Soulfire

by Juliette Cross

  “Come on!” Sorcha grabbed my hand, dragging me into the crowd. Ella held back with Conn. Fear no longer lingered in her eyes. Perhaps it had something to do with the brawny guard, making sure no one bumped or jostled her. Since she was in good hands, I followed Sorcha into the sweaty mix.

  Slade sidled up and handed me a blue-bottled longneck—Scale Ale, a microbrew import from Drakos, one of the pricier ones. I took it with a tight smile, not wanting to be rude, not wanting to encourage him either. He watched me take a sip. The dark, rich lager slid down my throat with a kick. “Good stuff,” I said, giving him a genuine smile.

  He winked with a lop-sided grin of his own. I sipped the beer and bobbed my head to Jed’s insane lyrics about star-crossed lovers, broken hearts, and death being his love’s true paramour. I swear, the girls panted and swooned at his rock-star antics.

  When the first song ended, Sorcha nudged me with her elbow, a frown creasing her lovely face. “Don’t look now, Jess, but Demetrius and his entourage are here.”

  “Shit! Where?”

  She gestured toward the wall to my right. I glanced over. Demetrius saw me. “Damn it. And Aron is with him.” They stalked straight for us.

  “Shit is right.” Sorcha downed the last of her beer. “Party’s over.”

  Demetrius yelled over the pounding music. “What the hell are you doing here, Jessen!” He grabbed my arm and twisted me to face him.

  “The same thing you are, Demetrius.” I smiled too sweetly. “Here to watch the show.”

  I glimpsed his best friend Mikal over one shoulder. A grim line replaced the light-hearted smile Mikal usually wore.

  Demetrius ground out his words in anger. “You do not have permission to be in a Morgon club. Ever.”

  My brother had the same chocolate-brown eyes and black hair as mine. If he didn’t look like he wanted to bite something all the time, he’d be gorgeous. Lately, we were always fighting. Possibly because he was becoming more and more like our father every day. He gripped my arm tighter.

  Protective brother was one thing, but dominant jailer was another. Anger flared in my gut. “How come you have the right to be here, but I don’t?”

  “Because you’re a woman. You don’t know what you’re doing, what Morgon men want from you.”

  Um, the same thing human men wanted? Hypocrite.

  Sorcha stepped up. “You are such an asshole.”

  He ignored her, yanking my arm. “You’re leaving. Now!”

  “No, I’m not.” I jerked free of his hold.

  Slade sidled in beside me. “The lady doesn’t want to leave with you, dude. Let her go.” Corbin and Conn were there two seconds later, hovering behind him.

  “She’s my sister, you fucker!”

  An electric charge snapped in the air, resonating around the Morgon guys. Having read about their extraordinary dragon senses in a book, and feeling them electrify my skin into gooseflesh, were two totally different experiences. Slade’s wings opened partway, a distinct stance increasing his size to scary proportions. The cold, fixed gaze of Conn and Corbin made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

  I raised my hands in a calming gesture, hoping to crush the rising tension before they came to blows. Restrained violence rippled around the Morgon men in a tangible wave. Then Aron’s dumb ass stepped forward and opened his mouth.

  “Back off, boys.” He looked ridiculous and out of place in pristine jeans and a cream-colored sweater. What an idiot. Calling Slade and his friends “boys” was exactly the wrong thing to say. Leave it to Aron.

  “And who the hell are you?” Slade asked, a head taller than Aron.

  “I’m her fiancé.” He gestured toward me.

  I rolled my eyes. “No. You’re not, Aron. How many times do we have to go over this?”

  He moved closer, his chin jutting out at an arrogant angle, making me want to punch him in his aristocratic face. “Yes, Jessen. We are engaged to be married, and I won’t have my fiancé in a place of ill repute.”

  “A place of ill repute? Does this look like a brothel to you? It’s a club, Aron. That’s all. I’m watching one of my closest friends play in his band, or trying to watch. Until you showed up.”

  “This is no place for my future wife.” His words grated out through clenched teeth.

  “Perfect. Because I’m not your future wife.”

  He grabbed me by the arm and all hell broke loose. Slade’s wings flared wide. Demetrius launched himself fist-first through the air. Corbin tossed Sorcha out of the way, slamming a fist into Mikal’s head, which snapped back with the force. I ducked and shoved through the sweaty bodies and swinging punches. Glancing back, I saw Conn slam an elbow, then his head, into some guy I’d never seen before, scooping Ella off the floor and carrying her out of the mayhem. Before I could slip out of the way, someone shoved and pinned me to the wall by my shoulders. A body pressed against mine. Aron. Anger burned darkly in his cold eyes.

  “You are mine, Jessen.” He glared down, his tone possessive and furious. “And I won’t have you here for these creatures to leer at.”

  “Let—me—go.”

  “No. You’re coming with me.”

  I struggled to free myself. He gripped harder, then started dragging me to the door. I feared what confrontation awaited me in the parking lot. Or worse, back at his place. He’d tried to corner me alone at my parents’ house more than once, but I was always wary of him. I never liked the look in his eyes, especially when my parents mentioned a possible wedding in the near future. He might have my parents’ blessing for this archaic-as-shit arranged marriage, but he didn’t have mine. And never would.

  “Let me go!”

  Aron opened his mouth to say something. He froze, eyes glazed, then hit the floor.

  Decked in black with midnight wings and eyes of blue-fire, a Morgon man towered before me like an angel of death. A fitted shirt outlined his broad chest and powerful frame, filling my vision. My breath caught in my throat. While chaos whirled, he wrapped vise-like arms around my waist, crushing me against a wall of steel in a rough embrace. I opened my mouth to scream. No sound came out. He bent his knees a fraction before two beats of vast, black wings lifted us with a jolt. I clung to his muscular shoulders for fear of falling, the masculine scent of him wrapping my senses into a tight knot.

  I hadn’t noticed from below there were breaks in the railing for Morgon flight. He dropped me into a chair in an empty VIP section. Rising to a mountainous height, electric-blue held me captive. Piercing, his gaze reached deep inside, as if he could see the secret part of me, a part I tucked away from the world, kept hidden behind a mask of indifference and strong will. Someone screamed below. Hard angles contorted into a fierce mask. Snapping his gaze away, he spun, took two long strides and fell from the edge, plummeting out of view.

  Chapter 2

  I opened my wings wide and dropped outside the melee near the dance floor, scanning for the fucker who’d pinned her to the wall. There he was, stumbling toward the bar, rubbing the knot on the back of his head. He grabbed an empty bottle by the neck and drew back over his shoulder, preparing to knock the shit out of one of my security men. As the closest Morgon to where he’d fallen, he must’ve assumed Kraven was the one that bashed him. Before I could make my way across the club, the fool broke the bottle over my man’s head. Still conscious, Kraven turned, rage drawing his face tight.

  “Where is she!” yelled the human. “What have you done with her?”

  Arrogant or stupid, this one. Probably both.

  I stepped in front of Kraven before he pounded this bloody fool into the stone floor. “He’s done nothing with her. I have.”

  The human glared, straightening his shoulders. “Bring her back to me. Now.”

  The possession with which he demanded her presence called my dragon forward. The beast itched to draw claws and rake this guy from eyes to balls. I had no right to deny him the girl. She wasn’t mine. Hell, I didn
’t even know her name. Still, after one scent of the black-haired female, my dragon had awakened. After one touch, he’d wanted a taste…and more.

  “Are you listening to me, Morgon?” The venom in his voice reeked of aggression. I raised the arches of my wings—a warning. The fool continued to stare me down.

  Though I had no right to keep her, I sure as hell wasn’t placing her back into the hands of this dick. “She’s not going anywhere with you. I suggest you leave.”

  He sucked in air, hard and fast, nostrils flaring. His face darkened to a mottled red, the veins in his neck bulging. “If you know what’s good for you, creature, you’ll bring her back to me.”

  I chuckled. What he didn’t understand was that foul words and empty threats by worthless men did nothing to me. I crossed my arms across my chest. “Make me.”

  The idiot hauled back his fist and punched me square in the sternum, not moving me an inch.

  I grinned. “You’ll have to do better than that.”

  He tried again, aiming for my face. I wrapped my hand around his fist before it made contact and twisted hard. His body turned in reflex. I bent his arm and shoved his fist up between his shoulder blades. He yelped in pain. I pushed harder, craving the sharp snap of bone beneath my hands.

  “Stop!” he cried out, panic in his voice.

  “Hey.” The girl’s brother lurched forward. “Let him go.”

  Holding onto the fool’s wrist, I grabbed the other by the back of his jacket and dragged them both out the door. With a violent shove, I pushed them into the parking lot. “Now get the fuck off my property before you piss me off.”

  Her brother’s expression softened to one of understanding. On a level of rage, I still teetered between two and three. If pushed closer to ten, I could rip them in half and never bat an eye. He hauled up his asshole friend and headed to their car. “Kraven,” I called, sensing the man at my back.

  “Yes, Lucius.”

  “Destroy any video evidence of this mess.”

  “Immediately.” He disappeared back into the club.

  I watched till they were gone, then returned inside, catching her scent the second I crossed the threshold. A slow burn sparked in my chest, a flame of lust yearning for the body I’d held flush against mine moments before. A growl rumbled low from deep within. I clenched my fists and leashed the beast. I had no time for distractions, especially not a human woman. Not even a human with long hair brushing lush curves, dark eyes that could seduce a saint, and a full mouth that made my imagination wander, my body harden. She stirred the dragon on a primitive level. Only one thing to do. After clearing the club, I’d head upstairs and get rid of the girl.

  * * * *

  Sorcha came clip-clopping up the stairs about ten minutes later. I hadn’t moved. She swished over and plopped in the plush chair next to me.

  “Wow.” She flashed her most devilish grin. “That was interesting.”

  “What? Watching my brother destroy a perfectly good time. Yeah. Fascinating.”

  “No, Jess. I mean Mr. Nightwing.”

  “Who?” My heart stuttered.

  “He’s the head of security, Corbin told me. I watched him singlehandedly toss your brother and his minions out on their asses. I think he broke Aron’s arm.”

  “What? Seriously?”

  “Yeah.” She fiddled with a broken spaghetti-strap, tucking it into her strapless bra. “This actually looks kind of cool, doesn’t it?”

  How Sorcha could think about fashion at a time like this, I had no idea. I knew my brother. If he was manhandled and thrown out by a Morgon, a Nightwing at that, he’d be in a rage right about now. He would surely set the blame on me for daring to defy our father’s orders by associating with Morgons. I stood up and peered over the edge of the balcony. “Where’s Ella?”

  “Conn took her backstage with Jed and the band.”

  A hard beat of wings and Corbin flew through the railing gap, landing right beside me. I jumped. Slade followed, shirtless, revealing a broad, toned chest. A streak of blood crossed his neck. Possibly not his. Corbin’s cheek puffed with swelling, but otherwise he looked unharmed. “You girls okay?”

  Sorcha sashayed over to him. “Yes. Thanks to you.”

  Corbin returned her smile.

  Sorcha, this is no time to flirt.

  Slade strolled over; something darker replaced the former charm in his eyes as he moved toward me. Violence or testosterone or sheer male ego pumped him to new heights. He hooked a thumb in his front jeans pocket and gestured toward the parking lot.

  “I hate to say it, Jessen, but I think your brother is waiting outside for you.” He didn’t appear displeased by this at all, edging farther into my space.

  “Damn it.” I rubbed my temples. A serious headache throbbed below the surface. “He’s obviously been drinking or he wouldn’t have lost control. I can’t reason with him when he’s like this.”

  Sorcha stood next to me. “I’ll pull my car up to the entrance and we’ll make a quick get-away.”

  “He’ll only follow us. And he’ll be so pissed by the time he catches us, he’ll—” I broke off, realizing Corbin and Slade listened to every word I said. I wouldn’t incriminate my brother further. I knew he could be violent, but he was still my brother. I blew out a frustrated breath. “That would be worse.”

  “I’ll take you home.” Slade’s mouth lifted into a crooked smile.

  “How?” I asked. He pointed up to the skylight. Chills ran up my spine. “It’s okay. I wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble.”

  He grinned, flexing his abdomen and chest. “It would be no trouble at all.” A familiar hungry look sparkled in his gaze. “Your brother couldn’t follow us. Wouldn’t even know you were gone from here.”

  He was right. Still, there was no way in hell I would let Slade get his hands on me and be at his mercy. I knew that look. I’d seen it in Aron’s eyes often enough. “Um, well, I appreciate it, but—”

  “I’ll take her home.” The deep, bass voice behind Slade made my heart slam against my ribcage.

  We all swiveled. My dark rescuer stood three feet away, a sculpture of fuming stone. Suddenly, the thought of leaving with Slade wasn’t so bad. I gulped, remembering the press of all that hard muscle.

  He moved forward, folding outspread wings against his back with a soft whoosh. How could a man that large move with such grace? Corbin and Slade took a step back as if the man demanded more space. Hell. He did. He turned his angry gaze on the two Morgons. “It’s time for you to go.”

  Not a suggestion. A command. He glanced at Slade’s bare chest, pinning him with a murderous glare.

  Without a word, Slade flew over the edge and out of sight.

  Corbin turned to Sorcha. “Let me escort you to your car.” I’d never seen Sorcha speechless. She jumped to Corbin’s side, took his hand, and followed him down the stairs. Then I was alone with Mr. Dark-and-deadly.

  Oh, shit.

  I clasped my hands in front of me, unsure what to say. I was alone with a Morgon man—a stunning, jaw-dropping, scary-as-death Morgon man. Somehow, I kept my chin upright, pasting an air of nonchalance into my features. He moved toward me, lithe and lovely. An aura of power pulsed against my body like a living heartbeat.

  “My name is Lucius Nightwing.”

  His deep voice brushed against me like rough leather. Be calm, Jessen. Be calm. I couldn’t even open my damn mouth, much less form words.

  He arched a black eyebrow. “You’re Jessen, correct?”

  I nodded dumbly, clearing my throat. “Yeah, um, how’d you know?”

  He didn’t answer. “Do you have any idea how much damage you caused tonight?”

  I flinched, taking a step back. “What? Me! I didn’t cause all this.”

  “I beg to differ. There were no problems till you walked into the place.” His gaze flickered down my body like a heavy caress.

  “Excuse me. I came to watch my friend
’s band. I had nothing to do with all this.”

  “Funny, because you were at the center of the riot. But you had nothing to do with it. Right.” He shook his head, practically sneering. “Human women.”

  Condescending ass! Anger flared, knocking me out of my stupefied state damn fast. “Just because men are brainless, testosterone-filled fuckwads who can’t resolve anything without their fists doesn’t make this my fault.” I’d pushed into his space without realizing it, fueled by indignation. I poked a finger in his sternum at eye-level. “Men are the ones who trashed this place. Not me!”

  His eyes dropped to my finger. I removed it. One side of his mouth twitched. “Fuckwads?”

  I fumed, biting my tongue.

  His face remained placid. “I’m assuming you have a last name.”

  “Yes.”

  Pause.

  “Is it top secret?”

  “No.”

  Pause.

  “Would you give it to me?”

  “Why?”

  One brow arched in challenge. I dreaded telling people my name because of my father’s famous, and sometimes infamous, reputation. This was doubly true for this guy. The power play between our families had been long and notorious.

  He tilted his head lower, pinning me with a menacing stare. “Because I’m now responsible for getting you home safely, even though you got yourself into this predicament, and I’d like to know who I’m dealing with or whose family might raise hell about this precarious situation.”

  By precarious he meant a human daughter carried home in a Morgon man’s arms. I knew a few girls who’d slept with Morgon men. The stories they told made my toes curl, but no human would be caught publicly in the arms of a Morgon. Not from my neighborhood anyway. And definitely not from my family. Somehow, he’d deduced I was the kind who didn’t mix with Morgons.

  “Don’t worry your precious head about it,” I snapped. “I’m not telling anyone how I get home tonight.”

  He glared. “Your last name.” A command. I understood why Slade leapt off the balcony lickety-split.