by Lolita Lopez
“Well, thankfully, they didn’t get it.” Niko smiled at them as he swept away the trays. “Why don’t you two get dressed and come down to the library. There’s so much I want to show Ivy about our shared history.”
“About my biological parents?” she asked hopefully.
“Yes.” The Greek made it all the way to the door before he paused. “Ivy, while you were recuperating, Mad mentioned that you have great skill as a matchmaker. Is that true?”
“It is.”
“And are you ever wrong?”
She shook her head. “Never.”
Leaning back against the pillows, Mad curled his hands behind his head and grinned. “Are you getting jealous now that half the Brotherhood is paired off? Maybe you want Ivy to find you a girlfriend?”
Niko chortled and pushed the door open with his foot. “I think I’d have better luck asking Beard to send me a puppy from his next litter if I want a companion.”
Laughing, Mad watched Niko leave. Ivy poked his side, the ticklish gesture making him shiver slightly. “Who is Beard?”
“Reynard,” he said. “He was born Reinhard and belonged to one of the barbarian tribes of the north. He’s always had a fondness for big, scary dogs.” Mad turned onto his side and walked his fingers up the sloping plane of her belly. “Do you like dogs?”
“Yes. I had a Great Dane when I was younger. She had hip problems, and we had to let her go when I started my senior year of high school.”
Even all these years later, he heard the sadness in her voice. “I have a huge yard and a tall fence. I happen to like dogs, too.”
Her eyes sparked with interest. She placed her fingers atop his. “Is that your way of hinting that you plan to keep me as your mate?”
“That’s my way of telling you that I like dogs and have a big yard,” Mad answered. “The decision to mate or not to mate is yours, Ivy. It has to be yours.”
“Why?” She sounded genuinely confused.
“Because you have the most to lose,” he replied matter-of-factly. “You’re the one who will have to make sacrifices if you choose me.”
She didn’t ask what those sacrifices might be. Maybe she had already been thinking about them. Running her fingers through his dark hair, she lightly scratched at his scalp. Unable to help himself, he leaned into her teasing touch. “Mad?”
“Yes?”
“I have a bad feeling this isn’t over yet.”
His heart stuttered in his chest. “A vision sort of feeling?”
“No. Here.” She dragged his hand down to her lower belly. “It feels…wrong. Something isn’t right. When Niko and Griff shook my hand, I didn’t see anything. I didn’t even feel anything about them. Shouldn’t I have seen Griff’s new mate?”
“It’s probably the drugs Niko gave you to safeguard your sleep. Maybe it’s dulled your senses. They’ll come back.”
“I hope so. It feels wrong to be so blind.”
“To be so human?” he teased. “Listen, the Seer is still out there. You’re protected here at Niko’s home. He has years and years of spells and magic binding this place. You’re part of his family and that means you have the right of protection here. My blood is your blood because of the potion so I’m also safe here, but that won’t stop the Seer from trying to find or hurt you. This feeling,” he said, rubbing his hand over her stomach, “could be whatever bad juju is able to infiltrate the wards.”
Her mouth curved in a smile that dazzled him. “Juju?”
He shrugged. “Would you prefer magumbo?”
She snorted with laughter and leaned down to kiss him. He liked the way she was showing more confidence with him and going after what she wanted. The kiss ended way too soon for his liking, but he reminded himself they were in no rush. Easing off her sweet mouth, he gazed into her brown eyes and saw a world of possibility in them. I see our future.
But first they had to reconcile Ivy’s past.
“Let’s get dressed. You’ve got a date with your family’s history waiting downstairs.”
Chapter Eight
Utterly amazed by the wealth of information Niko had presented her, Ivy swung side to side in a cushy chair in his library and read the history of her mother’s tribe. It was fascinating stuff, and it helped her feel more connected to the biological parent she would never know.
“Have you found anything interesting?” Mad wandered into the library with dinner on two trays. “I thought you would want to eat in here so you wouldn’t have to leave your research.”
She smiled up at him and set aside the journal she had been skimming. “Thank you, and yes, I’ve discovered some really interesting stuff.”
“Like?” He slid a tray in front of her and moved to the opposite side of the table.
So glad that she was no longer on starvation rations at the prison, she eyed the delicious dinner before her with anticipation. “My mother was a matchmaker, too. She wasn’t very good at it. Apparently, she only hit the jackpot once every five or six couples, but it seems that I had a great-great-aunt who was renowned for her ability to match couples.”
“Melina? I’ve heard of her.” He cut into his steak and pointed to hers. “Eat while it’s hot. All of this can wait. You need to rebuild your strength so you can get out of here.”
He brought up a subject she had been considering all day. “How do I go back to my old life? I’m not the same person I was when I left for spring break.”
Mad reached across the table and clasped her hand. “It won’t be easy, but we’ll give you a cover story. Reynard has ties to the university you attend, and Ignatius has people on his payroll who can alter records. We’ll tell everyone you were kidnapped and held for ransom. You’ll take the rest of the semester and the summer off to heal and recover. When you go back in the fall, we’ll have everything figured out.”
“You mean this mate thing, right?”
“Yes.” He sliced another slab of steak. “Did you read those letters that Niko found after your parents escaped our custody?”
Her gaze skipped to the two thick envelopes secured with blue ribbon. “No. I’m not ready for that yet. I need some time to get my head right.”
“I understand.”
She believed he actually did. In all his dealings with her, Mad had always put her well-being and her needs first. He seemed determined to make sure everything was done on her schedule. She could ask him to wait one hundred years to finish their mating, and he would agree to it with a smile.
Not that she wanted to wait much longer, she silently conceded while eating her dinner. Setting aside the supernatural connection they shared, he was absolutely everything she had ever wanted in a partner. Things were moving fast, faster than she had ever considered they might move, but the rules were different in this new world of hers.
“Tomorrow you need to call your friend Eris and let her know that you’re safe.” He eyed her in a way that made her suspect he could still hear her thoughts. At the very least, he was able to feel everything she did.
“What do I tell her?”
“We’ll go over the story before you make the call. Ignatius will have a script. He’ll arrange everything so that this transition is as smooth as possible for you.”
“Eris is going to freak out,” she said. “I can only imagine how worried she’s been for me. We’ve been friends since we were kids. I’m sure she feels guilty for dragging me down to Mexico on spring break in the first place. She was the one who found that flyer.”
“That wasn’t a coincidence. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Knights had set up a travel agency and arrange an entire Spring Break program just to make their lure more legit. They’re very sneaky at that sort of thing.”
“To be fair, so is your side,” she replied, thinking of the way Ignatius and Niko were going to change records and fake newspaper stories and more to get the heat off of her.
“Our side,” Niko corrected as he strolled into the library with a bottle of wine and two glasses. “I
thought you two might like something nicer than water tonight. You’ve both earned it.”
“That’s really nice of you.” She smiled at her tribal elder, as she had learned he was called. She sat back as he placed a glass in front of her and another in front of Mad and uncorked the wine. “The label is so pretty.”
Niko grinned at her. “This one is from the vineyards our family owns in France. If you’d like, I’ll take you there over the summer.” He expertly poured the richly colored liquid into her glass. “Phoebe loved it there.”
“My mom loved Paris,” she murmured, thinking of Susie Morales, the one woman who had always been there for her and the only mother she had ever known. Getting to know her biological mother through these journals and notes left her feeling so confused. “My dad proposed to her there. She said it’s the most romantic place in the entire world.”
“I can’t argue with that.” Niko slid the glass out of her reach. “Let it breathe before you enjoy that first taste.” He poured some wine into Mad’s glass. “We’ve been in touch with your aunt and uncle throughout this entire process.”
“You have?”
“We had associates pose as federales investigating your disappearance. In a few days, once you’re healed and we’ve had time to put safety protocols in place, we’ll contact them and let them know you’ve been recovered. We’ll fly you back to Mexico on one of my planes and then have you flown back on one that belongs to Ignatius to maintain the ruse. Your family can meet you at the airport in Houston.”
“Just like that?” She shook her head. “I’m not sure if I can lie to them so easily.”
“You’ll have to learn. Our world is one filled with secrets.” Niko set aside the bottle of wine and picked up one of the very old journals he had placed near her. He thumbed through it and seemed to have a thought. “Let me go to the second floor. I’m sure there are some daguerreotypes in the stacks up there.” He motioned toward the wine. “Drink. Enjoy. Relax.”
Giving in to Niko’s urging, Ivy took a small sip of the wine. It was better than any she had ever tasted. Her parents had always allowed her to enjoy a half glass during Sunday dinners so her experienced palate detected the hints of lavender and pear. She had a little more to quench her thirst. As she put down the glass and picked up her fork, she caught Mad watching her intently. “What?”
His eyes flashed with the briefest crimson burst. His expression reminded her of that night in the prison shower. He was hungry but not for food. For me. He dropped his gaze and began shoveling down his dinner again. “Nothing.”
She didn’t buy it but didn’t push. Dragging close one of the journals, she read while finishing her meal. Every time she turned a page, she sipped her wine. The more she drank, the more she craved the sweet taste of it. By the time she finished her dinner, the warm buzz of the alcohol had settled into the pit of her stomach and spread through her chest.
But it didn’t stop there. The warming sensation traveled down to her core and along her thighs. Her cheeks turned red and the tips of her ears burned. Shifting in her seat, Ivy wondered if someone had accidentally turned on the heat. She licked her lips and glanced around. Her anxious gaze clashed with Mad’s lustful one. His nostrils flared, and he leaned forward to get a better sniff of her.
He rose from his chair but stopped halfway. For a moment, she thought he might lunge across the table at her. With a barely audible growl, he sloshed more wine into his glass and strode to one of the windows clear across the library. His back to her, he stared out at the beautifully landscaped gardens now illuminated by the dusky orange light of a setting sun. Already the faint outline of a full moon haunted the distance. She could see that strange tree of Niko’s, the one with the glittering golden apples.
It took every ounce of her willpower to remain seated. Every cell in her body screamed for Mad. Breasts aching and panties feeling unbelievably tight, she squirmed and squeezed her thighs together. Something Niko had said earlier about the full moon holding sway over her life echoed in her mind. Was this it? Had her first heat phase finally come upon her?
Oh God.
She had to get away from Mad as quickly as possible. He had sworn to give her space and let her choose the right time, but the tension in his body told her his control might snap at any moment. She refused to put him in that position.
Standing, she turned toward the door and spotted Ignatius striding into the room. There was something about his unreadable face and that cold, unfeeling eye that left her uneasy. He hadn’t spoken to her once and seemed intent on keeping his distance. Was he afraid she would see something if she touched him?
He must have seen the distrust etched into her face because he exhaled with resignation and spun back to lock the door behind him. The snick of the lock engaging caught Mad’s attention, and he whirled around from his position at the window. “What are you doing, Ignatius?”
The leader of the Brotherhood answered the demand with the truth. “What you should have done while you were in captivity, Madoc. We gave you ample time to do this on your own terms, but you failed.”
With a burst of speed so great it caused her hair to flutter, Mad raced toward her. He grasped her by the waist, hoisted her up, and swept her behind him. As he had so many times before, he shielded her with his body. “It was the food, wasn’t it? You drugged us.”
“It was the wine,” Ignatius corrected.
“How could you? We have laws against this. After what happened to Reynard—”
“It had to be done.” Ignatius actually sounded sorry for the betrayal. “We’re running out of time. She must become one of us. You started the process at the prison when the Knights drugged you. Their concoction wasn’t powerful enough to force her into a mating heat, but Niko’s is. Now that you are both going into heat, you must finish it.”
“Finish it?” Mad repeated in disbelief. “It’s not a game, Ignatius. This is her life.”
“If you don’t bind her to you forever and make her one of us, we can’t protect her. The Seer will never stop trying to break into her mind. She has put us all at risk.”
“This is madness.” Mad slashed his hand through the air. “I snapped the necks of the Knights who tried to force us together. I won’t hesitate to do the same tonight.”
“You won’t get the chance.” Before Ignatius had spoken the final word, Niko fired a volley of tranquilizing darts from his position on the second floor of the library. She had all but forgotten he had gone up there to fetch those boxes of daguerreotypes. Did they even exist? Or had it simply been a ruse?
With a choked groan, her mate fell to his knees and slammed forward onto the ground. She rushed to his aid but it was no use. The half a dozen darts buried in his skin had forced him into a deep sleep. With her hand on his back, she turned her terrified gaze on Ignatius. The ancient dragon showed his palms. “I won’t hurt you, Ivy. We only want what’s best for you.”
“Best for me?” she scoffed. “Don’t bullshit me.” Holding out her hand, she said, “Touch me. Let me see how much of a liar you are.”
To her surprise, he didn’t hesitate and crossed the distance between them in three quick strides. Grasping her by the shoulders, he hauled her to her feet and peered down at her. She stared up into his harsh, scarred face and locked onto that single devastatingly dangerous eye.
And she saw everything this frightening dragon had endured and survived to bring him to this moment. He had seen so much pain and sadness. His hardships were ceaseless. Yet he carried on and he pushed forward, always putting the survival of the species ahead of his own needs and wants. He had denied himself even the tiniest taste of happiness. He was so cold and numb inside.
Now he saw her as the key to saving everything he had worked so hard to protect. She witnessed an endless line of smiling couples and giggling, chubby-cheeked babies, all of them possible because of her matchmaking gift. Rushing through a blur of passing time, she dropped into a backyard in summertime. She had a feeling it was man
y years later, maybe even as much as thirty or forty.
There were children everywhere. It was a child’s party, she realized. My child’s.
Mad chased three young boys, the oldest ten or so and the youngest four, through the backyard. They were so obviously his sons—our sons—with their dark hair and green eyes and stocky builds. He swept the boys up his arms, all three at once, and laughed as the youngest squealed. After kissing them and mussing their hair, he left them with a group of other children who were running wild.
When Mad approached her, he kissed her lovingly and ran his hand over the high curve of her pregnant belly. A baby kicked at his hand, and Ivy knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was a girl. The math was easy enough to do. Mad had explained that heat came upon a dragon every three years. Obviously they had hit a fertile stretch. Would there be more after their daughter?
The beautifully peaceful moment fled with a bolt of lightning and a thunderclap. Mud and cold water squished between her toes as she walked barefoot through a graveyard under the dark of night. One glance at her feet and she understood that she had been changed. Swirls of crimson and gold scales marked her skin.
A gnawing hunger left her empty. Agonizing pain accompanied every step. Heavy chains weighed down her thin limbs. Her tattered clothes flapped in the violent breeze. Once again, she was a prisoner. A strange pulsing at her navel drew her attention. She reached down and encountered a slimy, thick umbilical cord running from her own stomach to—oh God.
The Seer, still garbed in black and gray, had attached herself like a parasite. She siphoned energy and visions and used them to wage their vengeful genocide against the dragons. The evidence of their success stretched all around her. Everywhere she looked there were white gravestones. The monuments were etched with the symbols of each dragon tribe. An arctic chill cooled her blood as she read the names carved into each slab of gleaming marble. Ignatius, Reynard, Niko, Griffin, Avani, Stig, Cora—and there at the very end of the row was Ian Madoc’s resting place.
