When he arched over me to take one of my nipples in his mouth, I couldn’t help but cry out. He thrust faster, deeper, his movements becoming frantic, and I tangled my fingers in his thick hair and gave myself up to him. Release found me first and I gasped as the sensations crashed over me, my body tightening around him. He let out a low groan as he pounded into me harder, and the room around us began to tremble. I clung to Slade’s shoulders, but his skin had turned to stone, and I realized with a start that mine had too. But he didn’t stop, and pleasure quaked through us both without end.
When he finally calmed, our skin returned to normal and the room stilled. Slade relaxed on top of me, and I enjoyed the feel of his strong body in my arms, pressing down on me. His lips melted against mine and love shimmered between us like one of the crystals on the walls.
“I wish I could hold you like this for hours and fall asleep with you in my arms,” Slade said, as he reluctantly released me. “But we should probably leave the temple in case the Dragons return soon.”
I sighed as reality came crashing back down, and all my worries about my other mates returned. “You’re right, although the Earth God should come speak with us first. The other ones did, at least.”
“Even more reason for us to dress then,” he said, grabbing his trousers off the floor.
As soon as we’d donned our clothes, the temple began to rumble again, like it had when the bonding had completed. Only now it grew more intense, to the point where I had to hold onto the table to steady myself.
Suddenly the floor split open in front of us, and Slade rested a hand on my shoulder as if to protect me. A huge talon appeared at the edge of the crack, and then a giant dragon clawed his way out of the crevice. His body was made entirely of crystal, like the ones embedded in the walls, and when he moved his scales shifted colors like a rainbow shining across his skin. I’d never seen anything more beautiful before.
The Earth God was so large that Slade and I had to press against the wall behind us to have any space at all. His wings arched behind his back and we dropped to our knees before him as his sheer physical power and strength filled the room. I’d met two Gods before, but I’d never lost that sense of awe and wonder when confronting one.
He took us in with eyes that seemed to be made of the blackest opals, while his huge tail whipped about, tossing stones and splintered wood aside. “My avatar and my descendant. Your bonding pleases me.”
Slade bowed his head. “We are your humble servants, my lord.”
The crystal dragon’s eyes lifted and took in the room, then seemed to see beyond it into the main temple. He let out a growl that made the mountain quake, and his tail smashed harder against the ground. “Those traitorous Dragons have destroyed my temple and murdered my priests. They must be overthrown.” Those deep, black eyes focused on us again. “You must bring balance to the world.”
“We’re trying,” I said. “But we don’t know how to defeat the others. We’re not strong enough yet.”
“You will grow stronger the closer you become to your mates,” the Earth God said. “But you already knew this.”
I nodded, relieved to hear that my instinct in bringing both Auric and Jasin into my bed together was the right one. The two of them wouldn’t be a problem, but the other two would be more of a challenge. I felt closer to Slade than ever before, but I wasn’t sure if he would ever agree to truly share me with the others. And Reven had made it clear he only wanted a physical relationship, nothing more.
The Earth God lowered himself to the ground, stretching his silvery talons out before him like a lazy, fat cat. “The Black Dragon and her mates are no longer as close as they once were. They are fractured and splintered. Doubt and distance threaten to divide them. If you and your Dragons become a strong, cohesive group, you will become more powerful than they are.”
Easier said than done, but I would do my best to bring them all together. Of course, that only solved one of our problems. “But the Black Dragon is immortal and has the power of the Spirit Goddess, plus the magic of all of her mates. How can we stop her?”
“You must defeat each of her mates first. Once you do, she will lose their powers and strengths. Only then will she be weak enough to overcome.”
That meant we’d have to take them down one by one before facing her, in order to stand a chance. My stomach twisted at the idea, and it took me a second to realize it was because it meant killing both of my parents in the process. I despised them and everything they did, but they were still my blood. “My father…do you know who he is?”
“No, but I can tell you he is not my Dragon. It must be one of the others.”
My heart sank. I’d been hoping the Earth God could tell me who he was, or at least confirm he wasn’t the Crimson Dragon. Sark had killed the people who had raised me, and if he was my true father, I wasn’t sure how I would ever be able to live with that.
“You must continue your voyage now,” the Earth God said, as he rose to his feet and shook out his wings. “Remember that the fate of the world journeys with you, as do the Gods’ blessings.”
“Thank you for your wisdom,” Slade said. “And for choosing me to be your Dragon.”
The Earth God gave us a nod, and then his wings tucked tight and he dove straight into the crevice. It closed up behind him, leaving no trace he was ever there. Slade and I let out a collective held breath—and then we heard a shout from the other room.
Slade pressed his hand against the nearest wall and closed his eyes, and I knew he must be spreading his senses throughout the cave as he’d done before.
His eyes snapped open. “The Jade Dragon is here.”
30
Reven
I was leaning against the fallen statue of the Earth God and trying to ignore the way the mountain kept shaking, when something made me reach for my twin swords. A flicker of movement. A change in the air. A sense that danger was coming.
I’d stayed alive this long by trusting my instincts, and I wasn’t about to stop now. I gestured at Parin, who crouched down in the debris while I moved into the shadow of the dragon statue.
Three men walked inside, and I sensed their power immediately. Sark, with hair so pale it was almost white, Heldor, as large and broad as Slade except covered in tattoos, and a third man I’d seen only once before in his human form—Doran, the Azure Dragon. He had blond hair hanging past his shoulders and a matching beard, with skin that spoke of many hours under the sun. All three of them were in their human forms, probably because the cave entrance was too small for them to get through as dragons. Each was dressed in black leather fit for fighting or traveling, but none carried weapons.
“We’re too late,” Doran said, his voice icy cold. “They’ve already left.”
Heldor shook his head. “No, I sensed the earth moving. They must still be here.”
“If they are, they won’t be leaving,” Sark growled.
My hands tightened on the hilt of my swords at his voice, but I couldn’t let my rage or my need for vengeance consume me. I wasn’t sure if Kira and Slade were finished or not, but I had to hold these three off as long as I could—and Parin would likely be no help. It was just me, a former assassin with a bit of magic, against three immortal Dragons. I didn’t like these odds.
“Fine, let’s look around,” Doran said, sounding bored.
I waited until the three of them split apart, then I crept into position. As Doran passed by, I lunged out with my sword—but he quickly dodged it. He spun around, a blade made of ice forming in his hands, and blocked my next blow with it.
“Found one,” he called out to the others.
We struck and parried, beginning a complicated dance of swords, while the others moved closer. Sark let loose a blast of fire at me, but I ducked under it, while Heldor grabbed rocks leftover from the temple’s destruction and hurled them at me. I threw up a wall of ice to block them, then continued my assault on the man I would soon replace. Doran moved with the grace of a seasoned fight
er and was as fast as I was, providing me a challenge. If it were just the two of us I thought I could probably best him, but all three of them? Even I wasn’t that good.
I sensed Sark moving behind me, and realized I was surrounded. But then Parin let out a shout as he lunged from the corner and struck Sark with his sword from behind. Sark let out a roar and grabbed Parin by the neck, instantly lighting him on fire. The man’s horrifying screams echoed throughout the cave, and I summoned water to douse him, but it only dulled Sark’s flames for a moment before they sprang up again. With Doran and Heldor both attacking me, and Sark’s hand around Parin’s throat, the man didn’t stand a chance.
But then Sark was knocked back by a strong blast of air, which also snuffed out the fire covering Parin’s body. Kira and Slade stood at the side of the cave, and they didn’t waste any time joining the fight. Slade grabbed some of the boulders around the room and sent them to knock Doran down, freeing me to throw knives of ice at Heldor. Three against three—I liked those odds a lot better.
Magic flew and swords flashed as the fight broke out across the ruined temple. Kira faced Sark down with a look of pure hatred in her eyes, throwing both air and rocks at him. At least the bonding was completed in time. Now all we had to do was escape.
A section of the cave suddenly broke apart and crashed down on top of me. Slade turned and caught it in time, stopping Heldor’s magic with his own. Lava erupted in front of Sark at the same moment, making Kira step back with a gasp. Doran moved behind her, his movements swift and decisive, and caught her arm. He pressed something across her mouth and nose, a cloth of some sort. From my days as an assassin I knew it had to be some sort of poison or intoxicant. Probably nightwillow oil, which could knock a grown man out in seconds—I’d used it before to incapacitate people I had no interest in killing.
Kira tried to fight, but she was caught off guard and trapped between Sark and Doran. I called out and lunged toward her, but lava sprang up all around me and Slade, keeping us away. She struggled for a few seconds while Slade and I desperately tried to put out the molten lava flowing around us, and then her body went limp. She collapsed against Doran, and there was nothing we could do to stop it.
The Azure Dragon swooped Kira into his arms and began walking out of the cave with her. Sark and Heldor turned toward us to make sure we couldn’t follow, and the lava suddenly leaped up—directly at Slade.
I knocked him out of the way, throwing up a wall of ice at the same time. Some of the lava still got through and splashed against my side, making me hiss from the burning pain. My magic put it out, but the damage was already done.
Sark turned and followed after Doran, leaving only Heldor behind. I clutched my burning side and turned to face the remaining Dragon, while calling out to Slade, who was getting to his feet.
“Go!” I said. “You’re the only one who can save Kira now!”
Slade hesitated, glancing between me and Heldor, before nodding. His magic would be useless against Heldor anyway, and he could fly and I couldn’t. We both knew this was what had to be done.
Slade created a bridge of rocks over the lava and dashed across them, while Heldor made the cave around me quake. Rocks and crystals fell as Slade ran, and I threw bolts of ice at Heldor to distract him. As Slade reached the cave’s exit, he glanced back one more time at me. I could see from his eyes that the decision haunted him, but Kira was more important than any of us. He knew this as well as I did, and he finally turned and ran down the tunnel, leaving me to my fate.
It was just me and Heldor now, and if these were my last moments alive, I wasn’t going out without a fight. I reached deep inside myself, finding that connection to the Water God I’d once tried so hard to escape from, and let it free. Cold water rained down from the roof of the cave, turning the lava to sizzling black stone. As Heldor tried to go after Slade, I closed up the cave entrance with a wall of thick, glimmering ice.
“Not so fast,” I said.
The Jade Dragon turned back to me, his face hard. I limped forward, shooting shards of frost his way, but he knocked them all aside. He gestured and the ceiling above me ripped apart and came tumbling down. I threw up some ice to stop it, but knew it wouldn’t be enough, not when the entire cave began to break apart over me.
The air grew thick with dirt and stone as it rained down on me, and even my strongest magic couldn’t stop an entire mountain from collapsing on my head. No matter how I tried to hold up the stones above me, they soon surrounded me, striking me and rendering me immobile.
As the world around me went dark, my last thought was that I should have told Kira how I truly felt about her—and now I’d never have that chance.
31
Slade
I rushed through the cave after Kira, my heart pounding and my chest tight. I couldn’t lose her, not when I’d only just bonded with her. She was everything to me, even if it had taken me far too long to realize it, and I’d be damned if I was going to let the Dragons steal her away.
When I reached the cave’s entrance, scalding hot air burned my skin. Steam, I realized, as I stumbled back. Created by Sark and Doran together, no doubt as a way to slow me down. Through the foggy haze I saw the two Dragons flying high, up into the clouds, already a good distance away—taking Kira with them.
I let out a guttural roar as my body began to shift and change, growing larger and forming scales, forming wings and a tail. Power and strength filled me like nothing before, and I felt as though I could take on anything and survive. Like two other Dragons.
I forced my way back out into the burning steam, my scales offering some protection from the scalding heat, and when I reached the edge I stretched out my wings. I pictured Jasin and Auric flying and tried to copy what they’d done, but couldn’t lift off the ground. I drew in another boiling breath of hot, humid air, and tried again. Why wasn’t this working? Auric had been able to fly immediately, and Jasin had picked it up almost as fast. I didn’t understand what I was doing wrong. And with every second, Kira got farther away.
I tried everything I could think of to fly, moving my wings in all sorts of different ways, but the best I got was a foot or two up before my huge body dragged me back down. It was like my wings weren’t strong enough to carry me. Frustration made me growl and roar, my tail slamming into the earth and sending rocks flying, but it was useless. I’d never catch her at this rate.
The mountain began to cave in behind me, the ground under me quaking, and then a hole burst open in the side of it. The Jade Dragon flew out of it, soaring over me, and then headed up into the clouds. I tried once more to follow him, with no success. And behind me, the mountain continued to collapse—with Reven still inside it.
I’d left him behind, knowing it might mean his doom, and I hadn’t even been able to go after Kira. Indecision and frustration tore at me. I hated giving up on Kira, but I had no way of following after her. My wings were useless, and I knew this failure would haunt me forever, but there was still something I could do to save Kira’s last mate.
I let out one final, angry roar and turned back toward the mountain to save Reven.
* * *
Auric and Jasin arrived while I was using my last reserves of magic to uncover the rubble that had crushed Reven. By now I didn’t hold onto any hope that he was still alive, but I had to do something. Especially since Kira was gone, and my dragon form had failed me when I’d tried to go after her. Parin was dead too, his skin blackened and charred from Sark’s flames. I’d held no love for the man, especially after he’d taken the first woman I’d loved, but I’d respected him and his cause. None of that mattered now though. I’d failed him too.
“What happened to you?” Jasin asked, noticing my burnt skin, a gift from the steam Sark and Doran had left behind. Jasin didn’t look much better though—he clutched his arm and walked stiffly, as if he was injured. “And where’s Kira?”
Auric was only a step behind Jasin. “Is she all right? Did you complete the bonding?”
> I sat back on my heels and wiped dirty sweat off my brow. “She’s gone. The Dragons took her.”
Jasin’s eyes practically bulged out of his head. “What do you mean, gone?”
I bowed my head, the shame and guilt overpowering me. “I couldn’t stop them.”
The others were silent as my words sank in. Jasin began to pace, tearing at his auburn hair like he was possessed, while Auric stared at the wall for so long it started to worry me.
“If they kidnapped her then they want her alive,” Auric finally said. “We still have time to rescue her.”
Jasin stopped pacing. “Right. We’ll be able to find her through the bond. Although I don’t feel anything right now.”
I sat back on my heels. “They did something to Kira. Knocked her out with something. Maybe that’s why.”
“Maybe,” Auric said, and then glanced around. “Where’s Reven?”
I gestured to the rubble in front of me. “I’ve been trying to dig him out for the last few minutes.”
Auric stared at the huge pile of rocks in horror. “He’s under there?”
I nodded. Guilt tore me apart once again. “He saved my life, and then he told me to go, knowing it would likely mean his death. Why would he do that?”
“Because we’re brothers,” Jasin said, resting a hand on my shoulder. “Come on, we’ll help you dig him out. And then we’ll find Kira.”
Auric offered me some water, which I gladly chugged, and then I returned to the task at hand. I used my magic to pull the rubble away, while Auric used air help lift the smaller rocks. Jasin explained that he’d been injured during his battle with the Dragons and couldn’t do much in the way of lifting, but he created a fire in the middle of the room, preventing us from freezing as the night grew colder.
I rolled away a large boulder, and spotted a strand of black hair. “He’s here!”
Shake The Earth: Her Elemental Dragons Book Three Page 13
