by Reus, Katie
Her chest tightened, a tidal wave of emotions welling up inside her. Mate? She’d thought that was what he meant, but hearing him say it… Saying the actual word, mate. “You say your dragon. What about…you?” He sometimes talked about his two halves as if they were two separate beings, and maybe they were.
“I tried to deny it at first. For an entire ten minutes after we first met. Then I growled at my brothers and told them I’d feed them their entrails if they looked at you wrong. I just gave in and accepted it.”
A startled laugh escaped. “Are you serious?”
“Deadly.”
She didn’t know if she should be disturbed or turned on. Really, she was turned on and there was no denying it. “Mating is…a lot.” And she really, really adored Mikael. Okay, she loved him. She’d run straight into a Hell realm for this male.
Damn it. But saying those words back to him, admitting it out loud, absolutely terrified her. She’d seen how heartbroken her mother had been, how those last couple months had ravaged her, both physically and emotionally, because of her father’s betrayal. She didn’t think Mikael would do that to her, but the memories sat heavy on her chest.
“I’m not pushing you…yet.” Moving quickly, Mikael tugged her onto him so that she straddled him. “For the record, right now I want to strip you naked—but I won’t take you on this hard stone floor because you deserve better.”
Throat tight, heart a wild beat against her chest, she stared into his gray eyes, thinking that she didn’t give a crap about the stone floor right now.
Hunter chirped suddenly, making her jump. She’d almost forgotten he was there. His eyes were open as he watched them and kept chirping. His expression said, “Please don’t do that.” Then he rolled over on his other side, giving them his back.
She turned back to Mikael. “We can go deeper into the cave.” It wasn’t much privacy, but it would give them a bit more.
Mikael watched her with those stormy eyes, his gaze telling her everything he was feeling. “Our next time together will be on a soft bed.”
“I don’t need soft.” Maybe she was crazy, but she leaned forward, not caring that Hunter was nearby as she brushed her lips against Mikael’s.
His hands tightened on her hips as he held her close, pinning her to him. She might be on top, but he was completely in control as he rolled his hips against hers.
His thick length rubbed against her jeans, right over her covered clit. Her inner walls clenched as he held her close, slid one hand up her shirt to cup her breast.
She loved the feel of his callused hand moving over her skin, exploring, touching, teasing. Sighing into him, all her muscles tightened when he tugged her bra cup down and flicked his thumb over her tightly beaded nipple.
Oh, she wanted more of this. She moaned into his mouth as she grinded against him and— The mountain rumbled beneath them.
Avery sat up with a start. “I know I’m not crazy. The earth is shaking again!”
Breathing hard, Mikael sighed, frustration flickering across his expression. “When dragons are in the throes of mating heat, they usually put off a sort of…signal. We call it our mating manifestation. It’s a signal to other dragons to stay away. For some clans, they glow while mating. Some set everything around them on fire—without burning anything. It’s just a visual thing. For my clan, we create earthquakes.”
She blinked once. Twice. If she’d had any doubt about his sincerity, the vibrations in the mountain had just killed them all. “That’s…intense. Do people know about this?”
“Not most people. Dragons do though. And some other beings—it’s how Ozias knew you meant so much to me. He must have felt the vibrations of the earth and figured it out.”
Oh, wow. “So every time we fool around, we’ll create actual earthquakes?”
“Until I claim you for good.” He rolled his hips up again and she raked her gaze over every inch of him she could see.
He really was like a warrior god, all gleaming muscles, the fire creating shadows over his already ripped body.
The earth rumbled slightly. “I don’t want to stop kissing, but I don’t think we should risk toppling this mountain down on our heads.”
He sighed and shifted slightly, clearly uncomfortable even as he nodded. “It would be worth it, but as always you are right.” He tucked her up against him once again.
An ache pulsed between her legs—how could she not be turned on when she was pressed up against the sexiest man alive? And he was naked with a rock-hard, thick erection.
But…earthquake.
Sighing, she tried to force her mind off Mikael’s naked body. Which was hard to do when his cock was right in her line of vision. “Could I maybe stroke you off?” She wrapped her fingers around his length and squeezed once.
He groaned and little tremors shook them. Hunter chirped without turning around. Loudly.
Okay, then. She sighed and splayed her hand over Mikael’s stomach instead.
“Later,” he said, his words a dark promise.
He’d better believe it. She…trusted him. She’d never thought she’d trust anyone the way her mother had, but Mikael was a male she could count on.
And even though she was sexually frustrated, she knew they needed to get sleep. They needed to get out of here once the suns rose. They needed to get back home. Together.
Chapter 35
Zephyr was frustrated that King had called them back from searching for Ozias. But he was the Alpha, and Zephyr would respect his calls for now. His brothers seemed to like the Alpha well enough and he would be staying where his brothers did.
As they arrived at the big compound, a guard standing on the wall motioned that they should enter. He scented wolves and other creatures milling about the yard. This was a much different world than the one he had left before he’d been sucked into the Hell realm. And much different than the Hell realm. A place he did not miss.
Before they had reached the end of the driveway, King opened the front door and jogged toward them at a steady pace. The male moved with the grace and confidence of an Alpha. Even if he is young, Zephyr’s dragon sniffed.
“Avery followed after your brother,” the Alpha said without greeting.
Next to him both Cas and Ivyn cursed.
Zephyr blinked, not sure he understood. “Followed?”
“She opened the portal somehow. I’m guessing with the key. Both her and my…” He cleared his throat. “My pet dragonling Hunter fell through it with her.” And the Alpha looked worried.
Ivyn let out another savage curse.
“Fuck. Fuck, fuck,” Cas added.
Hell realms were no place for humans and not for dragonlings either. And Avery was…soft and gentle. This was not good.
“I’ve spoken to Thurman and he seems to think she will be okay.”
Zephyr had no idea who Thurman was, but his brothers relaxed slightly at King’s words.
“I called you here for two reasons. To tell you that, and to ask you to carry out a retrieval mission. We’ve discovered that Ozias, aka Magnus—the vampire who has been changing humans into vampires with abandon in my city and subsequently letting those turned run rampant with no control—are one and the same. And one of his acolytes escaped earlier.” He looked at Ivyn and Cas. “Lindsey, the female Avery knows. Do you know of her?” There was a slight question in his voice.
Both his brothers nodded.
“Aurora mentioned that Mikael retrieved some jewelry from this vampire for Avery. It should still have the vampire’s scent on it. If she’s in the city, I want her brought to me. Can the three of you retrieve her?”
Zephyr nodded along with his brothers. “We will. If you receive any news on Mikael—”
“I’ll contact you immediately.”
As they left, he looked at his brothers as they hurried down the sidewalk. “Mikael really cares for her, doesn’t he?”
“She’s his mate,” Cas said without hesitation. “He’s just been very slow to co
urt her. Until now.”
“She’s been so oblivious to him anyway,” Ivyn said, a hint of amusement in his voice even though his expression was tense. “I thought she would break his heart, but those two are perfect for each other.”
“I never thought he would mate with a human.” Or someone who seemed so kind and soft.
Both his brothers looked at him, their expressions going…almost neutral.
“What? I like her. I was not saying anything negative about Avery.”
They didn’t respond, simply looked away as they hurried down the street. It wouldn’t take long to get back to their home.
“If I have said anything to offend either of you, I apologize,” he said stiffly as they reached the house. He had not seen his brothers in so long, and he did not want to lose them because he’d chosen his words incorrectly.
“You didn’t. It’s just… We like humans,” Cas said bluntly. “A lot.”
“I like humans too,” he said simply. He had met some in the Hell realm he’d been stuck in. And they were definitely not all bad. And after being separated from his family so long, feeling like a savage, he never wanted to inadvertently offend his brothers. They were the only family he had left.
“Good, then.” Ivyn threw the front door open. “Sit tight. I’ll grab the jewelry.”
* * *
Zephyr and his brothers had their prey cornered—even if she had no idea she was about to be captured.
The female vamp had left a wide trail straight to a condominium complex in what his brothers informed him was called the Central Business District. Or had been before The Fall.
They hadn’t even had to break into the place, they’d simply used the elevator. And now they were standing outside a door where he could scent the faint hint of death and blood.
Instead of kicking the door in—which would have been gratifying—he simply broke the handle off and shoved it open.
They moved silently into the open foyer, with the scent of blood growing stronger. As they reached the middle of the hallway, a naked blonde female vampire stepped out of an open doorway. She tensed, her fangs dropping as she got ready to run. He could see it in the tense lines of her leg muscles.
“We are all dragons and ancient,” he said quietly, inserting power into his words. “We will catch you. And we won’t be gentle if you run.”
She met his gaze dead-on until finally she had to drop it. She was no Alpha. Not even alpha in nature.
Letting out a hiss of frustration, she reached through the doorway she’d come out of and pulled a robe out a second later. She tightened the thick blue robe around her middle. “Who are you and what do you want?” she demanded.
Zephyr lifted a hand and his two brothers passed by him to search the apartment.
Instead of answering, he pointed at her. “Sit. Living room, now.” He’d never been in here, obviously, but his knowledge of this modern world was that most homes had similar rooms.
She stalked away from him, her movements light and quick.
As he followed her, he tried to ignore her scent. It was devoid of…life. And not all vamps were like that. This one, however, scented of almost nothing. It was disturbing to his dragon. He’d felt that when tracking her, that something about her natural smell was…wrong.
“Got a body in here,” Ivyn called out.
Both Cas and Ivyn stepped into the living room seconds later, their expressions grim. Even though it was still dark out, the drapes were pulled over the windows.
“Who did you kill?” he asked.
“My ex-husband. I was thirsty,” she said dismissively. “He was old anyway. And he hated this new world. I did him a favor.”
“It’s Avery’s father.” Ivyn spoke to Zephyr, his dragon in his gaze, ready to attack.
It was very clear that Ivyn and Cas adored Avery, but from what they’d told him, he did not think she would mind too much if her father died. Though humans could be strange about some things, so she would likely have feelings about his death.
“Yes,” Lindsey said, absently toying with a lock of her hair.
He could see why her maker had turned her, at least from a physical standpoint. She was beautiful, but it was clear that it was only on the surface.
“Tell us about your maker,” Zephyr said bluntly.
“Or what?”
He allowed his dragon to bleed into his eyes. “You really want to find out?” he growled. “We can keep you alive for decades, centuries. You will exist in a state of pain so that it is all you know.” Zephyr would not do that to another being, but he had learned that the threat of torture was often powerful enough to make someone spill their secrets. Especially someone who was weak mentally.
“What do you want to know?” she asked as a tiny thread of fear spiked in the air, sharp and pungent.
“Where did he go?”
“How should I know?”
“That is not an answer,” he bit out.
“Fine. I have no idea.”
“Where are Avery’s brothers?” Cas cut in, stepping forward slightly.
The vampire eyed him up and down, licked her lips once. “What do I get if I tell you?”
“You get to live.”
“You dragons are so boring,” she pouted. “I want a deal if I tell you where they are.”
“What kind of deal?”
“I want…immunity from everything I’ve done up until this point. I want to leave the city. Which was my plan to begin with. I just needed sustenance—”
“You didn’t need to drain him,” Cas cut in, but there was no heat in his voice.
“Yes, but I wanted to. I had to screw him for years. I wasted a lot of time on his needy ass. He deserved to die.” There was disdain in her voice as she dropped the strand of hair she’d been playing with. “Like I was saying. I want immunity. Other than him,” she jerked a thumb over her shoulder, “I haven’t killed anyone. I’m not stupid. I won’t kill my food sources. I want you to vow that you won’t kill me. Any of you. I know vows are important to supernaturals.”
“I can’t grant immunity as I’m not the Alpha of this region,” Zephyr said because otherwise she would know he was lying. “But each of us vow on the Cathasaigh clan name that we will not kill you. Unless in self-defense.”
“And unless you try to kill anyone close to us—including Avery and her brothers,” Ivyn added.
The vamp nodded once. “And you’ll let me go if I tell you where the boys are.”
Zephyr watched her carefully for a long moment. “If the information you give leads to the rescue of Avery’s brothers, we will let you go,” he finally said.
She stood then. “Fine. We have a deal.”
“Talk. Where are they?”
She paused, sizing him up, her eyes calculating. Whatever she saw, she didn’t like. “Magnus had them drugged up in a place nearby. A house where a couple humans he feeds from live. They’re in an attic, tied up and docile. They’re totally fine. And he doesn’t even know I know. I followed the vampire who delivered them.” She sounded smug about that.
“Address. Now.”
She sighed and stood.
All three of them fanned out, ready to attack.
She paused. “Jumpy, aren’t we,” she murmured, but he scented the fear, the stench of it beneath her bravado. She picked up her cell phone from a nearby table and typed in commands. Then she held it out so they could see the screen. “That’s the house. I took a picture of it before I left.” Then she gave them the actual address.
Cas already had his phone out and was texting quickly. He snatched her phone from her. “What’s your code?”
Her lips pulled into a thin line, but she finally gave it to him.
Cas then texted someone, Zephyr assumed King. Instead of giving it back to her, he shoved her phone in his back pocket then grabbed her upper arm. “Let’s go.”
“Hey! You said you’d let me go.”
“We said we’d let you go if your information led to u
s finding them. We’re not letting you out of our sight until then.” Cas spoke to her as if she had rocks in her head.
Which only seemed to enrage her, given the way her fangs descended. “At least let me put on clothing!”
“Your robe is fine.” Cas continued herding her toward the door.
She grumbled but didn’t complain as they hurried her outside. The sun would be rising soon enough and he imagined she wanted to be indoors for that.
He had no idea what King would do with her, but Zephyr would keep his word. Funny thing about vows, however. He only had to keep his word. Whatever happened to her after he and his brothers eventually let her go was on her.
Chapter 36
Avery crouched down against Mikael’s scaled back, Hunter right next to her, his wing wrapped protectively over her even though she knew he was scared too.
So she wrapped her arm around his neck, hugging him back as Mikael silently glided over the exit to the Hell realm.
If she’d been here by herself, she never would have found the exit. And even if she had by some miracle actually found it, she wouldn’t have made it through alive. Or she couldn’t see how that was possible.
At the top of a mountain, trees waved softly around a giant crater which Mikael had told her was the opening aka exit they had to go through.
But first, they had to not die.
The crater was guarded by trees that didn’t actually look like any tree she’d ever seen in her short existence. The tall, thin trunks had a similar length as pine trees, but moved with the flexibility that looked like…cilia. The trunks sparkled white in the light, giving them an almost teeth-like appearance.
So creepy-ass trees were guarding the crater, ready to devour anything that dared to enter it. Because, oh yeah, Mikael had said that if one of them snagged you, it would eat you through osmosis. Not exactly, but that was her takeaway.
She dared to peek over his back again, watching the trees wave back and forth so peacefully, gently. As if they weren’t plotting to kill them.
But Mikael had said he was counting down, watching the movements of the elongated trees. He swore they would try to attack, which seemed insane to her. Attack trees?