“911. What’s your emergency?”

“Please. Tell them to hurry. You have to help me. There is a man trying to break into my office. He’s killed someone and now he’s coming for me. Oh, God you have to hurry. He’s right outside. I’m trapped.”

“A disturbance has already been reported for your location. Emergency personnel are enroute. Tell me your name.”

“Catryna Logan, I already called you.”

“I’m right here with you. Keep talking.” Wham!

“He’s kicking in the door. Please tell them to hurry. I can’t…” I watched in horror as the door splintered and busted open with the force of his weight. “Too late. He’s already here.” My eyes locked on his and I dropped the receiver. His eyes are elongated slits, just like a snake. The crazy guy hadn’t been lying. Serpent demons were here and this one had every intention of killing me.

“Give me the sword, Priestess. I will grant you a quick death this time.”

“This time?” If the story about the demons was true, then it must all be true. How do I summon this great protector?

There was nowhere left to run. No other choice. I moved to the other side of the desk, pulled away the velvet, and hoping the sword was the key, unsheathed the katana. Grasping the hilt firmly in both hands, I readied myself to fight for my life. I might fail, but I would go down fighting and clawing all the way.

And then I felt it.

A jolt of electricity raced through my arms, warm and powerful as it kissed along my skin. At that touch, I remembered.

Mine. But where is the Doragon'nokiba, the Dragon’s Fang? Somehow, I knew I needed its twin to win the battle. With that memory, a deep ache settled around my heart.

Kairyuu.

I must be possessed. It’s the only logical explanation. These memories can’t be mine.

Except I had a memory of deep purple eyes, so dark they were almost black, framed with inky lashes. A memory of a man who couldn’t possibly exist. Shouldn’t exist. Overwhelmed, I whispered his name.

“Kairyuu.”

The demon moved swiftly, crossing the distance of the room in seconds. Apparently, he didn’t like my touching the sword.

“No! You witch! You invoked the spell,” he bellowed.

His name is the spell?

“Ryuu no tsume come to me,” The demon hissed his demand, and I realized he had a forked tongue.

I smiled. “Oh I don’t think so. You can call the sword by its true name, but the Dragon’s Claw obeys me now.”

The demon lunged for the blade determined to take the sword from me any way he could, but it repelled him, slamming him against the wall. “I’ll kill you and take it. Just like the last time.” He pointed his gun at me and fired.

Bright pink light erupted from the blade, forming a bubble around the desk and shielding me. The bullet stopped in mid-air before landing on the floor and rolling away. I was surrounded in light, swathed in the sword’s power. Firm hands gripped my shoulders pulling me backward out of harm’s way and against a hard chest. Glancing down, I noted my rescuer had black nails, just a little longer than my manicure but sharper. Black claws? I was overwhelmed with the scent of cherry blossoms and leather. That’s an odd combination and yet, it’s familiar. My rescuer moved to stand in front of me, blocking my view of snake guy with broad shoulders divided by a trail of thick black and purple streaked hair.

“You will not harm her, snake.” Lifting his own blade, the stranger attacked, drawing a pattern in the air with the blade, then shooting bolts of fire from the sword. Okay, so maybe it’s a magic sword? The snake demon fell into a charred pile of ash.

“Are you well, my queen?”

Beautiful.

That word shouldn’t describe a man, but he was. Standing at five foot eight in my bare feet, I was at least a foot shorter. Broad shouldered, graceful, black hair with ripples of deep royal purple shifting through it fell straight to his waist unbound. His eyes were engaging.

Human men don’t have purple eyes or pointed ears and certainly not the hint of fangs that glinted when he smiled at me.

Kairyuu, Lord of the Dragon demon clan, was magnificent and somewhere in the depths of my memories, whether they were mine or not, I knew he loved me, or rather he loved a priestess everyone assumed was me. For a moment, I wished it were true.