* * * *
With the lemonade set on the table along with plates of cake, the first of the makeshift army started to gather.
A slim, wiry man with dusty brown hair strode in, followed by a taller man, both dressed in blue jeans and black t-shirts. Amber was startled by the taller man’s stark white hair. He also had pointed tip ears and lavender coloured eyes.
Terrie climbed to her feet to greet them.
“Terrie, my love, you’re looking positively radiant. Oh, is this your famous, homemade lemonade?”
Terrie laughed. “Of course, Darren, I always keep it on hand for you.”
“And me.” The white haired man came in to hug Terrie and glanced down at her swollen belly. “Good god’s woman, you’ve swallowed a planet.”
Darren rolled his eyes. “She’s pregnant, you twit.”
“But she’s huge.” The white haired man gestured to her stomach with both his hands.
“Darren, I think you need to switch Slazz to decaf.” Terrie didn’t look offended, she grinned.
The slim man with dusty brown hair, hazel eyes, and a grin slapped the back of Slazz’s head. Slazz glared and growled, flashing white and pointed sharp teeth at Darren, but he took no notice.
“Way to go, Slazz. Don’t insult the woman with lemonade, you don’t know one end of a kitchen from the other.”
“Of course I do, love, with you bent over each surface, maybe I should try getting you pregnant.” Slazzamar didn’t even try to hide his suggestive tone.
“TMI, Slazz, TMI.” A blush crept over the handsome, young man’s cheeks.
Terrie laughed. “C’mon, meet Amber. She’s mated to Brimstone. Amber, this is Darren and Slazzamar. If you haven’t already noticed, they're a couple.”
“Uh, not to sound rude, new to all this paranormal stuff, but—”
“What am I?” Slazz grinned. “I’m the baddest mother-fucker this side of any realm,” Slazzamar boasted, with a wicked gleam in his purple eyes.
Darren snorted, but his gaze dropped to Slazzamar’s arse as he turned and walked off. “He’s really softer than a marshmallow inside, and to answer your question, half-demon, half-elf.”
“Elf?” Amber’s head spun, though at the same time, she wanted to reach for her pen and paper.
“Amber’s an author,” Terrie announced.
“Really? How cool. I’ve met gods and vampire kings, but I’ve never met an author before.” Darren plopped down into the seat next to her. “Lovely to meet you.”
“And she writes sexy, romance stories,” Terrie added with a grin.
It was Amber’s turn to flush bright red.
Darren chuckled. “Even better, not enough of it if you ask me. If you write sexy, erotic gay, let me know. I’ll be your number one fan.”
The door swung open and two more large men came in, one holding a bubbly looking brunette between them. She wore a lovely, flowing, sky-blue dress, highlighting her curves.
“Here is the infamous trio. That’s Jax and Dar, both dragons, and their mate, Sky.” Terrie introduced.
“I don’t know why we’re here. We got kicked out of the Dragon Realm,” Jax whined.
“Because both realms are going to be overrun with demons if we don’t. Anything which threatens our mate, we deal with, dumbass,” Dar pointed out.
Sky rolled her eyes, and headed to the gathering of women and one gay guy. Terrie embraced Sky before turning their attention back to Amber.
“Meet Amber Anderson.”
“The author?” Sky’s eyes widened. "My boys bought me a Kindle and I can’t get enough of those sexy, erotic stories. Terrie's been sending me the links.”
“Hey, aren’t we enough for you babe?” Jax’s arms slid around Sky’s waist.
“Amber meet Jax, one of my horny dragons.”
“One of?”
Sky giggled. “Yeah, I got lucky and have to deal with two mates. The one talking to Kaden over there is Dar.”
“Deal with? I’m wounded, babe.” He kissed her neck and winked at Amber.
Sky twisted in his arms and patted his chest. “Go play with your friends, and let the women have their chat.”
“A dragon’s work is never done,” he grumbled, but mirth shone in his green eyes. He released his mate, casually striding to where the men were standing, talking.
“Damn, I’m missing out on these books, aren't I?” Darren said, reaching for the lemonade and pouring the glasses, handing it out to the women first.
“You’ve got to read these, they’re hot.”
“I love a good romance. Mine and Slazz’s story is one to tell.”
This piqued Amber’s attention. “I’d love to hear your stories. All of them.” Her gaze swung around the room. It looked like a cover model convention.
Terrie squealed as another woman entered, preceded by another tall man with pepper grey hair. She raced over and they embraced, talking hurriedly to each other.
“Alistair and Leah,” Darren supplied, pouring himself a glass of his favourite lemonade. Two men suddenly appeared in the centre of the room. Amber needed to blink to realise despite the different length in hair and clothing, they were identical.
“The gods have arrived.”
Amber’s eyes widened and she stared at Darren casually sipping his cool drink. “Gods?”
Darren rose to his feet. “Sumerian moon gods. Not too much power now, but fucking amazing fighters.” He got to his feet, walking over to greet the twins. Their eerily golden eyes took in everything around them before they shook hands with Darren in warm greeting.
Kaden strode back in, followed by Brimstone, Slade, and three more strangers. Brim bee-lined to Amber, his red eyes drinking her in like water to a man dying of thirst. She jumped to her feet, her focus on him alone.
He pulled her into his arms and she sank against him, loving his strength.
“You alright, baby?” He kissed the top of her head.
“I’m good, Brim. Is this everyone?” She surveyed the gathering.
“Everyone who could be spared. Apparently, there’s more trouble in other parts of the Human Realm, some place called London.”
“Right everyone, listen up.”
The one called Neman spoke up, and everyone quieted and turned their attention to him.
“Sin and I have checked out the situation Brimstone and Slade alerted us to. I always feared this may happen, that demons would seek other avenues to get through into the Human Realm, since, well as you know, my wife and sons sealed them in. It’s a sizable army.”
“We’ve faced and fought bigger,” Slazz stated, sounding almost bored. Some of the men rumbled in agreement, including her Brim, who hadn’t let go of her.
Darren moved to rejoin Amber along with Sky, Terrie, and Leah.
“I’ll explain what he means later,” Darren whispered for her benefit.
“We need to move before dusk in a little over two hours,” Neman said. “Demons are always stronger at night. If we take this to them now, they will be at their weakest. So, armour up and make preparations. We’ll move as one unit in twenty minutes. Once we’ve broken through the main mass, Slade, I want you to head through the portal and get word to your King. Hopefully, there will be no demons guarding the other side. The dragon army can mop up any stragglers trying to get back through your portal.”
Slade nodded. “Got it. Don’t get killed, don’t let any escape, and bring back some more ass kickers.”
Excitement throbbed through the group, making the air thick with tension and testosterone. Some of them vanished, including the twins, only to return a short time later wearing ancient-looking armour and weapons strapped over their bodies. It was way cooler than going to a renaissance fair where they played at medieval battle.
No, this was the real thing, and a tremor of fear ran through her. Her guts twisted, the realisation sinking in Brim could actually get killed.
Brim sense her fear and hugged her tighter. She wished they were alone, so sh
e could voice her fear. She gazed up into his eyes.
“Don’t get killed, will you?”
A feral smile crossed his lips. “With you to come back to, baby, not a fucking chance.”
“Good, because if you die, then I’m going to come after you and beat you with your own tail if you do.”
Brimstone grunted, not caring if they were in a crowd surrounded by dragons, gods, and warriors. He staked his claim on her lips, kissing her with the hungry passion, she loved so much. “I’ve no doubt you would,” he whispered against her lips. “This is what I do best, baby, so try not to worry; you’ll be safe here with the others.”
“Always left behind when it comes to battles,” Darren sighed as Brim set Amber down onto her feet.
“Single missions are different. Big battles, no.” Slazzamar cocked his head to regard Brim and Amber before focusing on Darren.
“I’ve been training hard,” Darren whined. Slazzamar snagged his mate and planted a kiss on his lips. “I know, love, but you know I can’t risk you. Still human, remember.”
Darren rolled his eyes. “Fine, I’ll stay here and guard the women.”
“You need to tell me your story and catch me up on, well, everything,” Amber added, trying to help lift his spirits. She hated being left behind too, but what use was she against an army of demons?
“I’d be delighted.”
Darren brightened at her words, and then turned to his partner. “Go kick some demon arse. I know you’ll get cranky if you don’t get a good kill quota in.”
“You know me well, love,” Slazz smirked. Another brief kiss, and he slid away from Darren.
“Time, dragons and others.”
Neman raised his voice again. “Follow through my port on the mark of three.”
“Why does it always have to be three?” Jax queried. “Nothing wrong with a good three and three-quarters or four.”
“I’ll tear you into four quarters if you don’t shut the fuck up,” Brim growled at the talkative dragon.
Sky rolled her eyes again, and Dar folded his arms and glared at his brother. The way they goaded and made playful jibes at each other, one wouldn’t think they were about to face an army of eight hundred demons.
“Gee, Brim, I thought getting a mate would mellow you out.” Jax looked up at Brim.
“He’s more deadly now he has one.” Slade nodded, standing next to Jax.
“Save it for the battlefield,” growled Neman.
“Mark!”
Neman disappeared, and then so did everyone else, leaving the sighing women and Darren.
Amber jumped when Terrie put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry, a dragon is worth twenty demons. They’ll be fine.”
“Sore, tired and hyped-up when they get back, so food, shower, and sex is in order,” Darren said, still staring at where they vanished from. They all turned to stare at the man. “What? You ladies haven’t been through a major battle before. All Slazz wanted to do after was—”
“We get the picture,” Terrie cut in, shaking her head with a smile.
“And I want to know all about the other things,” Amber said as they moved to sit around the couches. Darren flopped down on the larger sofa, and patted it for Amber to join him with a wide grin.
He leaned in, his hazel eyes gleaming with mischief, as if about to share a major conspiracy.
“Then, let me tell you about Moon Shadow Agency.”
Chapter 11
Brim couldn’t stop thinking about how much he wanted to spend the next few years simply exploring Amber’s lush body, and having his dick buried in her as much as possible. However, he needed to clear his head and focus on the battle about to start.
They had already agreed, it would be best to split into groups, and attack from different angles to confuse the demon forces, and stop them from becoming organized enough to fight back en masse.
“You think she’ll want to live in this realm, or our realm?” Brim asked Slade.
“Buddy, you’ll have to ask her that, not me.”
“I want to keep her safe in my cave and never let her fucking leave, but I think she won’t like that.”
“Your head’s not in the game, is it?”
Brim grunted, not wanting to reply. Damn Slade for being so fucking observant.
“Think of it this way, every single demon down there is a threat to Amber. If they don’t die, she will. They will touch her, no doubt rape her, and make her suffer before killing her.”
“Demons do love to fuck. The more pain they inflict on their victims, the better they like it.” Slazzamar added to the conversation, throwing highly flammable fuel on the already dangerous fire of Brim’s protective rage.
His body shook and he barely held back a roar, not wanting to alert the east side of the encampment, they were currently sneaking up on. Fury thrummed through his veins and neither he, nor his dragon would be satisfied until the sand ran red, blue, and offish-green with demon blood. Nothing threatened what was his, and lived.
Smoke billowed from his nostril and his fingers clenched, his body tense and ready to attack.
“Thatta boy! Do it for Amber. Be her dragon hero.”
When they heard the signal, Brimstone shifted into his dragon, roaring as he charged down the hill, leading the attack.
With the adrenaline pounding in his ears, his vision filled with nothing but enemy, he killed anything crossing his path and went chasing after any, who tried to flee. Bones crunched and flesh tore, no one escaping Brimstone's brand of justice. Covered in blood, they managed to fight their way to the portal. Slade vanished through it while Brim and Slazzamar threw themselves back into the fray to help the others.
* * * *
“Holy fucking shit!”
Darren was the first to react when the door of the dining hall blew apart, startling all of them. Amber saw the sleek gleam of a hand gun from Darren, who whipped it out from under his loose, black t-shirt.
“Get into the kitchen and out now!” Darren yelled, his weapon aimed, firing off several rounds at the large, bulky, wrestler-built men. Amber saw their red-rimmed eyes and knew whatever was behind those eyes was not human.
Darren got off several shots, knocking three down before the other two overwhelmed him, knocking the gun from his hand. Amber gasped, watching as they hit him hard enough to send him flying backwards and slam down hard on the pool table, making Amber wince.
She didn’t hesitate, running over to her fallen and seemingly unconscious friend. His t-shirt rode up in the fight, and she saw the grip of another hand gun in the front of his pants. Her hands trembled and her heart pounded so fast, she feared it would burst out of her chest. She grabbed the gun, yanking it from the waist band and swivelled around to protect him against these things. Scared as she may be, she wouldn’t leave Darren undefended.
Startled shrieks made her glance to where the others had tried to escape. They were backing up into the main dining hall. Terrie gripped a kitchen knife in her trembling hands as they were surrounded from all sides.
Never having held a gun before, she waved it at the approaching creatures. “Back the fuck off!” she yelled, trying to imitate Brimstones growly, threating tone.
She heard Darren’s groan, indicating he was still alive. “Broken ribs, fucking hurt. Slazz’s gonna kill them, and then make me want to die with a lecture.”
“I don’t know how to use a gun,” Amber whispered at Darren.
“Hold your breath, aim for the head, and pull the fucking trigger.” Darren’s voice was weak as he instructed her.
She did exactly what he said, shocked by the power of the weapon, but it didn’t stop her from firing again and again. A scream tore from her lungs when they surged forward, tackling her and ripping the gun from her hands. She kicked and fought, but they were too fucking strong, pinning her easily.
“Tut, tut, you shouldn’t play with dangerous things, little girl.”
She paused her struggles and looked up. A tall, wiry m
an, dressed in a grey suit, but his white shirt open at the collar, stood in the middle of the room. He looked like he was in his early fifties.
“Marcus Grekko,” Terri hissed, her eyes narrowing on the man. “I heard rumours you were dead.”
Marcus’ thin lips twisted into a bitter smile. “Those rumours would be true, my dear, but death has made me stronger and immensely more powerful.”
Terri shook her head. She was confused by his presence. “Serpent Mountain is gone. If you’re here for revenge—”
Terrie and Leah told Amber all about Serpent Mountain, how greedy mining tycoon Marcus Grekko came after the well of immortality on the property, threating the life of both her and Kaden, but after Terrie, Kaden, Slazzamar and Darren put a kink in the tycoon’s plans, Slazzamar blew the hidden chamber to kingdom come, so no one could go back. Marcus escaped and no one knew what became of him, until now.
“Come now, Miss Holbrook. Revenge is so petty. You have to look at the bigger picture, something I didn’t see until I was reborn.”
“Not many have the power to bring someone back from the dead.” Darren’s voice was breathless as he pushed himself up from the table. “My guess is you’re a walking corpse puppet for something or someone else.”
Anger flashed in Marcus eyes. Darren must have hit the nail on the head with his statement. “I am no one’s puppet. Every paved path to success has some stones you need to get around before you reach your destination.”
Darren groaned. “I don’t know what’s worse—my broken ribs, or his fucking fortune cookie dribble.”
“Kill the elf’s mate.” Grekko’s eyes narrowed on Darren.
Amber tensed. She needed to do something, she couldn’t let them murder Darren. “My dragon’s going to tear you to shreds! He’s worse and meaner than any other. They call him Brimstone the Crusher, killer of demons.” The advancing creatures hesitated only for a second.
Shit, shit, shit! You’re a writer, Amber, make something up. “We have a strong, telepathic link, and he already knows you’re here and he is coming. You’re all going to die!” God, she willed it to be true, sending out mental screams for help in any direction she could.
Dragon Down Under: Her Dragon Hero Page 10