by G. K. DeRosa
I reached for his cheek, running my thumb over his scruffy jaw as he slid my bottoms off. I wriggled beneath him as my core tightened in anticipation. Drawing him closer, I pressed my lips against his. His tongue slid between my teeth as he thrust into me. My insides tightened around him as stars danced across my vision. Holy dragon babies!
With each kiss, I felt loved, cherished, adored. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. I met Talon’s eyes, and the depth of emotion behind the silver sea stole my breath away.
His tongue continued his assault on my mouth as his dragon took control of my bottom half. I wouldn’t last long, a mere look could undo me on the spot. I rocked against him, faster and faster as I neared the edge.
“Oh gods, Azara,” Talon groaned against my lips. “You. Are. Incredible.”
I would’ve said the same if I could get my brain to form words. I slid my hands to the small of his back, urging him on, each thrust deeper, our bodies moving as one. I arched against him, meeting each of his moves and with one final motion, my insides exploded into a sea of brilliant stars.
Talon followed me over the precipice a few seconds later, his moans of pleasure nearly sending me over a second time.
We lay there, him still on top of me, in a peaceful silence for a few minutes—or maybe even hours. My legs were like jelly and my brain was mush, but in the most amazing way. Talon bent down and brushed his lips over my forehead. A ridiculously gorgeous grin spread across his lips, revealing that elusive dimple. “I’m not crushing you, am I?” he whispered.
“Only in the best ways.” Okay, so I might have been wearing a ridiculous smile too. Oh no, I was falling way too hard.
“I can’t believe we just did that.” He dragged his hand over his face.
“You’re telling me super strait-laced Talon has never had sex in a public place?”
“Of course not. Have you?” His eyes widened, flecks of brilliant silver lighting up his irises.
Ryx had tried to get me to do it in all kinds of weird places across the Nether Lands, but I’d always refused. It wasn’t fun if it wasn’t with someone you were crazy about. “No!” I finally said with a laugh.
Talon rolled me on top of him and swept a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “You know, you’re really beautiful when you’re not in that jumpsuit.” He grinned as he ran his thumb over my swollen lip.
“Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself, naked.”
A deep laugh shook Talon’s chest beneath me. “Speaking of being naked, we should probably get dressed. If this train doesn’t start up soon, we’re going to have to walk.”
“Crap, the guys. I almost forgot all about them.”
“Almost?” He quirked a brow.
Okay, I had totally forgotten about them, but could you blame me? Talon had moves that would make the Chippendales jealous.
I reluctantly pushed myself off Talon and searched the floor for my discarded clothes. He tossed me my shirt and undergarments as I reached for my jeans. I tried not to think about my clothes on the floor or my naked body on the dirty subway seats as I got dressed.
Talon was already at the door fully clothed by the time I finished. “I’m going to have to break this door down.”
“Seriously?”
He glanced at his watch and frowned. “It’s been at least twenty minutes since we’ve heard anything. I’m not sure how much longer we can wait.”
“Just let me portal us out of here.” I was fairly sure I could land in the right spot this time. Underground couldn’t make it that much harder, right?
He huffed out a frustrated breath. “I think we’ll have to risk it.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I deadpanned. “But I like that after only one time I already have you wrapped around my little finger.” I shot him a playful wink as I raised my pinkie, a big smile splitting my lips.
Talon grabbed my hand and spun me into his chest. His lips captured mine before I could squeal in protest. When he finally released me, his expression grew serious. “I know you can do it. The guys are counting on us.”
I nodded quickly and called to my power. “Next stop, West 90th Street.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Yes!” I fist-pumped the air when my eyes landed on the correct street sign in the Upper West Side. “I did it!”
Talon wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed my temple. “Didn’t doubt it for a minute.” He shot me a very un-Talon-like wink. “Now, it’s the old brownstone at the end of the block. Last I heard, Dallas and Hayden were stuck on the top floor, and the demons were congregating on the lower levels.”
“Okay, so what do we do?”
“You think you can conjure up a cloaking spell?”
That was one thing I was confident I could do. “Yup, no problem.”
“Do it. We’ll sneak in, get the lay of the land and find the others.”
The pale purple glow of my tattoo caught my eye. She was ready for action. Muttering the words of the cloaking spell, I expanded the mystical orb to include my dragon bodyguard. I was sure I was staring at him with heart eyes, but I couldn’t help myself. After everything we’d been through, I didn’t even get a second to bask in the afterglow.
“Ready?” The urgency in Talon’s hushed voice brought me back to the present.
“Fully cloaked and ready, boss.”
His mouth curled into a beaming smile, and my heart flip-flopped. “I could get used to that.”
“Don’t.” I booped him on the nose and yanked him down the sidewalk. “Do we even know what we’re walking into?”
“It was supposed to be a routine mission. Some lower level demon took residence in a human household and was manipulating its hosts. The SIA caught scent of the demon when a series of murders occurred in the neighborhood. They were gruesome and rather ritualistic in nature.”
My stomach twisted. I knew there were some nasty Underworlders out there, but I never realized the grisly details. “That’s terrible.”
“Yeah,” Talon muttered. “Anyway, Dallas and Hayden seemed to have stumbled upon an entire den of them, not just lower level scum either.”
We crept in silence for the last few yards until we reached the dilapidated brownstone on the corner. Unlike its pristine neighbors, the old townhouse had seen better days. The disintegrating cement steps led up to a dented wooden door, barely hanging on by broken hinges. Graffiti splotched the crumbling brick walls and cracked glass spiderwebbed across the dingy windows.
I took a step toward the staircase, but Talon’s arm slapped across my chest. “Let’s go in through the back. The guys are on the second floor.” He started walking through the narrow passageway between the two houses.
“How do you know?”
“That was the last communication we received so we have to assume it’s still correct.”
Hmm. “I could try searching for them, like mentally.”
His dark brows knitted.
“I don’t think my new magical power only applies to you.” I hadn’t had much time to think about it, but I had heard Delacroix’s goons, and the director of the SIA too. Maybe I just needed to open my mind to others.
A flash of something like sadness streaked across his face before it returned to normal. Or maybe I’d imagined it. “You’re right. You should try.”
I squeezed my eyes shut and visualized Dallas’s beaming smile with those gleaming white teeth, and Hayden’s golden blonde hair and irreverent comments. Nothing. “Dammit!” I hissed.
Talon’s strong hands gripped my shoulders. “I know you can do this, Azara. Try again.”
I blew out a breath and shook out my shoulders, releasing the tension. With Talon so close, his thoughts practically jumped at me.
I can’t fail them. If anything happens to them, I’ll never forgive myself.
I opened my eyes and met Talon’s anxious ones. “We’ll find them, don’t worry.” Searching deep within my core, I found the center of my magic, the tendril
s of power coating my insides. Closing my eyes once more, I focused on Hayden. He was the first inmate that was nice to me when I arrived at Darkblood. His angel healing power had saved my life from our last jaunt in the Underworld. I owed him this.
Hayden. Hayden. Hayden.
A murky, dilapidated room appeared across my mind, and the sharp stench of spoiled meat filled my nostrils. What in the world? I tried to look around the dark space, but I could only see straight ahead. I squeezed my eyes tighter, and bits of conversations flew across my mind.
Damned demons.
Where are those guys?
This sucks.
My eyes popped open, and my pulse quickened. “I think I got him!”
“Find out where they are.”
Hayden, can you hear me? Hayden?
What the heavens? The angel’s voice echoed across my mind.
It’s me, Azara. Can you hear me?
Um, yeah. Are you in my head? This is crazy weird, pumpkin.
A smile broke across my face at my once hated nickname. Are you okay? Where are you guys?
Yeah, we’re fine. Dallas already died once, but he’s back now. We’re on the third floor, had to move up a level when the demons kept multiplying.
Okay, hold tight, we’re coming for you.
I tuned out of Hayden’s mind and turned to Talon who was leaning up against the fence between the old brownstones. “They’re safe and on the third level.” I glanced up at the tall building. “You going to fly us up--?”
His massive silver wings snapped out before I finished my sentence, their scintillating scales glistening under the dim streetlamps. “Already a step ahead of you.”
The click-clack of footsteps against cement jerked my attention toward the front of the house. My eyes widened as they took in the enormous white wolf. Holy werewolves! The animal stopped, sniffed the air, then sat on its haunches.
“Is that Vander?” I squeaked.
“Sure is.”
“You were right, he’s closer to the size of a pony than a husky.”
“Yup.” He squinted and peered down the passageway. “Looks like your cloaking spell is holding well. Vander’s got a nose like no other supe I’ve ever met.”
“Should I drop it?”
He shook his head. “I’ve got a better idea. Bring him in under the cloak, and I’ll go check on the situation upstairs.”
“No! This is my first mission, Talon. I’m not sitting this one out.”
“I’m not asking you to. I just want you to wait while I scope things out. Do I need to remind you what happened last time?”
I popped my hands on my hips and glared up at him. “That was a low blow, jerk.”
“I’d rather have you mad at me than risk losing you.” His piercing molten gaze locked on me, and I was useless to resist. They melted my insides and turned me into a quivering mess. I was falling for this guy way too hard and too fast.
“Fine,” I muttered. “But you be careful too.” I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my mouth to his. It was quick, but the fiery intensity sent heat racing down my lower half.
He broke the kiss, leaving me needy and wanting so much more. “I’ll be back soon.” He stepped outside of the glowing orb, and my chest tightened. He’s going to be fine. I repeated the mantra over and over again as I approached the gigantic wolf.
I wished I knew a spell to unshift someone. I wasn’t too thrilled about pulling the hairy beast into my protective bubble. What if the animal didn’t recognize me? I thought back to my close encounters with Talon’s dragon—I’d never feared him. He’d recognized me from the start.
Here goes nothing. I drew in a steeling breath and reached for the wolf.
The moment my hand touched his soft fur, the cloaking shield closed around him. His big amber eyes widened as I appeared out of nowhere. He sniffed the air and chuffed, then a low growl cut the silence as his hackles raised.
“It’s me, Vander. Azara. Please don’t eat me.”
His dark lupine lips curled into a smile. The air vibrated around him until nothing but a white blur remained. I lowered my gaze to the ground, already prepared for the nakedness that came next.
“Nice shield,” said Vander, tugging my eyes to him.
“Thanks.” I kept my gaze trained above his neck, his light caramel-skin blotting out the majority of my vision.
“What took you guys so long to get here?” Vander’s eyes narrowed as they raked over me. “I’ve been scoping the house out for the past ten minutes. I couldn’t get past the horde of demons on the first floor.”
“Subway trouble. It broke down after only a few stops.”
His nostrils flared, and he stepped closer. “So you waited?”
“For a little while. Then when it didn’t seem like we’d be moving any time soon, I portalled our butts out of there.”
“What else did you do with your butts?” The words were joking, but his tone was anything but.
“What do you mean?”
“I can smell Talon all over you.”
Heat rushed up my neck and ran a scorching trail across my cheeks. My jaw dropped, and not a single word came out.
“You’re back together?” He bit out the words with such venom I staggered back.
“I… I don’t think that’s any of your business.” Plus, we hadn’t exactly had the talk yet.
“Whatever.” He shook his head and spun around, breaking through the cloaking barrier.
“What are you doing?” I hissed.
“I can’t—I need to get some air,” he called out over his shoulder.
“Vander, come on. Talon’s going to be back in a second, and we need to go up there.”
He spun back, his amber eyes glowing, and a frown carved into his face. “I’m sorry. I thought I was over you, but I was wrong.” The air glistened around him once again, and a moment later, a snow-white wolf ripped out of his flesh and bones. He galloped away, his alabaster form disappearing in the darkness.
Damn, did that go horribly wrong.
I shook my head and pushed the dark thoughts aside. I couldn’t focus on Vander’s hurt feelings, not now anyway. The guys needed my full attention. Speeding back to the spot under the window where I’d last seen Talon, I searched for him. It was weird how I could decipher his brain waves from the dozens of others within the house.
Talon, what’s going on in there?
Hold on, I’m coming down for you guys now.
Ugh. How was I going to explain the Vander drama?
A second later, Talon’s partially shifted form appeared overhead. He landed next to me with a ground-shaking thud. His reptilian eyes scanned the darkness before returning to mine. “Where’s Vander?”
I considered my response for a devastatingly long minute. I didn’t know why but I felt protective over my wolf bodyguard, despite his surprising behavior tonight. “He wasn’t feeling well. He’ll meet up with us later.”
“What was wrong with him?”
“I’m not sure. He didn’t want to go into details.”
“That’s not like Vander at all.” He glanced up at the brownstone full of demons. “Maybe it was too much? It reminded him of when he was captive in the Underworld?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
He stared down the quiet road, indecision twisting his features.
“Let him go, Talon. He just needs some time alone.”
“You’re probably right,” he muttered. “You ready to go in there?”
“Abso-freakin-lutely.” This was it, my big chance to prove I belonged in the SIA and not in Darkblood Prison. “Let’s do it.”
Chapter Thirty
Tiptoeing, I followed Talon through the pitch-black corridor. He pointed at the staircase, and I strained to listen. Muffled voices seeped from downstairs, and most of the echoes sounded more animal than human. Then he pointed down the hallway to the last door on the left and scooped me into his arms.
Not that I minded being pressed against Talon’s fir
m chest, but what was that for? The slight whir of his wings reached my ears, and I realized he was gliding us a few feet off the wooden floor.
Creaky floorboards. His voice echoed across my mind.
I glanced up and smiled. I wasn’t sure how he’d figured out how to broadcast directly to me, but it was definitely a neat trick.
When we reached the old door, Talon silently descended, landing on the old floorboards without making a sound. He wrapped his hand around the antique knob and pushed it open.
Talon exhaled and a flame appeared in his palm, lighting up the dark space. Dallas and Hayden sat on the floor in the corner, matching looks of boredom spread across their faces. “It’s about time you showed up,” Dallas whisper-hissed.
Talon pressed his index finger to his mouth, silencing him.
I raised a hand and motioned for them to wait. I was pretty sure I had a silencing spell somewhere in my bag of tricks. Closing my eyes, I visualized all the incantations I’d memorized from GG’s book on spellcraft.
Yes, got it!
“Silencium majorum.” I muttered the words as they swam across my mind’s eye. My tattoo flickered to life and magic skimmed over my skin, filling the room with that familiar smoky scent. “Okay, you guys can talk now. I blanketed the room in a silencing spell.”
Hayden’s mouth curved into a capital O. “Nice, pumpkin. When did your magic get so kick-ass?”
“Probably while you were off on all those secret missions.” I scanned the room and frowned. “Speaking of missions, where’s Ella?”
“She sure as hell ain’t here, precious, or we wouldn’t be either.” Dallas pushed up off the wall and sauntered over. “And I’m loving this new magically confident side of you, my dear.”
“Thanks.”
“Wait, what do you mean Ella’s not here?” barked Talon. “She left headquarters hours ago.”
“Maybe she was waiting outside like Vander?” I offered.
“Vander’s here?” Dallas asked.
“Not anymore.” Talon shook his head and waved a dismissive hand. “I’ll tell you about it later. Right now, we need to evict these demons from the neighborhood.”
