Ember (Rulers of the Sky Book 2)

by Paula Quinn

  “It’s too dangerous,” he told her, his voice a deep-throated rasp. “Don’t you understand? I want you, Helena.”

  She did understand. They were both naked beneath the surface. Just the thought of him touching her ignited sparks throughout her body. It was too perfect here, too beautiful and warm, and completely isolated. She recalled his warning about possibly changing during intimacy. What would he do to her? Looking at him now, with a backdrop of mountains and starlight behind him, a soft breeze blowing his hair around his eyes, she almost didn’t care.

  “Don’t change back,” she whispered. “Not yet.”

  He said nothing but dove beneath the surface and came back up just in front of her like Poseidon, rising from the fathoms below. His body glistened as rivulets of steamy water cascaded over his sleek angles and defined lines. He lifted his beefy arm to slick back his wet hair and smiled down at her, his tawny eyes gleaming.

  Her heart stirred at his dominating size hovering over her. “Garion, I—”

  Before she had time to say anything else, he leaned down and brushed his lips over hers, giving her a taste of the hunger raging beneath his iron control.

  “Still think I should stay?” he asked, withdrawing just enough to let her answer.

  “Yes,” she breathed against his mouth. “Yes, you should stay.”

  His smile snatched her breath and broke her heart, for she knew by the regret tainting his gentle expression that he wouldn’t.

  And he was right not to stay. The risk was too high. Not just because he could turn at the worst time possible, but because even if he’d never transformed, the obstacles they would face together were too big. She still had many relatives, half-brothers and half-sisters born with Patrick White’s blood, members of The Bane. How would she tell them that she was falling for the Gold? They wouldn’t care that he claimed to have remained a man all these years. She wasn’t even certain if she believed him anymore.

  The instant the Elders discovered anything between them; they’d believe the music they all heard was meant for her. But she couldn’t be Garion’s life mate.

  She remembered the fire of his kiss, the music of the stars, his big hands along her back. Warmth that had nothing to do with the hot spring coursed through her.

  She couldn’t be his life mate. She wasn’t a Drakkon, and she would never become one.

  He sank back into the depths and floated away from her and she wondered if he did so because he regretted kissing her or because he’d just tuned in to her thoughts.

  “It would never work between us,” she called out swimming toward him.

  “I know,” he replied treading backward, sounding less affected than she feared.

  “It isn’t that I don’t like you.”

  “I know that, too.”

  She couldn’t help but smile as she reached him. “I thought the Drakkon was arrogant, but you’re no better.”

  “You’re wrong,” he said, smiling back. He took her wet hand and held it up to his lips. “I’m much better.”

  “Oh?” she asked playfully, moving closer. “Can you fly? Can you breathe fire?” Her thigh brushed his under the water. He reacted as if she’d struck him but pulled her against his nakedness.

  “I can do this,” he replied with a sensual tilt of his mouth before his arm snaked around her waist. He dipped his face to hers and snatched her breath with a deep, longing kiss.

  Oh, but he did it well, too! He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her close as they kissed, pressing her to his warm, rigid body.

  Helena slid her hands up the sides of his head as his tongue stole softly around her mouth. She felt him against her teeth, soft, thrilling, probing. His hands swept over her like flames singeing her nerve endings, sending hundreds of little fires through her until she was consumed and melted against him. His power was complete, demanding her surrender.

  He withdrew with reluctance and stared into her eyes. “Do you know how beautiful you are to me, Helena?” he whispered on a husky breath, sealing her defeat. “I want nothing more than to be with you.”

  God help her, she wanted it, too.

  Buoyed in his embrace, she lifted herself and coiled her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck. She could feel him hard and ready to take her. His sleek muscles trembled against her skin, his breath warm and wicked on her neck. Beneath the surface, his hands cupped her ass and guided her over the length of his stiff cock. They both jolted and gasped at the scintillating pleasure coursing through them like wildfire. She had no time to think about all the reasons they shouldn’t come together. She didn’t want to think. Being in his arms felt right, as if she belonged here, and nothing else mattered.

  She threw back her head, offering herself up like some virgin of old, ready to give up all to the will of Drakkon. He partook, tasting the pulse beat at her throat then lifting her up to drag one of her erect nipples into his mouth.

  Suddenly, he broke free of her and moved away. “It’s too dangerous, Helena,” he groaned as if in pain. “I don’t know if I can control it.”

  She watched him step out of the spring, water streaming down between his shoulders to his firm ass and long, sculpted legs. How the hell could he be a virgin? He hadn’t had sex so he didn’t truly know if he could control it or not.

  Did she really want to be the guinea pig?

  She opened her mouth to call him but just when she did, something above her caught her eye. She looked up and her heart went still. A luminous green and crimson glow expanded like a vast heavenly fire, filling the sky with a ghostly glow that swayed and danced left and then right like a curtain in the wind. As she stood there gaping, she realized she was seeing the Northern Lights but she never imagined such beauty, such brilliance.

  “Garion!” she called out, turning to him to see if he was as overcome as she. But he was gone and in his place stood the Drakkon, his golden scales reflecting the different shades of light, his back to her.

  Part of her wanted to cry out, call him back. But she remained as silent as the sky when she stepped out of the water and dressed. He belonged here in this magical place with its colorful skies and fiery lakes. He had every right to want to live with all the freedom he longed for.

  Let me show you, she heard him in her thoughts. She lifted her head while she zipped up her parka and slipped her hat into her pocket. She watched him stretch out his wings. A single flap lifted him off the ground. One more carried him toward the sky. He flew across the scarlet lights, swirling and soaring as if he were dancing to music she thought she could hear. She felt honored to be watching something no one in generations had seen with their eyes. He was even more beautiful now than any other time. He turned upward, twirling toward the stars, burning just as bright until she could no longer make him out from among them.

  You will haunt me forever, Garion, she confessed, hoping he heard her.

  Apparently he had. He descended like a missile and landed just inches before her. And you will haunt me.

  She felt like crying at the tragedy of it all and remained quiet while he scooped her up. Why did he have to share his dance and the power of his flight with her and infect her heart with magic? Why did he kiss her like his heart was involved and compelling hers to be the same? She feared it was. What would become of it when they parted and she never saw him again? She wasn’t a fool. What man after him could ever compare to this?

  She felt surprisingly toasty clutched in his fingers, held close to his armored chest. When she saw where he was taking her, her heart was overcome with wonder and emotion. The scarlet blaze moved before her, looming closer until Garion carried her through it. The light drenched her in illuminated hues of crimson and silver. She felt delightfully lightheaded from breathing in the charged air. She couldn’t close her eyes though the wind stung. She was inside the Northern Lights! She was too captivated to realize that he’d angled the direction of his frill-tipped wings and was catapulting them upward. Awakening came when music filled the heaven
s above her. The same music she’d heard when they’d kissed in his penthouse. Images of herself and Garion flooded her thoughts, dancing with him to an ancient melody that saturated her senses and bound her to him for centuries to come.

  Suddenly, the safety of his giant claws was gone and in their place were two strong arms holding her to him. She looked into his eyes and wilted at the desire she saw in them.

  Wait! He was a man?

  They were falling, plummeting to the earth! Every fear of falling came bursting to life all at once and panic like she’d never known before engulfed her.

  She thought she was going to faint or be sick. Her skin felt tight and confining. Everything hurt. She was going to die.

  The view below her began to change. She no longer felt the bite of the cold against her skin. She was no longer falling and Garion was no longer holding her.

  She looked to her right and her heart roared at what she saw. A wing. A shiny, white, leathery wing! It wasn’t her! The ivory, tear-shaped scales she saw when she set her terrified gaze on her chest couldn’t be her.

  It would mean Garion had transformed her. No. No, he wouldn’t have.

  She found him hovering close by, his size, less impressive.

  He’d done it. He was the only one who could. He turned her into what she spent her life hating. For a moment, she wanted to die rather than be Drakkon. That moment was enough to alter her back to her human body. She didn’t fall long when Garion flew over her and plucked her from the sky. Her clothes were gone, as were her braids. She didn’t care if she was naked. She didn’t care if she froze.

  I hate you, Garion.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Garion took them back to the shelter and stayed out of Helena’s thoughts, though he made certain every blanket covered her properly. He used his claws to dig out a shallow niche in the ground close to where she lay. Hesitantly, he blew fire from his mouth to heat the rocks. He felt her eyes on him, as hard and merciless as an Arctic storm. She hated this part of her race. She hated him.

  He’d been a fool to let the man take his moment of flying with her. His pathetic human heart was in love with her. When he had the stones sufficiently heated, he looked toward the shelter opening. She wouldn’t be warm enough he languished, realizing that his Drakkon heart was no better. They were away from the wind but this wasn’t a cave. There were only two walls, one above and one in back. Her hot stones would have served better in the belly of a cave.

  You need body heat, he told her, willing once again to allow the man his time if it would keep her safe.

  I’d rather freeze.

  He didn’t argue but rested on the ground close by, blowing a gust of smoke from his nostrils. Releasing fire felt good. He controlled himself and didn’t relish in it too long.

  His thoughts brought him back to her terrified expression, her flailing wings, her declaration of hatred.

  “We need more stones,” she called out between chattering teeth.

  He rose up and approached her, changing as he went. She needed heat and, now, so did he. He bent to her and pushed the blankets away. “I refuse to let you freeze,” he said as a man. He moved in close to her. The instant their bodies touched, she sprang away. He caught her by snaking his arm around her waist when she tried to leave. “You can hate me all you want but I’m not moving and neither are you.”

  She fought him just long enough to make him doubt this was a good idea. She was exhausted and he was convinced more now than ever that she needed his protection. You’re freezing, Helena, please stop fighting me.

  She collapsed atop one of his arms and shook the ground beneath them with her shivering. I don’t want you to touch me.

  He pulled her close and wrapped her in his arms and legs. I want you to live. That hasn’t changed.

  She stopped fighting and settled into his chest, draping him in her long, lustrous, white tresses. He wondered if she could feel the thunderous beats of his heart pressed so close. He resisted every temptation to react to her supple body with sexual desire. He wasn’t a monster. He’d lived many years denying himself. Now, when she hated him, wasn’t the time to time to give up the battle and let the carnal lead him.

  You want me to live a life hunted, as you are. Alone. Forever. She shook her head beneath his chin and wet him with her tears.

  He didn’t want her to be alone. He wanted to stay with her as his life mate. He wanted to lavish her with his wealth and ravish her body with his. When he’d taken her toward the stars and danced to the sky’s symphony, he wanted to tell her that he loved her. He hadn’t been thinking about her falling because he was with her. He never imagined that she’d turn. Never. He still couldn’t believe it happened—or how magnificently beautiful she was. She’d stopped his heart. He’d never seen a female Drakkon before, and not one he loved. He’d also never seen a face so frightened.

  He was sorry.

  I want you to live, Helena—with me.

  Well, here’s what I want, Garion, she responded coolly. When we reach Norway, I want clothes and a plane ticket home. After that, I want to forget you exist. If you refuse to let me go, I’ll assume you planned my abduction from the beginning because it was always about revenge.

  It was never about revenge.

  Good, then you’ll let me go.

  Yes, he said, holding her tightly. He didn’t know how but he would let her go. He’d have to find a new place to live in New York since his penthouse was now a crime scene. He’d stay close by, unseen by her eyes, watching for any change in her form. If she transformed again, he’d be there to help her.

  But that wasn’t how he wanted to spend eternity.

  “Are you warmer?” he asked into her hair. She felt warmer in his arms, molded against him, slightly more yielding to his touch when he pulled her a bit closer to his heat.

  “Yes.”

  Her warm breath along his neck sent molten waves through his blood. When she moved, just a little shift to find more warmth, he closed his eyes and grinded his jaw. She was soft, yet firm—able to produce beautiful music with her fingers or hurl daggers and fists at her enemy. He rubbed his palm over the velvety skin down her back. But he went no further than to try to keep her blood flowing.

  She remained quiet and he thought she’d fallen asleep. A few minutes later though, she shifted in his arms again then asked in a quiet voice, “Why? Why did you do it?”

  At least she was speaking to him about it. He was grateful but he understood the magnitude of what changing her meant. He’d created another Drakkon, something he’d sworn to never do. The Drakkon he created was his life mate, which meant that, more than likely, someday, they would come together and who knew what their offspring would be able to do? He knew the life he’d sentenced her to. Nothing he was about to tell her would change any of it.

  “Jeremy’s bullet went through your back and exited through your stomach and into me. We were both dying but my blood, my essence was already mixing with yours, altering you, healing you. I could have pushed you away, let you die. But after I saw that you had remained with me in the penthouse, I knew I didn’t want to live without you.”

  She turned her face away. “You should have let me die.”

  “I couldn’t, Helena. Forgive me, but I couldn’t.

  #

  Helena was awakened several hours later, while it was still dark, by an enormous nostril blowing hot air on her. Come, Helena, Garion nudged her with the edge of his snout. It’s time to go.

  She was Drakkon. She’d turned in mid-flight last night. It wasn’t a dream. It was real. She’d had wings. She’d had scales.

  He waited, turning his large, scaled head toward the opening while she emptied her bladder behind him.

  He’d turned her, she reminded herself while she returned to the blankets and wrapped them around her body. He’d feared she was going to die and he didn’t want to live without her. It was a good enough reason to do many things, but not changing her into Drakkon against her will.

/>   How was she going to continue her life now? What if the Drakkon popped out of her during a concert or during a date?

  A date? A date with whom? His voice came crashing into her head.

  I didn’t mean a date. I— she corrected then covered her head in her hands. Why the hell am I explaining this to you? A date! That’s right! A man I may want to sleep with. What if—?

  Do you have someone in mind?

  He wasn’t serious! I might, Garion. It’s no business of yours, now is it? We’re never going to see each other again after this, remember?

  Yes, I remember, he growled in her head. Now let’s be off, the blue hour is coming.

  What’s the blue hour? she asked, letting him close his fingers around her.

  It’s a period of twilight early in the dawn or late in the dusk. It’s the most powerful time for Drakkon. It’s when the sky calls and it’s hardest to resist.

  What are you saying? She demanded as they left the shelter and soared across the starlit sky. That I won’t be able to control it?

  I don’t know, but you’ll lose your blankets if you don’t.

  She hated him. She really did.

  Maybe I’ll let myself change just so I can kill you.

  She didn’t want to speak with him anymore and thought about her brother instead. How the hell was she going to tell Jacob? Would he be angry with her for being a fool and trusting a Drakkon? Or would he resent her for becoming what he wanted to be? Of course she knew he wanted to fly. She guessed she’d known since they were children but they’d never spoken openly about it. Would Jacob hate her? She let the wind snatch away her tears. If she lost her brother over this, she’d hunt down and kill Jeremy Redmond for bringing this upon her, and then she’d kill Garion.

  Her blood bubbled like molten lava in her veins and she imagined cutting the clouds with her hoary wings—The blue hour! Garion! She reached out as fear gripped her. Is it happening?

  Not if you don’t want it to be, he reassured in a calm voice. We’re almost home.