Dragon Mystics: Supernatural Prison #2 Read online

  Maximus sprang out of the bed, as lithe and agile as only a supernatural could be. “Jess!” His exclamation was loud as he dived toward me, naked in all his glory, but not aroused, so clearly I’d caught them between rounds. I had just enough time to register the darkening anger on Cardia’s face before I was hit with a wall of muscle.

  “I’ve been so damned worried about you, Jess.” His voice cracked a little as he pulled back, both hands gripping my biceps. “Where the hell were you?” His emotional tone shifted into a growl, fangs slightly descended and his eyes shaded to black.

  I’d never seen him vamp out in such a short time, especially when he wasn’t hungry. But that wasn’t my most prevalent thought. I was having a breakdown similar to the one I had the time I thought Mischa was a dragon shifter. I knew the only way Maximus would be in bed with this chick while his brother and I were missing was if she was his true mate. Not to mention he generally never slept with the same female more than a few times. He liked to cut them off before they got attached. It had been three weeks with this Cardia.

  The first few months after finding your mate were intense. Supernaturals had trouble leaving the house and going out into public. Plus, I had not missed the vamped-out nature of the interloper. Her clawed hands and descended fangs screamed of a territorial reaction.

  I was pissed. Anger coursed through me with the force of a speeding train, flooding my gut and ricocheting out. It wasn’t that I felt the way for Maximus that I did for Braxton, but still, this was the beginning of the end of our perfect pack life. I would have to pull back from the very close proximity I had with the Compasses. Cardia would not tolerate that.

  I let my expression dissolve into blankness, taming my inner turmoil. “It doesn’t really seem as if you were too worried about me.”

  It was either cut him down or lose my shit and cry like a baby.

  Yes, I was being a bitch, mate bonding couldn’t be fought against. What my parents had done was insane in the scheme of supernatural relationships, separating themselves to protect Mischa and I from the marked hunters; it was unnatural. As I had this thought I realized I wanted to see my parents. Where were they? I assumed they had been given their own apartment close by.

  Maybe somewhere for me to escape to.

  I was avoiding thinking about Maximus, even though he was standing before me, seemingly trying to figure out what to say in response to my anger.

  Tears pricked at my eyelids. I refused to let them fall. I deliberately removed both of his large hands and took a step back, working hard to calm myself. I hit a hard wall of warmth, and for a second I sank into the comfort that was Braxton. My shock and pain had been so great I hadn’t even realized he’d been standing behind us.

  I tore myself from the dragon shifter. “I have to go. I need some air.”

  “Jess…” Maximus’ voice was hoarse now. He held out a hand toward me. “Please, don’t go, we need to talk.”

  I shook my head. I needed to grieve and come to terms with everything I’d lost. And I needed to do it alone.

  “Don’t follow me.”

  I issued the last warning before I ran out of the room, and using every facet of my shifter speed dashed across the apartment and out the front door. I was in the elevator when three Compasses burst out the door – Maximus ripping his pants on, the doors sliding closed between us.

  “Jess, it’s not safe for you to be on your own,” I heard the vampire say desperately, right before the metal sealed them away from me.

  Silence descended. I sank against the cold steel wall, my heartbeat erratic. Damn, I was hurting, a pain that was soul deep. I knew I would eventually be happy for Maximus. I wanted my boys to have love and a mate. I wanted to be the aunt to their kids, but I’d thought that was a long way in the future. Not today. Not when there was so much shit happening in our world. I wanted to climb into bed between my dragon shifter and vampire, have my fey and wizard there also, just like we’d done so many times over the years.

  But it would never again be like that.

  Instead of crying, I channeled the crap-ton of emotions churning inside into anger, my weapon right now, and exited the building on a wave of self-righteous rage. I stormed along the streets, aimlessly wandering and yet still finding myself in that main street of food.

  What can I say, food and I have a bond which I’ll probably never replicate with any male.

  I stopped near a colorful falafel store, though I wasn’t really reading the menu in the window. I was actually paying attention to the small group which had been trailing me for some time—not the Compasses—and I was starting to get the feeling they had more than fun on their minds.

  Since I was in a shit of a mood, I decided to get off the main path and have a little stress-relieving entertainment. If I couldn’t have sex, maybe some fighting would help.

  I strode between two Chinese food stores. No dead end, so I wasn’t boxing myself in. Rocks scuffed on the path behind me. I smiled. Three supernaturals. I scented two shifters and a vampire. They’d decided now was the time to approach.

  Turning, I lowered into a fighting stance.

  Front and center was a tiny brunette – her hair braided down her back in a single line – female, a shifter but not wolf. Something close … fox maybe. Flanking either side of her was another, much larger male shifter, also fox – and third was a vampire. They continued straight at me. I waited, poised on the balls of my feet, hands relaxed but ready at my sides. I also had an ear out for any approach from behind, in case they were going for the whole distraction ploy.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” the fox girl said, showcasing her pointy little teeth. She’d been spending too much time in her animal form. It was starting to bleed into the human. “You have brought unease to our sanctuary. The Four roam the mountains around us, and you pack around with another set of quads. You must leave.”

  The Four were here, in Romania! Shit! Another awesome piece of news to add to my shit-cake of a day. Would December hurry up and fuck off already, it was turning out to be my least favorite month. Supernaturals don’t celebrate Christmas, that was a human tradition, but even if we did there wasn’t anything jolly going on right now.

  The male fox distracted me from my thoughts. “You must leave!”

  I raised my right eyebrow. “And if I don’t?” It wasn’t a blatant challenge, but it was close. I hadn’t really scented aggression from them. I was pretty sure they’d just followed me as a warning, but I was in the right sort of mood to push them.

  The three took a step closer, barely five feet between us. “Then we will make you.” Finally the vampire got to speak, and compared to Maximus this guy’s balls hadn’t even dropped. It was as if he was trying really hard to deepen his voice to that scary octave which the quads were kings at. He missed it by about a mile.

  I pushed aside thoughts of my vamp, now wasn’t the time to drown in heartache. I was ready to work off some of the anger which was riding me like a mermaid in a seaweed storm. I slowed my breathing, taking a few moments to size up my opponents. The chick was the leader, and the one I was most wary of. When you’re smaller than most supes, you had to rely less on strength and more on developing skills. Something told me she had some mad skills.

  The three of them exchanged a glance; an unspoken something passed between them. They somehow mutually agreed on an order, and the vampire came at me first, gliding over. A vamp’s speed is their greatest asset. But shifters were fast also.

  He flew straight at me, fangs bared, hands aloft. Definitely untrained. I took two steps and after a combo one-two hook, smacked him straight in the nose. Cartilage fractured under my fist, but I didn’t stop there, turning with a spinning heel kick and cracking him in the jaw. As he hit the ground, I was over the top of him and had his left arm twisted behind. The distinct crack of bone breaking echoed through the silent alley.

  He let out a whimpering scream. What a bitch.

  I dropped my knee into his temple and just
like that he was out cold.

  Bouncing back to my feet I eyed the other two waiting their turn. “That was fun,” I said, not even remotely out of breath. “Next…” I smiled, and the fox male almost took a step back. I must be wearing a hell of an expression right now.

  I assumed he would come at me next and I wasn’t wrong. He strolled closer. The fox was all long lean lines, but I could see lithe muscles in his lengthy limbs. His eyes were dark, almost a gray and his hair orange, like a carrot, which I’d guess was also the color of his animal’s fur. Generally, that’s how it worked.

  He was less bouncy and eager than the vamp, and hopefully equally skill-less. But something told me it wasn’t going to be quite as easy. Standing motionless, all of a sudden he leapt for me, trying for the take-me-by-surprise plot. Sigh. Amateur.

  I sidestepped the first swing and he tried to counter with a backwards kick to my gut. I saw it coming from a mile away. Using the narrow walls I gained height by running up the stone, launching myself off the side and landing a massive Superman punch on his jaw. He smashed back into the wall behind, and I followed, landing in a crouch over his body.

  The fox tried to wiggle back to his feet, but he must have been seeing stars because his movements were jerky and he ended up falling down again. I sensed footsteps and knew the female was going to come at me while I was occupied with the male. With this in mind I swung my left elbow into his face, I heard bone crack, and since I’m not a healer I could only guess that I’d broken his jaw. He didn’t move again.

  I pushed both hands onto his chest, and using his ribs for leverage flipped myself backwards into another crouch. The shock on fox bitch’s face flashed in the dim light. Yes, I had some mad skills too, let’s just hope they were enough.

  I could tell that she hadn’t expected me to move so quickly; however her recovery was admirable. Her footsteps were swift, short brown hair bouncing on her shoulders.

  I tried to slow my rapid pulse so I could focus on what was coming at me. Her movements were smoother than the males. She’d had training. I brought both of my hands up to guard my face. This was going to get interesting.

  Two steps in and she swung a left-right-left-cross combo at my face. I ducked the first and blocked the second, before countering with my own combo. Which she managed to block. She had fast hands, really fast. I decided to change strategies. Just because she was good with her hands didn’t mean she could grapple. I needed to get her to the ground.

  When she came at me again, I waited until the last second and let her punch graze me before dropping to the floor and smashing her in the stomach. She wheezed as the air left her lungs, then I wrapped myself around her legs and took her down. Her head smashed into the stone floor, and I swear I heard that dull echoing hit of skull on cement all the way into my bones. I hated that wet, bouncing sound. It turned my stomach.

  She got her elbows under herself, trying to arch up and flip me off her. It wasn’t happening today. I smashed both knees into her chest and she hit the deck again. Her eyes rolled back in her head. I waited for her to react, but she looked to be out. Guess I needed to downgrade her skills from mad to mediocre. I pulled myself wearily to my feet. Now that my adrenalin and anger had been worked off, I was feeling every inch of the exhaustion which was about to level me.

  “You about done, Jess?”

  I spun and shrank into a crouch. How the hell had Louis crept up on me?

  The sorcerer was leaning casually against the wall at the entrance of the alley. He had that smile on his face which he wore when he thought I was amusing. I didn’t ask him why he hadn’t helped me. He knew I wouldn’t have appreciated his interference. I strolled across to his side, and as he straightened his expression sobered.

  “So besides that…” he said, waving toward the carnage I’d left behind, “are you doing okay?”

  I swallowed, all the events of the past few days crashing in on me. “The Four are here, outside of the mountains.”

  He nodded. “Yes, they have been seen on multiple occasions, but they are not welcome in the sanctuary. You’ll be safe here until we figure out a plan.”

  My voice cracked on my next words: “I don’t know what to feel about Max.” My pain could no longer be pushed aside, and it seemed Louis was the one I’d bare my soul to. Despite everything I trusted the sorcerer. Well, trusted with some reservations.

  He examined me, as if trying to burrow into the deepest of my emotions. “You don’t lose anything by this, Jess, you gain another sister into your pack. Maximus will not abandon you … I can’t imagine a supernatural who could willingly walk away from you.”

  Well, that was uncomfortably intimate.

  Since exhaustion and heartache had negated my already faulty brain-to-mouth filter, it was time to get this shit out in the open. “What do you want from me, Louis? Why are you helping me so much?”

  His expression closed down, more unreadable than it had been before. I was sure he wouldn’t answer. Then he said, “I had a mate … a long time ago. She was killed by another witch. One who wanted her power.” His voice broke. I strained to hear every soft word. “I went crazy for a long time. I was unstable, no one could touch the bubble of pain and anger I had wrapped around myself. Eventually, I was able to control myself again, but no amount of time could heal the pain. Up until the day I touched a tiny twin with a dragon mark.”

  My heart dropped, I really didn’t want to hurt Louis, but I wasn’t sure I could give him what he needed.

  “It was as if your power wrapped around me and soothed some of the ragged edges of my soul.”

  He reached out and grasped my hand, pulling me closer into his side. “I thought maybe you would be a mate-of-sorts for me, that the tie I felt toward you had to mean something. I watched you grow up, kept an eye on you, protected you when I could and waited for the chance to be in your life.”

  Okay, a tad creepy, but on some level I understood.

  “Louis–” I started, but he cut me off with a chuckle.

  “Stop panicking. It didn’t take me long to realize that the emotions you created in me were not romantic, but … family. You feel like my kin and I consider you to be mine … in a purely platonic way.”

  It was strange, but I felt something similar when Louis was around. I’d always thought it was to do with his power being the one to spell my mark, but maybe there was something more there.

  “Do you think we share a common ancestor?” I squeezed his hand tighter, wanting to erase that agony which flashed across his eyes. Talking about his mate had cost him something, brought him back to a dark time in his life.

  The gentlest of grins graced his lips. “All supernaturals share common ancestors, but possibly you and I are a little closer.”

  I pulled my hands free, and when his sadness didn’t disappear I opened my arms and wrapped them tightly around him. I clutched him hard, trying to squish free those horrible memories. He returned my gesture and I felt him rest his chin on top of my head. We stayed like that until groans from the alley had me pulling back to see what was going on. The female shifter was starting to pull herself up, her friends still down for the count. They would think twice about taking me on again, and word would spread of this. Somehow, it always happened that way in these communities.

  “Let’s go back, I need some sleep.”

  I leaned heavily into Louis, and he took a lot of my weight as we strolled from the alley. It spoke of how absolutely drained I was, both mentally and physically, that I didn’t even notice the food piled high on the plates of the supernaturals eating on the street. We also ignored the many eyes which followed as we walked.

  “Why didn’t the Compasses come after me?” I said, in a sort of slur. I fought for clarity.

  Louis quickened our pace and gathered more of my weight into him. “I convinced them to stay behind while I checked on you.”

  I let loose a few peals of laughter. For some reason the possibilities of how he convinced them were endless and am
using.

  “I’ll just bet they appreciated that.”

  The sorcerer joined in with my laughter. “Braxton especially was appreciative.”

  The thought of my dragon shifter sobered any humor. What the hell was I going to do about him and all of these feelings plundering my soul? And lady parts.

  Seeing Maximus with a mate had opened up something inside of me. I’d been so resolute in trying to keep everything the same, not risking the pack dynamics, but things had changed anyway. Change was going to happen and I didn’t want to miss my moment with Braxton because I was afraid. What if I waited too long and never had a chance? He could meet his mate tomorrow. The dragon king could rise and kill us all. The only certainty we had was right now and something told me that five minutes with the dragon was worth any minutes without him.

  Louis tipped his eyes down to meet mine. “Just talk to them, Jess. There wasn’t a supernatural in Stratford who didn’t know how much they loved you. They will never leave you.”

  I exhaled loudly. “It’s not as easy as that, you know how possessive we are. Already vamp chick was giving me the evil eye, and I won’t ever ask him to choose between us.”

  “It will work out, and I’m not opposed to smacking a few of your men into line.”

  I laughed in a short burst. “Thank you. I might just take you up on that.” This sorcerer was actually a pretty badass threat to have in my back pocket. “So quick subject change, but how worried should I be about Mischa?”

  His facial expression remained calm. “I’m not sure. The twins are not to be trusted, but something tells me that they are not evil in the true sense of the word. We need to take our time, any big reaction will only work to push your sister closer to them.”

  He made a very good point. We walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes. I decided to ask him something which had been bugging me for a bit. I trusted Louis, but he was filled with secrets.

  “You remember when we talked in Stratford, about the dragon marked, and you said you thought they were all killed at birth. If Quale is your brother, shouldn’t you have known about this place? About the dragon marked being imprisoned?”