The Complete Bundle (Books 1, 1.5, 2, 3 and 4)
Page 35
The demon laughed. “For centuries, you have been hidden. Yet Johmma recently tasted your scent. He wants to know where you’ve been.” Damascus shook his head. “Just because you earned your freedom from him didn’t mean you could just up and leave.”
Pete’s presence, his arms wrapped around her, allowed Isa to ignore the trembling in her legs.
“I didn’t run and hide. Another trapped me in the bonds of slavery. Only recently did I manage to get away.” Kind of, but she wasn’t going to get into that with this demon.
She watched him carefully, waiting for his move.
His jaw tensed, then relaxed. “Ah. I see.”
Isa didn’t ask what he thought he saw.
“So, the two of you are travelling here on your way to... where?”
Pete blinked, his eyes shining with confidence in her. He might not know what exactly was going on, but even he must feel the danger in the air. And he trusted her to get them through it.
Isa breathed deeply of his dragon scent. She would try the nice way. And if Damascus caused problems… well, she could only hope it didn’t come to that.
“We’re trying to get to the Dimension of Dreams.”
Damascus chuckled, nodding as if he’d already known. “I should think you know you’re going about it the wrong way.”
“Well, we just got here. I’m sure I’ll figure it out.”
Baring his teeth, Damascus grinned. “Will you?”
“Yes.”
“All right, then. Go ahead.” He stepped back and waved them to go ahead.
Neither Pete, nor Isa moved.
“I will not attack. That’s not why I was sent,” Damascus said softly.
“Then why did he send you?”
“He has been concerned.”
Isa laughed at the irony of the statement. “Johmma has no concern for any but himself.”
“Ah, darling.” Damascus smiled as Pete tensed at the endearment. “It has been centuries. Johmma has changed.”
“I doubt it.”
“True, it’s hard to believe. Yet, change he has. A little.”
Tired of the banter, knowing they were running out of time, Isa laid down her card. “Are you here to help us or not?”
“Perhaps.”
“So then,” she replied, knowing that was a yes. “What is the payment asked?”
Damascus glanced at Pete.
“Absolutely not.”
“Then the only thing you have to bargain with is the terms you once had long ago.”
Pete stepped forward, almost in front of her as if blocking the conversation. “What would that be?”
When no one answered him out loud, Pete half-turned to look at Isa.
She couldn’t meet Pete’s gaze.
Her freedom, an elusive thing she’d spent her life searching for, yet never quite able to grasp. She tested the boundaries of the dimension, seeing if there was anything to feel, to sense, a way to get them out of here.
Nothing.
If she agreed to this, as soon as she was able to free Pete and his family, Johmma would drag her back to the depths of hell. She would lose this man beside her.
Lover, yes. But with Pete, it was not just sex. It was companionship, understanding.
Maybe something more.
Her throat burned, growing tight as if to prevent her from agreeing.
Desperately, she searched the boundaries again.
Still nothing.
It was the only way.
Still unable to look at Pete, Isa nodded.
Tight bands of pressure clamped around her chest, chains binding her soul. Isa shivered, but did not step back.
She bit her tongue, hard, to keep herself from running, screaming, from letting the agony and terror take over.
All she could do to retain her control was hold tight to Pete’s hand, stare into his beautiful eyes. He was worth it all, and more.
His family, his clan, deserved it.
She would not rescind her agreement.
As if knowing her struggle was over, Damascus clapped his hands and the gray fog disappeared.
Sunlight shone brightly. Waves crashed along a sandy beach she and Pete stood on.
“We are free.” The tastes and scent of the magic on the air assured Isa this was her dimension. Here, everything was hers to control.
“What did you agree to?” Pete demanded, lifting her chin and forcing her to meet his gaze.
“What I had to. Now, let’s go.”
He grasped her shoulders. “No. Tell me what you agreed to.”
Isa shook her head, unwilling to put it into words for fear the rampaging emotions would be released.
His hands tightened and he snarled, eyes pure orange as his dragon moved just beneath his skin. “Tell me.”
When she remained silent, Pete jerked her against his body, his mouth almost violent as he kissed her.
She relished his spicy taste, the brimstone scent of his dragon so different than that of Hell. Instead of pulling away, as she knew she should do, Isa drew closer, welcoming his embrace.
They were almost free. Getting out of here and getting his family safe was close. Yet, her chest ached, knowing that once she’d finished, she would never see this man again.
Thoughts of the future were too painful. Isa needed this moment, to take what she wanted, to show this man how he’d touched her.
A demon with such feelings. It was against all that should be possible.
Yet this man made her feel so much.
Digging her fingers into his arms, she rubbed against him, her nipples hard aching buds, her pussy throbbing and wet.
She wanted this man to join with her, purely for love.
Pete seemed to sense her feelings as he ran his hands down her back, cupping her ass and grinding his cock against her.
“Baby, tell me you didn’t do anything I can’t fix,” he said, his voice worried.
“It will be all right,” she replied. “Just love me.”
He drew back, his lips wet from their kiss. “I do, don’t you know that, silly woman?”
The tears threatening broke free.
Pete flinched and wiped a drop from her cheek.
As if knowing talk would do nothing, he closed his eyes, then wrapped his arms around her and just held her.
Unwilling to give up this last chance, Isa shoved him back, then snapped her fingers.
Pete stood before her naked, his cock jutting proudly from dark curls. Behind him, a blanket stretched out on the sand.
Isa, also naked, trailed her fingers over her hips, up her belly, and cupped her breasts. “I want you, Pete. Now.”
His eyes flared. Fists clenched, he started to shake his head.
“No more talk,” Isa pleaded.
His gaze softened and the corners of his lips curled up. “Well, how can I deny a beautiful woman what she wants?”
“Hopefully you can’t,” she replied, pushing him onto the blanket.
Straddling his thighs, Isa bent over and kissed him softly. She nibbled his lower lip, then trailed her mouth along his jaw, then his neck. His pulse beat erratically beneath her mouth as she lightly scraped her nails down his chest, his abdomen. Taking his cock in her hands, she placed kisses along the trail of hair leading along his stomach.
Pete groaned, caressing her shoulders as she drew his length deep into her mouth, sucking hard, then soft.
His salty taste was ambrosia. He cupped her breasts and she shivered in anticipation.
Isa nibbled up his length, licking his soft tip. She glanced up, watching him from beneath her eyelashes.
Pete stared at her, his gaze still worried.
She didn’t want him thinking, only feeling. Cupping his balls, Isa rubbed the tight skin beneath them as she took his entire length into her mouth.
His back arched.
She loved the deep, guttural sounds he made as she bit the tip of his cock, starting soft, then pressing her teeth into the tender skin a littl
e harder.
His hands tugged on her hair, urging her on. This man relished the pain almost as much as she did.
She released him to lick down his shaft and suck his balls into her mouth. Wrapping her fingers around his throbbing length, Isa pumped his cock while squeezing tightly.
Pete’s hips jerked and with a half-cry, half-groan, he released her hair to dig his fingers into her shoulders.
She watched the pleasure spread over his face. This man was so beautiful. So caring, kind.
Taking him once more into her mouth, she nibbled down his length.
His cock pulsed, ready to come.
Before she could resist, he sat up and pulled her onto his lap. She straddled him, his cock rubbing enticingly against her.
He nipped her ear as he twisted, pushing her onto the blanket beneath him.
His calloused hands were rough on her sensitive breasts, deliciously so.
He traced her nipples, then moved down her sides and grabbed her hips. Leaning over her, Pete scraped his teeth over first one tight bud, then the other, before lightly biting her collarbone.
He sucked on her neck, interspersing the pleasurable pain with light, butterfly kisses.
She held on to his shoulders as her body wiggled in his lap, rubbing him up and down her throbbing opening.
Isa wanted him inside her. Now. Without further playing.
Yet he resisted, as if knowing this would be their last rendezvous.
He captured her mouth in a sweet, gentle kiss pressing his thumb hard to her clit.
Her hips jerked, her pussy tightened as shocks of pleasure raced up her belly.
When he bit one of her nipples, only to suck it into his mouth, Isa cried out happily.
Pete spread her thighs further apart, nudging her opening with the hot tip of his cock. She lifted her hips, pushing against him, drawing him inside.
His smooth length filled her, driving her nearly over the edge from the pleasure of their joining. She tried to move back, but he held her still, rubbing her clit with his thumb in small, tight circles.
She tightened around his cock, squeezing him.
“Gods,” he breathed. “I love the feel of you.”
Her eyes fluttered open and she met his darkening gaze. She tightened her pussy again, watching the play of his face.
With a small smile, she jerked her hips, driving him deeper.
He groaned.
Tracing his broad shoulders with her fingertips, Isa jerked her hips back, then forward, playing with him. Enjoying the torture, sharing it.
Wanting control, she changed the dream scene. Once more, she was on top, straddling his lap.
He smiled ferally, then grabbed her hips. Pete slid her up his cock, kissed her lips, then let her fall back down, impaling her with his hardness.
Isa cried out sharply as the sensations filled her, spreading through every limb. She took over the pace. Pete’s hands constantly moved over her skin, grasping her breasts, her ass, dipping between them to tweak her clit.
She dug her fingernails into his shoulders, holding herself steady as she continued to rise and fall, taking everything this man gave.
Welcoming, relishing, their contact, the feel of naked skin on naked skin.
The feel of his warmth. The scent that was uniquely Pete.
How she loved being in his arms, taking his cock so deep it seemed he touched her very womb.
How she loved this man.
The thought sent her spinning as the orgasm crashed into her. Her legs shook, as she spasmed around his hardness, her pussy tightening over and over. It only made the orgasm last even longer.
Her belly tightened, pleasure sapping her strength. She yanked his head to her, kissing him with everything she felt.
Pete grabbed her hips, holding her as he slammed his hips upward, continuing to drive deep.
Isa shuddered, doing nothing but accepting the wondrous sensations flooding her shaking, trembling body.
With a hoarse cry, he came.
Ever so slowly, he stopped moving. Lying back onto the blanket, he held her tight to his chest, his cock still nestled inside her.
Isa didn’t want to move. Ever. But she could only keep time slowed for so long.
As the remnants of their lovemaking faded, a new, strange energy filled Isa. She lifted up a bit, so that she could look into her lover’s face.
His smile was beautiful. The lines around his mouth were no longer tense. All the worry had left. And in his eyes, shone a blinding love, bright and beautiful.
Uncomfortable with such a sight, aching at how she knew it could never be accepted, Isa drew away.
Pete grabbed her, holding her close, refusing to let her go.
“Look at me,” he whispered.
Isa shook her head, staring at his chest.
“I know you see how I feel.”
She nodded, barely.
“Why does it scare you so?”
Isa had no answer she was willing to share. For letting him see into her own heart would only hurt them both. She hoped to leave Pete with happy memories of their times together, not longing or regret.
That, she didn’t know if she could endure.
“Come. We must go. Time is running out.”
He grunted and traced a finger along her jaw, then let her up. “So, how do we get back?”
Isa glanced at him, saw the pain shadowing his gaze. Unable to help herself, she leaned in and kissed him softly.
* * *
Pete drifted awake, his cock still throbbing from the satisfaction he’d both given and received with his beautiful lover.
His destined mate.
She had to be. And Pete wouldn’t rest until he claimed her as such. Energy coursed through him. He felt strong, invincible.
Something hit his head, then he was falling. The ground met him harshly.
“Oomph.” Pete glanced up. The others surrounded him, staring down with a range of expressions, from exasperation drawing Garreth’s eyebrows together, to a knowing smile on Calla’s lips.
“What?”
“I don’t know what happened while you were asleep, but whatever it was, your succubus got us free,” Calla said.
“Maybe,” Garreth replied doubtfully.
Glancing around, Pete realized it was true. They were outside the castle, hidden in the forest from which they’d come. Bree laid Isa next to Pete and stepped back, exchanging a loving glance with Ty.
Isa moaned, lifting a hand to her forehead. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open. She began to smile at Pete, then noticed the others hovering above them. With a gasp, she jerked upright and scrambled back.
Pete jumped to his feet, pushing everyone away, then crouched at Isa’s side. “It’s all right. We’re free from the mage.”
Slowly, as if seeing the outside for the first time, Isa studied the sky, the stars, the trees. With a tinkling laugh, she lifted a handful of dirt and leaves and let them pour from her fingers. Taking a deep breath, Isa smiled.
“We need to go before the mage comes after us,” Garreth stated, shooting a glance at his mate.
Anna shook her head.
Isa pushed to her feet. “Leave? But the mage has not yet been defeated.”
Garreth growled at her. “And he won’t be defeated with our women here. My brothers and I will get you women to safety, then return and fight.”
Anna raised a brow at Garreth, while Calla snorted.
Bree smiled. “Really, the chauvinistic attitudes of dragons.” She winked at Calla.
Ty opened his mouth, then shut it as Bree glared at him. Scott just shook his head, keeping silent. He’d been mated to Calla long enough to know better, Pete guessed.
Calla rubbed her extended belly and stared at their oldest brother. “What do you think you’re going to do? Hogtie us? If you’re so afraid, feel free to wait at the cars. Us little women will take on the mage without your help.”
Anna laid a hand on Garreth’s arm. “We all have faced this mag
e. And we have all survived.” She rubbed her hip, her thigh, eyes losing focus as if dark memories chased her. “I for one will not back away from this. If we don’t stop him now, today, we will have to continue to run and hide.”
Anna blinked, eyes bright with unshed tears. “I will not run any longer. You, husband, taught me this.”
Garreth opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Isa and Calla turned and headed back for the castle. Pete shrugged at Garreth and followed. His Isa would not do this without him.
There was a muffled argument behind him, but it didn’t last long. Soon, they were all traipsing back toward the dark forbidding castle, the women leading the way.
As they reached the edge of the forest, thunderclouds grew above the stone place, swirling and expanding.
A voice boomed out, “Ah, I knew you could not leave. Good. This time I will finalize my plans.”
Above them, the clouds swirled faster, spikes of lightning driving down. Thunder boomed, shaking the earth beneath Pete’s feet.
Anna cried out and Garreth pulled her to his side.
Pete stepped forward. “Come out and meet us, mage. Or are you too cowardly?”
They lined up, facing the castle as a door appeared. White light shone from the entryway. Seconds later, a dark shadow strode out, facing them.
“So, then,” the hooded figure crowed. “Here I am. Come and get me.”
Before Pete could move, the ground shook again. Dirt and pebbles, sticks and leaves, trembled. Holes erupted, tree figures growing until they were surrounded by dryads.
More creatures, abominations straight out of Hell’s deepest imagination, spilled over the roof, crawling down the side of the castle.
Isa whispered, “I will try to hold his power back. You must not shift. Please?”
Pete nodded, staying in front of her, facing the monsters readying for attack. He would be her shield, her protection.
He glanced at his brothers. “Keep them from us. We will get to the mage.”
Ty nodded.
Pete’s clan spread out in a semi-circle. Calla let out a roar as she shifted. Her small, pregnant body expanded, from a weak human to a towering, red-scaled dragon. She faced the nearest dryads and covered them in bluish-red flames.
On Pete’s other side, Garreth and Anna also shifted. Ty grabbed Bree to him, pressed a quick kiss to her lips, then whooped as he too turned dragon.