Bloodthirsty Companions

MADDIE

“Don’t worry, princess. We’ll be very gentle.” The man continued toward me, spittle cascading through the gap in his teeth.

The group was closing in, but behind them, I saw the two men running toward me.

Two men who could save me from a Skeleton Quarter gang bang…

Even in the darkness, I could see it wasn’t Dane and Aneurin, as I had first thought.

It was Hael.

And ~Loch.~

Before I could process my surprise that the brothers were together, they burst through the motley crew.

And then—chaos.

The Dragon Lords knocked the urchins aside like bowling pins. Men flew through the air and crashed onto the ground beside the broken glass and rat shit.

I was swept up in strong arms and carried away from the violence.

“Are you okay?” Hael asked, dropping to one knee. He held me with one arm. With his other hand, he grabbed my chin.

I looked up into his worried eyes.

“Yes,” I whispered.

I was more than a little embarrassed. And more than a little overwhelmed.

A sickening crunch rang out, followed by an animalistic cry.

I clawed at Hael’s shoulder so I could see the fight.

~Lochness was here.~

Though I was more than happy to be delivered from the clutches of rapists, I didn’t want their blood to paint the whole Skeleton Quarter.

But Hael stood and began to run, carrying me away from the violence.

“No!” I shrieked. “What if he kills them all?”

“Are you fucking kidding me, mouse?” Hael asked.

He thought I was being selfless. Trying to protect the lowlifes of the Skeleton Quarter once again.

But I knew the lusty gang of men weren’t the only targets of Lochness’ rage.

He was an unpredictable monster. When he was thirsty for blood, no one was safe.

I thought of the girl I had met earlier, hardened by the world.

What if she found herself in Lochness’ path of destruction?

“Stop!” I yelled, more calmly this time. “You know Lochness won’t stop with these motherfuckers.”

Hael paused. I squirmed in his arms.

~“Please,”~ I begged.

In Hael’s eyes, I saw an unspeakable sadness. I knew it hurt him to go against his brother.

~“Fine,~ rat,” he finally obliged. “But you’re staying here.”

He dropped me to my feet.

“Hey!” I shrieked, but he was already sprinting away from me.

Back toward Lochness.

I tried to follow but couldn’t match Hael’s speed.

I stopped my pursuit. Even though Hael had carried me nearly a block away, I could still make out the bloodbath taking place.

Lochness stood over a man whose soiled garments were now soaked through with blood. My mate was pulling out a long, red rope from his eviscerated abdomen…

The sounds were grotesque. The ripping—the squelching—the fearful shrieks of those yet to know Loch’s wrath and attempting to run away.

Overcome by nausea, I vomited onto the ground.

How stupid I’d been earlier that night. I thought that a stroll would clear my head, but instead I’d walked straight into the pit of hell.

I heard a huge crash—what I thought was the sound of stone against stone.

But when I looked up, I saw the noise had come from Hael slamming into Loch.

I moved toward them. I didn’t know what I’d do when I got there, but I knew I needed to get closer. Even though it seemed impossible, I still held on to the belief that I could stop Lochness from consuming the dragon I once called my mate.

“You’re not a fucking ~animal,”~ Hael screamed.

Loch was so far gone, the brothers couldn’t even mind link.

Lochness’ animal roar ripped through the air.

The monster sent his fist into Hael’s stomach, and my mate doubled over in pain.

“Who ~I~ am, brother,” Lochness growled, “is none of your business.”

Hael was pinned up against a wall. From my angle, I could see both brothers’ faces in profile.

I thought I knew them. I thought their stunning, identical faces would forever be the same.

But Lochness had come, and Loch’s face had been twisted into something evil. And Hael, too, had changed.

Now, he was afraid.

Lochness’ breath rattled through his mouth. He pulled back his fist and sent it soaring at Hael’s face.

The crack of his nose rang in my ears. My scream echoed through the deserted streets, but it had no effect on the warring brothers.

I’d never been able to tell my mates what to do, but now I wondered if they could hear me at all.

XANDER

Zayda opened the door to the laboratory and quickly put on her gloves and her apron.

To her, it probably seemed like I’d arrived a few moments before her.

But really, I had been here all night long.

I had been producing more of the absorption substance for Zayda. The one that allowed her to absorb Xythor’s dragon magic.

Lucky girl.

Of course, she didn’t know just how lucky she was…

I had also checked on her “secret” potion. After some tests, it became clear that she was trying to make a panacea.

So, I popped a little bit of Devil’s Tooth Mushroom into it.

She was a tricky girl, even if her ambitions were stupid. Alas, I was able to use her for my will...and she had no idea.

“Good morning, Zayda,” I called.

Usually, she was the first to greet me, but it was clear that her mood was compromised today.

How intriguing…

“Morning,” she replied, knotting her apron and failing to meet my gaze.

“How’s Xythor?” I asked innocently.

“He’s not feeling well this morning, actually,” she replied.

~Perfection.~

This was why the dear pet was unhappy.

Because my plan was already beginning to work.

~Poor~ thing.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said, offering a crocodile smile. “You should be careful that you don’t catch whatever little ~bug~ he might have.”

Little did she know, she was catching something better than a bug.

I traced a crack in the black surface of the lab table with my finger.

“I have a special chamomile tea in my office. How about I prepare a cup for you with some honey and lemon?”

I held my breath, waiting for her response.

Finally, she looked up, and a little smile played on her lips.

“Thanks, Xander. That sounds really nice.”

I was practically giddy as I scurried into my office and set the kettle on.

While the water warmed, I squeezed some lemon into a mug and drizzled in a generous spoonful of honey.

Then, I reached for the highest shelf and retrieved my special concoction.

~Absorption powder.~

I poured in the normal dose of one teaspoon, but then—silly me!—my hand slipped. I dropped an extra dose into the cup.

No matter.

It would only help the process along more quickly…

More smoothly…

More ~painlessly...~

Well, maybe not painlessly.

The kettle began to whistle, and then I poured the water over my special tea…

It smelled like soothing, harmless chamomile.

I returned to the lab, the steaming cup in my hands.

“For you,” I said, passing the mug to Zayda.

ZAYDA

As I walked away from the laboratory, the sun shone, and the birds sang.

Usually, weather like this made me feel amazing.

But I couldn’t deny the darkness that shrouded my mood. That surrounded me like a storm cloud.

~Xythor.~

I was so worried about my love; I could hardly think of anything else.

And even more confusing was that while his body was clearly feeling unwell, mine was feeling...well, ~well.~

I felt strong, my muscles practically bursting with energy.

My vision was sharp, and my attention was focused.

But this only meant I had more energy to worry about Xythor. While he was doing his best to convince me that he wasn’t concerned, I sensed otherwise.

He’d never been sick like this before.

He was a ~dragon,~ after all.

He tried to use this fact to comfort me. Nothing could happen to him, he said.

But I wasn’t convinced.

And while Xander hadn’t discussed alchemy at all, I still left feeling disappointed.

And I knew why.

When Xander left the room to make me a cup of tea, I used the opportunity to check on the panacea.

It was yellow. Meaning it wasn’t ready yet. It wasn’t even close.

I couldn’t help but wonder if I had started the project because I’d had some sixth sense that Xythor would get sick.

But what difference did it make if the potion didn’t work?

I walked out of the gates of the university campus and immediately felt lighter. What ~was~ it about this place that put me on edge?

I was relieved to be in the shade of Requiem City’s skyscrapers. I enjoyed walking the broad, busy streets.

The city was chaotic, but it was my home.

Suddenly, a huge dog came sprinting from around the corner. Its leash trailed it in the wind like a ribbon. A little girl chased behind.

It was heading straight for the busy road.

“Tommy!” she shrieked.

Almost before my mind could process the scene, I stretched out my hand and grabbed the loop at the end of the leash.

The dog jolted to a halt, turning his big face to me curiously. He must have weighed eighty pounds, but I didn’t even flinch under the weight.

When I turned, the little girl flung herself around my legs in a massive hug.

“You saved Tommy!” she cried. “Thank you, miss!”

I fumbled the leash into her hand, avoiding her searching eyes.

I knew I’d done a good deed, but my hands were shaking. Where had this strength come from?

I hurried the remaining blocks to Xythor’s like a ghost.

As I stood at the door to his apartment, I tried to focus on positive thoughts.

I was a superhero to that little girl. And I could be Xythor’s superhero, too.

I would bring light into that dark, sick room. And then everything would be better.

I exhaled and turned my key in his door.

What I saw wiped every positive thought from my mind.

I screamed, the awful noise rending through the tepid air.

Xythor collapsed on the floor of his apartment.

Surrounded by a pool of blood.