Elizabeth, Guardian of Dragons: A Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance (RH Fated Alpha Book 5)

by Ava Mason

  Ember laughed, running something sharp up my thigh. “I’d have to disagree on that point.”

  My eyes jerked open. She was leaning over me, a knife in her hand. I eyed it warily but she took a step back and, tucking the knife in the back of her pants, she sat down.

  “Thanks for the astrolabe. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get it past Andre. Though, I have to admit that wasn’t a very creative place to hide it, in your bra.”

  I smirked. “Did you cop a good feel in while you were at it?”

  The side of her lips twisted up. “Maybe.”

  Rolling my eyes, I forced myself to sit up. What the hell was I laying on? It was friggin’ hard. We were in a dark, stone room with the only light coming from a fire hearth. It glowed eerily against the stone walls.

  I looked down; she’d put me on a table.

  “What, couldn’t splurge on a bed?”

  Her grin was predatory. “Why on earth would I need a bed? I’m not planning on keeping you around for much longer.”

  I stared at her, studying the woman who’d been trying to kill me since I’d gotten here. The woman who’d betrayed not only the Queen, but her best friend. My eyes drifted to her black onyx ring. The one that matched mine. Given as a token of trust.

  “I see jewelry doesn’t mean much to you.”

  “This one does.” Her hand went to her chest and she pulled out my necklace.

  I growled. “That’s mine.”

  She smirked. “You won’t be needing it any longer. It will add nicely to the other things I’ve collected.”

  Gah, she was such a cliché. I laughed. “You won’t even be able to figure out how to use it. It took me forever.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”

  I smirked. “I doubt that.”

  “Unlike you, I’ve been trained in magical objects since I was a child. I always told Robert he should’ve trained you better.” She shrugged. “No matter. His laziness only benefited me in the end.”

  I growled, the fur on the back of my neck stood on end. Fuck this shit. I wasn’t going to stick around to figure out what the hell she wanted. I was going to turn into the white wolf, eat her face off, take my necklace back, and get the hell out of here.

  I moved my magic over my body, ready to shift. It burst from me and then fizzled into a slow burn. I frowned and closed my eyes, focusing on the pulse of shifter magic inside. It was weak and sluggish. I connected with it, encouraging it to blossom but it only gave me a shaky response, then stifled.

  I opened my eyes. “What the hell did you do to my shifter power?” I was angry now. Had she taken it from me? First, the only thing I had of my mother’s, and now she’d fucked with my shifter power.

  I was done with this. I didn’t need my powers to kick ass.

  I stood up and slammed my fist into her face. Then followed up with an upper left cut. I kicked her chair, toppling it backwards.

  She fell back, yelping in pain and surprise, and the chair clamored to the floor. I jumped on top of her, grabbing for my necklace but her hand clamped down on my arm. I growled, trying to yank it out, but she held me like a vice. I punched her stomach with my left hand and she sucked in a breath. The hand on my arm grew hot; her hand was burning into my skin.

  I cried out, trying to yank my arm away again, but she gripped it tighter, clamping her teeth together.

  “Don’t fucking hit me.” She yanked my hand from her chest, pushing me to the floor and climbed on top of me, finally releasing her hand on my arm. I cradled it. Shit, it hurt like hell. Where was Hunter when I needed him? I grit my teeth, fighting against the pain.

  “What did you do with my team? Where are they?”

  “You think they’re going to save you? Come rushing in to save the woman they love?” She smirked. “I wouldn’t hold out hope for that, seeing as I ordered my men to kill them.”

  I gasped. “No.”

  “Yep.” She climbed off me and grabbed her chair, putting it back on its feet.

  “I don’t believe you.” We were connected. “I would feel it if they were dead.”

  “Even if they managed to defeat my team, which is unlikely considering they were unconscious when I left them, they’d never be able to find you here. We’re under the castle, one room in hundreds, hidden by all the twisty tunnels and secret places that not even the Queen knows about. No one will find us here. Only Liam knows these tunnels as well as I do. And he certainly isn’t looking for you.” She grabbed my shirt and, hauling me on my feet, she threw me in the chair. “But no matter, they’re dead. Just like you will be in a few minutes.”

  I searched my feelings, digging deep inside, calling out to them. But I felt nothing. No power. No connection to my guys. Nothing but this stifling heat and the pain shooting through my arm.

  She sneered. “Don’t feel anything, do you?”

  I frowned. “It’s probably just a stupid magic trick or something.” I rubbed my face. “Just tell me what the hell you want.”

  She stepped back, rubbing her cheek where I’d clocked her. “Fine. Since you don’t want to prolong your death, let’s get a move on. I need to know where you’ve hidden the book and the ring.”

  “Unfortunately, I don’t feel like telling you that.” I jumped up and ran for the door. She didn’t even move, which gave me a really bad feeling. I reached it in three steps and yanked at the handle. It didn’t budge. I yanked harder, then kicked at it.

  “Ugh!” I tried again, hitting and kicking the thick wooden door.

  “You’ll never get out. And even if you could, I have ten men outside the door, ready to kill you if you try to leave.” She walked toward me. “You can’t escape. You don’t have any more powers. Your men are dead. No one knows where you are. No one is even looking for you.” She brushed her fingers across my cheek and down my neck, gripping my shirt. “Just tell me, little puppy. Tell me where you’ve hidden the book and the ring and I’ll make sure that you have one last night of fun before you go.”

  I faced her; her eyes stared into mine.

  “Is that why you choose me, instead of one of my guys? Do you have a little crush?”

  She frowned. “No.”

  I folded my arms. “Then, why?”

  “You’ll find out. After you tell me where they are.” She leaned in, raising her eyebrows and pulling my arms away from my chest. Then she gripped my waist. “How about it?”

  “What about Liam?”

  She glanced away. “You out of all people should know that you can lust after more than one person. I’m sure you’ve fucked every single one of those guys.”

  I jutted out my chin stubbornly. “I haven’t.”

  She huffed out a breath. “I don’t know why not. Sexy men like that, all in one clan? I’d have taken them all in one night.”

  I looked away. I didn’t like her talking about them like that. They weren’t sexual objects. They were mine. Strong and loyal, loving and kind. And they weren’t dead.

  Her hand moved towards my breast but I slapped it away. “No.”

  She growled, and her dragon energy swelled. “I have powers you aren’t aware of. I can make these last few minutes of your pitiful life the best, most erotic time of your life.” She frowned, getting closer. “Or they can be your worst nightmare. You choose.”

  I looked into her eyes. “Just tell me one thing.”

  She raised her eyebrow. “What?”

  “Tell me why. Explain to me how a woman like you, with a Queen at your side, a good man... Why would you betray the woman who trusts you so much?”

  She huffed. “You have no idea what my life is like.”

  “I know you’re loved. I can tell by the way they talk about you.”

  “And what they don’t talk about are all the sacrifices I’ve given. For Liam. For Aria. For a people that hold so much spite.” Her voice was bitter, and hate swirled in her eyes. “From my birth, they hated me. They rejected me because I’m not one of them.�
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  “What? A dragon?” My eyes scoured the walls, looking for a way out. Maybe there was another door, a hidden one.

  She sneered. “No, a pureblood.”

  “If they hated you so much, then how did you even know the Queen?”

  “My parents were the personal attendants of Aria’s parents. They served her parents day and night, waited on them hand and foot. And it didn’t matter if I was sick or hurt. The majesties always came first.”

  I shrugged, trying not to make it obvious that I was studying every brick at the fireplace. The movies always had a hidden door behind the fireplace, right? “Seems like a worthy cause to me.”

  She growled, her voice growing darker, more harsh. “Hardly. Except, even I thought so once. I lived that lie a long time; I grew up with Aria. And I worshipped her. I kissed the ground she walked on. Played with her in that stupid garden.” She erupted in frustration. “I gave her everything! I did anything she asked of me. I stole cookies from the kitchen, distracted her parents so she could make out with Harry from her chemistry class. And after her parents’ plane crashed, I held her while she cried. Ugh, what a weak little thing.”

  Shocked, I stopped my examination of the room to look into her eyes. They were cold and hard. There was no emotion in them except a hard bitterness.

  “And yet, she still asks for more. She would have me give my very life for her. ”

  I swallowed hard. “That’s what people do for the ones they love.” It’s what my dad and mom did for me.

  She grinned, blinking, and suddenly the hate in her eyes was gone, replaced with something playful. Something sensual. It was like she flipped a switch.

  She pulled on my shirt again, dragging me to her. “And you? Are you willing to give your life for her?”

  “Are you giving me a choice?”

  Her eyes moved to my lips. “Maybe.”

  “Why go after me? What am I to you? You wanted me dead before I even met you.”

  She licked her lips and gripped me, digging her palm into my side to push me softly against the door. “Because of the prophecy, of course.”

  “What prophecy?”

  Her fingers ran over the skin under my shirt and a slow, sensuous feeling began to flow through my body. “About the wolf who unites the dragons with no Alpha. Who sacrifices everything to save the Queen.” She grinned, and the sensual feeling grew stronger, pulsating between my thighs. I moaned.

  “We have lots of prophecies, they were spoken long ago. I like to keep up with them.” She leaned in, so close her breath tickled my face. “I thought it was about Emma at first. I manipulated that situation to get her out of the Kingdom. But as soon as I heard about you, I knew it wasn’t Emma at all.”

  “But you still haven’t told me why.” Tired of fighting against her magic, I leaned into her, brushing my lips against hers. Her breath caught and she traced her fingers across my stomach.

  “Why go through all this? Instead of being loyal to those who love you, even if they ask you to sacrifice yourself.”

  “Let’s just say I have a gift for knowing when to cut my losses. There are beings out there, much more powerful than you or me, with powers stronger than anything I’ve ever seen. And one day, they will rule every supernatural creature.”

  Wrapping her arm around my back, she yanked me closer, pressing her lips on mine. Her hand moved inside my shirt to cup my breast and an arousing heat moved through my body, shooting to my core and I sucked in a breath.

  Fuck, she did have erotic powers. Powerful ones.

  She deepened the kiss, and a fervid heat tore through me where her hand was caressing my breast. Every single touch of her skin against mine sent shooting waves of desire and need up my body. “Now.” She pulled back, panting as she pinched the tips of my breast. “Tell me where they are.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  She twisted my nipple, sending a shooting pain through my chest that made me cry out. “I think you want this more than you realize.” She gripped my chin, forcing her lips over mine again. Her hand moved down my stomach. Flames of desire licked my skin and I arched my back against the door. She released her hold over my lips and leaned over, pulling my shirt and bra up to nibble at the tips of my breasts.

  “No.” I pushed against her shoulders but she ignored me. Her other hand skimmed down into my underwear. She slowly caressed and touched, sending me into a frenzy of desire. Then her finger dipped inside my pussy and I couldn’t control myself. I rubbed myself against her hand, needing to come.

  Shit. My feelings were all over the place. I wanted to fuck her. On the floor, on the table, against the door. I also wanted to kill her. To rip open her chest and yank her heart out. I clasped her to me, torn between my desires as her lips moved lower.

  “Lizzy. Tell me where they are.”

  I shook my head, pressing hers against my stomach.

  “Yes.” She bit my hip and a shot of pain rode up my body. Then she yanked my pants down and her tongue touched the tip of my vulva. I breathed heavily. Fuck, I wanted this so bad. What the hell was wrong with me? She’d tried to kill me. She ordered my men killed. She betrayed everyone and was working with the men who’d killed my dad.

  But I still wanted her. I wanted to fuck her with every fiber of my being.

  I had to get control over my body. I had to use her power against her.

  She swiped her tongue in between my lips and I moaned, rubbing my crotch against her face, trying to draw her tongue further inside. And then I froze as a wave of shame crashed over me, revolted with what I’d just done.

  She chuckled, kissing my sex tenderly, then moved her lips back up my body, pulling my pants back up. “Do you like how that feels, Elizabeth? I can give you more. I can make you come, over and over. All night, if you want. You can have one simple night in pure pleasure, before I kill you with my knife. I’ll even kill you quickly, make it painless.”

  I wanted to crawl into myself, to throw her off me. How dare she use sex to manipulate and control me. How dare she threaten me. How dare she threaten everyone I loved.

  Her lips caressed my body, which now threatened to withdraw in horror, but she didn’t realize it. She was caught up in her own powers, filled with desire and lust. “We can spend all night like this, and I won’t even ask for anything in return. I won’t ask you to eat me out. Unless you want to.” She looked up at me, grinning, and I forced my face into a mask. Her hands were on my breasts again, flicking the nubs and they perked, betraying me. Then her mouth was over them, her tongue flicking and vibrating and her powers began to move through me again. I moaned, struggling to control myself, to control my freaking libido.

  I’ve never wanted to not be horny as much as I wanted it now.

  Her hands moved back down my stomach, settling on my hips as her lips moved up my chest. Then she was slowly pulling down my bra and fixing my shirt. “Now, Elizabeth. You see what I can do to do. What kind of pleasure I can give you.” Her face hardened. “But first, I need the information. When I’ve been notified that the book and the ring are where you say they are, we can begin. Just tell me where they are and I’ll give you every fantasy you’ve ever desired. This was just a small bite, a taste, I have so much more to offer you.”

  I gripped her face, kissing her harshly and she leaned into me, grinning.

  “My greatest fantasy,” I moved my lips over her cheek, kissing her roughly, to her ear. “Is to be back with my team.” I bit her ear. She jumped back and I rammed my elbow into the side of her face.

  Growling, she gripped my neck with both hands, squeezing tight. Her hands were burning hot into my soft flesh, scorching through my delicate skin. Crying out, I clasped at her hand, hooking my fingers over her thumb. I yanked it down, breaking her thumb and she howled out in pain. Then she grabbed my arms and threw me across the room. I flew through the air and crashed into the table.

  Suddenly the whole room was hotter, and the flame at the fireplace grew into a bonfire, throwi
ng sparks across the room. The air pressed against my skin, making me feel groggy and weak. I clasped at the floor, trying to get up.

  “Don’t want to play nice, Lizzy? I was hoping for a little bit of fun. I don’t mind giving you pleasure. In fact, I like doing it in exchange for something I want. I’ve been doing it to Liam and Andre for years. But I don’t mind giving out a little pain either.” She grabbed me by my hair and threw me across the room again. I crashed against the wall, landing on my knees. Pain shot up my thighs but I scrambled towards the door.

  “Help!” I pounded on it, hoping one of the soldiers would feel bad for me. Hoping one of them had a sliver of good in them.

  She grabbed my hair again and jerked me towards her. “No one out there gives a shit about you.” She slammed my head against the door, crushing my nose. Blood gushed out, dripping onto my shirt. I slid down the door, tears streaming from my eyes.

  “Tell me what I want to know, or I’ll make this as painful as possible.” She bent over and I slapped my hand against her ear. She stumbled back, holding her ear. I jumped to my feet, aiming another punch but she kicked at my stomach, slamming me back into the door and knocking the air out of me. Pain shot up my arm from my burned and blackened hand and my head throbbed. My whole body was in pain.

  I wheezed in a deep breath, clutching at my stomach. Then I crawled to my knees and stumbled across the room towards the chair. Reaching it, I jumped to my feet and swiveled, slamming it against her. She fell to her side and I kicked her in the face.

  Blood ran from her nose and she laughed. She fucking laughed at me.

  I didn’t wait to ask her why. I gripped the table, intending to slam it against her too. But she just gave me this funny look and suddenly all the oxygen was sucked from my lungs. I put my hand to my throat, trying to take a breath, and fell to my knees.

  We stared at each other, both with bloody noses and damaged bodies. Her, with that fucking weird laugh and me, grasping at her, trying to force her to give me air. My nails scratched her face and she frowned, then slapped me across the face.