“Well,” Leigh said, “I suppose you are right little one. I am proud. And I would be proud to give you a lift home, if it’s ok with your mom.”
Jade squealed. “Oh can I mommy? Please? Please? Pleeeeeeease?” She bounced up and down on her toes with her hands clasped together.
“I promise to take care of her,” Leigh offered, “And if there is even the slightest sign of trouble, I will flash us back home.”
Brea pretended to think about it, then, with a sigh, (as if it was a tough decision) she said, “I suppose it would be alright.”
“Yay!” Jade jumped up and down. “Ok Leigh, dragon up!”
The women laughed and Leigh walked into an open area before she pulled on her magic. She felt herself pulling and growing as the magic swirled all around her. In an instant, she had a new point of view of the park. At twenty feet tall, she could see everything, including the many eyes that were now trained on her in awe. She didn’t feel like a freak show, though. She had always thought she would if ever exposed to humans this way. No, she felt beautiful. Powerful. All the things Jade said she was. She was the object of awe to everyone who could see her, and it felt damn good.
But it was only one set of eyes that kept her attention. Jade was standing in front of her with adoration in her eyes. “You are beautiful,” she sighed as she ran her little hand over the scales of Leigh’s hind legs. “They’re soft,” she whispered to no one in particular, “I thought it would be like a snake or lizard, but it’s like skin.”
Well get on, Leigh told her.
Jade didn’t react like normal people would when Leigh spoke in her mind, but of course she could do it too. Instead she just grabbed hold of Leigh’s massive hind leg and shimmied up until her little legs were resting on either side of the dragon’s neck. She held on and lightly kicked with her heel. “Giddy up!”
“Hold on tight baby!” Brea yelled as Leigh spread her wings and shot into the sky.
TWENTY THREE
Four months later…
Leigh watched as the sun dropped down below the horizon, leaving a gold shimmer on the surface of the water. There was nothing more calming than sunset on the Pacific. The waves danced and lapped at her feet making her yearn for the freedom of flight.
What a shame that was prohibited.
She unconsciously wrapped her hands around her belly. As much as she loved flying, shifting was not worth the risk to her young. Jacque couldn’t tell her exactly what kind of genes her baby would have without running extensive and invasive tests. Ones she didn’t want to risk. Since there was no way of knowing if the child would have her magic or not, she couldn’t risk changing into the dragon.
She hated that her condition had to be kept secret. No one knew, except for Jacque and Rebel of course. It was safer that way. If Merrick found out, who knew what kind of lawsuit he would throw at them. Or worse, what he might try to do to the baby. It had been four months since the judge denied Merrick his claim on her. And since then there had been a restraining order against Merrick because he refused to not stalk her. But this was a game changer. They planned to tell Rebel’s family soon enough though. It was damned hard to keep a secret in house full of vampires.
The wind whipped at her hair, beckoning her to come, to join it across the calm water. A shiver went down her spine as she forcibly shoved the instinct down. She had denied herself flight for years, but recently she was having a harder time doing it. She no longer had any reason to hide her magic from the public. The urge to fly gnawed at her insides but her baby was worth the sacrifice. She looked up at the clear sky and saw the brightest of the stars that would be out that night. Soon it would be completely dark and the sky would look like it had been sprinkled with diamonds. Leigh took a long breath to calm her soul.
A warm pair of arms enveloped her and she knew without looking that it was Rebel. She hadn’t heard him approach but his scent was distinct, even upwind. “What are you thinking about?” he whispered in her ear.
“What will they do, the humans, when they find out that I am pregnant?”
“I don’t know,” he answered, “but I, WE, will protect our child. No matter what.”
“I love you,” Leigh told him, knowing full well that he knew it.
“I,” Rebel stopped. Leigh felt his body stiffen behind her and she turned to look at his face. He was looking up into the sky with a perplexed expression.
Leigh looked in the same direction. “What is it babe?” At first, she saw nothing but sky. An uneasy feeling curled up in her belly, the hairs on her arms stood up, and she went on full alert.
She saw it the same moment Rebel did. “Get back to the house!” he shouted as a fierce scream rent the quiet night.
Leigh ducked down and ran hell-bent for the house. She knew that screech as well as she knew her own. Merrick was coming for her. She could feel his presence in the night sky even though she didn’t dare look back. She knew that Merrick felt that if he could not have her, no one would. He would kill her.
Normally, that would not upset Leigh, but with the life of her child to consider, she was in no position to defend herself. It was the first time in her life that she had ever run from a fight. Her ego was soothed to know that Rebel was hot on her heels. He would undoubtedly secure her first and then come back to kick Merrick’s sorry ass.
They burst into the house as one and yelled for all it was worth. Angel was already arming himself as was his brothers. “Get her to the basement with the women!” he snapped at Rebel. Without argument he ushered Leigh to the safety of the basement.
Rebel pushed her to the farthest corner of the basement, shoving her against the wall. “Stay here,” he commanded as he looked down into her eyes. He held her by the elbows and just stared at her for a long second. “We can only protect you if you let us. Promise me you won’t go out there, no matter what.”
Leigh looked back into her mates eyes and saw something she had never seen before. Fear. With a quick jerk of her head she nodded her agreement. “Come back to me.”
“Don’t you worry about that Sweetheart,” he said as he crushed his mouth down on hers. Too soon his embrace broke.
“Brea,” he said, “keep her safe.”
“I will,” she answered and walked to Leigh’s side, her own child in tow. Rebel turned and raced up the stairs. The basement door locked with a click behind him.
The room was eerily silent after his departure. Leigh was in shock and she knew it. Slowly the sounds from outside reached her sensitive ears.
“He is not alone,” Leigh said.
“Of course not,” Brea answered, taking a seat. “He has his family with him. Trust me, Angel will never let anything happen to Rebel. They are all so like brothers.” She motioned for Jade to side beside her and the girl did.
“My daddy can kick butt ya know,” the little angel offered with a proud grin.
“I know Jade,” Leigh smiled back.
“You worry too much,” Brea said. “They are always tossing us down here anytime there is even a hint of danger. You get used to it.”
“Oh yes,” Jessica added, “It’s like a second bedroom to us sometimes.”
“Oh joy,” Leigh sighed, “but that isn’t what I was talking about. I meant Merrick is not alone. I can sense several wolves coming and other vampires. Some humans as well as a faery. He brought back up.”
Leigh knew the expression that crossed Brea’s face. It was as if the whole world as she knew it had dropped out from under her feet. Brea had been under attack before. She knew the costs of battle. Her best friend, Keelie, had been lost as well as her husband, Ricco. She could still remember the screams Ricco let loose when his beloved wolf died. He gave his life avenging her and protecting the rest of his family.
Brea couldn’t help but wonder who it would be next.
“Her daddy kicks ass, remember?” Jessica said.
“Yeah I remember,” Brea said, but she didn’t sound so convinced.
“It must be r
eally frustrating for you especially,” Jessica said to Leigh, “I mean you are probably more powerful than any of them and the men are making you hide out like you have no power at all.”
Leigh looked into the eyes of the two women who sat with her. “I might as well be powerless,” she said. “I’m pregnant.”
The silence in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Leigh saw the mirrored expressions of joy mixed with a terrible fear on both women’s faces. It was Jade that broke the dead quiet.
“Yay!! I’m gonna have a niece or nephew to play with!! Thank you Aunt Leigh! Oh thank you thank you thank you!!” She ran to Leigh and wrapped her little arms around her in a tight bear hug. Leigh was shocked at first, but softened and returned the little angel’s embrace. Another pair of arms joined in, and then another. Leigh found herself in the middle of one big group hug. The women did not voice the concerns they had; there was no need to. They lended Leigh their love and support with a simple hug. These people had invited her into their lives and accepted her for who and what she was. At first, Leigh thought it was only because she was mated with Rebel. But she was realizing that they truly cared for her and her young. And for the first time in her life she knew without a doubt that these people were her family, and that she would protect them with her life.
Rebel stood in a line with his brothers facing the ocean. That screech had, in fact, belonged to Merrick. The sky was littered with various creatures that he had somehow convinced to be on his side. He could sense that there were other vampires nearby. Waiting. They were waiting for a signal from Merrick. Security at the Estate was formidable for certain, but they had little in the way of protection from the air.
Vampires on the ground. Weres in the trees. And what the fuck were those things in the air?
The security force surrounded the house, some of them vampire, some of them human, some of them weres, all of them armed to the teeth and ready to die before allowing harm to come to anyone in Rebel’s family.
TWENTY FOUR
Rebel rested his hand on his Glock at his side. Why oh why did it always have to come to fighting? But if it was war Merrick wanted, then war was what he was gonna get.
“Be calm, my brother,” Antonio said at his side. “Patience will be the key.”
“Fuck you,” Rebel told him. But his insult lacked conviction. In fact, he was pretty sure that his fear was showing. Rebel had never feared anything in his life. Not like this.
“Don’t worry,” Gage grinned, “we got this.”
“Yeah no shit,” Antonio agreed.
“He is merely pissed off because he was denied the opportunity to mate with your mate,” Angel added. “This is the equivalent of a hissy fit.”
“We must not let anyone near the women,” Rebel said. “At whatever cost.”
“It ain’t like they aren’t safe,” Gage said, “Leigh can protect them as well as herself. Hell, I’m kinda surprised she isn’t out here with us. How did you convince her to stay inside? And why aren’t you burnt to a crisp for even suggesting it?”
“I think there is more to this story than we have been told,” Sebastian finally said. His too pale eyes were staring right through Rebel with a sense of knowledge.
Rebel looked over at Jacque, who nodded. “It is best they know now. For the sake of us all.”
“What? Spill man,” Antonio said. The brothers continued to watch the sky and wait for the attack.
Rebel sighed. “Leigh will not be joining the fight today. She is just as fragile as your wives. We must protect them all, with our lives if necessary. She cannot shift and I will not put her in danger.”
“Wait, why can she not shift? No shift means no dragon. No fire-breathing, fuck the world, worst case of PMS….”
“She cannot because she is carrying our young,” Rebel interrupted, setting aside the comment Antonio made in reference to his mate. Besides, it was true.
He felt his brothers’ eyes all turn to him. Even though he didn’t look, he knew they were standing there, mouths open, stunned into the thick silence that filled the air.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Angel nod.
Things moved very fast after that. Merrick shrieked out his war cry and nose-dived for the men on the ground. Faster than thought, Rebel had both his Glocks raised and aimed at the dragon’s nose. He fired.
The bullets zipped through the night sky, true to their target, but the bastard disappeared into thin air. He reappeared a few feet to the right and Rebel fired again. Shots rang out all around him and he knew his brothers had joined the fight.
Hordes of vampires marched on the property, most of them easily dispatched by the mines that Antonio had planted around the perimeter. Explosion after explosion rang in his ears, but Rebel never lost sight of Merrick.
In his peripheral vision, he saw Gage taking on a beautiful creature, tanned skin and blonde hair, with a shimmer around him that was ethereal.
Antonio was fist fighting a were who felt lucky enough to fight as human. Stupid wolf. Angel had a pair of vampires at the end of his sword and Rebel knew soon their heads would only be a memory to their bodies.
Sebastian was firing at anything foe that crossed his path.
A wall of fire rolled toward the men and Rebel barely managed to duck in time for it to pass just over his body.
“No!” he heard Antonio shout. Rebel looked up just in time to see his brother leap in front of Angel, who was about to become bar-b-que. The flames engulfed Antonio as he shoved their leader out of the way to safety. Time seemed to stretch out forever as his friend burned to ash.
“No!” Rebel shouted, “Mother fucker no!” He pulled on the magic his mate lent him and shot into the sky.
Fire and smoke was everywhere.
Leigh could sense it as well as feel it. The house was on fire. “We gotta get out of here!” she shouted to Brea.
“There’s a tunnel,” Brea said, “Follow me.”
Brea led Jade, Jessica, and Leigh to the back of the room. “It’s right behind here. Angel showed me and made me promise to remember. It leads off the property.”
Leigh followed for a moment, but before she could go through the doorway, she stopped. “Go,” she told them. “I’ll catch up.”
“Leigh, don’t be silly. You have to come with us,” Brea told her.
“I have to protect my family,” she replied. “No matter the cost. Get your baby to safety.”
“What about your baby?” Brea asked.
“Don’t worry about me,” Leigh said as she closed the door in Brea’s pretty face. What about her baby? She would die before letting harm come to her young. But what kind of mother would she be if she let her family die? What would her child think of her if she did nothing to protect its father? She was a dragon, for fuck’s sake, and it was high time she stopped hiding and started acting like one.
Leigh slowly approached the glass doors that would lead her outside to the fighting that was already in progress. She was right. Smoke and fire filled the beach and it was damned near impossible to tell who was friend and who was foe.
Her eyes searched out her mate. He had to be there. She saw Angel, swinging his blades like an old pro, Gage dropping foot soldiers like flies with his Sig, Sebastian was kung-fu stomping anything that came along… but where was Rebel?
Her eye caught the sight of Merrick, in his dragon form, sailing down from the clouds. Fire rolled out of his mouth and right towards Angel. A scream caught in her throat as she saw Antonio jump in front of the fire to save his leader.
All the blood drained from her and settled in her feet when she saw the flames envelope him. She wanted to move, but her feet suddenly felt like lead, anchored to the ground by thick lead chains and cemented in place. She wanted to scream, but her voice had apparently taken vacation for sunnier locations. But her eyes and ears were working just fine. She could see the flames burning her friend. She could smell it. She could hear him screaming over the roar of the fight. But her body
was paralyzed by fear.
She heard a mighty roar and saw Rebel at last. He leaped into the air and sailed full force at Merrick. He landed with a boom against the massive dragon’s side, forcing him off kilter.
Merrick was so surprised that he lost several feet in altitude.
The pair twisted and turned in the sky and she knew what was going to happen before it did. Merrick finally got purchase against Rebel with his hind legs and kicked him off into the sky. Leigh watched helplessly as her mate soared away.
Helpless? No. She hadn’t been helpless a fucking day in her life and she wasn’t about to start now. Not when her family needed her the most.
Leigh screwed her courage up tight and shoved out of the house and ran hell bent for where Rebel must have landed.
She ran as hard as she could, ducking swords and bullets, avoiding faeries and their damned magic tricks. She had to get to Rebel. She passed Angel and wouldn’t you know it, he saw her. He was in the middle of a good old fashioned sword fight but stopped long enough to tell her to get her ass to safety.
But there was no running away now.
Leigh ran. She ran so fast that her legs felt like they weren’t even touching the ground anymore. Salt in the air stung her eyes but she didn’t slow. The sand shifted under her feet but she kept going. About half a mile from the house, she finally saw him.
Rebel was lying in the surf, face down in the sand.
Her heart stopped beating for the tiniest second then thundered back to life in her chest. All she could hear was the roar of her pulse and the blood rushing in her ears. And all she could feel was cold, paralyzing fear.
He wasn’t moving as she approached him, skidding to a halt in the sand beside him. She slid on her side in a way that would have made any pro baseball player proud. Sand kicked up around them in a thick cloud and she grabbed blindly for his head.
She knew she had to get his head out of the sand.
INTO THE FIRE (Forbidden Love) Page 14