“And you think she listened? She was coming regardless!”
The dragon reared back on the chains, testing the metal. A hiss broke through the air, sending chills all over Marcy’s body. She suddenly felt really stupid for running toward the beast. Jason stood as tall as a two-story house. Multiple shades of brown scales covered his body, shimmering in the dim light as he turned from side to side.
Air exploded from Marcella’s lungs. It felt like she was hit by a bus. Dominic covered her body, trying to hold her down while she fought against him. Turning to watch the dragon, it began to jerk on the chains wildly, sending fire shooting toward the ceiling.
“Let me go, damn it! Jason needs me. He can’t think straight right now. Can’t you see? I’m the only one who can calm him. Please, Dom. You have to trust me.”
“No way. You got the first part right. He can’t think straight. There’s no way I’m letting you go anywhere near him right now. You know nothing about dragons. That thing is evil, Marcella. Worse than any demon you carry. He’ll never be able to control himself in this form. No matter how many centuries he tries to master it, it’s impossible. He’ll have to stay this way until the shift runs its course.”
“But I feel him calling to me, Dom. I know he’s in there somewhere.”
“I’m sure he is, love, but you can’t trust the other part of him that he can’t manage. It’s the whole reason he became immobile back in the great hall. The creature controls his mind. It’s horrible this is the animal that’s chosen him. At least you’ll be able to handle your lioness, but the dragon, no one can overpower. I should have known from the tattoo he carries on his chest.”
“The tattoo.” The realization hit her heard. “And the wings on my back must be my succubus.” Damn, she didn’t want to think about that right now. “Listen, I think I can calm him, Dom. Please, I’m begging you. Let me try. Don’t make me get to him by having to use force against everyone in this room.”
What sounded like something between a roar and a growl vibrated Marcella’s insides. She caught Jason snapping in their direction as he pulled against the chains.
“Can you not see that? He wants to eat you, not let you stroke him like a pet. You’re not getting up. And if you think I forgot about that spanking, then you’re wrong. I am so bending you over my knee when we’re done.”
“Dom, I really didn’t want it to come to this.” Marcella sent an energy wave blasting through the room just above her. All the men flew back, crashing to the ground as she put up the invisible wall, blocking them from coming any closer. All three began to beat on the surface. When Samael’s hand pushed the energy in, she felt a moment of panic.
Fire raced through her skin as her collector grew angry. They couldn’t stop her. She wouldn’t let them. Walking to face them, she let the heat burn her eyes, knowing they were glowing as she stared at them with all the rage she felt.
“You will not stop me! Stand down! That is an order.”
Dominic gave one last swing at the wall and stepped back. Samael didn’t stop pushing the boundaries. There was no time for this. The need to calm Jason and make him realize what he was doing forced her back.
Razor sharp teeth, half the size of her arm, slashed toward her as she neared him. The thought that Dom was right and she wouldn’t be able to reach her other half only made her angrier. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. Already, she couldn’t summon him like she was supposed to be able to do with one of her creations. If she couldn’t reach his beast on top of everything else, it only told her one thing, her collector was failing in its responsibilities.
Studying the snaps of the dragon’s thick jaws, she calculated what movements she made that caused him to attack. Taking a step to the left, she watched the head lunge down toward her. Side-stepping his quick reactions, she quickly moved the right.
“Jason, you’re so gonna feel this in the morning. Sorry, baby, but I’m afraid you leave me no choice. You need a master, and it seems the only way I’m going to win you over is to beat the living shit out of you. I don’t think me killing you with kindness is going to really work on your dragon.”
Marcella changed from her dress to a pair of jeans, a tank top, and a pair of steel-toed boots. Jason watched her wearily as he paced the few feet the chains allowed. Pulling back her hair in a ponytail, she walked forward, slowly.
“All right. Right, left, which way do you want it, Jase?”
The dragon reared its head back and dove. Quickly jumping to the side, Marcella kicked as hard as she could, landing her foot right on his nose. A hiss poured out of Jason’s mouth while he shook his head back and forth.
“If you blast me with fire, so help me, I swear I will come back from the dead a thousand times to beat the fuck out of you. Either way, you will bow to me, Jason. You have to. I can feel how important this is to Marcianna. Our future could depend on you taking orders from me in this form, and it has to start now.”
A growling roar filled the room as fire raced toward the stone ceiling. The moment red glowing filled the dragon’s cat-like eyes, Marcella felt panic. “I’m assuming this isn’t good. Fuck, that looks really scary. All right, I’ll make a deal with you. Bow your head to me, and I’ll walk away and let you finish your change all by yourself. I’ll know Jason is indeed in there, and he’s listening. But if you don’t, then this time I’m going to punch you with everything I got. Now, I know it doesn’t sound like much to a big ol’ dragon like you, but I guarantee you’re going to feel it.”
A snarl filled the room. Marcella almost didn’t have time to jump out of the way before Jason’s head was sliding to the side to knock her off her feet and turn her into lunch. Jumping, she caught the side of his snout, sending her flying across the room. Stone tore into her arm as she slid across the floor. Unfortunately, she noticed she was his territory, and it didn’t take him long to notice, either.
“Oh fuck, oh fuck.” Marcy crawled backward just as the edge of his teeth tore into her leg. Screaming, she kicked at the side of his face with her other boot. Catching him in the eye, the dragon jerked. She quickly moved back to where he couldn’t reach.
“I can’t believe you just did that, Jason!”
Blood and a stinging sensation raced down the length of her calf until she thought she was going to pass out. She’d be lucky if any of her leg was left under her knee. Good thing he only clipped her, or else the thing would be completely gone.
Screaming broke through her shield, and she saw the men rushing forward. Quickly, she put up a new one. Damn it, she was running out of time. Pulling up her pants, she watched as the blood flowed out freely.
“All right. I’m done playing games. If you don’t want to play fair, well, I’m not going to, either. I’m sorry, but I feel deep down that this is the only way I’ll ever be able to control you in this form, and I need to be able to do that in an emergency, Jason. I can’t stress this enough.”
An orange and blue blaze raced in her direction, and she put up another wall of energy, blocking it from turning her into a crisp. Reaching deep down into herself, she felt the element of water stir. “Water, come to me, hear my call.”
An explosion in the far wall had water pouring toward her in a massive flood. Fuck, she’d probably broken the main line to the house. She really hoped no one was in the middle of a shower, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
“That’s enough!” she said to the water. Spinning her hand, she pulled and wrapped the large amount in a circle, letting the clear pool hover above Jason’s head. Holding her hands toward the sky, she quickly brought them down just as more fire exploded in her direction. The dragon slid across the floor at the weight and began to twist and tug angrily.
Great, you’re just pissing it off, Marcella. Super human strength and tolerance aren’t going to be enough for this one. Think of something!
Nothing came to mind. Aggravated, she limped forward and began to hit his face with everything she had. Jason snapped,
and she felt the bones in her hand crack under her connection to his snout, but she didn’t quit hitting. The tears poured from her eyes, and still she swung with everything she had. Teeth pierced her bicep, making contact with her bone. The pain was so intense that a scream wouldn’t even come from her throat.
Dazed, Marcella fell to the ground. She was losing way too much blood. The room tilted underneath her as she stared up at the brown form above her. This was it, she knew she was about to die, yet again. She’d been completely stupid to think she could master a dragon. Everyone knew something like that couldn’t be controlled.
The beast took a step back, and she watched its head turn to the side just as it lunged forward. Collecting all of her energy, she quickly jumped up and felt herself sway. It didn’t stop her from taking one last kick at his face before he knocked her to the ground, causing her to hit her head. Darkness spotted the room as pieces of the dragon disappeared from her vision. Feeling wetness starting to soak her hair, the heat coming from the back of her head drew her into unconsciousness.
* * * *
Fog rested heavily in Jason’s mind as he stared down, seeing Marcella’s form through what looked like an old-fashioned, black and white television screen. The taste of her blood coated the inside of his mouth, somehow stirring his blood to race faster. Confused by what was happening, he remained immobile, taking in the pictures before him.
Jason tried to focus in on the colorless picture. He watched blood, or what he assumed was blood, begin to pool behind her head, turning the white stone around her almost black. As he looked closer, he noticed her whole body seemed to be soaked in it. Numbness gripped him as he tried to get his body to respond and get closer to see if she was all right.
Voices, and the men coming forward, vanished as a blinding pain rushed through him, and he felt himself falling. The stone floor was suddenly before his vision the second he hit the ground hard. Blinking, completely lost, Jason searched his mind for what had happened. Recalling Marcella, he turned over as fast as his nude body would allow. Terrified, he looked upon the scene that lay before him. She was exactly as he’d seen her.
“Marcy?” He pulled himself against the stone until he reached her side. “Marcella!” The fact that his arms and legs weren’t working right had Jason searching his mind desperately. Looking up, his friends were still rushing forward. Ambrose made it to them first, Samael and Dominic not a split second later.
Ambrose grabbed his arms, trying to pull him away. “Jason, we need you to move back a little and let us see how she’s doing, all right?”
“What in the fuck is going on? Where are we?”
Jason shot his eyes to Dom, knowing he would explain things. The demon just opened his mouth and shut it. The tightening of Ambrose’s hands startled him. Taking a deep breath, Marcella’s blood swept over his tongue, and he froze. Flashes of being high above her as he looked down filled his vision. He quickly recalled standing from the table after he heard a voice in his head.
“Oh, God. I shifted, didn’t I? I did this?”
“Jason, you didn’t know what you were doing. No one can control the dragon.”
The scent of her blood hit him hard, and he hated how it called to him, begged him to sample the sweet flavor. Catching a glimpse of her tattered jeans, he saw the jagged wound tracing down her shin. Jason’s stomach rolled and he gagged, becoming violently ill as more of her essence filled his senses.
Dominic’s eyes connected with his but quickly turned to the dark angel. “Samael, I’m taking Marcella to her room. You bring Jason and Ambrose. I want to get these clothes off of her and see how bad it is.”
“I swear I didn’t know. Oh, shit. Marcella.” A strangled cry came from his throat as he reached for her broken body. Samael came forward, leaning down in front of him.
“Jason, we know you didn’t mean to do this. Marcy wouldn’t listen. She blocked us all from getting to you both. How are you feeling? You took one hell of a beating, kid.”
Noticing he could hardly see out of his right eye, he lifted his hand to touch the swollen skin. Actually, his whole face was throbbing. “I’m fine, but look at her. Look what I did!”
Samael shook his head. “Don’t blame yourself. Nothing would have happened if our queen would have listened to my orders.”
Dominic instantly vanished with Marcella, causing panic in Jason like he’d never felt before. Samael suddenly didn’t matter. The need to make sure she was okay pushed him to try to stand so he could disappear to her room, but pressure held him down. Samael rested his hand on his and Ambrose’s shoulder, and they were suddenly in her tower.
The broadness of Dominic’s shoulders hovered over Marcella’s small frame. Standing, Jason walked shakily to the bed. His legs wouldn’t work right. Every limb on his body felt unresponsive to what his mind wanted. The racing of his heart increased as he neared. Coming to stand beside the bed, he collapsed at the demon’s feet.
“Dom.” A sob broke past his lips as he looked to the floor. Never could he remember feeling such guilt.
“Jason, come on. We know you didn’t mean to do it. Don’t.” A hand settled on his head but quickly disappeared.
Looking up, Jason watched Dominic vanish Marcella’s clothes as he continued to try to care for her. The shock at seeing the extent of her injuries up close caused his blood to stir inside his veins. Overwhelmed, he bowed his head, rubbing the increasing tears that escaped past his lids.
“You shouldn’t be seeing this. Come with me, Jason.”
He looked up into the vampire’s gaze. Shaking his head no, he stood. Had he thought she looked bad while he was kneeling? Standing, he lost his breath as his eyes connected with what he’d done. Rushing to her restroom, he became ill again. Tasting the blood he’d digested from her, he gagged even more.
Thinking back to the previous night, he remembered he had turned into a vampire while they made love. Hell, every time they did anything sexual, he craved to taste her blood. And now, he’d never experience it again. For so long, he thrived on her flavor. Jason had been so sure he’d never be able to live without it. The obsession he had with her essence bordered on addiction. Just thinking about never partaking in what he’d come to love caused his body to tremble in fear, but knowing he was responsible for what happened made him strong enough to know what he needed to do.
“Are you all right?”
He looked up into Ambrose’s flawless face but didn’t say anything. Picking up the mouthwash, he began to swallow it. Anything to make the taste of her go away.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to drink that stuff, Jason.”
“I don’t care. Is she awake yet?”
“No.” The word was nothing more than a whisper. Jason jumped in the shower and quickly scrubbed the blood off of his skin. Within moments, he manifested clothes to cover his body and walked to the bed. Dominic already had her cleaned and bandaged, dressed in her white gown. Sitting on the edge, Jason took in her face. When her eyes fluttered open, tears came to his.
“Jason, you’re okay?”
The words were so soft, he couldn’t hear, but more read them from her lips. He nodded and leaned down toward her. A sob escaped him as he brushed his lips against her forehead. “I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it. I promise.” The words came out rushed and tumbled over each other in their urgency to escape.
“I know.”
A sharp intake of breath had him jerking his head up. Whatever pain she experienced, it took her from being conscious. A twisting in his stomach made the sickening feeling come back, but he stood, refusing to give in to it again. He didn’t think. He vanished.
* * * *
Dominic stared down at Marcella, torn between feeling angry and extremely worried. How much pain was she going through? How could she have been so stupid to think she could win over the control of a dragon? Why couldn’t she just listen to his orders? He wanted to tear this fortress apart with his bare hands at feeling so comp
letely helpless.
“Where do you think Jason’s gone?”
Looking up at Ambrose, he shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. He probably just went somewhere to clear his head. I can’t imagine how hard he must be taking this. If I somehow hurt Marcella, I can’t even envision what I would do. He’ll be back whenever he gets himself together.”
“I hope so. Maybe I’m overreacting, but I fear Jason isn’t quite stable right now. Dominic, I’m seriously worried for him. His face held such pain.”
“He’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it, loverboy. He can take care of himself.”
“Not if he isn’t in the right state of mind. Look at what he just went through. What if his changes are not over?”
Dominic jerked his gaze to the master vampire. “You may have a point. But hell, none of us can summon him back. Not even Marcella, and he’s her own servant.”
“Well, let’s pray Jason doesn’t tear this town apart while he’s trying to cope with his emotions. None of us can afford that kind of risk.”
Marcella trembled in her sleep, a small cry escaping past her lips. Dominic watched her face twist in pain and was glad Jason wasn’t around to witness it. The last thing he needed was to see any more of the damage he’d caused by accident.
“Samael, there must be something we can do.” Ambrose’s voice made Dominic turn his gaze from his mate. The dark angel was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Dominic wasn’t sure, but he could swear the guy looked just as upset as the rest of them.
“Well, I think Marcella should probably heal on her own, but maybe...” Multiple expressions passed over his face while he continued to stare at her. “Oh, hell, why don’t you two go down and find something to do? I need a moment alone with our queen.”
“Think again.” Dominic glared at him. For Samael to even have the nerve to ask him to leave his love’s side while she was so bad off was enough to make his blood boil. If that wasn’t enough, Dominic was almost positive the damn guy was hiding something crucial about their queen. Just walking away while the dark angel did who knew what didn’t sit well with him.
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