The demons of the Seventh Realm were the most amiable of the kingdoms. They had procured things from the mortal realm for the dragons in the past. Perhaps he could seek out a few different demons of that realm and form a working relationship with them.
Although all he had to offer was gold.
Anais had been astounded when he had finally shown her his hoard. Her eyes had lit up, reflecting the bright gold that had surrounded her in the torch lit room. The diamonds had drawn her the strongest and she had zeroed in on a beautiful necklace made of white gold and teardrop diamonds. She had lovingly stroked it as she had told him that the stone was her birth one. He’d had no idea what that meant until she had explained it, telling him that in the mortal world, diamond was considered the stone for those born in April, but that she had never owned a diamond.
He had responded to that by placing the necklace on her, gifting her with it. She hadn’t taken it off since then. Not even to bathe.
It got in his way whenever he wanted to kiss her neck.
Loke closed his eyes and tipped his head back, trying to shut out the sudden surge of thoughts of kissing her neck and more wicked things.
It was getting more difficult.
More dangerous.
Every time they made love, the urge to claim her as his mate grew stronger. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could resist the deep need that rose within him whenever they were being intimate. The last time it had been so strong that he had almost lost control. He had barely managed to hold back.
He feared what might happen next time.
He sighed out his breath and sank lower into the water, so it lapped over his shoulders and against his chin. He needed to speak with Anais about it, because he was constantly losing himself in his thoughts and he had been avoiding touching her since yesterday evening. The concerned looks she gave to him, an edge of confusion and hurt in her blue eyes, haunted him. He didn’t want to be distant from her or for her to feel she had done something wrong.
He needed to tell her that she was his fated female.
She had feelings for him that went beyond simple attraction and desire. He was confident of that. He would speak to her about it today, when she woke, because he was sure that together they could work something out.
He leaned the back of his head on the smooth side of the pool and tried to relax, preparing himself to talk with her about something that was liable to confuse, upset and place pressure on her. She was strong. He felt certain that she would find a way to handle what he had to tell her.
His little Amazon.
A sharp spear pierced his mind at the same time as unfamiliar scents reached him.
People were in his cave.
He snarled and shot out of the water, using his magic to cover his legs with his leather trousers as he sprinted towards the cave entrance. His senses located two intruders.
Close to Anais.
He roared and ran harder, eating up the distance between him and his female. The second he burst into the cave, he took in everything with one swift assessing glance. A huge demon male blocked his path to Anais, charging at him, his dusky horns curling from behind his pointed ears as he flashed fangs at Loke.
The Third King.
Anais turned fearful blue eyes on Loke and he snarled as he set his sights on her, determined to reach her and pull her away from the black-haired female standing in front of her.
The one called Sable.
They had come to take his little Amazon from him.
His dragon instincts burst to the fore, screaming that the two before him meant to take his most precious possession from him—his fated female.
A red veil descended and his focus sharpened, narrowing on his enemies, and his claws extended.
He roared and diverted course, launching himself at the broader demon male. They clashed hard, the demon king stumbling back a step before he found solid footing and drove forwards. The male grappled with him, his strength matching Loke’s, and almost managed to pin him.
Loke twisted out of his grip, using his natural agility to escape the demon’s hold, and came around behind him.
The cave was too small for him to shift in it near the tunnels, but if he could reach Anais, he could grab her and transform as he sprinted towards the mouth of the cave, changing in time to take flight with her before the end of the ledge.
The demon growled, turned on the spot and grabbed Loke’s arm before he could start towards Anais and the huntress. He dragged Loke back and wrapped his other arm across the front of Loke’s throat, cutting off his air supply.
It wouldn’t stop him.
Loke sank sharp teeth into the male’s arm and blood flooded his mouth at the same time as the male cursed him in the demon tongue. He bit harder, cutting flesh and severing tendons, and the male released him, shoving him in the back for good measure. Loke slammed face first into the black wall of the cave and grunted as his head struck it hard. Pain spider-webbed across his skull and his eyes stung as he struggled to regain his senses.
The demon king didn’t give him the chance.
He grabbed Loke’s wrist and Loke twisted to face him, throwing a hard right hook at the same time. It connected with the demon’s jaw, snapping his head to one side and sending him back a step. The demon flashed his fangs on a snarl and his red eyes glowed like the fires of Hell as his dusky horns curled from behind his pointed ears, twisting around themselves to flare forwards like twin daggers beside his temples.
He stepped into Loke and his fist slammed into Loke’s stomach, striking on the left side and hitting the healing scar there.
Agony tore through him, hot and fierce, a rush of blinding pain. He doubled over and breathed hard, fighting for air as his head swam and the cave turned around him. Voices rang in his ears, a mashed up cacophony of sounds that he couldn’t pull apart and understand. Perhaps he hadn’t been as healed as he had said to Anais or as he had thought.
It didn’t matter.
His gaze slid to Anais where she stood beyond the huntress, her blue eyes wide and filled with fear.
He needed to keep fighting for her sake.
He needed to reach her and take her far away from here.
He sucked down a hard breath and began to straighten, determined to overcome the pain and protect Anais. He would take her fear away and make her feel safe again. He would never let anything happen to her.
He would keep his promise to protect her.
The Third King slammed his fist into the side of Loke’s head.
Cold black ground struck his right side.
Oblivion swallowed him.
CHAPTER 16
Anais woke alone. It unsettled her. She stared at the fire for a moment, taking in the fact that Loke had risen before her and hadn’t bothered to wake her with a kiss as he had the last few days they had been together.
Cold tried to fill her and she rejected it, not allowing the whispered poisonous voice at the back of her mind to get the better of her.
He had been acting strangely for the past day, but that didn’t mean she had anything to worry about. She really didn’t.
It was amazing that telling herself that on repeat every five minutes hadn’t done a thing to change her outlook.
Something was wrong, and she wished he would speak with her about it. She knew it was about her. Had he seen her death again?
She shoved that question and fear away. He had promised to tell her if he saw her death again and she believed that he would. He kept his promises.
So what was wrong then?
Part of her wanted to believe it was just another vision that had shaken him, because she felt comfortable with that explanation and it at least provided a reason for his behaviour. Not knowing the reason for it was driving her crazy. She needed to just man up and ask him what was wrong.
She would. When he came back from wherever he had gone, she was going to ask him why he was being distant.
She made herself get up and dress, straight
en the furs, and begin her morning routine. She was about to head towards the larder when a noise at the entrance of the cave sent a sudden bolt of fear through her and she whirled to face it, afraid that a dragon had come to snatch her while Loke was away.
Her eyes widened as she took in the impossible sight of Thorne setting Sable down onto her feet.
They had come for her.
Sable drew a short blade from the sheath at the waist of her black leather trousers and advanced swiftly, her light brown eyes quickly scanning the cave. Thorne trudged along behind her, his dark red gaze fixed on Anais, a curious but dangerous edge to it.
Anais folded her arms across her chest, covering her black bra. When Sable’s eyes finally landed on her, taking her in from head to toe, they darkened too, coming to match Thorne’s. Anais knew it didn’t look good, but she could explain everything.
“We’re getting you out of here.” Sable grabbed her arm before she could say a word, the strength of her grip shocking Anais together with how her hand trembled. “Is the bastard still here?”
Anais stared blankly at her, her mind racing as she realised that Sable was going to fight Loke. She couldn’t let that happen. She didn’t want to leave him, but she would if it meant she could lure Sable and Thorne away from him. She would find a way back to him somehow. She just needed to ensure he was safe first.
“The dragon is here,” Thorne said in English, his deep voice gruff and filled with menace as he folded his arms across his broad bare chest. “I sense him.”
Sable looked her over again, the darkness in her eyes increasing. Anais searched for her voice and how to explain what her leader was seeing. She was in her bra but it wasn’t as Sable thought. The whole thing was a huge misunderstanding and she had to make her see that before things got out of hand and Loke was dragged into a fight.
Well, it was sort of a misunderstanding since Loke had abducted her, but he hadn’t done it to claim her as a prize of war like the others.
“Sable,” Anais started.
“There’s only one exit?” Sable spoke over her and flicked her a glance.
Anais didn’t get a chance to answer that question.
A deafening roar filled the cave and Loke was suddenly charging towards her from the tunnels. She shook her head, silently asking him not to do what she could see coming, but he didn’t see it. He took one look at her, and then at Sable where she had jumped in front of her to shield her and Thorne where the immense demon had placed himself between Loke and them, and attacked.
Anais didn’t want to watch as Loke fought Thorne, grappling with the broader male at first before managing to gain some space and land a blow. Thorne didn’t relent and her heart flipped in her chest when he slammed his fist hard into Loke’s stomach and the dragon doubled over.
“Wait… please.” Anais started forwards and Sable grabbed her.
“What are you doing?” Sable pulled her back. “Let Thorne handle the bastard.”
She shook her head and managed to break free of Sable’s grip. “Don’t kill him.”
Sable looked at her as if she had lost her mind and then cracked a smile. “I’m not going to kill him. He’s coming with us.”
He was?
Anais’s heart sank as the true meaning of those words dawned on her and she stared at Loke. Run. She willed him to look at her and see that command in her eyes or somehow hear her. He looked at her and she opened her mouth to shout at him to flee and then flinched away as Thorne dealt a hard blow to his head, sending him crashing onto the black ground.
“Now that our guest is in a fit state to travel, we should get going. We need to get him to an interview room before he wakes up and then we can get the information we need from him so we can find the others,” Sable said and Anais clung to those words, stealing a piece of hope from them and using it to settle her fears.
She wanted to save her friends too and Loke did have information on the other dragons that Archangel could use, and Sable had said he would be their guest. She trusted her leader. They had been on missions before where Sable had captured someone for information, and Archangel had treated them as a guest, returning them once they had what they wanted. Anais looked at Loke and told herself that it would be the same deal this time. Loke would be taken to an interview room, Sable would question him and Anais would be there with him the whole time. She wouldn’t let him out of her sight, not even when they had returned him to his cave and Sable was gone. She would make sure he was safe and unharmed.
“We already saved a few, but their captors fled. None of them tried to fight.” Sable glanced at her but she kept her eyes on Loke where he lay unconscious on the black ground.
Loke had fought because he had wanted to protect her. He had viewed Sable and Thorne as a threat, people who would steal her away from him and possibly place her in danger, and he had wanted to stop them.
He had been keeping his promise.
A cold feeling went through her, rousing a need to rebel against Sable’s idea and stop Thorne from taking Loke to the mortal world. She needed to do something to protect him, but she couldn’t convince her feet to move or her voice to work.
Blood pooled at the corner of Loke’s lips and then tracked down his cheek. Her heart ached at the sight of him, burning with a need to go to him, but the part of her that still wanted to go home kept her feet rooted to the spot and her voice silent.
It told her to trust in Sable. She had no reason to fear for Loke. They only wanted information from him. Archangel would use that information to help her friends. It didn’t matter that Loke had sworn to help her with that mission and that she might be able to convince Thorne and Sable to leave him alone and allow him to help them now rather than at Archangel’s headquarters if she could only find her voice.
The presence of Sable, a woman who had been a good friend to her for too many years to count, and the thought of going back to a familiar and safe place, to her home, overwhelmed her and she couldn’t stop herself from going along with their plans.
Loke would be alright. She would make sure of it. She had faith in Sable and in Archangel. He would give them the information they needed and together they would help the other huntresses. She had to do this. She was a hunter for Archangel. They were her family. She had to help them if she could.
Thorne dragged Loke roughly onto his feet and slung him over his shoulder. More blood spilled from his lips and her stomach clenched, the quieter voice in her heart telling her that she was making a mistake and fooling herself.
“Be careful,” she whispered before she could stop herself and the demon looked across at her, one single russet-brown eyebrow raised.
“The dragon is no threat to me.”
It wasn’t what she had meant. She didn’t want him to hurt Loke any more than he already had.
Sable eyed her, a piercing edge to her honey-coloured gaze, and Anais felt as if she was trying to see right through her and attempting to divine her feelings for Loke. She looked away and her eyes settled on Loke. The voice in her heart said to speak up and explain the situation now before it was too late.
The one that wanted to go home and was holding on to her faith in Archangel overwhelmed it.
She would make sure that Loke was safe. They would speak with him as Sable had said and then they would return him. He would be safe. She swore it. Archangel had no reason to hurt him if she told them why he had taken her and that he hadn’t hurt her. She would clear his name with her superiors, he would help Archangel and they would leave him alone.
As she followed Sable’s lead and took hold of Thorne’s hand, and they fell into a pool of darkness that opened beneath them, a terrible feeling went through her.
She was going to regret this.
Loke was never going to forgive her.
She was going to lose the man she had fallen in love with.
CHAPTER 17
Loke slowly became aware that he was no longer in his cave. The brightness of the room surrounding him
was blinding even through his closed eyelids. He squinted to shut the white light out and covered his eyes with his forearm as he waited for his senses to gradually come back. The darkness was a relief, immediate and sweet, but it didn’t soothe his heart.
It ached in his chest, burning fiercely for some reason unknown to him. He struggled to remember what had happened. He recalled bathing and pondering how to approach Anais about her being his fated one.
He remembered sensing that she was in danger.
He groaned. He remembered the demon brute using his weakness against him and knocking him out.
He needed to see that she was safe. His every instinct roared at him to protect her.
He peeled his arm away from his closed eyes and grimaced as the brightness assaulted them again. Long minutes passed, strained seconds in which he forced himself to wait for his eyes to become more accustomed to the high light level before he dared to open them. The last thing he needed was to blind himself when he was in an unfamiliar location.
What place in Hell was this?
He had never seen so much light, not even in the elf kingdom. He had dared to fly close to their borders once to see their paradise. The light that had bathed the green land had been bright, but not blinding. Not like this.
He drew in a deep breath of air that tasted strange and risked opening his eyes.
White surrounded him. Piercing and painful.
He grunted and squinted again, narrowing his eyes to the point that he could just about see out of them. The pain lessened and he muttered a ripe curse when he swung his gaze around his surroundings.
Three white walls and one open side. A cube barely twenty feet across. He rolled off the bench against the back wall where he lay and staggered onto his feet. His knees gave out and he almost hit the floor, stopping himself by shooting his hand out to his right and grasping the smooth wall there. He used it as a support as he stumbled forwards, towards the open side of the cell. There was a corridor and another cell across it from his. Empty.
He needed to investigate.
Loke reached the open side and walked straight into an invisible obstruction, cracking his head on it. He grimaced and growled, and rubbed his forehead. What strange power was this?
Eternal Mates 7 - Taken by a Dragon Page 17
