Another snarl echoed in her ear, so close she flinched and ducked away, squeezing the trigger at the same time.
Chapter Two
Derechos heard the crack of a rifle firing and revved up the four-wheeler he was driving. He and Storm had formulated a plan on their way to Dawn’s home, but when they arrived and saw all the lights out they weren’t certain where she’d gone. They’d heard a couple workmen talking about chupacabra and how she’d gone out to investigate an attack.
That sent both of them racing into the night after her. The locals might think it was chupacabra and she might believe it was bears or coyotes but they knew the truth. Their Atan had headed out into the night toward a colony of Kimil creatures that would fight each other to get to her and take her life. Their machines roared in the night as they drove quicker, uncaring about what dangers they might face. Both he and Storm had excellent night vision, so neither of them was worried about driving into anything, but they could see the shadows circling around a woman on a horse.
A small flash lit up the air and they heard another sharp crack echo through the night sky, followed by the sound of her scream. Storm skidded to a stop and cocked his bow. Derechos shot past him and kept moving toward their woman, but stayed out of Storm’s line of fire. He heard a few of Storm’s arrows whizzing past him and watched as the three closest creatures to Dawn shrieked out a death cry and then dissolved into a lump of dust.
Storm’s arrows were packed with capsicum, a product humans combined with chemicals to create pepper spray. It was the only thing they’d ever discovered that would kill a Kimil for good. Derechos pulled the oversized canister from where it was lodged at his feet. He flicked the safety off the heavy handle and aimed as he got closer.
Dawn’s horse was rearing back and he watched as she almost lost her seat. I can’t use this close to them. He wouldn’t risk harming Dawn or her animal. The Kimil moved like a pack of wolves, circling her as some broke off to intercept him and Storm. That left three focused on attacking her. One leapt up and a split second later he heard an arrow whiz past and the Kimil screamed as it fell.
“What the hell is that?” Dawn’s panicked voice shouted into the night. She looked toward the two of them but then another creature leapt up at her. She swung her rifle like a bat and smashed the Kimil in the face. Her horse reared at the same moment and the impact knocked Dawn off her balance. His heart stopped as she fell back off the horse.
He let go of the ATV and jumped to the ground the moment he realized she lost her seat. Another Kimil was taking a chance at attaching her but Derechos pulled every reserve of energy in his body, reaching her and wrapping his arms around her before she impacted with the hard ground. He rolled with her, keeping his arms wrapped around her head to protect her as best he could.
He leapt to his feet and anchored her to his back, stretching out his arm he sprayed a stream of the poison at the Kimil lunging at them. The creature screamed as the product hit it but its body impacted hard with Derechos. He felt the creature’s claws dig into his skin and tear but he ignored the pain. His instincts screamed to keep his woman safe. Using the momentum the creature hit him with, he threw them to the side, impacting hard against the sand and rolling until he’d captured the creature’s neck in the crook of his arm.
Rage at this creature flooded his system. It dared to threaten his Atan. Roaring in anger, he twisted the Kimil’s neck, feeling the crunch and tear as he separated it from its body. It wasn’t the only other way to destroy these animals in this world but the primal fury that pounded through his blood stream demanded it.
A hard coughing broke through his anger and he rushed over to Dawn’s side. Storm was already there, wiping her face with a damp cloth. He looked up at Derechos as he approached, a wary look in his eye. “You all right now?”
Derechos nodded in response, not trusting his voice at the moment. Seeing Dawn safe went a long way to calming him. Her face was red and tears ran down her cheeks. She must have caught some pepper spray in the face.
“What were those things?” she asked. Her voice was harsh and pained. She blinked rapidly when Storm took the cloth from her eyes to rewet it.
“Chupacabra,” Derechos replied.
Dawn leveled a look at him and took a shuddering breath. Even in the dim light he could see the redness to her eyes, a moment later recognition flooded her expression. “I know you. You’re one of the dancers at Midnighters.”
“Yes, and you watched me dance tonight.” He could feel a flutter of anxiety dance over her senses followed by the silky caress of her arousal.
“Put this back on your eyes for a bit longer, Dawn.” Storm lifted the wet cloth to her face but she gripped his wrist and shook her head.
“What are you two doing out here? Where’s my horse?” She turned to Derechos. “And there is no such thing as a chupacabra.”
“Let Storm soothe your eyes and I swear we’ll tell you everything,” Derechos answered. She didn’t let go of Storm’s wrist but she let him lift his hand up and lay the cloth over her eyes.
“What’s that smell?” She pushed at Storm’s hand. “You’re not trying to knock me out are you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Dawn.” Storm frowned down at her. “It’s water and a few herbs that we know will lessen the side effects from the pepper spray.” Destiny had sprayed Jag in the face when he tried to claim her. After that they quickly figured out a way to ease the spray’s uncomfortable effects.
“I figured that is what was in that spray, but damn I think I got it worse than the coyote.”
“Chupacabra or Kimil, either name works, but it wasn’t a coyote.”
Dawn sighed and he was certain she was rolling her eyes under the cloth. Storm gently wiped the cloth over her eyelids and over her face. “It’s a stronger concentration than what is usually available.”
“It scared away the animals.”
Derechos looked over at the decomposing lump on the ground a few feet away from them. He was tempted to force her to face the truth but he decided to pick his battles. They had a bigger obstacle to face at the moment. They hadn’t planned to capture their Atan this way but the universe had placed them on this path and they wouldn’t back away now. “She’s in too much danger.”
“We need to get her out of here and take her with us now.”
“Uh, hello.” Dawn lifted her hand and pushed the cloth away from her face. “She is right here and she is not going anywhere with either of you.”
Storm got to his feet with ease and clasped Dawn by the elbow as she struggled to her own. Derechos stood up as well, watching her movements in case she lost her balance.
She looked back and forth between the two of them. “I am perfectly capable of standing without assistance, thank you.” Her voice took on a regal tone that made Derechos’s cock twitch in response. He loved strong women. They fought and clawed but under the angriest of surfaces often hid the softest of hearts.
The corner of Storm’s mouth kicked up in a small grin. “Your horse left you behind in its haste to find safety. We’re the only thing between you and a very dangerous walk.”
“Leave me the pepper spray and I’ll be fine.” Dawn stepped away from them and lifted her chin as if daring them to leave her. Which they would never do.
Storm held out his arm. “Ours?”
“Ours, brother.” Derechos clasped his hand at Storm’s, elbow pressing their forearms together. The markings on their arms lined up and flared in a bright golden light.
“Oh, my god! What’s wrong with your skin?” Dawn took another step away from them and both he and Derechos swung their gazes in her direction.
“This is a simple reassurance that we are making the correct decision, Dawn.”
She took a couple more steps back away from them. “Decision about what? Don’t think either of you are going to touch me. You hurt me and I’ll kill you.”
“We wouldn’t hurt a single cell in your body,” Derechos replied, feeling a lot
like a hunter watching his prey. Every step she took away from them fired his blood to chase her, and from what he could feel from his brother, Storm felt the same way.
“I’ll scream.” Dawn’s husky voice carried a slight twinge of fear. “Sound carries very well over this terrain at night. They’ll hear me.”
“You will scream, Dawn.” Storm let go of Derechos’s arm and stepped closer to her. “But I swear it will be in the middle of the most intense pleasure of your life.”
“I don’t think so.” With that she spun and took off running.
Both he and Storm leapt after her, catching her within a few steps. He whipped her around and she opened her mouth to scream. Storm wrapped his arms around her and absorbed the sound with his mouth. She gripped at his shirt but didn’t push or pound against his arms as Derechos had expected. Instead she mewled like a newborn kitten deep in her throat. She’s perfect for us. A second later he shifted his body to the side narrowly avoiding the knee she tried to bury between his legs.
He’d expected her defiance and any other time he might have encouraged it but a rumble in the heavens gave warning to a gathering storm. Rock and Jag had confirmed the legend that the Kimil could control the weather and he wondered if the lightning in the distance over the mountain was their doing. Storm lifted his head from Dawn and Derechos quickly wrapped the cloth around her head, trapping her scream behind it. She wriggled and kicked at them as Storm tied her arms together at the wrist behind her.
“I know you’re scared, Dawn, and I wish we had the time to convince you that we mean you no harm.” A number of lightning strikes flashed in the distance and a moment later the echoing crack reached them.
“We’ve got to go now. They’re coming.” Derechos tossed Dawn over his shoulder and ran for his four-wheeler. She kicked her legs and wriggled in his grip. “You’re going to fall and break your neck if you don’t stop that.”
It was an empty threat, nothing would cause him to drop her or allow her to come to harm. He’d give up his very life to save her.
“At least the rain will cover our tracks,” Storm yelled. The steady patter of raindrop was coming closer faster than a normal storm, which spurred them on.
Derechos deposited Dawn in front of him, wrapped an arm around her, and gunned the engine immediately. They leapt forward, Storm following behind them. His brother would ensure that they weren’t attacked from behind as Derechos carried their very future in his arms.
The drive back to the club was much faster than the trip to Dawn’s ranch. She was strangely quiet and still during the ride and Derechos suspected that she was planning a counterattack or at least making a break and escaping them. They rounded the building and parked the four-wheelers at the back.
Blade and Thunder both stepped from the shadows. “What do you have there, Derechos?”
Dawn wriggled madly and screamed out from behind her gag. “Our Atan,” Derechos replied.
Blade looked at her and nodded but then followed the sound of the lightning in the distance. The flash of light made the scar on his face look terrifying but Derechos knew there wasn’t a more gentle soul in their world. “She’s a prize worth winning. I wish you both the best of luck.”
Storm scooped Dawn from his arms and tossed her over his shoulder. She immediately tried to knee him in the chest but he smacked her hard on the ass. Her outraged scream would have been almost comical if there hadn’t been such fury in her eyes.
“That storm is moving in fast. Get her home. The Kimil aren’t brave enough to face us yet but I imagine it’s only a matter of time.”
Derechos clasped hands with each of them and followed Storm into the back entrance of Midnighters. It was practically silent as the bar had closed and everyone had headed their separate ways. As they walked down the hall, Derechos heard the distinct sound of pleasure being received behind some of the doors. Sounded like a few of their warrior brothers had found their own distractions for the night.
He unlocked the door at the end of the hall and opened the heavy door for Storm and his precious burden. Dawn had stopped fighting and was looking around in wide-eyed concern. “You have nothing to fear, Dawn. I know you don’t understand and I promise you we’ll answer every one of your questions but you need to trust us.”
She narrowed her eyes at him and hollered something he imagined was very unpleasant by her tone.
“Truth is, we’re not typical dancers. We live in an alternate universe. The creatures that attacked you tonight are called Kimil. They were trapped here thousands of years ago when the portal closed but now that it’s reopened and we have returned they are attacking any woman meant to be ours.”
* * * *
Oh, my god. They’re both delusional and I’m going to die. Dawn stared at the man standing in front of her. She’d been tied up, gagged, and then carried like a sack of potatoes. Now he wanted her to believe that he’d come from another dimension. She’d heard that exotic dancers often turned to drugs to ease the pain of their own inner battles but he was completely nuts. Storm paused and slowly placed Dawn on her feet and turned her around.
She’d planned to fight them tooth and nail. If they wanted to hurt her she planned to leave behind as much evidence of an attack as possible. But her attention was caught by the weirdest mirror she’d ever seen in her life. It wasn’t a normal mirror, though. It looked like a puddle of mercury, only it was vertical. Is this some sort of fun-house carnival trick?
“It’s a portal and the way to our home.” Storm scooped her up and stepped toward it. His arms tightened around her torso and panic swamped her system. She didn’t know what the hell that stuff was but there was no way she wanted to go through it. She kicked and threw her weight against his hold, scratching at his arms and kicking. He was freaking tall and it would hurt when she hit the ground but anything would be better than stepping through whatever the hell that was. What if they were some sort of sexual deviants and she was going to be tortured in hellish ways?
“Dawn, stop it!” Storm snapped at her as he fought to keep his grip on her.
“I hate the feel of her fear.” Derechos spoke from behind them. “Let’s get this over with.”
Dawn stiffened up and screamed as Storm clenched her tight enough to hinder her breathing and stepped into the wall of mercury. Squeezing her eyes tightly closed she felt as if she’d been torn from her body and thrown across the universe only to be connected by a bungee cord and ripped back into it at a death-defying force. It felt like a dream where she’d been falling and bolted awake the moment she hit the ground. Her stomach lurched at the sensation and she gagged. The cloth was pulled from her mouth as she felt a cool, comfortable breeze dance over her skin.
“Take a deep breath, Dawn.” A large hand gently rubbed her back as Storm spoke. “We’re through. You’re okay.”
Dawn opened her eyes slowly, afraid of what she might see. The sight that greeted her was nothing like she expected. It was rather plain really, nothing but a long hallway that had to be twenty feet high with a domed ceiling and stone pillars down either side of it. No bodies hung from the walls or large men with pins stuck all over their heads. Perhaps I’ve watched too many horror movies.
“Feel better?” Storm’s voice drew her attention back to him. He knelt in front of her and still managed to be almost as tall. He pressed his fingers against her cheek. “You don’t feel overly warm so I’m expecting the nausea was a mixture of panic as well as the travel.”
He was right. The nausea had abated as she stared at her surroundings.
“See, nothing to be afraid of here.” Derechos slid his hand into hers. She didn’t realize how cold she felt until the warmth from his skin pressed against her palm. “Come on, let’s get you into the sunshine so you can warm up.”
“And then into a hot bath.”
She glanced up to see the two of them share a look over her head. She couldn’t decipher it nor did she trust it. “No. I want you to take me home immediately.” She pulled her
hand from Derechos’s grip and turned to face them both. “This can’t be real. None of this can be real. I don’t know what that thing is.” She waved her hand toward the portal. “But there are no dimensions other than our own. This is some sort of bullshit game you play. Whatever it is, I’m not into it.” One of the shadows between the pillars moved and Dawn jumped, turning in its direction. Her heart pounded wildly as another man stepped out into the light.
“See, if you had stayed over here you wouldn’t have to deal with a shrieking woman.” This man was gorgeous as well but didn’t make her heart lurch the way Storm and Derechos did.
“Which is why we’re keeping ourselves over here.” Another voice sounded to her right and she jumped again as a mirror image of the man stepped out from between another set of pillars.
“Dawn, let me introduce you to Shadow and Raven.” Derechos pointed to each man. “She is our Atan. I take it we don’t have to worry about the two of you?”
“No,” the two men said simultaneously.
The two of them looked at her with a mixture of dislike and appreciation. Dawn didn’t understand the combination but it was just another addition to the long list of things she didn’t understand. “That was rude.” She didn’t even know why she was insulted by their tone or the matching expressions on their faces.
“Ignore them. You’re more breathtaking than the golden light from our suns.” Storm wrapped his arm around her waist as Derechos slipped his hand around hers.
The compliment was simple and completely sincere. He wasn’t saying it to impress her. She’d had enough of flowery compliments in her earlier years and normally ignored them. But Storm didn’t seem the type to spout off compliments to anyone. “Um, thank you…Suns?”
Jesus, woman, a couple of pretty compliments and you are about to forget the fact that they abducted you in the middle of the night.
“Let us show you around, Dawn.” He and Derechos propelled her forward down the hallway toward the arched entrance. A realization clicked in Dawn’s head. It had been almost two in the morning when she’d headed out to check on the animals, but at the end of this hallway the sun shone as bright as noon.
Corralling Dawn [Midnighter Seductions 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 3
