Dragon Fire and Phoenix Ash

by M Carter

  “Wow, you are beautiful!” Her voice was filled with awe and made him proud of being a black. Proud of his size and strength that would be used to protect her.

  “Are you sure you are not going to eat me?” she asked with a laugh.

  Talking was out of the question in this form, but instinct had him reaching out mentally, a quick query to push against her mind. To his surprise and delight, she opened to him immediately, her mental presence wrapping around his with a light touch. Mind to mind contact between dragons was common, but it wasn’t as easy between dragons and other species.

  Not going to eat you, promissssssse. He lifted the corners of his lips in a lizardy smile, trying not to reveal his teeth. Those would send her running for sure.

  She smiled in response and whispered, “Thank you,” before bending down and kissing his snout. She then moved to walk down his body all the while sweeping her fingertips over his scales. The uncertainty she had initially shown around him had now vanished, replaced with a contentment and happiness that moved him. She surprised him at every turn, not dwelling in her past but taking hold of the future with both hands. Hands that now gripped the spines on the back of his neck as she climbed onto his back.

  A rumble of happiness in the back of his throat, he waited until she was securely settled and then stood.

  Hold on tight, he warned, walking to the edge of the patio. The city spread out beneath them and he took a moment for her to get used to the view before he stepped off the edge. He heard her gasp as they fell. Then he snapped his wings out, catching the air, and with two beats, they were aloft.

  Chapter 6

  When Damian had first stepped off the roof, Sula was convinced she had left her stomach back on the patio. With the wind whipping against her face, all she could do was smile.

  This was flying.

  When he had opened his wings and stopped the freefall, Sula had fought the need to release her grip on his spines and open her arms to feel the freedom of flying. Because of her incarceration, she had never had the pleasure of using her own wings to fly. As soon as her feathers had grown, they had been plucked. They had not only taken her free will but her ability to do what every other bird shifter could. Sula had no idea where to start when it came to flying, so to be this close was as good as it could get for her.

  This though… seeing the world from Damian’s back, knowing he would never let her fall, was exhilarating. Never in her life did she ever think she would have been free from that cage, never mind riding the back of a black dragon.

  “Oh my god! This is amazing!” she shouted before whoooooping as loudly as she could. Tightening her legs around him, she slowly let go of his spines and reached out like she had wanted to with her arms, holding them wide while letting her head fall back slightly.

  He chuckled, the scales on his back seeming warmer as he flew in lazy circles, banking and turning as he picked up air currents and eddies over the city. She knew what they were despite the fact she’d never flown, and within a few minutes was leaning with Damian’s movements, predicting them before he made them.

  “Can you go faster?” she shouted over the sound of the wind. Damian turned his head this time smiling as only a dragon could, full fang. Instead of being scared, she grinned back before she plastered her front to his back and gripped tightly. She felt the shift in his muscles as his wings pumped harder, sending them shooting through the sky.

  No feeling in the world could match this or possibly make her feel as alive as she did at this precise moment.

  Damian had shown her in only a short time what it was to live and to be free. She owed this black dragon her life if not more. She settled her head against his warm scales and closed her eyes, letting the wind swirl over her. She finally felt at home, but home wasn’t a place…home was someone you loved. Damian was her home.

  Snuggled against his back, she relaxed, content and safe as he flew until the light faded. She murmured in disappointment when she felt him bank and then touch down lightly. The magic of his shift swirled around them, and the next instant she felt strong arms around her as he strode back into the warmth of his apartment.

  “Jesus… you’re freezing, dot,” he rumbled in that deep voice of his, striding through to the bathroom attached to his bedroom and snapping the shower on. Setting her feet down on the floor, he held out his hand for the beanie.

  “Strip and in,” he ordered, pointing to the shower before turning to leave the room.

  Sula hadn’t wanted to leave the warmth of Damian’s arms, but her teeth had started to chatter. She hadn’t wanted to come down from their flight either, but that was selfish of her. Damian must have been tired carting her around like that.

  Slowly stripping off the clothes she had borrowed, she fought the shakes. Ever since she had lost all of her feathers, she struggled to stay warm. Surprising really, considering what she was, but it would take more than just a simple fire to put her right.

  As soon as the joggers had fallen to the floor, Sula stepped out of them and straight into the warm jets of water. She let the heat sink into her bones, warming her minute by minute. This was another form of bliss that she had been deprived of. The simple act of showering had been denied her for years. Only now that she was in, she didn’t think she could get out. Sula hated that moment in between leaving the heat to getting all snuggled in a towel, the moment the cold air hit her skin making her move faster. In all of her life she could count the showers she had received on one hand. Only this erased those feeble attempts from her mind.

  She closed her eyes and stayed under the warm spray.

  “Dot? How we doing in here?” Damian’s voice didn’t bring her head up. The water was too warm, and she was still chilled to the bone. Besides, he’d already seen her naked anyway. And bald as a parrot. It wasn’t like he was going to find her attractive at the moment anyway.

  “Dot?” There was a pause after the door had opened but she still didn’t look up. “Bloody hell, you poor little thing.”

  She’d expected the hissed intake of breath and the comment of pity. What she hadn’t expected was for him to yank open the shower door and step right in there with her. Strong arms wrapped around her, bringing her up against a solid, warm chest as he stood under the spray with her.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were that cold?” he demanded, strong fingers under her chin making her look up at him.

  Sula’s eyes met his darker ones, even though she didn’t want to at first. She didn’t want to see the pity in his eyes. Didn’t want him to see just how broken she actually was. Instead he just looked sad with a touch of determination that made her heart leap. Maybe he did not pity her then.

  “I’m sorry, but I was having so much fun,” she whispered and snuggled into his chest. The heat coming off him rivalled that of the water from the shower and she found herself getting hotter the longer she spent plastered to him. Sula didn’t want to move.

  “Thank you,” she said and tilted back to look up at him once again. “Thank you for taking me flying, for giving me chocolate cake… for finding me.”

  “I rather think,” he murmured, the touch of his fingers under her chin going from constraining to caressing. “That you found me.”

  Her breathing stopped as he bent his head, dark eyes fixed on hers as he nuzzled her nose with his. “I’m going to kiss you, little dot. Say no if you don’t want me to.”

  Sula’s heart erupted, pounding against her ribcage. Kiss her? Holy bonbons he wanted to kiss her. This is it, she thought, my first kiss.

  “Dot?” he asked again and she realized all she had done was stare at him and not answer. Sula still didn’t answer. She also didn’t nod. Instead she moved forward. Instead of waiting for his lips to touch hers, she pressed her own against his. They felt soft on first contact, a perfect feel and fit to hers.

  Sula had no experience. She had felt him stiffen at the contact, so she slowly pulled away, unsure what she had done wrong. He had wanted to kiss her. Righ
t?

  “Sorry,” she whispered and concentrated on making small circles on his chest with her finger, not wanting to look up at him. The last thing she wanted to see from this man was disappointment.

  “No sorries.” His deep voice sent shivers down her spine, ones that didn’t abate but instead intensified as he made her look up again. The hard look on his face made her suck a breath in, but the panic that wanted to break out died away as she saw the heat in his eyes. He wasn’t mad at her. This was something else…

  He didn’t speak as he slid his hand to cup the nape of her neck, tilting her head up and claiming her lips. His covered hers, but this wasn’t the tentative, unsure kiss she’d given him. It was sure and firm but not demanding as he whispered small kisses over her lips, as though learning the shape of them.

  Sula closed her eyes and surrendered. His presence dominated her. His kiss reduced her to a quivering mess, and she grasped at his bare shoulders to stop herself from sliding to the floor. This kiss would go down as legendary. He coaxed her to open, sliding his tongue gently against the seam of her lips until she complied. With a small step, he brought them closer, his free arm wrapping around her bare waist and pulling her up against his chest. Bare skin to bare skin as he slid his tongue against her own.

  She was wrong. This wasn’t just a first kiss. This was possession.

  He growled, the deep sound rumbling right through her as he deepened the kiss. She couldn’t do anything but cling to his bare shoulders as she was swept along. Small moans escaped her as she tried to get closer to him, the heat exploding through her warming her more than the hot water.

  Slowly he eased back, kissing her more gently until he broke the kiss to look down at her. His expression was concerned.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. “That went a little far… and I am not going to apologize for it. But… I want you to be sure you want to go down this route before we kiss again. Because next time… I won’t let you go.”

  Sula felt wobbly and only Damian’s arms kept her in an upright position. His words entered her skull but exited before they had time to sink in.

  What did he say? Oh yes, did she want to kiss him again? That was a no-brainer. Sula wanted to spend the next week kissing him. His taste was addictive and she wanted more.

  Reaching up, Sula traced his cheek with her finger, loving the contrast of stubble to skin.

  “Yes, I want to kiss you again,” she said simply and then did what she had done every night since she had been able to shift. She leaned up and licked his shoulder. “Mine.”

  “Fuck’s sake, someone must know something,” Damian hissed into the cell he held to his ear and resisted the urge to punch the wall in front of him. Vane watched him, arms folded over a massive chest as he shook his head, long hair dancing over his shoulders.

  “Sorry, boss,” he replied, his voice a deep rumble of regret. “I’ve tracked down everything I can think of. Either the assholes are already dead, or they’re like smoke in the wind. You want me to pull some more of the trainees and get back out there?”

  Damian sighed, running a hand through his hair. When it came to investigations, Vane was precise and methodical. If he hadn’t found anything, it meant there was nothing to be found. Not through the normal methods anyway.

  “No, no… you’ve done enough. Thank you. Call it a day and head over to the gym,” he grinned as he eyed Vane’s broad shoulders and arms all but bulging out of his tight shirt. “Can’t have you wasting away, can we?”

  Like most of them, he was heavily muscled, but Vane lifted weights like they’d personally offended him. There were some cogs loose there for sure. Quite what, Damian wasn’t sure, but since he’d had the same sort of upbringing as Damian… there were issues, that was for definite.

  Vane nodded. “I’ll get back to it tomorrow. We’ll find the assholes, boss. I promise.”

  “Sure thing,” Damian nodded, frowning as he scrolled through the numbers on his cell. “I’ll just make a few more calls and join you in there. Need to limber up before fight training later on.”

  Chapter 7

  Sula yawned, not a small one but a yawn that cracked her jaw and made her sound like a relative of a grizzly bear. She only knew of bears, the real grizzlies because one of the guards that used to watch over her. He had played documentaries over and over until she had requested something else be played, only to get her hand broken in response.

  Instead of waking up back in that small cage, she was overjoyed to wake up in Damian’s huge, comfy bed. But this time there was no hiding. She had slept peacefully encased in his embrace and surrounded by his warmth.

  She noticed when he had left, he had kissed her head before he slid out of the bed, making sure she was tucked in tightly.

  This was heaven. It had to be. Sula grinned and then threw back the covers before she climbed out of bed. She couldn’t sleep the entire day away, and most of it had already gone. Damian had once again made sure the refrigerator was filled with chocolate cake, and Sula planned to take advantage of that fact.

  She had found she had two new addictions—kissing Damian and eating chocolate cake. A naughty thought filtered through her mind, making her blush. What would happen if she kissed Damian after he had eaten the cake?

  Her steps faltered as she moved to exit the bedroom. Something wasn’t right. Her gut churned and something tickled the back of her neck.

  Reaching back, she touched the skin right at the bottom of her skull. Instead of bone, she felt a small flat disc… that had started to vibrate. Sula frowned as she tried to recall what it was or who had put it there, but she came up blank. That didn’t surprise her. There had been many times she had been unconscious that her old owners could have implanted anything.

  Without another thought, Sula raced for the office and quickly moved to hide under the desk, only the vibrating got more and more intense.

  She had to remove the implant.

  Peeking out from under the desk, she looked across the surface, searching for anything she could use. Damian was a tidy male, very tidy compared to the males she had been exposed to, and as such had nothing on his desk but a dragon paper weight. She looked to his shelves and her eyes raced across the different keepsakes before landing on a small gem-encrusted letter opener. Darting from her hiding place, Sula grabbed the blunt knife before she quickly ducked under the desk again. She knew what she had to do. She also knew it would hurt, but it had to be done.

  Before she had time to change her mind, Sula brought the dull end of the blade to her neck just below the implant and pressed hard. She cried out as it slowly pierced the skin. She felt the trickle of blood as it seeped from the wound and trailed down her back, but she continued, forcing the blade under and around the implant. Tears streamed down her face as she finally removed the round disc and dropped it onto the floor in front of her, only to find it still vibrating. Ignoring the pain from her neck, Sula used the hilt of the letter opener and smashed it against the implant, breaking it into two pieces and stopping the vibration.

  Sula’s shoulders slumped and she fell back against the wood of the desk. They wouldn’t be able to find her now. That was her thought as she heard the front door burst open.

  Closing her eyes, she curled into a ball, making herself as small as she could as she called out in her mind for Damian.

  Damian……they’ve found me…help…

  “Sula…oh, Sula,” a familiar voice called out, one that had fear skating down her spine. “We know you are here.”

  Marcus had indeed found her. Her dream, her heaven was over.

  “Come out, Sula. You don’t want us to hurt your new friend, do you?” His voice was filled with hate and impatience.

  Damian…no. No one could hurt a black. Damian had said himself he was the biggest and baddest. But Marcus could hurt him. He knew how to bring down any shifter. That was how he was the most successful harvester on the black market.

  She couldn’t let them hurt the one person in the w
hole world she cared about, she loved. She had told him thank you for finding her when in fact she had wanted to say thank you for saving her life and showing her, if for only a short time, that she wasn’t just an object to be owned and harvested from. She was a person, a woman who deserved a lot more.

  For that she owed Damian her life.

  Slowly on shaky feet, she climbed out from her hiding place, walking around the desk and out into the hall. Even dressed in only Damian’s shirt, she had more confidence in herself than before. Holding her head high, she faced Marcus.

  “Ahh there you are, my dear. I hope you’ve enjoyed your little holiday,” he sneered and stalked toward her. His lackeys grinned as they followed behind, their eyes taking in her barely clad form. This was part of the reason why she had stopped shifting back into her human form. Now they could see she was no longer a child, they would take her torture to the next level.

  But she wouldn’t make it easy for them.

  “Come. It’s time we went home, Sula.”

  “No,” she answered. “You don’t own me.”

  “Wrong.” Marcus countered followed by a back hand to the face that took her to the floor. His putrid breath covered her face as he leaned over her.

  “You are mine, Sula. You have been since you were born.” He grabbed her from the back of the neck, pressing on the fresh wound and causing her to cry out.

  “The only way you will be leaving again, my dear, is when you are dead.” Lifting her off her feet, he threw her into the waiting arms of one of the lackeys.

  “Take her to the car and make sure she stays there too,” he ordered.

  Sula fought against the tears that threatened to fall.

  Damian…

  It had been a long, hard day of training at court, none of which Damian remembered once he’d left. Every step, every turn in the car took him closer to the little bird who occupied his mind and his thoughts. He’d spent the morning calling his contacts, trying to get information on the men—no, creatures, he wouldn’t call them men—who had taken her. So far, no one knew anything, but he wasn’t worried. Even if it took years, someone somewhere would talk. Something would shake loose and he would track them down.