Freed by Her Dragons (The Inmate of the Dreki Dragons Book 2)

by Ginna Moran

  The room quivers again, and my heart nearly explodes upon the sight of Rowan in his dragon form landing outside. Smoke billows from his nostrils, and he bares his sharp fangs with his deadly snarl. My gaze travels over his gigantic body, and I balk at the sight of Quillon clutching onto his back for dear life. I had no idea they were here in the Mortal World, but I’m relieved to see Rowan, even with a damn pest on his back.

  Maddox grins, his wicked smile hot enough to melt my panties off. I fucking love seeing him all powerful and demanding. “Now, get on the ground and keep your mouth shut. On behalf of the High Council—”

  “Wait,” McKenzie says, keeping her hands toward the floor. “Wait. I’ll give you what you want. I was only testing you, Maddox. I needed to be sure you weren’t lying. But if you’re willing to summon the High Council, then I know you speak the truth. You know where my traitor sister is, and I need to know.”

  Maddox snuffs out his flaming hands, rubbing his palms together. Glancing at the window, he nods his head at Rowan, giving him the cue to take off. I nearly run to the window to watch him go, but my brain screams at my body to keep it together. Rowan isn’t abandoning me to the night sky. He’s only taking flight to better protect us.

  “That’s right, my doe-eyed woman. I’m always here,” Rowan says, thinking his words through our mental link. “Quillon’s our bitch now. The fucker didn’t even complain about coming through the portal with me.”

  I hum in satisfaction, already imagining the day Ambrose helps pay Kash’s debt by giving Quillon a cure. The little shit better run like hell when he does, because my dragon wants to gobble his hairy beast up, even if it means dealing with a damn hairball in my throat.

  “Give me her location, and I will answer any questions,” McKenzie says, clapping her hands, using her power to turn the lights on.

  Maddox barks a laugh and shakes his head. “You think I’m stupid, witch? I’ve been dealing with different covens all my life. I’ve learned my lesson with the Dreki contract to the High Council. I will not risk having one to you. Now, tell me. Who arranged the union contract between Delphia and the Darkonian Clan? Was it you?”

  McKenzie flicks her gaze to Baker, standing silently and on guard next to her. “It was Rhett. Rhett arranged everything after McKayla betrayed us and nearly fractured our good standing with the High Council. Her betrayal, abandoning us and leaving our coven with the mess, nearly ruined everything. All because of her bleeding heart and devotion to the very fates that try to control us.”

  Stepping closer toward me, Maddox gets in front of me like he thinks I might do something to jeopardize the spell hiding me from view. “Where do the Litendrakes come in? Why them?”

  “Delilah Drakovich’s offspring belong to them for nearly destroying their bloodline. She was intended to be their mate but betrayed them—” Purple power blinks in her eyes. “With the very clan your bloodline replaced. The Litendrake Clan was lucky that Delilah happened to have a female heir bred from their bloodline before things occurred. It was lucky that one Litendrake prince managed to seduce her.”

  My father.

  Fury ripples through me at her words, and I clutch onto the back of Maddox’s shirt to steady myself. A dozen thoughts swirl through my mind. I used to hold the memories of my parents at a distance. I was too angry with the criminal path my mom chose that kept her from me. But now, I can’t help but think there is more to this. It almost sounds as if she could’ve been in the same situation as I am—betrothed to one clan when my true mates are in another.

  Everything about this situation is so utterly and terribly wrong. How can the dragon clans do this? How can the witches agree and think it’s okay to control every aspect of our lives as if they don’t truly belong to us?

  “And what of Delilah?” Maddox asks, shifting more to block me completely. “Delphia’s arrival was expected by my clan. It was foreseen by a fate-teller. The Drakovich heir would bring power, prosperity, and fertility to the Dreki Clan. It was written in the stars and sealed by powerful magic, a gift, from the Drogony leader.”

  “The Drogonys were the ones to steal Delilah’s fate,” McKenzie snaps, baring her teeth. “They corrupted my sister and turned her against her own coven.”

  Maddox curls his hands into fists, falling silent at her words. Without having to ask, I know he didn’t know. All along, he believed fate brought me to him. But what if that’s not the case? What if the Drogonys influenced it? What if the idea of a true mate doesn’t exist?

  I shake my head, pushing the thoughts away.

  I refused to believe it when Ambrose mentioned something similar, and I still refuse to believe it now. We weren’t bonded by magic. Our lives weren’t arranged by others to come together in a union of power. I know deep in my heart, my mom wanted to ensure I didn’t end up with the clan brutal enough to steal me from her, and the best way she knew how was to alert the Dreki Clan of my future arrival. Fate did the rest. Fate dropped me kicking and screaming at their feet and dragged me right into their lives.

  “Now tell me where McKayla is.” McKenzie rubs her hands together, sending sparks glittering toward the floor. “I’ve given you the answers you seek.”

  “Except for one. What did the Litendrake Clan give Rhett to make such a bargain?” Maddox asks, despite us knowing the answer. He’s buying more time for Ambrose. I know it. “That kind of contract...I know the stipulations involved. It’s abnormal.”

  “You can thank McKayla for that. We needed someone to place blame on and hide evidence of our plans to break away from the High Council.” McKenzie smirks. “It actually worked out quite well. Despite McKayla’s failures, we managed to obtain the power we needed to be seen worthy enough to control a gateway. It makes things much easier for what we have planned.”

  Maddox takes a step back, bumping into me. His demeanor changes, and he summons dragon fire in his hand. “Don’t try anything stupid, McKenzie. You’ll never find the location of your sister if you do. My brothers—”

  “Vieta le aspara ti og et!” McKenzie shouts, igniting the room aglow with lavender light.

  Throwing his hands out, Maddox shoots his dragon fire at her, attempting to break through the wall of magic surrounding her and Baker.

  “I told you all you needed to know, and now you will give me what I want. You think you’re powerful, Dreki, but you have no idea.” McKenzie’s power eats across the carpet encircling us.

  Static sends my hair blowing on magical currents, and I hug Maddox from behind, afraid that if I let him go, something will separate us. I need to do everything I can to stay with him. We’re stronger together.

  “Tell me where McKayla is. If you tell me and act as an obedient dragon and bow before me, I’ll accept your allegiance. We can work together for a better future. It’s what Rhett would want. He was preparing you to join our side. It’s why he ensured you bonded with him. It’s why he demeaned himself to act as a loyal friend to you.” McKenzie raises her hands, her face hardening as her teeth elongate into fangs.

  And this bitch.

  I’m going to kill her.

  She will regret even thinking she was better, stronger, and more powerful than us.

  Maddox roars, unleashing part of his dragon, his scales breaking through his skin. His veins glow with his dragon fire, and heat fills the small room, combatting the electric magic sizzling through the air.

  “Ambrose!” I yell, letting Maddox’s hulking form herd me farther from the Liohts. “Ambrose, hurry!”

  McKenzie tips her head toward the ceiling. “Lazlo, I summon you! Nommus eht ew lali vekki High Priest of Infinity!”

  The floor trembles under my feet, and I screech, the force of the earthquake knocking me off balance. I trip and grab the wall, trying my best to brace myself against the powerful magic threatening to send the roof caving in on us.

  “Take this gift, dear fates. A life cursed and soiled. Vi lev tion eht lok!” McKenzie shoots power from her hands, sending a huge chunk of the
ceiling blasting into the night.

  Rowan’s dragon screech rings through the air, and I clutch my stomach as pain rips through me, leaving me breathless. Maddox shouts and blasts more of his dragon fire at the Liohts, but it doesn’t stop them. Baker keeps the shield intact.

  Nothing prepares me for the hairy body that drops from the sky and lands on the hard tiles in front of us.

  I scream, my heart shattering into a million pieces. The force of Quillon’s fall cracks the floor. Blood pours from several places on his broken body, his legs bent in the wrong direction. Without having to rush to him and flip him over, I know he’s dead. There is no way he’d have survived a fall from the sky. Too much blood seeps across the floor. It’s as if the force liquefied his insides, and now they’re pouring out.

  And if Quillon’s dead—

  “Lazlo, I summon you! Nommus eth ew lali vekki High Priest of Infinity!” McKenzie shouts again, her high-pitched voice ringing through the air in desperation.

  Rage blinds me, turning the world dark. Every fiber of my being shreds to pieces, and all I can feel is Quillon’s death in my soul. Because with his death, so comes Kash’s.

  “Nova, no!” Maddox shouts, spinning around to grab onto me.

  But it’s too late.

  My beast ignites her dragon fire inside me, and I give in, giving her complete control. The world shifts as I smash through the roof, sending debris raining upon the Liohts. I will not allow them to make it out of here alive. They have done nothing but ruin my existence. They were responsible for ruining my mother’s as well. I cannot stand another moment knowing that they live and breathe and control the world with their dark power. I will no longer allow another person to fall victim to their evil desire for power and conquest.

  Inhaling a deep breath, I unleash my dragon fire at McKenzie. She screams another spell while Baker continues to protect her.

  “Nova, expand your wings,” Rowan calls through our mind-link, his fire igniting the sky above me.

  “Ambrose, get us the fuck out of here,” Maddox yells, hooking his arms around my leg.

  “Lazlo, I summon you! Nommus eth ew lali vekki High Priest of Infinity!” McKenzie shouts once again.

  Green light bursts through the world around me as Ambrose casts a spell, fissuring the Liohts protective shield.

  “Sister, the beast! He’s not dead!” Baker’s deep voice shocks my senses, and I bow my head to peer at Quillon.

  A high-pitched wail of relief escapes my mouth at the sight of the lycan rolling over onto his side. Blood coats his front side, and he can’t get to his feet, but Quillon is still alive. The fall didn’t kill him, but in this moment, it looks like he wishes it did.

  Bending my neck, I jerk my head down, blocking the Liohts from Quillon. I snatch his broken body between my teeth and drag him away from the witch before she can try to finish him off. There’s no way in hell I’m allowing her to sacrifice this piece of shit, no matter how much I hate him. He’s the luckiest cursed bastard in existence right now. He better remember this.

  “Nova!” Rowan shouts in my mind again. “Now!”

  My body reacts to his command, and I stretch my wings out. Sharp claws dig into my sides as Rowan lifts me into the air. Lavender and green light spark through the air like fireworks exploding too close to the ground. Maddox blasts his dragon fire, creating a barrier between the Liohts and Ambrose.

  The world shrinks as Rowan ascends into the sky so fast that all I can do is let him carry my dragon body as if I weigh nothing.

  “Shael eht nogard!” McKenzie’s voice rings in my head. “Ti vit alla cas totita voz! You’re mine, Delphia. Bow to me!”

  A chain of purple magic whips through the air, the shock of power tightening my muscles. My dragon screech cuts off as it latches to the magical collar on my throat, stealing my breath. Pain explodes through me. I jerk and thrash, my mind whirling, my body panicking. Rowan loses his hold with my movements, and I fall from the sky and toward the earth.

  “Use your wings!” Rowan and Maddox shout at the same time.

  But my body refuses to react. It refuses to do anything apart from clutch onto Quillon and brace for impact.

  “Delphia ti vit osmod!” The world stills, and I hover frozen midair a dozen feet above the house. Glowing with power, Ambrose stops me from colliding into the ground.

  Maddox growls and continues to shoot fire at McKenzie and Baker. Bursts of orange and white flames light the sky above as Rowan blocks the other witch. I close my eyes and will my humanity to tame my dragon. I beg the universe to grant me this one favor, to lower me into Maddox’s outstretched arms, where I know I’ll find safety.

  “That’s it, cookie. Come to me,” Maddox says, blowing another breath of fire at the Liohts, engulfing me in his hot flames that never burn me. If anything, they warm my soul.

  My thrashing heartbeat mellows as Ambrose lowers me in his magic. I manage to clutch Quillon to me, his soft groan humming between my breasts. Rowan lands beside us and transforms, his naked muscles rippling with the ferocity lighting his eyes. He reaches to grab Quillon from me before I even touch my feet to the floor.

  “No!” McKenzie screams, her voice ringing in both my ears and in my mind. “Ti vit alla cas totita voz.”

  Jerking her hands, she yanks the chain attached to the collar around my neck. I drop Quillon and fly through the flaming barrier Maddox tries to grow. Ambrose shouts something I can’t understand, my head spinning with my body. Static sizzles in the air, and a bright blue light ignites in my vision blinding me.

  “The High Council!” Ambrose yells. “We have to go!”

  “We can’t leave her,” Rowan and Maddox say at the same time.

  “She has a better chance alone. We don’t. We’ll get her back. Don’t worry.” Ambrose’s words stab me through my soul.

  Maddox growls. “I’m not leaving.”

  “You don’t have a choice!” Green electricity fills the air, and agony coils around my very being.

  The Drekis and Ambrose sudden absence leaves me reeling.

  I don’t get a chance to move or react.

  “Freeze!” a woman shouts. “Release the dragon’s chain.”

  McKenzie releases the magic chain from the collar on my throat. “It’s okay. We were handling things. I just caught her and this filthy lycan crossing the barrier. I was about to—”

  Anger rips through me, a dozen thoughts colliding through my mind. I can’t believe I’m here, facing the High Council’s authority. I can’t believe I’m doing it alone. The Liohts will turn this all against me. She’ll lie and tell them the Drekis set them up.

  I can’t let this go on.

  I’m not going down silent and alone.

  I’m taking this bitch with me.

  Raising my hands into the air, I drop to my knees, blinking through the blinding light in my face. A strange, calming emotion trickles through me. I can feel Kash through our mate bond, and it’s as if he knows exactly what I need in this moment to get through this.

  “Wait, please. McKenzie Lioht is lying. She used her influence and magic to steal me from Magaelorum. They used this lycan to break open a portal not far from here, trying to set up the Drekis. She wanted to frame them for a crime like her brother did with me. You have to believe me.” I pant, my chest heaving with my breath. I could scream that Lazlo Infinity was behind all this, but he’s not here. McKenzie is second best. Maybe it’ll help McKayla in the end. Who knows.

  “You cannot possibly believe a deadly fugitive, can you?” McKenzie asks, her voice rising.

  “Then explain my collar! I never wanted to be here. I didn’t kill anyone, and you know it.” Every fiber of my being begs that whoever stands behind the magical white light gives me a chance. I know if they don’t bring the Liohts in, they’ll be gone forever.

  “This is preposterous,” Baker snaps, his deep voice cutting over the hum of magic.

  A loud clap of lightning strikes the floor a few feet away from me.
My muscles seize, and I fall over, unable to move.

  McKenzie screams.

  “Guards, arrest them all. This is a matter to be resolved in front of the High Council,” a woman says.

  Oh, fuck. It worked. I almost don’t believe it.

  If only I didn’t feel like everything will crash down on me at any second.

  I wish I didn’t feel so unlucky.

  Chapter 20

  Captured

  “WAIT, IS THERE NOT GOING to be a trial? I know I wasn’t allowed to be present during mine, but don’t you need me? I’m a witness.” Nerves bunch inside my stomach as a beast of a man with biceps as big as my legs throws the familiar jumpsuit in my face.

  “No talking, Inmate D64901. Now get dressed and wait for High Council Woman Laveau.” The buff CO pushes me toward an open door to an interrogation room. My palms sweat, my mind dragging the memory of Maddox’s interrogation upon my arrival as he screamed and belittled me, making our start rough.

  I clutch the jumpsuit, resisting his shove. “Please, CO. I’ve been through so much. You have to help me. I have no one left to turn to. Your fellow COs—”

  A flash of light startles me as a familiar woman with red eyes materializes in front of me. “Let’s make this quick, Delphia Drakovich. Tell me where the Drekis are.”

  Oh, shit. She knows my name.

  I stiffen under the weight of her stare, the woman far more intimidating than I recall. Perhaps Maddox’s fierce authority outshined hers, but now that the CO marches away, leaving me with High Council Woman Laveau, I suddenly realize how powerful she really is. She is a leader of this damn world, and she has the ability to save or ruin my life, depending on her mood.

  “They—they—” I suck in a deep breath, praying she doesn’t kill me for my response. I have no idea what the Liohts could’ve said, but I’ll do whatever it takes to protect my mates. “They disappeared. The Liohts didn’t like that they couldn’t collar them. They were fighting on behalf of the High Council.”