Wicked After Dark: 20 Steamy Paranormal Tales of Dragons, Vampires, Werewolves, Shifters, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More

by Mina Carter

  Ginger grabbed the top folds of Anika’s front pocket and peeked inside. When Faing caught site of the dark-haired fae, his head lifted in interest, and he moved. Ginger frantically beat her wings and sailed backwards, moving out of the way, so the dragon could fly out of his hidey-hole.

  Anika held out her hand. “Come here, you trouble maker.” After a fast loop around the fairy, Faing changed his flight course and landed in the middle of her palm. “I need your help, Faing.”

  Keeping his eyes on her, Faing cocked a spiky brow. Anika’s thoughts went back to a time when Faing was a hatchling. The first time she’d seen her new dragon, a gift from the High Priestess, he’d made a similar gesture with the tiny spikes that lined each eye. She should have known then that he was going to be an eternal pain in the ass.

  Grinning, she leaned in close to the dragon. “Can you grow big enough to carry me to the roof?”

  Drake interrupted. “Do you really think I’m going to wait down here while you rush off into God knows what?”

  Faing flew from Anika’s hand to land on the ground several feet away. In an instant, the dragon went from being only inches, to at least ten feet long. Ginger ignored Anika’s and Drake’s bickering and spirited over to see the dragon.

  “There’s only a small plume of magic left. I can handle it.” She lifted her broom to remind him that she was in possession of the only item of use in the battle. “Besides, all this crap started because of my problems with Tamra. I’d like to be the one to fix it.”

  “But what if you get hurt?” Drake’s features were fallen. Concern for her glistened in his eyes and rang true in his words.

  Grateful to have someone like Drake in her life, Anika wrapped her arms around her warlock. “Then I guess I’ll rely on you to heal me. I can handle this, I promise.”

  He rested his chin on top of her head. “You’re killing me here.”

  “You say that a lot,” she whispered.

  Drake let out a nervous chuckle. “You’re constantly up to no good, so yeah, I bet I do.” He cupped her face, his features growing intense as he stared into her eyes. “I’m dead serious, Ani. You better be careful.”

  “Okay, I will be. Take care of Ginger. Don’t let her do anything foolish.”

  Bracing himself against his own inner turmoil and the fear he felt over letting the most important person in the world to him leave his sight, he gave in. Drake ran the back of his fingers across Anika’s neck. As always, her smooth skin felt like satin. Letting out a deep breath, his voice trembled. “Anything you ask of me, consider it done. I love you, darlin’.”

  There was a short pause between words, and then she squeezed him tightly. “I love you, too.”

  Chapter Nine

  Hidden behind the cover of dark shadows, Anika jumped astride the dragon’s back.

  Ginger let out a yelp of laughter as Faing huffed and grumped over having to accommodate a rider. All the while, he pretended not to watch the fairy, who was dancing circles around Drake’s head.

  Anika had never ridden her dragon before. There was never any cause to, so her nerves were jittery as she leaned forward and whispered into his ear, “Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

  The dragon shifted his feet, hunched, and exploded into the air. Cold wind beat against Anika’s face as they pushed through the night, a calm serenity smoothing the stress lines from her face. They flew up and over the house, briefly sailing the crisp sky, and then all too soon, it was over. Faing’s claws tapped gently against the flat part of the roof, coming down between two sharp slopes. As he landed, his belly sank against the asphalt.

  Anika threw her leg over the dragon’s side and hopped off. She broke into a run, stopping at the very edge of the roof. Looking down, she saw Drake staring back up at her, his hand settled and clenched over his heart. He smiled when he saw her; she waved and then winked at him. Just like that, she felt safe again. Then a slight movement caught her eye. Anika swung around and came face to face with what was left of the malevolent magic. It had reformed itself into a dense cloud that resembled a misshapen bull.

  “Ani, watch out!” Drake screamed from below.

  Behind the bull, she could see Faing creeping up. Fearful that the magic would touch him and somehow alter him, she shook her head ‘no.’ He stopped. Then she spotted something hanging from the dragon’s mouth…her broom! Apparently, in her rush to release Drake from his worry over her, she’d forgotten all about keeping a firm hand on her weapon. The scene zoomed in and out of her vision in fuzzy patches, as if Anika were watching a television screen that was out of focus. She screwed up royally that time.

  The bull didn’t hesitate; it reared on her. Anika jumped to the side, and a large hoof crashed down with jarring impact, nicking her knee. Closing her eyes, she screamed. In the distance, she heard a deadly roar. Without a proper sense of direction, she crawled as fast as she could away from the menacing sound. Her knee ached, but she kept going until she bumped into something hard. A voice, barely a whisper, made her open her eyes. Once her vision cleared, she saw a scaled foot and a green fairy hovering right in front of her face.

  “Why are you up here?” Anika asked with equal parts, pain and anger.

  The fairy lifted her twig-like arm and pointed behind her. Anika followed the course indicated, and what she saw left her stunned. “No!”

  Drake somehow managed to get himself up onto the roof with her and was in the midst of battling the bull. The scenario couldn’t be worse, because not only would every one of the warlock’s incantations be useless against the monster, but any attempt at using his daggers against it would also fail.

  The bull charged. Even though Drake couldn’t touch his attacker, the bull could touch him. She watched, horrified, as the bull’s right horn sunk deep into the flesh of Drake’s left shoulder. Blood gushed down his arm, and he fell to his knees. Anger poured through Anika, filling her with unspent magic. Drake fell back, landing in a heap on the roof. She knew he was hurt, and hurt bad. The bull slowed its charge and turned, readying to go at Drake once again. Anika raged even more. No longer scared, she snatched her broom from the dragon’s mouth.

  “Go now!” She barked out the order at both the dragon and fairy. She turned her back on them. There was no time to make sure they’d listen, because Drake needed her.

  Seconds seemed to morph into years as she ran across the roof. The bull’s head was down, its hoofs slamming against the asphalt as it charged forward. Anika had to get to Drake before the monster reached him. Then somehow, she was there, standing at his side, broom raised to defend her warlock. She’d wanted it so desperately, the magic that rode her so fervently had reacted, with her will creating an unspoken incantation.

  The bull’s eyes bulged at the sight of her; the magic itself knew that she was its doom. Anika gripped the broom’s shaft with both hands and swung with all her might. The end sliced through the bull, making the smoke pop and fizzle out. She fell to her knees with the broom still gripped tightly in her hands. Then she spotted something. On the ground before her, a small tendril of magic, about the size of a worm, reared up and waggled. The small poof was all that was left of the spell gone awry. Anika’s muscles ached, but she knew she had to move fast. Lifting her arms, she slammed the broom down, but it was too late. The last remaining tendril—or better yet, headache—squirmed away and shot over the ledge.

  The warlock at her back groaned. Anika twisted around, fearing the worst. What if he was gravely injured? She didn’t even want to think about it. Her hesitant eyes fell on her man, and she gasped in relief. He was sitting up with a dazed look about him.

  “Did I kill it?” he asked.

  Anika’s heart was beating so fast, she could barely speak, but she somehow managed to get out a breathy, “Let’s just say you were very heroic, and leave it at that.”

  Drake was suddenly in her face, his warm aura and minty breath bathing her skin with a lover’s familiarity. “Thank you for the kind words, but I know
you’re just protecting my fragile ego.” His hand came down behind her head, and he pulled her closer. “I saw everything, darlin’, and you were magnificent.”

  Her pulse thumping in her throat, she whispered, “Kiss me already.”

  Drake flicked his tongue across her lips. “Is this what you want?”

  Anika moaned. “Yes, more of that, please.”

  The warlock obliged.

  She needed the man’s touch, ached for it. Even in the midst of crisis, she couldn’t stop herself from wanting to touch him, kiss him, and feel his body against hers. Most of the danger had passed, and several small victories were earned that night, but the war wasn’t over. A sliver of magic, a mere pinch of darkness, still remained. And even though Anika was content in Drake’s commanding embrace, there was still work to be done. She wedged her hands between their chests and nudged him back.

  With a muttered curse, Drake pulled away. It didn’t matter one damn bit that his shoulder was leaking blood. Beyond that pain, he looked like a man possessed. “I want you. In my bed…now.”

  Flushed, Anika pressed her fingers to her still damp lips. Drake’s animalistic ways in regard to her had always been her biggest weakness. He made her feel wanted, yearned for, and most importantly, protected. She looked at him with one eyebrow raised. “I want nothing more than to climb into bed with you. Your skills in that department are a wondrous thing, but our pleasure will have to wait.”

  A quick expression of disappointment passed over his face before he nodded. “Unfortunately, you’re right, darlin’.”

  He tugged at his jacket, yanking it off to expose his wound. “I’ll fix this up real quick, so we can be on our way.” His head shifted around. “Where are the dragon and that pesky mosquito?”

  That was a great question. Anika remembered being in a fog of fear and anger at the time she barked at them both to leave. Apparently, they had listened to her. “They’re safe, and that’s all that matters.”

  Drake pulled a charm from his jacket pocket and strung it around his neck. The bottom of his shirt was jagged and ripped, exposing the chiseled v-line of his lower abdomen. Her eyes moved from the bottom of his six-pack, to his shoulder. The torn strip of material from his shirt was cinched around his wound. She spotted a circle of red already forming, seeping through the makeshift bandage. Anika could only hope that the healing charm would work as quickly and thoroughly on his wound as it did on her own.

  Anika peered up into the sky. The moon was almost full, its shine striking the clouds below it in a blue haze. “Will this night ever end?” she asked, more to herself than to Drake.

  He shrugged his jacket back on and stood on steady feet. The warmth she’d always felt when she looked at him fluttered through her. Whatever they had going on between them was special; he was everything to her. And he’d proven time after time that he felt the same.

  Ginger’s voice floated down from above. “If you two are ready, I know where the last of that pesky magic’s gone off to.”

  Drake lifted a brow. “Is that right, mosquito?”

  The fairy’s porcelain features hued red, and she smiled with a soft giggle. “Yup, Faing is following it.”

  Anika gave her a disapproving look.

  “Don’t worry. He shrunk to a size even smaller than me. No one will be able to see him. We planned it all out.”

  The fairy looked pleased, and Anika was relieved to know that the magic would be easier to find. But that didn’t take away from the fact that both Faing and Ginger had put themselves in harm’s way, even after she warned them not to. She sighed. It would do her no good to bitch about it. What was done, was done.

  Anika got to her feet. “Um… Drake?”

  “Yes, darlin’.”

  “How are we supposed to get down from here?”

  He pointed over the ledge. “I found a ladder in the garage.”

  Anika’s attention flickered to him. “Are you serious? There was a ladder this entire time?”

  That meant that waking Faing from his slumber hadn’t been necessary. She could have kept him safely tucked away in her pocket. It figured. She always seemed to do things the hard way. As she leaned over to look down, she grabbed onto the ledge. The ladder wasn’t there. She cursed under her breath.

  “Your ladder is gone,” Anika said as she turned to Drake. “We’re stuck.”

  He glanced over the ledge and frowned. “What the fuck?”

  “Too bad, you don’t have wings like me,” Ginger said as she flew around their heads. “I’m so glad I decided to keep mine.”

  “Now’s not the time to joke. We are seriously screwed here,” Anika said between clenched teeth.

  With gossamer wings still aflutter, the fairy stopped and shrugged. “Why don’t you just use the stairs?”

  Anika’s mouth gaped. “There are stairs?”

  She looked past the nodding fairy. Off to the side, behind the largest part of the roof, was a seating area. White planter boxes, overflowing with green bushes and flowers, created a botanical border around a white wicker patio set. The entire arrangement sat underneath a wood slat gazebo. Next to the lounging area, the roof rose into a steeple, and sure enough, a door was tucked inside of it. No doubt, with stairs that would lead them off the roof behind it.

  Anika blew out a frustrated breath. “It looks like that’s our only way down. We’ll have to somehow get past any humans in the residence.”

  Drake slipped his fingers between hers. “I have a cloaking amulet, but it will only work for one of us.”

  In the blink of an eye, a tall, dark-skinned man was standing in front them. When he spoke, a dizzy wave assaulted Anika’s senses. “Mortals are the least of your concern.”

  Anika jumped back, slamming into Drake. He encircled her waist with one arm and pulled them both back a few paces. He then released her and grabbed hold of his daggers.

  “Stay back,” Drake commanded.

  Several more figures melted into view from the shadows, moving almost too fast for them to see. “You and your witch trespass against my pack, and you think it’s okay to bark orders at me? That’s not how this is going down tonight, warlock. Why have you come? Are you one of the Dark Ones?”

  At the mention of the Dark Ones, several growls erupted. Apparently, all of the men and women, who were standing behind the man who was obviously in charge, were werewolves. And they weren’t too fond of the Dark Ones.

  Drake put his daggers away and held his hands out in front of him.

  With a new respect and fear for their situation, Anika whispered, “What are you doing?”

  In her opinion, disarming themselves would be the stupidest thing they could do in the midst of facing off with a bunch of pissed-off werewolves, especially so close to a full moon, when their beastly abilities were at their strongest.

  “We mean you and your pack no harm,” Drake said. His tone was neutral, like a leader of men negotiating safe passage in a hostile or unknown land.

  At Drake’s words, the wolf tipped his head to the side and sniffed the air. His body instantly relaxed. “Your words smell of truth. Explain to me how you’ve come to be here…on the roof of my home?”

  Anika quickly realized that the town’s inn was named after a pack of wolves—that pack of wolves. It made her wonder if humans ever stayed there, and if they did… She shook her head, disgusted with her thoughts. Werewolves weren’t known to eat humans. They preferred to hunt and chase wild game while in wolf form. That’s what she heard about their species, the children of the moon.

  “There is a dangerous magic terrorizing the town. We followed it here, so we could destroy it,” Drake explained.

  The leader nodded. “I saw you try and battle the bull, and felt the darkness that surrounded you.” He turned his gaze on Anika. “You are a very powerful witch. I’m sure my pack would agree when I say that we are lucky you were battling against the darkness, and not the one wielding it. Strength like yours, wielding that kind of darkness, would have
made you hard to destroy.”

  Drake stepped forward, and the wolf shook his head and smiled. “Calm down. That was not a threat, warlock. My pack’s only enemies are evil-doers. By your and your woman’s words and actions, we seem to be of a common goal.”

  “Now that you know why we are here and know that we aren’t a threat to you and your wolves, mind if we leave? Some of the magic is still loose, and we need to find it,” Anika said.

  The wolf’s dark gaze bore into hers. Then he shrugged. The rest of his body barely moved. “You are free to leave. But please do me one favor.”

  Anika nodded once.

  “Tell your High Priestess that it was you who stumbled upon us, and not the other way around.” With that, the wolf turned to leave.

  Ginger shot after the retreating wolf, and Anika’s heart beat hard against her chest. Instead of ducking, punching, or maiming the tiny creature that flew toward him, the wolf held out his hand, palm up, so the fairy could land. Ginger stood still in his hand, and her wings beat slower, until they stopped.

  Anika didn’t trust the wolf. In her mind, she screamed at Ginger, “Move, fly away!” But the fairy didn’t even flinch, and to Anika’s relief, the werewolf didn’t splatter her into a green puddle of goo.

  “Speak, little one,” the wolf said.

  Ginger pointed at the retreating figures, her emerald green eyes shining with a supernatural glow as she spoke. “Is it okay if my wing-challenged friends use your stairs? You see, they have fouled up and got themselves stuck up here.”

  With an amused grin, the wolf peered over his shoulder at Drake and Anika. “If you promise me that you will keep them out of trouble while they’re in my home, I’ll allow it. I have a feeling trouble follows those two wherever they go.”

  The fairy gave a firm nod, the bridge of her nose crinkling in a sudden flash of seriousness. “You don’t even know the half of it.”

  The wolf’s mocha features softened. “You, my fairy friend, are always welcome here. If any of my wolves ever dare give you grief over your presence in my home, tell them that Dante granted you free passage.”