No Such Thing as Dragons : Complete Series Box Set (Books 1 - 5)

by Lauren Lively

“Look,” I snapped. “I'm going down there. With or without you. Ella loves you and I know you love her – that's the only reason I called you. I was hoping that you could prove to her that you were more than a mindless thug. That maybe, you could see past your own bigotries. Maybe you can and maybe you can't. I don't know. That's for you to decide. But I'm going down there right now. There's no telling how much time she's got left – if it's not too late already.”

  Without waiting for him to reply, I turned and dropped down into the tunnel. I drew my blades and started to walk toward the cavern. Jacob's footsteps hit the packed earth of the tunnel behind me and a moment later, he fell into step beside me.

  “I'm doing this for Ella,” he sneered.

  I said nothing and simply nodded, my eyes focused on the tunnel ahead.

  “And when this is done,” Jacob said, “you and I are going to have a talk.”

  “And by talk,” I said, “I assume you mean you're going to kill me.”

  “Somethin' like that.”

  I shrugged. “You're welcome to try,” I replied. “But has it ever occurred to you that maybe, we're on the same side in this fight? That maybe, not all non-humans are the monsters you imagine them to be?”

  “No,” he said flatly. “It hasn't.”

  I sighed. “So be it.”

  We walked until we found the hole in the sewer wall that led down into the cavern. The bonfire was lit and there were hundreds of the Chokan inside. Just like before, the creature I assumed to be their leader stood on the small rise in the center of the cavern. Only, this time, Ella was next to him. She was on her knees and looked like she'd taken a few hard blows – blood matted her hair and streamed down her face – but she was alive.

  Relief flooded my body when I saw her. But standing between us were dozens upon dozens of the Chokan. The leader raised his hands and called for silence. The lizards below him all fell silent, gazing up at him with sheer reverence.

  “Brothers and sisters,” the leader hissed. “Tonight, we put on trial, the huntress responsible for taking the lives of our brothers and sisters. She's hunted and killed our kind by the score for years. You all know her. Fear her. Tonight, we are going to bring her reign of terror to its end.”

  The gathered Chokan roared in approval.

  “Some trial,” I muttered. “Sounds like she's already been convicted.”

  “That's what monsters do,” Jacob sneered. “They can't wait to spill human blood.”

  I looked over at him and bit back the sharp reply that came to my lips. Fighting between ourselves wasn't going to accomplish anything but get us killed alongside Ella. No, we needed to be clear and focused to get her out of there.

  “Any bright ideas?” Jacob asked.

  I had nothing. Absolutely nothing. There was no way we were going to be able to sneak in there and snatch her up. Not without hundreds of those things watching us do it. So, I guess the only real option was to let them watch us do it.

  “We're not going to be able to get the drop on them,” I said. “So, perhaps, the best approach is the direct approach.”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “I'll go in first,” I said. “I'll distract them and hopefully draw their attention. You come in behind me and get to Ella. Get her and get out of here.”

  Jacob nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

  I took a deep breath and exhaled. It was a plan – just not a very good one. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to come up with something better. Steeling myself, I stepped through the hole and into the oppressive heat of the cavern. Almost immediately, the cacophony of noise in the room ceased as all eyes turned to me.

  “Hi,” I called and waved to the creatures.

  Ella looked up and I saw an expression of utter relief on her face. I wanted nothing more than to go to her, but I knew I'd never make it. The only option was for me to give Jacob the chance to get to her. The leader of the Chokan looked up at me, his face a mask of fury.

  “You dare come into our kingdom?” it called to me.

  “Yeah, sort of looks that way,” I said. “You happen to be holding somebody I care about.”

  “The huntress is going to die tonight,” the leader hissed. “And now, you along with her.”

  “Maybe,” I said. “Or maybe, all of you are going to die tonight.”

  The leader of the Chokan made a strange, choking noise. It took me a moment to realize that it was laughing. I continued to edge along the path that led down to the floor of the cavern. The creatures there seemed to recognize me – I could smell the fear radiating from them.

  The Chokan backed away as I approached, giving me a wide berth when I came to the floor of the cavern. My blades were in my hands as I continued to walk, drawing their attention away from the hole in the cavern wall – away from Jacob.

  The leader stood on the rise, seemingly content to watch me move among his people. If he recognized me for what I was, he gave no indication. He certainly showed no fear of me. It was then I decided that maybe it was time to put a little fear into him.

  I called up my dragon fire and spit a thick column at the Chokan closest to me. Half a dozen of them went up in flames instantly. Their keening wails echoed around the cavern and they thrashed about before they fell to the ground in a heap of ash.

  The leader looked at me and rather than fear, all I saw in his face was anger. Rage.

  His foot soldiers hesitated, none of them wanting to come near me after they'd just watched half a dozen of their comrades go up in flames. Jacob was scaling down the wall, completely unobserved by anybody – except for Ella, who'd apparently spotted him. She looked from him to me, and I could see the questions in her eyes.

  The air in the cavern was tense – and growing even more tense by the moment. There was a sense of expectation and a threat of violence hanging over us all.

  “Kill him,” the Chokan leaders shouted.

  For a moment, nobody moved. Nobody spoke. And then all hell broke loose.

  I spit my dragon fire at the line of Chokan that rushed me. Flames erupted and screams filled the air as the creatures were set ablaze. More and more pushed their way through, trying to get to me. There were too many of them and I knew that if I didn't move, I was going to be overwhelmed by them.

  I backed up until I hit the cavern wall. I was out of room. The roar of the Chokan was deafening, the stench of their burning flesh thick and nauseating, and the agonized screaming of those on fire reverberated through the air. It was what I imagined people pictured when they thought of Hell.

  I'd lost sight of Jacob beneath the crush of bodies. I continued to slash with my blades and spit dragon fire, trying to keep the Chokan at bay. But I had to get out of the corner I'd pinned myself in. Sooner or later, they were going to push through and get to me.

  I gritted my teeth and let my wings burst from my back. The Chokan seemed to gasp in unison as I lifted myself off the ground, continuing to spit fire at them from above. From my vantage point, I saw that Jacob had made it to the rise and was battling the Chokan leader. Ella was on her side, not moving.

  Jacob parried the creatures tail, his speed and skill with a blade apparent. His movements were a blur, but the Chokan leader was fast as well – and relentless. I saw what was about to happen a moment before it actually went down and knew Jacob was in trouble.

  The leader moved to the right, its tail poised and cocked. It was enough to draw Jacob into an anticipatory defensive posture. But it was a ruse. The creature came back to the left, its tail lancing out and buried its stinger into Jacob's thigh. He cried out in pain as the creature withdrew its stinger and pulled it back to strike again.

  Streaking in from above, I closed to within ten feet of the Chokan leader and spit a thick column of dragon fire at it. Leader or not, he burned just as brightly as his foot soldiers. The creature screamed and staggered around in a blind, agonized rage. He fell off the rise and landed among his people.

  They stepped back and seemed t
o recoil in horror as their leader rolled around, its keening wail ghastly to hear. A moment later, the fire burned out and their leader, the one who was supposed to lead them back to glory as they reclaimed the world, was nothing more than a pile of ash.

  I landed upon the rise next to Jacob and retracted my wings. The cavern was eerily silent as the Chokan looked from their fallen leader, to each other, and then to us. As if by some telepathic agreement, the creatures moved almost as one – away from us. They turned and moved back down the tunnels that branched off from the cavern, deeper down into the Earth.

  I knelt down to check on Ella and saw that she was unconscious and in bad shape. She'd been stung by one of the Chokan. Her skin was hot to the touch, but she was shivering.

  “Get her out of here.”

  I turned and saw that Jacob was quickly deteriorating as well. The venom in the Chokan stingers was obviously potent and worked quickly.

  “I can get you both out of here,” I said.

  He shook his head. “No, the tunnels need to be sealed,” he said. “We have to close off this cavern and lock those bastards below ground.”

  “But –”

  Jacob opened his hand and showed me a pair of hand grenades. I shook my head.

  “No, not this way,” I said. “We'll find another way.”

  “There is no other way,” he said. “We need to do it now, while they're in disarray and leaderless.”

  “Ella needs you,” I said.

  He shook his head. “She hasn't needed me for a long time,” he replied.

  “That's not true.”

  “Do you care for her?” he asked. “Do you really care for her?”

  I looked over at her unconscious form, my heart turning somersaults in my chest at the mere thought of losing her.

  “I do,” I replied. “I care for her very deeply.”

  Jacob nodded. “Good. Then get her out of here. Now,” he said. “And promise me that you will take care of her.”

  “I swear it,” I said. “On my honor.”

  Jacob looked at Ella and I could see the sadness in his eyes. He knew he was never going to see her again and their last words had been spoken in anger. The regret on his face was painful to see.

  “Do me another favor,” Jacob said. “Tell her – tell her –”

  I nodded. “I will.”

  He looked at me and gave me a nod. And then he surprised me by holding his hand out to me. I looked at it for a moment before taking it, giving him a firm handshake.

  “Get out of here,” he said.

  I picked Ella up and carried her out of the caverns, hustling down the tunnel and climbing back out into the night. She was trembling and I feared that she was fading quickly. I needed to get her somewhere safe. Somewhere I could help her heal.

  A low rumble shook the ground beneath my feet and I knew that Jacob had sealed the cavern, trapping the Chokan below ground. He was gone and my heart went out to Ella. I was dreading having to tell her.

  With no real alternatives, I shifted into my dragon form and gently picked her up. I flew up into the darkness of the nighttime sky and headed straight for my sanctuary up in the mountains. If there was one place I could help her heal and recuperate, it would be there.

  It took twenty minutes to get to my cabin. I set her down gently before shifting back into my human form. Picking her up, I carried Ella into the house and laid her on the bed. I wasn't a skilled healer, but I knew the blood of the Dragonborn contained curative properties. I knew that it would be able to nullify the venom coursing through her veins and its regenerative ability would help pull her back from the brink of death. It would help heal her.

  I grimaced as I used a blade to slice the palm of my hand and let some of my blood drip into her open mouth. Almost immediately, her color started to return to normal. Her breathing slowed and she seemed to drift off into a restful sleep.

  Letting out a long breath of relief, I laid down on the bed next to her and gave myself over to the darkness and peace of sleep.

  Chapter Twenty

  Ella

  “Welcome back.”

  Zarik's voice sounded far away. I sat up in bed and looked around. I was a little groggy and amazingly enough, still tired. I felt like I could lay down and go back to sleep. But as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and stretched, I began to grow warmer inside. An energy took over my body and as I woke up, I began to feel better. In fact, I started to feel good. Really good.

  “How long have I been asleep?” I asked.

  “Two days,” I said. “I was worried.”

  “Two days?”

  Zarik nodded. “You were stung by one of the Chokan,” he explained. “The venom was strong and I feared that I was going to lose you. But I got you here in time.”

  “How did you stop the venom from killing me?”

  “Blood,” he said. “My blood.”

  “You fed me blood?”

  He shrugged. “It healed you.”

  “It did,” she said. “In fact, I can't remember ever feeling better.”

  I saw something in his face. He was troubled. I knew there was something he wasn't telling me. My memory of the other night was scattered and faded, but I remembered being taken captive by the Scales. And I knew they'd roughed me up pretty good. Obviously, Zarik had rescued me, though I knew none of the details. But beyond that, I didn't recall much. So, I had no idea what had happened.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “I have something to tell you,” he said.

  I braced myself, fearing what he was about to say and not knowing why. And as he told me everything that had happened – from him calling Jacob, to Jacob's sacrifice at the end – I listened with my stomach clenching into a tight knot. A tear raced down my cheek and I felt an all too familiar hole opening up within me.

  “He wanted you to know that he was sorry,” Zarik said. “For everything. And that he loved you. He made me swear to tell you that.”

  Zarik pulled me into a tight embrace and let me cry into his shoulder. He simply stroked my hair and said nothing. His presence was comforting. Reassuring.

  Eventually, I pulled back and looked up at him. He gave me a gentle smile and squeezed my hand. I nodded to myself and knew that despite the pain of loss I was feeling, that everything was going to be okay.

  “He died the way he wanted to die,” I said. “He went out with a warrior's death.”

  Zarik nodded. “His was a good death,” he said. “An honorable death.”

  The grief in my heart was sharp, and the loss I felt was deep. I was surrounded by death and doled it out most every night on my own. It seemed that my whole existence was wrapped up in death. And in that moment, I wanted to embrace the energy of life.

  I leaned forward and kissed Zarik, taking him by surprise. He pulled back and looked at me, not understanding.

  “I need to feel life,” I said. “I need this.”

  He seemed to understand and he pulled me close, kissing me deeply. As our kisses grew more passionate and intense, our hands roamed and explored one another's bodies. Zarik's body was so warm and so alive with energy, with life, that it was intoxicating to me. The energy he exuded filled me and renewed me.

  I pulled his shirt over his head and kissed his chest. He gasped as I bit and sucked on his nipples. I slid the tip of my tongue up his chest and kissed him deeply again. His hands were in my hair, gently pulling it as we kissed.

  Sliding my hand down his body, I grabbed hold of him, stroking and squeezing him through his jeans. Unbuttoning his jeans, I slid my hand down inside of his boxers and took him in my hand. He moaned softly as I squeezed him hard and began stroking him up and down.

  I got him out of his pants completely and climbed into his lap, straddling him. Neither of us spoke – there didn't seem to be any words required in that moment. I took hold of him again and guided him to my opening as a warm and welcome heat flooded the center of me.

  Putting the tip of him inside of me, I lower
ed myself, moaning as I slid down the length of him, inch by wonderful inch. When he was sheathed inside of me fully, I moaned and began to rock my hips back and forth, sliding myself up and down on him.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and started to move faster, grinding myself harder upon him. Zarik looked into my eyes, moaning as I rode him. He kissed me, his hands cupping and squeezing my ass as I continued to thrust myself up and down on him, nice and hard.

  Zarik's mouth was on my breasts, licking and sucking at my hard nipples. I moaned and softly called his name. He moved his hips upward, driving himself even deeper inside of me. I gasped and dug my nails into the flesh of his shoulders, reveling in the sensations that were coursing through my body.

  There was a look of absolute need in his eyes as he stood up and put me back down on the bed. Zarik moved me so that I was on all fours. Stepping up behind me, he planted a line of gentle kisses down my back and then thrust himself into me hard and without warning. My eyes grew wide and I gasped as he filled me up.

  He grabbed hold of my hips and began to move his hips, thrusting himself into me again and again, deep and fast.

  “Zarik,” I moaned. “Oh yes, baby. God yes.”

  I felt him take hold of my hair, pulling my head back as he pounded himself into me. I was so warm and wet, he plunged himself into me with ease.

  “Ella,” he moaned.

  Heat and the energy of life radiated off his body, soaking into mine. I reveled in how electric my body felt with him inside of me, enjoying each and every sensation that coursed through me. Zarik's breathing was growing hoarse and labored. I felt his body tense and knew that he was getting close.

  Zarik slowed his pace, but drove himself as deep as he could inside of me. He was filling me up completely and I felt a heat and tightness quickly growing in the center of me. When he thrust himself into me, the dam holding my orgasm back broke and I was flooded with sensations. I cried out as my body shook, wave after wave of orgasm tore through me. It was glorious.

  I fell forward onto my stomach, my whole body seeming to spasm and shake. As my orgasm eventually subsided, I turned and looked at Jacob over my shoulder and smiled.