But saving a dragon was a top priority. He hoped after this, Quill would learn to stay on a shorter leash. Just because he had an obsession with healing, it didn’t give him an excuse to ditch his partner and get into dangerous situations.
Looking over at Drake, who was silent and focused on rescuing his partner, he had to admit the pair had worked out better than anyone would have thought after all.
The two most stubborn dragons to push against each other.
When they reached the warehouse, Drake tested the handle to the sliding door. “Locked,” he said. He ran around the side to a door with a small window and looked in. “Shit.”
He yanked the door open before Drake could ask what was wrong, and Ran charged after him, long legs covering the distance in an instance to disappear into the warehouse right after Drake. Draven looked at Melissa, heart pounding.
“Ready?” he asked.
She nodded, biting her lip. Her long hair was pulled into a messy knot that would keep the wild curls off her face.
He put a hand up to her face. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you. For the rest of my life, no matter what you choose.”
She nodded.
He focused and let his dragon shield emanate from him, a warm golden glow that covered both of them. Then he relaxed and made sure she was covered in the glow. It was like a slight halo of light around her. No matter what happened, Ran wouldn’t forgive him if he let their mate get hurt.
This would keep her safe for a few minutes at least.
“All right, I’m going in. Watch from here and join me if needed. That shield will take care of you for now. I have to look for Quill.”
She nodded.
Draven ran through the door and skidded to a stop in the room. Ran and Drake were surrounded by a huge circle of the mangiest-looking werewolves he’d ever seen.
And they all looked angry.
On a table in a corner, he saw Quill chained down, unconscious, his dark-blue hair partially covering his face, his long body splayed.
One wrist cut, leaking dark blood.
Shit!
A wolf who seemed to be the leader pushed through the others to stand in front of Ran and Drake, who looked down at him imperiously.
“It’s too late,” he said. “We’ve taken his blood.”
Draven’s teeth clenched. It wasn’t enough that they single-handedly dealt with every evil thing in the shifter world. They had to be hunted for their blood too.
The wolf was tall in human form, with a breadth bespeaking alpha status, though probably lesser alpha. He had graying hair and a scruffy face and wore a brown leather jacket with honey jeans.
The more powerful alpha wolves didn’t usually resort to things like this.
Ran’s face was tight with anger as the wolf approached, reaching for Ran’s chin.
“Such a pretty one,” the wolf growled. “Are you a dragon too?”
Ran grinned, flashing dragon fangs, and snapped at the wolf’s hand. “What do you think? Want to find out?”
The wolf smirked and stepped back, gesturing to his friends. “I’ve heard of the black dragon. But I think in this case, we might have the advantage.”
Ran raised an eyebrow and studied his nails. “If you have one of my friends, you never have any advantage.” He locked eyes with the wolf. “Bitch.”
The wolf snarled angrily and charged forward, only to be sent flying by Drake, who punched him and sent him twenty feet away to dent the metal sliding warehouse door on the other side.
The wolves looked at each other for a split second and then all charged in on the dragons as one.
“Get Quill!” Ran shouted as he and Drake began to fight off the wolves. Draven pushed his way past the wolves, vaulting a few as needed, socking a few out of the way, until he reached Quill at the table.
He looked over his shoulder to make sure Melissa was staying in safety. He just had to get back to her before the shield wore off.
He ran to Quill’s table and easily broke his chains. Then he lifted his wrist, checking his pulse. Weak but fine. He would live, especially because of the healing blood in his veins. But his healing powers would be weak until he recovered.
Draven breathed deeply, summoning the dragon trying to break out of his body, and then blew dragon fire over Quill, creating a shield. Then he picked Quill up in his arms and kicked his way through the crowd, sending an enraged glare at any wolf that dared approach.
He made it to the door and saw Melissa waiting nervously.
“Is there anything I can do?” she asked
He shook his head. “Just stay safe.” He set Quill down. “And watch out for him.”
She nodded, and Draven blew dragon fire over them once again. With the sheer number of wolves, Drake and Ran would need him to fight.
He left Quill in her care and ran back in the room. It was a complete melee, one group around Ran, being knocked back fiercely, and one group around Drake, taking their turns at a pummeling.
There had to be at least twenty on each though, and his friends were wearing down. Ran had to be hoping to use his fire at any moment.
“Ran!” he shouted. “They’re safe!”
Drake let out a sigh of relief, backhanding a wolf into a wall with one fist, and Ran nodded and vaulted over the wave of wolves in front of him to join Drake and Draven at the front of the room.
“Ready?” he asked. “Draven, put up the shield.”
Draven did, feeling his pulse pound as the golden shield moved to encompass him, Ran, and Drake as Ran took a long, sinister-sounding breath, his chest puffing out.
The wolves seemed to sense something was wrong, but before they could retreat, Ran stuck his head out of the shield and let out a huge ball of fire that became a wave engulfing the room.
Draven had never seen so much fire. Ran’s body was shaking as he continued to fill the room, green fire covering everything.
The wolves howled as they died, and when the fire stopped burning, they saw a figure approaching, stepping over the bodies of the wolves that were charred and black, littering the room.
It was the alpha, looking even bigger and angrier, if possible. He was singed, his clothing blackened. But then he looked up at them, hatred glaring in his feral yellow eyes.
“You’ve taken everything, but I’ll take everything from you. He pulled someone out from behind him.
Melissa, still glowing with Draven’s shield.
Ran started forward, eyes blazingly angry, but the wolf put her in front of him like a screen.
“Go ahead,” he said. “Her shield is weakening. Go ahead and use your fire, dragon. I’ve taken the blood of the blue dragon. You can’t kill me.”
Draven gritted his teeth. Ran could kill him, but it would take an incomprehensible amount of dragon fire.
His dragon burned in him at another man threatening his mate, but he had to be careful how he acted.
If he breathed dragon fire to Melissa, it would only shield the wolf as well.
“Do it,” Ran rasped, sounding hoarse from using so much fire.
“But,” Draven said.
“Do it!” Ran said, charging forward.
Draven had no choice. He blew hard, sending his dragon breath to protect Melissa as Ran made his move.
Ran charged forward, taking their mate with one hand as his dragon claws came out and slashed the wolf across the face. He tossed Melissa back, and she landed in Drake’s strong arms.
Draven ran forward to help Ran.
“Get back,” Ran said.
“No,” Draven said. “I’m staying with you.”
“He’s too strong. Take care of our mate.”
“Ran, don’t—”
Ran whipped on him with angry, glowing green eyes. “I have to finish him. He’s healing at dragon rate.”
The wolf put a hand up to his face and hissed at the sizzling blood oozing from his wounds. “Damn you!”
Ran grinned. His talons were poisonous too.
; “If I’m going to die, I’ll take you with me,” the wolf said. “I hope it takes all your dragon fire,” he screamed hysterically. “You took my son, and I’ll be happy to see you die in your own flames.”
Ran was already filling his lungs, ready to release dragon fire. Draven had no choice but to stay back, shielding himself and watching as his friend took on a foe only he could kill.
“I’m going for Quill,” Drake said.
Draven nodded. No amount of force could kill a wolf with super healing. It was all up to Ran now.
His fire erupted in fierce flames, flying as high as the ceiling as it covered the wolf in a towering pyre.
The wolf howled and lunged at Ran, digging his claws into Ran’s chest, and Ran choked at the deep wound.
Draven felt the pain as if it were his own. It wouldn’t have been so devastating, but Ran was already weakened by the poison surrounding him and inside him.
As the wolf howled in the flames, he twisted his claws in Ran’s chest. Ran let out a terrifying dragon shriek and bellowed fire onto the wolf in a white-green blaze stronger than anything Draven had seen.
Finally, the wolf wasn’t there, and when the fire faded to green and then red, the wolf could be seen slumped in a smoldering heap on the ground.
Ran fell to his knees and then onto his face.
Draven didn’t waste a minute, breathing dragon fire over everything, neutralizing Ran’s fire so it couldn’t hurt anyone else.
He turned Ran over and saw his graying, colorless face, the blood seeping from the deep wounds in his chest.
Damn. “Drake! Bring Quill.”
Drake ran into the room, running his hand through his hair. “He’s out. And he’s too weak. No more blood.”
“Damn!” Draven said, pounding the concrete. “We have to try.”
He pushed back Drake and ran for the hallway where Quill was.
Melissa was sitting next to him, looking tense. When he approached, she stood. “Where’s Ran?”
Draven jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “There.” Then he knelt over Quill, hoping to bring him to consciousness. If he could only wake up, his fire could be enough.
But Quill was too wounded. Draven shared devastated looks with Drake, feeling numbness move over him.
Once again, he was helpless. Once again, there was nothing he could do.
He felt a sharp pain in his arm, felt something warm and wet touch his skin.
He turned to see what had happened and saw Melissa run into the room. He looked down at his arm, trickling blood. Felt something odd running through him as he tried to comprehend what had just happened.
Then he heard a high-pitched, feminine shriek.
She couldn’t have. His heart lurched painfully as he pushed to his feet and ran back into the room.
She was kneeling by Ran’s body, clutching a bleeding arm.
She’d mated them both, the little idiot.
10
Melissa didn’t know if it was bravery or stupidity that drove her to Ran. She only knew Ran was right, that there was no point to a life where you couldn’t protect your friends.
For once, Ran would have to accept someone making a sacrifice for him.
As his blood burned like fire through her veins, she hoped it wouldn’t be in vain.
“No,” Ran choked out, reaching for her. She stayed out of his reach. He’d tried to stop her. As Draven was distracted by Quill, she’d seen Ran on the ground and known without a doubt he was dying and she was his only hope. She’d grabbed a knife from the floor and quickly slid it along her wrist and then done the same for both Draven and Ran, joining her blood with theirs.
And then the most intense, blazing pain had shot through her, making her scream.
Then she’d heard Draven’s agonized roar.
He wouldn’t approve.
She felt the moment the blood reached her heart, felt everything echo around her like an earthquake from the inside out as she felt squeezed as if she were in a vise.
She could feel things going black.
Please let me be a dragon-heart. Please give me the ability to heal.
“Dammit, you weren’t supposed to… You were supposed to stay with Dray,” Ran choked out as he watched her.
She fell forward on the ground, unable to stay upright with the pain.
Maybe she wasn’t dragon-hearted after all. Maybe she was just a stupid girl who’d been caught up with dragons.
Maybe she’d just done something that couldn’t be forgiven.
But a life without Ran wouldn’t be any life at all. She’d seen the evil in the world, and the world needed the black dragon.
Draven was over her, turning her in his lap as she hissed in pain at being touched.
“You stupid idiot,” he said. “Always doing what you want.”
She gave him a pained grin and then fainted.
In the obscurity of dreams, she saw herself walking in a blue darkness, nothing but cold air swirling around her. Had she died? She reached out a hand to touch the coolness around her, and as it touched her fingertips, she was shocked as it flew inside her, like she was suddenly a vacuum taking in all the blue mist. She arched back, suspended in midair in this strange dimension, as she felt herself overwhelmed by blue. And at the end, when there was only blackness left, she felt a flash of light and then saw her friends.
She was back in the warehouse, but she felt like she never had before. She looked up at her friends, Draven kneeling over her, Ran looking still at her side.
“Quick, Draven, how do I use my fire?” she asked.
Draven blinked. She didn’t have time for him to explain. Instead, she held up her still bleeding wrist and pressed it to Ran’s, giving him her blood.
When he didn’t immediately improve, she straddled his waist and put her mouth over his. Focusing on everything blue inside her, she blew as hard as she could, trying to fill his body with whatever she was.
She heard him draw a hoarse breath, felt green poison rushing toward her, but knew she could take it. It melted at the place where their fires met. She stayed entwined with him, taking his poison and filling him with life. She’d never felt more powerful or more needed.
And she could literally feel hope filling the warehouse where they rested.
Finally, she felt a large hand gently come up to touch her back. She opened her eyes to see Ran staring at her in shock. She released him and scooted back, wiping her mouth.
“Dragon-heart,” Drake said, letting out a long breath as he folded his arms. “I’ll be damned.”
Draven was still on his knees, his huge body hunched, his blue eyes wet with unshed tears. “I thought I’d lose both of you.”
She lay back on the pavement, waiting for her heartbeat to return to normal. But it didn’t feel like it would. It didn’t feel like anything would ever be the same again.
Her prior life flashed before here. The loneliness. The pain. The sense that her family had left her behind before she’d even gotten to know them. The sense that everyone had a family but her.
As she looked around the dragons in the room, staring at her intently, she realized she had a new family now.
She couldn’t wait to start eternity with them.
Ran crawled over to her and pulled her into his lap, and she enjoyed his warmth, his huge body surrounding her. She could sense the gigantic dragon inside him but didn’t feel threatened anymore.
Draven watched them with haunted eyes until she beckoned him forward, motioning for him to join them. He did, wrapping his large arms around them as they huddled in a heap.
Somehow they’d made it. Against the odds, they’d all come together.
Draven’s dragon shield went up automatically, protecting them from the world. Her healing calm moved through each of them, bringing a restful peace to the situation, and Ran’s strength, his determination to always protect their triad using the powerful dragon inside him.
For the first time in forever, Melissa felt truly compl
ete.
Damn, did she love these men.
* * *
When they arrived back at the apartment, everything seemed different. On the roof, Draven and Ran changed back to their dragon forms, and the three of them walked to the exit and down the stairs that led to the elevator.
Draven pressed the button to their floor, and they all piled inside with a tired huff.
She eyed Ran, standing tall and looking more peaceful than she remembered him being before. He’d always had a light, calm expression, but she’d been able to sense the turbulence underneath. Now his features were relaxed, his beautiful, long-lashed green eyes blinking lightly, his perfect lips pursed. She wanted to reach up and run a finger along the line of his jaw that could have been made with a ruler.
He caught her looking and gave her a knowing smirk, making her heat down to her toes as she turned her focus back to the elevator doors as they closed.
But she could see Draven standing behind her in the reflection. Tall and intimidating, legs splayed shoulder width apart and hands clasped in front of him. She gulped.
Now that they were out of danger, she became aware of a soul-deep hunger for them that was stronger than before.
She needed them, her mates, inside her. She needed it now. She leaned on the door with both hands, taking a deep breath.
“It’s the mating ritual,” Draven said in a low voice, coming behind her to wrap an arm over her chest and pull her against his warm, solid chest. “We have to complete it. Have to make you ours completely.”
She gulped. “What does that mean?”
“You’ll accept both of us completely.”
Her heart sped up, beating so hard she felt sure her mates could have felt it. Two men. One night. And they were both really hers, forever.
“Honestly,” Ran said. “Compared to risking death by putting poison blood in your veins, I can pretty much promise this part will be better.”
She bit her lip as a shudder of lust pulsed through her. She believed him.
Double Dragons Page 10
