Love & Wrath (First Dragons Book 1)

by A. C. Ryals

  An alarm sounded. It was like an air raid alarm from an old movie. Like a fire truck, but slower and a little deeper. She supposed it was a signal for the basilisks to take cover.

  Lily came back wearing a man’s jacket zipped up to her neck and carrying two phones. She handed one to Kurt who immediately starting typing. It occurred to Jess that it was lucky he didn’t come from a generation who didn’t memorize any phone numbers.

  Jess got to her feet. She was feeling better by the minute.

  “Shit. He’s coming. Get as deep into the tunnel as you can. Is there another exit?” Kurt asked.

  “Straight down and turn left,” Lily said.

  Just then there was a sound like a giant blow torch. Kurt shoved Jess and she ran down the corridor. Lily grabbed her arm and led her to the right while Kurt took off toward the other exit. The corridor brightened and Jess could feel heat on her back. Wrath must have melted through the door.

  Lily led Jess to a set of stairs and deeper into the ground. Lily closed the door at the top of the stairs and followed Jess down into what looked like a control room or command center where four basilisks sat at consoles.

  There were monitors showing images from outside. Wrath was on the biggest monitor, only his dragon was white instead of black. It had to be him, though. He was hovering over the entrance to the bunker.

  A man got up from one of the consoles and went to Lily.

  “What happened? Was it the dragon that came here yesterday?” he asked.

  “No, daddy. It was me. I cheated in a fight with Kurt and hurt my fang. Jess touched the blood. Then Poppy told Kurt to do the binding spell to save her. He said he was cursed...I guess this is the curse. It’s all my fault. What if the dragons kill Poppy?”

  “They won’t,” Jess said. “Kurt sent a message to Etel. I think Etel has been working on a way to fix the curse. Kurt’s going to distract Wrath until Etel gets here. We just need to keep everyone safe until that happens.”

  Movement on the screen caught her eye. A cloud of dust and ash swirled around Wrath until he disappeared. A teal and copper blur passed in front of the camera, Mr. Kurt Drake.

  Iris came down the stairs. “Lily are you okay?” she asked.

  Lily turned her tear-streaked face to her big sister and shook her head.

  Iris put her arms around Lily and hugged her.

  ~

  Etel was on I-95 near the Hanover County Airport when he got the text from Kurt.

  Something’s wrong with Ezzu. It’s the curse or whatever. We need you at his place now. He’s white. Jess was hurt, I did the binding spell for them, and then he told me to run. Now he’s living up to his name.

  Etel didn’t even know Kurt was in Virginia, but he could guess why. He pulled onto the shoulder of the road and began casting a cloaking spell as he jumped out of the car. A few seconds later, he was airborne.

  Etel wasn’t like other dragons. He looked a bit like a firedrake with his pure black scales, but he wasn’t specialized like the rest of his generation. In fact, he lacked most dragon magic skills leaving him to act more as a mage with scales and fire. Alal called him a discord dragon.

  He used his magic to quicken his pace.

  He saw smoke rising on the horizon and hoped his little brother hadn’t done anything he’d regret.

  There was no way to know what spell the imp had put on Ezzu all those centuries ago. Nearly two millenniums now, wasn’t it? Etel had never liked her, but Ezzu thought she was amusing. His human side did, at any rate. His dragon side was more sensible.

  At least, it had been. The damned imp had to leave her mark.

  Without knowing what the spell was, there was little Etel could do on his own. Mage magic and fae magic weren’t compatible. Imps were a type of fae. Thankfully, he knew how to get help, though it would cost him.

  What I do for family…

  As he approached Wrath’s property, Etel saw Kurt’s small air dragon taunting Wrath’s ferocious firedrake. Fire elementals chased Kurt while he used the air to put them out almost as fast as they appeared.

  Etel landed a short distance down the driveway and changed into human form.

  The thing people didn’t think about with portals is that everything in the universe is moving all the time. The Earth moves within the solar system which moves within the galaxy, which moves within its own cluster, and so on. Even making a portal ten feet in front of you is nearly impossible. What Etel needed to do was create a landing zone—a magical symbol on the Earth that would attract a portal and help a fae travel there.

  He would also have to use magic to summon said fae.

  He began drawing an eight-pointed star of Inanna in the dirt of the drive, but then the fighting dragons just had to move in his direction. It’s not like they could be polite and fight elsewhere.

  “Get him the fuck away from me,” Etel yelled at Kurt.

  Kurt growled. “I’m trying,” he said in Sumerian.

  Etel cast a quick spell, destroying the elementals and then another that cooled Wrath to red, making him more manageable.

  Wrath roared at Etel, and Etel walked forward.

  “Try me, Sparky,” Etel growled.

  Magic built in the air, Etel didn’t know what Wrath was preparing to do but he wouldn’t have it. Etel send a wave of energy that knocked Wrath tumbling backwards. Then, he cast a concealment spell. Wrath would be able to see through it, but at least it would be difficult for him to focus on Etel.

  It wasn’t a serious fight. If it were, Etel would do more to help Kurt. It seemed that even in his current crazed state, Wrath could show restraint. Rather than trying to kill Kurt, Wrath was trying to get him out of the way. He wouldn’t show as much restraint if Etel changed back into dragon form and challenged him.

  Again, Etel tried to draw the start of Inanna, but a gust of wind from Kurt wiped it away.

  ~

  “What’s Etel doing?” Jess asked, looking at the monitor.

  She’d expected Etel to come in and magically save the day. Maybe he still would. She hadn’t counted on him needing to draw pictures in the dirt while two dragons fought around him.

  “Do you think he’s trying to do something that will hurt Poppy?” Lily asked.

  “No,” Jess said. “Etel is one of the strongest dragons. If he wanted to hurt Wrath, he wouldn’t be in human form drawing pictures. It’s magic. Wrath needs magic to get over the curse. We need to distract Wrath so Etel can finish what he’s doing.”

  “You can’t go out there,” Lily said.

  “I’m not stupid,” Jess said. Then she had an idea. “You have a speaker system and a siren.”

  “The sirens have been going off for a while now,” Iris said her eyes fixed on the screen showing Etel.

  “No, a siren. Faith. Shut off the alarm and let her sing through the speaker system,” Jess clarified.

  “Right. I’ll text someone on the other side of the bunker,” Iris said.

  Jess watched Wrath on the screen. He’d gone from white to red. She didn’t know if that was better or worse. He didn’t seem intent on hurting Kurt. He treated him more like a pest. His eyes kept going back to the door to the bunker Jess was in.

  She hoped the human side of him was taking control and could stop the rampage before anyone got hurt.

  Faith’s voice came over the speakers. She was singing “Baby Mine” from Dumbo. It was beautiful. The men in the command center got up and wandered to the speaker in the room, reaching for it.

  The dragons weren’t as affected, but it was certainly a distraction. They landed, still eyeing each other warily. More importantly, Etel was able to resume drawing in the dirt. A star, a circle, and then he...was he biting his hand?

  Yep, he was biting his hand. He squeezed blood into the circle. She saw him saying a few words, but she wasn’t a lip reader. It was probably in some ancient language.

  A moment later, a man with long flowing hair appeared in the circle and he looked annoyed.

&n
bsp; Chapter 22

  Wrath woke up inside a raging dragon. It was a nightmare.

  What is it? Why are you doing this, Wrath asked his dragon.

  Can’t be bound to her. Must kill her to break the bond, his dragon replied.

  It’s a curse. Zahra did it. Dragons bind themselves to people all the time. They’re not all true mates. What difference does it make if we’re bound to one? Only, if you kill her, you might kill us.

  We are strong. We will live. I have to kill the woman. I will stop this dragon from bothering us and then I will burn the woman.

  No.

  I must.

  No.

  I MUST.

  His dragon was plotting a move against Kurt when an angelic voice came over the speaker system singing a lullaby. It was a siren song. The dragon was mostly immune, but it still took the fire out of him.

  Pretty song, Wrath said.

  His dragon circled slowly toward Kurt.

  Dragon: Dumbo. Remember? Jacob loved it.

  Jacob was another of Wrath’s descendants.

  Wrath: That’s right. He was such a cute kid.

  Kurt moved, but the dragon didn’t follow.

  Dragon: Jacob’s strong now. Like us.

  Wrath: That he is.

  Wrath had his dragon so calm it didn’t notice Etel walking up with a mixed blood fae until they were ten feet away.

  The fae spoke in Sumerian, magic permeating every word. “Ezzu, brother of my brother, I am Namtar. You will listen and you will obey.”

  Namtar was Etel’s half-brother on his mother’s side. He was half mage, half fae. Wrath had never met him.

  Against his will, Wrath’s dragon replied in kind to the fae prince, “I will listen, and I will obey.”

  The dragon part of him was trying to fight it, but the human side was on board.

  Wrath: If we obey, maybe we won’t kill our family to get to one human.

  Dragon: She’s not human.

  Wrath: Whatever. You don’t want to kill Iris and Lily.

  “Recite the words that sent you into this madness,” Namtar said. “The words that drive you, they were spoken long ago. Reach back in your hidden memories and then tell them to me.”

  Wrath’s dragon responded in Egyptian. “Zahra is your mate, your only mate. Dragon, you will be confused. You will not be able to tell if a woman is your true mate. If you bind yourself to another woman, she must die. Only Zahra is your mate for as long as you live.”

  “Dragon,” Namtar said, “Zahra is not your mate. She is dead. You will know your true mate, male, female, or otherwise. You are bound to a woman now. It is a cause for celebration. You will not kill her. You don’t want to. You will care for her, cherish her, protect her as a dragon should. Zahra was your mate, but she is gone. Zahra is not your mate.”

  Wrath changed back into human form, as did Kurt who was standing behind Etel.

  “Oh look, another dick. I really wish you guys could keep your clothes when you change,” Namtar said. “Promise you won’t kill your mate?”

  “Promise. Thank you,” Wrath said.

  “Good. Not that this isn’t fun, but I have an alien fae to interrogate,” Namtar said. He nodded to Etel, “You will pay me back for this, brother.”

  “I know,” Etel said.

  Namtar slapped Etel on the back, waved his hand to make a portal, and then disappeared.

  “Alien fae?” Kurt asked.

  “Let’s get dressed. I’d rather apologize to my mate with pants on,” Wrath said.

  “You burned my clothes,” Kurt said.

  Wrath shrugged and led his brothers into the house. He went to the bedroom and got out three pairs of jeans. He put one pair on and tossed two pairs in the general direction of the living room. He was looking for shirts when he heard the front door open and then Jess’s voice.

  He went out to meet her.

  “Good lord,” she said. “It’s a room full of beefcake. You boys should make a charity calendar where you’re shirtless and holding kittens.”

  Mine. My treasure. Mine. Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine.

  “Kurt, introduce Etel to his niece. I need to talk to Jess,” Wrath said.

  “I need a shirt,” Etel said.

  “Get a jacket from the closet on your way out.”

  Wrath already had Jess’s hand and he was leading her to the basement. He could sense the magic growing within her. He sensed her dragon.

  “Remember how I said we’d give this a try, and you could leave if you wanted?” Wrath said.

  “Yeah,” Jess said.

  “That deal is over. You’re mine.”

  “What? What happened, Wrath? You were trying to kill us. You could have killed Kurt,” she said as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

  Wrath turned to face her. “I’m sorry. My mate was an imp, a type of fae, and she cursed me. My dragon was trying to hurt you, Jess. Zahra knew she wasn’t my true mate, and she didn’t want me to find anyone else.”

  “Oh,” she said.

  The pain in her eyes made Wrath’s dragon grumble within him. Protect mate. Always.

  “Namtar lifted the curse, and my dragon is sane again. You know I wouldn’t hurt you willingly. My dragon has claimed you. I heard it in my head—you’re my treasure.”

  “So, that’s it? You’re fixed and we get a happily ever after? Wrath, you were attracted to me because I look like your dead mate. We can still try, but this isn’t exactly the perfect love story.”

  Wrath shook his head. Females could make things so much more complicated than they had to be. He wasn’t sure he’d ever fully understand them.

  “Who wants perfect?” he asked. “Who’s happy forever? Without flaws there’s nothing to strive to improve, nothing to work for. Without unhappy times we can’t appreciate the happy ones. As for you looking like Zahra, she was my type. A lot of women I’ve been with look like you, but none of them were you. I cared for her deeply, but my dragon chose you, not her. I chose you.”

  “Why? We’ve only known each other for a few days.”

  “You don’t want to leave Jess. Listen to that voice in your head. It’s telling you that I’m yours and it’s right.”

  He led her over to the gym equipment. “Stay here. I have to do something.”

  She sat on the weight bench, looking a little shell shocked. Wrath went to the other side of the cavernous space and changed into dragon form. He sent out a stream of fire to open the first door and then went down the tunnel to the vault door, opening it before changing into human form.

  “Jess? I want you to see this,” he called.

  ~

  How did Wrath know about the voice in her head? There was so much she didn’t understand about Wrath and his life, what he was, what she might become. She couldn’t just stay with him, could she?

  She wasn’t sure what she expected to find at the end of the tunnel, but nothing prepared her for the vision in front of her.

  Wrath was standing on a pile of gold and jewels that was shaped into an enormous platform. He held out his hands and helped Jess up so she could stand on it with him.

  “Every dragon hoards something that makes them feel secure. Some hoard information. Some hoard power and influence. My dragon is the old-fashioned kind, I hoard treasure,” Wrath said.

  “I’ve never seen anything like this,” Jess said.

  Wrath scanned the pile of riches and then smiled. He took a few steps and knelt down, picking up something that glittered in the low light. He brought it over and revealed a diamond choker. He gently slipped it around Jess’s neck and fastened it.

  The heat in his eyes was well beyond any passion she’d seen from him before. She felt more wanted than ever and her body responded gleefully, preparing her for the most primal of activities. Logically, she knew she should be more reserved. She’d been dying and then he wanted to kill her. That would put anyone off.

  It was hard to listen to her rational mind with him standing there like some kind of bron
ze god. Okay, demigod.

  My treasure. He’s mine.

  “It’s beautiful,” Jess said, tracing the star of Anu tattooed on his chest with her fingertips.

  “My dragon wants you to wear part of my treasure. I need you to wear it. You marked me with a bite. I’m marking you with my treasure. There’s one more thing I need to do to seal the deal.”

  “What’s that?” she said, so entranced by his body she barely heard him speak.

  He bent down, lifted the hem of her dress, and pulled it over her head, his fingers leaving a hot trail on her skin.

  She threw her arms around his neck, pressing her skin to his. Her strapless bra a hindrance that he dispatched quickly as he pressed his lips to hers. She’d thought his kisses were passionate before, but now there was something more. He was like an animal in the best way.

  Unfortunately, she couldn’t appreciate it fully. She was feeling an uncomfortable tingling sensation and an inner tension like she was going to crawl out of her own skin. The unwelcome feeling was hindering her ability to lose herself in the moment.

  She pulled back from the kiss.

  “I’m sorry. I’m still not feeling well. I think I might need a little more time to recover,” Jess said.

  “What’s it feel like?” Wrath asked, holding onto her upper arms.

  “It’s hard to explain.”

  Free me.

  She didn’t just hear the words in her head, she felt them. There was something inside her that wanted out.

  “Oh God,” she said. “I think I’m a shifter.”

  Wrath reached around and removed the choker from her neck.

  “It’s okay,” he said, stepping back. “I’m going to give you a little space. Don’t worry, I’m here for you.”

  “What do I do?” Jess asked, panic building. Did changing hurt? What if she couldn’t change back? Would she have control of herself in her other form?

  Wrath grinned. “You let it happen. Everything blinks out for a second and then you change. I wonder what you’ll look like. Will you be a firedrake or something a little different? Maybe we’re all wrong and you’re really a mongoose shifter.”

  “Just let it happen?”