Dragon's Blood (Black Planet Book 1) (4 page)

The tattoo on her back began to tingle and burn, as though it were lifting from her flesh, waking into a life of its own. It struggled and pulled, trying to escape. Her back arched from the bed, her naked breasts peaked against the cool Bay air. Another hard pull and the dragon broke free, one clawed foot circling her throat, embracing her with surreal, deadly delicacy. The other claw reached around and plucked at her hardened nipple. Cherry blossoms tumbled and spilled down her skin like snow, fragrant and sweet to the senses. At her hip, the serpent’s tail lifted, writhing down between her legs, circling the top of her thigh. Dry scales rasped against her skin. The dragon’s sinuous, muscular tail dragged between the lips of her sex, gathering moisture, dipping and taking as the creature let out a hiss of satisfaction.

Annie watched in horror and fascination as the graceful head lifted around her shoulder, turning to look deeply into her eyes. Its long tongue flicked out, scenting her arousal, satisfaction in its obsidian black eyes. Long teeth nibbled lightly at the pearl of her nipple. The dragon’s supple tongue swept over one breast, and then the other as its body twined around hers, its tail working its way relentlessly into her vagina.

Sweat broke all over her body. All pain from the night’s bout had vanished. Wrapped tightly in the embrace of her dragon lover, Annie forgot about monsters and fighters. Her hips caught the serpent’s tempo. She rolled her head and moaned, so close… so close. It scoured her insides, filled her and set her on a path to an orgasm like she’d never before experienced.

Annie dragged her eyes open and watched the beautiful golden creature as it twisted down her body, gold melting to smooth bronze skin, two arms, two legs, a muscular body between her legs. The dark eyes stayed exactly the same.

Aiden rose above her, the dragon twisting on his chest, its dark eyes looking at her in sly humor, its jaws parted in a leering smile. Why had she never noticed the smile before?

Of course, she’d only seen his naked chest that one time, at the station.

Details. Did they matter?

Aiden thrust deeper into her body. Sweat gathered like blood on his brow, his throat. Their bodies glided together, slippery and wet. She tried to hold on to his hips. Her fingers slid loose as he pummeled into the farthest, untouched depths of her body.

As she rose higher, closer to her climax, Annie opened her eyes, looking at the face of her lover. His eyes were tightly shut. He twisted his head to the side, sweat shimmering red on his dark skin. Annie groaned under the weight her orgasm, watching his face as he joined her in bliss. Annie’s back arched and she thrust down on his cock again and again, her nails scoring deep, bloody lines on his skin.

Aiden’s face contorted as though in agony, lips pulled back, brows drawing together fiercely. He threw himself upward from her body. Heated semen spilled from her body, down her thighs and onto the sheets.

He screamed, and his scream was not one of pleasure.

Aiden’s dragon broke from his chest, dripping blood down onto Annie. Inside the gaping wound she could see his heart pulse rapidly. The dragon hovered, morphing before her eyes into a red-eyed demon, head capped with shaggy white hair, sharp teeth glistening with brown, toxic fluid. The demon hovered between them, smiling obscenely as it turned its eyes to Annie. It gibbered and slobbered, trailing a thick, bloody tongue over her face, her neck, snaking between her lips and down her throat, invading her deeply as its body pounded crushingly into her cunt.

When Annie’s scream joined Aiden’s, it wasn’t in bliss.

“
A
nnie
, wake up.” He shook her slightly, trying to pull her out of the dream. “Annie!”

“What?” Her eyes shot open and she quickly pushed herself upright in confusion. The robe had fallen open, and Aiden nobly averted his eyes. Too late. His cock had already noticed. Actually, it had been subtly reminding him of the presence of a woman all night. He’d tossed and turned in his lonely bed, finally conceding to frustration. He’d jerked himself off, eyes tightly shut, trying to pretend his former partner wasn’t just yards away.

He sometimes hated his cock.

“You were dreaming.”

She rubbed her eyes, automatically looking out the east windows. Dawn had already broken.

“Dang!” She noticed the open robe and quickly covered herself. Somehow her modesty made him even more aware of her body. Her breasts suited her lean body; they were delicate and ruddy tipped. Cherry blossom petals dripped from the dragon’s claw on her shoulder. His gaze settled on the pink blossoms and he wanted to kiss them, one by one.

Annie moved stiffly, as though the pain was new and unexpected. He hovered over her, too close, and the contact was intoxicating. He caught the scent of her arousal and shivered. She also shivered. The room was chilly and she pulled up the blanket.

“You put organic opiates in that aspirin.” She glared at him. “They give me crazy dreams.”

“Sorry. I should have used synthetics. They don’t have side effects.”

“You shouldn’t have used anything without my permission.”

The horror of her nightmare had faded quickly, giving way to her anger. And he could still smell the warm scent of her arousal.

“I should get up and go home,” she said, trying to sit up.

“You’ll stay here till you’re loosened up and warm. No workout today, just stretching. Meditating, whatever you do. And food. Protein.”

He moved back, finally giving her space. Annie struggled up and began to roll the futon, but he waved her away, folding the bedding himself. She wandered back to the windows, watching the sunrise. Aside from her rooftop, this was probably the best view from Wharf. Out past Treasure Island, the lights of Oakland and the East Bay cities glimmered like gems.

That day they’d hauled his ass to Oakland had been his first visit to the new Enforcement Campus. He’d heard that the United Governments were training officers in High Risk Retrieval. Those elite detectives would operate without boundaries. They’d be able to do their job anywhere it took them. Even into space. He wondered if Annie had applied. She’d be the sort to risk life and limb in a risky new venture.

As for him, he was too attached to Wharf and his home to up and leave. This was his…all he had in his life. His neighborhood, and the building he’d grown up in. He’d left Wharf, lived in the City with Lisa, renting a quaint old house not too far from Chinatown. After she died, he’d come back here. He was alone, but this was where he found comfort and safety.

He glanced around the loft. The space was open yet divided into different areas. Far toward the back his bed was rumpled and unmade. He’d never made love to his wife in that bed. They’d never cooked dinner together in the kitchen, or taken their meals at the table by the window. Yet in the beginning, he’d sometimes caught her scent in the darkness, just as he drifted to sleep. He’d hear her clear her throat softly as she turned the page of the paper.

She’d never been there, but he’d brought Lisa with him. And in time, she’d gone away. Aiden wasn’t sure when that had happened. One night he woke in the night, knowing that he was completely alone. Abandoned. And he hadn’t even had the tears to grieve anymore.

He looked back at Annie, and saw more than pain and fatigue in her lovely face.

“What do you dream about that’s so bad?”

“What do you think?” Her voice totally lacked the sarcasm she was obviously trying for. She turned to him, the rising sun to her back. It made her glow with gold and pink. “You and I have never talked about it. You read the report, you know what happened.”

His skin heated. Anger began the slow burn, but it was slower than before, the burn far less.

“Lisa was attacked and you were too afraid and hurt to do anything.”

She stood very still for a moment. With the light behind her, he couldn’t see her face. “The thing came out of the water, Aiden. It threw me out of the way like I was a toy. By the time I recovered, it was too late.”

And then it had gone after her
… He pushed that thought aside, trying again to harden his heart.

She flinched, horror in her expression. “It was a monster. Dear God…it--”

“It was human, Annie. And you were a trained cop. You could have done something.” His throat was tight, not only at the remembered horror of the mutilated body of his wife, but at Annie’s face. She’d gone pale and drawn.

She shook her head. “Nobody understands what I saw, Aiden. It wasn’t a he. It wasn’t human, not as we knew humans.” Her eyes teared up, and he ached to wipe them dry. “We now know that it once
was
human. It isn’t anymore. And it craves blood and flesh from people like you. They haven’t confirmed it yet, but I think it’s a Nano with Hemo disease.”

“Dammit, Annie, I know your skills! You could have handled a Nano. Even an enraged one.”

Fury marred her face. She whirled, striking out, shattering a stack of heavy clay pots with one kick.

“
You
know my skills, Aiden. You knew me better than anyone! Think! I did not stand a chance! It disabled me, and then it killed her, and came after me just for fun! It fucking
played
with me, Aiden! It tossed me around like a cat plays with a mouse. Now I have to catch it and I don’t think I can!”

The words brought horror, and with the horror, bits of black, toxic memories. “That thing…it held mu underwater till I thought I’d die. Then it’d bring me up…laugh and do it again. Like a game, Aiden. It was covered with oil and blood and filth…it licked me…” She swallowed convulsively, as though she was ill. “It licked me and still had…had--” She broke on a gasp.

In near panic, Annie scooped up her clothing and dressed, uncaring that he watched. She shoved her feet into shoes, carelessly tying the laces. At a near run, she was at the door, struggling with the locks.

And then she was gone, leaving Aiden with the bewildered awareness that something was wrong, so very wrong. His hands shook and his knees went weak. With fear and grief and guilt so heavy he nearly sobbed for Annie.

He’d spent years blaming her for Lisa’s death but he’d been too wrapped up in his own misery to see that his partner had died in that attack as well. She was right. He’d known her then better than anyone. She wouldn’t have stood by helplessly as a stranger killed his wife…her best friend. His partner had died as well.

This Annie Tanaka was a stranger.

* * *

A
iden caught
Annie in the hall. She’d come to a halt, a meltdown. She sat on the floor, arms wrapped around her knees. Her eyes were dry, but they burned. She braced her forehead on her knees so she wouldn’t see him.

“You aren’t alone, you know.”

“You’re a victim, Aiden. As far as this thing is concerned, you’re meat.” Her voice grated, painful in her throat. “I’m just entertainment.”

He looked down the empty hall to the barricaded stairwell. He’d probably never felt the need to lock himself away before. Up until the day they hauled his ass to Oakland, Aiden had been secure in his ocean view tower. He was a big dog among the roving packs here in Wharf. Most knew to leave him be. Now he was prey. She knew damned well how he must feel.

Aiden covered his face with his hand. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

He shifted, looking uncomfortable. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. I’m sorry I just left like I did.”

“You’d just lost Lisa. I can’t blame you for grieving.” There’d been no place in her life for blame, or even friends or family or co-workers who’d visited, their conversation awkward and unwelcome.

“I was your partner. I wasn’t there for you. I didn’t trust you.” He sighed. “And I’m sorry. I was lost there for awhile. And now I’m better.”

“I am too.” And she was. He was here, they were facing this together. She was still afraid, but she felt more grounded.

“Get up.” He gave her his hand and lifted, bringing her up as though she weighed nothing. He was shaken, and yet he wasn’t surrendering. He held her hand and led her to the loft and she didn’t protest. She sat at the small wooden table while he made tea and dug out yesterday’s dim sum and congee.

“Okay, Annie. I’ve seen the files and you’ve told me what you know from that night. I’ve got some questions now.”

She bit into the sweet bean center of a bun and chewed slowly, listening, but not looking at him.

“I want to know if it hunts in the day or night. Were the victims killed here in Wharf or outside the walls? If it hunted inside Wharf, how’d it get in? Is it passing for human?”

She took a sip of tea and cleared her throat. She needed to focus, to grab onto the analytical side of the situation. “I need to check in with Greene today. There was another body last week. Like the others, he was a floater. Killed at night. Bled, gutted and partially consumed. The forensics should be ready by now.”

She took another sip of tea. She felt better, and the raw edge of fear was receding. “We don’t know where it’s killing them. If it’s here in Wharf, it could be coming up from the water, but I think it’s coming in with some of the gamblers from the city. I don’t know how else it’s able to get so close to the victims.”

He pulled out a sheet of paper and started taking notes. “So including Lisa, three women that we know of, five males between SF and East Bay. All enhanced.”

She nodded, trying to remember other facts, items they might have overlooked.

“We call it a he, you don’t. Why? Because it isn’t human? What’s the DNA say?”

“The report came in. It’s so contaminated with all the DNA it absorbed that they literally couldn’t pull much off the killer. No gender, race… nothing. We know that it’s human, or started that way. If the lab can track down the nanites, they might be able to discover where they originated.”

“And you think it’s got Dragon’s Blood?”

She shrugged. “We know Hemo patients get increased protein cravings as their disease advances. They literally need blood to survive. If someone with the disease used illegal nanites, hoping to cure the disease, what do you suppose could happen?”

He felt cold. Nanos like himself could still get sick. When he caught a cold, it wasn’t severe, but he was still sick. “Depending on the nature of the nanites, it could partially repair the damage, leaving the individual robust enough--”

“To hunt its own blood. And the nanites it absorbed would duplicate, strengthening the new host, as well as fouling its DNA signature.”

“Oh, Jesus, Annie, it’s a vampire,” he whispered, sounding horrified.

“Of a sort, I suppose. Not like Dracula, but unnaturally strong and craving blood and flesh.”

He carefully set the pen down on the pad. “Greene’s wife, when did she contract it?”

“About three years ago. It wasn’t bad to start with. I’m a Uni so I can donate for anyone. We just arranged for me to be her regular bleeder. She did well at first, made it from month to month with no problem. Then I noticed she was looking weak by the time I could donate again. She needed to add a second donor, and increased her transfusions to twice a month. It went downhill really fast after that.”

The Hemo disease was a mystery. It’d emerged about a century ago in Asia, where it had been nicknamed “Dragon’s Blood.” It had killed millions around the world before scientists had pinpointed the genetics that caused it. The disease caused a rapid decline in red blood cells. With regular blood transfusions and medication, most people thrived. Some like Tammy Greene didn’t survive the first two or three years after diagnosis.

“I’m O positive. Not a universal donor like you, but close enough. Are there blood types on the victims? Is that a factor?” He could only donate to other Nanos, so his blood wasn’t needed as badly as it had been before. That was another guilt that came to settle on him. Once he’d taken the nanites into himself, it limited him as a bleeder when so many desperately needed blood.

“I don’t know if they’ve considered that. In fact, some of this is speculation on my part. The labs haven’t proven anything.” She picked up his pen and idly tapped it on the table. She then set it down and folded her hands.

“You’re the only person who’s seen this thing and survived. I think your speculation is a good place to start.”

They sat in silence, appetites gone. The day seemed to have gone dark before it had even begun. Aiden slowly stirred his congee, chasing bits of fish in the rice stew. “You going across the Bay today?”

She nodded.

“Mind if I come along? Just to hang out? I know I’m not on the force anymore, but I’d like to check out the new HQ.”

She grinned slowly. “You just want to get onto a computer somewhere, don’t you?”

He laughed. She knew him well. One thing about Wharf, no computers, and Internet access was nearly impossible in the City.