Page 40 of Bite Me

“Exactly what I said. Kur-Jara rules over the underworld. Anything in that realm is subject to his command.”

Ciara glanced between Jada and Ky, the tiniest flash of worry crossing over her face. It was gone in an instant, but it had been there, allowing Ky to feel his own worry. “Does that include you?”

“I’m only half demon and I’m not from his realm. I was born to a human.”

Half demon, half human. Was that all? Ky felt like there was something more to her. He couldn’t put his finger on it. His shard buzzed against his chest. He placed one hand over it and the other softly on the back of her neck, giving her his confidence in her through his touch.

She leaned into him and took a breath that he could tell re-centered her.

Ciara continued asking questions they all wanted to know the answers to. “The demon dragons that he rules, where do they come from?”

“They are his offspring. The product of his union with annunaki demons. We don’t associate with either of them.” Jada wrinkled her nose.

Ciara frowned. “They’re his kids? That’s horrible in so many ways.”

Fleur joined the other two mates. She worried a green leaf between her fingers, but that was the only sign of any anxiety. “He captured me when Steele and I first met. But, I still don’t know what he is, who he is. Why is he after us?”

Jada looked to Ky, asking him with her eyes to end the questioning. She’d had enough, and Ciara’s gift was wearing thin.

He squeezed the back of her neck and gave her a small nod. She could do this.

She lifted her chin and nodded back. “I don’t know. Leon didn’t tell me why, only that he and my coven had been protecting me from them.”

“We’ll protect you now.” Ky wouldn’t let anything happen to her. He’d hide her away with the rest of his treasure if he had to.

Even with all this new information from Jada, they didn’t have enough. He tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair. “What are we missing? There has to be a connection between the appearance of Kur-Jara and the mates. It’s been seven hundred years and then bam, three mates in as many months.”

Jada turned to Ky and raised an eyebrow at him. “Dragons haven’t had mates in all that time? Come on, you lot are as horny as any incubus. There are dragon sons all over the world. You’ve had mates.”

Ciara and Fleur widened their eyes at Jakob and Steele. This was like a bad version of the how many ex-girlfriends talk.

Jakob found his dragon balls first. “Companions, yes. But never a true mate. Ciara was the first in several generations.”

“You bet your ass I was. Any dragon sons I need to know about, mister?”

Jakob laughed. “Thank god for the Earl of Condom.”

“What happened seven hundred years ago to keep you all, and presumably your fathers from finding true mates?” Jada asked.

Even Ciara’s gifts couldn’t keep the dragon warriors in the room from falling somber.

Ky cleared his throat and said, “The death of the First Dragon.”

Witches and Wishes

Jada’s insides were alternating between tingling and balling up like a fist in her stomach. She didn’t want to like Ky so damn much. He’d claimed her and marked her without so much as a dinner and drink.

That had pissed her off. She was tired of feeling like someone else owned her. For once in her life she’d like to make her own damn decisions.

He’d taken the choice away from her again when they escaped into the ocean and come to his friend’s house.

That was three strikes against him. One for the claiming, one for the marking, and one for the leaving her coven behind to fight the horde.

Then he went and got all dominant in the shower. Not in a way that felt like she’d given up her power again. No, he’d given her the chance to not be in charge of either his pleasure, which was weird and wonderful, or her own.

He’d said it would feel freeing.

He had no idea.

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