Chosen Destiny Page 21

  “I think that’s fair. Now you feel just as much as I do.” Jaeson’s hand slid up her stomach.

  “You are just so wrong. I don’t like you much. You know that, don’t you?” She stood stiffly in between them. Frustrated, her mood soured, she gripped Samiel’s shirt. Just a few moments alone, that’s all she needed, but knew there wasn’t time. They had to go back to the town.

  “You don’t like me now. You will when I have a chance to finish what we started later.” Jaeson’s tongue slowly lapped at the skin above the pulse at her neck.

  “I don’t need you to finish what you started. I can do that myself or I’m sure Samiel would volunteer. You shouldn’t have teased.” She winked at Samiel. “Now take us back to the inn so we can get the details of the plan worked out.”

  “Don’t laugh at and tease a vampire. We bite back.” Jaeson didn’t sound too concerned over her anger. “Are you going to try to hold a grudge? You know, you never stay angry long.”

  “I don’t think you’ve known me long enough to say I never stay mad long.” She looked back over her shoulder and arched a brow.

  He was so arrogant. And he was right, probably. She didn’t think she’d be able to stay mad with him very long. There wasn’t anything that would induce her to tell him that now though. He was already overconfident. She wasn’t going to encourage it.

  “She’s right we need to get back and secure a room so we can talk undisturbed. You two can finish your argument after we get some work done.” Samiel’s arms tightened, pulling Jaeson closer. “To the inn.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Jaeson looked over at Meagan. She was nervous. He could tell by the way her eyes continuously looked around the area. She expected trouble immediately and had said so before they’d left the lair just before dawn. She looked ready for battle and absolutely grim. Dressed in tan clothing from head to toe, she appeared ready to fight, but wouldn’t blend in too much against the rocks and trees. They wanted to be seen. Jaeson had been tempted to wear white, but had settled on all brown. Samiel was in black, but then again the dragon did like to stand out.

  The planning had gone long into the night and it hadn’t been easy to decide who’d go after the actual generator piece because everyone wanted to be part of both groups. No one wanted to miss confronting the Dark Sorceress, but getting that artifact to safety was important too. In the end, Lassan and Gaellon had gone. Danan and Grae as well as Maxim and Jadin had come to bait the witch into believing that she was getting the actual generator part. Otherwise if the Dark Sorceress actually tried what they expected, the situation could end with someone dying.

  The mountain loomed over them, casting them in darkness even though the sun had risen. They were near its base on the north side while Lassan and Gaellon did their duty to the west. He knew that nothing he could say would reassure her. Only when this actually worked would she relax. Then they’d have to find a way to discover what it was the Dark Sorceress wanted from those pieces. It obviously wasn’t a generator. If it had been, she’d have stopped once the first piece was lost. There had to be something she’d be able to do with only one part. Jaeson abruptly pushed the thought aside as Meagan moved to the dark entrance of the cave they’d chosen. According to Meagan, it had a few carved rooms in it. She didn’t know what they’d been used for in the past, but had said they could have passages or hiding places.

  Meagan tossed a ball of light into the air and led the way. Jaeson stepped into the cave just behind her. He heard Samiel’s firm tread a step behind him. Meagan led the way down the tunnel. She bypassed several connecting tunnels, leading them deeper beneath the mountain. Finally, she turned to the right and led them into a room full of carved statues and detailed murals on the wall. If he hadn’t known better, he’d have thought this would be an ideal spot to hide the second generator piece. He grabbed Meagan’s hand and drew her to the side of the room. He pulled her into his arms. She leaned back and raised a brow at him. He suspected she thought she looked imperious or demanding but to him she just looked as if she needed to be kissed into a better mood. He was tempted, but they wouldn’t be here long enough to satisfy either of them. Beside that she was just getting over being mad at him for teasing her last night.

  “Samiel doesn’t need that much room.” She shook her head and tried to turn out of his arms.

  He flattened his palm on her butt and held her in place. She felt too good to let go just yet. After wriggling a little more, she settled for shooting him a hot glare and an irritated huff.

  “I’ll use any excuse to hold you. Now be still before you make simply holding you even more difficult than it is. It won’t take him long to create the piece.” Jaeson rocked his hips to give her a better feel of his hardening cock.

  He wanted to push her up against the wall and make her as hot as he was. No play, no teasing, just the feel of her body against his and how his body had hardened. His cock throbbed, a low ache beginning to build. He didn’t know if he liked the fact that she had such a strong effect on him.

  “If it’s so difficult, then why don’t you let me go? As you say, we won’t be here long.” Laughter lurked in her husky tone although she kept her eyes fixed at some point on his chest, so he couldn’t see her expression.

  “I like holding you too much.” Jaeson stroked his hand up her back as he watched Samiel create a very good copy of one of the generators.

  They weren’t afraid that the Dark Sorceress, or the Dark Sorcerer if he showed, would notice the newness of the magic. The only thing that caused Jaeson any worries was convincing the Dark Sorceress that they didn’t want to give the generator up, but would do it to protect someone’s life. It was a risky game they were playing, but without knowing what the Dark Sorceress and her ally were after they couldn’t let the generators fall into their hands. They wouldn’t give their enemy any kind of weapon. The Dark Sorcerer and Doria were already formidable enough.

  “I like being with you too, but we should be focusing on the coming confrontation. We have to control it as much as possible.” Meagan’s arms slipped around him. Her head rested against his chest. He could feel the tension in her body.

  “We’ve done as much as we can. Now we have to see if the Dark Sorceress takes the bait. She might not be watching as we suspect.” Jaeson dropped a kiss on her head.

  He hoped that they’d guessed right, but in the end it all came down to chance. If they were lucky, the Dark Sorceress would come to them. He knew she hadn’t gone after Lassan and Gaellon. The two men already had the real generator out of the mountain. Lassan had contacted him when he was sure they were safe.

  “If you two are finished chatting and cuddling, I’m finished and we need to get this out to the others.” Samiel’s dry voice cut into Jaeson’s thoughts.

  He felt Meagan stiffen and shot a glare at the dragon. Samiel was right, but Jaeson didn’t have to like it. He slowly let his hands slide down to her buttocks. With a last squeeze of the deliciously rounded curve, he released her. She stood on her tiptoes and brushed her lips across his. He immediately wanted to grab her again and pull her close for a real kiss. Hell, that quick caress was only a tease. He leaned toward her.

  “No Jaeson, we don’t have time. I told you we’d both want more.” Meagan danced back before he could get his hands on her. She smiled smugly and strode over to look at the generator piece.

  She walked around the thing, her head titling to the side as she stared at it. He wanted to wipe that smirk off her face with a hot kiss and a long, slow fuck. He took a long step forward. Samiel stepped in front of him, blocking his view of the taunting witch. She’d been swinging her hips deliberately. She normally didn’t walk with that extra sway.

  “No.” Samiel folded his arms across his broad chest and looked as though it would take at least three men to move him.

  Jaeson felt like growling. If he could have done it as impressively as Samiel did, he would have. “Why do both of you think you can get away with telling me what to do
?”

  “Right now, because you know we don’t have time for what you want to do.” Samiel grinned.

  Jaeson didn’t like it, but the dragon was right. They had to get the piece out into the open and see if the Dark Sorceress was going to attack. He sighed and relaxed. He’d have to wait, but he knew he’d get his hands on her soon. He’d enjoy turning the tables on her.

  “This looks good. Now we need to get it outside and make it look like we’re ready to leave with it.” Meagan sounded cheerful and too damned innocent.

  “Of course it looks good. Don’t try baiting me, little witch.” Samiel’s tone may have been gruff, but his smile was all teasing warmth.

  Meagan laughed. “It was supposed to be a compliment. I didn’t know it was a given that you’d do a fabulous job.”

  Jaeson felt his lips twitch. He couldn’t resist poking a little at the dragon’s ego, especially since Samiel had been so eager to stop his fun.

  “That’s the way it is with our big dragon. You should always expect him to do a perfect job unless he makes a mistake.” Jaeson walked over and threw an arm over Samiel’s shoulder.

  Samiel humphed, shot Jaeson a disgruntled look and walked over to the generator. His hand moved and the created piece rose off the floor. Samiel could have easily lifted it himself, but most people would expect it to float out the entrance. Samiel walked out of the room and the generator piece floated after him. Jaeson waited until Meagan stepped into the tunnel and then followed. They strode into the slowly lightening day. Jaeson looked around the area. There was a heaviness in the air and it wasn’t an approaching storm.

  The Dark Sorceress was here. Even though he couldn’t feel any magic, he knew that she or the Dark Sorcerer had come to claim the piece of the generator. His muscles tensed and his pulse began to race. He didn’t let his awareness show. They had to seem surprised when the woman made her presence known. He didn’t say anything to Meagan or Samiel. They’d find out soon enough. The Dark Sorceress wouldn’t chance them leaving with it.

  “Everyone ready to go?” Meagan asked, her eyes surveying the group around her. She seemed relaxed and cheerful. “We’ve gotten what we came for.”

  “Meagan!” The female voice echoed in the valley between the mountains.

  Meagan’s head snapped up. He saw her looking around the area because there was no way to tell which direction it came from. He turned slowly, looking into the trees. He finally saw a man and a woman standing near a large boulder. The woman he recognized as Doria, the man he’d never seen. The brown-haired man hadn’t been at any of the battles. It was probably the Dark Sorcerer Doria had mentioned, but it could be one of the lesser minions.

  “What do you want, Doria? I told you, you wouldn’t get your hands on the generator piece.” Meagan put her hand on the piece and stepped slightly in front of it.

  Jaeson held back a smile at Meagan’s protective move. He didn’t doubt that the Dark Sorceress believed fully that the generator piece was real. The way she stiffened and her face reddened was evidence of that. Oh yes, she was too angry to think about why no one had been on lookout for an attack. Hopefully the hazel-eyed Dark Sorcerer, too, was focused on his own goal. Jaeson could tell the man wasn’t as invested as Doria was. Jaeson wasn’t sure what the Dark Sorcerer’s aim was, but it wasn’t personal.

  “Let’s get this out of here. They can’t do anything more than rage and lob a few orbs at us as we leave. Not much of a threat at all.” Jaeson put a hand on Meagan’s shoulder. The last he added as a dig against the Dark Sorcerer. He wanted the man angry and not thinking clearly.

  He saw the color rush over the man’s golden skin and the man’s body tensed. He snapped his fingers. Two merdanons appeared. Each merdanon held a woman above the ground. Jaeson hadn’t expected that. It showed even more clearly that the Dark Sorcerer wanted this very badly. Jaeson felt a surge of magic and recognized it as Meagan’s.

  “Now you know I’m not going to let you hurt hose two women. It’s not very smart bringing them out here.” Meagan stepped forward to the front of the group. He saw her sword and dagger held securely in her hands.

  “You can’t completely protect them as much as you may want to. You probably already have a shield around them, but could you hold it forever? We could leave and use other methods to get rid of them. There are you things you can’t protect them from.” Doria smiled, sliding a glance from one of the women to Meagan. “You don’t want them to die, do you?”

  “I’m not going to let you kill them, Doria. And you’re damn sure not taking them anywhere.”

  “Then you know what you have to do,” Doria looked relaxed now, as if she was certain of the outcome.

  Jaeson waited tensely. This couldn’t be too easy a surrender. The Dark Sorcerer standing beside Doria would see the truth even if Doria was too busy gloating. Jaeson heard a low growl. He looked over and saw Samiel bare his teeth. Jaeson felt a surge of magic, Meagan’s. He wondered what she’d done.

  “Now you can’t leave. I have all the time I need to take them from you. Then I’ll take care of you and your friend.” Meagan began gathering power. Her eyes narrowed and she looked determined.

  Jaeson was impressed with her tactics. The Dark Sorceress couldn’t know that Meagan could take down the shield in front of her with ease. They’d feel safe behind their shields with the merdanons holding the two women.

  “Ah, Meagan, you just don’t understand when you’re beaten.” Doria turned to one of the merdanons.

  The beast to the right put the woman on the ground and planted his foot on her chest. The woman screamed but it was cut short as the pressure forced the air from her lungs. The woman’s hands flailed at the thick gray leg, but it didn’t budge. Her face reddened.

  “Stop, Doria.” Meagan took a step forward.

  “Are you convinced you can’t win? Give it to me and she’ll live. Continue to play games with me and I’ll kill her just to show you I mean what I say.” Doria’s face was hard as was her voice.

  “I don’t trust you to keep you word. I need proof that you’ll let them go, because leaving them in your hands is tantamount to killing them anyway.” Meagan didn’t immediately give in to the demands.

  “We’ve got other witches. We don’t need them.” Doria waved off the concern. “Because I’m feeling so generous, I’ll give you what you seem to need. If you try any tricks, they’ll be dead before you can get to them.”

  “That’s not my way and you know it. Do what you’re going to do and let’s get this finished.” Meagan sent her weapons away and folded her arms across her chest.

  Doria waved her hand. Both merdanons released the women they held. The two women ran forward, but hit a shield before they could reach the group of vampires and dragons. Jaeson put a shield between the women and the Dark Sorcerers. The two were weak and he’d bet they currently didn’t have the power for even a light shield. He wasn’t going to chance the Dark Sorceress or her friend deciding to kill the women out of spite.

  Meagan waved her hand and the generator floated slowly forward. “Don’t get too attached to it.”

  “You don’t quit, do you? You lost this piece, just as you’ll lose in the end.” Doria stepped forward and claimed the generator piece. The gray mechanism lifted off the ground and floated over to the Dark Sorcerer.

  Doria stepped closer to the Dark Sorcerer. They formed a tunnel. Just before the two stepped into it, Doria hurled a large orb toward the two captives. He knew his shield would hold. Jaeson shook his head as he watched sparks fall to the ground in front of the two women.

  “Now that’s finished. Let’s go see what we can learn of the piece we do have.” Meagan turned and gave Jaeson a wink.

  “I’m so sorry,” one of the witches said. She sounded near tears as Maxim helped her to her feet.

  “Don’t worry about it. We don’t need that to ensure the cities remain safe.” Meagan turned back to face the two women. Her voice softened and she walked over to them. “You’re mo
re important than that piece of ancient witchcraft. Let’s get you home.”

  “They only let us go because they know we’ll be useless. They drained our power.” The stronger of the two women stood shakily on her feet.

  “It will come back. It’ll just take some time.” Jaeson walked forward to join Meagan. “Don’t worry about those two. They may think this gives them more of an edge, but I can guarantee it doesn’t.”

  “Let’s go. If they decide to come back, I don’t want to be here.” Meagan looked around at the assembled group.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Meagan watched Samiel as he paced the length of the room and back. She enjoyed the flex of his tight buttocks beneath the dark gray leather pants as he walked away from her. She wanted to get her hands on the taut curve, but he hadn’t come near her. The man was nearly bursting with energy yet continued to stay with her. She could tell he needed to be outside. She didn’t know why he was inside when he obviously needed to move.

  “Samiel, why don’t we go outside and enjoy the day?” She stood and walked over to him.

  He turned and frowned. “I thought you said your head ached. It’s why we left the coven.”

  Her head still throbbed, but lying quietly wasn’t helping much. The noise and sheer activity at the coven had been torture. Watching him pace as if he were caged wasn’t doing her much good either.

  “I’m thinking maybe getting outside in the fresh air could help. Laying still isn’t doing it. If you don’t mind going with me that is.” She shrugged.

  He nodded. “Let’s go. I know a place by the river where flowers are in bloom and the water falls into a wide pool.”

  “It sounds pretty. This place better deliver.” She poked her finger against his chest. Her finger slid against the dark blue shirt