Page 18

Chapter 18

A shdei whipped around with Mari in his arms, as a brilliant, winged form descended slowly until she hovered just above the ground. The angelic figure had wavy, dark hair that billowed around her, honey-brown skin, and was dressed in armor that shone with almost blinding intensity in gold and white. Her expression held unbridled contempt.

Call the dragon , Ashdei said in Mari’s head. “Darveyn,” he said to the angel in a bored tone. “What brings you to this realm?”

Mari reached out for Dohal but couldn’t make contact. She tried not to let panic about what that meant overtake her. “Put me down.”

He hesitated for only a moment and set her on her feet. When she turned to face the unwelcome guest, he set his hands on her shoulders. His magic hummed along her skin.

The angel he’d called Darveyn glared. “I’m here because the rules have been broken.”

“Always a stickler,” Ashdei chided. “Except when you weren’t.”

Pink stained Darveyn’s cheeks. “Our dalliance was a mistake.”

“You never thought so when you were swallowing my cock.”

“You’re disgusting, as usual,” Darveyn spat.

Anger surged in Mari’s chest. They had been lovers? Golden wrath filled her.

Beautiful , Ashdei purred in her head.

You did that on purpose. She surprised herself when she responded in the same manner.

Yes. His fingers curled into her shoulders, and she could feel his significant pride. She needs to see how strong you are. The only way we’ll survive this is if she’s not sure she can beat us.

I can’t reach Dohal. Mari squared her shoulders and met the multicolored eyes of the angel. “I didn’t know it was against the rules. I didn’t even know what I was doing at the time.”

Darveyn tilted her head. “Not a lie. Interesting.”

“She wasn’t aware that controlling power from two realms wasn’t allowed.”

Darveyn’s gaze pivoted to him. “But you were.”

“Do you need to hear me say that I can deny her nothing? Would it ease your fury to know that?” His voice was steady as a mountain. “I gave her everything you ever wanted from me and more, just to please her.”

Mari’s heart sang in her chest. She reached back to rest her hand on the side of his leg, both in support and in acknowledgement of his words.

Darveyn looked them over with a sneer. “After the centuries of plays for power that I have witnessed, you expect me to believe that sentiment for this child is what has finally bested you?”

Mari kept her lips pressed so she wouldn’t snap back at the angel’s dismissal.

“Have I so much as bent the truth?” Resignation edged his tone now. “She holds my leash. Now and forever.”

Shock twisted the angel’s beautiful face. “Every word true.” She exhaled a long breath. “That being the case, we will wait and reserve judgment until some sort of resolution is reached with the Forest Lord.”

Mari almost lost her feet when power was ripped from the wards.

Ashdei wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him when he felt her falter. He transformed around her, his body becoming larger and his wings unfurling to blot out the sun.

“What have you done?” Mari gasped.

Darveyn glanced over her shoulder. “We had to contain the dragon in order to make this assessment.”

“You captured him?” Mari shouted. “After he was held prisoner for centuries?” How dare they? If Ashdei hadn’t been holding her, she would have charged to close the distance and grabbed that bitch by the throat. Instead, she lashed out with her magic, flattening the angel with one shot.

A roar from above drew Mari’s attention to the sky. A dark shape barreled toward them, but Mari felt only joy. The red markings glowing through his scales were immediately recognizable, even if he hadn’t been the only dragon left in the world.

Dohal landed with a heavy thud, one huge claw on either side of them. Smoke curled from his massive muzzle as he glared at the prone form of the angel. “Leave, before I decide you deserve to pay for the sins of your ancestors.” His deep voice shook the ground around them.

Darveyn pushed herself up to standing and hastily launched into the sky, her feathered wings beating.

Mari waited until the form of the angel faded into the distance before she turned around in Ashdei’s arms, her eyes searching her dragon. “Are you okay?”

Dohal lowered his head, huffing in a breath to catch her scent. The remains of glowing ropes hung from his forelegs, but he looked unhurt. “Aside from being annoyed, I’m fine. I pulled power from the wards to transform and get free.”

Mari reached up a hand to touch his muzzle. He was magnificent. His scales were warm and smooth, and power filled him to bursting. “You’re so beautiful.”

He dropped his head further to give her better access. “I’m glad you think so. I was concerned I might scare you like this.”

“Never.” She pulled herself up to rub her cheek against his nose and then planted a kiss in the center. “I love you in every form.”

He rumbled with contentment as he gently nuzzled her. Once he had soothed himself enough with her presence, he narrowed his glowing red eyes. “What happened to bring a Prince of the Heavens here?”

“I channeled from the nexus here and Ashdei’s at the same time.”

“Well, that’s a surprise.” He turned toward the demon. “I assume you didn’t intend that?”

“Of course not.” Ashdei didn’t look the least bit put out by being the object of the dragon’s questioning gaze. “It shouldn’t have been possible, but apparently when she claimed me, I gave her everything, including control of my nexus.”

Dohal chuffed with amusement. “That’s sweet.”

Mari turned in Ashdei’s arms to look at him. “You didn’t tell me that.”

“I didn’t know until you reached right through me and drew from it.” He touched her face. “But I don’t regret it.”

“And what was the judgment?” Dohal asked.

“They’re waiting to see what happens with the Old One,” Mari responded. “Probably hoping he takes care of the problem for them.”

Ashdei squeezed her. “They can choke on that hope because that problem happens to be very important to me.”

That reminded her of the obnoxious angel in the room. “Are we going to talk about your history with Darveyn?”

“There isn’t anything to tell. She wanted more from me than I was prepared to give anyone before I met you.” He shrugged. “I thought we were having a mutual good time until she made it clear that she wasn’t anymore when she tried to run me through with a Blessed lance.”

Mari searched his face. “You hurt her.”

He met her gaze without shame. “I broke a lot of hearts over the eons, duckling. And I quite enjoyed myself doing it. If you’re going to keep score of that, you will be busy for years.”

“So, there’s a potential ex of yours hiding around every corner who might want to pass on some kind of retribution on to me?”

Ashdei seemed surprised by the question. “Most of them didn’t care enough about me to bother. Darveyn is a notable exception. And I believe she didn’t so much care about me as want to fix me.” His tone was offhanded, but Mari picked up on what he wasn’t saying.

Her heart ached for him. “That’s what you meant the other night. That no one had ever said those things to you.”

“They assumed that, because I was a demon, I couldn’t possibly want that level of intimacy, I suppose.” He sighed. “I’m still not sure they were wrong. I never noticed how much was lacking in my liaisons until you said I felt like yours.”

She tightened her fist in his shirt. “You need to be careful about riling me like you did with her. I wanted blood.”

“No promises.” He grinned sharply. “It was fucking hot.”

Dohal rumbled. “My mate is formidable enough to frighten the angels.”

The arousal pulsing from her dragon was breathtaking. She rubbed her hand over his muzzle, feeling the heat of him soaking into her fingers. Her gaze moved slowly over his massive body. Was there a way she could have him like this? Saints, she was willing to try.

Ashdei chuckled. “Much as I would love to watch you get mounted by a dragon just to see how that works, I’ll remind you of the gargoyle’s request.”

Mari groaned. While she’d played at ignoring Cisco’s orders because it felt naughty, she did want to give him everything he craved from her. “Another time, my beautiful dragon.”

“It would be beyond unwise,” Dohal said, though he sounded amused.

She raked her nails over his scales. “I can’t wait to figure out a way to make it work.”

Dohal bumped her with his nose. “As you will, my insatiable mate. Like him, I can deny you nothing.”

Mari pressed a kiss to his muzzle. “What did you mean when you said you would make her pay for the sins of her ancestors?”

Dohal took a long breath, gathering the strength he needed to answer her question. Across their bond, he felt uncertain, and sad. “The armies of the heavens were the ones who murdered my kin. They claimed we were a threat to this realm, and they might not have been wrong.” His red eyes grew distant. “I escaped only because I’d already been trapped by your father and his allies.”

She smoothed her hand over the scales of his nose, trying to offer whatever comfort she could. He had been through so much, and all of it weighed on him. “When was this?”

“I don’t know how many years ago now.” He shut his eyes as if to block out the memories of what had happened to him since that time. “It felt like hundreds.”

“It was,” Ashdei said. “The people who lived here at the time told stories about it for generations, but even they have long since been forgotten.”

“The Old One had been driven off, and the most powerful who remained here scrambled to fill the void that had been caused by his departure. The Heavens didn’t step in until war broke out between factions, and they deemed my kind too corrupted by their avarice to be allowed to live.”

“No one knows why they didn’t step in when the Forest Lord was deposed,” Ashdei added. “Since it was what had created the imbalance in the first place. Whenever I asked, I was met with silence.”

“I wondered that too. For a time, I thought for certain they would come and render judgment on Basilio and the others. They should have been first in line to free me. But they never came.” Dohal tilted his head in thought. “My capture and the banishment of the Old One were not something that should have been tolerated under the balance they so often tout as their guiding principle. They must have had an ally who convinced them not to intercede.”

“Vincent, maybe?” Mari offered into the heavy silence that followed their revelations.

Dohal settled back on his haunches. “Perhaps. It could explain why he lingered here so long after your father’s death, even while you were pursuing him. My power would have protected him too.”

Mari rested her forehead against his nose. “I’m sorry for everything that has happened to you. I wish I could take some of that pain.”

“You do, bavi,” he rumbled low. “Every time you touch me. Every time you smile. You mend a little bit of that rend in my soul the same way you did my body. I will never be whole after what they did to me, but I can abide.”

“Okay.” She kissed his muzzle and let the matter rest. It was enough that she helped him however she could. “Do you want a phone so you can join the group chat with the rest of them?”

“I cannot use the same devices you do because of the innate electric current of my magic, but your house witch believes an acquaintance of hers can make adjustments and provide something for me.”

“You and Giselle seem to be getting along rather well,” Mari said with a smile. She was glad members of the household were welcoming the new additions. She’d expected no less, but the confirmation eased her mind.

“She and I spend a lot of time together in the early mornings. I don’t require sleep, and she arrives before the sun to do many of her preparations for the day. And while I don’t eat, I find the process of making baked goods quite pleasant.”

She blinked. “You’re helping her bake?”

“When I saw how much you enjoyed her morning pastries, I wanted to learn. So far, my contribution is mostly limited to mixing and kneading, but I find the idea that you get sustenance from something made with my hands incredibly satisfying.” The pleasure he derived from that was obvious in the warm tone of his voice.

Her dragon was the sweetest. She wrapped her arms around his head and pressed her face to his warm scales. “I love you.”

He started slightly and then nuzzled into her. “You are everything to me, and I look forward to finding every opportunity to prove it.”

“Do you need more time in the mountains today?”

“I am restored. You need not worry.” Magic pulsed through him as he triggered the change back to his other form. His body condensed and shifted until he stood before her in his human guise, gloriously naked.

She jumped up into his waiting arms and claimed his mouth in a fervent kiss.

Behind her, Ashdei snorted. “Show off.”

Dohal broke away from her kiss and leveled an assessing look at the demon. “Thank you for guarding her this morning.”

“Of course. I’m here to protect her above everything else. Our contract still holds.”

Mari glanced back at him. “Is there a reason not to nullify it?”

“Aside from that I don’t want to? With it in place, my allies in the Hells must come to your aid should something happen to me.”

The offhanded way he said it made her heart lurch. “You mean if you die.”

He shrugged one shoulder dismissively. “It’s an extra layer of protection for you in the worst-case scenario.”

She grumbled. “I hate it.”

Moving closer, Ashdei placed a hand on her back. “I have no intention of dying. I’m enjoying my time with you too much.”

Mari reached for him and pulled him into a quick kiss. “You’d better not. I don’t want to have to find you wherever you are and drag you back to me.”

Ashdei chuckled. “If anyone could figure that out, I believe it would be you.”

The way he looked at her warmed her entire body. She let out a long breath. “Okay, I need both of you to stop being so damned tempting before I forget that Cisco wants me to himself today.”

Grunting, Dohal smoothed his hands over her ass and turned with her in his arms to head for the house. She managed to talk him into stopping at the pool house for one of his long skirts before he shocked half the household, but only barely.