Baby for the Dragon (No Such Thing as Dragons Book 5)

by Lauren Lively

  “Good god, you’re burning up,” he said and massaged me.

  I threw my head back, and then his lips were on my throat. My body jerked against his hand when he sped up his motions. It was fantastic. I withered and cried out. He kept going and I squirmed. “It’s too much,” I cried out and when he kissed me, and then I felt him slide his finger inside of me. I moaned into his mouth and rode against him. Nothing felt so strange and amazing at the same time. It was unreal. I wanted—no I needed more, and then the feeling inside of me boiled over as my body tensed and I released for the first time. My eyes were like saucers, and I pulled back from his kiss and let out a guttural groan. I rocked against his hand and then my body slowed down as my climax eased into the tiny waves of aftershocks.

  My heart raced, and I shook with a feeling I wasn’t sure what to make of. He smiled and kissed the corner of my mouth almost as if he couldn’t resist.

  “Wow,” I said and let my head fall back. He removed his hands from my shorts and from the corner of my eye I watched him lick his finger. I thought I would be repulsed but it only made me clench inside.

  “That was amazing.”

  He nodded watching me. “You know, now you’re mine.”

  His voice had turned deep and taken on a possessive edge. I nodded and laid my hand over his heart. “Yours,” I whispered. Never before had one word meant so much to me, and even though I wasn’t sure exactly what it meant for him, I knew he was mine too.

  * * * *

  I heard a noise and tiptoed through my new home carrying the first thing I could use as a weapon, a small wood log. Who knew I’d feel secure with the hard wood between my fingers, but I did. The sun peaked through the curtains as I made my way to the front door. Since I was short, I had the advantage. On the other side of the door I saw the top of a head with a white Mohawk and sighed in relief. It had to be Pyra.

  I stepped close and opened the door holding the wood close. When I opened the door, I quickly realized my mistake. I found it wasn’t him. In the giant warrior’s place stood a grotesques thing; I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew it was time to be terrified. It smiled at me with needle sharp teeth and bright red eyes. It tilted its head to the side and cackled. Every hair on my body stood, and I went to slam the door, but it reached out with razor sharp claws and pulled me outside. The sting of its claw digging into my skin brought tears to my eyes, and I whimpered in pain. I didn’t even have a chance to fight.

  “Shut up!” And everything inside of me went silent. I tried to scream, but I couldn’t. My voice was gone and my eyes were wide as tears streamed down them. I had a feeling this thing was what they talked about. This thing was their breech in security.

  He lifted me over his shoulder gripping my tiny frame tightly, and then we disappeared. There was nothing but inky darkness, and then I was thrown on something smelly and damp. I cringed and screamed. This time my voice worked, and I heard the evil cackle again before I heard the sound of a lock sliding into place. I couldn’t see anything, and I wrapped my arms around my knees and rocked. Something had taken me that easily. It was smart and somehow tricked me. I was alone and my body shook from more than the freezing bitter cold. I’d never felt fear like this before.

  Chapter 7

  Ciyrs woke up and felt the bed beside him. The sheet was cold, and he jumped up in a panic. She was gone. He stormed through the cabin and roared. The windows shook and pictures crashed to the floor shattering the glass. The front door was open and he glared out into the sun. There was a strange silence as if the land was scared.

  He raced to the Great House and pounded on the door without stopping. The king opened the door and the smile he had on his face fell immediately.

  “No!”

  “She’s gone. I don’t know how. I stayed with her all night. But she’s fucking gone, and I’m terrified.”

  The King closed his eyes and sent a message. He was able to call to the warriors. In a matter of a few minutes, every warrior was climbing the stairs. Pyra and Eden attached by each other’s side came to him. Eden threw her arms around him. She felt his pain and he sobbed into her hair. “She’s gone baby doll. I failed.”

  He pulled back and looked at his feet. “You were right. She needed a warrior, not some useless healer like me.” He couldn’t take it, and when the king went to speak he shook his head and he was gone. It was his fault. His stupid possessiveness put her in danger, and now he didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t a warrior. He was just a healer. He had magic, but it wasn’t enough to bring her back.

  He went into the infirmary where he belonged and fell to the floor sobbing like he never had before. It was bad enough he always felt this way, but now his own uselessness had been reaffirmed. He would never be strong. Not like his brothers.

  It wasn’t long before the doors opened and every warrior and the king filed into his space. The infirmary was his.

  It was the king who approached him. He wrapped Ciyrs in his arms and held him.

  “You are not useless, and if we have in any way made you feel inferior then we apologize.”

  The rest of the warriors all agreed with loud voices. When Criea pulled back he saw the others waiting expectantly.

  Eden was the only woman, but she was who he needed. She stepped around Pyra and took his hand. “You can find her. You’re connected, I can feel it. The bond has started and your eyes are still orange.”

  He nodded. They’d begun the bond all right.

  “Then focus, just like you taught me when healing. Focus on her. Her scent, the feel of her skin, the sound of her heart. Listen to your heart; it will lead you to her.”

  He nodded again and closed his eyes.

  It was so dark, so cold. I shivered and tears soaked my skin and shirt. It wasn’t him. “I feel her.”

  “Go back Ciyrs, find your mate.”

  The sound of the lock made me shake in fear. They were back and he was going to touch me again. Get inside my head. He’d tricked me before, and now I didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t. This time when he came he looked like—ME

  Ciyrs’s eyes shot open and he gasped. “Illusions. Those fuckers have her!”

  The room erupted in loud shouts and promises of retribution. “The Klimnu are stronger than we knew. Those things can take on our appearances. It’s why they can walk through the compound without much notice. How the hell do they do that?”

  Eden sobbed. “She’s so scared.”

  “You feel her?”

  “Yes, she—she doesn’t understand. She thought it was Pyra at the door, she let him in.”

  Pyra froze. “I didn’t fucking go to her cabin.”

  “No, but one of them knew she would trust you. How are they getting so much information on us?”

  “They’re here somewhere we haven’t searched. They have to be,” Pyra replied and he growled anger taking over.

  It wasn’t going to be good if all the warriors lost it right now. They needed to be calm and work together to find Eliana.

  Eden stomped her foot and yelled. “STOP!” the whole building shook with her rage and her eyes glowed with anger. She fisted her hands and tears streamed down her cheeks. “Focus, Ciyrs’s mate is in the hands of one of those slimy bastards. We can’t let them do to her what they did to me. I feel her. She’s terrified. I don’t know why I feel her, maybe it’s because of our bond, but I literally feel like my heart is being ripped from my chest. So buck up Warriors you’re going on a mission. Get our fucking mate back!”

  The men were all stunned to silence. She was commanding, and no one wanted to cross her. They all shut up and the king smirked, “Well, if I need to get them in line again I know who to call. But now Eden you need to focus too, between you and Ciyrs you should be able to find her.”

  She nodded and grabbed his hands and closed her eyes. He let his eyes close too. The feel of her hands in his reassured him, but there was only darkness, and in the distance he thought he heard whimpering.

  ‘T
ell me girl!’

  ‘I don’t know. I’ve only been there one day.’

  He cackled and she cringed. ‘How are you so close to the healer then?’

  She shook her head refusing to speak.

  Pain tore through her shoulders as his claws dug into her skin, sinking into her flesh, ripping, tearing. She screamed a blood curdling scream, but it did no good.

  Eden gasped and yanked her hands away from him. His body shook. “They’re hurting her. Trying to get information. She refused.”

  Eden paled, and then she vomited all over the floor. He caught her before she fell to the floor. He carried her to the table.

  “I felt it.”

  “No more, you can’t take the stress. We have to think of the baby.”

  “I need to help find her.”

  “No we can’t risk you baby doll. I’ll have to focus harder on my own.”

  Despair filled him. He’d felt her pain too. They were going to torture his mate, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. It seemed like the damned Klimnu were always one step ahead of them.

  Chapter 8

  They left me alone again. It was better than having them close. At least I could handle the darkness. The damp cold wasn’t any worse than his touch. He came and looked like Ciyrs and laughed when he saw the hope in my eyes. The hope that Ciyrs hadn’t broken his promise. That he wouldn’t let anything happen to me. But then the figure morphed back into his monstrous self. I cringed as the beady red eyes looked at me as if he could read my soul.

  “Are you ready to tell me what I want to know?”

  I glared at him. I didn’t care how badly they hurt me, I was a fighter. I had never once given up in my terrible life, and I wouldn’t start now. Not when I had something to live for now. I knew Ciyrs was looking for me. I felt his pain. The only problem was I couldn’t figure out how to tell him where I was. I didn’t fucking know where I was.

  My shoulders and arms throbbed in pain. The blood had finally dried, but anytime I moved the scabs would break open, and it would start all over again. So I sat as still as possible and tried to figure out what to do.

  The thing crowded me and then his vile tongue licked my face. I gagged and I would have thrown up if there was anything left in my stomach. His breath was like death and decay. “You taste good.”

  I shuddered. It wasn’t the first time he’d said that, and this thing liked to lick. He wrapped his bony fingers around my throat and I gasped. He squeezed tighter and licked the tears the leaked form my eyes. I tried to breathe slow and not panic, but my eyes widened and my pulse fluttered. The fear was back full force. The tips of his claws dug into my neck and I felt the warm red liquid slide down my neck. He panted and lifted me to my feet. He pressed his bony body against mine and I felt his arousal. My body shook with the mixture of fear and revulsion.

  “I need to know. How did you get so close so fast? We’ve been studying them for a long time, and even our illusions haven’t gotten us far. We need their king. He is the key to our freedom.”

  I choked and gripped skin and bone trying to dig my nails into his skin. I felt my body losing its life right before he removed his hand and I fell to the ground. I held my throat and gasped for breath. Coughing I looked into his eyes. “I don’t know anything I swear,” I said gasping. My throat burned, and I felt the tiny holes from his claws. If this didn’t stop I wouldn’t last much longer. I’d already lost a lot of blood. I wasn’t even sure how long they had me.

  “What are you?”

  He made his strange cackling sound and licked his thin bluish lips. “I am Klimnu, and we are the more superior race. You’re little warriors haven’t caught us yet, and each day we get stronger. The longer we’re here, the more we feed off of their tempers, and the stronger we become.”

  “They’ll figure it out,” I said. I wanted to make him mad. Making him mad made him go away.

  “No they won’t, not from you. I’m bored with you already.” He sighed as if it pained him to say.

  “Go ahead and kill me. I’ve got nothing to offer you.” I hope he didn’t really kill me. I didn’t have anything, but I hoped he would think otherwise. I needed to stall long enough to find a way to communicate with Ciyrs. It shouldn’t be so damn hard. I was his fucking mate.

  * * * *

  Ciyrs’ eyes shot open. She taunted them, and he’d never been so scared in his life. What the hell was she doing? He needed her to cooperate. He burned with a rage so deep. He couldn’t wait to get a hold of the slimy bastard that touched her. He was going to tear him apart with his bare hands. His body shook with the urge to kill, something his healing soul didn’t normally feel. He needed to find her and he needed to get revenge. His body came to life and for the first time he felt like he was one of his brothers. He didn’t feel weak or useless.

  The magic soared through his body and he gasped when his hands glowed, but instead of being the normal white, his power burned red. His body lit up and he cried out when the heat became too much. That was new, but he didn’t fear it, he wanted to use it because inside he knew it did the opposite of his healing. He wasn’t sure how it happened but he somehow became much more useful.

  Chapter 9

  The next morning they were still no closer to finding her. She’d now been in the hands of the Klimnu for nearly two days. He could feel her, but she was fading. He no longer felt her fear, or her will to fight. He didn’t know what they’d done to her, she’d somehow shut him out, but he knew it was bad. She wasn’t the same anymore. He knew he hadn’t gotten to know her well before she was taken, but he knew. Eliana wasn’t Eliana any longer.

  He paced the room and Ero came in holding his stomach. He was bleeding pretty badly, but Ciyrs didn’t care. He had pretty much lost all hope of ever finding her, and if she died a part of him would too. He wouldn’t be good for anything.

  “Hey, uh, I know it may not be a good time, but can you?” Ero walked over to him slowly. Everyone was leery about Ciyrs. No one knew how he was going to react at any given moment. He wasn’t stable.

  “Sit.”

  Ero nodded and sat on the table.

  Ciyrs laid him back and closed his eyes. He felt both parts of him. The one no one knew about and his healing side. He was tempted to test his new power, but deep inside he couldn’t. It didn’t matter how lost he was. He would hurt one of his brothers. He called to his good half and healed him. It felt good on his fingertips. The heat from his power flowed into Ero.

  Ero’s eyes fluttered shut and he moaned. Ciyrs was used to this. His power had that effect on them all. It was why it was so private. He knew his warrior brothers would be embarrassed if someone saw their raging hard on after he patched them up. It was why Pyra hated it when Eden healed.

  He felt Ero’s hand reach for his and he let him grip his fingers as the healing finished. Sometimes he thought the warrior did it on purpose. He was hurt more times than not, and the thoughts of him having feelings for him had crossed his mind more than once, but he shook it off.

  He just wanted someone to care. Ero wasn’t like them all. He wasn’t as big or as strong. He was an orphan and the king and queen basically adopted him when he was a kid. For all intents he was Pyra’s brother, but he was a jack ass most of the time. Like he had to make up for what he lacked in size.

  “Enough,” he said and Ero opened his eyes blushing.

  “Sorry, you would think it wouldn’t do that to me anymore.”

  Ciyrs sighed. “It’s normal, but I need to be alone please.”

  “Still no luck in finding her?”

  “No and she’s giving up.”

  Ero shrugged. “A real mate wouldn’t.”

  It was the wrong thing to say. Ciyrs glared at him and in one swift move held him in the air by his throat.

  “You stupid fucker. You need to learn to keep your damn mouth shut. She is my fucking mate. How dare you!”

  Ero struggled in his grasp but Ciyrs was gone. All the control he held over
the years and he broke. His hand heated up and his warrior friend screamed.

  He wasn’t aware of anything after. He blacked out and when he opened his eyes he tugged at his arms. He was restrained to a bed. “What the hell?”

  Pyra came into view, then Eden. Her face was streaked with tears. “What’s wrong baby doll?”

  “You don’t remember?”

  “Uh—help me out here, because I so obviously don’t know what’s going on. Why the hell am I being restrained?”

  “Ciyrs you injured Ero badly.”

  He shook his head. “No I wouldn’t do that. He can be an ass, but we all know why.”

  “You did. I had to heal his wounds. I don’t know what you did, but his flesh around his neck was burned, like he was in a fire.”

  Realization dawned on his then. He didn’t remember but he remembered the feelings. “Oh fuck.”

  “Where is he? I have to apologize. He just made me snap, I know that much. I healed him, and then he made a comment about Eliana not being a real mate and I lost it.”

  “Fucking shit, he knows better by now. No wonder you lost it, but how the hell did you burn him?”

  “I seem to have gotten a new power. One I’m not sure will be good until I get a handle on my temper.”

  Eden tensed. “What kind of power?”

  “Not the good kind baby doll. At least if it’s used on friends.” Ciyrs shook his head. “I am two different people now. A part of me heals and the other part of me destroys. I’m torn between good and bad and I have no fucking idea what to do. I need Eliana, I need my fucking mate.” Then he broke down and sobbed. Eden climbed on the bed and wrapped her arms around him pulling him close.

  “Shh, we’ll find her. I don’t know how but we will.”

  “It’s no use. I don’t feel her anymore.”

  Eden pulled back and her brows knitted together. “I do.”

  “What?” He felt a bit of hope.

  “Yeah she isn’t doing well, but she’s still alive.”

  “Don’t fuck with me baby doll.”

  “Hey don’t!” Pyra growled.