Rafael cleared his throat and all the men turned their attention to him. He didn’t appear particularly pleased.
Was that because of Alex’s sarcasm, because no one appeared interested in taking the bait, yet, or because they faced an unknown foe and likely more attacks?
Somehow, although the last option had dire implications, the piercing look Rafael sent to Alex, indicated her initial thought was spot on.
Interesting.
Did the big, bad Astarot have a soft spot for her?
Her dragon whined. Please, let it be hard…
Lara mentally rolled her eyes. She’d been an absolute cow to the man and fully expected his indifference, or even a smidgeon of animosity.
Yet…
Yet she couldn’t deny her racing heart or heating core at the thought she might still captivate Rafael’s interest. His brief, but panty-melting welcome kiss certainly hinted at Raf’s feelings for her. She snuck a sideways glance at the Astarot. Their gazes met and he melted her on the spot.
Screwed.
Not for the first time in his presence, the thought rebounded inside her skull.
Abso-fucking-lutely screwed.
Damp air bathed Lara’s legs as they stepped out into the day. Having already said goodbye to the dragon clan leaders, Lara stood alone with Rafael as they waited in the back alley for Hank to bring the car around.
Apparently, they’d get her car later. Whatever. If she got a parking ticket, she’d bill him.
Her skin tingled with Rafael’s close proximity. Even if she could ignore the hunk of man standing less than a foot away, her dragon mewled like a junky in need of her next fix.
Rafael turned to Lara. His scorching gaze traveled along her body, singeing each nerve ending as if his hands and tongue explored her.
“Alone at last.” Rafael’s deep voice vibrated.
She squeezed her thighs together and tried to ignore the deep throb between her legs. She’d spent the rest of the meeting struggling to remain professional while her brain attempted to replay every sordid fantasy she’d had of Raf over the last month.
She wanted him. She wanted him deep inside her. She wanted to taste him. She wanted to lose herself in the safety of his strong arms and forget tomorrow existed. No fears, no insecurities and no questions would exist in the heat of his embrace.
Rafael’s grin grew. “Maybe we should take this time to discuss why you ignored my calls.”
Lara stiffened.
Rafael took a step closer, placing himself in kissing distance, his full lips inches of self-control away.
She’d only have to rise on her toes and lean forward. She could close her eyes and press her lips on his. One quick move and she’d taste his tongue with hers.
“I feel the heat of your body rising,” Rafael said.
Lara clenched her fists. Self-control. Exercise self-control…
“I sense the quickening of your breath and the beating of your heart.” Rafael leaned down, full-predator mode switched on.
Lara damned her traitorous body.
“It’s futile to deny your attraction to me,” Rafael’s voice purred. “So why deny me at all?”
Lara’s body shook with the promise in Rafael’s voice with the assurance of his body, so close, so touchable. One word and he’d take her and this aching need away to O-town.
Yes, her dragon panted. YES!
Lara cleared her throat and met Rafael’s sizzling gaze. Her knees threatened to buckle, and her legs wobbled as if turned to molten goo.
“I’d rather discuss the curse,” she whispered.
Chapter Seven
The curse.
Lara stood still as Rafael’s expression hardened and gold flashed through his green gaze. Cars roared past on nearby streets, and dishes clanked in the restaurant’s kitchen on the other side of the door, but the alley remained eerily quiet and empty.
Lara’s dragon wailed in frustration. The winged reptile stomped around in her head before finally slamming the door shut between them.
Selfish bitch, her dragon hissed.
Not true. If Lara had less professionalism, or less regard for her life, she’d push this hunk of man into some dark corner and ride his hot body until wave after orgasmic wave washed away the potent need he’d awoken.
But no.
Lara had more common sense than that. Or at least, she hoped she did.
Sleeping with the Astarot wouldn’t reveal her dragon nature, like her magic or hair color wouldn’t.
But she knew something else Rafael didn’t. Something that made a casual hook-up between them impossible. If their dragons were correct, they were mates. Most of the time, she liked to believe the reptile-heads were wrong. But could she risk it? What if they were right? She couldn’t deny the attraction between them or the pull tugging her toward Rafael.
If she relented, if she gave into the need consuming her, would she rein back the need to claim him as he pumped into her?
Heat flared in her body at the thought.
Maybe. Maybe not.
Compounding the issue, Rafael told her he wanted nothing to do with mating, either. They had that in common. No ball and chain here.
She bit her lip. Maybe she should tell him the truth? That would cool his jets. That would make him run.
No…no. She needed to keep her dragon nature secret for other reasons, too. He might not like the possibility of a mate, but she knew enough about the alpha dragon shifter to know he wouldn’t let her fly off into the sunset alone, either. He’d try to protect her. Control her.
The Astarot remained stone-still beside her, a tiptoe away from a kiss, as a gentle spring breeze flowed over them.
It took all her resolve to deny Rafael’s not-so-subtle offer. She waited, enjoying the heat and scents leaking through the locked door behind them.
Totally unselfish, she thought to her dragon.
“The curse?” Rafael’s heated gaze shuttered briefly, replaced with something colder. He straightened and fixed his tie.
“Yes, the curse. Alex O’Reilly seemed adamant this curse was responsible for your current situation.”
Rafael grunted and leaned forward to look down the street for Hank. The surrounding tall buildings shrouded the alley from the afternoon sun. Knowing the calculating Astarot, he probably told his second to take his time so he could have the opportunity to confront her…or proposition her.
Lara moved her neck gingerly, ear to shoulder, then looked side to side. She should’ve stretched better after her workout instead of rushing out.
Right before she turned to demand more answers from Rafael, something moved farther down the alley.
Lara froze. Immediately, her senses went into action, gathering information.
Rafael sighed. “The curse is a stupid—”
Habit kicked in. She threw her magical shield up to coat herself and the Astarot.
His dark brows shot up.
A millisecond later, bullets hit the barrier.
Her magic pulsed with each impact and the power pressed against her mind. The shield held. Strong arms wrapped around her like a clamp. Rafael moved swiftly to place her out of harm’s way.
“Are you crazy?” she wheezed.
Rafael hesitated before releasing her. “Sorry. Habit.”
She grunted and shoved him to the side. With his giant shoulders out of the way, she had a clear view of the street. A car slammed on its brakes and reversed.
Lara scowled down at her stupid, weaponless dress. This outfit didn’t allow for gun or knife concealment. Her fingers itched to wrap around the hilt of her katana sword. Now wasn’t the time to complain. Now was the time to survive. She couldn’t use her magic offensively without dropping the bullet shield. Not an option.
Shift, her dragon said. Let’s rend the meat from their bones.
Also, not an option. At least not yet. Lara ran to the back entrance of the restaurant. She pounded her fist on the cold steel door.
“Let us in!
” she hollered.
She repeated the action until she heard the car screech to a halt beside them. She turned to see four large men in black fatigues and balaclavas exit the sedan without plates. They were shielded. She couldn’t attack them with the only weapon she had left.
You have me, her dragon huffed.
The only weapon I’m willing to use.
Her dragon flailed.
The men had abandoned the guns, and carried swords and knives. Her magic couldn’t attack the men or shield her and Rafael from the sharp edge of a blade.
Rafael loosened his tie and shrugged his jacket off. “This is less than ideal.”
“You shouldn’t have told Hank to take his time.” Lara moved to stand beside him and shucked off her heels as the men approached. She’d blow her cover and wearing this restrictive outfit would’ve been for nothing.
Rafael’s smoldering gaze settled on her. He winked. “Worth it.”
The back door of the restaurant swung open and a young kitchenhand popped his pock-marked face out. His eyes widened. He jerked back.
Before he could slam the door shut, Lara moved. With dragon speed and strength. She hauled Rafael to the door and caught it before it closed.
Rafael grunted in surprise. She shoved him through the entrance, as the attackers ran up behind her.
“Go!” She pushed the door closed in his face as a large hand clamped down on her shoulder. The door clicked shut as Lara spun around. Sharp pain exploded on the right side of her head, and everything went black.
Chapter Eight
Raf roared as the heavy steel door slammed in his face. His dragon’s enraged howl echoed inside him, so hard his body vibrated. He drew in thick air filled with the Italian spices of the surrounding kitchen to bellow again. The staff froze around him. Blood drained from the scarred face of the kitchen hand who’d opened the door and stood a foot away. One of the servers dropped a wine glass. It shattered on the hard tile floor but nobody moved to clean it up.
Pressure pushed against his skin as tissue expanded and scales formed.
What the hell was she thinking? He didn't need protection from mortal men with guns, not while shielded. The ice-cold power of his dragon consumed him. The seams of his suit ripped as his body expanded. No. Not yet. He held the pressure back and took even, deep breaths. With his dark magic wrapped around him, he pushed open the door. The cool afternoon air hit his face.
Empty.
The alley was empty.
A squeal of tires diverted his attention to his left, in time to see taillights disappear around the corner.
Another vehicle rounded the opposite corner of the alley and ambled at a leisurely pace down the road. Hank had finally arrived, but that wasn’t the thought plaguing Raf’s mind.
Gone.
She was gone.
Lara.
His.
Ours.
The dam holding back the raging beast broke. His blue-black magic rushed forward. Instead of fighting, Raf relaxed into the change and let the beast take over.
Bones snapped, elongated and reformed. Muscles and tissue expanded. Fire like ice lanced through his veins as the awareness for his element heightened. Infinitesimal droplets of moisture in the air sang to him, waiting for his command. Nearby water reached out, wanting to be used.
"Boss?" Hank stood beside the open driver side door. Eyes wide.
Raf's neck elongated and scales plated his body. A roar filled with anger ripped through his throat.
Nearby buildings shook, car alarms went off, and alley cats scurried away.
Raf shook free the last vestiges of humanity, along with the remains of his clothing.
With his wings spread wide, he launched into the sky. He had to beat his wings furiously to navigate out of the narrow alleyway.
But nothing would stop him. Nothing would keep him from her.
He’d tear down these meager buildings if he had to.
Lara’s essence permeated the air. Like dew condensing on lush green leaves in spring. The hint of her scent became a teasing tug on his senses as if she called to him.
Raf? Hank’s voice sounded in his head, a distant echo to his fury.
They took her, he growled. They took what is mine.
Lara's head ached, radiating wave after wave of intense pain from one side of her skull to the other. The throb so intense it felt as though some extra-terrestrial being had grabbed her brain, clutched it in a vise-like grip, and smashed it hard against the bone like some sort of squishy stress ball. Getting knocked out wasn’t as la-de-dah as movies made it out to be. People died from it every year.
A low moan escaped her lips. She pried her eyes open and winced at the bright light. Thank goodness her dragon shifter blood accelerated the healing process.
"Sorry," a man's low voice crooned somewhere in the room. "Too bright?"
Heavy footsteps plodded across the concrete floor, growing marginally more distant and echoing off the walls until something clicked.
Half the lights in the room switched off.
Lara opened her eyes more and her blurry vision wavered. Nausea rolled through her body.
She gulped.
She lay in the middle of a large empty room. Like a mechanic’s garage or airplane hangar, or something, but without the wide rolling door. The stale and stagnant air carried dust and chemicals, and a red exit sign glowed above a door on the far wall. The rest of the walls lay bare with no decorations, and no windows to see the sun or let in the damp spring air. Warehouse?
The man approached. The lone folding chair creaked as he sat down about five feet away, dark eyes assessing her while the rest of his face remained hidden behind a balaclava. He wore a long-sleeved black shirt and black fatigues. He smelled slightly off. She couldn’t place how or what made her nose wrinkle, but it did. Kind of like leftovers in the fridge when they first started to go bad, the contents still smelled okay, but when she started to cook the item, or sometimes when she ate them, she realized they’d spoiled.
With the man content to observe from a reasonable distance, Lara used the moment to take in more of her surroundings.
Sprawled on the floor, she still wore the stupid dress. As she straightened and moved into a sitting position with her legs curled under her, metal rattled and clanked.
She glanced down at the manacles around her wrists tethered by thick chain links to heavy-duty hoops drilled into the smooth concrete flooring.
One shift to her dragon, and she'd rip through these restraints.
Her dragon.
She paused and focused inward.
The quiet whine of her beast whispered through her senses. Still there. Not blocked, but not totally accessible either.
Lara’s eyes narrowed and she turned back to her jailer. His mouth twitched and his broad shoulders shrugged.
"We are not sure who threw up that magical barrier. So you're in a magic dampening room."
"Why did you take me?" Her voice croaked. Magical dampening, huh? That ruled out magic, but dragon shifting was an innate part of her. The ability came from within. So did her magic, technically, but her power pulled from the elements surrounding her. That’s how magic dampening worked. It prevented the magic user from accessing the elements they manipulated. If her captors had known she was a dragon, they’d have placed her in anti-shifter chains, which were rarer and more expensive. They might not have access to any.
Tension eased from her shoulders.
The man shrugged again. "You are important to the Astarot."
Lara snorted. "Clearly, you don't pay attention to the tabloids."
The man's head tilted. "Clearly, neither do you."
Lara frowned. What the hell did he mean by that?
The man stood and walked closer, carefully staying out of range. So they weren't totally convinced of her pathetic girlfriend act. Throwing her two-hundred and fifty pound "boyfriend" through a doorway probably made her a little suspicious. Lara cleared her throat as the man contin
ued to walk around her, watching, observing, like she was some sort of specimen at the zoo.
Lara’s curiosity took over. "What do you mean?"
The man smiled as he came to a stop in front of her and squatted. "First, he's never called any of his conquests his girlfriend before. Hilary came close, but you're the one with the distinction."
Lara's heartbeat picked up. That stupid cover.
"Second, after the tabloids announced your split, they remain suspiciously devoid of any replacements."
Lara’s breath caught. She hadn't noticed that. Hell, she'd purposely avoided the news. Why would she want to read about Rafael’s latest flavor and see pictures of her draped over him?
"And our sources confirmed Rafael Dragoi remained remarkably unattached, chaste even. No liaisons of any kind, since you."
Lara's brain convulsed. The ache had receded marginally to leave room for her panicked thoughts. Had Rafael seriously reformed his playboy ways after she finished her assignment for him?
The man's lips curled up and his eyes crinkled. "And here you are, back at his side, even going to meetings with the dragon clan leaders. Another first."
She gulped. She suspected Raf had invited her to the meeting as some kind of bait, but she doubted he meant for this to happen.
The man leaned in and peered at her. After a long, tense moment of silence, he chuckled. "And you are completely oblivious."
Her shoulders tensed. Sure, she had no clue about Rafael's apparent self-imposed celibacy, purposely burying her head in the sand to avoid more heartache, but he didn't have to say it like she was some kind of idiot.
You are an idiot. Her dragon’s sarcastic voice trickled through.
Not the time, Clarice.
"You're wrong," she told the man.
He stood and pulled his shoulders back. "Maybe. Maybe not. Regardless, you mean something to the Astarot. That makes you valuable."
Usable.
Lara groaned inwardly. Even if Rafael had decreased his womanizing, it might have nothing to do with her and everything to do with the recent attacks.
Of course, a part of her hoped her captor was right and she meant something to Rafael. The other part balked at the idea. Not only had she always abhorred the idea of mating because of some capricious decision of fate, but Rafael shared her dislike for the process, claiming to want someone who wanted him for him, not his money, status or some obscure mating call.
Dangerous Liaisons (Obsidian Flame Book 2) Page 4
