Dodge City Knights Read online

  They’d had a nice dinner. They’d chatted. Both Tessa and Sabina had asked about Clete Sariah but had been put off. Eve and the other wives had been so kind and hospitable, Tessa wondered if this was paradise or if it was a trap. Sabina had kept her Divination magic up to help her see and to make sure that both she and Tessa were safe.

  Then Eve had made the first move, and the rest of the women had joined in. There had been nine women, some full Dragonsouls, others Dragonskins, and the rest of a mixture of Warlings, Morphlings, and Magicians. Three were in the bed with Tessa. The other six were for Sabina, who would play her games with them. The Latina Magician had an imagination as big as her libido. And she could switch from dominant vamp to a submissive toy in seconds.

  Eve bent and kissed Tessa. The woman’s soft breasts filled Tessa’s hands. Her mouth was warm, and she smelled so good. She was wearing a Chanel perfume, Chance, if Tessa wasn’t mistaken. The older woman had sculpted her body into a weapon, part soft hips, part hard muscles. Her skin was flawlessly white, so pale compared to her nearly black hair. Eve’s ice-blue eyes were nearly closed as she enjoyed Tessa as much as the barista enjoyed her.

  Two other naked women were on the bed with them, Hannah Cannon and Sun Savage. Sun was a Chinese-American woman, on the larger side, who looked down on Eve and Tessa kissing with fire in her big brown eyes. She was leaning back, her big breasts atop her little belly. Her nipples were big and dark, perfect.

  Hannah was between Tessa’s legs, kissing her thighs, licking her softly, and just when Tessa thought she’d lose herself in an orgasm, Hannah would pull back. The edging was as maddening as it was wonderful. Tessa felt the mystical energy swirling around them in the bed, up high in the master bedroom, at the top of the mansion. Come morning, the view of the sunrise would be gorgeous. Now, the eastern horizon was lost in midnight’s darkness.

  Tessa’s Colt Peacekeepers hung in their holsters off a chair at the desk about five feet away. She’d been practicing with the more telekinetic aspects of Magica Defensio and could have them in her hands in seconds. Yet, in the end, she felt safe with Eve and the other Deseret Primacy ladies.

  Hannah gently nibbled Tessa’s thigh. She had dirty-blonde hair, cut short, with the sides of her head shaved. Her body was tanned and strong, her lips full, and she was remarkably talented with her tongue. Tessa also loved her breasts, simple handfuls of pliant flesh with tiny nipples, cute and pink.

  Out of the women on the bed, only Tessa had tattoos, and she loved each and every one. However, the hurricane circle above her heart, inches away from the talons of a red-tailed hawk, was the most special. She was back to shaving one side of her head and dying the rest of her hair an unnatural black. With dark eye makeup and bright red lips, she loved the way she looked. Eve, Sun, and Hannah seemed to like her as well.

  “No, you know where I want it,” Tessa complained. “Please. Here.” She reached down and spread herself in a vain attempt to get Hannah to lick her where she was the most sensitive.

  Eve trailed a hand down Tessa’s throat until she was cupping one of Tessa’s breasts. Sun leaned forward to kiss her other mound of sensitive flesh. Tessa reached and felt Sun’s nipple harden in her palm. These women were spectacular.

  And smart.

  Tessa and Sabina had been drawn into their love, seduced really, but Tessa wasn’t sure what the rules were for Dragonsouls, their wives, and dallying around with women in other Primacies. Steven said they were free to do what they wanted, and Tessa wanted this. And if she could bring him another Primacy in the process? All the better!

  “We know what you want,” Eve said gently. She gave Tessa’s lips a slow lick. That perfume, it was both warm and sensual at the same time, like a long hug. “But we wanted to talk a little business with you.”

  That surprised Tessa. “What? Now?”

  Eve laughed a little. “Well, we certainly have gotten to know each other pretty well in the last few hours, wouldn’t you agree?”

  The barista turned Magician couldn’t argue with that. She’d pleasured each of the women in the bed multiple times. Eve made this cute squeaking sound when the ecstasy took hold of her.

  “Fine,” Tessa sighed. “We might as well talk business since Hannah is basically torturing me.”

  “You love it,” Sun said and gave Tessa’s breast a little nibble.

  It was hard to think with all these lovely women around her, their skin, their scents, their gentleness.

  “I don’t hate it.” Tessa laughed. “Okay, Eve, what’s really going on with your Primacy?”

  “We don’t have a Prime,” Eve murmured. “Clete Sariah met his end ten years ago. We kept his death a secret, and I’ve been showing up in his place when it was necessary. We didn’t want another Dragonlord to rule us. We want to rule ourselves.”

  Tessa wanted to stop making love and get the full story. She tried to sit up. Hannah had other ideas. Her mouth finally found Tessa’s sensitive nubbin, and all she could do was hiss because it felt so good. And Sun was there, sucking on her right breast, while Eve held the other, kissing her and telling secrets.

  The older woman, the real Prime, eased Tessa back down. “Let me finish. We want to join with Steven Drokharis. We want to free Dragonsoul females everywhere. But Tessa, we’re afraid. We know how power can corrupt men, and we don’t want to be slaves anymore.”

  Again, Hannah took the barista to the very edge of a climax and then withdrew.

  Tessa had to laugh.

  Tessa moved her hand to her sex. “Okay, I can’t think straight. Let me finish myself off real quick—”

  Hannah gently grabbed her hand to stop her. “No, Tessa, not yet. I’ll get you there, but first, business.”

  “This is some kind of fucked-up hostile negotiation all right.” Tessa closed her eyes and exhaled. She felt frustrated, intrigued, and overwhelmed for a second. Then she took hold of her senses. With Steven’s help, she’d mastered AnimusChain. She reached out with her mind to feel the Animus cores of the women in the bed. All spun with the pure fire of Dragonsouls. Eve was the most powerful, but Sun wasn’t any kind of slouch, and Hannah had a warrior’s soul in her.

  Dragonsouls. Tessa could almost taste their energies filling her, not from sex, but from slaughter. If they were to fight, and if she killed them, their souls would be hers. Inside Tessa burned a hellfire that needed fuel. This was the Dragon Slayer part of her. For a mad second, she pictured herself reaching for her guns, igniting them with IonClaws, and then letting that battle lust take her away. It was a jarring thought, and Tessa laughed it away. At her heart, she was a lover, not a fighter, right?

  Most days she knew. Sometimes, at night, she had her doubts.

  There was one constant in her life, however. “You can trust Steven. I made it clear that this bullshit Dragonlord slavery must stop. I wouldn’t be in Steven’s Primacy if I didn’t think we were doing the right thing.”

  “Would we have to sleep with him?” Sun asked. “I haven’t been with a man in a long time. I’ve gotten used to Eve and the other ladies. Not sure I can switch.”

  Tessa grinned. “Steven is awesome in all kinds of ways. But no, you wouldn’t have to sleep with him. If you wanted to walk away, you could. Or you could find candidates to train as Dragonskins. Or you could petition to become a wife. At this point, Steven is careful who he brings into his Escort.”

  “Careful?” Hannah asked. Was that wonder or suspicion in her voice?

  Either way, Tessa found the dirty-blonde woman’s slightly husky voice sexy as hell. “Yes, careful. He has his hands full with us, his lucky seven, and Uchiko, and then there’s the Five Widows, the Three Queens, and the bajillion other wives he has now that he’s conquered so many Primacies.” She paused. “Heavenly seven? Lucky seven? He sometimes refers to us as his core Escort, but I’m not sure I like that either.”

  Eve let out a breath of relief. “So we’ll join you.”

  “No,” Tessa said quickly and forcefully. “I won’
t let you, not until Hannah stops torturing me!”

  “Hannah, take her there,” Eve said quietly.

  Then it was licks, kisses, and some gently sucking, and finally, finally, Tessa found herself lost in an orgasm, one of the best of her life. She’d been on edge so long that the climax shattered her a bit. She made new sounds of her own.

  TESSA SAT IN THE HOT tub on the balcony. It was a little after midnight. Leaning back in the hot water, she watched a shooting star streak across the cold sky. The air smelled of the miles of salt around them as well as I-80 far in the distance.

  She was naked, sleepy, and sexed out for the moment. It had been nonstop. All those new bodies and unique souls satisfied her like nothing else. Except maybe battle.

  Looking back, she’d taken to fighting so quickly. She remembered rescuing Aria from Edgar Vale. She’d leapt out of the window to stab a psycho Dragonskin in his chest. Then she’d fallen. A normal human wouldn’t have done that. Then again, she’d never been human.

  Was she polyamorous because of her ancestors? It made sense. She’d leapt headfirst into Steven’s Escort and hadn’t looked back. And when Steven brought in new women? She didn’t mind a bit. Just more love and laughter and more customers for her morning coffee fests. Yes, Mouse had been difficult and was still difficult at times. And the Wayne twins, yeah, they could be total mean girls. Yet, Tessa was falling in love with all of them and the world they’d created together at the Infinity Ranch.

  Eve padded out from the silent house. She’d been sleeping when Tessa had slipped out of the house to soak in the hot tub. All the lovemaking had Tessa wired and awake, and she loved how she was feeling. The older woman wore a flannel housecoat, which she dropped. She walked into the hot tub naked and sat across from Tessa.

  “Couldn’t sleep?” Tessa asked.

  “I don’t sleep well.” Eve cast her eyes down. “Memories. Not good ones I’m afraid. Clete was a monster to us, but he’s gone now.”

  The silence that followed was telling.

  Tessa didn’t need magic to know what had happened. “You killed him. Was it just you or did the others help?”

  “All of us together,” Eve whispered. “You’re the first outsider we’ve told. Agatha Stipe, our best Magician, cast the spells we needed to hide the truth, even from you and Sabina. And Steven. He has powerful Divination magic, is that not so?”

  “Yes it’s true. The three of us are probably the best precogs on Earth. We knew something strange was going on, but we couldn’t confirm it with magic.”

  Eve didn’t respond. The pain on her face was evident.

  Tessa moved to the center of the hot tub. She crouched and held Eve’s hand. “Look, you must’ve been in a horrible situation. I’ve talked to other Dragonsoul females who weren’t lucky enough to have sister-wives willing to end the abuse. They had to take it, for years, for decades sometimes.” She thought of Uchiko and her sad story. “For some, even centuries.”

  “The murder was quick. We poisoned him with Elftears. He went to sleep and died in his dreams.” Her voice faded. “The years since were harder. If any Dragonlord suspected our treachery, they would’ve killed us to send a message. It wouldn’t have been quick, and it wouldn’t have been pleasant. Living with the fear, year after year, was awful. Then we heard of Steven and what he wants to do. At first, we couldn’t believe his motives were pure. Then, when we heard how powerful he was, we didn’t dare approach him. We’ve had one master, and we didn’t want another. You changed things.”

  “Me?” Tessa asked, shocked to her core. “What about me? I’m just the kitchen help. I make really good coffee.” She laughed. “Oh, I get it, you want in on the Drokharis action because of my vanilla lattes. I understand. Steven isn’t a whiz in the kitchen, but the boy can mop.”

  Instead of laughing, Eve covered her eyes. Her lips trembled with emotion when she talked. “Hearing you laugh, making your jokes, it’s such a relief. You are so different from what we imagined. You can even make fun of Steven and his mopping skill. Your respect and love for him shows despite the humor. Thank the stars in heaven and all good things.”

  “Steven’s a good thing, Eve, really good. Wait until you meet him.” Tessa rose to feel the night’s chill air on her wet skin. She then sank down on the seat next to Eve. “But my jokes and lattes aren’t what made you change your mind.”

  “No,” the woman said quietly. She gazed into Tessa’s eyes. “We talked with Javier Jones at first, then the Wayne twins, but we still weren’t sure. Imogene Summers, from the PNW Primacy, assured us Steven was different, but we still couldn’t believe it. Then Agatha caught something in a vision, something about you being Merlin’s daughter. She has a book of Dragonsoul tales, some historically accurate, others merely legend, she got from Clete. He studied his ancestry a lot and took good records. It seems the old human tales are true, at least in some ways. There was an Arthur, a Merlin, and the Knights of the Round Table, and they were dragons.”

  “Yes, the Dragonknights of the Ever-Seeing Eye.” Tessa tilted her head. “So me being Merlin’s daughter meant something to you?”

  “It meant everything,” Eve said. “You are powerful, and you are a woman, and you will keep us safe if we join the grand Drokharis Primacy, which stretches across the world. The sun never sets on his empire.”

  “I guess that’s true.” Tessa took Eve’s hand. “I will keep you safe, but not from Steven, only from his wide and varied collection of enemies, past, present, and future.”

  Eve leveled her gaze. “We are not helpless. We can fight your present enemies, and as for the past, I will check with Agatha, but I think she wouldn’t mind if you borrowed some books to study.”

  Tessa felt giddy at the idea of more books to read. Who had she turned into? Weird, but getting a new book felt almost like getting a new lover. Such a change.

  “We’d love to check the book out.” Tessa paused. “But, Eve, there’s something else you need to know about me. There was a Dragon Slayer a thousand years ago that was so powerful, she drove all the Dragonlords into hiding. I’m her daughter as well. And I can feel that part of me, Eve, this awful thing. Sometimes it scares me. No, all of the time it scares me.”

  Eve lifted Tessa’s hand and kissed it. “We get to decide who we are. We decided not to be slaves to Clete Sariah anymore and to live as free Dragonsouls. You are your own woman. Be who you want to be.”

  Tessa smiled. “I love that. ‘Be who I want to be.’ And I want to be Merlin’s daughter. When I first found out, I was so proud. Me, this nobody from Denver, Colorado, and suddenly I’m fucking royalty. It was nice. Me and Steven, we’re quite the pair, a princess and a prince.”

  “So I noticed there is no ring. Why hasn’t he married you yet?” Eve asked.

  The question turned Tessa’s mouth dry. Aria, Mouse, and the others, especially Zoey, had been talking about that recently. They wanted to put on the ring that would bind them to Steven forever. For Tessa, though, that meant something completely different. She’d grown up human and had vowed never to get married. No one would ever own her.

  Eve saw that the question had totally and completely freaked the shit out of Tessa. “Never mind. Really, it’s none of my business. And I love the fact that your Prime hasn’t forced you into the ritual. It’s powerful.”

  “He knows it is,” Tessa said in a quiet voice. “That’s why we’re going slow with that. You should’ve seen me when I heard he had these Dragonsoul seduction powers. I lost it. I walked halfway down I-25 before I’d let him talk to me. Once he did, I knew his heart was in the right place. He’s not in this for the money, power, or pussy. He wants so much more than all that.”

  “Hmm.” Eve thought for a minute. “Sex with a man. Sun was right. It’s been a long time.”

  Tessa laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s like riding a bike...but with more penises involved. Insert tab A into slot B. You’ll remember.” She loved Eve, but she was also so quick to love. Maybe Merlin had been like t
hat as well.

  Eve glanced up.

  Sabina came wandering out, eyes glowing green. She’d gained weight since completing the Dragonskin rituals, and it suited her. She had lovely breasts and those hips, such curves made women so wonderful to look at it, to touch, to hold tight. Tessa felt the tingles start again. Ugh, her sex drive wouldn’t shift out of fifth gear. She felt like she was hurtling down a highway of lust and she’d just missed the last exit for a hundred miles.

  “Aye caramba, girl!” Sabina said. The she switched to her new telepathy. Don’t you ever get enough?

  The Latina Magician slipped into the waters and sighed. “Hola, Eve. You throw a nice party.”

  Eve smiled. “So that’s what we’re calling it now?”

  Tessa had been practicing talking to Sabina using their minds. She cast a Divination spell, then forced her vision to center on Sabina. She kept her focus sharp and sent her thoughts. I thought I might have gotten enough lovin’ tonight, but then, you came out, and you look so good! Are you receiving this transmission?

  Si, Houston, no problemo with that. I think we can trust Eve and her eight. Maybe we call them Eve’s Eight?

  Totally. And they are sooo not hateful.

  I don’t understand, but that is fine. This is probably rude to do in front of Eve. Like passing notes in class. But Tessa, you should know, there was an attack at the Infinity Ranch.

  An image filled Tessa’s head. “Sorry, Eve, but we have to get home. Right away.”

  Chapter Three

  STEVEN LEAPT FROM HIS desk. A shadowy figure burst into the room, running impossibly fast. He saw the blurred orange too late to avoid the strike. The intruder’s staff, tips glowing, caught him across the chest. He was thrown back against a bookcase, stunned for a minute.

  “Oh shit, this bitch again?” Chazzie shouted. “Didn’t you shoot her, Pru?”

  “Yeah, I did! I certainly hate having to shoot the same person twice. It doesn’t reflect well on my aim, nor our training.”