Master of Dragons

by Angela Knight

  Abruptly it burst free. He came with a howl as heat spurted from his cock in long, delicious jets. And…

  Fire!

  The goddess touched him, alien and female and hungry. Hungry for his warmth. Hungry for his power. Her touch sent another desperate spurt of raw lust through him, and he pumped even harder in Nineva’s depths as he convulsed helplessly.

  Dimly, he heard her scream of delight and surrender. For a moment, he touched her mind—felt her writhing in the hot, sweet fire he’d inflicted. That searing instant drove his own pleasure higher. He howled…

  Yes! The goddess breathed. That’s it. That’s what I need. More!

  Unable to stop—not even wanting to—he came. And came. And came. And felt Nineva doing the same, her pleasure spiking his even higher.

  Until at last they both collapsed on the grass, panting and spent.

  In the distance, he could feel the goddess’s pleasure. Slowly, like a dying ember, it faded away. That wasn’t good—they needed her—but there was nothing his exhausted body could do about it. He simply didn’t have the strength.

  Nineva lay in the loose clasp of Kel’s muscled arms, listening to the desperate bellows huff of his breathing. She was panting just as hard, and not only from the amazing pleasure.

  For a moment, she’d been linked with Semira again. They hadn’t been able to sustain it, but she knew they’d strengthened the goddess.

  They were on the right track.

  Which was no surprise, really. Kel had broken over her like an erotic storm, flooding her mind with arousal and pleasure in turn. She’d never experienced anything so intense.

  No wonder the goddess had reacted.

  Wearily, Nineva lifted her head. He lay draped over her back like a hot male blanket, his softening cock slipping from her sex. His breathing had deepened, and his eyes had closed. Between the two of them, she and Semira had wiped him out.

  There was a certain wicked satisfaction in that thought.

  Of course, he’d wiped her out, too. She yawned in a jaw-popping stretch and nestled back against his chest. He felt wonderful against her, so big and warm, water droplets seemed to steam off his powerful body.

  Drained, she relaxed. In moments, she, too, was asleep.

  He moved against her, rolling his narrow hips, his long cock delving deep. Nineva threw her head back as pleasure shafted through her in time to his delicious strokes. Her eyes fell closed as she savored the hot sensation of Kel making love to her. Her hands caught his muscled forearms. She frowned. His skin felt odd…

  She opened her eyes.

  And cried out in horror. His muscular body was covered in scales, and his handsome face had become a snarling muzzle. His tail whipped like a crocodile’s with every ruthless thrust of his inhuman cock.

  “Kel!” Desperate, she fought to struggle free, but his clawed hands dug into her butt and held her helpless.

  His crimson eyes watched her helplessness with reptilian pleasure. “You can’t get away from me. You can’t escape your fate.”

  Kel opened his jaws, revealing teeth like stilettoes. In the depths of his throat, she could see a hot red point appear, growing into a boiling ball. Flame shot from his mouth…

  Screaming, Nineva began to burn.

  Hard arms caught her as she tried to flee the agony and stark terror. She howled like a trapped thing and struck out, sending a fireball whizzing at her captor.

  “Nineva!” Kel shouted, deflecting her blast. “You’re dreaming again. It’s all right, you’re safe!”

  Conjuring a light, she stared at him wildly. His skin was smooth and human, and his eyes were soft with concern. “You hurt me!”

  “No,” he insisted. “It was only a dream.”

  And it had been, she realized, coming fully awake at last. With a groan of mingled relief and shame, she collapsed into his arms. “Sorry.” Her voice sounded hoarse. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Sorry I went off on you.”

  “Hey, it’s okay.” He rubbed her back in a silent offer of comfort. “The burning dream again?”

  “Yeah.” She rested her cheek against his chest and wrapped her arms around him. “I don’t know why. You saved my life today. If it hadn’t been for you, they’d have taken me and the queen. And then it all would have been over.”

  He tightened his hold into a hug. “You can’t control your dreams, Nineva.”

  “Maybe not, but I wish I could control this one.”

  Slave…

  With a soundless curse, Varza jolted upright, her stolen heart pounding as she stared around herself for the source of the voice. All appeared well, with Arralt sprawled naked and sleeping next to her. But that was an illusion.

  Her master was calling.

  She rolled out of bed and padded silently into the next room. There, a golden orb hovered over the black stone altar on which lay Merlin’s Grimoire and the Sword of Semira.

  At least she’d have something to appease the bastard.

  Slave… The orb pulsed with dark, swirling colors, blood red and purple and a putrid green. Her master had probably had to work death magic to push a message through Merlin’s Wards and reach her here on Sidhe Earth. She wondered which of his slaves he’d killed.

  She pushed her stolen hair back from her face. “Aye, Master?”

  What progress?

  “We’ve captured Merlin’s Grimoire and the Sword of Semira.” She coiled her fists in her lap as anxiety twisted her gut.

  What of the sacrifices?

  Varza winced. “We were unable to take them. Llyr Galatyn and Arthur have them guarded too well.”

  Unacceptable. Her master’s rumble of rage made the orb vibrate. Our forces are ready to begin the invasion. Merlin’s Wards must be broken if we are to begin our conquest.

  “We have an alternate plan,” Varza said quickly. “We only need one more element to begin work, and we’re in the process of acquiring it.”

  Then I suggest you work fast, slave. The orb’s rumble grew still more menacing. And quickly. Or you’ll pay the price.

  She bowed instinctively, though she knew he couldn’t see her. “We mean to have it very soon, Master. You’ll be able to claim your conquest within the week.”

  The orb rumbled once more, then went dark. Varza slumped in relief.

  The Dark Ones had ruled Varza’s home world of Odra for thousands of years, feeding on pain and death as they destroyed whatever culture had existed before their arrival. Varza herself knew no other life but fear and the ruthless determination to survive.

  Then Arralt had decided to learn the Dark Ones’ magic as a means to overthrow his father and his equally hated uncle, Llyr Galatyn. He’d transported himself to the nearest Dark One–ruled planet with a gate powered by his own mother’s murder.

  Varza, luckily, had found them first, there in her master’s capital city. Given the chance, her rival slaves would have slain them all, but she’d had more foresight. Instead, she’d defended Arralt and his Sidhe entourage—collecting more than a few injuries in the process—and escaped back to her lair with them.

  There, she’d started her investigation into exactly who the aliens were and where they’d come from.

  At first, she’d thought only to claim credit for discovering a new planet for the Dark Ones to overrun. Unfortunately, her probe soon revealed that Sidhe Earth was protected by yet another of the Fae’s cursed ward shields. The Dark Ones’ rival race had been warding every world they discovered, a gambit that was slowly strangling the growth of the empire.

  Disgusted, Varza had handed the Sidhe over to her master, Rakatvira. She’d expected the Dark One to sacrifice them on the spot, but he’d surprised her.

  It seemed Sidhe Earth was a very rare and valuable planet indeed—one of the few that had a twin in another universe. Centuries before, Rakatvira and the other Dark Ones had occupied both worlds. Now, however, he had conceived a new plan: they could use the alternate Earth as a launching point to invade the surrounding univers
e. True, they’d have to draw on magic from their own, but that was no problem at all.

  Best of all, the plan would allow them to sidestep the Fae’s interference. The empire could begin to grow again, fueled by a new supply of slaves.

  Unfortunately, there was still the problem of destroying the Fae’s wards, which could only be done from within. Arralt was willing to cooperate in exchange for being allowed to rule the Sidhe as king, but Rakatvira did not entirely trust him.

  He did, however, trust Varza, who knew better than to betray him. While she was too alien to pass for Sidhe, she was skilled in possession spells, and Arralt’s entourage included the perfect victim.

  So Varza had promptly seized the body of Arralt’s lover, Ceredith, slaying her spirit with death magic. The general hadn’t uttered a word of protest, though she’d seen the ghost of regret in his eyes.

  Varza had been a bit regretful herself. The plan meant leaving her own body in Rakatvira’s less-than-tender hands, but there was no help for it.

  Luckily, the scheme had worked. The Fae wards had not recognized her as a servant of the Dark Ones, encased as she was in a Sidhe’s flesh.

  Varza had been well-repaid for her sacrifices. For the first time in her life, she tasted true freedom as she’d worked by Arralt’s side. She’d have been tempted to double-cross her master, but she knew Rakatvira would have promptly slain her body, which would have killed her on the spot.

  The only glitch had been the failure to capture Nineva and the werewolf. If the alternate plan didn’t work, Varza had the ugly feeling she’d be her master’s next sacrifice.

  ELEVEN

  Somewhat to Nineva’s surprise, she found the next week to be the most idyllic she’d ever known. She and Kel spent the time making love, eating, and sleeping in each other’s arms. In between bouts of passion, they talked about their lives. Kel had a seemingly endless collection of war stories about his adventures with Gawain that alternated between hysterical and hair-raising. She’d never spent so much time with a man in her life, or enjoyed it as much.

  Which might explain why she’d never realized how lonely she’d been.

  The lone blight on her budding happiness was guilt, born of the knowledge that everyone else was engaged in a desperate search for Grim and the sword. Magekind and Sidhe teams questioned Morvenian civilians or scouted the planet, seeking any clue to the location of the rebel stronghold. Unfortunately, they’d had absolutely no luck.

  When she mentioned her guilt to Kel, he pointed out that the two of them were doing something that might well pay off faster than anyone else’s efforts. And he had a point. Semira seemed to grow stronger each time they made love, though Nineva still hadn’t managed to determine where she was being held.

  The other problem was that Nineva was still having nightmares about Kel. After a particularly violent one woke her one night, he decided they both needed a change of pace.

  The long, low brick building seemed to glow with magic and vibrate with music. Blue neon formed a pointed wizard’s hat over the doorway, with the name “MageClub” spelled out in flashing red beneath it.

  Nineva lifted her brows and hooked both hands through Kel’s elbow. “This looks familiar.”

  He glanced down at her. “Oh?”

  “Yeah. I’ve worked at a dozen places just like this.”

  Kel grinned. “Oh, I doubt you’ve worked anywhere like the MageClub.”

  Still, she felt right at home when they stepped inside. A massive brass and mahogany bar took up one end of the long room, surrounded by small round tables and a few booths, all crowded with laughing, jostling people. The rest of the space was dominated by an impressive dance floor on which a number of couples spun and gyrated to a throbbing rock beat.

  “Pretty good crowd,” Kel commented. “Probably blowing off steam from the search.”

  “Oh?”

  He shrugged. “I’ve seen it before. The Magekind can spend only so much time beating their collective heads against a brick wall before they have to get drunk and start something.”

  “Well, that doesn’t sound very mature.”

  “Hey, they may be immortal ass-kickers, but they’re still only human.”

  Catching her hand, he drew her through the crowd to the bar. Nineva ordered a rum and Coke while Kel asked for a draft beer. She watched with professional interest as the bartender produced them, admiring his brisk, unflappable skill despite the flurry of orders coming at him from all directions. “Nice work,” she told him as he flipped a cherry into her drink and handed it over.

  “It’s a nice change from killing terrorists.” The man gave her a wink. He was, of course, disgustingly handsome.

  “Kel!” A female voice shouted in her ear. It was high and giggly with an unmistakable note of intoxication Nineva recognized from professional experience. “There you are!”

  Somebody jostled her elbow. Barely saving her drink, Nineva turned to find that a well-endowed blonde had wrapped herself around Kel like a fur stole. The woman’s red dress hugged every lush curve, while its brief hemline displayed about a mile of leg. Her heart-shaped face was a match for that stunning body, with big blue eyes and a centerfold’s mouth.

  “Hello, Clare.” Discomfort obvious in his eyes, he met Nineva’s astonished gaze and tried to peel the blonde’s arms from around his neck. “Nice to…uh…see you.”

  “I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” the woman bur-bled, clinging more tightly. She grinned up at him tipsily. “I’m in the mood for a little lizard lovin’.”

  “Ah.” Kel finally succeeded in unwrapping her and set her back on her red stiletto heels. “Clare, this is my new partner, Princess Nineva. Nineva, Clare Amatto.”

  “Partner?” Not at all discomfitted, Clare gave her a merry smile, big blue eyes sparkling and friendly. Apparently she wasn’t the jealous type. “Lucky girl. Has he shown you what he can do with his tongue?” Her grin widened. “Once you’ve had forked, you’ll never go back.”

  Nineva’s eyes widened. “Forked?”

  “Oh, yeah. Combine that with the looooong dragon di—”

  “Clare,” Kel interrupted desperately, “I need to show Nineva around. Be a good girl and—”

  “But I’ve missed you.” Clare pouted, her lush mouth exactly matching the scarlet of her dress. “Your little friend won’t mind sharing. Right?” She shot Nineva a pleading look.

  Nineva managed not to bare her teeth. “Actually, I do.” And she did mind, she realized. Violently.

  “But there’s plenty of him to go around,” Clare said, with the earnestness of the truly drunk. She gave Kel an amorous grin. “Plenty. Lots and lots and lots.”

  Nineva felt her hands curl into claws, then made an effort to relax them. What the hell was wrong with her? It wasn’t as if they were dating, for God’s sake. They might be sleeping together, but it was only to power the goddess, find the sword, and stop the Dark Ones. Hell, half the time he gave her screaming nightmares.

  So why did she want to scratch this horny little witch bald-headed?

  To fight the temptation, she folded her arms and watched Kel struggle to convince Clare they really weren’t interested in a threesome.

  “Since your friend is busy,” a male voice purred in her ear, “perhaps you’d like to dance?”

  Nineva turned to find one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen watching her with dark, soulful eyes. Tousled black hair fell over his forehead, and his mouth looked deliciously sensual. His face was chiseled in a way that reminded her vaguely of some actor, though she couldn’t put her finger on just who. He was three or four inches shorter than Kel, but that only made his shoulders look broader in his white silk shirt. Black slacks hugged muscled thighs and fell around narrow, booted feet.

  “Dominic Bonhomme,” he told her, with a courtier’s bow of that gleaming dark head.

  “But Kellll,” Clare cooed behind her, “I’ve missed you so! And I’m so…”

  In no mood to hear the rest, sh
e said between her teeth, “I’m Nineva Morrow. And I’d love to dance.”

  Just as Kel hit the limits of his patience, Tristan appeared from the crowd with that sense of perfect timing that made him such a superb warrior. “Clare, darlin’, I think I should take you home and put you to bed.” Taking her by the upper arm, he helped Kel peel her off.

  “Tristan!” Clare’s smile was sunny and oblivious. “Would you like a threesome?”

  “Sorry, he’s not my type.” He brushed a thumb across her cheek and turned her toward the door. “But you are. Come on, love. In the morning, I’ll feed you a nice hangover remedy and keep you from dying of embarrassment—though if you’re really lucky, you won’t remember a damned thing.”

  “You’re so sweet!”

  “Not really, but I am willing to pretend.” He led her away.

  Kel blew out a breath in relief and made a mental note that he owed his brother knight a rescue. “Sorry about that, Nineva…” He turned.

  She was heading for the dance floor with Dominic Bonhomme, Court Seducer of Avalon. Her back was straight and stiff with indignation. Dominic looked back over his shoulder and gave Kel an unrepentant wink.

  That smarmy little… Kel took a long step forward.

  A hand landed on his shoulder. “Let’s talk.” Gawain hauled him toward one of the booths that surrounded the dance floor.

  “After I kick Dominic’s ass.”

  “No. Now. Besides, it wouldn’t be any fun. Dominic’s nowhere near your weight class.”

  Kel snorted. “I’m a forty-foot dragon. Nobody in Avalon is anywhere near my weight class.”

  “My point exactly.”

  Gawain’s lovely dark-haired wife looked up from her drink as he pushed Kel down into a seat. “Hi, Kel.”

  “Hi, Lark.”

  The growl in his voice sent her brows up. “Is this going to be one of those man-to-dragon conversations?”