Blood of the Dragon (Her Dragon's Bane 2) (5 page)

With a tremulous cry, she came. Her mind unsure if her body could take so much pleasure in one dose. She bucked her hips, her breasts bouncing as she came. Inside her, his cock erupted, and she felt him spurting hard and deep with in her, her sex drawing his seed up into her womb, Their bodies doing their utmost to create the new life inside her.

He released her, and she fell back onto her hands and knees, his cock still buried deep inside her. Grasping her hips painfully hard, he lost control, his hips grinding forward to surge into her, a deep soreness told her he had penetrated her as hard and as far as he could, but still his passion drove him on.

Curling her fingers into the sheets, she held on to consciousness by a thread as her next orgasm took her. He cried out, straining forward one last time to complete the bond, before he flopped down by the side of her, utterly spent.

For several minutes he lay there with her in his arms, before he spoke. “I'm sorry if I hurt you. I don't know what came over me, but I had this intense need to make sure you never forget that I am yours, and you are mine.”

“I understand,” she said, kissing his neck. “Neither of us know how this day will end. Or whether we will be together at the end of it.”

“We will, Serena. Whether in body or spirit, we will always be together.”

“If it's all the same to you, Connor. I would much rather it was in body. Because your body has the most incredible affect on mine.”

“And it always will, Serena.” He kissed her back. “Now, I have to shower, and then go and find Zoah. Take your time getting ready, it might be best if I tackle Zoah alone this time.”

“I won't argue with you there, Connor,” she said, relieved not to have to face Zoah again so early in the morning.

“Why don't you shower, and then dress. I'll come back with coffee when it's safe for you to leave this room.”

“Is his mood going to be that bad?”

“It usually is at this time in the morning, even without the prospect of a small war unfolding.”

He dressed quickly, and then left, kissing her lips as he went. Serena lay still for a few minutes, not wanting to get out of the bed, the warmth from his body could still be felt on the sheets, and she wanted to enjoy the last embers of his internal fire. Hope was in full agreement, and jumped on the bed to curl up next to her.

“What am I going to do with you, Hope?” She stroked her little cat, the sound of her purr a comfort in these worrying times. “I can't leave you shut in here, what if we don't return.”

Hope simply studied her with her deep amber eyes, and Serena took it as reassurance. In Hope's eyes, Serena would always be there. Always look after her and pet her.

Serena buried her face in Hope's soft fur, and murmured, “I only pray you're right, Hope.”

“Let me get this right. You have a plan?”

“Yes.”

“Am I missing something? Only yesterday you were telling me what a terrible idea this was, and now you've spent the whole evening coming up with a plan to rescue Serena's sister?”

Connor had come to find Zoah, expecting to have to drag him out of bed, and then get into a fight about how they were going to handle Samuel. Instead he had found Zoah up bright and early, humming a tune whilst making breakfast.

That's right. Humming. Usually Zoah was never happy enough in the morning to even talk, yet alone hum. Something was up with him. And that meant trouble.

“Thank you Zoah, for taking the time to rescue my ass,” Zoah said, mimicking Connor. “That's OK, Connor, you know I'd do anything to help.”

“Exactly, Zoah, anything you're told. You don't usually have the brain cells left in the morning to do simple math, let alone come up with a plan that all our lives will depend on.”

“Oh, I'm sorry for not wanting to die today.”

Connor brushed his hand through his hair, his nerves already frazzled, he needed coffee. Going to the counter to pour some into a cup he took a moment to study Zoah. He looked OK, no sign of any residual hangover, or worse.

“Pancakes,” Zoah offered, and laughed when he saw Connor's scowl. “Breakfast is the most important part of the day.”

“Sit, eat, talk.” Connor took a large gulp of his hot coffee, and dragged a chair out. He sat down at the table to wait for Zoah, trying to calm himself. The buzz of caffeine had made his stress levels kick up another notch.

Taking his time, knowing just how much he was irritating Connor, Zoah placed his plate down on the table and then went to fetch some syrup. By the time he returned, Connor was drumming his fingers on the wooden surface.

“Sure you don't want some? A little sustenance might help your temper.”

“The only thing that will help my temper is if you tell me what the hell's going on.”

Zoah took a large mouthful of pancakes, and chewed slowly. “Mmm, these are good.”

Connor thumped his cup down on the table, coffee spilling over the edge with the force. “Zoah,” he bellowed.

“OK. It's simple. You allow that woman of yours to march you right on in through the front door.”

“That's your plan?”

“Part of it.”

“And the rest?”

“There's a back door, of sorts. It's easy to get into, but there's a dragon charm on the building, so I'll only be able to get in once the witch has removed it to allow you in.”

“How do you know this?”

“I have my sources.”

“And they are...?”

“Listen, let's just say I did you a favour last night, and I found out what we needed to know.” He stuffed the last of his pancakes into his mouth, and rummaged in his pocket while he chewed. Dragging out two metal objects, he slid one across to Connor.

“What's this?”

“A phone.”

Connor picked it up and looked at it suspiciously.”Where's the wire?”

“There isn't one. These little beauties run off batteries that are inside them, They transmit like telepathy. Freaky.”

“And why have you given me one?” He placed it on the table, and then shoved it away from him for good measure. This looked like either one of Zoah's jokes, or witch craft.

“When you go into the building, the charm will be lifted, you send me a message, and at that moment I go in through the back door. That way they won't suspect a thing. I kill the guards, while you keep the big baddy busy.”

“That's it?”

“Yes. Simple isn't it?”

“Too simple. How do you know how many guards there are, or where Serena's sister is?”

“I'll find her. I know how to make men talk, being gutted by a dragon's claw usually loosens a man's tongue.”

“It's too risky. How do you know they'll let me walk in the front door.”

“Because they're expecting you.”

“They're expecting me to be drugged. What if they can tell I'm not.”

“How will they know?” Zoah got up and took his plate to the sink. “I need a nap, who knew so much thinking was so tiring.”

Connor watched him go, and then looked at the small object in front of him. Suddenly it lit up and buzzed loudly. “Connor jumped two feet into the air, while down the corridor Zoah laughed loudly.

“Funny, Zoah, very funny.”

“I think I'm going to be sick.” They were walking up to the front of the church, no one stood guard. It looked totally deserted, but Connor had said he could hear the beat of a man's heart not too far away. She had to trust his dragon senses.

In her head a voice screamed for them to run, to get far away from this accursed place. No one in their right mind would walk into the hands of a madman like this. Yet that was exactly what they were doing. She clung to the knowledge that it only proved Connor’s love for her. But a knife twisted in her heart at the thought of anything happening to him after all the long, long years he had lived. That he would be willing to give his life for someone as worthless as her. Her new sense of self worth had evaporated with each step they took towards their fate.

Surely there was another way of doing this, of rescuing Charlotte? A way that didn’t involve them placing themselves at the mercy of Samuel and his men.

“Stay calm. They'll expect you to be nervous, I only hope I'm acting the way I'm supposed to under the influence of that drug.” He spoke quietly, his lips hardly moving. When he had come to her and told her he was going to pretend to be drugged, she had hated the idea. What if the witch was there, what if she could tell it was all a lie?

Yet he had insisted, told her he had information, but didn’t say where it had come from. So she had gone along with his plan, trusting him. When they were ready to leave, Zoah had appeared, looking his arrogant self, but there was a change in him, something she couldn’t put her finger on. She only hoped that Samuel hadn’t got to him in some way, that Zoah didn’t hate her enough to betray her, and in turn his brother.

But Samuel would never make a deal. At least not one he would keep.

So here they were, at the time Samuel had ordered her to arrive with Connor. She shivered, partly from the cold, and partly because she had never been more scared in all her life. She could cope with whatever Samuel did to her, but what if he hurt the dragons. And what had he done to Charlotte while she had been his captive? There was only one way she would find the answers to these questions, at it was not by standing here doing nothing.

They moved closer, each footstep taking them towards their fate. She held Connor by the elbow, and led him forward. Then he was ripped away from her, something had sent him reeling backwards, for a moment she thought he had been shot, hit by a hidden marksman. But then she reminded herself Samuel wanted him alive and unharmed.

Instead he had been repelled by a dragon charm. Or ward, because that seemed to be how it worked. With his last step forward Connor had come up against an invisible barrier, he tried again, prepared for the force this time. He kept his balance and tried again, Serena stood on the other side, unable to see what was preventing him from moving forward. There was nothing obvious, it must indeed be witchcraft. Connor could not get any closer to the building, and Serena went back to stand by him, looking helplessly around.

Still no one. Maybe Connor had been right, Samuel had moved on elsewhere, not trusting her to do what she had been told. Poor Charlotte, where was she?

“Ahh, we've been expecting you.” In a blink of an eye, the view of the church changed, and instead of the old dark building, there stood a brightly lit church with armed guards outside.

“What's happening, Samuel?” she asked.

“Just a little safety precaution our little witch uses to keep us safe. Come on, step through.” Samuel grinned, and the bile in her throat rose until she struggled to swallow it. All the memories of his cruelty came back to her, and fear gripped her until she thought she would never be able to move again. And then beside her Connor pressed closer, so very slightly no other person would have known, but she knew. He gave her strength, he gave her hope.

In her pocket, she pressed the send button, and hoped Zoah would get the message that he had to enter the building now. To give him more time, she took slow steps, keeping her eye on Samuel, who stood flanked by armed men.

“So this is the dragon.” Samuel stood his ground, his eyes fixed on Connor, but there was something in his face that showed wariness. Could he tell Connor wasn’t drugged, had the witch told him they were trying to trick him?

“Yes,” Serena said quietly, knowing she had to keep up the pretence until she knew for certain either way.

He walked right up to Connor, one of the men by his side aiming his gun at the dragon's heart. Samuel looked into Connor's eyes, who thankfully held an unfixed gaze, completely ignoring the foul man in front of him.

“Lights are on, but the man has flown away. Tara!” he shouted.

Serena watched as a woman stepped out from the large doors of the church, a long flowing dress billowing out around her. Despite the gravity of the situation, Serena found it amusing, all she needed was a broomstick, and she would be away into the sky, flying along with the dragons.

“Who is this?” Serena asked.

“Did I give you permission to ask questions?” Samuel said, and Serena recognised the look in his eyes and the twitch of his hand.

Without thinking she shielded herself from the blow as it rained down on her head. His arm came into contact with hers, but thankfully she was left conscious, she could not afford to lose her senses now. She only prayed Connor wouldn't react, because then their cover would be blown and all would be lost. Her head snapped back, and she lost her balance, hitting the floor hard.

Through her tears she saw Connor flinch so very slightly, his fists balling as he fought to control himself. Samuel turned to look at him again, and for a moment Serena knew they were done for, and then the witch spoke.

“So she did it? And you thought she didn't have the guts.” She walked past Samuel, and put herself firmly between him and Connor.

“You're sure?” Samuel asked, taking a step to the side to stare at Connor. “I swear he reacted.”

“Well of course he would. She is his mate, and that will not change, but the control will be yours.”

A vicious smile spread across Samuel's face. “So if I ask him to beat her to death, he will?”

“Oh, Samuel,” Tara chastised him as if he were a small child. “If you break his heart by killing his mate, it will shrivel up and die, and then all your plans will be as dead as the dragon.”

“Well, he doesn't have to kill her, just hurt her a little.”

“Let me see her,” the witch said, gripping Serena's wrist and dragging her to her feet. Without even acknowledging Serena, the witch placed her hand on her stomach, and closed her eyes. “Yes. The spawn is there.”

“You're sure?” Samuel asked, his voice more excited than Serena had ever heard.

“Yes, I am sure. So I suggest you take care of her. One dragon is good, but two dragons are better.”

“Escort our guests inside,” he said to the men with guns, and turned to walk off, expecting to be obeyed.

Serena walked after them, her hand going to her face, feeling the swelling on her jaw growing bigger already. What lay before them she did not know, hopefully they would succeed in destroying Samuel’s plans and escaping this forsaken place. Yet all hope was deserting her as the doors banged shut behind them and they stood surrounded by Samuel’s men.