Waking the Dragon

by Juliette Cross

  “What’s this?” I asked.

  Corbin winked and gestured for us to step away. “Watch, ladies.”

  We shuffled back a foot. Corbin sucked in a lungful of air, held it a second, then blew a stream of flame from his mouth along the row of shot glasses. Ella squeaked. Sorcha laughed, throwing her head back. I marveled with a smile as a line of red-orange flame licked and lit the top of each glass. Fire danced around the rims as if Corbin controlled it. He grinned, making me wonder if he did. “Drop the glass in the beer and down the hatch. Quick!”

  One by one, we dropped the shots, dousing the flames, and guzzled the liquor-spiked beer. Sorcha beat us all, slamming down her mug. “That was badass. Do it again, Corbin.”

  The guy blushed. I didn’t blame him. Attention from Sorcha could make any manany speciescrumble. I wiped the back of my hand across my mouth, glimpsing two Morgon men at a side door. Dressed all in black, they reminded me of the burly guy checking IDs. Giant, rock-like statues with military awareness in their watchful gazes.

  “Hey, Corbin.” I pointed to the stone-like guards, reminding me of the gargoyles squatting on the roof of this place. “What’s up with the extra security in this place? Looks like we’ve got a celebrity coming or something.”

  “Huh?” He glanced toward the guards. “Oh. Nah. Typical Nightwing security.”

  My fascination with Morgons led me down a specific research path during my adolescence. Much to the consternation of my high school history teacher, I’d read everything I could get my hands on regarding the hybrid race. The Nightwing clan were direct descendants of Prince Larkos and the dragon king, Radomis, himself. Because of their royal ancestry, they continued to be the most powerful clan among their kind.

  “What do you mean typical?”

  “They protect their family investments. And they take extra precautions when there’s a human band on site, knowing there’ll be more mingling of the species.”

  I’d read an article recently about the Nightwing financial holdings in Acropolis and other new nightclubs, attracting more and more patronage from humans. I’d heard my father cursing the fact on a number of occasions.

  Nothing irked him more than corporate competition. For his lead rival to be a Morgon clan made his blood boil on a regular basis. I knew, because I witnessed his rants and tirades more than once to my brother, Demetrius, over breakfast. Mornings were such a delight at the Cade household.

  “What you really mean,” I said to Corbin, “is they suspect violence is more likely to break out, and are preparing for said violence.”

  Corbin’s mouth tilted into a boyish smile, which was odd and adorable coming from someone his height. “You’re a smart young woman. And who said human women were dim-witted?”

  “Excuse me? Are you saying Morgon men think we’re stupid?” Heat flooded my face.

  He grinned. “No. I just wanted to see you get angry. We like feisty women. The way your eyes get all wild and your cheeks turn pink. It’s hot.”

  I punched him in the arm, only making him laugh. “How’s that for feisty?”

  The pounding of drums and the screech of a guitar pulled our attention to the stage. There stood Jed in all of his golden-boy glory, smiling at the crowd. In torn-up jeans and a raggedy T-shirt, he still had a line of women—Morgon and human—clinging to the stage at his feet.

  “Welcome, everyone,” he said, voice rumbling. “It’s a pleasure to be here. We are Red Dream, and we want to hear you scream!”

  He winked and laced the words with so much sexual innuendo, I thought the groupies would faint. The women in the front row erupted in squeals when the first song vibrated to life.

  “Come on!” Sorcha grabbed my hand, dragging me into the crowd. Ella held back with Conn. Fear no longer lingered in her eyes. Perhaps it had something to do with the brawny guard, making sure no one bumped or jostled her. Since she was in good hands, I followed Sorcha into the sweaty mix.

  Slade sidled up and handed me a blue-bottled longneck—Scale Ale, a microbrew import from Drakos, one of the pricier ones. I took it with a tight smile, not wanting to be rude, not wanting to encourage him either. He watched me take a sip. The dark, rich lager slid down my throat with a kick. “Good stuff,” I said, giving him a genuine smile.

  He winked with a lop-sided grin of his own. I sipped the beer and bobbed my head to Jed’s insane lyrics about star-crossed lovers, broken hearts, and death being his love’s true paramour. I swear, the girls panted and swooned at his rock-star antics.

  When the first song ended, Sorcha nudged me with her elbow, a frown creasing her lovely face. “Don’t look now, Jess, but Demetrius and his entourage are here.”

  “Shit! Where?”

  She gestured toward the wall to my right. I glanced over. Demetrius saw me. “Damn it. And Aron is with him.” They stalked straight for us.

  “Shit is right.” Sorcha downed the last of her beer. “Party’s over.”

  Demetrius yelled over the pounding music. “What the hell are you doing here, Jessen!” He grabbed my arm and twisted me to face him.

  “The same thing you are, Demetrius.” I smiled too sweetly. “Here to watch the show.”

  I glimpsed his best friend Mikal over one shoulder. A grim line replaced the light-hearted smile Mikal usually wore.

  Demetrius ground out his words in anger. “You do not have permission to be in a Morgon club. Ever.”

  My brother had the same chocolate-brown eyes and black hair as mine. If he didn’t look like he wanted to bite something all the time, he’d be gorgeous. Lately, we were always fighting. Possibly because he was becoming more and more like our father every day. He gripped my arm tighter.

  Protective brother was one thing, but dominant jailer was another. Anger flared in my gut. “How come you have the right to be here, but I don’t?”

  “Because you’re a woman. You don’t know what you’re doing, what Morgon men want from you.”

  Um, the same thing human men wanted? Hypocrite.

  Sorcha stepped up. “You are such an asshole.”

  He ignored her, yanking my arm. “You’re leaving. Now!”

  “No, I’m not.” I jerked free of his hold.

  Slade sidled in beside me. “The lady doesn’t want to leave with you, dude. Let her go.” Corbin and Conn were there two seconds later, hovering behind him.

  “She’s my sister, you fucker!”

  An electric charge snapped in the air, resonating around the Morgon guys. Having read about their extraordinary dragon senses in a book, and feeling them electrify my skin into gooseflesh, were two totally different experiences. Slade’s wings opened partway, a distinct stance increasing his size to scary proportions. The cold, fixed gaze of Conn and Corbin made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

  I raised my hands in a calming gesture, hoping to crush the rising tension before they came to blows. Restrained violence rippled around the Morgon men in a tangible wave. Then Aron’s dumb ass stepped forward and opened his mouth.

  “Back off, boys.” He looked ridiculous and out of place in pristine jeans and a cream-colored sweater. What an idiot. Calling Slade and his friends “boys” was exactly the wrong thing to say. Leave it to Aron.

  “And who the hell are you?” Slade asked, a head taller than Aron.

  “I’m her fiancé.” He gestured toward me.

  I rolled my eyes. “No. You’re not, Aron. How many times do we have to go over this?”

  He moved closer, his chin jutting out at an arrogant angle, making me want to punch him in his aristocratic face. “Yes, Jessen. We are engaged to be married, and I won’t have my fiancé in a place of ill repute.”

  “A place of ill repute? Does this look like a brothel to you? It’s a club, Aron. That’s all. I’m watching one of my closest friends play in his band, or trying to watch. Until you showed up.”

  “This is no place for my future wife.” His words grated out through clenched t
eeth.

  “Perfect. Because I’m not your future wife.”

  He grabbed me by the arm and all hell broke loose. Slade’s wings flared wide. Demetrius launched himself fist-first through the air. Corbin tossed Sorcha out of the way, slamming a fist into Mikal’s head, which snapped back with the force. I ducked and shoved through the sweaty bodies and swinging punches. Glancing back, I saw Conn slam an elbow, then his head, into some guy I’d never seen before, scooping Ella off the floor and carrying her out of the mayhem. Before I could slip out of the way, someone shoved and pinned me to the wall by my shoulders. A body pressed against mine. Aron. Anger burned darkly in his cold eyes.

  “You are mine, Jessen.” He glared down, his tone possessive and furious. “And I won’t have you here for these creatures to leer at.”

  “Let—me—go.”

  “No. You’re coming with me.”

  I struggled to free myself. He gripped harder, then started dragging me to the door. I feared what confrontation awaited me in the parking lot. Or worse, back at his place. He’d tried to corner me alone at my parents’ house more than once, but I was always wary of him. I never liked the look in his eyes, especially when my parents mentioned a possible wedding in the near future. He might have my parents’ blessing for this archaic-as-shit arranged marriage, but he didn’t have mine. And never would.

  “Let me go!”

  Aron opened his mouth to say something. He froze, eyes glazed, then hit the floor.

  Decked in black with midnight wings and eyes of blue-fire, a Morgon man towered before me like an angel of death. A fitted shirt outlined his broad chest and powerful frame, filling my vision. My breath caught in my throat. While chaos whirled, he wrapped vise-like arms around my waist, crushing me against a wall of steel in a rough embrace. I opened my mouth to scream. No sound came out. He bent his knees a fraction before two beats of vast, black wings lifted us with a jolt. I clung to his muscular shoulders for fear of falling, the masculine scent of him wrapping my senses into a tight knot.

  I hadn’t noticed from below there were breaks in the railing for Morgon flight. He dropped me into a chair in an empty VIP section. Rising to a mountainous height, electric-blue held me captive. Piercing, his gaze reached deep inside, as if he could see the secret part of me, a part I tucked away from the world, kept hidden behind a mask of indifference and strong will. Someone screamed below. Hard angles contorted into a fierce mask. Snapping his gaze away, he spun, took two long strides and fell from the edge, plummeting out of view.