by Cecilia Lane
The man spoke calmly and without fear. She had to respect him. He would be facing death in the compound if he had shirked his duties so horribly to let an enemy as close as she’d gotten. His voice didn’t so much as quiver.
Luca nodded, but none of the anger faded from his expression. If anything, he grew more furious. “See who let her in and have them fired. I want all the ground level doors to be checked. We cannot have an intrusion like this again.”
“Of course. What should we do with her?”
Lola inhaled silently. She wanted to face death as bravely as the man beside her, but her hands shook at her side.
“We could send her back,” Penelope suggested quietly.
Luca looked at her like she’d suddenly spoken a different language or snakes grew in place of her hair. Lola agreed with the man. She would be accused of colluding with the enemy. Instead of having the honor of killing a dragon, she would bring dishonor as a traitor to her family.
Penelope continued, “It would show our side has an interest in opening up negotiations.”
“There is no negotiation. They tried to kill us. Our daughter!” Luca nearly spat with fury. Tendrils of smoke blew out of his nostrils.
Lola filed away the information. No one had said a thing about the dragons breeding. She knew it must happen to continue their threat on the world. But any new dragon meant two more needed to die, at the very least.
“And we’re just supposed to do what is expected of us and kill her? No.” Penelope shook her head and stared straight at Lola. “I won’t allow it. She’s under my protection.”
Luca pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers.
“With all due respect, ma’am.” All eyes turned to Lola and her cheeks flushed. She made an awkward bob something akin to mixing a curtsy and a bow. Her brothers would never let her live it down if they knew. Then again, they’d never let her live if she returned empty handed. “I can’t go back.”
“Why not?”
“I haven’t succeeded. I’ll bring shame and dishonor to my family if I return without a confirmed kill. They’ll know I disobeyed and came here on my own and without anyone to watch my back. They’ll know I was sent on my way when it’s known how bloodthirsty and conniving shifters can be. They’ll suspect me of favoring the enemy or being a plant. They’ll kill me. Culling the weakness and not allowing the shifter infection to spread, they’ll call it.”
No one waited to see if a shifter bite resulted in forcing a good man to change into a monster. It was why they went out in groups. Each group could watch the others and ensure no one brought the infection back to the compound. She thought she could have avoided those questions if he returned with a dragon kill, but there was no talking her way out of it when all she had to show for her trip was a failed test of her new bullets.
Penelope’s mouth hung open before closing and setting in a thin line. “That settles it. We cannot send her back and we cannot kill her. We’d be no better than them.”
Luca considered her before turning his attention back to his woman. “We don’t have a prison here. We could send her back to the stronghold, but there would no be guaranteeing her safety there.”
“I’ll watch her.” The man at Lola’s side spoke again. Her head snapped toward him and her lips parted in shock.
Every eye in the room turned toward him, including the ones on the woman. They were a beautiful, golden brown. Almost the color of honey and whiskey.
Lola. He needed to get used to saying her name.
He shook himself. He couldn’t be distracted by her then. Her scent filled his nose and made his mind hazy.
“I’ll watch her,” he repeated, louder.
“Rafael, I won’t allow it. Your duty is to Cassandra. I won’t have you distracted,” Luca objected.
“As you say, I’m sworn to protect the life of Cassandra. I would only trust my Dragonsworn brothers with this task.” There. That would give him an out. Levi could offer himself to do the job, or Luca could order Brody. Even if placing Lola under someone else’s protection felt wrong.
Even he couldn’t explain exactly why he’d made his offer. Except that she smelled too good and it made his dragon want to fly away with her like the tales her people told.
Her eyes hadn’t left him, except for a momentary flicker toward Luca. He could practically see her stashing away every word that was said. They’d need to be careful not to let her know more than what was public knowledge.
Penelope stepped forward and placed her hand on Luca’s arm. The tension visibly melted from the King. He nodded after a moment. “She’s under your care. I don’t want to see her on her own, not until we can trust she won’t bolt. Go, get her settled. Levi can stand guard for the rest of the night.”
Rafe bowed his head. The royal couple left the office with Levi trailing behind him.
There was nothing more to do than to get the woman—Lola—settled. In his quarters. She couldn’t be alone.
He turned on his heel and strode toward the door. He didn’t hear her steps behind him, but he didn’t stop until his hand touched the handle. “Come along, little bit.”
Her mouth was ajar and she still stood in the middle of the room. She hurried after him, her eyes blazing with anger and confusion. “Where are you taking me? To be executed?” She demanded.
He threw back his head and laughed. The poor, misguided soul. The dragon slayers probably scared their children with tales of horrendous beasts committing all sorts of terrible crimes. “Of course not. You heard the king and his lady. I’m to be your guardian since we can’t turn you back over to your people.”
He led her into the main entryway. The private elevator could be taken there. Instead, he turned toward the steps leading to the floor for the Dragonsworn. No need to enter the private residence to take one of the hidden flights.
On the floor below, he unlocked the door to his space and jerked his head for her to enter. He followed close behind and flicked on a light.
The space was a fully sized apartment, though much smaller than the one the royal family enjoyed. Each of the Dragonsworn were given a space large enough for a mated pair and a child or two. The new family was keen on expanding their numbers and didn’t want anything to hinder that goal.
“Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. I keep a few basic things and mostly eat in the cafeteria below.” He motioned down the hallway. “The far bedroom will be yours. Don’t try to sneak out; I’m a light sleeper.”
She turned slowly and took in everything. He had just moved into the space. His few boxes had yet to be unpacked. Truth be told, he didn’t even have many of those to deal with. He’d been on the move for years and could condense his life down to a duffle bag if he needed. It would be good to have a permanent home.
Through the living room with its newly added couch and mounted television was the glass wall leading to the landing deck. Every apartment in the tower had access to a deck. Thick, tall curtains could be powered to open and close, to give the illusion of another wall and privacy from any neighbors using a shared space.
Lola edged closer to the wall. The glass would slide away like a regular door. Most of the dragons kept their deck clear of any furniture and outdoor accessories or kept them close to the glass wall. They were large creatures and needed the space to land.
“Don’t think of trying to jump again, little bit,” he warned her. “I’ll just catch you the same as before. I’d rather not ruin another set of clothes tonight.”
He squinted at her back. Her heart rate had increased along with her breath. She was a jumble of scents, but one in particular stuck out. She was nervous. Of him.
It made sense. She was a dragon slayer and guarded by the very creature she was meant to kill. He very much doubted she had experience with the hunt. She’d been too easy to track.
Then he inhaled and caught another scent. His cock jumped to life and he nearly groaned.
Arousal. Sweet, thick arousal.
&n
bsp; It puzzled him. She puzzled him. Scared and hot, all at once. Almost like…
He frowned. Had she ever been with a man before? Were her nerves more than being a prisoner? Were they because she’d never been in such close quarters with a man she wanted?
His dragon huffed out its chest in the back of his mind. The beast wanted to claim the girl. It knew what Rafe didn’t want to admit.
The girl who would have killed him was his mate.
The thought battered at him and Rafe took a step forward. Toward her. His gums ached with the sharpening of his teeth and lowering of his fangs. His mate needed to be claimed. He needed to sink his teeth into her shoulder the moment he sank his cock into her silken, virgin channel.
He pulled his hand back from grabbing her shoulder and spinning her around. His beast roared at him and clawed at his control. But Rafe wouldn’t force himself on anyone. Especially not his mate. He would only claim her when she wanted him, knew what it would mean for her life.
If that day ever came. She was a slayer. He was a dragon. Their people had raged against one another for as long as anyone could remember. She’d hate him until the end of her days.
“Go get washed up, little bit. I’ll have something brought up to eat,” he managed to choke out. Every second with her scent in his nose was a second closer to losing control. It was thick and sweet and delicious, like the honey and whiskey of her eyes. He needed to feel her skin under his palms, lap at her with his tongue...
“Why do you call me that?” She turned. Her eyes considered him coolly.
“What? Little bit?” She nodded but say anything else. He focused on pushing the words out of his mouth. “Because you’re either a little bit crazy or a little bit stupid to try getting at a dragon in our own tower.”
She ignored his taunt and gestured with her hands. “Is that what this place is? Why are you all gathering here in a city? Don’t the people who live here know what you’ll do to them?”
“Do to them? What do you imagine us to be? Monsters under the bed?” Slowly, it became easier to hold back his dragon. Her barrage of questions helped, too. The sheer vitriol would have nothing to do with him.
She looked at her feet and a faint blush colored her cheeks. “Well, yes.”
“We’re not. We’re people, too. We just have… extra.”
“Extra that can burn down entire cities and kill and dismember!” Her eyebrows drew together and she sucked in a breath. Her fists balled at her sides.
He growled. His anger boiled away any struggle he felt to keep his hands to himself. He put the kitchen counter between them and leaned his weight on his hands. “Because your people are so innocent. Look no further than your kind to find the real monsters. I’ve lost friends because of you. And for what? They were doing nothing wrong.”
“You’re not the only one to lose people—”
“No, I’m just the most recent one to be tested. Are you forgetting the bullet you tried to put in me?”
The fight left her and she sank into the couch. Her hands cupped her cheeks and she spoke to her lap. “I needed to do something. Prove myself. I didn’t want to be like all the other girls and have a bunch of babies. I wanted more. To be one of the men. They were always off having adventures while I was stuck at home. So I stole a pack and came here.”
He laughed harshly. “It was for the best, I think, little bit. You’re a terrible fighter.”
She glared at him. “I would have been better if I was given the chance to learn.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. You would have been a formidable opponent if given the right knowledge.” There was no hiding his smile. Her irritation only made him grin more.
“I thought if I could just bring honor to myself, then I would be too valuable to be married.”
Her attention jerked back to him and she frowned with suspicion. Her mouth snapped shut and she straightened. There would be no more sharing for the night.
He had a grudging respect for her, even if she had tried to kill him. She denied all the expectations placed on her and tried to forge her own path. For all her wrongheaded opinions on shifters, her determination to be her own person was admirable. While she’d bucked the traditions of women in her world, he’d firmly entrenched himself in the education and training his parents expected of him.
But if he’d done anything other than what he’d been told to do, he never would have been in the position to be chosen as Dragonsworn, never been on duty that night, never been quick enough to snag her out of her free fall.
He knew more about her than before and it gave him one, predictable conclusion.
He was fucked.
Chapter Four
“Wake up, little bit. We’re leaving in an hour, so do whatever women need to do to prepare for the day.”
As if she'd been asleep. As soon as she shut the door behind her the night before, Lola readied herself. She wouldn't be a docile prisoner. She pushed the dresser against the door to block her jailer from entering and having his way with her. She knew what dragons were like.
After that, she spent time checking to make sure the room wasn’t sealed tight. She’d break a window if she had to. She wouldn’t be gassed to death in the middle of the night.
Even after her thorough inspection and reassurance that air would still flow into the room, she couldn’t find sleep. She’d spent her entire life at the compound. The noise of the air conditioning kicking on and off was unfamiliar. The smells weren’t the same.
And there was a hulking man just down the hall. A man that wasn’t related to her. A man that had saved her life. A man that should be her enemy but filled her with all kinds of dirty ideas.
The dresser shuddered with the force of the blows from the door. She wrapped her arms around her knees and waited.
Three blows. That’s all it took. Three blows and the door split into pieces. Rafe’s hands tore away the scraps and then he pushed the dresser out of the way.
He eyed the remains of the door before turning to her. “Was that really necessary? Now I’m going to have to call maintenance up here.”
She didn’t move.
“Well, come on. I have places to be. You didn’t come out for breakfast, so we’ll stop in the cafeteria.”
When she still didn’t move, he passed a hand over his face and stared at her. He approached the bed and snagged her wrists in one of his large hands and pulled her out the door with him.
Her second night was spent much the same. She sat in the middle of the too-soft bed with her arms wrapped around her legs. She wouldn’t find sleep even if she tried. But when Rafe knocked on the newly replaced door, she was quick to shower and dress in clothes sent over by the Consort.
He led her around the tower like a bull dragged by a nose ring. She had zero say in where they went or when. He gave her no opportunity to run. And he kept her out well into the night.
At first she thought it was a subtle kind of torture. Keep her awake and active until she collapsed into a ball of anxiety and spilled her secrets. But she slowly realized it was simply Rafe going about his day. Other than telling her to follow or stay, he barely spoke to her.
His eyes said enough. She felt them on her more times than she cared to admit. Her sensitivity to the distance between them hadn’t lessened since he volunteered to guard her. It’d grown. She shivered and butterflies took flight in her stomach whenever his eyes focused on her, even if there was only contempt in the dark brown.
She decided that it was her duty to watch and learn everything she could about the dragons. If she ever escaped, she could go home with the floor plans and schedules of their most prominent members. Rafe was right, she’d been stupid to attempt to harm one inside their own territory. Her brothers would never make that mistake and she knew rescue at their hands wasn’t a possibility. Besides, she was just a girl and her only value was through producing little dragon slayers. They would never come for her.
So she watched and absorbed all she could. It might
be years before she had a chance to run, but she’d escape with as much information as possible. She filed away the floors where the dragons gathered and how the upper levels were accessed.
It wasn’t uncommon to see their rulers walking the halls, either. They didn’t seem the sort to sequester themselves away, even after her threat to the tower.
They approached her on the third day after Rafe led her down to the cafeteria for lunch. Both were dressed in finery that didn’t exist in her family’s compound. The man wore a tailored suit and the woman’s curves were highlighted by her dress.
Lola felt a pang of jealousy. She’d always been told to hide her curves and do more to work them off. How, she wasn’t sure. She wasn’t allowed to train with the men. The women of the compound wanted her to be smaller, even if she saw no way to change her shape. Lola envied how Penelope dressed to show off her ample curves.
Penelope took a seat across from her and beamed a smile.
Lola hadn’t been allowed near the baby, but she listened enough to know the child in her arms was named Cassandra. Rafe and his two brothers were in charge of protecting the little one from any threats, such as herself.
Penelope immediately took notice of the full plate of food in front of Lola and her smile melted into a frown. Lola refused to eat. She wouldn’t consume anything Rafe made in the apartment above and she wouldn’t eat anything handed to her in the cafeteria. She didn’t know what they had done to it.
The sandwiches and soup Rafe brought them that day smelled delicious and made her drool. No matter how much her stomach rumbled, she wouldn’t eat. It was her last effort to show her captors that she retained some control.
“Have you eaten?” Penelope asked. Lola didn’t answer. “Has she eaten, Rafe?”
He shook his head. “No, ma’am. She refuses. I assume she thinks we’re going to poison her.”
Penelope made a face. She took the spoon in her hand and stuffed a bite of soup into her mouth. “There, no poison. You need to eat.”
