Bite Me, Page 2

  Demon dragons. After her. “What are you talking about?”

  Demons didn’t attack each other. Each faction was focused on what they needed from humans. They had enemies of their own to worry about. Hunters tried to destroy the children of Lilith and dragons warriors kept the Black Dragon’s plague at bay.

  Leon studied her face and pushed at her consciousness to see if her reaction to his news was genuine. “What is bringing this resurgence in your reluctance to connect with the coven?”

  Jada shifted from one foot to the other. This was an old fight between the two of them. Leon never got why she wasn’t like the others.

  He narrowed his eyes. “I sent Portia to the continent to keep her from telling you about the demon dragons. May she finally learn her lesson about being loyal to coven and not the individual.”

  Jada wished she had that same ability to know when someone wasn’t telling her the truth. She’d inherited a lot of Leon’s abilities, but that wasn’t one of them. She’d have to guess. “You’re lying to keep me here.”

  “I’m not. Ask your sister when she returns. She’s fought off more of the beasts than anyone else. Leave this house and risk your life.”

  Jada’s life wasn’t worth much anyway. Maybe death by demon dragon was the way to go. Her only regret was leaving Portia behind. She was the only other person in the coven who ever understood.

  Hopefully, her sister would understand her decision to leave too.

  “I think I will.”

  Leon shrugged. “Fine. I’ll be here when you need to come crying back to daddy.”

  Ew.

  Jada shoved some of her favorite clothes into a bag, grabbed the money she’d been hoarding to buy human food, and searched around until she found the courage she’d been lacking for hundreds of years.

  Succubae didn’t survive on their own. That’s why they formed covens under the succubus or incubus who created them.

  The fastest way to kill a succubus wasn’t a stake through the heart, or daylight, or garlic, like in the misinformed legends. It was banishment.

  She’d basically banished herself.

  Hell’s big sweaty balls.

  Jada hit the street running. Okay, not actually running. That would require moving her muscles more than her jiggly butt was capable of doing. Too many donuts. She did hurry along though.

  Without a coven, she had no place to stay, no place to eat.

  Except the donut shop out by the golf course but, it didn’t open for a few more hours. Like eight.

  It would take half that long to walk there anyway.

  “Hey, baby. Where you going? Need a ride?” A convertible filled with horny twenty-somethings pulled up beside her.

  She kept on moving, even though she could live off their combined sexual energy for a week. “No, you need a swift kick in the ass?”

  “Whatever fatty.” The car screeched away, the gaggle of dickheads laughing like they’d told the funniest joke ever.

  Sigh. Jada had ninety-nine problems, but her curves weren’t one.

  That very minute every single one of those problems showed up.

  Appearing out of the shadows, demon dragons formed into their black slithery snake-like forms around her.

  “Alone?” one of them hissed . The sound of its voice creeped her the hell out.

  Jada backed away, only to find another one right behind her. She held out her hand, like that was going to keep them from killing her. “No, my coven is, uh, meeting me here. So, you’d better get away from me.”

  “No.” The beast in front of her sniffed the air. “No demons here. Only you.”

  Well, shit. She was completely defenseless. The only weapons she’d ever had were her teeth and her hypnotic allure. But it was to attract prey, not keep from being prey.

  Demons didn’t fight with other demons, and humans were food, not threats. She had never needed to defend herself.

  “I know kung fu.” More like kung food. She raised an fist in the air and took a Karate Kid stance. Her fangs extended, responding to the adrenaline coursing through her. She might not know anything about self-defense, but she could bite their faces off.

  Hopefully, they wouldn’t taste as bad as they looked. She wasn’t into blackened lizard-skin.

  The demon dragons snarled and launched into the air coming at her. She ducked and rolled, narrowly missing the outstretched claws.

  There was a tree ten yards up the road. Maybe she could scramble up it. What, like demon dragons couldn’t climb? She made a mad dash for the tree anyway.

  A quick glance over her shoulder showed them closing in on her. Then a great flame burst out over her head and the demon dragons went up in flames one by one, squealing and dissolving into black smears of ash on the ground.

  “That was a close one, dear. We almost didn’t find you in time.”

  Whoa. A woman, in a white flowing dress straight out of the Renaissance festival, sat in the tree above her.

  Beautiful didn’t even begin to describe her. Long flowing dark hair, gorgeous olive skin, rosy cheeks, and a Mother Nature vibe made her absolutely stunning.

  For a moment, Jada suspected the woman was a succubus. She was that good looking, that sensual. But a succubus’s allure didn’t work on one of their own kind.

  Had she burned up the demon dragons? Jada didn’t see a flame thrower anywhere.

  “Uh, thanks? I thought those creepazoids were going to kill me.”

  The woman climbed down out of the tree, in a floating, graceful sort of way. “I’m rather fond of the term, douchecanoe. My husband says I’ve got a potty mouth, but secretly he likes it.”

  No succubus Jada had ever known had a husband. Her kind didn’t mate. This lady wasn’t a mere human either. Being afraid would probably be the smart thing to do. She wasn’t though.

  An aura of comforting, nurturing, motherly vibes surrounded the woman in white. A sensation Jada hadn’t known for a long time. It hurt.

  The emotional ping from her brain sent spikes of pain to her chest and settled deep in her gut. Ouch.

  Hell, she was so broken.

  The woman walked around Jada, or rather floated as if the wind gently carried her. “I’ve got something for you.”

  “You do? That’s kind of weird.”

  “I’ve been waiting for you to leave that house, those demons, so I could give it to you.”

  Stalker much?

  See, should have been scared.

  Jada took several steps back. She was wearing tennies and yoga pants that had never been to yoga, and the woman in white had that voluminous gown on. If she didn’t have to go far, she could outrun her. “Thanks again, but, I’m gonna go now.”

  “Here.” The woman held out her hand and let a necklace with a glowing charm, hang from her fingers.

  Jada couldn’t take her eyes off it. She reached her hand out to touch the shining object, mesmerized by its light.

  “Let me put it on you.”

  Jada nodded, knowing that was the best idea she’d ever heard. She bowed her head and the woman slipped the necklace around her neck, chanting a few words.

  The second the charm hit her skin, Jada’s world exploded into the light of a thousand suns. It blinded her and knocked her on her butt.

  She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, only feel. An energy more powerful than sex and blood zipped through her, changing her from the inside out.

  It completely overpowered her until darkness crept in around the edges of her consciousness. Damn it all to hell. She was going to pass out, and then who knew what this woman would do to her.

  The woman knelt next to her in the grass. “Don’t worry, Jada. You’ll be fine. Even better when he finds you.”

  Another figure loomed behind the woman. Bigger, with an entirely hungry, masculine, alpha energy. He was going to eat her, she just knew it.

  Instead he spoke. “It had better be soon. Kur-Jara is on the move.”

  Jada tried to scream or get away or even
move her eyes. She couldn’t.

  The woman in white touched Jada’s brow, strengthening the darkness, taking her consciousness. “I know. But Kaiārahi will come for her. He won’t be able to resist. And this time, I added a little protection spell, so the little white witch won’t connect to it for a while.”

  “I love your cunning mind, my heart.” The man picked Jada up like she was a little butterfly. “Come on, let’s get her to Ninshubur before any of those Galla dragons or the demons she surrounds herself with stumble upon her.”

  The rest of her kidnappers’ conversation faded along with the light and the remainder of her awareness. She could only pray she woke up again tomorrow.

  The scent of coffee, frosting, and freshly made baked goods permeated her brain, and Jada sat straight up in her bed.

  No, not her bed. Not her room. Not her anything.

  Curtains were drawn across the windows, but sunshine leaked in and shined a spotlight a tray on the bedside table. A steaming pot of coffee, three donuts, and a note sat there.

  She grabbed a donut, sniffed it, and bit in. Mmm. Sugar. A blessing from the gods. Then she picked up the note. It had only one line.

  Always be yourself, unless you can be a dragon, then be a dragon.

  Was that supposed to be inspirational?

  Duty Calls

  Ky raced through the water, moving faster than the dolphins, sharks, mermaids, and orcas he loved to play with. He’d stay deep in the ocean all day if he could.

  Today, duty called.

  His brothers needed his help and he would be there for them. Always.

  One of these days he was going to talk the other Wyverns into holding an AllWyr in New Zealand, or on Skype.

  Dragons were slow to adopt new technology. They’d only recently talked Match into getting an iPhone. Which was a giant step up from carrier pigeon. How the hell the dude was the alpha among alphas and a total luddite was beyond Ky.

  Maybe Ky would stop and flirt with the mermaids on the way back. Those dirty girls were some of his favorite trysts. They didn’t have the hang-ups like commitment and marriage the humans were so into.

  Mermaids just want have fun.

  That’s what life was all about. Fun, fucking, and fighting demon dragons. What more could a dragon warrior ask for?

  Kiki, the Māori woman who had been his father’s last companion, was constantly on his back to settle down, make dragon babies.

  Not likely, if he could help it.

  Ky slowed as he cornered the Cape of Good Hope to let the great whites chase him and nip at his tail. The little buggers were like puppies running after a car.

  He played with them for a moment and then continued on his trek.

  After he left them behind, a pull like a current--not on his body, but on his soul -tugged him off course. He needed to go north, up the coast of Africa and Europe to get to Amsterdam, where Cage was waiting for his help. But, the open Atlantic called to him to cross. Everything in him said to get to the States as fast as he could.

  He’d felt something like it before, when they’d been hunting for the First Dragon’s relic. The yearning inside opened an emptiness like he’d never felt, or successfully ignored.

  For a flash of a second, he considered telling Cage he couldn’t come to his aid. He didn’t need Ky. He had the entire Gold Wyr at his disposal with all their special ops and spy gadgets. They gold dragons would do anything for Cage, they’re beloved leader and badass dragon warrior.

  Ky had never failed to assist a brother dragon Wyvern, and never would. Whatever was in America, he would investigate after the emergency AllWyr. After all, they still hadn’t found that relic. But Cage’s call for help came first.

  He didn’t even make it halfway up the coast of Africa before half a dozen African mermaids surrounded him, blocking his path.

  “Ky Puru, you must come quickly.” A frantic voice rang through the water, clear as whale song, and as scared as a Galapagos damsel being hunted to extinction.

  Mami Wata weren’t generally so flighty, which set off his alarms. He slowed to talk to them and would send some other blues to help with whatever they needed. “Can’t today, ataahua. Trouble in dragon paradise. Gotta get to the north right quick.”

  Another Mami Wata touched his arm. “Demons. You must fight the demons. We are defenseless against them.”

  Ky circled to a stop. Demons. In his waters.

  Aukati. He’d kill the fuckers.

  He had a duty to his brothers, but his purpose on this earth above all others was to defend those who couldn’t defend themselves against the plague of demons.

  Cage would have to wait. Ky had some demons to kill.

  “Show me.”

  The Mami Wata led him to a series of underwater caves, the entrance marked with their carvings and mirrors. This was their shelter, their home. Chunks of the cave entrance had been torn from rock walls. Debris and carnage from the battle showed him that the mermaids had in fact fought back.

  What kind of demons could survive in water? He and merfolk around the oceans had never worried about the taurekareka in their realm before.

  Ky was a skilled warrior, even with the disadvantage of being on land. He used his power over water and ice to incapacitate the little fucking firebreathers.

  If this new demon threat could exist in the water he’d need a whole new strategy to deal with them.

  The girls led him through a series of tunnels, and they had to backtrack at more than one cave-in. Their home was destroyed, and there were no signs of the rest of their sisters.

  One of the Mami Wata, with a golden tail, and deep black skin, swam toward one of the blocked tunnels. “I can hear them. The demons are taking them away.”

  She rammed the fallen rocks, beating at them with the strong muscles of her tail. “We have to break through, get to them. Hurry.”

  “Azynsa, stop. You’re hurting yourself.” Another Mami Wata grabbed at her sister. A trickle of blood seeped into the water from beneath the golden scales.

  “No, help me get to them.” She swam forward to slam into the rocks again, but Ky snagged her with his tail.

  “Let me, little sister.”

  She nodded and swished her fins to back away. Ky examined the rocks, found a crack where some had come loose. He blew ice into the crack, widening it, and then put all his power into a crack of his tail.

  The cave shook, and debris fell from above them, but so did the boulders blocking their path. Azynsa was the first through the opening, twisting and turning, pushing the stones out of her way. Ky followed scrabbling to move enough of the cave-in to follow.

  “I see them. Those beasts have my sisters bound. The bastards. I’ll kill them all.” Azynsa screeched a Mami Wata lament that erupted across the water.

  She burst up into a dry cave hidden underground. Holy cowfish, the girl had some guts.

  But, she wouldn’t for long if the other shapes in the cave were demon dragons. Ky followed, prepared to ice the shit out of anything black and snake-like. He roared when he hit the air. The Mami Wata crouched, surprised and the demon dragons recoiled.

  Didn’t expect to see me, did you, fuckers?

  Ky slashed the nearest demon dragon into pieces before he even touched down on the ground. The remaining nine or ten divided. Half ran into the tunnels behind them, while five remained to fight. Bad choice.

  Water and ice were his allies now. He pulled a stream up from the pool and directed it toward the enemy. He could hardly wait to hear them sizzle.

  Ky blew out his ice breath, crystalizing the water, trapping the demon dragons in place, but only for a moment. The interior of the cave was scorching, and more heat poured from the tunnels, turning his efforts to steam.

  Dammit, he hated volcanoes, even the ones underwater. Where was a red dragon when you needed one?

  “Azza, get your kin into the water and away from here.”

  The girls were already slipping away as fast as Azynsa could untie them. A few
remained, pissed as barracudas, and joined in his efforts to drown their captors. They used their tails to splash jets of water at the bastards. You go, girls.

  The demons shrieked and growled, moving their focus from Ky’s attack to the remaining Mami Wata.

  Dumbasses.

  He took out the nearest distracted demon dragon with a swipe of his tail and cut its head clean off. The body became a stain on the rock, the head rolled across the cave floor and plopped into the water.

  Sweet as. That got their attention. Two launched into the air at him.

  As fast as he could shoot sea and ice, they broke through. The water hardly phased them, and his icy breath weakened with each go.

  He’d be spending a week in the polar ice caps after this bullshit. Right after he sent Match and a legion of reds to—

  “Where are we? What volcano or caldera is this?” he asked the mermaid.

  The captured beasts lashed out with razor-like claws and teeth, tearing through his scales and flesh. The heat seeped into his blood and body, weakening him.

  He had to end this now.

  Ky called to the sea, willing her to give him the last bit of aid he needed to destroy the demon dragons.

  Moana, whakarongo ki taku karanga.

  The water in the cave gushed in a torrent, sweeping the demons and the Mami Wata into the pool.

  Now, they were in his domain.

  He swam circles around two flailing demon dragons, slashing them from neck to tail. They evaporated into pools of black goo that quickly dissipated. Only one left.

  It used its tail to propel itself up through the water. What the actual fuck?

  Demon dragons did not swim, and they definitely couldn’t breathe under water. Except this one was doing exactly that.

  Not for long.

  The bastard might be able to swim, but it wasn’t any good and Ky caught up within a second. He encased it in ice and watched as its frozen form, wide-eyed, drifted down past him.

  Holy shit. It had gills. No fucking way.

  He’d be towing this block of demon ice to Amsterdam. The other Wyverns needed to know about this new threat. As the leaders of the dragons around the world, only they could decide the right course of action together. This AllWyr was going to be jam packed. Cage must understand it was time to take action.