Vicente (15 page)

“I have one, my lady. When we are chosen for our dragon, we are given our handbook. Would you like to read it too?” She asked him how big it was. “Oh, it is quite thick, my lady. There is a great deal to learn about—” He looked at Yve when she kicked him.

“She means how tiny it will be in her own hands, not how thick it is. And had you said it was as thick as your head, she would have known that you’re as dense as it is too.” He wasn’t sure, but he thought that Yve was insulting him. But her ladyship laughed, and he felt his heart fill with it.

“If you could see if you can find me a copy that I can read, I’d appreciate it. One that will fit in my hands, and I won’t need to strain my eyes to read it.” He got it then and told her he could do that. Before he left to get his copy and enlarge it for her, she asked him one more thing. “I would also ask that you find Nora, Vicente’s grandmother, please. I would like for her to live with us.”

“Yes, my lady.” Auggie went off to find the former queen and give her the grand request. She would come and stay with them and they would all be very happy. Auggie had always liked the queen and was happy to find that she was related to his majesty. This was going to be a wonderful home soon, and even if they did have ugly children, Auggie decided that he’d never tell them and hoped they’d grow into something lovely as their parents.

“One can only hope.”

Chapter 13

Abbie watched her brother pace. The tiny apartment he was staying in was a great deal smaller than the house he’d been living in, and she wanted to smile at the way he kept kicking the furniture. She supposed that it was from a second-hand shop and wanted to laugh again. How the mighty had fallen.

“I went to the trial today.” He stopped pacing to look at her. “Leonard’s trial. I don’t know if you know this or not, but Woodrow killed himself. He was found in his room with his jacket off and he’d used it to hang himself. They’re still trying to figure out how he’d gotten out of it.”

“And what did you hope to do at Dillard’s trial? Tell them how he’d found me in your apartment with someone riding my cock?” He was trying to piss her off. She had no idea why he was working so hard at it, but he’d been snipping at her since she’d gotten there. “You could have at least let me have your apartment while this thing with Molly is being settled. She will take me back, and I’ll still have to pay the rest of this lease I had to sign.”

“She’s not taking you back and you know it.” He just stared at her, and Abbie decided that she’d talk about that later. “And no, you were never mentioned. There really was no need for it. They told him that he was being charged with fifty-three counts of first-degree murder and a sundry of other things, including kidnapping as well as attempted murder, and he went a little wild.”

He’d been insane is what he’d been. They’d taken his drugs from him as soon as he’d been put in jail. She’d heard from the others that Leonard hadn’t wanted to be clean, and told them in no uncertain terms that he loved being high and if it killed him, then so be it. But just before the trial, he’d been caught snorting several lines of coke and had been brought to the courtroom high. The judge hadn’t been amused.

“Why do you give a shit if I’m so high that you could shoot me now and I’d never care?” Leonard had asked the judge when he’d been asked if he was doing drugs. “It’s the way I love being. This way, I’m not going to be any trouble to you when you give me several life sentences in prison for crimes you find to be abhorrent. When I feel you should give me a medal for taking some of the scum off the streets. Give me the worst you have.”

“You think what you did was something that you should be rewarded for?” Leonard nodded at the judge. “You killed those women in cold blood. Don’t you think someone’s family might have been a tad on the upset side?”

“No. And neither would you if you thought about it. They were a drain on society, and if I had had time, I might have gone out and rounded up the entire family and killed them as well.” The judge looked at the doctor who had been asked if Leonard was competent to stand trial. “Don’t look at him. I’ll tell you right now that I’m as sane as you are. I knew what I was doing when I did those things. And, frankly, I can’t believe you guys are pissed about it. It’s not like they were anything all that special.”

“And what of Miss Curry? How did she fall into this system of yours? Surely you don’t think of her as the same as those other women? You had her working for you.”

Leonard made a big production of turning to look at her, and she could only stare at the man she had once worked for.

“She should have been beheaded and her head mounted over my toilet on a small hydraulic lift. That way whenever I wanted to relieve myself, I’d only have to push a button to piss on her.” He blew her a kiss before turning back around. “That’s what I think of Miss Curry. And we all know she’s no better than I am. Did you know that she took all my money? Every last penny. Well, all but a dollar. I guess she wanted me to know that she was the one who took it. But it matters little now. She’ll get hers in the end.”

“He actually threatened you?” Abbie looked at her brother, having completely forgotten that she was with him now and not back in the courtroom with Leonard. “What sort of lawyer would allow him to say those things and not shut him down? I would have gotten him off for insanity. This guy could only be going for a mistrial. That happened, didn’t it?”

Her brother looked like he might enjoy hearing that Leonard would get off. She shook her head. She was going to finish what she came here for and leave him alone. Molly had told her he wasn’t worth it, and now she knew for sure that she had been right.

“Molly and the girls are doing much better without you in their lives. Even little Darla is smiling a lot more nowadays.” Graham said something, but she didn’t quite hear it so continued. “I’m paying for dance lessons for her and Anna. They have their first show in a few weeks.”

“I won’t be there. Molly has a restraining order against me. I have news for her though. As soon as we’re back together, I’m cutting you out of their lives. They’ll not want a thing to do with you once they find out what you and that monster you’re married to are.”

“They know.” That shut him up, and Abbie had had enough of being nice. “You’ll not get them back, ever. Molly knows about you and what you did to them. Not that they seem to mind overly much, but they all know. They told me that spending their Christmas holiday with Vinnie and I was the best Christmas they’d ever had. As for the rest….” She shrugged and stood up. “Leonard didn’t threaten me. He was warning me. He’d hired someone to have me killed, but he hadn’t counted on the man being an undercover cop. When he took the stand, Leonard was so crazy with anger that he leapt at the man and tried to take his gun. I guess he was planning to kill me himself.”

When her brother didn’t say anything, she moved toward the door. Her heart hurt, but not like she supposed it should have. She and Graham had been drifting apart for years, and it had only been a matter of time before they would never see each other. This just…she supposed this had simply quickened their end as a family. She was nearly out the door when he said her name. Turning back, she looked at him.

“I’m going to get it all back, you wait and see. I’m not going to let you think you’ve won either. I’m a better man than your husband will ever be on his best days.” Abbie nodded at him and moved out the door. She was at the elevator when the tears started to fall.

“You should not grieve for him, m’lady. He is not worth it.” Abbie nodded at Auggie, who had come with her today. “He is not a good man, not like the king.”

“He isn’t. But he is my brother.” She watched as he gathered her tears and put them in her pocket. “What do you do with all these gems, Auggie? There must be a drawer full of them from the past few days alone.”

“We use them to help the other faeries. And we are using some to buy your equipment.” He looked at her as he slipped the last few into her other pocket. “You did not tell me that things had to be paid for, remember?”

The police had come to see her two days ago. It seemed that she was mentioned in a string of robberies. And had it not been another lion that had come to the door, she might well have had the cell next to Leonard before he was killed. He told her that Auggie and Yve had been coming into the store after hours and getting what they needed. Thankful for his help, she paid the store owner for his time and the equipment, and then Vicente purchased the store from him. Now they could get what they needed put on their account and settle up once a week. But she did have the nicest, most well-equipped office in the world.

They were nearly home when she felt Vinnie touch her mind. She had to smile. He’d told her that her meeting with Graham would go badly, and she couldn’t wait to tell him he’d been wrong. It had gone a good deal worse.

Do you remember what we’re going to do when you get here
? Her body warmed up at the seductive tone of his voice.
I’m looking forward to this a great deal
.

Me too
. She looked out the window and saw they were nearly home and told him so.
I’ve been trying to remember everything you told me, but I’m still afraid. Are you sure we can’t do this outside just in case
? He told her no.
What if I mess up and shift into a big dragon
?

Then we’ll keep doing it over and over until you get it right. We have the rest of our lives to get this right. We need to do this to have a child
. She nodded and told him that it didn’t make her any less afraid.
You’ll be fine
.

She had to shift to a smaller dragon. Their bigger dragons drew too much attention, and it had taken them nearly a week after the last time they’d taken to the skies before she wanted to try it again. Too many people had seen them. And the only way for them to conceive was to do so as dragons.

I’m no longer in heat
. Vicente sent her his love, and she wrapped it around her.
I know that we said we’d try again, but it’s so long. Can’t we just give it a few more days
?

I want to take you as a dragon, love. Soar though the sky, fucking you hard as we fall to the earth. Did you know that your climax will be so hard that you’ll nearly pass out
? She told him he did that to her every time he touched her.
But this time you will be as my golden dragon
.

They were pulling into the drive when she saw him on the porch. He was leaning against the post and stood up when she was handed out of the limo. He waited for her as she made her way to him. Vicente took her hand and led her to their bathroom. It was the smallest room in the house.

As soon as they were shut in the room together, she tried again to tell him they should be outside. But he simply told her to close her eyes.

“Imagine the room. The walls and the ceiling.” She nodded when she could see them closing in on her. “No, don’t make yourself tense up; just see the walls for where they are. I want you to convey to your dragon where they are. Tell her that’s all the room you have and that you must confine yourselves to that space.”

“She wants to be bigger.” Vicente didn’t say anything, so Abbie talked to her dragon. She was so beautiful that Abbie had a hard time convincing herself that she was her. When the dragon nodded once and moved toward her, Abbie let herself go. It took her several seconds to realize that Vicente was speaking to her.

“See her? I think you can see yourself in the mirror. Have a look at her.” Abbie felt weightless and turned her body to where the mirror over the sink was. She looked at the beautiful dragon flying in the refection in awe.

Is that me
? Vicente nodded behind her, and she watched as he too shifted. He was bigger than her, of course, but she could see how easy it was for him to hold his smaller shape. Soon they were both flying out the window that was open in this room.

He didn’t try to stop her from going high. Auggie and Yve were close in the event they were needed, but they didn’t come to them when they shifted. She wasn’t sure what happened to Auggie when she was this size, but was having too much fun to think too hard about it. Abbie just enjoyed her flight in and out of the trees, and through the water that was at the back of the property.

We need to be higher
.

She nodded at Vicente and soared upward. The higher she went, the cooler the air was, she realized. As soon as she was above the clouds, she looked in wonder at the beautiful landscape that was only hers to see.

I love you
. She didn’t even turn to tell Vicente when she felt him nearby.
I’ve loved you for so long I don’t think I have room in my heart for anything else
.

I love you as well
. He moved up behind her, and she knew a new kind of desire.
Turn to me
.

They came together almost as soon as she turned to face him. His cock filled her, and when he wrapped his wings around her, she felt the fall start. It wasn’t like sex as a human, but it was wonderful. His cock moved in and out of her fast and hard, and she knew that before they hit the ground, he’d come and they’d soar upward. His teeth sinking into her shoulder made her cry out, but his roar of completion made her come with him. It was fantastic…mind-blowing and so much more. But she wanted it all. She needed more.

They landed on the ground with snow billowing around them, and she moved toward Vicente, shifting as she went. As soon as he was human again, he dropped before her and pulled her pussy to his mouth. Abbie cried out when he nipped her hard.

~~~

Vinnie couldn’t wait to have her. He knew that he’d left her satisfied, but he planned to make it more, just as he knew she wanted. Taking her clit into his mouth, he slid his fingers into her wet pussy and fucked her hard as he drank from her. When her fingers curled in his hair, he lifted her up enough so that her feet were no longer touching the ground and stood up himself. Holding her, he moved them to a tree.

“Hold the branch above your head.” As soon as she had a firm grip on the branch, he moved in front of her. “I’m going to eat you this way. Then I plan to fuck you as hard as I can until you can’t walk.”

Her nod had him grinning. She started begging him to finish her almost as soon as he spread her legs wider for him. Taking his place on his knees, he watched her as he fucked her with his fingers.

Moving in and out of her like this had his cock aching. Shifting his wet hand from her pussy to his cock, he started fisting himself while he suckled on her clit again and again. When he was sure he was going to explode all over her, he stood up and ran just the crown of his engorged cock over her nether lips and felt her heat pull at him.