by Ginna Moran
I hum in my throat. “Fly me to the moon?”
He chuckles, the sound musical and easy-going. I want to listen to it over and over again. “While you sit on my face?” he teases, his eyes glowing with his inner desire.
“Not exactly what I had in mind. Can we even have sex as dragons?” My. Damn. Thoughts. Why am I even thinking about this? Maybe because Kash—or just my dragon wanting to explore new boundaries. Either way, now that the question is out there, I need to know.
“We can do it however we please. Hell, you could slather my back with lube and slide up and down the bumps of my spine until you cum if you wanted to.” He wags his eyebrows, his eyes flickering at the thought. “Might be the best ride of your life.”
I arch away with a loud-ass laugh. My cheeks burn at the visual bursting into my mind. “No fucking way.”
His grin widens as he puts another image into my head. “Could be fun.”
I pat his taut pecs through his shirt, whipping my head back and forth, sending my hair sweeping across my lower back. “You’d ask me to pole dance, climbing and sliding up and down on your dragon cock after that, and I’m nearly certain if you blew a load in that form, you’d really send me to the moon.” The ridiculous thought makes me laugh even harder, easing the heavy weight of anxiety squeezing my chest.
“There’s only one real way to find out,” Rowan teases, beaming a bright smile that lights up his entire face. His utter ridiculousness fills me with warmth and a strange need for a weird ass adventure I definitely need to get out of my mind.
“I’d prefer you hold onto it,” he says, pulling my pelvis to his to show me exactly what these crazy thoughts do to him. “So let’s hurry and drag the bratty princess home.”
Rowan bolts forward, running down the sidewalk, kissing my throat to make me laugh some more. My eyes water from the shift in my emotions, and tears of laughter smear across my cheeks. I had nearly forgotten what it was like not to feel as if the world would smash me to pieces at any second. And Rowan’s visual continues to play through my mind as he thinks it over and over again like if he does so enough, I might participate to prove my theory...hopefully wrong.
“Fucking fates, I’d hope so. I’ll be honest. I’ve never considered or even thought about it until you brought it up. I’ve never experienced...the deep-seated need to bone in my dragon form, and now I’m nearly certain when mating season comes—” He laughs and snuggles his face into my neck. “Thanks for this. I hope you think about it for the rest of the week, so it’s all my brothers have to think about too.” He kisses the smooth skin of my throat for just a second. “But be careful with Maddox. He will mistake your curiosity for need, and before you know it—”
“I’ll never have to wonder again?” I tease, loving the sudden serious surprise of his reaction.
Damn. He loves the idea.
He wants to be the one to ensure I never have to wonder.
“Tame your beast, Rowan.” My voice comes out breathy and whispery from the influence of his now raging desire. “We have other things to focus on.”
He slows down and sighs, setting me on my feet. He pulls me back into his side with his arm around me like it’s the safest place for me in the world. And maybe it is. In this moment, he feels safer than the magical shield protecting us from the High Council and the lunatic Lazlo Infinity ever could.
It’s easy to forget the threats around us with his closeness.
A peel of laughter echoes through the air, drifting on the cool breeze. Rowan turns with me, keeping me close, to stare in the direction of the laughter. I’ve been so distracted by Rowan that I haven’t even noticed how empty Main Street is apart from the creepy noise of unnatural excitement. I’ve never heard laughter anything like this high-pitched quick successions of hi-ha-he-ho.
What the actual hell? I don’t believe what I’m seeing.
“Is this normal behavior for mortals?” Rowan asks, twirling his finger in the direction of a group of people dancing in a line from a building at the end of the block.
Leading the way, a man without a shirt and beer gut hanging over his belt waves his arms in the air. People follow his moves, dancing and singing a strange song I’ve never heard at the top of their lungs. It sounds more like a chant—and the chorus? Weird.
Sip the drink and eat the treat. We’ll sing and dance until defeat.
“Uh, maybe? I think they’re leaving a bar,” I finally reply to Rowan, glancing at him, though his gaze remains locked on the crowd stumbling in the opposite direction. I had no idea so many people in Violet Grove would drink this excessively before dinner—leaving Main Street empty and eerie apart from the bar. My skin crawls as the crowd starts singing their song over. “It’s a little early for what looks like a Last Call parade, but I don’t know this town. I’ve only seen something like it in two places, both in big cities with drunk college kids.”
“Fuck,” Rowan mutters under his breath. He tilts his head and mouths the words to their song like doing so will help him figure out what’s going on. “You’re right. It’s the bar Quillon says Rose is at, which means—”
“How much trouble can a fairy princess cause, anyway? It looks like the patrons are at least having a good time.” I force a smile and fake bob my head to the sound of the cheers exploding from the group like I enjoy their weird-ass excitement. Even if it is unsettling, it’s been so long since I’ve felt the energy of an excited crowd that I can’t help savoring it. I never realized how much I lived for performing until I could no longer do it. And now, I probably never will unless it’s for Quillon’s gross ass.
“You just had to tempt the fates, didn’t you?” Rowan says, releasing a rumble in his throat. He swipes his free hand over his face, palming his forehead. “You’re lucky Maddox stayed home. I’m certain he’d have spanked you for that comment. We both know Rose is capable of complete destruction and utter chaos. What you hear is one of her enchantments.”
I giggle and shake my head at his comment. He’s right. Maddox would blame me for jinxing the situation. My red hair sweeps around me with the gesture and I twirl away from Rowan. “Then I will handle the fairy if you’re too afraid.”
He doesn’t let more than a foot of space get between us as his hulking form once again looms beside me. Taking the lead, he strides forward in the direction of the bar, and I tease him by breaking away to make a flying leap down the sidewalk. I cartwheel out of his reach, and he cracks a smile, letting me tease him despite the worry in his eyes.
“I’m sure everything is fine,” I say, hearing the upbeat music pulsing from the bar. Maybe willing the thought into the universe will calm the fates Rowan so strongly believes in. “I mean, they’re just dancing and singing. Wouldn’t people be screaming and running for their lives if something was wrong? I’ve been in the middle of a magical bar fight and...”
Fuck. Me.
The memory comes crashing back to me, stealing my breath. I’ve done a decent job keeping the fight that led to my murder convictions mostly from my mind until now. The sound of the bumping music from the bar no longer sounds energetic and upbeat. It sounds whiny and repetitive. Another group of people stumble from the bar, laughing and dancing, their cheers far from excited. It’s sloppy, robotic, and eerie. Seeing the men and women up close rips the veil away, allowing me to see that they don’t seem as drunk off their asses as I thought. And their chant? It’s different than the first group’s. They all slur so heavily that I have trouble understanding them. They almost sound like they’re speaking another language—actually, I think they are.
“Shit,” Rowan mutters, growling deep in his throat again. Muscles tighten and bulge on his arms as he stiffens. With his intense reaction, a few scales blossom over his skin, his dragon peeking through. “Rose must’ve enchanted everyone on this block, inviting them to dance with her before hypnotizing the whole damn bar. Offered drinks all around.”
“I don’t know why that’s a problem,” I say. By his flexing muscles,
it obviously is, but I can’t exactly figure it out without him telling me. My knowledge about fairies is pretty limited. I’m still learning about myself as a dragon. “I’m going to need a crash course, CO.” I use his former title as a reminder that I wasn’t born in his world.
“If a mortal accepts a gift from a fairy, it gives them power over them. Fae have their own magic, and Rose used hers. It’s why she can negotiate contracts like the one between Kash and Quillon. It’s also why Lazlo kidnapped her with you, because she intentionally bargained with you without your knowledge. We have to hurry.” Rowan drags me with him, locking his fingers tightly around mine. Running the rest of the way to the bar, he only stops when we reach the closed door. “If she uses too much, she’ll leave residue behind, which other fae can track. Quillon thinks she’d manage to get out of here before she does, but she’s too curious. She loves controlling and dominating others. The Mortal World is the perfect playground for her games. Humans are extra malleable to fae influence.”
“Damn it, Rose. I groan and shove open the door to the bar and halt in place. Goosebumps explode over my skin, tingling with nerves. Heaving a breath, I clutch my stomach, trying not to gag. This isn’t a little prank or game. Rose is a full-blown psychotic fairy with an addiction to destruction. “Fuck. I’m going to kill—”
Rowan crashes into my back, nearly knocking me off my feet and onto the bloody floor. He snakes his arm around me, yanking me into his hard chest, and takes a step back toward the door. I gawk in horror, my mind begging me to scream and run, but my body refuses to cooperate. I thought seeing a man ripped in half was bad, but this? Oh. My. Fucking. Fates.
“Rose!” I screech, covering my mouth with my hand, afraid if I breathe too deeply that the gore strung across the floor could accidentally get sucked into my throat.
“I’ve always wanted to see what intestines looked like,” Rose says, unfazed by the panic and disgust lacing my quaking call of her name. She doesn’t turn in our direction and pokes the dead body with the toe of her shoe.
“So you gutted a human!” I can’t control my voice, the words shrieking out again, ringing through the room. “What the actual fuck? I thought you might have been imprisoned because you found yourself in a bad situation with the prince you killed, but—you’re...you’re...I don’t even know. Psycho doesn’t cut it.”
Fluttering her wings, Rose slowly twists in her spot, meeting my gaze. Blood soaks through her shirt, smears across her face, and sticks in her hair as if she might have rolled and tried to bathe herself in the blood of her victim. A wide smile splits her lips, and her pink eyes glow, turning brighter than the color of her hair. Her vine tattoos come alive and twist around her arms, swirling and moving like a serpent searching for prey. I’ve never been afraid of Rose—I mean, she looks so sweet and innocent—but damn. She looks ready to come after me next.
“You act as if he was innocent, dragon,” she snaps, flapping her wings again.
“That still doesn’t give you the right to do this!” I huff and swallow, my stomach twisting. “You’re going to summon the damn High Council. You know we’re supposed to stay hidden and out of sight until we find my aunt. You’re going to ruin everything!”
“I’m making it better. A sacrifice to summon a warlock. I’ve grown tired of being imprisoned by your COs. I was supposed to have freedom in this world.” Rose smiles wider. “So I’ve decided to get it myself.”
Fear trickles through me at her words.
Rowan tries to turn me away from the bloody, oozing body, but my body remains stiff, my feet planted to the floor. The only way he could shield me from this brutal sight would be if he lifts me up, tossing me on his shoulder, and burns this place down with his dragon fire.
And shit. We might very well have to.
“You will thank me. I find dragons are best kept in control. We can’t have you burning the world down before any of us have a chance to truly enjoy it,” she adds, rubbing her hands together so quickly that they blur and sparkle with pink light.
Did she just hear my thoughts? Maybe my reaction speaks louder than my voice ever could.
Rose giggles and tosses her pink hair over her shoulder. “Now don’t worry about this man. Mortals like him need to be gutted and splayed across the floor. His death will benefit all of us. You’ll see.”
I blink a few times, her words unsettling me.
Gathering fire in his hands, Rowan prepares to chuck the massive flaming orb at Rose. Tension builds between us, and Rose slaps her glowing hands together, shooting blood spatter across the wall. I stare in shock as it flows and moves, creating a circle on the old wooden wall.
“Damn it!” Rowan shouts, throwing his dragon fire at Rose.
Musical laughter chimes from her mouth, and she claps her hands together again, bouncing and fluttering in her spot.
“It’s time! I’m finally going to be free!” she says, cheering. “I will get my own court to rule right here, and your mates can serve me well.”
A brilliant blue light flashes through the bar, stealing my vision. My heart crashes into my stomach. My mind spins as panic consumes me. I recognize what’s happening and bump back into Rowan. He growls and snatches my hand, dragging me toward the door. My heart nearly bursts from my chest at the sight of a short figure materializing in the light.
Something comes over me, and I jerk away from Rowan instead of rushing away. My panic melts with the heat of my rage. Rose betrayed us. She fucking betrayed us by summoning the monster who caused all my problems. I can’t focus on anything else apart from wanting to murder him like I did his brother. My dragon screeches within my soul, dying to tear the bastard to shreds before he can even materialize in the room completely.
“Nova! Focus. We have one shot, and then we run,” Rowan shouts, the heat of his body engulfing mine to enhance my strength. He sees exactly what I see, and neither of us can run. We must take care of this. Lazlo’s threat and need to destroy my life ends here.
Gathering my dragon fire in my hands, I summon the dark, dangerous wrath inside me that has been waiting to burst free. I yell as the fire shoots from me in a wave of molten power at the asshole using magic to portal into the bar.
But my fire fizzles out.
An icy sensation steals my breath, forcing my dragon to surrender. My throat tightens. The magical collar bursts with electric light around my neck, cutting off my dragon’s roar. We weren’t quick enough. Maybe I never stood a chance.
Lazlo Infinity comes into view, his white hair blowing behind him with power. Shouting a spell, he throws a magical chain in my direction. It clips to my collar, and he reels me away from Rowan faster than I can act.
All I can do is brace to be stolen away.
Chapter 5
Leashed
“NOVA, FIGHT!” ROWAN SHOUTS, BLASTING a ball of dragon fire toward Lazlo. “Damn it, fight! Never surrender. You have it in you to resist.”
A burst of Rowan’s strength and determination shoves away the cold defeat flooding my mind. What was I even thinking? I can’t just accept being kidnapped from my mates. We have too much to lose.
Locking my fingers around the magical chain, I yank it as hard as I can, shocking myself. Pain explodes in my palms, and an uncontrollable screech rips from my mouth. I release the magical chain, unable to bear the agony it ignites in my soul. If I couldn’t see that I’m still in one piece, I’d have thought a dozen hot knifes cut me into cubes, every part of my body radiating with surging jolts of stinging shockwaves.
“Sordona yveslicia tonar eht wob!” Lazlo flicks his hand, sending a burst of energy at the wall. Another portal of light explodes open when it hits, and the world around us shakes. “Do not fight me. We must go! You are mine, my pet.”
“Go with him Nova,” Rose urges, twirling her hands. “I’ll take care of the Drekis. I promise.”
Fuck that.
I grind my teeth, skidding my shoes on the floor, pulling back enough to give me a chance to fight. Fire cr
ackles across my hand, my sheer will to survive kicking my instincts on. I swing my arm and throw it at Lazlo, watching the orb zoom with perfect accuracy at him. He shouts a spell, calling upon an electrical shield to protect him. My fire bounces off of it and smashes into Rose, setting her ablaze.
Another fireball crashes into Lazlo’s shield. Rowan fights just as hard. He attacks the magic trying to separate us. The power trapping my mate falters, and Lazlo’s focus on protecting himself proves stronger than keeping me from Rowan.
Rose screeches again, writhing and dropping to the floor.
Lazlo takes advantage of my body tightening at Rose’s screams and hauls back the magical chain again, sending me falling face first on the dingy floor. I slide across the smooth surface, reaching out to find something to grab onto. Snatching the heavy base of a barstool, I drag it with me and swing it at Lazlo. The chair slams through the magical shield and into his chest, throwing him off. He releases the chain to catch himself before leaving himself open for another attack.
Rowan rushes toward me, blasting another ball of dragon fire from his palms at Lazlo, keeping him back long enough to grab onto me. Locking his fingers through my long, wild tresses, Rowan pulls me toward him. I gasp, but my breath refuses to come. The collar tightens around my throat, darkening my vision with pain unlike anything I’ve ever felt.
“Don’t let him take me,” I plead, sending my thoughts to Rowan telepathically. “Tell me what to do.”
“Summon your fire again. Close your eyes and imagine it consuming you. I want you to transform.” Rowan’s thoughts remain even despite the blips of panic I feel trickling from his mind to mine.
Clenching my jaw, I squeeze my eyes shut and concentrate on unleashing my dragon from her cage. Heat warms my insides as my muscles spasm, but the collar around my neck tightens even more. All I manage to do is gather a small orb of orange and yellow flames. Lazlo’s face contorts, his mouth widening into a wicked smile as his teeth elongate into fangs.
