Cato: House of Flames (Dragon Guardians Book 4) Read online

  “I would never boast about such things. Even if it’s true.”

  A squeaking laugh erupted from her chest and she rolled her eyes.

  “I get it. Facts are facts. I’m not going to let myself feel inferior because of it.”

  “Nor should you.”

  “Thanks for the wrist device. This is probably the coolest piece of technology I’ve ever seen in my life.”

  “After we find your sister, I will get you better acquainted with Bethi, our ship’s AI computer.”

  “I can’t wait,” she said grinning from ear to ear.

  “We are ready to go,” Aiden said from the doorway. “Aria will sing to us before we leave.”

  “You’re going to have a concert before we go investigate a vampire mansion?” Penelope asked. “You dragons have strange priorities.”

  “Aria’s song is like a magical buffer. Her music is one of her special Dragon Soul qualities. Everly’s is her nurturing. Winnifred’s is her intuition and art. And yours is your intelligence, your curiosity, and problem-solving ability. You did hack into my database. That should be impossible for human.”

  “Flora and I have always been considered special,” Penelope mused. “But there are a lot of smart people in the human race.”

  “We find that Dragon Souls have a special something about them. It isn’t always intellect as I’ve explained.”

  “This is all very fascinating.” Penelope said, following Aiden up the stairs. “But it can wait until after we investigate the vampires’ abandoned mansion.”

  Everyone was gathered in the living room. Aiden picked up his guitar to accompany Aria. As the first notes of the song vibrated through the air, Penelope could swear she felt power pumping through the sound waves. It was incredible. She listened to Aria singing with rapt attention. Not only were both Aiden and Aria amazing musicians, the music seem to fill her with powerful positive emotions. When the last notes of the music rang through the air and slowly went silent, Penelope let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing straight up as if she’d been sparked by static electricity.

  “I keep telling them they should record an album,” Winnifred said. “We could share it with the people of Earth. They would have no idea that the power they felt was magic. I think it would help people everywhere. Make them feel the beauty in the world.”

  “We can easily produce such a thing with our computer equipment,” Cato said. “You just have to decide what you’re going to do.”

  “Aria and I have been working on several original songs. We can’t really use other people’s music.”

  “I told you I can get you the rights to any song you want in about five minutes,” Cato said.

  “I don’t know, man,” Aiden said, putting down his guitar. “That feels a little bit like cheating.”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” said Aria. “If we’re going to produce an album, it needs to be original.”

  “But I love your cover of Imagine, by John Lennon,” Winnifred said.

  “But that’s so cliché,” Aiden said.

  “I never took you for a snob until I heard you say that,” Winnifred teased.

  “This isn’t about snobbery. It’s about artistic integrity. You should understand that better than anyone, Winnifred,” Aiden argued.

  “We’ll keep the Imagine cover on the back burner okay,” Aria said. “I happen to love that song too. But, Aiden and I are working on some fabulous original songs. They just aren’t ready yet. The album will have to wait until we’re done, and right now, we have a Dragon Soul to save from those dirty, dirty vampires.”

  “She’s right. We can’t sit here talking about music all day. We need to find Flora,” Dax said.

  Dax, Aidan, and Cato walked outside with Penelope right behind them. She knew she was going to have to ride a dragon again and was dreading it. The three shifted on the grass and she climbed on Cato’s back the second time that day. After the first time, she’d told herself she’d never do it again. But what choice did she have? She needed to go find Flora.

  The three dragons launched into the air as she clung to Cato’s back for dear life. In a split second, they all went invisible; the sensation of riding a dragon’s back while invisible was almost unbearable. But she closed her eyes and tucked her head into Cato’s back. The power of Aria’s songs still flowed through her blood, giving her extra strength and willpower. The second time she rode Cato’s back was not nearly as frightening as the first.

  They flew for quite some time and the sun began to sink toward the horizon. Finally, in the late hours of afternoon, they landed in the deep wood near a large modern mansion. She slipped from Cato’s back, her own stealth shields still activated. She couldn’t hear or see the dragons around her, but they appeared a moment later. She dropped her own shield as well.

  “We’re not going to be able to communicate with her through the mental link if she doesn’t have an implant,” Cato said as if continuing a conversation.

  “Why don’t we just go bumbling in there in full dragon form with our shields down?” Aidan scoffed.

  “We brought the lady,” Dax said. “We’ll just have to go in like humans or in half shift. Or don’t you think you can protect her, Aidan?”

  “I’m not a fan of full-frontal attacks,” Aidan said. “I prefer stealth. And going in there like this is not ideal.”

  “We all realize that,” Cato said. “But we agreed to bring Penelope. She has the right to be here. So, stop making her feel bad.”

  “Sorry,” Penelope said, crossing her arms. “I didn’t realize it was so inconvenient.”

  “It’s a communication issue,” Aidan said, backpedaling.

  “Let’s just go,” Dax said. “I’m tired of talking.”

  “Put up your defensive shields, Penelope,” Cato said. “And ready your weapon.”

  She did as he instructed, and they walked slowly to the edge of the forest and examined the empty grounds of the compound. Cato scanned the area with his wrist device.

  “I’m not picking up any readings for vampires. It’s fairly safe to assume there’s no one here.”

  They walked forward, inspecting the area as they moved. Every few hundred yards, Cato did another scan and they moved forward again. They made it to the back door of the mansion and Aidan picked the lock. Once inside, Cato began a full analysis of the building.

  “It appears that the fire we set the last time we were here was more extensive than they let on. If they had repaired it, it was with illusion magic. The fire damage is extensive.”

  “Is it possible it was set recently?” Aidan asked.

  “No. My analysis indicates this fire originated approximately the same time we rescued Aria.”

  “Maybe keeping up the illusion magic was a drain on their power?” Aidan asked.

  “That’s possible. Especially with the loss of their elder,” Cato said. “I’m scanning for anything that would hint at their current location.”

  Cato moved further into the mansion and Penelope followed behind him. He continued scanning the building. The furnishings sat in their places, almost as if someone was going to come back. But as they walked toward the back of the house, they found entire rooms charred and open to the elements. They took the stairs up to the tower on the third floor and walked into a circular room with nothing but a bed in a desk by the wall.

  “This is where they kept Aria,” Dax growled.

  Penelope scanned the room with her eyes, trying to find any hint that Flora had been here. She was growing desperate as the moments dragged on. But then she saw it, a hint of turquoise under the twin sized bed. The fading sunlight streaming through the broken wall hit at just the right angle. She scrambled toward it, falling to her knees. She grabbed the object and pulled it out. It was Flora’s turquoise necklace from the time the family had vacationed in Arizona. The smooth polished teardrop-shaped stone was set in silver, the clasp broken. the stone was s
tained with blood. She clutched it in her hand and pressed it to her chest, holding back the tears.

  “What is that?” Cato said, scanning the area.

  “It’s Flora’s necklace. And I think it’s covered in her blood.”

  Chapter 13

  “The blood on the necklace is a genetic match to Penelope,” Cato said, scanning the necklace. “I can safely conclude it belongs to Flora. The sample is only slightly more than twenty-four hours old. Which means they left the compound recently.”

  “We aren’t any closer to finding her,” Aiden said, staring out the broken wall.

  “We will find her,” Dax said.

  “We need to keep looking,” Penelope said standing. She shoved the necklace in her pocket and wiped a tear from her eye with the back of her arm.

  “If she was alive when they left,” Cato said, trying to reassure her. “There’s a good chance she still is.”

  “I know she’s still alive. I can feel her. She’s terrified. We have to hurry. I can feel panic in her mind. It’s not good.”

  Cato opened the mental link to Bethi and asked her to scan the entire area using human surveillance cameras for any indication of the vampire presence. If they couldn’t find any clues to their whereabouts at the compound, the last option was to try to find them this way. They’d been able to identify the vampire presence using Bethi’s scans of drone footage before, but the vampires had been entrenched at that location for years. It was unlikely she could find them now, unless they made their presence known somehow.

  “Analysis commencing,” Bethi chirped inside his mind.

  “I have Bethi the working on the problem,” Cato informed the rest of the group.

  They walked down to the basement where the crew had believed the vampires were keeping Everly and Aria after taking them from the compound. After searching the entire place from top to bottom, they couldn’t find any more clues.

  “At least we know she was here,” Penelope said as the dragons gathered on the back yard outside the mansion.

  “Vampire presence detected,” Bethi said inside his mind. “A family of farmers were found dead in their homes, along with their entire flock of sheep in a small town outside of Vancouver, Canada. Forensic evidence from the scene suggests they were killed by vampires.”

  “You have any additional information? Surveillance camera footage that would suggest they have Flora with them?” Cato asked the AI.

  “Searching the area for additional evidence,” Bethi said inside his mind.

  “Bethi has found a clue suggesting the coven crossed the border into Canada.”

  “How soon can we get there?” Penelope asked.

  “It several hours flight from here to Vancouver. If we leave now, we’ll be arriving in the middle of the night, the vampires strongest time,” Cato said

  “Did Bethi know where they were exactly or just generally?” asked Aiden.

  “A farm family and all their sheep were found dead on a small town outside of Vancouver. She is still searching for additional evidence.”

  “We should go,” Dax said backing up.

  Dax shifted without another word and the other two dragons followed suit. Penelope climbed on Cato’s back and they began their flight northwest toward the Canadian border from the vampire’s original compound in Eastern Washington.

  It was night when they arrived and landed in the parking lot of a hotel, shifting before they dropped their shields in a dark corner. They booked adjoining rooms in the hotel for the night and decided to lay low, ordering dinner in instead of going out. They all gathered in Cato’s room for the Chinese food delivery. When it arrived, they spread it out on the circular table and shared servings of sweet-and-sour chicken, Mongolian beef, shrimp fried rice, Kung pow chicken, eggrolls, and wonton soup.

  Penelope ate her Kung pow chicken with chopsticks, staring at the wall silently. She’d washed the blood off of Flora’s necklace and fixed the clasp. The piece of jewelry now hung around Penelope’s neck and she stroked it momentarily, her eyes glazed over and her mouth a thin hard line between bites of food.

  “Has Bethi found anything else yet?” Aidan asked.

  “She’s still searching,” Cato said. “We should have more information by morning.”

  “Flora is really frightened,” Penelope muttered. “We have to find her soon. Or I’m afraid it will be too late.”

  “We will find her,” Dax said, clenching his fist, his mouth full of Mongolian beef.

  Cato felt powerless to comfort his mate. Penelope could feel her sister in her soul. It was common for twins. The sense that her sister was in grave danger must have been excruciating for his mate. He asked Bethi again if she’d found anything, but the answer was the same. Still processing.

  Aiden and Dax left Cato’s room, but Penelope sat still as a statue staring at the wall. He turned to her, eating the last eggroll in the carton while he examined her face for clues to her emotional state. He wished he knew what to say to soothe her pain, but that had never been his strong suit. Without the answers he needed, there was nothing he could do. He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, angry at his deficits.

  “Can I stay with you a while longer?” she asked. “I don’t want to be alone.”

  “Of course.”

  She sat down her carton of half eaten sweet-and-sour chicken and climbed into his bed, curling up into the fetal position. She sniffled and wiped her cheek with her palm.

  “Cato?” she whispered. “Would you hold me?”

  Without a word he climbed onto the bed and wrapped his arms around her, moving in so close her scent filled his senses. His dragon roared, screaming to claim her. She was everything. The beginning and end, the Alpha and Omega, and everything in between. He squeezed his eyes closed, not knowing what to do. The visions filled his mind. Sinking his teeth deep into her neck while he pumped his wet cock into her cunt, soaking her pussy with seed.

  She needed the comforting closeness of love. And as much as this dragon wanted to take her and make her his, he would hold her like this, soft and gentle in his arms as she drifted to sleep. She turned around and faced him, cupping his cheek in her hand.

  “You are the sweetest, Cato. Thank you for helping me,” she said, leaning up to kiss his lips.

  He sucked a deep breath through his nose, pulling her tighter against him. His body grew stiff as he ran his hands down her back and cupped her ass, pressing her against his hard need. She gasped, opening her mouth and letting her tongue dart into his. Liquid heat passed between them, enveloping them in a torrent of emotion and lust. She kissed him deeper, harder, grinding against him. He pulled away, unable to understand what she wanted. She was so despondent about her sister. Could she really want this right now?

  “I can’t take advantage of you in an emotionally fragile state,” he muttered as she began to unbutton his shirt.

  She licked up his chest, nibbling on his nipples.

  “I want you to take advantage of me,” she breathed. “I want you to make me forget. Or I’ll never be able to sleep.”

  Cato growled, gritting his teeth as his dragon blazed through his widened eyes. He didn’t know what to do, everything logical and rational inside him told him he should not relent to this request. But his inner dragon slashed its claws across his mind, raging and screaming so loudly it drowned it out all voices of reason.

  “I can do that,” he rumbled, devouring her mouth with his kiss.

  They consumed each other, their bodies pressed so tight there was no space between them. He removed her clothes in a frenzy of fabric and buttons. Soon, they were both naked, laying over the blankets. He sucked her taut, rosy nipples into his mouth, one after the other as he squeezed and kneaded her breasts. Penelope groaned, his kisses inching down her chest. He licked her belly and descended between her legs. The smell of her pussy intoxicated him. He wanted to devour her, consume her, taste every last drop of her sweet nectar.

  He plunged his tongue between her legs in f
renzy of need, darting in and out of her slick, wet channel. The taste of her lit a fire in his belly that threatened to ignite his dragon and force his shift. He breathed heat against her cunt and she whimpered with pleasure. Wagging his tongue on her clit while he pumped his fingers into her core, she released her climax like a goddess giving birth to the world.

  Her body vibrated with orgasm, the scent of her pleasure drenching his senses until he was drowning in it. He was so hard he felt he might explode. Penelope lay before him, wet, open, and ready to be loved. He tipped his cock toward her, pressing the tip against her hungry need. She whimpered, spreading her legs and running her hands over her sweet, tender flesh. He teased her core, circling his thick cock over her clit.

  “I can’t,” he said. “I’ll claim you if I’m inside you. My dragon will not be held back if we take it that far.”

  He pulled away, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and sitting with his head in his hands.

  “Wait. Come back,” Penelope said, gripping his throbbing cock. “I’m not going to leave you like that.”

  “What?” he said, looking up at her. “What you want me to do?”

  “Lie down on the bed. I’ll take care of you.”

  He rested his head on the pillow, watching her crawl over him in the dim lamplight. Her golden skin glowed as her long dark tresses framed her beautiful round breasts. She kissed him, rubbing her wet pussy over his hard shaft.

  “I told you I can’t,” he said between kisses.

  “And I won’t let you,” she said, pulling his hands up over his head and holding them down by the wrists. “I’m not ready to be your mate. But I am ready to suck your cock.” She giggled playfully.

  “What?” he murmured as she slid her beautiful curves down his body.

  Her breasts caressed his shaft as she sank between his legs, gripping his length with her hands.

  “You’ve got a big dick, dragon boy,” she said, stroking him with her hands.

  “Is it?” he breathed.