by Kimber White
Chapter Seven
Grace
The day before, I dreamed of fire consuming me but never burning. Today’s dream was even more vivid. The moment Gideon’s assistant asked me to come with him, some small part of me knew it was a bad idea. But, the thought of being near him again melted my insides. I can’t deny it. The man had some power over me that made me throw out every warning sign I’d been raised to heed.
Then, he was there standing in front of me. A wild wind whipped his dark hair off his collar.
What are you?
I’d asked him again and again. I had the dragonsteel blade at his throat. His eyes turned to flame. One moment, he was Gideon, strong and fierce, with his blazing gaze that called to me. The next, the world turned upside down.
The dragon grew taller and taller, blotting out the sky. Green and gold scales, his great leathery wings unfurled. They seemed wide enough to embrace the earth. But those eyes. Huge, shimmering orbs with their fiery glow. They stared straight through me. Gideon’s eyes.
Then, the air went straight from my lungs.
“Grace!”
The blanket of darkness comforted me. I didn’t want to leave it. I hadn’t slept this well, this deeply since I was a baby, probably. The words jarred me, stabbing into me like the blade I’d held against Gideon’s throat. In the dream…
“Grace!”
Underwater. I tried to breathe and my lungs wouldn’t expand.
A hand on my shoulder. On my cheek. Shaking me gently awake. Except I didn’t want to go.
“Grace!” Gideon’s voice finally took shape. The light cut through. I shook my head and slowly opened my eyes. His face hovered above mine. His dark brow was knit in nearly one unbroken line. His expression filled with concern. Those eyes. Green and gold fire. The dragon’s eyes.
“No,” I whispered, amazed I could find my voice. I sat bolt upright. I was in the middle of a conference room. In the center was a long, cherry wood table, polished to a gleam. Leather creaked beneath me. He had me on a couch. I dropped my feet to the ground and my head spun.
“Come back to me,” he said. Gideon took a seat beside me and brought a glass of water to my lips. I reached for it clumsily. It felt so good, so cold going down.
“Thanks,” I gasped.
There was a moment, a beat. In that time, I had the sensation of falling. Reality hurtled toward me. It would slam into me as hard as pavement.
I dropped the glass to the floor. It hit the plush, ruby red carpeting, the water making a dark spot. I turned to him.
“No,” I whispered again. “You’re...Gideon…” I scooted back on the couch, putting more inches between us.
Gideon sat with his hands clenched. “Grace, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Scare me.” Words played in my head like an old recording. There was a script I was supposed to follow. It’s not possible. It was a trick. I’m losing my mind. I hit my head.
But, all those pat explanations fell away. I knew the truth. Deep down, I’d always known since the instant our eyes met.
Gideon Brandhart was a dragon.
There was movement in the hallway. Shuffling feet. Muffled voices. The last few seconds before I passed out took shape in my memory. Gideon wasn’t alone. This was the Brandhart Building. He had brothers. Dragon brothers. Just before Gideon shifted, I had seen two other monstrous dragons fly in formation above the roof.
I did a mental count. “You’re a dragon,” I said. It wasn’t a question. “And your brothers...they’re dragons too.”
Gideon dropped his head. “Yes.”
“Five of you. Five dragons. Living here in Chicago.”
He finally lifted his gaze. I suppose I should have been terrified. Everything made crazy sense though. My dragonsteel blade didn’t wound him. His eyes turned to fire when his beast stirred. And I’d dreamed of fire that couldn’t burn me.
Without thinking, I reached for him. Gideon flinched from my touched as I traced a line around his jaw. His stubble tickled and his skin flared hot. So did mine.
“What happened up there?” I asked. “You couldn’t control your shift, could you?” A new, terrifying realization slammed into my heart. It had nearly happened before. That day in the park. Later, when he stood in my kitchen room. I saw him strain to keep from shifting, beads of sweat popping out on his brow. For a man Gideon’s age, his shift should have been smoother, seamless. But up there on the roof, I’d watched his dragon tear out of him.
“I need to get you out of here,” he said. “I swear to you I didn’t mean to do anything that might hurt you.”
“But, you didn’t.”
“I could have,” he said. “Don’t sit there and deny it. I know you felt the power of my dragon. You were standing way too close. If my brothers hadn’t...if…”
“But you didn’t,” I said, my fingers still against his jaw. He was so warm. Hot. Lord help me, I wanted to tempt him, as dangerous as that was.
“No.” He stood. “I’ve been out of my mind for weeks. Months. You don’t know how hard it’s been to keep my dragon contained.”
“I do know,” I said. “I mean...not firsthand. No. But don’t forget, I grew up surrounded by wolf shifters. Believe me, I remember what it was like when Milo...my brother...let’s just say puberty isn’t the easiest thing in the world for wolves.”
Gideon whipped around. “Puberty? Wolves? It’s not the same at all.”
“No, I just mean I know it can be...er...complicated sometimes for shifters.”
“I’m not a teenager, Grace. I’m over three hundred years old.”
His words sucked the air straight out of me again. I gripped the leather armrest. “You...can’t...what?”
He tore a hand through his hair and started to pace. Again, I sensed movement in the hallway.
“Gideon.” A rich baritone voice called out. He stopped pacing by the door. Two pairs of eyes glinted from the shadows.
“Just come in here,” Gideon said. “She might as well get it all at once.”
They filed in one by one. Four men. Tall. Broad. Brothers. Dragons. I rose on shaky legs to meet them. I recognized a few of their faces from the articles I’d pulled up about Gideon and his family.
“I’m Xander,” the first one in said. He looked the most like Gideon with dark hair and shimmering green eyes. His skin was hot to the touch as I shook his hand.
“This is Finn, Loch, and Kian,” Gideon said. He’d started pacing again.
Loch had lighter brown hair and brown eyes. Instinctively, I knew I’d seen his dragon flying overhead before. He regarded me with a cool, not entirely unkind stare. Beside him, Gideon introduced Finn. He stood out like a sore thumb next to the rest of them. Where they were dark, with ruddy complexions, Finn was light. He had white-blond hair and sharp blue eyes. He had almost a surfer vibe about him. I had already seen his dragon as well. Finn and Loch had come to Gideon’s aid on the rooftop.
The fifth brother hung back, his eyes sparking with an almost hostile glow. I recognized it. What I said to Gideon was true. I knew a shifter on the edge when I saw it, no matter how old he was.
Three hundred. He might as well have just told me he was a unicorn. I almost made the joke but stopped myself. I half expected Gideon to tell me they existed too. I’d taken in enough for one day.
“Sorry things got a little hairy up there,” Finn said. “We told him not to do that.”
“Do what?” I asked.
“Er...uh...all of it. Bring you here.”
I crossed my arms in front of me. Loch shot Finn a look. Kian brooded in the corner. Gideon just looked plain miserable. It was only Xander who seemed to find any humor in the situation. My emotions were all over the place.
“Finn doesn’t mean to be rude,” Xander said. “None of my brothers do. Except...maybe Kian.” Kian, for his part let out a rumbling growl.
“It’s okay,” I assured him, though I had no idea if it was. Dragons. The word rolled over in my head. Dragons. Thr
ee hundred-year-old dragons. Here in Chicago.
“Look,” Gideon said. “I’m sure you and Xander have a lot more to talk about. I wish there was something I could say to make this easier on you. My wife...Shae...she’s not here right now. You should meet her. She might have some...er...pointers…”
The next growl came from Gideon. For my part, I really wanted to hear what Xander and his wife Shae had to say. Pointers on what?
“Just leave us,” Gideon said. “I need to get Grace home.”
“Avelina’s going to kill you,” Kian said, from his dark tone, I was pretty sure he was at least half serious. Whoever Avelina was, I hoped I could get through the rest of the day without meeting her. I didn’t think I could take another shock.
“Come on,” Xander said. “His manners are lacking, but Kian’s right.” With a look to the rest of his brothers, Xander and the others filed out. I’d broken into a full sweat. It was the turmoil inside my heart, but also standing in close proximity to five full-blooded dragons. But now, it was just Gideon and me alone again. Hot as I was, I wanted to touch him. No. I needed to touch him. I wouldn’t let my brain fully land on what that meant.
“I need to get you out of here,” Gideon said. “Your pack is going to start to worry. They’ll come looking. You may not be a shifter, but I can guarantee you they know how to track you. It’s too dangerous.”
“First, they’re not my pack. Second, dangerous for whom?”
Gideon’s eyes flashed. “For them,” he said.
I reared back. “What are you talking about? What has my father’s pack ever done to you? He doesn’t even know you exist. An hour ago I didn’t even know what you were.”
Gideon shook his head. His voice took on a dry, bitter tone. “Your father’s kind has done plenty to mine. Kian may lack tact, but he’s right about one thing. Avelina would probably torch any wolf shifter who got within a few yards of this building these days.”
“Avelina. Who is she?”
Gideon looked miserable. “She’s my mother.”
Good God. So there were six dragons in Chicago. I couldn’t handle hearing anymore.
“Gideon, I have questions. I need answers. You can’t just bring me here and lay this on me and expect me to leave and pretend it didn’t happen.”
A tremor ran through him. His eyes flashed with that green fire and he took two steps toward me. His breath set my nerves on edge. I burned for him. It was the fire from my dream all over again. I wanted to feel it. I wanted him to wrap me in it. God, none of this made any sense.
“Soon,” he said. “I know I’m not being fair to you. Believe me. But, I really need you to trust me for just a little while longer. I’ll explain what I can when I can. For now, it’s really better if you just forget everything you saw and heard today.”
I blinked hard. It took me a beat to realize my mouth was hanging open. “You can’t be serious. You brought me here. You wanted me to see. I know...you. That’s what you’re going with? Forget this ever happened?”
“For now. For today. Yes.”
It was my turn to pace. “So what? You’re planning to just fly me back home and expect me to pretend?”
“Of course not,” he said. “I’ve got a car waiting downstairs for you.”
I don’t know if he meant that last bit as a joke, but I had half a mind to press that knife to his throat again.
We stood there for a few seconds, staring at each other in a stalemate. Finally, I blinked. I realized the easy part would be to not say anything. I really had no earthly idea how to even begin to explain what I saw today.
“Fine,” I said. “We’ll play it your way. I’ll keep your secret.”
“Thank you.” His shoulders dropped. For the first time, I realized how terrified he really was about me saying something. Sure, I still had a million questions, but one answer seemed crystal clear. Whatever else he was, Gideon Brandhart had to be one of the most powerful shifters on earth. What could he possibly have to fear?
As soon as I thought it, I felt perhaps a piece of the answer. He was losing control. What I’d seen in the few days since I met him was getting worse.
I didn’t know how. I didn’t know why. But at that moment, I knew Gideon Brandhart was running out of time.
Chapter Eight
Gideon
I stood in the window and watched the limo pull away from the curb seven floors down. Half of me wished I’d never let her go. The other half...well...soon I’d have to do exactly what my mother wanted and get far away from Chicago. She wasn’t there to witness it, but she’d probably hear about it. If my brothers hadn’t been there to cloak me, most of Chicago would believe in dragons by now.
Kian thundered into the room first. “You have got to be fucking kidding me!” He flew across the room and grabbed me by the shoulders.
Maybe I had still had more control than I realized because I didn’t rip his face off when I turned.
“A wolf?” Kian said, spit flying as he yelled. “You brought a wolf into this?”
Xander, Loch, and Finn walked into the room behind him. Loch got to us first. He always played the peacemaker.
“She’s not a wolf, Kian,” he said.
“She’s wolf enough,” he hissed. “Do I have to remind you what those fuckers tried to do to us just a few months ago? They shot Finn and me with dragonstone arrows. They almost killed Avelina. And they’re looking for more of the stuff. Am I the only one here who realizes we’re at war?”
I shoved him hard. Kian rounded, eyes blazing. Loch stood between us.
“We shouldn’t do this here,” Xander said. “One of you is liable to tear the damn building down.”
“We aren’t at war,” I said. “The pack that came after Shae and Xander is dead. All of them. Grace’s people had nothing to do with that.”
“You sure about that?” Finn asked.
Damn him to hell, he was right. I wasn’t sure. Since the second I laid eyes on Grace, I hadn’t done one wise thing. Nothing else mattered to me but getting close to her. Breathing her in. Touching her. Protecting her. And because of it, I’d put the rest of my family at risk.
“No,” I said. I at least owed them honesty.
“So how can you be sure your new friend isn’t going to just turn around and tell her father she met a bunch of dragons today?”
I couldn’t meet Finn’s eyes. I couldn’t meet any of their stares. I answered with the truth and knew what they heard. It’s what I would have heard if I were in their place. “Because she promised me she’d keep our secret.”
Finn laughed. Loch turned on his heel. Xander sank slowly to the couch. Kian seethed and punched a hole in the wall. I knew he wanted it to be my head.
Xander rubbed a hard hand over his jaw. He was the calmest of the lot of us. He alone had escaped the sickness that was turning the rest of us inside out. It was Shae. His mate. He’d found her in time. Without mates of our own, the rest of us would get worse each day. I’d already proven how quickly.
“Well,” Loch said. “You know what Avelina’s going to say.”
“You don’t need to worry about that,” I said. “I’ll talk to our mother. I’ll figure out a way to make her understand.”
This time, the laughter came from Xander. “Understanding isn’t the problem, Gideon. All she’ll have to do is take one look at you and she’ll know. Just like I do. Just like we all do. This girl, Grace. She’s your mate, man.”
It was a gut punch. I hadn’t wanted to admit it to myself. I hadn’t wanted to admit it to them.
“Maybe it’ll be all right,” Loch said. “I mean, she’s human, but she’s got shifter blood in her too, right? Avelina said some shifter females mated with dragons in the ancient world. She said they survived.”
“That was before the curse,” Finn said. “Before the witches took their revenge and messed up the gene pool. Female shifters were common thousands of years ago. Grace isn’t a full-blooded shifter. She’s more human than anything else.”<
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“Shae is human too,” Xander said quietly.
“And you weren’t willing to risk it before you knew for sure,” I said, my voice cold as ice. We’d all seen it with our own eyes. Mad with grief, Avelina had accidentally unleashed a blast of fire. Shae got caught in the middle of it. When she emerged unharmed, we knew. She was protected by a spell. I could never be sure about Grace. And I would never test the theory. If I was wrong, she’d die. It wasn’t worth it.
“No,” Xander admitted. “I wasn’t. And I’m not suggesting you should either. As much as I hate to admit it for your sake, you’re right, Gideon. It’s too risky. Even if Grace really is yours, there’s no guarantee mating with her won’t kill her.”
“So that’s it then,” I said. “There’s nothing left for me to do.”
“Look,” Finn said. “We all saw what happened when she touched you up on the roof. You were gone, brother. Your dragon had taken over. Tell the truth. You couldn’t get back, could you?”
I squeezed my eyes shut as if that could block out the memory of my agony. Standing so near to Grace, I lost control. When my dragon won out, I couldn’t rein him back in.
“She touched you,” Finn said. “It was instinct. It had to be. There is no earthly reason why a girl like that...even if she does have some latent shifter DNA, would reach out and put her hands on a virile dragon in the throes of a bloodlust like that. You shot a column of fire as high as the Sears Tower. She didn’t even flinch. I mean...she fell on her ass from shock a second later...but before that. It was like she knew. We need to loop Avelina in. Maybe she can come up with something. Maybe she’s got a contact in the mage world that’s heard of this before.”
“No!” Kian shouted. “She is part wolf. That’s a fact. What Gideon said to her was true. If her kind finds out what we are, that’s the end of it. We won’t have to worry about going mad from mating sickness. They’ll hunt us to extinction just like they believe they already have. One pack, we can handle. Two or three even, but when the entire shifter world finds out what we are, we’re done. You all know it. I can’t believe we’re even standing here entertaining this.”
