Page 14 of The Magic of Eternity
The force of Sloane’s wings powering through the air as he came to a stop right outside of my window sent strong gusts of wind through the space, the rhythmic whoosh of his wings loud in my ears. His mouth opened in a snarl when he saw whose arms I was in.
Making a show of it for Sloane’s benefit, Asrael tilted my head to the side and ran his nose up the column of my neck. I could feel him hardening against my ass as tears slid down my face.
“Are you watching, dragon? This no longer belongs to you. This—” He moved his hands to the collar of my white nightgown and ripped it down the middle. My swollen breasts tumbled out, and I tried to cover them but it was futile. Tremors were wracking my body. Fear. Panic. Adrenaline. “All of this is mine now.”
Bile burned my throat as Asrael’s hands cupped my breasts, and Sloane released a growl that was a mixture of agony and fury. “I love taking what belongs to other men. Especially strong men, such as yours. I want them to see me claim you. To know they’re beneath me, even when it comes to fucking and possessing their mate.” His fingers pinched my nipples roughly, and I struggled to get my lungs to inflate.
Sloane was literally vibrating with rage. I could see it in the way his nostrils flared, the giant puffs of air that left him each time Asrael’s fingers trailed over my skin.
‘Do it, Sloane. Kill him. Please, please,’I begged in my head, even though I knew our connection wasn’t working, probably due to the fucker behind me.
“Fly away, dragon. You won’t like what will happen if you don’t,” Asrael warned, and I felt him grow behind me, his demon taking over. His tail wrapped around my thigh, and sharp teeth nipped at the skin of my shoulder.
‘Sloane. Please. Get us out of here!’
I cried out as Asrael’s teeth broke through my skin, causing warm blood to trickle down my chest and back. Sloane roared, and the tower shook, the entire structure vibrating from the sheer force of it.
Asrael laughed loudly, the deepness of his voice warping to sound like something from a nightmare. “Fine by me. I do enjoy an audience.” His hand wrapped around my hair and he started dragging me toward the bed.
“No, no! NO! Get your hands off of me, you son of a bitch!” I cursed, I screamed, I fought. This wasn’t happening to me again. My eyes watered from the sting of his hold on my hair. Fuck. He bent me over the bed, the tower now shaking even harder from Sloane’s roaring. I put my arms out to catch myself, not wanting to put pressure on my stomach, and one of my hands slipped forward beneath my pillow. That was when I felt something smooth and cold—a handle.
“I hope you’re watching, dragon. This won’t be the last time this happens, but there’s something special about the first time—the moment you know you’re weaker than I am. When you realize that I will always get whatever I want. You have no power over me, beast!” Asrael slapped my bare ass with the hand that wasn’t in my hair, and I growled. “Ah, the she-demon has claws after all? That will make this so much more fun.”
My fingers curled around the hilt of the knife. I remembered now when the doctor was here earlier, he said he’d brought fresh pillows. Had he put this here?Is he on my side?There was no time to question it. Something thick and hard was pressing between my legs, and I brought the knife up, letting it slash through my hair, severing Asrael’s hold on me and removing several inches of my long red hair. I couldn’t care less. I twisted, bringing my leg up hard between his legs, hitting my mark. I hoped his balls split open, but I was already running and couldn’t look back. I was at the window before he even hit his knees, cradling his groin.
“Catch me, baby!” I screamed, dropping the knife and jumping up onto the windowsill, which thankfully, was very low. I pushed off, flying through the air just as Sloane lifted his body, opening one of his massive claws. I’d had the good sense to rotate when I jumped so when I hit his body hard, it was with my back.
Sloane’s claws tightened around me immediately, just in time to see Asrael—red-faced and fucking furious—storming to the window with his hands stretched out in front of him.
“GO!” I screamed, and Sloane shot up like a rocket. I’d never forget the look on Asrael’s face, especially when I flipped him the double birds. We rose to the clouds more rapidly than I thought possible. Sloane was moving so fast; all I could do was tuck myself into a ball and protect my face from the vicious wind.
We did it. Oh my gods. We escaped.
The feeling of elation didn’t last long as I thought about the other five men who were still there, all of whom held pieces of my soul within their hearts. And Khol... Gods, I didn’t even know if he was alive. I refused to believe Laurie’s bullshit lies.
The further we flew from the castle, the clearer my head became, and my magic began to return. It was clear that there’d been something within the castle itself blocking my magic. Out in direct sunlight again, experiencing the first sparks of power within my veins was what I’d imagine taking a hit of a powerful drug would feel like. My body sang as my affinity grew and restored my soul. I hadn’t realized how much of a zombie I’d turned into over the past month.
Cupping my hands in front of me, I grew a tiny green sprout which rapidly began blooming tiny purple flowers. This was my affinity at its core. Life. The cycle of survival. There had been far too much death and destruction around me as of late, and unfortunately, I knew it wasn’t over yet. Sloane and I would have to return to the castle and get our family back.
The best way to do that would be to seek out Vaeryn. Would he still be near that mountain peak? Or would he have already moved with the other dragons to fight the evil that was taking over the realm? Rain began to fall from the sky, soaking me within minutes. Not even Sloane’s massive claws could’ve kept me dry from the monsoon that seemed to come out of nowhere.
The visibility was total shit so I didn’t realize we were close to landing until the ground was ten feet from me. I gasped as Sloane used his wings to slow us, and with a gentleness a beast of his size shouldn’t have been capable of, he placed me on the forest floor. I was completely nude and shivering from the sudden coolness of the wind and unrelenting rain.
I spotted a cluster of huge rocks, some of which were piled atop one another, and I took off for them. Hopefully we could squeeze within them and get some shelter from the elements. They certainly looked large enough. A snort came from behind me, but I kept moving. Another huff of warm air and Sloane’s big head began nudging me the other direction, toward what appeared to be a large opening to a shallow cave. I could barely make it out with my vision, but I knew his option was much better.
“Okay, okay! I’m going!” I shouted over the rain, darting into the cave. Burrowing would have been a better word considering how small and shallow it was, but it would work until the elements improved. Spinning around, I searched for my dragon, but he wasn’t there. Dread filled my stomach. Where was he? He wouldn’t leave me here, I knew he wouldn’t.
“Sloane?!” I screamed. The panic in my voice echoed around the burrow, but the rain was so fucking loud. I wiped the water from my face, willing myself not to cry. I was so tired of crying from fear.
Squinting out into the fog, I saw the shape of a man and I held my breath. He materialized like a phantom, moving through the mist like he’d been promised peace for his troubled soul. Our eyes clashed, and then he was running, the rain cascading down his naked flesh. I was moving for him, a sob in my throat and tears on my cheeks. I no longer felt the cold. All I felt was the need to touch him. My mate. My fierce, broken man.
Sloane and I collided, just as we always had. His arms wrapped around me, crushing me to his bare chest, and I squeezed him just as fiercely. His shoulders shook and my chest heaved as we broke together, wrapped around one another, finding the strength we’d been missing all of these weeks within each other.
He pulled back and held my face between his hands, staring down at me, his eyes moving all over, checking me for injuries. I was fine; the bite on my neck from Asrael was already sealed thanks to my healing abilities, but I knew he needed to see for himself. His gaze was frantic with the need to be sure, and when he was positive that I was safe, the urgency changed into something else entirely.
His body seemed to vibrate with desire, his pupils dilating as his lids drooped to half-mast. I pressed up on my tiptoes and wound an arm around his neck, pulling his lips down onto mine. I sighed into his mouth. It was like coming home. Large hands skated down my sides and he bent, breaking our kiss and burying his face into my neck, licking and sucking. I squealed when he swept me into his arms, wrapping an arm around his neck as he cradled me. Using my free hand, I gripped his jaw, taking his mouth again with a wildness I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt.
The adrenaline of the escape. Being free from captivity. Just being in his arms again... Fuck. I needed all my men, but right here, in this moment, it was simply me and Sloane. The kitten and the dragon. The asshole and the sweetheart. The mage and the witch. Man and woman. And I needed him.
