“Guards, stop that man!” Flint commands, and several men with weapons advance forward.
Only then do I notice the din of something incredibly high-pitched, like radio feedback, buzzing in the air around us. It tickles my brain a little, something I can neither locate nor actually hear.
“You need to leave,” the first guard exclaims.
Van shoots the man a glare, eyes flying open for a split second, and the guard crumples to the ground, holding his head and shaking uncontrollably on the ground.
The other guards charge, but before they can take more than two steps, they, too, crumple to the ground in screams of ear-piercing agony.
“What’s going on?” Flint asks incredulously.
But Van just keeps walking forward, eyes locked on Flint until they’re face to face.
And then he just stands there a second, right in Flint’s face, swaying like a reed in the wind (or someone who’s drunk). Flint stands there, mouth agape as Van looks down at him.
“I think you have something that belongs to me.”
“I… I…” he stutters.
Then all of a sudden, the ringing in my ears increases in intensity, like a volume dial being turned to eleven.
Everyone in the room begins to fall to the ground. Some just collapse, not moving, and I have no clue if they’re dead or just unconscious. Others fall over, writhing and clutching their heads like they’re in the worst pain of their lives.
Van’s hand shoots forward, grasping Flint by the throat and plucking him off the ground. Van’s pale face is lit by the arena lights, eyes wide, irises dilated. And he’s grinning widely, almost manic as he starts to laugh.
“These people are going to forget what happened here tonight. You…” He trails off, chuckling. For a second, it seems he forgot what he was going to say. “You’re going to regret ever fucking with dragons.”
The tinny, buzzing sound is uncomfortable but doesn’t seem to be affecting me or Byron the same way it is everyone else. Like my brain knows something is going on, but it’s not directed at me.
I shudder to think what it feels like.
Flint gives out a guttural, terrified scream as Van stares directly at him. He holds him up in the air, letting him claw and wriggle, desperate for freedom.
And then Van drops him to the ground in a heap, and Flint moves no more.
Around us, everyone is still, silent bodies. Upon closer inspection, I can see some people are still breathing, mostly those in the audience. Others, like the guards, I have my doubts about.
Either way, I don’t have time to dwell on it because Van is suddenly in front of my cage. His crazed glare has lessened slightly, and he rips open the door of the cage like paper, the iron bars groaning free in an instant.
For a moment, he appraises me, his eyes slowly scanning over my chains.
He grins. “On any other night, this looks like we could have a lot of fun.”
I scoot back a little, remembering what he did earlier.
His smile falls, leaving him with a sober expression.
“This isn’t that night, though,” he says, reaching behind me and snapping the chains tied around my arms, then my legs. He helps me stand, but I wobble a little, my legs weak from being stuck in one place for so long, and he catches me.
“Move them around,” he commands.
“Move what?” His body is surprisingly warm.
“Your limbs. You’ve been restrained for too long. Get the blood moving again. It will hurt, but it will get better. I know from experience.”
I give him a confused look at that but try to stand again. Once I’m stable, he releases me for a moment and moves over to Byron, who’s breathing, thankfully.
“You stupid, reckless dragon,” Van says.
“How about you get this collar off me already? My stupid dragon healing can’t do its job while it’s on,” Byron says, pushing up off the ground and onto his elbows.
Van comes down onto one knee, and I watch as he reaches to the back of the collar, fiddling with it for a second before it falls away, as if he’s familiar with the mechanism somehow.
Byron stands up immediately, rolling his shoulders back. Somehow, his cuts and scrapes are already starting to heal, and his gold eyes gleam with excitement as he comes over to me. “What did you think?” he asks.
“I…” I don’t have a lot of words for what I witnessed. Especially as he stands there shirtless, covered in dirt and sweat, having fought all those men just to keep me safe. “Thank you.”
“Unless you want the rest of the city catching on to us, I suggest we leave,” Van says, prodding Flint’s body with his boot like roadkill he’s mildly interested in.
“What happened there?” I ask Van.
“Let’s just say I had some fun in their brains,” he says nonchalantly, giving me a shrug. “Some more than others.”
I don’t have much time to think about the ominous nature of that statement because Byron sweeps me up into his arms. I nestle into his embrace, stress and worry from having feared all the worst quickly ebbing out of me with each fresh breath from my lungs.
Van heads for the open doorway where he kicked the door down earlier, and Byron follows closely behind, out into the foggy night.
Van
Van didn’t know what to do about the stupid, stupid human who had gotten herself caught in the Pit or the stupid, stupid dragon who had gone in after her.
He paced in his room, waiting for the two of them to finish showering and getting cleaned up.
When they were done, he would talk to them.
He slumped in his chair, pulling at the ends of his hair as he fought off dark thoughts about what would have happened if he hadn’t been there.
They’d had Anna in a cage, goddammit. He hadn’t been good in the other world, but he’d never thought of doing anything remotely like that.
Though, her cringing away from him when he came to free her reminded him he had done something he needed to apologize for.
Anything to keep her from running again.
He’d been smug at first when Byron had come to see him, telling him Anna had run away. He’d been sure Byron would find her and bring her back from the woods quickly, and she’d be grateful to have a roof over her head.
Then he’d seen a vision.
He pushed himself out of the chair to pace in front of the window again, trying not to think about how panicked he’d been. How he’d flown to the Pit and landed instantly.
How he’d walked in and seen Byron on the ground and thought he was too late. How he’d felt when he saw Anna in a cage.
He’d wanted to kill everyone.
He’d only killed most of them.
Maybe he should go back and finish the job.
A knock on the door interrupted him, and he strode over to yank it open, preparing himself to yell at whoever came first.
But when he saw Anna standing there with wet hair on her shoulders, looking small in black pajamas and a gray robe, all he did was pull her in against him and wrap his arms around her, trapping her against his chest.
The sound of footsteps made him look up to see Byron coming down the hall, dressed in a white tee shirt and gray plaid pajama pants.
For everything he’d been through, he looked barely bruised.
Van was ashamed that he hadn’t been there for his partner. He and Byron had teamed up at first in name only, but when he’d seen Byron there on the ground, he’d realized that maybe the only friend he’d ever had could be dying.
He never would have forgiven himself if it had happened.
“It’s fine,” Byron said gruffly, walking into the room and taking a seat on a chair by the window. “You came just in time.” He slapped his knee in frustration. “I almost handled it too. Why didn’t I see that club coming?”
“You’re too honorable,” Van said, still keeping Anna close like she would fly away if he didn’t. “You’re a braggart, but you usually fight fair. Flint doesn’t.”
/>
“Gross,” Byron said, staring out the window. Then his eyes turned to Anna. “She all right?”
Anna looked up at him. “Yes, thank you.”
Byron raised an eyebrow at Van. “You going to let her go?”
Van shook his head. “I don’t want to.”
Byron stood up and came over to stand next to them, awkwardly patting Anna’s back. Van let him because, obviously, they had all had a rough night.
Van pulled back, holding Anna’s face in his hands so he could study it. “Did they do anything to you?”
She shook her head. “Just chained me up and put me in that cage.” She glanced between them. “Nothing more, thanks to both of you.”
“It was nothing,” Van said.
Anna pulled back from Van and sat on the edge of the bed, looking like she was going to fold in on herself from fatigue. “I’m sorry to be a problem. I just…”
“You shouldn’t apologize,” Van said. “I was the one in the wrong. I scared you. I won’t do that again.” He reached out to touch her hand, stroking it lightly. “So don’t ever run from me.”
“I…” Her eyes were so wide and so innocent as she looked up at him. Van felt something in him tighten, just thinking about her coming to any harm.
“Say it,” he said sternly. “Say you won’t ever do that again. Say you won’t put yourself in danger.”
“What do you care?” She jerked her hand away and twisted it in her lap. “I heard you both talking earlier. You want to use me and dump me. You want me to be a pawn.” She gritted her teeth. “And when my friends come for me, you could hurt them.”
Van cocked his head to the side. It had been a miscalculation to let her overhear him and Byron, but he didn’t know how to reassure her now.
He didn’t quite understand his feelings for her. He’d always been cold inside. Never really cared for anyone else.
He hadn’t liked when she had poked at him, asking for more than he wanted to give.
But when he’d realized she was gone, when he saw her in the cage…
His hands tightened into fists, and he whirled away from her, not wanting her to see his rage.
He’d thought he didn’t have a heart, but he’d found it when he strolled into the Pit and saw his partner on the ground and the woman he wanted as mate in a damn cage.
“I’m not going to use you,” he said quietly, because he could at least assure her of that. If he mated her now, with Byron, it would be a real partnership.
“And he might hurt the other dragons, but he won’t pull out their dragons,” Byron said. “It wouldn’t be sporting.”
Van smirked. “I don’t care about sport. And just so you know, unlike you, I don’t fight fair.”
Byron shrugged. “Tonight, I’m glad you didn’t.”
It was quiet for a minute, and then Anna let out a soft sigh. “Me too.”
And then everything was awkward, and they all sat there in the moonlight, not knowing what to do or say.
What they’d gone through that night had bonded them, but it was still hard to figure out how.
“We should go to bed,” Anna said, pushing herself up to stand. She walked over to Byron and bent to kiss his cheek, making him immediately flustered. “Thank you for everything you did.”
For once, Byron was speechless and just held his cheek as he watched Anna go over to Van.
She reached out to touch his arm, then thought better of it and dropped her hand. “I know you don’t like to be touched, so I’ll just say one more thank-you.”
He grabbed her hand and pulled her in against him again, unable to let her go. As he did, he felt his heart pounding an unknown rhythm. Something he’d never expected to feel.
Mine. Mine. Mine.
Keep safe. Keep safe. Keep safe.
He grated his teeth together, unsure what to do with such unpredictable feelings.
But the thought of her going back to her bedroom, where she could escape again, where she might not be safe…
“Sleep here tonight,” he said, surprising all of them.
She stepped back, rubbing her arms and looking nervous. Her blond-brown hair was slightly wavy and damp still, and her hazel eyes were unsure. “Um, I don’t know if I’m ready for that—
“Not sex, just sleeping,” Van said. “Byron can stay too, in case you’re worried.”
Byron let out a huff. “I’m not sure sleeping in a bed with two dragons is more reassuring.”
“It is,” Anna said, flushing deeply. “I mean, I guess I wouldn’t mind staying here with both of you. I don’t really feel like sleeping alone. That is if you promise to behave yourselves.”
“We promise,” Byron said, raising his hand.
Van took a deep breath, narrowing his eyes on her. He didn’t like following anyone else’s rules, marching to anyone else’s beat.
“Fine. I promise,” he said warily.
For this dragon heart, he could make an exception.
41
Anna
I don’t know why I slept next to the dragons last night, but it just felt right.
I’d never been through anything as scary as what happened at the Pit. Never been so close to thinking I was about to lose everything.
A small part of me knows Byron and Van could have only saved me for their own purposes, but the rest of me doesn’t agree.
It was in the rage in Byron’s eyes as he fought for me. The way he said, “Mine.”
It was in the crazed glare on Van’s face when he protected me and Byron.
They weren’t just retrieving a piece of property. They were definitely pissed as hell for my sake.
I don’t know what to make of that.
I’ve only known them a short time, and they kidnapped me before that. Then again, things have moved fast with all of the dragons. They’re just so… complex and difficult and intriguing, every one.
Van and Byron are still asleep, and I’m just lying on my back, wondering if or when the other dragons are going to show up.
Then I feel a tap on my sleeve and turn over to see Byron is awake now.
He’s on his side, facing me, those golden eyes bright in the misty morning light. His features have never been more handsome, and I blush, remembering how I felt when he walked into the ring.
I’ll never forget that moment.
This vain, egotistical dragon actually let someone collar him to save my life. He could have died if Van hadn’t found us.
“I wouldn’t have,” Byron said. “I was just resting for my comeback.”
I smile. “Of course.”
He reaches out to stroke my hair back, and his face is oddly pensive. “Just so you know, I won’t let Van kill the other dragons if they come.”
I blink, worried that Van will overhear us.
“Don’t worry. He sleeps like the dead,” Byron says. “It’s the only time he’s peaceful.”
We both glance over our shoulders at Van, who is sprawled on his stomach, snoring.
I slept between the two dragons, and though at first, Van refused to let go of me, as he started to drift off, I was able to roll away to sleep on my own.
Not that I didn’t like him holding me.
I frown. “So what, you would turn on him for the other dragons?”
He shook his head. “No, in a fair fight, it’s on.” He cups my cheek. “I want you, dragon heart. I’ll fight anyone who wants to take you. But I’ll make sure Van fights fair.”
I blink at him, blushing from how close we are. Now that the adrenaline of last night has subsided, it’s crazy to think I’m here right now.
He scoots in closer, and even in bed, lying on his side, he’s so much bigger than me. “I got a taste of being a hero. I think I could do that for the rest of my life.”
I’m blushing so hard I make tomatoes look pale. “O-oh?”
He nods slowly, and I glance up at his tousled, golden hair, his bare shoulders. Those muscles.
Images of him utterly annihila
ting everyone in the ring, even without his dragon powers, come back to me.
He’s incredible.
A slow grin spreads over his face. “I am, right?”
I sputter, trying to pull back, but it’s too late and he wraps his arms around me and pulls me closer against him so our bodies are flush.
“I’ve been wanting to do this since I saw you in that cage,” he said. “Just keep you close and tell you you’re safe and make everything better. God, I didn’t even think I had any good in me, but whatever there was, it came out because of you.”
“I…” I trail off, not knowing what to say. Just being this close to him, my body is getting heated, but my heart is so confused.
He presses his forehead to mine and breathes in deeply. “I wanted to kill all of them. You have no idea how hard it was to hold back. To not smash everyone who looked at you.”
My mouth drops in shock. “You seemed so calm about it.”
“I don’t like to show my cards,” he said gruffly. “I was trying to figure out the best approach to save you. But then I read your mind and realized you thought I was just going to leave you there, and that made me furious and hurt.”
“I wouldn’t have blamed you,” I say morosely. “I got myself in a mess.”
He shakes his head, and his golden eyes are fiercer than ever. “I would never have left you, or anyone, in that position. But especially you.”
I nuzzle in against him. “Well, I’m glad. I’ve never been happier to see anyone than I was when you came into the ring to fight. Except maybe when Van came in to save us both.”
Byron glances over at him. “Yeah, I guess he did come. He didn’t seem interested at first. Said I could handle it.”
“He changed his mind, I guess.”
“Maybe,” Byron says, lowering his voice to a whisper. “I know that Van had a rough childhood. He was alone a lot. Maybe he realized that if we left, he’d be all alone again.”
“Or maybe he realized life would get boring without two blabbermouths around.” A cold voice interrupts.
Byron and I startle, looking over to see Van pushing himself up.
My heart is in my throat because at first, I’m worried he’s mad at us, but then he just scoots in close, putting his arm around my waist as his chest presses against my back.
Bad Dragons: Special Edition Complete Series Page 29
