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The fact that Twice Charmed catered to such a unique crowd wasn’t openly discussed. It just was. There was an aura around the place, a sense of dread that the creatures who inhabited it perpetuated. Except for the occasional groupies or lost tourists, humans seemed to naturally stay far away from the club.

  Despite this, there was one fast and steady rule everyone had to adhere to. No harm would come to humans while they were at or in the vicinity of Twice Charmed. The owners made this rule from the beginning, and everyone involved knew why. If humans started dying at or near the club, the authorities would get suspicious and curious. And none of the patrons of Twice Charmed wanted that. This was one of the few places where their kind could be themselves without hiding it from others. Everyone wanted to keep it that way, so they obeyed the rule. Most of the time.

  On those occasions when the rule was broken, harsh punishment resulted. The perpetrator was never allowed to return to Twice Charmed. No exceptions were made. Everyone knew that. So most behaved themselves. Except for the fighting. There weren’t any hard and fast rules about that. Especially when it involved two different species.

  The owners didn’t allow fighting in the club, but they had no qualms about brawling in the back parking area. Especially since bets were often made on the winner. And the owners always demanded a cut of the winnings. Since the back parking area was enclosed with high block fencing, they knew it wouldn’t attract much attention from outsiders. But the fights always drew curious onlookers from inside the club.

  Eric spotted a familiar face and headed in that direction immediately.

  “How’s it going, man?” he asked the man leaning against the bar.

  The man didn’t respond to him right away. He was watchful, intently scanning the crowd as if waiting for someone to appear or something to happen. And the guy was quiet, as quiet as the undead. But he wasn’t dead, or undead for that matter. But he had been for over two hundred years while existing as a vampire. Vampire no more, Christian Galiano retained the actions and movements of his undead brethren, despite the fact that he was now both mortal and human. And one other thing he had retained from his vampire days couldn’t be dismissed. His vampire powers. For a reason unknown to anyone, Christian had been allowed to keep his preternatural abilities even after being returned to his human state.

  He worked as a security specialist at Sundown, but now that he was no longer undead he handled a lot more daytime events than he used to. Because of this, Sundown had expanded their business. This had made Vlad very, very happy. Besides being a fair boss, he was also an uncanny entrepreneur. It was his wise decisions as well as his specialists’ successful handling of their cases that made Sundown Security so in demand among the good citizens of Arizona.

  When Christian finally turned his attention to Eric, his intense, hypnotizing gaze was laser sharp. This guy missed very little, if anything, around him.

  “I’m good, Eric. How about you?” Christian said with a nod and only slightly friendly smile. Eric knew that he and Vlad were pretty tight. The fact that this ex-vamp had that same uncanny control of himself as their boss didn’t surprise him.

  “Not bad, just trying to get some information on a new face in town. Have you heard anything about a man named Magnus?”

  “Magnus?” Christian’s brow furrowed as he thought about it. “No, sorry I haven’t. What do you know about him?”

  “He’s a dragon slayer.”

  “Interesting. Well, that’s something you two have in common,” Christian said with a dry chuckle. “What else can you tell me about him?”

  “Not too much. He’s been around longer than I have. He’s pretty much your run-of-the-mill crazed fanatic, and he’s out to kill my client. The usual MO. The only difference is he’s spouting the demise of dragons and the rise of religious righteousness in the world. Any of this sound familiar?”

  Christian grinned and shook his head slowly. “Uh, no. I think I’d remember a guy like that.”

  “Yeah, the insane light in his eyes leaves an impression on you.”

  “I can imagine,” Christian said. “But can’t you get through to the guy? You and he have the same goal of a sort. Both of you want to kill off the big, bad, nasty dragon, so what’s the big deal? You get him off your client’s back and move on.”

  Eric gritted his teeth together, reluctant to answer. After a moment, he exhaled loudly. It didn’t matter any longer. Things were what they were.

  “Yeah, well, uh, it turns out that my current client is a dragon.”

  The shocked look on Christian’s face was almost comical enough to ease the lump in Eric’s throat that had formed at the thought of Sabrina’s true form. Almost, but not quite.

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Wrong. I’m completely serious. She’s a dragon.”

  “She?”

  “Yep. A female dragon. And a very rare type of dragon as well.”

  “Now that is an interesting development,” Christian said, studying him for a minute. “So how are you handling it?”

  Eric shrugged. “I’m handling it, being the professional that Vlad always wants us to be. You know the routine.”

  Christian nodded his head, then his eyes darted sideways, catching something or someone off to the right before returning.

  “I understand. Vlad is demanding but he’s fair, Eric. You and I both know that.”

  “Agreed.”

  Christian’s eyes slid sideways again.

  “Well, I need to take off, my prey—uh, I mean my contact has just showed up. If I hear anything about Magnus I’ll let you know.”

  Eric grinned wolfishly. “Thanks. And good luck.”

  “You too,” Christian said with a backward glance as he stalked across the room toward his target.

  Eric followed Christian’s progress until another figure caught his eyes. A slow smile spread across his face.

  Maria.

  Just the lady he wanted to see.

  She was facing away from him as he approached her, so he slid his hands around her waist and kissed the back of her exposed neck. Her dark hair was upswept in her usual haphazard bun that gave her a fragile yet sexy look. Men flocked to Maria like bees to honey. And tonight was no exception. He could almost hear a collective growl from the men surrounding her as he wrapped his arms around her.

  Maria knew it was him instantly.

  “Hello, Eric,” she said, turning in his arms and giving him a dazzling smile. Her dark, almost feline eyes danced and her cheeks dimpled as she gave him her hundred-watt grin. Eric had to fight the intense pull she exuded.

  Maria was an immortal siren of old. One of the seductive creatures of legend known to lure ships to their bloody demises along rocky coasts. She had the ability to entice men to her side and seduce them with little more than her voice. Though preternatural creatures were somewhat immune to her powers, she still attracted males easier than most women. Her beauty was real, as was the seductive sound of her voice. Combine that with a truly caring and authentic personality and the men at Twice Charmed held out little hope against her. Considering her petite five-foot-two-inch stature and lithe little body, it was almost comical watching her down even the biggest male in the joint.

  Of course, Maria now used her powers for good. She was sort of an independent contractor. She worked as an informant and consultant for Sundown Security on occasion. Her hypnotic abilities allowed her to gain information that others could not. And right now information was exactly what he needed.

  Eric gave her another quick kiss on the cheek then released her and moved back. His immunity to Maria was limited and he didn’t want to test its limits. Especially since there was a certain female dragon he would much rather be holding.

  A couple of her suitors tried to move to her side in a completely male territorial action that was as old as mankind. Maria waved them off easily, slid her hand through Eric’s arm and led him away from her devout following.

  “I’ll return momentarily, gentlemen. Ent
ertain yourselves until then.”

  Without a backward glance, she led him across the room. “So what can I do for you, Eric?”

  “How do you know I want something? Maybe your company is the only thing I desire.”

  Maria gave a chuckle that was low and sexy. Despite his efforts not to react to the sound of it, desire shot through him. This woman by his side was more dangerous than she realized. Or maybe she did realize it. No matter, he had a job for her.

  “You are one of the few men I know who I can count on to be up-front, Eric. And you’ve made it quite clear from the very beginning that you’re not interested.”

  As she spoke, something passed over her eyes. Eric wondered about it. It looked like sadness, but he knew it couldn’t possibly be that. Maria had men who desired to be by her side every second of every day. He shook off the notion and gave her his most charming smile.

  “Not interested? How could any man not be interested in you, lady? You are incredibly beautiful and sexy.”

  Maria gave him a pouty face then shrugged and broke into an easy smile.

  “Nevertheless, what I say is true. So, back to my initial question, Eric. What can I do for you and Sundown?”

  “I need you to find out about a man named Magnus. He’s a dragon slayer and he’s also on a fanatical rampage to save the world.”

  “What does this have to do with Sundown Security?”

  “Part of that fanaticism pertains to my client.”

  Maria gave him a perplexed look. “How so?”

  “It seems his mission includes killing my client.”

  Maria looked even more confused. “What would a dragon slayer want with your client?”

  Again, Eric clenched his jaw at the thought of admitting this ironic situation to anyone. But he had little choice in the matter. He needed to find Magnus, and he had to have as much help as possible.

  “My client is a dragon.”

  Maria’s sudden burst of laughter was unexpected. She threw back her head and laughed loudly, with gusto. She was obviously enjoying the irony of it all.

  Eric raised one eyebrow and kept his face completely serious.

  “Well, I’m glad you find it so funny, Maria. At least one of us can find humor in the situation.”

  Maria pressed her lips together, attempting to stop her laughter, but her eyes danced merrily.

  “I, um, I’m sorry, Eric. It’s just not something I expected to hear. And the thought of a dragon slayer protecting a dragon from another dragon slayer, well, you do see the humorous irony in that, don’t you?”

  The corners of Maria’s eyes crinkled and a wide smile spread across her lips.

  “Yeah, humorous. I get it. It’s hilarious,” Eric replied dryly, still not cracking a smile. “Now that you’ve gotten your laugh in for the day, can we proceed with this discussion?”

  “Of course. But first I have one more question. Is your client a female or male dragon?”

  Eric thought about not answering. If the conversation continued the way it had up to this point, he knew what Maria’s reaction would be. Despite this, he did want her to know as much about this case as was necessary to help her discover more about Magnus.

  Maria’s ability to put men under her spell and compel them to obey her was invaluable. She was able to get information for Sundown that very few others could obtain without going deep undercover or through the use of violence. And even in those cases, they weren’t always successful. The specialists at Sundown used Maria because her success rate in gaining necessary information from both paranormal and non-paranormals was extremely high.

  Running his fingers through his hair, he sighed loudly in frustration.

  Maria might as well know the truth.

  “She’s a female dragon. A rare type of female dragon. And she’s also my ex-girlfriend. I will not let any harm come to her.”

  This time Maria made a real effort not to crack up laughing. Her eyes widened and she sucked in a deep breath before covering her mouth with her hand and smothering any sounds that may have come out. Her eyes lit with amusement but also something else. She had a knowing look in her eyes. All the wisdom of her many years on this earth suddenly showed in her gaze.

  Lowering her hand, she gave him a gentle smile.

  “I understand. Tell me what you can about this Magnus.”

  Maria shivered after hearing about the older dragon slayer.

  “The guy already gives me the creeps and I’ve never even met him. I’ll find out what I can, but be very careful, Eric. He sounds very, very dangerous and absolutely insane.”

  Eric nodded.

  “Thank you, Maria,” he said before giving her a quick hug. “I’ll be in touch.”

  Maria turned from him then glanced back over her shoulder with a teasing smile. “You better.”

  Eric watched her walk away, the seductive sway of her hips calling out to the males in the room. Soon she was surrounded by her entourage once more, plus some new guys vying for her attention.

  Eric smiled and shook his head as he headed for the club’s exit.

  It was time to leave.

  He had a dragon to tend to.

  Chapter Eleven

  Magnus held the tourniquet tight with his teeth and eased the needle into his arm. The small prick was nothing to him now. The scars covering his limbs from many such injections left him with little feeling. The pleasure he was about to get negated any pain completely. Over the years he had become somewhat of an alchemist, learning how to use certain drugs on himself and others. This drug would take him away, just as it always did.

  It would help him forget his failure tonight.

  Magnus had lost Sabrina.

  This time.

  It wouldn’t happen again. His old student’s appearance had surprised him. But now he knew where Eric stood. The bomb he had planted and detonated in that car had been meant for Sabrina’s personal security. His timing had been off, and at the time he hadn’t known it was meant for his former apprentice.

  No matter.

  Sabrina Reyes would die.

  She was a golden dragon, the most dangerous of all.

  She had to die so that the world would be cleansed. And he was the cleanser. It was his job to clear away the dragon scum so that the world would be clean at last. He had a schedule of Sabrina’s upcoming speeches and had already determined her teaching times. It had been so easy to enlist aid from her kind. Dragons were a jealous, petty bunch, hungry for power. At the slightest hint of it they had jumped at the opportunity to turn on Sabrina.

  It would be easy to kill her now.

  But first he would do what he had wanted to do since first seeing her.

  He peered around him once more to make sure no one was near his cave dwelling. He sensed no one. He was probably safe. He peeled his clothes off, glorying in the freedom he felt. Standing tall and proud, he let the drug take effect. He didn’t fight it. He imagined the golden female dragon, so rare and so beautiful. She would submit to him, giving him months of pleasure.

  Soon he would have her.

  Soon…

  He would take her, mate with her over and over again until he tired of her. After that he would kill her, and the world would be a cleaner place. Dragon females were very passionate, and over time he’d found he could only find his pleasure with them. He had taken many of her kind in the past. He kept them captive, fed them only enough to survive, drugged them and beat them regularly to keep them under his control. He slaked his pleasure on them night after night until he had his fill. After a while they became used up and listless anyway.

  His cock grew hard just thinking about the golden female. He rubbed himself while he thought about what she would be like in bed. She would be feisty. He liked that. He liked dominating a female dragon and forcing her into submission. They were dirty, sinful spawns of the devil anyway, so they deserved to be treated as such.

  Walking to the edge of the cave, he looked out into the night. In his mind he becam
e the dragon. His wings emerged and spread wide behind him. His skin changed, rare golden scales spreading over it. His nose grew into a snout and his teeth elongated. The change felt so good, almost like an orgasm. He threw back his head and roared triumphantly, reveling in the transformation.

  Soon.

  Soon the dragon bitch would be his.

  Chapter Twelve

  Eric drove back to Sabrina’s house. Everything he had learned that evening played through his mind as he rang the doorbell. Malcolm answered immediately.

  The look of relief on his face was almost comical.

  “You don’t know how glad I am that you’re back, man. Sabrina’s parents are really out there.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean they’ve taken the term ‘parental discretion’ too far,” Malcolm said with a frustrated sigh. “They wouldn’t allow me anywhere near their daughter. Every time I tried to go up the stairs to check on her, her father stopped me.”

  Eric smiled to himself. He could just see Manuel protectively guarding his daughter.

  “So what did you do?”

  “Do? Nothing. My job is to guard people. I’m not going to harm a couple of parents because they’re guarding their daughter. But I did insist that Sabrina’s mother give me periodic updates on her daughter’s wellbeing. They both agreed to that and we formed a somewhat uneasy truce. But that dad of hers,” Malcolm said, shaking his head and whistling quietly, “he’s a trip. He stood guard on those stairs like a gargoyle, never letting his gaze wander from me. It got a little creepy after a while, know what I mean?”

  Eric knew exactly what his friend meant. “Yeah, man, I know. Thanks for staying with them while I was gone.”

  “No problem. So how’d things go with Vlad?”

  “Vlad expects me to remain a professional, regardless of the special circumstances.”

  “That’s tough.”

  “Tell me about it. So I swung by Twice Charmed before coming back here.”

  “And? Did you find out anything new?”

  “I saw Christian.”

  Malcolm shook his head and let out a low whistle. “That guy is just a little too together. One of these days I’d like to see him crack under pressure. But I highly doubt that’ll happen.”