by Reus, Katie
From out of nowhere, another witch appeared in the air and threw a yellow ball of flames at Rhys from behind. It slammed into his tail and he screeched, his blue fire arching wild as he fell toward the earth.
Dallas’s heart jumped in her throat as she watched him fall. She threw out a spell to break his fall before turning back to her mother. She never wanted to give Catta her back.
Catta was hobbling toward her now, clearly not able to fly anymore.
Dallas threw the blocking spell up, knowing her mother couldn’t penetrate it even as Dallas raced for Rhys. She had to know that he was okay.
Her giant dragon softly landed on the earth, her spell saving him from a hard landing. Immediately he shifted to human form but looked dazed and confused as he stumbled toward her.
On a scream, Dallas allowed the blocking spell around her to ease down a fraction and turned toward the other advancing witch who had hurt Rhys. She threw the nastiest spell she’d ever created at the female, one she’d never tried before, but it poured out of her as if she’d done it a thousand times.
The witch stopped and started clawing at her face, screaming nonsensically as blood poured out of her eyes and ears. She wasn’t long for this world and Dallas didn’t care.
As Dallas reached Rhys, he stared at her as if he didn’t recognize her. Then he looked past her and said his sister’s name. “Eilidh.”
Oh goddess, no. Catta had combined confusion and glamour spells, making him see what wasn’t there.
Willow screeched in the air, breathing fire at Catta as she dive-bombed her. But Catta lifted a hand and tossed Willow back hundreds of yards with a burst of magic.
Her mother’s malignant magic scraped against Dallas’s senses, the sensation of hundreds, maybe thousands of screams raking against her skin. All of her mother’s victims.
“What’s going on?” Rhys murmured, wobbling on his feet.
“You stupid girl!” Catta screamed. “You just had to get involved.” Moving slowly, she stalked across the ripped-up grass, still limping.
Next to Dallas, Rhys stumbled again and she knew he wasn’t seeing her at all. His eyes were glazed over as he wobbled back and forth on his feet. “What did you do to him?” she screamed at the woman who had given her life.
Catta’s beautiful face twisted into a sneer. “All he sees is his sister right now. I’m going to take him from you and then I’m going to take everyone you ever cared for. I gave you a chance to fight alongside me. You could have had everything! You’re weak and pathetic and I should’ve killed you the day you were born.”
Dallas resisted the urge to look for Willow, her heart breaking at the thought of her sweet dragon injured or worse. She had to break Rhys out of whatever Catta had done to him, then they had to kill Catta. There was no other way.
Sweat poured down her spine as she faced off with Catta. “I’m going to kill you if it’s the last thing I do,” she snarled, magic and resolve tingling along her fingertips.
Her mother threw her head back and laughed, looking insane, but the laughter itself made Dallas cover her ears as pain reverberated in her skull. Catta continued to laugh and laugh, the sound like glass scraping over glass. Dallas squinted at the pain, a deep ache spreading across the back of her head.
No! She reached for Rhys, grabbed his hand.
He looked at her and blinked. “Dallas?” he whispered, his dragon flickering in his gaze.
She slapped him across the face. Hard. “Catta spelled you. Wake up! Wake up now! I love you, you big, foolish dragon! Wake up!”
He shook his head then and seemed to come back to himself even as he winced at the laughs that sounded more like screams. Her mother’s laughter was another spell, thousands and thousands of screams descending on them, threatening to burst their eardrums as they tried to fight the intense agony punching through them.
“Fight it. Call on your dragon,” Dallas snarled. “I know he’s in there!”
In that moment his beast looked back at her, all fire and rage and determination.
She fell to the ground under the weight of the pain, her knees slamming into the hard earth. Catta was still advancing on them. Still laughing that maniacal laugh. She thought it was over. That she had won.
You will never win. Not while I’m alive.
Dallas closed her eyes and reached deep for every ounce of magic she’d ever stored over the years. “Come to me. Obey me.” She called on her power even as magic sparks of light burst next to her everywhere.
Rhys shifted to his dragon form even as her mother laughed, trying to destroy them with her evil.
Then Catta burst into red flames, fire dancing over her hair and body, her fingertips glowing black as she strode toward them. She looked like something straight out of Hell.
“You have broken far too many laws, man’s laws, the supernatural laws,” Dallas whispered as she commanded her magic to do her bidding. “And now you have trespassed onto my land. Onto another witch’s sacred ground. And you tried to take the male I love.” She screamed the last part, injecting all of her rage and hatred at her mother.
She took great pleasure when Catta stumbled back, her flames flickering out. But it wouldn’t be enough. She and Rhys had to take her down together.
The earth rumbled beneath Dallas, all of her magic rising up and filling her. She lifted off the ground as her magic propelled her upward. There was too much inside her to contain as white-hot flames licked along her arms and legs without burning her. Instinctively she knew exactly what to do.
Rhys rose next to her, his dragon snarling as smoke poured out of his mouth.
Dallas called on all her magic and threw her white flames straight at Catta even as her dragon opened his mouth and screamed out a stream of raging blue fire.
Catta held up her hands, throwing back red fire. It pushed and pushed against both of them but deep in her bones Dallas felt it.
She felt Catta’s power crack. Start to crumble.
Dallas’s magic pushed her forward on the air without her order, the sensation of levitating exhilarating even as it was foreign. She shoved back harder with her magic, digging as deep as possible with all her strength.
Rhys’s fire was crackling hot, a never-ending stream as it slammed into Catta’s shield, cracking the dark web around her.
The sound of shattering glass rent the air and Catta’s shield completely burst. As one, their combined flames slammed into her.
Catta screamed as the flames engulfed her, trying to fight it with her power, but she was no match for them. Finally the fire incinerated her into nothing, as if she’d never existed.
“Willow!” Dallas screamed the moment Catta disappeared. Catta was finally dead and she would deal with the fallout later. There was no time to feel relieved. No time for anything. She needed to get to Willow.
They flew together, sobs rising up in her throat as she landed next to Willow. Oh goddess, no. No, no, no. Willow was so still, her wings unmoving against the grass as she lay there like a statue.
Suddenly Rhys was in his human form, lifting Willow’s head and tugging her close as Dallas cupped her dragonling’s face.
“Wake up,” she whispered, injecting healing magic into Willow’s wings and body. Please, please, be enough, she silently prayed.
Suddenly Willow’s eyes snapped open and she looked between the two of them, blinking. She made a burping sound and shook her head as if coming out of sleep. Then inside her head, Dallas heard the words, You good fren in a very stilted language. Willow love.
Dallas’s eyes widened.
“Did you hear that?” Rhys whispered.
“I did,” she whispered back.
Willow love Dallas. Willow love Rhys, she heard in her head again.
“I love you too,” she choked out as she wrapped her arms around Willow’s neck and held her close, sobbing against her girl. Emotion surged through her, a tidal wave she couldn’t control as it all poured out. She couldn’t stop shaking as she clutched onto
Willow.
Rhys wrapped his own arms around both of them, holding them close. “I love you both,” he rumbled, his grip tightening.
Raw emotion surged through her and she started crying even harder, pretty sure she would never stop.
“Don’t cry,” he murmured, tugging her into his arms. She buried her face against his neck and felt Willow patting her back with her wing.
“It’s done. You’re free of her. You can go home in peace,” she sobbed out. His sister was dead because of Catta. And Rhys had almost died minutes ago.
“Did you not hear when I said I loved you?” he murmured quietly.
Her heart stilled. Leaning back, she swiped away her tears. “You really love me?”
“I love you more than life itself.” He cupped her cheeks, looking down into her eyes.
She was still trembling from a mixture of shock, relief and exhaustion. “Even though I lied to you?”
“I don’t care. You are nothing like her. Nothing at all. You are my Dallas. Mine. Now and forever. Nothing will change that.”
All the tension that had balled tight inside her finally eased as she digested his words. Sharp relief slid through her. “Stay with me.”
His lips kicked up. “You think I would leave now? You’re never getting rid of me. And…I wasn’t exactly truthful either. That glow from before, from when we were making love? It means that you’re my mate. I just didn’t want to scare you off. So you better be damn sure this is what you want, because I’m never letting you go once we mate. You’re mine, Dallas.”
She kissed him hard. That was her answer. Yes to now, and yes to forever.
Chapter 31
Dallas sensed Rhys more than heard him as he approached her from behind. Then his big arms encircled her, pulling her back against his chest. Exactly where she wanted to be. She didn’t think she’d ever get tired of him holding her like this.
“I can’t believe you already fixed all this,” he murmured against the top of her head as he joined her to watch Willow snoozing with a stray cat that had showed up an hour ago. The gray and white feline was currently lying on Willow’s head without a care in the world.
“I’m bonded with my land.” Something that happened with witches who stayed in one place for a long time. “My magic runs deep here.” It had only taken a few hours to repair all of the damage Catta and those other witches had done. If anything, her land was stronger now and so was she. She wouldn’t have the same rebound as before, wouldn’t need all that rest.
“Well, it’s incredible. You are incredible. And you’re mine.” He nuzzled her neck gently, his words and touch sending little waves of pleasure spiraling through her.
She reached behind her, moving her arm around his back at an odd angle just because she wanted to feel him even closer. Relief still hummed through her that he didn’t care about Catta being her mother. “What did King say?” Rhys had offered to call the Alpha and she was glad. She hadn’t wanted to deal with questions from King and hadn’t wanted to lie.
“He discovered the identities of the witches killed in the city. The woman we thought was Catta was a female named Margaret. They had a very similar look. Apparently two different groups of their coven took turns torturing various groups of kidnap victims, so the ones they recently rescued had never seen Catta or the females we killed. I told him about the witches we killed, that we took care of the bodies. From his intel, he thinks their entire coven is gone now. He’s going to do some digging to make sure though. I didn’t tell him that Catta was your mother. I figured if you wanted, you could tell him later.”
“Thank you.” With Catta gone, even if there were any stragglers left, she wasn’t worried about taking on another witch. But her mother wouldn’t have come here without all the backup possible. Dallas didn’t think anyone was left. She’d probably tell King later, but there didn’t seem to be a point to it now—and she simply didn’t want to talk about it anymore.
She turned in his arms, not wanting to think about Catta ever again. She simply wanted to move forward in this moment with Rhys, to create a life with him. To have a real future. He’d already explained to her about the mating process—how if one of them died, then the other did too. She was all in. “I want to be your mate. I don’t know if that’s the right phrase or—”
He crushed his mouth to hers, taking her off guard.
But she sank into him, laughing against his mouth. “Okay, then,” she murmured, though it came out kind of garbled as he practically devoured her.
He lifted her into his arms so she wrapped her legs around his waist. She didn’t care where they made love or even how the whole mating process happened. She simply couldn’t get enough of him. He was the family she’d always wanted. And she would never let him go.
Moments later they were in her house, and she found herself flat on her back in bed.
“I’ll bite you when we mate,” he murmured as he started stripping off her pants, his fingers moving quickly.
Feeling frenzied, she tugged off her shirt, her nipples beading tight at the cool air and the hot look he gave her. “Kinky. I like it.”
He paused once before his full mouth turned up into a wicked grin. Then he shucked the rest of his clothes and his big body covered hers once again.
Just like that, she heated up from the inside out, the feel of all that power dominating her, pinning her to the bed. And his beautiful indigo glow was everywhere, surrounding them like a warm embrace. He’d explained to her that once they mated, it would go away and she knew she would miss the beauty of it, the feel of his own magic.
But it was a fair exchange for getting to belong to him forever. To belong together.
They kissed each other everywhere, teasing and exploring until she was a panting, writhing mass of emotions and sensations.
He had two fingers buried inside her as he teased her clit with his tongue over and over. He kept bringing her right to the brink of orgasm, then stopping. And she thought she might die if he didn’t finish what he’d started.
He must have sensed that she was close to her breaking point because he finally flipped her onto her knees, pulling her ass up against his cock. Her inner walls clenched, needing to be filled with something other than his fingers. She needed all of him, needed to be claimed by him.
“Mine,” he growled against her shoulder, his canines raking against her skin.
She shuddered in anticipation as he reached between her legs from behind, rubbing the head of his cock against her slick folds.
All her muscles trembling, she had no more patience and pushed backward.
He groaned as he thrust forward, completely filling her. After all the buildup from that wicked mouth of his, she was so close to climaxing already. And as he pushed into her, by the fourth thrust her orgasm started, her inner walls tightening faster and faster around his thick length. The male was absolute perfection and was hitting the right spot with each thrust.
He bent forward then, his canines breaking the skin between her neck and shoulder.
She cried out at the sudden bite of pain but it quickly turned to pleasure, sending sparks of energy shooting to all her nerve endings. Her orgasm burst through her, sharper than anything she’d ever experienced as she came around him.
He palmed her stomach, slid his hand lower and tweaked her clit, sending off another burst of pleasure before he joined her. He withdrew his canines as he came, calling out her name as he spent himself inside her.
By the time they finally collapsed against the bed every part of her was sensitive and sated.
He rolled onto his back, tugging her so that she was splayed on top of him. Right where she wanted to be.
His arms tightened around her fiercely. “I love you, Dallas. Never imagined I would get a chance at love. Hell, I never imagined I deserved someone as wonderful as you.”
She smiled at her mate. “I love you too. And I never imagined I would meet someone like you either.”
Then he kissed her
again and she lost herself in the sensation of her mate. Her forever.
Chapter 32
King rubbed his temples as he looked at his corkboard. As they rebuilt the city, the power structure had to be clear and concise for everyone. Right now they were sitting on a powder keg. This was where he kept all of his information in one place. It was a running list of all the territories and powers in charge of different sects. Some he’d sanctioned, others that were a problem. Any key power player.
Ace, his friend and one of his lieutenants, stood next to him, his arms crossed over his chest as he eyed the information as well. “At least Ingrid’s coven is now firmly in your corner. It’s progress.”
“Yes.” It was progress, but it had cost a lot of lives. He would have rather gained Ingrid’s loyalty a different way. “There are still a lot of vampires in the city who haven’t given me full allegiance.”
“You haven’t been in charge that long, even if it feels like it. It will take time.”
He knew that. He was just worried that they didn’t have time.
“If you take a strong mate, it will go a long way in solidifying everything,” Ace said mildly.
“Maybe.” He turned away from the board, immediately thinking of Aurora.
Things were currently in his favor and he was allied with packs and clans around the globe. But he had to keep his own territory in order if he wanted to remain in control, and that was a tricky thing.
“No maybe about it,” Ace said as King went to sit behind his desk.
“How so?” King leaned back in his chair, not wanting to discuss mating. He wanted Aurora, that wasn’t the problem. If she’d shown even a fraction of interest in him, he’d have made his move. But she’d been in captivity for a year, and though she’d never told him what happened…he could guess there were things she didn’t want to discuss. He was pretty sure she just needed a friend.
