Defy Me Read online

  But she would be alive.

  With half a soul.

  She'd literally shared her soul with him. If he died what would happen to her? The power inside of him, the part she had awakened burned with a fire hotter than the center of the Earth, burning him from the inside out. It was a harsh warning. Jett had no doubt whatsoever that if she died, he would too. They were bonded together, forever. Mates for life.

  Hold still, you little bitch. I won't hurt you. Much.

  Yvaine slipped through the Black Dragon's grasp again and when she reappeared she was right on top of Jett. She barreled into him, slid underneath his armored dragon's belly, and rolled out under his tail. She touched a hand to a wound on his back leg and it healed almost instantly. "There you go. Can you fly? Let's get the dell out of hodge."

  Jett snagged her in his talons and gave all his energy to his wings, hoping for the smallest chance that they could fly away. The gold dragons may still be in the skies over the North Sea and if they could just make it that far, they could alert Cage. Who may or may not send a squadron of dragon warriors to battle the Black Dragon. The King of Hell wasn't the top of the priority list for the AllWyvern anymore. His children and Ereshkigal's claim for them had become more important.

  If the Black Dragon was going down, Jett would have to be the one to do it. It was his destiny.

  Fly away to fight another day, sacrifice himself to save Yvaine with no guarantees she could escape, or take them both down to hell with the chance that his brothers would kill her to gain their freedom. An impossible decision that was suddenly taken out of Jett's hands. He didn't get a chance to lift off the ground with Yvaine. A searing fire hit his left wing and it snapped, breaking at the joint. He faltered under the pain and lost his grip on Yvaine.

  You're both mine now. The Black Dragon shot a fireball the size of a pick-up truck at Jett's head and reached out his claws to snatch Yvaine up. Jett called up the shadow with all of his might. He roared into the night sky, opening a crack between hell and earth, letting the shadows that dwelled there to swell and pour into the land. Surrounded by the darkness, together they fell fast and hard into the heat of hell. Jett grabbed Yvaine to him and encircled her in the clasp of his wings. They landed in a dark cave that smelled of fire and brimstone. All the air knocked out of his lungs when he hit the stone, and he had to swallow a grunt of pain when his broken wing snapped again. The only thing keeping him conscious was his need to make sure Yvaine was okay.

  Love, are you okay? He reached out his senses and found her shining soul in the darkness like a brightly burning candle in the night. He'd been worried that just passing through the shadow would harm her. She was tougher than he gave her credit for. He would do well to remember that.

  She patted his chest and leaned her forehead against him, breathing harshly. "Yeah, but I've got bits of rocks in places that the sun don't shine. Where are we?"

  The scraping voice of the crone, Queen of the underworld, answered for him. "Welcome home, dragonling. We've been waiting for you."

  Erishkigal waved her hand, closing the portal of shadow to the Earthly plane above and cut off the Black Dragon's route to follow. Along with her command of the realm came the hoarde of demon dragons under her control, the cursed ones. She'd been busy with her coup over the Black Dragon. Behind them, her personal guard showed him in no uncertain terms, they were here to made sure he and Yvaine didn't go anywhere. All the Annunaki, except his own mother, encircled Jett and Yvaine. This was no escape. He'd brought them straight into a trap.

  "Hand over the girl and you can join your brethren again. I cannot let her live and break any more of my spells." Ereshkigal waved her hand and the Annunaki tightened their circle.

  Jett growled at them and shot a warning stream of fire over their heads. Not a chance, witch. You can not just give her to the Black Dragon. I won't let you and it wouldn't matter. She cannot redeem his soul the way he thinks she can.

  "Stupid boy. Your father is a lost cause. He is not worth the effort I took to restore his powers. He cannot reclaim his past, his birthright. The fool does not see that Inanna must pay for what she has done." The witch shook with anger. "If she is not held accountable for her crimes she will continue to wreak havoc on all our realms. She has gotten away with her selfishness long enough."

  Yvaine clung to him, still wrapped in his wings. "Whoa. She is pissed at this Inanna person. We should not get in the middle of their girl fight."

  Too late.

  "I had such high hopes for you when I released you from the spell. I thought if I gave you a taste of freedom, you'd see the realities of this war." Erishkigal signaled to the the cursed demon dragons around them and they, unafraid of Jett's fire moved in closer, hissing and growling. Their eyes burned with the fury of hell. He knew it well, but it had never been directed at him. Not good.

  Hatred for the Black Witch ignited a renewed need in Jett to raze hell and end the reign of terror over him and his kind. She had broken her own curse over him. He'd always assumed his mother had found a way to do that, to set him free. Even in his freedom, he'd been a pawn to this witch. No more. He would find a way that never again would her bidding be done by him or his cursed brothers.

  She waved a hand and three demon dragons advanced on him. They stalked toward him, spotting the weakness in his stance. They hadn't yet spotted Yvaine, but they would know by her scent that she was here. He also saw in their eyes that they were reticent to do the witch's bidding. They stopped only inches from him and he didn't know if it was of their own will or if the witch had them all exactly where she wanted them.

  "Geshtianna was supposed to guide you, not corrupt you with her own agenda. If I hadn't blocked you from communicating with the demon dragons you might have ruined everything. She will pay for her betrayal of me as well. If you don't want to join her in her six months of torture by my Annunaki, you'll do as you're told. Give me the girl."

  Never. My brethren and I will overcome your hold. He was talking out his ass at the moment, stalling for time until he could figure out how to get Yvaine to safety. But every word was a promise. One he'd made before to the cursed, but never out loud to the Black Witch. You'll never be able to use us for your own purposes ever again. You want to fight your sister, do it yourself. We are done dying for you.

  The witch scoffed at him. "Your brethren, as you call them, don't feel the same way, I fear. You've left them with something very dangerous, dragonling. Hope. They wanted you to free them so badly, as you promised to do. But they can all see the evidence now that you had no intention of saving anyone but yourself."

  They wouldn't believe that. I have given everything to find a way to free them from your curse.

  "Really?" Her cackle sounded like she had already won their debate. "If that were true, you wouldn't be holding the key to their freedom from them. You've made too many promises you can't keep and they grow tired of waiting. Better to stay with me and know their fates than wonder if you even care about them."

  Yvaine gasped and tried to tell him something. Even the slightest distraction from her could give the demon dragons the impetus needed to attack. He had to stay focused on them if he was going to protect her. Many of them surrounding him were restless. They looked between him and the witch. He needed them on his side. I keep nothing from you, brothers. I don't have the cure for the curse yet. I was close. I will get the unicorn's blood and save you all.

  "Lies. You hold what you need in your arms now. You're just not willing to sacrifice this one insignificant creature for the legions of your brothers. They will continue to suffer and die, fighting against the dragon warriors." Ereshkigal signaled to one of the Annunaki who drew out a sword and swiped it at Jett's injured wing. He reflexively pulled it away but exposed Yvaine in the process.

  The demon dragons around him snarled and hissed, jumping over themselves and each other to see her, to feel her light.

  "Jett. She's right." Black swirls of Yvaine's magic drifted in and out of the
tight hold he had on her. "I can help them."

  No. We don't know that you can break the curse. He'd always thought he would do anything to save his brethren, it had been his only thought in everything he had done. He would sacrifice anything. Anything, except for her. He wouldn't do that. He couldn't. He would die himself first.

  "But you do know it. I am evidence of that." Jett's brother walked into the cave. The demon dragons weren't surprised he was there. He must have been in communication with them when Jett threw him through the shadow into hell.

  Ereshkigal took one look at the uncursed man and threw her cloak up to cover her face. She backed away and signaled to her Annanaki to use themselves as a barricade between her and his brother. In a flash, Jett realized why. His brother signaled to one group of demon dragons who turned on the Annunaki and the Black Witch. His brother was not under Erishkigal's control and that scared her. The demon dragons didn't attack outright, instead they were coordinated, like never before, and they formed a continuous wall of fire. The two demon dragons on the outside flanks, flapped their wings at the fire and it pushed Ereshkigal and the Annunaki back.

  Jett gaped at the sight of the powerful witch and her demons being repelled by an attack of such surgical precision. This was not normal behavior. Even the Black Dragon did not direct the demon dragons like this. If he had the dragon warriors might have been defeated long ago. Which made Jett wonder, did that fault lie with his father's command, or had his brethren resisted taking orders from the Black Dragon?

  Ereshkigal fled the cave and Jett's mind finally felt unhindered. He could sense the thoughts of the cursed and connected with them. Most were angry with him and wanted him to give Yvaine over to them. They did believe he had tried to free them and didn't understand what was stopping him now. They couldn't understand her power over Jett.

  His brother approached his hands held out like he came in peace. Jett wished that were true. "Jett, she broke the curse over me. She can save them all if you give her to us."

  No. You don't know that's what changed you.

  "What else could it be? Look at me. I am a man. When I shift, I am a dragon, pure in form, not some demented version tainted by the crone's demon curse." He let the dragon shimmer to the surface but did not shift.

  She must have broken her spell over you too. He needed to believe that. If it had been Yvain, the implications were unbearable.

  "Listen to me." Yvaine squirmed, trying to break free of his grasp. If she did and the demon dragons saw he did not have complete control over her, they would attack and he would lose her.

  Shh, love.

  She shook her body, fighting against him. "Don't shush me. Jett. I can help. I'm--"

  He growled at them all, Yvaine, his brother, the cursed. No.

  "We can not wait any longer. The crone and the Black Dragon grow more desperate as the dragon warriors grow stronger these past months. We have already lost many of our brothers. The final battle is ahead and we don't need to be a part of it. Let them kill each other. Give us the girl so we can escape. Prove you are our leader and here to save us all. You will be our Wyvern and we can live out our days in peace. Because if you aren't with us, you're against us and we'll have to kill you both."

  The cave around them shook and an unholy screech tore through the air. Ereshkigal dropped from the shadows on the ceiling with a dagger in each of her hands. She threw one dagger at Jett and the other at his brother. She yelled her curse at them, "Igi hushaza hezuam! Igi hushbi ililiza hezuam! "

  Jett and his brother both fell to the ground, His body curled up into itself and his skin mottled, turning from shiny black scales to the inky oil covered skin of the demon dragon.

  Yvaine dropped to her knees beside his head and touched Jett's muzzle and as if she controlled him again, he shifted into his human form. She kissed his jaw, tears streaming down her face. "Jett, what's happening?"

  "Yvaine," he croaked out. It was so hard to think. "Run, hide from witch. No get you."

  "She's gone. The batstriches chased her away. What did she do to you?"

  His vision blurred as fire burned him from the inside out, turning his skin to blackened ash. "Curse. Demon. Me."

  "Oh heck to the no. I'll break it." She grabbed the dagger from where it had fallen to the ground beside him and held it to her wrist.

  She couldn't. Jett could not let his beautiful mate sacrifice herself to try to save him. He knew what she was. He'd knows for a while, but hadn't wanted to admit it. The White Witch and the First Dragon would not give him a mate only to take her away. "No. Brothers. Kill."

  But he was no child of the White Witch. It seemed she too had used him as a pawn in her war. His body shook and his muscles and bones reshaped themselves into the form of a cursed demon dragon. Soon he wouldn't care if he was a weapon or a slave. "Go. Now."

  Yvaine shook her head and sliced into her arm. "I freely give to you my life's blood so that your curse may be broken forever."

  The screeches and the scraping of claws of the demon dragons filled the caves, echoing off the rocks. Black shadow filled Jett's mind and the last thing he heard was the scream of a unicorn.

  Tea Time with the Goddess

  Dragons of every color flew over head. Fire and ice blew through the air, the trees slapped batstriches, the demon dragons around, and rays of sunlight caught the beasts in mid-air turning them to puffs of smoke.

  She needed to hurry and find Jett, tell him that she could break the curse. She didn't see him anywhere. "Jett. Where are you? Jett."

  Yvaine? His voice was nothing more than a weak whisper in her head. Thank the First Dragon.

  Where are you?He didn't reply. Jett. Tell me where you are. Whatever is wrong, I can help.

  The battle raging around her faded slightly, like someone had turned down the volume on the television and put a sheer curtain in front of it. Yvaine spun in a circle trying to figure who or what had cut her off from Jett. She reached inside to see if maybe she'd done it herself by slipping into the veil, but that part of her magic wasn't there.

  "Come sit by me Yvaine. Let's have a cup of tea. I find that always soothes me in times of trouble."

  The innkeeper woman from the gasthaus in Germany was sitting at a little cafe table in the middle of the field where the battle was raging. She wore a flowing white dress and had little white flowers in her hair. Or maybe they were snowflakes. She poured herself a cup of tea from a fancy looking silver teapot into a very large white mug. "Sugar, dear?"

  This doesn't exactly seem like the right time for a cuppa.Yvaine jerked her chin toward the sky to indicate the dragons and batstriches, the fire and ice, the full on battle going on around their heads.

  "Oh, there's always time for tea." She plopped two sugar cubes into the cup and held it out for Yvaine to take. "It's herbal. You'll like it. Nimbus clouds and mint."

  Yvaine didn't know what else to do, so she tried to take the the mug from the woman. Hard to do when your hands were hooves. Whoa. Again? But this didn't look like Sìthean, the otherworld. Cait had said that was the only time she would take her true form. The mysterious curtain must be part of the veil between the worlds. Maybe. It wasn't like the one at the abbey or when she slipped through it to transport herself out of danger.

  The innkeeper blew on her cup and took a sip. She tipped her head at Yvaine, studying her. She wasn't surprised in the least by Yvaine's long white mane, pure white hide, or the frickin' horn sticking out of the middle of her forehead.

  Had she also known the night Yvaine had gone to their inn? Probably. Okay, so the woman wasn't a mere innkeeper.What do you want from me?

  The woman looked up and the sky and squinted. "You know where I think I went wrong?"

  By having tea on a battlefield?Also when she magically kidnapped people and brought them to said tea. Yvaine needed to figure out how to get away from the crazy lady and back to finding Jett. There had been something wrong with him a few minutes ago. She was sure of it, but the memory kept slippi
ng out of place and she couldn't get a grasp on what had been happening before she found herself standing in this field.

  "I've made a lot of mistakes. I'll be the first to admit it. People don't think I can do that, being a goddess and all, but I do. I screw things up all the time, you know."

  I see.Why was a goddess telling her about what a screw up she was. Yvaine sniffed at her mug of tea. Probably better not to drink it.

  "But somewhere along the way, I made him think that sacrifice equaled love. I don't know where I went wrong. But he's not the only one. Generations later and it's happening all over again. I didn't teach him he had inherent worth. Maybe I couldn't though. I guess that's something one has to learn for themselves." The woman stared into her teacup lost in thought. She seemed sad and Yvaine almost felt sorry for her. She must have lost someone she loved.

  Someone who had sacrificed themselves for love. Who thought that's all their life was worth.

  A weird pain built up in Yvaine's chest. Who are we talking about?

  The woman sucked in a long breath and sighed, then looked over her like there hadn't even been a long lull in the conversation. "Like look at my poor little Fallyn for example."

  Who is Fallyn? The one you lost?Yvaine felt like she was never getting any answers and this entire conversation was not getting her back to Jett. She needed to do that. She just couldn't remember why.

  "I finally talk Kur into letting the dragons have daughters again and out she pops. She's beautiful, and sassy, and strong. A mind like a trap that one. Then I go and give her the gift of dragoness sight so she can see all the mates to come and be friends with them all and her head explodes.