by Ruby Dixon
I understand. Be well, my friend, and say if you need anything.
You have my thanks, Kael. It feels strange to have a friend again after so long. Before tonight, Kael and I had a wary sort of truce—awareness of each other, but our memories are clouded and it is hard to trust. After this battle, though, and his help in retrieving my mate? I would trust him with my life, and would gladly go to war at his side once more.
I wheel about in the sky, heading toward the store that is our home as my Sasha sleeps on. She is exhausted, her thoughts numb with sleep, but I can smell her and feel her, and it is enough for now. It calms the wildness that threatens to spill out of my thoughts once more. It pushes the ravens back and reminds me that I am drakoni. A warrior and a protector. I am not like the Salorians, who use and scheme. Like Kael, my memories of them are sharp with distaste as well. I want this Azar’s blood pouring down my throat, but I must choose my Sasha’s safety tonight.
She is the only thing that matters.
Eventually, our nest comes into sight, and I land as gently as possible. She rouses from her sleep, and with gentle coaxing and mental nudges, manages to unstrap herself and slide off my side. “I’m sorry,” she mumbles. “I think it’s all catching up with me.”
Rest, I tell her. I have you. I shift to my two-legged form and catch my mate before she falls over, kicking aside the saddle and its multitude of straps. I will retrieve it when she is safely tucked into her blankets.
I carry my Sasha through the store, my nostrils flaring with the stale scent of the intruders. The reminder makes my belly burn with anger once more. We need a new nest, I think. A better one. I have destroyed much of this one with my rampage in my urgency to find her. Shelves have been knocked down, carts are everywhere, and the doors are broken.
Not only that, but the strangers that stole her know this place. We cannot stay here.
Tonight, she will rest in her bed, and tomorrow we will pack up all the things she wants and search for a new home. One with high walls and no doors, one that no one can snatch my precious mate from.
But that is for tomorrow.
My Sasha sleeps heavily.
I do not. I only watch her, making sure that she is safe and protected. I have no need for sleep, not now. Not with my mind aflutter with thoughts. It seems that as a layer of madness peels away, things grow more and more complicated. My world was simple when there was nothing of the past and my only focus was feeding my mate.
But now there are Salorians here, in this strange land. I do not recall much of them, but just knowing they exist leaves a bad taste in my mouth. They are masters of trickery who can overwhelm a mind with a simple mental touch. I remember them as our overlords in the old land…and I remember hating it. I remember the oppression we lived under, the burning anger.
Perhaps we are more free in this terrible land than we were in our old home, with its beautiful red deserts and golden mountains.
Even so, if there is one Salorian here in the human world, there will be others. And if we do not want to fall under their rule again, we must work together—all drakoni with their minds intact—to ensure that we are safe.
Both our people and our human mates.
I hold my mate close and breathe in her scent. As I do, I notice it is…different. Subtle, but changed. It is warmer now, the spice of our mating fires deeper. I know what this means. She carries my young.
My heart surges with joy, and I clutch her tightly to me. My sweet fire. My Sasha.
“Mmm. You’re squeezing a little tight, babe.” She doesn’t open her eyes, just sighs and presses her nose against my chest. “You okay?”
I am just…thinking. I stroke her cheek. I will not tell her just yet, I think. She has had enough to stress over lately.
“Thinking about the baby?” she asks with a yawn.
I am surprised. How did you know?
“You were thinking a little hard about the change in my scent just now.” Her smile is wry. “Are you happy?”
I rub my thumb across her soft, soft skin. Beyond happy. The thought of your body full of my young fills me with joy. But you…
“I like the thought, too,” she says shyly. “I wasn’t sure at first, but I think I’d like to be a family.” Her smile is sweet.
I touch her stomach reverently. It will be a while yet.
“I’m in no rush. It gives us plenty of time to figure out where we’re going.”
I am surprised to hear her say such a thing. You wish to leave?
“Part of me wants to get as far away from everyone as possible. Just get on your back and keep going, as far as the ocean and never turn back.” She yawns. “Maybe we can find a private island away from everyone else.”
And what of your friends? Emma and Claudia and Amy? Will you abandon them?
“They can come visit our beach house. We can have a play date for our kids there.” She sighs and opens her eyes, gazing up at me. “I guess that’s a pipe dream, isn’t it?”
We can go to the ocean if you wish. I continue to stroke her soft cheek. We can raise our young by the ocean if you like. But it will not solve anything. No one is safe while there are Salorians in this world. I think…I think Kael and I should work together more. See what we can do to help our people. I cup the curve of her chin. And I think I should start by finding you a safer nest, one where others cannot wander in and steal you away from me.
“I actually don’t hate that idea.” Her hand slides down my side. “Someplace safe and quiet would be nice. Though I’d hate to leave all the stuff here behind.”
When I discovered you were stolen, my rampage was fierce. I might have destroyed a great deal of your store. I apologize, my mate.
She chuckles. “I don’t mind that. I’m just glad to be back.” She snuggles closer to me, pressing her cheek against my chest. “Thank you for coming for me.”
I will always come to save you. Always. You are mine and mine alone.
“I like being yours and yours alone,” Sasha says softly, and her hand slides down to my cock. “I love you.” Her mind flashes with dark images, and I catch a hint of the worry she’s felt over the last few days. “I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again…”
I do not like her sadness, nor the catch in her throat. Hush, I tell her. I would destroy much more than a band of nomads if it meant I would get you back to my side. I would tear down fort after fort. I would rend a hundred humans to pieces. Nothing matters but you.
“Such sweet talk,” she says, gripping my length and stroking me. “It’s enough to make a girl want her mate on top of her, deep inside her.”
I growl low in my throat, because her mind is filling with new images, images of the two of us mating, me pumping into her. You want to be claimed, my Sasha?
“Oh, I do.” Her voice is a breathless whisper. “I’ve missed you so much. I’m so sorry I sent you away. I didn’t realize how much I’d miss you until you were gone, and then my head was so, so silent. I hated it.”
I push up her skirts, seeking her heat underneath them. Her clothes smell of ash and strangers, the men who stole her. I grab a handful of the fabric and rip it off of her, tossing the remnants of her skirt aside. I want their stink off of you.
“I want that, too.”
Good. I continue to shred her clothes with my claws, careful not to mark her tender skin. I fling the shreds aside, and then my mate lies underneath me, soft and sweet and smelling of my fires. I slide my fingers over the folds of her cunt and find that she is wet for me, the perfume of her scent thick and heady.
“Dakh,” she breathes, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Take me.”
I claim her mouth in a searing kiss, stroking my tongue against hers, conquering her. She moans against me, hitching one leg around my hips and pressing her cunt up against my cock in a blatant request. She does not want to wait. My Sasha does not crave a slow seduction, not this time.
She wants her fierce mate.
I am never leaving your side again, I tell her as I
push her thighs wider apart.
Never, she agrees.
Our minds will never be apart. When I go hunting, I will take you with me. Always together, never separated. I slick the head of my cock in her juices, dragging it up and down her folds.
Her little moan is so satisfying to hear. Always together, she agrees. I don’t want to leave your side ever again.
I push into her, enjoying her gasp when I seat my length into her warmth. She is tight, her walls gripping my cock like a slick fist. I lean in and take her mouth again, my hand cupping one rounded breast. You belong to me in all ways, my Sasha.
“All…ways,” she breathes. “Oh God, Dakh. You feel so good.” Her nails dig into my shoulders, and she closes her eyes, pleasure evident on her face. “I love you so much.”
I love you, I tell her, though drakoni do not use such words like humans do. We show it in our actions or express it in our thoughts. And as I claim my mate, I send her an endless chain of these thoughts, letting her know all the ways I love, appreciate, and adore her.
She is mine, forever. It does not matter where I am, as long as I am with her and she is with me. We can find an island by the beach or we can find a nest next to Claudia and Kael.
What matters is that my Sasha is with me, always.
Always, she sends back, her thoughts as full of love as my own.
Epilogue
EMMA
“Hold still,” a gruff voice tells me. “Yer squirming.”
“Sorry,” I say meekly, and cringe when Old Jerry pushes the needle through my scalp again. Glad I can’t see what he’s doing. I force myself to sit still in the chair. “Fucking hurts, that’s all.”
“Next time, don’t get taken hostage,” Old Jerry tells me in a curt voice. He tugs on my head, and then I hear a snip. A moment later, a thick bandage is wrapped around my head. “There you go. Good as new.” He laughs at his own joke.
“Thanks, Jer.” I get to my feet, wincing. My head feels all tight from the stitches, and it throbs like the dickens. I guess I shouldn’t have told Sasha to hit me in the head quite so hard, but at least it’s believable. No one’s questioned my loyalty, especially not since I’ve spent the entire night weeping over my injuries…and my douchebag brother.
I hated Boyd, but Boyd was safety, in a sense. He was family. Now I’ve got no one. Nothing. Not even my friend Sasha.
I pull a couple of old granola bars out of my bag and offer them to Old Jerry as payment for the stitches. His weathered face lights up, and he beams at me, his smile full of gaps. Jerry’s the nicest one in this gang of nomads. He’s still a bloodthirsty killer, but sometimes there’s a hint of a fatherly attitude with him. He snatches up the bars and gestures at me. “You tear those open, you come see me again.”
“I will. For now, I guess I’d better get back to work, though.” I pat the bandages on my head and sling my pack over my shoulder, then head back out the door of the little building Jerry’s set up as his infirmary.
Outside, the nomad camp’s still in chaos. Buildings are smoking, others completely destroyed. There are dead people everywhere, and I estimate that Azar lost about half of his men in last night’s raid. That’s bad for me, because he’s going to be on a real rampage over the next while.
But I’m glad Sasha and Dakh got away safe and sound.
I won’t think about Boyd. I’ll just start crying again. I don’t even miss him. Not really. I think I’m just…sad for the past. He was my last connection to it.
Now I’m truly alone.
I can’t think about that, though. Instead, I study the smoking surroundings. The old hotel is mostly intact, but one side of the building is charred. A few other buildings are still on fire, and men rush around, trying to save what they can. Azar stands near them, looking like a displeased ghost. I shudder at the sight of him and slink away to the hotel entrance.
Last thing I want is Azar’s attention.
I push through the double doors of the hotel and instead of heading to the kitchens, I turn down a side hall, toward the area that was once an indoor pool. Sasha’s words of warning are ringing in my ears.
Emma, there’s only one way to make a dragon un-crazy. You know how.
Oh boy. I’m either the biggest idiot in the world or…well, no, just the biggest idiot. There’s no “or” out there. Of course I know how to make a dragon un-crazy. I’m not keen on the thought, but…
But I have to do what I feel is right, and none of this feels right.
I push my way into the indoor pool area. The windows are filthy but mostly intact, and the room is wide open and spacious. The pool itself is empty, like a giant concrete bathtub. In the center of the pool, chained to the bottom, is a man. He’s definitely not human, his eyes as black as night and his body covered in the same scaly pattern that Dakh has. His arms and legs are spread-eagled, held down by cuffs. He can barely move his body, and I know he has to be in agony. The bindings are designed so that he can’t change forms, of course. The moment he tries to change back, he’ll decapitate himself or shred his wings—or both. Azar’s taking no chances. The terrible-looking contraption around his head and neck looks excessively painful, and I don’t like to think about the spiky things pressing into his golden back.
One thing at a time.
Kurt’s guarding the dragon-man’s “prison.” I enter the pool room and gesture behind me. “Hey, Kurt. Azar needs more volunteers to put out a fire in one of the outbuildings. Told me to come in here and watch the dragon since I’m no good right now.” I gesture at my bandages and grimace. Guess this knock on the head is a great cover story.
Kurt scratches his fat belly and sniffs. “Fuck. Why do I gotta do all the manual labor?”
I manage a meek, “Sorry,” and take the gun he hands me. He cusses under his breath and storms out the door, jogging a little faster than I’ve ever seen his fat ass move. No one likes to keep Azar waiting.
I watch him until he’s gone and then shut the glass double doors to the pool area, locking them behind me. That done, I set down the gun, rip the bandage off my head, and fluff my hair as best I can around the painful wound. I don’t want to look like an invalid, which is kind of silly, I guess. I don’t think Zohr will care.
I grab the metal ladder that leads into the pool and climb down to the bottom. I’ve done this a few times before to feed the dragon-man, since he’s chained so firmly that he can’t do more than move an inch or two. My footsteps are loud on the cracked plaster, and he turns to gaze at me, eyes flicking black and then to gold as I approach.
“Em-mah,” he grits out.
“Hi, Zohr,” I say softly. “I’m going to help you. Just…trust me, okay?”
Emma, there’s only one way to make a dragon un-crazy. You know how.
And I begin to undress.
Author’s Note
Dear reader,
Thank you so much for sticking around for book two of Fireblood Dragons! I hope you enjoyed Sasha and Dakh’s story as much as Claudia and Kael’s. With each story, we’re going to spin outward on the world a little more and watch it unfold. I’m having a lot of fun revealing tidbits and exploring the ‘After’ and I hope you are, too.
As I wrote this, it became clear to me that Emma’s story would come before Amy’s. It’s not that Amy’s story is less important, it’s just that Emma pushed her way in and demanded screen time ahead of her. We’ll get back to Amy and she’ll get a book, I promise! In fact, she’s probably book four. Emma will be book three and it’ll be out later this summer.
I’m blown away by how much people enjoyed the first book in this series. I hope this one doesn’t disappoint, and if we continue as the first one did, there will be many more books in the series to come. These won’t come out as fast as the Ice Planet Barbarians, mostly because the books are a lot longer. This one’s almost twice as long as some of the IPB novels, for example! I want to be able to give a little bit of variety between the worlds, and I hope you’re enjoying the change of pace. I
like being able to flip between series, because it helps keep my brain ‘fresh’. Anyone that writes prolifically will probably tell you that bouncing between projects keeps you from getting burned out. If you have to write sixteen sexy cowboys in a row, you’re going to get tired of sexy cowboys, no matter how much you love them! But writing a sexy billionaire in between sexy cowboys? It keeps the dream alive. ;)
I have had people ask me/tell me that they worry I write too fast and will burn out. Please don’t worry about me! I take days off just like everyone else, and when I’m not feeling it, I don’t write. I spend my time reading or playing video games, or cleaning house, just like any other person. My husband likes to joke that I don’t know how to take a break, because the moment I finish one book, I’m poking at another. It’s difficult to walk away from the writing when it’s both hobby, job, and passion. As for writing fast vs writing slow, you find your natural speed and go with it. Mine just happens to be faster than some. And I always wish I was faster than I am!
As far as what’s coming next…more books! This novel was a hefty chunk of story so I’m going to rest on Fireblood Dragons until Emma’s story. In the meantime, we’re going to have BEAUTY IN AUTUMN - my short, steamy novella that comes out this Friday (and might already be out by the time you get to this author’s note).
After that, we’re going back to Ice Planet Barbarians…minus the ice planet part! Chloe’s story is coming - she’s the girl that was captive at the same time as Kate and is mentioned briefly. The moment I started writing this book, Chloe’s story popped into my head and I knew I wanted to write it. So hers will be coming out in May and will be entitled PRISON PLANET BARBARIAN. Three guesses what it’s about. After that, we’ll go to Summer’s story and swing back around to Emma.
Until then, come say hello on Facebook. Love to hear from you guys! <3
Ruby
Fire In His Blood
BOOK 1 OF FIREBLOOD DRAGONS
