by Jada Cox
As we approach the building, Rosana steps out, an older woman walking beside her. My breath catches at the sight of her gorgeous face, and I let out a relieved breath. She looks up briefly, and her eyes widen as our gazes collide, her beautiful lips forming my name like a prayer. I grin widely, my dragon roaring in triumph. I run towards her, grab her by the waist, and lift her up to spin her in a circle. She laughs.
“Gino,” she says. My name on her lips brings a smile to my face. “How did you find me?”
I stroke her cheek affectionately. “I’ll always find you.”
She smiles again for a moment, then frowns. “Gino. Yelena, she’s not safe. I can’t be near you. I’m a danger to her.”
I pull her phone out of my pocket and hold it up. “Is this what you’re talking about?”
Her face falls. The woman beside her watches our interaction, her face carefully neutral. I turn to face the woman and reach out my hand.
“Hello, I’m Gino, Rosana’s …”
“Mate,” interrupts the woman with a kind smile. “I was pleased to see the mark appear.”
I smile at her. “As was I. Though I must say, I was surprised … usually, it only appears when both people have …”
“Dragon blood?” she asks, quirking an eyebrow.
I open my mouth, then snap it shut in shock.
“You know about dragons? And magic?” asks Adelmo curiously.
The woman laughs, the sound like tinkling wind chimes. “I probably know more about dragons than you boys do,” she says cheerily. “I reckon that you’re off-worlders, judging by how shocked you boys seem.” She turns away and starts walking, obviously expecting us to follow.
I look at Rosana, who just smiles and tugs me along after the strange woman. As we approach the fountain, the revving of a massive amount of motorcycles draws my attention. I feel Rosana tense beside me as we all turn to face the direction the sound is coming from.
A group of men on motorbikes pulls up just outside the barrier, stopping along the shimmering edges of it. I watch the men as they dismount their bikes, pull off their helmets, and approach the barrier. One man steps forward. He grins as his gaze zeroes in on Rosana.
“I see that you’ve finally found your way home, little star,” he calls out, grinning wickedly as Rosana starts to shiver beside me. I clench my jaw, my nails cutting into my palm from clenching my fist so hard. I take a step forward, only to have Rosana pull me to a stop. I look around at her as the older woman sucks in a breath.
Chapter 17 – Rosana
“Samael,” whispers Yari hoarsely, horror coating her voice. She looks at me, panic written across her face. “You didn’t tell me that the beast chasing you was Samael, child.”
Samael laughs, the menacing sound sending chills up and down my spine.
“Why do you sound so worried, Momma Yari?” I croak out, my throat dry with nerves.
“Did I not tell you the name of the Death Dragon?” she asks, her worried eyes wide with terror. I shake my head and swallow nervously, afraid that I already know what she’s going to say. “Samael,” she says simply. She shakes herself before straightening her spine, standing tall, and yelling defiantly, “YOU WILL NEVER TAKE OUR STAR!”
He doubles over with laughter. “As if you could stop me!” he says as he places his hands on the glowing barrier wards. I swallow nervously as the men behind him spread out to either side of him, bending their knees as if preparing for a fight. “Rosana!” roars Samael, his laugh cutting off suddenly. “This is your last chance. Come to me now, and nobody has to get hurt.”
I take a hesitant step forward, but Gino’s grip on my hand tugs me back. “I know what you want now, Samael! Yari told me everything. It won’t work!” I say.
He laughs maniacally. “Of course, it will work, Rosana! Be my queen, and we can rule over these lesser beings!” He holds his hands out, gesturing at Yari. “We will mate, and with our combined gifts, no one will stand against us.”
“I can’t be your mate, Samael,” I say calmly, holding up Gino’s hand, “because I already have one.”
Samael’s eyes light up with fury. “Such petty attachments can be eliminated,” he roars.
The sound sends goosebumps racing up my arms, but I stand tall and shake my head at him. “No, Samael. We are bonded!”
It infuriates him only more, and he clenches his hands into fists and slams them repeatedly against the shimmering wall of energy. I watch in horror as fissures begin to appear in the glowing wards. As the first crack appears, Yari cries out, clutches her stomach, and crumples forward. She screams in agony as Samael and his men slam their fists against the wards, again and again. The barrier shatters like glass, falling to the ground and fizzling out, the energy dissipating into the air.
“NO!” I scream, and I lung at Yari as Samael sprints forward, the men surrounding him following on his heels. Gino, Adelmo, and Vittorio assume fighting stances before me, and people flow out of the shops surrounding the central fountain.
Gino heads straight for Samael, fire in his eyes. He swings a fist, rippled with scales, at Samael’s head. Samael dodges to the left and drives a meaty fist into Gino’s side, knocking the air out of him. Gino coughs and spits out a glob of blood as he wipes his mouth. His eyes flash with fury as he straightens up.
The people around us join the fray, picking off bikers with glowing or clawed hands, some using normal fists to pummel the seemingly weaker beings.
I briefly take my eyes off of Gino’s altercation to help Yari sit up. “What just happened, Yari?” I ask her.
“The wards were tied to me …” she gasps out, clutching her ribs. “But I’ll be fine, child. Help them,” she points a shaking finger at the fight. “Your people need you!”
I nod decisively, stand up, and turn to face the battle. As I turn, I see Adelmo slamming the heads of two bikers together, dropping them to the ground. Looking to the left, I watch Vittorio sending a back kick into the chest of a man who tried to sneak up on him. Mages from the village are binding the fallen men, securing them in one area, slightly away from the fight.
I hesitate as I watch the fight, grimacing as Gino lands another punch on Samael’s face. Samael and Gino are both covered in blood now, the thick, crimson liquid dripping down their faces. I scream when I see Samael landing a solid hit on Gino’s ear, sending him staggering. Gino spits out another glob of blood and wipes his face with his sleeve.
Samael looks up at my scream, his eyes flashing dangerously as wings start to sprout from his back, though he remains in his human form otherwise. Partially shifted now, Samael launches himself at me. Gino’s eyes widen, and he launches himself at Samael, knocking him to the ground. Samael lands on a wing, the appendage bending at an awkward angle. His eyes widen and flash with fury as he tries to flex the leathery appendage. He rounds on Gino as he’s rising to his feet, lifting a clawed fist filled with black flame. I cover my mouth in horror and watch Gino rolling out of the way, the flame narrowly missing his head.
Samael launches fireball after fireball at Gino, landing a few hits while others miss. He disappears in a flash just when Gino’s fist would have connected with his face, reappearing behind Gino and holding his right shoulder in a vicelike grip. Black flames race down Samael’s arm, reaching Gino’s body and scorching him. I scream as a fiery agony overcomes my body, too, every inch of my skin burning furiously. Gino collapses to his knees. The pain weakens my knees, and I collapse simultaneously, tears streaking my face.
Samael walks over to Gino and peels back the tattered remains of his shirt. He inspects Gino’s right arm and growls dangerously before crossing over to me.
I whimper as I look up at Samael’s booted feet before me, but he just bends down and pulls the shoulder of my shirt to the side. He growls when he sees the swirling patterns running along my skin. His fingers reach out and trace the patterns down my shoulder, and I can’t help but shiver in disgust at his touch.
“A mate mark,” he grits out furiously.
> My stomach fills with dread when I see his face elongating, and he roars out an inhuman sound. Behind him, Gino is getting to his feet, while Adelmo and Vittorio are carefully working their way towards us.
Meanwhile, Samael lifts me by the collar of my shirt, holding me aloft and shaking me like a doll. “I should kill you and rid myself of two problems at once,” he growls out before throwing me to the side. I fly through the air, and my back collides with the brick fountain. Pain runs up my spine, but I ignore it and lift my head just in time to see Adelmo and Vittorio running to Samael, each grabbing a wing and pinning him down. Samael spits at Gino as he approaches, his raven hair whipping behind him in the wind like an avenging angel.
Yari and a mage approach the four men cautiously, Yari still clutching her stomach.
“He cannot be killed in this manner, young ones,” Yari says carefully. “We can bind him, much in the same way Rosana was bound, cutting him off from his powers and making him mortal.”
“Let’s do it,” Gino says fiercely.
“Very well,” Yari says and nods at the mage.
The mage approaches the struggling Samael and starts drawing runes on his forehead and on the ground around the brothers. Yari makes a circle of sand around Vittorio, Adelmo, and Samael, leaving two small breaks on either side. Yari and the mage each take a handful of salt. Then, Yari hands Gino two daggers and instructs him to pin each of Samael’s hands. He does as instructed, leaving Samael roaring in pain.
“On the count of three,” Yari says clearly, “you boys need to exit the circle at the breaks, and we can close it to complete the binding.”
The brothers nod at her, tensing as the mage begins to count.
“One … two … THREE!” the mage shouts. The three brothers sprint out of the circle. Once they clear the circle, Yari and the mage sprinkle their handfuls of salt on the breaks in it. A barrier of light shoots up between the five of them and Samael, and Yari and the mage begin chanting. Samael roars, his face shifting from human to dragon and back again. Finally, there’s a blinding light. I cover my eyes with my arm to shield them from it. When the light disappears, I look back up to find Samael unconscious within the circle. A group of three people approaches Yari, speaking for a moment with her and the brothers before opening the circle and walking towards Samael, placing golden manacles around his wrists and ankles and hauling him away, then disappearing in a flash.
I gasp, unsure of what I just witnessed. “What was that?” I ask Yari, who smiles kindly at me.
“Those were Keepers. They’re like the gifted FBI, basically. They’ve been trying to catch Samael for years, and thanks to you boys,” she looks at the brothers with a relieved smile, “they finally have!”
Gino nods, and I throw myself into his arms. I’m not sure that I understood everything that just happened, but right now, I’m just grateful that we’re all still alive.
“What are we going to do with them?” I ask, inclining my head towards the pile of mostly unconscious bikers.
Yari frowns at the men before responding. “We’ll have to figure out how familiar they are with the gifted community … they have likely been working with Samael for a while, which means that they might know more than is safe … the last thing any of us needs is another inquisition. But no matter what the Keepers decide to do with or about them, I can assure you that they won’t be bothering you again, Rosana,” she finishes, smiling kindly at me.
I nod in relief. “We should get you guys cleaned up,” I say to the brothers, noticing their bloody faces and ripped and burned clothes. I usher the three men into my car.
“I’ll come by your house later to help you explain things to them,” says Yari as she gestures at the men in my car.
I smile gratefully at her before turning to slide into my car and driving the brothers back to my little farmhouse. I lead Vittorio and Adelmo to my parents’ old room, showing them where to find everything before taking Gino’s hand and leading him upstairs to my room. I push him gently down on the bed, careful not to injure him further. I frown as I inspect his bloody face.
He grabs my hand and kisses the back of my knuckles gently, a smile on his face. I smirk at him as I carefully pull my hand away and turn towards the bathroom. I fill a bowl with warm, soapy water and take a shuddering breath when I see myself in the mirror . The events of the past two days have been shocking, to say the least. I grab a few washcloths and turn back to the bedroom.
Gino lies obediently on the bed, and I kneel next to him and dip the first cloth into the bowl. I carefully dab the moist cloth on his wounds, gently washing away the blood, bit by bit. Dab, dab, dab, rinse, repeat. The damage on his gorgeous body makes me gasp in dismay. His face is marred by bruises and deep cuts.
“You’ll need stitches,” I whisper, gently tracing my fingers along his brow.
He smiles and reaches up to pull my hand down to his mouth, laying a scorching kiss on my palm. My breath catches.
“I’ll be fine, love,” he says softly. He trails his hand up my arm and traces the swirling marks on my skin. Slowly, he pulls me forward, pressing a blistering kiss to my lips. I moan, and he takes the chance to slip his tongue into my mouth, pulling me down on top of him as our tongues fight for dominance. He tugs my singed shirt over my head and tosses it to the side. I yank off his shirt as he struggles to unhook my bra. I laugh and lean back to unfasten it, letting it slide down my arms as my breasts spring free.
I smile as he opens his mouth, his eyes fastened on my breasts, my nipples tightening under his intense gaze. He traces the path of the swirling patterns of our mate mark with his gaze, a smile tugging at his delicious lips. I shiver at the heat in his gaze and admire the matching patterns on his skin with equal fervor. He reaches up to cup my breasts and caresses the delicate skin there, his deft fingers massaging the path of the ink while his other hand kneads my left breast. I moan and tilt my head back.
He flips us over and nestles himself perfectly against my thighs, the bulge in his pants rubbing against my most sensitive areas. I spread my legs a little further to allow him to get even closer. The delectable sound of his groan sends jolts of pleasure through me, and he lowers his head to lick, nip, and kiss my breasts, giving each one his loving attention. His groan rumbles along my skin as he traces my mark with his tongue, stopping twice to gently bite my nipple and then kiss away the sting before making his way up to the top of the mark on my shoulder. I tilt my head, granting him easier access, and I feel his smile against my skin as he rubs his whiskers gently along my neck and shoulder, eliciting excited shivers along my body. Moisture pools between my legs, his bulging erection rubbing a delightfully torturous rhythm against me, the cloth between us adding friction.
Gino growls against my throat. He traces his tongue up my neck to the base of my ear, where he begins to nibble gently on the lobe. I moan and thrust my pelvis up to grind against him. He rumbles out a laugh, and I whimper, rubbing myself against him more fiercely. He kisses his way to my shoulder and licks my mate mark as I writhe beneath him, panting with need. He grinds his restrained erection against my moist pants, the feel of him rubbing against my core pushing me closer to the edge. He reaches down and fondles my breasts, gently pinching the nipples and rolling their pearled tips between his fingers. I moan in ecstasy and can feel my peak nearing when he suddenly bites down on my shoulder, sending shockwaves of pleasure through the mate mark and into my core. I shout out his name and buck my hips as my quivering core pulses with blissful shockwaves of delight. My whole body twitches as he lifts himself off of me, deftly yanks off my pants and panties, and kneels before me.
He flashes me a grin before he brings his mouth to my core, rubbing his gruff face against my sensitive nub. I scream out, the pleasure and pain blending as he bites down with his fangs to suck on my essence. My body convulses once more as he shoves two probing fingers inside of me and pumps in and out in time.
He grins at me and licks his lips before he gets up to stand before me
. I watch in dazed contentment how he drops his pants, his huge shaft springing free of the confinement. Its glistening tip brings drool to my mouth, and I moan, unable to move towards him. His eyes don’t leave mine as he starts to run his fingers along his length, spreading the moisture beading out of its tip. I lick my lips and push my elbows behind me to prop myself up.
He bends over and gives me a heated kiss before pulling away and sliding his hard cock swiftly inside of me. I shout as his delicious length fills every corner of me, his girth at that perfect border between pleasure and pain that makes the high even better. He starts to move his hips, agonizingly slowly, sliding in and out of my slick folds.
Chapter 18 - Gino
Rosana’s delicious whimpering makes me groan. She shakes her head back and forth, moaning as I knead her breasts. Her pink tongue moistens her lips, and, unable to continue my gentle movements, I slam myself inside of her. She takes me to the hilt, my tight sac slamming against her ass as we groan in unison. I thrust in and out of her, quickening my pace until we’re frantically crashing together, our dual moans of pleasure filling the air.
“Gino,” she whispers breathlessly, “please.” She tilts her head and pulls me down, my cock going deeper than ever before. I groan, barely able to control myself, and move my mouth to her neck to bite down into her mate mark. She tilts her head back and screams, her walls convulsing around me. I shudder and join her in ecstasy, her slick folds milking my seed deliciously.
Once we both stop shuddering, I collapse on the bed and roll her onto my chest. Slowly, our breathing evens out.
She looks up at me. “I love you, Gino,” she says and gives me a tender kiss.
“I love you, too, Rosana. Please, don’t leave me again,” I say as I hug her tightly to my chest.
We lie there for a while until she pulls away from me and smiles apologetically. “We should get cleaned up. Yari said she was coming over to get everyone up to speed on the situation.”
