by Ophelia Bell
One of the men feinted in a misguided attempt to catch Nikhil off-guard. He barely even blinked, but the stunt caught the others’ attention for the split-second he needed. Without a sound beyond the gust of air leaving his lungs, he leapt at the man who seemed to be in command of this squad.
The blue blade brightened, the light quickly turning red as he swiped it across the man’s throat, cutting in a wide arc that might have appeared careless, but wasn’t. On the backswing, he buried the blade in the thigh of another man with pinpoint accuracy.
Jugular, then femoral in a single swing. Two men down, or soon to be once they bled out.
He used the man beneath him as leverage, anchored his hands on the ground and flipped up and off, landing squarely on his feet facing the remaining three.
This would be trickier now that they were on guard. They came toward him, slowly closing in. While they couldn’t actually hurt him, capture wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility, and that absolutely was out of the question.
The sudden silence in that moment made his blood go cold. His first victim no longer sobbed from his wound. He couldn’t fix his senses on the position of that man who he hadn’t had time to outright kill. He silently cursed. If he hadn’t craved inflicting pain so much, he’d have given the man a mortal wound at least. There was no way he’d bled out from being sliced across the eyeballs. So what had happened to him?
The other three closed in and he braced himself, dagger at the ready. Then they paused, eyes going cloudy for a beat before clearing again to a solid, complete, midnight black that reflected the world like dark orbs of polished obsidian.
“You thought you could hide from me, didn’t you, fool man?”
He had only a moment to register the familiar mad timbre of the words before his feet were knocked from under him and he went down with a heavy thud onto the hard stone. A pair of slick hands pressed to his throat and he looked up into the bloody, blinded eyes of his first victim, whose actions were now dictated by the additional eyes of the men who Meri now controlled.
He slashed upward with his dagger, but he was too slow. Another man fell on him, knees pinning his weapon arm to the ground while the other two pinned his other limbs.
No. This could not happen so close to the start of their mission. No amount of surging blue fire could stop Meri once she had control. Their pain mattered little to her as long as she got what she wanted. Every hunter in her employ was expendable.
“Oh, baby, don’t look so sad,” the feminine voice cooed from the lips of the scruffy, swarthy figure looming over him. “I missed you. I think we can work things out, once you come home. I have even more power now than I had when you left. Remember that satyr I thought was so useless? The one you seemed to like so much? Well, I caught him again. Turns out he’s far more powerful than he let on. And I have a small surprise for you. I wanted to show you, but you left so unexpectedly I didn’t get the chance. That Blue bitch’s baby is nothing compared to this. You always wanted your own spawn. Well, you can finally have it if you return to me.”
Nikhil struggled in their grip, his stomach on the verge of rebelling simply from the sickening sweetness of Meri’s tone.
The world turned fuzzy and a rushing sound filled his head. He yelled in protest at the telltale signal of a drift beginning. Then a roar filled his ears and he braced himself to be pulled into the rush with his captors.
The weight suddenly disappeared from his legs in a flurry of black fur and golden scales. His other limbs were freed a second later as the bodies went flying. Nikhil slashed upward with his freed knife hand, burying the blade once and for all into the blind man’s throat. He fell limp, releasing Nikhil’s neck, and the undertow of the drift ceased.
Jumping up into a crouch, he stared around. A massive golden dragon pinned one man with her taloned foreclaw and tore into his chest with the second bloodied claw. Then he turned and stared with horror as another man lunged with drawn blade onto the massive black-furred bear that held the last man down.
“No!” Nikhil yelled, sprinting toward Nicholas. Aurum turned and immediately let out a panicked roar. Neither of them were fast enough. The hunter buried his blade into Nicholas’s back and clung to the hilt, twisting it hard.
Too late, Nikhil reached him, launching himself at the man’s back, grabbing him by the chin and swiping his blood-covered blade across the man’s neck. He tore the man away and threw him to the ground.
The big bear didn’t move for a moment. Then with shimmering green magic, he shifted beneath Nikhil. The blade clattered to the ground and Nicholas grunted.
“Can you get off me a sec? I think I wrenched my shoulder.”
Frozen, Nikhil just stared down at the bare, muscular shoulder. There wasn’t even a scratch on it, but the bones jutted out in a grotesque fashion, pushing at the muscle and skin until it was white.
He rolled off, allowing Nicholas to shift his naked body off the mauled corpse beneath him.
Aurum shifted and rushed to her mate’s side. “You scared the shit out of me!” she said, but her words were directed to Nikhil.
“He had a blade. I was too late …” Nikhil said dumbly.
Nicholas chuckled, then winced. “One of the bonuses of being blood-melded, it seems. Flesh as impervious as a dragon’s.”
Aurum shook her head. “You can still dislocate a joint, though.”
“No thanks to four hundred pounds of dead weight landing on top of me. Ow.”
Nikhil marveled at the pair, who were clearly all in one piece and had quickly come to his aid.
“Thank you,” he said. “She would have happily locked me in a cage for eternity if she’d captured me.”
“We’d have rescued you, noshi. The dragon we took back to base has some intel you’ll want to hear.”
“We’ll head back as soon as I secure a barrier around this location. Drag the bodies inside and burn them. We don’t want any other hunters following a trail to reach this place.”
The pair hesitated and glanced at each other. “We aren’t going back with you,” Aurum said.
“Why not?”
“This island is the last place Calder was before Meri drifted him away. It’s the best place for us to begin tracking him to wherever we lost our connection. I can sense his essence here as strongly as if it were my own. We can’t waste time.”
Nikhil gave them both a curt nod, barely blinking when Aurum refocused her attention on Nicholas and swiftly jerked his arm back into its socket. The ursa grunted, his face going pale for a second before he let out a long breath.
“Are you all right to travel? That will ache for a few days.”
“All I need is a night with my girl and I’ll be good,” Nicholas said with a grin. He stood, and within a breath Aurum had him clothed in cargo pants, boots, and a t-shirt, much like the hunters they’d just killed. Before his eyes, she shifted as well, until she was just as indistinguishable from the hunters as Nicholas.
“We’re starting at the Ultiori compound,” she said. “We will try to get word to you as soon as we know something. Kol gave us the locations of the various cells of Shadows and Guardians in the direction we think we need to go. We’re hoping to catch up with the injured dragon’s squad mates.”
Nikhil nodded. “Boreas guide you,” he said, and watched them walk down the hill in the direction the hunters had come from.
As they left, he realized what he’d just said and couldn’t help but laugh. The turul saying hadn’t been part of his vocabulary before, but saying it gave him an odd sense of belonging that he hadn’t had until this moment. A dragon and an ursa had just defended him from attack by men he had once commanded. Had killed for him.
He set to work summoning the magic required to create a barrier around the entrance to this dragon temple. Then he dragged the corpses down the steps and into the temple itself, shutting the door behi
nd him. He’d station Guardians here and in each of the other temples the portals went to. They would provide useful access points to the rest of the world.
And he and the others could set about recruiting more of the higher races to fill out his army. If today was any indication, Meri had indeed grown stronger. Who knew how many soldiers she could command with a thought? They needed to be ready.
Chapter Sixteen
Vrishti
Chilly air hit Vrishti’s skin, rousing her from a comfortable sleep filled with dreams of all the orgasms she wished she could have while waking. The funny thing about the orgasms in her dreams—they somehow never left her quite satisfied. They were as elusive and insubstantial as a mirage, and she always woke up wanting, but had never wanted a climax so much as she did now that she knew how to achieve one, but was not allowed to have it.
She blinked up into the darkness, disoriented by the unfamiliar surroundings. Shadows of wooden beams shot across the ceiling above her, cast by winter moonlight from outside. She turned toward the dim light to a frost-rimed window and the snow-blanketed forest beyond. She’d kicked the down comforter off in her sleep, it seemed, which was unlike her. Reaching to the side, she gripped the corner and tugged, but it didn’t budge.
Her stomach turned a flip as the prior afternoon rushed back in a blur. Neph naked, transforming himself into the lover she most wanted to be with, and then all the glorious things they did, naked, to each other.
He was still in bed with her, and now she remembered that last lethargic thing he’d said after she’d made him come in the shower then led him to bed. She’d managed to lose herself to the fantasy of being with Aodh, until the moment Neph had broken character and referred to her by his own pet name for her.
Kitten.
She propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at the barely recognizable mound of blankets beside her. A black-haired head and the side of a smooth, sculpted cheek was all that was visible amid the puffy comforter-covered lump. The rest of him was curled up in a tight ball, completely wound up in the blankets. All the blankets. And he was shivering.
Vrishti’s lips twisted into an amused half-smile. Sure, it was cold, but not that cold, was it? The fire in the fireplace must have died down during the night, but she didn’t even have goosebumps.
She carefully slid off the bed and fumbled about in the dark for the robe before remembering she’d worn it downstairs that morning and left it there. Probably better that she didn’t put the thing on, in case he woke up and chided her for not staying naked as instructed. Her nipples pricked, only partly from the chill air. For the first time since discovering her nature, it hit her how little she minded being naked. The cold didn’t bother her, but it clearly took its toll on Neph.
She quietly padded out of the room and down the stairs. The living room was cast in a deep, warm glow from the embers in the fireplace, but the fire had burned down to coals hours ago. She grabbed a poker and shifted the charred remains around until tiny flames flickered to life against a remaining chunk of blackened firewood. Then she added several dry logs on top and waited, watching the fire rekindle and begin to burn with renewed heat.
As much as she didn’t mind the cold, the warmth felt amazing and she continued standing in front of the blaze, letting the heat sink into her naked skin. It almost matched the remnants of need that still pulsed insistently between her thighs. Taking a deep breath, she forced her thoughts away from that for the moment. Her estrous was taking its sweet time, but she needed a break from the effort.
She lifted her gaze from the fire to the knickknack-covered mantel in front of her. It boasted all manner of odds and ends: an assortment of little hand-carved sculptures; blown-glass figurines; pebbles and bird feathers and other found objects; and at one side were family photos.
She stared at the pictures with a smile, realizing that the cute children in them must be the ursa queen, Emma Stonetree, and her cousins. There were several images lined up on the mantel and hanging from nails driven into the chimney itself, all with the same pair of men and the three kids at various stages in their young lives. One girl was always just a little taller and had a big, happy grin, while the smaller boy and girl to either side seemed a little more hesitant to pose for the camera. In most of the pictures, Vrishti recognized the cabin itself in the background, though it was much bigger now than in the photos. They must have added on over the years to accommodate the growing kids.
She glanced around the room, sighing softly at the enticing sense of belonging and comfort in this place. She was family too, and was grateful for this mini-sanctuary outside the Sanctuary. She would have to remember to thank Emma for this when she returned. If she returned … She had no idea what to expect from this mission of hers, only that the man currently huddled in the bed upstairs was intent on helping her access her magic so they could complete it.
Her stomach flip-flopped again, partially with hunger. They’d had lunch then fallen into bed after that amazing shower and slept the evening away. It was well past midnight now, and she hadn’t eaten since. Food hadn’t seemed to matter as much when all she really wanted was him.
She glanced at the ceiling. Neph. Not Aodh, as he’d pretended to be all afternoon. Aodh was who knew where … or when … And as much as she’d enjoyed pretending, she was a fool to let that pretense go to her head.
The fire blazed and crackled, and she added another big log that she hoped would keep them warm through the morning. Then she rummaged through the fridge for a quick snack before heading back up the stairs.
Her hunger pangs had dissipated, but her stomach still churned as she made her way down the hall. She crept back to the room where Neph still slept, recalling how he’d wrapped himself around her just before drifting off. She’d never slept with a man, and it seemed odd how easily she’d given over to the comfort of his arms. And how eager she was to return there, even though he wasn’t the man she was doing this all for.
She paused in the doorway, her heart pounding in her throat. The room had heated while she was gone and Neph now lay on his back, the covers kicked off onto the floor. He still slept soundly, his broad chest rising and falling in slow, even rhythm. His strong, lovely features were serene, and she couldn’t help but be reminded of the saying, “Still waters run deep.” The nymphaea were water shifters, after all. No wonder he was so damn sensitive to temperature.
Whatever he was dreaming about must have been hot, judging from the erection that jutted up between his thighs. Vrishti chewed on her lower lip, staring at his cock. She’d seen him naked and hard that first night, but only for the few moments before Cade had yelled at him.
Now she had a clear view, albeit in shadows, of the sheer size of him. She stepped closer, pausing at the foot of the bed by one of the sturdy bedposts and marveled at the differences between this sleeping man and the figure of her other lover he’d taken on during the day for her benefit. The contrast was striking now that she had a moment to take him in. Neph’s hair was black, his features more angular, his eyes slightly slanted, and his skin more golden-hued than the stark white of the dragon he’d pretended to be.
His dick was just as glorious, but also shaped differently—more uniform in thickness, whereas the cock he’d shown her and let her pleasure the day before had been thicker at the base and tapered to a flared mushroom head. Neph’s own cock was girthsome throughout, curved in a subtle arc, the end wrapped in a foreskin with the shining tip barely peeking through. Her palm tingled with the urge to touch, to caress what she knew would be hot, silken skin. Would he taste the same as he had while pretending to be the dragon?
Her core tightened with a fresh wave of desire, wetness coating her upper thighs. She didn’t want to wake him, but this was an ideal opportunity to push her body to its limits again in an effort to trigger her estrous.
Cupping one breast, she thumbed her nipple and dipped her other hand between her l
egs. She found her clit hard and swollen, just as she’d left it when she’d fallen asleep in his arms. She stroked herself gently, closing her eyes with a sigh and leaning her head against the big bedpost.
Just enough to get close, that’s all … Think of Aodh and how he’ll feel when you find him …
But she found she couldn’t picture Aodh just then. All she pictured was the image she’d just been gazing at of Neph lying naked with a huge hard-on. One she’d give anything to be able to climb on top of and feel sinking deep into her aching channel.
She opened her eyes as her fingers worked at her swollen flesh, and froze. Neph was awake, his dark, hypnotic gaze fixed on her and his hand gripping his cock.
“Come back to bed, kitten,” he rumbled. “Let me do that for you.”
Vrishti swallowed and nodded, then moved mutely around the bed and climbed in beside him. He turned onto his side and tugged her close, turning her so that her round backside was tucked tight against his erection. She let out an involuntary moan and her core clenched with the rising ache of need.
“This is my job,” he murmured in her ear, sending a shiver of pleasure through her entire body. He gently cupped her breast and pinched her nipple, toying with it for several seconds until she squirmed. Then he slid his hand down between her thighs and let out a low growl of approval at the flood of wetness that greeted him.
His touch became hypnotic, his fingers teasing between her thighs until she could barely stand it, moving up to caress her breasts, then simply roaming over her body until the unbearable ache for climax dissipated. Then began again, never stopping until she finally drifted off from the sheer exhaustion of every nerve in her body aching for release.
Chapter Seventeen
Neph
Neph’s cock throbbed painfully against the warm cleft of Vrishti’s ass. He longed to bury himself inside her, impatient for her body’s cycle to kickstart and her estrous to begin. Her soft curves pressed against him were the most decadent indulgence for his senses. Even with the ache of pent-up desire, he somehow didn’t mind simply touching her—driving her pleasure as close to the peak as he dared before easing her back down again.