Raiden was fast, even in half-shift form, and they made it back to the compound quickly. Wisps of smoke materialized and dematerialized as the vampires attacked below. She and Raiden would have to make it into the compound without the vampires seeing them, but that required coming out of stealth so the shields could fully recognize their signature.
"Hang on," Raiden whispered.
He deactivated his stealth mode and dove toward the shields of the compound. Right before they were about to slide through, half a dozen vampires materialized before them, blocking their path. Raiden, who was known for his quick, decisive movements, didn't miss a beat. Instead of flying into the vampires, he tucked his wings and fell backward right through the shields and into the compound. They landed in the backyard, and Flora slid to the ground on shaky legs.
"I'll go to the safe room," she said. "You join Hanish and Zephyr.”
He held onto her hand, but as Hanish shouted at him, he let her go. Flora hurried away, her high heels clicking on the stone path as she ran. Once through the back door of the mansion, she dashed through the kitchen, down the hall, through the living room, and into the basement. She pressed the intercom on the wall outside the safe room, and JoJo answered.
"Thank God you're back," JoJo said in her thick British accent.
The door buzzed open, and Flora stepped inside.
"How did you avoid the vampires?" JoJo asked.
"I think it was all Raiden's practice with video games," Flora said with a laugh.
Chapter 15
Raiden turned, drawing his laser sword as he listened for Hanish's command over the mental link.
"We're surrounded," Hanish said.
"There are hundreds of them coming from every direction,” Zephyr said over the mental link.
"They've been preparing for this siege all along," Raiden said.
"Ragnar and the others are staying in Seattle with Krista," Hanish said. "It's not safe for them to bring her down here. But Yuki has rigged a shield around their condo, and they should be safe there for now."
"They won't get through,” Raiden said.
"With this many of them," Zephyr said, "our odds are not good."
"You doubt the strength of the shields?" Hanish asked.
"I doubt our ability to defeat this many, even with the buffer of Aria's song."
"We will defeat them," Raiden said. "This is what I've been preparing for all along."
"Zephyr, you focus on the eastern side of the compound. There are fewer coming from that direction, and I want you monitoring the strength. Raiden, focus on the north side. That's where the bulk of the mass is coming from. I will face the elder who was attacking from the south."
Raiden flew swiftly toward the south side of the property and gazed at the horde of vampires flitting in and out of form and puffs of black smoke. They were a laughing, roiling, sneering mass of bodies and fangs that reminded him of his zombie-apocalypse game. He shook his head.
If humans only knew vampires were a real threat, they would have been preparing all along. Instead, they fought each other. Raiden had become more and more aware that the majority of the strife between humans was caused by vampires, with their interference and whispers of dissent.
He gripped his dual swords and charged through the shields, whirling and slicing and stabbing like a dancer at the ballet. The vampires fell before him, most of them weak and slow. With Aria's buffer and the strength and speed of his many years of practice, they were defenseless against him. But the mass kept coming, thicker and faster.
He had to shift into full-dragon form, battling with his fangs and claws and tail, smashing and stomping the legion of vampires. But still, they came. He shot them with his lightning breath, and they burned in pools of flame. They continued streaming out through the dark forest, their eyes bright like animals caught in headlights and bobbing up and down as they ran headlong at Raiden's dragon.
He roared and lurched up on his hind legs, coming down with a thundering crack. The vibration sent several dozen vampires crashing to the ground, and he shot them with a burst of lightning breath. The ones who had already reached him climbed onto his back, their teeth sliding over his scales. They could not puncture his hide. Their hope must have been to overwhelm him, cover him with their bodies, and force him into a shift by sheer weight alone. But Raiden wouldn't let that happen.
He rolled over on his back, tucking his wings tightly against himself and crushing the vampires who clung to him. Their screams echoed in the night, and their blood seeped in dark black pools underfoot.
The rank smell of fear and the blood of the undead filled his nostrils, but all he could think about was Flora—his mate. She was everything, and he would fight to his last breath to defend her. When Flora had bitten Penelope, she’d become immune to vampires. But with so many flooding into the compound, Raiden feared for her safety. Flora had not been mated, and she did not have the full effect of mated Dragon Soul immunity.
He continued stomping and bashing and blowing electric breath at the onslaught of vampires.
"There is an elder coming your way," Hanish said through the mental link.
Raiden gritted his teeth. He was already nearly overwhelmed. But he had held his own, and he would continue to do so until the very last vampire was dead.
He saw the elder in the mass of young vampires, standing out like a beacon. Her strength and ability were obvious in contrast to the others. She glided through the air, her body translucent.
Raiden grumbled through the mental link, "This one’s powerful.”
"There are three just like that here," Hanish said.
"Three elders with that much strength?"
"I'm getting news from the House of Flames that they are overwhelmed," Hanish added.
"Greetings, dragon," the female elder sneered. "Are you ready to die?"
Raiden burst into the air, flapping his wings. She cackled, watching him carefully. Instead of making the obvious move, he lifted even higher as if he was flying away.
"What are you doing?" Hanish asked.
"Just wait," he said.
The vampire seemed just as confused as his captain. She flitted in and out of form before approaching him in the sky. Elder vampires had the ability to manifest in flying form as well as in smoke. Her eyes flashed as she lunged at him. In that moment, he tucked his wings and fell like a stone, lifting his head up to blow a huge breath of lightning right at her. Her body ignited from foot to head, and she screamed. Raiden shifted while she was distracted and sliced her with his antibody-imbued sword. She screamed again, disappearing into smoke. When he descended back to the ground, she was gone.
"I think I got her," Raiden said.
"I wouldn't be so sure," Zephyr said. "These elders are more powerful than anything we've seen. I don't think one slice of Dragon Soul blood will defeat them."
"In your expert opinion, what will defeat them?" Raiden asked with irritation. He had made a good move, but it wasn't enough.
"They need to be injured multiple times, to the point where they can't be repaired."
"What does that even mean?"
"It varies with each elder, depending on how old they are, how strong they are, and how healthy they are," Zephyr said.
"Not helping," Raiden growled.
"Just keep at it," Hanish said through the mental link. "We can't let them get inside. We have to protect Tor. If they find a baby dragon…"
"Let's just not go there," Raiden said.
Of everyone in the compound, Tor was the most vulnerable. He lacked the antibodies and magic JoJo had. Flora had partial, if not complete, immunity. The dragons had amazingly tough hides that the vampires on Earth could not penetrate. But the baby was vulnerable and could be sucked dry in a moment's time, giving the vampires more strength than a human or a Dragon Soul.
"They will never touch Tor," Raiden said. "They will never even get close."
"Did someone say something about my son?" JoJo said, emerging from the
house.
"JoJo, you need to get back to the safe room," Hanish barked.
"Not when my family is in danger."
"But the baby…" Hanish objected.
"Don’t worry. I’ve got this." JoJo approached the north side of the compound, opened her arms, and released her telekinetic power into the crowd of vampires. They fell before her as a shockwave of her power surged through the enemies.
"You've become more powerful since you were mated," Zephyr observed, speaking through the wrist device.
"About one hundred times more powerful," she said.
"Why were you keeping her in the safe room?" Raiden asked with a chuckle.
"She's pregnant," Hanish barked.
"Quickly!" JoJo shouted. "My power is already diminishing. Take out the elders while you can."
Hanish didn't wait a second longer before charging into the crowd, shifting, and attacking the stunned elder with his laser sword. JoJo jumped on an ATV and hurried to the other side of the compound, flattening the crowd before Raiden. In that moment, the elder vampire he had fought reappeared, holding her hand over the wound he'd inflicted.
In the blink of an eye, he charged at her and sliced across her neck with both of his swords. She screamed as her head fell from her body. JoJo hopped back on the four-wheeler and rode to the eastern side of the compound, using the same knock-back technique for Zephyr that she'd used for Raiden and Hanish. But her power was waning and becoming less effective with each use.
Luckily, there were far fewer vampires on the eastern side. In the extra time that JoJo had bought them, the dragons were able to disperse the last of the vampires. Those who had not been killed disappeared in a puff of smoke and did not return. The dragons retreated behind the shields and shifted into their human forms, exchanging glances as they panted and wiped the sweat and blood from their brows.
"That was interesting," Zephyr said. "The House of Flames has also dispersed the vampires that were attacking them, and Aria sang the entire time."
"I doubt that's the last we'll see of them," Raiden said.
Chapter 16
There was a slight tap at Flora's bedroom door, and she leaned up on her elbow in bed, inviting whoever had knocked into her room.
Raiden slipped through the door and closed it behind him. Flora had been reading by the light of her bedside lamp, and his eyes sparkled in the dim glow. She was wearing a sheer white nightgown, and the comforter fell away from her chest. Raiden's eyes scorched over her exposed flesh as he locked the door and stalked across the room toward her.
Flora set her book down on the nightstand and smiled, opening her arms for him. He slid onto the bed and sank into her body. He was wearing only a pair of workout shorts and a T-shirt. She already felt the hardness of him rising against her. The interruption they'd experienced earlier that night had left an emptiness in the pit of her stomach that begged to be filled.
She gasped and nibbled at his lips as he kissed her and palmed her breasts. She hooked her fingers in his shorts and yanked them down aggressively. After slipping out of his own clothes, he pushed her slip up around her hips. He kissed her lips, tugged at the neckline of her garment, and sucked her breast into his mouth.
Flora writhed with hunger, a desire so deep and full she felt it might consume her. She ran her fingers through his hair, down his neck, and over his strong back, her fingertips caressing the grooves in his lean muscles.
He worshipped her flesh. Spreading her legs, he growled. He looked up at her, savoring the flavor of her body.
"Oh yes," she groaned.
His tongue slipped into her channel. It flicked in and out of her as his thumb circled on her clit. She opened her legs wide and embraced his head as he lavished her with pleasure. He looked up to meet her gaze, the hunger in his expression sparking her own desire so heavily she erupted. She groaned as he placed the flat of his tongue on her quivering pussy.
Without letting her come down, he sucked his fingers into his mouth, moistening them till they were soaking wet. He plunged them into her core as he licked her, pumping hard and fast, caressing her G spot. She arched her head back, her breasts tightening and swelling, her body relenting completely to his command. Her eyes were closed when his hands gripped her hips and pulled her down on the bed. When she looked up, she saw his face above her, his eyes sparkling with need as he angled the head of his cock into her pulsating entrance. He slipped inside her, his tongue darting in and out of her mouth. She held him around the waist, her lips parted in a silent groan. When he sank to the base of his cock, stretching her wide and rubbing against her inner desire, she finally released the moan that had been stuck in her throat. He gripped her chin and ran the pad of his thumb over her mouth. She sucked it in and nibbled. He pushed his tongue in and out of her mouth as she sucked it, and he began to pull back his hips. Running his wet finger over her cheek, he slammed his cock deep and hard into her core. The sensation was mind shattering as she came again, this time around his long, thick rod. Her pussy clenched him, milking him for his seed, begging to be filled with it. He thrust hard and fast into her body, his tongue sliding over her neck. He grazed her flesh with his sharp teeth as he pulled back and thrust again.
Flora put her arms around him, running her fingers through his hair and licking his earlobe. "Claim me, Raiden. Make me yours. I can't wait any longer."
As his teeth bit into her neck, he released the hot liquid magma of his seed into her core. It shot deep and hard, slamming into her cervix as he filled her completely with his love. She groaned as her body climaxed again, but the sound was cut off as his teeth gripped her neck in a mating bite. It was so all-consuming and intense that she became immediately lost in the moment of exquisite pleasure and pain. And then the room was gone, their bodies were gone, and the war between vampires and dragons was gone. All that was left were two souls entwined, dancing through the universe and time. She was dressed in a sheer white slip and he wore nothing but black shorts as he twirled and danced with her on moonbeams through the stars. It was as if all eternity existed in that pinpoint of time, and they felt and understood each other so completely and holistically that if they never spoke again for the rest of their lives, they would still know the depths of each other's souls. There would forever be a perfect bond of absolute adoration and understanding. The monumental clarity of her love for him consumed her, and as she looked into his eyes in the starlight, she was filled with nothing short of ecstatic bliss.
"I didn't know it would be like this." She was whispering, but the words rang like a clear bell on a silent day.
"It will always be like this."
"Now I know why this is all anyone can talk about."
"It makes sense, doesn't it? And now we know. Now we share it with each other and with them."
"This love is too big to be kept to ourselves," Flora whispered.
"And that is why we are here: to share it with the world."
Back in her bed, Flora gasped as Raiden's teeth withdrew from her body. His tongue slid over the wound, closing it up so not a single drop of blood remained. He kissed her cheek and rolled away, pulling her onto his chest. He embraced her, stroking her hair as he panted and his heart beat like a freight train in his chest. She could feel the wild beat under her cheek.
She took a deep, gasping breath and let it out. "I don't know how or what I did to deserve this. It's more than I have ever dreamed of. It doesn't seem fair to anyone else who doesn't feel the same thing."
"There is no reason to feel guilty for loving. Hanish says the more love we share, the more love exists in the world. It's there for everyone, no matter what, just by the fact that it exists. By loving each other, we make the world a little bit better every day."
"That's beautiful."
"There is so much pain and suffering, but when we give each other love, the energy goes out into the world, and the light absorbs the darkness. It always will."
"I believe you. I feel in my bones that it's true."
> "I am the luckiest man alive to have you as my mate, my dear, dear Flora, my beautiful Dragon Soul. You are who I’ve being waiting for these last million years."
"You make it sound so intense," Flora said.
"It is. I waited in stasis until you arrived, and now is when my life can begin."
"And now my life can begin with you, Raiden. Before you, I had happy times. I had achievements and the love of my sister, who is so special and important to me. But now I feel like the world has opened up and a whole other dimension of myself is possible. It was so close before, but I couldn't quite see it, like a shadow in the corner of my eye. But now I can look at it and examine it, and I know that it's the rest of myself—it's you, Raiden."
He pulled her toward him and kissed her mouth, wrapping her in his arms. She had never felt so safe and so complete. She could feel the mating venom changing her, running through her blood, giving her immunity against the vampires, a longer life, greater strength, and more control of her physiology. It was a wash of vitality and power like she'd never known, almost as if she were high on drugs. But it was not a destructive high. It was like walking to the top of a tall mountain, her heart beating, her mind open, and the world at her feet. It was all so beautiful and right that she wanted to shout it from the rooftops.
Then Raiden pulled her on top of him, and she straddled his waist, sinking over his already thick, hard shaft. She slid over him, her slip up around her hips. Sinking onto him inch by inch, she looked into the eyes of her lover and mate as they made love for the first time with this intense bond between them. She felt his pleasure as her body gripped his shaft, and he felt hers as he filled her. Each movement of her hips and each caress of his hand circulated between them, taking the pleasure higher and higher, deeper and wider, and as she rocked on his lap, every limitation and preconceived notion about herself shattered like a glass broken on the pavement, and all that was left was the purity of her soul and her absolute perfect potential.
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