by Amber Kallyn
Pete stood, shucking his pants. He lay next to her, caressing her breasts and belly. “Are you sure you’re strong enough?”
“Only you can make me stronger.”
Rising over her, Pete took her mouth in a fast kiss as he probed her heat with his aching cock. He eased inside her tightness, slow at first, but she bucked her hips, forcing him deeper.
The feel of her wrapped around him, pushed him to the edge.
But he was no boy. He would give her what she needed before allowing his own pleasure. Pete called on his dragon’s strength. He needed it or he wouldn’t be able to hold back.
Isa grabbed at his lower lip with her teeth, then traced the path with her tongue.
He drew out, her pussy clenching at him tightly, then plunged back inside.
Rising on his arms, he stared into Isa’s soulful eyes as he jerked his hips.
She was beautiful, stunning.
His strength began to flee as her paleness flushed into a healthier color.
Pete continued to love her, easing out, then driving in, deep, hard, just like she wanted by the way she raised her hips to meet his every thrust. Their groins smacked, grinding together as she rubbed her clit against him.
He drew out once more, then pushed even deeper. She lifted her head, and he captured her mouth in a tumultuous kiss.
His energy waned further, but he strengthened himself with dragon magic. She needed to feed. He was the course. And he would love her until she was fully satisfied.
Isa’s breathing grew shallow, quickening as her body jerked in abrupt movements.
Pete groaned as he came closer to spilling his seed within her. She bit his shoulder, not too hard, yet in no way soft.
“Lover mine. Your power fills me.” Her cry was muffled against his skin.
As her pussy clenched around him, Pete gave up the fight. He slammed deep and allowed himself to spill over.
His balls tightened, his cock pulsing. He continued to pump into her, drawing out both their pleasure until she screamed once more. Only then did he slow and ease to her side, tucking Isa against him as much as he could with her arms still chained.
She opened her eyes once more, her face flushed with color. “Thank you.”
“Tell me who’s done this to you.”
“Your clan knows.”
“My family?” he asked, surprise rushing through him.
“Speak with Anna. She can help you find me.”
Pete rose on one elbow, staring at her. He brushed back a white-gold lock of hair from her forehead. “My brother’s wife?”
“The two of you, together, can free me. But beware, for evil wants you as much as he wants to keep me. He has laid traps.”
“I will find you,” he told her with confidence.
“I await your presence in life, rather than only dreams.” A dark shadow crossed her face, but she shook her head and smiled up at him. “Go lover mine, while it is still safe. I am satisfied for a while.”
“I will be here when you need more. You have only to call.”
Her eyes softened and she kissed him. “I know.”
* * *
Pete woke covered in sweat, the room smelling of Isa and sex. And the phone was ringing. He twisted in the bed, reaching over and grasping his cell. “Yeah?”
“Pete?” a deep, gravelly voice asked.
“Garreth. Hey, bro. How’s it going?”
“My wife needs to talk to you.”
“Good. I need to talk to her.”
Garreth inhaled sharply, but didn’t say a word. Pete could picture the exact expression his older brother wore, one of protectiveness for his wife and burning curiosity.
A soft, hesitant voice asked, “Hello? Is this Pete?”
“Yup,” he replied to the woman he’d only met a few times. Trying to put her at ease, he asked, “Tell me. Is Garreth frowning, the skin between his eyes crinkled and his jaw tightly clenched?”
Anna replied, “Sí. He doesn’t like what I told him about my dreams.”
“Dreams?”
She sighed. “Did you have one like we did?”
Pete sat up, running his hand through his short blond hair. “Who’s we?”
“Me. And your sister, Calla. I also got a phone call from Ty’s fiancé, Bree.”
“Isabella,” Ty whispered.
“Sí,” Anna replied. “Isabella. We need to talk.”
“All right. You’re at home?”
“Sí.”
“Give me half an hour.”
“Bueno. We’ll be waiting. Calla said she’d be later. Her husband won’t let her fly down and leave him behind.”
“That’s what she gets for marrying a guy she can’t push around.” He chuckled at the image of his fiery haired sister being scolded by her strong mate.
Pete hung up before Garreth could get on the phone and lecture him. His brother took his role a bit too seriously.
Hell, the man thought Pete was still a kid. He snorted as he turned on the shower. It didn’t matter he was twenty-five. It probably wouldn’t matter when he was fifty. His older brother wasn’t likely to change.
You couldn’t teach an old dragon new tricks.
He showered and dressed, then slid on his helmet and started his Harley. Soon, he was flying down the highway.
He didn’t know quite what was going on, but if he was finally going to meet his Isabella in real life, he was ready to do anything that was needed.
* * *
Isabella shuddered on the bed. She could still feel Pete’s hands and body on her skin. Could still smell the spicy, brimstone musk he always left behind.
If only he’d truly been here, rather than their usual meeting place—the Dimension of Dreams.
She sighed, her chest aching. He and Anna would free her. She hoped.
Yet, once she met her lover in life, she would be forced to let him go.
Otherwise, she would kill the beautiful man who’d kept her alive for so long.
The dungeon door creaked open and the baying of hell hounds ricocheted from the stone walls, filling the room, pounding at her ears.
She tugged at the chains for the millionth time, but they didn’t loosen.
The door pushed open all the way and the master strode inside. A cruel grin stretched his mouth, revealing small, sharp teeth. Lanky shoulder-length strands of gray hair fell around his neck, dull in contrast to his glowing orange-yellow eyes.
“So, my dear. You called them all. Good. Now they will come and I will finally have my revenge on the Dragos family as I deserve.” His cold voice sent goose bumps crawling across her skin.
“They can defeat you. Nothing is guaranteed.”
He sneered. “I make my own guarantees.” The dark mage meandered to the far wall, stoking the fire and adding a few more logs.
Her eyes burned at the fact that this evil being could force her to call her lover, yet she truly believed the Dragos family would win. If only her sight allowed her to see, she could assuage the guilt roiling in the pit of her stomach.
For she was the bait this man had set his traps with.
And everything Isa knew of the Dragos clan from her talks in the dreamy afterglow of lovemaking with Pete, his family would never be able to resist her pleas.
The master rose, turning to face her. His eyes brightened, yellow flecks almost taking over the orange. His pasty skin enhanced the dark rings around those evil eyes.
Isa knew his problem.
She relished in it.
The man had recently lost most of his magical creatures, through death or escape—though she’d never tell him how they escaped. He didn’t have nearly enough prisoners to continue stealing their power.
Which weakened him.
As if knowing her thoughts, the master drew his skeletal hand up and pointed at Isa. A sharp pain crashed from her forehead and down her chest, to her belly.
“Once I have the dragons and the elementals, I will have enough power to turn you, my sweet su
ccubus, into my soul slave as well. You will please me, fill me with your magic, all without draining my soul.”
Isa shuddered in revulsion.
She’d heard of such a thing before. A succubus, a demon of sexual magic, becoming a soul slave. Rather than feeding off the sex, the power received from the act went directly to the one bonded with. She’d never be able to feed for herself, only for him.
And what such a thing did to a demon’s mind... It sent one out of control, pushed them to feed on anyone they could get their hands on—good or bad. It went against every fiber of her nature.
Only a truly strong mage could do such a thing. If the master ever managed to control her in such a way, she was doomed. Doomed to an eternity of pain and unslaked hunger.
Her hope rested in the hands of the Dragos clan. Yet, if they ever found out she’d betrayed them...
Isa closed her eyes, trying to conserve the strength she’d received from Pete. The master grunted and his footsteps headed out of the room and down the hall.
Her eyes prickled as humanly tears slipped from beneath her lids and trickled down her face.
Two hundred years in this prison.
She didn’t know if she could survive another day.
Chapter Two
Pete paced the living room, impatient for his eldest sister to arrive. Garreth and Anna were both being tight lipped. It gave Pete distinct pleasure not to answer their questions since they weren’t answering his.
Ty, another brother, sat in the recliner, his pretty wife curled up on his lap and sleeping. Bree was a strange bird. She was nice and all, if a bit distant. Pete liked her, but she was hard to get to know. Ty said it was because she’d grown up an orphan, it would take her time to get used to such a big family as theirs.
Pete continued to pace.
Finally, an hour later, Calla arrived. She entered, a gust of wind behind her as if pushing her into the house. Her belly had grown enormous in just the few weeks since Pete saw her last.
“Damn, sis. What’d you do, eat a cow?” he asked.
Calla swatted his head playfully then proceeded to nestle onto the couch. “So, who had the dream?” she asked, tossing her long, red hair over her shoulder.
Anna nodded.
Ty nudged a still sleeping Bree, who jerked upright, blushing. “Dream? Oh, me.”
Pete stepped forward. “Why did you three dream of Isa?”
Anna’s brows rose. “How do you know her name?”
Pete’s face grew hot. By Garreth’s glare, he wasn’t going to escape answering. “I’ve dreamt of her for years.”
Anna clasped her hands, leaning against Garreth’s hulking form. He dwarfed the tiny woman, but Pete knew firsthand who really wore the pants in this house.
“Do... Do you know what she is?” Anna whispered.
“Aye,” Pete replied. “It doesn’t matter.”
Garreth pulled Anna closer, tucking her against his side. “What is this woman?”
“Demon.” Anna glanced up at him. “Succubus.”
Calla inhaled, staring at Pete.
He fidgeted. “What?”
“Do you… well…” Her face flamed.
Ty laughed. “What our sister is trying to ask is have you had sex with the demon in your dreams.”
“That’s none of your business,” he replied as every person in the room stared his way.
Anna stepped into the middle of the living room, staring at Pete. “Isabella is a good woman, but she has no control over what she is. Sex with her will drain your magic, your life force, until it kills you.”
“Nah.” Pete shook his head. “So, how do you know her?”
Trembling, Anna stared at the plush brown carpet. Garreth hurried to her side and took her hand. “She is chained in the dungeon of the black mage.”
Pete’s legs went weak and he stumbled back, leaning on the arm of the couch. He’d always know she was real… somewhere. But never in his wildest imagination had he ever figured she was a captive somewhere—otherwise he’d gotten her free long ago.
Calla laid her hand on his knee as if sensing the conflicting emotions swirling through him.
His thoughts spun out of control, landing on only one available option. “Then we go get her out.”
Anna shook her head furiously. “There’s no way. The master has spells and heavy protection around his castle. Beyond that, no one even knows where it is.”
Pete jumped to his feet, facing her. “You know. You escaped. Lead us back there.”
Anna’s face drained of all color, leaving her looking like a ghost. “I c-can’t.”
“Why not?”
Anna shook her head. “When I fled the castle, I was blinded by pain and fear. There were trees, a rocky ground. Then a cliff. I fell into rushing water. Minutes—hours—days later I washed ashore in my dragon form. The first thing I remember is huddling in an alley in the city. I contacted an old family friend. He helped me. I was in Canada, with only Wolf for company, for so long.”
Tears leaked down her face and Garreth drew her to his side, tucking her close. His eyes swirled with barely restrained violence. “My wife will do nothing which puts her at jeopardy.”
Anna patted his arm. “I’ll help if I can. But I fear there’s not much I can do.”
Her purplish eyes grew larger, terror haunting them.
Garreth stared at Pete, his jaw tight. “My mate will do nothing she doesn’t wish to do.”
The scent of brimstone and fire filled the air as Garreth’s dragon rose protectively. Pete’s dragon stirred, called to the challenge.
Wind whipped through the living room, pushing Garreth and Anna back to the loveseat near the door, and forcing Pete to the recliner on the opposite side of the room.
“Thank you, darling,” Calla said to Scott as he allowed the air to calm once more.
His eyes, swirling green as he used his magic to control the air, slowly changed back to blue.
“Now, quit being pigheaded. Both of you. I don’t care what this Isabella is.” Calla stared at Garreth. “Not only has she asked us for help, but she is a prisoner of the mage we’ve been trying to find for months.”
Calla’s gaze softened as she looked at Anna. “If you don’t wish to go back there, we will not force you. But we need your help to find this castle, to bring down this evil once and for all.”
A slow tear leaked from Anna’s eye, trickling down her cheek. She nodded. “I owe Isa much, as well as you all. Like I said, I’ll help if I can.”
“Good. Then let’s figure out how to find this bastard,” Pete said. “We can get him and Isa at the same time.”
Garreth raised a dark brow. “What do you mean, we? Last you said, you didn’t want to be a bounty hunter for the Council. That means you get to stay home, pup.”
“You can’t keep me from going. I deserve my piece of vengeance for our mother and brother.” Gritting his teeth, Pete stared at the gloating looks on Garreth and Ty’s faces.
They wanted him to be a hunter, and thought he’d have to succumb now. There was no way they’d be going without him.
Biting his tongue against all he wanted to say, instead, he replied, “Fine. Make me a temporary deputy. I’ll see if I like it.”
After Isa was safe, he could give the badge back.
Ty and Garreth exchanged a glance as if knowing his plan, but both nodded in agreement.
Pete didn’t quite like the sly look in Ty’s blue eyes, as if there was some loophole he was going to close before Pete could escape their trap.
It didn’t matter. He had to free Isa.
“So, how do we find this castle?” Pete asked.
Silence descended. After long minutes passed, Anna clasped her hands in her lap. “You… can you choose to see Isa in your dreams?”
“Aye.”
“Perhaps…” From around her neck, Anna withdrew a long gold chain, a heart shaped locket dangling on the end. “Sleep. While you are with Isa, remember the locket. Concentrate
on giving it to her. Once she has it, she can carry it from the dream into the real world. I may be able to track it.”
Pete crossed the room and gently took the locket, clasping her delicate hand between his own. “Thank you.”
Anna shrugged as if it didn’t matter, but her body was tense and stiff.
He glanced around the room, asking, “So, anyone got any sleeping pills?”
* * *
Pete drifted in an endless sea of white. There was no up or down or sideways, just pure white.
“Isa?” he called yet again, but got no response.
Closing his eyes, he shed his human form, growing and expanding. His legs thickened, his back stretched, wings sliding from skin covered in rusty orange scales. His neck and head elongated into a snout covered in spikes and his tail whipped through the nothingness.
With a bellow he flapped his wings, not sure if he was flying in circles or not.
Far in the distance, a speck of orangish-red flames broke the whiteness. He hurtled through the air toward the flickering fire.
The white ended, only to be replaced by flames surrounding him.
Pete bellowed again, shooting flames from his snout at those all around. They did not burn, but rather warmed him nicely. His own fire mixed and slowly, the flames receded. He landed on a dark, sooty rock ledge.
Ahead, a mountain towered. As Pete approached it, stones crumbled away, revealing a small tunnel.
He continued forward, shaking off his natural dragon form, stepping into the tunnel as a man. The tunnel meandered with twists and turns, but soon a light appeared.
Pete rushed forward, coming to an abrupt stop as he found himself in an opulent room. Colorful silk draped from the ceiling, covering the walls. A ring of what looked like diamonds sat in the middle encasing a roaring fire. And on the far side of the room sprawled an enormous bed.
A soft hand trailed down his back. He tensed, then caught a whiff of lavender and vanilla. “Isa.”
She giggled, tracing along his shoulders as she moved to face him. “I feel much better now. Thank you.”
No longer did she look sickly. Her pale skin glistened like alabaster porcelain.
“It was my pleasure.” Pete caressed her face.
Isa rubbed her cheek against his palm. “Come, lover mine. It is my turn to please you.”