by Leela Ash
The club vibrated with life, lust, and celebration.
For him.
This was all about him.
He had defeated Brandon Lorde and become the Alpha of the First Flight. Tonight, all Shifters honored him and celebrated his victory.
The details of that victory were a bit hazy. He hadn’t exactly beaten Lorde in single combat… had he? No, the brilliance of his plan, his fearless infiltration of the Fangs of Apophis had awed the rest of the Flight, and… and…
“More champagne, my lord?” A waitress knelt beside him, her breasts straining against her form-fitting top.
“Of course.” Jamie admired the view as she bent to refill his glass. By the time she wandered off, he had completely forgotten his worries. What did details matter? He was the Alpha of the First Flight!
Thoughts flitted through him, feelings as sharp as obsidian flakes. His Flight would never disrespect him again. Never would he hear complaints that he made too many ‘compromises’, that he bent rules that should remain inviolate. That he was losing himself in the trivial pleasures of the world.
Trivial! After tonight, when he showed them all the true delights of lust and indulgence, no one would use that word again!
Tonight was his night. He had proven himself and his tactics. No one could doubt him now! His enemies…
…the Fangs? My Flight?...
…were defeated. For once, even his damned Dragon held its tongue. Proud creature that it was, it probably couldn’t bear to admit it had been wrong. He knew what he was doing.
He’d won.
A half dozen of his Flight had joined the celebration. Even in a sea of Shifters they stood out, pillars of strength and power. The kings of the Shifter world.
And he was their Alpha. Him, Jamie Wolfe. They would kneel to him now. No more lectures from that dimwit Donnelly on love and fidelity. No Morland, fussing over collateral damages to mortals. He would rule, fairly and firmly, and they would all obey.
And what the hell? How had Owen Jackson gotten four Hares to dance with him? Jamie burst out laughing at his brother’s cheek.
Time to step down there and make Mr. Playboy share with his Alpha!
Jamie rose and tossed back his bubbly. Time for something stronger too. Champagne was a woman’s drink. The teaser that came before the real drinks began.
As he scanned the crowd for his waitress, his eyes fell on another woman. A vision in black leather and silk.
Hair like a golden sunrise spilled down to her bare shoulders. A wispy silver scarf hid her nipples from view but left the sweet curves of her bronzed breasts bare for his delight. The tiniest scrap of a leather skirt clung to her hips. Beneath it, long, luscious thighs and legs. Legs he remembered wrapping around him, in the throes of passion.
Maya Graham had joined the party. Looking nothing like her normal, professional self.
Damn, she cleans up well! Put her in a dress and she’ll blow your mind!
Okay, he had to give his Dragon credit. It had Claimed one fine woman. If only it wasn’t so foolishly romantic. Who the hell wanted to settle down with one woman?
Or… with one man?
Jamie pursed his lips as a new thought occurred to him. What if Maya felt the same as he did? She was an adult, a sensible person. No reason they couldn’t negotiate a… flexible arrangement. Give both of them the freedom they wanted, right?
Huh. His Dragon was cowed. That thought didn’t even earn him a snarl.
She’d seen him and was trudging through the crowds, making a beeline for his second-floor booth.
Eh, fine. Saved him a trip down. Jamie finally spotted his waitress and ordered a pair of Manhattans for them. Then he sat and watched Maya’s delicious body twist its way through the dance floor.
When she arrived, a scowl darkened her face.
Hell, not a good sign. But he could cheer any woman up! “Maya! You’re looking good, girl! Sit down. Drinks are on their way.”
Instead, she planted her hands on her hips. “First, a question. Are you dreaming this too, or is this just me?”
“What?” Was she being poetic or… was something seriously wrong?
“Is this like the Rite of Claiming, where we share a dream? Or are you a figment of my imagination?”
“This isn’t a dream.” Was it? Why would she say that?
“Yes, it is. I’m not at a dance club. We’re both on Criehaven and we’re prisoners of the Fangs.”
Doubts welled. Little details that didn’t make sense. Like, how had he defeated Brandon Lorde? Wouldn’t that be memorable?
The busty waitress scampered over. “Your drinks, sir.”
He waved her away. “We’re fine, thanks.”
“I’ll just put them on the table,” she murmured, her voice throaty. Her breasts brushed his arm as she leaned down, rousing a warmth in his manhood.
Maya, all business, saved him from that distraction. She plopped down opposite him and batted the drinks onto the floor. “Clean that up. Oh, and get us new ones.”
“Uh, yeah. Right.” Damn, he couldn’t think straight! With a pout, the waitress scurried off.
“Jamie, what happened after you left my cabin?”
“A lot. I found Criehaven, defeated the Fangs, wrestled control of my Flight from…”
“How?” Her blue eyes bored into him, the one solid rock amidst the waves of thoughts that washed over him. “Like, how did you get to Maine? Did you turn into a Dragon and fly? Did you drive to an airport? What happened?”
“I…” Why couldn’t he remember something as simple as that? And why did the dancers and their glo-sticks seem so compelling? The most gorgeous woman in the world sat here, talking to him, and he had to ogle some skinny Hare?
Maya was right. Something was seriously wrong.
Again, she was his rock. “Take it a step back, then. Do you remember leaving my cabin?”
Leaving… Memory returned, sharp and painful. Oh, he remembered leaving all right. Leaving her. Dumping her, dismissing the Rite of Claiming. Sending his own Dragon into a rage.
“Yes.”
“Good. Did you make it to your cabin?”
“Yes, but…”
Something had gone wrong. What had happened?
“Here you are!” With a bright chirp, the waitress appeared with a new round. Drinks… he really needed a drink right now…
Maya pimp-slapped the tray out of her hands, sending a shower of booze across the floor.
“Hey!”
“Get new ones,” he ordered, through numb lips. As she huffed off, he rubbed his eyes. “There was something in my room. A letter and a… an… amulet.”
“Okay.” For the first time, she smiled. “Now we’re getting somewhere. Judith betrayed us to Lucian Fowler.”
“That ungrateful bitch!” he snarled. After he’d risked his cover saving her, this was how she repaid him?
“She did it to save her kids.”
That took the edge off his indignation. A little. And, slowly, his brain emerged from the dream-fueled cloud that bound it. “Hang on. You said you were captured?”
“Fowler took the three of us to Criehaven.” Quickly, she filled him on the details, how Bob had escaped and how she and Judith came to be caged in the barracks. By that point, his head was clear enough that when the waitress showed up, again, he knocked her drinks away.
“There’s just one thing I don’t understand. Why didn’t Lucian kill you?”
Color warmed her cheeks and she dropped her gaze. “He thought he could use me to control you. Don’t know why.”
You, madam, are a piss-poor liar.
After the way he’d treated her, though, he didn’t have any right to demand honesty. Jamie let the subject drop. “I don’t suppose that amulet is anywhere near where you’re locked up?”
“No. I assume it’s with you and I can feel that you’re near – up in the main building. But I couldn’t get there.”
A chill crept over him, one that had nothing to do
with her answer. “Maya, something’s seriously screwed up.”
“No kidding.” The anguish on his face cut her laughter short. “You mean, something worse than ‘I’m stuck in a cage’ and ‘You’re trapped in a dream’?”
“Yeah. I shouldn’t be able to say, ‘you’re locked up’ and stay calm.”
She didn’t understand. Of course she didn’t. She was human, and she’d never dealt with his Kind. “Maya, Dragons are protectors. That’s us, in one word. Our heart, our soul, our reason for being. We protect our loved ones. Take that away from us and we Fall. We become Worms.”
“Nothing is more important to a Dragon than his Mate. Yet, here I am, chatting away about my Mate being held by the Fangs. I should be furious. My soul, my Dragon, should be tearing the world apart to get to you.”
Enchantment lit her beautiful eyes as he began to speak. Quickly, though, it died. And as it faded, she wilted. “But we’re not really Mates, are we? You interrupted the… Rite.”
“I think I screwed that up too. If you can sense I’m in danger… we’ve Claimed each other.”
“That’s a thing Dragons and their Mates share?” That light, that hope, was creeping back into her face. Drawing her out of her grief.
Bitter as it was, he told her the truth. He owed her at least that much. “I don’t know. I’ve never heard of a Mate sensing her Dragon was in danger. We’re the great Protectors, remember? Haven’t heard of one of us screwing up so badly that our Mate had to pull our ass out of the fire. Maybe that’s why my Dragon’s quiet. It died of shame.”
“Hey.” Her hands crept across the table and gathered his in a warm squeeze. “We’re in this together. We’ll figure this…”
“Two more Manhattans!” the waitress hissed through a fake smile.
Both of them swatted the glasses this time. And no one needed to tell the waitress to fetch more. She slunk off on her own.
Watching Maya, so beautiful, so stubborn and determined, Jamie felt a chip of ice in his heart melt. What had he done to deserve this devotion?
This love?
“I’m sorry. Damn, this is a mess. I don’t even know where to begin.”
“I do. We start with getting free. Later, when we’re safe, we’ll talk about us. And what happens to Dragons when they don’t have anything to protect because, as you say, you don’t have time for love.”
That stung. But he had it coming.
“I think our best bet is to break you out of this spell.” Maya’s nose wrinkled, like she’d bit a lemon. “Wow, it feels freaky to use that word.”
“Hey, you’re handling this weirdness better than most Shifters!”
“Thanks.” A brief smile, then she rounded on their problem again. Man, his woman had the tenacity of a terrier! “I hoped you’d just wake up if I found you. No such luck. Can you force yourself awake?”
Jamie closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and concentrated on waking. Nothing happened.
“Crap. All right, what do we know about the amulet?”
“It was wax. Had a picture of a Worm biting its own tail.”
“An Ouroboros. Hmm…”
Jamie blinked. “How do you know that?”
“It’s a common magical symbol.”
“What do you know about magic?”
Maya glared. Was it wrong of him to find her expression charming? “I know it was common in the past, which is what archeologists study. Remember? Though, if it’s any consolation, until today, I didn’t know magic worked. Any words on the amulet?”
“Not that I saw.”
“Crap. Normally, the Ouroboros is a positive image. Infinity, permanence, the cycle of death and rebirth. Never heard of one being used in malevolent magic.”
Hell, he had a budding Hare on his hands! “The Fangs twist everything they touch.”
“Hmmm. No spell, so the magic must be in the image.”
How could she be so calm, so rational? Yesterday, her world had been sane and mundane. Today, she was trapped in a dream… and calmly plotting an escape. Once more, he marveled at her strength.
“Worms are Fallen Dragons. Fowler wants you to become a Worm. Dragons transform when…”
“When they tear off their wings.”
Maya straightened. “When they devour themselves, symbolically. Like a dark version of Ouroborous. And you said you can’t reach your Dragon right now.”
The dance floor still throbbed with music, passion, and indulgence. An illusion that fought to steal his attention – and his heart. “True. Also, this place plays to all my flaws. Everything that drives my Dragon away.”
“Then it’s obvious!” Bursting with excitement, she leaned forward. “Fowler stuck you here, away from your Dragon, to finish corrupting you. Your Dragon’s the key! I’m sure it can break you out!”
“Maybe. But it’s not talking to me. I can’t feel it, not even with you in danger. I think…” The words stuck in his throat as despair crept close. “I think I’ve Fallen.”
“Nope. If you had, we wouldn’t be talking. You’d be waking up in the Big House and getting your ‘Welcome to the Fangs!’ party. If you’re still here, there’s still hope. We just need to…”
Once more, that damnable waitress stalked over to their table.
This time, though, she didn’t carry a tray of drinks. And her eyes were as black as coal.
Instinctively, Jamie bolted to his feet and stepped between her and Maya. The ‘woman’ stared at him coldly. “This conversation is unprofitable. It ends, now.”
Everything around them – dancers, music, gorgeous people – faded into darkness.
Maya faded too.
Leaving him, alone, in a great void.
Chapter 15.
Wake up.
An emptiness as vast as space surrounded Maya. No light, no sound. Even her body seemed to have vanished. When she tried to pinch herself, no hand answered her mind’s plea.
Wake up!
Yet, the void held her tight. Hard as she fought, she couldn’t break free. Not to a dream world, not to the real world. Panic welled within her. Emptiness stifled her, crushed her. As if she’d been buried alive.
All she could feel was Jamie’s need, radiating from Here/Not Here. He was in danger. She stood beside him and infinitely far away in the spiraling insanity of this place.
Terror threatened to overwhelm her. Yet, in the midst of her panic, one useless bit of information was her life preserver, keeping her sanity afloat.
Jamie was in danger. He needed her.
If she surrendered to the fear that pressed close, he would be lost. Forever.
She might wake up from this nightmare.
He never would. Not as a Dragon.
And even if he didn’t care for her, Maya could no longer deny her own feelings.
She loved Jamie Wolfe. Loved the fact that, together, they had brought a child into this world. Love drove her fear back, brought a moment of blessed calm for her to gather her thoughts.
Assumption is the bane of research. When you’re stuck, go back to the facts.
Fact One. Nothing existed here – except her mind.
No, that wasn’t true. The bond that linked her to Jamie still existed. She could feel the warning pulsing through it.
Fact Two. She couldn’t force herself to wake up. Though, now that she was calmer, she didn’t care. Waking meant abandoning her Mate.
She wouldn’t do that. Couldn’t live with herself if she surrendered him to this darkness.
With that, her facts came to a dejecting end. Time for experimentation.
Could the bond be used as a path? Maya visualized a rope, binding her to her lover. Pictured herself grabbing it, pulling herself along it.
Success! The sense of Jamie grew stronger, closer…
Until a force slammed into her chest, forcing her back.
Something didn’t want her to reach him. Whatever malign entity had stared at them through the waitress’ black eyes.
At the corner
of her sight, something flickered. A faint glimmer, the tiniest hint of light in this abyss.
A cord. The ‘rope’ she tried to climb had materialized, running from Jamie, lost in the emptiness, to her.
Not to her. Through her. The pale string passed through her heart and disappeared into the void.
Maya tugged on it and felt Jamie recede. Nothing stopped her. The Infernal Waitress (or whatever that Thing was) blocked her approach – but not her retreat. Slowly, fearing she might wake and lose all, she drew herself down that new path.
Ahead, the nebulous darkness thickened. Faint glitters grew closer, larger. And suddenly, a form appeared in the gloom. At first, Maya thought it was a small hill. But the cord brightened as she neared it, and that dim light revealed an enormous figure.
A Dragon, curled up like a great cat. Silver light glinted off its black scales. Enormous wings folded close to its side. Despite the dimness, Maya could make out deep, bloody gouges torn through the Dragon’s scales at its shoulders, where the wings joined its body. The thread she followed ran straight to its heart.
Slowly, she approached. For the first time, she could see it fully. Twice the size of a bus, covered in sleek, impenetrable scales. Great canines peeked out of a maw big enough to swallow her in one gulp. Claws as sharp and terrible as swords sprouted from its feet. Faced with its size, its power, Maya trembled. This thing could kill her with one swipe…
This ‘thing’ is my love’s soul. His power.
In the cord’s dim light, her own body returned. Hand trembling, Maya forced herself to reach out and touch one of those talons. It could tear a person apart in the blink of an eye…
…or catch them, without leaving a scratch, when they were thrown from a skyscraper.
Fear retreated as she held tight to that fact. She had been in this creature’s grasp. And though she hadn’t trusted it, the Dragon had been as gentle as a mother to her. Whatever lethal strength it possessed was for others.
For evil, not the innocent.
Maya licked her lips. An odd gesture, since she was sure her body wasn’t really here. Then she cleared her throat. “Hello?”