Demons & Dragons

by Gina Kincade

  Some of the skin around the scar was more sensitive, while some had lost feeling altogether. The rush of it overwhelmed her, brought tears to her eyes. The blue tones of his eyes in this low, glittery light had a hypnotic appeal that entranced her, made the self-consciousness of such close scrutiny evaporate into the darkness.

  “I love you, Anna.” He said the words through heavy breaths that bathed her face. “It may be too soon for you to hear that, but it is the truth. I would never lie to you. I love every inch of you, along with each and every scar. To me, they are beautiful. They are you. They show the fierce woman you are. One who survived, not just physically but mentally, more than any human should be asked to bear. You are amazing, inside and out, and if you will let me have the honor, I will spend a lifetime reminding you of that. You must see these marks on your body as trophies, given for all you have survived. I plan to make it my life’s mission to make you see them differently than you have.”

  He kissed her lips again, a mix of hard that fell off to tender. He moved to placing gentle kisses all over her face before traveling down to her neck. By the time he moved his lips to whisper over her breasts, the globes aching beyond anything she’d ever known, her scars had been forgotten. She gave in to the feeling of him kissing, nipping, sucking on her exposed flesh. The scrape of his teeth over her sensitive rosy buds even brought her back to life. The weight of her breasts increased as her chest heaved with the heady mix of excitement and nerves that made her dizzy and high at the same time.

  She opened her eyes, ran her fingers through his snow-colored hair. The strands caught the lights around them in their dark cocoon, marveling at being in such a place with such a man. Weightless. Free. In empty space, all of life seemed within her reach. She came alive under each of his touches, despite pressure, which continued to vary, as her hard nipples tightened more, shooting desire-like lightning bolts to her wet pussy which contracted in want of attention.

  He moved his attention to her stomach, lightly fingering her surgical scar, still red, angry looking, even after all this time, as if it had just scarred a long, slim mound over her ribs. At last, wanting to be truly seen, her head fell back as her legs parted, an action that screamed out her desire, of wanton need that pulsed deep inside of her. He gasped, but chose to pay attention to the scar still, to place butterfly kisses along the lines before dipping his finger to lightly trace over them.

  “ I give thanks every day that you are alive. I burnt an entire range of trees, starting a wildfire where none ever are, in my rage after your accident. I was there, not that I could do much. I’d wanted to whisk you away, heal you, but I hadn’t the means. Plus, people were there, not that they would have stopped me if I’d thought I could save you. We have stones that make water begin to heal wounds, but I couldn’t save you, couldn’t restart your heart had it stop beating, couldn’t give air to your lungs if they failed you. That helplessness was so much worse. It hit me, then, how frail life is for a human; how short it can be. I’d waited centuries to find my mate, and I hadn’t even been given the chance to meet you. By the time they loaded you and took off for the hospital, I’d moved into the trees to hide, to transform. I had to get there as fast as I could. I lost control at the thought of never getting to meet you.”

  His tears dripped to her scar then, as his head fell, his face cradled flush against her stomach. Though each tear tingled, it seemed to burn her as well, branding her, connecting them, healing her in some way as they seeped into her skin.

  “I didn’t know you were there,” she said, the words pouring from her though her breath continued to hitch each time she’d managed to catch it again.

  “I’d just discovered you as my mate, was planning just how to court you, figuring out a meeting in the human world, when it happened. I stayed close, yet always just out of reach, out of sight. There were nights, though, that I snuck into your room in the hospital, watched you sleep, held your hand.”

  “How? The nurses and doctors were always around,” she asked, his head still resting against her, his heavy breaths bathing her mound.

  “In your world, I am a billionaire, old money, as my family has always been. We invest for show, live in mansions. Did I not mention that yet? Money talks, makes things happen like magic. So, I had my ways. Best not to ask. Just leave it as a sob story and money. They let me in a few times. I told them you couldn’t know I was there.”

  “Will the surprises never stop with you?”

  “I hope not. I will care for you, as much as you will let me, for the rest of your life. I can make you comfortable. You will never want for a thing. You deserve it, Anna. I pray you will let me. You shall be this dragon’s queen.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Don’t say anything. I can smell your sweet musk, wanting me, and for now, that is more than enough,” he said, leaving off to string kisses over the lower part of her abdomen, until his lips came to her mound, kissing, sucking, licking. When he reached her sensitive labia, she wanted to scream out, demand that he take her.

  “I can’t… Please, take me,” she finally begged.

  “That was all I was waiting for.”

  He rearranged their bodies in that suspended space until the tip of his erection pressed against her opening, making her come close to losing her mind in some passion induced haze. When he pressed into her, the head stretching her, moving in easily, she was that ready for him. The taking was brisk, rough, perfect. He branded her, body and soul, with each thrust, each moment that she clung to him as he took her with some sort of wild abandon, as if he’d lost all control. She sucked up every minute of that until she felt her stomach tighten, the contractions bringing her up and over that edge. They clung to each other, coming at the same time, clinging, loving, mating as she’d never imagined possible.

  “You are mine now,” he growled into her ear, still buried deep inside her as the aftershocks of their combined climaxes shuttered through them.

  “Somehow, I’m more than okay with that,” she said, as she squeezed his cock still deep inside her with her inner walls. “Just let me ask, not that I am complaining, but will I get the chance to explore every inch of you, too?”

  “Would you like to?” he asked.

  “Very much,” she said, her voice light, steady, coming to some sort of acceptance that everything around her would be different, unexplainable even, for the foreseeable future. She wasn’t walking away from much of a life anyway.

  “I would like to take you home, to my place in the human realm. I will let you do whatever you want to my body there. Is that a deal?”

  “Definitely. But, does that mean another ride from the dragon to get back?”

  “Yes. But, once you trust me, we get you a harness, you may find you enjoy it. That is, if you can stay consciousness,” he teased, and she smiled in response.

  “What about Fylafor?”

  “He won’t bother you again now. He would have come back moments after the fight, but he won’t look for us now that we are gone. He’s not about revenge, more an opportunistic terrorist. His attacks are play, a source of degenerate amusement. I needed to bring you here, as he may have continued to toy with you tonight, but by morning’s light, I assure you he will be on to his next victim. It was nothing personal, his attack. You just caught his attention. I’m sorry it happened to you.”

  “I’m not,” she practically whispered.

  “Why on earth would you say that?”

  “It brought me you. Who knows how long you would have waited to contact me. Yes, it would have been easier, maybe, to be eased into all of this, to meet you as human. But honestly, in that state of mind, I would not have given a guy that looks like you the time of day. Plus, I can’t imagine it is ever easy to learn someone is a dragon shifter, to know some parts of fairy tales are actually true. And, that is what this feels like, a fairy tale. I’ve not only met my prince, but he is a snow dragon, a messenger between the realms. I’d be more than happy to give up
my old life and be a part of yours, of all of this, of the fairy tale.”

  “Forgive me if it is too soon to say it, but I love you, Anna. I have for a long time. You are my true mate, and though it may scare you, you are now mine forever.”

  “Who could be scared?” she teased before turning serious again. “You have given me a happy ever after I’d never even let myself dream of.”

  Keep reading for more book boyfriends...

  Dear Reader,

  If you enjoyed When The Snow Flies, please consider returning to the online retailer where you made your purchase and leaving a review. We'd love to know your thoughts!

  Yours,

  Kiki & Gina

  Turn the page for an excerpt from A Modern Day Witch Hunt by Kiki Howell & Gina Kincade...

  Excerpt: A Modern Day Witch Hunt

  Kamillia, an author of paranormal romance who lives in Salem, MA, is accused of being an actual witch by an ambitious group of businessmen with a dark agenda. A man who resembles one of her fictional characters, an alpha male hero, randomly appears at her door offering her protection.

  Luca is an immortal Watcher from the River of Light. Sent to Earth to help Kamillia, whose true heritage has yet to be revealed to her, Luca is caught off guard by the fighting spirit of the woman and the way his human body betrays him while in her presence.

  When Kamillia is attacked, and all the lies she’s been told come to light, she and Luca are forced to join together. Despite numerous obstacles they need to overcome the evil of many centuries blocking a portal under a mysterious church on the edge of town.

  On Halloween night, she will have to face her past—as in a past life—in a big way. Only then can she return to what is left of her life, with or without this stranger who has captured her heart but cannot share her future.

  Prologue

  Shores of Pickering Wharf

  Salem, MA

  Week of Halloween

  The hefty breeze pushed the small, blue, rolling waves into white, jagged peaks with the same urgency he felt inside as he sat gazing out upon the vastness of the water. Leaning against a weathered retaining wall with an audible sigh, Luca glanced behind him at the blue-gray haze over the small town cityscape silhouette. The pollution, a mixture of smoke and sky, presented itself as an omen of great significance to him. He knew the buildings, along with some of the houses beyond, already held within them the inhabitants he’d both come to protect and come to battle. In his five hundred years as a Watcher, the energy of the Earth had changed, negatively affecting the human condition.

  He viewed their existence from his realm on a daily basis, a place just beyond this one, a small segment of space that served as a window to the world. From his perch there, each city had its own fundamental haze blurring its buildings and beings. This mystical force field, referred to as The River of Light, or simply The River by Watchers such as Luca, formed an energy grid covering the earth. The grid could be seen as a matrix of light, sound, and colors forming geometric patterns around the planet. Humans had attempted to observe such patterns in the study of Sacred Geometry, but the immortal Watchers watched over and recorded the changing spiritual energies of history from their posts at The River. Ever shifting, the ebbs and flows of the negative and positive life energy swirled and moved over the varied landscapes of the Earth much like waterways. Therefore, it was critical for him to witness when certain changes emerged, what energy the events causing the changes added to the collective conscious of the world, and how the energy impacted the flow of The River. Recently, this city in the northeastern part of the United States had grown darker and darker until it choked under a bout of polluted smog-like energies. To give an ironic but truthful view of history, this was the first time Salem, Massachusetts had looked this bad. Even then, the frenzy of the only spiritual pollution inspired by the hunters during the witch hunts hadn’t darkened things to this extent. The residual energy that lingered here had been built upon since and currently required his intervention.

  On Earth, back in true human form, a Watcher could see through this haze to the true souls of the people revealed to him in the colors of their auras. Both systems simply mirrored each other. Just as the human body had a meridian system with vital life force energy flowing through it, the world had a similar system of passageways through which the collective life force flowed. They not only mirrored each other, but affected each other, too. On the astral plane, the integral energy of human thoughts, words, and deeds combined into the mystical force field he kept watch over. Although he’d been sent to Earth many times before, a greater sense of foreboding gripped him this time. The places where the lines of the energy grid intersected and channeled to the earth had become blocked at alarming rates here these last few days, warning of impending danger. At portals such these, the energy proved stronger in its effects on the surrounding area.

  Luca felt Ahti, the Watcher who’d called him from his post, approach with a peace so strong it preceded him even as he crossed realms. He knew the moment to begin his next assignment arrived with the sound of grains of sand rubbing together, large feet pushing the granules aside with each step. A large shadow covered over the thin line of debris-filled foam along the shore. Ahti spoke to Luca in an oddly comforting voice for the exigency of his message.

  “It is time, Luca. It has begun to worsen here beyond what we’d anticipated. The River of Light is polluted greatly over this region. The black forces, which some ignorantly mess with, have charged the air with a significant amount of negativity. It darkened just this morning, causing the ripple effect to the flow at this portal greater than we’d initially feared. I’ve granted humanness to many of the immortal watchers like you this time. You each know the job you have to do to help the human you’ve been assigned to. You know what is at stake. She’s soon going to be at an inevitable crossroad, and her decisions will have a major impact on The River. Such is the human condition these days, I often feel the fate of the world is being decided with each mission.”

  “Yes, Ahti, I will do my best to help to clear the portal here,” Luca assured the Watcher.

  “I’m afraid this mission will not be so simple. Sometimes Watchers are called for anomalous reasons. Depending on why a Watcher was called in the first place, these exclusive missions, deviating from the norm, can be much more involved than they usually are. So, you'll need to follow the signs without questioning them. You are a Watcher with great powers, but you also have been matched to Kamillia for unique reasons not yet revealed. Trust, Luca. You understand why it has to be so. I cannot explain any further at the present, though, without jeopardizing your part in the whole.”

  “She is still unaware of her heritage, sir?”

  “Very much so. The history you were given of your charge when summoned was very much up-to-date despite the haste of its delivery. You know Kamillia has been back in her hometown now for over a year. The first threats toward her by the Mastema began a few weeks ago. Yet, Kamillia is a strong woman, despite being unaware of all she is. The Mastema have been playing with spells of black magic they do not truly understand. With their frail human knowledge, they do not realize their actions are slowly condemning the world. The men lust for power and material possessions and, in their ignorance, have succumbed to any means necessary to obtain such things. The Mastema have become mere pawns to the evil they have played with. The demons rule the men now. Therefore the portal here has darkened. The nature of the depravity they have invoked goes beyond what we have seen in centuries. The negative energy of their thoughts and actions greatly interrupts the flow of The River. If cleared, their so-called powers will be gone as the demons and dark energy cultivates for centuries will be forced out.”

  Luca turned to look at the Watcher, whom he trusted enough to do whatever was asked of him with blind faith in the protector’s wisdom. A smirk marred his features as a fleeting thought occurred to him: for one so great and wise, the man in front of him looked the part. Watchers were all stuck a
t the age their lives had ended on Earth. Ahti had reached a wise old seventy-nine when he was granted his immortality, so he appeared like the mage he was with his long beard comprised of scraggly gray hairs. The elder served a bigger role among them as messenger and guide. Unlike him, Luca’s final life had been cut short, making him an eternal twenty-five. He had no memories of his time alive. Like all Watchers, his past lives had been erased. Along the same reasoning, he was not allowed the knowledge as to why he had been chosen.

  The sky behind the formidable figure of Ahti lurked with unnatural shades of jade and agate, creating an ominous darkness resembling the coming of a storm.

  “What is with the sky?”

  Ahti turned so rapidly, his cloak of white rippled like the white caps on the angry water. “I do not know. Go. Now!”

  Chapter One

  Luca paused on the road in front of Kamillia’s home just a few streets away from the wharf. He looked down over the fully human body he had to deal with on his visits here.

  The clothing of this age bound and restricted him in ways no other centuries fashion ever had. The denim pulled tight, abrasive over his muscles and anatomy at odd junctures of his lower frame. The white t-shirt, sporting the image of a black guitar wrapped in roses yet sporting a skull in complete contrast, seemed ridiculous in appearance and in fit. He tugged at the cotton hugging his chest, so different from the robes he wore when he was posted at The River. Yet, he had to fit into this day and age. A small sacrifice, he mused, even as the jeans bunched in the creases over his manly parts. He groaned deep in his throat, wanting to rip the evil, offending cloth from his loins.