can get us out of here, but I need you
to just trust me…”
* * * *
Four rogue males came for them
about a half an hour later.
Neither Raven nor Mila fought as
the males unlocked the manacles and
jerked them to their feet. During the
wait, Raven had quietly told Mila
what she had planned. At first the
young
woman
had
been
understandably skeptical, but after a
quick down and dirty explanation,
tears of relief fell from Mila’s eyes.
Now Raven just prayed that she
could come through with what she
had planned.
She gritted her teeth as the males
dragged them out of the small cave,
down a long corridor into a huge
cavern that was well lit by several
large torches. The cavern also had a
large hole in the ceiling that allowed
her to see the stars twinkling in the
dark-crimson sky.
She looked around behind lowered
lashes, careful not to give the secret
of her glowing eyes away too soon
and saw that Brynt and Selina’s
brother Vadar was now present.
Hatred burned so bright within her it
took all of her control to try and stifle
the need to lash out at all the sick,
twisted males in the cavern.
Raven instinctively lashed out and
began struggling against the two
captors holding her as she was
hauled over to a crude stone altar,
where she was chained down to the
cold slab. There was nothing she
could do as new manacles were
secured to her wrists and ankles.
God, she hoped she was right about
what was going to happen soon or
she was seriously screwed.
“I always wanted to fuck a queen.”
One of the males sneered down at her
as he ran a hand up her leg, pulling
her
dress
higher.
He
laughed
mockingly as she tried to kick out at
him, only to be held in place by the
chains. “If you beg me like a good
little whore, perhaps we will go easy
on you.”
Patience, Raven reminded herself
and fought to contain her fear and get
her breathing under control. She felt
like she was a pinned-down butterfly
about to be dissected and the feeling
was absolutely horrifying. Once they
were done securing her, the males
stepped back. Raven heard Mila cry
out and turned her head as the young
female was roughly shoved to the
ground in front of Vadar.
“Kneel before me, you little bitch!”
Vadar growled down at her. He
ripped the rags off of Mila, baring
her bruised body to everyone in the
room. She tried rolling into the fetal
position to cover herself and
screamed out in pain as he started
kicking her. Several more males
entered the room, laughing and joking
with each other as they leered at both
Raven and Mila.
Brynt placed a calming hand on
Vadar’s shoulder. “Relax, brother.
She will learn to obey. Kelgar,
Samir, chain her up on the wall for
later. I believe it is time to get to the
main event.”
Mila screamed again as one of the
rogues pulled Mila up by her hair.
Raven automatically strained against
the bonds holding her to help the
other woman, but she was held in
place to watch helplessly as Mila
was chained to the wall with her
hands over her head.
“You should never have betrayed
us,” the one called Kelgar growled.
“Please,” Mila pleaded, “Please,
brother. Do not do this!”
A wave of raw rage and disgust
shot through Raven at hearing that.
Studying their faces, she decided that
Mila’s brothers would be the first to
die, after Vadar, Brynt, and Selina
that is.
Brynt and Vadar stalked over to
where Raven was laid out and she
cringed as one of Vadar’s hands
changed into claws. He ran the claws
over her bare leg, leaving thin bloody
lines in his wake. Raven struggled
against the bonds holding her down,
trying to get away from the sharp
claws piercing her skin.
“I like it when my females fight,”
Vadar
growled
with
sick
anticipation.
“Do not bloody her too much,”
Brynt chided. “She needs to still be
able to function. We have a lot of
males waiting for a taste of her.”
“Tear her to pieces,” Selina
growled with glee where she was
watching from the other end of the
cavern. The crazy bitch was sitting
on the lap of one of the rogues, still
wearing Raven’s circlet.
Vadar’s claw reached Raven’s
upper thigh and tried to tear through
her dress to bare her flesh to their
perverted gaze.
Only, the dress didn’t tear.
Score one for the gift given to her
by the Gods, but time had run out.
Shit, shit, shit! Come on magic
dragon powers!
Raven tried to channel the pure
power inside her to bring forth the
change she knew was to come, but
didn’t know how to complete it.
Frustration and fear ate at her as she
felt the burn of the manacles rubbing
against her raw skin. She turned her
head away from the brothers and saw
that the sky was turning a lighter
shade of pink as the dawn rapidly
approached.
Deep in the heart of the mountain,
cut off from her mates, there was still
hope.
Suddenly,
Raven
calmed
and
slowly smiled. She just had to hold
on a little longer then she would
make these sick bastards pay for
what they had done, not just to her but
all the other females being held there
in that cavern of horrors.
“And they will,” a deep voice
echoed in Raven’s mind, making her
want to sob in relief.
“Silas? Are you really there or am
I just imagining you?” Raven asked
as she saw Silas’ form shimmering a
few feet away from her.
“Breathe easy, little dragon
warrior,” Silas said calmly. His
body was transparent, as if he wasn’t
really there in the cavern with her,
but a sense of calm washed over her
anyways. He may be bound by the
power of the sun, but he had come to
her aid at the first chance and she
was eternally grateful.
Their eyes met and she saw the
dark fury burning bright in his
glowing golden orbs. “You are not
alone. Unleash your beast, Raven.
Do what needs to be done. I have
limited power here, but I will use
what I have to shield the females.
Let your magic free and finish this.”
Raven gave a slight nod and
embraced the power within her.
Letting go of all restraint, she tapped
into all the fury and fear she felt and
let it merge with the fierce need for
retribution that dwelled within her
soul. A brutal joy swept through
Raven as something deep inside her
broke free.
“What is that bitch smiling about?”
Selina growled.
“She will not be smiling for long.”
Vadar tried again, raking his claw
over her middle, but the dress
remained intact. “What magic is
this?” he snarled out.
Raven’s heart began to race,
pounding so fast she could almost
feel it swelling in her chest. Rage
surged through her, igniting a
firestorm within and her body began
to glow with a golden light.
No longer afraid, she let the flood
of power consume her.
The males in the room froze and
paled at the sound of her primal
growl. Their eyes widened as they
took in the sight of her glowing body.
No longer hiding behind veiled
lashes, Raven turned her head and let
Vadar and Brynt see the anger
burning in her glowing green eyes,
wanting, needing them to see what
they were up against.
They had kidnapped a woman, but
had unleashed a dragon…
Chapter Sixteen
“Get the hell away from me!”
Raven growled out.
She could smell the fear rolling off
the males in waves, and it pleased
her. Focusing predatory eyes on the
males in the room, Raven let out
another growl then saw the smile
spread across Mila’s face when their
eyes met. The younger female looked
back at her with trust and respect
shining from her glowing eyes and
Raven knew she would destroy these
monsters so no one would ever have
to go through what Mila had
experienced.
The males had sealed their death
warrant, and she was going to
collect.
“What in the name of the Gods is
going on?” Mila’s brother Samir
whispered, fear filling into his voice.
“Nay, it cannot be!” Brynt gasped,
taking an involuntary step back.
“Oh, but it is,” Raven growled out.
She let the magic flow from her and
the manacles holding her and Mila
opened and fell to the floor with a
clatter. She sat up and swung her legs
over the altar, sliding down to her
feet. Vadar and Brynt skittered away
from her now that she was free, but
she slowly stalked forward, pacing
them.
Several of the males tried to make
a run for it, but Raven held a hand up
and blocked the exits with an unseen
force. They clawed and pounded on
the invisible barrier then turned to
stare at her in terror.
Good. It was their turn to know true
fear…
“What is this?” Vadar snarled out.
“You wanted a fight,” Raven
growled out, holding her arms out to
her side mockingly. “I’m just giving
you what you wanted.”
A slow smile spread across Silas’
transparent face as he watched. He
floated to the far end of the cave,
positioning himself near where Mila
was inching away from the others.
Silas raised his hand and a
shimmering protective halo appeared
around the young woman.
Trusting that Mila was safe, Raven
felt a sharp pain as the change began,
but used it to feed her fury. Her body
shimmered into pure white light, and
stars burst behind her eyelids,
blinding her for a moment. Her body
seemed to explode into a million tiny
pieces as she let the power free and
was terrified as agony devoured her
alive.
“Breathe,” Silas ordered softly in
her mind. “Stop fighting it. Drop
your guards and let the change
come…”
Raven took a deep breath and let
go, embracing the change. Suddenly,
the agony stopped. She felt an ancient
power moving inside her, the dragon
spirit merging with her soul, binding
itself to her so they became one.
It was like becoming power itself.
She felt her body shift, growing
into a magnificent dragon. The spirit
of the dragon had no gender. It was
simply a combination of knowledge
and raw strength, an untapped source
of unending power that made Raven
more than she had ever imagined in
her wildest dream.
The magic flooded into her,
altering her spirit to become one with
the very essence of the land. Her
senses went into overdrive as time
slowed down. She heard every
whisper of sound, from each frantic
heartbeat in the room to the rush of
wind outside the cavern walls. She
saw colors she had never imagined,
from the darkest shadow to the most
vibrant luminescence in a single star
high above. She felt the heart of the
mountain beating as if it were
synchronized with the one in her
chest. Felt the flow of lava below her
feet as if it were the blood flowing in
her own veins.
In her dragon form, she was a
guardian, a protector, and defender of
Arcadia.
She was no longer Raven Sanchez,
human woman taken from her home
and brought to this alien planet. She