by Aidy Award
When the count hit twenty, Azynsa turned away, her hands over her mouth, so much pain written across her face.
Ky could handle his own pain. But seeing this woman, a human he should be protecting, one whose raven black hair reminded him of Jada’s, suffer even though she didn’t show it, had shredded him.
What if this bastard had captured Jada?
He’d made his own wrists raw fighting the shackles. They’d be bloody if he wasn’t so damn dry.
Ky’s heart literally hurt at the thought of Jada in this monster’s hold. He had to get out of here and make sure those fucking demon dragons never got anywhere near her.
“How could I have done that to her?” Azynsa whispered. Her face was streaked with two tear tracks she’d tried her best to hide.
“Don’t turn your hatred inward, little sister. Focus it all on the beast. It will help us when we find a way to kill him and get out of here.”
Azynsa gulped in an escaped sob. “It’s my fault. If I hadn’t tried to stop him, to stand up to him, this wouldn’t have happened. I never fucking learn.”
She sniffed and wiped at her cheeks, smearing the tear tracks with the ash in the air.
Tears.
Water.
“Azza. Got any more of those tears left in you, sweetheart? Bring them on over here. You may have just given us our first break.”
“I don’t know. I’m surprised I cried as much as I did. I’m so damn dehydrated.”
“Try for me, will you?”
The Black Dragon meted out the final three lashes. Not once did Fallyn cry out. She was one tough cookie.
Thank the First Dragon that was over.
Those last three snaps of the fire whip pushed another tear from Azynsa’s eyes and Ky concentrated on the little droplet and the remaining wetness on her face. He didn’t need much, but it was hotter than Hades down here and dryer than the Akashic plane. The moisture in that one tear wouldn’t last long.
He pulled it to him and spun it around and around like a water saw, grinding away at one link in the shackles that bound him. He only needed it to erode away enough of the metal to weaken the link.
A thin line bored into the metal, but the drop evaporated within a few more revolutions. Shit.
If he had even an ounce of spit he’d use it. But, every organ in his body was shriveling up by the second from lack of water.
“Azza?”
She shook her head and slumped to the floor at his feet. “I…don’t have anything left. I’m sorry.”
Kur-Jara chuckled, having enjoyed his activity. Would he keep his word and leave Azynsa alone?
“There, cowardly bitch. She’s taken your lashes.”
Azynsa slowly turned to look at Fallyn. She mouthed the words “I’m sorry,” but Ky didn’t think Fallyn saw.
“Tell the nice people how old you are today, daughter. How many lashes you’ll get for your birthday.”
Fallyn raised her head and wrapped the chains from the rock around her hands in another turn.
“One-hundred and fifty-six.”
Azynsa gasped and the tears she did not think she had flowed down the dirty tracks on her face.
“One.”
Retreat, Hell
The dragons wanted to mount a rescue but didn't know where to start. Leon knew more about the king of hell, the black Dragon, than any of them.
So, she let them hash out the details and stepped back from any sort of participation in the plan. They had listened to her before and look what happened.
Ky had believed in her, and now he was in hell. Literally.
She hadn't had to make a decision since she was five and what kind of dessert she wanted was still the extent of what kind of choices she should be allowed to make.
Leon suggested they retreat to the Cape where his coven could defend against the demon dragons, should they attack before rescue attempt could be made.
Jada tried to talk the dragons and their mates out of coming. Demons and dragons just didn't mix all that often and it was probably going to be a weird reunion with her return anyway. Jada didn't know where else to go or what else to do. She'd had a mate for all of one day and had already lost him.
She couldn't face the judgment she would receive from her brothers and sisters of the coven, especially Portia who had already sacrificed for her.
But, they were her family, as screwed up as they were. Even if they had kept too many secrets from her. Especially Leon.
Now, the dozen other incubi and succubae were milling around one half of the great room, and the dragons and their mates were huddled on the other side. She didn't see Portia though.
Leon strode to the middle of the room and clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. Jada's emotions were still mixed up about everything her father had revealed to her. His story about her mother, the White Witch, and her destiny to be a dragon’s mate had her stomach feeling like it was in the highest speed of her six hundred-dollar KitchenAid stand mixer.
She stood off to the side, trying to hide, waiting for anyone to tell her what to do. Ciara approached her and Jada had a hard time looking her in the eye. This was a powerful woman who had done what she needed to when her mate had been in danger. What must she think of Jada and her failure?
“How are you holding up, Jada?” Ciara slid her hand up and down Jade's arm, trying to comfort. Not even Ciara's talent with emotions could change how Jada felt inside. Because she felt nothing. It was like a big empty expanse where her feelings used to be.
“I'm fine.”
“Yeah, no. That's code for super shitty if ever I've heard it. But, I get it. This whole being a dragon's mate thing isn't all kisses and daisies. They lead dangerous lives and it's getting worse all the time.”
That was surprising coming from someone who seemed so damn happy and in love with her man.
“You're looking at me like I sprouted a rhinoceros horn.” Ciara patted her forehead. “Nope, I guess that means you're just surprised to hear me say that.”
Jada nodded. “Uh, yeah. You two seem tight.”
“We are. But that has taken some time. A lot of my attitude about becoming a Dragon's mate changed when Jakob died.”
Holy guacamole. “What?”
“Not that long ago, in the last big battle against the demon dragons, Jakob was trying to protect me and,” Ciara swallowed hard. “He… died. Right there in front of me, practically in my arms.”
Jada looked over to where Jakob was talking with Dax, Steele, and Fleur, then back at Ciara. Jakob looked pretty alive to her. “So, what happened?”
“This is going to sound super corny, but I think it was love. Love conquered all.” Ciara laughed. “I warned you it would sound corny.”
“Your love for him brought him back from the dead?” Jada would apologize to Ciara later for sounding so incredulous.
“I think so. He gave me his soul right before he died and it meant so incredibly much to me that all of my emotions and powers went wackadoodle. Then, poof, he was back.”
“You mean he gave you his soul shard.” Nothing like that had happened to her when Ky gave his talisman over to her.
“No, I mean yes, he did give me the shard. But, that's not what I meant. He gave me his soul. Actually, said it was already mine. All I did was accept it.”
Jada was the one who had a hard time swallowing now. Ky had said something similar to her before they had been attacked.
Was he gone now because she hadn't truly accepted the gift he was giving her?
She would have to think about it later, or maybe never, because a commotion started on the other side of the room. Her brothers and sisters were murmuring and getting louder by the second. Then the crowd split and Portia was shoved from the center of the group and skidded onto the floor.
Leon raised his hands into the air and waited for everyone to quiet. When they did he addressed Portia. “You have been punished once before for disobeying the laws of this coven.”
Oh no,
was Leon really going to do this in front of all the dragons? It wasn't like they probably already thought poorly of her, but now they would like her even less because Portia was going to get into a lot of trouble for helping Jada. It wasn't like Leon to wait so long or be so dramatic with his discipline.
“If it were up to me,” Leon continued, “I would ban you for life, and we both know that's a very long time. But I'm not the one you wronged. I won't be meting out your punishment.”
Portia glanced between Jada and Leon and shook her head in fear. “No, ban me. I'll leave.”
“That's not how this works. Now tell your sister your offense against her.”
Jada glanced at all the other women in the coven trying to figure out who Portia had harmed. None of them cared for her, but it had never bothered Portia. It had always been harder for Jada not to care.
“She has the heart of the human, so maybe she'll go easy on you,” Leon said and waved his arm indicating Jada.
Her? Portia had helped her, not harmed her.
Portia looked up at Jada, sorrow and pain written in all her features. No, Jada wouldn't believe it. What could Portia have done to her that would make her feel this bad?
“Tell her, Portia. Or I will.”
Tears fell from Portia's eyes and the rest of the coven recoiled. They had a disdain for emotional outbursts from their half human sisters. She and Portia had both learned not to cry in front of them. She shook her head and then looked at the floor.
Leon grabbed Portia by the arm and lifted her to her feet. “Your sister here told Kur-Jara where to find you and your mate.”
Jada had never felt the burn of betrayal. “Portia?”
Portia wouldn't look at her and that alone told Jada that it was the truth. “Why? I don't understand. Why would you do this to me, to us?”
Portia had been her friend, the closest thing she had to a true sister. She thought they understood each other.
Leon shook Portia's arm until she tore it away. “Because, Jada, you are not the only mate of a Dragon.”
Portia tore her shirt open to reveal a golden shard on a cord, identical to the ones that Ciara and Fleur wore. She had no doubt in her mind what it was. Cage Gylden's soul shard.
It didn't have the light inside like the bone carving that contained Ky's soul shard around Jada's neck. It lay against Portia's skin cold and dead.
The dragons rushed toward Portia. “You're the succubus that stole Cage's shard. He's dying because of you.”
Jada held up her hand and stopped the dragons from advancing on Portia. “What's going on?”
Portia pressed her lips together and didn't say another word. Leon rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“She exchanged your mate for hers.”
Portia slumped, her final secret revealed. “Geshtianna is holding him hostage. It's why I got in trouble the last time. I knew Leon would send me to her for my ban. She told me if I could get a Dragon soul shard she would let him go.”
Jakob growled low and Jada didn't blame him. “Then why do you still have it and aren't flitting off into the sunset with this Dragon of yours, if there even is one?”
“She wouldn't release him. She said the shard itself wasn't enough. And if I wanted her to let Jett go she needed more. I had to get her the location of another Dragon's mate. One that hadn't yet been given a soul shard.” Portia glanced around at everyone else in the room, her eyes hovering over Ciara and Fleur. “Do you know how many dragons’ mates there are? None. There were those two or nothing. Until you. When I saw you with that Dragon, I knew right away. I'm sorry.”
Jada walked up to her sister. Even that word hurt her now. She looked Portia straight in the eye and slapped her across the face.
This wasn't her family. Ky was.
Jada waited until she was out of the room and could hide behind closed doors before she broke into tears.
Leon found her later in the kitchen, not like it was the best hiding place. She'd only been gone a few days, but with mostly full-blooded demons there weren't a lot of ingredients to make anything. Half the stuff in the refrigerator had spoiled and no one had noticed. She threw most of it in the trash but did find a stray stick of butter she hadn't used in her last recipe. There was also still flour, eggs, sugar, and--best of all--milk chocolate chips. She had every intention of putting a batch in the oven to share with the dragons and their mates, but here she sat eating cookie dough straight out of the bowl.
“You can't hide from this one behind cookies,” Leon said.
“It's not cookies, it's cookie dough.” Leon had never understood her need for comfort food. Mostly because the kind of food that comforted him came from a vein. But warm delicious smells from the kitchen was one of the only memories she still had of her mother. She’d made cookies just like this, and breads, and pies, which was probably why Jada had been a chubby child.
She'd always inherently known that she retreated to the warm scents of the kitchen because those few short years before her mother had died had been… peaceful.
Everything since, not so much.
Portia had always been the only other one who got it. The one she'd had a real connection with because of their shared heritage. Sure, there are a few other humans in covens, but not many. They'd shared many things growing up, including mealtime. Nobody else relished a cheeseburger like Portia did.
Now, they shared something else in common.
How had it all gone so wrong for both of them?
“She's much better suited to be a dragon's mate than I am. Look how she put everything on the line for her mate. I barely even know Ky, and I’ve been too wrapped up in my own baloney to try to have feelings for him.”
“I always did think you two were like peas in a pod. Both trying to push that human side of you away. Dumb bunnies.”
“What were we supposed to do? We're half demon, we grew up in and live in a house full of demons, our father is a demon and you're the one always pushing sex and blood on us.”
Leon sighed and scrubbed his face as if he were tired. Leon didn't get tired. “It's not like I raised a half human child destined to be the mate of a Dragon before, is it?”
Well crap. She hadn’t meant to make him feel bad. What did Leon know about love? Sex, yeah. But real love, like what she had squirreled away in her heart for Ky, he would understand it even less than heated chocolate chip cookies.
“Your mom probably wouldn't have approved of the way I raised you either. I'm not sure sometimes she hasn't come back to haunt me. But I did my best to keep you safe all these years, waiting on that stupid Dragon to come find you.”
Was that a hint of regret in Leon's voice? Another feeling he didn't ever have.
“Why did you seduce my mother?” And more importantly, why hadn't she died like most other incubus victims? Leon had the ability to control his blood lust because he didn’t have those same emotions, so he could let his victims live if he wanted to. But it was rare that he did because of the aftermath. What does one do with a person who thought they were going on a date, or a one-night stand, and ended up becoming a one-on-one blood donor?
It was a lot easier to dispose of a body than avoid an investigation.
“Oh, ho, ho. I'm pretty sure your mother was the one doing the seducing.”
That was interesting. Jada kept her mouth shut, hoping Leon would just tell the story.
“That woman had a natural allure. It was magical, it was pure sensuality. She had those lush hips and —”
“Whoa. Stop right there. I know you well enough to understand where this is going. I do not want to hear about your sex life with my mother.”
Leon chuckled and stuck his finger into the cookie dough. He frowned at it, poking at the dough a few more times testing its consistency. Then he pulled his finger out, sniffed, and licked it. He made that not–bad face. “Hmm.”
This day was turning out to be even weirder than she thought it already was.
“Anyway, I almost gave it a
ll up for her.”
Really fucking weird. What was he saying? Give all what up?
“Yeah, you're not the only one who looked at me that way when I decided to stay with her. In the end, she was the one who talked me out of it.”
Jada opened and closed her mouth several times, not sure what words to say.
Leon stuck his finger in the cookie dough again and tried a chocolate chip this time. He made a face at her and spit it out. After he wiped his mouth, he said something Jada was sure would stick with her for the rest of her life.
“I'm going to tell you the same thing Lily told me.” He clapped both hands on Jada's shoulders and smiled down at her. Leon didn't smile that often. “You have to be who you were meant to be. I'm not talking about what destiny says or fate. But who you know you are inside. We all wear a façade of what we think the world wants to see from us, but the more you hide what you truly are, the more miserable you will be. I won't hold you back, because you'll be miserable if you stay. I know you think this is what you want, and it might be for a little while. But your heart lies elsewhere. We both know that. You have to go. I'll always be here, we'll always be here.”
A sensation like Jada had never felt before, and almost couldn't describe settled in her chest. It was like when the sun went down over the ocean and threw a million sparkles out over the water. Like the smell of fresh baked apple pie. Like curling up with a kitten on your lap and a book you've been longing to read.
Jada let go of the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She'd fought against the pull of her heart toward Ky from the get-go. Even when he had been gentle and soft with her, she didn't know how to act, how to be. She had continually second-guessed her every move, every look, every word. None of it had ever felt right, but not because of Ky, because of her.
A tiny fraction of her debilitating self-doubt washed away in Leon's story, his advice. Her mother's advice.
It wasn't all gone by any means. But Leon and Ky had pried open a door for her to step through on the path toward being and accepting herself.
“I didn't understand until years later that when she said we'll always be here, she meant her and you. I left before you were even born and didn't return until she summoned me.”
