Waking the Dragon

by Juliette Cross

  “No?” Fury laced this one, gruff word.

  He gripped one of my thighs, his claws pricking into my skin. I cried out, tears pooling in my eyes, as my hand groped under the pillow.

  “You are mine and will obey.” His mouth came over mine, a long tongue snaking inside, nearly choking me. I squirmed and whimpered, yanking my face to the side. Sharp teeth nicked my lip. He weighed me down with his chest. “Your former lover marked you hard,” he growled close to my ear, licking my neck with that long tongue, right where Kol left his bite. I cringed. “But I will mark you harder.”

  My fingers fumbled, making contact with nothing. His chest rumbled with a sinister laugh, the hollow sound full of darkness.

  “Looking for something?”

  I met his leering gaze, horror dawning.

  “I had no intentions of being stabbed with your little needle while taking my pleasure.” I couldn’t form a word of response, my mouth agape. “If you can get to it, be my guest.” He made that horrible sound in his chest again, meant to be laughter. I caught sight of the syringe on the table against the far wall.

  He squeezed my thigh, his pelvis dropping, preparing to thrust inside my body. On instinct, I used the first move Demetrius had taught me, a short-distance hand-heel punch directly up into his nose.

  Crunch.

  “Ah!” He whipped up onto his knees, his wings wide. I twisted out from underneath him, landing a swift upward kick with my foot to his jaw so I could scramble away. I shot off the other side of the bed and onto my feet.

  His feral smile found me, anger blazing on the tight lines of his monstrous face. My gaze flicked to the syringe. So did his, then back to me. I launched myself toward the needle. With one beat of his massive wings, he crashed into me, an arm around my waist. I fell against the table, knocking it over, both of us tumbling to the floor.

  The syringe fell and rolled a foot away. On my stomach, I reached for it right at the edge of my fingertips. He gripped the backs of my thighs, claws pricking the skin. I cried out, ignoring the pain as I curled the needle into my hand.

  “Yes,” he ground out in a demonic voice. “You’ll make the perfect breeder for me.” He hauled me back, preparing to take me from behind. “Maybe even more than that,” he ground out, voice full of hard lust.

  I subconsciously thanked myself for pushing my body into maintaining flexibility and agility. With one hand, I shoved my weight off the ground, twisted on my knees, and plunged the needle right into his throat. The shock made him freeze. I pumped the liquid in and scrambled away. All of which took about three seconds. My body trembling, I prayed.

  Dumbfounded, he pulled the empty syringe from his neck. He wiped his finger over the spot and sniffed his fingers.

  “Black Hellebore.” He chuckled, rising to his feet. I couldn’t help but glance at his groin and be thankful he hadn’t finished the job. He wouldn’t have broke my body in—he’d have broken me in half. “You do have strength.” His words slurred. “I am afraid you will be disappoi—”

  Before he’d even collapsed to the floor, I leaped across the room, snatched my medal, and swung open the iron door.

  “What are you doing?” A Sunsting guard pivoted, marched for me and, reaching out, crumpled into a heap. Gaius stood behind him, bloody dagger in hand. He shoved the body into the chamber, closing the iron doors. Blowing a fine line of flame all along the frame, he melded the doors shut.

  Tossing me a burlap sack, he hissed, “Put these on. Fast!”

  I stripped and pulled on my jeans, dirty sweater, a pair of wool socks, and a long, black trench that was too big while he watched for others. I didn’t ask who the socks and coat belonged to. I didn’t care.

  Gaius put one finger to his mouth, ensuring I kept quiet. I knew all about Morgons’ extra-sensory abilities. No way was I taking a chance in getting caught now. I nodded and followed up the corridor, which sloped higher and higher at a steady angle. Ignoring the pain in my thighs where his claws and teeth had punctured, I rode on adrenaline alone and the need to get as far away as possible. Whatever signal Gaius gave me as we moved fast and silent, I obeyed. Within a hundred yards, we came to an opening where snow gusted in.

  Gaius flattened me against the wall, mouthing, Wait, as he pulled out his dagger. With soundless stealth, he rounded the corner. I heard a short scuffle, then a gurgling, then nothing at all. He returned, grabbed my hand, and pulled me out onto the edge of a land of sheer rock.

  The moon shone tonight, gleaming over the flatlands as far as I could see in every direction. Two Morgons lay dead near the entrance.

  “Here. Step inside this.” He held a canvas object in his hands.

  “A body bag?”

  “I can’t be seen carrying a human,” he spat out quickly, holding the straps open. “That’s not done in Cloven, which is where I’m taking you. A Morgon carrying baggage won’t cause suspicion.”

  “Baggage? Nice,” I said, stepping in. I shivered, wondering how Gaius had easy access to a body bag. Was this how they carried their victims and dumped the bodies?

  “Better that than being spied by one of the many scouts.”

  Gazing into the night sky, I asked, “Are there many?”

  “Many. The patrols don’t stop, so we have no time to waste.”

  “I’m ready.”

  “Good.”

  For the briefest of moments, I wondered if I could trust him. What the angry Primus girl had said caused me to wonder. But logic proved he was on my side. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have risked his own life to get me out. And I had just watched him kill a few of the enemy to do so.

  I gave him a sharp nod. “Zip me up.”

  “There are slits here”—he pointed—“so you can reach through and hold onto these straps.”

  Somehow, he understood that hanging inside a bag without a place to grip could drive a human crazy. As he zipped past my neck, I stopped him. “Gaius. Thank you. I thought I…back there I mean—” I broke off, an aftershock of emotion pouring down my cheeks from the fear of what could have been and the relief that I’d survived.

  “No need. This is my duty. If I can save one, then I’ve done well.” He zipped the bag to the top. I heard him belt the bag to him in three places.

  “I’ve cut a patch out on your right and replaced it with mesh so you can breathe more easily.”

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  He lifted off with a strong beat of wings. I never thought I’d be so grateful to be helpless in a body bag, hovering thousands of feet in the air. “Gaius. Can you hear me?”

  “Yes.” Strangely, the bag didn’t mute his voice much. “We need to remain quiet until we reach a safer zone.”

  “But, Gaius. Kol told me that when you got me out, we should go to Safehouse X.”

  His wings beat harder as we lifted above the clouds. Through the mesh, I could see a blanket of white, moon-bright and rolling, like a cotton-soft sea. Cold air rushed through the opening, making me feel less claustrophobic, more at ease.

  “He visited you in a dream?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then that’s where we’ll go.”

  “Is Safehouse X in Cloven?”

  “There is one in every Morgon Province. He will have back-up waiting for us at each one.”

  Tears spilled anew. Kol would have men scouring every territory searching for me. Soon, I would be safe in his arms. My spirit soared at the thought, reminding me that the man of ice had chiseled his way into my heart.

  My gut clenched tight. I’d never known fear like I had in that cell, when I thought I would die there and be separated from Kol forever. I’d never known fear like I had when that monster held me like I was his possession, when he nearly took me in the way only one man had the right to. I was desperate to be with Kol again, to tell him exactly what I thought of walls and isolation and separation from the world and the ones you loved. Life was too short to waste, harboring bitterness against f
amily and cherishing loneliness like it was his own precious pet. Life was too short to waste on ambition alone, pretending it was enough for me. I wanted more. I wanted Kol. I wanted…love.

  Chapter 22

  We flew for nearly two hours. Gaius used evasive maneuvers, never staying on the same altitude or flying in a direct path. He plummeted to the ground and hid us in a copse of trees, silencing me as he peered overhead. He wrapped me in his arms, enveloping us both in his wings, camouflaging us in the trees, even to a Morgon’s keen eyesight from above. One great advantage of having wings the color of nature.

  “Scouting party, heading northeast to the palace,” he said in a hushed whisper.

  After ten minutes of utter silence and stillness, he whipped open his wings and lifted off again toward Cloven. The monotonous rhythm of his beating wings lulled me to sleep. When I awoke, I peered through the mesh at an amazing sight—Cloven.

  I couldn’t make out whether the buildings were made of stone or steel in the dark, but the shapes were pyramid-like with flat rooftops. For landing, of course. Some of them had full-pointed peaks. Others were a jagged construction, mimicking a natural mountain, but the squares of yellow light proved they housed Morgons inside. I peered down, finding only darkness and shadows below. No cars zipped along streets. No cars. No streets. No humans. The city was an artificial mountain region, built for beings who never needed to set foot on earth, lifting themselves closer to the sky where they belonged.

  “Wow,” I whispered.

  Gaius skirted the city, banking away from its center. A river wound a sinuous path far below. Fewer buildings in the same pyramid structure, but with more space in between, lined the far side of the riverbank—private residences. We veered parallel to the river, arcing toward a white-stone building, gleaming under the moonlight. This building was different than the others. From above, it was shaped like a giant crescent, the tips reaching toward the river. On the flat roof was a clan crest in tiles, similar to what Morgons did on their top terrace in Gladium homes.

  The crest was nothing but a full moon on a midnight-blue background, a paler shade of tiles ringing the moon. Though I’d never seen it, I knew this could be the crest of only one clan—the Moonring clan.

  We landed with a rough jolt. I lost sight through the mesh opening as the bag shifted.

  “Stay quiet till we’re inside.”

  Gaius unbelted the bag from his vest harness and lifted me in his arms. I couldn’t see where we were going but heard a door slide open.

  “Quick,” commanded a familiar voice.

  We were inside. A door shut. An alarm pad beeped. We were airborne. I gasped, not expecting flight indoors, then just as quickly we were on solid ground. I was set upright, and the bag unzipped. Inhaling a deep breath, I took in my surroundings.

  My heart skipped a beat when I thought Kol stood before me. Kieren’s brow pursed into a frown so similar to his brother’s. He wore the same high-fashion attire I’d seen him wear on the day we’d met. “Are you all right, Moira?” Sincerity in every word.

  I nodded, needing a minute to process where I was and who was here.

  “Kieren, do you know about my sister? My nephew? Are they—”

  He held up a calming hand. “They’re fine. All of them. The cook had quite a knock on the head, but she’ll recover. However, the Night Security guards were all killed.”

  I winced, my heart dropping for those men who were only trying to protect us.

  “Come on in.” He ushered me farther into the room.

  Another Morgon, on guard, stood looking out a curved wall of glass. The room was a breathtaking open space with a domed ceiling thirty feet above our heads. A platform jutted out near the ceiling, the door leading to the rooftop we’d just entered. It was more than a little disconcerting to stare at the exit so far above my head, unable to escape if I needed to. A white marble fireplace stretched the entire length of the wall, a stark pillar against the warmer-hued stone. Low flames emitted the only light in the room.

  “I’ve double-checked the security alarms downstairs. All good,” said a Morgon woman in dark combat gear, appearing right out of the floor.

  There was a giant hole dropping straight into the room below. No stairs. Of course. Why would they need them?

  The Morgon woman crossed in front of the fire, the light casting a warm glow on her blue-black wings, shining a halo on her white-blonde hair, falling like silk over her shoulders and down her back. She drew closer to me.

  “Whoa. You reek of him!” I froze, afraid the monster had marked me, despite my unwillingness. “Kol sure got under your skin.” She grinned.

  I sighed relief. She stepped forward and offered her hand, meeting me eye to eye. “I’m Valla Moonring.”

  I shook her hand. “I’m Moira Cade.”

  “I know.” She smiled, revealing how truly beautiful she was. “You’ve met Kieren already, and that’s Bowen.” She gestured to the one silhouetted against the window, her flaxen hair shimmering in the orange firelight. The twins had inherited darker looks, though they all shared the same midnight-blue eyes with a pale halo around the center.

  “No time for chit-chat,” snapped Gaius. “We can’t stay here, but I need to give you what information I can before we go.”

  “My home is safer than any other place,” said Kieren, his charming demeanor no longer present. He was more like his brother than he had let on when I met him. “Besides, Kol told us to stay at Safehouse X and make contact the moment she arrives. He’s in Drakos, but could be here in two hours. I’ll contact him.”

  “No!” Gaius lunged and grabbed his comm device before Kieren could punch in a number. Everyone’s attention riveted to him. “No, Kieren. It’s not safe.”

  Gaius moved to the fireplace. I took a seat on a cobalt-blue, velvet sofa.

  “Why not?” asked Valla, her playful tone evaporating. She sat next to me, whipping her wings behind the sofa-back in a swift move. Unlike a Morgon man’s large wings, hers fit her frame—long, sleek, and elegant.

  “He has spies everywhere. Even moles in the Morgon Guard and elsewhere. They’ve been able to intercept communication sent via comm devices. Don’t ask me how. I was never included in the intel briefings. I was used”—he turned away from us, staring out into the moonlit night—“for more brutal purposes. I couldn’t warn you because we were forced to take injections every day to prevent Moonring clan members from infiltrating our dreams and stealing secrets. They know well enough how many of you are in the Morgon Guard.”

  “Injections of what?” asked Kieren, voice dropping to a lower register. He sounded so much like his brother.

  Gaius shrugged. “I didn’t ask. It would’ve been suspicious. This operation runs like a militant machine. You do what you’re told. I couldn’t receive or give any more messages to Kol once I was assimilated into their ranks and taking the injections.”

  “Wait, Gaius.” Kieren thrust his palm out. “Who is the leader? That’s what we’ve been unable to discover.”

  Gaius faced us again, the fire at his back, his dark features hidden in shadow. “I don’t know. We… They called him lord and master. When I came on scene, Barron Coalglass was in charge, abducting girls for their blood and for…other purposes.”

  “Their blood?” asked Valla. “They were really drinking human blood?”

  “I believe the king was drinking their blood,” said Gaius before blowing out a tired breath. “Our orders were to harvest the blood, and that was all we knew. But I know of one instance where he bit and drank from a victim directly.”

  I shivered. “Maxine Mendale.”

  Grim-faced, Gaius nodded.

  The other Morgon who’d been standing guard near the window joined us. He wore his long hair in a cue. His eyes shined pale green by the firelight, his wings a deeper shade of the same color. One of the Huntergild clan.

  “So where did he come from? This lord and master,” asked Kieren.
r />   “I can’t tell you. I can only say that one day, not long after I joined their ranks, Coalglass called an assembly at Palace Prime.”

  “What’s Palace Prime?” asked Kieren.

  “There are several palaces, as they call them, which are more like hidden lairs. I’ve only been to the one, where Moira was taken, but I know there are others. Anyway, Coalglass called an assembly and announced that our king had finally come. The king who would bring order back to our world and put humans in their rightful place. In chains.”

  An audible gasp escaped Valla. My fingers went to my throat where I’d replaced my medal around my neck. My stomach clenched into a ball. I’d almost lost it forever. It cost little to buy another, but I’d worn this particular medal for so long. It had comforted me for so many years, giving me the will to become a woman of strength—free-spirited, determined, independent. Then the beast had taken my medal, as if he had the right to strip me of my dearest possession, as if he could strip me of the woman I’d become.

  But I’d gotten it back.

  Kieren, Valla, and Bowen gazed at me. “What is it?” asked Valla.

  I shook my head, shaking off the fear and torment of that place where the monster ruled with a brutal will. “Nothing.”

  Kieren turned to Gaius again. “But who is he? Where does he come from?”

  “I wish I knew.” Gaius stepped forward. “I did hear Coalglass once mention something about a Syren sister, a defector, who has allied with them for their cause, their revolution. I heard her name mentioned long before the king made his arrival.”

  “So it’s true.” I clasped my hands together to keep from wringing them in nervous agitation. “The Devlin Butchers aren’t butchers at all. They weren’t murdering those women and putting them on display for some cult or for some kind of sick enjoyment. Their plan this whole time has been to start a race war.”

  “Their plan is to dominate all of humankind,” added Gaius. “And Morgonkind as well. It won’t just be a monarchy led by this king. It will be a totalitarian state with a sadistic dictator on the throne.”