Tangled Innocence (16 page)

Jace shook his head. “It’s rare to find one, let alone two.”

Nadie nodded. “We need to stop fighting over things we can’t
control and figure out how to live with what we
can
. You can take time off. You’re allowed to, and we all know it.
Dante is doing his damned best to find a way to keep from leaving us for five
hundred years, and I’m learning to protect myself in case all goes to hell.”

She let out a breath and sagged against Dante’s chest,
utterly spent.

Jace rubbed her feet, and she moaned. “I’m sorry,” she
whispered. “I know I keep saying that, but I am. I have a short fuse, and I
lost it.”

Dante played with her hip and squeezed. “I had a shorter
fuse it seemed.”

Her eyes closed she snuggled closer. “I had the shortest
considering I hit Jace.” She blushed, mortified. “That was an idiotic thing to
do.”

Jace pressed his thumb against the arch of her foot, and she
moaned again.

“No, that was what you needed to do,” Jace said. “You’re
also spent and in need of energy, so I’ll let that pass.”

She felt Dante’s cock push against her ass, and she wiggled
before he squeezed her hip harder.

“Sprite…”

“What?” she asked innocently.

“Be careful or you’re going to be punished for teasing,” her
dragon warned.

Jace moved his hand up her calf. “Speaking of punishing…I
think our Nadie needs to learn what happens when she loses her temper.”

She moaned again. “I take it we’re done talking?”

Dante slid his hand up her stomach to cup her breast. “About
things we can’t control where we already have plans in place? Yes. Dirty talk
and your screams as I eat that pretty pussy and the gorgeous tits? Not yet.”

She arched her back.

“Bring it,” she tempted.

And oh yeah, she loved how her mates took that command and
made it their own. They totally brought it.

The bottle of tequila on the bar called her name, and when
Nadie risked a glance at Jace, it took all her power not to blush or rub up
along her mate and purr. Jace wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her
close.

“What could you possibly be thinking, Nadie Morgan?” he
whispered in her ear, the deep vibrations sending shivers down her body.

She wiggled her ass slightly against his rock-hard cock and
leaned back. “I’m thinking that we’re in the middle of Dante’s bar and my friends
are right behind us probably watching every move we make. I don’t think I
should be thinking about finding a way to get you on top of the bar so I can
lick tequila off your naked body.”

Jace barked out a laugh and turned her in his arms so they
were facing each other. “We’ll do that when we get home.”

Home.

Yes. Home. She and Jace had officially moved into Dante’s
house. Nadie’s lease had run out the week before, and it didn’t make any sense
to keep the place open since she hadn’t slept there in months anyway. Jace kept
a place—separate from his parents—in the den, but he’d said they’d use it when
the three of them stayed there as well. While at first Nadie could have blamed
the quickly moving relationship on the fact that there
was
a danger out there, now she knew she’d just been deluding
herself.

She’d been Dante’s, as he’d been hers, from the first moment
they’d seen each other. They just hadn’t done anything about it for far too
long. She wasn’t human anymore and had to live her life to the fullest as part
of a world where falling for another and moving quickly when it came to a true
mating bond was just par for the course.

Jace cupped her face. “Hey, where’d you go?”

Nadie shook her head, bringing her thoughts to the present
rather than worrying about what she couldn’t fix, what she didn’t
want
to fix.

“Nowhere. Let’s go to the table and sit with the girls.”

Jace frowned but took her hand and led her to the circular
table in the corner that she and her friends had claimed years ago. There were
a few other patrons in the bar, but she figured they’d be leaving soon as the
bar was closing early. Dante wanted to get home before it got too late so he
could keep them behind wards.

Soon the fact she always had an eye on her would start
feeling constricting, but right then, her men needed to feel as though they
were doing something to keep each other safe, so she would go with the flow.

For now.

“God, you look so freaking happy it’s sickening,” Faith
sneered, though she was smiling so Nadie knew the other woman wasn’t totally
serious. Just somewhat.

Her friends hadn’t blinked an eye when she’d shown up with
two men. Yeah, they had heard about it and had questions for Jace at first to
make sure he was treating her right, but they’d been happy for her. Faith had
even grilled Dante to make sure he had apologized correctly. Groveling had
apparently been required and Nadie thought he’d done well with that. Since
Jamie already broke the ice with the triad thing within their group, Nadie
having two men had only led to penis jokes.

After all, size mattered.

At least in their humor.

“It can’t be helped,” Dante said as he sat down next to
Nadie, leaving her sandwiched between her two men—a common occurrence.

Faith rolled her eyes and leaned into Eliana. Amara sat on
the other side of Faith, her head in her books. She was, trying to finish her
master’s degree. The other lightning-struck were with their mates and children,
leaving the single women and Nadie at the bar. Not that Nadie would ever call
Faith, Amara, and Eliana the “single women” out loud. Nadie liked her face the
way it was, thanks.

They talked for another twenty minutes or so about nothing
important, the simplicity of the conversation letting Nadie relax. She’d been
on edge since she’d first heard about the Conclave and then she’d had the
accident. She knew something was coming, they all knew, but she didn’t know
what or when. It was as though they were sitting on the edge of a blade ready
to find out if they’d cut themselves or be thrown off, never to recover.

Neither of those outcomes sounded pleasant to her.

The other patrons had gone home now, leaving her friends and
mates alone in the bar so they could talk freely about the things in their
lives that might not seem so normal to others.

Dante stood in the middle of Eliana’s question about
different kind of shifters, and everyone went silent. Jace rose with him, and
an icy sensation slid down her spine.

Something was coming.

Dante looked across the table at Faith and the others and
growled. “Get to the back room. Now. Nadie, go with them. Use your powers to
protect them as best you can.”

The faith he put in her powers might have made her feel warm
all over on any other day. Right then, though, she wanted to know what the heck
was going on.

Faith, it seemed, agreed. “What the fuck is going on?”

Jace pulled Nadie behind him, and she started toward the
back, Eliana and Amara on her heels, dragging Faith behind them.

“If a dragon and a bear tell you to hide or make a break for
it, you do it!” Eliana screamed.

Faith huffed but stopped fighting and went. Her friends were
human, weaker than whatever was coming. Nadie might be a succubus, but she
wasn’t fully ready to fight either. She hadn’t practiced on anything other than
trees at this point, and though she didn’t feel prepared, she would not let her
friends get hurt. She risked a look over her shoulder at her mates.

She would not let her mates get hurt either.

The sound of a train, tornado…something so loud she could
barely hear her own thoughts filled the room, and she threw herself over Faith
and Amara, pulling Eliana down with her. They hit the floor as a stream of fire
shot overhead.

They screamed and curled into balls before trying to crawl
out of the way. But there was nowhere to go. She heard a fight begin behind her
but couldn’t move her head to look for fear of catching on fire.

Dear God, there had to be another dragon in the room. She
knew the feel of Dante’s magic, of the fire in his veins, and this was not it.

“Come on!” Faith yelled over the roar of flames and the
dragon.

Nadie nodded and pulled Amara to her side. The four of them
huddled in the corner, blocked from reaching an exit on all sides.

“Can you block the flames?” Amara asked.

Nadie shook her head. “I don’t think so, but I can try.” She
held up her arms and let her power flow through her. She had no idea if this
would work since she’d been told her powers could only act like lightning, but
maybe she could divert the flames…or at least harm whoever was on the other
side of the wall of fire, the one who had the audacity to come into her mate’s
bar and attack them.

Lightning power shot from her palms, sending a shock of
white light through the fire. The girls gasped behind her, and sweat poured
down her face from the intense heat and concentration. She didn’t know if she
could help, but she would not go down acting worthless.

Her friends touched her, bringing her focus to what was in
front of her.

“Oh my God, it’s working,” she panted. The fire couldn’t
come closer, not with the shield her succubus seemed to be providing. She
couldn’t let it fall. She couldn’t let the fire touch them.

But what of her mates?

****

Dante roared but couldn’t shift to his dragon form, not when
they were inside the building. He’d break through the roof, endangering everyone
in his care. He could, however, beat the fuck out of the little shit who dared
come to his land and threaten his mates.

Jace growled beside him, stripping off his clothes and
shifting to a six-hundred-pound grizzly. His mate pawed at the ground, ready to
pounce at the dragon in human form in front of them.

Rock.

How wrong Dante had been to even consider this piece of crap
dragon to take his place. That would be something he could beat himself over
later. Right now, he needed to teach this fucker a lesson.

Rock spewed more fire, but Dante held out his hands, letting
the fire in his heart, in his veins break free. Instead of attacking Rock, the
fire attacked the enemy flames. He felt Nadie through the bond and saw her
powers in use as she tried to shield herself and her friends.

But that couldn’t last forever.

She was still so new, so young. Her succubus would run out
of energy before too long, and then it would be too late. He wouldn’t lose her.
Couldn’t lose her.

The fire died down around them, Rock’s power no match for
Dante’s. Beside him, Jace leapt on the other man, clawing at the other’s face
and sides. He knew that Jace wouldn’t kill the other man, not until they had
answers, but his mate would maim him. Just a little.

Dante ran back to Nadie, who stood in front of her friends,
her face pale, her arms red and burnt. He roared, fury slamming through him,
the steady staccato of anger about to burst free. He reined in his temper,
refusing to go dragon and kill all in his path for daring to harm his mate.

Nadie came up to him, tears streaming down his face and
cupped his cheek. “I’m fine. It’s only on the surface. Go to Jace. I’ve got
this.”

Dante didn’t touch her, afraid once he did he’d never let
her go. He only nodded and gave a cursory glance at her friends to ensure they
were unharmed before stalking back toward Jace and his prey.

Rock would pay for harming his mate.

For damaging his bar.

For daring to attack him.

Painfully.

Dante crouched down, staring into the eyes of the dragon he
didn’t know but had apparently caused so much hatred that Rock had attacked.
“Tell me why you’ve done this.”

The other man didn’t answer through his bloody lips. Jace
pressed down on Rock’s neck with his paw until the other man choked, gasping
for breath. Dante patted Jace’s forearm until his bear pulled back slightly,
letting Rock breathe enough so he could answer the question.

“You should have died long ago,” Rock sneered.

Dante snorted softly, a small tendril of smoke escaping his
nostril. This dragon was truly an idiot. Dante nodded at Jace, who growled
before pressing down on Rock’s throat.

He could feel Nadie and the others behind him, but
thankfully they were far enough away that he could protect them in case Rock
got a crazy idea in his head, like escaping. Nadie, he knew now, could protect
herself as well. That alone calmed his dragon from raging beyond redemption.

Jace let up after a few minutes, and Rock gasped for breath.

“Tell me,” Dante ordered. “Tell me why you are here. Why you
tried to hurt my mates.” The sight of burns on Nadie’s arms would haunt him
forever. He knew her succubus would heal her slowly, but once they got home,
he’d do what he could to help it along.

“I couldn’t get to your home the day that bitch ran off the
road, so I came here. You must die so I can rule.”

Dante growled and stood slowly. “Did you run my mate off the
road?”

Rock shook his head—or at least tried to. It was hard since
Jace had his claw on the bastard’s jugular.

“It wasn’t me. It was happenstance. I was there to break
through your wards. Someone else tried to kill the bitch.”

“Call my friend a bitch one more time, and I’ll let the
dragon fry you to a crisp,” Faith yelled.

Dante smirked. “I could always let the human at you, Rock.
I’m sure she could torture you just as well as I could.”

“Damn straight,” Faith agreed.

How Dante loved his friends.

“You’ll never get me,” Rock sneered. “You know nothing,
Dante Bell.”

Jace growled, and Dante tilted his head. He was missing
something. Something important. The dragon sounded too confident considering he
was about to die.

The scent of burnt sage and jasmine filled his nostrils, and
Dante cursed, throwing out a ring of protective fire around Nadie and the
girls. Jace jumped back, and Rock screamed before going up in flames.

Jace shifted back to human, standing naked next to Dante.
“What the fuck just happened?”

“Why is Jace naked?” Faith asked.

“Not the time, Faith!” Eliana screamed.

“There is always a time to ask why someone that hung is
naked!” Faith yelled back.

Dante could tell the girls were freaked out of their minds,
so he let them yell at each other while he looked at the charred circle on his
floor.

Nadie came to his side, and he held out his arm. “What
happened?”

Jace growled, and Dante knew the other man had spotted her
burns. As it was, he himself was on the verge of changing to his dragon,
letting out a stream of fire so long he’d burn the entire city to the ground
because someone had hurt his mate. But he was controlling himself for her.

For now.

“That was Rock,” Dante explained.

“Why did he want you dead?” Nadie asked.

“I think he wanted the Conclave’s position,” Jace growled.

“That would seem so,” Dante agreed.

“At least he’s dead now,” Faith added in from his side.

Dante shook his head. “No, I’m afraid he still lives.”

Everyone grew silent.

“Dante, baby, he went up in flames,” Nadie said. “How could
he still be alive?”

Dante sighed. “Because he’s a dragon and because he had
help. Someone with powers to call other dragons who have shared blood…or other
things…to their side.”

Jace cursed. “Your mother? Your mother fucking took him back
to her side?”

The girls gasped beside him, and Dante ground his teeth. “It
would seem my mother and Rock have joined forces to kill me and take over the
dragon realm.”

“Well shit. That doesn’t sound like the best family
reunion,” Faith muttered.