Wrath of the dragon 6, p.1
Wrath of the Dragon 6, page 1
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Chapter 1
The Jungle Lands were alive with sound as the whole population prepared for war. It was the day after I had freed them from the grasp of demons, and I had waited until the late morning before explaining the next stages of the plan to the people. They deserved the party that had gone on for most of the night, but it was now time for action.
Green-and-brown tigers roared as members of the cave tribe rode them out through the thick tree trunks. I had instructed them to spread the news of our fight to other lands, and our recruitment for battle had officially begun. We were going to need every fighter we could get to rise up against all the demons who were left in Dracoria.
It was sometimes hard to believe I had once been a firefighter on Earth. Now, I was a dragon god with a group of badass Throne angels by my side. Five dragon forms swirled inside me just waiting to be unleashed, and I had freed multiple lands from the grasp of the demonic evil that had claimed them.
Not bad for a guy who had only woken up in this world a few months ago.
Dracoria’s old gods had left each land separated by traps, but I had broken many of them already. I had brought down hundreds of demons, killed off their leaders, and claimed a new dragon form every time I bound with a new angel, too.
Now, the people of this magical world looked to me to save them from the last shreds of evil.
It was a hell of a responsibility, but I was born for this shit. There was no doubt in my mind anymore that I was destined to be the Dragon God of Dracoria.
I walked alongside the angels through the warm jungle as adrenaline coursed through my veins. So much had happened in the past twenty-four hours, and I was still wrapping my mind around it all.
Cyra strode beside me with her head held high and a grin plastered on her beautiful face. She had been the first person to find me when I woke up in Dracoria, and her fiery charm had immediately drawn me to her. The fire angel’s burgundy hair tumbled over her ivory shoulders, and her golden feather that signified her Elite status glowed amongst her maroon wings. Her golden dress highlighted every perfect curve as her long legs glided over the jungle floor.
Cyra had been the first one to show me what binding could achieve, too. Sleeping with an angel gave me a dragon form that related to their powers. Incredible sex and a powerful new body were a hell of a combination.
My stunning night angel walked silently on my other side with her silver eyes scanning the path ahead. Nisha’s silver freckles stood out on her navy skin, and her petite figure was framed by inky-blue wings. Her dark blue hair was sleek and shiny, and her Elite star glimmered on her hand.
“Can we take a swim soon?” Brooke sighed as she flicked a golden curl. “This land is sooo warm.”
She fanned her turquoise skin dramatically as her dazzling blue eyes flickered up to the jungle canopy. The water angel had given me an aquatic dragon form when she bound herself to me, and I had quickly fallen for her bubbly personality. Everything about her was fun and passionate, and her blue dress highlighted her impressive cleavage.
“You had a swim in the lagoon this morning,” Ruby chuckled, and she stroked Brooke’s arm lovingly.
The crystal angel tucked a strand of silvery hair behind her ear as her emerald-green eyes met mine. Her plump lips curved into a smile, and my gaze flickered down her lean curves. Ruby was incredibly smart, with fighting abilities that could bring any demon to their knees. We had only recently taken our relationship to the next level when she had bound herself to me, and it was a night we would never forget.
Fianna was the huntress angel of the Jungle Lands, and she had given me my newest dragon form. Her brown hair was pinned up on her head, and her tanned skin shone under the jungle sun that crept in through the breaks in the canopy. She was a feisty, hotheaded whirlwind who had slotted into our group perfectly.
But I had had the shock of my life when the angel of the Ice Lands had turned up with her henchmen in tow just minutes after I had freed the jungle.
Lumi was an adorable angel with lilac curls, a stunning smile, and an apparent love for extreme violence toward her enemies. We had only known the petite angel for one night, but I could tell she was just as badass as my other beauties, despite being so damn tiny.
She’d come to find me when demons from other lands arrived in her realm. It was the confirmation I needed to prove the evil fuckers were all connected, and they were setting up some kind of headquarters in the Ice Lands.
An almighty army of demonic beasts was growing, and I needed to be ready to destroy them.
Now, the frost angel walked behind us with her Ice Spirits and polar bear, and it felt like we had a seriously awesome team for the next stage of our mission.
It was going to be a strange one, though.
Even stranger than traveling between the various lands of Dracoria.
Cyra and Ruby had received a prophecy that told us I would be able to travel between worlds without losing my powers… Something that had never been possible for gods beforehand. The war against all demonkind was almost upon us, too, so I knew we needed every kind of weapon we could get our hands on.
And if I had the ability to travel between worlds, then I figured I should use it. There surely couldn’t be anything more satisfying than blasting a demon apart with a semi-automatic weapon.
“Ryan,” Nisha said as she tucked her inky-blue hair behind her ear. “Are you sure this friend of yours will be willing to help?”
“Randy is a great guy.” I nodded. “Helping me out would never be an issue, but seeing me is probably going to be kind of a shock.”
“That’s an understatement,” Cyra snorted as she swatted a glowing fly from her face. “Doesn’t this guy think you died in a fire months ago?”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “Like I said, it’s going to be a shock.”
“Maybe he’ll just be excited,” Brooke said happily. “He’ll be sooo happy to see you that he won’t ask any questions!”
“Unlikely,” Cyra said with a raised eyebrow. “What are you going to say to him?”
“The truth,” I said hesitantly. “I think. There isn’t exactly any rational explanation for all of this, so I might as well be honest. It’s not going to be easy to find another way to explain why all of you are with me.”
“You won’t need to,” Ruby said. “Angels cannot be seen by humans unless we choose to be. We decided to stay hidden from Earth a long time ago.”
“I remember that,” Nisha giggled. “The humans panicked when they saw us appearing to them. They went slightly mad and never slept very well afterwards.”
“They can’t handle us,” Cyra chuckled. “Well, most of them anyway.”
“Best to stay hidden.” Ruby nodded.
“This just seems so wild,” I said. “If we can just pop up anywhere we want, why haven’t we been doing it this whole time when we fight demons?”
“Traveling on Earth is different than traveling on Dracoria,” Ruby said. “The human world doesn’t have magic, and that means the atmosphere is entirely clear to move through at will.”
I gave the crystal angel a blank look, and she curled her plump lips into a smile.
“It’s hard to explain,” she said. “Think of it as if Dracoria’s nature is buzzing with magic in every atom in the world. There’s a thick layer of energy here that doesn’t exist in your old realm, and it’s especially prevalent given the various traps left by the gods.”
“Like mud,” Brooke said. “It’s like Dracoria is filled with sticky mud, and Earth is made of light water! One is much easier to swim through than the other. Right, Ruby?”
“In a way,” the crystal angel chuckled. “We can appear back into Dracoria from another world, but it’s almost impossible to do the same between our own lands.”
“Yeah,” Cyra said. “Earth doesn’t have very much going on, so it takes less energy and power to switch around. Kind of boring there, to be honest.”
I rubbed my head as I tried to process the bizarre science of it all, and Brooke’s mud analogy was the only thing that made much sense to me.
“Maybe one day you will be able to use this ability in Dracoria,” Ruby said. “The power that would take is unthinkable, but perhaps a god of your strength could learn to do it.”
“Let’s try Earth first.” Nisha smiled. “Ryan can work on achieving the impossible later.”
“Agreed,” I sighed as my head continued to spin.
Fianna slowed down as we reached a beautiful clearing in the jungle that I had never seen before. Thick trees towered around us in a circle, and lilac flowers crept up the bark on spindly vines. Baby blue caterpillars slunk across the branches that wound together to create a stunning backdrop. Every inch of the jungle was thriving rapidly now that the demon hybrids were gone.
“So,” Cyra said as she folded her arms. “What do we do now?”
The angels and spirits stood around in a circle and observed me. Blizzard the polar bear stood behind Lumi like a loyal guard as the frost angel offered me a smile.
“You’ve never done this before,” she said. “Right?”
“Nope,” I said as I stretched my arms. “But I had never shifted into a fucking dragon body before, either. I can figure it out.”
“Of course.” Brooke nodded confidently. “Ryan can master anything he puts his mind to! Go Ryan!”
“True,” Cyra said. “If he can tame Fianna, then he can do this.”
“I cannot be tamed,” the huntress said stiffly. “But I agree. Our new god is capable of amazing things.”
I had always felt the powers of my dragon forms shifting under my skin. It was like they were constantly waiting to be released, and I figured the power to travel through worlds must be the same. Surely I could just tap into it as quickly as I could with my other forms?
But nothing popped into my mind as we stood in the warm clearing, and I quickly realized this was not going to come as naturally to me. There was no sudden lightbulb moment of what I had to do, and I started uselessly at the trees.
“Explain it to me,” I sighed. “How the hell am I supposed to just… jump worlds?”
“No jumping,” Brooke giggled. “Let’s start there.”
“Okay,” I said. “So, what’s the process?”
“You have to know exactly where you want to go,” Fianna said. “Can you picture your friend’s home?”
I had a flash image in my mind of Randy’s apartment that sat directly above his store. It was a long, stone building by the roadside with a yellowing paint job that had needed to be updated for years. The front of the store had glass doors with a few spaces for parking nearby.
“I can picture it.” I nodded.
“Really feel it,” Ruby said. “The smells, the sounds, everything.”
“Then what?” I asked.
“Then you step into it,” Brooke said excitedly. “With your mind!”
I looked blankly at the water angel as I felt my stomach sink. This made zero sense to me, and I wondered if this was actually something I was really capable of.
“You have the ability,” Ruby said softly. “We’ve seen more than enough proof of that. You just need to release it like you do with your dragon forms.”
“Put all your efforts into it.” Lumi nodded. “Then, pow! Back on Earth!”
“Are we all able to travel?” I asked as I looked at the Ice Spirits.
“Don’t worry about that,” Lumi giggled. “My men are some of the most ancient beings in Dracoria. It’s said that they were the ones who taught angels to move through dimensions centuries ago.”
The Ice Spirits nodded solemnly as they watched me, and their leathery wings twitched as they stood tall. A bird sang somewhere nearby, and I reminded myself who the fuck I was. This land was free because of what I had done, and I was capable of unbelievable things.
“I can do this,” I muttered as I shifted my feet. “I just need to focus.”
“Don’t let us distract you,” Brooke whispered. “Pretend we’re not even here!”
“Shhh,” Fianna said. “That isn’t helping.”
“Would a slap in the face help you wake up the power?” Lumi asked. “I’m really good at slapping people in the face.”
“No thanks,” I snorted at the petite angel. “I think I’m good.”
I took a deep breath as the angels and spirits fell silent around me. The pleasant heat of the jungle soothed my face as I closed my eyes to concentrate as best I could. I tried to block out the bird cries and roars that echoed in the distance.
Part of me was worried about losing my powers, but I knew I had to trust the prophecy.
I was unlike any other god that had come before me.
I pictured Randy’s store again and really concentrated on the feel of Earth. The sound of cars filled my mind as I blocked out Dracoria. A strange warmth tickled the back of my neck as I curled my hands into fists. It felt like someone had dripped hot water over my spine as I thought of the world I had once called home.
Then something deep inside me roared as my eyes flew open to show me I had traveled from the jungle.
A rush of excitement and pride overcame me, but then I suddenly realized how fucking cold it was. I shivered as a light rain fell around me on the gray stone of a street that was definitely not in Arizona.
“What the fuck?” I muttered as I looked around to see small shops lining the streets.
Everything was dimly lit by a sun hidden in the clouds, and the gray sky rumbled above me. The street wound down a hill, and a large man in a blue raincoat strode up the sidewalk toward me. He had his head down against the rain, and a wooden pipe hung out the side of his mouth.
“Excuse me,” I said. “Where am I?”
The man stopped and frowned as his eyes looked up and down my body. His mustache twitched as he narrowed his eyes, and he glanced around as if he wanted to make sure he wasn’t alone.
“I’m lost,” I said. “Could you tell me where I am?”
“You’re in Derry, lad,” he said gruffly. “Get some proper clothes on you! You’ll catch your death without a raincoat!”
Then he barged past and stepped into the grocery store nearby. I looked at the window to see an Irish flag hung up, and I groaned as the rain started to come down heavier.
“Nice job.” Cyra smirked as she suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of me.
She had a glimmer of gold around her whole frame like a beautiful shadow, and I figured it was the shield she used to keep from being seen by humans.
The other angels followed moments later, and the Ice Spirits looked especially eerie on the gray streets of a human world.
“Sooo, based on what you’ve told us about where you’re from…” Brooke said as she looked around. “This wasn’t quite right, but it was such a good first try!”
“Sure,” I snorted.
“It’s a tricky power to work.” Ruby smiled. “You appeared on Earth, and that’s a good start.”
“Exactly,” Nisha purred. “You went to the correct world, and Ireland is very pretty.”
“The weather is refreshing!” Brooke sang as she spun around.
I rubbed rain from my eyes as I tried to push out the cold that consumed me. This shit was harder than shifting into a dragon ever had been, but it wasn’t going to defeat me. And just being back on Earth gave me a strange rush.
Holy shit, I never thought I’d ever make it back here.
“Again,” Fianna said firmly. “Hunt this power like it’s your prey.”
“Right,” I agreed.
Then I closed my eyes as I focused on the yellow-toned paint of Randy’s house, and I felt a rush of warmth as I moved again. The odd tingle jolted through my body like an electric shock as I felt myself step into another part of the world.
Again, I knew immediately that it wasn’t the climate of my old home, and I opened my eyes to see I was standing at the bottom of a huge mountain. There were green fir trees all around on the huge stretch of grassy land, and the blue sky had a whisper of clouds drifting past. There was no doubt it was beautiful, but it wasn’t Arizona.
“The Dolomites,” Ruby said as she appeared first. “A stunning spot in Italy!”
“It is,” I groaned as I craned my neck to look up the jagged mountain.
“Oooh!” Brooke gasped as the other angels quickly arrived. “What a beautiful place! I love how much of the world we’re getting to see. It’s like we’re all going on a date.”
“Hmm,” one of the spirits said. “I am not sure I wish to go on a date with Ryan.”
I couldn’t help laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation, but I knew we had a ticking clock above us for our mission. If it was any other day, I could have enjoyed a stroll in the hills with my gorgeous angels, but I had weapons to collect. Exploring the world would have to wait.
“Ryan,” Ruby said as she slipped her fingers into mine. “Feel the ground of your home beneath your feet. Think of a small detail that could only be your friend’s house. Really be there.”
“You can do it,” Nisha said gently.
“You better.” Cyra smirked. “I’m getting bored of playing hide-and-seek.”
“We have company,” Fianna said as her hazel eyes narrowed, and I glanced up to see a large bear prowling over the rocky ledges.
“Not to worry.” Lumi smiled. “I could fight that thing. Strangling huge animals is easy if you know what to do with your elbows.”
