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  Dragon Games

  Jory Strong

  Supernatural Bonds, Book Eight

  Though he has no intention of shackling himself to a female, Tielo has devised a poker invitational to bring potential human mates to Drake’s Lair for his fellow dragons. Club co-owner Pierce has also set a plan in motion—to see his partner mated. When their two schemes collide in the shape of Lyra, smoke and flame result, literally.

  For Lyra, the invitation to an evening of high-stakes poker is the answer to a prayer and her chance to help a family in need. But her confidence wavers upon entering Drake’s Lair, where the male members role-play as dragons and brazenly display their sensuality.

  None are as dangerously distracting as Tielo. The gold-and-silver “dragon” could be her downfall, and not just at the poker table. Because despite his attempts at denial, overwhelming need and lust blast Tielo the instant he meets Lyra. He’ll have her beneath him before the night is done, his essence inside her, his claim undeniable.

  For dragons, mating is no game…and Tielo is playing for keeps.

  DRAGON GAMES

  Jory Strong

  Chapter One

  Tielo leaned back in his chair and put his feet on the desk. Tilting his head, he opened his mouth and exhaled a controlled burst of fire toward the ceiling in the way a human might send a puff of cigar smoke upward. Life didn’t get any better than this.

  Through the open doorway he could hear the spin of roulette wheels and shuffle of cards. He could smell the gold of the coins used in place of poker chips, and the scent of glittering jewels piled on tables as additional collateral. And best of all, he could feel the excitement generated by his latest scheme.

  It’s perfect.

  “Perfect,” he repeated. And if he sounded like a dragon stretched on a sunny ledge, or lying on a bed of priceless gems, well, he was a dragon and Drake’s Lair was part of his hoard, one shared in partnership with the fey lord, Pierce—who stepped through the doorway as if summoned by the thought of him.

  “Someone looks pleased with himself,” Pierce said, flopping down in the chair across the desk from Tielo.

  Tielo lifted a crystal flute filled with Dragon’s Flame in a salute. “I am genius, hear me roar. Our fortunes are about to double, if not quadruple. You have, no doubt, noted the influx of patrons to the club.”

  “The Dragon’s Cup is here, guaranteeing fertility to any pair who drinks from it, what did you expect? Even those dragons who don’t have an existing mate, or a woman in mind to become a mate, want to see for themselves that the cup has been recovered and is now in dragon possession. Or more specifically, in the possession of male dragons, so you no longer have to play the role of boy toys to the females of your kind.”

  Tielo snorted black smoke through his nostrils, refusing to let Pierce ruin his excellent mood with a reminder of what was now the past. Not yet the distant past, but then, for a dragon, such a measure was a difficult feat anyway.

  Pierce spoke the truth, though many a male would still choose a human female over a dragon one. Having the cup here, in this human realm and in the bastion of male power that was Drake’s Lair, did in fact change the dynamic between dragon sexes—an imbalance that had formed over the millennium thanks to the curse placed on his race by the wizard Enos.

  By the Great Ancestor! Tielo had no desire to be encumbered with a mate of any species, but rage burned through him with thoughts of the wizard.

  May the sorcerer burn in Hades! Or better yet, be chained to a rock like Prometheus for all eternity. Only instead of having his liver eaten each day by an eagle, only to be regenerated so the torment could begin with the rise of the sun, let Enos lose testicles and cock!

  The wizard had been envious of dragon wealth, covetous of it. He had created the chalice and tied dragon creation magic to it, making births rare.

  In the old days, before the chalice fell into the hands of the fey and then was lost in the mortal realm, dragons could get around the curse by giving Enos some of their treasure. In return, the sorcerer would allow them to drink from the cup, restoring fertility for decades, and occasionally centuries.

  Now, thanks to a pact between three dragon princes—Severn, Hakon and Malik—the cup had been recovered. It was available to all males and their chosen mates, without payment or obligation. And though Tielo claimed allegiance to his cousin Severn, Drake’s Lair had long served as neutral territory and now housed the Dragon’s Cup.

  His lips would not soon touch the cup’s rim. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t capitalize on the desire of other dragons to shackle themselves to a female and breed.

  The prospect of growing riches banished old rage and sent pleasure purring through him. Dropping his feet to the floor, he set his glass on the desk and poured one for Pierce before refilling his own. Handing the flute to his partner and reclaiming his drink, Tielo said, “A toast is in order.”

  “Let me guess… To your genius.”

  He affected a modest nod. “Care to hear about my latest scheme, already set in motion?”

  “I can hardly wait.” Pierce touched his glass to Tielo’s, hiding his amusement as he did so. He’d set his own plan in motion, and it was about to intersect with his partner’s—though Tielo didn’t know it.

  They emptied their glasses, the Dragon’s Flame a rich, potent elixir delivering a satisfying burn on its way down.

  “I’m now sufficiently fortified to hear your latest,” Pierce said, setting the flute on the desk, though also lifting the centuries-old decanter and refilling his glass.

  Tielo opened his top drawer, retrieving a postcard-sized piece of paper. He handed it to Pierce.

  A sinuous, multicolored dragon bathed in flame ran along the card’s border. Bold lettering entitled the bearer to enter the club and join its members for a game of cards, with Drake’s Lair providing a gambling stake of $100,000 in chips and winnings above that amount convertible to cash at the conclusion of the evening.

  Pierce placed the card on the desk between them. Pretending ignorance of its intended use, he said, “An interesting concept, but we hardly need to bait a hook in order to lure human whales into the club. We’ve got a waiting list of wealthy individuals who want to come here and gamble their fortunes away. If we were willing to allow them as members, even with limited privileges, we could quadruple our membership inside a month’s time.”

  Tielo shook his head. “You lack vision, my friend.” He gestured toward his open doorway and the crowd visible through it. “The invitations are meant to bring suitable women here. Already the cards are making their way into the hands of a select few. That’s why the gaming tables are full and the dining areas overflowing—in anticipation.

  “I don’t truly understand the appeal, though there must be one since you yourself have succumbed—to the extent of being willing to share a wife—but there is obviously a large number of males anxious to surrender their freedom to a female. And Drake’s Lair is in the unique position to benefit from it.”

  Pierce called fire, his element, because yanking a dragon’s tail even metaphorically was a dangerous game. He manipulated the flames, creating a ball to toss between his open hands so he’d have a ready defense.

  “How are you distributing the cards?” he asked. “Tell me you don’t have Henri trolling the beach for bikini-clad beauties and passing the invitations out.”

  Tielo laughed at the image of the club’s very proper maître d’ engaged in such an activity. “Hardly that, though the idea does have merit, purely for its amusement value. No, my plan is much more refined. In fact, it’s perfection.”

  “If you do say so yourself.” Pierce couldn’t resist the urge to throw the ball of fire at Tielo.

  Tielo exhaled a small gout of flame, meeting fire
with fire over the center of his desk. “If I may continue?”

  “Of course.”

  “Severn and Sophie are back from their sex-cation, their little vacation to the dragon realm to complete their bond. As soon as I learned they were home, I paid a visit. Flush from the pleasure of nonstop mating, our now-mutual cousin Sophie agreed, with Severn’s permission, to take some invitations to Inner Magick and get the half-elf—”

  “Aislinn. She’s friends not only with Sophie, but with Storm. Not to mention the dragon princes consider themselves indebted to her for the help she freely gave. Without it, the cup might not have been recovered at all.”

  A hand touched to Tielo’s chest and a quick bow of his head served as an apology for any slight Pierce might feel on behalf of the woman who was friends with Storm, the wife he shared with his cousin Tristan.

  Pierce gave a slight nod. He picked up the flute of Dragon’s Flame, tipping it toward Tielo in acceptance of the apology and a signal for Tielo to continue explaining his grand scheme, a dragon game Pierce hoped would have a different outcome than the one Tielo expected.

  “Sophie has agreed to petition Aislinn on our behalf. She felt sure Aislinn would be willing to offer the invitations to some of those who frequent her shop.”

  Pierce allowed a smile of satisfaction, confident Tielo wouldn’t understand the full truth of it. “An excellent plan. Aislinn is in the unique position of meeting those who are open to the possibility that supernatural beings exist.”

  “Exactly.”

  Pierce took a long drink from his glass, willing himself not to appear as smug as he felt about the fate that would soon befall Tielo. If misery loved company, then it was doubly true for those who’d settled contentedly into the bliss of mated life and wanted their unmatched companions to find the same.

  Thanks to his cousin Tristan’s esoteric knowledge about all things magical, a deck of fey cards featuring dragon images—Tielo’s included—was now in Aislinn’s possession. She’d already devised a way to match likely couples, and now Tielo had provided a means for their introduction.

  Lowering his glass, Pierce asked, “Would you be interested in a wager by any chance?”

  “Always my friend. Always. What’s the nature of the bet?”

  “I believe you will fall prey to your own scheme and end up mated.”

  Tielo laughed, eyes watering with tears of mirth. Pierce suppressed his amusement, though couldn’t prevent himself from saying, “He who laughs last, laughs best.”

  Gouts of flame escaped Tielo’s nostrils as he snorted. “That laugh already belongs to me. The foolishness of your proposed wager nearly boggles the mind. Sharing a wife with Tristan has filled your head with romantic nonsense.”

  “Perhaps, but I’m willing to back my play with gold and jewels.”

  Tielo’s eyes glittered with dragon interest, despite his being a wealthy man millions of times over. “What amount are you thinking to hand me so easily?”

  “It depends on how well your scheme plays out. The wager is for my share of the club take on those nights a potential mate comes here.”

  “Insanity.” Tielo motioned toward his cock. “Why would I want to limit myself to one female and deny all the others a chance to experience this?”

  Pierce rolled his eyes, all the while fighting the urge to point out that, like the dragon prince Hakon, Tielo presented himself as a playboy but hadn’t actually been with a woman in quite some time. Tielo might have forced himself into a human form, but dragon instinct would rule when presented with the right female.

  “My share of the club take on those nights a potential mate comes here,” he repeated.

  “Done.” Tielo glanced toward the doorway. “Be assured, my friend, I won’t be drinking from the Dragon’s Cup with a look to the future and a dream of offspring.”

  * * * * *

  Sophie Alexander—soon to be, officially and legally, Sophie Alexander Damek—wore a huge smile as she entered Inner Magick and saw her best friend, Aislinn.

  “I can’t believe Severn let you out of his sight,” Aislinn said, coming around the counter and giving Sophie a hug.

  “It was a battle but I figured I’d better start the way I mean to go on, not that I’ll be able to shake the guards.” Sophie grimaced. “Who knows how many more there are, besides the five openly accompanying me.”

  “A dozen or twice that, easily. Queen Otthilde of the fey would love to get possession of the Dragon’s Cup again. If she thought she could capture and use you as a bargaining chip, she wouldn’t hesitate to do it. You’re Severn’s mate after all.”

  “I know. Severn drove that point home. Forcefully.” Erotically.

  Aislinn laughed, correctly reading the statement, or maybe the sigh and the dreamy expression that came with memories of Severn’s brand of persuasion.

  “I don’t think I have to ask if you enjoyed your trip.”

  “Tielo called it a sex-cation when he stopped by the house.”

  Sophie grinned at her own subtle jest. Severn’s home—hers now—was a mansion set on grounds large enough to have a maze that held more than one delicious memory of a chase and capture. The estate was surrounded by high walls and boasted top-of-the-line security. There was a hoard of treasure to guard, plus Severn valued his privacy and his anonymity—both of which were going to be severely challenged going forward, but those were battles for another day.

  Noticing a round mirror on the wall above a display case with a collection of rune sets, Sophie moved in for a closer look. “This is new.”

  “It’s a sorcerer’s mirror. Originally it was created to see into the future, but the original stones were lost.”

  Aislinn traced the intricate symbols on the frame that surrounded and linked a trail of small, clear gems. “I replaced the sorcerer stones with heartstones.”

  Sophie felt a little thrill of excitement at the prospect of witnessing the same kind of magic happening for others as she’d experienced. She tugged the pendant she wore out from beneath her shirt. Aislinn had made the heartmate necklace for her, and it had done as promised, come to life in Severn’s presence, glowing and warming to indicate he was her perfect mate.

  “You know I’m a believer in the power of heartstones. So someone looking into the mirror sees their future mate?”

  “It’s more complicated than that, and I’ll admit I’m still learning how it works. Your friend Jazzlyn came here while you were away. She was the first person the mirror reacted to. She said she was drawn to it by a flash, and when she touched it, the stones warmed and filled with color. The effect became hypnotic and ultimately it was Xanthus’ relative, Kirill, who she saw in the mirror. She’s with him now in the dragon realm. The mirror’s reacted to one other person, a witch who saw a fellow witch, someone he’d wanted to date but hadn’t worked up the courage to ask out. They’re a couple now.”

  Sophie sighed with satisfaction. “I love a happy ending. Speaking of which, there was a reason for Tielo’s visit. He—”

  Aislinn’s sudden smile made Sophie laugh. “You already know about his scheme to lure potential mates to Drake’s Lair.”

  “His isn’t the only scheme afoot. Pierce and Tristan came by with Storm a couple of days ago to set their own plan in motion.”

  “Dare I ask?”

  “Fey magic, this time used to benefit the dragons. Let me show you.”

  Sophie followed Aislinn to the counter. She remained on the customer side, idly digging through a bowl of polished stones to select one of them.

  Aislinn went around and retrieved an intricately carved wooden box from a cabinet. Opening it, she removed a deck a cards. They looked hand painted, the artistry amazing. The card backs were the same scene, a forest path with a naked, androgynous couple seen from behind.

  “This is Tristan’s work,” Aislinn said. “There are different sigils woven into the back of each card, subtle, so they’re not visible, except to the subconscious. The cards were mentioned in an o
ld, old book of faery tales he bought for Storm.”

  She turned the deck over, spreading them out along the counter. Painted on the front were the faces of men, overlaid onto the image of the dragon Sophie thought must be their first form, their true form.

  Sophie smiled at recognizing some of those who lived on the estate as they served out their liege time to Severn. But it was the sight of Tielo’s face, then the dragon prince Hakon’s, that had her snickering. “Oh man, I’m not sure whether to feel sorry for the women who pick those cards, or to feel gleeful at the prospect of those two guys falling hard. They may think they don’t want mates, but in the presence of the perfect one, instinct will kick in and they won’t be able to hold out.”

  “True enough.” Aislinn scooped up the cards and placed them back in the box. “Tristan and I devised a plan. When he saw the mirror, he suggested I place each of the cards on it.”

  “Sort of like feeding images into a magical mate-matching computer.”

  “Yes.” Aislinn shrugged. “There’s no way of telling if it’ll have any impact on what someone might see if they’re drawn to the mirror and it reacts to them, but… Our hope is to ease the potential mate into accepting the possibility they’ll meet not just their match, but that the one for them is more than human.”

  “Makes sense. Plus if the person sees the image in the mirror, then sees the same face on the card, that’ll reinforce the match and also give you a chance to call Pierce and make sure the dragon shows up at Drake’s Lair when their perfect mate is there.”

  “Yes.”

  “How will you know when to offer the deck and have someone choose a card? Almost everyone who comes here already believes to some extent in the supernatural, or are at least curious about it. But they won’t necessarily volunteer that they actually saw something in the mirror or tell you what it was. Without seeing what they saw, how will you be sure the perfect match isn’t to something not dragon?”

  Aislinn smiled. “You’ve been one of a great number of test subjects and so far there hasn’t been a single miss. Without prompting, and I’ll bet without conscious thought, you chose an affinity stone which I happen to know was at the bottom of the bowl.”