The creature sneered. “He mated you. I can smell it and see his mark. It will be an easy trap, they will both come, and they will both die.”
“T…trap? Die? Just w…what the h…hell are y…you?”
She couldn’t stop her chattering teeth.
“Silence, human, or I’ll rip out your tongue.”
Brimstone's abrupt charm suddenly felt like a chocolate fudge sundae with all the trimmings. She missed it, missed him. Damn it, how did she end up being the helpless female from one of her stories, waiting for her larger-than-life hero to swoop in and save her?
Good god, she was. Man, she was so going to change her female characters if she survived and got back to her warm hotel. She groaned, realising she didn’t have her own hotel room. This was real and fucked up, and the numbing cold told her it was not fiction.
Hang on, what did it mean 'trap'?
The creature obviously didn’t think of her as a threat. He turned his back, still staring out over the lake. Anger warmed her belly. She took a deep breath, stilling her shaking to grab a large rock in her hand and rise to her feet.
If he was an actor, she was about to be in a lot of trouble, but if it was a demon, then no foul, but she would be damned if she let anyone hurt the one man who made her feel more treasured and desired than anyone ever did.
Sure, he was rough around the edges, but the look in his eyes when she caught him staring at her made her heart pound and her stomach flutter. Not to mention, his amazing body she could stare at and explore for eternity. What was there not to want?
Creeping up behind the thing the best she could, she raised her trembling arm, ready to clock the thing over the head. A loud roar made her jump in fright as a stream of red and orange flame lit up the night sky, and she saw the huge, red dragon it came from.
“Amber!” Brimstone's deep, worried voice sounded in her head.
Holy shit, that’s my Brimstone?
“Yes, my love, it’s me. Hang on.”
The tattoo on his chest was nothing compared to the real life version now diving straight at them. He was huge and his scales gleamed brightly in the moonlight. Momentarily lost for words, all she did was stare, he was so…so…“Magnificent.”
The creature turned, snarling at her and making her stumble back a step.
“No, human, they are dead,” he hissed, before turning and yelling. “Now, come now, we need to kill both dragons.”
“Oh, no, you fucking don’t, he’s my dragon, asshole.” Amber swung with all her strength, but the thing was too quick, catching her hand before it could connect with the side of his head. Pain exploded across the side of her face when he struck her and she spun, falling sharply onto the stony shore.
The distraction was enough. Brimstone swooped in, the creature screaming as Brim's huge talons caught it, lifting it from the ground and into the air. She winced at the crunching sound when Brim tore it in two with his powerful claws.
The dull thud of its remains hitting the ground made her stomach churn. She took in a slow, shuddering breath. Brim’s ruby jewelled eyes gleamed when he landed and chuffed warm, woodsy air over her. Oh, god, the warmth felt so good.
A little bit hysterical from the shock of everything happening, she clambered to her feet, hands on her hips, and glared up at her big, red dragon looming over her.
“Well, about time! Are you going to get me out of here, or let me freeze my arse off?”
A shimmering red mist surrounded the huge, red dragon and he shrunk down to his human height. While stepping through the mist, she watched the last of his scales melt into his body. Standing totally nude, in all his delicious, buffed up glory, he yanked her roughly into his arms, the heat of his body making her want to crawl under his skin.
“By the gods, Amber, I’m never letting you out of my sight again, even for a second!”
“Nice to see you, too. What the hell happened? What was that thing, and where the fuck are we?” she managed to demand with her face squashed against Brim’s hard, lovely, warm chest.
“That thing was a hunter demon. It teleported you here. I don’t know where we are, but I can tell we’re still in the Human Realm. Are you hurt?” He held her away, his red eyes scanning for obvious injuries.
From behind them, a large golden dragon flew in, landing gracefully on the rocky ground. In the same manner Brimstone transformed into human, Slade walked casually from his golden mist in human form, also completely nude and utterly gorgeous. No matter how handsome Slade was, however, she didn’t feel anything towards the other man-dragon other than admiration for a nice body and friendship.
“By the gods, it’s cold,” Slade muttered.
“Oh, noticed that, did you?” Amber couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her tone while glaring at Slade.
“Don’t look at him.”
Brim’s tone held a hard edge of jealousy. It would have boosted her feminine pride if not the dark, cold, and creepy demons.
Brim gripped her chin, tilting her head to examine the side of her face. His growl was bone chilling. “I’m going to bring him back to life, so I can kill him again.”
“Ah, there’s the romantic we all know and love,” Slade quipped.
“Shut it, Slade.”
Then Brim did the oddest thing. He bent and started licking her cheek, and near the corner of her eye.
“Eww...what are you doing?” She squirmed under his wet ministrations.
“Be still, I’m healing you.”
Slade chuckled. “Dragon saliva has healing properties. You will heal quicker now, anyway. A human mated to a dragon has some advantages.”
Amber rolled her eyes. “Great. Any more kinky and perverse things I should know about dragons? No, don’t tell me now, just get us the hell out of—wherever here is.” Amber still squirmed until Brim finished with his own brand of medicine before tugging her back into the warmth of his arms.
Slade sighed heavily. “I would agree. Unfortunately, I detected several more portal ripples. More demons heading this way and fast,” Slade said, his eyes scanning the darkness.
“Fuck.” Brim stiffened.
“Well, not with my boys in this state.” Slade glanced down at his flaccid penis, which was an impressive size even when not erect. “Talk about freezing one’s nuts off. They’ve shrivelled to the size of peas! Can we kill these fuckers and get the fuck out of here?”
“All this magic and you can’t change with clothes on," Amber said. "I’m going to go blind. The only naked nut I want to see is shelled peanuts and Brim’s.”
She suddenly remembered what the demon said before the dramatic Brimstone rescue. “That demon thing mentioned something about a trap and needing you both dead. Why?”
“I have many enemies, my little mate. I have killed many demons in the dragon army. Demons often sneak into our realm to cause havoc.”
“It’s what he does best, kill things, and I help out, watching his back,” Slade added.
Brim snorted at his friend. “And how many times have I saved your dragon ass?”
Slade waved his hand. “Semantics! So, how we going to protect Amber and kill the eight demons now creeping in, and I must say very clumsily, to our current location. You know what will happen if we try to teleport her out.”
She felt Brim's chest rumble with an angry growl, not to mention her own body was shaking in fear.
“I’m going to enjoy shredding their insides for daring to take her.” He rubbed his hand down her back, trying to sooth her.
How could she fight against demons? Helplessness swamped her. She groaned, realising: “I really am the helpless heroine, aren’t I?”
“It’s not all bad, sweet,” Slade grinned and winked at her. “Think of what a great book this will make, if we survive.”
“Or, go utterly insane. I’m human, and humans are not used to dealing with paranormal stuff we think doesn’t exist.”
Brim stiffened, his hand stilled. “Time's run out.” She craned her neck back to
see him staring off into the darkness. Slade moved to stand at his back.
“Slade, shift. Amber, I’m sorry, but you’ll have climb on my back and hold on, we’re going to have to fight.”
She was sure it was the fear and insanity of her situation making her more mouthy than usual. Brimstone brought out the best and the worst in her. “Oh, goodie. I get to ride a dragon in my swimsuit, in the freezing cold. Where the fuck are we, Alaska?!”
Brim just grunted in his usual way and let her loose. She stumbled back to watch again in awe as the mist formed around them, and two dragons rose out of the magic mists. Brim lowered his long neck. He had a mane of black hair and, when she stepped up to put her hands into it, found it surprisingly soft.
“Hurry! Climb on and hold tight.”
Using his leg, she hoisted herself up and sat on the base of his neck, near his front legs. It was a little uncomfortable, and she wrapped his hair around her hands. "Don’t blame me if you have a bald spot after this—and what’s with the telepathy?”
“All dragons can speak to their mates while in dragon form,” Brim projected directly into her mind.
“About that mating thing, you and I are going to have a talk, if we get back to the hotel.”
Slade swung around as two demons leapt forward from the shadows, his tail sweeping them back. He lumbered forward and fire flamed like a blow torch from his mouth.
Brim didn’t reply, but rose sharply up behind Slade with a sweep of his large wings, narrowly avoiding three more twisted, black creatures with glowing, red eyes. One looked like a kind of black jaguar, only its skin gleamed in the moonlight, showing it had no fur.
Brim hovered and she felt his body rumble while she clung on tighter and squealed when he let out his own fire.
The demons attacked with sharp blades and long spears, but Brimstone ducked and dived, using his claws, sharp teeth, and his fire as they fought. All she could do was lean down, and hang on for dear life, as both Brim and Slade quickly tore the enemy apart.
Brim finally landed. Her arms were locked so tight, they ached and her head spun from all the up and down motion.
“Hop down, love, it’s over. They're dead and you're safe.”
It was far from over. Her teeth chattered and she no longer felt the cold. One by one, she unlocked her fingers and swung her shaky legs over Brimstone's back, sliding onto the ground.
“Right, okay, I…um, think I need a nap now.” She stumbled away from him, but his huge tail swept around her middle, holding her up when she would have collapsed. Her head continued to spin, everything finally becoming too much for her to process.
“Fuck, Amber, stay with me, my love. Slade quick!”
She wasn’t sure, but before oblivion claimed her, she could have sworn Brim mentioned something about love.
Chapter 8
“Got everything?” Brimstone stopped pacing at the foot of the bed, eyeing Slade setting Amber’s bag on the hotel room’s side table.
“Of course. I slipped the bus driver some more cash and assured him we were all fine, we didn’t murder Amber and bury her body in the national park somewhere.”
Brim’s eyes slid back to his little mate still sleeping on the bed. More guilt slammed into him, seeing how pale she looked against the white sheets.
After teleporting her back to the hotel, he stripped her of her bathing suit and tucked her under the blankets, while trying to get his unruly cock to stay down at seeing her naked again, feeling fucking awful for lusting after her when she was passed out because of him. What kind of mate was he to let her get kidnapped only moments after he mated her? His chest tightened and he struggled to breathe at the thought he could have lost her.
“She okay?” Slade stepped up beside him, following Brim’s gaze, concern etched on Slade’s face.
Brimstone swallowed, his body still ridged with tension and the feeling of helplessness. Killing things, he knew how to do; caring for an unconscious mate, he never did. “I don’t know. She breathes and her heart is strong. Do you think we should get one of the human healers to have a look at her?”
“I don’t know how it works with humans, but any injuries should heal quicker because of your bond.”
“She’s going to fucking flay my balls when she wakes up.” Brim clenched and unclenched his fists.
“Give her some credit, my friend. She’s tough and sassy. You’ve found a real treasure in her, especially now because she has to put up with your bad temper for the rest of your lives. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of. I know I mated her, but what if she really doesn’t want me? I was a fucking selfish bastard, my dragon riding me to claim her. I did it without her proper consent. What if she never forgives me? Those fucking demons, fucking everything up by snatching her. Hell, she watched me kill them. I know how fragile humans are physically and mentally. What if she never recovers? I’m a monster, all I know how to do is kill. Why the fuck would the gods gift me with something as precious as her?”
Slade sighed, patting him on his arm. “Because you will willingly give up your life to protect her. Does that make you a monster? Have faith. Plus, there is far too much curiosity running around in her little head to really want to push you away.”
Slade smiled while gazing at her. “I really like her, Brim, I feel protective, too—as if she were my sister. Trust your instincts on this. The fate gods wouldn’t have given her to you if she or you couldn’t handle it. The bigger question is why did the demon take her to set a trap for us? I wish you left one alive, so we could have questioned it.”
A stab of rage hit Brim. His jaw tightened before growling. “They take her, they die, and I’d do it again.” It was simple—no one took what belonged to him and lived, especially his most precious jewel, his Amber.
“And therein lies our problem. I’ll go poke my nose around the town, and see if I can catch a whiff of anything. Someone must have known or followed us to know she was yours and use it against us. We have been rather distracted the past few days; it’s not as if we were expecting any of this to happen.”
Slade had a point, but still Brim didn’t like it. There was still a possible threat to his mate.
“I’d appreciate it if you do find out what’s going on. I’ll not leave her.”
“Whipped already. I knew having a mate changes a dragon. Gone all soft now. Ah, battles will never be the same again.” Slade’s teasing was gentle and Brim ignored him.
Brimstone was one bad, mother fucker. Soft indeed! Anyone who dared tangle with him, or look at his mate wrong would know the full force of his fury.
Slade chuckled, taking a step away. “I’ll be back later.” In the next second, Slade teleported out.
Brim sighed, his gaze still on Amber as she began to stir. He forgot everything to focus on her. His breath caught in his throat, seeing her pale blue eyes flutter open, sleepy and unfocused. Gods, she was so fucking beautiful.
Brim didn’t know any fancy words to say. Slade was the word master, and Brim knew how to use his fists and claws. He swallowed hard, dropping to his knees beside the bed. He brushed a silky strand of her hair from her forehead and stroked the smooth skin of her cheek. Fuck, he loved touching her, he loved pressing against her and feeling all her softness pillowing his harder body.
He was hard again, aching to touch more of her.
“Amber, baby.”
She blinked and focused on him with a frown. He watched as the memory of what happened flood her eyes. Her body jerked in utter panic, and she screamed and scrambled to get away from him.
“Amber, Amber, it’s me, you’re okay.” He gripped her shoulders, holding her down while she fought against him.
“Demons, there are demons!”
“Shh, baby, you're safe, they're all gone.” He jerked her struggling form against him, holding her tight in case she hurt herself in her confusion. She calmed and her body softened. He soothed a hand down her back, enjoying her skin and warmth.
“Brimstone?”
He loosened his hold and she sat back, staring at him. “Yes baby, we’re back at the hotel. Everything is okay.”
Her brow dipped while she thought things over. His chest tightened further as her frown turned into a deep scowl, before shaking her head.
“No, no, it’s not okay. Let me go.”
His stomach pitched at her words. She does see me as a monster, and she is going to reject me.
It took great willpower to remove his arms from around her. She climbed off the bed, glancing down at her naked state.
“You put me to bed?”
He nodded, tongue-tied for what to say to her other than wanting to show her, pull her back onto the bed and bury his cock deep within. Fuck, now was not the time for such moves, even if they did help him in the past. He didn’t have any idea how he was getting out of this one.
“How long have I been out?”
“Four hours and twenty-three minutes.” Her eyebrow cocked at his accurate tracking of the time.
“Where’s my suitcase?”
“Over there.” He pointed to the other side of the room where Slade left it. "I’ll get it." Itching for something to do, he quickly fetched the piece of bright pink luggage, laying it on the end of the bed, helplessly watching as she snapped it open and rummaged through it, yanking items out.
Brimstone rubbed the back of his neck, his agitation growing the longer she ignored him. He needed to do something, say something, apologise.
“Amber, I—”
“Don’t.” The fierce anger in her gaze as she glared at him made him stumble back a step. How the fuck did a little, five foot six human woman turn a blood-thirsty, dragon soldier into such a coward? Fear gripped him, because he knew exactly why. She held his most vital organ in her small hands, one he blindly gave her without thought or reservation.
“I’m going to have a shower. Alone.” She stressed the last word. “Order some food, please. I’m starving.”
Demon balls! He didn’t think about caring for her basic needs past keeping her safe. With a bundle of clothing in her arms, he watched her fabulous heart-shaped arse sway while she walked into the bathroom and he flinched when she slammed the door shut.
Dragon Down Under: Her Dragon Hero Page 7