by ML Guida
She turned her head away, keeping her arms pressed to her side. “No.”
“Yes, you will.”
He grabbed her hair, yanking her head back. “Open your mouth.”
She clamped her lips tight.
“Fine, we’ll do it the hard way.”
He threw her onto the ground, and she landed flat on her back, knocking the breath out of her. She rolled to her side, but she wasn’t quick enough. Zuto pinned her to the ground, his knees pressing into her palms, his weight crushing her. He pinched her lips together with his long cruel fingers. “Drink.”
Tears welled in Isabella’s eyes. She bucked her hips, but she didn’t even move him an inch. She kicked her legs, which sent sand flying behind the demon.
He poured the overly sweet liquid between her pinched lips. Isabella gagged and spit it into his face. He slapped her face hard, splitting her lip.
She cried out as pain exploded on her face.
Zuto forced the rest of the sickly concoction down her throat. “Swallow, bitch.”
She turned her head, but she couldn’t move, his fingers imprisoning her, digging into her flesh. She coughed. Zuto clamped her jaw together, preventing her from spitting out the liquid. She’d no choice but to swallow.
Triumph filled his eyes. “Good.” He moved off then dragged her to her feet. Surprisingly, he patted her back.
“What did you give me?” she whispered.
“Poison, filled with wolfsbane and deadly nightshade.”
She wiped her mouth, her hand shaking. “I’ll be dying when I wake up.”
“You won’t die....not yet. I’ve cast a spell, and the poison won’t activate until the waning moon.”
“I don’t understand.”
He pinched her cheeks together hard. “Unless you mate with Leif Black, you’ll die.”
It had only been a dream, but the right side of her face throbbed. Tears slipped down her cheeks. It had been a nightmare, but it had been all too real. Lethal poison was inside her, and she’d be gone in a week if she didn’t lie with Leif Black.
***
“Wake up, lass.” Someone shook her shoulder hard.
Isabella groaned, the cloudiness in her mind clearing. She opened her eyes. Her left cheek throbbed, and she tapped her lip, turning her fingertip red where Zuto had hit her hard. The dream had been all too real.
She lay stretched out on the filthy brig floor and pushed herself up, only to stare at her inhuman nightmare—Quinton Palmer. She choked on his reeking body odor.
He hung over her, his large frame blocking out what little light the flickering lantern provided. “I see you’re awake. With the bruise swelling on your lovely cheek, I take it you had a visitor.”
She shoved his hand off her shoulder. “Don’t touch me.”
He cast his gaze over her. She avoided looking into his murky left eye.
He turned his thin lips up into a tight smile. “Don’t flatter yourself. Your scrawny breasts don’t tempt me.”
An ugly, jagged scar ran from his leaky eye into his thick red beard, and she wished she had a weapon to give him a matching one on the other side. She met his disgusted look, pushing his insult deep down. She’d always resented her flat chest; Angelica was the one with all the curves.
“I came to tell you we’ve spotted the Soaring Phoenix. We’re close to reuniting you with your intended.”
Remembering the demon’s promise, Isabella shivered, her teeth chattering. A memory tugged at her mind, but she couldn’t remember. “I don’t have an intended.”
“Aye, you do.”
Drawing on her undine power, she sang.
He whirled around so fast she didn’t have time to react. He held the dagger under her chin. “Sing one note more, and I’ll slice your lovely neck.”
She nodded her head slightly, afraid he’d make good on his threat. After all, he was a loathsome human.
“Good, we have an accord.” He lowered the blade and sauntered out of the cell, slamming the door shut.
She cringed, knocking her head against the wall. A ring of stars swirled in front of her eyes.
But the dreaded bastard didn’t leave the brig. “Don’t look so glum, girl. Zuto has plans for you. He doesn’t want any mistakes until we rescue your mate.”
Isabella shook her head. “You’re insane.”
He turned his lips up into a devilish taunt. “You’re the one who is sadly mistaken. You’re destined to mate with one of my crew—Leif Black.”
Pain throbbed between her temples. She rubbed them with her fingers, trying to block out the misery. “Leave me, alone. I’ll not hear any more of this talk of mating with a nasty human.”
“We haven’t been humans for a long, long time.”
“What?” Annoyance flashed in her voice.
His eyes flashed red. “We’re vampires.” He opened his mouth, revealing a set of sharp pointed teeth.
She stopped rubbing her temples, her breath caught in her throat. The blood drained from her face. She was too scared to move and sat frozen to the hard bench. The tips of her fingers slowly turned numb.
“But Leif is special,” he said as he walked, his long fingernails tapping the bars, clinking her nerves. “He’s doesn’t just change into a vampire.”
Could this get any worse? She lowered her hands slowly. “I don’t understand.”
Running footsteps clumped down the stairs. A short, pudgy pirate rushed into the brig. “Capt’n, we’ve spotted the Soaring Phoenix sixty degrees off port. She’s anchored in a cove, but there’s a dragon flying toward us.”
“Cursed O’Brien, I’m going to kill that lizard.”
“I don’t think it’s William O’Brien. He’s blue and green. This one’s red and orange.”
“Good. Leif’s on his way.” Palmer tapped the bar with his dagger. “Get ready. Time to meet your mate.”
“I’ll not mate with a filthy human.”
“He’s not just human. He’s a dragon.”
Her face paled. “You can’t be serious! You can’t expect me to mate with a dragon.”
Palmer followed the man out of the brig, laughing. “Aye, you will, lass. Aye, you will.”
His confident laughter crushed her spirit. The brig grew smaller, the air staler. She felt a heavy pressure on her chest. She inhaled, but couldn’t fill her tight lungs. ’Twas as if someone pulled a rope around them, cutting off her air supply. Every time she took a breath, agony choked her. Her heart pounded faster. Was she dying?
Chapter Five
Leif flew as fast he could toward the Fiery Damsel. Capt’n O’Brien was a master of deception in outmaneuvering ships, but no doubt, Zuto had used black magic to guide Palmer to the Phoenix so quickly. All Leif could think about was Isabella being trapped in the dungeon and Zuto’s hideous plan to kill her. She didn’t deserve this. Her voice gave off hope. He wouldn’t let her die. He’d save her, fling her into the ocean, so she’d never see Zuto or the crew of the Fiery Damsel again.
On the deck, her wrists bound, he spotted her. She stood next to Palmer, her head held high. Her long, dark hair blew around her like a veil. He frowned. The left side of her cheek was swollen. Leif hissed, sending out a ball of fire. The fireball sailed through the air, slamming into the main sail. Bits of canvas fell onto the deck. Men rushed below, yelling and screaming, trying to put out the flames.
The undine jerked away from Palmer. There was a chain around her slim waist, and Palmer jerked her back to his side. Her mouth was muffled with a gag. Pride burned in his chest. Palmer was afraid of her sweet song, afraid he’d lose command of his crew.
Her wide green eyes stared at him with dread. He didn’t want her to fear him. He flapped his leathery wings harder, but it was a mistake, slowing him down rather than fueling his speed. He wasn’t used to having such vast ones. As a bat, ’twas easy, just two short little flaps, but this was like shaking two bulky leather blankets simultaneously and having them wrinkle and crumple. He flew sideways. He gri
tted his teeth, drawing on his strength to straighten his flight, but he jerked too hard and spun toward the ocean, faster and faster.
You’re doing it wrong, Dracul said. Don’t whip your wings so hard. Do nice easy strokes. You’ll move faster.
But Dracul’s advice came too late. Leif’s heart beating out of control, he splashed into the ocean like a cannonball, his wings whipping around him, binding his limbs around him. The more he struggled, the more leathery wings tightened. He sank deep into the sea. Water rushed into his lungs and nose; his heavy wings dragged him down to the black depths. Salt stung his eyes.
Dizziness swept over him. His eyes fluttered shut. Something sharp dug into his shoulders, pain rippled down his limbs, then he remembered no more.
***
Someone beat on his back hard. “Leif, breathe.”
Leif coughed and gagged, spitting up salt water. His lungs burning, he rolled onto his side and hacked up half the ocean. He looked down at his hand, relieved ’twas not a claw. He was human again.
“You almost got yourself killed, eejit.”
Through his strands of soggy hair, Leif looked up into Kane O’Brien’s stern face. The captain wasn’t the only one on the beach. Ewan and Mariah were with him, their eyes watching him carefully. The rest of the men were on the ship, safely away.
“Instead of rushing off like a half-crazed monster, I suggest you listen to my brother. Before you get your fool self killed.”
Leif opened his mouth to argue but choked on sea water, and tears filled his eyes. A sharp pain stabbed his side, and he held his rib. He breathed hard, hoping he hadn’t broken a rib with his mad coughing attack.
“Capt’n,” Ewan said. “The Fiery Damsel’s steerin’ right for us.”
Palmer took advantage of the full lift wind, filling the Damsel’s four rigged sails. She’d opened her gun ports—Palmer was readying for another battle.
“Aye, she is. Let’s give Palmer a nasty surprise.” He gestured toward the beached long boats. “Back to the Phoenix. Ready the guns.”
“No.” Leif spat out more water. His voice was more of gargle than human. “You’ll hurt the lass.” He dragged himself up. Sand covered his naked body. “What happened?”
William pulled him up his arm. “Drakon says your dragon went dormant. You’re not ready to harness the power.”
Leif jerked his arm free and staggered. “Donna tell me I canna handle the dragon. I’m a vampire.”
“We don’t know if you are or not,” William said. “Either way, we’ve got to keep you out of Palmer’s hands. If they get you and Isabella together, I suspect both your lives will be in danger.”
He held his head high and met William’s concerned eyes. “I’m not afraid of Zuto.” A total lie. He was scared shitless of Zuto. Whether ’twas foolhardy or not, he’d battle the demon for his freedom. The demon had made his life a living nightmare, but he wasn’t going to admit this to any crew member of the Soaring Phoenix.
“Then you’re a bigger fool than I thought you were,” Kane said. “William, take him deep into the jungle, away from Palmer, until we can decide what we’re going to do. The rest of us will head for the longboats.”
“No,” Leif said. “I’ll not—”
William snagged Leif’s wrists, binding them together. Leif pulled on his arms but couldn’t break free. Shite, ’twas the damn magical manacles.
“Free me.”
“Not until you listen to logic and learn from your dragon.” William pulled on his arm, leading him toward the lush jungle.
Mariah rushed toward them, holding a burlap knapsack. “I am coming with you, oui?”
“Like what you see, witch?”
She glanced at Leif’s manhood, and a soft blush rolled down her cheeks.
William jerked his arm tight. “Show her respect.”
“She’s the one who wants to come along with a naked man.”
“Mariah, go back to the ship.”
Leif smiled at the anger brewing in William’s voice. William wasn’t known as being emotional, so getting him riled over his woman might give Leif the chance to escape. He wasn’t going to be chained up like a dog while the undine imprisoned on the ship fought for her life.
Glancing at William warily, Mariah pulled out a pair of trousers. “S’il vous plaît, put these on.”
“’Tis too dangerous.” William tilted his head toward Kane and Ewan hurrying toward the longboat. “You need to stay with Kane.”
“Not all dragons have the same magic, William. You do not know what he possesses.”
“Drakon does.”
“Perhaps. But we need to teach Leif how to control it.”
Cannons erupted. Orange-flecked smoke swirled around the Damsel’s gun ports. Not to be out done, the Phoenix returned fire, her guns recoiling. The undine could get hurt. Palmer would do nothing if the lass was wounded. As long as she could still mate was all the bastard would care about. He didn’t like disappointing his lord and master, not because he was loyal, but he didn’t take punishments well. Implementing them was another matter. Palmer relished watching his prisoners or crew beg for mercy, but mercy had long sailed away, leaving only misery and despair.
Leif twisted his upper body. “I donna need either of your help.”
“You’re a stubborn arse.” William snatched the trousers from Mariah, then slammed Leif up against a palm tree, knocking the breath out of him. “I suggest you put these on, or your lessons will be most unpleasant.”
Leif glared, his head still spinning. “How exactly am I supposed to put those on with my wrists bound?”
“I’ll help you,” William said. “I wouldn’t suggest any tricks, Black. You’ll never escape me.”
“Is that a challenge?”
William slapped Leif’s leg. Leif played the good captive and allowed William to put on the too-big trousers. They hung low around his hips. As William stood to lace them, Leif knee jerked him in the jaw, sending him flying onto his back. Mariah cried out. Leif fled out of the jungle, rushing toward the sand. He didn’t have a plan. All he knew was that he had to save the undine.
Hot sand burned his feet. He pulled on the chains, but the manacles grew tighter, numbing his hands. It had to be magic.
He stepped in the swirling surf when he was hit from behind. He pummeled into the approaching wave, sucking in sand and salt water. The wave churned him around like a piece of driftwood, water pounding his naked skin, swirling his hair around his face. Leif kicked his legs desperately to swim, but he floundered in the water. Someone hauled him out of the ocean and tossed him onto the hard beach. Spitting out the dreaded water, he looked up into William’s snarling face. He had a red welt on the side of one cheek. Anger flashed in his eyes.
“You’re lucky we need you, or I’d let you drown, you sea rat.”
The hailstorm of cannon fire sank Leif’s heart. Bent on finding him, Palmer would sink the Phoenix. But Captain O’Brien wasn’t easy prey.
“Please,” Leif panted. “Let me return to the ship. Palmer will have his prize and leave you alone.”
“Can’t do that,” William said as he hoisted him to his feet. “Move. Listen you stiff-necked fool, Zuto will know what powers you possess. He can trick you into using them, making you his toy. Is that what you want?”
Leif clamped his jaw tightly. No, it wasn’t what he wanted, but the yearning inside him to save the undine was overbearing—as if she died, then so would he. He’d never felt like this before, even with his sisters, who were his life.
Too weak to fight, Leif was forced to follow William into the thick jungle. Time was of the essence, and playing captive wasn’t going to help the undine. Maybe if she sang, she’d keep Palmer’s men away from her. Her sweet song would even turn even the vilest man into a lovesick sop.
When he reached the jungle, Mariah waited for them in a clearing. She had drawn a six-point stair.
“Place him in the center of the star,” she said.
Leif frown
ed. He’d had enough magic to live an eternity. “Why?”
“Shut up,” William said, as he directed him to the center. “Sit. Or I’ll make you sit. The choice is yours.”
His green eyes turned gold, the dragon threatening to do violence.
Mariah put her hands on her slender hips. “William.”
Leif reluctantly did as he was told. He didn’t have the strength to fight the dragon, since he’d no idea where his supposed dragon had gone. Was Dracul a coward?
A low warning growl inside him was his answer.
“Leif,” Mariah said, distracting him from the battle going on within him. “There are four elementals—Earth, Air, Water, and Fire, which make up all of us. Earth binds and gives us form. Air liberates and stimulates us. Fire animates and activates us, and Waters makes us mutable and flexible. Our spirit keeps these in positive balance. ’Tis especially true with dragons. Sitting in the center of the star will help you stay in control as we discover your powers.” She pulled a silver chain with a large purple pendant out of the knapsack. “The energy of the stone is healing and spiritual love. It will blend with your aura, protecting you from evil forces.”
“What evil forces?”
“Your dragon spirit is a red dragon.”
“So.”
“Red dragons are passionate and can be ill-tempered.”
“Definitely fits you,” William snorted.
Mariah slapped William’s arm. “Will you stop? You’re not helping.”
“And?” Leif asked.
“They can be very possessive of treasure.”
“I care not for jewels. It’s not me.”
William knelt in front of him, going eye to eye with him. “Not all treasure is coin and jewels. I think you already know this, Leif.”
Leif went over what had happened since Zuto had cursed him again. The feelings he had for a woman he’d never met and only had seen from a distance. He stared into Mariah’s knowing eyes. “’Tis why I care so much for the undine. The dragon considers her to be his mate.”
Mariah gave him a small smile. “’Tis not just the dragon’s mate. She is your mate. Red dragons will die protecting their mate. The need is stronger than greed or hate. Love is instant. ’Tis why you keep trying to break free to save her. You and she have become one.”
