He thrust his scaled head down at the ground, his large, light eyes beckoning Neko as though to say, “Get on my back now, damn it.”
And just as the Hunter climbed up she turned back and saw him: Vail, slipping round the side of the house. High-powered crossbow in hand. His face told her that he wasn’t messing around, his jaw set in a determined grimace, hatred painted all over his features. More likely the ‘bow was aimed at her than at Lumen.
“Go,” she whispered, leaning towards the Dragon’s face, but she didn’t need to, as it turned out. Lumen was already pushing off, his body arcing into the air even as Vail’s first shot was fired.
The arrow missed his wing by a narrow margin and the next fell entirely short, the massive déor already high in the air.
Neko held onto a series of hard, pointed fins rising up from his neck, trying hard to maintain her balance. Within seconds she’d begun to feel at home on his back, even managing to marvel at her current situation.
Everything about the experience was astounding, from their surging altitude to Lumen’s grace and beauty. His wings flapped so slowly that at first she was convinced that they’d fall from the sky, unable to keep airborne. But instead, the silver Dragon’s huge form glided smoothly along, wind whipping at Neko as she bowed her body and face towards his head.
His heat was enough to compensate for the cold of the air at the high altitude, and she found herself managing to relax and even to enjoy the flight—it was remarkable, really, to feel so free. So weightless.
Far below, the houses, including hers, had become nothing more than tiny cubes dotting the landscape, the fields beginning to resemble squares on a chess board. They were headed northwest, away from London, their destination a mystery.
“Where are we going?” Neko yelled, before scoffing at herself. Naturally he couldn’t answer. He was a Dragon, and they weren’t known for their booming voices.
We’re headed to Hampstead Heath.
The words echoing through her mind startled her. Had his mouth moved? She couldn’t see, but she was fairly certain they hadn’t. Again it came: …to the hiding spot of my kin.
“Erm, you didn’t just speak to my brain. Tell me you didn’t.”
But this time she was met with silence.
After several minutes, an expanse of green stretched below them, even as Lumen dove downward. Neko assumed at first that he intended to land on the grass, but it seemed that she was wrong. She let out a shriek as they plummeted towards a large, blue pond, making no move to slow down.
Hold on, the voice told her.
She didn’t question him, but grabbed his neck, hanging on as hard as she could. An instant later, she felt the impact as his body penetrated the surface of the water. And then they were beyond the clear liquid, in some sort of wide subterranean tunnel, broad enough across for him to glide down its length.
And she was somehow dry.
Lumen came to a soft landing on a strip of cobblestone, a large, arched passageway surrounding them. A wall stood ahead, the passageway branching off into smaller corridors leading to the left and the right.
The Dragon shifted, his coat of silver scales transforming by some miracle into the clothing that Lumen had been wearing earlier.
“Your clothes…how…” Neko began to sputter. But then, she had so, so many questions. For a woman who’d spent her life tracking the Lapsed and shifters, it was rare to feel so overwhelmed by novelty.
“Magic. Pixie dust. Skills,” he replied, smiling that irresistible smile of his. “We, each of us, have our own set of powers, as you’ll see. And perhaps then you’ll be glad not to have slit my throat. Thank you, by the way, for not doing so while I was flying. I know you could have done.”
“To be quite honest, it didn’t occur to me once,” she said. “For one thing, I would have died with quite a sickening thud when I’d struck the ground, or someone’s roof.”
“True. Nevertheless, I appreciate your restraint.”
“You’re welcome.”
Neko glanced around, for the first time drawing her eyes away from his face. The space around them was illuminated with a series of torches hung in rows on the walls, phosphorescent, cool shades.
“What is this place?” she asked, wandering a little.
“It’s many things,” said Lumen. “An escape. A meeting place. A secret. These passageways are centuries old, known only to the Kindred and other Dragon kind.”
“And now you’ve shown them to me.” She felt a surge of pride and affection, mixed. There was an intimacy to the situation that was enjoyable, almost flattering. The beautiful creature had chosen to guide her to his most secret place. Of course, she was essentially a prisoner—she would do well to remember that.
“Yes, I have shown them to you.” He stepped in front of her, forcing her to meet his gaze, her chin drawing her face upwards. “I trust you with my life, despite your assignment to take mine. And now I must trust you with the lives of my Brothers.”
“You shouldn’t.”
“No? I just saved your life. Don’t you owe me?”
“I saved yours first. Besides, you’re taking credit for saving my life from that rancid plonker Vail? I only wish you’d let me at him. He’s a sadistic pig, but I have no doubt that I could have done him some harm.”
“You’re not a killer,” Lumen said softly.
“I could be.”
He eased towards her again, her face lifting again to meet those wondrous eyes of his. “You wouldn’t kill me,” he said. “I believe you’d rather kiss me.”
And for a second she considered it. Again he was weaving his spell, making her body turn liquid inside, desire flowing like hot oil through her veins.
“No, I wouldn’t,” she said, the protest weak at best. His lips were so close now.
“So then, if I kissed you, would you resist?”
She pulled a knife from her bandolier and held it to his throat. “Resist is putting it mildly,” she said.
Lumen pressed his fingers softly to her wrist, pushing her hand away, and took her chin with the other hand. Slowly, with all the gentleness in the world, he kissed her forehead. And then her nose. One eyelid, then the other.
Neko was yielding to him in spite of herself, powerless to resist his touch.
Damn him for being so desirable.
She closed her eyes and waited for his glorious lips to meet hers. Giving in to temptation, her need for him far more powerful than resistance.
“Tell me that you want me, Neko.” His voice was so soft, coating her in velvet.
“You know I do,” she said, surrendering utterly to him, her words pure honesty. Take me. Do with me as you will. She thought in that moment of his cock, hard, thick, long in her hand, her mouth tasting him. His mouth on her. Heaven…
Her eyes popped open and she flushed, rage and embarrassment mixing together inside. The man was relentless. This Dragon. Somehow he was inside her again, playing with her mind.
Yes, she wanted him, more than she’d ever wanted anything. But she would never have admitted it under normal circumstances. Never.
“I do want you,” she growled. “But a part of me wants to punch you square in the face for it.”
He smiled. “I want you too, you know,” he said, his hand rising, the backs of his fingers trailing over her left breast. She gasped when he found her nipple through her layers of clothing. A hard, violent shudder. “You’ll have me too, you know. I will pleasure you time and time again, this tongue of mine showing you what an orgasm should feel like. And when it happens, it’s going to be like nothing you’ve ever experienced.”
Neko stepped back. That sounded so, so good. But he was simply clouding her judgment, surely. No man could be so delicious as he seemed in that moment.
“I can’t be with you. I can’t have you,” she protested. “So stop doing this—this thing that you do. Stop invading my head.”
Lumen pulled back, raising his hands, his own form of submission. “I am
many things, but I am hardly capable of thought control. I can’t force you to desire me.”
“Well, you’re doing something to me, and I don’t like it.”
“I believe, Neko, that the real issue is how much you do like it. It may irritate you, that. But it’s the truth. You’re unaccustomed to the sensation of need.”
She turned away, crossing her arms, and looked around at their underground quarters, trying to pull her mind away from him. But he was right. She’d never needed anyone; even her relationship with her parents had been distant at best. But she didn’t need him, either; she couldn’t. She barely knew him, for fuck’s sake.
Her eyes shifted around the space, taking in the high arch above them, the enormity of the surrounding room. Essentially this was her giant prison cell, this subterranean bunker. The only way out, apparently, was via the hallways to their left and the right. Or was the only escape the way they’d come, on the back of a Dragon?
If so, she was at his mercy once again.
“I need to leave,” she said, turning back towards him. “I have to get out of here.”
“I’m afraid that’s not a good idea. The Hash who’s after me will just as soon cut your throat as my own. You know that. I can’t let you go.”
“Well, you can’t keep me here. A prisoner, like this. I won’t have it.”
“Neko,” he said, keeping his distance, “you are the farthest thing from my prisoner. Understand that I want only to protect you. So please allow me to do so.”
She looked directly into his eyes, searching out the truth again. And this time she found it. He really did want to keep her safe from harm, it seemed.
But to what end?
“Fine. What are our options?” she asked.
“We stay here and talk to the Guild of Dragons.”
“I’m not crazy about that. Is there a plan B?”
But as she watched Lumen open his mouth to speak, something moved to her right, tearing them both out of their conversation.
Before she’d even turned to seek its source the voice came.
“Your only other option, Hunter, is death.”
The low, rumbling words echoed through the chamber, meeting her ears with a shock. She spun around, searching out the person who’d spoken.
At the end of a darkened hallway stood a man, tall, clad in black from head to toe. His long hair was as dark as his clothing, his eyes as light and stunning as Lumen’s.
Another Dragon.
But something told Neko that this one wasn’t so friendly.
* * *
Part II
Dragon Hunter 2
Introduction
The Four shall come together as One,
Water, Fire, Air and Earth
The Circle’s final form begun.
And to the world of Dragons, rebirth.
* * *
Underground
Lumen thrust himself between Neko and the other shifter. For a moment, the Hunter had almost forgotten how huge her self-proclaimed guardian was, how daunting and powerful in his human body. And now, seeing him act so reflexively and protectively, a pulse of hot pleasure flowed through her.
But it shouldn’t have. No pleasure should have been derived from anything this man did. For God’s sake, he was also her captor, after all. Warm feelings were better reserved for people who hadn’t broken into her house in the middle of the night.
Though if he hadn’t brought her with him to this place, it was entirely possible that she would now be dead. He’d gone from being her prey to her protector over the course of just a few hours.
And damn him for that.
Never had Neko required—or wanted—protection from anyone or anything. But something in Lumen’s willingness to offer himself as a shield against any threat, even that of his own kind, filled her with an affection she’d never known for anyone, human or otherwise.
“She’s with me, Minach,” he growled at the dark-haired man, his voice even deeper than usual. “Escorted personally to the Heath, on my Dragon’s back. And no one touches her.”
“Except you, from the looks of things.” The expression on Minach’s face altered to one of amusement, and Neko found it impossible to tell if he was joking around or if he flat out hated Lumen, and by association, her.
Good lord. These Dragons were difficult to read, at best.
“It would appear that you two are quite close,” he added. “But fair enough. I won’t hurt her. Unless you command it, of course.”
“This…man…is one of my kin,” said Lumen, turning to Neko, his voice painted with strokes of spiking annoyance as his pale aqua eyes met hers. “He’s an absolute plonker, but we tolerate him well enough. Even when he makes idiotic and unwarranted threats against the lives of those we care about.”
Those we care about. So, he was making another admission of feelings for her, this time in front of someone else—a fellow Dragon shifter, at that.
Another surge of pleasure swept through Neko, all but weakening her already reeling mind and body. She was almost learning to give in and to enjoy these moments. But still beyond reluctant to let Lumen know of her evolving fondness for him. To do so would be to accept—and admit—what was happening; that she was essentially surrendering to a fate that had all but attacked her like a virus. Wrapping itself around her soul and taking hold, beyond her control.
She was the one who was supposed to control her life and her fate, damn it. Though giving in to him, even for a few hours, had all the potential to be exquisite.
“You do know the rules, Lumen,” said the dark-haired man, his voice cutting through Neko’s brief fantasy as he stepped towards them from the hallway’s entrance. “No humans in this place. Not even beautiful ones.” He eyed the Hunter aggressively, his eyes moving down her body and back up again.
If Lumen’s seduction technique was slow and smooth, this man’s was invasive and bold, his gaze almost violently undressing her. Hunger was written all over his face, transparent, feral. But rather than feel complimented by it, Neko found herself tightening the grip on her dagger.
“Minach,” said Lumen, his voice powerful. “Don’t forget who’s in charge here. I know perfectly well that uninvited humans are not welcome—I was the one who came up with that law for the Heath, after all. But Neko is my guest, and she’s potentially helpful to us. I brought her here for her safety, mine, and that of the Dragon Guild. It is for the best for us all. End of the bloody story. Oh—and if you look at her like that again, I’ll tear your fucking throat out.”
“Fine,” said Minach, finally surrendering to the man who was, admittedly, his leader. Neko was beginning to see what Umbra had meant when he’d said that Dragons clearly didn’t like to work together. This guy wasn’t at all happy to watch Lumen dictate the rules.
Minach turned again to face the young woman who stood bemused next to his Commander. This time his face denoted a surrender to his duty, rather than carnal desire. “Neko, then, if that is in fact your name—would you be so gracious as to hand over your weapons so that we can be certain that you don’t plan to remove our livers? We quite like them where they are. And besides, you’re far too sexy for me to want to kill you in this place. I’d sooner do it under the warm rays of the sun.”
A low growl emerged from Lumen’s throat, and Minach smiled. It seemed that he enjoyed irritating the boss. Not to mention that he had a death wish, judging by the look he’d inspired in Lumen’s eyes.
The Hunter’s back was flat against the wall now, her right hand squeezing the narrow hilt of one of her stiletto daggers. Lumen turned to her again, and their eyes met in a moment of silent understanding. His own pale irises attempted to reassure her, counteracting the wariness of her own stare.
“You only need to give them up for the time being,” he said softly. “He’s right, you know. We can’t have armed humans roaming our halls, and I would hardly be a wise leader to allow it of someone who only a few hours ago was plotting to take my life.”
She re-sheathed the dagger and pulled off her jacket, removing the bandolier housing her other blades as well as the curved Khopesh at her waist. Silently she handed the entire arsenal to Minach, trying not to shiver in her sleeveless top.
“Don’t lose them,” she said, her voice stern as she tried to meet his icy stare.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” the shifter replied, clenching the items in his large fists.
“Come, let’s take you to meet the others,” said Lumen, pressing a warming hand to Neko’s shoulder. “They’ll be waiting for us.”
“The others…you mean Dragons? They know we’re here?” she asked as they began to walk. So, I’m going to meet more of these daunting creatures. If only Bertie could see me now.
“Of course they know,” said Minach. “We know as soon as the water’s been breached. And we know by whom.”
“Is that a scent thing, or a mind thing?” Neko suddenly wished she’d managed a shower that morning. The thought of a group of these beings sniffing her out was rendering her self-conscious, to say the least.
“A little of column A, a little of column B,” said Minach. “We’re rather skilled, Hunter, at assessing what’s happening around us. You’d best remember that, for your own good.”
“Yes, so I’m learning. It seems that my kind has become a little redundant. Dragons seem like better trackers than Hunters are, even.”
“In some ways, yes, we are,” Lumen interjected. “But remember that we are most effective in our Dragon forms, and you in human form. Imagine a Hunter and a Dragon, tracking together.” With that, he gave her a quick glance, a now familiar glint in his eye filled with mischief and humour. There was an intimacy to the look that brought Neko back to the memory of straddling his enormous Dragon’s back only a few minutes earlier. She’d felt, during their flight, as though they’d become one entity. Joined, somehow. Together, yet separate.
He spoke again. “It would be a very, very effective combination, and one that I hope we can explore further, you and I.”
Dragon Hunter Box Set: A Dragon Shifter Serial Page 7