Wrath of the dragon 5, p.1
Wrath of the Dragon 5, page 1
Would you like to see chapters of my books before they come out? Do you want to see cover art sketches and vote on which poses should make it to final production? Would you like to see even sexier versions of my covers? Would you like to get my audiobooks at a deep discount?
Of course you would! Join my Patreon here to get all these awesome benefits (or search for my name on Patreon.com).
You can also join my Facebook group right here. Then you’ll know when my books come out before anyone else.
Chapter 1
The creatures of the Fire Lands were still partying hard when I woke up from a short sleep. A few solid hours had been all I needed for my aching muscles to feel refreshed. Saving a whole realm from demonic monsters really took it out of a guy.
I had woken up curled amongst my angels in our guesthouse in the welder city of Woodbridge. We came downstairs to a delicious breakfast of warm bread and thick jam waiting for us, and we walked out to stroll along with tea clutched in hand.
The welders had given us everything we needed for the perfect stay, and the sun had started to rise in the burning sky once more. There were no longer chaotic howls and vicious screams ringing out around us. All the noise was from partying beasts, upbeat music, and the rolling of ale barrels over the ground.
Gnomes and Burnlings danced around the huge gates of the city as we walked out to take in the view. Some griffins still stumbled around after consuming a few too many fire liquors, and there were still occasional bangs of rogue fireworks.
It had been a party to remember, and it was good to see how high the spirits were running in this land.
We took our tea up a small slope just outside the city walls where we could look out over the lands. I was pleased to see the manic wildfires in the distance had calmed, and all burning flames looked contained and purposeful. Those who had actually had some sleep had gotten to work rebuilding the parts of the land that had fallen into disarray, too. The welders were taking tools on wooden carts out to help fix the damage that had been done by the flames.
Killing of demonic overlords and a fire jinn had been worth this bit of extra destruction, though.
I grinned as I sipped my tea and looked out at the most recent land I had saved from demonic rule. That feeling of pride and peace would never get old. It was like riding a constant high of knowing I was fulfilling my destiny.
I was finally starting to get used to being hailed as a god, too. It was a hell of a difference from my life as a firefighter in Arizona, but I had never felt more at home. I had now saved four realms of Dracoria from the demons, and I was itching to add even more to that list.
That’s what gods did, after all, wasn’t it? Became saviors of the entire world, not just a few corners of it.
“So,” Cyra said as her amber eyes studied the pink sky. “Where to next?”
The fire angel’s burgundy hair tumbled back over her scarlet wings that now had one golden feather embedded amongst them. Her elite gift matched the gold freckles that covered her ivory skin, and her golden dress clung invitingly to her lean frame. Cyra had been the first person I had met in this new world, and she had been by my side ever since. She had bound herself to me the first time we had sex, and I had absorbed the power to shift into a fire dragon.
It had been a hell of a learning experience, but I loved every second of learning to use my fiery powers.
“The Jungle Lands are closest to us,” Nisha said. “I bet that’s where the overlord has flown to. He probably just wanted to flee to the closest refuge once he knew Ryan was here.”
The gothic beauty stretched out her navy-blue legs, and she tucked her inky, dark blue hair behind her ears. My night angel’s silver freckles stood out on her dark skin, and the deep blue of her wings contrasted beautifully with her silver eyes, top, and skirt. Her petite frame added to her cuteness, but she was a sultry force to be reckoned with.
The dragon form I had gotten from binding with her was dark and sleek, and whenever I transformed into a night dragon, I had the ability to shoot darkness from my jaw and blend into the night sky.
“Oooh!” Brooke gasped as she sipped her tea. “Yes! Jungle Lands. Can you imagine all the adorable little animals we’ll get to see? I’ve always wanted to hold a sky monkey!”
It was impossible not to smile at the water angel’s wide-eyed excitement. Her golden curls framed her turquoise skin perfectly, and the cerulean feathers of her wings rustled with the breeze. Brooke’s eyes were startlingly blue, and she radiated bubbly energy that was just as vibrant. My gaze wandered down over her athletic curves concealed by her blue dress, and her large breasts were bundled perfectly in the outfit. She had been the most recent angel to bind with me, and my water dragon form was seriously awesome.
The wingless design of my newest dragon body could move through water at a jaw-dropping speed, but I could also spew torrents of water from my gullet, too.
So I now had three dragon forms I could shift into, and I had started to wonder if I would soon be gaining a fourth.
Ruby was quiet as she drank her tea, and I studied her beautiful face for a sign of how she was feeling about our next trip. Her skin sparkled as if it was made from diamonds, and her emerald eyes stood out beside the silvery tones of her long hair. Red lips and a slim frame added to her inviting yet mysterious personality. The Elite crystal angel hadn’t become my lover yet, but I had picked up on a hell of a lot of hints that she wanted to one day.
Ruby had been the one who had seen the prophecy of my arrival. It was a gift that Elite angels were capable of, and I hoped that Cyra would one day experience the same thing. I still had so many questions about my purpose here, but it was becoming clearer every day. Being able to shift into multiple dragon forms had been life changing, and my god-like powers just seemed to grow every day.
I couldn’t wait to move on to our next land and help the people that lived there.
“Jungle Lands.” I nodded. “That sounds cool. I’m sure there’s plenty of weird animals just waiting for a dragon god and badass angels to save them.”
“I like hearing you call yourself a god.” Cyra grinned as she nudged me. “It’s about time you see what we do.”
“I woke up feeling godly.” I winked. “It’s hard not to after a night with my angels.”
“Yeah,” Cyra snorted. “Fucking my brains out after a crazy night of partying is a pretty good way for a god to celebrate.”
“Agreed,” I said. “What do you think, Ruby? Jungle Lands for our next stop? The escaped overlord has most likely headed that way, and that means those people are going to need our help.”
“I suppose they do,” Ruby said softly. “Yes. The people need our help.”
Her emerald eyes stayed fixed on the horizon as she spoke, and I knew there was something she wasn’t telling us.
“Where’s the enthusiasm?” I chuckled. “We save the lands from the grips of evil demons! Let’s get excited about this shit!”
“It’s the most wonderful way to spend our time,” Brooke agreed. “Meeting new people, seeing new sights, and watching Ryan get all strong and mad when he fights. It’s sooo sexy when he gets angry!”
Cyra snorted as the water angel sighed dreamily.
“I’m sorry,” Ruby said as she looked down at her tea. “Of course those people need our help. It’s just that I know the huntress angel, and she isn’t the most cooperative person.”
“You know her?” Nisha asked curiously.
“I did,” Ruby said. “We never really got along, but that won’t get in the way of our mission. We have to stop the overlord from doing… whatever he is doing.”
I had never seen the crystal angel show reluctance before, and I had a feeling that meant we were about to have our work cut out for us. But it just added to the fuel inside my chest. The dragon god of Dracoria never backed down from a challenge.
There was a thud nearby as a drunken gnome passed out, and I snorted as a griffin picked him up and flew off. I loved seeing lands start to heal once I had rid them of demons, but I couldn’t relax when I knew a realm close by was in danger.
One of the huge overlords had flown out into the abyss that surrounded the area, and I had to find him. There were still so many lands held in the evil clutches of demons. So many people I still had to save.
“I’ve really started to love fire,” Nisha said as she stared out at the glowing land. “The way it dances beautifully, but it is capable of bringing destruction and death. There’s something enchanting about that.”
“You adorable creep,” Brooke said as she stroked the night angel’s inky-blue hair.
I chuckled as more golden light came with the rising sun, and we enjoyed the last of our tea in the bright morning air.
“Heads up,” Cyra said as she squinted at the bright sky. “There’s two griffins flying like hellhounds are after them.”
“Don’t say that!” Brooke shuddered. “I never want to think about those beasts again!”
I got to my feet as the griffins soared right for me, and I felt unease rise in my chest. Something told me that they weren’t coming to join the last of the partying as they tore through the sky.
The large beasts touched down in front of us with their thick talons flexing on the red ground.
“Ryan,” one of them said in a deep voice. “There have been strange creatures spotted tearing through the land and causing violence.”
“Demons?” I asked.
“We’re not exactly sure,” the other griffin said. “Repo
“Shit,” I said. “I bet it’s more of those hybrid things.”
“That’s sooo horrible.” Brooke pouted. “I can’t believe the demons bound themselves with other creatures. That really is the most evil thing I’ve ever seen!”
The demons that had taken over this realm had created some fucking Frankenstein monsters by binding themselves to innocent creatures, and it was a twisted punishment that resulted in some seriously creepy beasties.
I couldn’t help but wonder if any other lands had the same kind of problem, but for now, we had to focus on one thing at a time.
“Show me the way,” I said to the griffins. “Let’s see what we’re dealing with and fucking kill it.”
I stepped back from the angels as I focused on my fire dragon form. The sensation of pure power surged through me as my human skin rippled into golden scales. Huge wings sprung from my back as I shot into the air with my strong tail whipping behind me, and every inch of my being sparked with magic.
The fire dragon was physically my strongest form, and I was ready to crush the skulls of whatever evil was still running riot in the Fire Lands.
My angels spread their wings and soared up to join me, and the griffins flew ahead to lead the way.
I heard cheers as I moved through the early morning sky. Creatures called up to their dragon god as we hurtled over red stone and contained flames. The beings of the fiery realm were still hotheaded, but their vicious tempers had calmed since the demons had gone. Today they were just excited to see me soaring overhead with my scales reflecting the warm tones of the land.
I felt a grim determination as we flew over a flock of phoenixes, and the griffins led us over a stretch of red land that had beautiful wildflowers with yellow petals. Then we came to a small cabin that had screams coming from it, and we found six creepy monsters running in circles around it like evil sheepdogs.
“Those fuckers!” Cyra spat. “They bound themselves to flame foxes. Those are such peaceful creatures usually!”
“Not anymore,” Nisha said sadly as we shot down toward the animals.
A closer look showed me fox-like animals that towered at about seven feet tall, even on all fours. Orange fur had been matted with red skin, and their legs seemed flailing and half-broken. Long snouts with crooked fangs snapped, and their red eyes burned with bloodlust. They threw themselves against the cabin with feral howls like they were trying to break down the walls.
“This won’t take long,” Brooke said smugly. “Ryan killed a fire jinn yesterday. Some measly monster fox won’t take long at all!”
“Let’s get them,” Nisha said.
The mutants had started to jump up in an attempt to bite us, and I flew away from the cabin to lure them into the open. They raced along on their crooked legs with drool falling from their sharp fangs.
Many of the creatures in the Fire Lands were naturally immune to flame, but I was only going to need my godly strength for this fight, not my fire.
I swooped down to the nearest mutant with my huge talons stretched out and ready. The beast leapt at me, but I grabbed its torso between my claws and squeezed. Bones exploded from flesh as the mutant body was smashed between my powerful talons.
Then I swung around to face another oncoming attacker, and I opened my jaw wide to meet it. The mutant’s head was crushed between my sharp teeth in seconds, and thick blood oozed down my chin. I dropped the lifeless body onto the red ground, and blood splattered over the yellow flowers.
“Yes!” Cyra cheered. “Crush those fuckers!”
Then the fire angel swung her hand around at one of the remaining mutants, and I was stunned to see a ball of red flames fly from her palms. It soared right into the fox-like beast and consumed it entirely. The deep fire burned faster than any normal flame, and the mutant was nothing but a pile of ash within seconds.
Three of the mutants remained barking maniacally, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Cyra.
“What the fuck was that?” I asked. “That was awesome!”
“I just felt it build inside me,” the fire angel said as she stared at her hands. “It was like this instinct to throw it. Like it was just natural?”
“You’re Elite now.” Ruby smiled. “We’re going to be seeing a whole new side to you.”
Cyra grinned as she eyed the remaining mutants, and I flew back to watch.
“Come on!” Nisha urged. “See how many fireballs you can do at once!”
“You’ve got this,” I said. “I want to see what my Elite angel can do.”
We circled above the cabin as Cyra lowered down toward the mutants. Her gorgeous face was carved into a determined grin as the monsters snapped and lunged upward to try and catch her.
“You want to play?” Cyra sneered. “I’ll show you what happens to evil monsters who think they can hurt my people!”
The fire angel flung her wrist toward the beasts, and a red ball flew from her palm. Brooke cheered as the first beast was instantly consumed by the flames, and the orb of burning red kept going into the other two monsters.
It was like a fiery game of dominoes as each mutant was taken down in turn, and the jelly of their eyeballs melted down into the sockets. The three beasts burned brightly for a few seconds until their flesh crackled down to nothing, and bones clattered on top of each other as they fell.
Then Cyra’s red fire died down with a gentle crackle, and we were left staring at the graveyard of scorched skeletons.
I touched back to the ground as I shifted into my human form. My powerful body shrank, and the warmth of my scales faded back into skin.
The ground beneath my boots was hot as I bent down to study the bones. It looked like an animal had licked them clean of any hints of blood or muscle. Only burn marks showed evidence of the attack, and the holy fire of my angel hadn’t damaged the flowers at all.
“Not one bit of flesh left,” I said as I straightened up. “Cyra, this is fucking wild. You just took those three mutants down in seconds!”
The fire angel landed beside me, and I grabbed her slim hips to pull her close.
“I am so proud of you,” I murmured as I stared into her amber eyes. “This is huge, and I know it’s just the beginning of your journey as an Elite angel.”
“I am pretty great.” Cyra grinned. “But I suppose I have you to thank for giving me my gift.”
She looked back at the golden feather on her wings, and I planted a kiss on her soft cheek.
“They burned so quickly,” Nisha breathed as the other angels landed. “All that skin just melted away like wax. I love this version of you, Cyra.”
“She’s officially perfect,” Brooke said as she flicked a golden curl. “Gorgeous, powerful, and dangerous! Just like we all will be when we get our own Elite gifts!”
The water angel clapped excitedly, and I knew she was dying to find whatever her old god had left for her. I wanted to find her and Nisha’s sacred items just as badly as the women did, but we couldn’t delay the quest to stop the demon overlord. Their transformations would need to wait a little while longer.
There was a creak as the cabin door opened, and a pasty-faced woman stuck her head out slowly. She had brown curls tied up in a bun, and her blue eyes scanned the area carefully.
“You killed them,” she said in shock as she stepped outside. “The dragon god has saved me from evil!”
She bowed to me deeply, and Cyra snorted at my obvious discomfort.
“No need for that,” I said hastily. “I’m more than happy to protect my people.”
“Of course you are,” the woman said eagerly. “You’re already the most devoted god this world has ever seen! I have to tell my friends that I was personally saved by you. Thank you, Ryan!”
She grabbed a wicker basket from her doorway and hurried off over the red ground. The woman smiled at me as she passed and offered another hurried bow.
“I wonder if the other lands have this issue,” Ruby said as she nudged a bone with her foot. “There are some creatures in the world that could become unstoppable if they mixed with demons.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” I muttered.
“Eww.” Brooke frowned. “Now I’m thinking about evil sky monkeys. I hope they haven’t hurt anything cute!”
