devil 04 - the devil you know (20 page)

“There is not.” He turned and started toward the waiting flight of dragons.

I stomped after him, thinking fast. “Will the dragons protect us?”

He glanced at me. “Nay. It would require a greater expenditure of energy for them and dragons feel no loyalty toward us. They only serve because they are compensated for their service.”

I eyed the massive creatures carefully, noting the hostile black gazes and flared nostrils spewing puffs of gray smoke. The giant green creatures dug enormous curved claws into the rock floor, tearing huge chunks from the rock, and lifted thick wings in aggressive maneuvers. “They look like they’d rather kill us than help us.”

Dialle frowned. “Unfortunately, that is a fair assessment, Astra. We must tread carefully with them.”

“Just frunkin’ great,” I murmured. I stopped suddenly and grabbed Dialle’s arm. “I’m going to call for reinforcements. I want your promise that you will behave.”

He lowered elegant black eyebrows at me. “We do not have time, Astra…”

“We have time. I think I can get them here quickly.”

The eyebrows flew north. “Them? Who do you wish to call?”

I opened my mouth and then closed it. How did I tell him? He’d be royally pissed. And I had to admit he’d have a right. But this was not the time for petty jealousies. It was a time for pulling out every stop, arming ourselves with the best weapons we had. It was a time for doing whatever it took to defeat Dialle the First.

“Do you want to defeat your father, Dialle?”

The response was nearly instantaneous. “Of course!”

“Do you trust me?”

This time he frowned, thinking.

“You have to think about that one?” I was indignant.

“Yes. I am sorry, Astra, but you have not been as steadfast lately as I would have wished…even for a creature with devilish tendencies.”

I stamped my foot. “That’s not fair, Dialle. I’m dealing with something really powerful and tenacious here. I’ve done the best I could under the circumstances.” He still stared at me, unconvinced. “I’m here with you now aren’t I?”

“Yes.” I could tell he was wavering.

“I’m committed to
us
, Dialle. I think I’ve proven that. I don’t know what else I can say to make you trust me.”

He stared at me a beat longer and then inclined his head briefly. “Whom do you wish to call, Astra?”

“You’ll see.” I turned away from him and lifted my hand. A quick pull on the scar there with my lips brought sparks and a quick jolt of sensual pleasure rolling through my lower belly.

I knew he was there a beat before he spoke.
I didn’t expect to hear from you again, Astra.

I know. I’m sorry. But I need to take you up on your offer to help.

Is Dialle going to try to kill me?

I bit my lip.
I hope not.

Well, in spite of that very firm promise of safety, I find myself marginal on the desire to run to your side, Astra.

Marginal is better than I expected.

His laughter rolled sexily through my mind, causing my nether regions to tingle pleasantly.

I need you, Slayer.

A brief silence preceded his response. Then a sigh.
All right, Astra. I’m coming.

Thank you!

My next communication was more difficult because I had only a mind connection, not a physical one. Closing my eyes, I concentrated hard, pulling images into my mind that would draw her to me. When the ragged mountains and rolling green meadows of Olympus flowed across my mind’s eye, I knew I could reach her.

Queen Zerphor?

Dragon fighter. How are you?

I am well, but I need your help. My sister has been captured by King Dialle the First and I must release her or First will use her to take the crown back. The battle for the crown will be long and bloody. Second will not relinquish it easily.

I am aware that I owe you for your help, dragon fighter. What do you need from me?

I need seven of your best warriors. And I need them to come to me in Hell.

Her silence spoke volumes. I knew that what I asked of her was huge. Black dragons constantly fought the pull from the darker side of their natures. Traveling to a Hell dimension could cause them to turn forever to that dark side. In sending me her warriors, Queen Zerphor might well be losing her best soldiers forever.

As always, Zerphor showed herself to be an honorable and trustworthy ally.
Have a green send us a homing signal and my soldiers will be at your disposal within the hour.

I’m sorry, Zerphor, but I must ask that you send them as quickly as you can. I’m not sure I can wait an hour.

I will see what I can do.

Thank you, Your Majesty. I will try my best to return your soldiers to you unscathed.

I would welcome that. Take care, Dragon Fighter.

I turned as the air next to me shimmered and Slayer appeared. Dialle reached for his sword and I was forced to jump between them. “No! You promised, Dialle.”

“I did no such thing, Astra. How dare you bring your lover here!” He brandished his sword and tried to step toward Slayer.

Slayer held a sword in his hand and was braced for attack.

I lifted my hands and smacked the swords out of their hands with two quick power arrows. The swords clanged against the rugged stone floor, sliding toward the greens.

The dragons opened their massive jaws and roared angrily. The largest one took several hopping steps toward us, its enormous wings lifting aggressively. Fire surged from its open snout.

I threw a wall of power up between us, barely keeping Slayer from getting a seriously singed backside. “Back down, bitch!” I screamed at the nasty female. She threw her head up, emitting a wall-rocking snort, and stepped backward. The dragon’s hostile black gaze never left my face.

Having gotten the green back under control, I returned my attention to the two little boys standing next to me, holding their dicks in one hand and a tape measure in the other.

Sighing, I wondered how I was gonna manage the two of them after I added Emo to the mix. I’d have my hands full, especially while trying to save my sister, protect my aunt and keep Zerphor’s soldiers from flinging themselves into darkness.

My life was frunkin’ stressful.

I was floating in a piss ocean filled with turd sharks.

And I seriously needed a vacation.

Chapter Thirteen

Way Laid

Amidst the heat of Hades’ fire, our Lady learns the truth,

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

The dragons started arriving several moments later. 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 known…and would have never guessed…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 black. But I seemed to remember something about a light-eyed black dragon from prophecy.

Hello, Mother Tweener. 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 Tweener. 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 now, 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 now 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 Tweener, you say the nicest things.

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

This time 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 musk 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, Tweener!”

“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. The air thickened with testosterone 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 traveled 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, but 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.”