Page 17 of Inferno (Drake Security Book 4)

VALENTINO

Ican’t sleep.

Not with his scent still on my skin and in my nose, not with the knowledge that he’s steps away in another room, and definitely not with my dragon restless and pining for more.

I want to go to him, but as night finally relents and the sun pushes back the darkness, I blow out a smoky breath of relief. I can’t begin to unpack why I react the way I do to the sexy demon, but I’ve got to believe it’s the bonding spell mixed with his addictive serum of pheromones. That’s what I’m telling myself, anyway.

I climb out of bed and shuffle to the bathroom for a scale melting shower, the whole time imagining Xaze is here with me. As I run my soapy hands down my chest, I see him instead, his sexy smirk and witty words tantalizing me with the promise of another taste of his skin.

My mind drifts to his true form, and my dragon reacts, flipping around like a gymnast. Yeah, bud, I want to see more too. I want to feel his true form against me, experience the heat and softness of his flesh, taste the fire in his kiss. I want to touch his wings and gaze into his eyes and hear him whisper “Deliciae” before I claim his mouth. I want to see what that tail can do.

My dragon loses it, and I stumble back until I hit the tiles behind me. My cock twitches and pulses untouched, spilling cum at my feet and leaving me stunned speechless.

What the actual fuck?

Before I can linger too long on what just happened, the scent of Hemingway’s mate reaches me, which in itself means my dragon is barely contained. I hurry out of the shower, dry off and throw on some sweatpants before I head down the stairs.

The scene I walk into is not at all what I expected. Xaze is holding court with Dempsey and Dahlia in my living room, the three of them chatting about something I’m too fucked up to hear. He looks up from the chair he’s sitting on, smiling as he crosses his legs.

“Good morning, dragon. Hope you don’t mind that I answered the door. I was attempting to make coffee in your kitchen when they knocked.”

“Uh, no.” I drag a hand through my damp hair. “What’s going on right now?”

Dempsey pushes his glasses up his nose as his cheeks turn bright pink while Dahlia waggles her eyebrows at me with a smirk on her lips.

Dempsey clears his throat. “It’s so warm in here.”

“Sure is,” Dahlia says, still grinning.

Xaze flicks his eyes to me and smiles. It’s not a sexy, pheromone-laden smirk at all, but that doesn’t stop it from warming me from the tips of my ears to my toes.

“Why are you here?” I ask as gently as I can.

“We’re having a family meeting,” Dempsey says. “But we thought we should give you two a heads up first.”

“About?”

“Why Maggard is after Mac.” Dempsey pales slightly. “It’s not good, Tino.”

“It’s worse than not good,” Dahlia adds, shifting her gaze to Xaze and then me. “It’s deadly.”

My chest tightens at the suggestion. It means not only is Mac in deep shit, but so is my demon.

“Let’s go to Lord’s then.”

“Do you want to put a shirt on?” Dempsey asks.

“Oh.” I glance down. “I guess so. Give me a minute.”

“I’ll change too,” Xaze says, popping up and following me.

Halfway up the stairs, he stops me with a hand on my arm. When I turn to face him, it’s the first time I’ve seen a look of true concern.

“What’s wrong?”

“I-I don’t know. It’s a sense of foreboding, I guess. Something bad is going to happen.”

“Not to you.” I put my hands on his shoulders. “I won’t turn my back on you now.”

His eyes flicker from human to demon, lingering there as a wave of warmth pours off him. My dragon pushes through too, both of us gazing at each other in our truest forms.

Xazedose nods, inhaling slowly, his eyelids fluttering. “You smell so good.” His eyes shoot open and he clears his throat. “We should get changed now.”

“Yeah.”

We finish our climb up the stairs and separate to head to our rooms. I’m numb as I choose a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, then get into my boots. Xaze isn’t the only one filled with foreboding. I can feel it too, thick and palpable in the air, like a heavy fog no one can see.

His scent, still swirling around me, is dotted with fear. For a guy like Xaze to be scared means this Maggard dude is no joke. My dragon growls, releasing a smoky breath that pours out of me.

“We’ll keep him safe,” I say aloud, rubbing my chest.

Gods of fire, I hope I can.

Back downstairs, I wait for Xaze with Dempsey and Dahlia, all of us glancing up the stairs to wait for the demon. He doesn’t come back after several minutes, and I’m just about to bolt up there and make sure nothing’s wrong when he appears.

He’s wearing skintight leather pants and a sheer white top that falls in silky folds around his skin. His pebbled pink nipples are on full display, and my cock stirs.

Not now.

On his feet are knee-high silver boots with dramatic heels, and as he descends the stairs, I have a startling thought.

My demon is stunning.

My. Demon.

There’s no arguing or correcting my dragon. He’s clearly laid claim to something we can’t keep, but that’s a problem for another day.

“Sorry,” he says as he reaches me. “I realized I didn’t buy much in the way of casual clothes.”

“You look amazing,” Dempsey gushes. “Just as a demon should look.”

I turn and growl at my brother’s mate, surprising both of us. Dempsey jumps behind Dahlia, who puts her hand out protectively.

“Down boy,” she says. “It was just a compliment.”

Clearing my throat, I mumble, “Stupid dragon” before stealing a glance at a preening Xaze. “Sorry, Demps. We should go.”

“I texted Lord and let him know we’re on the way over,” Dahlia says, taking Dempsey’s hand in hers.

I put my arm around Dempsey’s shoulder and muss his hair in brotherly affection. He smiles up at me, adjusting his glasses.

“I know you can’t help it,” he whispers.

Choosing to ignore the comment and the insinuation behind it, I simply nod. Xaze is right beside me, his arm bumping mine and leaving sear marks on me as we walk. When our eyes meet, he shrugs. His demon can’t help but mark me, and my dragon can’t help but claim him.

Fucking hell.

MONTROSE

The closer weget to the big brother’s house, the more armor I put in place. Metaphorically, anyway. I know Tino’s brothers don’t like or trust me, and this is the equivalent of walking into a viper den filled with holy water, but I don’t have a choice. Besides, I can’t sit back and let the baby dragon get hurt. Tino would never recover, and for some damn reason, that matters to me.

The front door of the majestic property opens, and Hemingway appears, spreading his arms for his mate and shooting eye daggers at his brother.

“You upset him.”

Tino shrugs, muttering something I can’t decipher but which seems to be meaningful to Hemingway. His expression softens and he nods as he brushes kisses to his mate’s cheek.

“It’s fine, Hem,” Dempsey says, all flushing cheeks and radiant aura. The man is the personification of happiness and purity.

We enter the house and head to the living room, where Lake is telling some kind of story that amuses the others. Poets could write for ages about the way Nico gazes at his mate perched on his lap. That’s what adoration looks like. Their shared auras pulse around them, a fiery mix of oranges, reds, and yellows. Beautiful.

Arson and his wolf sit together at the end of a long sofa, their hands entwined, and their legs pressed together, as if they can’t stand not to be touching for even a few minutes. Arson’s chaotic energy twists like a tornado above him, bumping and mixing with Draydon’s darker spirit. Mm, tasty. That’s what pure devotion and a shared lust for life looks like.

Hemingway sits in an armchair, pulling Dempsey onto his lap, and his dragon audibly purrs. Hemingway has a cool, understated power about him, but Dempsey’s light and sunshiny aura wraps around them like a blanket. That’s what undying love looks like.

I shift my attention to Lord, the clear leader of the family. He’s as unreadable as a brick wall, not giving me an ounce of emotion, energy, or experience to feed on. Perhaps that’s why he runs things. He’s impenetrable, even for an incubus.

Valentino’s warm hand lands on my shoulder before sliding down to my lower back. “Do you want to sit?”

I nod, overly aware of the prickling heat between us. His touch is like a branding iron, and all of hell, I wish it was, leaving me marked and claimed and—What the fuck?

“Something wrong?” Tino asks with an arched eyebrow.

“No. Why?”

“Your scent spiked.” He clears his throat, but I don’t miss the dragon stealing a peek at me before Tino blinks it back.

“There’s just a lot of energy in the room. It affects me.”

“Right.” He leads me to the couch and sits on the opposite end from Draydon and Arson.

The urge to sit on his lap and wrap myself around him, to lap up the intensity of emotion pouring off him is strong, but I force myself to sit alone, daintily crossing my ankles and placing my hands in my lap to hide my swelling cock. This house is an incubus’s dream of delicious energy.

Dahlia, the dark beauty whose aura is purple today, remains standing next to Lord. Her pleasant expression slips as she gazes around the room.

“Where’s Mac?”

“In his room still,” Lord says. “I wasn’t sure he needed to hear this.”

“Oh, he needs to hear it, Lord.”

Lord frowns with a curt nod. “Very well.” Pulling his phone from his trouser pocket, he shoots off a text.

Seconds later, the youngest Drake appears, shuffling like a teenager in trouble. I guess that’s exactly what he is, at least in dragon years.

He leans against the fireplace. “How bad is it?”

“Bad,” Dahlia says. “Thanks to Dempsey’s research and my underground contacts, we’ve discovered why Maggard has his panties in a bunch.”

I fight back a ripple of laughter, knowing it’s not the right time, but damn, the witch is funny.

“Here’s what we know,” Dahlia says. “Demps?”

Dempsey sits up a little straighter, pulling a small notebook from his pocket. “Centuries ago, actually, millennia ago, there lived a demon hunter called Pasrood the Savage. He made it his mission to hunt demons and hoard their artifacts and treasures for himself.”

“I’ve heard stories about him.”

Everyone turns to me.

“We all know the lore. Maggard was the only demon who was strong enough to defeat him. It’s why he has such high standing in our realm.”

“But do you know how he was able to defeat Pasrood?” Dahlia asks.

“Er… well, no actually. The story is he hunted the hunter and pierced his heart. It’s been said he fears no one and nothing as a result.”

Dahlia nods, but there’s a knowing smirk on her lips that intrigues me. “Maggard isn’t any more powerful than any other demon is, but he had a trick up his sleeve. He’s crafty, and he made a deal with a witch that if she could help him seduce the demon hunter, she could have her very own demon.”

My brow creases. “He… That’s against the demon code. He enslaved one of his own to a witch?”

“He did,” Dahlia says. “Don’t worry though. He betrayed the witch soon enough and killed her, releasing the demon.”

“Gods,” Arson murmurs. “That’s hardcore shit.”

“He’s not to be trusted,” I say. “Everyone knows that.”

“Do you want to know what happened when he seduced Pasrood?” the witch asks.

“Yes.” Tino’s voice drips with impatience.

“Pasrood didn’t fall for it. He knew it was a trap, but he underestimated the borrowed magic Maggard had at his disposal, so he fell into sleep paralysis. Maggard used his few minutes to retrieve the dagger Pasrood used to kill demons.”

“This is riveting,” Nico says flatly, clearly not riveted, “but can you get to the point?”

“Settle down, hothead,” Dahlia answers without missing a beat while Lake playfully smacks his husband’s shoulder. “The backstory matters.”

“Go on, please,” Lord says.

“Pasrood’s dagger was dipped in poisonous magic,” Dempsey says, now vibrating with excited energy. The boy loves his demon lore. “The hunter himself was shielded behind magic. That’s what made Pasrood indestructible. The magic is also what killed him when Maggard cut his throat with the dagger.”

Dahlia nods. “Right. Maggard isn’t special. The dagger is. The magic attached to it is powerful enough to pierce any demon barrier or magic. He’s kept it hidden away all these centuries, knowing its power, and using the myth to make sure no one ever dares rise up against him.”

My attention shifts to Mac as his scent sours instantly. Tino hasn’t noticed the shift yet, still focused on Dahlia’s story.

“And?” Tino asks.

“And the dagger is most powerful in the demon realm, where any demon can use it and become…” She shrugs. “I don’t know. Leader of the demons?”

“The high ranks,” I supply, slowly filling with concern about where this story is heading. “If a demon were to kill Maggard, they would automatically rise in status. An ambitious lower demon would love the opportunity. Hell, several middle ranking demons probably would too.”

“We assume Maggard knows this,” Dempsey says, “because he kept the dagger hidden in this realm, far away from demons, and protected behind powerful magic.”

“But not powerful enough,” Dahlia says as her eyes shift to Mac, who cringes under her gaze.

“Oh gods,” Lord says. “Don’t tell me…”

“Mac stole the dagger,” Dahlia says. “Didn’t you?”

He pales even more, dragging a shaky hand through his wild hair. “I had no idea. It was… so pretty.” His dragon eyes flash as his skin ripples with scales. “It called to me. I swear. I didn’t even know what I was chasing. It felt like it was part of me or something.”

“Where is it?” Tino asks, his voice hard and laced with concern. “Mighty Hades, Mac. Where is the dagger?”

Mac swallows hard enough for me to hear it across the room. “My secret hoard room. It’s in Switzerland.”

My head spins while I put together the story. “Did you just walk into the cave?”

Mac nods. “Yeah. No one was guarding it for a while. I thought there was nothing in there at first, but I could feel the tug in my chest, so I kept walking until I found it sitting between two rocks like it was nothing special. I took it, and as I was leaving some demons returned, but they couldn’t catch me when I shifted and took off.”

“That’s how they knew,” I whisper. “They caught his scent. They must be low level too if they couldn’t catch up with him. I have to wonder if they even knew what they were guarding.”

“No offense,” Mac says, “but stealing from demons is pretty easy.”

“Mac,” Lord warns.

“Maybe, but we hold grudges,” I mutter darkly.

Mac shivers and groans.

“So, what do we do?” Lord asks. “Now that we know Mac has this dagger, what’s the solution?”

“We have two options,” Dempsey says. “We can attempt to negotiate Mac’s safety with Maggard if we return the dagger.”

“I wouldn’t take that one.” Everyone looks at me. “He betrayed the witch he made a deal with, remember? He’ll do it again. Personally, I’d rather he not have a demon killing dagger at his disposal since I’m on his shit list.”

Tino growls and smoke rises from his ears and nose. I pat his thigh, catching the knowing glances that pass between his brothers.

“I figured you might say that,” Dempsey says. “Dahlia?”

“The other option is we retrieve the dagger and use it to kill Maggard. It’s a bit of karmic justice really.”

Kill Maggard? I have no cause unless he does something to me directly, and I can’t even prove he’s the one who’s actually after me.

“What’s wrong?” Tino asks, rubbing my back.

“Demon code shit.”

“Talk to me.”

I shake my head as Lord’s intense gaze lands on me.

“You’re caught in the middle,” Lord says, his voice soft with sympathy. “Is that it?”

I nod as my stomach flips. “Maggard is a piece of shit, but he’s a demon. I’m supposed to protect and defend my own, like you guys do.”

Tino’s grip on my hand tightens.

“But I care about all of this.” I have no idea why. “I don’t want to see Mac hurt. Any of you. What you’re proposing is dangerous. Wherever you go to confront Maggard, topside or in my realm, armies of demons will rush to his aid, no matter what we think of him.”

“But we’ll have the dagger,” Lord says. “That’s quite the advantage, isn’t it?”

I nod as visions of murder and mayhem flow from the dragons to me. I lean into it, letting it coat my tongue and my insides.

“We won’t ask you to join us,” Lord continues, “but we must ask that you don’t intervene and warn Maggard.”

I scoff at that. “Warn him? Maggard will torch me alive the second he sees me. I’m pretty sure he’s already tracking my scent.” I shift my gaze to Valentino and find his dragon watching me. An emotion rolls off him that I can only describe as possessiveness. As it washes over me, my eyes flutter. “I’ve chosen my loyalty. May Hades grant me mercy, but it’s time Maggard’s hold over us was over. I’ll take you to my realm. It’ll be easier if I come with you.”

“Thank you,” Tino whispers.

This may be the last choice I make, but if I have to die, I’d rather it be in the dragon’s arms than anywhere else. And this time, I can’t convince myself it’s the pheromones talking.