by Cara Carnes
“Macy.” Dmitri grasped her arm with a firm grasp. “Don’t make me hurt you. He’s my second. I will defend him from any harm.”
“Don’t force this issue, Dmitri. You two bumbling oafs need me. You know nothing about witch politics and have no concept of how we think if you believe you two can saunter into this auction when it goes down.” She took a cleansing breath and channeled power into the fireplace.
A hum flitted through the air. Telepathy. Those rat bastards could talk to one another. Why hadn’t she been told vampires could do that? She expended an exaggerated breath and crossed her arms. “Are you two done talking in front of me?”
“She’s a handful,” Alonzo said.
“A little dragon spewing fire,” Dmitri wrapped her into his arms. She shivered as his hot breath fanned her ear. “You have my apologies. It’s against our nature to allow a female to place herself in imminent danger.”
“And it’s against mine to do nothing.”
“We agree your help would be an asset, but we can’t have you involved when the auction occurs. The risk is too great,” Alonzo explained.
“Fair enough.” There was plenty of time to worm her way into that part of the plan later. “So we agree. I’ll help you and you’ll…” She paused, heat crept up her cheeks.
“Ah, the little dragon spews fire but cowers when aroused.” Dmitri chuckled and rubbed her back. “I like the chase.”
Alonzo cleared his throat. “Well, this is awkward.”
Macy forced the knotted tension and arousal aside. There was a lifetime to contend with that monster. First she needed to find a slave ring. “Obviously witches like me are probably the clientele.”
The men looked at one another.
“Cursed witches are only allowed one indenture per year. A truly cursed witch with no morals would be the ideal buyer for vampires since one wouldn’t be nearly enough to help for long. Curses force a witch’s powers to build up exponentially. It’s quite painful.”
“Wouldn’t one be enough? I mean, you negotiate the terms up front. And the curse would be purged,” Alonzo stated.
“Sometimes, but not always.” She gnashed her teeth. “Take me for example. I have two weeks until I’m permanently damaged by my curse. It’s almost at its full height and will take eight weeks, minimum. I was given six.”
“So what happens then?”
“I’m not sure.” She fortified her determination. “But my issue gives us the perfect in to the auction. My problem is well known.”
“You are not going in as a client,” Dmitri stated.
“I doubt they’d let me in. But, we can work that angle at the same time as the real angle.”
“Which is?” Alonzo asked.
“I have a friend—a dragon warlock who is saddled with a much worse curse. If anyone has been invited to a slave auction, it would be him. His situation isn’t even whispered about within social circles because of the jinx surrounding it.”
“People are afraid it will come back on them,” Dmitri stated.
Macy nodded. “Curses are mysterious in many ways. The more serious ones handed down from generation to generation are feared by everyone, especially the darker ones endured by dragon witches.”
“Why are your kind cursed so much more often?” Alonzo asked.
“Our powers are unique. We’re naturally withdrawn from coven society and don’t work well with others. There’s a number of reasons. The warlock I know, for example, has suffered worse than anyone I know.”
“And you know this person?” Grey eyes narrowed. “How well do you know him?”
“When my mom died Dragos took me under his wing from afar—made sure I understood the rules of my curse, sent food and stuff I needed since I was too young to work. He even hired tutors and nannies to watch out for me.” Macy smiled. “He was a big brother.”
“Dragos the dragon? Seriously?” Alonzo shook his head. “I don’t even want to know what the hell some of you witches are smoking in your cauldrons.”
Dmitri tossed a fulminating look toward the vampire.
“What? You’ve gotta admit the name is beyond messed up. I mean, that’d be like me naming my rugrat Vampy.”
“You’re allowed to breed?” Macy asked.
“Okay, you two. Enough.” Dmitri chuckled. “You still have contact with Dragos?”
“I know where he should be. Sort of.” She chewed on her lower lip. “He turned thirty and came fully into his powers about ten years ago. He’s been pretty much an unseen recluse since then, even staying away from other cursed witches. He doesn’t even come to the CWA meetings.”
“I’m afraid to ask,” Alonzo stated.
“Cursed Witches Anonymous.” She narrowed her gaze. “It’s a very serious problem.”
“I’m sure it is, little dragon.” Dmitri wrapped an arm around her waist. “We will find Dragos in the morning.”
What would they do until then? Desire resurfaced, rearing its treacherous head like the albatross she’d expected to endure for eternity. Awareness fluttered in her belly, spanning its wings until liquid heat settled between her legs and her pulse became a staccato beat worthy of a drunken warlock pounding bongo drums to a tune only he knew.
“We’ll see you in the morning.” Dmitri clapped Alonzo on the back. “Not a moment before that.”
A wicked grin spread on the vampire’s face. “I can hang around, come in as backup.”
A feral growl rumbled from Dmitri as he opened the apartment door and unceremoniously shoved Alonzo out. “Tomorrow.”
The door slammed with haste. One lock, then a second. A pause. Then the third. A sigh. The fourth. A growl. “Woman, how many locks does one dragon witch require?”
“I’m into safety,” she replied with a wince. The fifth lock clicked into place. She’d have to sneak in later and reseal the latches herself for the protection spells attached to truly work, but she didn’t think Dmitri would appreciate knowing that.
“I should probably get to work on charming crystals, just in case we need them tomorrow.”
“Expecting trouble?”
“No one should venture near a cursed dragon witch as strong as Dragos and not expect trouble.” She blinked and regarded the intense vampire. “In a few weeks I’ll be too dangerous to come around.”
He prowled forward. A musky scent encased her in raw compulsion. Touch, taste. Her lips burned and her fingers blazed with carnal need.
“Do you think I’d allow a curse to remain within your body, little dragon? I’ll chase whatever demons I must to sate your hunger.”
“All I need tonight is you.”
He grasped her head and claimed her lips. Warmth amplified stark need. She nestled into his embrace and ceded control. She explored the bare expanse of his corded abdominals.
She fumbled with the button on his jeans and stifled a curse when he severed the kiss and regarded her through half-hooded eyes smoldering with passion. “That’s not a good idea, little dragon.”
“I think it’s an excellent idea.” Primal lust spread like brushfire through her system.
Tingles burst across her cheek with his soft caress. “I won’t be fucking you tonight.”
Chapter Three
“Run that one by me again.” Macy channeled her sexual frustration to an abyss growing within her. What the hell did he mean he wouldn’t fuck her?
“Trust me, little dragon.”
“Like hell.” She pushed from his embrace and edged toward the bedroom. Did the rat bastard think she’d beg for his attention?
You know you will sooner or later.
“You’ve been without another’s touch your entire life, Macy. You should feel all the pleasures a man can give you, not just the ones that involve a cock.”
She was more than willing to start there and branch out. She could feel him behind her. His heat enveloped her, sucking at her anger and stoking her passion with his words.
“I could spend all night tasting you, little
dragon.” Her knees weakened, she leaned against him. “I’m going to spread you out and feast on your flesh.”
Okay, that was probably supposed to be sexy as hell, but hearing it from a vampire? Not so much. Fangs redefined the image in Macy’s head significantly. The last thing she wanted to be was a walking sieve.
“Your body just tensed. Do you truly think I have no control over my need to feed from you?”
He hadn’t exactly been the poster child for Vamps Against Witch Blood.
“I suppose we’ll see which of us can hold out the longest.” Oh, that didn’t sound good. Not at all.
Electricity arced through her fingertips and swirled in the air. Dmitri’s embrace tightened and a rush of power filled the room. Floating. They were floating to the bedroom.
“Show off,” she whispered.
“You haven’t seen anything yet.”
Candles flickered to life within the bedroom as they entered, even though Macy couldn’t figure out whether they’d responded to her surging powers or the man holding her. A shiver coursed along her spine.
She turned to face him, daunted by the lust in his gaze as it roamed her body unabashedly. He grinned, molten heat surged in her core. He flicked his wrist and the vest covering her moved, sliding down her arms and to the floor. The lack of energy residue led her startled mind to one conclusion—she’d seriously underestimated how truly powerful Dmitri was.
No wonder Hilda had her talons so firmly entrenched in him. Her skirt fluttered, weaving down her legs to pool on the carpet.
Macy looked at the hastily discarded material, too aware of her nakedness, his intense stare.
“Look at me, little dragon.”
Hesitantly, she met his gaze. Unseen tendrils drifted across her naval, up her ribcage, and across her breasts. Her nipples pebbled under soft currents of sensation, drifting back and forth, pressing firmer with each stroke. She closed her eyes and relished the power, the flow of raw energy wrapping her in ribbons not of her design. For once, her inner magic surrendered to the masterfulness of the man before her.
“It should be a sin that no man has seen you like this, raw and hungry.” He moved to stand within her aura, as if daring her to retreat.
Retreat was no longer an option, and she doubted it had ever been. Two opposing powers flowed within the room. The negative energy wielded by vampires naturally annulled the ones controlled by witches, which was why neither could enslave the other for too long.
But there were always ways around what should be a harmonious balance between the two species. Someone thought to enslave his kind. Revulsion filled her. She wouldn’t allow anyone to harm him or his kind.
She thrust the unwanted concerns from her mind. He stroked across her shoulder and down her arm. A taunt, a slow, sensuous torment.
“I didn’t expect you to be so slow in devouring me.”
“A smart man doesn’t go to a five star restaurant and gorge with a shovel in hand. He savors the entrée, the succulent aroma, the heady flavors. Then he nibbles on the delectable morsel. Only a fool would rush a delicacy like you.”
He had a career in greeting cards if he ever needed it.
Her eyes fluttered closed when his mouth descended on hers. Molten heat rushed through her veins, fueling her with bravado. She wound her hands around his waist. Come hell or death she’d have him inside her tonight.
He lifted her, maneuvering slowly to the bed. She sighed when he set her on the soft cover. His tongue dueled with hers in a hedonistic promise of what would come. Concerned she was about to get interrupted again, she mentally checked all the shields on the house, working diligently on the locks she’d never gotten around to magically reinforcing.
No one would disturb them.
They wouldn’t dare.
Messing with a dragon witch when she was primed for wild, off-the-wall-intense monkey sex wasn’t smart. An extra barrier constructed itself around her building, charged by her adrenaline and surging powers. Anyone entering would get an extra zing for their trouble, but she was pretty sure Old Man Friar and his “friend” Beatrice wouldn’t mind. Friday was Scrabble night—and no one messed with two older-than-ancient earth witches and their love for the game.
Since the unit immediately next to hers remained chronically vacant—probably because of the extra energy ramping through the power lines and turbo charging the area—Macy could settle into her vampire time.
He straddled her body, and loomed within touching distance, his heated gaze sweeping over her exposed skin. The fact she wasn’t self-conscious made her nervous for some reason, as if her inner witch accepted Dmitri’s dominance and sheer, raw power.
“Your beauty turns me into a weak fledgling. I want to fuck you so bad,” he confessed.
He explored, massaged, cupped, and kneaded her breasts. White-hot pleasure engulfed her inner darkness and awakened the deadened part of her soul. How had she existed without the touch and taste of a man?
Dmitri lapped at her skin, on the vein he’d soon feed from. Her heart rate accelerated. Moisture pooled between her legs where his fingers now delved.
“So wet for me.”
She rode the digits with abandon, uncaring whether her response was acceptable. Something spiraled, just out of reach, and she groaned her frustration.
“Shh, it’s okay. We’ll get you there soon enough.” The husky whisper evoked tremble. Tingles ignited near her earlobe where he suckled. He plunged deeper into her pussy.
Pleasure exploded within her. He rubbed her clit. Her own touch never stoked embers of need. An inferno culminated beneath his deft touch. She panted labored breaths. A growl echoed in the room, but she couldn’t tell whether it was her or him.
“Damn, you feel so good,” he whispered. “Are you ready to fly, little dragon?”
She was crashing and burning fast. She thrust her hips in time to the ravenous rub against her clit. She’d never touch herself again without thinking about him.
A slight pinch made her gasp. Pleasure streamed, exploded within her. She clung within an abyss, unable to breathe or move. For the first time since the vile curse became hers, she couldn’t control the chaos. Fiery heat flamed around her and she prayed he was as strong as she’d suspected. She surrendered to the bursting orgasm and released her powers fully into the room, into him.
Blackness engulfed her vision. She wrapped around the massive body atop her, unaware of anything except the strong embrace and the gentle thrusting in and out of her as the last waves of sensation lapped at her senses.
Holy hexes.
Macy blinked and battled to control her ragged breaths. Was it always like that? Sweet broomsticks, to think he’d only used fingers. She ran a trail of soft kisses across his sheening skin.
Concern flashed, hot and rapid. She pushed away and looked into his fiery gaze. Golden power raged within the grey depths.
“Wow,” she whispered with a ragged, dry voice. “You okay?”
“We’ve just started, little dragon.” A wicked and molten grin spread across his handsome face. Her muscles clenched.
Macy gulped.
What would top that?
His kiss was hard, uncontrolled—much like the massive body now pinning her to the mattress. She scored his back and kneaded the sinewy flesh at his shoulders. She deepened the kiss, chasing his tongue and demanding more when he tried to retreat.
She wanted more. Now.
“Fuck me, Dmitri.” He growled. His body vacated hers, fabric ripped.
“I’m an untried fledgling with you, little dragon.” Anger resonated in his tone. “You undo my control.”
“Good.” She flashed a wicked grin.
“Lie down, arms above your head,” he snarled.
A tremble slid through her. He prowled to her draperies and removed the silk ties. Oh dear, he wouldn’t.
The bed dipped with his weight. One silk tie looped around her wrists, securing her to the wrought-iron headboard she’d always intended to replace. S
he tugged on them, her mind settled firmly somewhere between shock and arousal.
He chuckled softly and maneuvered to the bottom of the bed. Her mouth watered as her gaze swept across his thick, hard length. Goddesses, he had an incredible cock. Her pussy clenched at the thought, and she whimpered softly.
Cords wrapped around each ankle, leaving her spread eagle on the bed with little room to move. He settled his weight between her legs.
“Now we can take our time.”
Candles flicked her annoyance. Heat swept through the room, an arid tension much like the one coiling within her gut and farther down between her legs. He caressed across her upper thigh and blew a hot breath across her vulva.
“I can smell your arousal,” he whispered. A sinful kiss fell on her mound. He licked downward, his tongue brushing across her over sensitized clit.
No man had ever done this. How could she accept this attention when her body already quaked with need for his cock? She pulled away from the tongue seeking her pussy.
Dmitri growled his displeasure and grasped her hips, forcing her into place for his ministrations. She moaned when his tongue plunged the depths she’d wished he’d take with the thick, hard shaft she’d seen.
Her dry throat emitted muffled sounds, a heady concoction of growled need, groaned pleasure, and purred desire. Her synapses fired missiles, turbo charged power streams she couldn’t contain.
“Dmitri.” A beg for mercy, a cry for more. Macy tugged on the restraints, lost within a sensuous voyage to the abyss which had overcome her before.
Her power syphoned the residual pleasure to fuel the inferno she suspected would engulf her soon. A red haze overtook her vision. Her entire body throbbed.
Dmitri lapped languidly, as if the gates of hell weren’t opening up to take her away any moment. The sultry air burned her lungs. A sheen of sweat dappled Dmitri’s shoulders, his back. Beads of sweat trickled down her cheek.
No, not sweat. Tears.
The sensations were so strong she had no defense but tears. Hot, honest to Goddesses tears. The only working conduit she had to communicate her desperation was her weakened voice.
