Dracones Boxset Books 1-5

by Sheri-Lynn Marean

  “We can handle things here, but what about you? It’s just the two of you there,” Tierney said, and Sami could feel her and Jax’s worry for him.

  “We’ll be fine. We need to take care of this asshole,” he said, imagining all the suffering he’d love to put this Deacon through if given the chance.

  “Shit. Fine. Let us know if you need anything. Oh, and Brimstone got a call right after you left from someone needing help. He took off as well.”

  “Okay. Keep in touch, let me know you are all safe,” Sami said.

  “Yeah, you too,” Jax said.

  Sami turned back to Hellfire. “They are preparing so you can stop worrying about them,” he said, even though he felt a momentary twinge of worry himself. He wasn’t there to help his family if they needed him.

  Sami pushed that worry aside, he was where he was needed most at the moment. Then another thought intruded. “He did that to you, didn’t he?” he asked, nodding towards the scars on her body.

  Hellfire tensed up, then her shoulders dropped again. “Yeah I, ah, went after him and it didn’t work out too well for me.”

  Sami narrowed his eyes on her. “Brimstone mentioned that you had disappeared for a while back then.”

  Hellfire sucked in a deep breath and let it out.

  “Yeah. Deacon held me against my will for over a week. The things he, ah—” She shook her head. “Anyway, Nera, she works for him. She snuck in one night while he was out. She got me out of there, hid me until I healed enough that I could move once again, and crawl back to my siblings.” She shuddered.

  Sami bit back his anger and ground his teeth at what he imagined the monster did to her. “How is this Deacon prick still alive? After all he’s done? I’d have thought you and your siblings would have taken the fucker out by now.”

  Hellfire swallowed deeply. “They don’t know that Deacon had a part in any of this.”

  What? Judging from her scars, she would have taken weeks to heal.

  “How is that even possible? Didn’t they wonder, question what happened to you?” he asked, beginning to get angry with her siblings as well. Why hadn’t they noticed the condition she would have been in when she returned? Didn’t they care?

  Hellfire shook her head. “I told them I was mugged. I couldn’t bring myself to tell them what really happened,”

  “You told them what? Shit! And they believed that?” he asked, stunned at their lack of concern.

  “Well, I’m not sure they actually believed me,” she said wryly.

  Sami felt anger coursing through him. If it had been his brother or Tierney, he’d never have bought a story like that.

  “Sami, we were all grieving our parents. It was just easier to buy my story, and I couldn’t tell them the truth. If they found out they’d have gone after Deacon. They’d have gotten hurt or worse, killed. I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t lose anyone else.”

  Sami ran a hand through his hair. “Why didn’t you just tell me, or your brother or Tierney about the call tonight?” he asked then sighed at Hellfire’s blank stare. “Don’t answer that. I can see it in your eyes. You thought I’d gone back to Goldy,” he said, hating that he’d left her alone to think the worst. That he hadn’t told her before how he felt, but then he’d been scared too. Gods, how fucked up is that?

  Hellfire bit her lip and nodded.

  Sami sighed. “Well, I didn’t. I couldn’t do that to Goldy. She deserves someone who can give her their whole heart and soul, and that isn’t me.”

  At the disbelief in Hellfire’s eyes, he nodded.

  “I know you are scared to believe in love again, but you are the only one for me. I feel you in here,” he said, rubbing his heart as he watched her eyes widen then she shook her head.

  “No, it’s too dangerous to get attached to anyone,” she said.

  Sami frowned at her renewed panic. “Hellfire, I’m not Deacon.”

  “I know, but—”

  “But nothing. I know you can feel what I feel as well,” he said.

  Hellfire shook her head. “I can’t, Sami, you don’t know what he’ll do.”

  “He needs to be stopped. He needs to pay,” he said, but she was adamant as she stood up and backed away.

  “No. I can’t go through this again.”

  Frustrated, Sami stood as well. “Well, I’m not leaving without you.”

  Hellfire stared at him and he could almost smell her fear.

  “I love you, you are my soul mate,” he whispered.

  Hellfire blinked and tears sprang once more to her eyes. “No. He’ll kill you.”

  Sami stood up and walked over to her. “No one is going to kill me, at least not tonight.”

  Hellfire shook her head. “He’s done it before. If I’m ever with anyone else, he kills them.”

  Suddenly, more of the puzzle fell into place. Sami swallowed the acidic hatred at how this Deacon prick had terrorized his mate—his woman. He really hoped he’d get a chance to tear him apart, make him suffer. Even his dragon was raging for blood. “I promise, I’m not easy to kill,” he said quietly as he wrapped his arms around her.

  Hellfire shuddered then her arms came around him, and she held on tight. “Please, Sami. I can’t lose you too.”

  Sami held her. He never wanted to let go. He also knew he’d protect her with his life if he had too. “Shh, it’s going to be okay,” he whispered when he felt a slight breeze across his back.

  “Aw, isn’t this nice,” remarked a sarcastic voice in the doorway leading to outside.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Deacon

  SAMI STIFFENED AND HIS DRAGON ROARED, both ready to let all his rage loose on the bastard behind him.

  “Deacon.” Hellfire’s voice filled with fear, amped his anger up another notch.

  Sami turned and growled at the pretty male in his flashy suit and manicured hands standing in the doorway from the balcony. When Sami instinctively tried to tuck Hellfire into his side, she moved away from him.

  “My sweetling, I thought my last lesson would have been burned into your mind,” Deacon said in a syrupy voice that made Sami want to ram his fist down the guy’s throat along with all his pretty bleached teeth.

  Hellfire glanced at Sami then swallowed hard, and raised her chin. “I don’t belong to you, Deacon.”

  At her words, the asshole laughed. “Oh, but you do belong to me, and only me.” Then he turned his murky grey and pale brown eyes on Sami. “Did she tell you that we’re married? That she’s my wife?” he snarled, showing his true colors.

  Shock filled Sami at that news. He had not expected that.

  “I can see she didn’t inform you of that,” Deacon said smugly.

  Sami saw Hellfire’s hands fist at her sides as she waited for him to reject her. He could see her waiting for him to reject her. Then he realized it didn’t matter if she’d married this guy while she was young and naive, believing she was in love or under coercion to keep her siblings safe. He knew she hated and feared Deacon now, and besides, she was his soul mate.

  “No matter, I will just take care of you like I did the last guy she dared to go out with,” Deacon said to Sami.

  Sami felt Hellfire’s fear, it was so strong it was almost paralyzing. Of course, that only made him angrier.

  Hellfire shook her head as she looked back at Deacon. “No, you will leave him alone. He has nothing to do with this.”

  Deacon let out another phony laugh. “Ha! That’s what you said the last time, right before I made you watch while I cut your boy-toy’s head off,” he said, advancing into the room and leaving the door open behind him.

  Sami began to see red at Deacon’s words and his power rose and he moved closer to Hellfire. He could feel her surprise. “I told you I wasn’t leaving,” he said and for the first time, he felt a faint tendril of hope rise inside of her. She swallowed and nodded.

  His hands and arms began to tingle as his shirt disappeared. Green scales appeared along his arms, shoulders, a
nd back. His fingers grew into ten-inch-long claws. Hellfire sucked in a breath beside him.

  Deacon smirked.

  “So, you want to fight?” he asked, though Sami detected a note of worry in the prick’s voice. “She’s really not worth it you know.”

  “To me she’s worth everything, and yes, I like a good fight. And my dragon likes bird meat,” Sami said, shooting a smirk at Hellfire.

  He heard her suck in a breath, but whether it was from his remark and its innuendo or because his eyes were now glowing, he didn’t know. Inside, his dragon raged, ready to battle, eager to tear their enemy apart.

  Unfortunately, he couldn’t fully shift into his dragon and hope to move while inside this little room, so he needed to stop at a half-shift. At least, he hoped he could stop. The urge to completely shift was hard to ignore and he’d never actually done a half-shift until now.

  “You need to go,” he hissed at Hellfire and indicated the door leading into the hall. Then he stilled as Tierney contacted him telepathically. A moment later, her voice was gone. Sami glanced at Hellfire. “Go.”

  His little spitfire shook her head. “No. I’m not leaving you. You’re sure everyone else will be okay?” Worry shone bright in her eyes and he knew she was thinking about the Phoenixes that Deacon might have at Sami’s home.

  Sami smirked. “Oh yeah. They are all just fine.”

  Hellfire nodded, then turned her defiant gaze on Deacon. “I’m no longer a young naive girl, and I’m tired of running.”

  Deacon had removed his suit jacket and laid it over the chair in the corner of the room. He shrugged. “Suit yourself. I told you what would happen if you defied me. Now you will get to mourn more of your family and friends, and your newest boy-toy.” Deacon grinned and started toward them when what looked like a missile flew in through the door from the night. It hit Deacon in the back, tossing him to the floor.

  Sami had seen Brimstone coming and swept Hellfire out of the way, careful not to hurt her with his claws. Brimstone wings were tucked into his sides and his eyes were full of fury. He didn’t even glance at them as he landed on Deacon’s back and began to pummel the shit out of the bastard.

  Sami could see a few other Phoenixes hovering around outside the window, but no one interfered with them.

  “You fucking bastard,” Brimstone raged as he swiped and cut with his own claws, leaving Deacon’s pristine white shirt in shreds as it soaked up his blood.

  Moment later Deacon managed to throw Brimstone off and the two rose to their feet and began to circle each other.

  “Aw, I see you escaped my ninjas,” Deacon said.

  Brimstone laughed. “Your ninjas no longer follow you. Did you think they followed you out of loyalty?” Brimstone glanced over at Sami and Hellfire. “I’m hurt I wasn’t invited to the party,” he said then he narrowed his gaze on his sister.

  “You should have told me,” he said, before turning his attention back to Deacon. “You will pay for what you’ve done to my sister, to my family.”.

  Sami shielded Hellfire as Brimstone went to work on Deacon, using all his training and experience as he sliced and slashed at the other man. At one point, seeing that he was losing badly, Deacon used a lull in Brimstone’s attack and shifted into his Phoenix form. It didn’t matter, he was no match for Hellfire’s brother, and if Sami thought he was angry over the bastard’s treatment of his mate, his anger was no match for Brimstone’s fury.

  Finally, Deacon lay on the floor, bleeding heavily with his arm shielding his face as he panted and begged Brimstone to stop. Eyes blazing, Brimstone took a deep breath and Sami could see him still shaking with fury.

  Brimstone turned to Hellfire. “He’s yours,” he said, letting his sister take the kill.

  Hellfire went for Deacon, but he twisted around and shot out the window and into the sky.

  “No,” Hellfire screamed and before she could shift into her Phoenix form, Brimstone was already in the air and racing after Deacon.

  Sami followed Hellfire to the balcony, watching as she took off after her brother, then he drew on his power and jumped, completing his shift midair.

  With a powerful thrust of his wings, he surged through the night sky, flying after his mate. There was a group of at least ten other Phoenixes flying with them. Whether friend or foe, Sami didn’t know, but he wasn’t about to let his guard down and chance any of them hurting his family because that was what Hellfire and Brimstone were now.

  Sami landed right after Hellfire up on a hill about a quarter mile away to find Brimstone was once again kicking Deacon’s ass. Nearby ten Phoenixes hovered mere feet off the ground, watching with emotionless expressions. He wondered what would happen once Brimstone finally killed Deacon, then realized it didn’t matter. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt what was his.

  Finally, Brimstone held Deacon down with a foot on the guy’s stomach. “Hellfire?”

  “No, don’t, please—” The coward started to beg, quickly glancing between Hellfire and Brimstone. “Please, you’re my wife,” he said, grasping at straws.

  Hellfire sneered down at Deacon. “Your wife? You forced yourself on me, you bastard, just like you did so many others. You gave me no choice.”

  At her words, Brimstone sucked in a breath and ground his foot into Deacon’s stomach, making him cry out.

  “I once offered you my heart. I was willing to defy my parents for you, but that wasn’t enough for you. No, you had to take them from us. Then, when I came to see you, believing it was all some kind of mistake, you made me yours. You used me, and beat me to within an inch of my life.” Hellfire shook her head as she kicked him in the side. “You and your puny little cock. You think you are all that, don’t you? Well, you’re not. I have a real male in my life and he’s got more heart, more courage and honor than you could ever dream of having. Plus, his cock is much bigger and he actually knows how to use it,” she said, earning chuckles from the other Phoenixes all around them.

  Hellfire ignored them and spat at Deacon. “You disgust me, you’re pathetic, and really not worth my time.” Then she looked at her brother. “He’s all yours.”

  With a nod, Brimstone wiped the tears from his eyes.

  Hellfire walked back over to Sami, who after shifting back into his half-form, enfolded her in his arms.

  “Sami, I, ah … I love you,” she said, staring up at him.

  Sami swallowed deeply. His heart felt like it was going to burst. “I love you too.”

  A moment later, amid a chorus of cheers, they glanced back to see Brimstone holding Deacon’s head in his hands.

  “I have to get this to Nera. She’s holding the ninja Phoenixes at bay at your place,” Brimstone said to Sami.

  He and Hellfire nodded and watched as Brimstone flew away with the head.

  “We’ll take care of the body,” one of the other Phoenixes said, and a bunch of them picked up Deacon’s body and flew away.

  “Well, that was … interesting,” Sami said.

  Still in his arms, Hellfire nodded then bit her lip. “So, I don’t know about this. I mean, trouble seems to follow me, and—”

  “Hellfire—” He began but she pulled away from him.

  “Sami, you’re a dragon. I’m a Phoenix. You should be with Goldy. You are both perfect for each other. Like two peas in a pod. You’re both dragons, both tall and beautiful, you almost match.”

  Sami growled, frustrated. “Hellfire, to me, you are the most beautiful woman in all the universes.”

  Hellfire shook her head. “Ugly, yes. Plain at best, but beautiful, never.”

  Sami gaped at her. “You really have no idea, do you?”

  Hellfire rolled her eyes and began to turn away.

  “No, don’t. Please,” he pleaded and reaching out, gently grabbed her arm to keep her from moving any further away. “Look. You may not see it but I do, and like I told you earlier, you’re my soul mate. I care about Goldy, sure, but she deserves someone who can love her in the same way that I love you.”r />
  Hellfire’s eyes grew wide and then she blinked. “I just don’t know Sami.”

  She really had no clue of what she did to him, how she affected him. “Hellfire, you own my heart, my soul. You. No one else. I know this isn’t what you wanted, but please don’t push me away,” he whispered.

  “What happens if I do?” she asked and Sam knew his words had made her uncomfortable. She was teasing him, but he couldn’t bring himself to make light of it, her last rejection was all too fresh in his mind.

  “Please. I don’t think I could survive it again,” he whispered.

  Tears trickled down her cheeks as she reached up and took his head in her hands.

  “I’m sorry for hurting you like I did. I never meant too. I was just so—” She sucked in a breath and let it out. “Ever since Deacon killed the last man I went out with three years ago, I’ve been terrified to get close to anyone and that, combined with the dream, thinking you were going to kill Nix, well I—”

  “I get it, I’d have been scared too,” he said, but she shook her head.

  “No, it doesn’t excuse how I treated you. I’m so sorry, Sami.”

  Sami nodded and turned his face into her hand. Her touch felt so good and he yearned for more. Then he met her eyes. “Hellfire, I don’t think you realize how much power you have over me.” At her frown, he nodded. “You have the power to destroy me. I can’t live without you. I don’t want to live without you. You are my soul mate, the only woman I want.”

  “It’s just, what if—”

  “What if, what?” he asked.

  Hellfire swallowed. “I just don’t think I could survive if you changed your mind later, and decided you’d rather be with her,” she whispered.

  Sami shook his head. “Hellfire, please, it’s not going to happen. I can feel your fear, but I also feel your love, here,” he said, indicating his heart.

  Hellfire stared up at him and he could see she wanted to believe. He nodded and took her hand and pressed it against his chest. “Can’t you feel my love for you?”

  Hellfire stared at her hand on his chest. “I—” She nodded and her luminous silver eyes met his. “You do something to me. I’ve never felt this way for anyone.”