by Ginna Moran
“Kash!” I yell, banging my hand to the glass. I want—no need—to break Quillon’s hold on him. I can’t stand seeing him so destructive like this against his will. “What are you doing? Stop! Resist Quillon. You don’t have to do this.” Closing my eyes, I try to get into Kash’s mind in his dragon form, but he shuts me out. Pushing into his thoughts is pointless like I hit my head to an impenetrable wall.
Quillon swivels and glances at me from over his shoulder. The douchebag smiles and winks, his eyes reflecting green in Kash’s dragon fire.
With Quillon’s one look, I realize it’s not Kash locking me out. It’s Quillon forcing him to. He not only wants to control his actions, he wants to control his thoughts. He purposely wants to separate him from his clan as a form of punishment.
“You despicable piece of shit!” I scream.
Rage ignites inside me, and I grab the lamp from the dresser and smash through the window. Neither Rowan nor Maddox can stop me as I risk cutting myself to escape the house and run to Kash. My vision tints red with my fury. Delicious heat pours from my heart, spilling through my veins as it flows like lava right to my hands. The sensation feels indescribable—so powerful. I feel as if I can take on anyone in the universe and win.
Quillon widens his eyes in fear and holds up his hands. This is the first time he’s ever given me satisfaction, and I want more. “My beast, stop her! Protect me!”
I can’t stop fast enough before Kash shoves his big, cool snout into my stomach and knocks me off my feet. My breath gasps from my body, my fire sputtering out with a gust of his hot, cinnamony breath.
He pins me down.
Chapter 4
Dragon Guard
“KASH, RELEASE HER!” MADDOX YELLS from somewhere behind me. Fire burns above me as Kash releases a warning growl. The ground quivers and rocks. Kash stomps around me without moving away, ignoring his brothers.
“If you hurt her, you will never forgive yourself,” Rowan says, his voice deep with concern. “Please, brother. Don’t lose yourself. You’re a Dreki, not that asshole’s pet. She is your mate and the one who truly controls your soul. Let her in. Feel her. I know you want to protect Nova, but keeping her from your agony does no one good. It jeopardizes everything.”
I suck in a shuddering breath at Rowan’s words. Quillon isn’t solely responsible for the wall Kash keeps between us. And it kills me to hear Rowan’s speculation of Kash’s reasons—or perhaps they’re the truth. Kash thinks he’s doing right by me by keeping me out. But I know he needs me. I don’t want him to deal with this alone.
Holding my breath, I lie frozen in shock on my stomach. I turn my head and watch as Maddox and Rowan jump from the window and onto the lawn. Kash’s claws penetrate the ground around my head, digging into the grass like long swords, stopping me from trying to push up. Heat warms my back with another breath of his fire. Trembles shake through my body, making my teeth chatter despite the heat. I don’t mean to be afraid, but something about not being able to hear Kash’s thoughts unnerves me. He lets his beast have complete hold of even his soul, worse than ever before under Quillon’s control. This is the sick fuck’s punishment for not following through last night. He’s testing me by trying to keep me from a happy life with all my mates until I comply.
Kash releases a guttural noise and breathes a breath of my scent. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was preparing to devour me alive.
Managing to roll over, I face upward and stare through Kash’s claws and at his glowing eyes. Smoke billows from his nostrils, and he looks as if he’s ready to torch me with his dragon fire. It won’t hurt me, but it’ll scald my soul, leaving me grieving for what I’ve done to him. What’s worse? My heart aches, feeling as if Quillon is more important. I never thought I’d be jealous of the asshole lycan, yet here I am. I want nothing more than to break from Kash to attack the fuckhead.
“Kash, let me in. Don’t let him consume you. He can’t have this kind of control over us.” I try to settle my racing thoughts. I can’t think like this. If Kash even knew I considered it for a second, it would devastate him.
“Stay back, Drekis,” Quillon says. His shadow falls over me, and he looks down, bracing his hands on Kash’s foot. A leering smile splits his lips, hardening his features in a way that makes him look like a psychopath. Hell, he is a psycho. “If you get involved, I will make your brother put the bitch in her place like I should’ve done all along. This does not involve you. Kash is my guardian, and I will train him however I see fit. Now back off. We have too much shit to worry about. I don’t need Nova acting as if she can do anything besides looking hot on her back beneath me.”
Ah, hell. Fuck that.
My vision darkens as I somehow manage to summon my dragon fire from my heart again and into my hands. Quillon doesn’t have time to react. I jerk my hands up and send a wave of orange flames through Kash’s claws and at the lycan bastard.
Quillon screams, his voice rising to a pitch that I’m sure only certain animals could hear. I’ve never heard something so squealy and high escape a man with a deep voice like him before. It echoes through the air, long and loud, and utterly ridiculous to the point that I can’t stop from laughing.
I cackle, the release of pressure from inside turning me giddy. I can’t believe I managed this. I thought smacking my shoe in his face was good. Hearing his wailing agony? Fuck, maybe he’s not the only psycho.
Quillon whacks his face with his hands and stumbles back, falling to the ground. The front of his shirt smolders and reveals his chest, the wiry texture of his body hair singeing and smoking. Rolling over, he puts out the flames and curls in on himself. Kash extracts his sharp claws from the grass and finally releases me from his makeshift cage.
“You are fucking dead, Nova. You psychotic cunt!” Quillon shouts, hiding his face beneath his hands. “I was going to give you another chance, but now I’m never allowing Kash to transform back into a man because of this. You can also forget our deal. I don’t even fucking care about a cure for this curse. The High Council won’t capture me again. I have everything I want right here. The witch who made me no longer holds power over me. I was trying to be nice because I thought I liked you, but you’re no better than anyone else in Magaelorum.”
Rowan rushes toward Quillon and kneels beside him. I expect him to check on his condition, but he surprises me by slamming his fist into the lycan’s gut. “You can’t punish them like that. I know what you asked our mate to do, and you’re lucky to even be alive. That was never in the deal. It was her time and only her time. But you took things too far. You tried to manipulate her with this threat we damn well won’t let you keep up. Now stop acting like you’re the victim and accept that you’re the one in the wrong. You fucked up and you know it. This wasn’t either of their faults. You were aware that Nova is protective of us. You also knew that she was training with my brother right now and would see you doing this. She is barely learning to control her dragon fire. It was your mistake threatening her like you had. Now, get your ass up and go inside. Don’t think you’re a free man. Kash would rather turn himself in to the High Council to take you down than remain your guardian. The deal stands, got it? Maddox will take care of your burns if you get over your power trip, release Kash, and realize we’re all on the same side.”
Huffing a breath, Quillon groans and sits upright. I gawk at him and cover my mouth with my hand. Because shit. My dragon fire ate away his eyebrows, facial stubble, and the front half of his unruly hair, leaving him looking like a balding man. His blue eyes shine against his pink skin, sheening with the green reflection of his beast, and blisters pepper his cheeks. Even part of his chest hair disintegrated from the heat, now showing off his scrawny pecs.
“I don’t need Maddox’s help,” Quillon snaps, dragging himself forward until he manages to find his strength to get to his feet. “I’ll have Rose take care of me when she gets back. I will give Nova another chance and she can make up for this and earn Kash’s freedom from
his beast-mode later tonight. I have something easy for her to do for me.”
“What do you mean when Rose gets back?” I ask, ignoring his comment about the supposed task. If it’s anything like performing for him while he masturbates again, he’s sorely mistaken that I’ll even consider it. I’ll just borrow Maddox’s restraints and pin him down to pluck every damn hair from his body until he gives up his power trip. Kash would cheer me on, his tough, unwavering strength coming in handy.
“Where is the murdering royal highness?” Maddox asks, looming over Quillon.
I glare at Quillon when he groans instead of responding to either of our questions. “You know we can’t trust her to go anywhere alone right now. She doesn’t understand the social norms of the Mortal World. She will garner unwanted attention, especially because she refuses to even cover her damn wings.”
“You can’t tell a murderous fairy princess what to do, Red. If she gets into trouble, it’s her own damn fault. We both agreed on that. And she knows how to handle herself. She would be gone before the mortal authorities or the High Council could ever find her.” Quillon narrows his eyes at me, and he grimaces in pain scrunching his burned forehead. “Now, why don’t you make yourself useful and cook me some dinner while another one of your mates serves me. You might be able to sweeten me up with some dessert.”
Wow.
“Enough!” Maddox shouts, igniting dragon fire in his palms. “Let me heal you, and then you will take me to Rose. I will bring her back myself. Nova is right. The risk is too great. You might want to get caught, but I don’t. I will not let you jeopardize our lives to stroke your damn ego, you cursed animal.”
Quillon looks ready to test his luck to tackle Maddox, but Rowan slides between the two of them, holding his palms up. “Just tell us where she is, and Nova and I will retrieve her. We will be fast and undetected.”
Curling his lips and flaring his nostrils, Quillon says, “Fine, damn it. But I swear, you two better be back within thirty minutes. If I have to come find you—”
“You’ll what?” Maddox growls, gripping Quillon by his tattered shirt. “Your threats grow tired and meaningless.” Turning to me, he adds, “Perhaps we will tip off the High Council to Rose’s whereabouts and lock you in a closet since you’ve lost your power of manipulation with your decision to keep my brother in his dragon form.”
I tug my hair loose from its ponytail. “Why don’t we just do that now? Without Rose around, he—”
“I’ll be fucking fine without her,” Quillon snaps. “She doesn’t do anything for me.”
He’s so full of shit, and we all know it. I open my mouth to argue and call him the dozens of swear words swirling through my mind. Rowan must hear them because he closes space to me and drapes his arm over my shoulders, hugging me to him. Inhaling a small breath, I settle my nerves and push the thoughts of murder from my mind.
“Everyone needs to calm down. We will get Rose and come back right away. You don’t need to threaten us. It’s pointless, and you’re now only doing it to flex your faux authority,” Rowan says, arching a brow, unaffected by anything Quillon tries. “And remember to watch your damn mouth from now on. You can’t talk to Nova or any of us like that. Next time, it’ll take you days to heal from what I’d have in store for you.” Rowan turns to Maddox and purses his lips. “Don’t kill him, okay? Listen for my call in case I need you.” He says the words as if Rose might be stuck behind enemy lines or some shit.
“If you can’t handle going to a mortal bar, you have a lot worse things to worry about, Dreki,” Quillon says, chortling at his lame attempt to belittle my mate. “You’ll find the place on Main Street at the end of the block.”
Rowan turns me in his arms to look at me. His hazel eyes, the same color as Kash’s, rove over my face, tracing their way across my lips and nose before searching my eyes. “I need you to take a few breaths with me. I know you don’t realize it, but you’re out of control, and I can feel your emotions on the verge of snapping. I’m afraid of what Rose might say or do to set you off on the way home. We can’t go anywhere until I’m certain you won’t torch a couple buildings by accident.”
He’s right. My feral dragon heart just wants to roar.
I do as Rowan asks and close my eyes, inhaling a few deep breaths as I listen to Maddox shove Quillon in the direction of the house. A hot breeze blows my hair forward, sending it clinging to Rowan’s stubbly face. Kash’s familiar presence lingers behind me, and I swivel on the balls of my feet.
A river of mixed emotions—sorrow, anger, disappointment, and something soft and gentle and stronger than everything else—floods through me. My heart skips a beat, going haywire like I’ve been starved because of the wall built between our souls, and I need so desperately to support and be here for Kash in the way I want and the way he needs.
Kash’s hazel eyes shine in the sun setting in the distance. He lowers his body and huffs a breath of smoke. “I’m sorry, kitten. I couldn’t control myself and hate that I scared you.” The softness of his telepathic words caresses my mind, calming the wild emotions that Kash is stuck in his dragon form and instead as the man I’ve come to adore. “Please forgive me.”
Stretching on my tippy-toes, I gently rest my palms against his cool snout, bringing his big head even lower to my level. I kiss the tip of his nose between his nostrils and try my best to hug his hulking body, refusing to deny him affection. Even in this form, he’s my mate. I will not let him think it bothers me apart from knowing Quillon controls him. “What Quillon commands you to do is not your fault. If anything, I should apologize for my temper. I swear I won’t allow him to force you to remain in this form, even if I have torture him to get him to do so.”
Kash huffs a breath and my hair blows behind me. “If only. I’m bound to him. I’m just lucky your fire doesn’t bother me any. My brother’s punch to Quillon’s gut on the other hand...” Whipping his long tail at Rowan, Kash knocks his brother’s feet out from under him. “Pin him down or something next time.”
I groan and rest my head against Kash’s cool scales. “There will not be a next time. I will handle him when I get back. If he refuses to comply, then we’ll figure it out, okay? You’re mine.”
Kash’s eyes light with his dragon fire. “I know you will. But please, let Rowan handle things. I don’t trust the fairy not to try to set you off on purpose. She survives on causing trouble and playing tricks. She was in Max for a reason.”
I smirk. “Got it. Let the big, bad CO bring home the fairy princess.”
Kash chuckles in my mind and expands his wings, taking flight only to land on the roof of the house. From his spot, he can probably watch us walk to Main Street, and I bet he will. Rowan grabs my hand, pulling me in close. I slide my arm around his broad back, nestling myself into his side, knowing how he wants me close as we leave the protective magical shield in place from the witch responsible for Quillon’s lycan curse.
My skin buzzes with electricity at the end of the long driveway, and I clench my jaw as I step onto the sidewalk like I’ll somehow be electrocuted for leaving the premises. I don’t know if it’s because my dragon senses the shields similar to what the Maximum Magical Penitentiary uses to keep inmates at bay or what, but any sort of magic makes me anxious. I can feel it tugging at my core. The thought of witches and warlocks and the High Council doesn’t help either. I wish I wasn’t so messed up at just a little thought, but the dramatic change in my existence feels as if it left puckered scars on my soul.
Rowan hugs me tighter, trying to squeeze the nerves out of me. This is the first time we’ve gone out without his brothers. He doesn’t have to say anything for me to know that my mind remains open to him, my still wild emotions from Quillon threatening Kash making it hard to put my guard up.
“You never have to with me, Nova,” Rowan says, breaking the silence. I appreciate that he doesn’t speak telepathically and chooses to let his words fill the air around us. He glances at the side of my face, waiting for me to
acknowledge him with a nod. “What you went through, what you’re still going through, it’s a lot to handle. Even I struggle some days, and this shit—asshole covens and criminals—has been a normal part of my life for a long time. I can’t imagine what all of this is like for you, and I won’t pretend otherwise, but I want you to know I am here. Always.”
I tip my chin up to meet his hazel eyes, the beautiful color sparkling with flecks of green and gold like the color of his scales. “I just...I wish things would’ve been different. I wish Aunt McKayla would have told me the truth instead of abandoning me to the fates. I’m so angry that she could’ve prepared me for all of this and didn’t. I also wish I knew more about my mom and her life. My dad. Hell, I want to know what the fuck Rhett was doing, hunting me down, especially since we know it wasn’t for you. Why me? Why our clan and our lives? I want answers, and I’m afraid I’ll never get them.”
“Don’t be. We will get answers. Trust me,” Rowan says, giving me a small shake.
I puff a breath through my mouth. Stating all of my questions out loud doesn’t do anything to make me feel better. All it does is anger me even more. What terrible thing has my mom done that the Drekis beloved fates decided to screw up even my life? Is there anything I can really do to change it? Are we just keeping a few feet in front of the inevitable as the universe waits for us to trip?
Rowan groans in his throat and closes the space to my mouth, brushing his lips to mine. Hooking his arm around me, he doesn’t give me a chance to resist and lifts me into his embrace. He kisses me deeper, strolling blindly along the sidewalk in the direction of the small town. Main Street is the only big road and way in and out of Violet Grove.
Drawing his big hand lower, Rowan squeezes my ass. “What do I need to do to help clear your mind?” he asks, sucking my bottom lip between his teeth.