The Dragon Legion Collection(42)

He was powerless to do anything but watch.

Why had the darkfire betrayed him?

Damien roared in frustration, still struggling to shift. He moaned as he felt the hellhound’s hot breath on his flesh.

And then the sound of a woman’s voice floated to his ears.

She sang in the same voice that haunted his dreams.

Petra!

He glanced up and the sight of her was like a knife to his gut. Petra was just as lovely as she had been before. Her hair flowed in dark waves over her shoulders and she was deliciously feminine. But Damien was startled to see how pale she was, more like a ghost than the vivacious woman he’d known.

Dead. Of course. But no less alluring for all of that.

And she was singing to save him. Maybe that was a sign that his mission could succeed.

Damien felt the teeth of Cerberus graze his skin and decided he’d take hope where he could find it.



* * *



As furious as she was with him, Petra couldn’t let Damien be torn to pieces by the gatekeeper of the underworld.

She didn’t think about the tune, just sang the first familiar melody that came into her mind. It was after the second line that she realized the choice she’d unwittingly made.

She was singing the love song she’d first sung to Damien on the night the firestorm had sparked.

But she couldn’t stop now.

The blue-green light sparked from her fingertips and leapt through the air toward Damien and the hellhound. It illuminated the shadows, showed the confusion on the faces of the arriving dead, and cast a strange light over the deadened world. Petra was surprised, for this was no magic of her own. Charon watched from inside the deep shadows of his hood, his pose utterly still.

To her relief, Cerberus paused before ripping open Damien’s chest. The head that had been bent over Damien lifted and turned to Petra, the red glow of its eyes dying to pale gold. The snarl on the dog’s lips disappeared and its ears flicked.

The second head of Cerberus released Damien’s arm. It also turned toward Petra. The tangle of vipers in its mane slowed, swaying like grass in the wind. The animosity faded from its eyes, as well.

Petra sang even more loudly, putting all her heart into her song.

The strange blue-green light of the darkfire swirled around her, sparkling and glowing with increasing intensity as it danced between her and Damien. It was like the firestorm, but the wrong color. Petra felt the same heat of desire as she had that first time—but it seemed even stronger.

Unpredictable and exciting.

She felt dizzy with the promise of a thousand possibilities and excited as she hadn’t since Damien had left her. The feeling couldn’t last, but she couldn’t resist the opportunity to enjoy it.

Meanwhile, the third head of Cerberus sniffed at the air. The dog jumped from Damien’s chest, abandoning him before it sauntered back to the gates. Its movements became more sleepy with every step. Damien sat up, wariness in his expression, but Petra continued to sing to the hellhound.

It sat down before Petra, its eyes now pale gold. To her relief, one head yawned elaborately. The other heads quickly began to yawn as well, then the dog circled and laid down before the gates. It sighed as it put its heads down.

Its manes of vipers stilled, as if they too fell asleep.

Then Cerberus began to snore.

Petra wanted to shout with joy.

Except that Damien was striding toward her, purpose in his every step, and that dagger in his grasp. He wore strange clothing, but that didn’t disguise his muscular build, his vitality or the blood on his leg. He paused to peel off his upper garment, then tore a length of fabric from the hem while Petra stared at the perfection of his body. He bound his wounded leg tightly, but the blood continued to seep through it. She saw his bare chest, his muscles, a mark on his arm, and remembered the hard press of his body against her.


It was too easy to recall his arms wrapped around her and his heat inside her, his lips against her ear.

Even knowing what she did of him, Petra yearned. He’d promised her a night, but he’d stayed three months. Had their partnership really been that ill-fated?

Damien shoved the dagger into his belt and threw away the torn remains of his garment. He resumed his march toward her, limping slightly, his burning gaze locking on her face. Petra’s heart seemed to skip in anticipation.

They’d either fight or make love. It had always been that way between the two of them. She was taken aback to realize just how much she’d missed her fiery dragon. Ever since he’d left her, life had seemed flat and monotonous—although the underworld was even worse.

Petra eased behind the pillar, guessing his plan and not liking it. There was only one more thing he could want her to surrender to him.

“You could have enchanted the hellhound sooner,” Damien said, his low voice sending a familiar thrill through her even as his words surprised her. He arched a brow. “Or was that your way of getting even?”

Petra hoped she looked more indifferent to his presence than she felt. “I assumed you had a plan. You always do.” She shrugged as she dared to provoke him. “I guess it wasn’t a good one this time.”

Damien’s eyes flashed, although Petra wasn’t sure if his reaction was anger or desire. She was less sure it mattered. That blue-green light swirled around them, intoxicating her with its circling patterns. It leapt between them and touched her skin intermittently. It should have distracted her but instead, it made her world smaller, tightening her focus on Damien.