The older woman chuckled. “Hannah, I’d like to introduce you to Theda Gorgóna, Queen of Oloris.”
Hannah nearly swallowed her tongue. “Oh, wow…hello, Your Majesty.” She clasped her towel tighter and tried to curtsey without a wardrobe malfunction.
The queen laughed. “Stop with the formal already and call me Theda. You’re Soren Draakki’s mate, so technically you’re royalty, too. The newest Draakki princess.” She smiled and two dimples showed in her cheeks. “Or at least you will be once you’re formally mated.”
Aggie squinted at the sheer garment, moving around the end of the bed to take a better look. “A Chimera! I haven’t seen one of these in forever. Who sent it?”
Hannah shrugged. “That’s what Kania and I were trying to figure out when you knocked.”
Theda walked around the bed as well, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the girl. “I don’t remember seeing you before. I make a point to know all the girls in our service. Are you new to the castle?”
A strange expression flashed across the girl’s face, and she backed up toward the night table, her movements slow, almost fearful. Her chin dropped to her chest, but when she lifted her face, blue lines were etched in her cheeks like a razor-edged tattoo.
Hannah’s eyes went wide. “She’s a siren!”
The tattooed girl opened her mouth to shriek, but Aggie’s eyes shifted yellow and a menacing roar left her throat, shutting her up.
“My sisters wait along with Ligeia. You will not win this fight, human.”
“No!” Hannah dove for the book, but the girl whirled on her heel, grabbing the manuscript from the night table before disappearing in a mist of silver.
Hannah sank to her knees. It was too late. Ligeia had the book, and that meant she had Soren.
Chapter Sixteen
“Rylan! He’s gone! Soren’s gone!” Hannah rushed past the king to grab the dragon shifter’s shoulders.
Aggie followed on her heels along with the Theda. She had the Chimera in her hand.
Hannah’s tearstained face looked from one man to the other. She would have run out of their rooms naked if Aggie hadn’t forced her to throw on leggings and a long tank top.
“Was Soren with you when it happened? Tell me, please!” her voice cracked.
Rylan nodded. “One moment he was telling us about the notation in the book and asking if we knew what it meant, and the next he was gone. Vanished.” He snapped his fingers.
She sank into one of the chairs in Draic’s office chamber, her head in her hands. “He’s gone. Ligeia could have that book anywhere.”
Rylan knelt in front of the chair, his hands on her knees. “I offered to have my men accompany you to the Theradian Woods, but Soren refused. Knowing the lure of the sirens, he wouldn’t risk putting them in danger. He was going alone, Hannah.”
She lifted her face from her hands. “Alone. As in without me.”
He nodded. “He loves you too much to force you to face Ligeia for him. To be honest, I’m not sure I don’t agree. You’re human, and new to our underwater world. You are not prepared for the kind of fight she would bring.”
Hannah got up from the chair and Rylan straightened, taking a step back. “Your mate is human, am I correct?”
He nodded. “She’s dual-natured, but yes. She was a surface dweller.”
Hannah lifted her chin, craning her neck to look at Rylan the same way she had to do with Soren. “Then you have a lot yet to learn about surface women and how we fight when threatened.”
She moved to push past him, but he caught her arm. “Soren made me promise that if anything happened to him, I would take care of you. See you safely back to the surface.”
Hannah tamped down on the urge to rip her arm away from Soren’s cousin. Instead, she took a steadying breath and forced herself to relax.
“Thank you for telling me, Rylan, but I have every intention of seeing this through. Soren may not believe I can do what’s necessary, but he doesn’t know everything about me—yet.” She looked at him. “Do either of you know what the cryptic notation in the book meant?”
Rylan spared a glance for the king and he nodded. “Ligeia’s acolyte was sent because tonight is the black moon eclipse, as noted in the book. If there was ever a stacked chance for you and Soren to break Ligeia’s curse, it is at twilight tonight. Before the stars are eclipsed by the rising moon.”
Hannah exchanged a look with Aggie. “Did you know this?”
Aggie shook her head. “No, honey.”
Hannah inhaled, letting the air out through her nose. “Okay, then for real we have to do this, and I mean now. We can’t let this opportunity pass.”
With a nod, she slipped her arm from Rylan’s hand and turned to Draic. “I will need someone to show me the way to the Theradian Woods. I can’t just walk away from this and do nothing. Would you if it was Theda?”
“No, but—”
She shook her head. “There is no but. Soren is my mate. I wear his mark. His dragon claimed me, whatever that means, but as far as I’m concerned I claim him right back. It’s a bond. An unspoken vow. Now you can either help me or not, but where I come from, mates don’t desert each other during times of crisis. At least not the ones who mean it when they take their vows.”
Draic’s gaze found Theda standing in the background. “You’re right. We’ll help.”
Rylan moved to stand beside the king, and his eyes flicked to the garment in Theda’s arms. “My queen, what is that in your hand?”
“It’s the Chimera the siren’s acolyte brought to distract Hannah so she could take the book.”
Draic moved to his wife’s side to examine the translucent material. “Wearing this is an unspoken agreement between the one who wears the garment and the one who gave it.” His eyes narrowed and then he whirled on his heel with the sheer dress in his fist.
“Rylan, I have an idea. If my hunch is correct, the siren had two plans when she came into the palace. If she couldn’t put her hands on the book, then she would coerce Hannah with this!” He shook the garment.
“What if we dressed Hannah in the Chimera? The giver would know immediately and send for her. If my hunch is correct, Ligeia sent this planning to use Hannah to force Soren’s hand. She’s too greedy in her revenge to let such a chance go, especially if holding Hannah brings Soren even more anguish.”
Aggie stepped forward. “I’m not sure about this, Draic.”
He shook his head. “We will follow close behind, so Hannah will never be alone.”
Hannah turned her wrist and ran a finger over her dragon mark. At the simple touch, it tingled, and her gaze shot to Rylan.
“Does your mate have a dragon mark?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Yes, why? They are different shapes, depending on what house your dragon hails from, but basically they’re all the same.”
She grinned. “Does she always seem to know where you are? Almost as if she’s keeping tabs on you?”
His lips spread in a smile to match hers. “Yes. And she knows whenever I stretch the truth, too.” He took her hand, his eyes on her mark. “I think I know where you’re going with this.”
She nodded as well. “D.P.S. Dragon Positioning System.”
Rylan laughed out loud. “My mate is SO going to steal that!”
“We can use my mark to zero in on where Ligeia hid Soren, right?”
Draic moved to her side. “Yes. But we better move fast.”
“What are we waiting for, then?”
He handed her the Chimera. “For you to change into this.”
Hannah took the garment from him and walked back toward Aggie and Theda. He cleared his voice. “Uhm, maybe wear something over it. We don’t want the men ogling what’s not theirs, if you know what I mean.”
***
Hannah moved to dismount her horse, sore but knowing it would be so much worse if her grandmother hadn’t made her take riding lessons all those years before.
She swung her leg over t
he saddle and the telltale sound of ripping fabric jerked her eyes toward her crotch.
“This stupid outfit is not meant for this kind of rodeo.” She blew her hair from her forehead.
“No, dear. It’s meant for mounting something entirely different. Smaller, harder and much more satisfying, not to mention less chaffing.” Aggie winked, trying to lighten Hannah’s edginess.
A nervous chuckle took her, and Hannah bit her lip. “Well, now there’s a big tear between my legs, so it’s easy access no matter what.”
Draic walked toward Hannah’s horse and took the reins, helping her down the rest of the way.
“Rylan and the other Draakki are close by. They have the forest surrounded, and they’re also positioned on the beach. My Gorgóna are offshore in mer-form. They have the water secured, so there’s no place for the sirens to flee. The Theradian Woods are straight ahead. If we go with you, we’ll give away our element of surprise. You need to go on foot from here.”
Hannah nodded. “Got’cha, but I’m pretty sure Ligeia already knows we’re here.”
He nodded. “Wishful thinking, but the beeswax ear plugs you suggested should up the odds in our favor significantly.” He tapped one ear. “That was genius.”
She shook her head. “No, that was Jason and the Argonauts.”
Confused, Draic tilted his head and chuckled, giving his arm a pat. “Greek mythology, dude. It’s a surface world thing, so no worries.”
Hannah winked and then squatted with a candle and flame, melting her own wax as Aggie moved from her horse to where she sat.
“I need to protect myself as well, and so do you,” Hannah said, holding the drippy candle toward the old woman.
Aggie took the melty wax from Hannah’s hand but didn’t say a word.
“You okay?” Hannah asked. “You’re awfully quiet. Usually I can’t get you to shut up.”
Aggie raised an eyebrow. “I’m fine. I’m worried about you. You seem a little too sure of yourself. Remember, that’s how Soren got into trouble in the first place.”
Hannah clicked the inside of her cheek. “Yeah, but he didn’t listen to you, and I’m all ears, or I will be until I put these babies in.” She held up the mushy wax between her fingers.
“Listen to your body, Hannah. I expected a change or a sign in you sooner, but so far it hasn’t manifested. Ligeia will try to use the Chimera to dull your senses. The garment is a physical aphrodisiac. The giver can manipulate what you feel through it. Keep your wits about you and try to keep Soren at the forefront of your mind. It’s the only way you can fight whatever she has planned.”
“I’ve got nothing against lesbian fantasies, but I’m not into them,” Hannah winked. “But hey, whatever floats your boat, right, Aggie baby!”
Without warning Aggie grabbed Hannah’s shoulders and turned her around, giving her a hard shake. “The effects are already showing. You are flippant and dismissive. Pay attention, young woman, or you not only will lose Soren to Ligeia forever, you’ll lose yourself.”
Aggie shook her again, and Hannah’s eyes went wide. Whatever had taken hold of Hannah vanished and her hand flew to her throat.
Hannah doubled over and Aggie moved back in case she was sick. “Aggie—” She gulped in a breath and steadied herself.
“Oh my God. I felt her in my head. She’s snarkier and more petulant than the worst debutante on Fifth Avenue.”
“There’s my girl.” Aggie exhaled, lifting her hands to Hannah’s arms. She rubbed her skin through the thin garment. “Remember the feel of her in your head, so you can fight it.”
Hannah nodded, swallowing. “Anything else?”
Aggie shook her head. “I was hoping there would be, but—”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s time,” Draic said, waving. “The black moon is rising.” He motioned for Hannah for join him, and she walked toward him, her question to Aggie still unanswered.
“Good luck. Aggie will use her second sight to help us know when to join you. We’re ready. Just give the signal. With the ear plugs, we should be good to attack. It neutralizes their most powerful weapon.”
Hannah hid Draic’s knife in her boot along with the signal flare he gave her earlier, hoping she remembered how to set it off. With how her luck had been, she’d shatter the phosphorescent dome and drown them all.
With a nod she walked toward the woods, the moon almost to the dual stars hanging low on the horizon. The tops of the trees were silver in the diminishing light and seemed to shimmer. Lower, they were so dark they seemed almost black.
Under other circumstances she would be awed by the sight, but now all she thought of was Soren.
Come, I’m waiting…
Invisible fingers caressed her skin and the farther into the woods she walked, the more insistent they got.
Mmmm, your flesh is like silk. I want to dip my fingers in your slick pool.
Hannah shivered, but when the invisible touch slipped between her legs she squeezed her eyes closed, shaking off the intrusive feel.
Laughter echoed in her mind.
You’re stronger than I expected. Good, playing with you will be interesting.
Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.
You can resist for now, but when our special guest arrives, I’ll want you front and center for him to see. Splayed wide and moaning under my hand.
Fuck you, bitch!
More cruel laughter echoed, and Hannah cried out as invisible fingers pinched her nipple.
Fight this, Hannah. It’s all a trick. A mental play like a Vegas show. Smoke and mirrors. Soren. He’s the only real thing in your mind. Him and you. You and him. Nothing else.
She repeated the words like a mantra and with each step, the slippery feel of Ligeia’s reach faded and she dragged in a clean breath.
The tree line opened to a barren clearing. To a scene Ligeia had carefully arranged. Acolytes, like the one in her room earlier, circled flames rising from a deep firepit, their naked bodies writhing and dancing to the sound of drums.
Soren was on his back, his arms and legs tied to four stakes in the ground. His body was solid enough to be restrained, but translucent enough for Hannah to suspect something wasn’t right. Was Soren really here, or was this another trick?
Hannah glared at the woman standing over Soren’s prone body. Ligeia—and she had the book in her hand.
With a flick of Ligeia’s fingers, Hannah felt the siren’s touch again. Fighting back, she slapped the sensation away.
Ligeia’s face hardened, and she flung a hand to the domed sky. A bolt of conjured lightning crashed, striking the ground inches from Soren’s head.
“You cannot win, human.” His body jerked and convulsed, and the woman sneered. “Leave with your life while you can.”
“Not a chance, Ligeia. You have something that belongs to me. You stole it, and I want it back.”
The siren laughed, and the sound was mirthless. “That’s rich. You want it back?” She wrenched the book open and held it high, Soren’s faint likeness flickering in the firelight.
Hannah’s mouth went dry. The siren’s magic held him suspended between this world and the book.
“You want the tome?” Ligeia’s eyes glowed. “You can have it, but the dragon stays mine!” She ripped Soren’s page from binding, his illustration fisted in her hand as she flung the rest of the book to the ground.
One of the acolytes glanced toward the sky and her expression spelled fear. “The black moon! Lady Ligeia! It is upon us!”
“You can’t win, Ligeia. The gods are with me tonight. Your stars are eclipsed, and your lies exposed. Soren doesn’t belong to you. He belongs to me, and I to him!”
Hannah tore the Chimera from her body, the diaphanous material tearing in her grip. She stood as naked as the others and lifted her arm, the proof of her claim glowing on her forearm.
“She wears his dragon’s mark! The gods have spoken!” the fearful acolyte screamed, and the others hesitated, unsure.”
“Have no fear, my daughters. Her mark is false. She is human. Dance for our victory. Dance, for our bull has been returned and tonight we all ride!”
Ligeia’s words penetrated, and the image of these women taking turns on Soren fed Hannah’s anger like never before. Fire scorched her gut from the inside out, and her skin crawled with electric jolts across her flesh.
Just go with it, honey, it’s happening. It’s what I hoped for—
How Aggie’s voice feathered across her mind, she didn’t know, but right now she didn’t care.
“What’s happening?” Hannah screamed the words to the sky and lifted her hand, letting the flare go.
The skies exploded red, and battle cries echoed in reply as the Draakki closed ranks.
The acolytes shrieked, racing for the trees and the shadows, leaving nothing but Ligeia and the sound of the bonfire’s flames crackling.
The heat skittering across Hannah’s body rose to an inferno, and she threw her head back and screamed.
She fell to all fours, her body arching as her bones and muscles ripped and reshaped. Electric sparks scorched her back as wings sprouted, growing and spreading across the clearing.
Red and gold scales replaced skin, and anterior and hind limbs replaced her arms and legs. Talons grew from her fingers and toes and a spiked frill crowned her dragon’s head.
With a roar she opened her mouth, fire shooting from her depths, roasting the fleeing acolytes.
Ligeia’s laugh resounded. “You think you can scare me? You’re no dragon. You’re an abomination!”
“She’s more woman than you’ll ever be, Ligeia. You couldn’t fight me, so you had to bind my dragon to get your way. Now, you use me because you’re too weak to even fight another woman!”
“If I’m weak, what does that say about you, dragon shifter? You need a woman to come to your rescue.”
“Release me and we’ll see about a fair fight.”
Ligeia laughed. “Not in ten lifetimes, dragon. Let’s hope your human is stupid enough to burn your page. Then you’ll truly be mine forever.”
Hannah flailed, her wings beating against the ground, but flight eluded her. Flame shot across the clearing, but then ended in a hiss, her thick legs buckling beneath her size.
Her Captive Dragon: Howls Romance Page 13