by Laura Kaye
“My ability to heal.”
Brynn lifted a brow. “So that’s not a demon trait, but a dragon one?”
“What I told you about demons is true. We do have preternatural strength and speed, and the ability to heal quickly. But it’s nothing compared to what dragons can do. Dragon blood heals, and incredibly quickly.”
“You’re pretty much invincible, huh?”
“Oh, I can be killed,” Keegan said. “Beheading kills about anyone. And if I were to somehow lose all of my blood, I wouldn’t be able to heal myself.”
“So vampires are dangerous to you, then,” she joked.
“They could be,” he answered.
“Wait…what? Vampires exist, too?” She gulped at his patronizing glance. “Okay, let’s leave that topic aside. For now. What else can you do?”
Keegan snickered. “I have a slightly enhanced sense of smell, and, well, you already saw the fire-breathing.”
“Yeah. Why didn’t Mammon anticipate that you would wipe out his men that way?”
“He never knew about it. In fact, it’s only happened twice before, and both times by complete accident.”
Huh. In that case, they had gotten pretty lucky tonight. But wait…
“Oh, and Mammon is your father?” She turned to glare at him. “That one would have been really nice to know.”
“It’s not very easy to explain. How do you tell someone that your father is a psychopath but still expect them to trust you?”
“Good point,” she grudgingly admitted.
Keegan tapped on the steering wheel a little longer before curling one hand into a fist and beating it against the base of the wheel. “How the fuck did Mammon find us? The book?”
“I don’t know. That demon said I told him, but I…” She broke off as the dreams of the past several days came back to her in a flash. Shooting up in her seat, she said, “Wait a minute. I’ve been dreaming about your father.”
His expression was baffled. “What?”
“Ever since I had that vision when I touched your talisman. At first, he was just there. But then he started talking to me. I might have…I think I—” She broke off with a loud groan, burying her hands in her face. “In my last dream of him, I mentioned Memphis and New Orleans. Oh crap, have I been communicating with him in my sleep?”
“If he has that ability, it’s something I never knew about.”
“But…that has to be it, right? I mean, how else could I have led him to us?”
“Don’t know.” His brows drew together. “I’ll look into it, see what I can find out.”
Seeing the exhaustion written all over his face reminded her how tired she was. She fought a heavy yawn but ultimately lost the battle. “I want to know about you and your father. Tell me your family history.”
“I will. After you get some rest.”
“But Keegan,” she protested.
“I’m serious. You look exhausted. Get some rest while you can. Just…if you dream about Mammon, don’t tell him a thing, okay?”
She thought about protesting some more, but her eyelids were growing awfully heavy. Leaning her head back against the seat, she asked, “Where are we going, anyway?”
“Don’t know. Somewhere safe. Which reminds me.” He reached into his jacket pocket and retrieved his cell phone. He rolled down the window and tossed it out. “Don’t want to be tracked.”
What he meant was that he didn’t want his brothers to find them. Brynn closed her eyes as gut-wrenching guilt washed over her. Keegan had chosen her over his brothers, whom he obviously loved very much.
“I don’t regret my decision,” he said, as if he could read her thoughts.
“Thanks.” She reached across the seat and closed her hand over his.
He flipped it over and laced his fingers with hers.
Here they were, holding hands like high school kids and running away to destinations unknown. It might have been romantic if their lives hadn’t been on the line.
Even if Keegan didn’t regret it, as far as his brothers were concerned, he’d committed an act of betrayal. He’d gone against his word. For her.
And now they were being hunted, not only by Keegan’s father but possibly by his brothers.
Oh, sweet heavens, what were they going to do?
…
After a fast food stop and a trip to the gas station, where Keegan had bought a cheesy New Orleans Saints sweatshirt to replace his torn jacket and shirt, Brynn had finally fallen asleep. Keegan snuck a peek at her. For the past few hours she’d slept with her head against the window of the car, her neck awkwardly scrunched. She’d probably wake up with one hell of a crick in her neck if she didn’t shift position soon.
Amazing how, in the midst of all this, she managed to look so peaceful, with long eyelashes fanning down above her cheeks and her mouth slightly open. The air was scented with the sweet fragrance he’d come to recognize as Brynn, making him hungry for something he couldn’t articulate.
Damn it. How was he going to protect her?
He grasped her shoulder and shifted her onto the seat, so that her head fell backward onto the headrest. She didn’t even twitch. Her last sleep had come too long ago, back at the New Orleans suite.
Just thinking about New Orleans, and his brothers, made him frown. What were they doing now? How disappointed in him they must be. He’d always impressed upon them the necessity to live up to their obligations, and here he was, fleeing his own.
But if he’d done the wrong thing, then why did it feel so right?
Keegan lifted his hand to Brynn’s cheek and caressed it before returning it to the steering wheel.
“Shit,” he muttered. What was he going to do? Keep running from place to place, fleeing both Mammon and his brothers?
But what choice did he have if he wanted to save Brynn’s life?
He passed an exit sign for Daytona Beach.
Keep driving. That’s what he’d do for now. Drive until he couldn’t drive anymore. Then rest a bit while he considered their options.
There was only one thing he couldn’t do now. One thing he wouldn’t do.
He wasn’t about to give Brynn up.
Chapter Nineteen
The first thing Brynn noticed when she awoke was the glowing green of the dashboard clock. It read 4:34, and from the daylight streaming in through the car window it was clearly afternoon. She’d slept for well over ten hours. She lifted her head to look around. It didn’t look like they were even in the same country anymore. The narrow highway they drove on was bound by sparkling blue waters on either side.
“Where are we?”
“Just outside of Marathon, in the Florida Keys,” Keegan said. “We’re about to stop. Any weird dreams?”
“No dreams at all.” Thank God for that. She must have been more exhausted than she’d realized.
True to his word, when they pulled into the small town, he stopped at a restaurant, where they enjoyed a long, leisurely lunch that almost made Brynn feel like she was on vacation. Then he drove to a state park and stopped the car.
“Are we…camping?” she asked as she followed him out of the car.
“Not exactly.” He led her toward the water, where a few other couples walked along the beach. As he stared out at the calm ocean, a wistful expression crossed his face. “I’ve always wanted to see this.”
Brynn placed her hand in his. “Guess there isn’t anything like this in your world, huh?”
“No.” Keegan shook his head, a ghost of a smile on his face. “Not even close.”
The weather was perfect, warm even, in her winter clothes. The aquamarine waters of the ocean lapped gently against the shore. There wasn’t a more romantic sight. If only she could enjoy it more. “So, what do we do now?”
“Now we wait.”
“Wait?” Brynn blinked. “For what?”
“You’ll see.”
What they waited for was apparently for people to clear out. As soon as there was no one else arou
nd, Keegan wriggled out of his sweater and tucked it into the back of his jeans. Brynn’s eyes flicked down to his smooth, muscled chest, marred by nothing other than the dragon talisman dangling around his neck. Her eyes stuck there for a long moment. She couldn’t help it. The man deserved to be stared at.
“What are you doing?” she finally asked.
“This.” Without another word, his wings grew out of his back. Before she could react, he grinned and snatched her up. Zooming out over the water, he flew low in the sky.
“What if someone sees you?” she choked out. Not that she was complaining. She liked having his arms wrapped around her, no matter the reason.
“They’d probably just think they were seeing things. You’d be amazed at what people can pass off as a trick of the light.”
Okaay. “So where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” he said again.
You’ll see turned out to be a tiny private island several miles off Marathon Key. A large two-story house on concrete stilts took up most of the space on the island, with a dock built outside the front and a small boat moored to it.
Keegan slowed down, waves of heat emanating from his wings as he flapped them in broad strokes. He touched down onto a second-floor balcony. A moment later, his wings disappeared and his back appeared normal once again, not even a ridge or groove to mark the spot where his wings had grown.
She finally managed to tear her gaze off him long enough to glance out at the view from the balcony. “Wow, this is amazing.”
“Isn’t it? I read about it somewhere.” Keegan paced the length of the balcony, edging around the small seating area and two deluxe lounge chairs as he took in the sights from all corners. With his chest bare and his sweater tucked into his waistband, he resembled some sort of medieval pirate, set to plunder his next port of call.
“How do you know this place isn’t occupied right now?” she asked.
“I have my resources. I was looking into it as a vacation spot on the odd chance the Council granted me one if we stopped Mammon. Owners shouldn’t be back for a couple of months. Come on.” He grabbed her hand and led her to the French doors, which opened without any difficulty.
“Guess they don’t anticipate many break-ins here,” Brynn said.
“Or they figure anyone who goes to the trouble of getting here deserves a payday. Let’s go look.”
The doors opened to a large bedroom with a metal-frame canopy bed draped in netting. An adjoining bathroom sported a large Jacuzzi tub. They found one other bedroom on this floor with feminine décor, and another adjoining bath. The main floor housed a great room, a half bath, and a kitchen, as well as a wraparound veranda with more sweeping ocean views.
This was heaven. Brynn sighed as she sunk onto the white down cushions of the rattan couch. They were so soft she might have been lounging on a fluffy white cloud. “I could get used to this.”
“Don’t,” Keegan said, his tone grim. “You never know when we’ll have to leave.”
He was right. Still, except for the insane demon chasing her, it was almost like being on vacation.
“I could use a shower,” she said. “Better yet, a long, hot bath.”
“Me, too.” Keegan sat on one of the matching rattan chairs directly across from the couch and exhaled loudly as he closed his eyes and put his feet up on the coffee table. Somehow, he managed to look enticing, even while clearly exhausted.
When he didn’t look as if he would go anywhere, she quietly rose to her feet. The least she could do was give him a few minutes of peace. Especially since just being around him had her hormones in overdrive. Something about zipping through the sky in the arms of a magnificent winged dragon made her long to stay there.
She took the stairs up to the smaller bedroom and snooped in the closet. Whoever the owners were, one of them was a woman close to Brynn’s size. She grabbed a silky light-blue robe that hit her at mid-thigh. For one second, she considered using her ability to learn more about the robe’s owner. But then, why bother with someone else’s memories? Right now she had enough of her own to deal with. She filled the Jacuzzi in the smaller bathroom, added some lavender-scented bath salts, and soaked.
Half demon, half dragon-shifter. What an amazing being Keegan was. She’d thought she had it rough, growing up with abilities. They were nothing compared to what Keegan could do.
How had he managed to grow up into such a good man? Having seen Keegan’s father in her visions, she knew how evil he was. Now, knowing that he and Mammon were one and the same, she didn’t know how Keegan had made it.
One thing was certain: she was determined to have no more secrets between them.
She crawled out of the tub, tugged on the robe, and searched for Keegan. She found him on the balcony where they’d initially landed, looking out over the water. His hair was wet, and he had only bothered to put on his jeans. The muscles of his bare back rippled with every breath he took.
Good Lord, he was breathtaking.
Even from behind, he was a sight to behold. The way his broad shoulders tapered into a trim waist, the muscular arms, the sharp curve of his backside in his jeans. He might be half demon and half dragon, but he looked all man.
Mine, that selfish inner devil of hers said. That was the part of her that wanted to taste him, to hold him. Maybe even keep him.
She shook herself out of it and moved to stand beside him. “There you are.”
He didn’t turn her way, but the corners of his mouth lifted. “Just taking in the view.”
It was so quiet out here. So peaceful. Not another soul around. Not for miles.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
Keegan didn’t speak for so long she thought he wouldn’t answer. “I’m wondering what my brothers are doing right now.”
She slid her hand along the concrete balustrade until it covered his. “Oh, Keegan, I’m sorry.”
“Me, too.”
“Do you think they’re looking for us?”
“I don’t know,” he responded.
It must be killing him. After everything the four of them had been through, their father had finally managed to tear them apart.
Don’t forget your role in this whole thing, Brynn.
Yeah, right. As if she could.
“Tell me about your father,” she said.
Keegan sighed, withdrawing his hand from her grasp. “It’s hard to talk about.”
“I want to know,” she insisted.
His features lined with weariness, he turned to face her head-on. “Okay. But you first. I know you’ve been keeping something from me.”
When she threw him a blank look, he clarified. “How did you find out about your ability to drain energy?”
“Oh, that.” Crap. But hadn’t she just vowed there would be no more secrets between them? That worked both ways. Turning so her side pressed into the balustrade, she took a calming breath and met his expectant gaze. “I…I found out about my other gift when I was eleven.”
Ordinarily, she pushed these memories into the recesses of her psyche, not wanting to relive anything about that day. Now, for the first time ever, she was going to talk about it. “I was walking home from school one day when a man drove up in his car and snatched me.”
Keegan gave a pained wince and touched her hand. “I’m sorry.”
The remembrance of the event inundated her with recollected sights and sounds. The stifling heat of the closed-in space. The utter absence of light. The fear that she would die in this prison. Then, the realization that what was about to happen was a million times worse than being locked in a trunk. She swallowed back the pained moan that threatened to burst from her lips. It was all in the past. She had survived, and she was strong enough to tell this story. With Keegan by her side, she might be able to do anything.
“He threw me into his trunk and took me to his house, locked me in the basement.”
His jaw dropped and his eyes clouded over with unmistakable anguish. “I had no idea
. You must have been terrified when I took you.”
She shook her head, driven by the inexplicable urge to reassure him. “No, it wasn’t the same thing. I think…somehow I knew you wouldn’t hurt me. I sensed that you were a good man.” Or maybe she had just grown that much stronger since that horrible event of her youth.
Keegan looked away, guilt written clearly on his face. He didn’t believe her words, and it didn’t take a genius to determine that he was mentally berating himself for his actions. Knowing what she now knew about him, it broke her heart that he judged himself so harshly. After all the hell he’d endured as a child, he was still a good man.
Brynn forced herself to continue her story. “He left me there in the dark for a few hours.” Waiting and sick to her stomach with fear. She’d tried to escape but the basement door had been locked and the windows had been too high, with nothing in the dank room for her to climb on. The recollection of the damp, moldy smell in the basement assaulted her nostrils. It had been so large, so dark, that she’d imagined a monster lurking behind every column and in every corner…even while instinctively knowing that the biggest monster of all was the one who’d imprisoned her there to begin with.
“This is horrible,” Keegan said, swallowing hard.
She barely heard him, caught up in the frightful memory. “When he came down again, he started to say horrible things about what he was going to do to me. He was so big, so scary.”
“You don’t have to tell me—”
“It’s okay. There’s a happy ending, I promise.” Taking a deep breath, she continued. “He tore my dress and…and touched me.” Had tried to do things to her that no man should ever contemplate with a child. “In that moment, I just knew. It was like I felt this thing inside me, wanting to come out. I put my hands on him, closed my eyes, and just concentrated. It was so crazy—I felt the energy drain out of him. He collapsed to the ground almost instantly. I kicked him a few times to make sure he was unconscious, then ran to one of his neighbors’ homes. They called the police.”
What a relief to get that part of the story over with. Not only that, but she actually felt better now that she’d shared it. Maybe the wound from that day was finally healed. “They said he had a minor stroke, but I knew it was me. And I tested it a couple of times after, with guys who wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
