Free Bite Me by Celia Kyle Page A

desk. The ruggedly handsome man took the other. Even after five years, eleven months and fifteen days, Cilla had a hard time looking her boss in the eye. She should have been used to her appearance by now. Sure, the Harpy had curves on top of curves and legs for miles. Cilla just had issues with the blue skin…and burgundy hair…and the tusks. Definitely the tusks.
    By contrast, Cilla was a tenth generation dragon. D.R.A.G.O.N. She either spent time in her human flesh so she could mingle with other multi-colored two-legs, or she was a dragon dancing in the sky with her brethren. She was not some blue-skinned freakazoid on a power trip. “Yes, ma’am.”
    The Harpy leaned back in her chair, fingers idly stroking the top of her breast. Cilla looked out of the corner of her eye to gauge the gorgeous stranger’s reaction, only to find his gaze on…her. Surprise had her breath stilling and then she blushed and wondered if she had something on her face. Why would any man look at Silly Cilla when the voluptuous Harpy was hanging around? Tusks or not, the woman was still beautiful.
    “Cilla, this is Djimon. Djimon, Cilla.”
    She scrunched her face, willing the blood to leave her be, and then turned her head to look at Djimon. Cilla graced him with a tiny tilt of the corners of her mouth. His lips spread into a wide smile, revealing fangs.
    No wonder she was attracted to him. Carnivores tended to stick together. And there was also this little fact about them wanting to bump uglies pretty often.
    He turned toward her and held out his hand, palm up. Not wanting to be rude, she placed her hand in his. He brought it to his mouth, lips brushing against her skin.
    Soft, just as soft and silky as she’d imagined, and the touch shot a bolt of awareness straight to her heat. Her pussy clenched and dampened with the subtle caress of skin against skin. Then…then he flicked his tongue out, and she imagined him to be like a snake, tongue dancing this way and that, tasting. Her heat clenched again, harder this time, and she hoped he’d end his assault before she embarrassed herself by coming from nothing more than a kiss on the hand. Okay, a little more than a simple kiss, but not much.
    “Miss Cilla.” His voice rumbled over her, through her, and zeroed in on her pussy. Damn, but the man had way too much control over her already.
    “Cilla?” The Harpy’s voice broke into Cilla’s pending orgasm.
    “Hmm?” She hadn’t let her gaze wander from Djimon’s.
    “I release you.”
    Wait. “What?”
    “I release you…into the care of Djimon.”
    Cilla snatched her hand back from the vampire, breaking their contact, and turned her fury on the Harpy. “You fucking what?” Now was not the time for subtlety.
    “I have released you to Djimon. He holds your scale now, as well as control over you. I have searched—”
    “You fucking bitch.” She took a deep cleansing breath and let her fiery fury erupt into the room. “You hold me captive for nearly six years. Six. Years. And now, so close to being released, you give me to this man? This vampire?” She spat the breed of this stranger. Cilla rose and stared down at the vamp. “I didn’t submit to her and I sure as fire won’t submit to you, vampire. If you expect a sex slave, try me. You’ll be burned so badly it’ll take you a century to recover. I may not be able to shift, but I can handle a can of lighter fluid with the best of them.”
    “I have no intention—”
    Yeah, right. She saw the look in his eyes and the bulge in his pants that even the baggy fabric couldn’t hide.
    Djimon held a necklace aloft that Cilla recognized immediately. A thin titanium chain, spelled against all but the owner, with a single sparkling green scale captured on the string. “Twenty-four hours and then I’ll release you. Give me twenty-four hours to show you why the Harpy sought me out for you specifically, and then you can fly to the farthest corner of the earth. I won’t bother you