by Silver Milan
“Drugged?” Ariel asked.
“Yes,” Ephephany said. “His movements were slow, sluggish. An assistant helped him the whole time.”
“Might someone have been moving his body with Weaves of Air?” Mathis asked.
“No,” Ephephany said. “At least not those two times. I would have sensed the Strengthwork. And it would have been extremely draining on the witch attempting such Weaves, what with the Strength suppression in place.”
“But you still believe someone is coercing him?” Jett asked.
“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” Ephephany said. “He may have merely been drunk. The Gabriel we know could be lost. Dragons can be corrupted when they take the throne. Look at what happened to Lanfen in the Far East. Killing her whole family as a preventative measure to ensure none of them assassinated her and took the throne.”
If memory served her, Lanfen was a member of the Council of Seven and dragon queen of the Far East. She seemed to be one of the few dragons Jett feared.
“The Queen of Assassins,” Gwendoline said softly.
“What?” Ariel said.
“That’s what we call Lanfen,” Gwendoline said. She sighed, biting her lower lip. “If something has happened to my brother, that means it’s even more urgent I see him.”
“You’re next in line for the throne,” Ephephany said. “If you’re wrong, and Gabriel is only cleaning house, you’re just as much a threat as Jett. Maybe even more so. I’d highly advise against setting foot in Midnight. Already members of his Black Guard have been spotted watching the estates of several nobles, including yours. Two have even been stationed outside my own estate. Gabriel hasn’t made a move against me or the nobles yet, but when he does, the attack will be swift. I don’t think he’d dare attack me, but when the noble families are dead, Gabriel can add their hoards to his own.”
“Things sound worse than I thought,” Gwendoline said. “It’s more important than ever that I talk to him. Come with me, Ephephany. With you at my side, Gabriel wouldn’t dare touch me.”
“I can’t interfere. Besides, you know that my powers are restricted in Midnight...”
“Not if you remove the Weave that dampens all magic,” Gwendoline said.
“I can’t do that,” Ephephany said. “That Weave has saved us from many surprise attacks by Orions and vampires over the centuries. It’s also intrinsically linked with the Weave that prevents all transformations in the city. If I remove one, we lose both.”
“So you won’t help me, you’re saying?” Gwendoline asked.
“That’s what she’s saying,” Jett answered bitterly.
Ephephany glanced at Jett. “You know the rules as well as I. Wayfarers may only advise, nothing more. We cannot take sides in any internal struggle for the crown. To do so would be beyond my mandate.”
“Wait,” Ariel told the dragon witch. “If you can only advise, and can’t otherwise intervene in internal matters, then why warn us about the raid tonight in the first place? Seems like you’re doing a bit more than advising right here…”
“To repay my debt to Jett,” Ephephany said. “For all the times he has watched my back over the years, and protected my from the palace intrigue.”
Ariel stared at Ephephany suspiciously, not sure she entirely believed the motives of the dragon witch.
“What if I could prove he was undead?” Gwendoline said.
“For the last time, he’s not undead!” Jett said.
“Jett, it’s okay.” Ariel massaged his thick arm and he relaxed slightly under her touch.
Gwendoline rephrased the question. “If something bad has happened to him, then would you help me?”
Ephephany considered that. “If he was undead and you could prove it, by Wayfarer law the crown is yours. Then I could help you remove him, yes.”
“He’s not undead,” Jett repeated quietly. He was starting to sound like he didn’t believe it anymore, and he was speaking the words only to convince himself. “He’s not.”
“I hope you’re right,” Gwendoline told him. She glanced at Ephephany. “What if Gabriel isn’t undead, but he’s still under someone’s control, maybe the vampire witch Mathis spoke of, or another dragon?”
“I couldn’t help with a dragon,” Ephephany said. “That would be considered interference in internal dragon affairs. A vampire witch on the other hand is external interference, so yes I could step in. But again, you’d have to prove it.”
“All right, good,” Gwendoline said. She glanced at Jett. “I’ll return with Ephephany. Go with Blue Hurricane to the city. I’ll contact you when I know more.”
“Nope,” Jett said. “I’m coming with you. Can’t let you do this alone, sis.”
Ariel’s heart was suddenly in her throat, and she looked at Jett fearfully. She was hoping he was joking, but he seemed dead serious.
“Not only are you wanted by the witches, you’re banned from Midnight for breaking the First Rule, remember?” Gwendoline told him.
“She’s right, you’ll never make it past his guards,” Ephephany said.
Ariel slumped slightly, relieved. She couldn’t imagine Jett returning to that viper pit. Especially without her.
“You can disguise me, witch,” Jett told Ephephany.
“As I said before, that is beyond my mandate,” Ephephany said.
Jett crossed his arms, and his biceps bulged underneath his black and gold dress shirt. “Fine, I’ll go on my own. Disguise myself.”
“You’ll be asked to show your face before you’re allowed an audience with the king...” Gwendoline said.
“I don’t intend to seek an audience,” Jett told her. “I’ll be going to your estate to gather the remainder of my White Swords. If Gabriel is under the control of a vampire witch, we’ll need them. And you’ll need me as well, especially if Ephephany won’t help. Even if she does, if she refuses to repeal the Strength suppression Weave, she’ll be borderline useless.”
“I’ll probably refuse, yes,” Ephephany said.
“There you go.”
“Okay, it’s settled,” Jett said. “I’m going with you and Gwendoline back to Midnight.”
“Actually, nothing is settled,” Ariel said. She couldn’t imagine losing her dragon, and she wasn’t about to let him walk into a trap on his own. “I’m coming, too.”
“No,” Jett told her. “I have to do this.”
“Sorry,” Ariel said. “You chose a lioness as a mate. I’m not going to back down from this. I won’t let you go alone.”
“I won’t be alone,” Jett said. “I’ll be with Ephephany and Gwendoline. At least until I’m at her estate.”
“Not good enough,” Ariel said.
“Fine, I’ll bring Flame and Viper,” Jett said.
“Still not good enough,” Ariel said.
“I’m coming, too,” Mathis chimed in.
Jett threw up his arms. “Your Strength will be useless in Midnight, witch.”
“I don’t care. I’m not leaving Gwen.”
“If he goes, I go,” Hugh said. The muscular Keeper folded his arms in front of his chest, making his biceps bulge to an immense size. Those arms had to be as thick as an ordinary man’s legs.
Jett glanced at Ariel. He must have realized that if he let Mathis and Hugh go, he couldn’t deny Ariel.
“No,” Jett said. “Flame and Viper will come with me and Gwendoline, and no one else.”
“Mathis and I are coming,” Ariel said. “And there’s nothing you can do about it.”
“You two couples have all day to argue about it,” Ephephany said. “Because none of us can return today. The woods will be teeming with the king’s guards. Plus he’ll have mechanical drones scouting the skies. If he catches me, he’ll know it was me who warned the pride, and I’ll be useless to you. Whether we like it or not, we’re all hiding out in the human city tonight with Blue Hurricane. Tomorrow morning, once we’ve decided who comes and who stays, we can make plans for our return.”
&nb
sp; 4
Ariel and the pride members filled their trucks with their belongings in under an hour, and then took the gravel road through the woods and onto the main road to the closest human city.
They arrived late, and purchased a bunch of food and supplies at a local shop before taking up residence in the warehouse Jett owned. Light bars hanging from the high ceiling provided illumination. Large CONEX shipping containers lined the walls and served as rooms. Japanese-style futons purchased from a nearby Ikea served as beds in those containers. It was the best her dragon could come up with on such short notice.
“Look at this,” Ked said. “There are enough CONEX containers here for us to house individually! Finally! Each of us gets our own room. We should have come here in the first place instead of that camp. Screw living five to a cabin.”
“Suits your hermit lifestyle, doesn’t it?” Brian said.
“It actually does,” Ked said. “I can’t tell you how many times I just wanted to go find a cave and hibernate when I was cooped up with you four in that cabin.”
“This place reminds me of a CHU-Farm,” James said.
“What’s a chew farm?” Teri asked.
“Oh, military thing,” James said. “I did a tour in Iraq. CHU-Farms were camps made out of shipping containers just like these. CHU stands for containerized housing unit.”
“What unit were you in?” Razor asked.
Ariel didn’t hear the answer, as she was already on her way to the bathroom area. When she finished freshening up, she made her way to the shipping container she would be sharing with Jett. He had pointed it out to her earlier—it was located in the middle of the warehouse, away from the entrances. Flame and Brazen took the container just to the left of it, while Viper took the one to the right. No one wanted to lodge with the vampire White Sword. He seemed to prefer it that way. Ariel had never seen Viper talk to anyone except Jett, who he exchanged words with in quiet tones, usually at night.
When Jett was inside, she immediately shut the big door, closing it with a loud thud. An air conditioner Jett had placed in the far corner immediately kicked to life. It was one of the more furnished containers, and actually had a couch and desk beside the futon. There was also a lamp, with a long cord that connected to an outlet in the side of the shipping container. That outlet no doubt functioned as a pass-through to another outlet in the warehouse itself.
Jett set down his bag on the desk and fished out his laptop, placing it on the surface. Then he retrieved his sat-phone and sent a text.
“Getting in touch with the White Swords you left in Midnight?” Ariel asked.
“How’d you guess?” Jett answered.
“You’d think I know you by now,” Ariel said. “Just a little bit.”
“Only a little,” Jett agreed, giving her one of those cute smiles he reserved only for her. “But actually, my lioness, I’m texting the local den.”
Ariel pouted, a little angry with herself for guessing wrong. “Oh.”
“But I do plan to text my White Swords in Midnight afterward,” Jett added.
“So I didn’t completely drop the ball, at least.” She sat down on the low-lying futon and flopped back with a sigh. It felt good to lie down. It had been a long day. She slid off her shoes and rolled higher onto the mattress.
She thought of something.
“How much can you trust them?” Ariel said. “The dragon shifters from the local den?”
“With Gabriel in charge of North America?” Jett said. “Not a whole lot. I’ve told them we’re heading out of state. Eventually Gabriel or one of his minions will contact them, and they’ll relay the news. Which is false, of course.”
“Will that be the end of it?” Ariel asked.
“No,” Jett said. “If he really wants to hand me and Blue Hurricane over to the witches, he’ll find us. The resources available to him are immense.”
“And yet you want to put yourself right into the lion’s den,” Ariel said.
“Hey, I’m in the lions den already,” Jett said, giving her a wink.
Ariel resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “You know what I mean.”
“I do,” Jett said. He was still thumb-typing. “I have to put myself into the lion’s den. Because as I said, if really he wants the witches to have us, he won’t stop until every last one of us is in their hands. Which is why I have to get to him first. Find out who is manipulating him.”
“What if he’s actually become a bad guy?” Ariel said. “What if no one’s manipulating him?”
Jett didn’t answer that.
She sighed and closed her eyes. Sealing out the world like that was a bad move: she was going to fall asleep at this rate.
She opened her heavy lids and gazed at Jett as he continued typing on his phone. She wouldn’t have long to wait. Thinking about all the things he was going to do to her, and she to him, revived her.
When he was finally done he stood, then plugged his phone into the outlet.
“You need to charge your phone?” Jett asked.
“It’s almost full,” Ariel said, not bothering to check.
“Okay.” He dimmed the light and removed his shirt, crumpling it into a ball that he tossed to the side of the cramped room the container provided.
She stared at his sculpted chest. Her throat fluttered as she began to purr. “Looking at your build never gets old.”
“My build now, huh?” Jett said.
“Oh yeah,” Ariel said. “And that’s not all I’m looking at. What’s that strange bulging in your pants?” She tried to make her voice sound all innocent. It didn’t really work.
“That’s my cock,” Jett said.
“Cock.” She mouthed the words deliciously, and her breathing increased.
Jett smiled playfully. “That’s right. You’ve heard of those, haven’t you?”
“Oh no,” Ariel said. “I don’t know what a cock is.” She stared at his crotch, her breathing coming in short, ragged gasps already. She swallowed hard and glanced at his face, trying to distract herself. His eyes shone with amusement and desire in equal measures.
He kicked off his boots and opened his jeans, quickly sliding them off.
“You’re supposed to give me a strip tease…” Ariel said. Though honestly, she wasn’t overly concerned about that at the moment.
“You first,” Jett said.
She finally got her breathing under control and forced herself to sit up. “Oh I’ll give you a strip tease, big boy.”
She hummed softly, sinuously moving her upper body as she opened the buttons of her blouse. She glanced at him shyly, ready to giggle at the silliness of it all, but when she saw that all the amusement had left his eyes, leaving only sheer want, she lost the urge to laugh entirely. Instead, that look only stirred her own desires. Jett was a muscular hunk of a man, the hottest, sexiest in the entire world, once a dragon king, now the Alpha of a pride of shifters, and he was all hers.
Ariel continued to move, relishing in the power she held over him. She found herself staring at his crotch once more, at the immense bulge that ran from his core all along to the right side hem of his underwear.
“What’s with the sideways motion?” Jett said, his voice ragged. “Are you supposed to be a snake charmer or something? Because my snake is certainly charmed...”
Ariel laughed. “Silly! Way to go and break the mood.” She stopped humming and tore off her top in frustration. “No more strip tease for you.”
Jett was staring at her chest. The fire had never left his eyes, which blazed even more fervently with desire. “Thank God.”
“I might have to start wearing underwear again,” Ariel said, teasing.
“Please don’t,” Jett said quietly.
“What, sick of foreplay already?” Ariel taunted.
“Screw foreplay. I’m going to fuck you right now.” He ripped off his underwear and his swollen member sprung forth. Mesmerized, she couldn’t take her eyes off it. All thoughts of foreplay were completely forgott
en. She wanted him and she wanted him now.
Her breathing was out of control.
She didn’t want him to fuck her so soon. She needed every moment with Jett to last, especially tonight. All this talk of him running away alone bothered her. She wouldn’t allow it, of course, and she would come with him no matter what he said. Even so, it made her worry that one of them might not be returning from Midnight.
She forced the thought away. She was going to make this a night to remember. Her eyes focused on his extremely swollen member and all her doubts vanished.
“You’re the snake charmer,” Ariel said, panting with desire. “Or maybe it’s just your snake has such hypnotic eyes.”
“Only one eye,” Jett said. “And it’s not a snake, but a dragon.”
“I’ll say,” Ariel told him, smiling eagerly.
She quickly slid off her own pants so that she was completely naked. Jett reached the edge of the futon and started to kneel...
“Oh no you don’t,” Ariel said.
Before he could do anything, she rose to her knees and was on him. She licked her hand and grabbed the base of his shaft with her moist fingers; at the same time she slid her lips over the mushrooming tip.
Jett groaned as she swallowed as much of his member as she could. She would never be able to fit the whole thing inside her mouth of course, so she used her hand to make up the difference, sliding her nimble fingers up from the base of the shaft to her mouth at the same time.
Then she slid her mouth backward, returning her hand to the base, and then repeated the motion. Again, and again, making a slurping, sucking sound.
Jett moaned again, even more loudly.
She loved having her big man at her mercy like this. He was completely in her power. Completely.