by Mina Carter
Duke couldn’t help it, his gaze slid sideways to Ris. “Did Prince Charming here seriously just say ‘to the lair’?”
Rat extended his middle finger. “Bite me, Scaley. You wanna rescue your girlfriend or not?”
Talk stopped as they descended the manhole but rather than the drains Duke expected, it was as if they’d stepped into a hotel. Endless corridors with soft carpeting and low lighting. He stepped back and looked up. Yep, the rusty metal ladder led up the same concrete shaft they’d climbed down. It was like falling down the freaking rabbit-hole.
“Shit.” Rat looked at the corridors with dismay. “This isn’t good. He’s moved faster than I thought. Come on.”
He broke into a run, forcing them to follow him or get lost. Duke had to admit, the guy could really put on a turn of speed when he wanted. They raced down corridor after corridor until, finally, they reached what appeared to be a lobby area. The huge double doors in front of them were ornate, and closed.
For all of a couple of seconds before they exploded outward, scattering dead and dying Red Caps all over the cream carpet. One rolled until it stopped by Rat’s foot. He kicked it away with a grimace.
“Sorry guys, it looked like they started without us. How about we join the party?”
Chapter Twelve
Duke took two steps toward the door but didn’t make it any further. A wave of emotion hit him so intense, he staggered backward under the weight of it. Love and loss, unbearable pain and grief hit him out of the blue. Instantly the two others were at his side, concern written over their faces.
“Shit, man. You okay?” Ris asked, his gaze flicking over Duke, looking for visible wounds.
“Yeah.” Duke managed a nod as another wave hit him. “Mental connection...to Chase.”
He’d worked out within a heartbeat what the source of the emotion was. The link to his mate was wide open, and emotion poured right from her soul to his. He closed his eyes, sorting through the overwhelming deluge. One thing was apparent above all else.
She loved him.
The emotion was clear and stark, out there loud and proud. The kind of all-consuming pure emotion that most people had no idea how to handle. It was love without selfishness and, as he was quickly coming to realize, that was his mate through and through. Whatever she did, she did one hundred percent. Warmth spread out from his heart, working its way into every cell of his body.
He loved her too. Not because something somewhere had decided that they were fated to be together, but for her. For the person she was—his brave courageous, stubborn mate. His heart lurched in his chest. His brave, stubborn mate...who was saying goodbye....
“No!” He bellowed, shaking his two comrades off and running for the door. They were hot on his heels. So hot, in fact, that when he stopped dead in the doorway, both piled into his back. Ignoring their curses, he surveyed the scene in front of him.
Somehow, Sellers had managed to cram a bloody castle in down here, and right now, there was a battle royal going on. In the middle of the floor, Sellers and Chase did battle. Duke was forced to suck a breath in to see his mate in all her glory.
Barely ten feet apart, she and Sellers were hurling spells at each other faster than he could blink. At the same time, she maintained a shield behind herself to keep the rest of the Warlock’s minions off her back.
Ris sucked a breath in. “Shiiiiit.... Remind me never to piss your girlfriend off. She’s one scary lady.”
He had to agree. During his time with the PPA, he’d seen top notch Battle-Wardens fight but this was something else. The two combatants weren’t even chanting the spells, they were just pulling raw power from the witching to form and hurl at each other.
It was obvious to see that Chase was the more experienced mage. Her spells were better formed, more complex and elegant. But it was also equally obvious that Sellers was more powerful, and only getting faster by the minute. He managed to get a solid hit in on Chase and she rocked back, the shield behind her shuddering.
Duke’s breath caught in his throat. If that spell shield collapsed then the Red Caps and orcs would be all over her like a bad rash. She’d never survive that.
“Move!” Duke yelled and launched himself across the floor. He had to get to her in time, and protect her back. Without needing to maintain that shield she had a better chance against Sellers.
Taking two steps, he threw himself into the air. The change hit him instantly, his shadow form bursting from his human body. Opening his mouth, he roared in defiance, scattering Sellers’ minions in front of him. A burst of flame caught the stragglers, setting them alight. Turning in the air, he lashed out with his tail, sending them tumbling into the midst of their compatriots like bowling balls. Flaming bowling balls of fiery death.
He slammed into the nearest pillar and used it to rebound off. His scales chittered, rustling against each other as he changed direction to land behind his mate. Pushing himself free from shadow, he let loose another long stream of flame on the creatures trying to get to Chase.
Screams rose over the sound of the battle behind him as they died, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Still they came though, running through the green smoke that marked their brothers’ deaths to throw themselves at him. Duke wove an intricate dance in the space behind Chase, using everything at his disposal to cut down the incoming hordes. He lashed out with claws and his tail, adding fire and teeth when necessary to hold them back. He jumped and turned, bouncing from every surface—and the occasional troll that joined the fray—and nothing got past him.
She cast him a look over her shoulder. What the hell are you doing, Duke? Get out of here!
Not a chance, sweetness. He paused to snatch up an orc in his teeth. One crunch silenced its screams. He grimaced at the foul taste in his mouth and spat it back out, crushing at least two Red Caps with the body. We’re mates. We live or die together. Never apart, never again. I’ve never belonged anywhere like I belong to you. This life or the next, I’ll be at your side.
Fucking idiot. Exasperation flooded his mind, direct from hers. But I love you anyway.
Of course you love me, I’m adorable. He snorted, sucking in air to roast another group of orcs racing at him with axes raised, but even he knew the tide of battle wasn’t going their way. More and more of Sellers’ minions were piling in at the back of the hall and the spells behind him were getting faster. So fast that he knew Chase wasn’t going to be able to stop them all.
“Rat!” he bellowed.
Here, fighting for their lives, the guy had dropped all pretense of being just a pixie. His skin glowed red, demon runes scrawled over it under the ink he wore on his arms, and, if Duke caught a glance of him out of the corner of his eye, it seriously looked like the dude was sporting a set of horns and a tail Lucifer would be proud of.
The demon turned, and nodded, making his way over to them with Ris trailing behind him. Even the Seer had upped his game, slinging spells nearly as fast as the two mages behind Duke. He wasn’t in the same league, that was plain to see, but he was more than lethal enough to take on the hordes of pain-in-the-assness in front of them.
Knowing their backs were covered, Duke turned and slid in beside his mate as the Dragos threw a lightning bolt. Chase caught it halfway with a blocking spell, but the impact made her grunt. Deftly, Duke added his strength to hers, throwing off Sellers’ attacks.
Together, remember? Opening himself and his magic, he fed it to her, letting her use everything they both had. She fought like a titan of lore, the spells zipping through her head ones he couldn’t even comprehend, but still it wasn’t enough. Still Sellers was faster, and they were taking more hits than they were giving. Strike after strike until all Chase could do was defend, going down to one knee under the weight of the attack.
They were going to die.
Pain in his heart, Duke wrapped his arms around his mate. To his left Ris was already down, eyes wide open as blood poured from more wounds than Duke could count. Rat still fought, shouting
curses that exploded Red Caps and orcs alike. But even he couldn’t stop the hordes for long.
Turning back, Duke looked down at his mate and smiled. At least her face would be the last thing he saw in this life. “I love you, sweetness.”
Then he waited for the blow that would end their lives.
A roar split the air in two like an axe falling. The ground beneath their feet rumbled and Duke clutched Chase close to him, looking around wide-eyed. What spell was this? What had Sellers done now? But the warlock looked as confused as he was, balancing on the remains of his stone altar like a surfer on a wave.
The flames from the destroyed fire-baskets scattered around the dais flared into life. Higher and higher, as though fed by piping hidden in the floor. But no piping or trick could explain it when they fanned out, seeking each other and building to a solid wall of flame. Duke lifted his arm, shielding him and Chase as the fire grew brighter and brighter. They might be dragons, but they were born of shadow and the light was blinding.
A figure formed in the middle of the inferno. Tall and curvy, feminine in stature. The figure became clearer and stepped from the flames. A young woman with flaming red hair and the golden eyes of a dragon. Ancient eyes that made Duke shiver just to look at them.
But she wasn’t looking at them. Instead, her attention latched onto Sellers.
“Dragos!” Her voice wasn’t human. It was deep and terrible. Vengeance given voice and form. “You yield stolen magic not intended for you. You killed to gain power and the witching rejects you.”
She strode toward the warlock. He backed up, spitting curses and incantations at her but none worked. As they hit, they slid off her skin like water from a duck’s back.
“You can’t do this! I am Dragos,” he screamed. “I am the most powerful warlock the world has ever seen. I can do things with magic you can only dream o—”
Sellers’ tirade cut off abruptly when she reached out, gripping empty air with her clenched hand. He clawed at his throat, his face going red, as though she had a physical hold around his throat.
“You might be Dragos.” She smiled, and in that instant Duke decided that if he never saw a smile like that again in his lifetime, it would be too soon. “But I. Am. Dragon. I am magic and retribution personified. More than that, as it was my magic you stole...I am judge, jury…and your executioner.”
Sellers moaned, terror stark in his eyes and leaking from his pores. “B...but, who are you?” he managed to choke out as the woman leaned toward him.
“You can call me Baby,” she whispered, and snapped his neck.
Silence fell. Duke dropped his head and felt the exhaustion that pulled at his body. Savored the novelty of not being attacked. Shit, that felt good. Now all he needed was a week’s sleep, a bath and a soft bed with his mate in it. Not necessarily in that order. First though...he looked up to find the woman looking at them through those strange eyes.
Chase struggled from his arms, and tried to stand, but her legs wouldn’t support her. Easily he caught her, helped her to her feet so she could approach the woman who had saved them. They didn’t make two steps before she stepped forward to meet them.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice gruff and unsure. She was, by her own admission, magic. Not only that, but she’d crushed Sellers like a bug. And he’d nearly done for them. What chance did they have should she turn on them?
“I can assure you, Duke Queenmaker,” she said with a smile. “That I will never turn on you or any of your number.”
He blinked and said the first thing that came to mind. “Okay, I’m fairly sure I didn’t say that aloud. And what’s with this Queenmaker shit?”
Chase gasped at her mate’s rudeness, hand tightening on his arm warningly but he wasn’t done. “And, Miss-fire-woman, let me tell you I’m done with fucking riddles so don’t you spout any of the shit Seer-boy over there did when I asked him.”
“Blunt. I like it.” Baby’s lips quirked, amusement in her eyes. She held up a hand when Chase went to speak, meaning to apologize for her mate.
“No, you didn’t say that aloud, but you were broadcasting loud enough for even a half-deaf dragon to pick up. And, traditionally, our kind’s names are descriptive. Chase’s mother called a storm the moment she was born, so she was Stormcaller. Chase was born at night when most of us wait until the dawn to enter the world, so she was named Nightborne.”
She stepped forward to look him in the eye. “You, Duke, were never given a name, so now I name you Queenmaker, because thanks to your willingness to support your mate even into death, I was able to re-enter the world.”
He started a little at her words. “You’re the baby dragon. The princess...?”
“Not a princess.” Chase pushed free of his hold to stand before the female she had protected for millennia. “She’s a Queen now. Our Queen.”
She studied Baby’s face, and smiled. Her voice was soft when she spoke, and thick with tears as emotion threatened to overwhelm her. She couldn’t stop looking at Baby, her gaze roving over the features that were so familiar, yet different. “You have your father’s hair, but you’re the image of your mother. And she’d have been so proud of you.”
Slowly she tried to kneel, to pay the proper respect to their new Monarch, but Baby stopped her halfway. “No, Chase. There will be no kneeling. Not now, not ever. You gave up everything to protect me. You left your home, your family, and your people to sleep at my side and here, you were prepared to sacrifice everything to stop an evil from entering the world. You are my rock, my guardian, and my anchor to the mother I never knew. Never will there be formality between us. Just love and trust.”
Tears flowed freely down Chase’s cheeks as Baby touched her mind. Instantly she dropped her shields, letting the new Queen read everything about their shared past, and the mother, Chase’s friend, who had set them both down this path.
Baby’s mental touch was deft and sure, non-intrusive as she read what she needed and left the rest of Chase’s thoughts alone. When she was done, she withdrew gently, adding a last feeling of warmth and love that warmed Chase through with its sincerity. She swayed on her feet and Duke reached for her, feeling through their link how deeply the contact had affected her.
“Thank you,” he answered when she couldn’t speak. Pride in his mate filled him, filtering through their mental link.
“You are more than welcome.”
“So,” Rat drawled from behind them. Bruised and bloodied, he leaned against the remains of the altar next to Sellers’ body. “Do I get a snazzy name as well?”
Baby lifted an eyebrow, her expression unreadable. Chase hid her smile, almost feeling sorry for the demon.
“There are many names for you Raterrenh, but not many of them are fit for polite company. Although,” she inclined her head toward him and Ris. The Seer was now on his feet, his wounds no longer bleeding, which reinforced Chase’s suspicion that he was far more than he appeared. “I will concede that I owe you and your companion a debt of gratitude for aiding my champions in ensuring my survival.”
“Champions? Scale-boy is a champion now is he?” Rat chuckled. His skin had returned to its normal hue and the horns and tail were nowhere in evidence. His expression dropped serious. “So, debt. How about dinner?”
Chase shook her head at the demon’s daring and reached out with a tentative mental query. Er, your ma—
Yes, Chase, Baby answered before she could finish the query. Please get your mate to take you home. I’ll deal with the rest of the clean-up here.
Chase sighed in relief, gratitude filling her mind. Without asking, Duke swept her up in his arms to take her home.
Epilogue
“You can tell she’s royalty just by the way she holds herself,” Duke commented, sliding into the seat next to Chase at the top table. Since this was his brother’s wedding, they’d been seated next to the bride and groom and Duke had been forced to give a speech. One in which his deep loyalty and love for his brother had shone through brigh
tly.
She turned to look the same way and nodded. Baby, the new queen, was on the dance floor with one of the werewolves from Duke’s work. The wolf was teaching her to dance, and, by the looks on their faces, flirting an awful lot.
“You can. Her mother moved the same way. The women in her bloodline have always been graceful and elegant,” Chase managed to wipe the envy out of her voice, just. Baby, who still hadn’t settled on her adult name, was tall and blessed with an abundance of curves whereas Chase still thought she looked like a boy at times.
Believe me, love. You look nothing like a boy, Duke assured her, his mind sliding into hers with ease thanks to their established link. To prove his point, he fed her a series of erotic images from the night before. From his point of view.
Chase blinked, heat building across her cheeks and surging through her veins, turning to look at him in surprise. The woman in his memories was sexy, and sultry...a seductress of the highest order. With significantly more sex appeal than Chase had ever owned.
You see me like that? Seriously?
Duke smiled and she didn’t need the link to his mind to read the truth and love in his eyes. Reaching up, he smoothed a loose strand of hair back from her face. “I do. I always will. How about we get out of here, and I’ll prove it to you.”
She giggled, the soft sound one she wasn’t used to from herself and stood, holding out her hand. “Now, there’s an offer I can’t refuse.”
His chuckle joining hers, Duke swept her off her feet and carried her from the hall, leaving the revelry behind to prove to her that an old warrior could learn new tricks, and to love and be loved, for a lifetime.
About the Author
Mina Carter is a bestselling, multi-genre author. She lives in the UK with her husband, daughter and a bossy cat.
Connect with Mina online at:
http://mina-carter.com
http://facebook.com/mina.carter
