Page 17 of Defy Me

Fine. She was so not happy to be here. But you talk to that boy about what he needs to do so this doesn't happen again.I will not have a douchepotato in my family. Do you hear me?

Douchepotato? Family? Who was she talking about? Not Jett. Except, there was no one else around that the woman could be calling him a feminine hygiene vegetable.

Yes, dear. I'll take care of it.

Jett didn't care who or what these being were, or their agenda in helping him. He couldn't care that they implied that he was family. He only wanted to get Yvaine and get away. The black and red light from the necklace shimmered and became an almost blinding white light. It lifted Yvaine up and her unconscious body gently floated into the center of the make-shift stretcher. Jett didn't waste any time gathering the ends of the contraption and lifting up into the air. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew he needed to get as far away from that field and into the sunlight where the Black Dragon could not see him.

Take her to the Green Dragon Wyvern, son. He will be able to heal her.

Jett didn't think twice about whether that instruction would mean his own certain demise. Okay, maybe he did. The Green Dragon Wyvern and his mate owed him. But dragon warriors were just as likely to betray him as repay any favors. He was only one step removed from their greatest enemy and they didn't trust him.

That was okay, because he didn't trust anyone. He had spent his recent freedom building up a hoard of favors from the Wyverns. They all owed him something except for the Red one. That guy hated his guts even though they'd never even crossed paths. At least Ciara, the Green Wyvern's mate was an ally. Sort of. He'd use that in to get the dragon to heal Yvaine. Maybe she could help explain Yvaine's powers and get them unlinked too.

Jett immediately banked left and pushed his wings hard to gain altitude. The sooner he could get to the outskirts of Prague and the Green Wyvern's villa there. The better. Only then and when Yvaine was out of danger would he take the time to think about who it was that was helping them.

She will heal. When she does quit screwing around. The voice faded as if by flying in this direction he was leaving the speaker behind. Mark her, claim her.His final words came to him more of a thought than whispered mindspeak.Make her your mate.

Jett's wings faltered and he sank about a hundred meters in altitude before he recovered. No. He must have heard that wrong. He couldn't. He didn't have a soul. Without that he couldn't have a mate either.

Mark her.

He hadn't been raised in the dragon warrior culture to know if that term had a particular significance or if it was simply literal. He'd seen the dragon tattoo-like marks on the mates he'd encountered. Ciara had a sparkling green dragon etched into the skin at her neck. Exactly in the same spot where he'd wanted to bite Yvaine. That need was pure instinct. He obviously couldn't even do that correctly. Ciara's mark was beautiful and had probably been lovingly applied by her dragon mate. Jett's mouth ached to chomp down on the female he was attracted to. God, he was such a... douchepotato.

Why he was even thinking about this, he didn't know. He could probably mark Yvaine, clumsily. He could lay claim to her too. Which would all pretty much ruin her chances of ever finding a real mate. He'd already screwed up another woman's life thinking he could trick the universe. Portia would never forgive him. He'd like to blame his father, the Black Witch, and the Succubus Queen for putting the idea in his head in the first place.

Steal a soul shard they'd said. It'll bring you everything you ever wanted, they'd said. They'd all been wrong. It had only shown him the depth of how completely fucked his empty soulless shell of a life really was. There was no way he was going through all of that again.

The sooner he could be rid of Yvaine and her control over him, the better.

Jett?Her too soft voice pierced right into the blackness of his thoughts.Are we dead? Is this heaven? It's not very nice if it is. Where are the puppies and rainbows?

Shh. You were injured. I'm taking you to someone that will heal you.Then hopefully leaving her there. He'd been around her for less than a day and she'd already wreaked so much havoc in his life he didn't know if he was flying up or down or sideways. He'd lost all perspective on what he needed to do the second she walked into that pub last night. If he hadn't gone after her he could be out hunting for the spell dealer he'd been waiting to show up in that stupid town. He'd be one step closer to finding the cure for the curse.

That's nice. Is the healer dead too? Do I need to be healed if I'm dead?She sounded soft and dreamy like she was drugged. What had the mysterious voices done to her?

Why did he care so much? He didn't. If he kept telling himself that he'd eventually believe it. His mindspeak voice came out gruffer then he intended.You're not dead.

She was silent for long enough he thought maybe she'd passed out again. Or perhaps his reprimand had hurt her fucking feelings. He pushed his wings harder and searched for a warm air current to help push them toward Prague all the faster.

Are you sure? I think I am. I feel dead. Wait. Does dead hurt? My chest hurts.

Jett mentally breathed a sigh of relief. Hurt meant alive. He could attest to that.You're alive. I promise.

Okay. Are we there yet?

Instead of answering her he banked again. They were just over the Volga river which meant they were close. He shouldn't even know where the Green Dragon Wyvern's lair was. He wouldn't if Geshtianna hadn't sent him here when he'd first sought refuge with her. How she known the Wyvern had met his mate was some pretty shady collusion. Or so he suspected.

Believing Geshtianna was on his side had been his first mistake after escaping hell. Nasty little Queens like her would get her comeuppance. She'd already been chased from her court in Dubai by the dragon warriors. When he was ready to call in the ultimate favor he'd tell them exactly where she'd taken refuge. He was not above playing both sides to get what he wanted.

Jakob's villa came into view and along with it the shimmering wards to keep him and his kind out. They were much stronger than the last time he'd been here. Must be Ciara's powers. She was a white witch after all. Jett flew in a wide circle over the top of the villa, testing the wards for weaknesses. At his first touch green light flashed through the wards.

Shit. He'd set off some sort of alarm. He didn't even count to three before two really fucking big green dragons were in the air and flanking him. They were much clumsier flyers than he was since their element was earth and he could either outmaneuver them which his dragon screamed at him to do, or let them capture him. That's what he needed to do if he wanted inside those wards. But even the thought of being under any other dragon's control rankled the fuck out of him.

You are in the Green Wyvern's airspace. Drop your weapon and land now.

Jett's knee jerk reply was to tell them to fuck off and shoot a few fireballs over their heads. He couldn't risk them retaliating and harming Yvaine.It's a woman not a weapon, dumbasses. I'm not dropping her.

One of the two guards didn't like that answer and flew directly at him forcing him into evasive maneuvers. One giant swoop up and he was loopy-looping over the big asshole's head. He was sure as shit gambling on centripetal force to keep Yvaine in her convertible top stretcher. Jett came in behind the green dragons and sent a warning shot of fire over their heads.

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