by Aidy Award
Zara threw her hands in the air. "Yeah it is. You simply say, hey wolfkind, mate whoever the hell you want. Have fun."
"Don't be stupid. Wolves need a tight rein or they run amok. We tried your way in the sixteen-hundreds. Just look at how many mates were burned at the stake as witches. Mankind will never understand anything beyond their banal beliefs. Which is why you must be eliminated and end wolfkind’s temptation for your sins of the flesh." Rasputin's eyes glowed, not with the power of his wolf, but with a dark power fueled by hatred.
He waved his hand at Zara dismissively and focused his death glare in on Niko. "You, on the other hand, can be a great leader and take our kind into that future where we rule over the land and beasts alike.. We'll just have to remove any distractions you have first, so you can become the most powerful Tzar of the Wolves in our history."
Niko didn’t even have a chance to react to Rasputin words before he nodded at Dumuzid who sneered and sent out a wave of his compulsion. Niko withstood the flash of possession like nothing more than a stiff wind blew through his fur. “Good try, demon. Your powers are useless against me now.”
That pissed the incubus off. “Let’s see how you feel once you and your love are separated by the seven gates of Hell, wolf.” Dumuzid jumped forward and snagged Zara around the throat, sinking his fangs into her throat.
Niko roared and leaped through the air to destroy this enemy once and for all. His heart squeezed in his chest even though he begged it to give him the rush of blood and adrenaline he needed to power his muscles. His teeth and claws hit the hard scales of the black dragons tail as it lashed out at him, protecting the incubus. When Niko bit down to sever the beast’s tail from his body, the dragon disappeared along with Dumuzid and Zara, leaving Niko's mouth full of nothing but shadows and smoke.
“Now that’s done, come bow before me and receive the blessing of the Volkov’s, Tzar Nikolai.”
Niko turned on Rasputin and swiped his great claws across the man’s throat, severing his head from his body, letting the spray of blood soak into his white fur, covering him in the blood of his foes.
He would wear that symbol of war until he was reunited with Zara. If Zara died, all the wolves of the world would wear the blood of their enemies for all time, because Niko would burn down the world.
Live and Learn in Hell
Zara landed on her hands and knees on a hard dirt and rock floor, scraping a thousand tiny cuts into her skin on the jagged stones. Then she promptly threw up. On Dumuzid's shoes.
"You humans are disgusting." He grabbed her by the shoulder, digging his craggy nails into her, and yanked her up. "Come on. We might as well get this over with."
She did not like being manhandled, but she couldn't seem to quite get her feet under her either. She'd tell him to fuck off and let go of her in a second. Just as soon as she caught her breath and stopped feeling like she was going to fall face first into a lake of boiling lava.
Oh shit. That really was a huge pool of lava he was dragging her past. The place stank of sulfur and dead things. "Where are we? How did we get here?"
And where was Niko? She'd seen him attack in his great white wolf form, but then everything had gone black. Her stomach roiled again at even the hint of a thought that he could be....
Bile rose up her throat. Bu-uurp. Nope. Not going there. Niko was fine… Fine. She was going to figure out a way to get back to him. He was probably worried out of his skull.
The black dragon was a few feet ahead of them and a black and red shimmer of something sparkly swirled around his great scaly body. In a blink, he was a man, fully dressed in black jeans and a black t-shirt, but no shoes and jet black hair that had definitely never seen a barber, or a bar of soap. "Welcome to Hell."
Wait... Literally? If this was hell, where were all the lawyers? Her face must have telegraphed her thoughts, because the dragon guy smirked. He wasn't making a friendly overture by any means, but there was a quality in his black gaze that was vaguely familiar.
Whoa. He had that same exact look that Niko had before they'd pledged their love for each other. It didn't take psychic abilities or even a degree in psychology to see that he had a deep hatred of who he was and desperately wanted to find a way to change that dark part of himself.
That meant he wasn't all bad. There was good in him and she was going to tap into that to get the hell out of Hell.
"Where are you taking me?" This time she addressed her question to the dragon guy.
Dumuzid shoved her. "Don't talk to the demon dragons unless you want to get your eyeballs scratched out."
His words were more than a mere warning. There was power in them she hadn't felt before. She was sure she was supposed to feel lust and the will to obey what he was saying, but it was like there was a strange shield between his words and their intentions. "Never mind, feel free to chat the whole lot of the stupid bastards up. I would enjoy seeing that."
"Why don't you chat them up, sicko." She gave him the finger and waited for the inevitable fat slam.
Dumuzid looked around the cavern and found a group of snakey dudes. Oh, there were the lawyers. He signaled them to come over. "Hey there, fellow demons, how's tricks?"
The snake-bat dudes growled and bared very stinky teeth at him. They hissed at both of them and flapped their wings until the black dragon guy shooed them away. "What the fuck are you doing, demon? Stay away from my brethren. They are not your playthings."
Okay. Zara had gotten used to the abnormal being the norm in the past few days and had even accepted that what she'd previously thought was a mental illness might be a superpower, but her mind just said, that's enough crazeballs, time to analyze this situation with logic.
There were a couple of really weird things that just happened. A. Dumuzid didn't seem like he was screwing around just now. He'd done what she told him to without even realizing it. And B. The snake dudes were dragon guy's family? Hell was a seriously wack-a-doo place.
She could use this bizarro information to escape. Somehow. Her mind raced to process everything happening around her and fit it into the puzzle.
Dumuzid backed away from both the snake dudes and their big brother dragon guy. He turned on her and glared, looking her up and down like he could find some magical mind control power. "Kneel before me."
Zara frowned at him. "Are you talking to me? If you are, no thanks. I've already got rocks embedded in my kneecaps. You kneel."
Dumuzid sank to his knees and then flipped his shit. "How are you doing this, witch? I bit you, I tasted your blood in my mouth and bonded you to me. You must do as I say."
Ha ha. This was rich. She might not know where she was or if Niko was okay, but she was not going to be afraid of this asshat ever again. "I think your blood bond thingy backfired, dumb ass. Now get me out of here and back to Niko."
The black dragon guy laughed, but then his face changed to an expression of extreme disdain and even anger. He said, "Too late. The King of Hell is here."
Zara looked up from her demon minion to see a really, really, really big black dragon stomp into the cavern, spy them, and roar so loudly, stalactites dropped from the ceiling like rock daggers. She probably should have dived for cover, but that whole flight-or-fight response thing in her must be broken because she completely froze.
The dragon stalked toward their little group and transformed into a giant of a man, mid-stride. He grabbed Dumuzid by his shirt, dragging him up from the ground and shook the little bastard like rag doll. "What the fuck are you doing here, incubus?"
"I...I've brought you the mate of the Wolf Tzar."
The big mean dragon guy King of Hell glared at Dumuzid and then glanced over at Zara. She blinked and still couldn't move. Come on legs, what the heck was wrong with her? She needed to run, needed to flee. Right now. She was probably going to die right here and now and that just sucked. She didn't want to die. She wanted to be with Niko and have his babies or wolf pups or whatever. She willed her legs to move and finally managed to t
ake a step back.
"You mean, you ran at the first sign of a fight, you filthy coward. I should have known better than to send a shepherd in place of a warrior." The man dropped Dumuzid and walked over to her. He looked her up and down and then he sniffed her, getting up all into her business.
Blech. She felt like Signourney Weaver in Alien, just waiting for him to drip slobber on her. "She is not a dragon's mate. She has no soul shard. What the fuck am I supposed to do with her, give her to the Annunaki as a plaything?"
Dumuzid reached up from his permanent position licking the King of Hell's boots. "You can use her as a negotiation tool."
"You're my negotiation tool, fucker. If the two of you being here with her in tow means you haven't turned the new Tzar, and he and his wolves won’t be joining the ranks of my army, your immortality is over. Winter is coming. Crone," he shouted for someone.
The creepiest looking old lady hobbled her way into the cavern. What the shit? Now it all made sense. The dragon, the crone, wanting Niko to join their army. She was seeing everything leading up to her vision, her prophecy that the world was going to end under the rule of paranormal beasts' rule.
The crone examined Zara and it felt like a million ants were crawling through her head. Before she could scream, it stopped and the crone spoke to the King. "She could still be useful to us. Her mind is filled with a familiar magic."
"No, I'm not wasting anymore time on your plots, witch." The King pointed at the dragon dude Zara had hoped might be on her side. "You, get rid of her."
Dragon guy grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the far side of the cavern where the crone had come from. She was really damn sick of people grabbing her and dragging her around. At least this time it was out of danger. Hopefully not out of the frying pan and into the fire. It's not like she knew where he was taking her.
The King of Hell continued to berate Dumuzid, and Zara listened with half an ear in case she heard something that would be useful to help her escape.
"You've failed me, Dumuzid and your time on Earth is almost up. You and your sister couldn't fulfill your promises. Have fun roasting in my little corner of hell together while the earth freezes over."
"No... Wait." Dumuzid whimpered. "Geshtianna has another way."
Zara whispered to dragon dude. "Can you help me get out of here?"
"Why would I do that? I'm already on his shit list." He shoved his thumb over his shoulder in the King's direction.
A woman appeared at the entrance to the cavern. She was just as dirty as dragon guy, but dressed all in red leather and had about a dozen daggers hanging from various spots on her outfit. "Because, Jett... She can see."
Dragon dude stopped in his tracks and Zara almost tumbled over. Apparently he understood what the lady in red meant. "Can you see how to defeat him?"
They meant her visions. Crap. "They don't work like that, I can't just make them appear."
He glared at her and bared his teeth. The blackness swirled in his eyes. "Then I can't help you."
The lady in red pulled out a dagger and held it to dragon dude's throat. "Go away."
The knife to his jugular didn't seem to phase dragon dude. He rolled his eyes at this woman. "Fine." He looked over at Zara and dipped his head at the lady in red. "Good luck with that."
He moved about three feet away and leaned against the wall as if it were a comfortable place to hang out and watch Dumuzid get thrown into the lake of lava, which was Zara's guess about what was going to happen. The lady in red grabbed Zara's shirt and squatted down to watch too, indicating Zara should join her. She'd rather leave, but it wasn't like she knew where to go.
The King roared. "I'm finished with you both. Inanna's punishment stands. I will send my own demons to find me a soul shard."
Dumuzid scrambled away. "Give us one more chance. There is a succubus who has the gift of the dragon's daughter in her. One of Leonard's offspring. She will be able to use her glamour and get a shard. One from a Wyvern."
The King stared at Dumuzid for way longer than was comfortable, then sighed and looked at the crone. "Is this true? A succubus dragon's daughter?"
The crone's eyes turned black and she stared off into space. Gah. Was that what Zara looked like when she got a vision? "Yes. But their bloodline protects them from my sight. I can not see her clearly. Call the red daughter in, she will be able to hear the dragon's daughter."
The lady in red pulled more daggers out of her shirt and held them all pointed at the Crone.
"You leave Fallyn out of this." The King spat and turned back to Dumuzid. "You know who this succubus is?"
"Yes." The incubus nodded quickly. "Geshtianna can command her to serve. She'll be able to take the shard."
"Fool." The king smacked Dumuzid across the face sending him flying way too close to the lava. Zara couldn't say she didn't root for him to tumble in and get his bones melted. He skidded to a stop and the King stalked toward him. "A shard can only be given. If she is a dragon's daughter she will not want to give that shard up except to her mate."
The King glanced around the cavern and pointed at dragon guy. "Take Jett to Geshtianna's coven. Make her think he is her mate, but they can't be together until she finds him a shard."
"Fuck me." Dragon dude whispered under his breath.
"Yes, sire." Dumuzid clambered to his feet and rushed over to dragon guy, probably pretty damn anxious to leave on his new mission.
If Zara got out of here in one piece, she needed to remember as much of this scenario as she could and try to warn the dragons. Did she really just think that? An hour ago, she didn't even know dragons existed. Maybe they were enemies of the wolves. She'd have to ask Niko.
She refused to believe that she wouldn't see him again. She would, and they'd laugh and laugh about her adventures in hell. Someday.
"I warn you, I am sending my Galla demons to find a shard for myself. If they achieve their goal before yours, neither you nor your sister will ever see each other again." The King pointed to Dumuzid and then spit fire at him.
Dumuzid jumped away from the flames and toward dragon dude. "Get us out of here."
Dragon dude rolled his eyes, which seemed to be his default expression when dealing with everyone from hell. "Where to, oh desperate one?"
"Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi."
Zara whispered to the lady in red. "Is he speaking English?"
"Come on. Let's go before Kur-Jara notices us." She scooted into a dark tunnel and Zara followed.
Because what else was she going to do? Around a couple more corners and just when Zara was sure she'd gone blind because it had grown so dark, a light appeared in what looked like a small grotto. The lady in red walked into the cave-like space, but Zara took a moment to stare.
Hanging from every available space were thousands and thousands of shiny Christmas ornaments. The lady in red noticed Zara staring. "Don't touch them. They're mine."
Zara raised her hands to show her keeping her hands off. The lady in red nodded and waved her in. Zara had to pass through what almost seemed like a curtain of sparkles, but that tingled when it touched her skin.
"Ereshkigal can't see in here." The lady tipped her head to the side and said, "You're not in my head."
"Umm, no? Are you in mine? I have been known to hallucinate and this seems a whole lot like some of my visions." She was pretty sure she could tell the difference now, but her last couple of visions had been awfully real. Maybe this whole thing was a vision too.
"I can't hear you." The lady tapped her head.
It was pretty dang quiet in here. "I can talk louder."
"You don't belong here."
"I know. I don't exactly want to be here. Can you help me get home?" She was starting to feel a little like Dorothy. She'd definitely met the wicked witch and the wizard. Not sure if dragon dude was the scarecrow or the tin man, but Dumuzid was for sure the cowardly lion. If the lady in red told her to tap her heels together three times, Zara was going to be a little freaked ou
t.
She did not. She touched one of the shining ornaments that was painted with a quaint snowy scene. "Stop thinking with your eyes."
"I don't know what that means." Now she kind of wished the lady would give her something easy like chanting there's no place like home.
"Think with your sight." The lady opened her eyes wide. She reached forward and tapped Zara's temple. "What do you see?"
It was worth a try. Zara closed her eyes and a vision started right away. She was in a house, in a nursery, at night. There were two bassinets. "Babies. Twins."
"What kind of babies?"
Umm. "The baby kind?"
"Dragon babies?" The lady's voice was more excited than before. "Is her spell broken?"
Zara moved closer. Two sweet adorable faces were sleeping peacefully. They each had a stuffed dog in the crib with them. One with its head ripped half off. "They definitely aren't dragons."
Didn't dragons hatch from eggs? They did on TV and in books. This was real life though and someday, she was making Galyna help her write a fricking beginners guide to the paranormal, so other women who mated wolves, or dragons for that matter would know what the heck people were on about all the time.
The lady harumphed. "What are their names?"
Zara looked around the nursery which was decorated in a nature theme with trees that reminded her of home. Over each of the bassinets was a little plaque with a name printed in beautiful calligraphy which of course made it hard to read.
"You can read?" She said it like she couldn't.
Maybe Zara could get her into a literacy program in Rogue or Cape Cod. "Yes. Her name is Eleanor."
The vision ended and Zara opened her eyes. She had to blink a few times and then realized those weren't spots in her vision, it was more Christmas balls.
The woman tipped her head to the side as if she was hearing something else.
"What is it? Is the King coming? More of those snake-men?" She shouldn't be screwing around thinking about babies when she needed to figure out how to escape.