Throne of Oak (Maggie's Grove)

by Dana Marie Bell

  But here Dragos was, the forest content to let him pass unremarked, as if he belonged.

  As if he were one with it, as she was.

  Dragos stepped up to the line where the Throne began, leaving them toe-to-toe. He studied her closely. “You look tired, draga mea.”

  She lifted her chin, hoping she looked regal and not arrogant. There was a fine line between the two, and Mina tried to not cross it.

  Never let them see you sweat, Mina.

  “What does that mean?”

  He smiled softly. “It means ‘my darling.’”

  “You can’t call me that.” Not now. Maybe not ever. If she was so weak she couldn’t even leave the Throne, how could she lead the dryads? How could she stand at his side as an equal?

  He cocked one eyebrow. “Oh? Why not?”

  She took a step back. “Because I can’t be yours.” She knew what a sotiei was, and Dragos was showing all the signs that she was his. It would harm him, to take her as his blood wife, the one being he could feed on for all his years. Her life span would expand, matching his, Mina dying when he did. She wasn’t certain why she believed so strongly that becoming his sotiei would ruin him, but the belief was rooted inside her heart. No. It was better to drive him away, make him leave. Neither of them would be hurt if he’d just go away. He cocked his head, the question clear in his expression. “Can’t...or won’t?”

  She shook her head. If things had been different, she’d have allowed him into the Throne, given him time to court her so they could learn one another. Not all sotiei were lovers, but the best pairings were. Unfortunately, as attracted as she was to Dragos, she had her own problems to deal with. Becoming a blood wife wasn’t on the top of her list of things to do today.

  Leaving the Throne was.

  “Can’t.” She took a step back, prepared to retreat to her tree.

  “Wait—” He held out a hand, hissing when the trees around the Throne reacted. Branches lashed out, striking Dragos hard enough to bruise. He stared in shock at his hand. “Mina.”

  The low, growling threat had her backing even further into the Throne. Her heart was racing in fear. “I can’t.”

  “You need to stop running from me. I’m afraid of what will happen if my beast takes over.” He closed his eyes, the strain of holding himself back visible in his tense shoulders and clenched hands. “Please, Mina. Just...stay and talk to me.”

  She paused. The proud man was practically begging for her company. Was that too much for him to ask? Just to talk? She nodded slowly, reluctantly. Mina wasn’t certain this was a good idea, but he was trying so hard not to chase after her that she felt she had to give him something. “Very well.”

  He relaxed instantly, and when he opened his eyes they were their normal, beautiful gray. He had the clearest, prettiest eyes she’d ever seen on a man, surrounded by thick dark lashes that framed them beautifully. She could get lost in his eyes. “Thank you.”

  Guilt tore through her at his relieved tone. He’d been suffering too while she tried to solve her issues. “I’m sorry I’ve been denying you, Dragos, but I swear it’s been for a good reason.”

  He smiled, but he looked sad, weary. “Selena has told me some of it. The nightmares aren’t going away, are they?”

  She shook her head. “No. She’s right. They’re getting worse.”

  “You blame me for not saving you.”

  She blinked, shocked. “Yes. I know it’s not fair, but part of me does.” She cocked an eyebrow at him. “The other part knows damn well I should have been able to save myself.”

  “I got to you as quickly as I could. I stepped into a clearing, knowing it would spring the trap Terri had set for Ash and Greer, possibly Amara. When it triggered, I wound up fighting dozens of thorned vines aiming for my heart.”

  She’d heard of the battle Dragos had waged in that clearing. “I thank you for saving Ash and Birch.”

  He nodded his head, one leader to another. “You’re welcome.” He leaned back against a tree trunk, his gaze never leaving her even for a second. In fact, she wasn’t certain he’d blinked. “How are you otherwise?”

  “Peachy. Never been better.”

  He chuckled softly. “Liar.”

  She shrugged. “What do you want me to say, Dragos? That I’m not broken?”

  “You’re not broken.” He straightened. “You’ve been bent in a storm, but you haven’t broken.”

  “I wonder.”

  She said it softly, but vampires had superior hearing, second only to wolves. “Shall I prove it to you?” Dragos held out his hand, inviting her to step outside the protections of the Throne. “I give you my solemn vow that you will come to no harm while in my care.”

  She stared at his hand, so tempted. It would be so sweet to give herself over to him, to allow him to protect her, to coddle her. She almost cried with the need to take his hand and give him everything he asked for.

  But she was Queen of the Forest. The one who sat in the Throne and ruled all of the creatures within the wood. If she were anyone else, it would be different. She’d take his hand, allow him to protect her, even from herself.

  But to take his hand now, when she couldn’t be what they both needed her to be, to allow him to be her superior instead of her equal, would diminish them both. She shook her head, aware how badly her answer would hurt him. “I can’t.”

  He dropped his hand, red fire dancing once more in the gray of his eyes. “I won’t wait much longer, Mina Chainey. Queen or no, you will be mine.”

  She tilted her chin up, but inside she was shaking, and not all of it was from fear. “That remains to be seen.”

  He smiled, heated, wicked, and she nearly responded, the pull of him intense. “That it does. Until tomorrow, sweet Mina.”

  She opened her mouth to argue, but before a single word passed her lips Dragos disappeared, right before her eyes. She scanned the forest for him, using all of her senses, opening herself up to the living creatures within as only she could.

  He was gone, no longer within her demesne. He’d vanished, and taken the majority of her courage with him. “I’m so sorry, Dragos.” She sighed, and acknowledged what she already knew. “I won’t see you tomorrow night.”

  She turned away, back toward her tree.

  Toward safety, and her own cowardice.

  * * *

  Dragos watched as she left, the line of her shoulders indicating her weariness, her pain. He hated that he’d pushed, that he’d tried to force the issue, but what else was he to do? He was slowly going mad, and just the sight of her, seemingly whole and healthy, had soothed his beast.

  It was all a lie, though. She wasn’t whole or healthy. Something more than the nightmares was going on, and Dragos intended to find out what that something was. He waited, watching over her until she was lost to even his sight—the Throne swallowing its Queen in her sorrow.

  “I’m sorry too.”

  * * *

  “Mina? Are you there?”

  Mina looked up from where she’d knelt by the yew tree. “Hey.” She wasn’t really up to much more of a greeting. She was exhausted—all her energy concentrated on one thing. One thing she was failing at.

  Yew was dying.

  It was only a matter of time before they lost Iva forever. For all her power, Mina wouldn’t be able to stop the demise of her sister. It had been too long since Iva had been home, and Mina was beginning to lose hope they’d ever find her. Mina could no longer sense her, and even the witches couldn’t scry out where she was being held. It was as if she was behind some kind of barrier.

  Like the veil of death.

  Except her tree still lived. It was the only hope Mina had, and she would cling to it as she had over the last two-and-a-half months.

  Amara and Parker swept into the Throne, grimacing at the drooping tree. “Oh, dear.” Amara rushed over and placed her palms against the yew. “I can feel... Oh, no.” Parker was at her side in a split second, cradling Amara as her eyes teared up
.

  “I know.” As a protector of the forest and the Throne, Amara would be feeling the loss of one of the ruling dryads most keenly. The only others who would be as affected were Ash and Greer, and they were busy communing with their trees, their efforts to help Mina and save Iva having finally exhausted them beyond endurance. She’d ordered them to take a rest when she saw Greer avoid tripping Ash when he was being annoying.

  Greer, ever the jokester, always the one to make them all feel better with a laugh and a smile, hadn’t cracked a joke in a week.

  So here she was, alone in the Throne, and for the first time ever she didn’t like it. Not one little bit. She was tempted to crawl into her tree and stay there until...

  Gods above. She never wanted to crawl back out. How pathetic.

  Parker watched her over Amara’s head, his expression sympathetic. “Noah and Dragos believe that Iva and his beta have been taken by Van Helsings.” The wolf beta went missing around the time Terri had been in town. For a while they’d thought perhaps the witch had something to do with his disappearance, but when he hadn’t returned after Terri’s defeat they’d started considering that perhaps the same people who’d taken Iva had taken him.

  Van Helsings.

  She blinked. Dryads were rarely bothered by the human hunters of the supernatural, mostly because even the Van Helsings didn’t believe in them. That they’d changed their minds did not bode well. Van Helsings were known to take supernaturals and run “tests” on them. The creatures they abused called it torture, if they were lucky enough to survive and be rescued.

  No one knew how many supernaturals the Van Helsings killed a year, but they were getting bold if they were coming near Maggie’s Grove. The protections the witches kept in place should have made it invisible to human eyes. Had the Van Helsings finally found a way around the protections? If so, Maggie’s Grove would no longer be the safe haven it had been for centuries.

  If Iva was being held captive by Van Helsings, it would explain why she hadn’t returned, and why her yew was slowly fading away. “What are they doing about it?”

  Parker’s brows rose in surprise. “More to the point, what are you going to do about it?”

  Mina rose and began to pace. “I can’t leave the Throne. You know that.”

  “You can. You’re just afraid to.” Mina scowled, but Parker didn’t look afraid. “Dragos is more than willing to help you.”

  Just the thought of Dragos sent a jolt of panic through her. He’d want more from her than she could possibly provide—not now, not ever. “No.”

  “Yes.” Parker stood, staring at her with his own scowl. “You’re ripping him apart, and you don’t even care.”

  “Parker!”

  Amara’s outburst didn’t stop her lover from continuing. “Do you know what happens to a vampire who finds his sotiei and can’t claim her? Do you have any idea how strong he is, to have withstood it for so long?”

  “I do.” Mina straightened her spine, aware it still barely brought her to his chin. Dryad females had a tendency toward shortness. “I do understand, and I’m sorry. I wish I could be what he needs, but I can’t even leave the Throne. If I can’t, if I lean on him, I won’t be a partner. I’ll be subservient.”

  Parker rolled his eyes. “Subservient? Balls. You’d have him in the palm of your hand.”

  “You don’t understand.” Mina began to pace, getting more agitated the more they spoke of Dragos. “He would become my everything. I would have to rely on him for everything. How can I do that to him? To myself?” She shook her head. “No. Until I can beat this stupid fear, he has to wait.”

  “His strength would become yours, Mina. His voice would drown out the fear.” Amara and Parker shared a fond look before Parker continued. “The mind bond would ensure it.”

  “Mind bond?” Oh, boy. Mina did not want the sexy-as-hell vamp rooting through her brain. Just the thought made her feel faint. “Yeah. He’s gonna wait.”

  Parker tilted his head. “Mina? Is something wrong?”

  “Hmm? No.” Mina smiled, hoping she wasn’t as pale as she felt. “I’ll be fine.” She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. “How are the wedding plans?”

  Parker and Amara exchanged another one of their glances before Parker shrugged.

  Amara grinned. “We’re going to speak our vows under my tree.”

  “And at night, so we’re both represented and the groom doesn’t look like black pudding on his wedding night.”

  Mina smiled. “And Brian and Greg?”

  Parker snorted. “Pair of idiots. All their plans are at sixes and sevens.”

  Mina and Amara stared at him. Amara recovered first. He acted so American that, despite his accent, it was hard to remember he was British sometimes. “I think what he means is, they can’t decide what to do, where, or when. And when they do make a plan they change it in a few days.”

  “Thus driving me batty.”

  “Parker? You’re already batty.” Amara flapped her arms at him.

  “That’s a myth.” Parker chuckled. “Vampire bats, indeed. What bloody fool came up with that one?”

  Amara pointed toward the oaken throne. “Let’s sit. I’ll fill you in on the wedding plans, and you can explain to me why you’re torturing Dragos.”

  Mina tensed again. “No. I won’t.” She tried to smile, knowing it was a weak imitation of the expression she usually wore. “But we can discuss wedding gowns.”

  “I want you to be a bridesmaid.”

  Mina closed her eyes. She wanted to be one too. She’d only known Amara a short while, but the hamadryad had been there for her, had helped save her. They’d quickly grown close as Mina attempted to work out her issues.

  “Please?”

  Mina felt the pull of one of her dryads. How could she refuse when Amara needed her? “I’ll try.”

  “Yes!” Amara danced around the grove. “The queen’s gonna be my bridesmaid, the queen’s gonna be my bridesmaid.”

  Parker laughed. “Thank you, Mina. It means a lot to her.”

  “I know.” Far better than Parker would ever give her credit for.

  Chapter Three

  There was a soft knock on his office door. Dragos lifted his head to find Eddy poking his in. “Hey, Dragos? Alpha Wulfenbach is here to see you.”

  Dragos nodded. He’d been hoping to see the wolf alpha. “Good. Send him in.”

  “Dragos.” The tall dark-eyed wolf strode into Dragos’s office as if he owned it, a cocky grin crossing his face as he held out his hand in greeting. “Good to see you again, old man.”

  “And you.” He stood and offered his hand to the alpha. “How have you been, Noah?”

  “Worried. We still haven’t found my missing enforcer, and his wife is beyond consolation. She feels he’s lost to us, and I’m inclined to agree.” Noah settled down on the chair opposite Dragos’s desk. Despite his relaxed posture, Dragos knew he was anything but. “Iva Yamauchi is still missing as well. Does Mina have any clues on where she might be?”

  “No, other than the fact that Yew is dying. The dryads are doing their best to keep her tree alive, but they’re slowly losing the battle.” It had been two-and-a-half months and there was still no sign of her.

  The string of curses that fell from the alpha’s lips would’ve made a sailor blush. “That’s not good.” He stood up and began to pace, the spacious office far too small to hold him. “If Yew falls the entire balance of the forest will be altered forever. The other three might never recover from that.”

  “I know.” Noah had reason to be upset. Yew’s death would affect the wolves on a personal level. They were primarily forest creatures, roaming at will through Mina’s territory. They were a part of the forest in a way only another shifter could understand. When the forest mourned, all the shifters did as well, its sadness seeping into them. “Parker believes that whoever has, or had, your enforcer may also have Iva.” Why, he wasn’t certain, but Parker’s instincts were usually sound. He’d be
en hunted for thirty years by a deranged witch, and while some might call him paranoid, Dragos understood the instincts that had kept the man alive and Terri-free for so long.

  Parker wasn’t the only one who’d once been hunted.

  Noah nodded. “I’m beginning to believe the same thing. They’ve both gone too far off the radar for anything else to be true.” He gave Dragos a look that worried him. “Damn it. I’d hoped you’d come to a different conclusion.”

  Gods above, Dragos hoped they were wrong. Van Helsings were the humans who hunted supernaturals, either because they believed supernaturals were spawn of their Satan, or worse: for sport. If the Van Helsings were involved and hadn’t killed Yew yet—

  A thundering sound echoed through Dragos’s mansion, startling them both.

  It was never wise to startle an alpha werewolf, especially one who thought his pack was being threatened by Van Helsings. Noah immediately dropped into a crouch, fangs and claws evident as he turned toward the office door. He sniffed the air and growled. “What the hell is that?”

  Dragos took a discrete sniff and bit back a curse. His day was about to get interesting. “I believe it was the door.” Dragos settled back in his seat, trying not to show that his hands were shaking. He and Noah were both predators. Showing weakness in front of Noah could only lead to a fight. Dragos might or might not win, but either way it could throw off the balance of power he’d so carefully cultivated. He and Noah worked well together. The last thing he wanted to do was shake that alliance.

  Besides, Dragos shouldn’t have been so startled. He was feeling the lack of his sotiei, the grounding influence she would have on him if she were by his side. Her absence was making his hard-won calm disappear like fog under the morning sun.

  Noah snorted and rose from his defensive crouch. “Helluva doorbell.”

  “You have no idea.” Few beings had the power to rattle his home like that. The man at the door was one of them.

  Eddy came tearing into the room as if the hounds of hell were on his ass. “Company!” He then dove under Dragos’s desk and cowered.