Dragon Fire (The Forbidden Love Series)

by Danielle James

  “That feels good,” she moaned, leaning further back into his embrace.

  “You ain’t seen nothing yet,” he chuckled. Dylan’s hands replaced the water at her breasts, but the water did not return to the tub. Not exactly, anyway. The small streams traveled down her navel and under the water. She could still feel the pressure against her skin though as they trekked their way to her core. Toni gasped as the water slid over her mound and down to her clit, circling it in slow, steady motions.

  “What are you doing to me?” she groaned, tipping her head back. Dylan nipped at the side of her neck and laughed silently.

  “What good is being able to control water if I can’t let you enjoy it?” he asked as a stream pushed its way into her core.

  “Oh, shit!” she cried out, moving her legs restlessly. The water was moving inside her like a ghost finger while Dylan manipulated her nipples with his hands. Every time his fingers pulled on her nipples, the water moved inside her, targeting her g-spot every time. “Dylan!” she shouted.

  “That’s it,” he encouraged her, “come for me, baby. Do it.”

  Toni wanted to. Wanted to so badly. She began to arch her hips up to get more stimulation, but something was missing. She was running the race, but the finish line was just out of her reach. “I need,” she whispered, but she didn’t know what she needed.

  “I know,” he told her and then he bit the cord on the side of her neck.

  Toni screamed as he pushed her over the edge. Her body convulsed and shook as she shattered for him.

  Dylan didn’t wait for the shudders to stop before picking her up and turning her around. Toni opened her knees and impaled herself on his waiting cock. She was shocked by the initial pain, but it subsided quickly as her body adjusted to his size. With her hands around the back of his neck, she began to move her hips in slow circles.

  “That’s it,” he moaned. “Keep moving like that.”

  Toni did, but increased her pace. Her mouth was throbbing and she began to wonder if she was going to be able to last much longer. She needed to bite her mate. She wanted to.

  As if he could read her mind, Dylan tipped his head back and offered his neck. Toni wasted no time and struck hard. Her fangs sank easily into the soft flesh of his neck and his sweet blood rushed into her mouth. Toni drank greedily as he pushed himself into her harder.

  Dylan never thought he would like being drank from, but now he was certain he would never get enough of it. As Toni rode him and took from his body, he felt whole. As her body began to coil tight around him again, he let himself go and roared into the air as the orgasm overtook him.

  22

  “What in the happy horseshit is going on out there?” Leigh asked, knowing the answer, but not willing to voice it out loud. She was standing near the sliding glass doors that would normally look out to the ocean. The wind was whipping around the house, howling like a damned banshee. The rain was pelting against the windows and the sky had grown so dark that even the vampires in the house couldn’t see the surf outside.

  “You know what it is,” Rebel told her. “He can’t find them and he’s pissed.” He wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Let’s just hope that he wears out soon.”

  “You know it ain’t happening,” Gage said, pulling out a stool from the island in the center of the kitchen and setting his ass down on it. He leaned onto the island with his elbows and hooked his hands in front of him. “He’s a freaking god. I don’t know what we were thinking.”

  “Arora assured us that if Toni and Dylan left, Poseidon would leave us alone,” Leigh reminded the men. “This doesn’t look like leaving us alone. In fact, I’m pretty sure the storm is settled over our fucking house.”

  “That’s not true,” Brea said, entering the kitchen. “I checked the weather report before the TV went out. It’s all up and down the west coast. They say it’s the worst storm in fifty years.”

  A palm leave smacked against the window, causing Brea to jump.

  “I think it’s time we put up a protection spell,” Leigh suggested.

  “Already did that,” Frankie said, joining the group. “Azerial and I both tried. The storm is going right through it.”

  One by one, each family member gathered in the kitchen. “I think it is time that we secure the property,” Angel said. “The old fashioned way.”

  The men all nodded and went to get their jackets.

  “I don’t want you outside,” Leigh told Rebel, just as something clunked against the siding.

  “I’ll be fine,” he assured her. “If we don’t get some protection on these windows, we’re gonna be replacing them.”

  He kissed her on the forehead before he, Samuel, Angel, Sebastian, Jacque, and Gage all went out into the storm. Although it was daytime, none of them worried about the sun. Rebel wasn’t allergic to the sun like the others, but there was no sun to speak of out there. They had to pry the doors open against the wind and once outside, they had to force the doors shut again.

  “Well, this was a good idea,” Gage grumbled as rain stung his face. Not that anyone could hear him over the howl of the wind. The five men walked at a forward angle into the wind to the storage shed behind the estate. It took longer than normal, as the wind was determined to blow them out over the sea, but they finally made it the twenty feet or so to it.

  “Good Lord,” Angel groaned as he used his full weight and vampire strength against the wind to force the little shed open. “Let’s hurry.”

  The men all went inside quickly. They gathered the supplies they needed as the building groaned against the wind. “We better hurry,” Rebel yelled as he shoved a fistful of nails into his pocket. “I don’t think it’s gonna hold!”

  The men trekked back out into the storm’s fury, holding wood and hammers. They scaled the walls of the estate, attaching boards to the windows as fast as they could move. Gage was in the middle of Jade’s window when he heard someone shout, “Look out!” He managed to duck just in time as an aluminum wheel sped past his head.

  “Oh, shit!” Rebel shouted, and Gage looked down to see his brother fighting against the wind with his wooden board. “I got a problem here!” he shouted. The wind was pulling him away from the house, the board serving as a sail for the wind.

  “Let it go!” Angel shouted at Rebel, but it was too late.

  “Oh shiiiiiiiit!” Rebel shouted as his feet left the ground and the wind pulled him over the raging ocean. “Leigh!”

  Leigh heard her mate’s call in her head and knew he was in danger. “Shit, cowboy!” she cursed as she flashed herself away from the house. In a heartbeat, she was back, a soaking wet Rebel in tow. “What the hell?” she demanded.

  “Thanks babe,” he grinned at her. “I gotta go.” He kissed her on her now wet head before marching right back out into the storm.

  Leigh shook her head. “He ain’t never gonna learn,” she grumbled.

  “What the fuck?” Gage demanded as he saw Rebel coming out of the house.

  “Leigh saved my ass,” Rebel answered him, taking another board from him and attaching it to another window. Leigh could teleport and he was damn happy about it right then. She flashed herself directly to him over the ocean and brought him back to safety. Well, relative safety.

  “That’s the last one!” Sebastian shouted, already headed for the house.

  Everyone followed him back inside, where the rest of the family was waiting with dry towels. “Nice and quiet in here,” Sam pointed out.

  “Yeah, the wind is blocked by those boards,” Brea answered him. Then she turned her attention to her husband. “No one else goes outside from here on out,” she insisted. “This is not a request.”

  Angel scooped her up into his arms and plastered her body against his soaking wet one. He grinned at her. “I have survived storms before,” he assured her.

  Brea struggled until he put her down. She smoothed her hands over her clothes as if she could wipe the wetness off of them. “That was before you g
uys had a family,” she remarked. “I am not going to budge on this one. The radio says it has been upgraded to a category five hurricane. No one goes outside.”

  Angel opened his mouth to argue with her, but it was at that moment that the electricity went out, plunging the house into complete darkness.

  23

  “This is the worst storm to hit the west coast in at least fifty years,” the meteorologist said, pointing to her digital map. “Officials are calling for a complete evacuation of Los Angeles County. If you cannot get out, then get to a safe place with heavy walls. Be prepared for extensive flooding and high winds in excess of seventy miles per hour.”

  “This is bad,” Toni said, clicking the remote control and turning off the television. “I gotta call home.” They had spent hours watching old movies and laughing together. The fact that Toni knew every word of the dialog to the movie Independence Day was as much of a turn on as her smile or her wit.

  Dylan hated the fear he saw in his mate’s eyes. He hated it even more that he put it there. This was not how he had envisioned his life would go. He had never even considered finding a true mate, much less having to run for her life. He watched as the pulse in her neck beat erratically. She was so lovely, so kind, and she didn’t deserve this kind of life. She deserved to be worshiped like the goddess he knew she was. She was everything a woman should be. Fiery. Strong. Beautiful. Her skin still glistened with perspiration from their love making. She should look content, not afraid.

  “Are you listening to me?” Toni asked him, breaking the spell she had inadvertently woven over him.

  The blank look he gave her said it all.

  “I didn’t think so,” she continued. “I was saying that I need to call home. I have to know that my family is okay.”

  Dylan nodded and flipped the sheet off his body. He got up and retrieved her cell phone from her bag, returning with it in a flash.

  “Thank you,” she said softly, already dialing her mother’s number. “Mom?” she said into the phone. “Mom, I can barely hear you. Is everyone all right?”

  Dylan could hear Leigh’s voice on the other end. “Yes…. Getting nasty…. Packing….” The conversation was broken up by static.

  “Mom, you’re breaking up!” Toni shouted into the phone, as if that would terrify the phone into a better connection. “Mom!” Toni dropped the phone into her lap. “I lost her,” she said softly.

  “It’s going to be okay,” Dylan assured her.

  “You don’t know that,” Toni barked at him, then she got up from the bed and began gathering her clothes. “I gotta go back.”

  “It’s not safe for you there,” Dylan reminded her, getting his own clothes on as well. “I’ll go.”

  Toni spun around to face him. “We will do this together,” she told him in a tone that left no room for argument.

  “And how will we get there?” Dylan asked.

  Toni grinned at him. “We’re going to fly.”

  Twenty minutes later, Dylan was standing outside staring up at Toni’s dragon. He didn’t know why he thought they would be getting on a plane. Not when his woman could fly. She huffed at him and tossed her head back, telling him wordlessly that he needed to climb on.

  Dylan shook his head, but did as his woman demanded. He scaled up her hind leg and wrapped his arms around her neck. When he was secure, Toni pushed off the ground with her massive leg muscles and vaulted them both into the air.

  She flew east, over the desert, and toward the ocean. Dylan held tight as they soared over the landscape. When they approached the sea, his heart sank.

  The water was churning restlessly, rising and falling in fat waves. He watched as some of the waves broke and crashed over themselves, while others rushed ashore, terrorizing the beach. The wind had picked up significantly, forcing him to hide his face behind Toni’s muscular neck.

  He wondered if she was affected by the change in the air, but she never slowed and her pace never faltered. Soon, they were over the Pacific Ocean. A strong gust caught Toni’s wings, pushing her back and causing her to lose altitude. Hang on, her voice said in his head. Dylan gripped her neck tighter and held on for all he was worth as she fought against the wind.

  The waters below seemed to reach right up out of the ocean, like tendrils slapping at their feet and trying to take hold of them. Can we go higher? Dylan asked in his head, hoping Toni could hear him. She beat her wings harder, raising them further from the deadly water. Dylan knew he was in no danger, but his mate was. He couldn’t risk his father sensing her in the water. He would kill her. For Dylan, that was not a risk he was willing to take.

  He turned his attention to the water. He used his inherited power to command it to calm, but the effect was marginal at best. He was low on strength and without touching the water, he couldn’t control it very well. But it helped a little and Toni was able to keep them in the air.

  It seemed an eternity passed before the shore became visible. The trees were bent over and the streets were bare of any traffic. Toni made a bee line for her home, pushing harder against the howling wind. As they approached, a water spout formed a half mile from them, spinning and turning, and headed for Los Angeles shoreline. Dylan held out his hand and used all the strength he could find to unwind it, forcing it back into the sea.

  “We gotta get on land,” he breathed into Toni’s neck, hoping she could hear him. The huge dragon chuffed her agreement and put her head down, slicing into the oncoming wind and pushed harder for the shore.

  24

  Toni landed heavily on the sand behind her home, pitching forward and almost falling on her face. Dylan slid off her back and patted her on her massive hind leg to let her know he was safe. It was then that Toni shifted down to her human size.”Jeesh,” she swore under her breath. Never mind that she had just completed the most tiresome and dangerous flight of her life, but she was exhausted and weak. The sight of the estate had always been a welcome one, one that instilled peace and love. This time, it was different. She had never seen her home like this before. The windows were all boarded up, the doors closed tight, and it was dark. It was dark and ominous, a precursor to the shit storm she knew was to come.

  “Let’s get inside,” Dylan shouted, taking her hand and leading her to the door as the wind whipped around them even harder.

  The glass doors were boarded over, so they had to walk around to the service door. “This rain is from the ocean,” Dylan told her. He could feel his strength building even as they struggled to get inside. He yanked the service door open and held it while Toni went through it.

  Once inside, the lack of wind nearly knocked Toni off her feet. She pressed her back against the wall to catch her breath. “He knows, doesn’t he?” she asked Dylan.

  He didn’t have to ask her who she was talking about. Poseidon knew without a doubt that they had returned.

  The service hall was dark, but the pendant that hung from Toni’s neck glowed a soft blue, illuminating the passage. She took Dylan’s hand and led him to the main house. When they reached the door, Toni didn’t hesitate to open it. “Mom?” she called into the dark house. “Dad?”

  “Toni!” Leigh gasped, appearing out of the darkness and running to her daughter. She wasted no time embracing Toni in a tight hug. “What are you doing here?”

  “We couldn’t let this happen,” Toni told her. “We had to come back and do whatever it takes to stop this.”

  “We’re leaving,” Rebel told her, appearing as well. “This isn’t safe anymore. Not for human or vampire.”

  Toni nodded. “Good. Make sure everyone gets to safety.”

  “And just what do you think you’re gonna do?” her father asked her.

  Toni shook her head. “I don’t know.”

  “You’re coming with us,” Leigh insisted. “You’re not safe here either. No one is.”

  “I can handle my father,” Dylan assured them. He turned to his mate. His beautiful mate. He pushed a lock of black hair behind her ear. “I’l
l be fine. You should go.”

  “I’m not leaving you,” she told him. “So don’t even think it.”

  “Dylan should come with us,” Leigh suggested.

  Dylan shook his head. “It has to be this way,” he told them all. “I’m the only one who can stand up to him.”

  The house groaned under the strength of the wind. Toni looked to the door and then back at her mate. “No.”

  “Everyone in the cars!” Angel shouted from somewhere further inside the house.

  “Shit’s about to get real!” Jacques yelled out.

  Dylan turned and ran to the door. The surf had receded out away from the shoreline, leaving the sand bare in its departure. “Oh shit,” he breathed before crashing out the glass doors.

  Toni followed her mate and watched in horror as she began to understand what was happening. Poseidon was done playing with them. He had pulled the water from its bed and was preparing to shove it on shore in the form of a tsunami.

  “Dylan!” she cried out, joining him on the sand.

  “Go back inside!” he barked at her. He walked out until his feet were in the shallow water and began to command it back where it belonged. It was not working. The wave began to approach, taller than Toni could have imagined. It would be devastating. Deadly. Dylan held his hands out, silently commanding the tidal wave to stay back from the shore. “Leave now!” he commanded. Toni wasn’t sure if he was talking to her, to her family, or to the water. Hell, he might have been doing all three.

  All because the Sea God wanted her dead.

  Who was she to think that her life was more important than anyone else’s? Toni looked back over her shoulder to her family that was preparing to leave their home in hopes of finding a safer location. Then, she looked past the house to the city in the background. How many lives would the Sea God take? She knew the answer. As many as it took, that’s how many. Was she so damned important that the millions of people who lived near the west coast should pay for her decisions?