by Ginna Moran
My. Dumb. Eyes. They betray me, darting down to devour the sight of his dick. It also prevents me from snapping at him for using my real name. Because to my surprise, his dick is comparable to the guys I’ve slept with in the Mortal World. The normalcy is almost comforting. All of the Drekis have several inches on Quillon, but it doesn’t mean much except that I might not gag if I gave him a blow job and could handle hours of fucking without walking funny afterwards.
What. Am. I. Thinking?
Shaking the thought of me on my knees away, I finally manage to avert my eyes to focus on Quillon’s face. He lifts an eyebrow. “I know it’s not dragon-sized, but I can guarantee you’d have an unforgettable time.”
Heat flushes my face. “You just said I belong to someone else.” Whatever the hell that means, because he’s obviously not talking about the Drekis.
“Doesn’t mean we can’t have fun now.” Again with the damn smirk.
Pressing my lips together, I shake my head. “Not happening. You said you had information about my family. If that was just a ploy to get me alone, I’m going to ensure you can’t ever have that kind of fun again. I don’t like these types of games. I’m not just going to fuck you when the opportunity arises.”
He narrows his eyes. “What about the COs?”
I laugh in exasperation, throwing my hands up. “They’re none of your business.”
“So you have fucked one of them. Who? Was it Kash? It couldn’t have been Maddox. I’m not sure Rowan is your type—”
“What? You know their names?” I widen my eyes. Maddox made a huge fucking deal when I said his name in one of the other cellblocks. He said if those in my block heard, it would endanger him. And here Quillon is already with the information.
“Of course I know their names, Delphia. I know a lot of things. Like who your parents were and how your mom ended up in this very prison. I know that you were promised to the Darkonian Clan to solidify an alliance with the Drakovich Clan.” Quillon steps into the clean jumpsuit without taking his gaze from me. “I also know that they will come for you if you just hold tight.”
My heart thrashes against my ribcage.
“You need to keep your distance from the Drekis the best you can. They will kill you, Delphia. I can’t protect you like I was paid to do. They grew too possessive too quickly. That’s why you must listen to me. Don’t test them. Don’t give them your attention. And especially don’t trust them, no matter what they say.” Quillon moves closer, holding his hands out. “Please. You—”
Panic floods through me as he tries to take my hands. I automatically react and punch him in the gut. “You were paid. Paid! I don’t understand. Who the hell paid you?”
“Just calm down for a second,” Quillon says.
Oh, fuck. He did not just tell me that. Anger and fear battle inside me, sending me stumbling away from him. I need to get out of here. My instincts want nothing more than to put as much space and distance between me and whoever the hell Quillon truly is.
Quillon rushes toward me. “Delphia, please. Wait. This will all work out. There is a plan in place. It was never intended for you to end up here but the Drekis arrived too soon. Rhett fucked up.”
I inhale a sharp breath at his words. The way he says it almost makes it sound as if this whole thing was planned yet something went wrong.
“They will fix it. You will get out of here and home where you belong,” he adds.
I don’t even have to ask him to know he doesn’t mean the Mortal World. And staying in Magaelorum is the last thing I want to do. It’s bad enough that I’m stuck here. It won’t make it any better if I’m stuck somewhere else.
Quillon holds his hands up in caution like I’ll strike him at any second. “Your mates are waiting for you.”
My mates? The words crash through my head, banging around instead of sinking in. Nothing has sounded more wrong in my life. How can these Darkonian dragons be my mates when the Drekis claim that I’m their mate? Are they lying? Is this some sort of game of possession? I don’t understand any of this.
Spinning on my feet, I rush from the laundry room and back to the showers. A flash of red light explodes from my right, sending ruby flames across the floor. I screech in surprise and halt in my tracks.
“Looks like someone let you out of your cell, Delphia,” the smooth, deep voice says. “This will be easier than I thought.” Lazlo materializes before me, cradling a ball of electric magic in his hands. “Now don’t move. I’ll be fast.”
I don’t get a chance to react.
I don’t even get a chance to scream.
Lazlo throws the magic at me.
Chapter 14
Fated Mates
SOMETHING HEAVY CRASHES into my back, knocking me off my feet. Quillon presses my body to the tiled floor and growls as the electric magic from Lazlo explodes over us. The scent of burning flesh wafts through the air, and I gag.
A deep, guttural roar reverberates through my bones, turning my blood hot. The weight of Quillon’s body lifts away before a loud crash echoes through the shower room. The sleeves on my jumpsuit smoke and smolder, and I quickly rush to pat the glowing red trails of burning fabric out.
“Inmate D64901, get up. Let me take a look at you.” Rowan’s voice wraps around me in velvety warmth.
Something comes over me, and I can’t stop myself from throwing my arms around his broad body. He has no choice but to lift me up before I climb him to securely hide in his muscular embrace. Having Quillon throw all this crazy-ass information at me is one thing, but having Lazlo appear and try to murder me or some-shit gives me an intense need to be as close as possible to one of the men who think we’re fated together.
“Hey, whoa. It’s okay, Nova. I got you, doe eyes.” Rowan’s big hand slides up and down my back in a comforting motion. And I kind of hate that I’m cowering in his arms. I should be tough and yell at him for locking me in my cell and leaving, but I’m just so tired of being on guard all the time. “Tell me what happened. What are you doing in here?”
“We were—were attacked,” I manage to spit out. “The same visitor from before.”
Rowan releases a low growl, and I realize it’s directed at Quillon. “Attacked? But how did you get in here with this guy? Was he hurting you?”
“It’s not what it looks like,” I say. I regret the words immediately. Do I really care what it looks like and what Rowan thinks? Yup. I guess I fucking do. “Quillon—”
“Don’t say anything, Delphia,” Quillon snaps. “It’s none of his business.”
Rowan tenses, his muscles flexing and tightening. “What did you call her?”
My heart slides into my stomach at the realization that Quillon said my real name. Panic squeezes my chest, stealing my breath. I brace myself to be tossed to the floor, to be ripped to shreds, to die because of some feud between dragon clans I’m not a part of. But Rowan only squeezes me tighter.
“She doesn’t belong to you, Dreki. Put her down,” Quillon says, his voice deepening.
Another guttural growl escapes Rowan’s lips, the vibration of his voice shaking my whole body. “Put your hands behind your head, inmate. Now.”
Quillon laughs, the maniacal sound dragging my attention to him, so I twist in Rowan’s arms to meet Quillon’s glower. Something strange crosses his face, his eyes flashing a green color. His skin ripples, his body twitching. Hair sprouts from his skin, longer and darker, nothing remotely human. With cracking bones, Quillon grows taller and broader, his mouth and nose elongating into something that looks like a mutated wolf. I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s freaky as fuck that his eyes remain the same—human.
“Drop her, CO,” Quillon commands, his voice throaty and wet coming from his beastly half-human, half-animal form. “We both know there isn’t room for you to shift in here.”
“How the fuck?” Rowan mutters mostly to himself.
How the fuck, indeed. Quillon shouldn’t be able to transform, not with the brands.
&nbs
p; And then I remember—Lazlo’s electric magic. What if he wasn’t trying to kill me? What if he was attempting to break the spell cast upon me with the brandings? It was what he was trying to do before.
Shit.
“The visitor,” I say, unable to speak Lazlo’s name. “The magic was intended for me. He wanted to kidnap me.”
Quillon takes advantage of Rowan’s sudden distraction and hauls his hulking form forward. He latches his long dagger nails to the back of my jumpsuit and rips me from Rowan’s hold. I flail and fight, striking Quillon with my elbow.
“Let me go!” I yell.
The world spins around me as Quillon drops me on my ass. I groan and rush to get to my feet. Rowan tugs out his baton from his belt, preparing to fight. Every muscle on my body tenses. Without thinking, I chase after Quillon in his monster form. Launching myself from the floor, I attach myself to his back, linking my hands through his fur. It’s enough of a surprise to distract him that Rowan swings his baton and slams it into Quillon’s gut. I release him as he falls back and manage to flip myself over his shoulder to land on top of the beast.
Jerking my hand back for greater force, I punch Quillon in his elongated muzzle. “Don’t you fucking touch him. Rowan is mine!”
My voice rings through the air, and Quillon stills.
“He’s mine!” I repeat.
The alarms blare.
The whole room quivers, a strange buzzing sensation crawling over my skin. Warmth blossoms from the tops of my hands as my brandings ignite with magic. I screech at the pain, my body tensing. Quillon snatches the front of my jumpsuit and lifts me off the ground with him.
“Delphia, stop fighting me. I don’t want to hurt you,” he says, hooking his arm around my waist. “Let me take care of him.”
I clench my teeth through the fiery pain. “Let me go.”
“Delphia—”
“Stop calling me that. It’s not my name!”
Quillon roars and snarls, spinning around so fast that the world blurs. My legs crash into a solid body, the quick movements knocking Rowan off his feet. He only remains on the ground for a second, launching up with fire sparking in his hands. I tense and cringe, expecting to get burned, but nothing happens when he grabs my arm in one hand while punching Quillon with the other.
“Inmate, get down!” Maddox’s deep voice rumbles through the air. “If you do not comply, I will issue a death sentence.”
Maddox’s words are enough to stop Quillon in his tracks. Quillon inhales a few sharp breaths as he transforms back into his handsome human form. A fist imprint glows on his cheek, his flesh blistering from the heat of Rowan’s punch. Slowly dropping down, Quillon lies on his stomach with his hands on his head.
“CO, get Inmate D64901 out of here. Put her on lockdown out of gen. pop. I’m taking this douche to the pits until we get things sorted out,” Maddox says, glowering at Quillon.
“Remember what I told you, Delphia,” Quillon says. “They’re going to murder me now. Don’t let my death have been in vain.”
I gasp a few breaths, watching Maddox drag Quillon to his feet. A mixture of emotions course through me when our eyes meet. I can’t help feeling bad that Quillon will face the Dreki wrath. I don’t know exactly what his deal is, but he has answers to my questions. I need to know more. I can’t just let Maddox destroy him. Because what if what Quillon says is true about the feud?
Straightening my shoulders, I turn my attention to Maddox. “Don’t kill him. Please. He was trying to help me.”
Rowan growls and presses into my back, his big hands hooking to my shoulders as he prepares to hold me back. I guess he doesn’t trust that I won’t get within arm’s reach of Quillon. “He was trying to take you.”
I puff out my bottom lip, lowering my voice. “He saved me from—fuck.” I still can’t get Lazlo’s name out. It hurts to even think the warlock’s name.
“Lazlo Infinity,” Quillon says, despite Maddox’s warning. He tips his head to look at him. “He’s coming for her. If she stays here, he’ll take her. There won’t be anything you guys can do about it.”
Ignoring him, Maddox points at Rowan. He twists his lips into a snarl, his whole body rigid with his anger. I expect him to breathe fire at any second as he lets his dragon free. “Take her somewhere safe. I’ll handle him.”
“Maddox, please. Don’t kill him,” I say, my voice growing softer. I never thought I’d beg for an almost stranger’s life. A part of me feels guilty that the only reason I do is because he knows something I don’t. Does it make me a bad person? Well, I guess I am in this shithole prison after all. Maybe I am more like my mom than I realized.
Maddox flares his nostrils with a sigh. His chin crinkles with his clenched jaw. “We’ll see. I’ll do what has to be done, Nova.”
“Delphia,” Rowan corrects, sliding his fingers through mine. “Her Magaelorum name is Delphia.”
Maddox’s brows lower on his forehead. “What? Fuck. This proves everything right.”
***
A soft hand touches my back between my shoulders. “Delphia, relax. Nothing is going to happen to you. I’ll protect you with my life.”
I purse my lips, turning my gaze from the door. I’ve been waiting at least an hour for it to bust open. “Don’t call me that. My name is Nova. I legally changed it.”
Sliding his fingers to my shoulder, Rowan turns me to face him. His eyes light with his dragon fire, the heat of his gaze warming my insides. He reaches up and trails his hand over my jaw, combing my hair from my face. I find my toes pushing into the carpet to stretch my body up to close the space between us a bit more. I should be terrified that Rowan will prove Quillon right and end my life. I shouldn’t allow myself to be so close to the man who holds my existence in his hands in this moment, but something inside me refuses to believe any of that is true. It’s like a huge part of me is drawn to Rowan in a pull I can’t and don’t want to escape.
“Nova,” he says, my name a whisper of a breath, almost a plea to close the space. “It doesn’t matter what name you go by. I’ll still protect you.”
“Why?” My voice comes out just as soft as we share the same breathing space.
“I’ve told you already. You’re mine.” His lips quirk in a half-smile. “And obviously you think I belong to you. I never expected such a fierce claim from you.”
I suck my bottom lip between my teeth. “Let’s pretend that didn’t happen. I don’t know what the fuck was up with me.”
“Nothing is up with you. Your dragon knows what your mind refuses to accept. We’re fated. I don’t know how and why Rhett didn’t tell us, but I’m certain he knew.” Rowan releases a breath. “And I’m sorry you got wrapped up in this bullshit. I know you didn’t know any of this...except your name. Will you tell me more?”
A dozen thoughts rush through my mind. My soul feels like opening up to Rowan, telling him about my life and how I grew up, but my brain screams not to get ahead of myself. He’s never been quick to give me answers. And I deserve them. More than ever.
I shake my head, easing away from him. “No.”
“No?” His voice deepens in surprise.
I steel myself from his charm, sauntering away to put even more distance between us. I make my way across the room to his bed, raised on a platform. I climb the short steps and plop down, turning my back on him.
“I have my own questions I want answered first. Until you can do that, then my answer will be no,” I say, facing the wall. “Now, if you don’t mind. My nerves are shot and I’m exhausted. I haven’t had a good stretch of sleep since arriving.”
“I can help with that.” The bed shifts as Rowan slides in next to me without asking. I guess it is his bed after all. It’s not like I mind. The heat of his body pushes away the ice left in my veins by Lazlo Infinity. “I’m an excellent cuddler. My talent has been wasting away waiting for you.”
Laughter erupts from my mouth at his remark. “I’m sure that’s not true.”
“It is.
”
I turn over to face him. Lifting an eyebrow, I meet his smile. “Lies. I know you’re not a virgin. No virgin would know...how to work me over like you had.”
It’s his turn to laugh. “Quickies are exactly that. Fast and furious. No connection and all the fun. Cuddling is for the one my soul has been yearning for. So please, don’t deprive me. I’ve never wanted to do something besides you so badly.”
This. Guy.
He steals the giggle from my lips with a kiss that sets my body buzzing. Tangling his hands in my hair, he pulls me closer, kissing me deeper, passionately, like he can’t get enough of the taste of my tongue as I stroke it against his. His cinnamon lips scorch against mine, sucking and mapping, exploring my mouth to familiarize himself. Fuck, and it’s so good. My body hums with desire ignited by his kiss, sending warmth between my legs.
My hands work fervently down his sides until I tug his uniform shirt free and glide my fingers up his abs to feel each one of them. Rowan moans and returns the favor, moving his hands from my cheeks to tug the buttons on the front of my jumpsuit open. He breaks away from my mouth to kiss my jaw and neck, working his way down to my collarbone.
I trace my hands down his body again and hook my fingers to his belt, yanking it open. Rowan groans under his breath, releasing a gasp as I slip my hand into his pants to lace my fingers around his daunting dick. How things have gone from talking about cuddling to ripping at each other’s clothes? I should’ve expected it. My attraction to him runs hotter and hotter, and I can’t stop wondering if he’s as good as his brothers. If he’ll want to pin me and screw me from behind. If he’ll give me control.
So I test him.
Shimmying lower, I kiss my way down his pecs, gliding my tongue across his nipples in hot determination to discover if every inch of him is as sweet and spicy as his mouth. Rowan gathers my hair into his hands, pulling it up and out of the way so that he can watch me lick his abs. I nudge him onto his back and climb on top of him, feeling his hard arousal between my legs. I grind against him for a minute and lean in to kiss him.