The Black Rose Chronicles, Battle and Betrayal: Book 3

by A. K. Michaels

  Rose huffed in exasperation as Brendan agreed with Cassius. “I’m going to fight by her side in my Wolf form. If hers wants out then she has to let it free. I’ll be right there with her, just in case.”

  “Thank you.” Cassius sighed with relief.

  Brendan scowled at him. “You don’t need to thank me, she’s my daughter. I’ve killed for her, and I’m willing to die for her too. I’ll protect her until my last breath, Cassius.”

  Valeria looked up at Brendan. “No need for dramatics, Wolf. We’ll all be looking out for Rose, and Cassius. I think people are forgetting we need both of them, not just Rose.”

  “Thank you, Valeria.” Rose gave the woman a nod. “I’ve been thinking the same thing. So, Cass, you stay close to me so I can keep an eye on you.”

  “I will.” Cassius smirked as Valentine opened the doors and started herding everyone out.

  “Quite the crowd,” Nicola commented as they waited until everyone else was outside.

  Rose looked around and was surprised at the numbers present. “Cassius, are these all Valentine’s guards?”

  “No.” Cassius shook his head. “Some aren’t Vampires at all. They are all staff, in one way or another, but when they heard about today’s fight they volunteered.”

  Rose spied Sue in amongst a group of about a dozen or so standing together. “That’s Sue! What’s she doing here?”

  Cassius shrugged. “I couldn’t stop her, or any of them. She’s a Wolf, darling, she can fight like all Wolves can, just like the people standing with her. They’re all Wolves and volunteered to come.”

  “I’m not so sure about this.” Rose looked perplexed. “We’re going to fight Demons, Cass, Sue could get hurt.”

  “Rose,” Brendan’s hand landed on her shoulder, “we need all the help we can get. I’ve had a word with the Wolves and told them to fight as a pack, not alone. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

  “Dad, you can’t say that.” Rose’s voice full of irritation. “This isn’t like hunting down a deer for dinner, it’s fighting fucking Demons!”

  “Rose.” Cassius’ tone was sharp as he tugged her around. “Enough. I know you care about others getting hurt but this is not your decision. Every person present has asked to be here. Nobody forced them, nobody even asked them, they went to Valentine as soon as they knew the details and offered to come with us. We can’t afford to turn anyone away, not today, Rose. So, take a deep breath and calm yourself, because we’ll be leaving shortly.”

  Rose looked outraged, for a moment, before her eyes roamed around, finally she nodded. “Fine.”

  “Don’t you fine me.” Cassius tugged her to him. “Just try and not worry about everyone else and worry about yourself.”

  “Sure.” Rose reached up, stroking his cheek. “And you. I’ll worry about you.”

  “No need.” Cassius puffed out his chest. “I’m indestructible.”

  “Sure you are.” Rose popped up on her tiptoes and kissed the side of his mouth. “Make sure of that, ‘cause if you get hurt, I’ll kill you.”

  Valentine’s loud voice interrupted them. “Listen up! Does anyone not know what you’re to do? Your position and your objective? If you don’t then please come talk to me now! When we get where we’re going I want everyone to take up their respective station and be on guard from the moment we arrive. It’s Demons we’re fighting, guys, so I’m pretty damn sure this isn’t going to be easy. They’ll do everything in their power to defeat us, but I say fuck them, it’s not happening. Is it? Is it? Is it?”

  A resounding roar rang out as Valentine whipped everyone up into a frenzy, the only ones not responding were the Fairies who looked on in bewilderment. Cassius inclined his head when Valentine looked over at him, his friend’s face hard as steel.

  Kuan popped up right next to Rose, making them jump. “I see you are ready.”

  “As I’ll ever be,” Rose whispered softly.

  “Cassius,” Kuan nodded to the amassed crowd. “Can you tell them to just stay where they are and I’ll get us moving? I think I’ll make two trips, I wasn’t quite expecting such a large group.”

  “I wasn’t certain of who would be here,” Cassius admitted. “But I’m glad to see so many have volunteered to join us.”

  “Every last person is a bonus.” Kuan looked around. “And no humans, which is good. I’m afraid they wouldn’t last very long.”

  “Vampires and Wolves,” Cassius said as he looked out over at the faces now turned toward them.

  “Hey!” Nicola grumbled.

  “And a Demon,” Cassius added quickly.

  “I’ll take Valentine and most of his men and then I’ll come back for the rest of you.”

  “Okay.” Cassius raised both his hands in the air and silence fell. “Just stand still and you’ll be transported in just a moment.”

  Some of the men, and women, looked apprehensive, glancing at Kuan and back to Cassius. He could sense their anxiety at being moved by the small Chinese man. Cassius tried to allay their fears. “I’ve done this before and there’s nothing to it.”

  Rose poked him in the ribs, muttering, “Liar liar, pants on fire.”

  “Shh,” Cassius grumbled.

  Kuan moved off to the side and before they knew it a large portion of the men disappeared. A few gasps, mumbles and general noises of shock permeated around them. Nicola stepped forward, waving frantically at those left. “Hey, it’s all good, folks. He’ll be back for us in just a teeny tiny minute and then we can go kick some Demon ass.” She stopped, tapping one of her long fingernails on her chin. “Well, when I say kick some Demon ass, I do not mean mine. Got that?”

  Rose couldn’t help herself, a laugh escaping as Nicola looked around, pointing at people, her tone sharp. “I mean it! I’m on your side so no sneaking up on me. All right?”

  As Nicola eyeballed the people below them Kuan reappeared, asking, “Are you ready?”

  “Sure.” Nicola bobbed on her feet as Cassius nodded.

  “Then let us go,” Kuan said a second before transporting them through time and space.

  Rose leaned heavily on Cassius when they landed on the Plains, groaning out a complaint. “Can we take the bus home?”

  Cassius pulled her upright. “It’s not exactly pleasant but the sensation soon goes.”

  “I hope so,” Rose grumbled. “I feel like I’m gonna throw up. I hate travelling like that.”

  “Me too,” Cassius confessed.

  Nicola’s gasp had them turning to find her pointing up into the sky. “What the freaking hell is that?”

  Kuan followed her hand, a smile playing on his lips. “That, my dear, is Zeeandra, Goddess of the Dragons and she appears to have brought some friends along to aid us.”

  Zeeandra’s snake-like Dragon flew high above the Great Plains. Arriving before anyone else, she scoped out the huge area. She saw nothing to alarm her but kept her vigilance up, just in case. She knew that Jaxon would be here soon, so she kept up her watch as she continued to go in large circles, looking down at the site of what was going to be a battle to the death.

  A shudder of apprehension ran through her at the thought of Jaxon, or any of her Dragons, being wounded, or worse. This being the first time she’d joined them in any kind of altercation. She usually left things up to the Guild and so far they’d never let her down, even if she’d lost a few of her precious Dragons over the years.

  The plague of Demons in the human realm was growing, and it was to those powerful beings that her Dragons had fallen. This battle was not just to protect Rose and her mate, the Vampire, but it was to protect every other being alive, including her Guild of Dragon Warriors.

  So, she broke her rule of never interfering and hoped none of them lived to regret her decision.

  It wasn’t long until she sensed Jaxon approaching, her beast turned to look behind and saw his massive beast thundering toward her. The almost white Dragon to his left told her Allyssa had joined him, and the small spec of a rider on his bea
st’s back was most probably Terigan. She was well aware of the amount of energy it took for Terigan to transform so it made sense he was still in human form.

  Her Dragon roared a welcome, flying in slow circles awaiting them to catch up. As they drew nearer, she reached out with her mind link. “I am grateful that you have come to join me.”

  Jaxon replied instantly, “There was no doubt of that, Goddess.”

  Zeeandra’s great head nodded. “Thank you. I know that Kuan will be arriving any moment now. Once we see him, we can put on a little show for them. After all, it’s our big unveiling to the world and we wouldn’t want to disappoint, would we?”

  She could feel her Master of the Guild’s laughter through their link, as well as his reticence regarding their debut revelation. “All will be well.” She tried to reassure him, although she wasn’t certain of that fact herself.

  “They’re here.” Jaxon’s thought came to her over their link. “Over on the left.”

  “I see them.” Zeeandra’s Dragon circled around, heading toward the group of people that had appeared below. “Let’s go and introduce ourselves.”

  Jaxon’s reluctant tone spoke volumes as he replied, “As you wish.”

  Rose shaded her eyes with a hand as she stared up into the sky, joining everyone else as they caught a glimpse of the Dragons circling above. “Shit!” she gasped as three beasts descended downwards.

  Cassius held onto her free hand as they watched the spectacle above. A long, red, snake-like Dragon was performing aerial acrobatics as it progressively drew closer. The movements appeared to be impossible but the Dragon was managing just fine. It let out a loud roar and a moment later Rose jerked as fire flew from its mouth in a long burst of flame.

  “Is that a person?” Nicola asked in shock as the largest of the three Dragons tucked its wings in and flew straight down, the giant of a man on its back not appearing flustered in the least.

  “Holy fuck,” Valentine cursed loudly. “Are we sure they’re on our side, boss?”

  “Kuan told us they were, so I hope so,” Cassius muttered as the smaller of the Dragons, almost pure white, flipped over in the air and spat out a shot of liquid. They all watched as the substance turned to ice, falling to the ground and shattering in a million tiny shards.

  Brendan joined them, his hand on Rose’s shoulder. “That’s some sight.”

  “It’s amazing,” Rose mumbled as the beasts grew ever closer to the ground.

  A loud gasp erupted from just about everyone, excluding Kuan, when the large Dragon that held a rider, swooped upward, doing a complete loop in the sky. The rider stayed firmly on the Dragon’s back, and Rose had no idea how. Her heart was in her throat as she watched, enthralled as the massive beast bellowed as it plunged down to solid ground. Her eyes were glued to the beast as it grew larger with every second it drew closer.

  “It can’t possibly land at that speed,” Cassius muttered softly.

  “Will it crash?” Rose tightened her grip on Cassius’ hand.

  “I’ve no idea.” Cassius’ eyes were utterly focused on the beast looming down toward them.

  “It’s moving so fast.” Rose’s voice hitched up.

  “I can see that.” Cassius shook his head as they watched, his arm moving in front of her and pushing her back a step.

  Nearer and nearer the Dragon sped and Rose inhaled sharply as it’s great clawed feet were now barely twenty feet in the air. She was certain they were watching a disaster about to happen when the most amazing sight befell them.

  The man on the back of the Dragon launched himself up, and off, the beast’s back and landed firmly on his own feet on the ground twenty meters in front of where Rose stood, mouth agape. If that wasn’t dramatic enough, the Dragon transformed mid-air, the man that appeared in the air somersaulted then landed perfectly right next to the huge man already on the ground.

  Loud clapping abounded around them as the white Dragon landed behind the men, quickly transforming to reveal a young woman, her long blonde hair billowing out behind her. Then the red Dragon flew low over them all, turning back on itself and dropped to earth, morphing quickly into a tall, beautiful woman who took everyone’s breath away.

  She smiled as she strode forward, holding her arms out, before engulfing Kuan in a hug. “Kuan, I’ve managed to get three of my warriors to join us.”

  “Zeeandra,” Kuan’s lips tugged up at the sides. “A nice entrance, as usual.”

  Rose rushed forward, hardly able to contain herself. “Are you her? The Dragon Goddess?”

  Zeeandra turned and the smile she gave was the most stunning Rose had ever witnessed, holding a hand out. “Hello, I am indeed, nice to meet you.”

  Rose took the offered hand, shaking it vigorously. “Hello, I’m Rose, and I have to say I’ve never witnessed anything so breathtaking in my life. That was, shit, I can’t explain how freaking awesome it was.”

  “Thank you.” Zeeandra inclined her head slightly. “Now, I have to go and supervise my Dragons. Terigan is a true Fire Dragon and will need nourishment to sustain him in the coming battle.”

  “Oh, okay.” Rose’s face fell as the woman glided away. She had a thousand questions running through her brain and she hoped she had the opportunity to speak with the Goddess later.

  Valentine’s gruff voice brought her to her senses. “All right, show’s over! Get to your positions and hold them at all costs. Do you hear me?” He paused then roared at the top of his voice, “I said, do you hear me!”

  There were nods and “Yes, sir’s” from all around and people started moving off to form a large double circle. Cassius watched as everyone got into place, nodding at Seth and Brendan when they stayed close to where Rose stood.

  “Shit, this is really happening, isn’t it?” Rose bit her bottom lip. “I kinda hoped we wouldn’t have to do this, Cass. I don’t want people hurt because of me.”

  Cassius shook his head, his voice low but firm. “It’s not because of you. This isn’t your fault, darling. This is about the entire population of this realm, not just you, or me for that matter. This is a fight that’s been long overdue and I’m glad it’s finally here.”

  Rose looked over to where the Dragons had already set up a fire, cooking meat over the flames. “Do you think they’ll make the difference?”

  “I hope so.” Cassius followed her gaze. “They are certainly powerful beings, and with them being airborne that will give them an advantage. Plus, I’m pretty sure that Basilius will not be expecting four Dragons to be here helping us.”

  “I wouldn’t like to have to fight them.” Rose shivered. “Did you see how freaking big they are? Then there’s the whole breathing fire, and ice, and goodness knows what else, nope, I definitely wouldn’t want them as my enemy.”

  “They are certainly formidable creatures and rather astounding to see flying above us.” Cassius shook his head. “I’d agree. I would much rather have them on our side, than against us.”

  “They are freaking remarkable.” Nicola’s excited voice broke in. “I wonder if they’re looking for a girlfriend. Shoot, I’d settle for just one night with one of them. They are hot, hot, hot!”

  “Nikki,” Rose admonished. “Get your head out of the gutter.”

  “What?” The Demon looked over with a wide-eyed innocent look. “Any woman who says they’re not thinking the same thing are lying!”

  “I’m not.” Rose shook her head.

  “You’re the exception.” Nicola gave Rose a cheeky wink. “After all, you’ve got Cassius in your bed.”

  Rose felt her face flush, especially when Cassius grabbed her and pulled her in to place a kiss on her lips. It wasn’t a chaste kiss, no, it was one filled with feeling, passion, and unadulterated lust. She barely managed to catch her breath as Nikki gasped then let out a low whistle.

  “See what I mean.” Nicola laughed indecently.

  “What are you doing?” Rose inhaled sharply.

  “I want you to know how much I need you
to survive, my darling. I can’t even contemplate you being hurt, so please, try and not take too many risks today. For me?”

  “Cass.” Rose’s eyes filled with tears at the sincerity in his voice, his face, and his eyes. “I love you, just as much, so don’t go getting yourself killed ‘cause I’ll come and find your ghost and I’ll kick your ass.”

  Cassius chuckled, pulling her against his chest. “I’ll do my best.”

  “Fine,” Rose mumbled. “So will I.”

  “I’m glad you two lovebirds have time to mess around.” Brendan’s curt tone had Rose jumping back, out of Cassius’ arms. “But we’ve got company.”

  “What?” Cassius snapped. “It’s barely eleven thirty.”

  “Yeah, well, obviously they had the same idea as us.” Brendan pointed over to the left where a group of figures were striding toward them.

  Valentine jogged over. “Boss, that’s not very many bodies, either we’ve struck lucky or those fucks are a distraction.”

  “Oh, I presume it’s the latter,” Cassius ground out. “Make sure everyone stays where they’re supposed to. No breaking ranks, no matter what.”

  “I’ve just reinforced that, Cassius, don’t worry, the men will stay where they’re supposed to.”

  Rose spun around, barely catching the Dragons taking flight, all except one. The nameless rider that had flew in on the Dragon stood with a huge chunk of charred meat in his hand, chomping on it as if nothing in the world was wrong. Rose couldn’t quite believe it. “What’s he doing?”

  Kuan’s soft voice filled her in. “That is Terigan, the Fire Dragon. He’s waiting until the last moment before transforming. He needs to conserve his energy for the actual confrontation so he will not waste any of his strength, or transform, until the last moment.”

  “Oh.” Rose eyed the man who stood so nonchalantly. “He doesn’t look uptight at all. Jeez, what’s his secret ‘cause I could use some of what he’s got about now.”

  “The Guild of Dragon Warriors are a very special breed of beings,” Kuan informed them. “They have to train for years and pass many harsh quests before they are admitted. They are the strongest of their breed, true of heart, mind, body and soul. Terigan is Jaxon’s Second in Command and a lethal warrior who will stop at nothing to triumph over evil.”