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Chapter Twenty-Two

“Abaddon! Stop!” I screamed. “You’ll catch the whole place on fire.”

Despite my dragon aiming his jet flame at the window—more specifically Malone—the heat of it had me sweating. The only good news was nothing ignitable stood in his path—and that included the window. Malone had guessed what Abaddon would do and the tungsten shield he’d spoken of slammed down before the fiery stream hit.

Realizing he’d been foiled, Abaddon’s jaw snapped shut. “I won’t be caged, Pip.”

“I know, and I promise we’ll find a way out.” And if we couldn’t, Maddox surely would rescue us. I glanced at Leo. “Is there another exit?”

He shook his head. “Not one we can access from in here. We do have a hangar door at the top of the dome for lowering in stuff, but it can only be opened from the control room.”

“That seems shortsighted,” I muttered.

“So I’m seeing. Guess there were more things I should have taken into consideration when constructing the habitat.” Leo hung his head. “I’m sorry, Pip. In my excitement at finally finding a dragon, I did things I’m not proud of.”

“Not proud of? Jesus Christ, Leo, you sent guys armed with tranqs to my home. Spied on us, drugged us, fucking experimented on Abaddon while he was knocked out.”

“Not to mention, he should be apologizing to me,” Abaddon huffed.

“If you give me a chance, I will do everything I can to make up for it. Money, food, luxuries, you name it,” Leo promised.

“Easy thing to say now, seeing as how we’re stuck.” I planted my hands on my hips and glared at the door. I knew we should have run. Being Malone’s prisoner? The worst possible scenario because, unlike Leo, he didn’t seem to have a soft spot in his heart. That realization led to a new fear: Maddox. My lover wouldn’t flee and leave us prisoner, but if he attempted to rescue us, Malone wouldn’t hesitate to harm him.

Whir.

The mechanical noise was followed by the window shield lifting, although slower than it had lowered. Abaddon leapt to my shoulder and leaned forward ready to blast, only I saw a hint of plaid and yelled, “Hold your fire!”

A moment later, the door to the habitat opened and Maddox strode in, dragging an unconscious Malone.

“Finally, he does his job,” Abaddon crowed, fluttering to the ground.

“Hope I’m not late to the party,” my boyfriend and now hero exclaimed.

“You’re just in time,” I said with a smile that held a shit ton of relief at seeing him in one piece. “Although, I am surprised you fit through the hole Abaddon melted in that door. I barely managed to squeeze in.”

“Yeah, my ass would never have fit. Lucky for me, asshole here”—Maddox shook the limp body—“opened it when I went up the hall to look for a tool to pry it wider. The coat you shed on the other side got partially wedged in the jamb and kept it from completely closing. Took me a few minutes to get down all those damned stairs, seeing as how the asshole took the elevator and I wanted to surprise him. Caught him at the tail end of his villain speech.”

“You surprised him alright.” I draped my arms around Maddox’s neck. “Thanks for coming to the rescue.”

His lips curved. “Always wanted to save a damsel in distress.”

“You are so getting lucky tonight,” I purred, giving him a kiss.

Abaddon gagged. “Must you two always be doing that?”

With our lips still locked, I flashed a middle finger and Little Fella sighed. “Leo, show me somewhere in this habitat where we can imprison this Malone.”

“After all he’s done, you’re not going to torch him?” Leo asked.

“It occurs to me that since he’s been studying my greatness, he might have knowledge of my kind that could prove interesting. However, unlike you, I doubt this Malone will be as accommodating, so we’ll want to place him somewhere secure.”

I leaned my head against Maddox’s chest as Leo replied, “Since we knew of the dragon propensity for collecting people as servants, we incorporated a few chambers for them to live in here with you. Only one is currently finished, though, as in working bathroom, bed, and stuff.”

“He doesn’t deserve that luxury. You shall have the completed room. He shall get one of the others, which is more than he deserves. Bring him, quickly now before my servants begin flinging off their clothes,” Abaddon ordered and my boss obeyed.

“Does he really think we’re going to fuck right here, right now?” Maddox murmured.

“Well, you know he’s got a good sense of smell.” And I’d never been hornier. Apparently, surviving whatever the fuck this day could be called had me wanting to reaffirm the fact I was alive. “I know it’s not the right time or place or?—”

“Shut up,” Maddox growled before scooping me up and carrying me into the computer room. He closed the door but left the shield open on the window.

It seemed rather exposed to me, but my lover wasn’t done. He dragged me into the elevator and pressed me against the wall.

“Ooh, now this is a first for me,” I murmured as I tangled my fingers in his hair to drag him close for a kiss.

“I plan for us to have many of those,” he replied as he took my mouth and breath away.

We didn’t waste time. My pants went down, and Maddox unbuttoned his. His strong hands held me aloft as he pinned me on his dick.

That lovely thick cock of his. There’d been a few moments over the past hour where I feared I’d never touch my lover again. For all we knew, this would be the last time. After all, there were a lot of bodies that would have to be handled and explained.

But I refused to think of that right now. I abandoned myself to the excitement and thrill that Maddox’s touch always brought. The intense pleasure he knew how to bring. The way we fit so well together, rocking and grinding and kissing and… coming.

The earth moved when I orgasmed. Technically the elevator did as we accidentally bumped the up button. Either way, I climaxed hard and the words I’d never before uttered burst out of me. “I love you.”

“Not as much as I love you, babe.”

I loved him even more when he volunteered to handle the charred bodies scattered outside—with a green-faced Leo helping.

Despite the storm having died down, I remained inside the ranch house where it was warm and watched the boys work. Abaddon perched on my shoulder, not something he’d be able to do for much longer given his growth.

As I watched Leo heaving as he went to drag a corpse only to have the crispy arm break off, I murmured, “What happened to keeping Leo prisoner?”

“Oh, he’s going back down to the habitat when he’s done. His punishment has only begun. However, he does seem sincere in his desire to please me. Doing this is part of him proving his loyalty.”

As Maddox trudged by, dragging a garbage bag, my lips pinched. “You killed a lot of folks today. We could have a problem if anyone comes looking for them.”

“Leo assures me these aren’t the kind of people that will be noticed missing. They were chosen for being discreet and undocumented. He also claimed that the mineshaft they are using to dispose of the remains is deep enough no one will ever find them.” A better plan, as it turned out, than us sticking the bodies in the burning barn which would have led to cops asking too many questions.

I gnawed my thumb.

“You’re worried,” my dragon commented.

“Yeah, because I know a few got away.” According to Abaddon, three had fled in a vehicle.

“Actually, they didn’t. On my aerial reconnaissance to check out this mine and clear the opening of snow, I came across them in a ditch just past the driveway.”

I almost dreaded asking. “And?”

“They won’t be a problem.”

“Abaddon, don’t tell me you torched them!”

“I would have, only the storm took care of them for me. The fools kept their engine running despite the snow piling up around their exhaust pipe. They died of carbon monoxide.”

My mouth rounded. “Well, shit.” While their deaths would most likely result in a knock on the ranch door by the cops, if we played our cards right and insisted we knew nothing, it would most likely be chalked up as a mishap. It happened more often than it should.

“I think this property will suit me well as a starting point for the beginning of my dominion,” Abaddon declared.

“It’s certainly big enough.”

“And Leo has assured me that he will keep the larder full. You no longer have to work to feed me.”

“What if I want to?” I argued.

Little Fella rubbed his scaly cheek against mine before humming, “Go work if you must. I’m sure I’ll find ways to entertain myself. I wonder how fast Malone can run.”

I knew Abaddon was purposely goading me into caving to his demands but he did raise an interesting question. Should I return to inking, or was I now meant for something greater?

“I’m hungry. Make me some food, woman.”

“Make it yourself. You know how to use a microwave.”

“You are a terrible servant,” he lamented. “I don’t know why I keep you around.”

“Because you love me,” I stated, grabbing hold of him and giving him a squish.

He didn’t try too hard to squirm away. “Argh. Don’t do that. What if someone were to see?”

“It’s just me and you, Little Fella.”

“Forever, my Pip.”

A girl and her dragon, taking on the world.