Dragon's Kiss (The DragonFate Novels Book 2) Read online

  But it was there.

  Was that because it was older than Maeve’s magick?

  Would the charm work, even with Maeve’s magick binding her? Maeve’s magick constrained her ability to shift, but that was part of her nature and not magick at all.

  It was a riddle, but Bree couldn’t think straight once Kris kissed her. It was another kiss that made Bree shiver with need. She caught her breath, then he slanted his mouth over hers, deepening his kiss and demanding more.

  Oh, she wanted to surrender to him. She wanted to kiss him back and be a part of this sensual spell he was weaving. She wanted it more than she’d ever wanted anything before. It was a good thing he was holding her up because her knees had turned to butter.

  She had to fight the urge to kiss him back.

  She had to be just a recipient, although that was delicious, too.

  Bree closed her eyes and forgot about sorcery and charms, about tattoos and loopholes. There was only Kris—and her need to ensure that he not only survived Fae but stayed alive.

  She didn’t dare kiss him back.

  Kristofer thought the red sparks were from the firestorm. They started flying as soon as he kissed Bree, and he sensed that her resistance to his touch was fading. She was worried about his survival, which indicated that any plan she’d had to assassinate him was over. Never mind all that about not wanting to apologize forever—she didn’t want him dead, which worked for him.

  Valhalla might suit him just fine, if it meant he’d be with Bree.

  She opened her mouth to him again, nestling against him in a way that set his blood on fire. He angled his mouth over hers, tightening his grip on her, and she rubbed herself against him. She was so close to kissing him back and he deepened his kiss a bit more, inviting her to join in. The red sparks flew faster, and became a red glow.

  Shouldn’t the firestorm be burning white-hot?

  Kristofer’s eyes flew open and he saw a dark shadow looming behind Bree.

  It was a woman—no, another Valkyrie. Her dark wings rose high behind her, and her armor was similar to Bree’s. It was marked with runes, too. She wore a helmet and he could only see the glitter of her eyes in the shadows behind the face guard. Her blond hair blew around her shoulders and he could see the tumult of the ocean in her eyes.

  It wasn’t Eirene.

  No, they were in Fae. It had to be Kara.

  Her expression wasn’t friendly. Kristofer broke his kiss to warn Bree, but Kara seized Bree’s shoulder and thrust her away before he could speak.

  “Kara!” Bree whispered, as she spun on the line that bound her. “How could you shift when I can’t?”

  Kara laughed. There was no red string around her wrist and the red sparks flew around her with greater speed. Even her eyes shone with the red light, which made her look ghoulish. “Why do you think, sister mine?” Her tone was taunting, not affectionate. “The old man always said you were the clever one.”

  “But how did you get free?” Bree asked, obviously confused. “You were bound and helpless when I saw you.”

  “How did you break free?” Kristofer asked.

  “I didn’t,” Kara whispered, and her voice was dark and terrible. She seized Bree and shoved her behind Kristofer. Her gaze locked upon Kristofer’s as Bree struggled. “The Dark Queen freed me. Think about that.”

  “But why?” Bree asked. “I don’t understand. I made a deal to save you...”

  “But I made my deal first,” Kara whispered. She reached up to frame Kristofer’s face in her hands. Her hands were cold, as cold as ice—as cold as the grave—and he tried to evade her touch without success. He was bound in place, after all. He tried to shift, but couldn’t even summon a faint shimmer of blue light. Kara smiled and leaned closer so that he could feel her frigid breath on his face. He didn’t want to be harvested by this Valkyrie and he shook his head, keeping his mouth tightly closed, refusing her kiss.

  She laughed. “Resistance is futile,” she whispered with glee.

  “What are you doing?” Bree demanded, and kicked her sister. “You don’t have to do this, Kara. She can’t make you.”

  “She’s not making me do anything. I’m choosing.” Kara turned on Bree, her expression filled with venom. “Sisters share, don’t they? We shared before and we’ll share again.”

  Bree paled, but Kara kept talking.

  “What will it be like to have both a dragon and a dragon slayer serving me in Valhalla?” Kara flexed her fingers so that her nails dug into Kristofer’s face. “I can’t wait to find out.” She stretched closer, her breath spreading frost across Kristofer’s mouth.

  Why wasn’t the firestorm melting her icy touch? Bree was still close beside him, but there wasn’t enough heat between them. He couldn’t feel his lips anymore and the chill spread over his face like frostbite. He turned his face away from Kara, but her grip tightened and she chuckled.

  “I like the fighters,” she whispered, her eyes gleaming.

  “I’ve never shared a warrior with you.” Bree argued, although Kristofer guessed from her tone that she knew. She must not want to believe it.

  “She kissed Siegfried,” he guessed and Kara’s smile flashed.

  “No!” Bree protested, and kicked Kara hard. “He was killed by his wife.”

  “But claimed by a Valkyrie,” Kristofer concluded.

  “No! I was too late. His soul was gone.” The anguish in Bree’s voice was clear.

  “And you’ve not been back to Valhalla since,” Kristofer guessed.

  She blinked back tears and fell silent, her lips in a tight line. “He wouldn’t!” she said fiercely and Kara smiled.

  “I’ll guess he didn’t have a choice,” Kristofer said.

  “No warrior evades my kiss,” Kara said. “And you were right to love Siegfried. You have good taste, sister mine. He’s so...virile. I’ll never get tired of him.” She turned away from Bree’s outraged expression to smile at Kristofer again. “Just as I’ll never get tired of claiming the warriors you choose.”

  “Why?” Bree demanded, kicking her sister again. This blow was harder, although the Valkyrie didn’t even wince.

  Kara turned on Bree and snarled. “Because you always get everything. You’re always first, even with the old man, and first in the incantations. You’re always the one remembered and named in the stories and you’re always the one who gets whatever you want. More charms. More offerings. More prayers. I want what you want and I’ve wanted it for eons. I’m taking it now, because the old man is too feeble to stop me, and no one else cares. I’ll take what you have, every single time, until neither of us are taking anything or anyone anymore. Get used to it, Sigrdrifa.”

  Bree’s eyes flashed, even though she couldn’t shift to her Valkyrie form. She must have whispered something because her lips moved but she made no sound. There was a furious flurry of red sparks, then Bree disappeared.

  Kristofer blinked, uncertain what had just happened.

  Kara smiled at Kristofer, oblivious or indifferent to Bree’s disappearance. She’d reached to kiss him again, her eyes gleaming with intent, her attention fixed completely on him. Kristofer leaned back as far as he could, straining with all his might to evade her or shift shape, with no luck on either count. He evaded her gaze, feeling as if he could be overwhelmed simply by looking into her eyes.

  “Tell me about this firestorm,” she whispered hoarsely. “Is this tantric dragon magick? Can you make it burn with any woman you desire?”

  “No,” Kristofer whispered, stalling for time.

  “Don’t you want me?”

  Kristofer didn’t answer. Where was Bree? The heat of the firestorm wasn’t gone, nor was its golden glow. She couldn’t have really disappeared then, or abandoned him, and he wished that he could die knowing that she was safe.

  “I’ll make you want me,” Kara threatened softly. “I know what men like best.”

  He wouldn’t give her even this victory.

  Kristofer shook his head. “
You can’t because you’re right. Just like everyone else, I like Sigrdrifa best and you’ll never change that.”

  His words struck home. Kara’s features contorted with rage and she seized him with new vigor. Kristofer felt the ice crystals form on his lips and slip inside his mouth. He saw the fathomless darkness of her eyes and he felt more powerless than he ever had in his life. He opened his eyes, though, staring Kara down. “Bonus. I’ll have all eternity to make you pay for hurting her,” he whispered and her eyes narrowed.

  Suddenly Kara screamed in pain. She wrenched herself away from Kristofer and took flight, drawing her blade and slashing at the air wildly. She was spinning in a frenzy, which made no sense.

  Kristofer saw the small dot circling her, then heard an angry hum.

  A bumble bee?

  It was a lie.

  It was all a wicked lie. Maeve had used her magick to turn Kara against Bree, to destroy the sacred bond between sisters, and Bree wasn’t going to put up with it. The air was filled with red sparks, but she refused to surrender Kris to the Dark Queen’s malice.

  Bree summoned that old charm. Thank the gods that she had never told any of her sisters about it. She wondered if Kris understood—it didn’t matter since the charm would be depleted forever

  She wanted to shout with joy when it worked, despite Maeve’s bonds.

  He’d been right about older things!

  Bree transformed into a bee and immediately dove beneath Kara’s armor, slipping beneath leather and chain mail, then between her sister’s thighs.

  A well-placed sting would get Kara’s attention and maybe break Maeve’s hold over her.

  Kara roared with pain when Bree stung her. She abandoned Kristofer and took flight, swinging her sword and kicking mightily. Bree was flung through the air, but she could sting again. Kara was closing fast upon her, surrounded by angry red sparks, her eyes ablaze.

  The first sting hadn’t made a difference.

  She was all for the power of three.

  Bree charged toward Kara as fast as her bee wings could take her. She evaded a swipe of Kara’s dagger but the current of air that resulted from Kara’s blow sent Bree spinning. She tumbled through the air, her wings no match for her own momentum.

  With a small correction, she managed to collide with Kris’s bound hands. That stopped her trajectory, but then she fell, tumbling down the length of him to the ground. She landed hard beside his boot and crawled under the cuff of his jeans, taking refuge on the top of his boot. Kris didn’t move, and she wondered if he’d noticed her choice. The fake firestorm glowed golden with their proximity, casting a halo of warmth around them, and she hoped it didn’t help Kara to find her.

  That hope was short-lived. Bree felt the tumult of a Valkyrie landing right beside them and Kris changed his stance. She saw the muscles in his leg flex and heard the brush of denim. She guessed that he was kicking at Kara with his other foot. Kara grunted, then Bree saw her sister’s hand lock around Kris’s booted ankle and she knew Kristofer wouldn’t be able to fight against Kara’s strength. His jean leg was torn upward and she glimpsed Kara’s triumphant smile.

  This was her chance.

  Bree flew straight for the front of Kara’s helmet. She slipped through the opening for Kara’s eyes and landed on Kara’s cheek. She stung her once there, silently begging her sister to remember her own thoughts and goals.

  Kara screamed again and snatched at her face, flinging away her helmet. She cupped one hand over her cheek, trapping Bree beneath it.

  Bree resigned herself to the worst.

  It turned out that she wasn’t nearly imaginative enough. Kara trapped Bree’s bee legs between finger and thumb, and held her up. Kris shouted but he was bound and too far away to help her. Kara smiled, and it wasn’t the smile Bree knew. It was an expression filled with hatred and lit by red sparks.

  Before Bree could whisper the charm and change back to her human form, Kara lifted her other hand, pinched Bree’s wings between finger and thumb, and tore them off. She crushed them and rolled them in her hand, before flinging them away.

  If Bree could have screamed, she would have done so. The pain was excruciating. She had never felt pain before, and this was no small introduction. She was invulnerable to mortal assault—but not apparently to attack by another Valkyrie.

  Kara laughed and flung her to the ground. Bree stumbled to her feet and desperately tried to crawl to shelter, although she wasn’t sure where she’d find any. She heard Kris calling her name with concern, and was dimly aware that he fought his bonds even harder.

  She saw the shadow of Kara’s boot looming overhead, and tried to hurry away even though she knew she wouldn’t make it. She’d be crushed flat, smeared to oblivion, killed by her own sister. She winced when she saw that boot descending, and heard Kris shout “No!”

  She ended the charm and changed back to her human form, even knowing it wouldn’t be enough. A Valkyrie could still finish her off, easily. Bree was still fighting, but the battle was over and there was nothing she could do to change that.

  Seven

  The red light was suddenly extinguished. Kara stood beside Bree, still in her Valkyrie form, but poised to kick Bree in the gut.

  She never managed to do that. There was a brilliant shimmer of blue, then an orange blaze of dragonfire. Kara fell back from the spilling torrent of flame as a dragon roared. Bree caught a glimpse of peridot and gold scales as Kris intervened, then she was snatched up in a golden dragon claw. He folded his claw around her and held her against the scales of his chest, even as he battled with Kara. Bree opened her eyes, dazed by the pain, then looked through Kris’s talons at the battle.

  Kara held up her dagger and her shield, apparently over the surprise. “Try to fry me, dragon,” she taunted. “I’m a Valkyrie!”

  Bree didn’t feel invulnerable anymore. Her back ached, the pain so intense that she couldn’t even think of defending herself. She was grateful to have a protector like Kris.

  He seized Kara’s shield and flung it into the distance. It fell with a clatter. Kara lunged forward to stab at him, but he ripped away her dagger and cast it in the opposite direction, then bent down to snarl at her. “Never attack my mate,” he growled, his voice a low vibration.

  Just as Bree had done, Kara leaped for his face, targeting the weak spot of his eyes.

  Kris retreated, shaking Kara off, then blew a plume of dragonfire in her direction. She fell backward, tumbling away from the fiery wind, instinctively protecting her face. When she landed, she staggered to her feet, undaunted. She shouted something that Bree couldn’t hear and raced back toward Kris. Kris roared, then struck Kara with his tail, sending her flying into the distance. She screamed and flailed, then the sound of her cry faded to nothing at all.

  Bree might have urged Kris to pursue her sister, but the earth rumbled. It sounded like an earthquake was beginning, and she felt Kris’s alarm. He spun and flew in the opposite direction of Kara’s flight. His leather wings beat hard and Bree thought she could see a speck of light in the distance.

  “We can’t leave her!”

  “There’s no time to fight, and I’m not taking her along.” He sounded even more stubborn in his dragon form.

  “But she’s my sister!”

  He spared her a grim look. “Who injured you and intended to kill you.”

  “She was enchanted! Didn’t you see the red spell light? Maeve made her attack me.”

  Kris shook his head. “Where’s that red light now? It vanished.”

  “And when it did, the red string broke,” Bree said, even as she wondered. How could the magick have vanished? Maeve must have recalled it, abandoning her spells. But why would she do that? Maybe she needed the magick elsewhere. Bree couldn’t imagine that the Dark Queen was short of power, but couldn’t make sense of the change otherwise.

  “Actually, the string disappeared,” Kris corrected.

  There was another rumble that didn’t sound encouraging.

 
He flew faster.

  “The magick is gone,” Bree said, reasoning it through. “So the bonds broke and you were able to shift again.”

  “The music stopped, too,” Kris said tersely. “It’s like we’re all alone and Fae is deserted. I don’t like it, plus I feel a disruption in the earth.”

  Bree didn’t understand how he could feel that, but she thought he was right. That rumble sounded again, but this time, she saw chunks of rock and earth falling around them. Large cracks crossed the ground below them, and yawned open.

  “How do we get out of Fae?” Kris demanded. “Is it underground? Are there portals?”

  “I think so, but they would have sealed that portal at Bones by now, if they were smart about it.”

  “They said they were going to.”

  “And any Fae warrior with a blade that can slice openings between portals isn’t going to help us escape.”

  “No kidding.”

  She realized he was making steady progress toward a silvery light in the distance. Its color didn’t feed her confidence. “I hope that light isn’t leading us into a trap.”

  “You and me both, but it’s the only glimmer in the darkness.”

  “We should go back for Kara,” Bree said again, and Kris snorted.

  “Over-ruled,” he said and flew toward the light like a fighter jet.

  It proved to be a lamp inside a curved doorway, one that illuminated the opening. It looked like the entry to a cave or a tunnel, but was too small for Kris in his dragon form.

  “I can check it out,” Bree offered, but Kris didn’t hesitate. There was a brilliant shimmer of blue light, then she found herself cast over his shoulder. He kept running, murmuring something under his breath, but the rock and dirt was falling faster than ever.

  “Let me down,” she said. “I can run.”