Swallowing Fire

by ERIN BEDFORD

  Raiden shot a look to Gretchen’s hand, his smile wilting slightly, but then he was back to his usual self. Lord Fafnir approached, and everyone waited for him to make his announcement, the anticipation thick in the air.

  “From the East, we have Raiden, third son of Lord Shen!” Lord Fafnir gestured toward Raiden who smiled and waved, shooting a wink and an air kiss my way. The crowd was a bit more receiving of him than Firestar, probably all his flirting from before.

  “Fighting against him is our very own ball busting sweetheart, Gretchen!” The crowd loved Gretchen, they screamed and cheered some even shouted mating proposals to her. Just hearing Lord Fafnir talk about her that way, made my heart clench tight. If the crowd had their way, Jack would have been with Gretchen and not me.

  Suddenly, a jealous sadistic side of me wanted Raiden to make the bitch bleed. I shook the visual out of my head as Lord Fafnir moved to a safe distance. It was about to start.

  As soon as the bell rang, Gretchen lunged forward, icy-blue hands streaking through the air in a blur of frosty energy.

  Raiden sidestepped as sparks began to dance along his flesh. His palm darted out, catching her in the side and knocking her off balance right before a bolt of lightning leapt from his outstretched fingers.

  Electricity surged across her skin, causing her muscles to seize and spasm. Unable to catch her balance, she crashed to the floor in a spray of dirt. Steam curled off of her as she lay there for a moment.

  “What are you doing? Finish her off,” I cried as Raiden took a quick step backward, trying to put some distance between them.

  “He can’t,” Jack said, whispering in my ear as his hand darted out to point. That’s when I realized that frost had spread out along the ground where Gretchen lay. “If he touches that, he risks getting himself frozen.”

  “Damn, stalling bitch,” I grumbled as Raiden raised one hand to the sky. Overhead lightning cracked across the sky, and I realized he was about to bring the thunder.

  “I’d wanted to make this quick,” Gretchen said as she pushed herself to her feet. “But, I guess that’s not in the cards now.” A small smile curled across her lips. “Too bad.”

  As she raised one perfectly manicured hand and pointed at him, frost exploded from the group, ripping toward him in an avalanche of icicles that gleamed in the light.

  Raiden dove to the left, the lightning he’d been calling dissipating in an instant as he rolled across the ground. The wave smashed into the railing behind where he’d stood a moment later, fast-freezing the wall and sheathing the ground in slick ice.

  Worse, as Raiden came to his feet, Gretchen was already there. Her nails grew longer into claws as she swiped at him. He jumped out of the way fast enough to save his skin but not his shirt. Her claws gouged through the fabric, rending it to pieces as he called on his lightning.

  “Hey! This is my favorite shirt,” Raiden snapped as he flung the bolt of lightning at her.

  “Funny. I think it’d look better in the trash,” Gretchen replied, dodging lithely by his lightning before stomping on the ground.

  Spears of ice exploded from beneath Raiden’s feet as he sprang skyward. His wings burst from his back, holding him in the air as the entire arena became a deathtrap of razor-sharp icicles.

  “That won’t be enough to stop me,” Raiden said, and as he spoke the sky above crackled angrily. “You’d best give up now.”

  “Oh?” she arched an eyebrow at him, and as she spoke, blue energy exploded out from her feet, fast freezing the ground of the entire arena. Frost crawled over the railing, turning the benches into crystal as the spectators’ benches became sheathed in ice. “Would you really shoot me?”

  “Spiteful bitch, isn’t she?” Firestar growled, shooting a glare at Jack.

  Jack pressed his lips into a thin line. “Yes, she can have a temper.”

  I couldn’t disagree with him there.

  Gretchen was a smart one though, I had to give her that. As I stared down at the frost beneath my feet, I wanted to curse. By icing over the entire area, she limited Raiden’s lightning powers. If he wanted to hit her with a bolt, he had to be willing to zap the whole crowd, including me, which he wouldn’t do.

  I hoped.

  Raiden eyed the ice with a frown on his face, while Gretchen stayed on the ground. Worse, it made sense. Raiden was a lightning dragon, and aerial combat was one of his specialties. Only now, he wouldn’t be able to use that to his advantage. No. He’d have to come down and fight her on the ground, and what’s more, he’d be limited in what he could do.

  “See, here’s the thing,” Raiden said. “Wait, what’s that?” Raiden screwed up his face in confusion and pointed right at me. “Maya, don’t!”

  Gretchen turned, her gaze flicking to me, and as she did, Raiden darted forward. His fist arched through the air, and as Gretchen realized her mistake and turned back toward him, his fist caught her in the chin, sending her spinning like a top. She crashed through part of the ice, shattering it beneath the force of the blow.

  Gretchen cried out in pain, one hand outstretched as a huge slab of ice erupted from the ground between them, shielding her before he could continue the onslaught. Only, she needn’t have bothered because Raiden didn’t press the attack. Instead, he darted across the ring, hitting the corner before springing off into the next.

  “What the hell is he doing?” Firestar gaped, shaking his head in confusion. “This isn’t a dance competition; it’s a fight.”

  “He’s not playing,” Jack announced. Firestar and I turned to him and found Jack nodding toward the ring with a hint of amusement on his lips. “Just watch. Our boy is smarter than you give him credit for, Firestar.”

  Turning my eyes back to the fight, I watched Raiden for some hidden meaning in his movements. I still didn’t see it though. It just looked like he was dancing around the ring sporadically. One good thing was that Gretchen seemed to be in the dark as well.

  She’d recovered from his attack and stood there, clearly annoyed. “What the hell are you doing?” she snapped, glaring at him as blue energy began to swirl around her.

  At the sound of her voice, Raiden stopped. He eyed his work with a grin. “Oh, you’ll see.” Raiden raised his hand toward the air, and it crackled with power.

  “He’s going to hit the lot of us!” a male ice dragon near us cried out, causing a commotion in the crowd as people began to search for cover.

  Eyes wide, I turned to Jack who didn’t seem as concerned as he should have been. In fact, he was laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” I shoved a hand at him causing him to choke on his chuckle. “He’s going to hit us with that or did you forget?”

  Jack shook his head and placed a hand on my shoulder, turning me back to the fight. “No, he won’t. Just watch.”

  While the dragons around us fought to get away from the ring, we and surprisingly Lord Fafnir stayed behind. He must have realized whatever it was Jack had as well. I just wished the guys had let me in on it.

  “You aren’t going to do it,” Gretchen taunted, her hands on her hips with a sneer. “You hit me, and your precious mate will get hit too.” She spat the word in my direction. I’d have been offended if I didn’t think she was about to get zapped.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Raiden shot me a wink before he took the handful of lightning and slammed it into the ground.

  Lightning swept through the ice, electrifying the ground. Gretchen couldn’t get away fast enough. Electricity surged through her, sending her body into spasms that shook her body so hard she couldn’t even scream.

  While I watched her vibrate, I braced myself for a shock of a lifetime, but it never came. The lightning didn’t even come close to anyone outside the ring. That’s when I saw it.

  The rivets in the ice.

  “That’s how he did it!” I cried out, pointing at the ground. “He wasn’t dancing. He was splitting the ice so his lightning wouldn’t be conducted to us.”

  �
��He’s either smarter than I thought or even more of an idiot.” Firestar grinned, too proud to admit he was impressed.

  As Gretchen collapsed to the ground, still convulsing, Lord Fafnir stood and nodded, a smile on his face.

  “Well played, Raiden.” He gestured at the lightning dragon. “It seems you’ve won this round.”

  Raiden did a little bow which was received with a mixed response. No one really knew what to think. He had outsmarted all of us, that was for sure.

  “Well, while this has been educational,” Firestar cleared his throat before nodding to Jack as Raiden approached us. “You’re up, buddy.”

  “It would seem so. I’ll try to put on a show for you that rivals even Raiden’s.” Jack’s pale blue gaze met mine, and I reached out and ran my hand through his long white hair with a smile.

  “Go kick some ass.”

  12

  The crowd shifted, and excitement filled the air. It was as if they knew who would fight next and they couldn’t wait.

  I knew I couldn’t.

  “Are you ready?” I asked Jack as he took in the crowd.

  He didn’t seem worried at all. “Of course. I prepared all year for this, why wouldn’t I be?” Jack shot me a breathtaking smile before climbing into the ring.

  The crowd roared when they saw him. He was an obvious favorite of the village. Not that I could blame him, he was one of mine too.

  The poor bastard fighting him didn’t get much of a reaction, sadly. I almost felt bad for him being outcheered by my guy, though, not as bad as he was going to feel when Jack knocked him out.

  Moderately built and shoulder length hair, I didn’t pay enough attention to catch his name but knew he wouldn’t last long. There was a bit of a quaking to his movements as if he was a half-second away from running for the hills.

  When Lord Fafnir called the fight to start, the man did indeed run. Around the ring that is. He darted back forward, never staying still long enough for Jack to get a hit in which was probably the point.

  With each swing, Jack grew more impatient. His demeanor changed as the smile slipped off his face, and he lashed out, fist arching through the air to once again catch a whole lot of nothing.

  “Stop running,” Jack said, voice cold and angry. “It’s no fun for anyone.”

  “Don’t be mad because you're too slow,” his competitor called, then he stuck his tongue out. “That’s it!” Jack sprinted forward, tearing across the ring, and as he did, I caught a flash of a grin on his opponent’s face.

  “Jack, watch out!” I cried just as his no-name opponent struck. He shifted forward on his heels as his left foot shot out in a kick that would have leveled Jack.

  As it stood, Jack barely had time to dodge. He stepped sideways, feet sliding across the ring as his opponent’s foot whipped by him.

  Unfortunately, the guy hadn’t counted on missing, and as he stumbled forward off balance, Jack slammed his elbow into his back of his head.

  The speedy fighter crashed to the ground, and as he lay there, I realized he was out cold.

  “That was quick.” Lord Fafnir eased into the ring and pushed Jack’s foe with the edge of his boot. He grunted but didn’t get up.

  With a disappointed huff, Lord Fafnir turned to Jack. “Looks like we have a winner!”

  The crowd clapped and cheered, but overall, they seemed as disappointed as Lord Fafnir was. Apparently, that was too easy of a win for their precious Jack.

  “Good job.” I smiled at Jack as he came back to our side.

  Jack scoffed. “Hardly a decent fight. I’d expected more.”

  “Yeah, that guy was a bit lacking, that’s for sure.” Raiden shook his head, clearly unhappy with the fight.

  “So, what’s next?” Firestar asked.

  “We eat lunch, and then the next round begins.” Jack offered me his arm, which I gladly took.

  As we made our way back to the main house, several dragons clapped Jack on the back and either congratulated him or expressing their disappointment. If the next rounds didn’t sate the crowd, we might have a riot on our hands.

  “What will the next round be like?” I asked as we took our seats in the dining hall. “Will you guys go against one another?”

  “The next round,” Jack started as he filled his plate with various meats, cheeses, and nuts, “we’ll face off with the winner of the other rounds until there are only two left. Then those two will fight until there is but one.”

  Raiden shoved food into his mouth and pointed his fork at Jack. “Who knows, Jackie boy? We might end up facing off each other again.”

  Nose scrunched up in disgust, I kicked Raiden under the table. “Swallow, then talk. And who says you will? Maybe it will be Firestar or even none of you at all.”

  Firestar threw an arm around the back of my chair and leaned in close. “Are you questioning our abilities? Or do you need a reminder of how capable we actually are?” The rumble that came from him caused me to shiver as it settled low between my thighs.

  Rubbing them together, I leaned over toward him until our mouths were barely inches apart. My hand slid into his lap and played along the inside of his thigh, making his breath hitch. With a coy smile, I brushed my lips against his and murmured, “But do you know how capable I am?”

  Firestar opened his mouth to answer, but my hand clamped down on his length, startling him so much that he jumped in his seat. His thighs hit the bottom of the table and knocked his cup over, spilling the cold liquid right into his lap.

  Quickly moving away, I covered my mouth as I tried to stifle a laugh. Raiden and the rest of the table didn’t bother, laughing and pointing at Firestar’s predicament. Even Jack let out a chuckle.

  Glaring down at his wet lap, Firestar turned his eyes to me. “Why you little minx ...” He reached for me, and I darted out of my seat, rounding the table to hide behind Raiden. “Don’t think Raiden will save you this time.”

  I stuck my tongue out at him and ducked down beside Raiden’s chair. Hands wrapped around my waist and I was lifted into the air with a screech. Raiden grinned up at me as he handed me off to Firestar.

  “You traitor,” I growled, kicking my legs hoping to hit something precious. “What happened to hoes before bros?”

  “I think you have that backward, love.” Raiden shook his head and laughed. “Besides, you have to admit that you deserve this. Just take your lickings like a good girl. Who knows? You might even like it.”

  My face flushed hotly at his words, a visual reminder that I had indeed liked the last spanking I’d gotten. Still, it didn’t keep me from fighting tooth and nail as Firestar dragged me out of the dining room.

  Firestar didn’t take me to our room as I expected, but stopped us in the hallway beside a door I didn’t recognize. Frowning, I started to ask where the heck we were, but Firestar didn’t give me a chance. Shoved inside, I found myself in a linen closet.

  Backing up until I was on the far side of the little closet, I shook my head. “I don’t even want to know how you even knew this was here. I just want to get this over with.”

  “Really now? I’m hurt.” Firestar placed a hand on his chest with a fake pained expression.

  “No, you’re not,” I countered, crossing my arms over my chest. “Nothing hurts you.”

  Firestar shook his head and moved on me. “Now that’s where you are wrong. Many things hurt me, and most of those are from you.”

  My glare softened as my arms started to drop. That was the wrong thing to do. Firestar was on me in an instant, pinning my arms above my head and his hips trapping my own.

  “You have been a very bad girl, Maya,” he murmured against my face, causing those silly little tingles to reappear. “What am I going to do with you?”

  My eyes fluttered shut as his mouth slid across my cheek, stopping briefly to nip at my earlobe before going lower. His hot breath caressed my skin before his mouth covered the junction between my neck and shoulder. As he sucked on the flesh there, I gasped and almos
t collapsed as my knees gave out on me. Firestar shifted so that one of his hands held mine while the other wrapped around my waist, keeping me upright.

  “Not fair,” I whimpered through his assault. I only had one weakness when it came to foreplay, one that Firestar knew and exploited often. There was no better way to rile me up quickly than to love-bite me. What that said about my personality I’d leave for my therapist to figure out, if I ever got one.

  Releasing my neck, Firestar asked, “And what you did was fair?”

  “No,” I pouted, licking my lips as I tried to think of a way to appease him. “I was just playing around.”

  Firestar straightened back out, letting go of my hands to stroke my bottom lip. “There are so many better ways to play around than to damage something that gives you so much pleasure.”

  I snorted before I could help it. My hand shot up to cover my face, my eyes going wide. “I didn’t mean that. I swear.”

  Shaking his head, Firestar smirked. “Just keep adding up the insults, and it might never find a way to pleasure you again.”

  “You don’t mean that,” I accused, calling his bluff.

  “Don’t I?”

  “You’d really leave Jack and Raiden to pick up your slack?” I was playing with fire, I knew that, but I couldn’t help it. He brought out the competitive side in me.

  Firestar growled, his eyes flashing red. “No one can take my place, and I think it’s about time you kiss and make up.”

  I cocked my head to the side, confused by what he said. He gave me no time to figure it out as his hands went to my shoulders and pushed. “On your knees.”

  Eyes widening, I glanced down at Firestar’s pants and then back to his eyes. “Really? Right here?” I peeked around him to the closet door which didn’t have a lock. “But anyone could walk in.”

  Lips curled up into a wicked grin, Firestar said, “Exactly.”

  I fought against my better nature telling me this was a bad idea. I wasn’t an exhibitionist by any means, but I wasn’t a prude either. If I was honest with myself, it wasn’t the first time I’d done something naughty in a public place.