Freed by Her Dragons (The Inmate of the Dreki Dragons Book 2) Page 7

“Ambrose, do something!” Tiernan shouts at the warlock, waving his hand. He gathers his own power, unveiling black glittering scales across his arms. “Something is wrong. Delphia shouldn’t protect that asshole. She should protect Theo. What did you do?”

  “Nothing. They’ve bonded as they should’ve. I can see it in the linking of their souls,” Ambrose says, gathering magical light in his palms. He throws it into the air, sending power raining on us, the sensation like a cool breath against my scales. “But I can also see she’s bonded to the Drekis. The soul link shines just as brightly, if not more.”

  “What? Impossible! She belongs to our clan,” Theo says, his voice rising in astonishment. He tries to dodge out of Maddox’s way, but he can’t move fast enough.

  And then Kash blows a breath of fire from above, keeping him down. My heartstrings seemingly pull in too many directions. Dizziness blurs my vision, and I fall in my dragon form, hitting the magic shield the warlock creates. Fire explodes from my mouth, the shock of magic smoldering across my scales. Rowan punches Ambrose and rushes to me.

  “Transform, Nova. You have to transform. We have to go,” he says, rubbing his hands on my neck. “The High Council will show at any second.”

  I concentrate on his quiet pleas, savoring the sensation of his hands stroking my scales, trying to calm me down enough to focus. My humanity finally breaks free of my dragon, reeling her back in to cage her away. Shadows edge my vision, and I thunk on the concrete, curling in on myself. Tears blur my eyes as I heave a few breaths, my emotions whirring out of control.

  A yell cuts through the air, dragging my focus from my quivering body to where Maddox punches Theo in the throat, stealing his breath. The man stumbles back, crashing to the ground. Lifting his sword, Maddox aims it, readying himself for the death blow.

  “She is ours!” he yells, fire escaping his hands to light the sword aglow.

  I clutch my chest, my heart ricocheting around my ribcage. “Maddox, stop! Stop!” My voice screams through the air. “Don’t kill him! Please!”

  Maddox jerks his attention to me. “He’ll try to take you from us, Delphia. I can’t let that happen.”

  I shove my hands to the asphalt, scraping my palms. “Please, Maddox. I can’t explain it, but if you kill him...I feel as if I’ll die with him. I’m...he’s...fuck, I think he’s my mate too. I can feel it just like with you. And Rowan and Kash. So please. Don’t do this.”

  Maddox stiffens at my words, slowly lowering his sword. “I don’t understand. If—”

  A bright blue light splits the sky open above us, cutting off his words. I jerk my attention to the portal, fear and shock consuming me. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I’d recognize the impending arrival from anywhere. They’ve found us. This is it.

  Kash lands before me, shaking the ground. He prepares to fight in his dragon form. “Get her out of here, brothers. I’ll hold them off.”

  “What? No. If you fight, I fight. I won’t leave you,” I say, jogging forward to touch his tail.

  Green electricity erupts from beside me, cascading into the sky like a brilliant firework. It pops and crackles, raining magic over us.

  “Everyone, grab the dragon!” Ambrose yells. “Vot tu levia eht og shivomiotos!”

  My stomach twists and turns, and I bow forward and clutch onto Kash. Green light blinds me, and the only reason I don’t panic is because a collection of rich, soft voices trickles into my mind.

  “Almost there, Delphia. Don’t worry. We won’t let anything happen to you. Just hang tight,” Theo says, sending a wave of certainty with his words. I can’t help but believe him. It’s the strangest thing. With the Drekis, I questioned the possibility. I knew I felt a connection to them and our bond over the last few weeks has grown, but this sudden awareness of the intense connection with a man I’ve never met? What. The. Actual. Fuck. It’s magic. Unreal.

  The world slows and the light blinding me finally fades. I heave, my stomach clenching and threatening to expel my lunch. Tears burn in my vision, and I clutch onto Kash’s back leg like my life depends on it.

  A cool breeze plays with my hair, drawing the strands from my back. Quiet settles through the area around me, and I keep my eyes squeezed closed. I can feel the intense stares of everyone burning into my back, and I’m not sure how I’ll peel myself away from Kash to face this confusing as hell situation.

  “Ambrose, it’s my turn to bond with my mate. Set our fates in motion.” The gruff voice of Tiernan prods at my mind, sounding similar to Theo’s yet hoarser, colder.

  I jerk my head up and finally gather my bearings. “Hold the fuck on. If you so much as twitch your damn finger, I will transform into a dragon and bite it off.”

  “But Delphia. You must accept Tiernan, too.” Theo strides around Kash’s hulking dragon body only to have Maddox step in his way.

  “She doesn’t have to accept anyone,” Maddox snaps, clenching his fingers into fists.

  Two hot hands grab my shoulders as Rowan pulls me into his taut chest. He slips his big shirt over my head, covering my naked body. “You can reject him and the fates.”

  “Delphia, please. Don’t. You’re my mate. Let me prove my worth to you. I can protect you. Look how we saved you.” Damn him. For being a giant, tatted, tough-looking man with a cock piercing, Theo sure sounds like he’d also be one helluva cuddler. He also sounds as if I’ll break his heart at any second.

  Rowan tightens his arms around me. “Nova—”

  I scream and bow forward, agony crashing through me. Squeezing my eyes shut, I clutch my head, my brain pounding. I can’t think, let alone make any sort of decisions in this moment. I can’t do anything. Something’s terribly wrong.

  “Fuck! Someone is trying to summon her,” Ambrose shouts. “Grab her. Don’t let her go.”

  I screech again, feeling as if my insides are being ripped out.

  Green light crackles as Ambrose summons power. “Where is your shield? Who’s been protecting you?”

  “No one,” Maddox says, his words sharp. “We’re not allied to any coven.”

  “What?” Ambrose asks.

  I don’t get the chance to hear anyone respond.

  The world disappears.

  Chapter 6

  The Darkonians

  AM I DEAD?

  I can’t be dead, right? Death is supposed to be followed by rainbows and mansions, clouds of cotton candy and unicorns that shit glitter that cleans up itself. It shouldn’t be like I feel now, alone and hot, sweaty and in the dark—fuck. Am I in hell? The pits at Max? Where are my mates? Where am I?

  Ice water engulfs me, ripping me from the darkness. I flail my arms, my whole body tensing in shock from the sudden change in my temperature. Someone hoists me up, and the world spins until my bare feet touch the soft grass. My knees give out on me, sending me to my stomach. I gasp and spit the cool water from my mouth. It tastes weird as hell, salty like the ocean but with a hint of something smoky.

  A towel drops onto me, covering my body like a small blanket, and I shiver and roll to my back. Kash’s big dragon head hovers a few feet above me. Stretching up my arms, I wait for him to lower his head, and I kiss him on his chin.

  “Where are we? What happened?” I think the words instead of saying them out loud. My eyes blur, and I can’t get a good look around to see if it’s safe to speak without someone overhearing.

  “We’re at home,” Kash responds, resting his head on the grass next to me. He huffs and shifts closer, engulfing me with his cinnamon scent and something else warm and delicious, like the summer sun heating his skin on a hot day. “You couldn’t go inside because your dragon fire keeps scorching everything. But don’t worry. You’re safe. I’m not letting anything happen to you. None of those bastards will get within a foot of you without risking my wrath.”

  Protective is so sexy on him, even as a dragon. It makes my body crave to take on whatever form we have to as long as it means we can be together in the way we desire.

  A smile stretches the c
orners of my mouth as I think of the excitement and adventure that could awaken my soul in this moment, bringing me the peace and satisfaction I need after the shitshow of the night.

  I reach out and run the back of my knuckles across his golden green scales, my bond to him drawing me to touch him. “Can you transform?” This time, I say the words aloud, testing my voice. My throat aches a bit, feeling scratchy from yelling, but at least I can speak.

  Kash puffs a breath of smoke from his nostrils. “That’s up to Quillon. He’s a scared little dickhead at the moment, sleeping in my shadow. The last thing he expected was us to arrive with the dragon clan he stiffed by agreeing to help us and without a murderous fairy princess to protect him.”

  My mind whirls with a dozen thoughts. Because fuck. The Darkonians slipped from my mind. So did Rose. I try not to think about her setting me up and how I couldn’t control my anger and—I shove thoughts of her as hard as I can out of my mind and focus on the ones with us now. “Ah, hell. Where are they? Where are your brothers? How long has it been? What—”

  Kash surprises me by licking my whole face, knocking me onto my back. “You have no idea how badly I want to kiss those quivering lips of yours to shut you up, so I can have a chance to answer.”

  Now that he mentions it, I desperately want that too.

  “We have a bit of time to rectify that. The Darkonians and their warlock are currently scouting the area and adding extra shields to keep the High Council from finding us. Maddox is destroying everything he comes in contact with, needing to get out his aggression before he murders someone, and Rowan is keeping watch from the rooftop.” Kash pushes his long nails into the grass, pushing up. “And like I said, Quillon is being his cowardly self in my shadow.”

  I spot Quillon sleeping in a ball in his lycan form on the other side of Kash’s huge body. Anger rushes through me at just the sight of him, and I shift onto my hands and knees and crawl under Kash’s belly to confront the bastard. There is something utterly satisfying about knowing he’s terrified enough to have to sleep right next to his temporary guardian, but he’s about to get a real fucking wakeup call.

  A rumble of a breath escapes Quillon’s hairy muzzle, his snores sounding like an old dog instead of the annoying beast he is. Fisting my hand, I punch him on his hip, startling him awake. He flails, exposing his groin to me, and I whack my open palm right where his cock should be under the mass of matted hair.

  I feel absolutely nothing, not even a teensy nubbin lump. I knew with his transformation that I couldn’t see his manhood, especially because he’s smaller than my guys, but I still kind of expected something. Feeling for certain that his dick definitely vanishes somehow pleases me on a different level. Instead of scared shitless, he’s scared dickless. No wonder he acts like such an asshole all the time. He has angry no-inch syndrome. No fun in the beast form he prefers.

  Swinging my hand again, I whack him on his snout. “Hey, dickless. Wake up.”

  Quillon roars and flashes his fangs. His good senses must return to him real quick, because he stops short of raising his hand to hit me back. “What the actual fuck, Red? What do you want?”

  I whack him on the top of his head next. “Release Kash. Now.”

  Quillon snaps at me but doesn’t try to bite. “Give me a second to grow my dick back. Then we’ll discuss what I want in return.”

  Fisting my hand, I prepare to punch him. “Oh-fucking-no. You better not be suggesting—”

  With a shake of his big head, Quillon sheds his hair and morphs back into his human form. I growl and prepare to sock him in the nuts, but he’s quick to grab my hand. Kash growls and shifts his big head to peer at us, blowing smoke from his nose. His eyes flash with fire, and I know he’s fighting Quillon’s control over him. I can feel his anxiety of not being able to hurt Quillon coursing through him.

  “Cool your fire, Nova. I’m only transforming. You need to stop looking at me like a disgusting piece of shit.” He jerks his arm, throwing my hand away from him hard enough to leave my shoulder aching from the gesture. “If I wanted your hand on my cock, it wouldn’t be because I coerced you. I’ve learned my lesson with you. I’d prefer you to beg me for it. I want to see you kneeling before me, getting rug burn on your knees, while I fuck those pouty lips of yours.”

  I scowl and shove him, pushing to my feet. “You’re a psycho.”

  He leers. “You think I’m the psycho? Look at the fuckers you’ve—”

  Kash releases a deep, threatening rumble from his throat. Quillon clenches his jaw, hops to his feet, and has the audacity to smack Kash on his nose. The two of them stare at each other in silent conversation. Quillon’s able to communicate telepathically with Kash because he vowed to serve him. Just watching them pisses me off. I nearly summon fire to burn Quillon’s eyebrows off once again. This time, I’ll take care of his hairy ass crack with a complimentary man-scaping from my dragon.

  I don’t get a chance to give him a courtesy hair removal because Kash transforms into his sexy man form. All my thoughts of revenge vanish, and I rush and hop into his arms, kissing him like Quillon isn’t standing beside us, glaring.

  “I’ll give you two twenty damn minutes, understand? Consider it an advance for keeping the damn Darkonians away from me,” Quillon says. I don’t know what Kash said to change his mind, but I’m not going to question it. I’m not going to waste a single minute either.

  “Hurry and carry me somewhere,” I murmur through a kiss. Combing my fingers through Kash’s dark hair, I play with the soft tresses and work my way down to his muscular shoulders. “He’ll watch if we don’t.”

  Kash moans his agreement and jogs toward the front of the house. He doesn’t have a room here, the thought pissing me off more than ever. Quillon makes him sleep outside in his dragon form or on the floor at the end of his bed like a damn pet. I share a room with everyone, but I don’t want to waste time going into one.

  We don’t make it farther than the half-bath just off the foyer. Kash kicks the door closed and blindly locks it. Setting me on the counter, he leans in and molds his lips to mine, slipping his tongue into my mouth to savor the taste of our kiss. I draw my hands around his sides, pulling his naked body closer. All I wear is Rowan’s dirty, wet, charred shirt he gave me outside the bar.

  Kash links his fingers to the front and rips the fabric right down the middle, exposing my body to him. He breaks from our kiss and leans down to suck my tight nipples into his mouth, sending an explosion of pleasure to each of my breasts. His big, warm palms rest on my legs, and he bends my knees, so my feet rest on the counter. Dropping to the floor in front of me, he holds my legs, keeping my body wide open for him as he draws his tongue along the seam of my body to my clit. I moan and arch back, not even caring if I bang my head on the mirror above the sink. Kash sucks and licks my body like he’s starved for me, addicted, and just can’t get enough.

  I comb my desperate fingers through his hair, squirming and moving my hips under the quick strokes of his tongue. His passion fills me up with everything I’ve been missing since he bowed before Quillon. We haven’t had a single moment of intimacy since arriving at this fuck-forsaken house, and I knew I missed our connection and bonding on the level our souls crave, but I had no idea how much I’d still ache, even in his arms.

  My body buzzes with lust and a deep-seated need only Kash can quench. He hums under his breath in enjoyment, picking up the pace of his tongue while adding pressure with his finger by slipping it inside me, feeling exactly what he does to me. Tingles build between my legs, and I arch my back with my orgasm, the intensity rippling through me in a wave of spasms that practically paralyze me with pleasure, every muscle in my body tightening at once.

  Getting back to his feet, Kash doesn’t give me a moment to catch my breath and aligns his body with mine, his thick, intimidating cock throbbing and flexing with need to sink into me. Our wild instincts as dragons take control, and I gasp with the pressure of him pushing into me as my body adjusts to
welcome him in. Every nerve-ending inside me explodes and sizzles with ecstasy. Kash repositions my legs into the splits, and my toes touch opposing walls on each side of the counter. I clench my body, using the walls to hold myself in place, my calves screaming in the good ache of my flexibility while my hips open for him completely.

  He moans with his deep thrusts, swinging his body back and forth in a fast pace that leaves me panting and gasping each time he sinks into me. I bite my lip, trying to stifle my mouth, begging to scream out my pleasure. I’m so turned on, watching him bang the hell out of me in such a way I’m sure I’ll walk funny after. But I don’t care. Any ache caused by our passion is the best kind. I need it, crave it, yearn to feel it imprint in my memory to savor long after we’re through. I want to get wet just thinking about this moment over and over again. How sexy Kash looks and how his eyes light with dragon fire. How his tattoos come to life and dance with his flexing muscles.

  Releasing a sexy, throaty noise, Kash reaches down to my exposed clit and rubs his thumb over it while digging his fingers into the soft flesh of my thigh. A loud-ass moan escapes me, echoing through the small bathroom. Another round of intense explosions shoot through me, and I scream out in ecstasy and loosen my footing, the only thing stabilizing me in place. My head and shoulders slam into the mirror, cracking the glass. Kash leans forward and nestles his big hand to the back of my head to protect me through his last few deep, mind-blowing thrusts.

  He grunts with his release, pulling me close until I wrap my body around his. He swivels and takes my spot with me straddling his lap. Snuggling close, he breathes in the scent of my hair, cuddling me in silence as we both catch our breaths.

  “Fates, I missed you, kitten,” Kash murmurs, brushing his lips to the sensitive skin beneath my ear. “Not being able to shift into the form you prefer has been torture, especially tonight.”

  I sigh against his shoulder, tilting my head slightly. “I want to kill him. Every second of every day he controls you makes me want to be the criminal the High Council accuses me of.”