~
“Sneaky little witches…” Connor grinned the moment that the dragon hit the ground with a heavy thud.
He was almost sure that he’d felt the castle move just a little under his feet.
“Why aren’t we covered in damn ice?” Landon growled.
“Those wonderful, sneaky, more than devious, little mates of ours…” The vampire said.
Connor was in a good mood. He’d thought that he had little hope in battling a damn dragon, and he might still have some problems with the man himself, but it least it was more of a fair fight now.
Connor took a step towards the edge of the circle…
“You sure you wanna do that? Looks a little frosty the snow dragon out there…” Justice didn’t like it.
If they could bring the dragon down with the icy storm then what hope did wolf shifters, or even a vampire have against the cold?
The chanting stopped the moment that the words were out of Justice’s mouth. The air cleared outside their magical bubble…
“Ask and ye shall receive…” Connor grinned…
“Another damn castle…” Vicky muttered as she eyed her mate.
“Mainly receive…” he offered back over his shoulder as he started for the overhanging branch of the tree that he liked to think of as his other entrance and exit from the building. “Some exceptions…” He muttered.
Connor pushed up with his knees. A moment later and he was flat on his back on the rooftop with a groan…
“What part of icy didn’t you get?” Vicky said – placing one hand on her hip and spluttering chuckles in his direction. “I think I might have peed a little…” she said, pointing a finger at the vampire and chuckling harder…
“Ha-bloody-ha-ha,” Connor grumbled. “It’s all funny when the vampire goes splat, but, in the meantime – dragon breath is heating up down there…” Connor added, rebounding back to his feet, before he needed to stabilise himself once more as both of his feet wanted to go in two very different directions.
“It warmed my heart…” Vicky assured him.
“Ditto,” Landon growled back over his shoulder as he headed for the staircase, slipping and sliding all the way there.
“It got my vote…” Justice chuckled, following on the alpha bear’s heels. Both men were eager to be in the fight.
“I’m not laughing…” George growled…
“That’s cos you don’t have a frigging sense of humour…” Connor grumbled, before he started for the staircase along with the rest of them…
“What, no tree?” Vicky asked her mate with all of the innocence that she could muster – but it was the pure amusement within her eyes, and the smile that still tugged at her lips that gave her away…
“My helter-skelter days are behind me…” Connor muttered.
~
~
~
Roloko had to shift back into his human form. His dragon would take a lot longer to thaw than he would and they would attack.
He knew that he still had a chance to make things right if he could only escape the clutches of the witches.
The ice storm had lifted – in his mind that meant only one thing – they were readying for an attack of some sort and he needed to be ready.
It would probably be led by the true alpha or the vampire. He needed to kill the both of them just to be certain that he walked away from the fight alive…
He felt bone cold, as if the witches had reached right into his body and had frozen it solid, but he was made of fire, and heat melted ice. He could already feel his body thawing out.
He was still alive, and if he was still breathing then he was still in with a chance of completing his mission and getting back home.
Live to fight another day wasn’t something that he believed in, but still, he’d rather be the one left standing.
He tested his muscles and found them wanting, and yet, he still managed to pull himself up onto all fours, dragged himself backwards onto his knees, and then he pushed upwards…
With a roar of anger mixed with the inability to function properly; he forced his muscles to move. The more he moved, the more he’d be able to warm himself…
The more he warmed himself – the easier it would be to shift and take to flight again, and then he’d burn the damn castle down to the ground with those sneaky witches on top.
~
~
~
“After me you’re …” Connor had allowed him mate to go so far, but outside to face the dragon was another matter entirely…
“First?” Vicky finished for him…
“Never going to get out the damn door…” Connor assured her, lifting her in one easy movement, and turning her behind him.
“Can you two please have your domestic squabble-fest at another time?” Justice growled and Dexter had to chuckle…
“Squabble-fest?” Connor considered it. “I like that.”
“Can we just go and get our backsides kicked by the dragon?” Landon growled.
His beast wasn’t exactly eager to take on a mythical being, but it was all in for protecting the mates…
“With that attitude maybe you should stay behind…” Connor berated him, and the alpha growled a long, hard warning at the man. “Or not.”
“Not…” Landon growled back.
“Fine, females stay, men…” Connor got no further.
“Females stay…?” Zana snorted her contempt for that as she headed out of the front door right behind George…
“If she can go…” Vicky started forward, trying to elbow Connor out of the way.
“She has a sword…” Connor didn’t have time to sooth his mate’s ego.
“I have magic and a kick in the balls for you if you…” Vicky bit down on her need to zap her mate.
The man was the biggest male chauvinist pig that she’d ever met – but, only where she was concerned – he bended the rules for others…
“Well, my mate isn’t here – I’m going…” Chelsea said, following on after Landon and Justice and some of Dexter’s pack…
“Oh, the damn hell, no…” Vicky practically elbowed Connor out of the way – adding a little magic to her thrust to shift him – and started towards the door with the sound of her mate groaning in annoyance behind her.
“I just love to talk to my damn self…” Connor bit out…
“We noticed…” Dexter offered from somewhere in front of Vicky.
Connor’s argument with his troublesome mate had put him at the back of the queue to deal with the dragon.