Courts and Cabals 6, page 20
A few seconds later, she got it and became the regular-sized, blonde bombshell she usually appeared as. I gave a yelp at my sudden freedom, my arms pinwheeled, and I landed dick-first on the floor with a groan. I took a moment to collect myself and make sure my half-chub hadn’t drilled a hole in the floor. The reno costs were adding up.
As I got up, a dick-sized hole was the least of my problems. My jaw dropped as I saw my completely destroyed room. All of the furniture I’d painstakingly picked out to wipe away the bad memories of the space Venus tried to imprison me was nothing more than kindling.
“Oh, wow, Cam!” Aveena swayed on her feet. Drunk with my seed’s fresh power. “Is this what it feels like to be a succubus?” I got my arms around her before she faceplanted.
“You’ll have to ask Lilith,” I shrugged and looked around for a place to lay her down. Seeing nothing that wouldn’t give her a splinter, I teleported us over to her room and laid her down on her bed.
Her eyes still weren’t focused as she lay there. “How big was I?” she managed to ask.
“No idea,” I really couldn’t tell from my viewpoint. “But I can say you have a fat ass now,” I chuckled.
She gave me a loopy smile and started to close her eyes. “I bet it’s going to be a surprise when I walk back into the palace. They thought they could banish me. They thought . . .” she cut off as she slipped off into dreamland, and within minutes was snoring loudly.
I made sure she was okay before leaving and glamoured myself some clothes before heading out into the hall. I wasn’t going to do the walk of shame. I did smile as I realized one thing. Apparently, frost giants were a little like human guys in some regards . . . they cared about how big they were.
Chapter 10
“This is an interesting choice of décor,” Poppy stood beside me as I fidgeted.
“Right,” I grinned as I had trouble standing still.
I was excited, and more than a little nervous. The fact that I was about to give a rah-rah, the grass is greener over here speech to a group that had a million-plus years on me had not slipped my mind. It definitely got the old heart rate up. I might be a titan and have tremendous power, but if the Allfather’s threat taught me anything, it was that I couldn’t do this alone. There were too many dangers in too many different locations requiring too much power to do by myself. Having the dragons at my back would probably equal or exceed all of the firepower every other faction was able to bring to the table. This was a make-or-break moment not only for me but for the future of the world. Not to mention my own kids. No pressure.
“Can’t believe this bullshit . . . shouldn’t be happening . . . one of them is gonna take a chunk out of my ass just for shits and giggles,” Dani muttered next to me.
She tried to hide it, but she was standing a little farther back than Poppy and me and using us for cover. She’d never call it hiding behind me, but if it walked like a duck and talked like a duck . . . we had ourselves a Danipotamus. To say that the dwarf was upset about being within fifty miles of a dragon was an understatement. I’m pretty sure she had to go change her panties the first time one looked at her like she was brunch.
Dani was tough and had been through some real clusterfucks by my side, but this was something else. Her species was biologically programmed to fear the very creatures I’d invited. So, if she pissed herself a little as she faced her fears, I wasn’t one to judge. I’d have to do the same soon enough.
Dani might be facing her fears – even if she didn’t last long during the receiving line – and I was proud of her for that, but she’d never been the type to shut up and suck it up. She told me at every opportunity that I was batshit insane, and even Lilith was a little apprehensive when I told her my original plan. After all, what property owner wanted big, volatile personalities all clustered together in a very small, destroyable space.
It was because of that I’d made some changes. I might have told Dani I was taking her feelings into consideration, and that was part of it. A part that just happened to earn me bedroom brownie points as well. Too bad she’d have to wait until I got back from Winter to reward me with some fresh-baked lovin’.
Despite my changes to the initial venue, I couldn’t change everything. Invites were already sent, and a space was cleared for the arriving portals. To alter anything now would reek of weakness. Poppy advised that any show of uncertainty by me, or the organization I was representing, would hurt our overall chances of forming an alliance with her people. I had to be at the top of my game in front of dragons.
Next to that, the potential security breach caused by lowering the wards to allow inbound traffic was laughable. The UN or Tikals would have loved to exploit it and slip in a spy or saboteur, which was why Lilith had some of the Cabal’s best imps wearing dual hats today. They were part sentry, part valet. Not only were those imps deadly, but their looks could kill.
I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw the fine-ass women picked for the detail. Since I knew how Lilith thought, not only was she trying to maintain the security of our home, but she was also tempting the dragons. Sure, the older ones weren’t led around by their dicks, but the younger ones probably weren’t as vigilant. From the subtle waves I saw in the pattern flowing off the imps, they were all part succubus, and they were putting off some serious DTF vibes.
“We might come out of this with an extra dragonspawn or two,” I chuckled as I watched an imp take a youngish dragon by the arm, engage him in conversation, and lead him toward the entrance to the meeting space.
The Cabal was always playing the long game, and having an imp out of commission for nine months because they got knocked up by a horny dragon was well worth the sacrifice. But unlike her mother, I knew Lilith would make sure all of the imps were willing and able. The dragons might have a few centuries under their belts, but Venetian Cabal imps could teach them a thing or two about flexibility.
“Yeah, there is gonna be some baby-making tonight. When in Vegas,” I grinned.
As much as the imps were excellently playing their role as eye candy, even they couldn’t distract the dragons when they rounded the corner and caught sight of me. What could I say, I was kind of a big deal, and they could feel it.
From the moment they saw me, I could see them evaluating, probing, and conniving. Even the few who looked like they were ready to steal the imps away to one of the private suites Lilith had set aside looked like they were making plans within plans to manipulate me into doing their will instead of the other way around. I was prepared for that. Dragons only respected power, and I had news for them . . . it didn’t get any bigger than me. So, I stood there at the entrance, greeted every dragon as they arrived, and flexed that power. I wanted them to go into the meeting with zero doubt about who or what I was. Earning their respect before we even sat down at the table was step one of my plan.
Ceremony dictated that the dragons arrived in order from youngest to oldest. That meant Lenny was up first. As it turned out, Via was right about the dragon born from Mt. Saint Helen’s explosion. He’d tried to sell me something as we shook hands at the entrance. Lucky for him, I didn’t get a used car salesman vibe from him, and the pitch he’d given me was actually pretty enticing. Where most dragons probably would have tried to flex right back in my face, Lenny showed subservience. It was the exact opposite approach from what Poppy had shown in Iceland, and from the look on her face as I talked with the man, she was reliving memories of her fuckup.
Since he was so respectful and professional, I gave him Lilith’s card. I was sure my queen succubus could find a line of work and form a mutually beneficial alliance with a third dragon. The Cabal would get stronger, and we’d all prosper because of it. So far, things were off to a smashing start.
Then the older dragons started to filter in. They didn’t necessarily share the same world outlook that the younger dragons did. Poppy stood tall, proud, and downright boastful by my side, but I could tell that when the gulf of power between her and the new arrivals started to widen, the more nervous she became. She’d snagged me as a mate, and she wanted to show me off, but decorum demanded she defer to her elders at a certain point. Still, thirty, three hundred, or three thousand, every other female dragon that passed us by brimmed with jealousy when they saw a mere hatchling with the most powerful man in the world. To support my lovely mate, I took her hand in mine and let her know I had her back. If any of the older dragons tried to put her in her place, I’d bitch slap them back to the Paleolithic Era.
Then Samala walked in. I immediately knew she was the dragon Via warned me about when she emerged around the corner for numerous reasons. First, she’d brought along her own entourage. One of the few male imps Lilith had assigned escort duty was on her arm, but it looked like the incubus had met his match . . . and then some. She was discrete about it, but I saw her slip a room key into the man’s hand as she shooed him away. He shook his head and blinked in confusion before remembering he was on the job and headed back toward the arrival area, but he still pocketed the card.
Apparently, Lilith wasn’t the only one angling for more dragonspawn, and Samala had brought along a few tantalizing morsels of her own to do some enticing. Three dragonspawn, all beautiful women, followed in her wake. And what a wake she had. Aside from pulling the same stunt Lilith was, the biggest thing that stuck out to me was her difference from other dragons.
“Damn!” I couldn’t help myself as I cocked my head and looked her up and down. Girl was thick. Most dragons were tall, thin, and predatory human shells. Not Samala.
She had curves where it counted, she wore clothes that strategically drew the eye to those assets, and she’d passed on those attributes to her daughters. Some dragons hoarded individual power, some riches, and others territory. If I had to guess, Samala had chosen a different route. She was going to fuck her way to the top.
Now I got where Via was coming from . . . but then again, “Didn’t Poppy say she was basically going to do the same thing with me.”
I gulped as the newest arrival gave me a warm smile completely lacking in the predatory nature of her kind. I wasn’t sure I was going to like how much we were about to get along.
“The man of the hour,” she sashayed right up to me and curtseyed low.
“Subservience. Check. Damnit, she’s hitting all my buttons,” I grumbled internally as she ended up low enough I could see down her top.
I didn’t take the bait.
“Greetings to you, Samala,” I nodded in return. “Allow me to introduce Poppy of . . .”
“Oh, I know Poppy,” she surprised me again by bursting forward to give the thinner woman a rib-cracking hug. Both me and Poppy for that matter, were surprised by the move.
“Remember. I took you to a party about a year and a half after your birth when Phanom was trying to sell you on settling in his territory. We were in Bangkok and . . .” Samala looked at Poppy expectantly, but my mate just looked confused. Then, her mouth formed a big O and she blushed a deep shade of scarlet.
Samala laughed at the sight, and it sounded nothing like what I expected. Light, airy, and fun was not what a creature that could destroy an aircraft carrier with a belly flop should sound like.
“It was her first experience with enchanted alcohol,” she grinned at me. “Honestly, I’m surprised she remembers it at all,” the older dragon elbowed Poppy in the arm playfully.
“Poppy?” I raised a questioning eyebrow, and my mate’s blush threatened to overtake her entire face.
I couldn’t help but laugh and turned back to Samala. “I’m going to have to get the number for your distributor.”
“Let me guess,” she looked me up and down as a little bit of hunger finally seeped into her tone. “Trouble getting a little tipsy with all that power,” she licked her lips, but caught herself, and her playful demeanor snapped back into place.
I was glad she’d slipped up a little. It reminded me of who and what I was dealing with. Sure, she might not be like the rest of the dragons her age, but she was still a dragon, and she still had an agenda. If I didn’t keep my wits about me, I’d get roped into it.
“I’ll put in a call. The first case is on me,” she offered. “Anything I can do to help you relax. It must be hard with so much thrust upon you,” she stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder.
The rumble that emanated from Poppy’s throat was the reason why I’d ultimately made the venue change. Even my mate’s displeasure triggered the wards in the hallway.
To my surprise, Samala stepped back with her hands raised in surrender. “Easy there, girl. We’re all on the same team. If you want, we can talk later,” she winked at Poppy and then zeroed in on me. “After all, the only thing better than one dragon is two,” she looked like she wanted to take me for a test drive right then and there but pulled up just short.
“Girls,” she snapped her fingers and marched past me. “Nice talking to you, Cam.”
A parade of saucy looks, that fell far short of what their mother was capable of, followed as the daughters of Samala tried to catch my eye. Poppy waited until they’d passed over the threshold before turning to me.
I expected her to be irate. She was a dragon, and dragons didn’t like people or other dragons taking their shit. Instead, she looked like she was on the verge of tears. “I’m sorry, my mate,” she sniffed. “I didn’t recall that evening until she brought it up,” she hid her face behind her hands.
“Whoa. Hey. There’s nothing to be sorry about,” I pulled her arms down and gave her one of my best smiles. “People get drunk all the time. It’s no big deal.”
“I’m pretty sure I puked on her dress,” Poppy winced, and I couldn’t stop a chuckle from leaking out. I could only imagine what it looked like when a dragon vomited.
“That doesn’t change anything,” I held her tight as she tried to pull away and ended up pulling her in for a hug. Once she realized I wasn’t mad, she tried to crush me to death against her chest.
“My actions reflect on you, and I do not want them to reflect poorly. You are my mate. I want us to succeed today, and that is not possible if they think me a careless whelp,” a hint of anger entered her tone. “I cannot make any mistakes,” determination replaced the anger.
“Remind me to tell you about my sophomore year of high school and the case of skunked beer I acquired for a party. Talk about a mistake,” I gave her lower back a pat. “Needless to say, I spent the rest of that year persona non grata with the rest of my class,” I admitted. “I bounced back from that, so I think we’ll be fine. Trust me.”
“With everything,” she pulled me back into another hug. Considering our height differential and where my face ended up, I was fine with that.
I’d learned physical contact was big among dragons, so I made sure I kept my arm wrapped around her waist when we finally broke off as I sensed the next dragon arrive. That made her stand proud and strong. It turned out Dani wasn’t the only one facing her fears tonight.
One by one, the dragons appeared, were greeted, and ushered across the threshold until only two remained. For all intents and purposes, they were the only two that really mattered.
They arrived at nearly the same time, and from the sour look on Phanom’s face, Kunlun was pushing the boundaries of propriety. As senior, Phanom had the honor of arriving last, but now, he just looked like he was trailing in Kunlun’s wake. From the look the slightly younger member of the Big Three shot Phanom, he knew he’d hit a nerve. I felt the older dragon’s power start to brew as he glared at the other dragon. I could smell and taste it in the air and see how it altered the pattern in the approaching hallway. It smelled like charcoal and was intimately familiar.
It was my power, or more accurately, Io’s power. It was his spark that burned inside them. The eternal flame had a religious significance to the dragons. I guess that you could say there was a little bit of me in the two old geezers heading my way.
“Ew,” I immediately regretted that thought, but it confirmed everything Io had said to me about his children when we’d played chess in Central Park.
I tensed as Phanom’s power reached a simmer. But for a dragon as old as him, I was pretty sure a simmer was going to give Caesar’s wards a workout. Whatever Morgan worked up that defeated Poppy during the coup wasn’t going to stand a chance against him. As Io said, a dragon’s flame grew with time, and Phanom was the second oldest creature on Earth.
Not that Kunlun was far behind. The other dragon wasn’t stupid, and he readied his own power to defend himself. I didn’t have the Codex buried inside me, but I was sure there was a certain dishonor that went along with striking at another dragon at what was supposed to be a peaceful gathering. Or, I could be completely wrong about that, and at least a few battle royals were commonplace at these shindigs. Either way, after a moment, Phanom’s power started to ease. It wasn’t worth it, and I let out a sigh of relief.
Still, I’d felt their power, and it made me smile. Sure, it wasn’t in my league, but it might be enough to give the average Aesir a little pause. That, plus tens of thousands of years of surviving supernatural and manmade threats would make them formidable adversaries.
“Two down, ten to go,” it didn’t sound like much, but covering sixteen percent of the Aesir’s avenues of approach was a weight off my back.
“Pump your breaks, Cam. You need to get them on the team first,” I cautioned my overly optimistic self.
The little standoff and all the knowledge I’d gathered on them happened before they even rounded the bend to approach Poppy and me. Unlike some of the others, neither traveled with an entourage, but that wasn’t what surprised me. All of the dragons I’d seen so far were tall, thin, and dangerous – sans Samala’s curvaceous self – but all of them appeared young. The oldest ones before the Big Two looked forty at most.
Phanom and Kunlun looked old, and not just old . . . old as fuck. At first, I got a seventies, wise, old kung-fu master vibe from them, but then I saw that they took old to an extreme. Maybe it was some type of camouflage, but when you were an apex predator in your natural environment, why hide what you were? I was still puzzling at the why as they shuffled toward me.
