Jace pulled himself back, when I reached for him he knelt and lowered his mouth to mine kissing me, his tongue slipping in between my lips while he explored my mouth. “I want to come inside you,” he whispered when he pulled back and I stared up into his whirling green eyes. Beneath me Gareth stilled and his body tensed. The three of us turned as two dark figures skimmed the trees and glided in to land not ten feet from us, shifting to human. A third figure came to rest farther back, closer to the trees, and I made a strangled sound in my throat.
“Don’t move,” Gareth growled as I tensed to lift myself off him. I bit my lip and settled back onto my knees, reaching up to pull my hair forward to cover myself.
“What do you want?” Gareth demanded and his voice made a chill run up my spine. In front of me Jace edged closer, somewhat blocking my body from view as he straightened his shoulders. The tension was thick in the air as we all stared back at Marcus and Dane.
Dane made an amused noise then chuckled. “Ye know the laws,” he replied. “Tis our right.”
I had no idea what he was talking about but Jace and Gareth apparently did because they both reacted badly. I think if I hadn’t been seated on Gareth he would have gone for his throat. Jace hunched closer to me and growled low, as if denying Dane’s words. “This is not Seriscai and Lexi is not Queen,” Gareth replied in a deadly soft voice. “You cannot claim the Right of Meranne here!”
Dane crossed his arms over his chest and stared back at the three of us, his dark eyes beginning to whirl slowly. Beside him Marcus held his tongue, his arms loose at his sides, a vacant expression in his eyes. “She is already Queen; her breeding has seen to it. It matters not which world we stand upon, I can and do claim the right of ascension. Until she is fertile she can nae turn any true claimant away. Ye do not have the right to refuse me, nor does she,” he replied calmly.
“What is he talking about?” I demanded suddenly. The sound of my voice caused Marcus to shift where he stood. None of the others moved a muscle.
“You must decide,” Jace told me finally.
“Decide what?”
“Our future.”
Dane snorted softly.
“Do I need to do this right this second?”
Gareth pulled me back against his chest and I twisted my neck so I could see the resignation in his face. “Lexi, will you be Dragon or Elf?” he asked me softy. “Queen or Princess, you must decide.”
“Why must I decide?” I demanded, my eyes flicking around at them all. “Why must it be this minute and how can I be expected to make a decision that obviously has ramifications I am completely unaware of? I won’t do it and you can’t make me!” I told them, feeling my temper start to rise.
“Your agreement is nae necessary,” Dane informed me bluntly.
“I’d be quiet if I was you,” I told him sharply. “One, I’m not happy about this interruption, and two, I’m starting to not like you very much.” That got me a squeeze from Gareth and a wry look from Jace. “Even Marcus seems to have more sense than you; at least he is keeping his mouth shut. You on the other hand, appear to be working very hard to irritate me.”
Dane looked thoughtful for a second and then he chuckled. “I like yer spirit, Lass. Perhaps it’s just that I’m cursed with an honest tongue.”
“I wouldn’t know about that, but your timing really sucks.”
“From where I’m standing me timing seems perfect.”
I glanced at Jace and raised an eyebrow but he shook his head. “Okay I give up what exactly is that supposed to mean?”
Behind me Gareth made a rumbling noise in his chest, which did not sound happy at all.
“You’ll be telling her or I shall,” Dane informed us.
“He’s claimed the right of ascension. It means,” Jace began in a strangled voice. “It means he’s entitled to join in or observe, whichever he chooses, anytime he chooses. Until you are fertile. It is the first law,” he finished. I nearly fell over in Gareth’s lap, I was so shocked.
“Any Drake?” I breathed, while spots danced before my eyes.
“Any suitably potential mate that invokes the right,” Gareth grumbled next to my ear. Oh God, why hadn’t someone stopped me from leaving the red carpet as we had! Gareth rumbled again in his chest and the sound was not soothing. “It had to be done,” he replied bitterly. “And now you must choose.”
“And if I choose Elf?” I demanded harshly.
Jace sucked air into his lungs and sat back abruptly onto his legs. “Then you doom us all,” he whispered.
“How do you know that? Perhaps my sisters?” I began, and Jace shook his head his eyes distraught.
“None are gold,” he replied in a broken voice. “We would know.”
“Fine, then we are done here,” I replied angrily. I’d be dammed if I’d perform in public like some monkey on a leash.
“Lexi…” Gareth began softly, his voice a gentle warning.
“I’m fine… for now,” I snapped.
“But not for long,” he warned me. “It is just over twenty four hours now… it will get worse.” My head dropped forward and I felt sick to my stomach.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I finally asked from beneath my hair. Behind me I felt Gareth take a deep breath.
“At first we assumed you knew. You accepted us both and made a point of telling us they were not to be harmed, and that we must accommodate them. It seemed that you knew,” Gareth whispered against my hair. “And then when it became clear that you did not… it is an old law… and there are very few elder Drakes. We hoped…”
“That they would not know,” I finished for him. “But there is just one thing,” I told them softly and raised my head, my eyes turning to Marcus. And I rose slowly shrugging off Gareth’s hands as I stepped toward him, my eyes searching his face while he stared back at me vacantly. I rolled my hips, pushed back my hair, and opened my little red door, forcing desire before me on the slight breeze like eddies in a calm pool. When it brushed him, his head snapped back exposing his throat. I was on him in an instant, my body striking his, bringing him down to the ground while my hand shifted and my claws gripped his neck tightly.
Gareth and Jace yelled and Dane was clearly shocked as I wrapped my legs around Marcus while he struggled in my embrace. My teeth found his neck and I sank them into his skin cutting off the air to his lungs as he gasped and bucked beneath me. I held him tightly until he went limp in my embrace, then I released him and leaned back, my gold eyes turning on Dane in anger. “You fool!” I hissed at him while he stared at me in awe. “If he declares, he gives Valentine access to us all anytime, anywhere! Kit!” I yelled and was licking the spicy flavor of Marcus’ blood from my lips when he swirled into existence beside me.
“Mistress?” he breathed, his eyes taking in the scene and widening slightly at the sight of Marcus passed out beneath my naked body, blood smeared across my cheek.
“This hold Valentine has over him… would a trip to Hell break it?” I demanded softly and he shook his head vehemently.
“Can you remove his vocal cords?” I demanded and he stared at me as if I’d gone mad.
Gareth stepped up beside me. “That will not work,” he told me.
“We must put him somewhere, someplace Valentine cannot control him. If what you say is true, and he declares, I cannot deny him and Valentine will have us all!”
“Kill him,” Dane muttered, his dark eyes intense.
“I cannot. He is like this from love of his foster mother. This could be you,” I told him harshly. “Mi!” I yelled and turned to Kit, “Bring me my Mother, quickly.” And he snapped his fingers. Mi appeared in a swirl of tan and grey and simply shook her head at me.
“Lexi, child… what ever are you doing?”
“No time for that now,” I told her as Mom appeared wearing a bathrobe and no slippers.
“Lexi!” she breathed. “Danu protect us, what is happening?” she demanded, her pale blue eyes shocked at the sight before her. Dad ran t
o her and pulled her in against him as he stared between Marcus and me.
“He is controlled by a Vampire. If he wakes and opens his mouth and declares for me, he endangers us all. Please, you must take him to the Sidhe where Valentine cannot reach him. I cannot kill him, and to simply send him there would be worse than death. You are responsible for him so you must take him and keep him safe for me.”
Mi shook her head and glanced at my Parents. “Well at least she’s never boring. This aught to entertain the Queen,” she commented, then flicked her tail and all four of them disappeared while I found myself kneeling on a patch of uncomfortable meadow grass.
“Ah can I assume from your hi jinx that we have progressed to the stage of declaring for ascension?” Kit asked dryly. His gaze sliding between Dane’s still clothed body and the rest of us.
“Yes,” I spat back at him, “and nearly killed us all! Remind me when we get back home to strangle you Kit!”
“Me, Mistress?” he asked in surprise.
“Yes, I believe I requested loyalty,” I growled at him.
“Loyal and brave,” he replied with a grin. “Did you also wish to pet and scratch me now?” he asked.
“I don’t think you want me anywhere near you at the moment,” I warned him softly. “But I would very much enjoy you sharing the finer points of Dragon lore with me so I don’t have to keep finding these things out the hard way!” I growled, then launched myself into the air shifting immediately. I heard Kit yell, then sensed the others take wing beneath me as I flew like a bullet over the tree tops toward the bay and the lights of San Francisco in the distance.
I landed on our roof, shifting as I did so. Through my feet I could feel the vibrations from the music below. “Kit,” I growled and stared at him, so not amused when he materialized in front of me. The others landed behind me and shifted. “We seem to have left without our clothing,” I told him and lifted an eyebrow as his eyes took their time skimming my body. “Today would be nice,” I growled and he sighed and snapped his fingers.
“Will you be angry with me for long?” he asked, then winced when I hissed at him. I didn’t bother answering, simply turned and headed for the stairs. No one said anything as I led us down the back way and to the elevators. When the doors opened on the third level, I swept out in front of them heading down the hall. I stopped dead in my tracks at the living room, which looked as if a tornado had hit it. Couches and chairs were upended everywhere and pictures hung in tatters on the walls.
“What in the world happened here?” I demanded glancing around in surprise. “Were we attacked? Are the others okay?”
“Your new friend threw a temper tantrum when I wouldn’t let him out,” Kit told me sarcastically. Then he snapped his fingers and everything was put back where it belonged. “I just thought you should see it. So you weren’t angry at me for simply letting him run amok. Apparently he sensed you take flight and… his Dragon got the better of him,” he replied with a grimace.
I turned to look at Dane who wouldn’t quite meet my eyes. “My apologies. Tis a bad temper I have when caged,” he replied by way of answer.
“That way,” I told him, pointing down the hall in the opposite direction. “Now that my parents are gone I believe that side of the hall can be yours.”
“No,” he told me, a stubborn look on his face.
“Yes,” I replied sweetly. “Or it’s the Sidhe and a long nap for you, too,” I warned him.
He sucked air into his lungs, while beside me Gareth and Jace suddenly looked less dejected and a little more hopeful.
“But the law…”
“Doesn’t say I have to sleep with you, only let you near me while I have sex with other Dragons. And since I won’t be doing that tonight…” I told him abruptly. Jace and Gareth grumbled and looked like they might want to say something but thought better of it. “Besides you’ve already had release tonight,” I hissed at him and watched while his face went dusky. “Which is more than either Jace or Gareth can say, thanks to you! So I suggest you back off before I do something both of us might regret. In the meantime, I’m going to bed.”
“Ah Mistress... shall I join you?”
“What do you think?”
“That you are still angry with me and I’ll be sleeping alone tonight, too,” he replied with a grimace.
“See, I knew you were smart,” I replied, then left them all standing there as I marched down the hall toward my bedroom. Areth helped me undress and I asked her for something similar to what she had given me the night before while I went and soaked in my tub. When I was done, I donned my nightgown, a beautiful creation in pale yellow with matching sheer robe. The material was silk and clung to my damp skin. I tied the robe at my breasts and moved to the door, the skin of my legs flashing through the long slit.
Lira and Roral were standing guard outside my door and I frowned at them realizing without my parents here, they had obviously reverted back to me. Their auras slid to orange-red at the sight of me and I bit my lip and wondered if I was going to be in trouble.
“Good evening, Princess, you look… well,” Lira made a point of telling me while he took a moment to look me over. I nodded as I crossed the hall, opening the door to their quarters.
“May we assist you?” Roral asked softly as he reached to hold the door above my shoulder. His voice caused gooseflesh to skitter across my arms. It sounded low and sexy and curious. I stared up at him while his eyes glided over my hair and his fingers twitched. His body leaned into mine and I had to wonder at the sincerity of his sudden interest as I glanced up into his pale green eyes.
“No, I’m fine,” I told them and felt a questioning pressure against my mind. They filed in behind me so close I could feel them brush the back of my robe, and as I turned toward the first door on the right, Lira slid in front of me, his body blocking the doorway. I stopped, looking up at him and slowly raised an eyebrow as I did so. His stance wasn’t threatening, but his eyes told a different story. I supposed they were still angry with me and sighed softly, deciding the least I could do was give them the courtesy of expressing themselves. Better just to let them have their say than let it fester inside them.
“Your departure from the event this evening was… quite spectacular,” Lira informed me while Roral hovered at my shoulder. “It has been a very long time since either of us has seen Dragons and never one so beautiful as you.”
I took a deep breath and stared into his unique eyes. “My Mother hasn’t even been gone an hour,” I informed him in a cool voice and watched as his eyes narrowed slightly and his nostrils flared. Roral shifted next to me, his chest actually brushing against my shoulder. “I’m not sure if I should be insulted or not.”
“Far be it from me to criticize, Princess, but had you looked closer you would have realized it was not desire we feel for your Mother, though I admit she has always held a certain fascination given her position.”
I tilted my head and considered his words. He was correct. I had not searched their hearts or minds. I had merely let my eyes draw conclusions. Honestly though, how could I poke about when their shielding was as fierce as Amras’ and Cursed’s ever was?
Lira considered my thought and told me softly, “You could have asked.”
“I was to say… drop your shields I wish to muck around in your minds?” I asked, my voice sounding skeptical even to me. “And you would simply have laid all that you are bare to me?” And I shook my head and smiled grimly. “I would not have presumed, nor been so rude. And now you claim I was mistaken, yet you provide no proof to convince me otherwise.”
Roral made a soft noise and replied, “Then see us.” And the wall surrounding their minds slid away and I was swamped in their emotions. Anger and frustration poured over me, coated with a bittersweet desire. I staggered slightly and Roral’s fingers clasped my arms drawing me against his chest. The pleasure he felt when his hands touched my skin nearly took me to my knees and I trembled slightly while their minds rolled me. Lira humme
d deep in his chest and I raised my eyes to his again. This time I truly saw him as I had never done before. His desire was like a raging forest fire and I wondered how he managed to keep it hidden so well. The skin over his cheeks tightened as I stared up at him in amazement.
“You couldn’t be more wrong,” he informed me and I swallowed as he shared with me the memory of his arrival here and what my actions with Marcus had done to him. And how he felt each time I had taken pleasure in another man. Roral’s mind joined his and it was like viewing a movie in stereo. One that left me gasping for breath and fighting the need to take us all to the floor in a tangle of lust crazed body parts. Roral’s fingers gripped me tightly and I could feel the hard length of him pressing into me through the thin material of my nightgown. I licked my lips and held perfectly still knowing how very close I was to losing control. I needed help.
“Lexi?” Owen called to me, and I slowly turned my head to see him standing just down the hall. Across from him both Kit’s and Cursed’s doors were open, their eyes intent as they watched me struggle to control the flood of desire coming off Lira and Roral. My gaze fused to Cursed’s and it gave me the strength I needed to step away from Roral.
“You may remain here,” I rasped and pushed past Lira and through the doorway, closing it firmly behind me. I placed my back against the portal, dragging a huge lungful of air into my chest while I tried to still the frantic beating of my heart. My eyes closed and I took a moment to try to calm myself. When I opened them again I glanced around at the beauty spread out around me, my mind focusing on my surroundings like a life preserver.
Dragon Rage Page 27