by Meg Xuemei X
The vampires’ delay pushed everyone to the edge.
Fiammetta hadn’t been able to build an impenetrable ward. She’d used her magic to mend the rift. But when she tested it with a trail of Akem’s darkness in the bottle, it always tore open her defenses.
“I say we go offense rather than defense,” I cut in. “I’ll lead the army to their tower and tear it down. I’ll cut out the Dark Prince’s fucking heart and put it on a string and bring it back to you.”
Fiammetta snapped her head at me, and I met her gaze with a grin.
Beneath all the ice and steel, heat steamed from within her. She was always hot for me; she just couldn’t remember it and didn’t understand why.
But now she had me.
I’d crossed the universe for her. I’d fallen for her. And I would fix things for her from now on.
“We can’t afford to be reckless,” Kaara said. “It’s suicidal to charge headfirst into the vampires’ lair. I don’t want to lose any men unnecessarily.”
The guards nodded vehemently in agreement and glared at me.
“It won’t be a reckless act if I can get the weapons in my shuttle to work,” I said. “One energy blast will reduce their tower to rubble. Vampires don’t fancy heat and fire. We Angels experimented on the native, original vampires and learned about their weakness. The mutant vampires here are no different.” I scanned the room. “I’m going back to my ship to get the weaponry. I’ll equip you lot and you can fight behind me.”
“No advanced weapons can work here, except ones made of iron and steel,” Rocky said.
“Mine will work,” I said. “All I need is a bit more time.”
More importantly, I needed to fix my communication devices. I might still be able to contact my crew. Perhaps they had found a way to get past the time disturbance and had been calling Red Dragon.
I would take Fiammetta off this pit. That was why I’d fallen here for her.
I’d come to rescue my mate.
I gazed at Fiammetta meaningfully. But my mate ignored me, as usual.
Kaara, however, sent me a measured, hopeful glance.
“Who’s going to take you to the jungle?” Otsana asked. She was the one who had insulted ThunderSong by calling it Thumb Song.
“I know the way back,” I said. “I’m the best tracker in the universe.”
“Best damn tracker or not,” Kaara said, “once you get in the jungle, you won’t come out alive. The only one who’s allowed to enter Akem’s realm is Lady Fiammetta.” She looked at my mate with a worried expression.
Things had changed. Akem and Fia weren’t on good terms.
“I hope to go see the jungle,” murmured the female scientist of Species 581, whom we’d recovered from the last crash. She was now the tower’s medical chief.
“The vampires will come soon,” I said. “I can cut down a dozen, two dozen, but most of you will be their food. To beat them, we need advanced weapons. My spaceship is still above the planet’s atmosphere, searching for me. They won’t leave until they find me. And when my ThunderSong finds her great captain, you’ll all be in luck. I’ll let some of you hitch a ride if you don’t annoy the hell out of me.”
Fiammetta rose from her throne. “I’m going to the jungle today. The Angel can tag along.”
“Fia,” Kaara said, anxiety written all over her face, “it’s a dire time to go to Akem’s realm.”
“We’re running out of time,” Fiammetta snapped. “I have to go, and the Angel might provide us with the means to leave Pandemonium, if he’s what he says he is.”
She’d forgotten how she’d moaned my name in bed.
But at least she wasn’t calling me winged creature now.
“Guard the tower,” she told Kaara. “When I find the portal, I’ll come for you.”
Tears moistened Kaara’s eyelids. “If you ever find it, Fia, just go. Don’t wait. Don’t come back. You might not get another chance.”
Fiammetta snapped, “I won’t leave you behind. I’ll come for you.”
She exited the room, darkness rolling behind her, and a trail of ice crystals coating the ground she walked on.
34
The Witch
Gabriel followed me out of the tower, his long sword buried between his massive wings. If we survived the jungle trip and returned, I’d figure out a way to heal his broken wings.
The morning’s sky was dim and low, and the air chilly.
In the distance, residual fire still burned and trails of smoke drifted into the air.
The City of Nine was forever burning.
This planet attracted meteor showers like a wanton seductress attracted a lustful lover. The day would come when the whole planet went up in a vast, explosive flame.
We were racing against time before all that happened.
I trekked in the direction of the ominous jungle. Kaara and my army guarded the tower and watched me leave. No one had left me, and more wolves had come to strengthen our forces. They came for Kaara, their uncrowned new queen, who refused to desert me.
I hadn’t expected such loyalty. I’d never demanded it either.
Gabriel and I crossed the bridge amid the ruin at the edge of the city.
I was constantly aware of the Angel strolling beside me and this strange, scorching attraction between us. He positioned himself beside me in a way that if there was any threat toward me, he would explode into violence to remove it for me.
I was annoyed and at the same time pleased by his male protectiveness that bordered on possessiveness. I dragged my attention back to my rehearsed plan of finding the portal.
“Hey,” Gabriel called.
“Who’s Hey?” I hissed.
“It’s better than creature,” he said. “You called me winged creature and sometimes worse, if you don’t remember.”
I stiffened, my darkness twirling around us.
“Fiammetta, let’s put all the cards on the table once and for all. I know about your amnesia. I know Fiammetta isn’t your real name. You can’t remember your original home or your true name. But I’m here for you. I fell to this planet for you, because you’re my fated mate. I’ve come across light years over several universes and fallen into the past on Pandemonium for you.”
“What?”
That was ridiculous.
“Hear me out, Fia. I’m here to get you off of this planet. Tomorrow, you’ll forget me again, but I’ll be there for you. I’ll always be there for you, until one day you remember me and stay with me forever.”
I was shell-shocked. I thought of attacking him. I thought of eliminating him. And I thought of the symbol of black wings carrying the bridge of fire on my skin. According to my magical markings, Kaara had warned me that killing him would be to kill my own future.
While turmoil churned inside me, Gabriel kept talking to me. He told me about the Angel race. He told me how we’d met and what had happened between us in the days after his fall. And he told me of our white-hot passion in bed.
“Wherever you are, wherever you go, I’ll protect you with my life,” he vowed.
I had a feeling he had been fierce but hadn’t been this gentle with me before.
But pouring his heart out wasn’t going to change the fact that I was the Wickedest Witch. He would soon find that out and be very disappointed.
A scorpion always stung.
“Just do your job when I ask you to,” I said hotly.
He only grinned. “You’re a hard nut to crack, witch, but I’ve gotten used to all of your sides. Good and bad. I’ll take it all.”
I rolled my eyes. I had nothing to say to him.
“Fia,” he called.
He’d warmed me up to him. I gave him a look, but didn’t rebuke him for the endearment.
“Tell me about Akem,” he said.
There was no harm in revealing all of Akem’s dirty secrets. He’d turned on me anyway.
I told Gabriel to look for the signs. When Akem rose and roamed in his realm, the whole ju
ngle would become deathly quiet. I also warned him to shield his mind against the entity. It had crept into mine twice, and I had nearly been drowned in his immense darkness that was more powerful and terrifying than mine.
“That’s how he learned you can’t store memories,” Gabriel growled in cold rage. “And he sold the information to the vampire. But why now?”
“We’ll know soon,” I said.
I had a hunch it was because of Gabriel.
Gabriel’s arrival had changed the dynamic in the playground.
During his short time stuck on Pandemonium, he’d already shaken things up. In the end, it was going to be a revolutionary shift.
“How long can we last in the jungle, if he comes to fight us in the flesh?” he asked, already planning a retreat strategy.
“This planet is his. We’re all aliens here. I can’t draw power from the land to compete against him. We might last for five minutes at the most.”
“That’s enough. I can carry you out of the jungle in less than two minutes. I’m faster than flying bullets, even on the ground.”
I gave his black wings a glance while he bragged.
“How are your wings?” I asked.
He smiled at me, as if my question warmed his whole being.
I must have been terrible to him before this day.
“Angels regenerate very fast, but not here. There’s something wrong with this fucking planet.”
“The wolves regenerate well here.”
“I might ask them how.”
“I doubt they’ll share.”
He gave me another grin. “They will if I ask.”
He still thought he was Mr. Universe.
We prowled through the ruin. Gabriel constantly brushed his arm against mine or found an excuse to put his hand on the small of my back to steer me. If the pleasure wasn’t so great at his every touch, I would have swatted at his hand and scolded him.
I was still the Wickedest Witch.
Sweetness wasn’t in my blood.
“Angels’ powers are universal. We don’t need a specific land or even our home planet to pull strength from. The sky and the space and the galaxies are all ours. Can you find a way to draw energy from mine? You should be able to, since I’m your mate.”
“I’m not sure of this mate thing you’re constantly bringing up,” I hissed. “You can’t just tell me I’m your mate and expect me to be your mate. What will I even get out of that? And right now, I don’t care about you coming light years away and crashing here. Everyone—criminals, exiles, ex-militants, punks, and monsters—all came from galaxies far away and crashed here. All I want is to find the portal and return to my own world.”
For revenge.
He raised an eyebrow. “Prickly again?”
I just couldn’t get through to him, could I?
I ground out, “And I don’t believe what you said about this fated mate thing!”
However, my instinct said Gabriel might be right, because not just my body was hot for him. My dark magic refused to harm him. It purred giddily when he was around.
When he touched me, I was on fire.
And I craved more.
“You will, Fiammetta, but I won’t push you. I’m an immortal. I have time and patience for both of us. I’ve waited eons for you. I can wait a little longer.”
There was no point in arguing with the infuriating Archangel.
And he had found a way with me.
We stopped at the edge of the jungle.
I released a pent-up breath. The noises inside the rainforest signaled relative safety. But once Gabriel went in, I could not predict what would come out of this joint exploration.
We might not survive.
I eyed him.
“From now on, you’ll never be alone,” he said, brushing a lock of my hair behind my ear.
I swallowed at the intimate gesture. I was surprised that it comforted me so, while tiny electric shocks sent shivers from my temple all the way down to my toes.
“We’ll face everything together, Fia. You have me now.”
I snickered.
Mere words didn’t get to the heart of the Wickedest Witch. Who did he think he was dealing with?
But my sneer was lost and drowned by ear-piercing shrieks.
Three Furies dove toward us, their red taloned wings spreading wide against the gloomy sky, and their vicious human eyes locked on us with one goal—to devour and destroy.
Gabriel drew his long angelblade and shoved me behind him, snarling at the Furies.
In an instant, the flirting, attentive Angel shifted to the most savage warrior. His whole body became steel hard, his muscles taut, his wings arched.
Angelic power rolled off him, rippling through the air.
His sword with ancient runes flashed with white killing light.
I was no damsel either.
Like it or not, we would enter the jungle.
“Defender,” I summoned, and my ice spear emerged in my hand from the mist, hissing with steaming ice. It had one purpose—to kill and to defend.
Instead of attacking us, the Furies shot up, skimmed over us, and flew toward the City of Nine.
Gabriel and I traded a bewildered look.
What was that about?
Were they going to attack the Witch Tower? My chest tightened. Kaara and my subjects were in the tower. I watched, ready to bolt back toward my realm, until I saw the Furies sail in the opposite direction.
Why were they acting this way?
How strange.
Gabriel shrugged, turned to me, and smiled. “They know better than to bother us. We Angels used to hunt dragons. I think the Furies are dragon shifters.”
“The Furies might take it as an offense.”
Gabriel grinned. “Who cares if their feelings are hurt, as long as I don’t hurt yours.”
If he hurt my feelings, I wouldn’t remember it anyway.
The Archangel held out his hand. “Are you ready to enter, my lady?”
I hesitated.
He waited.
He said he was an immortal, and he had time and patience for both of us.
But I had neither.
So I put my hand into his large, powerful one.
Together, we entered Akem’s jungle.
- Continue on -
Dark Vampire (The Wickedest Witch Book 2)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076DPN6CN
Coming in December 2017
Author’s Notes
Dear Readers,
You’ve come to the badland of The Wickedest Witch universe, which means you’re brave and adventurous. Next, Archangel Gabriel will take you deep into the lair of the dark vampires.
He has to get the cure for Fiammetta to make her remember him and their rampant passion. But first, he’ll have to charm the wild vampire princess he loathes, and she wants to make him hers.
And the Wickedest Witch will have none of that.
Before Gabriel’s arrival, the First Seer had predicted his fall, and Kaara Nightshades had been waiting for his crash in Claim the Wolf King: The Wickedest Witch prequel. If you haven’t read it, you might want to grab it and read through the lust and love story between Kaara and the Wolf King Marrok.
Enough said. I don’t want you to be stranded on Pandemonium for too long. The planet is going to blow up in a flame soon. Let’s get ready to enter the Dark Vampire’s dark world.
~ Meg
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THE DRAGONIAN’S WITCH
He abducts me to find his fated mate, unaware that I am she.
I am Freyja, the First Witch. I was born with a cruel curse: anyone I touch with my bare skin will die an agonizing death. That is, until a formidable, drop-dead
gorgeous Dragonian prince invades my forest home.
The prince’s lust burns hot and bright for me, yet he resists, wanting his destined witch more. The oracle promises the witch will be his true queen and bring him the greatest kingdom on Earth. Knowing he’s the only man who can touch me, I crave his scorching caress. But I’ve sworn never to reveal that I am the witch. Not until he chooses me above her.
When the mating frenzy drives both of us to the brink of insanity, someone has to give, but it won’t be me.
Turn the page for a sneak peek of
THE DRAGONIAN’S WITCH
CHAPTER 1
My Pack
My name is Freyja. No one knows I am the First Witch. Those who knew were eliminated twenty-one years ago—a year after the Fey Empress and her consort, the High Prince of All Angels, decapitated the sadistic Angel King, my biological father.
Unfortunately, a band of my father’s old elite sentinels escaped the High Prince’s purge. They found out I was the last of King Agro’s bloodline and slaughtered the whole village where I was born. My mother, a genetically advanced human, managed to hide me and fought to her last breath.
The Angels have been hunting me ever since.
I removed the hood that concealed my face and quickened my pace. The morning sun shone on my skin and the wind tousled my flaming red hair. Ahead, waves of tea rose swayed and golden sunlight spilled over the ancient treetops.
The howls of wolves reverberated through the forest, and my heart leapt. They were near. They’d caught my scent.
A large, white wolf shot out of the forest, and three others followed him.
I hurled myself toward them and they howled with delight.
We crashed into each other and I leapt onto the white wolf’s back, riding him. He put on a great show to shake me off while the rest of the pack spun around us. My gloved hands gripped the wolf’s muzzle firmly, holding him in place.
He snarled, but I didn’t let go. It wasn’t the first time he’d bared his teeth at me.
