Page 76 of Bite Me

The dragons decided there were too many for them to carry and fly across the ocean especially since they didn't have any gold in their numbers. Ciara, who had been a wedding planner in her former life, used some favors to get them a commercial flight to Dubai, where Geshtianna's coven lived.

The three dragons were extremely grumpy the entire flight. They did not like being cooped up, and Dax paced up and down the aisles the entire time, romping about how he hated to fly. If their situation was any different, she'd find the whole thing a little bit funny. Dragons who didn't like to fly. Really, dragons on a plane was pretty funny, and she looked forward to telling Ky the story. Better than snakes on a plane.

There was no helping Dax, but Jada saw both Fleur and Ciara, one and then the other a few minutes later, take their mates into the lavatories for a little mile high club action. She didn't see how either of those guys even fit in that tiny room, much less how they’d engaged in sexy times. But, the two men did seem much more relaxed afterwards.

They arrived in Dubai at dusk, and although everyone had passports, it was easier for Jada to use her allure to get them all through immigrations faster. It was at least a thousand degrees outside, which shouldn't bother Jada, but she'd gotten use to all things cool and icy, being around Ky. She was grateful Ciara had also arranged for the big black SUVs with the darkly tinted windows and superduper full blast air conditioning.

Portia had been quiet the whole flight and Jada had to prompt her for directions to wherever Geshtianna was staying.

Portia tapped in a text to someone and then gave directions to Jakob who was driving. Turned out to be a high-end hotel, the kind where sheiks stayed. It wasn't five-star, oh no, it was a six-star hotel. Geshtianna had an entire floor.

They were greeted by an incubus and a succubus who were twins. Greeted was a strong word for the meeting as neither said a word, but when they walked away, Portia followed, so the rest of them did too.

When they got to an ornate set of double doors, carved with old motifs and symbols, inlaid with jewels, the incubus twin held up a hand and didn't let them pass.

“They're going in to see if Geshtianna will allow the dragons inside. I give you odds of about fifty- fifty.” Portia fiddled with her phone.

Should Jada ask for her number? They weren't family anymore, but she wouldn't mind knowing what happened to Portia after all of this.

She was about to ask, when her heart stuttered and she lost her balance. Jada reached for the wall to steady herself and sank to her knees.

“Jada, what's wrong?” Ciara and Fleur each grabbed one of her arms to help study her. They helped her turn and sit on the floor.

“I… I don't know. Something bad.” Jada grabbed for the bone carving with Ky's soul shard inside. It had lost its buzz, the little life force of its own.

Ciara gasped and grabbed the soul shard on her own neck. “Jada, the shard. The glow is fading.”

She glanced down and her heart stopped beating altogether. No, no, no, no. She looked at the other two mates and they reflected back the fear she knew was written all over her face. “I can't feel him. I've known all this time that Ky was still alive. I didn't know how, but now that the feeling is gone. I'm completely empty.”

The double doors to Geshtianna's inner sanctuary flew open. A tall lanky woman with long black hair stepped out. “I thought someone was playing a really bad joke on me. Dragons, here? What the hell do you want?”

Jakob, Steele, and Dax formed a wall between the women and Geshtianna. The succubus would have a powerful allure, and Jada did not want her to use it on these dragons. Mated or not, they would feel some of her compulsion. The fact that she wouldn't be able to completely control them would simply piss her off. That wouldn't help her find Ky any faster.

Jada struggled to her feet and slipped between Jakob and Steele. “We're here for my sister’s mate.”

Geshtianna's eyes flashed wide for a millisecond. “Well, this should be interesting.”

She waved them into the room but didn't wait. Geshtianna mounted some steps on a raised platform and plopped herself down into a chair that sure as hell looked like a throne.

“Stupid succubus.” Tiana sat on her throne, looking as bored as a trophy wife. “I'm not sure what else we expected from half human.”

“Where is Jett? I have the soul shard. I gave you everything you want. He and I can be together now.”

This was a whole new side of Portia that Jada had never seen. There was desperation in her voice, not the usual stone-cold apathy that Jada had mistaken for self-confidence in her. This was not what love did. This was something else twisted and dark.

Was it because Portia was a black dragon's mate?

Tiana laughed. It wasn't a pretty sound, more like sandpaper on fingernails on a chalkboard made of baby cries.

“Your human need for love has blinded you. Leonard should've known better than to let your mother live, or you for that matter.”

Portia ignored Tiana's words, and tried her best to look around the demons in this coven to find her mate.

Her sister may have betrayed her and Ky, and the Dragon whose shard she had stolen, but she didn't deserve Tiana's rude bitchiness. Jada stepped up next to her sister. “Quit dicking us around. Where is my sister's mate?”

“Listen to the mouth on you. I bet all the boys like to hear your dirty talk, since I doubt they're attracted to your fat ass. How do you even feed yourself?”

All right, that was it. This bitch was going down.

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