by Amber Kallyn
Things became even more curious when the wolf let Garreth pick him up. Without moving, without a sound other than the low rumbles, the wolf just stared at Fred as Garreth carried him in a wide circle to the back cab of the truck and set the wolf inside on a seat. The old man glared at the wolf, as if he feared the animal just as much.
He shut the door and turned back to the cabin. Fred was already inside, kneeling by Anna. Garreth hurried to their sides.
Fred held her limp wrist, trying to pull her crossed arms apart.
“Leave them. She carries something important she doesn’t want to let go of,” Garreth said softly.
Fred glanced up, his gaze flickering to the truck before he looked back at Anna. His voice came out harsh. “What happened to the poor thing?”
Garreth shrugged. “It’s a long story.”
“She seems fine, ’cept for being out cold.” Fred looked her over, then nodded. “We’ll get her in the truck, warmed up and head for Edmonton. Hopefully, the lass here might wake on the trip.”
As the old man moved to pick Anna up, Garreth cut in. Holding her to his chest, he followed Fred to the truck. He just hoped they got there soon enough.
Chapter Twelve
Bright light drifted over Anna’s face, forcing her awake. She blinked, ready to fight, but only pale cream walls and dark burgundy curtains and furniture confronted her. She sat up on the cushiony bed, glancing around the strange room.
Next to the red and cream striped pillow lay two small orbs. She grabbed them to her chest, unsure where she was or who she was with.
A shower turned on, the spray almost as loud as her pounding heart. She searched for a weapon, but nothing looked promising. Slowly getting to her feet, she crept toward what must be the bathroom door.
She was less than a foot away when it banged open.
Garreth stood in the middle of the bathroom, drenched, growling and glaring at the shaggy, dripping and soapy wolf rushing out of the room to cower behind her.
Eyes flashing, Garreth smiled. “Good morn, lovely. Now, tell that mangy wolf of yours that if he wants to remain in this hotel room—rather than out in the cold—he’s going to take a bath.”
A laugh bubbled up in Anna’s chest.
Garreth and Wolf were well. She was safe, and so were the glass orbs containing her parents’ souls. Craning her neck, she stared down at Wolf. “Bath.”
He whimpered, but eased back into the bathroom, tail tucked between his legs. Wolf sniffed the bathtub, then daintily stepped inside beneath the spray.
“Thank you,” Garreth said before turning to continue bathing her companion. “There’s breakfast on the patio.”
She happily watched their antics for a few minutes before heading to the wide glass doors. The view outside was awe inspiring. Buildings towered to either side, but this specific window showed in the distance a wide expanse of snowy hills climbing into tall white-blanketed mountains.
As Anna opened the doors and stepped out into the chilly air, the sounds of the city struck her. Horns blared, cars screeched. The wind stank of exhaust and people and trash—things mortals never even noticed. But she’d been so long from any type of civilization, it hit her hard.
Nausea boiled in her stomach.
She hurried back inside, barely glancing at the table of fruit and bread. She shut the door, then sat on the side of the bed, staring at the orbs.
Only a dark mage could capture souls in such things. And she was afraid only a dark mage could free them. She wasn’t about to march up to the master and ask him to do it. Unfortunately, he was the only one she knew.
Which left her with nothing.
Garreth’s hand fell on her shoulder, gripping her tight, comforting. She hadn’t even noticed his approach. Wolf slunk to the patio doors, and whimpered. Garreth let him outside, then sat next to her, taking one of her hands in his.
“We’ll figure out how to free them,” he said softly, as if reading her mind.
Startled, she glanced at him wide-eyed.
His dark eyes bore into hers, sad and wary. “When my brother was in the service of the master, he killed my mother and stole her soul.”
“I know,” she replied, her lips trembling and the back of her throat prickling with heat.
“When I captured my brother…” Garreth’s voice broke and he swallowed. “He held such an orb as you carry.”
“Your mama’s soul,” she whispered, her hand tightening on his.
He nodded. “The council has it stored in safe keeping until the day we can free her.”
The last glimpse of hope she held fled. Even his own madre was still a captive in a circle of thin glass. So would her parents continue to be. Eyes burning, throat closing down, she couldn’t stop the tears as they began to flow.
Garreth swung to crouch in front of her, holding her hand tighter. “We will find a way to free them one day. I swear this to you on my very life.” His voice thundered in the room, sealing the vow.
Though she didn’t doubt he would try, the odds were against them. She stared at the spheres as Garreth gently took them from her hands and placed them in a cushioned basket on the bedside table.
He clasped her arms and drew her to her feet. “Now we must discuss something else. The council has issued a bounty for you, and I was sent to collect.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“Though I know you are not guilty, the only way to clear your name—to keep you from continuing to be hunted—is to appear before the council.”
She jerked back, but his grip on her arms tightened, refusing release. “I can’t—”
“We can, and we will. Together. I will make sure nothing harms you, darling. Do you not know how I feel?”
Risking a glance at his face, she froze at the fierce emotion blazing from his eyes. “Our dragons have proclaimed us mates,” she whispered hoarsely.
“And yet so too are we human.”
Her mouth went dry, and her heart thumped faster. Her stomach roiled. If not for his grasp on her arms, she might have sunk down onto the bed, her wobbly legs useless.
His dark eyes flashed a split second before he crushed her against his body. He captured her mouth in a demanding kiss full of hot passion. After a long moment, her heart nearly bursting from the tenderness in his touch, he lifted his head.
“Tell me you don’t feel the same,” he whispered harshly.
She opened her mouth, only to croak. “I…”
Anna spun from his grasp, fleeing to the other side of the room. Clasping her locket, she stared out the small window overlooking an array of buildings. What would her parents advise? Take the chance, or run away?
The room darkened as he slid the curtains closed across the patio doors. Then he advanced, the predator back in his sharp gaze.
Anna watched his reflection in the window as he stalked her. Part of her wanted to run from the confusing emotions rumbling inside. Fear, anger, depression. Yet, that was all directed at the master.
As Garreth slowly approached, she tried to sort through her many emotions. She came across something separate from anything she’d ever felt before.
Soft, sweet.
Scary yes, but exhilarating too.
And this emotion was only for the man reaching out to her.
Was it love? It just might be.
* * *
Garreth stared at Anna’s reflection in the frosty window. Her face, full of emotion, scared him. He wasn’t one to state his feelings so bluntly, yet with this woman, he wanted her to know exactly how he felt.
What if she didn’t return it? Sure, their dragons burned for each other. But that was sex. It didn’t mean their human sides would fall in love, even if he had.
Unable to deal with the uncertainty, Garreth took the only course of action he knew to prove to his little dragoness the depth of his soul. His heart.
He spun her around, picking her up and pressing her body to him.
She gasped, her eyes soft and shining,
not with protestation, but anticipation.
He should take it slow, but feared that would be impossible.
Garreth grabbed her neck and pulled her mouth to his, kissing her with everything deep inside. Her soft curves pressed against him, their heat combining with their inner burn. She tugged frantically at his shirt. Fabric tore, then her hands and mouth covered his chest.
Her hands traced his back, nails scraping through his thin shirt. He ground his pelvis against hers as she pushed the ragged edges of his shirt back. She nipped at his pecs, his nipples, dragging her nails beneath the cloth to scratch at his skin.
His little dragoness was on fire.
He liked it.
Garreth eased her top off, then grasped for the sweatpants he’d put on her for the trip away from the cabin and into the city. She kicked them off and stood before him shyly. Tanned skin set off rosy nipples. Garreth was glad he hadn’t bothered with panties.
She turned her left side away, as if self-conscious of the tattoo-covered scars.
He fell to his knees, rubbing his cheek on her stomach, arms clamping around her waist to hold her tight. Her hands tentatively brushed his hair and shoulders.
Garreth tried once again to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. So he nuzzled her belly, lightly kissing her abs down to her bare mound, then easing his tongue between her lips and flicking it roughly against her clit.
Anna’s hips jerked and she moaned, her hands tightening on his shoulders.
He rubbed his mouth against the sweet, hot folds of flesh, finding her opening and pushing inside. Her thighs trembled as she leaned on him. He buried his face against her mound, licking and nipping. Her hands shook as she whimpered, low and urgent.
She began to writhe, her panting loud and frantic. He slowed, wanting the pleasure to continue for her. For this woman who was his mate. He refused to allow her to disappear from his life.
Banging came at the hotel room door.
Anna jerked from his arms, grabbed the blanked from the bed and clutched it to her chest before racing to the patio door and letting the wolf inside. Garreth let out a deep sigh of regret and rose to his feet.
* * *
Anna stared at the door, frantically glancing around the room for the best avenue of escape. They could rush the patio, jump from the balcony and shift into their dragon forms. One of them would have to carry Wolf, who would be displeased, but alive.
But Garreth reached the door before she could share her plan.
“Who is it?” he demanded.
“Let me in, now!” a feminine voice came through.
Garreth took a step back, glancing at her. He shrugged and eased the locks undone. The door slammed open as a beautiful redhead stormed in the room. Anna pushed against the wall, clutching the blanket tighter as the woman’s hard gaze stumbled across her.
“Who…” Anna’s voice caught in her chest. She couldn’t ask who this woman was. She was afraid to hear the answer.
Stuck in their lonely snowbound cabin, she could pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist. She’d never even asked if Garreth was in a relationship. Her dragon, angry and demanding, rose up inside, pushing to know who this other redheaded dragon was and why she turned and threw herself into their mate’s arms.
Garreth wrapped his arms around the stranger, laying his chin on the top of her head, eyes drifting closed as a look of bliss crossed his face. Pain struck Anna’s chest heavy, aching, making the thick air of the room hard to breathe. It didn’t matter their dragons knew one another as destined mates. Their human sides didn’t have to stay together.
And yet, though he was holding this woman with such tenderness, she couldn’t help but remember the way he’d touched her—it hadn’t been the burn, or even just sex.
It had been full of emotion, as if the man was trying to tell her he loved her.
Another man entered, tall though not competing with Garreth’s height. He spied Anna, abruptly spun around, coughing. “Um, sorry.”
Garreth and the woman drew apart, both of them turning to stare at Anna. As if she hadn’t already been deeply embarrassed and uncomfortable.
The woman reached up and patted Garreth’s cheek. “Get dressed. Then we’ll talk.”
With that, the two strangers slipped out of the room.
Garreth tossed Anna a sheepish smile as he closed the door and retrieved their clothes strewn over the floor. She couldn’t move as she realized the warmth and softness she’d felt from Garreth was about to disappear forever. He tossed her shirt and pants on the bed while looking at his torn shirt hopelessly.
“They’re not going to give us but a few minutes,” he warned.
His words pushed her into motion. Blindly, she pulled on her clothes, then sat near the headboard, grabbing a pillow to her chest as if she could protect herself from the hurt inside.
He opened the door and the strangers came in, the man sitting at the table in the corner. The woman paced near the end of the bed. “Now, what’s going on?”
Wolf darted from Anna’s side, snapping and growling at the redhead. The woman slowly turned, facing him. Anna thought about telling Wolf to hush, but she decided not to, her thoughts lethargic. He wouldn’t actually hurt her.
The man at the table stood, as if fearing for the woman’s safety.
To Anna’s surprise, the woman took two steps forward then dropped to one knee, staring Wolf in the eye.
A second later, she threw her arms around Wolf’s neck. “Such a cute little baby,” she crooned.
Garreth snorted. “He could’ve bit your head off.”
“Nah, he’s a sweetie, aren’t you?” She sat down, pulled the huge wolf over her lap, then leaned against the wall and sighed contentedly, rubbing Wolf’s ears.
Anna saw red. First her mate, now her companion. Was there nothing she had this woman didn’t want? Anger propelled her into action. She jumped from the bed, her gaze jumping between the three other people in the room.
“Does anyone want to tell me exactly what’s going on here? I need to get going soon, and I don’t have time for games.”
Garreth laughed, the deep reverberations loud in the room. He stepped to her side and slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to his side.
The redhead laughed with him, the sound light and airy. “Honey, I don’t think you’re going anywhere.”
Stiffening, Anna stepped away from Garreth, glaring at him. “So what is this? You called in help to drag me before your council?”
The amusement left his face as his eyes narrowed, eyebrows drawing together. “Huh?” Garreth grabbed her waist and pulled her hard against his body. “Darling, I don’t need help for something like that.”
The woman snorted.
He turned to face her, spinning her as he moved. “Calla.” With a brief nod at the man on the other side of the room, he grudgingly added, “Scott. I’d like you to meet Cynthianna Hernandez. My mate.”
Scott barked an unsuccessfully hidden cough of laughter. The woman, Calla, didn’t blink an eye. From the corner, Scott slowly got to his feet, his blue-gray eyes burning into Anna. “Wait a minute… Hernandez… isn’t she the one accused of…”
Calla’s eyes widened, her mouth dropping open. “You can’t be serious.” Her glare was daggers. “How could you, brother? A woman like her?”
Brother? Anna blinked, confusion rampant.
“Accused, yes. Guilty, absolutely not,” he bellowed, glaring back at them both. He stepped back, pulling Anna closer.
Calla’s expression didn’t change. “How do you know?”
Garreth snorted. “I know. Do you doubt my judgment?”
She worried her lower lip with her teeth for a moment, glancing over at Scott, before letting out a breath. “If you say so, I will believe you.”
Scott stepped closer, almost inching toward Calla. “I don’t. How do you know she’s not guilty? Perhaps she is waiting for the right moment to do the same to you as she did to her father.”
Scott didn’t reply, but his burning gaze assured Anna he wasn’t about to trust her.
Garreth sighed. “Go look on the table.”
Both headed that way. They spotted the basket and drew back the towel draped over it.
Calla inhaled sharply, stumbling back. Scott grabbed her, pulling her into his embrace and whispering softly. Her body shook as she buried her face into his chest.
“She’s your sister?” Anna asked quietly.
“Yeah.” Garreth looked a bit sheepish.
Relief flooded through her at the confirmation and she relaxed against his strength. “What’s wrong with her?”
He sat on the bed, pulling her with him. “Calla was with me when we retrieved our mother’s soul. She and Scott have been searching for a way to free it.”
“Ah.”
“Why are there two?” Scott ventured quietly.
Anna glanced down at her lap. He took her hand, squeezing lightly. “One is my madre, the other my papa.”
Calla glided across the room. She stared at Anna, her gaze confused and defensive. “We’re going to figure out how to free my mother. I trust my brother. Therefore, we will help you too.”
So she herself was not trusted. Anna didn’t care. Sniffling, she could only nod. There was no hope, but she would not tell this woman such a thing.
Chapter Thirteen
Hours later, Anna was exhausted, feeling browbeaten and drained. Garreth’s sister and her mate had finally left. Garreth and Calla had spent a good portion of the time making plans on not only how to present Anna’s case to the council to assure the accusations were dropped, but also how to find the master—or someone else to free the growing collection of locked souls.
Though they both made a very convincing argument the council would drop all charges once she showed them the orbs, Anna wasn’t sure she wanted to take the chance.
When she mentioned it, Garreth stormed through the room assuring her the council would leave her alone once they proved her innocence, no matter what.
