Bk 1 Dracones Awakening

by Sheri-Lynn Marean

  What? No. Oh gods! Jax, why? I’m going to kick your ass for doing something so stupid. But then again, she had known something like that must have happened.

  Fury roared through her veins at how Marcius tricked, used, and hurt him. She bared her teeth and, gathering her power, roared at him. Some of the shovels and rakes, along with a bucket, flew across the room. Tierney heard a satisfying crack as something hit him in the head, making him grunt. Her power rose, giving her the strength to fight harder, but Marcius snickered. At the realization that her fighting turned him on, her power withered and died. She felt dirty and sick.

  With her arms still pinned above her head, Marcius licked his lips again as he fumbled with her leather pants. “You couldn’t have worn something a little easier to take off?” he mumbled.

  This can’t be happening! She needed to find Jax. Things couldn’t end like this, and she knew Marcius would kill her after he finished.

  Tierney went wild. She bucked and screamed, then bit the arm holding her hands over her head. She gagged as blood filled her mouth when she tore a chunk of flesh out of him. Anger flashed in his eyes, and he slapped her across the face. Her head spun but before he could do anything else, she used her head to nail him in the face.

  “Bitch!” he screamed while she twisted and attempted to bite him again. With a growl, he slapped her once more. Her ears rang as he pressed himself roughly between her legs. This time he rested his full weight on her chest, making it difficult to draw air, never mind move.

  With his bloody face staring at her in triumph, Marcius grinned again. Tierney leaned up and sank her teeth into his jaw. She bit down and shook her head back and forth like a rabid dog, making him cry out. With his concentration elsewhere, he accidentally loosened his grip on her hands enough for her to break free.

  Frantic, she shoved her thumbs into his eyes sockets and began to push. She didn’t accomplish much before he punched her in the side of the head. Tierney’s vision blurred and she was done. She couldn’t move. Her body no longer worked, and black fog began to seep through her. Right before she lost consciousness, a loud roar of rage filled the room. Good, maybe I hurt the pig.

  SAMI HEARD TIERNEY’S scream and his heart started to race. “I’m coming Tiern, hang in there,” he said as he supported the young battered guy he rescued from the torture room. He ran, praying he wouldn’t be too late, but as Tierney’s scream filled his head as he neared the maintenance room, a dark rage took over. Releasing the guy with him, he yanked the door open and roared at the sight of his father on top of Tierney.

  Sami rushed inside, snatched the knife off the ground, and with another scream of outrage, he ripped Marcius off Tierney, and slashed his blade across his father’s neck.

  Blood sprayed everywhere as Marcius fell to the ground. His head flopped to the side. Sami’s own blood rushed furiously through his veins, as he freed his smaller dagger and plunged it into Marcius’ heart, twisting it and pulling it out before shoving it in, again and again.

  Finally, he left the blade buried to the hilt in the pulp of his father’s heart, and slid to the slippery floor and stared at the man he had hated for so long. A moment later he pushed to his feet with a shudder and crawled over to Tierney. Anger still pulsed inside of him, even though Marcius lay dead.

  “Tierney,” he called but she didn’t respond and panic set in. “Tiern! Please, open your eyes. Please,” he whispered, fearing he was too late. A sob escaped him when her eyes finally fluttered.

  TIERNEY FOUND SAMI, covered in Marcius’s blood, hovering over her.

  “Tiern, where are you hurt?” His eyes were wild and he sounded frantic.

  “S-Sami?” She blinked, thinking she must be dreaming. “I’m okay.”

  “Come on, then.” He helped her to her feet and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner.”

  “You came.” She frowned. “Where’s—” She couldn’t even say his name.

  “He’s dead. He can’t hurt you,” Sami said, but when she tried to see past him, he blocked her view. “No, don’t.”

  “Okay.” Body aching, she let Sami put an arm around her, and help her out of the room. He shut the door behind them.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked again.

  With the lump on her head, and the cut on her face starting to heal, Tierney began to shake. “Yeah.” She frowned at her ruined clothing, as everything caught up to her. “Thank you.” She shuddered, if Sami hadn’t killed Marcius … Oh shit, Sami killed his father.

  Tierney started to say something, when she noticed they had company. It was the dark-haired guy Sami had ducked into the torture chamber to rescue. He was cut and bruised, naked except for his shredded pants. The caked blood on his ghostly pale skin, reminded her of something from a horror film. Then she realized she likely didn’t look much better.

  “Who are you?” she asked, he seemed familiar.

  “Brim-Brimstone.” He sounded ready to collapse.

  Wondering why Sami had dragged Brimstone with him, she glanced at her friend, then did a double take. He had a glazed look in his eyes. “Sami, are you all right?”

  He nodded without meeting her gaze and then looked down and seeing the blood on his hands, he tried to wipe it off on his pants but that only made more of a mess.

  “Sami?” she asked, but he still wouldn’t look at her.

  Finally, he glanced up and down the tunnel. “We gotta find Jax.”

  “Someone’s coming,” Brimstone said tensing up, and though he was about to drop, he prepared to fight.

  A large male shot flew down the hall, and Tierney sighed with relief at the sight of Soroyan. As he drew close, his gaze narrowed at the blood covering them, but she shook her head, telling him not to ask. He didn’t even blink.

  “We gotta find Jax,” Sami repeated.

  “I’m supposed to meet Genna down this way.” Tierney nodded in the direction she’d been heading in earlier. “I hope she made it.”

  With Sami supporting Brimstone, they hurried down the tunnel until they came to a series of steel doors. “I’m not sure which one—” Tierney said right as one of the doors opened and Genna appeared.

  “Did you find him?” Tierney asked, frantic.

  Genna blocked her way. “He’s here.” Genna didn’t move.

  “Okay—” Tierney waited for her to step out of the way but Genna pursed her lips, looking like she wanted to say something. Instead, she shrugged and finally stepped aside, letting Tierney past. Once in the room, Tierney had to fight not to be sick.

  Set up like a sterile operating theater, the room held four steel tables. Although at the moment, only two were occupied, though only Jax, who lay deathly pale, still breathed—if barely.

  “Jax, no!” Tierney shouted and rushed over to him. Sliced and diced, blood covered him from head to toe, though thankfully he still possessed all his limbs. “Oh Jax.” She took his hand in hers. He looked to be in between his human and his dragon form. His scales were more pronounced, and spikes rose from his shoulder blades. “His dragon tried to protect him.” Tierney’s heart broke at the sight that his dragon hadn’t been able to fully protect him.

  A clear IV tube ran from his arm to some sort of blood collection machine, and Tierney waited while Sami eased the needle out of his brother’s arm with shaking hands, letting the tube drop to the floor.

  “They drained him,” Sami stared at Jax in horror.

  “Jax,” she whispered.

  “Tierney, do something, please,” Sami begged.

  “I, I don’t—” she had no idea how to help him.

  “Use your power?” Sami suggested.

  “Ah, right.” Tierney summoned her power and tried to connect to Jax’s mind. But his heart and pulse were so weak. “Jax, we’re here. We’ve come for you.” A faint flicker of life pulsed at her words, then Jax’s eyelashes fluttered.

  “T-Tierney?” His eyes opened, then closed again.

  Tierney choked back h
er tears. “Yes, I’m here. I came for you.”

  “Sorry I hurt you. Marcius s’posed to let Zander go. Lied,” Jax said.

  Rage rose up in her again at the vile heathen. “Don’t worry, we found Zander. Hang on, we’re taking you home, you’ll be okay.” She prayed they made it out of this hell hole in one piece.

  ‘Get Dad—Zander, home,’ he said, then she glanced up as Soroyan nudged her out of the way. She was ready to rip his face off, but the compassion in his eyes stopped her.

  “We need to go,” he said and then tenderly scooped Jax into his arms.

  “I’m here, we’re getting you out of here,” she told Jax, trying to keep contact with him as she followed Soroyan out of the room.

  With Sami and Brimstone behind her, and Genna leading them, they hurried back down the tunnel, until Genna stopped and held up a hand. “Someone comes.”

  They neared a T intersection in the tunnel and could hear the sound of footsteps approaching. They pressed themselves up against the wall and held still.

  Genna peeked around the corner, and then glanced back at them. Tierney frowned at the sight of devil-girl’s eyes glowing blue with a red ring, that looked hauntingly familiar. Then, Genna held her hand up again for them to wait and walked into the next corridor.

  Tierney bit back her shock and prayed Genna knew what she was doing.

  Shouts from the guards had Tierney moving forward, but Soroyan blocked her and she wanted to growl. She hated the inaction, it felt too much like they were just waiting to get caught. Still, she stayed put, wondering what devil-girl was doing.

  Genna raised her hands in front of her and Tierney gasped, then slapped a hand over her mouth as fire shot out of Genna’s palms toward the guards. Screaming immediately erupted, a couple of shots sounded, and Genna advanced on the men. A moment later, the scent of burnt flesh drifted to them, and then Tierney heard feet running away.

  Genna turned and with a grin, waved them forward. The stench overpowering, Tierney held her breath as they all made their way around the crispy, black-robed bodies. She hardened her heart, thinking about the body pits, Sami’s woman, and their burned village. These people deserved this, she told herself, but still it was hard to not feel horror.

  “Caden,” Genna ducked back into the room where she’d left her friend, and returned with her arm around the guy’s waist a moment later.

  “Genna, this is crazy, I can’t leave,” Caden limped along beside her.

  “Shut it,” Genna snapped.

  But by the time they reached the cells, Sami’s new friend Brimstone, needed to rest. “Go on, leave me,” he mumbled, ready to pass out.

  “No chance.” Sami scooped the guy up in his arms, and they continued on their way.

  “Ah, yeah, this ain’t weird,” Brimstone said a moment before he passed out.

  When they finally reached the truck, they all came to an abrupt stop at the sight in front of them. Two guards lay in pieces, puddles of blood soaking into the ground. A white and black, spotted form crouched near the back tire of the Navigator.

  “Thaniel?” Tierney called, heart in her throat. The Were-leopard slunk towards them in cat form, trembling and covered in blood.

  “Shit, are you all right?” she asked, worried the blood was his. “Right—you can’t talk. Well, thank you for protecting my dad.” She bit her lip and knowing there wasn’t anything else she could do, hurried to the back of the Navigator and opened the door. “Jax is hurt bad too,” she told Thaniel as she climbed in and glanced at her dad.

  Tierney sighed, relieved to find Zander still in a deep sleep. His chest rose and fell steadily. She sat down and Soroyan laid Jax in her arms, then Thaniel leaped in and settled beside Zander, taking care not to touch him.

  “Sami, get us home, quick,” Tierney said once everyone was in the SUV. She stared at Jax through watery eyes. His heartbeat continued to slow. “What do I do? He’s so pale, he’s hardly breathing.”

  Her tears dripped onto him as she touched the cool skin of his face, and with her sleeve, wiped the moisture away then touched the choker around his neck. “Do you think giving him some of my power might help?”

  “Don’t know, but please, try,” Sami said, driving way too fast over the uneven ground.

  “You can do that?” Genna stared at her from the front seat, while Caden lay slumped against her.

  Tierney ignored her. “He’s getting colder, we need some heat back here,” she shouted and Sami cranked the heat up higher. “Jax!” She started to lose her shit when Brimstone, who was now awake, passed Thaniel’s coat back to her. “Here, cover him with this.”

  Without a word, Tierney grabbed the coat and covered Jax, fearing it wasn’t enough.

  “Try pushing your power into him,” Soroyan’s voice said right beside her ear as he leaned over the back seat.

  Though terrified, Tierney nodded, willing to try anything. She reached for the sapphire stones in Jax’s choker with shaking hands and concentrated. Nothing happened and panic set in, making her power jump all over the place.

  “I can’t do it. Fuck.” She began to shake until Soroyan’s hand landed on her shoulder and a soothing calm washed over her. “I’m so scared,” she whispered, staring at Jax’s white face. His heartbeat had slowed even more.

  “I know, but you can do this. Just concentrate,” Soroyan said.

  Tierney rubbed the sapphires, and concentrated on pushing her power into Jax. But again, nothing happened.

  “Keep trying,” Soroyan encouraged.

  Tierney closed her eyes, drew on her power and thrust it at him. This time his heartbeat began to stutter and then it slowed even more. “This isn’t working.”

  “Combine my power with yours and try again,” Soroyan instructed, and a second later his power surged through her.

  “Jax.” She tried to connect to his mind. “C’mon, talk to me. Stay with me.” Tears fell from her eyes as she cried and called to him. Finally, after what seemed like the longest time, a faint tingle connected them.

  “T-Tiern.” Jax’s voice drifted faintly through her mind.

  “Yeah, I’m here.”

  “I’m sorry I said those things,” he apologized, and she could feel how bad he felt.

  “No, I understand, but you need to fight now, okay?’’ she begged.

  “I can’t. I’m sorry,”

  “Jax, please. Don’t leave me, please!” But her plea fell on deaf ears as his heart stuttered again and finally stopped.

  The spikes on his arms and shoulders returned to the flat scales of his tattoo. “No, come back. Jax.” With furious desperation, she drew on everything inside her and shoved it at him, doing her best to connect to his mind. “C’mon, Jax! Come back.” This needs to work, I can’t lose you like this! “Jax, please,” she cried and didn’t even notice when Sami stopped the truck and hurried around to the back, flinging the door open.

  Tears ran down his face as he stared at his brother. “Jax.” Climbing inside, he started CPR. “Dammit. You can’t die on me.” When Jax didn’t respond after a few minutes, Sami stopped and laid his head on Jax’s chest with a sob. “I love you, bro, please—”

  “No. No Jax, wake up!” Tierney rested her head against Jax’s neck. “I can’t live without you. Please, I love you.”

  Her tears soaked the stones in Jax’s choker and ran down his neck. “I don’t want to live without you.”

  Then a flash of bright light illuminated the back of the truck. Startled, Tierney straightened up to find an apparition hovering beside them. Multiple gasps filled the SUV, while Thaniel shrank back. Tierney frowned and wiped her face as recognition dawned.

  “I know you. You’re Adariasthorn,” she said while Sami gaped at him.

  “I am. And you are?” Adarias asked.

  “I’m Tierney, Zander J’arzan’s daughter.” She sniffed and glanced down at Jax. Adarias followed her gaze. When she glanced back up at him, his scowl was so familiar a sob escaped her as understanding finally da
wned.

  “Who? No—” Adarias whispered, in both awe and horror.

  Tierney nodded. “Yes, this is Jax. Can you help him?” An old memory flashed in her mind from when she was seven years old.

  ***

  After their village was attacked and the funerals were over, the relatives of those killed gathered around a fire. They feasted on wild Boarkin while Tierney’s Uncle Rhodan, her mother’s brother, amused them with stories.

  But the tale he told of Adariasthorn, and his two sisters, Solaristhorn and Summerthorn, was one that had always stuck with her. They were the oldest of six surviving offspring of Skulla and Kiah-thorn, after a thousand years of war with the Ilyium. And though they survived, it was not without terrible losses of mates and children.

  Tired of forever fighting, the three decided to preserve their life by creating beings that couldn’t be killed. Together, they combined their magic, and poured their dragon light into three rare mandrake eggs, lastly adding their blood.

  They created what would be known as the Genesis Dracones babies when they hatched, many years later. But while keeping the eggs safe had been hard, keeping the babies from the Ilyium became another nightmare.

  After the storytelling, as the suns began to set, darkness blanketed the sky to murmurs of fear and awe. The largest and scariest dragon Tierney ever laid eyes on, dropped from the heavens, landing a short distance from them.

  The dragon’s wingspan stretched at least sixty feet across, and his midnight black scales shone with large lethal spikes. His whole body swirled, as live flame ran through his veins. Red burned in his eyes, and fire glowed in his nostrils. Everyone stared as he drew his wings into his body, and standing taller than any other dragon, he swept them all with a single glance.

  Then with a whirlwind of magical golden flakes, the dragon shifted into his human form. Tierney gaped in awe at the handsome male before them.

  His marvelously long, shiny raven black hair, streaked with blue, flowed loose and silky around him. Orange eyes glowed for a moment, before turning to a familiar scorching shade of blue.