by Ophelia Bell
“And none of the glyphs around the portal send us straight there.”
“There was never a hibernation temple in Egypt. Dragons haven’t lived there since … since the start.”
Dark shame twisted inside him. His vendetta was the reason for that. He’d killed any dragon he came across once he’d had the power to wield a blade again. His newfound magic had aided the slaughter. Any dragon he hadn’t hunted down in those first years after he lost Belah swiftly fled. Eventually Meri reined in his bloodlust and he only captured them, her control over his mind redirecting his need to breeding rather than killing, which was no less brutal.
Belah rested a hand on his arm, squeezing lightly.
“Aurum and Nicholas are ready,” she said, her touch the only acknowledgment of his silent struggle. “We should get started.”
“Aye.” Raising an arm and pointing at the narrow, nearly concealed entry to the underground cavern where the portals lay, he called out to his army. “The Equinox is the day the enemy is likely to be strongest, and our homes the most vulnerable. Now that we know where the darkest heart of our enemy lies, we can strike. Follow me to the portals below. Travel in quads to the Madagascar temple and wait there for my next command.”
Bodies parted for him and Belah as they hopped off the table. Lukas and Iszak fell into step just behind them, the rest forming orderly ranks behind their respective commanders. With their bond, Nikhil trusted no others more than the pair of turul brothers to be his commanders. When asked, both had eagerly agreed, and Nikhil had seen the familiar glimmer of bloodlust in their eyes. They still had as much of a stake in seeing the enemy fall as any of the rest.
He and Belah stood beside the portal as the North brothers took the lead, stepping into the center and triggering the magic to send them halfway around the world. The first quad went after, then another until a steady flow of bodies stepped in, lit up the marks, and then disappeared.
“I wish you would stay here,” Nikhil said. “I don’t want you and the baby anywhere near Meri when it comes down to the wire.”
“You know better than to order me to stay in the Enclave with the other expectant mothers. Evie is here. Erika is here, and she is human. Only the mates close to delivery are staying behind.”
Nikhil’s skin prickled. “If she captures you …”
“She won’t.”
“You know she steals babies straight from their mothers’ wombs. She doesn’t eat them like the legends say, but they rarely survive. She is the Lamia.”
“I have just as much a right to see her ended as you do, Nikhil. She took you from me. Getting you back was the hardest trial I have ever endured. Second only to living without you. I will not leave your side again.”
Nikhil’s nostrils flared in response to her vehemence, but some of the heaviness in his chest eased, and for the first time, he thought he understood why she loved relinquishing control to him so much. Having the decision of whether to make her stay taken from him made it easier. She was coming, and that was that. The truth was he wanted her beside him every bit as much as she wanted to be there, despite the risks. If all went well, they would never have reason to be parted again.
The room seemed to grow warmer with the steady flow of bodies filtering in from above. The cavern itself was large enough to comfortably hold a hundred or so. More if the adventurous ones chose to dive into the big pool in the center, but they weren’t in a playful mood today.
When the sounds of splashing hit his ears followed by exclamations and laughter, he clenched his teeth, preparing to discipline whoever it was that had chosen to ignore his commands. He’d been so pleased with the level of discipline among the troops, many of whom had no military backgrounds whatsoever, even though almost all had endured some level of training in their lives to help them guard against capture by the Ultiori hunters.
He held up his hand, halting the next quad ready to travel. The four turul nodded, giving into their own curiosity to peer over the heads of the others who blocked the view of the pool.
“What the hell is going on?!” Nikhil yelled. He stepped around the huge statue of a satyr in full primal shift, ready to rut, then pushed his way through the crowd.
The closer he got to the pool, the thicker the air became with the potent scent of strong pheromones and fecund magical essence. His cock stiffened and his skull buzzed with acute arousal, an almost overwhelming need to breed.
Just as he reached the water’s edge, a female voice rang out, echoing through the cavernous room in an incoherent, orgasmic cry to the heavens. And as though that power had mass, it flooded outward in waves, pushing the water into ripples over the edge of the pool and hitting him square in the chest with a blazing rush of pure ecstasy. Almost as a single being, every other person in the room seemed to shudder and gasp. Bodies stiffened, heads flew back, and cries rang out.
It gripped him unexpectedly like a sensuous caress pulling the pleasure from his soul outward until he couldn’t bear it. His legs trembled, his balls tightened, and before he could grip his cock to stave off the sudden onrush, his orgasm erupted from him in a blast of tingling release.
As the wetness coated the inside of his pants, he finally registered the tangle of limbs and bodies that had materialized out of thin air in the center of the pool.
“Oh, it’s Aodh,” Belah said, her voice breathless and husky as though she’d just been well fucked.
Not just Aodh, whose pale hair and sturdy build Nikhil recognized. Towering over the already huge dragon was a horned man with hypnotic whirlpool eyes. And between the pair, locked to them in a torrid embrace with both her holes filled by their cocks, was a dark-skinned female whose voice he’d heard echo through the room, and whose power he was certain was what had caused the mass climax everyone had just experienced.
The trio stilled as everyone around seemed to gather themselves for a second. Then a slow patter of applause began, growing in volume as more took up clapping and cheering until the entire cavern and the temple above seemed to shake with the roar of their approval.
The female’s eyes widened to the size of saucers as she peered past the arm of the big satyr. Her lower lip whitened in the grip of her teeth. Nikhil could swear he saw her curse just before she buried her face in the satyr’s chest and the pair of men closed in, protecting her from the sight of the crowd.
“I recognize your brother and the Dionarch, but who is the girl?” Nikhil asked.
“She’s the ursa they are Fated for. Aurum said he’d found her. It seems Neph was right not to join us after all.”
“Unfortunate that it took them so long to get here,” Nikhil said. “We will have to get them up to speed quickly.”
Before his eyes the big satyr shimmered and shrank, his horns disappearing in a foggy wisp. He carefully lowered the girl into the water and she turned into Aodh’s embrace, letting the big dragon shield her with his wings. Neph approached them, the water making waves as he made his way through it and vaulted up onto the edge.
“What day is it?” he asked without preamble.
“Two days until the Equinox. We’re mobilizing to hit the Ultiori’s secret base. One not even I was aware existed,” Nikhil said.
Neph cursed, shooting a quick glance over his shoulder at the other two who approached more slowly.
“We need to get her back to the Sanctuary. She must be there on the Equinox.”
“It will have to wait. We are pressed for time as it is. Your presence will speed things up—give us the advantage we were already lacking. Are you blood-melded? If there are three of you who can drift, even better.”
Neph frowned. “Just Aodh and I are. Your plan is to reach the enemy’s base before the Equinox?”
“We don’t dare wait longer. She’s been moving her army north. Aurum and Nicholas have tracked down Calder. He’s infiltrated their base while Meri is gone. We expect she’s
organizing for something but she needs to wait until the Equinox to have the power to achieve whatever it is. All we know from the intel we’ve gathered is that’s when she’s carrying out her plans, somewhere on the banks of the Nile, near Cairo.”
Neph nodded and lifted his gaze to survey the big room. “How many total?”
“Five thousand. A few hundred have ported to the Madagascar temple. Drifting from there will save time.”
“Bring them back,” Neph said. “We’re taking everyone in one shot.”
“All at once? How?” Belah asked. “I thought they had to be in contact with you.”
“They will be,” he said, and grinned.
Aodh lifted Vrishti out of the pool, expelling a thick cloud of white smoke that settled over her body, condensing into a white silk robe that provided just enough coverage for her blazing flush to return to her normal deep caramel tone.
“Do we know how long it took?” Vrishti asked.
“Too long,” Neph said. “We’ll get you home on time, I promise, but we have to take a detour first.”
The young woman’s eyes brightened, giving Nikhil the sense that she wouldn’t have gone home if they’d been able to. She’d fit in perfectly.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
Neph gave Nikhil an expectant look.
“Egypt,” he said. “Meri’s base is buried beneath the pyramids. The palace in Alexandria is a tourist attraction now, but the secret catacombs beneath are still intact. All the chambers I built are still sealed. The plan is to drift the army in, take over her base, then attack her at the water’s edge. Every Equinox she performs the same ritual at the same location on the banks of the Nile River, so we know where she will be. She’ll be heavily guarded, which is why we need the bulk of the troops to converge on her there. Most can take to the air. At least the Ultiori can’t fly. They can drift, but only short distances.”
“Every Equinox,” Neph said, then emitted a deep chuckle. “Never knew you to be so predictable, Meri,” he muttered.
“Do you know something I should be aware of?” Nikhil asked.
“She was expelled from the Haven through a portal on the banks of the Nile. We locked that one permanently after we kicked her out, but enough power at the right time could pry it open a tiny bit. Not enough for her to actually get back inside—only enough for us to know she tried.”
“Neph and I should lead the attack,” Aodh said. “Being forced to confront us will weaken her … distract her.”
“I want to face the bitch when I kill her for good,” Nikhil said.
“A sword through her heart won’t work,” Neph said. “She’s the worst abomination known to our kind. A Lamia who takes the blood of others so she can steal their bodies when it suits her. She’ll have blood-melded everyone in her army, so if you simply kill the vessel she’s in, her spirit will seek out the next closest one she’s melded with. We can’t kill her until we can be sure we’ve isolated her from all her victims. A prison like the one Aodh was in will work, but takes time to build. Several hours of preparation, at least. Let us survey the area first. Perhaps we can set a trap to capture her before we destroy her army.”
“We need to get everyone there for this to work. Care to share your thoughts on that?”
“I will take the entire temple,” Neph said.
Nikhil laughed. “You’re fucking shitting me.” Neph’s face remained completely unperturbed and Nikhil’s laughter died. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
The satyr glanced over Vrishti’s head at Aodh. The dragon lifted one shoulder. “Our powers are merged, now that we’re blood-melded. And I built this temple from the ground up. Every stone is infused with my magic. It’s as much a part of me as any artist’s creation is a part of them. I see no reason we can’t move the entire place.”
Nikhil’s mouth fell open and he spent several beats simply staring between the two men.
“We’ll put it back when we’re done,” Neph offered.
Nikhil dropped his gaze to the wet-haired young woman between them. “Is your power part of this? I’d rather my army not be distracted by your particular—ah—magic when we move them. I need them focused.”
Vrishti blinked and twisted her lips in an embarrassed smirk. “I’m sorry about that. But as far as I know, this kind of drift doesn’t need my power. Does it?”
Neph shook his head. “We only have to transport matter across a distance, not through time. Between Aodh and I, we have more than enough power after servicing you to do it several times over.”
Vrishti bit her lip and blinked up at the big satyr. On her other side, Aodh shifted closer and brushed his lips over her temple. When the girl shuddered in pleasure, Nikhil had to resist taking a wary step backward. He’d need Belah to conjure him fresh pants as it was. Fertile power as potent as hers was dangerous.
“Vrishti hasn’t been blood-melded yet,” Neph said. “When this is done, we’re taking her home to the Rainsong Clan where we can mate her with her mother’s blessing. Let’s get on with it, yeah?”
Nikhil continued scrutinizing the young ursa, his gaze dropping to the small, glowing sunburst that adorned her chest, just visible in the opening of her robe. “You’re the Summer princess. Your mother was at my wedding to Belah. Do you have the same powers she had?”
“I—I think so. I don’t know what powers of hers you witnessed, but I am mid-estrous so …”
“Sweet Mother, child, you’re in your estrous?” Belah blurted. “Do you know how dangerous that can be?” She looked between Aodh and Neph. “You can’t leave her alone until you’ve mated her. Not unless you have a surrogate in mind to service her while you’re gone. I wouldn’t trust any dragon here not to mark her, and the turul aren’t equipped to absorb that much power. We all felt it. I didn’t even have to touch her and my well was filled when you three arrived.”
“It’s all right!” Vrishti said. “I usually have a few hours between waves now. And I want to stay with them anyway. I can help.”
Nikhil’s eyes narrowed. “That much power may be more danger than it’s worth if it’s as unharnessed as it seems. Show me you can control it. If you can’t, Neph is right—you need to go home.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Vrishti
Vrishti took a deep breath. This was the man Aodh had told her about who would lead them to victory, and despite how intimidating he was with the vividly glowing tattoos around his wrists and neck, and the piercing gaze he’d settled on her, she forced herself to face him.
Pushing her shoulders back, she held his gaze, determined to prove herself. This was her chance to show them that she was indeed the daughter of Summer, and had learned to use the power that was her birthright.
“I’ve learned how to channel the excess energy. Watch.” She turned around and bent at the edge of the pool, placing her hand in the water. Closing her eyes, she drew from memory the words she’d read in one of the many tomes in her mother’s library. The growing mass of power in her core ceased its pulsing and flowed through her veins, up her arm, and into the water. In her mind’s eye, she pictured what she desired, letting the magic flood from her fingertips.
Around her she heard the collective gasps of the room, and when she opened her eyes was gratified to see her vision made real. The pool was now covered entirely in a blanket of blooming lotus blossoms ranging from pale, pristine white to pink and deep lavender.
She stood and turned, smiling up at Nikhil, but her face fell at his stern expression.
“If I could have fought my enemies by conjuring flowers, my life would have been a lot easier. This is not enough.” He lifted a palm and Vrishti watched as the hollow of it glowed green for a second, and a smaller replica of her own efforts grew out of the center of the magic.
Vrishti gritted her teeth and squatted down again, smacking her palms against the stone floor
. Glaring up at him, she spat, “Well then maybe this will be!”
She chanted different words, angrily channeling more power from the seemingly endless well of energy that kept churning deep in her belly.
The ground beneath them shook. Stone ground against stone, cracks echoing through the cavernous room as the floor split beneath them and thick vines burst forth, snaking around the room and finding purchase around the ankles of the hundred or so individuals who stood waiting for their commander’s orders.
Nikhil jumped back and nearly fell when one of the vines snagged his leg, swiftly coiling upward past his knee.
“Vrishti!” Neph yelled. “You made your point!”
She stood up, dazed by the rush of power, her vision clouding. She shook her head but lost her balance, grabbing hold of Neph’s and Aodh’s arms when they reached to catch her.
“Make it stop!” Nikhil yelled.
“I—I don’t know how to put it back,” she said, eyes widening in shock as the vines continued to writhe from the floor, tangling around the struggling people in the room.
“Burn them!” Nikhil yelled, gesturing to Belah as flames erupted from his hands. He reached down to grip the base of the vine that had coiled itself around his leg. He gritted his teeth and held on.
Around them, some of the crowd had jumped into the pool, only to find themselves still assaulted by writhing vegetation. Many shifted and took to the air, the dragons expelling gouts of flame downward at the onslaught. The cavern filled with smoke, but within a few minutes, the ruckus subsided.
Nikhil regarded her with his intense, dark-eyed stare as he bent to brush the charred segments of vine from his leg.
Vrishti chewed on her lip, not quite sure what to expect, but refusing to look behind her at Aodh or Neph for support.
Finally, Nikhil laughed and her tension eased a bit. “Undisciplined, but fierce and strong. Next time use it against the enemy, please.”
