bedeviled & beyond 04 - bedeviled & belittled (20 page)

A friend who once appeared to care, now loves for all he’s worth.

The dragons started arriving within several minutes. I knew the exact moment the first one popped into the nest by the uproar caused within the flight of greens. What I hadn’t expected was that the first black to arrive would be Glynus. She looked downright tiny next to the nasty green female who’d tried to attack me earlier. There was nothing tiny about her response to the aggressive female, however. The green came away from it with a new hole in her long neck, blood dripping down her iridescent scales.

As the green retreated, Glynus hopped after her, pounding her wings aggressively to put an exclamation point on her quick victory over the giant reptile.

The blacks might be smaller than the greens, but Glynus’ race had it all over the green dragon race when it came to battle. Greens had been used too long as carriers and transport creatures. They’d lost their fighting edge.

I strode up to my dragon and stood in front of her, watching her flaring nostrils carefully in case I needed to leap out of the way from any errant flames. “Tadpole! What in Hades are you doing here? This is much too dangerous for you!”

Glynus turned a beautiful violet eye on me and grinned. Glynus’ eyes always surprised me. I wasn’t sure why they were violet when most of the other blacks had black eyes. Queen Zerphor’s eyes were blue so I figured it had something to do with being the ruling class.

Hello, Mother halfling. I’m happy to see you too.

I glared at her. “I can’t believe your mother let you come.”

The grin slid away as her adolescent temper rose.
I am a future queen of the black dragon race, Mother halfling. I am a warrior. I am not a child.

Puffs of smoke wafted from her nostrils and I pulled my power forward, prepared to throw up a wall if she forgot herself and let flames fly. Since I’d known Glynus, she’d singed me more than a few times with her lack of control.

But eyeing her in that moment, trying to see her as she saw herself, as a warrior, as an adult, I realized she had done some serious growing up since the day I’d taken her under my wing...so to speak. The Glynus standing before me was enormous. To be expected given the fact that she was fast approaching adulthood. But the stark white belly she’d had as a tadpole had turned to a creamy white, a sign of an adult female dragon, and her long top line had turned more black than gray.

Glynus stomped an enormous foot in temper as I continued to stare at her without responding. Her rising temper was making the greens anxious. They’d begun flapping their wings and lifting their snouts to shoot fire into the air.

The nest, which had already been putrid-smelling and tropical in temperature, became like a veritable garbage ship on the stifling planet of Mercury.

She was right. She was no longer a child. But that didn’t mean I had to like that she was there. “I know you’re not a child, Glynus. But what we’re about to do is very tricky and extremely dangerous. You’ll need to protect me as we fly and possibly during battle. Can you do that? Can you divide your powers that way and still keep yourself safe?”

I can.

As the rest of the blacks started to pop into the nest behind Glynus, I sighed and nodded, reaching out to touch her silky snout. “Okay. Sorry about the knee-jerk protective thing. It’s become habit. I’ll have to keep reminding myself that you’re a full grown slimy reptile now.”

That made her grin.
Aw, Mother halfling, you say the nicest things.

I grinned back at her until the air beside me shimmered and the natives grew restless again.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the reptiles.

Turning my head I found myself gazing into a beautiful pair of sexy black eyes. “Hey, bud.” I greeted my best friend and partner in crime.

Emo’s smile was sad. “Hey, boss.”

Behind me, I could almost hear the testosterone crackling.

“Astra! What is
this
doing here?”

I stepped between Dialle and Emo before either of them could use the swords they’d drawn. “Stop it, both of you!”

“You didn’t tell me
he’d
be here.” Emo snarled.

Dialle took a step closer, crowding me into Emo so that I could feel the long line of his hard body against my back. My Settling immediately flared, bringing heat surging through my body so quickly my muscles went soft with it. My knees buckled and both men reached out to grab me before I fell. I was sandwiched between two overheated, incredibly hot, hard bodies, their combined scents enough to make me swoon.

Stars burst before my eyes and I fought to breathe. My lungs clenched around a debilitating wave of pure lust.

“Take your hands off her, halfling!”

“If you can make me, I will.” Emo responded on a growl.

“What are you? Five-years-old!” I screamed. I forced my legs to lock so they’d hold me and straightened, shoving at the hands touching my hips and shoulders. “My sister is in great danger. If she goes down so do you!” I told Dialle, shoving my finger into his chest.

His only response was a glare.

I stepped out from between them, realizing I wasn’t in any shape to serve as a buffer. “I need both of you to back down and start using your brains instead of thinking with your dicks!”

“They’re both pathetic.” Slayer murmured.

All eyes swung to him. Testosterone crackled again and I barely suppressed a groan. “Another idiot heard from.” I muttered.

Dialle lifted a hand and shot a power arrow toward Slayer. He missed as Slayer shimmered away and reappeared behind Dialle, wrapping an arm around his throat.

Just like that all hell broke loose. The room erupted as hundreds of Dialle’s guards thundered toward them.

Forgotten behind the two battling devils, Emo reached for Slayer and touched his shoulder where it met his neck, squeezing tightly and sending power into the spot to drop Slayer to his knees.

Slayer fired a power arrow at my partner, just barely missing him as Emo dived and rolled away. The misfired arrow travelled across the room and zapped one of the greens in the tail, causing it to roar, spew fire, and lift its wings aggressively.

The green’s fire singed a black on the wing. The black hopped forward, spitting fire, and leapt onto the green, clamping an enormous jaw filled with deadly teeth over the larger dragon’s shoulder.

Glynus threw back her head and roared, the sound shaking the very walls around us.

Everybody stopped and looked at her.

Turning away I strode toward Glynus. “I don’t even care anymore,” I told them, “You three can kill each other if you want. I’m going to get my sister.”

“Astra, wait!” The high pitched, female voice made me stop and turn. My aunt strode proudly toward me, her angelic robes still dirty and torn, and her wings hanging slightly off kilter, but her stride sure and her attitude fully intact. “I’m going with you.”

I reached for Glynus’ shoulder and lifted a foot to climb her lowered front end. “Not a chance, angel. You just barely survived the last rescue attempt. You don’t belong here. I’m going alone.”

Myra grabbed my foot and I gasped, certain she was whisking me away to some unknown spot against my will.

She lifted the hand, cocking a dark gold eyebrow at me. “I’m not here to get in your way, Astra. I want to help.”

I settled myself on Glynus’ back, shaking my head. “It’s going to be really hard getting into First’s castle, Aunt. And once we’re inside the fun will really begin. It’s too dangerous, and you’re still weak.” I glanced meaningfully at her tilting left wing.

Myra glared at me, straightening her narrow shoulders. A bright light flared around her and, when it was gone, she stood tall and proud before me, her robes sparking in the light and her wings looking strong and whole again. “I’m perfectly fine, Astra. And I’m going with you. You can either give me a ride now, or I’ll find my own way to First’s castle.”

We glared at each other for a couple of beats and then I looked away, grinding my teeth angrily. “I don’t have time for this shit, Aunt!”

Myra shimmered away and reappeared on top of one of the dragons. “Then stop wasting it.” With a roar, the glossy black dragon lifted its wings and hopped toward the enormous door on the far end of the nest.

“Glynus! Make sure he protects her!”

I’m on it, Mother halfling.

Sighing, I hoped her warrior knew enough to cover Myra with his protective power during the flight.

The air behind me shimmered and suddenly Dialle was settled at my back. When I turned my head he shrugged. “Your aunt took my ride.”

I grinned, giving him an impulsive kiss. Big mistake. Lust flared between us at the touch and I had to force myself to pull away. As Dialle ran a heated finger across my jawline, making me shiver and my body clench with desire, I sent a mental command to Glynus to get underway.

Dialle grabbed me around the waist as my dragon lifted her wings and hopped toward the opening door ahead. “Stay close to me, my love. Things are about to get really ugly.”

I snorted. “My
life
is ugly. What we’re about to do is hideous and terrifying.”

Glynus’ power folded over us well before we hit the opening and sailed out over Hell.

~SC~

My lungs felt as if they would melt. My nostrils wanted to fuse. I was slick with sweat, from head to toe, making it hard to stay upright on Glynus’ wide back. After just a few moments of flying over the barren, charred wasteland of Hell, I felt claustrophobic from the heat and began tearing at my clothes, certain that I would completely combust if I didn’t get every scrap of clothing off my body.

Dialle grabbed my hands and held me while I wailed and moaned in misery. I tried to shrug him off, even his sexy presence at my back made me want to scream. He was so damn hot.

I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like if Glynus weren’t muffling much of the heat with her powers.

Or was she?

Are you sure you have me covered, Tadpole?

My dragon sighed in my mind and turned her massive head so she could glare at me from one beautiful eye.
For the hundredth time, yes, Mother halfling. I have you covered and triple covered. You are perfectly safe.

I settled crankily back against Dialle, too tired to hold myself away, though I hated the extra warmth he was emitting against my back.

The heat sucked every ounce of energy I had, pulling at me, dragging me down.

It was all I could do to keep my legs wrapped around Glynus and my spine somewhat straight so I didn’t crumple into a fetal position.

My head felt like a large rock.

My hair stuck to my face, my neck, anywhere it touched my skin. I began shoving at it, suddenly unable to stand the feel of it against my red, puffy skin.

Dialle swept it off my neck and I sighed as a cool breeze touched the hot, wet skin at the back of my neck. Then I realized there was no cool breeze in Hell and turned my head.

Dialle’s perfect lips were pursed. He was blowing on me to soothe the heat.

I shivered from the wave of strong emotion that swamped me. My feelings for the creature sitting so close behind me suddenly became overwhelming. They were so strong, so mixed up, that my tortured mind couldn’t grasp them.

In my current condition, it was emotional overload.

I opened my mouth and spoke, the words barely managing to scrape from my dry, clenched throat. “Thank you.”

He nodded, leaning close to place a gentle kiss on my lips.

I tensed, expecting the Settling to swamp me at his touch, but nothing came. The heat of Hell had probably broiled the Settling right out of my body.

Glancing around, I took note of everyone else’s condition. Dialle’s guards, hundreds of them riding a sea of green dragons as far as the eye could see behind us, looked fine, untouched by the heat. Dialle looked like he was on holiday. Like me, Emo and Slayer looked a little worse for the wear, but were generally unharmed.

My aunt sat tall in the saddle, so to speak, her shoulders straight and her chin high. A casual observer might think she was at her best, riding a black dragon through five thousand degree temps in Hell. But I saw the droop of her wings and the dinginess of her bright robes and knew.

She was holding it together by a thread.

“How much farther?” I asked Dialle.

He opened his mouth to respond but didn’t get the chance.

Glynus suddenly dipped, reeling sideways and dropping in a stomach flipping maneuver as a plume of fire and smoke surged past us.

The flame singed Glynus’ tail and she roared, rippling her long form in violent reaction to the pain of the attack. I felt her power bubble waver, just for a beat, and found myself covered by Dialle as heat blasted through.

My hair ignited immediately and I screamed, feeling as if I’d been dumped directly into a roaring fire. The rabid flames ignited my clothing.

Dialle extinguished the flames with his hands and sat up, searching the sky for our attackers.

I grabbed dragon as Glynus rolled again, a second wall of flame rushing toward us. “Glynus!”

Hold on, Mother halfling, I’m working on it.

Dialle suddenly stood up and disappeared. I leaned down and looked below Glynus, thinking for a moment that he’d fallen off.
Dialle! Where are you?

Pull your power forward, Astra. You’ll need to protect yourself for a while.

A huge, green dragon flashed by, its claws outstretched to swipe at Glynus. I shot power toward the green, catching it in its massive belly and causing it to lift away with a roar of pain. Glynus tipped to avoid two more greens, catching me handily with a wing as I started to roll off, and picked up speed.
It’s getting a little squiggy, Mother halfling.

Suddenly we were surrounded by green dragons bearing First’s soldiers.

I started firing power arrows, using Glynus’ armor-like spikes as a shield for the return fire.

Amazingly, one green in the distance held a Royal and a soldier, locked in hand to claw combat. Dialle easily dispatched the lower devil and popped away, appearing on the next green in the line of attack.