Wicked Burn

by Rebecca Zanetti

  Pregnant.

  She coughed out a laugh. Her heart lifted. A baby. Nick’s baby.

  The idea, as unthinkable as it was, filled her with a joy she hadn’t thought possible. Perhaps it made an odd kind of sense, considering her mother had become pregnant without a mating, and her father apparently had a gift in that department. Even so, something so rare had to be part of fate. Right?

  How in the world was she going to tell Nicholai?

  More important, how in the world was she going to get him to back off and let her go to trial? With a bairn on the way, she couldn’t go into hiding. They had to figure out a decent defense. If the law didn’t work for her, which it certainly did not, she needed to find a political reason for the Coven Nine to find her not guilty. There had to be something.

  But first she had to convince an over-the-top, protective, possessive male demon to quell every natural instinct he owned and follow her lead.

  Aye. That was going to be easy. Not.

  She reached the living room to find Nick moving her mother’s favorite chair into the corner of the room. “What happened?”

  “Connlan Kayrs happened,” Nick muttered. “We’ll have to get the chair repaired when we have time. For now, let’s put it in the corner so nobody sits on it and damages it further.”

  Simone nodded. “We, ah, need to talk.” Her hands fluttered together. Fluttered! For the love of the Liffey. She was Simone Brightston, and she did not flutter. Ever.

  He straightened and turned to face her. “Last time you wanted to talk, I believe you wanted to confess to committing treason. Please tell me this is less of a surprise.”

  She chuckled, and even her laugh sounded nervous. “I can’t tell you that.”

  He sighed. “All right. What now?”

  She opened her mouth to tell him, and a car screeched to a stop outside. A second later, the front door burst open, banging against the wall.

  Nick leaped across the room to cover her, landing squarely between her and the threat. “Bear?” he roared.

  Simone looked around Nick. “Bear? What in the world are you doing in Dublin?”

  Bear ran into the room, his gaze frantic. His T-shirt was inside out as if he’d hurriedly thrown it on, and his threadbare jeans were unbuttoned. “We have to go. Right now, we have to get the hell out of here.”

  Nick didn’t hesitate to run over and stuff his papers into a backpack. “What kind of threat?”

  “You wouldn’t believe me.” Bear ran toward Simone to grab her arm. “Let’s go. God. I can’t believe your mom called him.”

  Simone jerked free. “Desmond?”

  Bear paused and reared back. “She told you about him?”

  “Yes,” Simone said smoothly, her heart thundering in her chest. “All about him. So let’s wait here.”

  Bear growled and sounded like the beast he really was. “Bullshit, sister. If she’d told you about him, you wouldn’t want to stay here and wait.”

  Nick reached them, anger swelling from him. “Who the hell is Desmond?”

  “Later.” Bear pushed Simone toward the door. “I’ll explain everything once we’re the hell away from here. Hurry. God, we have to hurry.”

  His urgency and panic took hold of Simone. “I can’t leave my mother.”

  “You have to. She’s safe, I promise.” Bear pushed her harder, and she fell against Nick. “Go. Geez. Just go. I’ll have your mom brought to safety in no time. She’s not the one in danger. I promise.”

  “Who is Desmond?” Simone asked, turning on Bear. If she didn’t get some answers, she was going to go crazy.

  Bear looked over her head at Nick. “If she stays here, she dies. I give you my word, she’s in mortal danger, and neither of you have a clue as to what is coming. For once in your life, trust me, Nick. Go on faith.”

  Simone hissed. “I’m not moving an inch—eek.”

  Nick swung her up and started for the front door. She struggled, panic engulfing her. If danger was coming, the type that could frighten Bear so, she couldn’t leave her mother here in such a weakened state. “My mother.”

  “I’ll bring her,” Bear yelled. “Text me where to meet you once you’re safe. Just go. Fucking go, Simone.”

  Nick ran for the front door and leaped down the three steps, heading straight for his motorcycle, which was parked near the porch.

  A dark shadow covered the sun for a second. Then something else.

  Simone glanced up. Nothing. She shivered. “What in the hell?”

  Nick reached the bike. “I don’t know. Something is here.” He frowned and glanced around the quiet area. “Get on the bike.”

  Her legs wobbled, but she managed to get one over the seat before Nick jumped in front of her and started the engine. The bike roared to life. Hope filled her, and she tucked her hands around Nick’s waist.

  He twisted the throttle, and the bike leaped forward and onto the dirt drive.

  Simone held on, her heart racing. The shadow crossed again.

  Strong arms grabbed her. The force jerked her off the motorcycle and into the air. She screamed, reaching for Nick, but within seconds, she rose high above him. The air chilled and seemed to swirl around.

  He swung the bike around and cut the engine, looking up with shock and a darkening rage across his face.

  Simone froze in place. If she struggled, whatever held her might drop her. What the blooming hell had her?

  Whatever it was tucked her up, and warmth shielded her back. The hold felt strong, and the ground rushed by below as they flew with immeasurable speed. She didn’t know of any immortal creature that could fly, but something was whisking her away. Her and her baby.

  She bit back another scream and tried to concentrate. Wisps of cloud surrounded them, but she could make out land below. Green and rolling countryside turned to churning water. If she struggled free, how hard would she hit the ocean?

  Probably too hard. Falling from such a height would be like hitting stone instead of water.

  “What are you?” she whispered.

  No answer. It barely breathed against her, using wind currents to rise and fall easily.

  At some point, whatever it was would have to put her down. It would have to land. The second it did, she’d fight. She dug deep, accepted the reality of what was happening, and prepared to kill.

  Wind whistled through her hair, tossing it around.

  The air chilled her, even through her jeans and sweater. They had to be heading toward Iceland. An air pocket surrounded them, and they dropped several meters. She screamed and clutched the band around her.

  “Sorry.” The voice was gravelly, kind of like a demon’s but raspier.

  She dug her nails into what felt like tight leather over, well, arms. “What are you? I know you can speak.”

  “Shh. I need to concentrate or we’ll end up diving for sharks.” Humor laced the deep voice this time, and his breath brushed her hair with warmth.

  The truth hit her. Whatever had her had to be a shifter. Shifters were either feline, canine, or multi, although everyone thought multis had evolved into bears, if they ever existed in the first place. This had to be a multi-shifter. Some kind of weird bird? “Are you a dinosaur?”

  He laughed then, and there was no doubt the voice was male. “God, no.”

  “Bird?”

  “Nope.”

  The creature holding her had said “nope.” How bizarre. “Are you going to kill me?”

  The bubble of humor surrounding her popped. “I am not.”

  Fear clutched her throat. That made sense. If he wanted her dead, he could just drop her. “Is somebody else going to kill me?”

  “We’ll talk about it when we land.”

  Her stomach dropped. “The Coven Nine won’t allow this to happen.”

  “The Coven Nine has no clue where you’re going.”

  Neither did Nick. God, he’d be furious. She hadn’t gotten a chance to tell him about the baby. “Anybody threatens me and I’ll end t
hem.”

  Her captor chuckled. “Fair enough, Simone.”

  There went the hopeful thought that he’d just kidnapped a random woman to take back to his lair. Or nest. Or whatever the hell he had. “Your name?” Maybe she could forge some sort of connection with the creature.

  “Flynn.”

  “So, not Desmond.” This was getting more and more confusing.

  “Desmond sent me.”

  An island dotted the sea below, but they flew right over it. “Who’s Desmond?”

  “You’ll meet him soon enough.”

  Another island, a fishing boat, a luxury cruiser, and then just open, gray sea. Dark, churning, and freezing. If he dropped her, she might not make it to safety without drowning, which actually could kill a witch.

  The air grew misty and thick around them.

  Simone sucked in air, trying to keep from screaming her head off. Her head spun, and adrenaline flowed way too strongly through her veins. She gagged.

  “Whoa. No barfing.”

  What kind of kidnapping, freaky creature used the word barf ? Simone swallowed down bile. Fear combined with morning sickness? Great. Just what she needed. “I’m fine.”

  “We’re almost there. Don’t puke until we land,” he said.

  “Where?” She couldn’t see through the mist.

  They started to slowly descend, revealing the ocean below. Simone began to struggle. “There’s only water.”

  “Wait for it.” He went lower, and suddenly, jagged cliffs began to appear, and then a monstrous island.

  “What the hell?”

  “Shielded and veiled.” The ground rushed up to meet them, and they landed on a massive breezeway made of something sparkly next to some sort of building set into the cliffs. As they landed, he shifted her in his grip, and ended up running on two legs with her in his arms until he came to a stop.

  She gasped for air and glanced up into a male face. A normal male face with dark eyes, even darker hair, and symmetrical features. “Who are you?”

  He gently set her on her feet, standing there buck-assed naked. “Flynn.”

  “I know that.” She grasped his arms until her knees stopped shaking, looking down as the sparkly ground and trying not to vomit. The sparkles caught her eye. “Are those diamonds?”

  “Of course.”

  They walked on crushed diamonds set into marble tiles. She looked up and then pushed away from him. He seemed unconcerned by his nudity, and considering he was one long line of ripped muscle, she couldn’t quite blame him.

  The sea crashed far below them across a marble balcony, while velvet curtains billowed out from several tall doorways. She edged toward the balcony to see a sheer drop with absolutely no handholds.

  “The only way in or out is flying.” Flynn took a step back, obviously giving her some room. “Are you going to throw up?”

  Her stomach still churned, but she shook her head. “No.” She pressed both hands on her hips and tried to center herself in case she needed to create fire. “Now, how about you tell me what the fuck you are.”

  A figure stepped out from the entrance. Tall and broad with sandy brown hair, blue eyes, and designer clothing. He tossed a towel to Flynn, who wrapped it loosely around his hips. “Simone. Welcome to Fire Island.”

  She fought the urge to sidle closer to the now decent Flynn. “You must be Desmond.”

  He smiled, flashing extremely white teeth. “Yes. So good to make your acquaintance.”

  “Who are you people, and what do you want?” Her fingers itched with the desire to burn the hell out of them both.

  Desmond took a deep breath. “I’m the leader of our people, and you, my friend, are my cousin.”

  She blinked. “You’re a bear shifter?”

  “No.”

  “Multi-shifter?”

  He winced. “Well, there have never been multi-shifters, to be frank. There have been feline, canine, bear, and us.”

  She frowned. “Bear shifters have always existed?”

  “Sure. We perpetrated a legend that they were part of the multi-species in case we were ever seen, which we have been. Everyone bought it. We’re no more related to the bears than you are to the vampires.” Desmond eyed Flynn.

  Simone kept her gaze on both men. There was a tension between them, one she couldn’t quite decipher. They weren’t witches, which only meant... “My father was one of you.”

  “Aye,” Desmond said. “He was also father to Flynn.”

  Her mouth gaped open. She had another brother? “Wait. So you and Bear?”

  “Half-brothers,” Flynn confirmed. “He, you, and I share a father but different mothers. Our father was a rare immortal to be sure.”

  Emotion whirled through her with the force of a hurricane, and she tried to center herself and not freak out in front of the males. “Did my mother know? About you?”

  “Probably not about me, but she certainly knew about our father and our species,” Flynn said. “And she, of course, knows that Desmond is the leader of our people.”

  “But I’m not one of you. I can’t fly or turn into anything that does fly,” Simone whispered.

  Flynn smiled. “No. Immortals take one form only, usually, and you’re a witch. However, you should have had some experiences as a child. Any chance you have early memories of being, something, well . . . else?”

  Heat climbed into her face. No way would she confess that one. “No.”

  Flynn lifted an eyebrow. “I can smell a lie.”

  So could she.

  He cleared his throat. “Any chance you, ah, remember being a small rabbit?”

  Holy blooming crap. The only person she’d ever revealed those odd childhood dreams to was Nicholai, which was how she’d gotten the nickname. She’d thought those were just dreams with no basis in reality. “How did you know?”

  He glanced down at the sparkling diamonds. “So wrong. We all have bunny moments as toddlers. To think that our magnificent forms start out as bunnies.” He sadly shook his head.

  Simone backed away two steps down the railing. “You’re freakin’ bunnies? Rabbits that fly?”

  Desmond barked out a laugh. “Ah, no. It’s an unfortunate childhood phase we all go through, even if we end up taking different forms, like you as a witch.”

  She allowed plasma to crackle down her arms and form fireballs in her hands. “I’m done asking. Explain.”

  Desmond eyed the blue flames with interest and then gave a short nod. “Flynn?”

  Flynn sighed and dropped the towel. The air popped the same way as when a bear shifted. He growled low, stretched out, and within seconds stood on four long legs, tail up in the air. His eyes remained the same, but his face elongated, he turned deep black, and scales sparkled down his back and legs.

  Simone coughed, her feet frozen solid in place. She blinked several times, just in case she was hallucinating. Flynn stared calmly back at her, a huge beast. “Holy shite. You’re a dragon,” she whispered.

  Chapter 20

  Nick jumped off his bike and squinted up into the now empty clouds. What the fuck was that thing? He hadn’t seen anything but a dark shadow before he’d stopped the motorcycle. His blood rushed through his head, and he tried to shoot a mind attack up, if that thing had a brain. But it was already gone.

  With Simone.

  Rage rippled through him, and he turned to run toward the car Bear had just jumped into. The feel of the door handle beneath his hand spurred Nick on, and he ripped the entire door away from the car, throwing it across the driveway.

  Bear’s mouth dropped open, and he jumped out, pushing Nick away. “This is a rental,” he snapped.

  Nick grabbed the shifter by the T-shirt with both hands and slammed him against the car. “What the fuck just took Simone?”

  Bear winced. “I told you to run, but no, you wouldn’t hurry.” He kept his body relaxed, but tension cascaded from him. “You stay here with Vivienne, and I’ll go secure Simone’s release. Or at least help her.”
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  “Who are they?” Nick drew Bear back and smashed him into the car again.

  Bear shook his shaggy head, his brown eyes somber. “It’s none of your business. Just stay here and for once, keep out of the way.”

  Nick shook his head. “I’m going to kill you if you don’t talk.”

  Bear rolled his eyes. “You couldn’t kill me, but if you really must know—because I’m sure Simone will tell you anyway, if she lives—you’ve never seen anything like the guys who took her.”

  “Bear,” Nick growled.

  Bear shrugged. “Fine, but you have to know that hearing this might put a bull’s-eye on your damn demon head. I warned you, and you didn’t listen, but that’s your own damn problem. The guys who took her are dragons. Dragons.”

  Oh, he was going to kill the smart-ass bear. “Do I look like I’m fucking around right now? Give me a straight answer, or I swear to God, I’m going to peel your brain like a damn avocado.”

  Bear coughed. “Avocado? Weird choice there. I’d have gone with melon or onion, or even cucumber. Avocado shows some really odd childhood issues, demon.” His sarcasm failed to mask the very real concern glowing in his brown eyes.

  That was it. Nick lowered his chin and shot a piercing blade into Bear’s head along with images of death and destruction.

  Bear’s bourbon-colored eyes stared back. He blinked.

  Nick frowned. There was no reaction from the bear. Shifters were usually overly susceptible to mind attacks. Sucking deep, he shoved harder and sharpened the imaginary blade.

  Bear growled, and then his pupils widened until his eyes were a glimmering black.

  “What the hell?” Nick asked, releasing him, staring deep. Bear’s pupils had changed shape to oblong, while a lighter black colored the iris. Eyes could change colors, not shapes.

  Bear shrugged. Pain radiated from him. His face elongated. “You wanted to know.” Somehow, his voice had gone raspy.

  Nick stepped back several feet, ready to drop into a fighting stance.

  The oxygen popped around them, and sparkles glimmered through the molecules. Bear shifted, going from human to an eight-foot-tall grizzly. Stretching his neck, he let out a monstrous roar. His coat thickened down his body into a brownish-gold fur, and a small tail emerged.