fire General and the youngest of the Draconian Thunder Elemental Generals, had pin-straight red hair that reached past his shoulder blades. His liquid amber eyes shone with irritation as he recalled the elf. “She damn near drained all of nature dry and…” He motioned towards the trees, “…left this mess for us to deal with, as if our own mess hadn’t been big enough.” He pointed toward the collapsed buildings of the estate.

Alessandro felt his hackles raise.

An elf, a fucking little elf, had come into his estate and eaten his dragons’ magic? “None of you thought to stop her? Was she behind your madness?”

“No.” Terra answered once again, and the shame behind her words was most highlighted in her hung head. Alessandro felt his shoulders soften a little at the raw display of regret. He wondered if she would ever stop being such a soft spot for him. “We were attacking each other before she showed up. The only reason we stopped was because she ate our magic stores. Even after that, we tried to kill each other with our claws if that’s what it had to come down to, and so she wrapped us in roots to keep us from reaching each other. If she was behind the attack, I’m sure she would have just let us finish each other off, but she waited until we regained control to leave as quickly as she had come to our aid. We don’t know what made us lose our minds, my Lord, but it was not the elf.”

Alessandro sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Everyone broke out in this fury at the same time?” He asked, looking around the group. Heads nodded solemnly. Swallowing pride was difficult. Dragons had little practice with it. “No one has any idea what triggered it?” He asked again, hoping for a different answer, butno such luck. “Alright, healers, come to me. I’ll speed along your recovery. Once I’m done, you’ll do it to the non-healers.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Alessandro would never admit how creepy he found the unified response.

“Enough with the ‘lords’. I despise when you all use that to appease me, and would you stand straight? You look like damn ostriches.” Alessandro motioned the first healer forward and began trying to gather the natural magic in his practiced way. Trying being the operative word. The surrounding magic hadn’t replenished. What elf could be so thorough in wiping out their source of power?

Though elves were elemental-based mystics, they were never so talented at wielding it at this level.

A chill went up his spine as he tapped into his celestial power and sped the replenishing process along until he had enough magic on his lands to heal his dragons.

Terra, who had stood up to her full, towering figure, watched over her king as he taught the healers what he was doing. He dispatched them to help the others, then turned to her.

“Who is the elf?”