The hand on hers tightened bringing her back to the present. “He’s playing on your fears, making the place as deadly as possible. Don’t let him get to you, baby.”
“He’s right, don’t let me get to you.” Mutufa’s voice echoed through the darkness everywhere at once.
Her shoulders tightened up, and her steps became smaller falling behind. It was only Maceo’s hold on her hand that kept her from stopping.
“How did you manage to escape the fire, Nadia? I’ve been wondering about that. Share your secret with me.”
Ah no. Not even if there was a secret. Instead, she coughed her fool head off and managed to crawl out of there before things got too bad.
“Not in the sharing mood? Maybe he will be. George tell them how I killed your wife.”
She blanched as George stood before them. This wasn’t the same male who had piloted the plane with the come hither smile. He had been beaten, tortured was the better word. He could barely stand in his hand was a shirt that he was clutching while tears fell.
For the first time in her life, Nadia wanted to kill. Mutufa laughed as George disappeared. Anger beat at her; she broke into a run not thinking. All she knew was that Mutufa needed some of his own medicine.
Maceo ran after her tackling her to the ground. “Not this way baby. You’re playing into his hand.”
A force pulled at her taking her away from Maceo until she stood in a cage all alone.
Chapter Twenty-four
The quiet spooked her more than Mutufa’s mocking laugh. She was hanging from a thick branch on a tall tree. When she got free, she was going to do her best to stay away from trees specifically and plant life in general since they didn’t seem to get along with her.
She was in a bird cage it was circular with bars about four or five inches apart. She wouldn’t be squeezing through them. What could he want? The darkness was rolling back just enough for her to see the landscape below.
“Dragon mate.” His shadow covered her making her flatten herself against the sides of the cage. She shivered the coldness of his shadow crawling over her like insects.
“The dragons think that finding mates will help them get rid of me, but they are mistaken. I would offer you the opportunity to crush them, but you have already shown yourself to be devious.”
“If you know what I am then you should let me go. I won’t help you.”
“I know that’s why I’m getting rid of you.”
“What?” The bottom of the cage opened up too fast for her to grab at the bars before she fell.
I’ll be dead when I hit the ground. Her body tightened in anticipation, but she didn’t hit the ground she kept falling. Was there a hole in the ground? Her body flipped in her fall; she tried to scream, but the air pushing against her robbed her of any sound.
Her eyes opened wide when she saw the ledge that she was going to hit. This is going to hurt if it doesn’t kill me. She slammed into it and rolled, a barrier kept her from rolling off into the pit of fire.
“Hello?” she said it softly afraid to raise her voice. Someone had to be here because she fell on something that broke her fall and comforted her body enough that her insides didn’t get pushed out through her back. She’d be sore for days, but at least she was alive.
“Nadia?” George came out of one of the holes in the wall.
“George, I thought you were dead.”
“Not yet but soon and you’ll be joining us now that you’re here.”
“Us?”
“Hi.” A petite female with long black hair spoke. “I’m Tamia George’s wife.”
“Hi, I’m Nadia, Maceo’s dragon mate.”
“George told me all about you. I was trying to wait until you settled in before I came to meet you, drag you to the store. Go out for lunch; you know to meet you.”
Nadia felt her lips twitch she was going to get along well with Tamia if they found a way to escape.
“George,” Tamia shouted. He ran to Nadia grabbing her by the hand and half dragging her behind him as they hid in the crevice of the rocks.
Fire spewed from the pit racing up the sides of the wall like they were in a volcano.
It stopped right before it reached the level they were on. As far as Nadia was concerned, that wasn’t a good thing. They were each drenched in sweat as if the fire was leaching any fluid they had in their bodies when it rose.
“It gets higher each time. Soon it will reach us spreading out to consume everything on this level including us.”
Nadia nodded as she tried to figure out what was happening. This wasn’t her first encounter with fire. Mutufa seemed to like killing that way.
“We need to get out of here.”
“There’s no way out and even if there were I wouldn’t leave them behind.”
She turned to see roughly thirty people coming from small holes and crevices in the rock wall.
“How did all of you get here?”
“Mutufa.” Tamia’s voice was hard when she said the name.
“We only have two choices.” She could hear Maceo saying he never dwelled on what if, he just did what needed to be done. “One we could all hold hands sing songs and accept death.”
“I’m against that option.” A young mother spoke up as she picked up her child and sank into the side of a male holding her.
“I like you already. Two we find a way out of here.” Nadia walked around looking for a way of escape. Tamia kept time with her.
“Maybe you can find something we couldn't. The rock wall is too steep to climb. Maybe one or two could make it, but there’s no way we all could.”
She looked around there were small children and even an elderly couple. Very few of the others looked like they could make it up the wall.
“We don’t have any rope or material to tie ourselves together, so we won’t get separated. There are several passages that may lead to freedom, but only the smallest child can get through them.”
She looked back at the children and understood. No mother was sending her child out alone to possibly die a worse death and do it alone.
“I don’t doubt you. It’s just that we haven’t seen another avenue of escape.”
Tamia was right, every time she thought she might have a way out she could see that there was something major permitting them from using it.
You have me. We can make it out of here.
Not without them. We all go, or we all stay. You know one for all and all for one.
She walked over to the edge watching as the fire prepared to pour through the cave tunnel once again.
“Fire in the hole,” she called out as everyone plastered themselves back into the small spaces.
The fire traveled a little higher, and the walls of the cave trembled.
“How long have the walls been doing that?”
“This is just the second time, started when you came.” A male voice called out causing her brow to draw up as she frowned.
How can you help us get out of here?
Oh, now you want to talk. Tired of talking to your new friends?
Jealousy? If we don’t get out of here, I won’t be talking to anyone including you.
Point taken. Tamia said they found a way out, but it was only big enough for a small child. A concentrated burst of power should make it wide enough for everyone, but we have to move quickly.
Why?
Because the last time the fire sprung up it touched the area of the walkway.
“Fire in the hole,” a voice called out.
They made it back to safety in time, but her power was right either next time or the time after it the fire was going to devour this level.
“I have a plan; it’s your decision if you want to give it a go. The power that resides in me should be able to be released in concentrated bursts energy to widen the escape route you found, allowing all of us to make it through.”
“When do you want to do this?” George asked.
“As soon as the fire retreats.”
“Listen up everyone,” George told them what they were doing and handed out assignments.
As soon as the fire retreated they took her to a crevice that was only wide enough for two people to hide within it.
“You’ve been clearing it out?”
“We have; we didn’t tell anyone so we didn’t get hopes up before we knew if we could get it done. It’s only big enough for two people in there. So there was no need to ask for help.”
“Thank you, every little bit helps.”
She crawled into the hole and looked for the best place to blast.
How do I release a blast?
You have to figure out where you want it first.
I know. I’d give a lot to be a miner right about now.
“Anyone out here have an idea where I should be blasting?” The male who was originally clearing out the hole crawled in.
“I know this land like I know myself. If you were able to do a concentrated blast here and here.” He pointed to several areas. “That would widen the area giving us a place to out wait the fire if need be before we blasted again.”
Did you get that?
I got it. Now we need to merge.
She took a deep breath and felt her mind touch the separate mind of her power. They were now thinking alike moving together as one. She raised her hands, and a bolt of lightning flew from them touching the areas that were pointed out to her.
“It worked!” The space was much wider, and it was now deeper. She crawled into it with the others coming up behind her.
“What’s your name.”
“Call me Kale, all my friends do.”
“Well, Kale your gift is amazing.”
He pointed out the next place and she let out a beam of power. The hole grew a little unstable as the dirt from the ceiling fell.
“Anyone with children try to make sure their noses and mouths are covered. Adults if you can cover yours make sure you do it.”
“Huddle,” Tamia called.
The fire had made it up to their level. It raced through the hole with the desire to burn them alive. It dissipated right before it reached them, singeing them but not burning them.
“We’re out of time.” Nadia worked twice as hard going deeper into the hole and making sure that no one was hurt until they finally came to the last barrier.
“This has to be it I can feel the flow of fresh air coming from somewhere close.”
Kale pointed out the spots for her to blast. The wall in front of her came pouring down. The hole they ended up with wasn’t the widest, but it was big enough for everyone to crawl out of.
“We made it.”
“We did,” Tamia hugged her. “Thanks to you and Kale.”
“Nice working with you. Next time lets meet in a store.”
The roar of a dragon filled the air. She looked up to see Maceo flying around. He found her.
“Looks like you have a ride.”
“I do.” He was never going to leave her and her heart beat with love. Whatever happened they were in it together.
He made a circle and came around when he was close enough she jumped. Her laughter fluttered behind her as they flew away.
“You scared me. I searched everywhere for you.”
“You can thank Mutufa for that one. Why didn’t you just talk to me like this?”
“There was a barrier between us and I couldn’t break it.”
“I never thought to try. Where’s Mutufa?”
“Gone.”
“What? How could he be gone?”
“He didn’t stay long after he kidnapped you. He’s weak and being here in Dragon’s Cove was taking his strength. He came only to do one thing.”
“Kill me.”
“Yes, but he didn’t succeed. What happened in there?”
“We lived because I asked for help. I knew what needed to be done but not how to do it. There was a time I would never have made myself vulnerable enough to ask for help. When I started my restaurant, I started it alone. I had been so beaten by the world I thought I needed to do it all by myself. Then you came along and kept saying it was we, not me by the actions you modeled.”
She stretched her upper body out on his back and looked at the sky that was slowly brightening now that Mutufa was nowhere to be found. She knew that Maceo would keep her safe, so she gave herself up to the feeling of flying and the wind in her hair.
Chapter Twenty-five
Nadia sat in the bed legs crossed with a pillow on them as she watched Maceo move around the room gathering his clothes. It had been two weeks since Mutufa had tried to kill her and many of the shifters. The time had been silent she was just beginning to relax believing everything would be okay. They even had a picnic lunch under a tree yesterday, Maceo insisted, and nothing happened to her. She kept an eye out for the tree though.
Now she was having her first official dinner party. Syn and Alexa were coming as well as the Oracles and Jillian’s husband. She wasn’t exactly looking forward to it, she liked them, but the last time they were here they brought the news that a fight was in her future, although she knew that. Sighing she stood and dressed. Tamia had been good to her word, and they went shopping. Alexa came along, and for the first time, she felt like she belonged somewhere. It felt like the island was welcoming her home. There was a great little place that wasn’t in use that would make the perfect bistro. When she talked to Maceo about it, he was on board.
“Nadia?”
His deep voice dragged her out of her thoughts.
“Are you good?”
“Yeah…no, nervous, but I don’t know why.”
“Well it is your first dinner party and having Oracles come over can be nerve wracking. George and Tamia are coming too; I invited them at the last minute.”
“That’s good I haven’t seen Tamia in about five hours.” Her laughter filled the room. They had become good friends.
“I never thought I would find this.”
He pulled her off the bed into his arms nuzzling her neck.
“Find what?”
“This.” Her hands made a wide circle. “You, this island, friends. Sounds simple but every day I saw people interacting with husbands or wives, children, and friends and I always felt a little left out. I yearned for a community where I fit in. After years of wanting but not finding it, I thought I’d end up alone. Then you came with your brother’s and your dragon and loved me when I thought I was unlovable.”
She went to her toes and kissed him hugging him tight.
“I love you and the way you feel, but you have to know you’re the one that set me free. I was waiting to freeze like my oldest brother. I knew it was going to happen and didn’t want to fight it until I heard your voice on the phone.”
He pulled her even closer and kissed her deeply. “I love you baby, and I always will.”
She laid her head on his chest. “I love you.”
The doorbell rang. “Let’s go greet our guest.”
They walked hand in hand to the elevator. The fight wasn’t over, and they knew it. Together they would handle it when the time came, but for now, they would enjoy the time they had to love each other.
Book Three Skye’s Dragon Excerpt
Chapter One
“We’re getting more complaints about the man in room two fifteen.” The speaker passed her up walking quickly. There was a problem in the main sitting area of the hotel, and she was going to solve it. Skye gave a deep sigh before she walked back into her office.
The man in two fifteen had done nothing to bring attention to himself. So why were her guest complaining about him? He got up in the morning and went down to one of the three restaurants in the hotel for breakfast. He never bothered anyone. He did have a tendency to watch the females, as each one passed by he looked a bit sadder. It was like he was looking for someone special.
Then he went out, but he never seemed to stay that long. When he came back, he sat in the lobby for a while before going back to his room
and repeating the routine for both lunch and dinner. She knew because she watched him every opportunity she got. She had even sat outside his door a few times to see if he was violating their policy by making too much noise. Nothing, but certain guests still complained about him. She was beginning to wonder why.
She was sitting in front of a bank of camera’s in her office when his door opened. Her tongue came out to moisten her bottom lip without realizing it. Maybe her guests were scared that their women would leave them for this man. As far as she was concerned, that was a very real fear. He was tall with a swimmers build. She knew if he took those clothes off he would be a beautiful work of muscle and power. Her tongue darted out again. His light brown hair was a contrast with his deep tan. He must live in one of the warmer states. His eyes were so light brown that they fascinated her on the camera’s lens. If she didn’t know better, she would say they glowed, but that had to be a trick of the camera.
No, the guest in two fifteen wasn’t a problem or a threat unless you added her sanity and her rapid growing desire for him then yeah he was a real threat. Not that she thought for a minute a man who was proportioned perfectly would be interested in a plus size female like her. Not just plus size she turned her head to look in the mirror, but one with a streak of gray hair going down the right side by her ear.
Pain lanced her heart as she looked at her reflection. The dyes she used to hide the gray became less effective every time she used them. The professional dye jobs weren’t working anymore either. She had dyed her hair two weeks ago, but it looked like dye had never touched it. It had been hard, but she was coming to the realization that she would have to live with it. So no she wouldn’t be attracting the man in two fifteen. Not that she wanted to, she assured herself. With a shake of her head, she turned herself away from the camera and went back to work.
She had just picked up the first form that needed to be filled out when she caught Nathanial trying to sneak through the lobby avoiding the cameras. Instead of having someone pick him up and kick him out she waited. There was no doubt where he was going.
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