by T. A. White
He'd seen her, right?
Not for the first time, she missed having Ilith in her ear. The dragon would have been able to shed some light on this.
Tate reached down and brought several mouthfuls of water to her lips, greedily gulping it down. There was no way she was going to get this close to the waterhole and not drink. Not even for the puzzling actions of Ryu's dragon.
Seconds later, a roar shook the ground, accompanied by the sound of wood splintering. Water dribbled out of Tate's fingers as she looked up. The unmistakable sound of wood catching fire brought her to her feet, and an animalistic snarl sent her scurrying forward.
Even as she darted in the direction of the commotion, half of her debated the merits of staying by the watering hole and hoping the dragon overlooked her presence.
Unfortunately, she knew how sharp a dragon's eyesight was. It was better than a falcon’s vision. No way had Ryu's dragon missed her. If he tasted human blood, it was possible he’d come after her next. Without Ilith, her odds of survival weren’t good.
And as reluctant as it made her, she couldn’t let him kill Christopher or Peter. Christopher had left enough hints and innuendo about the man under Aurelia and his end goal to prick her curiosity. Dead men didn't spill their secrets in her experience. What was locked in his head was important enough to risk her life and limbs against a possibly enraged dragon.
With those thoughts in her head, she ran out of the rock shelter to be greeted by a creature out of a nightmare. Ryu's dragon was terrifying as he ripped the frame of the wagon apart with single-minded intensity, before flinging the pieces in opposite directions. He brought his tail down on one side, splintering it further. The horses' eyes rolled in panic as they brayed.
The dragon ignored them as he reduced the wagon—their only form of transportation in this sparse and harsh land—to matchstick-size splinters.
The horses’ leads came loose and they wasted no time, galloping away before Tate could stop them.
Tate cursed. "Ryu, enough!"
The dragon froze, his large form intimidating, given the vicious focus he'd given to demolishing the wagon. Tate swallowed hard, rethinking the wisdom of yelling at the dragon now that his head was lifting with reptilian slowness to focus on her.
The look in his eyes rooted her in place. This wasn't her friend, a potential lover she could tease and tempt. This was the Dragon, primal and fierce. A predator, the thing mothers warned their children about. He wasn't some tame beast she could order about.
Peter's lips drew back, exposing sharp teeth as he growled, the sound almost silent. He backed toward Christopher, forcing the other man further away as he kept his focus on the real threat.
"My calculations were slightly off. I didn't expect the beast for another couple of days," Christopher observed, unintimidated by the very large dragon or his murderous rage.
Tate glanced at him, startled. "You expected this?"
"Eventually, but not this soon."
Ryu lifted his head, his focus locking on Christopher with a vicious intensity. Tate got a sinking feeling she knew where this was going.
"Ryu, no," she warned, stepping forward.
Ryu's focus didn't waver, his body going still over the wreckage of the wagon, its flames tickling his legs and sides. He gave no notice of its heat, as if it was no more consequential to him than a fly.
Tate filed away the fact dragons didn't appear to suffer any untoward effects from fire, to be examined later. Right now, she needed to concentrate on keeping Ryu from killing Christopher and Peter.
Christopher snorted in amusement. She was so glad he was finding this entertaining. For a brief moment, she was tempted to let Ryu's dragon have his way. It would solve so many of her problems.
Unfortunately, that wasn't who she was.
Even if she hadn't needed Christopher alive for the secrets locked in his head, she would have stopped Ryu. It was one thing to kill because of necessity; another entirely to end a life simply because you were overcome by rage and out of control.
When his reason was restored, then they'd talk.
She held out a hand and stepped between the dragon and the other two men, her stomach a bundle of knots and her legs shaky. Interfering with an apex predator once it had decided on its prey was unwise. Perhaps one of the stupidest things she'd ever done.
"Hey there, handsome," Tate crooned, speaking directly to the dragon. From the way he'd fixated, she had a feeling Ryu wasn't in control at the moment. "Remember me?"
The dragon cocked his head and snorted, smoke curling out of his nostrils. He padded forward, leaving the heat of the fire as he moved across the ground in a deadly glide.
His head remained down, his eyes fixed on all three of them. Tate fought not to show fear, recognizing his actions for what they were, hunting behavior. But who was he hunting? Her or Christopher?
Once again, she cursed her inability to not interfere. She should have let the dragon do what he wanted. Maybe he'd have calmed down after. But no, she hadn't been able to stay put and watch things play out.
"You got any bright ideas, Christopher?" Tate asked.
"Me? Why would I have any?"
"I don't know. Maybe because you act like you know everything."
She sensed rather than saw his careless shrug. "I got nothing."
A small growl escaped her. Really, she should let Ryu's dragon have the irritating pest.
As if sensing her frustration, Ryu's dragon inched closer. There was no recognition in his eyes as she backed slowly away from him.
He was stalking them, she realized with a jolt. The way he walked, the silent movements as he almost glided toward them. She'd seen this type of behavior in Night and the twins when they were hunting.
The muscles in the dragon's legs flexed.
"Christopher, move," Tate shouted, diving out of the way.
Ryu pounced on the space where they'd just been standing.
Tate scrambled up, barely avoiding being knocked back down by Ryu's tail as he whirled on Christopher and Peter.
Tate tried to dodge around the dragon, to get in front of him again, but found her way blocked by his big body on one side, and high boulders on the other. In his attack, she hadn't noticed she'd landed next to the rock entrance of the watering hole.
Tate once again scurried to the other side, only to have the dragon slap his tail down in front of her. He began scooting backwards, using his big body to herd her back to the little alcove that made up the watering hole.
He'd separated her from the other two on purpose, Tate realized as she slipped between the two rocks, just in time to keep from being crushed.
"Peter, you two alive?" Tate called, her heart rate slowing now that she’d realized the method behind the dragon's madness.
"Yes, somehow. He doesn't seem intent on killing us," the Silva rumbled, his voice still suspicious.
Tate closed her eyes. No, he was more interested in trapping her. Whether to protect or save as a snack for later was the question. "I think he's trying to protect me. For now, don't approach."
"Don't worry, that won't be a problem," Christopher called.
"Don't run either," she ordered. Not that she could do anything to stop them if they did.
Now that she knew the dragon probably wasn't going to kill her, Tate slapped its side, the only part of it she could currently reach. "We're going to have words about this later."
An irritated rumble was his only response.
Tate waited expectantly for Ryu to take shape. What she got instead, was the dragon curling up in front of the oasis, effectively blocking Tate's way out as he settled down for an extended stay.
"Bad dragon,” she scolded.
A slight trill that slid into a purring sound answered her.
"Ah, look at that. I think the brute likes you," Christopher said in a snide tone. "How romantic."
Christopher, she was realizing, didn't have a very good instinct for self-preservation. Why else would he
taunt a creature most people feared?
Tate glared at the dragon's back, wishing she could get her hands around Christopher’s neck. Instead, she was stuck in the oasis unless she wanted to climb over the sides of the boulders. She considered it briefly before discarding the idea. Ryu's dragon would probably just find a way to put her back in her rock cage.
With nothing left to do but wait until reason reasserted itself over the dragon, Tate returned to the watering hole. If she had time to kill, might as well put it to good use.
CHAPTER NINE
Tate spent the time drinking water from the small spring and resting. Night had long since fallen when she became abruptly aware she was no longer alone in her oasis.
She didn't move as she sensed the dragon’s regard from the entrance of the oasis.
"Ryu," she breathed. “Finally.”
She sat up and froze at the sight of the man crouched on the other side of the watering hole, his feral eyes locked on Tate. Little remained of Ryu as he watched her with a wild hunger. Despite his naked human form—and what a form it was—all she saw was the dragon.
Ryu, the man, had taken a back seat to the beast. His bare skin gleamed in the moonlight, his muscles rigidly defined as he watched her with predatory interest.
It would probably have been wise to have felt some level of fear when faced with an out of control Ryu, but Tate could only muster up the barest traces of it, enough for a delicious thrill to move through her.
This was Ryu, and even as lost to the dragon as he was, she couldn't see either version of them hurting her.
"I didn't think you would come," she whispered.
"Always come for you." The words were guttural, the dragon unaccustomed to human vocal chords.
He slipped from the rock, appearing on Tate's side of the spring almost faster than her eyes could track. There, he hesitated, his head ducking as if he was shy.
"Are they alive?" she asked.
He grunted and dipped his head.
At least that was something.
"Safe?" he asked her.
Her forehead wrinkled as she tried to decipher what he was asking. His bare feet lifted and then were set back in exactly the same spot, his unease reaching her.
"Better?" he asked again, his gaze moving to the water and then her.
Tate finally understood what he meant. "Yes, I'm much better now."
Now that Tate had time, she couldn't help but take in Ryu's form. He was a work of art, his limbs strong, his muscles defined. He was a sculpture given life. The physique his clothes had only hinted at, on full display.
Awareness filtered through her. Attraction was a delicate thing, and she and Ryu had been dancing along its knife-edge since their first meeting. Here, with the moonlight shining down on them, next to their own private grotto, need rose. It was made all the more potent from the near miss they’d had.
The dragon receded slightly as Ryu stalked toward Tate. The dark light in his eyes and the wild expression on his face said he was even further out of control without the dragon guiding his hand.
A delicious sense of anticipation stole through Tate. She thought about protesting, stepping away and not letting this happen. She knew, even as intent on her as he was, he’d let her.
She couldn't. She needed this as much as he did.
As if sensing her decision, he moved with a flash of speed, his arms sweeping around her to crush her to him. His lips landed on hers, his control tearing.
He consumed her, his lips possessive and wild. He held nothing back, offering her everything he was as she took it all, drank it down and filled herself to the brim.
She should have been afraid as his lips left hers, raining stinging kisses across her jaw and down the side of her neck. She wasn't. Her need matched his. She felt like she'd go up in flames at any moment.
Desire swelled, her skin tingling as he dragged his lips along her shoulder.
"I've waited so long," he murmured against her skin.
Tate had no time to respond before she was spun, her shirt ripped off, followed by her pants.
He whirled her to face him again as his lips fell on hers.
All of the repressed fear and desperation from the past few days spilled out. She felt rudderless as she bobbed along in passion's wake, hostage to its whims.
The pads of his fingers trailed along her sides, lines of fire following.
She grabbed his neck and pulled his face toward hers, locking her lips to his as the kiss deepened. She poured every bit of her passion and desperation into it, telling him without words, everything she was too afraid to say.
Her joy, her sorrow, her fear, her jubilation. Everything.
He took it, returning it in kind as he eased her to the ground, throwing her shirt down at the last second before placing her on it.
They broke apart, panting. Tate looked into his eyes. They were dark with desire before his head dipped and he nuzzled his nose against a sensitive spot on her neck. Tate shivered.
"The others?" she asked, fighting for thought.
"Incapacitated."
"He’s escaped ropes before."
Ryu's chuckle was wicked and filled with a dark meaning. "I didn't use ropes."
He lifted his head, his intelligent eyes piercing, the planes of his face almost cruel in their beauty. He stared at her like she was the answer to every prayer he'd ever had—like she was the very air he breathed and without her he'd be lost.
Any wall Tate might have erected between them crumbled at the emotions he freely gave her.
"Be sure. Dragons don't give back their treasure once they've claimed it," he told her.
Tate's smile was full of wicked challenge. "It'll take much more than this to lay claim to me, dragon man. This is only the start. Not the end."
Ryu's gaze was arrested as he stared at her. His grin grew, matching hers for wickedness. "Challenge accepted."
He let his weight come down fully on hers, pressing his hard length against her naked heat as his lips devoured hers. They tangled, warmth and desire pulsing at her center as he started to rock against her. He was careful not to enter her, working his hard length against her core as he moved.
Pleasure jolted through her as he found an angle that took him right over her clit. She moaned at the sensation.
They hadn’t done anything more than rub against each other and already she felt undone, the back and forth of months of suppressed desire acting as their foreplay.
He threaded his fingers through her hair, pulling her head back so he could kiss down her throat and across her collar bone. Tingles shot up and down Tate's spine, all centering at the sensitive bundle of nerves at her apex.
Words poured out of Ryu, only half of them in a language she understood. His voice was rough and husky as his hard body pressed against her softer curves.
His hands drew heated lines of sensation across her back and down her front.
The dragon lurked just below his surface, possessiveness and yearning in his gaze.
One of his fingers sank deep into her heat. A rough moan slipped from her as he pumped once, then twice, before withdrawing to circle her clit. Desire spiked deep inside and soon Ryu wasn't the only one lost as Tate gave herself up to sensation.
Ryu lifted her hips, replacing his finger with something much larger as he sank inside. Her head tipped back as he filled her, the slide of him almost burning before her body softened around his hard length.
He dragged her up, withdrawing almost excruciatingly slow, before driving forward to fill her again. He set a maddening rhythm, slow then fast then slow again, driving her up the precipice until she clutched desperately at his shoulders, lost in everything that was him.
Her body tightened, her skin prickling, sensation skating up and down her nerves. Ryu lost some of his control, his thrusts became more demanding, as if he couldn't get deep enough.
Tate's mind and body splintered on a long cry. He followed her moments later, burying his face in her hair
as a muffled shout escaped him.
Tate's body collapsed against his, every ounce of strength feeling like it had deserted her. Her limbs were languid, and the smile she gave him when he lifted his head from her neck was blissful.
"Did I hurt you?" he asked, his eyes serious and his lips tense.
She stretched in his arms. "No, but I do think you stole my will to move."
His expression didn't lighten.
Her smile died. "What's wrong?"
"The beginning was hazy for me. The dragon didn't force you?" he asked, his expression grave.
Realization dawned. Tate finally understood what he was asking. She cupped his face. "Ryu, no. I was a willing participant in everything."
When he didn't look like he quite believed her, she tipped forward, pressing her lips against his in a kiss that was as sweet as the last had been ravenous.
It took several seconds before his lips softened against hers, and she felt that whatever was in his head had loosened its grip enough for him to hear her again.
"You didn't take; I gave," she said into his ear, her arms curling around his shoulders to bring him in for a tight hug. "Nothing about that was forced. It was entirely consensual and a long time coming."
He studied her for several long seconds, his gaze searching. Tate tried to keep her expression open and honest, knowing he needed this reassurance.
His smile when it dawned was a thing of beauty, lightening his expression and making him seem much younger. For a moment she saw the man he had once been and not the brutal dragon lord.
"Then perhaps we should do this again, so I can be sure."
Tate's eyes widened as he tipped forward, his touches light and teasing as he worked her body back into a frenzy. Any protests were forgotten as her eyes slipped closed and she let herself feel.
It was a long time later when Tate lifted her head, the seriousness of their predicament coming back to her.
"Christopher," she spat as she scrambled to her feet, hopping from one leg to another as she pulled her pants on.
Ryu sleepily opened his eyes. "He won't be a problem."
"You've said that before, but I don't think you understand how tricky that man can be." By now, Tate was fighting with her shirt as she tried to pull it over her head.
