“It's your turn,” I said, my voice suddenly husky. “I want you to feel good too.”
I got off the bed and dropped to my knees before him. Leaning forward, I took him into my mouth. He moaned as my tongue slid up and down on him. And he called my name when I wrapped my hand around him and started to stroke.
I licked and sucked on him at the same time I was stroking him hard and fast. He pumped his hips, a look of pure lust in his eyes, and thrust himself into my mouth again and again. I tightened my mouth around him, sucking on him good and hard, and tightened my grip around his base until I was holding him good and tight.
“Ella,” he called. “Oh God, Ella.
I stroked as I sucked and felt his body growing rigid. A moment later, he cried my name and I felt his body start to shake. My mouth was suddenly filled with his warm, wet seed. I looked up at him, giving him my best salacious expression as he filled up my mouth.
I swallowed it all down and licked my lips as he took a step backward, looking almost dizzy. But then he smiled at me and pulled me to my feet. He laid down next to me on the bed and wrapped his body up with mine. I looked at him and smiled.
“Thank you,” I said softly.
“For what?”
“I needed the affirmation of life today,” I said. “I needed to be reminded of what we were fighting for.”
Zarik leaned forward and kissed me. Satisfied and content, we both drifted off to sleep.
Epilogue
“Face it, you lost, sucker,” I said and laughed.
“I did not,” Zarik said. “You cheated.”
“I did no such thing.”
“Okay, then you can't count.”
I laughed again. “Okay, that might be a possibility,” I said. “But I know for fact I took out more of them than you did tonight.”
“In your dreams.”
We'd just returned from the night's hunt and were showering up. It had been a few months since Jacob's death and things were finally beginning to return to normal. Somewhat. I was living at Zarik's place – in his room, rather than in the guest room – and we were hunting together at night.
It was a crazy existence, but it was one that worked for us. After all, we were both doing what we'd trained our entire lives to do – cut down the monsters and protect the people. That was our mission. That was our life.
Normal, it was not. But then again, neither of us wanted a normal life.
After the King of the Scales had been killed, the rest of the creatures had gone deep underground again. We hadn't seen or heard anything from them since that night of the battle in the cavern. Jacob had done the job. He'd collapsed the cavern, trapping them all below ground. And they'd gone silent, as a result.
Oh, there were still plenty of other creatures to battle. Some of them native to our world, others from the world of Chondelai. Finding things to kill wasn't an issue. In fact, if anything, with the Scales out of the way, it seemed like there were more monsters to kill than usual. It was as if the presence of the Scales was intimidating enough that some of the other creatures stuck closer to the shadows, not wanting to draw any attention to themselves whatsoever.
But with the Scales gone, they felt empowered to come back out of the darkness again.
Over the last week or so though, we'd seen a reappearance of the Scales. Nothing major, just a few here and there. We were working to figure out whether or not they'd rallied behind a new leader and were once again, plotting to reclaim the world. Or whether they were simply stragglers who'd been caught on the wrong side of the rock wall sealing off the cavern.
Not that it mattered all that much – we were going to fight and kill whatever came our way. That's what we did. That was our sacred duty. And it was a duty we performed with glee.
Even better, it was a duty we performed together.
Zarik pulled me into a tight embrace as the warm water rained down over our bodies. He kissed me lightly and looked deep into my eyes with an intensity that made my heart do a flip-flop. In Zarik's eyes, I saw nothing but adoration and respect. I only hoped he saw the same in mine.
“We live one bizarre life,” he said. “But there's nobody else I'd want to spend it with thank you, Ella.”
“I'm glad to hear that,” I replied. “Because you're kind of stuck with me now.”
“I wouldn't have it any other way.”
“Good, because neither would I.”
Zarik kissed me again, putting some real heat and passion into it, before pulling back and giving me a warm smile.
“I love you, Ella.”
“And I love you, Zarik.”
Our life was strange. Maybe even bizarre. But it was our life and we were living it. Together. And there really was no other way I would have it.
THE END
Book 3 – Loved by a Dragon
Prologue
The moon slipped in and out of the cloud cover in the nighttime sky overhead. It was well past two in the morning and the city was mostly asleep. I enjoyed being in Portland and made sure that my regular duties as a Ranger kept me close to it. I enjoyed being near the massive, sprawling forests of the Pacific Northwest. The soaring trees energized and rejuvenated me.
It also reminded me of home.
I never regretted my decision to leave Chondelai to become a Ranger, but I had to admit – sometimes, it got a little lonely. There were times I missed my family, my friends, and my Clan back in Chondelai. Not that I didn't have friends here in the world of man, but it wasn't the same. It couldn't be. Yeah, there were the other Rangers and a few others of my kind, but for the most part, the Dragonborn were isolated here in the world of man.
My only comfort really, was the fact that what we were doing was noble. It was right. Our calling was an honor among our people. The highest. Many were called to defend the world of man, but few actually made the cut. I took pride in being a Ranger and in doing the good I did in defending humanity against the dark creatures of our world – and theirs.
But that didn't mean it didn't sometimes get lonely.
That was something I couldn't afford to dwell on at the moment though. I needed to focus and get my head in the game. I was out in the forest that night hunting. But the deeper I moved amongst the trees, the more I felt like I was the one being hunted.
There was a strange tension in the air. A deep silence with a lightly whispered expectation of violence looming over me. Not even the night birds or insects that typically filled the night with their music dared make a sound. It was as if the entire world around me was holding its breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
And maybe it was.
The sound of furtive movement echoed around the forest. Somebody was out there. And given what was happening, I knew that whoever was out there wasn't going to be a friend of mine. I knew that whoever was out there was likely looking to take my head.
Which was why I was out there in the first place. Somebody was killing Rangers. Four of them, so far. It wasn't something that sat well with Joka, the Warden for this territory, and it wasn't something that sat well with me.
It wasn't easy to kill one of the Dragonborn, so whoever was doing it, was a skilled fighter. Knew what they were doing. This wasn't some novice human monster hunter or one of the dark creatures we routinely fought – like the Shongtal.
No, there was a savagery and yet, a precision to these kills. I'd heard of human hunters – the Order of Midnight. Quint, the Warden down in Los Angeles had spoken of them and we'd done our own research to find that they did indeed have chapters everywhere – our little corner of Oregon among them. They were skilled and they were fierce fighters. They used tactics and equipment that were surprisingly sophisticated.
And yet, in my gut, I knew that the one responsible for the deaths of these Rangers wasn't one of them. I did not believe the murderer was human.
I just had nothing to substantiate that belief.
But as I listened to the shadowy – thing – moving in the forest around me, my every instinc
t told me that I was not dealing with a human. I raised my head and scented the air, but all I came away with was the overwhelming damp, earthy smell of the forest. There was a slight twinge of something else – but it was something I couldn't quite identify through the naturally thick aroma of the woods.
But it was out there. I could hear it moving through the underbrush. I drew my sword and crept through the darkened woods. The high, thick canopy overhead only let in shafts of light, leaving much of the forest in dark pools of shadow. A thick, wispy mist hung just above the forest floor, swirling around my ankles as I went.
Up ahead, the movement sounded again. It was closer this time. As I moved slowly forward, my every sense heightened and aware, a sudden, eerie feeling stole over me. I realized that I was not pursuing the shadowy menace. I wasn't hunting it – I was being led by it.
That realization shook me to my core. I crouched down, keeping my sword at the ready, and looked around me, trying to peer into the inky pools of darkness that seemed to be multiplying by the second. That hushed sense of tension that filled the forest intensified – it almost had a physical pressure to it. I wasn't one who spooked easily, but it was fair to say that I was rattled.
Mostly because I realized in that moment that I was not in control of the situation.
As the oppressive silence stretched on, I stayed where I was, waiting for whoever was out there to make the next move. I was done playing their game. If they wanted me, they were going to have to come get me.
The snapping of a twig sounded off to my right, setting my every nerve on edge. But it seemed to be purposeful to me. It was deliberate, to either draw my attention that way or as a means of trying to spook me. Unfortunately for the killer, I wasn't careless enough to focus in on one sound to the exclusion of everything around me. And I wasn't a man who spooked easily.
But everything about this was wrong. There was something dark and malevolent out there in the woods with me. I could feel it.
And then I heard it.
The sound of laughter, low and menacing drifted out of the darkened forest. It was the laugh of somebody who knew they had the upper hand. Somebody who knew they had the situation under control.
I knew the laugh because I'd heard it come out of my own mouth plenty of times.
I wasn't going to sit there and wait for death to come to me. If I was going to die, I was going to do it on my own terms. I was going to do it doing what I did best – fighting.
I surveyed the area, looking for a place to make a stand. The trees were thick and dense around me. They pressed close on all sides of me. My concern was that it was too congested where I was to allow me to shift into my dragon form if needed for battle. And I had a feeling it would be needed.
I knew the woods around the area pretty well – though it was impossible to know every square inch of them. The forest was just too vast – which was one of the things I loved about being posted in that locale. It felt like home to me.
The laughter, soft and malevolent, drifted to me on the breeze that rustled the bushes around me. It sent chills marching across my skin and a jolt of adrenaline through my chest. The sound of it just made my skin crawl.
“Come out, come out, where ever you are,” the whispered voice came to me on the soft breeze. “Come out and play.”
Whoever was out there was taunting me. Goading me into action – into making a mistake. All it was really doing though, was pissing me off. When I was pissed, my focus tended to be a little sharper. And in that moment, my focus was as sharp as ever.
I knew there was a clearing about a hundred yards ahead of me or so that I knew of. I would make my stand there. Steeling myself, I got to my feet and bolted down the path, toward the clearing. Though I ran hard and fast, I kept my eyes moving, searching for threats as I moved. I half-expected to be attacked, to have somebody or something launch itself out of the bushes at me.
But I made it into the clearing uncontested. No attack. No nothing.
What I saw when I entered the clearing though, made me wish I'd never set foot in it. And it suddenly clicked in my head that this is where the mysterious – thing – out there wanted me to go the whole time. He'd wanted me to see this – wanted me to suffer this one final heartbreak before he killed me.
A large, thick tree stood in the center of the clearing. And as I approached it, the moon broke through the clouds, bathing the clearing in a cold, silvery light. A light that illuminated the body propped up against the trunk of that tree. Her body.
I fell to my knees beside her lifeless corpse. Gently reaching out, I touched it and felt a ripple of grief pass through me.
“Ankara, what has been done to you?”
My voice was barely more than a whisper as I looked at her ravaged body. Her chest had been torn open, most of her insides spilling out onto the ground around her. And worst of all, her head had been taken. It was nowhere around her on the ground, so I had to assume that whoever had killed her, had kept her head as a trophy.
Ankara and I had something of a relationship. Or, as close to a relationship as two people in our line of work could really have. I'd cared for her. I'd cared for her very much. Because we were Rangers, I didn't foresee a future where we could be bonded lifemates, but if there was ever a person I would have taken that bond with, it would have been Ankara.
And now she was gone. Murdered.
I felt a cold, dark rage filling my heart. I gritted my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to burn the image of Ankara's lifeless, headless body out of my mind. My body burned from the inside with the intensity of my rage. The intensity of my hate. And that's when I heard the footsteps in the grass behind me.
It was time.
Standing, I turned to face the killer. The one who'd taken Ankara from me. My sword was still gripped in my hand and I had already called up the dragonfire within me. I was ready. I was going to make him pay.
But when I saw who it was, I faltered for just a moment. I hesitated as I looked into his eyes. I hadn't been expecting the killer of four – now five – Rangers to be somebody I knew. But knew him, I did.
“You,” I said softly.
“Me.”
I shook my head, trying to deny what I was seeing with my own two eyes. “But – why?”
“Why else?” he said. “Power. Control. And oh yeah, I enjoy it.”
I shook my head, not believing what I was hearing. To think that one of my own, one of my kind, could betray his people, betray every oath he'd ever taken – it was beyond belief. I was having trouble wrapping my head around it all.
“I'm going to make you the same offer I made all the others,” he said. “This is a one-time offer, so I would urge you to choose wisely.”
I looked up at him and somehow knew what he was going to say next. It seemed – obvious.
“Join me,” he said. “Join my clan and be part of something greater.”
Though it was what I'd expected, his words still bit deep inside of me. I'd long heard of the clan he spoke of, but had always believed it was nothing more than myth. Legend. Ghost stories people would sometimes tell one another on those dark and ominous nights.
“So, it's true,” I said. “The Shadow Clan is real.”
“Oh, it's very real,” the man said. “And I'm offering you a seat at the table.”
All my life, all I'd ever wanted to be was a Ranger. Eventually, a Warden. To me, it was a noble, honorable calling. It was serving something bigger than ourselves. To defend those unable to defend themselves was, in my mind, the most honorable way to spend one's life.
And it was my mistake to assume that everybody believed the same way I did. It made me feel foolish and naive. More than that though, knowing that somebody would betray everything I held dear, would corrupt the vows that defined me, filled me with a dark and abiding rage.
When he looked into my face, he undoubtedly saw my answer because he merely shook his head, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“
It doesn't have to be like this,” he said.
“It does, I'm afraid,” I replied. “And once I'm done with you, it will be my life's mission to hunt down and eradicate the Shadow Clan from Chondelai and the world of man.”
“So be it.”
His movement was so fast, I barely had time to react. He'd thrown something at me that I barely got my blade up in time to deflect – only, I wasn't able to deflect it entirely. The needle of the weighted dart he'd hurled buried itself deep into my arm. And when I felt a tingling, burning sensation coursing through my veins, I realized what he'd done.
And knew I was in very deep trouble.
“What's the matter,” I hissed, my eyes narrowing with rage, “can't fight on an even field of battle?”
He shrugged. “Why should I?” he asked. “Why should I risk my own life when I can do this and ensure my own victory?”
The liquid silver that he'd managed to inject into me through that dart ran through my veins. My skin was hot and I felt nauseous. I felt physically weakened. Having silver introduced into our blood was usually a death sentence for the Dragonborn. It would make us physically ill, but that would pass and was little more than a minor inconvenience. The real damage the silver did to us was in suppressing our ability to shift into our dragon form. It suppressed our ability to call up the dragonfire within us. It also meant that we could not use our own innate gifts and abilities.
For all intents and purposes, once we were injected with silver, we became – human.
Eventually, the silver wore off and passed out of our systems. But typically, by then, it was too late. If somebody injected us with silver, it meant that they knew our weakness and knew how to kill us – and they intended to do just that.
I felt lightheaded. And my strength was ebbing away by the second. He stood idly by, his arms crossed over his chest, watching me. The man was obviously waiting for me to hit my weakest point before he acted – which meant, that I needed to act swiftly, before the last of my strength evaporated.
Gripping my sword tightly, I took a few stumbling, shambling steps forward, my sword at the ready. I took one awkward, clumsy swing at him, but he parried it with his own blade easily. He stepped forward and swung his sword again. Steel rang against steel and my sword went spinning off into the darkness, landing in the tall grass with a soft thump.
No Such Thing as Dragons : Complete Series Box Set (Books 1 - 5) Page 26
