Black Dragon's Blood

by Anita Philmar

  Having problems, might be late.

  A

  A loud beep sounded. The engine failed. The control panel went blank. Amanda panicked and grabbed the guidance stick.

  Her mind raced with proper procedures to follow in case of an emergency. She hit the air bag buttons and the parachute release valve.

  Hearing the air rushing into the safety compartments, she was quickly surrounded. Her body wedged into a tight cocoon to cushion the blow when the vehicle hit the ground. A rough jerk told her the parachute had caught wind. The speed of her fall stalled for a second.

  The last readings she'd caught said the vehicle had over five hundred lengths until it connected with the ground. Seconds dragged.

  Her blood raced through her veins. She closed her eyes. Her hands covered her face. Her body pressed from every direction by a pillow of air, she waited for the hard bump that would mark the end of this journey.

  Anxious for the crash to be over, she reminded herself the craft was designed to protect its passenger. She still couldn't help but be afraid.

  What was William going to say when he found out about this?

  She had no doubt he was going to be angry. Yet, it wasn't her fault the engine had failed. It had been fine when they drove back from the cabin.

  Bouncing against the air bags, she felt the vehicle hit the ground. It rocked from side to side like a cradle before it settled on its base.

  Amanda took a deep breath and waited for air bags to deflate. A gush of air caught her off guard as the driver's door was suddenly ripped open. A large hand shoved a smelly cloth over her face. Fighting the odor and the unseen culprit, Amanda's mind clouded. Her nose hurt, her eyes burned.

  Blackness descended.

  * * * *

  "What do you mean her vehicle has been found, but she's not in it?” William yelled into the communicator on his desk. The emergency traffic system had just reported her craft on the ground. She had to be in it.

  "We just got here. The driver's door is open, and the air bags are still deflating,” the policeman reported. “But your wife is nowhere to be found."

  "Is there anyone else around?” Panic rushed through him. He glanced around at the plush interior of his Dragon Center office. Expensive furniture and state of the art equipment, yet he still hadn't been able to safeguard Amanda and their child.

  "No, we're the only ones on the scene,” the officer continued. “This is a remote location, there isn't anyone around to tell us what happened."

  "Fine.” Frustrated, William hit the release lever to disconnect the call. The local police were not going to be of any help.

  Punching in a series of numbers, he barked out his orders as soon as the communication device connected. For the millionth time, he wished everyone and every location had a receiver, but the politicians couldn't agree on who should run the communication system.

  "Yes. How can I help you, Will?” the jovial sound of his best friend's voice rang through William's office.

  "Jake, Amanda's vehicle is down. Her tracer says she's on the move.” William eyed the small square screen on his special equipped messenger.

  "Where was she going?” Jake's tone turned all business.

  "To meet her father at her brother's café.” William tracked the small dot on the screen. The movement gave him the eerie feeling Amanda was heading back to Sin City. Yet he had no proof that was her destination.

  "Who do you think took her?” Jake questioned. “The ethnic committee shelved their vote until next month. No one on that side of the political game would have anything to gain by taking her. They wouldn't want to risk the funding the Dragon Center provides until they are forced to take a stand."

  "No, but I have a bad feeling someone thinks she knows who killed Mark Helman.” William wanted to kick himself for providing Amanda with Mark's file. “They don't want her talking."

  "Does she know who did it?"

  "I don't think so, but contact Seth and let him know what's going on. I'm arranging a speed rocket to track her down.” William looked up as his pilot walked through the door.

  "I'll let you know as soon as we can nail down her position.” William slammed back his chair, hit the disconnect lever and rushed for the door.

  "You better be ready to go, because I don't think we're going to have a lot of time before they dampen her tracking code."

  * * * *

  "You know, this woman has caused me more trouble.” There was a rumbled response, then the voice continued, “No, I think I deserve to have a little fun with her before Geo kills her."

  The voice sounded familiar. Yet, Amanda's foggy memory couldn't determine who it was. Her eyes wouldn't open either. She struggled to identify the person.

  "Aren't you worried they'll come looking for her? After all, isn't she married to the director of the Dragon Center?” The gruff words crashed against her eardrums. A pounding started in her head.

  "Yes, but you might say I gave her to him,” Mr. Familiar answered. “I slipped a little love potion in her drink when she had dinner with me the other night."

  "But I thought you said she was after you because of Mark—the dragon serum guy,” Mr. Gruff said.

  "Mark was her first husband. William is her current spouse.” Mr. Familiar's voice turned nasty. “He never should have gotten her away from me. I had plans to make her my slave. I wanted to chain her to my bed, feed on her wet slick juices for a few days, maybe even start a baby growing in her womb to keep her hungry."

  The voice grew louder. “Then after I had my fun, I was going to let Geo silence her the same way he did Mark. I guess when you think about it. I can still follow that plan."

  "I've deactivated her tracer,” Mr. Gruff added.

  "Good, and with her buried inside my hotel, they'll never be able to find her."

  There was a chuckle.

  A hand brushed her breasts. Then the surface below her shifted. “With the hard-edged bubbles spiked with dragon serum, I might even be able to sell her to a few horny male customers. She's going to be so hot for a man. She won't care who screws her."

  "And with her in the bubble pit, she won't be able to escape,” Mr. Gruff added on a rough sigh. “I love the way only men can get out of those things. I might have a dip myself."

  "Just make sure we don't run into any trouble."

  A door shut, and silence filled the room. The beat in her head drummed on. The dark clouds on the edge of her consciousness closed around her again. She struggled with the sensation, determined to discover her location. The last thing she remembered was her vehicle crashing.

  Where was she now?

  Why hadn't William found her?

  She remembered giving him her location. And she knew he had an active tracer on her personal code. Yet...

  The words from the man a few seconds ago sank in. They'd disabled her locator. Snippets of the conversation registered, and she forced herself to review their words.

  Hotel—dragon serum—she should know the answer. Tossing the words and sounds of Mr. Familiar's voice around in her head, the fog began to lift.

  York.

  She had to be in York's hotel.

  Her eyes sprang open.

  Her reflection appeared before her shocked eyes. She blinked. Then she tightly closed out the nightmare that greeted her gaze.

  She was lying on a bed of wet, hard-edged bubbles, naked. Four walls surrounded her in a pit that looked to be several lengths deep. She tried to move, and her body sank under a layer of slick balls about the size of William's fists.

  Again she opened her eyes. The dark walls of the pit hampered the view of her prison. She glanced at the mirrors above her to get a better idea of her location.

  Designed like most hotel rooms, this one had a pit where the bed would normally be. She wasn't sure how to get out of the enclosure.

  Working her legs underneath her, she stood. The bubbles parted, and the surface beneath her shifted. The floor sank. Bubbles rose to cover her chest.
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  Afraid of being buried, she leaned back to relieve the pressure on the floor. The bubbles floated down.

  Still groggy, she relaxed for a few moments to think about how the device might work. Her skin tingled. Her blood roared in her ears, joining the throb in her head. Her breasts swelled. An ache started in the pit of her stomach.

  She looked around at the wet bubbles brushing her skin.

  Spiked with dragon serum, York had said.

  "Pickled herons, I hate that man."

  The effects of the drug grew stronger as her awareness of her surroundings came into focus. York knew if she was exposed to the dragon serum long enough, she wouldn't be able to resist any man coming through the door. The added adrenaline rush of being held captive and with no means of escape was probably an unknown factor to him.

  Her pulse increased even more as she tried several times to get out of the pit. She grabbed the sides to pull herself out, but each time the floor dropped or the pit's edge flattened out and she lost her grip. She couldn't get the leverage she needed to break free.

  Her pounding head took up a chant of all she had to lose because of her persistence to find answers.

  A wonderful husband.

  A baby.

  A wonderful life.

  A husband ... a baby ... a wonderful life...

  "No,” she screamed at the empty room. “I had to know who killed Mark. I wanted to find the person responsible for killing my unborn child."

  Sudden realization dawned. Her hands covered her stomach. York may have been responsible for killing Mark, but the child in her womb would die if another man made love to her.

  Hot tears ran down her face.

  She'd lost everything.

  Chapter Fifteen

  "I want York arrested. Put him in jail for suspicion of kidnapping and hold him for at least a day. I want time to find Amanda.” William stood in York's hotel lobby surrounded by three Dragon Center agents and four policemen. His skin tingled. A sweet scent tickled his nose. “I have no doubt she's in this hotel."

  "We'll do what we can.” Police Chief Perkins led the way toward a wall of lifts going up. “I can't guarantee more than a day. The man has friends in high places."

  "So do I.” William waited as the policemen got on the lift. The doors closed, and the officers were raised to the next floor. Another platform came into view through the glass lift doors.

  "Jake, I need the master keycard to every room.” William held out his hand.

  "How can you be sure York is responsible?” Jake handed over the card. “It could be someone else."

  "True, but I want the man out of my way. Whether he's guilty or not can be determined later.” William started for the rotating platform lift.

  "How can you be sure she's here and not in some other hotel?” Jake asked as they rose to the next floor. The slow lift paused at each level to let passengers off or on.

  "The tracker may have ended its transmission on the edge of town, but I know she's here.” William clutched his hands into fists, irked by the constant delay. “I can smell her.” He punched the button to hold the door open and waited for the other agents on the third level to enter the lift before he hit the top button. “Now, if I can just determine which floor we should start our search."

  At each level, he sensed they were getting closer. Amanda's scent grew progressively stronger, and his body responded. His heart rate increased, his muscles tightened, and all his instincts went on alert. Fear battled with arousal.

  Passing the twelfth floor, he waited for next floor to mash the button to open the lift. “We'll start here."

  He exited the moment the doors opened and turned to the left. Jake followed him, while the other two agents turned to the right.

  The younger of the two paused to sniff the air. “An orange blossom scent with a touch of spicy flavor?"

  Rage instantly washed through William. Turning, he lunged for the man, grabbed him by shoulders and shoved him against the wall. William's fist was a breath from the man's face when Jake grabbed his arm.

  His blood pumped through his body, ready to kill any man who got near her. She had to be horny as hell for another man to nail down her scent so accurately. He had to keep everyone else away or he might hurt someone just for trying to save her.

  William took a quick breath and stepped back. “I think it might be better if you guys stay here."

  He released the young agent and stepped farther down the hall. “I don't want anyone else on this floor."

  Quick strides sent him down the right wing of the building. His eyes narrowed on the erotic pictures of couples on the wall. These were different than the ones displayed in Amanda's hotel room. Multiple partners were grouped together in pools of water. He wondered what the rooms in this wing contained.

  He'd been briefed about this hotel when he'd been interested in talking to York about purchasing the dragon serum. The sexual escapades that occurred here were no secret to the authorities. There were many different fantasies for the hotel guests to choose from.

  William's nose flared. His body, already on burn, hit boiling. He paused.

  Glancing along the solid wall, he searched the artwork for an opening. He found the card slot for a door in the picture of a woman with her legs spread wide, but he couldn't see the outline of the opening.

  The perfect place to hide someone.

  * * * *

  Amanda's hand covered her sex. She couldn't stop the deep ache inside her body, couldn't relieve the insatiable hunger growing in the middle of her womb.

  All her senses on alert, her hypersensitive skin sizzled where the smooth texture of each ball touched her. Moist hair hung over her face, hiding her from the mirrors overhead.

  Working to keep her breathing regular and her heart rate even, she tried concentrating on her surroundings. She listened to the soothing hum of the machine making the bubbles. The light scent of roses perfumed the solution in the pit. It lay on her skin like a cloak, making her almost sick.

  She'd learned over the past eternity of captivity that if she changed her position to anything other than lying on her back, she sank below the balls until she felt smothered.

  It wasn't that she couldn't breathe under the hard shell bubbles, but the impression of being buried alive drove her wild with fear.

  York had said he would return. She had no doubt what he'd want when he got back. She couldn't let him or anyone other than William touch her. She'd lose their baby.

  But her body was screaming for release.

  Knowing she had no other alternatives, Amanda prepared to fight whoever entered the room. If she died, fine. But she wouldn't do anything to sacrifice her baby.

  Squeezing her legs together, she felt as if her mind was playing tricks on her. She could sense William, hear his breathing, even caught a whiff of his essence over the oppressive scent of roses that filled her nasal passages. She hated the sweet aroma.

  Insanity is not an excuse. She couldn't have sex with another man. Her body might be suffering, but only one man owned her heart. She had to be strong.

  A clicking noise shot through the room.

  The door slid open, and a ray of light entered the semi-dark room. She held her breath and shifted positions. Her body sank under a thin layer of bubbles.

  Footsteps pounded across the tile floor. Her heartbeat accelerated, thumping loudly in her ears. A shadow fell across where she lay.

  A large figure loomed over the pit. He could probably force her to submit to his will, but she rejected the idea of any man's touch. Only one objective pumped through her system. Her baby's life depended on her power to fight him off.

  Her conviction sped energy to every muscle. Posed on the thin blade of suspense, her mind cleared. She took a calming breath and waited.

  The man bent at the knees and jumped into the pit. Adrenaline surged. She flew at the man. Her fists swinging, her legs kicking, sightless rage demanded all of her strength. She shrieked out her desperation. “I'll
die before I let you touch me."

  Her right fist connected with the man's chin. His head snapped back just as arms encircled her waist. The slick moisture of her body slid against the wet cloth covering the man's chest.

  A familiar scent reached her nose.

  "Amanda?"

  Blinded by fear, she tried to focus on the face of her captor. She blinked. “William?"

  A blessed sense of relief swept through her, only to be smothered by the overwhelming fire burning between her legs. Hands that had fought him now yanked him closer, tearing at his clothes. “What took you so long?"

  "I got here as soon as I could.” His hands ran over her gently like he was checking for injures. “No one hurt you, did they?"

  "No,” her mouth claimed any spot she could touch—his face, “York drugged me,” his neck, “and I need,” his chest, “sex.” Her fingers found the release button to his suit. “Right now!” She ripped at the material so she could touch the warm skin underneath.

  He wiggled his arms out of the sleeves of his suit and released a small sigh. “Gladly."

  His hands sped over her as the bottom of the pit sank. Bubbles climbed up her back, but her thoughts were centered on freeing William's erection.

  Frantic to have him, she rubbed against him as her hands dug for his thick penis. Finding it, she hurriedly positioned him against her tight opening. His upward thrust met her downward movement.

  Ravenous, desperate to have his body fill her, she wrapped her legs around him and jerked him closer until his body slammed into hers on a long sigh of relief.

  She shuddered with the force of her desire. Her hips grinding against him, she worked to deepen his penetration with every twist and turn of her body. Pushing against the wall of the pit, the muscles in William's shoulders flexed under her fingers. The brisk pace of his hips drove his shaft deeper and deeper.

  Gasping for breath, almost wild with delirium, Amanda rode the sensations coursing through her body. She screamed at the sheer pleasure of having him in her arms, his body slamming into hers, giving her the satisfaction she'd so desperately waited for. Tears fell from her eyes. The relief of William saving her and their baby being safe washed over her, adding to the pleasure of her first orgasm.