Dragon Rage

by Kelly Armenta

  I sucked in air and my eyes widened. No time for that now I thought. ‘Do you recognize anyone here?’ I asked, conscious that my upper shield was down. Her eyes flicked to Marcus and then down to Belinda.

  ‘Yes I recognize both Reds,’ she replied then wrapped her tail around her feet.

  ‘He claims she’s his mother. And she tried to attack me, which means her life is mine to choose.’

  Mi seemed to mull that over for a moment, her amber eyes intense. She glanced up at Marcus and his eyes widened. On the floor Belinda struggled and grabbed a handful of Owens hair, pulling it sharply. Owen growled but didn’t release his hold.

  “What would you like me to do child?’ Mi’s voice whispered in my mind.

  ‘Getting rid of Valentine came to mind’, but I pushed that thought away. Whatever our problems were with him Mi could not help us.

  ‘Are you sure?’ she asked, giving me her kitty cat smile. ‘The man means to have your Blue and Green just as he has these two Reds’ she replied.

  ‘What has he done to them?’

  Mi tilted her head and gave me a sad smile. ‘I think the question you need to ask child is what have they done to themselves?’

  Marcus sucked air in through his teeth at Mi’s comments.

  ‘She claims to be his mother,’ I told Mi again.

  ‘That’s because she is,’ Mi informed me calmly. Again my knees nearly buckled and I had to clutch at Gareth to remain standing. ‘Leave it for now,’ she told me. ‘She does not wish the ultimate release and I cannot assist you without her consent. Some things are not meant to be, Lexi. Let him go.’

  “No!” Marcus screamed, causing everyone in the room to jump.

  “Whatever is your problem?” Valentine demanded, his eyes swinging between Mi, myself, and Marcus. “What the hell are you doing? Stop it this instant!”

  Marcus ignored him and gazed at Mi then me. “Please,” he begged and implored me with his eyes. Alan and Bodark both muttered something under their breaths. Clearly he didn’t want me to take Mi’s advice.

  Valentine took a step toward Mi who flicked her tail and warned him. “Take one more step and I’ll make you wish you were never infected.” Valentine stopped abruptly and glared down at her.

  “You wouldn’t dare!” he demanded and leaned forward as if he would reach for her. His necklace swung free of his coat drawing Mi’s glance.

  “Ah, I see,” she replied and blinked her eyes at him. He screamed and ripped at his neck, which was now suddenly smoking. The chain gave with a snap and he dropped it to the floor where it lay revealing two miniature Red Dragons entwined around each other, appearing to writhe amidst the little silver crosses next to them on the chain.

  Behind Gareth’s back I pulled at my sleeve making sure it covered the charm bracelet with twelve perfectly formed little Dragons of various colors, including my gold and Kit’s silver and black. It was my mark of Demon favor, which I’d acquired along with the contract for Kit. It was supposed to have been a brand burned into my body, but Kit had found a loop hole and transformed it into a bracelet which could never be removed.

  “Everyone seems to be smoking tonight,” Bodark commented and shook his head with a grin. “This has been the most interesting meeting.”

  Seeing the necklace on the floor, Marcus bent to reach for it but Valentine moved so fast he was a blur, and Marcus hit the floor next to Owen and Belinda.

  “Let her go,” I told Owen, while we all watched Valentine wrap the necklace in a handkerchief and stow it in his pocket.

  “Get up,” Valentine growled at the pair of them. “We’re leaving.” He gave Gareth a look of pure hatred then turned while they struggled to their feet and followed him toward the door. Marcus reached for Belinda; his light eyes locked to mine as he lifted her into his arms then left the room. Out in the hall the elevator dinged and the rest of the occupants breathed a collective sigh at the soft whooshing noise of the elevator moving.

  Milos wandered over and glanced down at Mi with a nervous expression on his face. “You don’t exist,” he told her, his voice sounding shaken.

  Mi flashed her fangs and tilted her head. “Don’t I?”

  He sucked in air and ran his hand through his hair. “Your pardon,” he told her and went to a knee. I wasn’t certain if it was to be closer to her or in homage. “It is an honor to meet you.”

  With the others gone, I suddenly had a clear view of Bodark and Alan, both looking amused at Milos and curious about Mi. Alan raised an eyebrow as I leaned out from behind Gareth but Bodark simply rolled his eyes and sighed.

  “Gareth, Jace,” Angel commented, then with a nod she made her exit.

  Adara stood from her chair and smoothed down her dress and with a nod she too escaped. She seemed eager to catch the same elevator as Angel. Milos seated himself on the floor in front of Mi and began asking her all manner of questions. Mi glanced at me with a sour expression then turned back to him when he complimented her. I nearly smiled as she seemed to puff up with pleasure then began speaking quietly. She had always been a sucker for compliments and she could more than take care of herself.

  “Princess, did I hear her correctly, is your Mother actually entertaining the Queen?” Amras leaned in to ask, his voice sounding tense.

  When I nodded, the two of them exchanged a look I could only describe as dismay. Apparently that wasn’t good news but I’d have to deal with it later. Actually I would be dealing with it later…today. Because I’d promised my Mother I’d come up with a plan to handle the media. When I’d told her to take a vacation, I didn’t think she would. In fact she must have gone straight from here to the Sidhe. Obviously Grandma had let her in, now whether or not she managed to get the doors opened permanently was another story.

  Chapter 4

  Now that the major threat in the room had disappeared, I eased out from behind Gareth. “I could use a drink,” I muttered under my breath and Gareth turned to look for one of our waiters.

  “What can I get you?” Gareth asked.

  “Something strong… and sweet.”

  “How about sex on the beach?” he whispered in my ear, then chuckled at my soft gasp. His hand caressed my skin under my hair, his fingers sliding beneath the material at the base of my spine before he turned to catch the waiter’s attention. I pressed back slightly into his fingers, a pleased sound escaping my throat.

  “I beg your pardon,” Bodark commented. While Gareth was busy ordering my drink he’d moved to our side of the table. Jace was chatting with Alan, who seemed to be paying more attention to me than whatever it was Jace was saying. Bodark had a drink in his hand and he swirled it thoughtfully.

  He was so tall I had to tip my head back to look up at him. “Whatever for?” I asked.

  He smiled flashing even white teeth. “I was not aware I was supposed to bow to you,” he teased while I felt my cheeks turn pink. “Ah, you blush so charmingly.”

  Gareth turned back and glanced up at Bodark with an amused grin. “Doesn’t she?” Then he kissed my cheek and muttered. “I’ll be right back, behave while I’m gone.”

  I rolled my eyes, which caused Bodark to chuckle. “Now that we’re alone,” he told me, then made a point of looking past me and grinned again. I assumed he was looking at Amras and Cursed, who with my shield down I could sense behind me. My fingers rose to stroke Kit who was calmly chewing on my hair and muttering under his breath. At my feet Owen was laying with his head propped on his legs, one brown eye focused on Bodark.

  “I enjoyed your Little Johnny jokes,” Bodark remarked with a sly grin. On my shoulder Kit spit out my hair and turned to glance up at him. Apparently the Werewolf’s hearing was much better than any of us had realized.

  “I’ve got a million,” Kit replied.

  Bodark chuckled and glanced down at Owen. “I have no idea what that is, or that either,” he told me, pointing toward Mi. “But I know exactly what they are not.”

  “The wolf smells of Viking to me,” Dten com
mented in a deep voice from across the table. “The little one on the Princess’ shoulder isn’t something I’d want to tangle with in the dark,” he continued, his eyes falling on Mi. “The cat is a fable.”

  I glanced sharply at Milos, breathing a sigh when I realized he was so focused on Mi that he was completely oblivious to the rest of us in the room.

  “I believe the Wizard is correct, you do have the most interesting associates. But then you yourself are rather interesting. I don’t suppose I could lure you away from your… current situation?”

  Behind me Amras laughed sharply while I felt my cheeks turn pink again and I turned to glare at him. His beautiful eyes were sparkling and he crossed his arms over his chest with an amused smile.

  “Why does your guard find that amusing?” Bodark demanded, as he rolled his head on his shoulders and forced himself to relax.

  “My guard is a High Lord of Faerie,” I informed him primly, not sure why it was important for me to point that out. “He has a unique sense of humor,” I assured him.

  “And the other?” Bodark asked. “The dark one that’s handy with the sword? Is he a High Lord of Faerie, too?”

  I turned and looked at Cursed, who had a blank look on his face. His fingers were caressing the hilt of his sword. A sure sign the topic was distressful to him. “They are both… handy,” I replied with an amused smile. “But to answer your question, he is formerly the Queen’s elite guard.”

  “And now he guards you, eh?” Bodark asked.

  I smiled at Cursed, my eyes meeting his and my voice nearly a purr as I replied, “Yes, he is mine.” When I turned to Bodark he seemed disconcerted as his eyes slid first to Jace then across the room to Gareth. It was clear he was wondering just what the relationship might be so I glanced at Amras then back to Bodark while my fingers stroked Kit and added, “They are all mine.”

  Bodark’s eyebrows rose significantly and it looked like he might say something, but Kit beat him to it. “He’s probably laughing because of the curse,” Kit offered helpfully.

  “What curse?” Bodark asked sharply, his eyebrows nearly disappearing into his hairline.

  “Impotency… but it only affects humans or once humans.” Kit replied gravely and I nearly swallowed my tongue. Behind me Amras laughed again and Cursed muttered under his breath. On the floor Owen glanced up at me then shook his head and resettled his chin on his paws.

  “If you do manage to somehow perform, you might find yourself permanently smaller after the deed,” Jace jested and there was a merry twinkle in his eye. Apparently he’d been listening to the conversation and helpfully added his own two cents. Not that I’d ever done it to anyone; in fact I’d done just the opposite as Amras could well attest. Jace had been intrigued by the notion and poor Bodark couldn’t tell if he was serious or not.

  “Well of course you would,” he replied, then his eyes widened in shock when Jace gave him a meaningful look and shook his head. “Good God,” he breathed glancing at me. “You have got to be kidding! I saw you heal Valentine’s lacky, but you can’t do that to a man, can you?”

  Elves don’t lie I thought, then nodded while he stared at me in horror and actually took a step backward. Theoretically it was possible. “Perhaps, if the man displeased me,” I informed him, then made a point of glancing at both Amras and Jace. Amras laughed again, secure in the knowledge that I’d already increased his size twice, and for my own pleasure. The odds of me undoing that work were fairly slim. Jace of course wasn’t concerned in the least, knowing just how well he’d always pleased me.

  Poor Bodark wasn’t sure what to think. My comment seemed to ease his concerns but the overall concept still horrified him. “And does that happen often?” he finally asked.

  I had to stop myself from laughing at his earnest question. Elves couldn’t lie though and honestly I didn’t remember even once over the past week not being completely satisfied. “What do you think?” I finally replied.

  Bodark smiled and held out his hands palm up. “I think… that any man, who didn’t give it his all, might well deserve his fate.”

  Jace stepped over Owen and slid his arm around my waist. “Well said. But then our little Lexi is just full of surprises, and it can be difficult at times to know just what might please her,” he commented, then grinned when I gave him a dirty look. “But she is certainly worth the danger.”

  I snorted and couldn’t help rolling my eyes. I know Princesses of Faerie aren’t supposed to do that but his comments were just too much. “Really, Jace, I think you’re trying to frighten our guests,” I told him with an annoyed smile.

  “When her eyes flash golden like that it is tempting to overlook any danger,” Alan commented and I stiffened against Jace as his voice rolled over me and sent my glands into overdrive.

  “Something got into his family tree’s wood pile,” Kit growled and I suddenly realized what he’d meant earlier. No wonder I was having issues with Alan, the man must have a touch of Demon in him!

  Bodark looked confused by Kit’s comment and turned toward Alan as if to ask what the Dragon had meant. Jace grumbled and pulled me tighter against his side. “Your Dragon has a sharp tongue,” Alan commented, and I wasn’t too happy with the angry look in his eye.

  “Yes indeed, it’s not all I have that’s sharp,” Kit responded, flicking out said tongue to show it was indeed sharp and forked. “It takes one to know one,” he replied in a bored tone. “This one’s taken, find your own.”

  Alan’s fingers tightened on the chair’s arm and it looked like he was struggling to remain calm. That must have been Kit’s goal because his anger didn’t appear to affect me in the least.

  The waiter came to my rescue, handing me something tall and cold with a cherry in it. I took a sip and closed my eyes sighing in satisfaction as I rolled the sweet concoction around on my tongue before it slipped down my parched throat. It felt so good I nearly purred. “Stop that,” Jace growled next to my ear, causing my eyes to pop open. He gently took my drink from my hand and set it on the table while Bodark looked around the group with a curious expression. In his chair Alan’s eyes met mine with a look that told me he’d just felt that, and liked it very much, thank you.

  “Stop what?” Bodark asked, looking around before finally settling on me. He could tell something had happened he just didn’t know what it was.

  “Sorry,” I muttered while around me men shifted, probably trying to adjust themselves in their pants.

  On my shoulder Kit made ‘mmm mmm’ noises and nibbled playfully at my ear. “I love it when you do that,” he whispered. “It’s so delicious, makes me want to be next!”

  “It was nothing,” Jace commented, running the back of his finger down my cheek then dropped it to my shoulder, giving Kit’s tail a tweak.

  Kit lashed his tail, grumbling under his breath while Bodark muttered, “Next?”

  Eldal muttered and got up from his chair, “I am too old for this, I need fresh air. Jace,” he muttered, then headed toward Gareth who was speaking to Nick near the door.

  Dten smiled and also pushed back from his chair but he hopped down and walked around to our side of the table. “Good work in dealing with the problem,” he told Jace, his dark eyes shifting to me. I held my breath and thought ‘happy thought, happy thought’, which caused him to purse his lips thoughtfully and nod. “Now that that’s all settled, I believe I’ll go home and wake my mistress,” I heard him mutter, and then he too turned toward the door.

  Mi jumped to the table in front of me. “I need to get back,” she told me, her voice breaking the awkward silence. I pulled away from Jace and ran my fingers over her head and back, smiling when she purred for me. I leaned in and kissed her head. ‘Be careful’ her mind whispered across mine. ‘The bloodless one means to have your Drakes. He is not sane,’ she continued her eyes searching mine. ‘I fear he will use you to get them.’

  I nodded, understanding her concern and said out loud. “Thank you for coming. We’ll talk soon? I haven�
��t forgotten my promise, first thing tomorrow, unless it isn’t necessary anymore?”

  “The verdict is still out on that,” she replied. “I’ll have to get back to you.” She glanced around at my men, her amber eyes taking them all in then she sighed and winked out.

  Milos wandered over, a rapt expression his face. “That was most informative,” he told us then shook Jace’s hand. “Thank you. Good job in getting rid of the problem.” Then his eyes skipped over me and he hesitated briefly, but turned without saying anything and went to shake hands with Gareth at the door.

  “He’s an odd man,” Bodark muttered then shook his head. “But not without his talents. As much as I hate to say it, I think it’s time for me to leave. If you ever have need of protection,” he offered, “call me.” Then he reached into his leather jacket and withdrew a card. It had a picture of a wolf and a phone number. “That’s my private line,” he confided with a smile. “I always give it my all, and I think you’d be worth the risk.” Then he bowed and moved to the door while Jace watched him through narrowed eyes.

  In his chair Alan sighed. “I suppose a moment alone with the Princess is too much to ask?”

  He just nodded when Jace turned his snapping green eyes on him. I bit my lip and tried not to smile when he sighed and heaved himself to his feet. He reached into the pocket of his well tailored black jacket and withdrew a card which he too held out to me. When Jace would have plucked it from his fingers he pulled it back and flicked it through the air straight at me. I caught it easily, causing Alan to narrow his eyes. “It seems we have something in common,” he added. “This is a small town and I’m certain we’ll run into each other again. In the meantime if your circumstances change here and you need… anything at all, please call.” I stared down at the card for a moment then slipped both into my bodice. My eyes followed him as he sauntered toward the door. He gave me a last sultry glance then he was gone.

  Kit dipped his tail into the top of my dress no doubt trying to pry free the cards. “Would you stop that?” I grouched at him.