by Mari Freeman
“You plan to see this out, don’t you?” He looked a bit concerned.
“I do.” She was tipsy and tired, but the sense that she was going to lose the box or get caught by Nell and Trent was all gone. She could do this, get Kara back. She could. All she had to do was figure out how to keep a Dreamstalker out of her head.
A glance at Ray reminded her she need to keep him out of her head as well.
Sonja knew how to do both—for one night, anyway. She gulped the rest of her wine and held up the empty glass. “Is that all there is?”
* * * * *
Ray pushed his hat down hard over his head. He’d slept a couple hours on the short, lumpy excuse for a sofa, but with her just a few yards away, snuggled in that big ol’ bed, it’d been a tormented nap at best. Tormented by the thoughts of her naked and straddling him and smiling down on him through loose stands of silky chestnut hair.
He wondered if that was his own imagination or if Q was involved. Couldn’t trust your thoughts with a Dreamstalker around. Didn’t really matter at this point. His body was on fire. His mind was twisted with guilt. As he lay awake, he’d made the decision that the box had to go to the Council and they needed the Prime to get Kara back.
Getting that box through the airport and into the Quarter, the most supernaturally populated city on the continent, would be next to impossible. And he would be very little help, even if he used the magic he had been forbidden to use. An odd spell in the caves here and there is one thing. The Council wouldn’t come down on him for that. But he was banned from using his gifts. Parading about New Orleans slinging spells would get him hauled back in, and he didn’t want to find out what they’d do to him next.
The Council members wouldn’t turn their heads over his involvement if the Dreamstalker got his hands on the Chiwa. A creature like that, with the Chiwa to boost his power, was likely able to infiltrate the Council itself. Ray had a sneaking suspicion they would vote to strip him of all his power. He’d seen some of the cretins the Council had stripped. He shivered.
This was the right thing to do. For Sonja too, even if she never spoke to him again.
That thought stung a bit. He’d wanted her since he’d laid eyes on her. Surprisingly, after she whomped him, he’d wanted her even more. Go figure. Leave it to him to fall for a girl he had to go and piss off in order to save his own sorry ass.
Ray crept to the bedroom and looked at Sonja in that big bed. She, was on her back, one long leg hanging out from under the covers. He adjusted his jeans and let out a heavy sigh.
Time to go.
* * * * *
The train station was deserted at this time of night. Or morning. So he was particularly leery when he approached the locker area. It might’ve appeared as if he were alone, but he knew better.
His wand was warm in his hand, though he didn’t want to use his power in public. He’d tucked his jeans into the top of his boots so his big buck knife was easily accessible and his gun rested against his back in its holster. This was a deadly game. Lingering blood magic was thick in the air. Humans could walk through it unaffected but he felt it like a cloying mist of slime that stuck to his shirt and skin.
Bringing the box here had been genius.
The bank of beat-up, army-green lockers was deep in the back of the station, with open doors leading to the restrooms flanking either side. There were only five with locks dangling from them. Two looked as if they’d been there forever, with rusted dials and paint missing on the doors from the padlocks swinging from their loops. One was hanging on an open locker. He only had to choose between two. His senses told him which it was. He felt the offness of it as soon as he approached the locker.
Even though the loop holding the lock was as thin as sheet metal, a blasting spell strong enough to break it would cause a lot of noise. So would firing the 9mm. He slid the knife from its sheath and tried to bend the loop until the metal ripped. It bent, but came nowhere near the breaking point. He was going to have to use magic.
He placed the knife back in the loop, pressing against the lock bolt as hard as he could with one hand. He held his wand in the other and thought the blast spell with as little energy as possible. He practiced this kind of finesse on the dogs, driving them crazy by using his magic to lift their ears or teasing them with floating treats.
The knife bent back, the metal loop bent farther and began to tear. Just a little more oomph. He pushed a tad more with his power.
The blade snapped, but so did the loop.
The echoing crash as the lock hit the ground made Ray spin and pull his gun. His heart was pounding, his blood pulsing hard and fast. He swung his gaze and his aim from side to side. If there were Vamps around, his adrenaline was going to attract them.
Seeing no one, he quickly yanked the locker open. Bingo. The bag she’d used to hold the altar tools was the only thing in the stale-smelling cube.
And inside it, the golden box.
Chapter Eight
“Ratfink bastard!”
She paced the length of the hotel room for about the twentieth time. The carpet pattern was making her woozy. Crap. Crap. Crap. Getting drunk may have kept the Dreamstalker away, but it had also made it easy for Ray take off without waking her.
The note simply said, Sorry. It’s for the best.
Sonja knew what that meant. Ray Burgess was currently on his way to the Council or, even worse, Trent and Nell, with the Chiwa. He’d abandoned her in order to stay in the good graces of the high and mighty Council.
She fell back on the bed and kicked her feet like a five-year-old having a tantrum. At least she’d been so out of it that Q hadn’t shown back up and given her more sex dreams about the man she currently wanted to kill.
Sonja felt her scar through her shirt. It was a habit she’d created to remind herself of what she was. A survivor. She’d been burned so badly as a girl, the doctors told her parents she’d not survive the night. But she did. And the next day. And the next. Twenty years later, she was still breathing. Which was more then she could say for Kara when the Dreamstalker found out about this.
She sat up and shoved her hair back. Some creepy mind voyeur and a banished Sorcerer weren’t going to get the best of Sonja Ambercroft. Across the room, several books were stacked on the TV credenza. They were about the same size as the box that held the Chiwa. It gave her an idea. She rushed to her purse, relieved to find Ray had left all her stuff. She’d felt a tinge of guilt over knocking him out and stealing his shit. Little good it’d done her. The guilt was definitely gone because now, he’d taken the one thing she needed most.
Sonja had a plane to catch.
* * * * *
Flying was very low on the list of Sonja’s favorite things. As a matter of fact, she would have rather walked to New Orleans. But that wasn’t an option. Happy to have an aisle seat, she opened the book she’d bought to occupy her mind for the duration of the flight. She looked at page two and she tried to make the words sink in but the rush of fear as the plane left the ground made her close her eyes. The banking the plane did before reaching altitude made her clutch the seat arm. She took in several deep breaths, willing herself not to think about the thing dropping from the sky in a ball of fire. She forced her attention back on the words on the page.
Nope. No use.
Maybe she should think over her plan instead. As much of a “plan” as it was. Very simple. Trick the Dreamstalker into believing she had the box, trade it for Kara and get the hell out. Of course, tricking a man who could enter her mind could get a bit dicey. She definitely felt uneasy about the decision. But she’d made it and she was on her way. She couldn’t change her mind now. There was no other choice but to move forward, go to New Orleans. Go to Q.
She read two more paragraphs on the page in front of her. She still had no idea what it said. At least the plane was leveling off. The familiar bongs from the captain letting the crew know it was okay to get up and start their service gave her a second wave of relief. She read t
he last paragraph one more time. No use. Sonja glanced across the aisle and out the far window. They were above the clouds now, which was fine with her. No more bumps. They had two hours of nice, steady flight. Or so the captain had said. Smooth flying into New Orleans.
The clouds looked like cotton candy. A puffy, pale pink and white sea of cotton candy as far as her view through the window would let her see. For a moment she felt herself floating out there among the clouds…
She fought the sensation.
Sonja knew what it was now. He was coming.
She wondered if she could fight Q, wondered how she would manage to protect her secrets. Sonja needed to influence the vision. Keep it in the game Q seemed to enjoy playing.
Lighter. She felt lighter than the clouds surrounding her. It was easy to relax and let the vision come. She drew from her Dragon just a little to let her own power become part of the intoxicating mix. She needed some control. Sonja tried not to think of a bedroom this time. Keep it impersonal and unrealistic. The open field would be much better, though either way, she really didn’t want to see Ray at the moment.
Not that she needed to worry about seeing Ray Burgess again in real life…
She quickly rushed that thought from her mind and pictured him naked to get herself concentrating on the task at hand.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Damn, that’s bright, was the first coherent thought she had. She looked down and saw that her scar was on her stomach. She frowned. She didn’t want Ray to see the scar. She visualized it gone, as it had been before. Too bad she couldn’t do that in real life. She’d love to shift a little.
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the scars melted away. She wondered if that was her doing or Q’s. That would be the ultimate fantasy, to get to shift, to have sex with someone with her Dragon free. She felt her body warming at the thought. As the sun warmed her skin, her beautiful, unscarred skin, she brushed her finger over the place on her hip that took the brunt of the stress when she tried to shift. Soft, pliant skin tingled at the touch.
Ray was walking toward her, his eyes fixed on her as she lay on a pile of silk pillows. Where had those come from? Who cared?
For the first time in her life, she intentionally called her Demon. She knew it would manifest as a teal Dragon, but she had no idea how far she would shift. Halflings could be anywhere on the spectrum. Her sisters barely changed in appearance, their shifts adding only modestly to their body sizes and shapes. She knew a few Halflings whose shifts were almost complete.
Her Dragon stretched, roaring with its strength. Sonja braced as bones started to lengthen, muscles tensed and stretched.
Ray stopped just beside her. His face was painted with desire, not repulsion, as she let her Dragon free. Her skin thinned and the shadow of the Dragon’s scales slithered just beneath the surface. The silky feel of it added to the warmth of the sun. She looked at her belly, down her legs. She was leaner, maybe a bit taller, her legs looked more toned, each muscle defined but still very feminine.
Ray knelt beside her and brushed her hair back behind her ear. “Your eyes are so beautiful. Rich, golden amber.”
“Don’t speak.” She meant it. She didn’t want to give anything away. Didn’t want to ruin the moment. “Just touch me.”
He nodded. His face was thick with concern. “Will it hurt? While you’re shifted?”
“Shhh.” She shook her head and ran her own hand between her legs. Her entire body felt hypersensitive. Her mind was changing too. She was losing rational thought. She knew that might happen. “Fuck me.”
She reclined on the pillows and spread her legs, her fingers eagerly massaging her clit. He stood and dropped his pants, stepping out of them and kicking off his boots at the same time. She slid a finger into her wet sex and rubbed in a circle. She was burning up. Her toes curled as she watch him strip his shirt and let if fall to the ground. His shoulders were thick without being huge, his waist narrow and the hair in his chest was just enough to make her want to drag her fingers through it.
Her ideal mate. Not that she wanted a mate, but if she did, he’d fit the bill as far as his body was concerned. She watched his face as he watched her fingers. She pulled them out and rubbed back and forth across her clit in a lecherous show. His eyes glazed over slightly and he dropped to his knees between her open, inviting legs. She rotated her hips to entice him even further. A Dragon in heat.
He placed one hand on her stomach. Her Dragon responded to the heat and the sensation of his touch. He scooted one of the bigger pillows up to her ass and Sonja lifted her bottom so he could move it under her. The position raised her to almost the perfect position.
“Now,” she barked. Her mind was in a complete frenzy. Want. Desire. Need. It was all she knew. It was Ray she wanted, needed at this moment.
He scooted forward on his knees. His hand still warmed her perfectly smooth belly, the head of his cock rested just outside her opening.
“Take it.” Her words came out as a stern order.
Ray obliged and shoved in without any further urging. She screamed his name as she reached out to grasp the pillows. Strong hands gripped her hips, pulling her to him with every thrust of his hips. He was invading her, taking her, owning her with every move, and she loved it. It was amazing to want so openly, to take.
Her Dragon roared in her mind, free and feeling alive and unrestrained. “More.”
Ray pulled away.
“No!” she cried, angry, until she realized he was turning her over. She scrambled to assist, getting tangled in the pillows. He yanked her, turning her onto her knees. She tilted her hips, grunting, giving him access to her from behind.
He rubbed two slick fingers over her clit and gripped her hip in one hand, holding her still. Sonja thought she was going to lose her mind. She bent down, resting on her elbows, clutching a pillow. She was about to come and didn’t want to. She wanted to come with that fabulous cock inside her. She wanted to feel it as she pulsed.
“Fuck me,” she said, but the forcefulness died into a plea.
He ignored her, rubbing with talented fingers, harder, faster. Even without him inside her, she tightened her muscles, enhancing the flood of pleasure that was enveloping her body as she came. She held tight, not realizing he’d stopped rubbing, not until she felt him slide in, felt his cock pushing through her clenched pussy. She groaned at the magnificence of it.
He wasn’t gentle as she finished her orgasm. He rammed into her, his needful growl filling her ears. He was taking back what she’d just asked him to give her. Her Dragon liked it. And so did Sonja. She took it, loving it, loving his nails digging into her hips and the feel of his balls slapping against her skin. His thighs against hers.
He slammed in hard and stopped, holding her still. She felt herself smile as his body shook. As his release hit, she howled with him. Free. No constraints of mutilated skin or a self-conscious life.
After a moment, he pressed his body to conform to hers, lying over her back. She felt the moisture from his exertion on his chest, heard his ragged breathing. His hands still held her hips. Her own breathing was labored. Her Dragon was pulling back.
Ray faded. She felt him become less substantial on her back, felt the grip of his hands tightening in an attempt to hold on. It was fading. The vision. She tried to concentrate, to keep it.
Q’s laughter echoed through still air. “Oh, sweet shifter. You like this more than even I had imagined.”
Ray was gone. She was left naked and on her knees in the windless field. She could picture the Dreamstalker, sitting back in a large wicker chair. His face was unclear but she could make out black hair that fell over his shoulders and to his chest.
“You pushed the vision. Maybe playing with the Chiwa gave you a bigger boost then either of us thought. I’ll have to keep that in mind in the future.”
She tried to concentrate on his face or make out anything of the surroundings. It all seemed so vague, individual details changing as she tried to focus on the
m.
He took a puff off a cigarette in a long, silver holder. Smoke swirled around his head, further disguising his features. “Careful. You’re trying to stalk a stalker. I’ve been at this a few of your lifetimes. Don’t think you can turn this in your favor. That might just get you and all your little friends killed.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Sonja jerked awake. The man in the middle seat was staring at her, his hand on his crotch. She was sweating, her own hand lingering between her legs. “Oh, Dear Goddess,” she muttered. She tried to keep her mind clear for a moment, taking stock of her body. Her scars were still there. She hadn’t shifted on the plane. Thank the Fates. Heavens only knows how she would have dealt with that disaster. She had to be more careful. The Council didn’t like magic in public, no matter the nature of the magic.
The captain came over the speaker and announced their final approach into New Orleans. Tightening her seatbelt, she contemplated how grateful she was to have managed to keep Q away from her waking thoughts. At least she thought so. He gave no clue if he knew Ray was gone with the box. She wasn’t so happy about using a very realistic vision of wild Dragon sex with Ray to block out Q, but it had worked. On the plus side, she’d gotten to experience something she’d never be able to do in real life.
She rubbed her stomach. Her Dragon felt content. Too bad she needed Q to make that happen. No wonder people got addicted to the workings of a Dreamstalker. But if she had managed to boost her power, then maybe she could learn to induce these visions on her own and at least have a way to shift occasionally and let her Dragon stretch.
Next thing she needed was to figure out how to trick Q in person, just long enough to get Kara and get away.
For that, she needed help.
Chapter Nine
Ray drove north, a river of guilt following him through the mountain pass. His foot was buried in the pedal and still he couldn’t outrun the fear that Sonja would go to New Orleans without the box and without any backup. He knew it. Sonja had proved her determination.
