First he needed to break a mage. Then call a dragon to claim his worthless daughter. He pulled into the state park, and down one of the maintenance roads to wind his way to his hideaway.
That’s where the contract was stored. Getting his daughter down there was going to be the difficult part. Once she was, the choice would be out of her hands. The dragon promised to bind himself to Remus as soon as Dacia was bound to him.
Remus climbed out of Lamar’s piece-of-shit beater and scooped the mage onto his shoulder to wind his way along the path to the ledge.
She was out cold, her breathing slow but steady. It was almost a shame she was bleeding from the head. The concussion would keep her from feeling every sensation he planned to provide. It might make her last longer, but he wanted her screams to turn from pain to lust and back again.
As he moved closer to the entrance, he noticed something seemed to be off. There was a new thread of magic woven into the wards, which was concerning, but he had the ability to unravel the magic.
Newly healed, he had the strength to overpower anyone within the confines of the sanctuary. Magic flowed through his veins stronger than it had in so very long. Even before his bout with Toryn two long weeks ago.
He stepped into the dark tunnel and made his way to the main room. Once across the threshold, he was bathed in light. He dropped the mage as someone slammed into him, driving him to the ground. A rock hard fist slammed into his face, crunching his nose, forcing his head into the ground.
A wave of dizziness accompanied the explosion of pain. Trying to get his bearings, he opened his eyes to find Preston glaring down at him.
How in the abyss is he alive?
Preston’s pale blue eyes burned with fire as his fist pummeled into his eye socket.
There were others in the room, but he couldn’t focus on that. Fire sparked to life around Preston’s hand, and danced up his arm.
Remus pushed a gust of air at Preston knocking him off his chest and across the room to slam into the glass wall of the bathroom that shattered around him.
He saw the heavy hiking boot moving toward his face and rolled away to his feet. The world spun as he came face-to-face with his very own daughter, who wore a look of utter hatred.
* * * *
Dacia watched as Preston flew across the room and shattered the glass. She burst into motion, ready to stop her father for good. He decimated the last straw of her loyalty with his stunt earlier that afternoon, trying to take her mate, and brother from her.
She closed the distance and lifted her foot to stomp on his head but he rolled away and into a stand. His eyes locked on hers and she saw her hatred mirrored back.
With a breath, she phased out and appeared behind him to shove him into the cage against the wall. The same one he tried to trap her in when he intended to sell her to the fucking dragon.
She slammed the door shut and threw a spell to charge the bars.
Remus reached for the lock, but was flung back against the wall. His body spasmed as he was electrocuted. Finally he jerked away as she moved out of reach.
Turning, she found Preston slowly sitting up. His hand was pressed to his forehead. Blood dripped down his face from a piece of glass that must have caught him above his eyebrow.
“You okay, Minx?” he asked.
“I am, but how are you, Ember?”
He smiled slightly. “Been better, but definitely been worse.” Preston stood, and looked around the room. “Good job.” He smirked at her father. “How’s it feel to be trapped in your own prison, Remus?”
He snarled and flew at the handles only to be jolted back, thanks to Dacia’s magic.
Robert looked over at them. “You going to be okay while I take Gwen to the healers?”
Preston nodded. “We’ll be fine.”
Robert crouched down and touched the woman’s shoulder. Then they were gone.
Remus let out a guttural cry and muttered something in the earth tongue. Dacia pulled the cursed dagger she had hidden at her back and threw it at her father, hitting him in the shoulder, but it didn’t stop him from finishing the spell.
A black, swirling maw opened up and Gebiet stepped into the room. His body shrank down from his dragon form to a man’s. His black scales faded into ebony skin but his eyes remained pits of onyx.
Dacia backed away as she remembered what he threatened so long ago. She couldn’t catch her breath as the dragon stalked toward her.
* * * *
Terrified, Dacia backed into the wall, and Preston erected a shield to keep Gebiet away from her. He pulled the long mana-blade from down his back and stepped in front of his woman.
Remus let out an earsplitting whistle.
Gebiet whipped around and stalked toward the cage. “The contract? You finally ready to sign it? Or should I finish you for these two?”
“It’s ready,” he promised.
Preston wanted to point out it wasn’t, that he would never have access to it, but he had no intention of letting either of them leave. Seeing Dacia’s terrified reaction to Gebiet fueled his rage.
The dragon stalked to the cage. One arm turned shiny as the scales flowed up his arm, and his claws grew.
With his newly learned ability, Preston wisped into smoke and closed the distance as the dragon destroyed the cage. Taking solid shape, he slashed the sword out, only nicking the dragon but severing Remus’ arm as he reached through the hole in the bars.
With a roar, Gebiet grabbed Remus with his free hand and they were gone in a swirling black vortex as Preston stumbled back to avoid being sucked into wherever the dragon had been pulled from.
Before Gebiet could reach through and grab Remus’ detached arm, Preston pierced the limb with his blade and chanted to increase the fire.
The dragon roared as he snatched the burning limb through the closing hole in time and space. He was now a target for an ancient earth dragon, but Preston wasn’t worried about that. The flames from his blade would damage the dragon permanently, though not mortally. Sooner or later, Preston was going to kill Gebiet.
He turned back to Dacia who screamed in horror. Pain bit into his shoulder. His blood ran cold as he sank to his knees, his vision going dark. He recognized the curse as it flooded his system.
* * * *
Dacia saw the dagger flash out of the black hole before it poofed out of existence. She screamed, and Preston’s eyes went wide as he sank to his knees and fell forward.
The paralysis of seeing Gebiet in the flesh wore off when she saw her blade in Preston’s back. She phased through the shield to land in a heap beside Preston. Her chest heaved as she yanked the blade free with one hand and placed her other over the wound.
She breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled the curse from his bloodstream, destroying the spell with a few whispered words. Then she started the process of healing the deep hole.
There would be a scar because she was stupid and tried to stop her father from summoning the dragon with the blade. She had given him the very blade he used against Preston. A tear fell down her face as she mended the damage as well as she could.
Robert knelt beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “What happened?”
Tears fell down her face as she looked up at him. “I fucked up—again.”
“Don’t say that.” Robert squeezed gently and she looked into his eyes. He offered a smile. “Looks to me like you saved Preston.”
She let out a strangled cry. “My father started summoning a damned dragon. I threw the blade to stop him, but Gebiet came anyway. Tore the door off.”
“They aren’t here now.” He looked over at the cage, “Both the dragon and Remus were injured. You had a hand in that.”
“Preston sliced them both. My father lost an arm but Gebiet took my father back to Faerie. Before the portal closed—”
“He threw the blade? That’s not your fault. It’s not. You can’t look at it that way. You saved Preston’s life. Twice today.”
Robert placed a
hand on Preston’s back and took them to Dacia’s. Once there, he tore the shirt from Preston’s body and cleaned up the blood.
Dacia sank beside Preston and traced the new scar. “My fault,” she whispered.
“No, Dacia. You took the curse. That scar could have been a lot worse.” Robert stunned her by pulling his shirt out of his pants, and up over his heart where a smooth white handprint lay. “Liz healed me after doing this to me. It was worse. My heart stopped.” He smiled sadly. “I’ve never blamed her for giving me the scar. She didn’t mean to hurt me. Some people would put the blame on her, but she would never have done that if I hadn’t woken her from a dead sleep after a night of hell.”
“You don’t blame her?” she whispered.
“Never have. Preston won’t blame you for that. So let’s get him off the floor. Where would you like him?”
“My bed.” She stood. “Please.”
Robert carefully rolled Preston over and picked him up. He followed her up the stairs and laid Preston on the covers. “Remember, Dacia. That blade was cursed. He would have likely died if you didn’t intervene.”
“Amethyst could have healed him. She wouldn’t have left the scar.”
“I think he’d rather it was you. The experience will make your bond stronger, and I’m not talking about fae, but the bond between two people. It’s not his first scar, and not even his worst. The fact you stood up against your father and saved his life are going to be the only things that matter to him. Trust me.” He cupped her shoulder. “He won’t blame you.” With that, he disappeared.
She made quick work of stripping him, and cleaning him up, before climbing into bed with Preston. Despite Robert’s reassurances, she couldn’t stop the tears from falling down her face.
Chapter 19
Remus held his shoulder as he slid down the wall, leaving a trail of blood. He couldn’t remove the curse, couldn’t heal the wound, and he was bleeding while his magic slowly ebbed away. There was so much pain, he hardly registered the fact Preston chopped his arm off below the elbow.
Gebiet threw the smoldering appendage at his feet. “Pretty sure it’s beyond useless,” he growled. Wriggling his fingers and flexing his hand caused a hiss. “That wasn’t natural fire.”
“No, it wasn’t. Preston is something far more dangerous than I ever assumed. The mage should be dead.”
“No matter to me. Where is my prize, Remus?”
“The contract is only missing your blood signature.”
“And where is it?”
“Safely tucked away. First, I need someone to break this curse.” Remus dropped his head toward the bleeding wound.
The dragon laughed coldly. “I can only think of one person who may touch you, and even then I wouldn’t swear to it. Though I’m not welcome at her castle.”
“You will not have my daughter until this is dealt with,” Remus warned.
“Very well.” He shifted, filling the room with his massive yet sleek body and graceful wings. He reached out, surrounding Remus with one massive clawed hand. “You’ll have to call me once you’re whole. I’m not sticking around, and if she kills you, I won’t mind being rid of you.”
Gebiet launched himself up through the dead volcano’s crater. Remus was used to the feeling of floating through air, but his stomach bottomed out until the dragon leveled his flight. Then he dry heaved as they flew over treetops and past mountain ridges.
Minutes later the castle came into view. Time slowed as he was released. The tower’s rooftop came hurtling into view. He hit with a wet crack before everything went black.
* * * *
Preston rolled over to wrap his arms around the warm body curled beside him. Her fingers threaded into his hair and he leaned into her touch.
“Tell me that was a nightmare,” he murmured.
She sniffled and he opened his eyes to find her tear-streaked face.
“Wasn’t a dream, was it?”
“I’m trying to believe Robert, but I can’t see how I’m not to blame.” Her fingers traced over the scar in his back. “If it weren’t for me, my father wouldn’t have had a weapon.”
“You didn’t throw the dagger at my back.”
“If I hadn’t thrown it we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
“And if I had pulled a mana blade instead of pummeling his face, you wouldn’t have had to attack him. None of that matters though. You are not the one who hurt me.”
“But—”
“No. Stop. Whatever you did fixed me.” He shrugged, smiling back at her before taking a quick kiss. “I don’t blame you.”
She pulled back. “You have a new scar.”
“Not my first, won’t be my last.” He rolled his shoulder and rotated his arm. “Doesn’t affect my mobility. I don’t blame Fallon for the scar on my thigh. That one causes me to limp slightly, and still bothers me when the weather changes. But that was all on me. Not her.”
Dacia rose up with fury in her eyes. “She did what?”
Preston sighed. “You noticed the scar about two inches down and to the left of my balls?”
Dacia didn’t even look as her hand landed on his thigh. She traced the irregular ridge of tissue with her thumb as her nostrils flared.
Preston rushed to explain, “Yeah, well, Fallon tattooed the mana-blade into my arm, and when she finished, I tried to get fresh with her. This was after my major blunder. She stabbed me with my own blade.”
“The bitch,” she hissed.
He caught her face and tsked. “Don’t blame her. I knew I was playing with fire. She made it clear she wanted nothing to do with me, and I was being my usual jackass self. She reacts, doesn’t think first. I learned my lesson.”
“Would you do it again?” she snarled.
“Oh hell no. There’s only one woman I want now. That was years ago, Dacia. Honestly, years ago. Before I ever figured out what I really want, and who I need.”
A smile pulled at her lips. “And what’s that?”
“You,” he rolled on top of her, pinning her to the mattress. She was still in her jeans, but the hoody was gone, leaving her in a tank top. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath. “Only you, Minx. So please, forget about all my past mistakes, because there were plenty of them.”
“What if I’m the next?” she whispered.
He pushed himself up to look down at her. “What do I have to do to prove you aren’t?”
She chewed her lip as she stared up at him. He saw the fear written on her face.
“Tell me, Dacia. Please. I’ll give you anything you ask.”
“Make love to me.”
“Gladly.”
He sat up to open her pants and pull them down her long legs. Then he reached up to slowly glide her thong off, caressing every inch of her skin along the way. Finally, he pulled her tank over her head.
“This time, I want to take it slow. I want to enjoy every second with you, Dacia.”
She nodded, her breaths coming quick as she trembled. He pressed his lips to her ankle and left a trail of kisses up to her inner thigh before making his way down to her other ankle.
“I’m going to taste you, Minx.”
“Don’t need to, just need you.”
He shook his head slowly, as he spread her legs and found her glistening. “I want to. Don’t deny me.”
“Yes sir, Captain Ember,” she taunted saucily.
His eyes snapped to hers. She squirmed under his gaze and caught her lip between her teeth.
He groaned. “I’m making love to you now. Later, I’ll push your limits,” he promised. Dropping his face, he swept his tongue through her slick folds.
“Please,” she moaned as he teased her with the tip of his tongue. Salty-sweet and he needed more. Then he slid into her heat, pushing deep to lick at her walls while thumbing her bundle of nerves. Her hips undulated as ragged breaths turned into sensual whimpers.
Her fingers delved into his hair as he stroked in and out of her with the same rhyth
m he circled the pearl with his thumb.
Dacia came around his tongue, and he lapped up every drop of her desire as she screamed out his name.
Urgently, she pulled his hair and he climbed up her body. His cock ached to sink inside her, but he settled on top without crushing her. The kiss started tender, but she opened her mouth and his tongue danced with hers.
Nothing was better than her satin skin against his. At least until she wrapped her legs around his waist. “Need you,” she moaned.
Unable to resist the lure of her sweet heat, he pressed inside, taking his time to thoroughly savor every sensation. His eyes locked on her deep dark eyes. He was home.
“Mine, always, Dacia.”
Her gaze was intense. “Always, don’t ever forget it.”
“Never.”
“Won’t let you go.”
Taking another kiss, he claimed her as his one and only while their bodies moved in unison. She was close, right on edge, he could feel her release ready to spill over.
He shifted to stroke her clit with his length a few times before pushing deep, to her end. Together, they found their pleasure.
Once their hearts started to slow, Preston pulled her into his embrace as he fell to her side.
“I believe you,” Dacia whispered against his chest.
He pulled the blankets around them and pressed a kiss to her temple. “No more tears, Minx. You’re mine forever.”
“And you’re mine, Ember.”
Chapter 20
Preston woke as the sun set to the nagging sensation he was forgetting something. Then it dawned on him he hadn’t checked in with Robert, which he probably should have done the first time he woke up.
He brushed his lips over Dacia’s forehead and climbed out of bed to go in search of his phone. It was in the pocket of his bloodied jeans. He took a look down at himself, but he was clean.
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