by Brenda Trim
“I thought you said sex was off the table.” She walked around a large, fallen log, surprised how easily she was laughing with the demon while she was so worried about Kyran. It was a nice distraction.
“It is off the table, Match,” she replied.
“What did you just call me? I’m not sure if I should be offended, or not.”
“I’m just messing with you. Where I’m from matches start fires and you’re a fire demon,” she explained.
“I’m an expert at starting fires, Sunshine,” he waggled his eyebrows. “And, no, I don’t have a female of my own. There are too many females in Khoth to enjoy for me to settle down just yet.”
“Sunshine?”
“Yeah, you light up a room when you enter,” he winked at her.
She shook her head, thinking she was more like a storm, wreaking havoc everywhere she went. “So, are your mates not chosen by some Goddess for you?”
“Gods, no. I’m happy to say that I get to choose my own mate. That’s not to say that the Gods don’t have a hand in things. I’m certain that I ended up here for a reason.”
“You think your mate is here on Khoth?”
“Not necessarily. This stop may lead to another, which may lead to another, and it might be there that I find my mate.”
“You have a fascinating way of looking at the world. I can’t believe that you call this a stop. You’ve been here over a thousand years. How old are you anyway?”
“This is a stop, Sunshine, whether I find my mate here, or not. I’ll not be keeping all this magnificence from other realms. That would be a crime,” he joked.
She laughed at that. He was as arrogant as they came. “You don’t seem like anyone’s personal assistant. You strike me as someone who needs to call the shots, Match. How did you end up under the big guy?” she teased.
“I ended up under the big guy because she rocked my world on top of her desk during my interview. She values my intelligence and I’m weak for a female with big breasts and a tight ass. It suits us both for the time being.”
“That’s what I get for being a smart-ass, too much info for me,” she admitted. She noticed they were coming to the edge of the jungle and she saw buildings in the distance. She felt the weight of the tablet in her backpack, wondering if she could trust him with the knowledge. “You said you knew the tunnels in the volcano like the back of your hand. Have you ever seen tunnels lined with jewels?”
“What? Oh, yeah. There aren’t many tunnels with precious stones in them and Legette monitors those very closely. Can’t have chaos descend upon the mountain. Besides, the dragons take the protection of the planet and its natural resources very seriously. Why?”
“Well, Kyran and I fell into a cave and found tunnels that were lined with gems. We also found something else that we couldn’t decipher,” she hedged, deciding to trust him.
“What did you find? Aside from the Dark Fae that came through their portal, I’ve never come across anything exciting.” The anticipation in his voice was catching. She’d bet he frequently talked people into doing things they normally wouldn’t have.
She stopped walking and took her backpack off, opening the large pocket. She retrieved the gold tablet, careful to hide the jewels she’d taken from the cave. Last thing she wanted to do was end up in jail for theft. “This,” she handed it over to him and watched him look it over. “Kyran and I found it hidden in a wall covered in the same markings, but we haven’t been able to figure it out.”
“These are Cuelebre runes, but I can’t read it. We really need to get you to Legette. He will know what this is. Wouldn’t it be great if this was linked to the portal?” Rhett asked, voicing her second biggest wish. Kyran first, then home.
“That would be a miracle if you ask me, but I have a feeling this is about something else. Are you sure the dragons will help me? They seemed determined to get their hands on us before.”
“I’m positive. These dragons may be a lot of things, but murderers aren’t one of them. Come on, we’re close to Duamutef.” He handed the tablet back to her and hurried out of the trees.
She called Pip to her and caught him when he threw his little body at her. She quickly caught up to Rhett and almost turned around and ran back into the trees when a large dragon landed by their side. As it was, she yelped and jumped back. She had been so distracted by Rhett and showing him the tablet that she hadn’t heard the dragon’s approach. She watched the beast change into a familiar man, although now, he was stark naked. She flushed and forced her eyes to stay on his face, and not his endowment, which was very large.
“Mack, I was worried about you guys. Where is Kyran?” Nate asked, glancing around.
“He was kidnapped by the Buggane about four hours ago,” Rhett answered for her. She glared at the fire demon, still uncertain how she wanted to proceed.
“Fuck,” Nate cursed. “In that amount of time, they’ve returned to their stronghold. We need to get back to Tatenen and determine next steps.”
“Next steps are going to be rescuing him,” Mack insisted. “There is no other option.”
“I’m still mad at you for running off like that, so I’d watch it if I were you,” Nate countered.
“Mad at me? That’s rich coming from the one who ratted us out. I should castrate you, dragon-breath.” How dare he tell her he was mad at her? She had her knife in her hand and was ready to slice and dice, if need be.
The dragon stalked up to her, stopping inches from her, not concerned about the weapon trained on his cock and balls. Guy didn’t have a brain in his head. “Take one more step and you become a eunuch.”
Nate threw his head back and laughed. That wasn’t what she’d expected. “Ah, Mack. That kind of talk is foreplay for my kind. Kyran has his hands full with you. It really is too bad you’re taken. You sure about being his?”
“Positive,” she said with an eat-shit grin.
Your loss, he retorted. “Kyran is in very real danger right now. Would you like a ride back to Tatenen? It’ll be quicker and we need to act fast.”
“You mean like fly? On your back?”
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid,” he taunted.
“I’m not afraid, I just prefer to steer. Do you have a harness?” she stammered, putting her knife away. It was clear to her that neither of these guys meant her any harm.
“I have no problem allowing a female to take the lead, but you don’t know where you’re going. You’re going to have to trust me on this.” Nate held his arms out at his sides in a show of surrender.
“Okay, let’s do it then.” She wasn’t exactly afraid, but when she went skydiving she had a parachute. If she fell off Nate’s back, she wasn’t surviving. Now was not the time to find out if being immortal meant she had nine lives.
In a blinding flash of light, Nate shifted forms and a large, slate-colored dragon stood before her. Rhett approached the dragon and she pulled him aside.
“Don’t you dare tell anyone about what I showed you. I may need to use that as a bargaining chip,” she demanded, holding him by the front of his shirt.
He held up his hands. “I won’t say a thing. That’s all up to you,” he assured her.
She nodded and walked over to the dragon. Once she was next to him, she wondered how the hell she was getting on his back. She didn’t even reach his knee. She didn’t have time to contemplate before she was suddenly airborne. She yelled and reached out, trying to grab hold of anything, and latched onto the dragon’s thick neck. She almost slid off because she couldn’t get a good grip. Rhett landed behind her, laughing as he steadied her.
“Laugh it up, Chuckles. My blade hasn’t tasted blood for several hours.” That only made him laugh harder. The next thing she heard was a deep rumble and it took her several seconds to figure out that it was Nate laughing in her head.
“That is so cool. Can you talk too?”
“How about you hang on for the ride of your life.” The sound of his voice in her head was the same as when
he spoke out loud.
She looked down to see what to hold onto and saw smooth scales that overlapped one another. She ran her hand over the beast beneath her and noted how hard they felt. The scales were thick and would offer great protection. She was glad they weren’t too uncomfortable to sit on, although, there wasn’t a place to grab hold.
Rhett pushed her body forward and his legs grasped hers, offering some stability at just the right moment. Big, leathery wings flapped, before gaining momentum enough to leave the ground. It wasn’t until then that she realized the texture of his wings was vastly different than his body. There were no scales and they looked like supple leather.
Between the dragon and the fire demon, she figured she was in no danger of falling to her death, and relaxed, allowing herself to enjoy the feel of flying. The warm wind whipping past her face and the smell of salt in the air was invigorating. The powerful body beneath was sinuous in flight and not at all hampered by its passengers. As they rose, she could finally see water in the far distance in one direction, but only land in the other and she wondered how large the island was. It really was beautiful here.
The lights of Duamutef came closer at a rapid pace. As they approached the edges of the city, she saw that there were several dragons lifting large sheets of metal in the process of erecting a building. The sight of flames off to her right caught her attention. She looked at the biggest forge she’d ever seen. The pounding of metal reached her ears and she wondered what they were making. With so much technology, she didn’t expect something so primitive. A stream of flame lit up the night sky as one of the dragons bellowed fire.
“What are they doing?” she called out over the wind.
“That is the royal forge. They are making weapons right now, but they also shape the walls we use,” Nate replied.
Before she could ask more, they were landing on the same rampart of the castle she and Kyran had been only days ago. Rhett’s arms wrapped around her waist and he tugged her to his side, jumping from Nate’s back and landing on the ground.
“Warn a girl before you do that! Jeez, Match, you about gave me a heart attack,” she grumbled as she glanced around, taking in her surroundings. They were surrounded by pissed off men. In a bright flash, Nate was standing next to her, once again naked.
A big man stalked toward her with anger snapping in his blue eyes. He had the same black leather clothing on as the rest. He might not have been wearing a crown, but she felt the power emanating from him in waves. She swallowed hard. What the hell had she gotten herself into?
“Rhett, good to see you again,” the leader said to the fire demon then turned to her. “And, you must be Mackendra. I am Legette, King of Khoth.”
“Just the guy I wanted to see. I need your help rescuing my mate from your enemy,” she snapped, cutting to the chase, hoping she didn’t sound as frightened as she felt. She wasn’t one for niceties on her best day and this was far from that.
He chuckled and glanced around at the contingent of his Máahes. “Let’s talk inside, shall we?”
“Sure,” she agreed and followed behind him as he entered a wooden door set into the side of a turret. It wasn’t like she had a choice, but she’d rather go in on her own steam than be dragged inside. They wound their way down a flight of stairs and headed along a hallway. Mack surveyed the grey stone walls, amazed at how well-built Tatenen was. She was expecting to see tapestries like she’d seen in old movies, but there weren’t any. Art work adorned the walls, reminiscent of abstract pieces. As they made their way to the end of the hall and entered a large, open room, she saw her imaginings in the tapestries depicting dragons in battle.
Along one wall, hung a small tapestry that was a picture of the cutest baby dragon with jade green eyes, snarling as he tried to look ferocious. There was a raised dais on one side and a large stone throne. She marveled at the jewels embedded in the chair. They made the ones she had in her backpack look like grains of sand. Despite being made of rock, the chair sparkled in the low light. She entered a small attached room and had to blink until her eyes adjusted.
“Sorry about the difference,” Legette said as he watched her. “We are slowly modernizing the castle and there has been pushback to installing such garish lighting in the throne room. Now, tell me everything that has happened so we can determine next steps.”
He sat in a chair at the head of the table and she took the seat Nate indicated next to Legette. She took a deep breath and proceeded to tell him everything that had happened over the past days, leaving out the discovery of the tablet and her theft of the gems. The King listened attentively then sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.
“If they took him alive then they don’t plan on killing him outright. Chances are, they don’t know what they have and are keeping him in Unut dungeons. We need to get to him before Akilam discovers what he is.”
“What do you mean they don’t know what they have? What do you want with Kyran? I won’t let you go after him if you mean him harm.” Not that she could stop a dragon army, but she’d sure try.
“I mean that they have the key to opening the portal,” Legette replied easily.
Her mouth fell open. Kyran was the key to opening the portal and they’d been traipsing all over trying to find a way back home. Yeah, he was going to be pissed about that. “Explain,” she demanded, ignoring the way Nate tensed beside her.
Legette waved Nate off and narrowed his eyes. “Careful, female. You need me as much as I need you. Kyran is a Nightwalker and only his blood will open the portal. Without it, you are stuck here forever.”
“By Nightwalker, do you mean vampire? Or, is it Kyran, specifically?”
“Yes, I mean vampire. Kyran just happens to be the unlucky bloke that ended up here. His blood must be sacrificed at the arch. Without him, we have no blood. It will only be a matter of time before Akilam discovers what he has.”
“You aren’t going to sacrifice anything. You can’t rescue him only to kill him.” She panicked and thought she might start hyperventilating. Had she made a huge mistake in coming here?
“Mackendra, if you would like to return home, we have no choice. Besides, I will do anything to get my king back, and you, female, will not stand in my way.” The determination in Legette’s voice pissed her off. He was completely dismissing the fact that Kyran’s life mattered.
She jumped to her feet, dropping Pip to the table. He sat cowering amongst all the predators. Nate was beside her, holding her in place while talking to Legette. “Sire, you are threatening her mate and I doubt that was your intention. Let’s all calm down.”
She debated her options. She knew she had no way of rescuing Kyran alone. Maybe if she could convince the dragons of helping her then she and Kyran could get away. She needed to manipulate them into agreeing to some of her terms. She thought of the tablet sitting in her backpack.
“You will want to check yourself, your highness. I have something I guarantee you will want. Something that is as valuable to you as Kyran is to me,” she bluffed. She glanced to Rhett, admiring his poker face. “You will never see it if you don’t promise me, right now, that you won’t harm Kyran.”
She stood with her hands on her hips and watched Legette rub his jaw, contemplating her words. Finally, he nodded. “You have me intrigued. I will agree not to harm Kyran without talking it over with him first. What do you have?” She knew he was thinking Kyran would sacrifice himself to get her home, but she wasn’t going to allow that to happen.
She slid her backpack off her shoulder and held it to her chest. She looked at Rhett, needing reassurance that these men could be trusted. It wasn’t until he nodded that she realized, aside from Kyran, she had no one else but him in this realm. Never one to let fear stop her, she pulled on her big girl panties and removed the tablet. She sat back down and laid it in front of Legette.
“Fuck me,” Nate breathed, grabbing the tablet and inspecting it. “These are the markings of Caius…and, it’s a spell…about Keira.” M
ack had known all along that the tablet was important and wanted to shout in joy as she felt the tables turning in their favor.
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
“Where did you find this?” Legette asked, sitting forward in his chair.
“We were leaving the tunnels near the volcano when I fell into a hole. During our search for a way out, there was a cave-in and we discovered this hiding behind a wall,” she explained.
“How did you reveal the hiding space?” Rhett asked. “You never did tell me how you managed to open the chamber.”
“I touched a marking, felt a force and followed the power. I didn’t understand until Kyran explained that I had managed to deconstruct the spell. Kyran believes that’s a special ability I have, but I don’t know about that. I will say that I’ve never experienced anything like it before now. What does it say?”
“It says that Keira is under a stasis spell. It mentions our king, but, it’s unclear where she is, or, how to find her,” Legette reported excitedly, gazing around the table with deep emotions in his eyes. “She’s alive…Angus was right. She’s out there somewhere. We need to find Angus, he needs to know. Get ready for battle. We leave for Osiris in thirty minutes to rescue the Nightwalker.” Grim determination settled over the room, giving Mack hope they could do this.
She couldn’t imagine what kind of person this Angus was to endear such commitment from his subjects after a thousand years. Hell, most people she knew couldn’t stay faithful to their spouses for half a minute. It said a lot about Legette that he didn’t merely take the power for himself and stop hoping for his king’s return. No, instead, he did the job and worked night and day to protect Khoth and the people, all the while never ceasing his search for the king. He had to be one of the most loyal people she’d ever met.
“Can I take a shower before we go? And, get some new clothes? Unless you want them to smell us coming,” she joked. But seriously, she was filthy and would kill to get clean. The last time she had bathed was days ago at Nate’s house.