Treasure Lane Dragons: Complete Series (BBW Paranormal Dragon Shapeshifter Romance) (50 page)

“Morning, sunshine,” Colt greeted her warmly, blowing a lungful of smoke right in her face.

It was a mixture of nicotine and the thick smoke of dragon fire. He took another drag of his cigarette as Jade coughed a few times, spitting blood in front of her feet.

“Tsk, tsk. That’s no way for a lady to act. Haven’t the Goldplains taught you to swallow all those nasty, nasty things that end up in your mouth?” Colt asked casually, drawing a deadly glare from Jade.

“Fuck you, Colt,” she hissed, her words cut short by another mouthful of blood.

“No thanks. I don’t take hand-me-downs from second rate dragons.”

“Considering the way you take it up the ass from Cameron, I’d say you’re the only hand-me-down here, bro,” Jade growled, finding spite in herself she never knew existed before she met the Blackscales.

“You little b…“ Colt snarled, his hand around Jade’s throat before she could say another word.

She wanted to struggle against him, but she was bound up tight. Not only was she tied up, but she was also tied to something in the middle of what looked to be a vast stretch of desert – definitely not in Colorado anymore, that’s for sure.

“Let her go,” Cameron’s bored drawl sounded from somewhere on the sidelines.

Like a bad puppy getting chided, Colt let go of Jade and left her hacking and wheezing for breath. Her throat felt like it was about to collapse on itself, but she wouldn’t give the Blackscales that kind of satisfaction.

“She’s being a cunt,” Colt grumbled, getting another cigarette and lighting it by breathing on it ever so slightly as Cameron walked to his side.

“Isn’t she always,” Cameron stated with a shrug. “But aren’t you pretty today, Jade. All dressed up and ready for your little party.”

“What party?” she asked between ragged breaths.

Just looking at those two made her wish she were a dragon herself so she could kick their asses right into the nearest ocean and put their fire out. Hateful twits, both of them. She tried to move her hands, but they were tied just above her lower back, mushed against her. She felt a solid wood column behind her, running up the length of her body, the ropes that bound her looping around it and tying her tightly to it.

“Well, look around you. Death Wing’s going to have a little concert, just for you. We’ve invited all of our biggest fans, and I’m sure they’ll be ecstatic to see you,” Cameron said, followed by a chuckle from Colt.

Jade frowned and glanced around herself. Her vision finally cleared, and the realization of what was going on slowly dawned on her. She
was
in the middle of a desert. There was a small stage being set up to the side with Death Wing’s gear, and one by one, lines of smoke appeared in the distance where cars kicked up dust. Jade was tied to a log, with countless branches, kindling and firewood piled around her feet – she was on a pyre. A pyre she was sure the Blackscale brothers had every intention of lighting.

“You’re insane,” she whispered, fear taking root where there had only been contempt a moment ago.

“Criminally so, I think,” Cameron agreed, snatching the cigarette from Colt’s fingers and taking a drag himself.  “Don’t you think it’s brilliant, though? I bet our fans will eat it right up. Nothing darker than burning a hateful bitch alive, eh?”

“Can’t wait, really,” Colt added smugly, grinning his haunted smile at Jade.

“Why?” she asked, after a moment of silence that dragged on too long.

Cameron shrugged.

“You know who we are. And unlike the Goldplains, we’re not interested in some haggard looking slut running around with knowledge she shouldn’t have. Besides, it seems Apollo and Alexander have taken a liking to you, and if there’s one thing I enjoy, then it’s ticking those two off. Two dragons with one Jade, if you’ll excuse the pun.”

Cameron gave her a dazzling smile and then looked up at the sky, a bright, noon sun burning above them, hot and heavy.

“Well, I think we better get going. Preparations to do, plots to scheme and so on. Enjoy the weather. Maybe you’ll get a nice tan for the festivities. You’re looking a bit pale.”

Cameron peeled away, looking as casual as could be, and Colt followed him. He left her with a wink that made her stomach churn. She stared blankly after them, trying to wrap her mind around what was happening.

In fact, what
was
happening?! How the hell had she gone from playing bass for a dark rock band, to discovering that the world was teeming with dragons, that she was the fated mate to a pair of them, and another pair of dragons wanted to burn her like some sacrificial virgin during the Dark Ages? Just really, how did life take those turns?

Jade tried her binds again, but she was strapped tightly in place. Tears wanted to well in her eyes, and she could almost taste their saltiness. She didn’t have to wonder or dwell on whether or not Cameron and Colt were being serious. Of course they were. That was perfectly insane enough for them. They’d probably love the sight of her screaming as she died in the flames.

Her tears dried up quickly.

No. Stop crying. You can’t let these asswipes win,
she thought, looking around herself at the slowly gathering crowd.

She could spot Joker and Trouble sitting on the hood of the car they’d driven her there in, laughing and swigging beers. The way they were so nonchalant about it all chilled her. Still, she had to remind herself that it was all dragon magic, combined with the right kind of people – the most desperate and gullible, the ones that want to belong. Those two twats probably didn’t even realize what they’d done, and by the time they did, she’d be long dead.

Right now, there were only two men – two dragons – who could help her. For all she knew, they were still in their mansion in Colorado, wondering where she was.

Gingerly, she tried to move her fingers. They were already starting to swell from being tied up so tight, but she could reach the edge of a pocket on her wide, slouchy pants. Jade gritted her teeth, trying to angle herself closer to her hand, fishing for the thin chain and the pendant attached to it.

After a couple of tries, she managed to hook one finger behind the chain and very carefully, reel it into her palm an inch at a time. Finally, the hot surface of the dragon stone touched her palm and she breathed easier, feeling like life was being urged back into her.

She hurt all over, and all she really wanted to do was close her eyes and sleep, but fear and the will to survive kept her alert and ready to fight. Those Blackscale bastards wouldn’t get her so easy. 

Alexander, Apollo… please hear this,
she thought, squeezing the dragon stone.

She felt a little silly, like wishing upon a star and hoping the wish came true. But, the Goldplains had never lied to her yet, and if they said they’d hear her call, well, she bloody well expected them to!

Please come for me so I could kick the living shit out of those two assholes.

She almost smiled at that. It was a ridiculous mental image – her, the curvy bassist raining down vengeance upon two grown dragons. But a girl could dream. And even more, a girl could hope that her dragon mates would come and exact some vengeance in her name!

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Jade

If Jade’s mouth had been dry when she was so rudely awoken in the morning, by now it was just about as arid as the desert around her. She teetered between consciousness and the darkness of passing out, hanging on by the slimmest of threads.

All day, she had been subjected to shouts and insults from Death Wing fans, telling her how much they were going to enjoy her burning in hell. She could see the darkness in their eyes, the death wish that glowed within them. The dark dragon magic was in full force, and Jade knew it would only get worse as they got closer to their set.

Cameron and Colt had only intervened once, when some of the building crowd had started throwing things at her. First, a pile of Gold Dragons shirts and posters had been shoved into the pyre, but then, they had started picking up rocks from the ground and throwing them at her. She had a few deep gashes on her arms and face from the shower of stones that rained on her before the brothers intervened. Not that they wanted to see her unharmed – they just wanted to be the ones doing the harming.

Jade gritted her teeth, willing herself to cling to her consciousness. The sun had set now and it was dark, countless stars popping up in the night sky. The crowd had gathered, and Death Wing had been doing a sound check for the past ten minutes. At least the murderous heat that had been burning Jade all day had subsided.

Only to be replaced by actual flames,
Jade thought grimly.

Her eyes drooped closed again, exhaustion and pain playing their siren song, when the first notes of
Her Blood Tears
sounded over the vast emptiness of the desert, bringing the crowd alive. They hooted and hollered, becoming more and more rabid as the music grew louder and more demanding. It was a dark song, their first hit, and Jade knew every note. For the first time, she felt like it could be about her.

Her raven black hair, those soulless eyes

That pain in her that I must break

That laughter in her that I must destroy

Those smiles will turn into blood tears and she will burn

Burn until there’s nothing but those soulless eyes

Jade’s eyes narrowed, and she lifted her head as the song ended and Cameron and Colt greeted the crowd.

“Welcome, brothers and sisters!” Cameron called over the teeming mass, getting a roar in reply. “You are our closest, our best! You are the ones that we know to be true fans! You are
us
!”

The hysterical screams scraped at her ears. Jade still clutched the pendant, though she’d long lost feeling in her hands. It gave her strength when she was sure hers was failing.

“We’re glad you all came! Tonight, we have a special treat, and that’s why we had to meet in secrecy,” Colt said, making a shushing noise towards the crowd. “We’ve caught our traitor! Jade van der Kamp, who you’ll know as our former bassist, decided she didn’t love us anymore.”

The crowd booed, and Jade was showered with hateful glares, the crowd turning their attention to her.

“But tonight, we will teach her a lesson! She will learn that no one,
no one
, fucks with Death Wing!” Colt bellowed, deafening screams joining his words.

Apparently there were plenty of brainwashed fans glad to see the bassist they’d once adored burn alive. Great.

“So, without further ado, how about we get this party started? What do you say!?”

The shrill screaming didn’t leave much to the imagination. Jade could see both Colt and Cameron grinning widely, and Joe looked everywhere but at her, the whites of his eyes turned almost black. In fact, the whole crowd looked the same – like they were possessed. Jade felt a cold chill. There would be no one to help her, no one at all.

Colt jumped off the stage and sauntered over to her through the crowd, letting his hands trail to either side of him so the gathered fans could touch him as he passed them. They parted for him like the Red Sea, and the bloodhungry look in his eyes read like a book. Jade swallowed drily.

“Thought you’d outsmarted us, huh, honey? Not so fast… I’m glad you decided to stick around for the party, though. Wouldn’t have been the same without you,” he said, quiet enough for only her to hear.

“Fuck you, you deranged lizard,” Jade spat, snarling.

Colt just chuckled at her. With his back turned to the crowd, he crouched down and brought his face close to the dry wood and kindling. He took a breath and blew. Jade gasped as thin tongues of flame licked out of his mouth and spread over the wood until they caught fire. She watched in horror as it spread quickly around the pyre, filling the outside circle and moving slowly inward.

The crowd erupted in cheers, and Colt smiled as he got up.

“Don’t get cold now, Jade,” he whispered, winking again as he turned his back to her and marched to the stage.

“Oh my god,” Jade whispered, looking at the flames with eyes full of fear and disbelief.