Dragon Mated: Supernatural Prison #3

by Jaymin Eve

  Mischa was connected to thousands of marked, so many consciousnesses crowding her mind, invisible but tangible ties between all of them. I sensed I was connected to this group as well, but not in the same way my sister was. Maybe it was my dragon that kept me separated, protected my mind from the control.

  “You have to go, Jess, you have to end this. Otherwise all the entire supernatural races will be like us … just … puppets to his madness … controlled … weak and without identity.

  I shook my head as I tried to fight against the power he held over my sister. She was strong … holy shit. I’d doubted her when she’d shown so much weakness in the sanctuary, but to feel her fighting him now, locking him out of her mind, keeping him from the knowledge of both of our children, it was damn impressive.

  I hugged her hard before breaking our connection. Immediately the tightness in my chest eased and I was finally able to breathe again, back in my own head and with just my two beasts’ energy to deal with.

  “I’ll be back for you, Misch, I promise. Just keep fighting. Don’t let him take any more from you.”

  She nodded, her head dropping and back arching as she continued to battle the call. Her breathing sounded labored and I worried about how bad this might be for her child. If only she’d told someone about being pregnant, they might have been able to help her deal with this. We should have gotten her away, whether she wanted to leave or not. It was crazy for her to be here when we knew the king was coming.

  I guess it didn’t really matter. If we lost today, there would be no one left to fight him. He would have all the control he needed; every single marked would follow him. Mischa and every supe were putting their faith into us. Into me. I was the last chance for all of them. It was time to do this.

  I glanced back for one moment as I closed the door. The shadow dragon was rising from Mischa, her marked powers bursting from her. Shit, I hoped this room was strong enough to hold her. I double-checked the lock and took off.

  Once the key was again in my pocket, I found my hand tightly grasping the necklace sitting flush against my skin. I used its cool surface to center myself and my thoughts. My mind was doing very strange things, moving at a million miles an hour, rushing through a multitude of thoughts and worries, and yet it was also calm.

  I was ready to end this.

  I reached for my wolf and dragon, drawing on their ancient strength and energy. The sense of calm increased and the flood of thoughts drifted away. Even the unnatural pain across my lower back eased, and flashes of light started winding across my vision as I ran through the center of town, past the fountain and houses of Stratford to the forest. I could feel my pack. Their energy was a strong beacon to me.

  I rounded out the edge of the town, and followed the mass of trees to the shimmery wall of magic which protected the town. A few yards ahead stood our army, right at the barrier, waiting for it to fall.

  Louis had gathered quite a few extras. There were at least three hundred of us now, maybe even more. It was hard to tell with so many of them in scattered groups. I could sense Braxton and the other Compasses to the left of the main gathering. Flashes of the Four’s stark hair intermingled with my boys. Those eight were lined up together, and around them stood a crap-ton of energy, enough to have my senses on full alert. Powerful sorcerers. Not quite Louis’ level individually, but together they were intense.

  As I got closer, my footsteps silent on the grassed path, I counted exactly how many sorcerers were helping out my boys. Twenty. Twenty almost-Louis levels of power.

  We might actually stand a chance of holding this shit down long enough for me to kill Larky. My fist clenched on the necklace again; it was my lifeline right now, our one hope of breaking the links to the marked and leaving him vulnerable enough to kill.

  Braxton’s eyes were on me, his body angled in my direction. I almost stumbled when I realized he was joined to his brothers. A wash of power surrounded them, the visible connection flickering. Braxton was in that massive state of a fusion shift, his scales scattered down his cheeks and arms, which I found immensely badass and kinda sexy.

  Everything about my man was sexy.

  Focus, Jessa! Now was not the time to go all hormonal chick, even if Braxton was like twice the size everywhere. And I mean everywhere.

  His arms were waiting for me, and as I touched him the bond between us flared to life. The Compass’ energy stunned me. I was unable to move or speak, locked on to the massive overload of my quads – so much more power than I’d ever expected they held within themselves. I couldn’t understand how it was even possible.

  Braxton released me and I was finally able to breathe again. I blinked rapidly as I took the four of them in, and the other Four, who still looked like baby stealing fuckwits to me.

  Questions burned across my mind: “How is it that you eight are the only quads in the supernatural world? How are you special? How can you even possess pure souls of each race when your parents are hybrids?”

  I figured the other Four were the same, but it was still a guess because I didn’t really know anything about them.

  I was surprised when one of the Craiz men answered. “For a set of supernatural quads to be produced, there must be the perfect blend of the four races in the parents. The odds of two parents containing the four races actually meeting and producing young … almost no chance. That’s why there are so few of us.”

  “Why do you receive a calling though?” I was still trying to figure out how all the pieces fit together, and most importantly, how Larky fit. Since both of their callings were about him, there must be some sort of reason for this.

  The Four exchanged a glance. Somehow they could all look at each other in the same moment. Because that wasn’t weird at all.

  “We don’t really know,” one of them said. “But Larkspur really angered the shining ones, and they don’t like that. They’ll take great pleasure in sending more than a little bad luck your way.”

  I suppose that could all be true. The golden dragon had admitted that the shining ones were pretty unhappy with him, and would do anything in their power to ensure he never ruled the five races.

  “Wait … there are five races. So why do you talk as if there are only four?”

  The Four all grinned, shit-head identical grins. “There are only four original races. The fey and demi-fey are essentially the same. Thousands of years ago the demi-fey broke away and formed their own council, demanding a seat in each prison community. It was a good move, it stopped much of the discrimination they had faced over the years.”

  Okay then. That was not common knowledge. They’d never taught us that in history class. Even the Compasses looked surprised.

  The Four noticed our expressions. “The councils removed that part of our history lessons, so as not to isolate the demi-fey even further.”

  I had nothing but respect for the demi-fey. Torag was one of my father’s oldest friends, and the troll leader was as solid as they come. In all ways. He’d be right there on the front line today, I knew that without any doubt. I was glad they were given a seat on the council.

  “Are you ready for this, Jessa babe?” Maximus’ voice was deeper than usual, his hair almost black. All of the quads’ features had blended into one another again, although they were nowhere near as identical as the Four.

  Cardia popped her head out from behind her mate. “Yeah, Jessa, ready to save the day again and have all the men in the world fawn over you?”

  There was the snark that had been in her the very first time we’d seen her, which, to be honest, I preferred over the false friendship crap she’d been trying to feed me. I just smiled at her, all polite, but with more teeth than was warranted for a friendly grin. I wasn’t going to react, because I understood. Maximus was holding her at arm’s length for me, and no mate wanted that to happen. If the future didn’t end for us all today, I’d have to corner my vamp. Find out what was truly bothering him.

  I turned my back on Cardia, no time at all fo
r her shit. “Where’s Grace?” I asked Tyson, not seeing the witch around.

  “She’s across with the other healers. There’re about twenty of them in Louis’ little posse. They’ll be helping out during the battle.” He sounded all casual, exuding so much I don’t-give-a-crap-what-Grace-does, but he was pretty informed for someone who didn’t care.

  “Okay, well, I’m going to stick close to you four,” I said to my quads, “and when you figure out how to lock Larky down, I’ll crush the locket into his chest. Then we can kill him without having to destroy all the marked.” Sounded so simple when I said it like that, but we all knew that nothing to do with dragon king was simple.

  I heard footsteps, and spun to find Louis and Jonathon approaching our section of Stratford’s defense line.

  “The king’s army is gathering to the west,” Louis said, wasting no time. “I think they’re waiting to be at full capacity before attacking, but according to Mischa the king is already here, so the leaders have decided to hit him now, before the rest of the marked arrive.”

  I nodded. Sounded like a plan to me. Less marked for the Four to contain, and less minions for the king. Win-win. Louis stepped closer, lurking inside my personal space, but lucky for him he was one of the few supes I liked enough to let this close.

  “I’m going to stick with you, Jess. That way, if the Compasses are busy, I’ll be able to step in and help you with your task.”

  I bristled. I was almost a hundred percent sure I could do this shit on my own. It wasn’t like smashing through someone’s chest cavity was really that difficult. But I wasn’t willing to risk my loved ones, so I’d graciously accept his assistance.

  “Thanks, Louis, but if you get in my way I’ll kick you in the face.”

  Totally gracious.

  His long arm came out and ruffled my ponytail. “Looking forward to it.”

  I swatted his arm away and stepped back into Braxton, not touching him, because his energy was just a little too much for comfort, but close enough that my mate was satisfied. See, I was not only gracious but an excellent mate.

  My dragon was restless inside of me, as if she could sense all of the marked power outside the barrier. Not to mention that damn Larky. We just couldn’t get rid of him.

  “Prepare yourselves.” Louis’s power-laden voice carried to all of our people. “I’m preparing to drop the securities. The quads will then lead the way. We let them do their thing, and the rest of us fit our powers in where necessary. No matter what happens, we must stop the king before he controls us all. No single leader should have dictatorship over our races. That’s why we have the councils, that’s why we all have a higher power to answer to. Now it’s time for Larkspur to answer to his.”

  A sense of unity, of comradeship, filtered down the line. For many of us, our supe natures were violent and power-hungry, but we were also civilized and structured to an extent. We had to be for the supernatural communities to work. Putting five powerful races together, it would be a disaster if run any other way. Larky had forgotten that in his quest to be the most powerful, and I for one was willing to die trying to stop him.

  Louis reached out, his hands almost touching the shimmering barrier that surrounded Stratford. I felt the rise of magic, ancient like Faerie magic – elemental, from the earth and sky, the wind, and the living entities which dotted around us. The shimmer started to fade away, and the outside, which had been just visible through the veil, came into clear focus. The noise hit me first. It was loud, and the scents were strong and varied. I was going to go out on a limb and say that dragon dick had not given his marked any downtime for bathing and clean clothes.

  I fought the urge to cover my nose; shifter senses were way too strong for this stench. “No need to direct us toward the sweaty ass-crack crew. Larky is clearly not going for stealth with his marked.”

  There were a few chuckles around. “It’s pretty intense,” Tyson said, “but maybe your senses are heightened for another reason, Jessa babe?” And thankfully his voice was a whisper.

  I hadn’t told my father yet about my possible pregnancy. I would rather wait until after Louis could test me. No point announcing my magical baby until we were sure. Then, if I was pregnant, my plan was to drop Mischa’s news first. After that no one would worry about mine. See, having a sister could come in useful at times.

  We surged forward as a group, the power of the eight quads ricocheting around us, making it really uncomfortable for me to be in the center. I ended up moving to the edge of them for a reprieve. Louis then dropped in to cover my vulnerability, but at least his power was contained within his body and not arcing around like a friggin’ lightshow.

  Our line of defense was spread out to no leave gaps, but with just enough space so that each supe was able to utilize their power and abilities. We were trained for this type of situation – not that I’d ever had to use my training in actual mass battle before. The magic users were rocking their distinctive golden eyes, connected to their gods and earth power. The fey were wrapped in the four elements, the demi-fey in their most lethal skin. Torag was looking very tree-like at the moment; he would be much harder to kill like that. Each of us was as prepared as we could be to finish this today. There was no way everyone here would survive, because the odds were way stacked against us, but now was not the time to worry about that or let doubts cloud our minds.

  Now was the time to fight.

  As we closed the gap between the lines, the noise increased, but only briefly before silence descended across the line of the dragon marked. Our pace picked up as we headed straight for where they were flying their dragon spirit flags. Specters were high above, mingling between each other, and it was scary and intimidating.

  Larky moved out to stand front and center, his height and golden sheen distinct from the rest of the marked.

  “Remember, they have extra speed and strength when they are connected to their mark,” I said. “They can mentally communicate with Larky and each other.”

  The males around me nodded. Cardia just looked bored. Even as we ran, she appeared to be examining her nails. The vamp needed to get her head in the game or she was going to be in trouble. And if she got Maximus hurt or killed because she was a stupid, selfish bitch, I would rip her head off and not even lose a moment of sleep over her death.

  We moved swiftly, still some distance between us and the stinky-assed marked minions. I could feel the king’s eyes on me. The intensity of his gaze was hot, like someone had directed the sun to focus on me. I was ultra pissed when my mark began to tingle along my side, responding to his energy.

  Thankfully my heart and bond remained firmly with the male at my side. Even my dragon, who’d basically been stolen solely to be the mate to Larky, had chosen Braxton. Would it have been harder for me to resist the dragon king if I hadn’t already had my own true dragon mate? Thankfully I’d never know. So even though a huge part of me still wanted to kick the fates in the face, another part wanted to kiss them for making sure I had choices, great choices, so I’d never be tempted to the dark side.

  My attention zeroed in past the dickhead to the slight form at his side. Rose. Why the heck had he brought her along? She looked unhappy, arms crossed over her chest, and I wondered if she’d be a help to our side. I still wasn’t sure what her endgame was. She had sent me into the labyrinth, which led to this necklace, but if I hadn’t been able to shift to dragon I’d probably have been killed by the creatures in there. So was she helping me or trying to get me out of the way?

  The dragon king lifted both of his arms, holding them shoulder-height, palms facing up. His voice boomed across the field to us: “All I want today is Jessa. I’ll leave your community alone. You can keep your Book of Guidance and seats on the council. You don’t have the numbers to best us, so why forfeit your lives so easily? Give me Jessa and I’ll forget this rebellion against me, but if you do not … I will wipe every one of you from existence.”

  Truth. There was a lot of truth in those wo
rds, but also deception. Our strides remained strong as we moved toward his massive army. We would not be stopping or making any deals. We didn’t negotiate with tyrants.

  He must have seen that in our determined faces. I saw his shoulders lift in a shrug. Just like in Rose’s memory projection he would kill every supernatural here today, for no reason other than we refused to bow down and allow him to control us and all the power of our races. He would destroy our communities. Criminals would be back in the population. And the human population would face a massacre.

  Larky waved his arms in a signal of sorts and my mark started to burn and tingle in a way it had never done before. I had the brief thought that he was issuing some sort of command. My dragon’s presence shifted closer to my mind as if she was adding her strength to keep me protected.

  I had no idea how Larky had the power or control to be in a collective presence of thousands. Surely that many “voices” would drive him crazy, like drowning in a sea of energy.

  The marked started to move, a single mass, the front line a few steps ahead of the rest. I couldn’t see any small children, although a few looked like teenagers. I felt the call of energy around me and knew our side was preparing themselves. Larky was not holding back, he was sending them across full force, determined to finish this today and to retrieve me. Which, lucky for him, was what I needed to happen also. The moment he was close enough, I was going to end it.

  Chapter 17

  It was like time stood still for that second, our two groups raging toward each other, power and energy flying around, chaos in its purest form, and I wondered how many of us would still be standing in the end.

  When we were a few dozen yards from the marked minions, the Four dropped back. I could hear the murmuring of sorcerers and magic users as they joined their power to the Craiz men. This would be our best chance to halt a large portion of the marked and give me and the Compasses the moment we needed to take the king down. I just hoped he didn’t know about the necklace. If he was prepared for my attack, it would be so much harder.