Page 65 of Bite Me

A dozen demon dragons, given mettle by the mere presence of their King and AllFather, were on him in a second. Ky bellowed and fought, he took one of them out with a well-timed head butt.

Poof.

Splat.

Crack.

He eliminated three more, but there were too many. They pushed him toward the wall and secured his arms and ankles to the rock with scorching metal chains.

“Well, what do we have here? Trying to escape my little corner of hell?”

Ky had been lashed with a fiery whip when the demon dragons first dragged him down. He’d have scars for a long time. But the weapon they’d used on him looked like a kitten’s toy ribbon compared to the fire whip the Black Dragon held in his hand.

Kur-Jara hadn’t yet noticed Azynsa, so Ky went back to plan A. Distract the enemy while she escaped.

The Black Dragon sauntered over and got right up in Ky’s face.

Ky pissed on him.

It wasn’t much, as dehydrated as he was from being in this heat, but it was definitely enough topissthis asshole off.

He shifted into human form, holding a very big, very hot fire whip. “You’ll pay for that, you blue piece of shit.”

The Black Dragon raised his arm over his head, fire whip poised to lash Ky right down the middle, probably aimed at his junk.

Fuck.

Azynsa popped up from the rocks, rushed between Ky and the Black Dragon and raised her arm, prepared to take the blow from the fire whip.

“No,” Ky grunted out.

“Oh, yes.” Kur-Jara took a few steps back and raised his head in one of those horrible clichéd bad guy laughs. “This is perfect. The unmated mate needs a lesson that will teach her to appreciate just what her life is worth.”

He snapped the whip over his head, his muscles bunching, prepared to strike Azynsa. She wouldn’t survive the blow.

“Stop.” A human woman’s voice rang through the cavern. “You will give no lashes to that girl.”

Kur-Jara stopped, the fire whip poised over his shoulder. He narrowed his eyes and turned to find the speaker. His body hid her from Ky and Azynsa’s view. “Tell me why not. I am lashing someone today, damn it.”

He was different with this woman than he had been with the crone. He didn’t call her names like a school-boy.

The woman, walked across the room and stood in front of the two of them. There was no way she could be human and survive down here. He didn’t scent anything else on her. But his senses were all out of whack without his dragon.

She closed her fists and glanced back at Ky and Azynsa. Fire lit up her eyes. Literal fire. Flames burned where her pupils should be.

If she was human, they had done some fucked up shit to her down here to make that happen.

“Why shouldn’t I give her the lashes she has coming, Fallyn? She’s proven worthless to me without the shard. She’s nothing more than a dragon’s whore.”

“It. Is. Not. Her. Birthday.”

“Ah. But it is yours. I had almost forgotten.” Kur-Jara paced. “Take hers and yours and I will let her go. For now.”

“I will take her lashes, but in exchange neither you nor my brothers will touch her. The punishment today will serve for her upcoming birthday, whenever it may be.”

Every sentence that came out of her mouth raised more and more questions. Birthday? Her brothers?

“Very well, little red devil.”

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