“I know.” It still hurt, even though she’d known that all her life.
He skimmed a finger down her cheek. “Don’t be sad. You have three brothers now.”
She pushed upright and grabbed his shoulders. “You have three brothers.” That was unbelievable. She’d never known that drakons actually formed those kinds of familial bonds. “Real brothers, not just close friends?” Living thousands of years could create close ties between people.
Tarrant smiled. In spite of the sweat, dried blood, and smoke, he was still sexy as all get out. “Real brothers. Same dragon sire but different mothers.”
A lightbulb suddenly went off. “Darius Varkas.” There had been something familiar about him when she’d seen him, but she hadn’t been able to put her finger on it. Now it made sense. He reminded her of Tarrant, just a rougher version with different coloring.
“Yes, Darius is my older brother.”
“Wow.” That was a lot to wrap her head around. “And the other two?”
He ran his finger down her nose and then tapped the end of it. “Ezra and Nicodemus.”
“Ezra and Nicodemus.” She repeated the names. Tarrant really had a family. Then she frowned. “I thought Darius was an earth drakon?”
“He is.” Tarrant pulled open a drawer and pulled out another phone. “I need to let Darius and the others know. The fire hasn’t made the news, and most likely won’t, but I’d rather they hear about it from me first, just in case.”
“Of course.” They might not live together, but they seemed close. She had no experience with that kind of relationship with a sibling. They were technically only half-brothers since they had different mothers, but that didn’t seem to matter to Tarrant.
He dialed a number and then put it on speaker so she could hear. She smiled her thanks. “What?” The deep voice wasn’t one she recognized. This wasn’t Darius Varkas.
“Ezra. Figured you’d be out for a swim.”
“Why are you calling?” It wasn’t annoyance Valeriya heard in his voice but concern. She already liked the man, even though they’d never met.
“Ah, there’s been a small explosion.” Valeriya rolled her eyes. Tarrant was the king of the understatement.
“Are you okay?” Ezra demanded. “Darius, get your butt down here,” he yelled before turning his attention back to the conversation. “Well?”
“I’m fine. Valeriya is fine, too, but the cabin is toast.”
“Shit. What happened?”
Before Tarrant could answer, another male voice demanded. “What the hell is going on?” This one she recognized as Darius Varkas.
Tarrant winked at her. “The Knights paid us a little visit and burned down the cabin.”
“You’re okay?”
In spite of their gruff, direct manner, it was obvious to her the men all cared deeply for one another.
“It was a little dicey for a while, but we’re fine.”
“Valeriya?” Darius asked. His concern took her aback.
“I’m fine,” she answered.
“Good.”
Ezra broke back into the conversation. “What are we going to do about the Knights?”
“Right now, they don’t know about me or you. Only big brother.” Tarrant began to absently rub his hand up and down her arm. “They have no idea the bunker was below the cabin. That means we should be safe here as long as I move the exterior entrance before someone comes back to investigate. Let me keep doing research on the Knights and see what I come up with.”
“Sarah and I are moving soon.”
“Where will you go?” Tarrant asked.
“Undecided, but I don’t want to put Ezra in danger by staying here much longer.”
“You and Sarah are welcome to stay as long as you need.”
She could tell that Ezra meant it. They had big hearts, at least where family was concerned.
“I know, but it’s safer for all of us if we’re not together. Not until we know what’s happening with the Knights.”
“I agree with Darius.” Tarrant dragged in a deep breath. “Listen, I need to go and inspect the damage to my home. Valeriya needs to rest. She almost died in the heat and smoke.”
“Tarrant needs to rest, too,” she added. “He expended a huge amount of energy creating a protective bubble so I’d survive. Then he gave me more of his blood.”
He frowned, but she winked at him. He simply shook his head. “I gotta go.”
“You take care of yourself,” Darius told him.
“Will do.”
“Call later,” Ezra demanded.
“I’ll be in touch. One of you call Nic and fill him in on everything that’s happened.” Tarrant ended the call and then tucked the phone in the pocket of the shirt she was wearing. It was the only place to put it, since he was naked.
He pushed out of the chair and headed toward the elevator. “Let’s go see what’s left of the place.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Tarrant wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but he was tired. Talking with his brothers, connecting to them, had helped settle him. He was still jittery about almost losing Valeriya. It was closer than he ever wanted to come again.
They rode the elevator in silence and stepped out into the smoky hallway. “Turn your face toward me.” She didn’t hesitate, but buried her face against his neck. He took a deep breath and blew.
Wind whipped up around them. He used his skill as an air drakon to direct the smoke toward the vents. He breathed in and out again and again until every lungful he drew in was nothing but fresh air. He’d never thought of the placement of his air vents as being a security risk, because it hadn’t been to him. Now that he had Valeriya, he’d have to make some changes.
“Is it okay?” she asked.
He kissed the top of her head. “Yes. All the bad air is gone.” The walls still smelled smoky. They’d have to be washed and repainted. The furniture that couldn’t be fumigated would have to be replaced. It was an irritation, but doable.
She patted his arm. “Put me down.”
He shook his head. “No. You’re only wearing socks, and I’m not sure how much broken glass or debris might be lying around.” He headed for the kitchen and living room areas. Those rooms were directly under the cabin and were the hardest hit.
“Oh my God,” Valeriya whispered.
The place was a mess. The fountain that used to trickle down the far wall was dry. Dust and ash covered the sofas and entertainment center. Glass had exploded in the kitchen and plastic had melted. The huge stone countertop was cracked in several spaces.
“I’m so sorry.” Valeriya wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. “They destroyed your beautiful home.”
He sent a cool blast of air over one of the stools to make sure the metal was no longer hot before he deposited her onto it. It didn’t matter if it made her dirty as they were both already filthy. “I need to get some pants.” It was easy to forget he was still walking around naked.
The distress in her face was momentarily replaced by a flash of desire as she skimmed her gaze over him. “Ah, yeah, probably a good idea.”
He liked that he could distract her, even with all the destruction around them. “Stay there,” he told her. “I’ll get your shoes.” He didn’t look back, but he felt her eyes on him as he walked away.
The broken glass and debris didn’t bother him as he crunched his way to his bedroom. The minor cuts healed almost as soon as they happened. He went to the closet and snagged a pair of track pants. Once he had them on, he pulled on a T-shirt and jammed his feet into a pair of boots. This room didn’t smell as bad as the outer ones, but there was no mistaking the odor of burning wood.
Tarrant hurried across the hallway and found Valeriya’s sneakers. What little clothing she had reeked of smoke. They needed to get cleaned up and do some laundry, assuming his water pump was still operational. “One thing at a time,” he muttered.
He strode back to the kitchen, happy to see that she’
d obeyed him. The last thing he wanted was for her to be hurt again. She’d been through so much—had almost died twice since she’d been here.
The Knights of the Dragon had much to pay for.
He went straight to her and went down on a knee. He slid one of her shoes onto her foot and quickly laced it. Then he retrieved the second and did the same. “There. Now your feet should be protected.”
Her hands touched his face, and he glanced up. There were tears in her eyes. “What is it?” he demanded. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. Well, other than your home being destroyed and my almost dying.” She gave a shaky laugh. “That’s not why I’m crying.” She waved her hand in front of her face and swiped at a single tear as it escaped. “Thank you for taking such good care of me.”
He couldn’t believe his ears. “They almost killed you,” he pointed out.
“Yes, and they would have if you hadn’t protected me, hadn’t saved me. You’re an incredible man, Tarrant.”
His heart swelled in his chest. “I’ll protect you,” he promised. “Always.”
She leaned down and rubbed her nose against his, the gesture playful and touching at the same time. “And I’ll always protect you.”
“You’re stuck with me,” he warned.
She slid off her chair and he rose to stand in front of her. Valeriya wrapped her arms around him and settled her body against his. Such a simple gesture, but something inside him seemed to snap into place.
This was his woman, his life. Drakon that he was, he’d protect her with everything in him. The Knights had made a huge mistake. When they’d come after his brother, he’d been hot with anger, ready to blast them.
Now they’d attacked his woman, and he was coldly furious. He wouldn’t rest until every last one of them had paid for what they’d done. If they wouldn’t leave the drakons alone, he’d destroy everything they’d ever built, and then he’d destroy them.
He didn’t think he was being overly harsh. Drakons had left the humans alone for thousands of years, wanting only to live in peace, but the Knights wouldn’t stop. Would never stop. He understood that now. Their greed for money, power, and the hope of immortality would never allow them to.
They had to be eliminated.
“What are you thinking?” Valeriya peered up at him, concern etched on her pretty face. “Whatever it is, it’s not good.”
She already knew his moods almost as well as his brothers did. He stroked a smudge of soot from her brow. “This is war.” He wouldn’t sugarcoat things. Valeriya needed to understand who and what he was.
She looked stricken but nodded. “I know.” She glanced at the refrigerator. “Do you think the bottled water might have survived?”
She was changing the subject, but he understood. Her sister was going to be a casualty of the war between the Knights and the drakons, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it.
“I’ll check.” He didn’t want to leave her, not when she was upset, but he forced himself to take the half-dozen steps to the fridge. He opened the door. The power was still on, thanks to his underground generator, and everything inside seemed untouched by the blast and heat. He grabbed a couple bottles of water and shut the door.
He handed her one of the bottles. “Let me taste it first to make sure.” He unscrewed the top and took a long swallow. The water flowed down his parched throat. “It’s good.”
She followed suit, taking smaller sips.
“I’m sorry,” he blurted. He hated feeling like this. Uncertainty was not a state of mind he was familiar with. He always had a plan, always knew what he was going to do next. He wasn’t used to having to factor in someone else’s views or opinions.
“I know.” She set the bottle on the cracked counter. “You’ve left them alone for years.”
“We’ve basically hidden for centuries, not wanting to start a war.” That had galled many of the drakons. “We figured, out of sight, out of mind.”
“It didn’t work.”
He shook his head and downed the last of the water in the bottle. “No, it didn’t.”
…
Tarrant’s throat rippled as he drank. He looked grim when he set the bottle down next to hers.
“The Knights kept looking for you.” She knew enough about the history of the Knights, and about human nature, to know they’d never leave the drakons in peace.
“You got that right. They trekked to the highest mountains. They didn’t climb Everest simply because it was there, but because a drakon lives there.”
“Really?” Now that was fascinating.
“Yeah, he mostly sleeps, but every now and then he rolls over and reminds them he’s there. They’ll never get to him.”
She could already imagine writing a child’s story about a dragon living in a mountain. Or maybe not. Better not to give the Knights more ideas.
“We never wanted to hurt anyone.” There was resignation in Tarrant’s voice. She noticed the fatigue in his eyes and the slight slump of his shoulders, so unlike her drakon.
Even though there was nothing she could do to change things, she reached out and placed her hands on his chest, offering comfort. “I know.”
His eyes began to glow, and she caught a brief glimpse of the creature dwelling inside him. “I do now,” he continued. “I want to eliminate every threat to you and to my brothers. That means they have to die. All of them.”
For a woman who’d done her best to walk away from the dark, violent history of her family, it was ironic she was right in the thick of things, and on the opposing side. “I know,” she repeated. It made her sick to think about how many people would die in this war, but the Knights had made their choices, had known what they were doing.
She shivered and slipped her arms around his waist. “I’m scared. For you, for them. It’s worse now that they have computers and satellites, maybe even the help of the military. I’m not sure there will be any winners in this war.”
“I’m not worried about their satellites or the military. I have more control over them than they could ever imagine.”
That was both a scary and reassuring thought.
He wrapped his arms around her, offering her his strength. “I won’t hurt any innocents. We’re not like the Knights.” He kissed her temple.
That hurt, but she knew it was also true. Her sister and the others had no trouble harming those who wanted nothing to do with their pursuit of drakons. Just look at what had happened to her. Her own sister had sent a man to hunt her down.
“It’s all crazy.”
“I know.” He gripped her shoulders and eased her away from him. “I can’t promise neither of us will be hurt again, but I’ll do my best to prevent it.”
She licked her parched lips and stared into the face of the man she loved. She’d never fully appreciated what military spouses dealt with, knowing their loved ones were heading into a war against overwhelming forces. At least her man was a drakon. Just being what he was protected him against much of what their enemies would throw against him, and she was still terrified for him.
“I’m a weakness, a chink in your armor.”
He scowled. “I don’t wear armor. Knights do.”
She found his hatred of all knights endearing. “I stand corrected. I’m a chink in your scales.”
The corners of his mouth tipped up. It wasn’t quite a smile, but it was close enough to make her heart flutter. “You’re my strength, not a weakness.”
She couldn’t quite believe that. “I make you vulnerable,” she pointed out. “I’m human.” She would never be a drakon, could be hurt more easily, and would age unless she continued to drink his blood.
He rubbed the pad of his thumb over her cheek. “You’ll keep me working smarter and sharper because I have to protect you.”
There was no point in arguing about it. Her drakon was stubborn. Nothing she could say would change his mind. “What do we do first?” Better to take one step at a time rather than
try to process everything at once.
He sighed and glanced around. “We see what we can do about this place first. You tackle laundry. All the sheets, towels, and clothes need to be washed. I’ll work on securing the outside entrance and then clean up inside. I’ll have to leave most of the cabin rubble as is. I expect other members of the Knights to come snooping around to find out for themselves what happened.”
It was weird to be thinking about such mundane tasks when their world had literally exploded such a short time ago. Her sister and the Knights wanted her dead, and they’d want to capture Tarrant if they knew about him. A war was coming, but she needed clean underwear.
“Where’s your laundry room?”
He took her hand and led her to the first door on the left, past the kitchen. “In here.” The room was small but contained everything necessary. There was a fairly new washer and dryer. There was also a sink and counter.
“I can handle this.” She didn’t mean the laundry, but the upcoming conflict with the Knights and her sister.
He tilted her chin up and brushed a kiss across her lips. “I know you can.” She knew he understood, and his confidence bolstered her resolve.
“I’ll get started on the laundry.” She wanted to stay with him, but they both needed time to think. There was also way too much work to be done.
…
Luther Henderson walked into Herman Temple’s outer office. He knew he was pushing his luck, having put the man off for so long, but he’d needed sleep. He’d also wanted time to weigh his options and plan his next move.
It had taken him time to ditch his tail and head to the second apartment he kept under an alias. That was where he truly lived, not the tiny apartment in Manhattan listed on his employment records. Then he’d had to sneak back into his official residence so his tail could pick him up once again.
He’d spent hours reading the valuable book he’d retrieved from Gervais Rames’s bookstore. For something so simple—nothing more than paper and ink—it was incredibly dangerous.
As always, Victoria Marshall was seated at her desk. He wondered about the exact nature of her relationship with Temple, but didn’t delve too deep. Still, it angered him to think of a woman as smart and beautiful as her in bed—possibly both literally and figuratively—with someone like Temple. Maybe she was nothing more than his receptionist, but she had to know that more went on than just regular business. That made her as bad as Temple.
Drakon's Prey (Blood of the Drakon) Page 26
