Falling Dragons (#3 Moon Shadows)

by Angela Castle

  Her scream drew his attention. Simon bolted from the room to find her standing on the landing, struggling in the hallway against some kind of invisible force. As he neared, she stopped, panting for breath.

  He gripped her arm and swung her around to face him.

  “I’m a dragon,” she blurted out. “I have to shift. It’s been too long!” Her green eyes flashed, wild and desperate, as she clutched at his shoulders.

  “A dragon?” No, dragons are not beautiful redhead women with...His gaze ran down her tattoo, which now moved on her body, as if alive. A blonde woman came running up the stairs, followed by an angry, dark haired human man.

  “Opie?”

  Opie swore a blue streak. She grabbed Simon’s wrist. He felt the power build then suddenly ‘pop’. Warm granules slid between his toes as his feet sank into the sand of a desert. Darkness surrounded them except for the shining moon, casting shadows over the dunes.

  “By the gods, you can teleport.”

  “Ghee, you sure know how to state the obvious, now stand back.” She shoved at him, making him take several hasty steps back. “I’ve been locked up in a fucking cage for longer than my dragon can stand. I won’t hurt you, I promise.” She sucked in a deep breath and held out her arms.

  Simon stumbled back as she shimmered, sparking red. He blinked and there before him stood a magnificent, if somewhat small, red dragon. The last dragon Simon had encountered had been a massive black beast. This one was pretty. Her red scales shimmered like rubies in the moonlight and her green eyes sparkled like crystal clear emeralds. This was the woman he’d just fucked? Why was he so surprised? He’d fought demons, stood in the presence of gods and had lived longer than any human should have lived.

  “Ophelia?”

  She blinked and dropped her graceful dragon neck onto the sand, followed by the rest of her body, in a non-threatening stance.

  “Yes. It’s me.” Simon realised she had spoken directly into his mind.

  Everything suddenly made sense; the rooftop and the men who had come after her.

  “This is why Jones had you locked up?”

  She raised her head.

  “I made the mistake of showing my ex-boyfriend what I was; he worked for Jones, and betrayed me. Jones has a thing for creatures of the Outer and Lower Realm.”

  He stood, amazed at the beauty of the large beast before him. He knelt down and ran his hand along the side of her neck. Her scales were surprisingly soft; silky smooth. She purred at his touch.

  “I never realised. I’ve only ever known one dragon. I had no idea they could take human form. But what I need to know is what you did to us back in the bedroom.” There was a guilty gleam in her jewelled dragon eyes. She pulled back and climbed to her feet. He felt the magic and shimmer of her change.

  Before him stood the beautiful woman in all her naked glory. The red dragon image was once again wrapped around her body, its green eyes regarding him with the same expression Ophelia wore. She chewed on her plump bottom lip.

  “I did what I had to do. I used a dragon spell to tether you to me. I’m sorry, Simon, but I need you.”

  Anger overrode his flair of lust at her confession. His jaw clenched. He reached out and grabbed her arm, fighting the urge to shake her. His brow dipped in a frown. “Tethered how?”

  “It’s just a spell. We can’t leave each other’s company until I’m out of danger from Jones.”

  “You’re a dragon! You’re bloody big enough to rip anyone’s head off, and you have magic. How could you possibly need me?”

  “You don’t know me.” Her green eyes flared with anger. “I’m not like other dragons.”

  “Bloody hell you’re not. Take us back and undo the spell.”

  Clothes suddenly appeared on her body, covering the lush curves he had enjoyed barely twenty minutes ago. This day was just getting better and better. He felt the power build and knew what was coming. Even so, he blinked in disorientation. They now stood back in the bedroom he’d awoken in. He saw the remainder of his clothing and weapons lying on a dresser by the wall. He marched over to finish dressing.

  “Undo the spell, Ophelia.” He folded his arms.

  “I can’t.”

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  She folded her arms defensively, mimicking his stance.

  “Alright then.” He turned and collected his weapons from the room and tucked them back into their slots and holders on his custom made clothing.

  “What are you going to do?” He felt her eyes tracking his every move, but refused to look at her.

  He crowded over her. “If you won’t, then I’ll find someone who will. You had no right to do this without asking me, dragon or not.” He gripped her arm in a tight hold, snatched up the keys which were also on the dresser, and pulled her from the room.

  She mumbled an apology to her friends as Simon dragged her out of the house.

  “Have fun, you two.” The blonde woman waved.

  “Will you tell me what the hell is going on, Gem?” demanded a man who was obviously her husband as the front door shut behind them.

  “Where are we going?” Opie glanced up at Simon.

  He pushed her towards his car, parked by the curb. “Moon Shadows Agency.”

  * * * *

  Joshua Jones glared at the incompetent idiots standing before him. The fact that he had been forced to ‘rescue’ these three men from a London police station by sending in his lawyers did nothing for his simmering temper.

  Still, it was a sticky situation with the police finding the tranq weapons on them. What enraged Joshua even more was the fact they had let his prized possession get away.

  “You couldn’t catch one small female, drugged and unable to shift into her other form?”

  “It wasn’t our fault she had a big guy fight for her. The man defeated and killed a demon.”

  “A demon hunter?”

  Gremlock had the face of a youthful human man. He had blond hair and was handsome, dressed in an expensive Italian cut suit. Only his red rimmed eyes and wafting sulphur scent gave away what hid beneath—a demon. Gremlock sat forward, showing interest.

  The only reason this demon wasn’t sitting in one of Jones’ cages in his secret facilities below was the deal they’d struck. Gaining immortality and control over not only his fellow humans, but bringing other creatures to their knees, was too good an opportunity to pass up. Two weeks into their ‘partnership’ had proven viable and worth the price of keeping Gremlock fed. So far the demon hadn’t led him astray.

  “We watched him take out a Gullu before we approached. He wouldn’t give up the female.”

  “Demon hunters are usually not human, but have some kind of ability. The dragon is of no consequence.” Gremlock sat back, his red rimmed eyes regarding the men standing before Joshua’s desk.

  “I don’t care. I want her back in my collection. I know there is something about that dragon I can use.” Jones scratched his chin. “I may as well add a demon hunter to the collection as well. I want them both.”

  “No, you don’t want a hunter interfering in your plans, it will not bode well. I suggest you eliminate him and take back the dragon female.” Gremlock shrugged.

  Jones made up his mind, pinning the one responsible for letting the dragon girl get away with a hard glare. “Not only did you fail to capture one drugged woman, you let her escape in the first place. Smyth, you are fired. Philips will take your place. Philips, find out all you can about this demon hunter.”

  Smyth stiffened as Gremlock slowly rose to his feet, stalking forward.

  “Yes, Sir, I won’t let you down.” Philips and the other human beat a hasty retreat, slamming the door behind them as Smyth backed up.

  “He’s yours, Gremlock. Just don’t leave a mess like last time. Blood is hard to get out of the carpet, you know.”

  Gremlock moved faster than Smyth could run. Gremlock wrapped an elegant hand around the man’s throat, cutting off his scream as the demon lifted his din
ner off his feet, and licked his lips.

  Jones smiled. He knew exactly what happened to his fired employees since John Gremlock had joined his staff. He wandered out of his office, closing the door behind him, as Smyth’s strangled scream echoed down the hall.

  He was feeling rather peckish himself. He whistled a merry tune as he strode down the hall, thinking about enjoying a nice bloody, juicy steak.

  Chapter 4

  Simon refused to speak to her, but couldn’t help glancing over at her in the passenger seat of his sports car. Her little black skirt sat provocatively mid-thigh, revealing plenty of creamy skin.

  She’s a dragon, a dragon.

  Despite the mantra, it didn’t distract from the beauty of her straight red hair falling over her slender shoulders. Her folded arms pushed up her lush breasts, showing a deep cleavage. The elegance of her sloped nose and the full, pouty, ruddy red lips—lips he knew exactly how sweet they tasted when kissed—were nearly irresistible.

  Damn the gods. I need to get my mind off fucking her. I have more important things to deal with. Demons and dragons, and the fact he’d killed far too many Gullu demons in the past fortnight. Even one was one too many.

  He pulled up outside a large mansion on the outskirts of North London, the current headquarters for the Moon Shadows Agency. Run by Neman, the once ancient Sumerian Moon God, and founder of the global organization which kept the human populace safe from demons, and other creatures leaking out from the Lower Hell Realms. On the ride over, he’d tried several times to contact Neman on his mobile phone with no success.

  Ophelia glanced at him once before her eyes swept over the eighteenth century English-Grecian style architecture. He smoothly unfolded his long legs and exited the car. She’d gotten out of the car before he could reach her door.

  “Let’s go.” He grabbed her arm, heat seeped into his skin and radiated down to his groin.

  Fuck, what was it with this woman? Simon frowned. Was it because she was a dragon she affected him this way? Stop acting like a horny untried youth! I’m a fool to let her get to me. He stiffened his resolve, but it didn’t deflate his cock.

  He pulled her up the entrance steps and into the building, passing several curious onlookers as he bypassed the stairs, heading directly to the office of the current head of Moon Shadows, London Division. He burst through the doors and stormed into the office, dragging her after him.

  “Simon?” Jonah swivelled around in a lager office chair. “What’s going on?”

  “I can’t reach Neman, where is he?”

  “From what Mark tells me he’s busy with his new wife and sons. A new guy has taken over the reins while he’s indisposed.” Jonah was looking past him to the red head that was poking her nose around the large office.

  “What exactly is Moon Shadows Agency anyway? Is it just demons you hunt?”

  Simon ignored her.

  “Well, whoever it is, I want to see them now. I...” He paused, glancing at Ophelia. “We’ve got a situation that only an Outer Realm creature could understand.”

  “I’ll call Slazzamar.”

  “Slazzamar?” Ophelia glanced up. “Slazzamar the Sneak?”

  Simon didn’t miss the sneer in her voice.

  “Who’s your pretty friend?” Jonah hadn’t taken his eyes off Ophelia, making Simon glower at the man.

  “Call him now!” Simon stalked over to Ophelia, grabbed her arm and walked her to the door. He shoved her out of it and slammed it shut. Within the next instant she was standing in front of him again.

  “That was rude, you can’t keep me out!”

  “Hey, she can teleport! What is she?”

  “I’m Ophelia, I’m a dragon. So shut it or I’ll roast your liver for breakfast.”

  Jonah never flinched at her threat, but grinned. Simon grabbed her arm, pushing her out the door.

  “Teleport back into the room again and I will pull you over my knee in front of everyone and spank your ass until it glows bright red.”

  Her green eyes widened. “You wouldn’t!”

  “Try me,” he growled. Opie swallowed, she knew he would make good on his threat.

  “Fine!” She grabbed the door and slammed it shut. He could still hear her muttering about his rude behaviour, and how dare he threaten to spank her. Annoyed as he was with what she had done, he couldn’t help but admire her spirit. He rather enjoyed taming wild things.

  “Pity, I would have liked to have seen you spank her arse.” Jonah was smirking as he flipped open his phone, punching in a number. Simon scowled at Jonah. He’d already seen her lovely arse and was dammed if he’d let anyone else view it. Ever!

  “Hi Slazz, its Jonah, London Division. I’ve got a bit of a situation here, are you free? Yes, in my office.” Jonah flipped his phone shut.

  In the next instant, a tall thin man appeared. He had long, flowing, silvery white hair, pale skin, and lavender eyes. His eyes and hair were a stark contrast against his black t-shirt and jeans. Glancing around the room, the newcomer regarded Simon with a curious look.

  “You are Siegfried, I believe.”

  Simon didn’t flinch at his real name being used. “I go by Simon now.” He fought to remain calm, even though his muscles clenched and his nerves teetered on the edge.

  “Simon then. I’m Slazzamar, I’m in charge while Neman’s indisposed.”

  “You’re an elf.”

  “Your powers of observation are great, I see.” Slazzamar smiled despite his dry response. “I’m only half elfin, and you are a seventeen hundred year old immortal. I make it a point to know anyone older than me. So, what can I help you with?”

  “I have a dragon problem.”

  “From what I understand you’re a dragon slayer, so how could you have a problem with a dragon?”

  “I can’t slay this dragon.” Nor did he want to. He walked to the door and yanked it open. Ophelia fell into the room. She’d been leaning against the door. Simon caught her in his arms before she hit the ground.

  “What, now I’m allowed in?” She glared angrily, trying to yank herself out of his grip. He pushed her towards Slazzamar.

  “She is my problem,” he growled.

  Slazzamar’s violet eyes widened in surprise. “Ophelia Dresaldrac, you know your father’s been looking for you?” He folded his arms.

  “Slazzamar the Sneak.” She mimicked his folded arm stance. “I don’t care about what my father’s been doing. I suppose he paid you to track me down?”

  “You know each other?” Simon glanced from Ophelia to Slazzamar.

  “Everyone knows the missing dragon princess.”

  “I’m not missing, and I’m never going back to that old bastard. I’ve disowned any and all ties to my family.”

  Slazzamar sighed. “I thought that might be the case, and yes, he did try to employ me to find you, but I am not in that business anymore. The more intriguing question is what is a dragon princess doing with a dragon slayer?”

  “You’re a dragon slayer?”

  “You’re a dragon princess?” They both questioned at the same time, glaring at each other.

  “I’ve only ever killed one dragon and that was a hell of a long time ago.” He folded his arms in a defensive stance.

  “What did the poor defenceless dragon ever do to you?!” Anger gleamed in her green eyes.

  Simon snorted. Defenceless dragon indeed! The beast had almost gutted him. Granted, he had been fooled into thinking the dragon was his path to fame and glory, but that was beside the point.

  “So, what is the issue? If you don’t like each other, just leave.”

  “We can’t!” They chorused simultaneously.

  Slazzamar chuckled, obviously humoured by their antics. “Why not?”

  “She put a spell on me, some kind of dragon magic.”

  “If I had known you were a slayer, I would have never done it. I just thought you were a demon hunter and...well, I needed you.” She refused to back down, still glaring daggers at him.
/>   “Then undo it.” Simon struggled from reaching out and throttling her.

  “I told you, I can’t!”

  “As much as I delight in standing around watching lovers squabble, I do have other things to do.” Slazzamar’s dry humour was not lost on either of them.

  Ophelia opened her mouth to refute the claim they’d had sex, but Slazzamar waved his hand to cut her off.

  “I can smell you on each other. So don’t even try, princess.”

  Her lips slammed shut.

  “Now, Simon, does this have anything to do with Moon Shadows’ business?”

  Simon drew in a deep breath to calm himself. “I’ve killed two Gullu demons this week.” At this news, Slazzamar straightened, his expression serious.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course I’m sure. The slimly little bastards had left a trail of soulless bodies all over East London before I tracked them down.”

  “I saw one of them,” Ophelia confirmed.

  “You were there, too?” Slazzamar’s gaze swung to her.

  “She fell on me.” Simon waved his hand in the air.

  “I had no choice remember? Those creepy, horrible humans were after me.”

  “You shot me with a tranq gun.”

  “Oh, we’re going to go over that again? You know what? I take it back. I’m not sorry and I’ll do it again if you don’t stop whining. I could have left you in that alley, but I didn’t. Now I wish I had.”

  “Who’s after you, princess?” Slazzamar seemed to have gleaned the important parts of their conversation.

  “I escaped to the human realm to try and live a normal life, but someone found out what I was and dobbed on me to a man named Joshua Jones. Before I knew what had happened, I was shot with a tranquillizer and woke up in a cage. I couldn’t shift or teleport with the huge amount of drugs in my system. He knows about Outer Realm creatures and has started his own private collection. I was not the only creature in a cage. Although, he told me I was the prize of his collection.” Her tone was unmistakably bitter.