bedeviled & beyond 05 - bedeviled & besmirched Read Free Page A

and balls and fell into my chair. “You’ll what?”
    “I’ll help you with your dragon problem.”
    “But you’ll have to use your powers.”
    “I know. I’m okay with that.”
    “Good Him,” I murmured. Now what was I gonna do?
    ~SC~
    I scanned a look down my sister’s leather-clad form, feeling the need to roll my eyes completely back into my head. The pants were skin tight and the stretchy shirt under her black leather jacket was low cut, showing significant cleavage. On her size-nine feet, which used to be firmly settled on terra firma, were a truly kickin’ pair of butter-soft, black leather boots.
    The boots kept me from scoffing outwardly. I lusted after those boots. If only her feet weren’t bigger than mine...
    “Are you sure about this, Darma?”
    She cast a clear, blue gaze filled with something that looked a lot like excitement at me. Her pretty, coral-colored lips pursed. “What’s your problem, Astra? I thought you wanted help.”
    “I do. But this is going to be dangerous and will require that you use your powers. I didn’t think you ever wanted to use your powers again.”
    She shrugged, examining a perfectly manicured and polished middle finger. I chose to believe she wasn’t flipping me a virtual bird in her mind. “Things change.”
    Scanning her pretty, blonde hair, which, in the past she’d always curled and coiffed to within an inch of its life, I knew she was right. Darma had pulled it back into a high, tight ponytail. Not a feature-softening curl in sight. Instead, wispy bangs touched her ash-blonde eyebrows, where not a single hair had previously cluttered up her unlined brow.
    A roar sounded from the building and I turned to find a massive head with beady, red eyes glaring at us from the largest window. As I met the female’s gaze, the huge maw opened and her nostrils flared. I barely had time to pull my power forward in a shield before she sent a spray of metal-melting fire in our direction.
    Darma continued to examine her fingernails. When the stream of fire stopped, Darma lifted a hand and shot a thick beam of stark-white power toward the window.
    The dragon retreated back inside with a yip of alarm.
    “Did I mention that we need to take them alive, Darma?”
    She shrugged. “Just because we aren’t killing her doesn’t mean we should allow her to disrespect us.”
    Alrighty then.
    “You girls all right?”
    I turned and waved. The owner of the building was standing a few dozen yards away, armed with a laser pistol and covered in fireproof fabric. He’d cut a hole in the center of a long piece of the stuff and had stuck his head through it, like a Martian poncho. He wore a black dome with a visor over his head. It looked like an air cycle helmet.
    Arch Magnus had made it very clear since the moment he met me that he didn’t think I could handle the job. Standing five foot and not much tall, with shoulder length auburn hair that curled prettily at the ends whether I wanted it to or not, sizeable boobs and an attractive face, I got that a lot from my male clients. If only I could kick his ass to show him I was up for the job. But kicking your clients’ asses, even when they’re complete jerks, is generally bad for business.
    “I can go in with y’all if you want. I’m armed to the teeth and very muscular under this here fireproof fabric.”
    “If muscle is spelled f-a-t,” I murmured. I took a deep breath, ignoring him. “Are you ready?”
    Darma didn’t respond, she just started walking toward the building, looking for all the world like Lara Croft, Tomb Raider from oldies night at the holographic films. I shook my head and followed.
    The stench of massive reptile thickened the air as we drew near. From my observations I figured there were at least four of them in the building. The female and three babies.
    “Do you remember the plan?”
    Darma slanted me a look. “You mean we’re not going with the usual plan of kicking ass, blowing shit up and