by Brenda Trim
Zander’s voice stopped him on his way to the stairs. “Och, apparently this wasna a simple reconnaissance mission. Looks like you guys have been in a war, for fucks sake,” the Vampire King observed, coming out of the war room when they entered the house.
“It wasn’t my idea of a fun night. That Goddess-damned archdemon had his minions opening a portal from hell. If I hadn’t contained it, the thing would have blown up all of Pioneer Square,” Gerrick grumbled, holding his shoulder.
“I didna know that was possible. How the hell can he give his minions that power?” Zander asked, following him as he proceeded down the stairs. Gerrick heard Kyran and Mack following in his wake. With everyone following him he’d have to settle for getting patched up before he sought out Shae.
“We don’t really know everything an archdemon of his caliber is capable of performing. I would have told you it wasn’t possible, but I watched it with my own eyes. I should have suspected after we discovered he’d imbued Lady Angelica and Cele with his Dark power,” Gerrick cursed, recalling the ugly displays of that power by the evil females. “The problem was that the skirm had no idea how to contain the energy.”
“Shite, how many escaped? Bhric, you take Orlando and Santiago and get over there, now,” Zander snapped over his shoulder.
“Doona bother,” Kyran added. “We killed them all, of course.”
“Gerrick was the man, he kept the portal stable long enough for us to throw all the remains through,” Mack added with a wince as they entered the medical room.
When the door shut, Jace looked up from his microscope and shook his head. “You should see the other guys,” Gerrick joked at the grim look on the healer’s face.
Jace chuckled as he opened several cabinets. “With you in the fight, I can only imagine.”
“Anymore headway?” Zander asked, changing the subject.
Jace paused and placed his palms on the table. “Not on the antidote. But, we have seen the level of venom drop since they’ve been here. In fact, the females we released a couple hours ago had shown an even further decrease in their levels. Some of them are even close to Jessie’s levels now.”
Who the fuck had made the decision to take such a risk?
Anxiety had Gerrick’s heart galloping in his chest when he heard the females had been released. “Where’s Shae? She wasn’t safe to go home to her family,” he blurted before he could stop the words. Normally the quiet one of the group, he received several shocked stares from the group. All except Mack. She had a smug grin that said I-told-you-so that he wouldn’t be living down anytime soon. Setting his mouth in a grim line, he clamped it shut. Defending his question would only look more suspicious. What happened to the deliberate, careful male? Since he’d met Shae he felt as if all of his actions were out of character.
Zander raised one black eyebrow and glanced at him. “Shae is one of mine and will remain here under our supervision until she is safe.” Gerrick bit back his challenge. He didn’t like hearing Zander claim she was one of his. Of course she was one of Zander’s; she was a vampire, after all, but that didn’t mean Gerrick liked it. No, his mind was shouting mine when it came to Shae.
“Take your shirt off and sit on the table,” Jace instructed, startling Gerrick. “I have a feeling it will be awhile for Shae to stabilize. Her levels were easily five times what any of the other females were,” the healer continued.
Nate entered the room carrying an armful of towels. Gerrick was shocked to see the male quietly go about putting his burden away before he went to Zander’s side with a clean towel and peroxide. He remained silent as he assisted Zander in treating Kyran. There was hope for the male yet, Gerrick thought. Although, if he were honest, the irreverent dragon was growing on him.
“Why do you think hers were so much higher when she wasn’t even held the longest?” Zander asked as he cleaned the injuries on Kyran’s back. Gerrick watched the brothers, contemplating the question when his gaze snagged on the mate mark on Kyran’s chest. An ache bloomed in his heart when he thought of the mating brand that he’d lost when Evanna had died. He’d lived for a few glorious weeks with the pain of the mark before it disappeared when she was killed. That had been another blow as far as Gerrick was concerned. Would it have killed the Goddess to leave him with some small connection to Evanna? All he’d been left with was bitterness and a sense of profound loss.
“From what the others have told me, anytime the demons approached their cages, Shae egged them on, making herself their target,” Jace explained as he patted Gerrick’s shoulder. “I can’t heal these wounds, there’s too much venom.”
Gerrick shrugged, taking in the gaping wound. The five-inch gash had started to turn gray around the edges and blood still trickled from it. Not the worst injury he’d ever had. “Just stitch me up.”
“It’s too deep for regular stitches. I’ll need to do several layers and use the staple gun to get it closed.”
“I figured as much. Just do it,” Gerrick told his friend. Jace nodded and picked up the needle.
“Aren’t you going to numb him before you do that?” Mack asked abruptly.
Gerrick glanced over where she was washing her face with a wet cloth. “Why bother? It’s a waste of time and medication. With our metabolism nothing lasts that long anyway.”
“Your physicians haven’t formulated serums that are more effective for your kind?” Nate asked.
Jace cocked his head at the dragon who had been silent since he’d entered the room. “No, we haven’t. We don’t need them all that often and when we do it’s usually with the warriors who are a resistant bunch.”
“I’d rather your efforts be spent developing a counter to the venom. The rest is bearable,” Gerrick said through gritted teeth.
“Don’t let your daddy eat your dawg,” their new majordomo quipped, shaking his head in disbelief. Gerrick glanced at the male sideways, his pain forgotten. What the hell did that mean? Half the time he didn’t understand what the male was saying. “For the record, I want drugs. I’ll have Lorne bring some back for my kind.”
Jace’s eyes lit like he was a stripling seeing his first naked female. “That’d be great. I can analyze the chemical make-up and see if I can adapt the formulation to suit our races.”
“So how many females are still in the dungeon?” Gerrick changed the subject, wanting to know what to expect when he went to see Shae.
“Only two, thank the Goddess. Shae and the human, Cami,” Zander explained. “Breslin mentioned you’d asked aboot talks with the harpies. Oot of gratitude for our actions on her subject’s behalf, their Queen, Tania, is going to join the next council meeting. Now, if only we can convince her to join us.” This was great news and the furthest they had gotten with Tania in the past hundred years.
“Okay, all done. I’m going to take another sample from Shae, see if her levels have dropped again,” Jace announced, taping gauze over Gerrick’s shoulder. Suddenly, the harpies were long-forgotten and his complete attention shifted to Shae.
“Let me grab a shower and I’ll go with you,” Gerrick called over his shoulder, heading to the locker room attached to the training room. The pain suddenly fled his body in the wake of his anticipation at seeing Shae again.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Gerrick gave up trying to contain his attraction to Shae and focused on building shields around his heart and soul so she couldn’t reach him there anymore. He stomped down the stairs as irritated as he was aroused. He’d always had control of his cock, until Shae. She grabbed him by the balls and shattered all his reservations.
“Hello,” Jace said, waving his hand in front of Gerrick’s face. “You okay, buddy?”
“What? Oh, yeah.”
“Could’ve fooled me. I’ve been asking if you wanted me to grab Bhric instead. You aren’t in the best shape right now.”
Gerrick scowled. He knew Jace wanted somebody there in case Shae flew off the handle again, but there was no way another male was going to be there in his p
lace. “Don’t fucking insult me.”
Jace held up his hands in defense and continued down. “I wasn’t insulting you, but you nearly lost an arm a few hours ago.”
“Your point?” Gerrick snapped, close to losing his patience.
“No point at all” was his only response before they both fell silent. They reached the basement floor and rounded the corner to see Shae sitting on her bed with various balls of yarn surrounding her crossed legs. She looked up and smiled at them and Gerrick’s heart leapt in his chest. She was the most breathtaking creature he’d ever seen.
“Hey, Shae. I see you got your knitting supplies,” Jace said, walking closer to her cell. Gerrick wanted to grab Jace by the throat and shove him against the wall for giving Shae anything. His possessiveness was off the charts. Or, was it the fact that he wished he was the one who’d provided for her. Either way, he needed to get a grip.
“Yes. Thank you, Jace. Hi, Gerrick.” He felt the caress in her intonation all the way to his toes. She claimed to be a vampire, but he was convinced she was a siren using her spells to ensnare him.
“Shae,” Gerrick tilted his head, trying to mask his attraction. “Are we in a better mood?” She had cleaned the cell, her mattress had been replaced and she was threading black yarn into Goddess only knew what. He shook his head, disgusted with himself at the desire to wear whatever she was making just to have a piece of her close to his skin.
He saw a spark of anger flash in her eyes as she opened her mouth then quickly shut it. “If I tell you to fuck off does that answer your question?” He smiled at the steel in her spine. She was sexy when she was annoyed.
“As interesting as this battle of the sexes is,” Jace interrupted, “I have other things to do and need to take another blood sample, Shae.”
Gerrick leaned against the wall. His posture may have look relaxed, but he was strung as taught as a bow. He silently watched as she set her yarn down and stood up. The hairs stood on the back on Gerrick’s neck as Jace spoke about the reasons he believed the antidote failed and how he was going to isolate the remaining venom in her system and try again.
Shae held her head high and confronted reality head on. The defiant tilt to her chin spoke volumes for what she thought about all the blood samples, yet she willingly submitted. There was no doubting the importance she placed on the wellbeing of others. He’d never met a more selfless person. Gerrick wanted to shake her and force her not to sacrifice any more than she already had because he knew she’d give her life if it would save these females.
However, underlying it all, Gerrick saw the wounded spirit at her core. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and tell her it was going to be okay. He wanted to lie down on that mattress and talk all night with her. Protect her, caress her, take care of her… where the fuck that urge came from he had no idea. He wasn’t a touchy-feely male. He was known as a ruthless warrior who had no heart.
Others took one look at him and avoided him at all costs. He had been convinced it was his obvious disfigurement until he heard the rumors about him being merciless and coldblooded and they weren’t wrong. No one since Evanna had touched the softer part of him, not even Zander when he gave Gerrick’s life new purpose.
Jace packed up his supplies, drawing Gerrick’s attention away from Shae. “You coming?”
“I’ll be right behind you, go ahead,” he replied, turning back to Shae.
“Was my fuck off not clear enough?” Shae asked sweetly.
“It was crystal clear. You look much better than last time I saw you.” Pushing off the wall, he winced at the pain it caused.
“Much better than you. What happened?” He could see the concern bracketing her delectable mouth. And damn, he wanted to kiss those full lips. They had been dry and cracked the last time he’d seen her, but had healed and looked soft and moist and delectable.
“We went back to Kadir’s lair,” he said, pausing at her in-drawn breath. Horror and fear played across her face.
“Were they there?” He couldn’t help but see the vulnerability she tried to hide. The urge to stand in front of her and protect her from further harm nearly consumed him. In fact, he felt like he’d failed her. He had known they shouldn’t have waited so long to go after the females, but they’d listened to Elsie after her premonition. No one had questioned following her advice, especially when her gift came from the Goddess herself, but as Gerrick stood there contemplating everything Shae had been through he had to stifle his anger. He could have saved her from at least some of the pain and torment.
“We encountered a handful of skirm and lesser demons. Those bastards didn’t show up,” he replied, moving closer to the bars.
“Good. I plan to hunt them down and tear them apart with my bare hands,” she vowed. He appreciated her need for vengeance and knew she needed it to regain some of her lost innocence. Problem was that it went against his nature to allow her to place herself in danger.
“That’s not going to happen as long as you’re in here.” Distracted by her jasmine scent, he accidentally leaned his injured shoulder against the bars and cursed, “Shit.”
She walked closer to the bars. “You were hurt. Take off your shirt, let me see.” The thought of her hands caressing his skin had his shaft hardening and his eyes glowing.
There was no hesitation to comply. Watching her carefully, he pulled the fabric over his head. “It’s nothing really. Just a scrape.”
She reached her hand through the bars and lifted one edge of the bandage then snorted. “If you call that a scrape, I’d hate to see what you think of as bad. How did this happen?”
“I was surrounded by fury demons and didn’t act fast enough. Bastards used my emotions against me before I realized my mistake,” he huffed, leaning into her touch. The heat of her fingers on his skin made him forget everything else. He wanted nothing more than to feel them travel all over his body.
“The key to beating a fury is to let your rage loose in a sudden burst. It acts like a drug in their system, intoxicating them to the point of delirium for just a few seconds, but it’s long enough to remove their heads.”
Shock had his eyes widening. “You’ve fought them,” he said without thinking.
“Yeah, many times, until they realized it was no challenge for me. I learned quickly that half the fun for them was to watch me suffer, as well as, to watch me agonize over having to kill someone. I denied them that by shutting down and donning a mask before I entered the cage. Once there, I did what I needed to survive. Worst part was they didn’t want me dead. They enjoyed watching me die on the inside,” she whispered the last, having lowered her hand from his shoulder.
“If you think you’re dead inside, you’re crazy. I’ve never seen anyone more alive.” They stared at each other for several heated moments and the connection he’d felt to her the moment he laid eyes on her strengthened. The sudden appearance of Mack’s pet, Pip, broke the moment.
“What is that?” Shae asked, causing Pip to stop and look up. The furry animal began chittering and grabbed onto the bars. He pulled himself up and perched on the middle brace watching her.
“That’s a kippie from the Khoth Realm. Kyran and Mack brought him back with them.”
Shae held out her hands and the fuzz-ball jumped into them, immediately purring. She laughed and rubbed the top of its head, holding it next to her bosom. Gerrick glared daggers at the animal, jealous of the attention she was doting on it. He wanted his head resting on her breasts. Of course, he wouldn’t really rest there. He’d lick and nip and suck her until she begged him to fuck her.
“This is possibly the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. It’s like a tiny koala bear. I’ve never heard of Khoth. I take it’s a separate dimension,” her voice interrupted his fantasy.
Using every excuse he could to be close to her, he shoved his hand through the bars and rubbed Pip’s back. Their fingers kept brushing and it sent electricity arching through him each time. His blood zinged in his veins, awakening every nerve ending i
n his body. It was a struggle to focus on their conversation. “Yes, Khoth is another dimension, ruled primarily by the Cuelebre dragons.”
“Pip, are you down here?” Nate called out, coming into view.
“He’s here,” Gerrick answered.
“Oh hey. Didn’t know you were down here, too,” the male told him. “Hey Shae. I see you’ve found the little trouble-maker.”
“He’s not a trouble-maker. He’s adorable…look at that face. I don’t think he likes you very much, though. He’s shaking.” The little animal knew how to work the females, Gerrick thought. Pip knew better than anyone that Nate wouldn’t hurt him, but he sure played it up. He swore the fuzz-ball smiled when Shae held him closer.
“I left the door open and I thought I’d lost him. I’m babysitting him tonight while Mack and Kyran are out, but she’d have my head if he got away. Come on, let’s get you a treat,” Nate coaxed. At the mention of treat, Pip jumped to the floor and scampered away. Laughing, Nate followed. “See you guys later.”
“Nate feels different to me, but I can’t figure him out. He feels closest to shifters, but he’s not a species I recognize.” She shook her head and met his gaze again. “One thing is certain, Zeum is nothing like I imagined,” Shae sighed, with a bemused expression that softened her face.
“It’s never a dull moment, that’s for sure. And Nate is one of the dragon shifters from Khoth. Now, can I get you anything?”
“I’d really love to get out of here. I’m trying to hold on, but it’s difficult to be in these dungeons. I’m still locked up and it’s not helping calm me down. It’s completely counterproductive. Hell, I don’t even know if its day or night.” She wrapped her hands around the bars in front of her.
