Releasing the Dragon: Myths and Legends, Book One (24 page)

"He was seething mad that he had to deal with
me instead of you or even Rook," Doyle chortled. "When he called me
a worthless underling I just asked what that made him since he only
rated my attention and not yours." He couldn't contain his
glee.

"That was the reaction we were hoping for.
Did he ask for anything unexpected?" I asked.

"Nah, everything was just like we talked
about, including Bran. I think they just want to bring him to
rattle our chains. Not much we can do about it though so we should
start spreading the word so folks will be prepared." Doyle was
finally sobering up. "They do want to have blood donors on hand for
the after party in Mystique, but we expected that. I don't think we
should let them be alone with any of our girls in the private
rooms. We should make them have chaperones."

"They won't like that but I agree," Rook
interjected. "It would be too easy for them to say 'oops' after
they drained someone if we left them alone."

Something felt different with Serafina,
something was wrong, she was frightened. My eyes snapped to the
security monitors and dread washed over me. Serafina wasn't on her
stage. "Motherfucker!" I was out the door and on my way to Mystique
before Rook and Doyle could react. Before I reached the club her
emotions froze like she had no feelings at all. That was when I
knew for sure what was happening. Someone was taking over her mind.
She'd been trying to fight it, but she wasn't strong enough on her
own. When I reached the main doors I fell to my knees as a blast of
intense lust exploded through the bond. The unnatural need for
sexual fulfillment nearly consumed me. I had to get to Serafina, I
had to save her from what I knew was happening.

I dragged myself back to my feet and climbed
the stairs to the upper level. From there I scanned the club trying
to locate Serafina. I didn't see her anywhere. Her stage was empty
with no trace of her or where she'd gone. I had to find her quickly
or it would be too late. Reaching out through the bond I found her
in one of the private lounges. Orgasmic pleasure radiated from her
like an atomic bomb seconds from detonation.

I vaulted over the railing and tore the door
off its hinges. The humans on the dance floor screamed and
scattered trying to get away from the nightmare I'd become. The
dragon was slamming himself against the cage of my body, clawing at
me to set him free. The vampire within me had no such restraints,
fangs fully extended, eyes black as night. I was enraged beyond all
rational thought. Inside the private lounge Serafina was Oblivious,
her clothes ripped to shreds, her body marred with bruises, her
blood running in rivulets from multiple claw marks. Malachi had her
pinned to the wall while he pounded into her roughly from behind.
She was moaning in ecstasy, begging him for more. His fangs were
buried in her neck draining her dry and still she kept begging for
more. I could feel every orgasm she experienced through the bond
but it wasn't enough for her, it would never be enough again. When
I came into the room roaring with inhuman rage Malachi turned to me
and spat her blood in my face.

To say I lost it would be an understatement
of biblical proportions. My claws sliced out and I snatched Malachi
away from my mate by his throat and hurled him out onto the dance
floor. He came up in a crouch, ready to attack; hissing with his
fangs dripping Serafina's blood, but it was already too late. The
dragon burst out of me and breathed a torrent of fire at the
stunned vampire. All the rage I felt poured out of me, and when the
flames finally stopped, Malachi was nothing but ash.

The sprinkler system had kicked on and the
icy water drenching the club helped my anger cool so I could rein
in the dragon and pull him back inside. When I stood there naked
and human again I turned to the room where Serafina had crumpled to
the floor. Rook was guarding the doorway and one look into his eyes
told me I'd been far too late. She would never recover from the
poison Malachi had fed her.

"He was seething mad that he had to deal with
me instead of you or even Rook," Doyle chortled. "When he called me
a worthless underling I just asked what that made him since he only
rated my attention and not yours." He couldn't contain his
glee.

"That was the reaction we were hoping for.
Did he ask for anything unexpected?" I asked.

"Nah, everything was just like we talked
about, including Bran. I think they just want to bring him to
rattle our chains. Not much we can..."

"You need to listen closely and do exactly as
I say unless you've decided that barbecuing Malachi is a good
idea," Rook demanded urgently. I looked at him sharply because his
comment made it clear he'd set time back and something was about to
go horribly wrong. "I'm going to get Serafina out of Mystique.
Dragon, if you enter the club you must remain on the upper level
and do not confront Malachi no matter what you see or hear. I will
take Serafina to your apartment and you can meet us there. Do not
try to talk to Serafina until I get her safely to your apartment. I
must leave now."

He moved faster than my eyes could follow
with Doyle and I right behind him. We made it to the upper level of
Mystique just in time to see Rook, Malachi and Serafina standing in
front of one of the private lounges. Rook had a hold of Malachi's
arm with one hand and was removing a tiny vile of liquid from
Malachi's hand with the other. That was all I needed to see to
understand what had happened. If I could have let the dragon out in
that moment I would have.

Something had been off all evening. After my
workout in the gym I went to my apartment to shower and get ready
for my first night at Mystique. After my shower my skin felt hot
and I thought I might have a fever. I told myself I was just
flushed from the shower being too hot and drank a cold glass of
water. When I arrived at Mystique I was still burning up but I
didn't really feel unwell so I decided I may as well stay and work
my shift.

I checked in at the office where I met
Clarissa, the beautiful sex demon who managed the dancers at
Mystique. Clarissa was tall with long blonde, wavy hair with just a
hint of red in it. She appeared to be a few years older than me and
had a curvaceous body with voluptuous breasts, shapely hips and
toned legs that seemed to go on for miles. When she spoke, her
sultry voice was hypnotic and I was sure it had lured more than one
unsuspecting male into her clutches. I wanted to hate her when I
remembered that she was the one Dragon preferred to drink from
prior to my arrival. But the longer we talked the more I could see
why he was drawn to her. It wasn't just the sex appeal, though she
had an abundance of that. Her strength and confidence combined with
sharp intellect and down home southern charm would have made her
the perfect choice for queen to his king had she been his mate.

Clarissa showed me to the dressing room where
I was assigned a locker and a makeup station. She gave me a silver
ring that, when worn on my finger, projected sexy little horns on
my head and a long slender tail with a spiked end behind me. It was
fascinating how the tail swayed in a way that matched my body
movements. I also noticed that my skin had a reddish tint and
looked more like scales than human flesh. She had me try on some
costumes and helped me pick the ones that accentuated my assets the
best. I didn't have the body of a sex demon, but my curves
certainly weren't lacking. For my first night on the job I chose a
jewel studded halter with a micro mini skirt. The shiny material
covered little more than a bikini bathing suit would and I was sure
more than one person would get a good view of my thong. I completed
the outfit with matching thigh high boots with four inch heels.

Once my makeup met with Clarissa's approval
she showed me to my stage. There wasn't any choreography to learn
so I was free to let the pheromones and music flow through my body.
I pictured Dragon sitting on my stage and put on a show that I knew
would drive him wild. The pheromones heightened my arousal but it
was my concentration on Dragon that drove me to the edge, had me
throbbing with need. My skin was on fire and I thought I might
combust if Dragon didn't fill me with his hard flesh.

It was close to the end of my shift and I was
still on stage when I saw confused images of me dancing in the
crowd below. There was someone I had to meet down there, someone
who was waiting for me. I stayed on the stage a little longer
fighting the images, denying the call inside my head. I knew if I
went onto the dance floor something bad would happen. My vision
blurred and I was afraid I might fall off the edge of the stage. I
went down the stairs heading for the dressing room. I didn't know
what was wrong with me but I thought it might have been the fever
I'd felt all night.

I was passing the dance floor when a man
reached out and grabbed my wrist. I started to pull away but then I
just didn't want to any more. Suddenly it sounded like a really
good idea to go into one of the private lounges. I was walking
there with the man when Rook stepped in front of us to block our
path. He reached out with one hand to grab the man's arm and then
used his other hand to pluck something out of the man's grasp.

"I know you weren't planning to feed this
poison to one of our dancers were you?" Rook asked the man. The
comment sounded casual but I could hear the underlying threat in
his tone.

The man smirked at Rook and let go of my
wrist. My mind instantly cleared and I stepped back from the man
realizing he was far more dangerous than he appeared. He was about
six-foot-two of solid muscle with shoulder length dark hair and
blue eyes. But it was his pale, ethereal skin that gave him away.
"That would be against the rules," the vampire replied.

"I think it's time for you to return to New
Orleans Malachi." Rook sank enough menace into the statement to
make it clear Malachi should take his advice and be happy he was
given a chance to get out alive.

Malachi smirked again and looked at me. "I'll
be seeing you again soon." He turned towards the upper level where
Dragon was watching our exchange. Malachi gave Dragon a two finger
salute then sauntered off through the crowd.

Rook turned to me. "I need you to come with
me now. We must hurry, I don't know how long Dragon will be able to
hold it together."

He took my hand and led me through the crowd.
I didn't understand what was happening but I could feel Dragon
through the bond. His rage was beyond what I had felt earlier when
he fell into bloodlust. We needed to get away from the crowds
before he lost control completely. Outside of Mystique Rook stopped
long enough to tell a younger man with strawberry blonde hair who
he called Doyle to make sure Malachi left the resort. Doyle was a
big burly man who looked like he could take Malachi in a fight so
didn't worry about him as Rook and I ran to the staff apartment
building.

When we got into the elevator Rook placed his
hand on the security panel and pressed the button for the top
floor. "I know you must be confused and I will explain everything
the first chance I get. Dragon is on his way here now and Claire
told me I should be gone when he arrives. Something very bad
happened and I had to reset time. Dragon doesn't know the details
yet but I'm sure by now he's figured out the gist of what happened
the first time around."

The elevator stopped and we stepped out into
Dragon's foyer. The elevator doors immediately closed and the
lighted numbers above them started counting down to one.

Rook let us into Dragon's apartment and said,
"He'll meet you on the terrace. I must go now. Claire was very
clear that he needs to find you on the terrace alone."

He left quickly using the stairs since Dragon
was likely coming up in the elevator at that moment. I raced to the
glass doors and pushed them open. Once out on the terrace I went to
the railing and waited.

There was a storm gathering over the water,
sending choppy waves crashing on shore. Damp wind gusts whipped
through the garden lashing my hair around my face and body.
Lightning flashed in the distance highlighting the edges of the
roiling thunderclouds. The front door banged open and I felt Dragon
stalking towards me. The wild tumult above me was nothing compared
to the turmoil brewing inside of Dragon. All his barriers were
down, the man, the dragon and the vampire joined as one in their
absolute fury. When he stepped out onto the terrace his fangs were
descended and I was sure the dragon would be there roaring if he
could be. The flames in his black eyes burned brighter than I had
ever seen. When they sighted me by the railing he growled deep in
his throat; a sound that spoke to the primitive woman inside of me.
The fever that I'd felt all night flared and ravenous need consumed
me.

Dragon moved faster than I could track and
had me in his arms clutching me to his chest. He inhaled deeply,
taking in my scent while his hands raced around my body setting my
already heated flesh on fire. He ripped the front of his pants
open, lifted me into his arms and shoved himself past my thong to
sheath himself to the hilt. He drove his cock into me with mindless
fury growling with every deep thrust. I braced myself on the
railing and reveled in his savage claiming of my body.

The storm gained strength and rain pelted
down on us. Thunder clapped and rolled through the clouds as
lightning lit up the terrace showing me an image of Dragon in all
his animalistic glory. I'd never seen anything more terrifyingly
beautiful in all my life. My breathing grew harsh and uneven as
Dragon pounded into me until his frantic pace had me screaming with
explosive release. My legs tightened around his waist and he held
me to his chest while I thrashed in his arms.