Dragon Heat 2 - Red Hot Dragon (10 page)

A millisecond later, Griff realized Avani had bitten him.

He didn’t dare move a muscle in fear of tearing his throat.

Immediately, he experienced a gut-wrenching burst of

shame and guilt as he shared her horrified emotions. Her

mouth yanked away from him and she turned her head,

burying her face in her hands. “I’m sorry. Oh, God! I’m so

sorry.”

Hissing with discomfort, he put a hand to his bleeding

neck. The area had gone numb. A quiver of panic coursed

through him. “Is your venom deadly to dragons?”

Sobbing now, she cried from behind her hands. “No.”

Comforted by the thought that he wasn’t about to die,

Griff gently pried her hands from her face. She refused to

meet his gaze until he carefully grasped her chin and

forced her. The sight of two razor sharp fangs peeking out

from her upper lip stunned him. His blood stained her pout

but he pushed down the shock rolling through him so she

wouldn’t feel it. Shame still radiated from her in such

brutal waves of embarrassment.

Wanting to soothe her, he kissed her forehead.

“Sweetheart, it’s okay. I’m fine. It’s just a little blood.”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bite you. I couldn’t

control it.”

“Honey,” he whispered tenderly and dared to press his

lips to her fanged mouth. “I know you didn’t do it on

purpose.” He swept a fingertip down her cheek. “Your

eyes have gone completely serpentine. I think this”—he

touched one of her fangs—“is a side effect of some type of

hormonal surge.”

“You’re not mad at me?” She looked terrified.

“No. Never.” He let his lips touch hers again,

reassuring her that he had no problem kissing her even

with two venomous fangs protruding from her upper jaw.

“We’re fine.”

Avani’s fingers moved to his neck. She ran them over

the puncture wounds in his skin. “I wanted to taste you so

badly. My throat burned with the need to drink from you.”

Her description of wanting his blood freaked him out a

little, but he’d never let her know that. He made sure to

keep his emotions in check rather than hurt her for

something she couldn’t control.

“You did say that biting and swapping blood were part

of the Naga mating ritual.” Steeling himself for the pain to

come, he suggested, “You should probably finish it. Bite

me again and drink from me.”

She hesitated. “Are you sure? It’s going to hurt.”

He swept his hands up and down her arms. “I’m sure.”

Baring his neck, he ordered, “Bite me.”

As her fanged mouth moved closer to his neck, Griff

experienced a surge of panic—but it wasn’t the fear of

being bit that hit him right in the solar plexus. “Stop!”

His shout startled her. Hasty with her apology, she

cried, “I’m sorry. I won’t—”

“Hush,” he instructed with a hissed whisper. Pulling out

of her, he scrambled off the bed and turned his gaze

toward the ceiling. Dread filled him. “We have to move.

Now!”

Chapter Seven

Avani realized that Griffin wasn’t angry with her.

Something was terribly wrong. She clambered to her feet

and grasped his strong hand. He ran to the ladder and

hoisted her up high onto the rungs. Naked and scared, she

didn’t dare waste time asking what was coming. Deep

down inside, she already knew that answer.

Only the Knights with their bloodlust for slaying

dragons could have put that look on Griffin’s face.

She climbed quickly. Griffin kept his hand on her lower

back as they moved up the ladder. With the mating heat on

them, the forced shifting would be disastrous in this shaft.

Up in the closet, he picked her up and moved her behind

him. He opened the door and cautiously crept into the

hallway. Avani gripped his hand and silently prayed

they’d make it out of this alive.

“Dragon! We know you’re in there. Give us the girl and

we’ll be on our way.”

Despite the darkness, Avani could see Griffin’s face

clearly with her snakelike eyes. His confused expression

didn’t bode well. Did they mean her? Or was this

something to do with Madoc and Ivy Morales?

Clearing his throat, Griffin bellowed at the Knight

outside the front door. “There is no girl here. Leave or I

will be forced to defend my home.”

She eyed Griffin with some surprise. He’d made it

sound like he was home alone and he’d taken ownership

of Mad’s place. She wasn’t proficient in the various

intricacies of the rules governing the war between Knights

and dragons, but she did know that they respected the

protection of a domicile only if it belonged to the dragon

they chased. She and Griffin didn’t live here and had no

claim on this home’s protection.

It was a mistake she feared they would soon regret.

A low, menacing laugh came from the front porch.

“Funny thing, dragon, but the truck out here in the

driveway is registered to Griffin Cadogan and not Ian

Madoc, the owner of this home.”

Griffin stiffened. He started to push her back into the

closet. One look at his determined face and she knew what

he planned. Squeezing his hand, she whispered, “No.”

He kissed her with such passion and love. “Stay hidden.

They don’t know you’re here.”

“Griffin!” She clutched at him, refusing to be separated

from him.

“It’s the only way, sweetheart.”

Shoved into the closet, she crouched down like a

coward. The door was cracked open enough for her to see

Griff. He shifted with such finesse and ease. His giant

frame expanded a foot and his muscular chest and arms

increased as another hundred or so pounds of brutally

strong flesh swelled on his limbs. She couldn’t see the

bright red color of the scales now covering his skin, but

she could imagine how beautiful and awesome he looked.

Wings shot free from his back, slamming into the

house’s interior and tearing the drywall. As a teenager,

she’d seen other dragons testing out their wings but she’d

never seen any like Griffin’s. Unlike the bony, reptilian

types she’d seen, his were thicker and heavier with

reinforced webbing. No doubt the loud thunder he’d

spoken of creating required those genetic differences.

As glass shattered upstairs and downstairs, Avani felt

the searing pain of her change begin. Swallowing the cries

of agony, she snapped flat onto her belly in the closet. Her

feet slammed together and her arms fused to her sides. Her

bones cracked and realigned themselves, joining together

in spots and dissolving in others.

Like Griffin who became absolutely gigantic in his

dragon form, she also gained bulk. Avani’s average-sized

frame elongated and expanded as the supernatural change

overcame her. In her shifted state, Avani resembled a

frightfully large anaconda, with all the strength and speed

of the slithery beast.

Rolling her neck, she experienced the frightful trauma of

her tongue splitting and forking to become more

serpentine. Her skin grew clammy and slimy as she

became hairless and then sprouted scales. The fangs in her

mouth protruded even more now. They throbbed and ached

as venom filled her cheeks and the sacs located there.

Now fully a serpent, Avani refused to let the feral side

of her take control. Griffin’s words circled round and

round in her head. She was strong enough. She could do

this.

Coiled into a striking position, her gaze darted to the

crack between the door and its frame. Unable to hear in

this form, she relied on her acute vision and the pitted

sensors in her face that allowed her to read heat signals.

Sound waves bounced around the house and ricocheted off

her skull, allowing her to feel Griffin’s movements. His

heat signal flared bright orange in her brain. The smaller,

yellower signals belonged to the human Knights attacking

the house.

Counting seven of them, Avani realized they were

terribly outnumbered. Griffin didn’t let the obvious

disadvantage stop him. He slapped his wings together. The

force of his thunderous vibrations rattled her and made the

walls shake. The closest Knight, the one creeping in

through the front door, dropped instantly. No doubt he’d

been rendered unconscious by the sound waves.

Upstairs, three Knights made their way to the stairs.

Two came in from the kitchen and another dared the front

door. That one didn’t make it far. Griffin whacked the

Knight with his wing, throwing the man through a wall.

She’d never seen anything like it in her life. In her snake

form, the display of dominance caused a flare of interest

and desire.

Certain Griffin could hold his own with the two slayers

coming from the kitchen, Avani turned her attention to the

trio coming downstairs. The primal instincts of her snake

took hold. The love she felt for Griffin empowered her

and drove her to defend him. She’d die before she let

anyone harm her mate.

Embracing her reptilian instincts, Avani bided her time.

She didn’t dare strike at the first man or the second. No,

she waited for the third to walk just beyond the closet

before moving in a flash of violent speed. Undaunted by

the human logic that would have left her feeling remorse

or guilt, she struck the man right in his neck, locking her

jaw around his soft flesh and sinking her fangs deep into

his neck. Venom spilled into his bloodstream. He gasped

and clawed at her, but it was futile. The moment she felt

the venom take hold, she relaxed her jaw and let him drop.

The second man heard the commotion and turned

toward her. His eyes widened with fear as she rose up to

peer in his face. With a hiss, she attacked him. Unable to

lock onto his neck, she bit his cheeks and forehead and

finally his nose. He screamed and fell to his knees, but she

paid him no mind.

The first Knight to come down the stairs aimed his

weapon at her. In her human form, she would have

hesitated and been hit fatally. As a serpent, she reacted

with maximum speed, dropping to the floor and slithering

out of the way. The bullets tore through the wall and then

into the hardwood planks, but she managed to evade most

of them. Two grazed her scaly flesh, but the wounds

weren’t deep or life threatening.

She struck his calf and then bit his thigh twice.

Screaming, he dropped to his knees. The weapon fell from

his hand as he clutched at his numb limbs. She slammed

her fangs into his chest and released a dose of venom. He

made a choking sound before dropping onto his face and

seizing.

Vibrations rippled through her skull. Gunshots?

Slithering along the wall, she came into the living room.

Griffin staggered on his feet as he faced his opponent.

There were three Knights facedown on the floor

surrounding him.

But the Knight standing across from Griffin filled her

with such fury. It was the man he’d thrown through the

wall earlier. Though clearly injured, he fired his weapon

again, hitting Griffin with a series of darts. The poison in

them left him lurching and unsteady on his feet.

Across the dark living room, their gazes met. As if in

slow motion, Griffin fell to the floor. His body bounced as

it impacted the wood, cracking the planks and shaking the

house. His hand moved toward her, his fingers twitching

wildly before his eyes closed.

Enraged, Avani reacted with lightning speed. She flew

at the Knight who had shot her mate, lunging toward him

with enough speed to knock him onto his back. He kicked

her in the face and scurried away but she was quicker. She

wound around his legs and jerked hard.

Back on the ground, he grabbed his weapon and fired at

her. The poisonous dart hit its mark but had no immediate

effect. He realized his mistake a moment too soon and

reached for the handgun holster on his thigh. She bit his

hand and injected enough venom to render him useless.

With a cry of pain, he clutched his hand to his chest and

dropped back to the floor.

The threat of the Knights neutralized, Avani slithered

across the living room floor to reach Griffin. Nuzzling his

neck, she felt the life draining out of him. The poison in the

darts slowed his heartbeat and made it difficult for him to

breathe. She could still feel the dart embedded along her

scaly back. The poison had no effect on her. Apparently,

she was immune to whatever it was.

Seeing no other choice, Avani knocked away the first

dart with a swipe of her nose. She opened her jaw wide

and rose up to bite Griffin in the spot he’d been shot. His

nearly lifeless body didn’t even jerk when she sank her

fangs into his hot, red dragon flesh. With long pulls, she

sucked the poison from him, taking his rich blood into her

mouth along with it.

As she moved to the next dart wound, she prayed this

would work.
Please live. I need you.

* * *

Griffin tried to surface from beneath the heavy, oppressive