Sanctuary, Texas: My Dragon Masters Part 15

"She always was insatiable, brother," Eli added, palming one of my b.r.e.a.s.t.s and rolling the nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

I released a long sigh and squirmed until I lay on my back between them. They each were on their sides, looking down and me and fondling my naked body. The room smelled of sweat and s.e.x and I couldn't deny that I loved it and was looking forward to more. But maybe a short break would be nice. Just to catch my breath and stare in admiration at the men who had just made love to me.

My body was so relaxed and ... cool. My internal inferno was gone. "Will the burning heat come back?"

Eli shook his head and responded. "No, our consummation triggered it to end."

I closed my eyes and smiled. No more fever. And around them, I didn't have the overflowing ice issue, either. Maybe it was just because I was at ease. The ice was always worse the more tense I became. "It will be nice not to feel like I'm on fire and want to throw myself on every male who walks past me."

A growl rumbled in Miles' chest next to me. "If you need to throw yourself onto anyone, just aim for one of us."

I turned to look at his face-so serious and stern.

"What will happen if I land on you?" I asked, desperately trying to keep my face straight.

I heard a m.u.f.fled snort from my other side.

Miles' mouth curved upward, unable to ignore the obvious tease in my question. "I suppose you'll just have to try it and find out."

"So at any point in the day or night I can leap onto either one of y-"

Their hands fell to my body, finding the most ticklish places, and tortured me until I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe. Luckiest woman on earth. That was me. Against all odds, strangers became friends and I'd made it across an unfamiliar and hostile country and found my mates. Mates that I hadn't seen in over a thousand years. Mates that I wanted to stay in bed with for the rest of the day ... maybe the rest of the week. b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l, I never wanted to get out of this bed, but no one's luck held out forever.

A strange chirp came from the bedside table behind Miles. He rolled over and grabbed a small and shiny black rectangle. The face of it lit up and I could see words written on it, but couldn't quite make them out.

He rolled back to face Eli and me, his smile gone-replaced once again by a frown.

"They're close."

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN.

XERXES.

"Well?" I glared down at the kneeling Djinn male. Standing from the dining table, I called upon my magick and lifted him into the air with a mere flick of my wrist. Even if he wanted to blink away, he couldn't now without taking me with him-something he wouldn't dare. The stupid genies were always afraid I had one of those quppu boxes in my pocket. Thanks to Rose, I only had a few left. Sirens made them and they were hard to locate and even harder to hang onto. The d.a.m.n species could make anyone love them at any time.

"We have been unable to locate the dagger, Master. There is no chatter in the town where she was sighted it or in any of the surrounding areas."

The smell of his fear filled the room and I smiled. It was good that he feared me. That fear was what kept the entire race under my thumb. Of course the selfish man-wh.o.r.e-of-a-king helped as well. The Djinn just didn't understand how little their king cared about them. And as long as Manda remained in the SECR most of the time, she would never be the wiser.

"Take three more of the guard and go back and look again." My voice deepened as my irritation grew. The last thing I needed was the Mason pack or Rose to get her hands on a piece of the key. If those Blackmoor brothers ever made it back into the Veil, I would never sit on Orin's throne. "And remember, I don't want Manda to see you."

The sniveling Djinn nodded and blinked away without a word. I sat back into my chair to finish the meal my girls had elegantly spread for me.

Taking a bite of a candied date, I frowned. The conversation I'd had with her did not sit well. I had the distinct feeling she was developing her own agenda ... one that did not align with mine. If anyone could become a relevant problem, it was Mandana Farrok.

I shoved the plate forward and one of the castle maids rushed to my side. "Is there something wrong, Master? Can I get you another plate?"

Her voice was smooth. It reminded me of Manda's. Anger rose in my chest like water in a sinking ship. I felt my fangs descend and grabbed the woman by the hair.

She didn't scream and for some reason that only fanned the fire. I snarled at her, flashing my long fangs. My fingers changed to claws and I tightened my grip on the single braid trailing from the base of her skull. With my free hand I traced a claw along her neck and up across her cheek, pressing just hard enough to break the skin.

Beautiful crimson streaks ran down her cheek, and neck, and continued to flow until they disappeared between her heaving b.r.e.a.s.t.s. The blood was diluted when her tears mixed with it, but it still ran from the wounds ... still painted her beautiful olive skin with wine-colored streaks.

Sniveling sobs wracked her body and I dropped her to the floor with a thud. "Leave the palace, woman."

"Y-yes, master," she whimpered, crawling backward away from me. Slowly at first, then she turned and climbed to her feet. Her bare feet slapped against the marble floors as she disappeared from view.

I fumed, between her voice reminding me of the one Djinn I couldn't control and that whining soldier with no news at all, rage boiled within me. I needed to hurt something. One of my girls appeared in the doorway, but didn't approach. I'd taught them well and for that, they escaped the wrath of my moods.

"Find me another girl. One that doesn't look or sound like that kitchen maid."

Lily fell prostrate on the floor without a sound.

I walked past her to my suite and collapsed onto the softness of my mattress. Iris and Roshanna appeared at my side and I snarled. My anger would be soothed, but not on them. Neither of the girls cried out or wailed with fear. They were strong and understood what I needed and when. Both withdrew from my side quietly. Iris slipped through the door to their sleeping chamber, a small beautifully decorated bedroom the three women shared. It connected with my bathing hall and bedroom, making them only accessible through my suite.

I lifted my head and watched Roshanna open a chest and pull out a large canvas bag. She pulled it to the side of the bed for me, then bowed and left via the same door Iris had.

"Good girl," I murmured before sitting up and pulling open the bag. My skin tingled and a rush of excitement filled me. The out-of-control rage was replaced with cold focus. Turning the skin of some peasants' back fiery red, even b.l.o.o.d.y, made my d.i.c.k harden.

There was a long, black crop laid across the top of the items in the bag, along with a leather flogger, and my personal favorite-a cane.

Lily walked in with a blindfolded woman. Her clothes were heavy and rough cotton weave, characteristic of the poor who lived in the village outside the palace. At one time, all three of my girls had worn the same thing.

The peasant moved hesitantly, but I could hear Lily whispering rea.s.suring lies into her ear to keep her calm. The first time I'd beaten a servant, it'd surprised me when I caught Lily watching with morbid curiosity. Iris and Roshanna didn't like pain, but Lily thrived on it-on receiving it and doling some out. Her excitement fed mine and I watched her pull a lever near the wall to lower the chain that would suspend the unsuspecting female.

The sobs didn't start until Lily began expertly tying rope around the woman's wrists. She knotted it in such a way that a large loop extended out from between the bindings. The loop would attach to the ring hanging from the end of the chain.

The woman was begging now and I took a deep breath, enjoying every terrified shriek. Breaking people was what I like to do, and this female would be no different. When I finished with her, she would beg to die. But, it wouldn't be me that took her life. That pleasure would be Lily's. Then I would flog and f.u.c.k Lily until she couldn't move.

A perfect way to spend the day.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT.

MILES.

"You will stay in the suite!" I roared, yanking my pants back on. Diana was wandering around the room, wrapped in nothing more than a sheet, shouting back at me that she could help.

d.a.m.n it. I knew she could help, but that wasn't the point. Those f.u.c.king soldiers were here looking for her. She needed to stay hidden.

Eli had the same frown on his face that I could feel stretching over my own. The room was hot with our frustration and even Diana's ever-cool body was starting to sweat. The sheet stuck to her in all the right places and I grimaced as my d.i.c.k hardened again.

"I've fought them before and won."

"You almost died," Eli replied, his voice calmer than mine.

She snarled, but didn't reply. He'd spoken the truth and she knew it.

Eli had always been a better diplomat. I should at least give him a chance to calm her down before I hauled her a.s.s down to the Sisters' quarters ... or the club. Chaining her to something sounded good in my mind. Then I could rest a.s.sured that she wouldn't come out of the Castle at an inopportune moment.

"Please, Diana. Just let us take care of this quietly. I promise. We've dealt with squads like this before and you don't want to be in the middle of it without training. If you had all your memories and could properly control your powers, this might be a different conversation. But right now you're a liability to us and to the town."

Her shoulders sagged and she stared blankly at Eli.

s.h.i.t.

"Fine. I'll stay in the Castle," her voice was soft, but laced with cold anger.

I heard Eli curse under his breath. It hadn't been his intention to p.i.s.s her off, but it was too late now. He walked toward her, but she spat out a nasty word and he stopped mid-stride.

The door opened to our room and I could smell the vampire before I saw her. Eira's blue eyes peered at me from around the door. They were ringed with red and she pushed the door wider, crossed her arms over her chest, and waited. She was dressed in her full ensemble-throwing knives strapped to one leg, a pistol strapped to the other, and her samurai sword slung over her back.

Eli left the room first and I followed, pausing briefly at her side. "Watch over her, please."

The Viking ninja smiled and nodded, slinging her long, brown pony tail over her shoulder and behind her back. "I tried to warn you that she didn't follow directions."

I sighed. She had and we'd ignored the warning. So many years had pa.s.sed since having Diana in our lives. We'd forgotten how headstrong she was, and how fierce. Even without her memories, she was ready to jump into the fray and fight.

The door closed behind us and I glanced over at my brother in the dim hallway light.

"She's in there, brother. Our Diana is there. We have to get Meredith and Hannah to try and help her recover her memories," Eli growled. "I'd forgotten how s.e.xy she was every time she got angry at us."

I snorted. "At least I wasn't the only one who wanted to yank that sheet off of her and have my way again."

"If she could only remember, she would've dropped that sheet to lure you into letting her win the argument."

"Me?!" I scoffed.

Eli chuckled as we climbed the stairs to the parapet level. "Fine. Both of us would've totally caved."

I touched the earbud in my right ear, turning it on. "All right boys, what's the news?"

"They're about a mile out." I recognized Kieran's voice as it came on the enchanted radio signal. "On foot, we think. Can't hear any engines, but they're approaching from several directions. So they've split their group at least three times."

"Good," Eli answered. "It'll make it easier to get rid of them. Vehicles are hard to burn."

We turned the corner in the stairwell and I continued to the front while Eli turned to the back of the Castle. Wolves had the best hearing on the planet, so good they could hear human thoughts, but dragons had the best eyesight. We could see them coming a mile away-literally.

My footstep echoed softly though the stone tunnel. I made sure to make some noise so the poor Lycan in the tower at the end wouldn't lose his s.h.i.t. It'd happened before and Kieran still had a scar running down his left arm to prove it. He'd come at me, fangs bared, and before I could announce myself I'd had to swat him down. One of my claws had torn through his arm in the process.

The nasty wound had healed well, but even his Lycan DNA couldn't erase it completely.

"Kieran," I called out, stepping up into the tower room. He was lying on the ground in the center of the room with a grin on his face that stretched from ear to ear.

"Hey, Miles. Feeling pretty good?" He turned his head and I caught the twinkle in his eye.

s.h.i.t head. "Listening in to conversations you shouldn't, wolf boy?" I flexed my knuckles and frowned.

He jumped up from his place on the floor and shook his head. "No offense, man, but y'all were loud."

Rolling my eyes, I followed him to one of the narrow, vertical windows. He turned the crank and rolled open the bulletproof window, then pointed out to a grove a trees northwest of town.

"One group is sneaking through the brush out there. Every once in a while, I hear a twig snap. And the footsteps are in pairs, not fours," he said, answering what would've been my next question.

I leaned forward, looking through the window, and let my dragon come forward. The afternoon sun was bright, but I could still make out the heat signatures in the trees -definitely a human stealth ops team. They crouched as they moved, their body language completely tense and watchful, like a dog that thinks it's safe to come out of the doghouse but isn't sure.

"Rose, you online?" I spoke softly.

"Yes, Miles. Go ahead. We're in the tactical room above the cafe."

"There's twelve in the group northwest of the town. They're about twenty minutes out from the edge. Are the Lycan families in Meadow Creek already underground?"

"Yes," she answered. "All residential houses are cleared and are in their fallout areas. Every single person is accounted for."

Good. The last time Sanctuary had been raided, a couple of preteens had been unaccounted for and had been caught in the crossfire. It was a terrible day for the town and for those families. The guilt still weighed heavily on him and she must've known.

"Eli?" She questioned. "What's the south look like?"

"Two groups approaching from the south," Eli replied over the com, his voice crystal clear on the radio frequency only Sanctuary electronics could pick up. "Guess they think they'll have a better chance coming through your place." A chuckle came over the line from him and the wolf in his tower. Even Kieran couldn't reign in a snort of amus.e.m.e.nt.

Rose could flatten them with a wave of her pet.i.te manicured hand, but she relied on Eli and me to erase them from existence. Bodies attracted attention. Bones could be dug up at a later date. Dragon fire reduced any material to ash, with the exception of dragon steel from the Veil. These chumps usually had a few blades on them, which we collected from their ashes. Whoever was sending the teams was smarter than they used to be, but it still didn't matter. They didn't have a prayer against us. Xerxes was wasting his manpower-and his dragon steel.

But we didn't rock the boat and we never left the confines of the town. The streets of Sanctuary were set up to resemble a Shamesh star. Thanks to Rose, all our powers were amplified inside it once we added our blood to the sacrificial inscription on the stone above the vault in the center of town.

As long as they kept sending these human teams into Sanctuary, we had nothing to worry about. They couldn't send anything much more obvious or they would attract the attention of the Texas Republic military. That would be a s.h.i.t storm even Xerxes couldn't contain easily. And even though he was a sick sonofab.i.t.c.h, he wasn't stupid.

"One of the southern groups is veering east. They're spreading out as they get closer," said Eli.

I moved to the eastern window of the tower, opened it, and regarded the countryside methodically. Sure enough, the heat signatures were thinning out.

"Eli, keep your eyes peeled for heavy artillery," I reminded, waiting patiently for the group that had moved west to exit the tree line. They only had a few more yards of cover. We made sure there was a half-mile of s.p.a.ce between the edge of the town and the wild oak groves that were scattered around the stream that circled the northwestern side of the town.

"None that I can see. Calliope, are you meeting us at the door?" Eli asked. "Is Hannah or Meredith coming, too? Or just you?"

Calliope's silky smooth voice slid over the com, "Don't worry, boys. I'll be there. Meredith and Hannah are coming, too. But Hannah is meeting with your guest and Diana. She wants to try some spell, now that Diana is back to full strength."

"Now?" I scowled.