Drakon's Prey (Blood of the Drakon)

by N. J. Walters

  Go or stay?

  There was no choice, not really.

  If there was a threat outside these doors, she couldn’t allow Tarrant to face it alone. And if he was angry with her, well, he’d just have to suck it up and get over it.

  Decided, she started searching for a lever or knob, some way to open the door. She ran her hands over the thick panel. Her fingers brushed a small indentation by the edge. She pressed it, and the door soundlessly slid open.

  Valeriya blinked. Then she blinked again, not able to fully believe what she was seeing. It was the kitchen in the cabin. She’d been underneath the cabin the entire time. She didn’t know whether to be angry at Tarrant for not telling her or amazed by his ingenuity. The Knights had no idea they’d literally been standing on top of a drakon.

  She stepped out into the kitchen and listened intently but heard no sound. Her hip bumped the counter area that had slid away to reveal the opening. It glided shut before she could stop it. She heard the slight click and knew it was locked.

  Panic threatened and she forced herself to take a deep breath. She ran her hand over the side of the cabinet but didn’t find a lever. She knew the door was there, so she could find a way to open it. Or at least she hoped she could.

  Before she could continue her search, a quiver went down her spine. Danger. There were no doubts this time, and she didn’t question her instincts. Her talent had never let her down. Someone was nearby, and whoever they were, they weren’t a friend.

  The smartest thing for her to do would be to figure out how to open the secret door and make her way back to Tarrant’s bunker. She’d be safe there.

  But Tarrant was out here somewhere. The fact he hadn’t discovered her missing and stopped her meant he was already outside. It didn’t matter that he was an immortal drakon and could take care of himself.

  She loved him.

  “Oh God.” She bent over and took several deep breaths. She was in love with a drakon. It had happened so fast that most people wouldn’t believe what she felt was real. They’d think it was brought on by her dependency on him and his skills as a lover. And they wouldn’t be totally wrong. But it went much deeper than that.

  He was strong and caring and intelligent. Most of all, he touched something deep inside her, and for the first time in her life, she didn’t feel so alone. Every instinct she possessed told her she’d never find a man who suited her as well as Tarrant did. It didn’t matter that any relationship between them would not be an easy one, considering both their backgrounds, and the fact that he was still keeping secrets from her.

  She was a fool to want to stay with him, but she knew she could no longer walk away.

  In the meantime, nothing had changed. There was still someone out there besides Tarrant. Cognizant of the danger, she crept to the window and peeked out. She didn’t see anyone, but she could sense them. There was more than one. She felt surrounded.

  Her survival instincts warned her to return to safety, or at least to hide. She glanced around, but there really was nowhere. The closet in the bedroom had no door. The bed was too low for her to slip under. And time had run out. Her gift was practically screaming at her to move, to get out of the cabin.

  She needed to get outside where she could find a place to hunker down until whoever was here left. And if she could catch a glimpse of them, she might be able to help Tarrant identify them once they were gone. He kept saying he had resources, but he was vague about that. She really had no idea what he knew or didn’t know about the Knights. They had more power than he could imagine.

  Or maybe he knew everything.

  Valeriya rested her forehead against the cool log wall. She was working blind here. She might love Tarrant, but she was under no illusions he felt the same way. He wanted her and talked about keeping her, but a part of her didn’t trust he wasn’t just saying that to keep her cooperative.

  Trust wasn’t easy for either of them.

  There was no time to second-guess her actions. She was here now and had to deal with it.

  She glanced at the wall containing the secret doorway. There was also no time for her to fumble around searching for a way to open it. There were people too close to the cabin, and they’d hear her for sure. She needed to get outside and hide. It was her only option.

  The front door was too obvious, too open. She went to the back of the cabin and listened with all her senses, using her talent for detecting danger. Long seconds ticked away. Her heart beat louder until she was sure whoever was outside had to be able to hear her. Sweat made her shirt cling to her, in spite of the cool temperature inside the cabin. She rubbed her palms up and down her thighs and waited for the right moment to move.

  Now. She didn’t hesitate. She opened the door and swiftly moved through it, making sure she silently closed it behind her. It made more sense to head right, into the thickest part of the surrounding forest, but she went left, because that’s where her instincts were telling her to go.

  The wind whipped around her, nipping at her bare skin and sliding up the cuffs of her hoodie. It really was bitterly cold.

  She put her head down and kept going.

  Then she felt a tug from the left. Someone was coming from that direction. She turned right but knew that way wasn’t safe, either. She hurried straight ahead, hoping she could slip between whoever was out there.

  Because she was so distracted, she missed the telltale sign she was heading straight into danger.

  “Well, well, well. Thank you for making my job so easy. I didn’t expect to run into you out in the woods.”

  She didn’t recognize the man walking toward her, but she knew his type. He was a big man in dark clothing, and he carried a gun in his hand like he knew how to use it.

  She eased her shoulders back and gave him the haughtiest expression she could muster. It was one she’d seen her sister use a hundred times. He halted, tilted his head to one side, and studied her.

  “You look like your sister.”

  Obviously, Karina had sent him. But why? “Who are you and why are you here?” Better to go on the offensive. She hoped he couldn’t hear the quiver in her voice or see the trembling in her body.

  “I’m here to bring you home, of course.” He stalked toward her like a tiger tracking prey—slowly and with great menace. “Your sister is not happy with you.”

  That was probably an understatement. Karina did not like to be inconvenienced in any way. Valeriya didn’t want to go, didn’t want to leave Tarrant, but she couldn’t allow them to find him. “Fine. Let’s go.”

  She turned to leave, but he caught her arm. “Not so fast, sweetheart.” He studied her intently. She kept her expression as blank as she could. “You and I are going to have a little chat first.”

  He dragged her back toward the cabin. She thought he might take her inside, but he pulled her onto the front porch instead.

  She swallowed her fear and stood facing him. “Tell me who you are first.”

  He shook his head. “Not important. I need to know why you’re here and how you managed to evade the men your sister sent to watch you.” He pointed the gun at her in a casual gesture. “That was quite the feat. You upset quite a few people coming out here on your own.”

  Valeriya would tell him everything. Everything that had nothing to do with Tarrant. She’d protect her drakon to her last breath.

  “Fine. I’ll tell you what you want to know. But not until I know your name.” It was important. It would allow her to talk to him on a more personal level and maybe keep him from hurting her. It wasn’t much but it was all she had.

  He shrugged. “Riggs.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Tarrant looked down at his chest, certain his heart had been ripped from his body. There was no other way to explain the pain coursing through him. Valeriya was not only outside, but she was talking with Riggs.

  How had she gotten out of the bunker? Was she more technically savvy than she’d let on? Had she been waiting for Riggs all along?
<
br />   Smoke billowed from his nose, and he had to drag himself back under control before he compromised his location. Valeriya had betrayed him, and she knew his biggest secret. Worse, she would tell Riggs, and her sister, about this place. About his brothers.

  He would have to destroy it. After he dealt with them.

  His dragon roared inside him. Even after this obvious betrayal, the creature still wanted Valeriya. So be it. Maybe he wouldn’t kill her, but she’d never see the outside again, and he’d never trust her.

  He kept all his senses open and listened. He needed to know what she told Riggs.

  “We should leave here. We can talk on the way.” Valeriya huddled near the end of the porch with her arms wrapped around her. She had to be cold.

  Tarrant didn’t like that. He shook his head in disgust. What did it matter when the woman had betrayed him?

  Riggs leaned against the railing, his gun still in his hand. “Why are you in such a hurry to leave?”

  “You caught me. There’s really no reason to hang around here. I’m tired of roughing it.”

  Tarrant frowned. This wasn’t right. Why wasn’t she telling Riggs everything she knew? Did she know he was out here? She had to, he supposed. If he’d stayed inside, she never would have found a way out.

  “Not so fast,” Riggs told her. “I want to know why you’re here. How did you find out about this place?”

  Tarrant narrowed his gaze. Valeriya was trembling. From the cold or from fear, he couldn’t say. His nails turned to claws and dug into the tree he was hiding in.

  “What does it matter?”

  Riggs stirred from his position and pushed away from the railing. “Call it my need to know.” There was an underlying threat that had Tarrant fighting to keep his beast in check.

  “Fine.” Valeriya looked out over the yard. “When I last visited Karina and she left to get ready, I went into her office. There was a pad of paper on the desk. I ran a pencil over it and got an impression of numbers.” She turned her gaze back to Riggs. “They were coordinates that led me here.”

  Riggs chuckled. “So much fuss because of this. Why did you bother to come here?”

  Valeriya shrugged. “I overheard part of a phone conversation as well. I knew Karina was looking for a man and that he’d been here. I thought I could warn him if he came back.”

  Tarrant’s heart began to beat faster. She was telling Riggs exactly what she’d told him. Was she what she seemed to be in all this—a courageous, innocent woman?

  But if that was the case, how had she gotten outside and why?

  Riggs shook his head. “I’m not buying it. Oh, I don’t doubt that most of the story is true. Karina will be pissed when she finds out you were spying on her.”

  “She shouldn’t be surprised. She spies on me all the time. She spies on everyone.” Valeriya canted her head to one side. “You sound very familiar with my sister. Are you sleeping with her?”

  “None of your business,” Riggs told her.

  “She likes strong, useful lovers,” Valeriya continued as though Riggs had never spoken. “She doesn’t keep them long.”

  Tarrant inwardly swore. What was she doing provoking Riggs? Was she trying to make him angry? If so, it was working.

  Riggs strode to Valeriya, grabbed her by the arm, and yanked her closer. “You don’t know anything about me and Karina.”

  The look Valeriya gave him was filled with pity. “No, it’s you who doesn’t know anything about Karina. Power is everything to her. She’ll crush you as easily as she has the rest. Who did you betray to come to her attention?”

  “How did you evade the men she’d sent to watch you?” Riggs shook her. Tarrant growled, not liking another man touching his woman.

  “I just did. I’m good at that kind of thing. I did grow up in the home of the leader of the Knights of the Dragon. While I want nothing to do with them, it was impossible not to learn something.”

  Everything inside Tarrant stilled. She hadn’t mentioned him or his bunker at all. She wasn’t going to betray him. He was still mad as hell at her for leaving the protection of his home. They’d hash that out once he got rid of Riggs and his men.

  “There’s something you’re not telling me.” Riggs ran the muzzle of his gun over the curve of her jaw. “What are you hiding?”

  Tarrant had seen enough. He released the branch he was holding and dropped down to the ground, landing lightly on his feet. He raised his head and sniffed the air. There was a man off to his right. Tarrant smiled and began to hunt.

  …

  Valeriya was scared, but she was determined, too. She would protect Tarrant to her dying breath, which, unfortunately, might be a lot sooner than she’d anticipated. She’d seen men like Riggs before, men desperate for power and wealth. She didn’t think it was money driving Riggs, but the need for power, for strength.

  “I’m not hiding anything.”

  “Then where are your belongings? Where’s your clothing? Where have you been living? Because it’s not in the cabin. The stove is cold, and so are the ashes in the fireplace.”

  She was momentarily at a loss. Then her imagination kicked in. “I took everything out into the woods, but a bear attacked my campsite. Everything was destroyed. I was coming back here when I saw one of your men.” There was no way she’d tell Riggs she could sense his men. Better to say she’d seen one.

  She held her breath as he considered her words. He looked like he believed her. Then he shook his head. Her heart sank. “I’m not buying it.”

  “Whether you buy it or not, it’s the truth.” It was the only truth she was willing to tell him.

  The smile he gave her sent chills slithering down her spine. “We’ll see about that. There are ways to loosen your lips.”

  “My sister won’t like it if you hurt me.” She wasn’t sure that was true, not anymore, but it was the only hope she had.

  Riggs leaned so close their lips were almost touching. “The only thing Karina will mind is not getting to kill you herself, so I’ll leave that for her. There’s a lot of room between healthy and dead.”

  Valeriya’s blood ran cold. He was going to torture her. Furthermore, she thought he might actually enjoy himself. “What kind of man are you?” She hadn’t meant to ask that question aloud.

  His slow smile made her shudder. “The kind who gets what he wants.” He dragged her toward the front door and opened it. Before he shoved her inside, Valeriya glanced toward the woods, hoping Tarrant was far away and safe.

  The door slammed behind them with a finality that made her jump. Then a sense of calm settled over her.

  Riggs hauled her across the room and shoved her down onto one of the kitchen chairs. He went into the kitchen and set his gun on the counter. “Don’t even think about running,” he told her, “or I’ll shoot you in the leg.”

  There was nowhere for her to run. He had men waiting outside. She had no idea how many, but at least two more. She tried to think of what she could do to escape. If she could get outside, she had a chance.

  Riggs was busy lighting the kitchen stove, and she didn’t think it was because he wanted a cup of tea. She glanced around the room searching for anything she could use as a weapon.

  There was an iron poker by the fireplace, but that was on the other side of the room. And a poker was no defense against a gun.

  She had to do something. She couldn’t just sit here and let him hurt her.

  Better to make a run for it and be shot than meekly sit here like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

  Adrenaline pumped through her veins. It was now or never. She surged up off the chair, grabbed it by the back, and swung. Riggs was already turning around, gun in hand, when she brought the edge of the chair down on his arm. He swore, and the gun clattered to the floor.

  He batted the chair out of her hands and lunged. Anticipating such a move, she was already in full flight. She raced for the door. She heard Riggs swearing behind her. She had the door open and was on the deck when
the loud retort of a gunshot echoed in her ears.

  She stumbled and fell down the two stairs, landing heavily on the ground. Her right calf stung, and she’d skinned her palms catching herself. She rolled back to her feet and pushed off the ground. The trees—she had to get to the trees.

  Another gunshot rang out. It was as though someone had shoved her forward. Valeriya jerked and fell face down in the dirt. He’d really shot her. The bastard.

  The only comfort she had was the fact he didn’t know anything about Tarrant.

  “You stupid bitch.” Riggs shoved his foot under her stomach and rolled her onto her back. The pain was agonizing, and her vision began to dim.

  “Oh, no,” he told her. He reached down and dragged her to her feet. “You’re not going to die. At least, not yet. Not until you’ve told me everything you know.”

  Valeriya felt herself drifting away and absently noted the trail of blood she was leaving on the ground behind her.

  A loud sound reverberated around them, shaking the branches in the surrounding trees. She thought it might be thunder. She peered up at the sky. It was cloudy, but there was no sign of a storm. The woods around them went strangely silent, as though the entire world was holding its breath.

  Riggs swore and released her. She crumbled to the ground in a heap.

  “Varkas is here, isn’t he?” Riggs demanded.

  At least she could tell him the truth. “No, he isn’t.”

  …

  Tarrant had dispatched the last of the three men in the woods when he heard the first gunshot. He raced back toward the cabin, moving faster than he ever had in his life, praying Valeriya hadn’t been shot. Her sister was the leader of the Knights. He’d never dreamed Riggs would really hurt her, but he should have. The Knights had no sense of honor or loyalty, not like drakons did.

  Before he could get there, another gunshot echoed through the trees.

  No! No! No!

  He couldn’t be too late. Not this time. He hadn’t been able to do anything to save his friend. Father Simon had been murdered by the Knights. That had been painful enough. He didn’t think he could live if Valeriya died.