WickedBeast

by Gail Faulkner

  “We need to find Harrison and his witch. We also need someone to go south and watch the humans just in case an idiot with a camera phone gets lucky. It wouldn’t be wise to take Minuet anywhere near the popsicle fields, so you might want to practice your polar bear impression,” Cord suggested.

  Legion didn’t answer as they pulled into Kelly’s driveway. He slid out of the truck and walked around it to join Cord at the front door.

  As Cord pulled the door open, Legion shot him a sly smile. “Cold means I warm her up.”

  Cord had to chuckle at the earth dragon’s logic. He was right. Cold was an excellent reason to remain in physical contact with his witch. Lucky bastard.

  Kelly and Molly were still on the back patio. The two large dragons strolled out the kitchen door, looking as if they’d simply been to the corner store for a few supplies, but the air around them told a different story.

  It was natural for Kelly to stand and reach for him. Her mouth opened slightly as she pulled the taste of battle across her tongue. It was black licorice, dark with a hint of sweetness at the end. This must be what victory tasted like. Then she was in his arms and there was no time to analyze the air around him.

  His mouth was on hers, and though the arm around her waist appeared casual, there was nothing relaxed about his tongue thrusting into her mouth in a quick stab of possession. Over as fast as it started, his head lifted and he smiled down at her.

  “You missed me?” he asked. “I told you not to worry.”

  “Just because you said it doesn’t make it so,” Kelly told him forcefully. “But even if you are that bossy, I’m glad you’re back.”

  Cord had to touch the roses on her cheeks as she looked up at him with that expression on her face. The back of his knuckles glided down her cheek to her chin. Words didn’t really matter. She was taking something from him as much as he was drinking her touch. That didn’t make sense. Her hand at his back was fisted in his shirt, and the other on his biceps clutched him too tightly.

  The tension wasn’t leaving her, and Cord frowned slightly. “Seriously, that was nothing. There was no danger. I should have made sure you knew that before we left.”

  Legion and Molly interrupted with their abbreviated goodbyes as Legion pretty much dragged Molly to the gate connecting the two backyards.

  For an instant Cord was jealous then a short body barreled into his legs, wrapping herself around his thigh like a little monkey to laugh up at him. Looking down into Minuet’s shining face as he stood with his arms around her mother, Cord couldn’t think of one other place he’d rather be. The heat flooding his system was more than the power they couldn’t help giving him. He was developing some aberrant need for this new mix of acceptance, concern and joy.

  “I glad you back,” Minuet declared happily.

  “I’ll always come back, precious,” he told her with a smile. “That’s a promise.”

  “I knows it. But Mommy like pomises,” she told him seriously. “She petend not worry.”

  “Don’t tell him all my secrets,” Kelly laughed. “We girls have to stick together.”

  “We sticking to Cord,” Minuet stated as her arms and legs tightened around Cord to show her mother she was sticking.

  Kelly draped her arms around Cord’s neck, giving him a quick hug as she agreed with Minuet. “You’re right. That’s a good idea.”

  Cord didn’t know what to say. Minuet had a way of cutting through adult clutter to the heart of whatever she thought was important. In doing so, she wrapped her little fingers around whatever this dragon could call a heart and locked herself to it. Her intentions were transparent, pure as sunlight.

  Cord cleared his throat and smiled at both of them as an arm circled each. “Tell you what, angel face, I’ll promise Mommy whatever she wants. Is that all right with you?”

  “No. That not right. We only gets what we needs. That rule. You can pomise be safe. That not selfish,” Minuet reasoned.

  “Got it.” He nodded into her serious little face. “Thank you for keeping track of the rules. I don’t want to get mixed up.”

  “I member good,” Minuet continued. “I help you.”

  Cord fervently hoped she wasn’t being prophetic. It was his plan to make sure they never came to a place where he needed her help. If they didn’t succeed in securing the dragons trapped beneath the ice, she might be their only hope. However, the possibility existed that the opposite was true. There was no way of knowing.

  There was another reason it was vitally important to make sure they never had to use her power. It was an unknown, its effect or consequences unpredictable. Simply being around her had a positive influence on both him and Legion. What if simply being near her had a positive response on a regular dragon? Could she wake them without trying? Could she unknowingly feed them by accessing her power for normal, everyday things, just because she was close to them?

  Right now she was infusing him with massive amounts of power through her emotions. The pure faith of a child was magic on steroids. There was no way to test her abilities at this age. Teaching her to kill the frozen dragons would be an unimaginable horror. He wasn’t sure he was strong enough to do it. Soon he would show her how to make sure she didn’t harm anything, safety required it, but teaching her how to be a weapon was a revolting thought. No, he would be the only beast. If there was a battle to be fought, it was his battle, never hers.

  An overwhelming wave of possession, protection, defense, washed through him as he looked at these two. They both felt the change in him and nearly identical frowns appeared on female foreheads.

  “What?” they said in unison.

  How was he supposed to explain this to them? A dragon was a greedy creature. He held what was his at all costs, defending with no conscience, no mercy and no remorse. Taking what he needed by any means. This was the beast who would never leave them.

  “It’s nothing. I’m glad to be back,” he did his best to reassure them. Minuet accepted that that explanation with no question, unwrapping herself from his leg to run after Coco, who was barking fiercely at a rabbit that had been foolish enough to venture near the fence. The rabbit was long gone but Minuet had to investigate.

  Kelly wasn’t so easy. She remained standing in his embrace as Minuet ran off.

  “Now the truth,” she said quietly.

  “The truth is, your beast is a nasty bastard who will do anything to keep you,” Cord answered honestly.

  “And the problem is?” She raised a brow.

  “You’re comfortable with that?”

  Her smile was intimate. “It’s one of the things I like most about him.”

  A purr rumbled in his chest as the air around them changed. She was flirting with him and completely unconcerned. “I’m not sure you understand, but I’m losing interest in explaining. Kiss me, witch.”

  She slid up on tiptoes, making sure her body rubbed up against his. His mouth met hers in a deep, demanding kiss. In it he told her how much he wanted to possess her right now. They broke apart as Minuet and Coco trotted back across the lawn to them.

  “We’ll finish this discussion later,” he promised.

  The rest of the day they spent making a game out of practicing magic. Going for a walk in the woods after lunch, Minuet quickly perfected her touch with small animals. Cord was amazed at how swiftly she learned control. Her touch was light. She fine-tuned it with innate ability and deep empathy. The child had no mean in her. If she even suspected she was hurting the creature, she’d pull away.

  Returning from the walk, Minuet plopped down on the living room floor to watch Sesame Street. Cord and Kelly sat behind her on the couch. Soon she was absorbed in the show, though her attention was not solely directed at the TV. Minuet had an ever-growing capacity for knowledge. On the walk, they had discovered she naturally kept track of every creature within her range. It was a little bit scary for Kelly. Her baby was not only talented but she was brilliant as well, absorbing how to do things with all her senses.
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  What scared Kelly was the weight of the future. Minuet was different from everyone, even her gifted mother. There would come a day when she would be lonely. When that day arrived, it would last forever.

  Gathering Kelly under his arm, Cord had kissed her forehead as they walked behind the little wonder, quietly reminding her that the future was not set. If there were miracles, and her daughter was one of them, there was always the possibility of others. Probably not exactly like Minuet, but the world continued to surprise him, and he’d been around a damn long time.

  Kelly curled her legs under her on the sofa and leaned into Cord’s side as he draped an arm around her. Resting in his arms was an exceedingly addictive habit. His large body surrounded her, creating the sensation of protection. He was the embodiment of every little-girl fantasy about knights in shining armor who rescued, protected and spoiled the princess of his choice. She left off the slaying dragons part. As the princess in her story, she could alter the fantasy.

  Battling the lethargy of just surrendering to all that wonderful spoiling he was doling out, Kelly decided it was a good time to discuss a few things anyway.

  “What now?” she asked, keeping the question generic in the hopes that Minuet would not follow the conversation.

  “Molly and Legion go south for a while. Just to keep an eye on a situation we need to maintain under control,” he stated. Being sure he used sentences that would not alarm Minuet he explained, “The three of us will find a friend of mine. Have you ever been to Scotland?”

  Kelly’s head was on his shoulder as she watched Minuet. “No, never went up that way. Are you asking or telling? Will Legion and Molly be okay?”

  “Legion is looking forward to the trip,” Cord said. “He likes the idea of keeping Molly warm while they take care of business. I’d like to be asking, but that’s a luxury we don’t have. It’s something we have to do. We need the water dragon to find his lady.” He could feel Kelly smile as he stumbled over softening the direction into a discussion.

  “I hear Scotland can be quite chilly on occasion,” she said with studied innocence.

  “So they say,” Cord agreed. “I’ll be sure to check every inch of your body to make sure you’re not cold. Regularly. Perhaps I should say relentlessly.”

  Kelly’s head tilted to smile at him. “See why I’d like the beast?”

  “Not so much, but don’t pay any attention to my doubts. I won’t.”

  Kelly’s hand rested on his abdomen. She moved it up over his chest to tap his chin with her finger. The caress was oh so innocent and full of a woman’s promise. “Good,” she stated softly. “That’s another thing I’m going to enjoy about the beast. He’s dependable.”

  His eyes reminded her of steam pouring over her. The heat enveloped her, sinking into her skin, warming her bones. He didn’t have to say a word as the heat moved over her lips, burned down her neck. She could feel him drag them back to her face. Building hunger was forced to a new level as she watched him try to pull back the distinctly sexual perusal of her body. It was one of the sexiest things she’d ever seen.

  “Stop,” he breathed.

  “I didn’t do anything. You’re the one with dangerous eyes,” she whispered back.

  “You liked it. Don’t invite the beast, baby. He doesn’t play nice,” Cord warned.

  “Nice is overrated,” Kelly stated.

  Cord remained carefully still as he regarded the enticing Wind Witch. “You’re pushing. Last night was only a taste. Understand what I’m saying?”

  Kelly’s bottom lip disappeared between her teeth. Her eyes remained gazing into the heat pouring from the male holding her. She nodded and little lines appeared under her eyes, her lip reappeared and she pressed into him with her body. A small movement only he could be aware of.

  “Is that a promise?” she wanted to know. Her laughing eyes twinkled as she added, “You know how I like promises. They make me feel good.”

  Cord’s entire body flashed to rock hard as she pressed into him and demanded he promise her the dominant lover she’d met last night.

  “Count on it,” he answered, his arm tightening behind her for a moment. “Feeling very brave, aren’t you, baby girl?”

  “Should I be afraid?” she asked boldly.

  “Depends,” he conceded. “Nothing compares to that path, it changes you. Teaches you needs that can’t be unlearned, obsessions that will not let you rest. But if you go there, darlin’, it’ll be with me. I’ll never let you crave what you can’t have,” he promised her.

  Kelly studied his face, the humor leaving hers. “Why does it scare you? Your warning is dark, what we shared last night was not. You showed me a level of sensation that was new but I was never afraid.”

  “Scared? That’s not the right word. I’m concerned. Being afraid is not the issue, exploring a new level of sensation is. You’ve heard of domination and submission, right? This is what you’re asking for.” He regarded her seriously a moment then glanced at Minuet who was still engrossed in her TV show.

  Kelly settled her head on his shoulder, gazing blindly and the TV. “The two words you just used to describe what we did don’t seem right. They bring to mind people with whips and chains, dressed in black leather all involved in making rules just to give them a reason to punish someone. Where you took me was nothing like that, so if that’s what you’re trying to warn me about, thanks. Forget I said anything.”

  “Good,” Cord said mildly. “All the dressing up and carrying-on looks like a lot of playacting to me. I’m not interested in pretending anything. But that’s not what I was referring to and it certainly doesn’t have anything to do with our relationship. What we did was all about trust. It’s not something you can pull out of the closet and dress up in.”

  Supper was light and early, a salad and some fruit. Minuet was a source of endless energy, but she was also a little girl who had spent the day learning. There wasn’t much play after and it was soon time to get ready for bed. Minuet slowly got up and agreed with her mother that she had better kiss Cord good night now.

  After they disappeared up the stairs, Cord found himself drawn to the back door. Stepping into the early evening gloom, he automatically rechecked his surroundings. The conversation with Kelly made him uncomfortable. He hadn’t clearly explained his caution nor how incorrect her assumptions about getting involved in a submissive relationship with him.

  Fire rippled down his spine as he inhaled. His body was instantly ready to shift and it had nothing to do with the conversation. He opened his mouth to breathe deeply, tasting the air as it invaded his being. Abruptly his mouth snapped shut in frustration. The information on the wind told him of clumsy eyes trying to see things they barely understood.

  Whoever had sent the birds that had bothered Minuet was probably the same curious amateur. Perhaps calling the person an amateur wasn’t quite correct. They had managed to narrow the search to this area. The explosion of power required to kill a dragon had not helped conceal them, but he had thought that kill had been made far enough away to appear a singular event. Apparently someone was much better at connecting the dots than he’d like.

  What he smelled was bitter, the distinctive signature of a young wizard. Actually, there were three flavors. A little gang of them. They were perhaps one-hundred miles away. The three of them were currently engaged in a power search. Obviously no mature wizard had taught them the art of shielding.

  It would be foolish to think that since the witches were just discovering their powers that the human wizards were in the same underdeveloped condition. Assuming the best possible scenario was inviting the worst possible outcome. No, he had to assume these three were trying to impress their superiors by striking out on their own to gather information.

  Simply killing them would send a message, but it wasn’t time to communicate with that adversary yet. The three delinquents had simply given away any element of surprise their superiors might hope to employ.

  Legion stepped out in
to Molly’s backyard and nodded at Cord. “We’re leaving in the morning. How about you?”

  “Same,” Cord answered. “It would be fun to spank the pups and send them home.”

  “Yeah, I miss the old days too.” Legion sighed. “Stay dark tonight. We don’t have time to take care of both threats.”

  “Worry about your own situation.” Cord grinned as he looked at the earth dragon. “I haven’t noticed that Molly takes direction kindly.”

  Legion grinned and scratched his chin. “No she doesn’t,” he agreed.

  Cord shook his head and turned back to the kitchen door, silently entering and locking up behind him.

  Legion had no complaints about his sharp-tongued little witch, and it made Cord smile. It also reminded him how well each dragon had been crafted to fit the witch he belonged to.

  Kelly came downstairs and was a little surprised to find him in the kitchen. “Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?”

  Cord ignored her questions and walked directly to her, gathering her in his arms for a deep kiss. His palm cradled the back of her head as he took her mouth. She melted for him. Her arms gliding around his neck as she pressed into him.

  Lifting his head reluctantly, Cord told her about the new threat. “We have company tonight, and I don’t mean Minuet. I’m pretty sure the wizards who were using the birds Minuet didn’t like are three apprentices. They’ve managed to narrow their search to this area. Legion and I could easily take care of them, but that would be sending a message to their superiors, who I suspect have no idea what these boys are doing. For right now we want to simply avoid them. A confrontation with an unknown number of wizards is unwise at this point. Our focus has to be on ensuring the frozen dragons remain undiscovered.”

  “What do you mean we have company? Are they coming for us?”

  “No, they’re about one hundred miles away, seeking any power signature. Remember what I said about making love? It’s very difficult to completely shield that level of involvement. A sensitive within range will know something even if they can’t pinpoint who or where the sexual activity is taking place,” Cord explained.