Fury of Affliction (Dragonfury 2.0)

Pretty Little Pranksters

PRETTY LITTLE PRANKSTERS

P opping the handle, J.J. pushed the Denali’s heavy door wide. A quick hop, and her boots crunched down, disturbing the gravel in Black Diamond’s driveway—the lair she now shared with Wick and…oh yeah, her shopaholic sister.

Afternoon sun warming the backs of her shoulders, she sighed. Home at last. Finally. After hours spent in expensive shops, under Tania’s exacting eye. Now she owned, well…everything. A complete wardrobe underpinned by gorgeous lingerie and—ahem, a few interesting toys from The Sexy Bandit —sex shop extraordinaire.

J.J. shook her head. Talk about an eye-opener. A lot more of an education than she needed, too.

Stepping around the back bumper, J.J. glanced at her sister as Tania stopped alongside her. With a quick flick, her sister popped the back of the SUV open. Hinges hissed, lifting the tailgate, showing off the mountain of boxes and bags, designer names plastered across plastic and paper. Her lips twitched. Never let it be said her sister didn’t know how to do it up in style. She went for the best of the best. Money? Pasha—no object. Especially while lingerie shopping. Her gaze cut to the Le Cirque bag done up in pretty pink ribbons. Fatigue disappeared, buzzing into full-blown excitement.

Lace and satin. Barely there underthings designed for one purpose—sexual conquest under the guise of fancy ribbons and bows.

Anticipation bloomed, and J.J. hummed. God help her, but she could hardly wait. Wanted to slip into the sexy black number she’d bought right now and blow Wick’s mind.

Tania threw her a sidelong glance. “He’s gonna love it. Although, you probably won’t get to wear any of it very long.”

J.J.’s mouth curved. “That’s the plan.”

A good one too considering Wick couldn’t keep his hands off her.

Incredible in more ways than one. Especially since the man-dragon she called mate never said much and reached out even less. Wick wasn’t the touchy-feely type…except when it came to her. Thank God and all his angels too. She loved that he wanted her so badly. That he couldn’t get enough and made love to her every chance he got. Often where he found her and?—

Memories of the morning’s romp streamed into her mind.

Heat flared, then burned across her cheeks. She bit the inside of her lip to keep from smiling. Talk about insatiable. He hadn’t been able to wait. She hadn’t bothered to dissuade him, allowing him to pull her into the laundry room behind him. Which ended in, well…a wicked amount of WOW.

“Your sex kitten is showing,” Tania said, amusement in her tone.

“And what?” J.J. raised a brow. “Yours isn’t?”

“No question. I can’t get enough of Mac either.”

“TMI.”

Her sister snorted, reached out, and grabbed bags in both hands. “Let’s go. Myst and Angela will be waiting to see all our goodies.”

“Do you think they’ll like what we?—”

“They’ll love it all,” her sister said, turning toward the door. “You can’t go wrong with a Taser when Angela’s involved. And Myst loves silk and lace as much as I do, so…” Tania grinned over her shoulder. “We’re covered.”

Covered . Well, that was one way of looking at it. A better way would be uncovered , considering all the skimpy silk and lace packed behind tissue paper and plastic.

The thought tickled her funny bone.

J.J. huffed, then reached out and snagged her share of the bags. With a tug, she lifted the loot and turned to follow her sister down the flagstone path. Black Diamond’s front door stood sentry ahead, a cedar paneled monstrosity that represented change. Huge ones—at least, for her—considering she’d called prison home a month ago. Her chest constricted, making her heart ache and her throat go tight. It always did when she thought about her new home. God, she was lucky. Incredibly grateful too. For Wick, and the life he’d given her. For freedom and safety inside a place where everyone accepted her…

No questions asked. No judgment or rehashing of the past either.

Jogging up the steps behind her sister, J.J. sidestepped over the threshold into Black Diamond’s foyer. Silence reigned, telling her most of the warriors were still asleep. Excellent. Perfect, really…particularly since it meant Wick would still be in bed—warm, willing and waiting for her.

A shiver of pleasure rolled down her spine.

With a hum, J.J. upped the pace. Dimmed down halogens glowed overhead, throwing shadows against pale walls as she listened to Tania’s high heels ring against slate floor tiles. A sharp right, and Tania entered the first corridor that led to Black Diamond’s kitchen. Good idea. The scent of something sweet hung in the air, telling J.J. all she needed to know. Daimler was about to up her caloric intake for the day by plying her with chocolate cupcakes. Or whatever diabolic desert he’d devised to tempt her into?—

“Shhh!”

A streak of movement flashed up ahead.

A second later, Angela slid to a stop on sock feet. Red hair gleaming, a can of whip cream in her hand, the ex-SPD detective eyed them from the end of the corridor. Tania flinched and stopped short in front of her. J.J. dodged right. Her elbow smacked into the wainscoting. Bone met wood, sending pain zinging up her arm. Rubbing the sore spot, J.J. threw Angela an incredulous look.

Head on a swivel, acting like a covert commando, Angela checked behind her. “Tania, take those boots off. They’re too noisy.”

Angela’s tone put J.J. on high alert. “What going on?”

Unzipping Gucci’s finest, Tania tugged a black knee-high boot off, then attacked the other.

An unholy light in her eyes, Angela grinned. “We got him this time. He’s totally screwed.”

“Who?” J.J. dropped the bags. Plastic crunched in protest.

“Venom.” Mischief gleaming in her eyes, Angela shook the can of Reddi-wip. The clicky-click-click of the nozzle bounced off white walls as she glanced over her shoulder. “You got the feather, Myst?”

Out of breath, Myst skidded to a halt behind Angela. “Got it.”

J.J. clenched her teeth to keep from laughing. Uh-oh…the Terrible Two were up to no good again. Which meant things were about to get interesting. A heck of a lot more fun too.

“Where is he?” J.J. asked, her get-even-gene answering the call. She couldn’t help it. She loved delivering well-deserved payback. And Venom? Her eyes narrowed. Yeah. You betcha. The guy was due. He’d started the war by pouring honey into Angela’s favorite Roots boots. So no question, a prank with a crapload of bitch and a cartful of bite was definitely in order. Putting the plans for her lingerie on the back burner, she sidestepped Tania and jogged toward her friend. “What’s the plan?”

Feather in hand, Myst tilted her head to one side. “Come on. And be quiet. We don’t want to tip him off.”

Oh goody. Sneak attack time.

Hot on her friends’ heels, J.J. hightailed it into the kitchen. White cabinets and marble countertops flashed in her periphery. A quick scan and…yup, all clear. Daimler was nowhere in sight. Good thing too. The elf took protecting his “boys” to new heights. If he got wind of Angela and Myst’s plan, he’d shut Operation Get Even down faster than she could say pretty please . Bypassing the center island, she tiptoed beneath the timber-beamed archway, made a sharp left in front of the monstrosity Daimler liked to call a table, crept into the living room and?—

Stopped short.

“Oh, man,” she murmured.

“Too perfect,” Tania said, right behind her.

And it was. Way too perfect .

Eyes closed, blond hair aglow in the lowlight, head resting against the couch-back, Venom sat at one end of the large sectional. His slouch said relaxed. The soft snore said fast asleep. The open book—facedown and spine up—on his chest said…

J.J. frowned.

Well, she didn’t know what the book said about the guy. She read the title again—Idiot’s Guide to Power Yoga. She smothered a snort. Really? Venom was into yoga ? Not exactly what she expected from a bad-ass. Then again, not much inside Black Diamond ever landed inside the realm of expectation.

Not with a pack of dragon-shifters in residence.

Circling around behind him, Angela popped the top on the Reddi-wip, hovered the nozzle above his open hand, and…oh baby. They had lift off. Whip cream streamed into a pretty curl, building into a fluffy coil in the middle of Venom’s palm. Ready to deploy phase two—the tickle-SPLAT…hand-to-face method—Myst raised the feather. A second before, her friend touched his temple, inspiration struck like a lightning bolt.

“Psst,” J.J. hissed to get her friend’s attention.

Myst and Angela paused mid-prank and glanced her way. J.J. held up one finger, asking the pair to wait, and slipping in between the couch and the coffee table, slid to a stop in front of Venom. Long jean-clad legs stretched out, making his boots the perfect target. Hitting her haunches beside his feet, she picked at the laces until both bows let go. Angela gave her two thumbs up. Myst grinned like a lunatic as Tania snorted in laughter behind her. Nimble fingers working fast, J.J. retied the inside laces. Done tethering his ankles together, she made a quick about-face and headed for relative safety in front of the stone fireplace.

Myst unleashed the feather. Venom’s brows collided. She tickled him again. He shifted in his sleep, raised his hand and?—

Splat!

Sound echoed. Whip cream exploded across his face. With a roar, Venom shot to his feet. The book went flying. Pages flapped in mid-air as the laces pulled, yanking his ankles together, unbalancing him. Angela shouted in triumph. As the war cry echoed against the vaulted ceiling, he backpedaled and…

The backs of his knees hit the front of couch.

Momentum threw him backward, launching him over the cushions. J.J.’s mouth fell open. He collided with the backrest and flipped up and over. Arms and legs tangled, he teetered a moment, then disappeared from view, landing with a bone-jarring crash behind the sectional.

“Goddamn it,” he snarled from his prone position on the floor. A pause and then, “Angela!”

“Gotcha,” the ex-cop yelled, already on the move toward the nearest exit.

“Go, go, go,” Myst said, voice ringing out like a battle commander.

J.J. didn’t hesitate. Or wait for Venom to get up.

Spinning on the balls of her feet, she grabbed a hold of her sister. A death grip on her hand, she hauled ass, and dragging Tania in her wake, raced around the corner into the kitchen.

Another nasty thump rolled out of the living room.

Venom cursed. Angela hooted in laugher.

“Well played, ladies,” he growled, raising the fine hairs on her nape. “Game on.”

The warning should’ve concerned her. J.J. high-fived her friends instead, ’cause…

Oh yeah. Mission accomplished.

Venom – 0. Girl Power Posse – 1.

Crazy satisfying. Wicked fun too. So only one thing left to do. Celebrate the victory in style. Which…without a shadow of doubt…involved finding Wick and putting her fancy new lingerie to work.