“And you’re point is?” Jax asked.
Genna blinked at him then turned back and smiled at Goldy.
“Holy shit, did she just smile?” Jax asked in Tierney and Sami’s heads.
Tierney smirked at him. “Yeah, and it was kinda creepy.”
“I can still hear you!” Genna glared at them, making them all laugh.
Genna looked at Goldy and frowned. “Why didn’t you shift into your dragon? They’d have never been able to take you then.”
Goldy blushed, obviously embarrassed. “They startled me at first then I was too scared. I’ve only shifted into my dragon twice and after they grabbed me, I couldn’t seem to concentrate. I feel so stupid.”
Jax nodded. “Nah, that’s normal. It will get easier, the more you shift,” he told her.
Sami agreed, thinking of how he needed to calm down to shift earlier and how hard it had been for Jax to shift the first time. Tierney nodded too.
“I had trouble shifting today as well. I was so scared and worried for you, it took me a couple tries,” Sami told Goldy, trying to make her feel better.
“That is just freaking stupid,” Genna growled, eyes glowing in annoyance as she frowned at all of them in disbelief.
“Genna!” Everyone barked, angry at her lack of empathy.
“Well it is! She could have been taken far away, never to be seen again, to be tested, molested, mind controlled, beaten, tortured, or drained for her super-special blood, and then killed.” Genna, her eyes glowing blue with the red ring that they were getting used to seeing, glared at all of them as they stared at her in horror. Then she glanced back down at Goldy. “I will teach you so you never have this happen ever again.”
Goldy chuckled and smiled. “That would be great, thanks Genna.”
“You’re very welcome sister-cousin,” Genna said and dipped her head at Goldy. Then she fixed her gaze on everyone else. “The rest of you, figure it out on your own!”
Genna started out of the room then turned back. “Sister-in-law, your daddy woke up.”
Tierney looked at her with wide eyes. “He did? Is he all right? How long ago?” Tierney asked as she started for her dad’s room.
Genna shrugged. “I took care of him.”
Tierney frowned in horror. “You did? How?”
Genna shook her head and scowled at her. “Duh! Magic. What else?”
Tierney blew out a breath in exasperation. “Okay, but I mean, how did you take care of him? What did you do?”
“Oh. I just put him back into sleepy-bye land. Though I don’t know how long he will sleep. He dreamed that Raven was on her way—whatever that means.”
Tierney glanced at her in surprise. “Raven is his sister. She’s never come here before,” Tierney said as she left the great for the hall leading to her dad.
Sami wondered if it was only a dream or if Tierney’s aunt was really on her way here. And why? Raven had gone rogue, hunting, and killing Ilyium ever since they killed her mate twenty-years ago. She didn’t do well in company, preferring to live on her own. Sami had only het her met when she showed up at his and Tierney’s mothers funeral.
Chapter Seventeen
Seville
AMELIS CREPT INTO Seville’s room and looked around. The tiger had lived here for years and yet there was no indication he’d ever been in the room. Well, other than his masculine scent—that she could smell. But as she glanced around she didn’t see anything personal—no pictures on the wall or nightstand. The top of his dresser was bare and there wasn’t a stitch of clothing left out. She walked over and opened the closet. All his clothes were perfectly hung and all in black. With a frown, she walked over and examined the bathroom. It was just as sparse with only a toothbrush and toothpaste in the holder. Amelis shook her head. She hadn’t been able to take her mind off the Were-tiger after the mind-blowing sex they’d shared the other day. Or maybe she should say, orgasmic sex they shared…
If he could override Val Jean’s compulsion, then she wouldn’t need Zander. Seville had surprised her and while she had once been merely curious and hot for him, now she was even more so. Amelis walked over to his dresser and pulled a drawer open. She smirked because all his shirts were neatly folded and stacked. Next, she pulled open the top drawer, expecting socks and underwear. She wasn’t disappointed but she also found an unframed photo on top and in it, there were three little kids and a very beautiful exotic woman. Amelis frowned at the woman. There was something vaguely familiar about her but she didn’t think she’d ever met her before. With a shove, she pushed the drawer closed surprised at the flash of jealousy that surged through her.
She had just turned away when the door opened and Seville walked in. A frown lit his face when he saw her. “What are you doing in here?” he asked her with a raised eyebrow.
“You called me, remember…said you needed to talk to me. So here I am,” she said as she stepped closer to him. Even with all his clothes on, he was a remarkable sight. One she’d be most happy to honor every single day.
Seville frowned. “I did not tell you to meet me in my room.”
“Oh, well, you didn’t specify where,” she said and ran her eyes appreciatively up and down him.
Seville sighed. “My King wants to know if your people in Tartaria picked up the virgin Phoenix? The portal spell is due to wear off.”
Amelis sniffed, annoyed at having to talk business. “They were instructed to, so I assume they have.” She inched closer and laid a hand on his chest. She shivered at the thought of him inside her once again. “Now you know your answer, let’s have some fun,” she said, glancing back at the bed.
With a groan, Seville shook his head and stepped back. “No, I cannot.”
“Why not? No one will know,” Amelis said with a little pout.
“I will, and I cannot do this…I am sorry.” With that, Seville turned and began to walk away.
“At least tell me if you can break Val Jean’s compulsion over me,” she said, but Seville hesitated.
“Please,” she begged. Seville shook his head and glanced back at her. The sadness in his eyes shocked her.
“No, I cannot,” he said and walked out of the room leaving her there, feeling confused.
***
SAMI INTRODUCED Goldy to his sister, then tried to get Dimitina to open up a little. It didn’t work. She just sat in her room looking out the window with a faraway expression on her face. She hadn’t acknowledged either of them and Sami wasn’t even sure if she knew they were there. It was heartbreaking. After a few minutes passed without luck, they got up and said goodnight, then they went to check on Zander. Tierney and Jax were sitting with him.
“He’s back in his coma?” Sami asked.
Tierney nodded. She wore a sad look on her face as she gazed at her dad.
“God, how awful that someone could do such a thing,” Goldy murmured.
They all nodded.
“It’s slow, but at least he’s healing,” Tierney said and Jax hugged her. “We can’t seem to keep him out of his magical coma for too long, otherwise he becomes agitated and is in extreme pain,” Tierney explained to Goldy when she asked about it.
“How is Dimitina?” Jax asked, looking up at Sami.
Sami shrugged. “I don’t know what to do about her. I’m worried. She isn’t speaking or even reacting to anyone,” he said, feeling the beginning of the old familiar guilt slithering through him. Although, it had been much better since he spilled his soul to Jax. It hadn’t completely gone away, but then it probably never would.
Goldy’s arm wrapped around his waist and Sami leaned into her a bit, relishing the feeling of comfort and love he got from her.
“Give her time, she needs to heal. She’ll be okay,” Tierney said in an attempt to reassure him.
“She needs to learn that she is safe here,” Jax added.
Sami shrugged. “I guess. I just feel so helpless.”
Goldy put her other arm around him as well and gave him a hug, somehow
knowing he needed it.
“C’mon, let’s go to bed,” she whispered in his ear making Sami shiver.
After saying goodnight to Tierney and Jax, Goldy took Sami’s hand and they stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind. Once there, she asked him, “Are you all right?”
Sami thought about it. He knew Goldy soothed him a bit but since his confession to Jax, his guilt had eased up and now that he thought about it, he’d stopped having his weird pain, and panic attacks. “Yeah, oddly enough, I am. Although, all this worrying about everyone is gonna be the death of me,” he muttered.
Goldy stared up at him. “Hey, I have an idea. Let’s go for a night flight?”
Sami grinned and then nodded. “That sounds like a great idea.”
Once outside, Sami spread his wings and launched himself off the ledge after Goldy who was laughing with glee in his head as she raced through the starlit night ahead of him. With his exceptional eyesight and her faint red glow highlighting her golden scales, he followed her easily through the dark.
“This is the most amazing feeling in the whole wide world, I lu-uv flying, Sami,” she sang a little too loudly in his head. Sami mentally winced, then grinned. Her happiness was infectious.
“It is pretty amazing,” he said as he caught up to fly beside her.
Goldy swooped and Sami followed right behind her.
“Oh, look at the lake,” Goldy shouted, meaning the reflection of a million stars on the slick black surface. She dived even lower and Sami pulled up beside her. Together, they flew within inches of the lake’s surface. Sami glanced back to see a fine spray, like fine crystal droplets shooting up behind them.
He chuckled. “Look behind us,” he told Goldy.
She did and whooped with laughter. Then her tail hit the surface and she laughed even harder at the spray that rose up behind them like an invisible water-skier.
When they neared the end of the lake, they rose back up into the sky. Goldy dipped and dove then they both settled down to glide on the thermal air currents. Sami felt more relaxed than he’d been in a very long time. It had been a brutal month with no downtime and now he realized that he needed this. Goldy’s voice was suddenly in his head interrupting his musings.
“I don’t think I will ever get used to, or tired of this…and to think, I didn’t believe my mother when she told me tales about flying. She always promised me that one day I’d know what she was talking about—” Her thought trailed off and Sami sensed her mood turning melancholy.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asked after she’d been silent a minute.
Goldy didn’t answer for a few seconds, instead with a mighty surge she shot higher into the atmosphere. Sami, thinking she might need a couple minutes, flipped over. He glided upside down and watched Goldy above him. The moon was a bright white glow in the sky and from where he was, she seemed be flying over the moon. Sami let himself free fall for a second then with a bunch of couple powerful thrusts of his wings, he rose back up to glide beside Goldy once again.
“I’m sorry, didn’t mean to spoil the mood. I was just thinking ... do you think my mom ever snuck out to fly? I can’t imagine being able to fly and not doing so,” Goldy said wistfully and Sami knew she was missing her mother pretty badly. She was brave the way she put on a good front. After all, with her cheerful demeanor, it was hard to remember that she’d recently witnessed seeing not only her mother killed, but Bastien’s father as well.
“I’m sorry about your mother, I know you miss her,” Sami said, his heart aching for her. He wished he could offer her more than just condolences. Then he thought about what Goldy had just wondered about. ”I think she must’ve snuck out to fly. As you say, it is the most amazing feeling in the world, so how could she not? And, I know she’d be so happy if she could see you now.”
Goldenthorn turned her head to him, and Sami felt her power rise. He saw a picture she projected in his head of her smiling at him. ”Thank you, Sami, I think you are right.”
Wow! Sami smiled inside, not sure if she could see it or not. But then he wondered what else she could see, or what else she’d eventually be able to do? Genna already showed some rather interesting powers and Goldy was her blood sister.
When they landed, Sami drew in his wings and admired Goldy as she landed beside him. Even her dragon was stunning. Golden scales shone in the moonlight and the red glow set them off just perfectly. She really was something, he thought, as they both shifted back into human form. I really am lucky. So why don’t I feel lucky?
Then he thought about another dark-haired beauty who could stop his heart, or kick start it with nothing more than a glance. He sighed mentally. She doesn’t want you, dipshit!
Sami knew he needed to let Hellfire go. He had a wonderful woman here who was pregnant with his child. Just because his heart, his soul, yearned for another didn’t mean he couldn’t learn to be happy with this one. She was so sweet, so kind, and she made him feel good. Okay, maybe not as good as Hellfire made him feel, but still, he knew he could be happy with Goldy. He knew it wouldn’t take much. He was already much happier than he’d been in a very long time and just because it wasn’t the heart stopping happy he really wanted, didn’t mean it couldn’t work. He’d make it work. He had to, for his own sake and for the baby’s sake. He may not be able to give her his whole heart, but he’d do his best to be a good father and mate. But then again, was that fair to Goldy? Doesn’t she deserve more? Briefly, the thought flashed through his mind and Sami mentally groaned. Then he pushed his musings away when Goldy asked him a question.
“Were you really worried about me earlier, or just the baby?” she asked as they stepped back into the house.
“You, of course. I was definitely worried about you. I had forgotten all about the baby,” Sami said, wincing at his confession. Then his heartbeat picked up as Goldy’s hands crept under his T-shirt, up his abs, and over the scales of his dragon. He shivered at the golden glow that lit up her eyes, glad he had chosen her over his revenge against Marcius.
“Kiss me, Sami,” she whispered and moaned as he lowered his lips to hers and his hands made their way under her shirt to cup her breasts, then move on around her back, marveling at the smoothness of her scales and the pulse of life coming from them. A moment later, she pulled away and stared into his eyes. “Take me to bed, Sami, make love to me, please.”
Sami nodded, his pulse racing at the thought. “Yes.”
As they reached the top of the stairs, Sami tensed up. Something felt off …
He searched down the hall and glanced back behind him, down the stairs. There was no one there. Weird … He must be overtired. Then he spotted the laundry basket with his clothing in it from the day he found Hellfire. Ah, of course. Although, it was weird that her scent would still be on his clothing after they’d been washed. Whatever. As Goldy’s hand slid under his shirt and caressed him. Sami pushed all thoughts of Hellfire away. This was his and Goldy’s time, he was with her now.
At least, that was what Sami tried to tell himself. Even as he tried, unsuccessfully to forget about the annoying woman who had used him and thrown him away. Why can’t he forget about her? Even now, the memory of what he and Hellfire did that day in her room had him suddenly rock hard.
Sami groaned and Goldy glanced up at him, her eyes still glowing. Then she looked down.
“Oh Sami.” She grinned, thinking he was that hard for her.
Shame filled him. He wanted to be this hard for her but it was Hellfire who had bewitched him. Hellfire was the real cause, but as Goldy opened the door and molded her body against his again, he moaned. His cock twitched, pushing against her, wanting …
What Goldy didn’t know, wouldn’t hurt her. Right? Yeah, right! He hated himself for lying to her. Shit, what is wrong with me?
The thought of Hellfire wouldn’t let him go though and it was as if she were there with him. The next instant, he completely forgot Hellfire as Goldy shoved him up against the wall. She yanked his shirt off
over his head and began to kiss his neck and chest. Sami breathed in the wondrous pheromones wafting about his room and grew dizzy with desire. His heart, his soul was singing and his cock was straining with a crazed need. A need unlike any he’d ever felt before. “I’ve never seen you like this before, Sami,” Goldy said, breathless as she gazed up at him. A noise near his bed made Sami freeze and suddenly he knew. These weren’t Goldy’s pheromones making him crazy. Tearing his gaze from Goldy’s, he looked across his room. “Hellfire?”
Suddenly, feeling like his eyes were going to pop out of his head, Sami felt his cock twitch again at the sight of the woman who had the power to destroy him as she stood by his bed, staring at him and Goldy. Most surprising was seeing the hurt shining in her furious silver eyes.
“Sami, who is that?” Goldy whispered, staring at the other woman.
Sami’s racing heart began to thunder and his blood roared in his ears. “Hellfire? What are you doing here?”
NOT THE END
DRACONES
Betrayed
Book Three
By
Sheri-Lynn Marean
Prologue
Portal from Earth to Tartaria
NIX GASPED AND SUCKED IN A LUNGFUL of thin, magic-filled air. Where am I?
She forced her eyes open and blinked, then panicked at the thick muggy darkness until her sight adjusted. She gasped at the flashes of light surrounded her.
Oh, right. The portal …
Nix felt along the ground, winced, and snatched her hand back before focusing on her surroundings. Hinah, with her long silvery hair spread out on the splintery sharp ground, lay motionless beside her. She reached out and tentatively touched the razor-sharp edges of a bright white diamond beside her. No wonder she ached. She’d been lying on a bed of spiked gemstones that were embedded all over the rocky ground. While the sight of the gems might excite most, for Nix they did nothing. Her body ached too much from the jagged points to care.
Dracones Boxset Books 1-5 Page 58
