by Ophelia Bell
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
“Just close your eyes,” he said, coming back around the counter and standing before her, this time not making any effort to conceal his erection.
“Are you going to fuck me?” she asked, her voice catching on the word “fuck.”
“Not until you beg me to. I am going to make you feel good, though, if you’ll just do what I ask.”
She took a deep, shaky breath and nodded, her full, round breasts making his mouth water the way her nipples perked up at his words. Finally, her dark lashes fell, her lips parting at the same time and quick breaths coming as though she were starved for oxygen.
Dion help me, he thought as he focused his power on shifting into the shape he knew would provoke the desired response from her.
Chapter Eight
Nikhil
Pidurutalagala, Sri Lanka, Present Day
The concentration of magic grew stronger the closer they got to the center of the island. Nikhil stared down over Belah’s blue-scaled shoulder, his hair whipping in the wind as she glided in a tightening circle over the jungle below. Iszak and Lukas kept pace on either side, their energy palpable through the shared bond of their dragon marks and the magic of the North Wind that now filled Nikhil’s lungs.
Ked and Aurum flew to either side as they descended to what would be their new headquarters as they geared up for an all-out assault on their enemy. They’d already begun the week before when Calder had agreed to be the bait to their hook.
Meri wouldn’t be able to resist recapturing the powerful satyr once she discovered she’d lost him. The one detail that had worked in their original failed trap was that she’d believed she’d locked Nikhil into that room with Nicholas, and she had no further use for a puppet whose strings had been cut. As far as she knew, Calder had escaped, and she’d been enraged to the point of blind fury, which had ultimately seen Calder and Nicholas trapped and left for dead inside the abandoned facility in Canada.
Nikhil had instructed Calder to keep up that ruse and pretend that he’d escaped all along. Now that they had ensured Meri could no longer strip him of his connection to the River, they would have no trouble locating him wherever she took him.
The gold starburst pattern on the roof of the temple caught the bright sunlight and flashed in Nikhil’s eyes. Beneath the polished dome cupola of the temple roof, the stairway inside came into view as they descended. Belah arced around, and wide stone balconies nearly covered in thick, viny growths became visible surrounding the cupola. The throng of flying creatures aimed for these entryways to the temple, landing and immediately shifting or dismounting as they streamed in from the air.
Nikhil had ordered the entire army to follow them here and now stood back to observe as every dragon and turul they could recruit flew in and proceeded to follow Ked and Aurum down the staircase into the temple itself.
“Do you need us?” Belah asked when the last dragon had departed down the stairs with a final salute to Nikhil. Only his mates remained behind, Lukas and Iszak standing nearby with sharp eyes scanning the horizon.
“I can manage on my own for this,” he said. “I’ll meet you in the throne room below when I’m done.”
The two turul nodded and departed, but Belah hesitated. “This is old magic,” she said. “The oldest. This temple existed long before the first hibernation. The magic’s been concentrated over several millennia, grown stronger as time passes, as though dragons have lived here all along, though we know it’s remained empty. That alone speaks to the timeless power of this place. If you can’t harness it …”
He frowned at the worry in his lover’s gaze, her pretty brows knitted together and her fingers tangled before her slightly swollen belly.
“This is only dragon magic, little beast. Trust me to know what to do with it after all this time. It’s just a piece of what I plan to use to fortify this place. Your power is better reserved for the baby. We’ll need you too much later. Go rest.”
He pulled her in and cupped the sides of her jaw, kissing her gently on the forehead. When he reflexively slipped his hands down to encircle her throat with his long fingers, she let out a soft moan and her eyelids fluttered closed. His cock stiffened to a painful degree and he gritted his teeth. He ached to take her here. He’d had too little of her since their reunion, and none of her to himself, every moment having been shared with her other two mates.
“Go,” he said gruffly. “We will have time when this battle is won.”
But she didn’t move, and he didn’t release her. With a rough jerk that surprised even him, he pulled her to him and crashed his mouth against hers. Their lips collided with bruising force, the kiss a hungry dance of lips and teeth and tongues. She dug her fingernails into his neck, raking up to his scalp as she sank into him with a desperate groan.
Nikhil still hungered for her like a man starved, even after she’d given him what he’d always wanted from her. Especially after she’d given him that. The marks on his wrists and around his neck gleamed in the dimming light of sunset, as strong a signal to his desire as the hard arousal that pressed against the hollow between her thighs. But he didn’t have time for this. His centuries-old craving for this woman … his pet, his wild little beast … would have to wait a little longer.
Forcing himself to release her, he stepped back with fists clenched at his sides. Her gaze burned with longing that reflected his own need, but she nodded.
“Hurry,” she whispered before she turned to go.
Spinning around, he surveyed the jungle canopy that spread out beneath this mountaintop temple. The faint cloak of power shimmered several yards away. From the ground and the air, no one without dragon blood would be able to see it, but it was old and most certainly wouldn’t protect the place from Ultiori hunters if they got wind of its existence. The jungle had all but taken over the monolithic structure, and even to a trained human eye, it would appear as no more than stone ruins covered in vines. It had been constructed with the painstaking care of all the dragon temples, however, and imbued with powerful magic during the process.
This temple, the first of all the dragon temples, was the perfect spot to set up their base of operations.
Nikhil stretched his arms out in front of him, bent his hands at the wrists, and faced them palm-out, feeling for the field of power that surrounded the temple. With the power of all four races infusing his being, he focused, drew magic from the winds, from the setting sun, from the earth beneath his feet, and the deeper flow of an underground aquifer he sensed far below. The power flowed from his palms, latched onto the existing barrier, and fortified it. A shimmering dome extended up and around as he continued to pull the magic through his body.
Then he closed his eyes and focused on the warm power of the marks that branded his neck and his wrists, and drew on the new power that filled him, the power he would not have had without the acceptance of Belah and her mates. He stretched his arms out to the sides and tilted his head back, relishing the sharp bite of pain of his shackles, the symbols of this new power.
From his fingertips on one hand shot brilliant streams of light, and darkness from the other. The light of the soul-deep love for his goddess, his ’Iilahatan, and the darkness of their shared desires that had only been magnified by the pair of mates she’d chosen in his absence.
Sweat beaded on his brow as all the pain and love and devotion he’d held for so long fueled this last push of energy into the field of magic that would not only cloak, but permanently protect their new headquarters. No one would pass through without his say-so, from either side.
When he opened his eyes, he stared up into the black velvet of the night sky dotted with millions of brilliant white stars. The barrier was done. Now to get to work.
He descended the narrow staircase that led down into the temple. Warm light filtered from recessed pockets in the walls, illuminating his path
. Several long flights down, the stairs finally ended at a hallway. The scent of food reached him from somewhere nearby and he perked up, realizing that he was starved after the long trip first from the turul Enclave, then from the dragon Monastery to reach this ancient spot. There was movement through a large, arched doorway beyond, where he guessed the great hall was situated. Belah’s sister must be busy preparing a feast for throngs of soldiers he’d recruited over the past few weeks.
He would allow Aurum this initial indulgence, but after tonight, the gold dragon would have to delegate the task of cooking to others. He needed her too much for their primary task during this mission.
“Do you wish to sit?” a gentle female voice asked, drawing Nikhil out of his planning. He turned to see a petite woman with brilliant green eyes that slanted in her olive-toned face. He frowned at her.
“What do you mean?”
She nodded to the center of the room at the huge jade throne that rested there. “You were staring at it,” she said, one eyebrow raised. “I’m more than willing to take charge—it is my responsibility as Queen, after all, but considering the company I’m in and the goal we all share now, it seems like you are better suited for that particular position of power at the moment.”
Nikhil let out a soft snort. “Sitting isn’t my style,” he said, then regarded the young female dragon. “Racha, is it? Thank you for rallying the dragons and bringing them all here. I wish we could have recruited more turul, but Sophia informed me the Enclaves are too spread out. They’re on alert for any needs we may have at least, and will be ready to move at a moment’s notice.”
She nodded. “The rest of the Court and I are at your command. Is there anything you need?”
“A war table,” he said, eyeing the platform where the throne rested. “That throne is useless to us.”
“Consider it done.” Her eyes flashed with green light, and seconds later a handful of big, pale-haired Guardians came into the room. White smoke billowed out of their mouths as they surrounded the throne, drifting in a cloud to encompass the hunk of green jade, and the stone began to change shape.
Before his eyes, the throne disappeared, replaced by a huge stone table the width of a large dragon. Wisps of smoke concentrated so tightly on the surface it looked like dozens of small snakes darting around as a map took shape. The rugged landscape of the map shifted swiftly, areas sinking deep while others rose up from the flat shapes of continents. Ethereal smoke filled the deep depressions, grew clear, and settled with small ripples to indicate liquid.
The Guardians had created a scale replica of the entire planet by the time they were done, then seemed to hesitate, congregating and whispering.
“This is more than I need,” Nikhil said. “It’s amazing, frankly. What else is there?”
The dragon who’d been introduced as Roka looked up and said, “The higher realms, sir. We can mark the locations of the entry points, but we only know the landscape of the Dragon Glade.”
“Then show me what you know and we’ll figure out the rest.”
Roka nodded, and a fresh plume of white smoke billowed from his nostrils. The others joined in, and within a few more moments there were four small globes hovering above the map of the Earth, each a swirling mass of color he knew represented the element commanded by each of the higher races. A blue globe for the Haven, a white one for the Enclaves, a green one for the Sanctuary, and a red one for the Dragon Glade.
Beneath the hovering globes, the map lit up with multicolored lights, showing him where the portals were for each of the worlds. Only the Dragon Glade had a single point of entry, but the seven hibernation temples were also marked. Four green marks glowed for the different Sanctuary portals, four white ones for the turul Enclaves. The Haven’s access was nonexistent, however.
Nikhil cursed. They needed Calder for this. No one in his army knew a thing about the Haven, and that was the one place they needed to focus on.
When he looked up, he realized a crowd had gathered, dozens of eyes regarding him expectantly. One pair in particular, deep green flecked with silver, caught his attention.
“Nicholas,” Nikhil said. “Is your link to Calder … safe?” He still had a difficult time even thinking about the blood meld his surrogate son had taken part in a week earlier.
Nicholas nodded. “It’s strong. He assured us it’s unbreakable. Aurum and I have a link not only to him, but to his sister in the Haven and to her mates as well. Calder may not be able to report in often where he is, but we can report for him.”
“Where is he now? Is he still in Madagascar?”
“He’s been captured as planned,” Nicholas said, his jaw clenching just slightly, betraying his frustration at not being near his satyr mate. “They have him in transit now, headed north, as far as we can tell, but he has no idea what the destination is.”
“And you and Aurum have the capability to drift without him?”
Nicholas gave him a patient smile. “We are him, noshi. The blood meld made us one soul. Our powers are merged now, so yes, we can both drift to wherever we need to go.”
Nikhil froze at the old paternal endearment the young ursa used for him. His gaze fixed to Nicholas’s face and a solid stone seemed to block his throat. He was not the boy’s father, but perhaps was the closest thing to one that Nicholas had ever had.
“And your mind …” Nikhil began, forcing the words past the tightness and failing. He shook his head. “Never mind. Everyone out except for Nicholas and Roka. I need you two to finish this map.”
The observers departed, chatting among themselves, leaving Nikhil with the young ursa he’d long considered his adopted son and the dragon Guardian from the Court. The white-haired Roka stood back with arms crossed, waiting patient and silent. Nicholas, however, came forward and placed both hands on Nikhil’s shoulders.
“My mind is strong and is my own. What Meri did to you is nothing like a true blood meld is meant to be. She raped your mind, noshi. The bond I share with Aurum and Calder is purely consensual and built from love. Gavra, Assana, and Silas have the same kind of bond, and we are all stronger for it. We will beat her.”
“Good,” Nikhil said, unable to keep the rough edge of relief from his voice. “Because the three of you are the key to getting to Meri and neutralizing her once she’s shown us the location of Calder’s father, if the man is still alive.”
“Finding Nereus is the best path to protecting the Haven. At least we all agree on that.”
“It’s a defensive measure only. Our aim is still to destroy Meri, but understanding what she may be after helps us strategize. If we are correct about her goal, she will try everything to reach the Source to use its power. But she is still unpredictable and holds immeasurable power as long as she still maintains control of the Ultiori and all the facilities the organization owns. Even after reclaiming my memories, I know there are gaps in my knowledge about the organization. She kept me in the dark most of the time she controlled me. Gave me the illusion of power while I pursued my own agenda of revenge against the dragons.”
“I thought your agenda was to create a child and you lost interest after finding me,” Nicholas asked.
“Oh, I still wanted a child. One that would resemble what I imagined a child of Belah’s might look like. Meri seemed to prefer encouraging the violence, however. I think that’s where the breakdown in our link began. She pushed that rage too far. And when I learned Belah was in the world again, the contradiction between Meri’s influence to have me kill and my desire to be with Belah finally made me snap. Of course, without Belah or Evie North’s song, she’d have been able to regain control. But I would have been little use to her. And now that I know I have a daughter … Well, let’s just say that there’s only one thing I have to do before my life is complete.”
Roka shifted positions off to the side, uncrossing his arms and dropping his hands. Nikhil redirected his atten
tion to the big, white Guardian. “Are you implementing operation Wildcard?”
Nikhil’s eyebrows rose at the mention of the mission he’d sent his Elites on now that Calder was in position as an Ultiori captive. “How do you know about that?”
“I listen,” Roka said, but didn’t elaborate.
“I’d like it to be a surprise for Belah. So if you don’t mind, please don’t mention it outside this room.”
“Yes, sir,” Roka said, and Nikhil gave him a sidelong look, but the big dragon was clearly a man of few words. Despite his high rank among the Court, he was at his heart a soldier, which was clear to Nikhil by his keen attention and solid bearing, not to mention his deference to his superiors. He appreciated the Guardian’s economy of speech and knew he would follow commands without question.
The project Roka had mentioned excited Nikhil, but so far only Ked and Kol knew of it, which meant one of them likely mentioned it to Roka. He turned back to the map, his gaze gravitating to the glowing dot in the center of Australia.
Somewhere in the world right now, his two oldest Elites were en route to that spot—the newest dragon temple to be built and the one where his daughter Asha currently lay in hibernation.
The very second he’d given Naaz and Neela permission to embark on their journey, they’d left. Naaz hadn’t granted him a backward glance, but Neela hesitated before following her twin brother. The lithe, beautiful, dark-skinned warrior he’d trained and raised as his own had looked back at him as though she needed his blessing to go.
“Zorion is yours, Neela. Go find him.”
She’d come back to him and gazed up into his eyes. “I’m not thinking about Zorion right now, Sayid. You know what is missing. What we must find at the end of this. I need to know what happened to the baby Meri took from me.”