by Eve Langlais
Soon, you will know my name. You will fear it.
My name is Lucifer, the last of the Shining Ones. And this world is about to become mine.
Mine.
Mine.
The word chanted itself over and over and—
Someone replied!
“Considering we barely know each other, declaring I’m yours seems a bit premature, but what the heck. You can be mine, too.”
His eyes shot open as his vivid dream—a replay of the past—shattered, and he beheld the woman atop him.
A woman in his room. “How did you escape your cell?” he barked. Because he’d locked the dragon with the yellow curls away himself. Then asked Alfred to find a chain so that he might also tether the bars to prevent her escape should she know how to use the magic box with the symbols on it.
Her lips curved. “Alfred let me out.”
The traitor.
“And you came to kill me?” he snarled.
“Not exactly. Is this your way of saying I am squishing you?” She looked chagrinned and bit her lower lip. She adjusted her weight, in that she lifted herself from his body and went to move away.
But he liked her weight atop him.
His hands shot out from under the blankets and tethered themselves to her waist. “Where are you going?”
“You said I was killing you. I didn’t mean to crush you. Then again, you’d think I’d know by now that I’m not exactly dainty. But you were thrashing in your sleep, and I was worried you were having some kind of a fit, which is why I hopped on top—”
“You’re not heavy.”
The simple truth halted her flood of words and brought a bright smile to her face. It also brought a massive erection. Surely, the blanket would hide its presence.
“I’m glad you’re awake.” She squirmed atop him, exacerbating his turgid state. “I wanted to thank you for taking care of me during my little mishap in the bar.”
“You destroyed the place.” He’d found it rather fascinating that such a beautiful woman could mete out violence while smiling.
“Yeah.” Her cheeks pinked. “I am sorry about that. I don’t hold my alcohol very well.”
“Then why drink?”
“I don’t. Usually. My bestie played a prank.”
“Her prank burned down a tavern, caused injury, and resulted in me failing in my mission to acquire coitus.” Although, he failed to mention that, other than the lack of sex, he’d rather enjoyed the other parts.
“About that… You really shouldn’t go around having sex with strangers.”
“I knew her name.” Kind of. Beth. Or was it Meth? She’d said something along those lines.
“Which reminds me, we were never properly introduced. I’m Elspeth, but the king calls me Elsie.” She sat up straighter on him, applying pressure to his groin as she held out a hand.
He sucked in a breath. Had she done it on purpose? “I don’t care about your name.”
“Is it because you don’t want to have sex with me?” Her smile faded for a moment. “That’s okay. I have a reputation, so it’s probably for the best.”
“A reputation for what?”
“Being a little rough.”
“And the problem with that is?”
The brilliance of her smile returned, blinding him. “I wish more men had your attitude and were tough like you.” She bounced, and this time, he did groan. “Oh, dear. Did that hurt?”
Was it possible to hurt in a good way? Obviously, the answer was yes, given he’d like her to bounce some more. But he needed to look past the enjoyment to her true purpose.
Don’t forget what she is.
“Why are you here?” Other than for the obvious: torture.
“Well, I couldn’t exactly leave without saying thank you.”
“Who said you could leave? Return to your cell at once. You are supposed to be my prisoner.”
“Return to that icky stable?” Her nose wrinkled. “But your bed is so much more comfortable. Can’t you hold me prisoner here?”
She flopped beside him. Then wormed under the covers.
“This behavior is unseemly.” Even he knew that.
“Is this because you haven’t introduced yourself yet? Because I keep waiting for you to say, ‘hi, my name is…’” she prompted.
“My name is none of your business.”
“Do you prefer me to use None when addressing you? Or Business?”
“Are you for real?”
“I get asked that a lot, which is weird because I don’t think I look fake. Do I feel fake?” Under the covers, she grabbed his hand and tugged it over to rest just above her breast.
If he slid it down just a little, he could cup it. What would she say if he removed her shirt and kissed it? And…
What am I thinking? She’s a dragon.
His cock didn’t care. He throbbed. Every inch of him ached. Even his gums.
What was wrong with him?
Or maybe it wasn’t him. Maybe it was her. She must be poisoning him somehow with irrational logic and desire.
Now to figure out why he liked it. He leaned toward her. She didn’t recoil.
“Why are you really here?”
“I thought I was here to say goodbye, but now I realize that perhaps I should just stick around on account of the view being quite nice.” She stared at his face as she wound herself around him.
He preferred her on top. So he put her there, grabbing her around the waist and tugging her back where she belonged.
“Stay.” A command and plea in one.
“It would be rude for me to run off.” She gave a grind of her hips against his, a sensual and sexual thing.
“Manners are important.” Their eyes locked as their lower bodies moved. Subtle pressure. A tingling enjoyment.
She dipped lower, her lips barely brushing his. Stealing his breath.
Stealing my soul!
Get away! Luc rolled out of the bed and stood alongside it, confronting her.
“You tried to kill me!”
On hands and knees, she pursed her lips. “I resent that. You are perfectly intact. No broken bones. Obviously conscious, as well.”
“Only because I saw through your plan.”
“My plan to cock-block myself.” For a moment, her lips turned down then, as if jolted, they slammed up into a smile. “Good thing I’ve got a fresh pack of batteries at home.”
He didn’t know what batteries did, or what cock-blocking had to do with it, but he did know one thing.
“Your gown. It’s quite splendid.”
“Thank you.” She peeked down at her dress. “Custom-made because I don’t have a common figure.”
“I could use a good tailor.”
“I’ll dig up his number.”
As he opened his mouth to say thank you, he realized what she’d done.
She’d lowered his defenses with her pleasant demeanor. She’d removed his common sense with her physical body. Her womanly attire with its shockingly short hem seemed much more attractive to him than those in the form-fitting tights they mockingly called pants.
“Stop what you’re doing.”
“What am I doing?” She blinked long lashes at him.
He almost reached out to tug her close. He flattened his lips instead. “It won’t work. I know what you are. What you plan.” He stood tall as he confronted her.
“I guess I’m not very subtle about it. I just can’t hide my fascination with you. And it’s unseemly. A male obviously prefers to chase the woman. Not vice versa. But it’s your fault for being so intriguing. Did you know you’re in my dreams?”
She dreamt of him? Almost, she caught him in her spell. He shook it off. “You can’t confuse me with your words.”
“I don’t suppose you can translate them for me? Because even I get lost. Sometimes, I wonder if I’m trying to sabotage the ending.”
The statement made little sense. “What ending?”
“The happy one.”
&nb
sp; “Happiness is but a myth.” That might have been spoken with a touch of cynicism.
“Happiness is sometimes hard to find; however, it does exist.”
“Not for me.” The words slipped out. He clamped his lips tight.
“You still have a chance. To be happy.”
“You’re right. I almost did. Last night, until you interrupted.”
He noticed her eyes glow, turning almost milky, as she growled, “That was necessary for a happy ending.”
“So you claim, and yet I am the one left unsatisfied.” A bold claim, and yet something about her frankness called him to speak openly.
“I’d satisfy.”
He kept his hands over his erection in hopes that she wouldn’t notice. “You wish to bed me?”
“More than you can imagine. However, I should warn you. I’ve been known to get a little rough when enthusiastic.”
His nostrils flared. “You’ve touched others?” For some reason, the very idea offended him.
“I’m not as innocent as I look.”
She didn’t look innocent at all. The dress she wore molded to her upper body, outlining her womanly shape. She had left the bed to stand in front of him, close enough that the fabric of her skirt touched his sleep bottoms. A few inches taller than her meant his dropped gaze was perfectly aligned with hers.
Her lips a mere breath away.
I could kiss her. He shouldn’t. What of his revenge? His promise?
She’s the enemy.
She was touching. Igniting him. His passion flared, and when she pulled away, he almost roared in loss. Almost yelled at her to return. He wasn’t done.
His eyes blazed as he huffed hotly.
Elspeth stroked fingers down his face. “Holy smoking brisket barbecued with sauce, you have horns!”
Chapter Ten
“No, I don’t.”
What an odd thing to deny. She cocked her head and squinted, but the horns remained. “Yeah, you do. Itty bitty ones trying to poke out of your forehead.”
His hand rose to rub across the expanse, and he frowned. “This is your fault.”
“Are your horns an allergic reaction to me?”
“They’re a reaction, all right,” he grumbled.
“Perhaps we should see a doctor and have something prescribed for your allergy.” Or not. The tiny nubs gave him a dashing air.
“How about you leave instead of vexing me to the point where I lose control?”
She frowned. “But a moment ago, you told me to get back to my stall in the barn. You really should make up your mind.”
“Are all dragons as annoyingly obtuse as you.”
“Actually, I’m the nice one. Most of my kin aren’t as accommodating. I’m considered handicapped because I don’t have the proper amount of arrogance.” Or a hoard that they knew about. “I can’t help it if I prefer to be happy and helpful.”
“Dragons are vile and heartless creatures. I can see how that would irritate them.”
His agreement wasn’t exactly a positive thing. Yet, on the plus side, he was talking to her. “How come you hate dragons so much?”
“Because they killed my people. And kept me prisoner for my entire life.”
“You escaped, though.”
“Only recently, and by accident. And they didn’t do me a kindness. The dimension they freed me into was a dead place. If I’d not escaped via a portal, I’d have died.”
“Wait a second.” The gears in her mind turned as she put the pieces together. “You’re from the same place as that crazy lady we fought in the grand battle. The one with the red eyes.”
“Voadicia, who styled herself suzerain in my world.” He sneered. “Because of her, I had to leave.”
“What did she do?” Because she’d only heard bits and pieces.
“Are you going to tell me you don’t know of her crimes?”
“We don’t exactly get your news channel. I know that, while she was here, she meddled in our politics.” And there were other rumors of her taking over people’s identities.
“That was how it started in our world, too. She arrived, centuries before, with the other dragon mages. Cast from this world because of a mistake,” he said.
“If by mistake, you mean that those mages supposedly used their magic to overthrow the dragon monarchy. Only it ended up being a bad plan because the humans betrayed the mages and almost wiped us out.”
“A pity they failed,” he said with a sneer. “My ancestors also lacked the balls to do what needed to be done. Bloody pacifists who thought they could live in harmony with the dragon mages.”
“Obviously, it wasn’t too bad. You said this happened hundreds of years ago.”
“Because that was how long it took her before she ran out of the living energy she needed to prolong her life and turned to her hosts instead.”
“What living energy? I don’t understand.”
“No one did at first.” His eyes took on a dreamy cast as he remembered aloud. “According to the elders who passed on the stories, Voadicia discovered the spell to prolong her life in an ancient text.”
“A spell to live forever?” Her eyes widened. “Cool.”
“Not really. Magic has a cost. Especially strong magic. The spell requires a certain perversion to happen. A theft, really. To prolong her life, she needed to take life. To siphon the essence of living things.”
“Are you saying Voadicia was like a vampire?” She wrinkled her nose. While not exactly everyone’s cup of tea, Elspeth didn’t see the problem. People donated blood every day. What did it matter if it was for eating or transfusing?
“Vampire?” He frowned at her. “Do you speak of the mythical creatures I’ve seen within the moving picture frame? Alfred says they are not real.”
“Apparently, they are.” She rolled her eyes. “Like, duh, you just said Voadicia was sucking the life out of stuff.”
“Living essence, not blood. Had it only been their plasma, my world might have survived. But she needed their life force. Living things only have a certain amount to give before they die.”
Elsie’s lips pursed. “Didn’t anyone notice her killing stuff?”
“Not at first. You see, she used the portals to visit other dimensions. Places without a dominant intelligent species. Away from prying eyes, she and her minions sucked the life out of everything they could, starting with the animals. Then the plants. She drained entire dimensions, leaving them barren. When those became useless to her, she turned to my land. And, eventually, my people.”
“How many survived?”
“None.”
The dark despair in his words managed to penetrate her usually happy bubble. It didn’t help that she’d missed her daily dose of medicine. Her lips turned down. “She killed your family?”
He nodded. “Siphoned their lives to extend her own. I had to watch as my people were taken, one by one, to feed her hunger. To see the cells around me emptied until only my family remained. And then it was my parents’ turn. Once they were snatched, I found myself alone.”
Her lower lip trembled. Her eyes brimmed with tears. She couldn’t find anything positive to say. Nothing. At. All.
It was so… “Horrible. How horrible!” she wailed. “OhmygodIamsosorry.” She blubbered in a stream of words. “No wonder you hate dragons. We’re awful. Wicked. Murderers. Oh, no.” She sobbed. And sobbed.
“Stop that,” he barked. “No crying.”
“I can’t. You’re all alone in the world.” The very idea broke her heart, and she wailed louder.
She also lunged and grabbed him into a hug, squeezing him tightly, and while nothing cracked, he did gasp.
“Unhand me.”
“I can’t. You need love. Even if…if you don’t want it from me because I’m a horrible dragon.” How could he stand to be close to her? She probably reminded him of his poor, dead parents.
The fire engine wail rose and fell with every heaving breath she took.
A crashing sound bar
ely managed to penetrate her grief.
But she couldn’t ignore Babsy yelling, “What the fuck is going on?”
Elsie raised her tear-stained face to see her bestie stomping into the bedroom, fists raised and clenched. A petite bundle of ire.
Any other time, she would have given her a hug, but instead, she blubbered, “Lucifer hates dragons.”
For a moment, Babsy appeared puzzled, but then her gaze landed on Lucifer, and she snapped, “What the fuck did you do to her, asshole?”
He straightened. Trying to look stoic when, really, he was just all broken inside.
Elspeth blubbered anew. “Poor baby.”
He glared at Elsie. “I am not a baby.” Then a heated gaze directed at Babette. “And I did nothing. Yet she is carrying on as if… I don’t know why she is acting thus. She is not the aggrieved one here.”
“You must have done something,” snapped Babsy, dropping onto the bed beside Elspeth. She couldn’t stop sobbing, even though Babsy patted her back.
“It’s so sad,” she hiccupped to Babette. “They’re all gone.”
“Who’s all gone?”
“His family, and it’s my fault.”
Babsy sighed. “What the fuck did you do now, Elsie? Did you hug someone without asking first again? What have we said about running up to strangers? Remember Allentown?”
“I merely wanted to help the woman with her children and groceries.”
“Snatching people’s babies and tossing them into the air to stop them from crying isn’t something you can do with humans.”
“But it worked.”
“And got you a citation. Now, you going to explain how you killed his family?” Babsy shot him a look. “I’ll put a call in to the family lawyers, and we’ll garner you some kind of compensation.”
Luc recoiled as he pivoted, drawing attention to his body. He was a distracting hunk in low-hanging track pants that exposed his bulky body. Bulked with muscle, the dark tattoos on his flesh enhancing his perfection.
Elspeth ogled his half-naked frame, only belatedly realizing that if she could see his perfection, then so could Babs.
At least her bestie knew better than to stare at his impeccable pecs. She’d hate to take out her eyes. They were pretty.
“First of all, I never said she killed my family. She started that. And then she cried. I hate crying,” said with a pointed look in Elspeth’s direction.