Blood at Stake (Warriors of the Krieger Book 2) by Theresa Hissong Page A

marriage was arranged and thankfully we were
close friends.”
    “How did you become a Krieger ?” she
asked, placing her cheek against my chest again, finding a
comfortable spot to listen to my story. I wrapped my arms around
her and pulled her tight against my body so that we are almost
molded together. Lydia fit me perfectly.
    “I was always large for my age, even as a
boy. It seemed like I was needing new clothes or shoes every few
months. My strength was ten times that of men my age. Most people
gave me a wide berth when I walked through the streets. I always
felt like I didn’t belong in my own skin.
    “One night, while I sat in the pub with some
friends, a stranger entered the place. He had this air of authority
about him that made everyone sit up and take notice. Whispers
floated through the room that he was a vagabond and some assumed a
killer. Something about the man made me want to go to him, to find
out what his true nature was. It was the strangest feeling, like he
was…family. I guess that’s the best way to describe it.”
    “What happened next?” she asked in awe, like
she was truly interested in my story. From our connection, I could
tell that she was in total suspense. I laughed and kissed the top
of her head, silently telling her that I was going to get to that
part soon.
    “I stayed at the pub until everyone cleared
out for the night,” I continued. “The man also stayed, drinking his
ale slowly and acting like he couldn’t hear what the humans were
saying. It wasn’t until closing time that the man approached me. He
introduced himself and asked if he could have a moment of my time.
We talked for a while, but it wasn’t until we left the pub that he
told me why he was there. He said that he was a protector, and he
was in search of others like himself.”
    “Who was the man?” she asked.
    “Dragus,” I admitted. “He told me about the Krieger . He told me everything about what he did, except the
fact that he was a vampire and then he left.”
    “He left ?” she gasped.
    “Yes,” I nodded. “He left. I went home and
crawled into my empty bed, wondering about this strange man and
what he could offer me. He said that I could make a difference in
the lives of others, but I didn’t know until the next night that
I’d be protecting vampires.”
    “What happened the next night?” she asked. I
nuzzled her palm when she placed it on my cheek. The action was
automatic…like it was something we’d done for years, instead of
days.
    “I don’t think Dragus intended it to happen
the way it did,” I laughed, remembering how frustrated Dragus was
that it didn’t go as planned.
    “We were walking out of the pub just as they
were closing down and heard a woman’s muffled scream. Dragus
growled and ran toward the sound. I followed. We found a male
vampire feeding off of a human female. He’d ripped her throat out,
and she died before we even found them. Her cry was probably her
last attempt to get someone to help her, but we were too late.
Dragus dispatched the vampire right in front of me. I was in such a
state of shock that it took me a few minutes to put together what
I’d seen.”
    I’d been frozen with fear when Dragus pulled
a wooden stake from under his coat and stabbed the vampire in the
chest. The vampire hissed loudly, his skin turning pale. The skin
shriveled quickly. Eventually, the corpse sizzled and turned to ash
before my eyes. Seeing that, when I didn’t know what was really
going on, scared the hell out of me.
    “When I started to back away, Dragus turned,
and I saw his fangs. In his anger, he’d revealed himself to me. At
that time, I would’ve been outcast by the townsfolk if I’d gone
running around screaming ‘vampire’. Dragus’ only words to me were,
“I could really use the help.” Something about what he was doing
called to me, and somehow I knew that was what I should be
doing.”
    “How long before you were changed?” Lydia
was sitting up again,