Senil bowed her head, and Charity focused on me, waiting for my reply. Right, because I’m the boss. I cleared my throat and nodded. “I give you my word, that if you help us with this, I will never follow you again.”
“What if we are in need of a witch’s help in the future?” Issa asked, all calm and logical.
“Find another witch,” Charity said.
“I will.”
Charity nodded. “Okay, let’s do this.”
Chapter Thirteen
Megan crossed her arms, looking down the valley at the distant steaming volcano—the mouth of it glowing in the darkness. “So, we tame the dragon.”
“Step one,” I agreed, holding up a finger.
“Pass through the valley of pixies,” she continued.
“Step two.” I held up another finger.
“Climb the Mountain of No Return.” She glanced over at me. “Catchy name.”
“Super catchy.” I raised a third finger.
“Descend into the volcano.” My fourth finger went up. “And remove the instrument from its ledge.”
My thumb joined my fingers. “Just a handful of tasks,” I said, keeping my voice light.
“We can’t just, like, float over there on your power and pluck the instrument out using your chi?”
I huffed a laugh. “It will only play for the one who can pass through the gauntlet.”
“Who came up with this?”
“The instrument.” When I passed through a small hand mirror in the garden of my memories, I saw my ancestor hiding the instrument, using its magic to obscure it from the world. Pregnant, my ancestor knew her time on this plane dwindled. She did not want anyone to be able to play the instrument but couldn’t destroy it. Instead, she let the instrument use its magic to decide its fate. And so it created this quest.
The tribe of pixies that Issa had read about would apparently protect their land and the instrument with vehemence. The instrument would not play unless the gauntlet was completed in order and with the limited use of power. So here we were. At the starting line.
“Sure.” Megan pursed her lips. “That makes perfect sense.”
“At least I have the feather sword already, which is the only way to tame the dragon.” I rested my hand on the hilt of the weapon. It sat in a sheath that Tyronios made—a belt with a loop basically. The loop held the hilt, leaving the feather portion exposed. It brushed against my leather pants, quivers of magic pulsing around it.
“And again”—she held up a hand—“just double-checking this now, you can’t rip the dragon’s light out of its body?”
“We’re not supposed to kill it. Just tame it.” I adjusted the straps of my pack, drawing it closer to my body.
“And we do that by stabbing the feather sword through its heart.”
“Which is located at the base of its tail.”
“Gotcha.” She tilted her head back and forth. “May I suggest that you try ripping its light out? And if that fails, I’ll distract it while you jump on its back and thrust the feather through its scales, which according to his guy”—she threw a thumb at Issa, who stood next to her—“is made from the hardest substance in all the worlds.”
“Good plan,” I said.
“I’ve always been known for my plans.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “I do love a solid plan.”
“Amen.”
Issa frowned at us. “This is no time for joking.”
Megan turned to him. “Then tell me, when would be a good time? Because I’m pretty sure we could all die soon.” She glanced at me. “Not Darling, but the three vampires on this quest.” She made a circle with her hand, indicating herself, Issa, and Dimitri. “We could totally die. So might as well joke around while we can.”
“We’re already dead,” Dimitri said, his gaze on the distant valley. “I’m not looking forward to the pixies.” He shuddered. “Their blood is like acid. Don’t try to drink from them. Better to just rip off their heads.”
We got to decapitation talk real quick….
“Thanks for the tip, bro,” Megan said.
Dimitri focused on her and cocked his head. “I am not your brother.”
Megan sighed and shook her head.
“What kind of magic do pixies have?” I asked Issa.
“They can cast simple spells and work with herbs.”
“So more than a human but less than a witch or warlock.”
Issa shrugged. “Some are as powerful as a low-level warlock or witch. They can’t travel between dimensions unless they are a familiar.”
“Good to know.”
“They can also be necromancers,” Dimitri said.
Issa turned to him. “I don't think so.”
“It is true,” Dimitri said. “I met one over a century ago with the power to raise the dead.”
“Can they have influence over you then?” I asked Dimitri.
He shrugged. “Unlikely. Besides, these pixies will have never met humans—and therefore never met a vampire. So I think it unlikely that one could have learned to control our kind.” He grinned. “But they are still very formidable adversaries. Quick, brave, and merciless.” He sounded downright excited to start ripping their heads off and have them attempt to lob his off in return.
I took a breath. I can’t die. I’m immortal. But my friends could lose their existences.
“You’re sure I can’t persuade you to stay behind,” I asked them.
Megan scoffed. “I’m your familiar.”
“We don’t even know what that means exactly.”
“Not the point.”
“Who will feed you along your journey?” Dimitri asked. “You may not be able to die, but you can weaken to a point of atrophy and be forever moored in this place.”
“That too,” Megan said.
A shock of light blinded me for a moment, and Megan gave a small cry of alarm. My vision cleared and the man from my dream leaned against a nearby rock—his chest bare and that ridiculously sexy tattoo exposed. He wore tight black leather pants—because that’s what all the cool kids wear, apparently.
He grinned at me, popping his dimples. A lock of dark hair fell over his brow as he pushed off the rock outcropping and started toward me.
“You’re seeing this, right?” I asked Megan.
“The ridiculously hot guy who just flashed into existence and is now standing a few feet in front of us?”
Dream Guy waved.
“Yes,” I said.
“Yeah, I see that.”
“How about you, Dimitri?” I asked.
“He’s not that hot,” Dimitri replied.
Hot Dream Guy laughed, and the sound ran over my skin like silk.
“Yes, he is,” Megan said.
“He is seriously hot,” Issa agreed.
“I can hear you,” Hot Dream Guy said. He gestured to himself. “I’m standing right here. I think that, at least, has been established.”
“Looking to join our quest?” I asked, my voice sounding a little choked.
His gaze drifted behind me to the volcano. “No.” He shook his head. “I’m the dragon.”
“Of course you are,” Megan said. “All the gorgeous ones are either gay or dragons, right?” She elbowed me in the ribs. “Or taken.”
“You’re on fire today,” I said.
“Not yet.” Megan laughed, throwing a thumb at the volcano. “But we can hope.”
Hot Dream Guy met my gaze. His sapphire-blue eyes sparkled. “So, you’ve come to tame me.”
“Yeah.”
He raised one brow. “How do you plan to do it?”
“Feather sword?” Gosh, that sounded dumb out loud. “I mean, the Sword of Ultimate Power.” Still sounded dumb.
His eyes dropped to where the sword in question hung at my waist. “Won’t work,” he said.
My gaze ran down his chest to his stomach. That tattoo. Each spoke of the wheel was intricately decorated with patterns and symbols I didn’t recognize but made my heart be
at faster. I wet my lips, desire spiraling in my gut.
“Hmmm,” Hot Dream Guy said. “You’ve always liked that tattoo.”
“You two know each other?” Megan asked.
“Intimately,” he answered.
I brought my eyes up to meet his. They did not glaze. So it wouldn’t be as simple as using my powers. Of course not. “I still don’t know your name.”
“True.” He stepped closer, narrowing the distance between us to just a little more than a foot.
I did not back up, and it wasn’t just because I would have fallen down a very steep hill. I was standing my ground. Standing right on it. The ground. Standing it. Yes. Right. I raised my chin, like any self-respecting ground stander would.
Man, this guy made thinking hard.
“You’re not a dragon,” Issa said.
Dream Guy did not spare him a glance; he just slid a little closer to me.
I. Stand. Ground. Feet no move.
Dammit.
“I assure you,” he said, “I am the dragon you seek.”
His voice seemed to curl around me, like a tail, his chi a texture I’d never experienced before. I believed he was a dragon. I’d believe anything he told me.
Shaking my head, I tried to clear his influence away, but it wasn’t like other chis. It wasn’t a cloud—wasn’t ethereal. It was scaled. Hard.
“He is a dragon,” I said. “Your book was right, Issa. We misunderstood the meaning. It’s not his body that’s hard; it’s his influence, his chi.”
“My body is also though,” he said, his voice playing across my skin. “Very hard.”
Megan laughed. “I have to say, I like this guy. He’s funny.”
“How did you get in my dreams?” I asked.
“That’s what dragons do. They enter the dreams of their mates. It’s not in my control.”
“Why can’t you tell me your name?”
His smile hitched to one side. “That’s the only way to tame me, babe. And I don’t think you’d like me tamed.”
He got even closer. So close that falling down the hill behind me suddenly seemed like a good idea. If I didn’t tumble down the mountain, I was gonna fall into the depths of this man’s eyes.
“Did you say mate?” Megan asked. Excellent question. “Sorry to break it to you,” she continued, “but my girl here is marrying Emmanuel. Maybe you’ve heard of him?”
“He’s dead.”
“He’ll be back,” I snapped.
“I admire your faith.” He brought up a hand and pushed a lock of hair behind my ear, trailing his fingers along my jaw, up my chin, and then paused.
A blur of motion in my peripheral vision and the weight of the sword disappeared. Dream Guy didn’t flinch as Megan appeared behind him, the sword angled for his lower back, her fangs bared, eyes burning with intent.
She froze in midair, encased in the hard shell of his power.
“Don’t hurt her,” I said.
He smiled. “I won’t, for a kiss.”
“You want me to kiss you to save my best friend’s life? Don’t you think that’s kind of a shitty way to get a kiss?”
He grinned. “There are no bad kisses with you, Darling.”
“Tell me your name.”
He shook his head. “You wouldn’t like me tamed. No mate should be subservient to the other.”
“Can I guess your name?”
He raised a brow. “Guess?”
“Yeah.”
Amusement lit his eyes. “Sure, three guesses.”
“If I get it right, you’ll be tamed. And if I get it wrong, you get a kiss.”
“Either way, I want the kiss.”
“You drive a hard bargain.”
“Either way, I won’t hurt your friend.”
“The only thing to lose then is the instrument.”
He frowned. “You want it to save the humans.”
“Yes.”
Issa cleared his throat. “Perhaps we could become allies. If you do not wish for Darling to tame you, for—” He cleared his throat. “—mating reasons, then allow Megan to tame you so that we can still continue our quest.”
“No,” Dream Guy said, again not sparing Issa a glance.
Dimitri laughed, a low, masculine rumble. Dream Guy turned to look at him, keeping his fingers on my chin and my lips tilted toward him.
“You are old,” Dream Guy said to Dimitri.
“Yes, but not as old as you.” Dimitri bowed his head respectfully.
“Yet you laugh?”
“If you wish to make Darling your mate, then you must help her. She won’t ever give up. And if you don’t help, she will never forgive you. Emmanuel, despite not believing it’s possible to stop the zombies, offered her assistance. Even when it hurt him, he helped her.”
“Let’s not talk about Emmanuel in the past tense. He is coming back,” I said.
“I won’t share you with him,” Dream Guy said.
“Oh, I know. Because you don’t have me.” I tried to sidestep him, but his power held me in place.
“Let me go,” I said.
He shook his head, bringing his hand to my waist and pulling me flush against him. “We need to talk.” He unhooked the leather pack from my back and dropped it on the ground before looking skyward.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
We lifted off the ground, his chi carrying us into the clouds. Way to get off track right at the beginning of a quest, Darling.
I looked down. He’d released Megan, and she stared up at us. The feather sword in her hand quivering from the breeze. Issa and Dimitri craned their necks to watch our assent.
“Where are we going, pray tell?” I said, not fighting him. His chi was the hardest thing in the universe. I could never escape if he did not release me.
A thrill of fear passed over me.
He tilted his face to examine me. “You do not need to fear me, Darling.”
“Don’t I? You’re kind of kidnapping me.”
“You are no child.”
“Abducting me, then.”
He flashed a grin. “I am a dragon. We are known for hoarding and abduction.” You and the pirates.
“What should I call you?”
“Mate.” Awkward much? “And I’ll call you, babe.”
“Mate is weird.”
He frowned.
“Sorry.” I shrugged the best I could while being held. “It just sounds strange. Like kidnapping does to you.”
He nodded, his eyes narrowing in thought. “How about honey. Or sweetie.”
I laughed. “You are not sweet.”
He gave me a devilish grin. “No, I’m not. That’s one of the things you love about me.”
“How about just Dragon.”
“Should I call you Succubus?”
I sighed. “You can use my name.”
“May I?”
Wait, that sounded like I was agreeing to something. “You know my name already. It holds no influence over me.” His eyes held mine as we entered the clouds, cold wet whiteness engulfing us. A subtle smile played across his lips, as though I’d said something funny.
“So I may call you Darling.”
My name in his voice sent a shiver straight to my core, igniting a fire there. “It won’t tame me,” I said. “Nothing will.”
His smile broadened. “Oh, I know. It’s one of the things I love about you.”
Breaking through the cloud cover, light spilled over us. The moon, huge and full, glowed as bright as the sun. Only the brightest stars twinkled past its glare.
“Wow,” I whispered.
He took my lips then—rough yet tender, familiar yet new. I groaned, my fingers gripping his shoulders. His hands tugged at my shirt, and when his rough callouses brushed my skin, memories flooded back.
In my dreams we were one. We were each other’s destiny. When I woke, he was gone.
He wasn’t Emmanuel. What the freak did that mean?
I turned my head, gasping f
or breath. Dragon kissed my jaw, his hands running under my shirt, up my back. I bowed backward, exposing more to his lips.
“Wait.” It came out breathless and sounding way too much like an invitation. He wasn’t feeding me. This wasn’t physically nourishing the way all the other touch I’d felt my entire existence had been. This was different.
I pushed against him, needing my thoughts, needing to understand. “Stop.” It sounded right this time, and he stilled, his lips against my skin, hands pressing on my back. “What is happening?”
“We are mates,” he said, his lips tickling my skin with each word, sending shivers of pleasure through me. “You drew me to you with our song.”
“Our song?”
He nodded, nuzzling his face against my neck. “Yes.” How did he make that word so damn sexy? The subtle stubble on his jaw was doing things to me. I squirmed in his arms, but he didn’t let me go. His lips kissed my pulse point, and I shivered.
“What are you doing?” I panted.
“Seducing you.” Ah, right, duh.
“Stop.” It did not come out right, but he stilled again, this time lifting his head to look at me. “You said we needed to talk.”
“Did I?”
“Yes, about my quest—trying to end the zombies. The fact that I’m marrying someone else.”
“It’s hard to marry a dead man.”
“Emmanuel will be back.”
“You played the song that called me to you. It is the female who picks the male. I came when you called.” He gave me that devilish grin again. “And then you came. A lot.”
Shut up. How could that cheesy line send tingles all over my freaking body. “Look, we need to get some things straight here. I get that you think I’m your mate. And I admit I dreamed about you—”
“That I awoke the dragon inside you.”
“Wait, what?”
“You did not have the hunger so plainly until we mated.”
“I thought I’d been kind of feeding off Megan, and she’d been feeding off me, and that’s why she got sick. And so after she was gone, my hunger grew.”
“You cannot feed from me—our lovemaking is only for love.”
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