“What are you doing in here?” Puck demanded, advancing on me.
I shook my head violently and let my tears flow. Speech was impossible or I’d lose the solution.
His demeanor changed lightening fast and an unfamiliar scent filled the room. Oh hell to the no, he was aroused as evidenced by the bulge in his pants.
Use it. Make it work.
Moaning, I threw myself into his arms and rubbed my body against his. It was all I could do not to gag. Between the liquid in my mouth and the disgusting man running his hands over my body I was in hell.
“Are you all right, sweet thing? Did those girls try to hurt you?” he cooed and pulled me flush against his huge frame. Thank god, Hank was outside. This was nothing I wanted him to see.
I shook my head yes and wove my fingers in his hair, pulling his face toward me. He needed no more of an invitation to crush his lips to mine. He forced my mouth open and plundered inside. I spit the solution into his mouth and he jerked back as if burned.
“My god,” he sputtered as his lips puckered unattractively and he coughed. “For such an exquisite girl you have appalling oral hygiene. You need to brush your teeth. Immediately.”
“But your lips are so hot,” I shouted and almost burst out laughing at the puzzled look of horror on his face.
Hank came through the door and everything froze for a moment. Confusion ripped across the Dragon’s face quickly replaced by an anger so intense I almost turned away. How an animal with this much power and ire had been kept at bay by the Council for so many years was mind boggling.
Hank’s power and magic filled the room, and the Dragon looked startled for a brief second. To be honest, I was a little thrown too. When in the hell did Hank get so deadly? The Dragon spread his arms and began to chant.
Nothing. Nothing happened.
His eyes narrowed and the chant became frantic. Hank and I stood our ground and waited. There was power in stillness. Let him play his hand first. Let his fury make him sloppy. We needed any advantage we could get.
Puck Flare’s eyes turned blood red and narrowed to slits. “What have you done to me?” he demanded as a spear of fire flew from his lips. “What have you done?”
Ducking so I didn’t fry was necessary, but he did ask a question. I’d been raised in the South and was occasionally polite. The man deserved an answer.
“I leveled the playing field,” I told him.
“There is no playing field,” he roared. “I am the superior being here. You are dirt beneath my feet.”
“That’s not very nice,” Hank drawled. “I think you should apologize.”
“You think I should what?”
The Dragon was icy and calm. Surely that was not a good sign. He moved toward us as smoke wafted from his nose and ears.
Everything moved in slow motion…and then it didn’t.
It was violent and bloody and I was frozen in shock. The sounds of breaking bones and grunts filled the room. The two men were locked together, fighting for their lives and all I could do was watch in horror. It was almost balletic in its precision and I had no idea who was winning.
Snapping jaws with bloodstained mouths tore at each other.
Holding back was killing me, but Hank was right. He was physically stronger and it seemed like he knew what he was doing.
“Essie, destroy the eggs,” Hank shouted as he took a sharp right hook to the face.
Moving with Vampyre speed, I grabbed a large, heavy tin and began smashing everything on the counters and walls. The Dragon wailed and my blood curdled. I didn’t look back and I didn’t stop. My job was as important as Hank’s. If we died, we would not die in vain. Dying was not on my agenda, but the sound of the battle behind me was nauseating. I quickly crushed the last vials beneath my feet as the Dragon roared with such volume and ire I had to slap my hands over my ears to keep my eardrums from bursting.
Done. I was done. Nothing in the room was salvageable. Wait a minute. I had moved with Vamp speed…I had Vamp strength. What was I thinking?
Turning back to the fight, I tried to find an opening. The Dragon had the Wolf by the neck. Hank struggled and elbowed the Dragon with such force that he flew backward. Both men were in bad shape. Watching time was over. It was my turn to play.
“Hey Puck, I ate a mint. Do you wanna make out now?” The utter ridiculousness of my statement threw him off his game long enough for Hank to pin him. I dove forward and narrowly avoided the explosion of flames Puck aimed at me. Reaching for his neck while Hank had him down was my goal. The vicious head butt to my face was unexpected and my eye began to swell shut immediately.
“Hey…asswipe. That hurt,” I shouted as I pummeled his face, landing a jarring left hook to his nose. The crunch of bone under my fist was sickening, but I wanted more. I was so intent on getting to his neck I completely missed the fact that I was fighting him alone. Hank was on fire and rolling on the floor to put himself out.
“You think that hurt, you little bitch?” the Dragon hissed viciously. “I will make you hurt so badly you will beg for death.”
I saw the fist coming before it landed and he was right. Several more of those and I would beg for death. New goal…avoid the fist. Jumping back, I dropped into a fighting stance and waited for his next move. He laughed and winked.
“I like your spirit — you would have been a good egg donor. Too bad you have to die.”
He lunged and I moved to my left, raising my knee and propelling it into his Adam’s apple as he went for me. The sheer force I had used surprised me. Again, I mentally kissed Dwayne. However, my strength surprised the Dragon even more. Defensive fighting was no longer an option. I fought with everything I had, but so did he.