“No, you don’t.” Luther’s hands gripped her shoulders, and he turned her to face him. “My money is your money.”
She shook her head. “That’s not right.”
“Uh-oh.” Oscar packed away the last of the unused supplies into the first aid kit and took a step back. “That’s my cue to get out of here.” He disappeared down the hallway.
Katherine and Sergei started to leave the room as well, but not before Sergei stopped by her side, bent down, and kissed her forehead. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She wished she’d kept her mouth shut, but she really needed money to be able to hide from the Knights.
“You don’t need to worry about money,” Sergei told her. She kept her lips sealed. He chuckled. “Stubborn.”
And what did he mean by that? She wasn’t stubborn, not really. Okay, maybe she was, but she wasn’t about to take advantage of anyone or make Luther feel as though he had to take care of her. She had money if she could access it. And she could certainly stand on her own two feet.
“So independent,” Luther muttered under his breath.
Tarrant stepped forward so suddenly, she took a step back. “What’s your talent, your gift?” he asked.
Her stomach dropped. How does he know? “Why would you ask such a thing?” Better to go on the offensive than be on the defensive.
Luther tugged her behind him. One second she was confronting Tarrant, the next staring at Luther’s bare back. As much as she loved looking at him, she wasn’t about to hide behind any man. She stepped to the side so she could see Tarrant and his brother.
“Yes, why would you ask?” Luther wanted to know.
Tarrant dragged his fingers through his hair. “Because all the women we’ve become involved with are special.”
Nic patted Tarrant’s arm. “What my brother is trying to say is that all our mates have some kind of psychic gift. I imagine your mother has one as well.”
…
Luther didn’t like Tarrant’s interest in Victoria. It didn’t matter that the man had a woman of his own. Victoria was his.
He also didn’t like Victoria asking the man for favors. She didn’t need money. He had money and could take care of her. Even as he thought it, he almost laughed. Victoria was the most independent woman he’d ever met.
What she hadn’t yet truly come to accept was that he needed her more than she needed him. Without her, he would be incomplete, left wanting and yearning for all his days.
She, on the other hand, could no doubt live a good life without him.
“Why are you so interested?” Luther wasn’t about to divulge Victoria’s secrets. Or his mother’s either.
“It’s okay.” Victoria stepped around him and confronted both men. “I have visions when I sleep. I can’t control what or who I see, but it usually pertains to someone or something in my life. Sometimes I see the past, and other times the present, but never the future. That’s what led me to work for Mr. Temple. I had a vision about him and another man speaking about capturing dragons. That’s what they called your kind. I knew then he might be the key to me finding Sergei.”
Nic released a low whistle. “So you went to work for him in order to find your childhood friend?”
She nodded. Luther put his arm around her shoulder, tucking her close. He was acting like a possessive ass but didn’t care.
Tarrant’s gaze narrowed. “Did you have a vision about me?”
“No.” She shook her head. Luther knew she wasn’t going to leave it at that when she turned to Nic. “But I did have a vision about you and Constance.”
Nic grew deathly still. “And what did you see or hear?”
“Watch how you speak to her,” Luther warned.
“It’s all right,” she assured him before giving Nic her full attention. “It was because of your connection to Oscar. It was reassurance, I think, so we’d trust him. I saw the two of you speaking about Oscar and knew you were worried about him. That was it.”
“And you can’t control it,” Tarrant asked.
She shook her head. “If I could, I’d have found Sergei years ago instead of having nightmare visions of what was being done to him and Katherine.”
“Fuck,” Luther swore before pulling her against his chest. “That’s enough,” he told the brothers. He owed them for their help, but he wasn’t going to allow them to treat his woman this way.
“I’m sorry,” Nic offered. “I imagine it’s not pleasant at times.”
There was no humor in her laugh. “That’s an understatement.”
“I’ll get you your money,” Tarrant told her. “Just give me the bank.”
“I have the account number,” she assured him.
“That’s good, too, but I don’t need it to get you your money. I’ll set up another account for you under a new identity.”
“Thank you. I’ll pay you for it.”
Tarrant shook his head. “Consider it payment for what you’ve done for one of our kind.”
“I can’t do that,” she insisted. “Sergei is my friend.”
Luther almost smiled at the expression on Tarrant’s face. Obviously, he’d never run across a person as stubborn as Victoria. He imagined most people would love to take advantage of Tarrant’s computer skills, but not her.
“We’ll discuss it once it’s done,” Tarrant said. Luther recognized a sidestep when he heard one, and so did Victoria. Her gaze narrowed, and he knew she wouldn’t be able to just let it be.
“And your mother?” Nic asked.
Luther shook his head. He wouldn’t go there. “That’s her business.”
Nic slowly nodded. “Fair enough.”
Oscar strode back into the room and dropped a knapsack on the table. He went back to the hidden cache of weapons and began to arm himself.
Luther watched, slightly amazed, as the man tucked knives into his boots and slid another sheath onto his belt. Then he pulled on a harness and slid two handguns into the leather holster. Ammo came next, along with the rifle he’d had earlier.
“Think you have enough?” Luther asked.
“You can never have enough,” he shot back.
“Oscar is right.” Victoria slid out from under his arm. “Do you have anything I can use? I’ve shot a handgun before, but not in a long time.” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Maybe a knife, too.”
Okay, was it wrong of him to get hard just thinking about her gearing up? It turned him on even as he wanted to howl at the fact she thought she needed to protect herself. He would protect her.
And that was chauvinistic and shortsighted. His father would have given his life to protect his mother, but the fact remained that he couldn’t always be there.
Oscar glanced at him first. Victoria caught the look and turned to glare at him. “It’s not Luther’s decision, it’s mine. Or rather, it’s Nic’s decision since these weapons probably belong to him.” She turned her attention to Nic, who froze.
Luther almost laughed, in spite of the gravity of the situation. Like Oscar, Nic flicked a glance in his direction.
Victoria growled, honest to God growled under her breath. He thought she might have cursed all men, too. Tarrant’s lips twitched, but he managed not to smile, which showed his extreme intelligence.
“I’ll help myself, then.” Victoria went to the weapons cache, chose a knife, and strapped it to her thigh. Her very slender, supple thigh, which was outlined by the leggings she wore.
She reached for a gun, but Oscar stopped her. “Not that one. If you haven’t shot a weapon in a while, best to stick to something smaller and simpler. Just point and pull the trigger.” He picked one up, checked the safety, and then handed it to her.
Luther walked over to her side and took a small holster out of the cabinet and clipped it to the band of her leggings. “See how that feels.” He didn’t want the weight to pull down her pants.
She slid it inside and maneuvered before shaking her head. “How about a shoulder holster?”
Oscar handed one over, and Luther helped her put it on. Three large drakons and a very dangerous human male were suddenly all crowded around Victoria, giving her pointers. She’d charmed Nic and Tarrant as she had him.
His dragon bristled inside him. Luther wanted to shove all the other men back but managed to refrain. He wanted Victoria to feel safe. Granted, he wanted her to feel safe with him, but if this added to her sense of well-being, he’d suck it up and live with it.
“Better?” he asked.
“Much.” She smiled up at him, a real one not shaded by worry. Her blue eyes were clearer than a summer’s day, and her lips were extremely kissable.
Even though he knew the others were watching, maybe because the others were watching, he leaned down and pressed his mouth to hers. He wanted to lay claim to her, to let everyone else know that she belonged to him, with him.
He caught her sigh before she returned the kiss. Luther forgot all about guns and knives and Knights. He even forgot about the other men in the room, and the fact that his parents were only a room away.
There was only Victoria and what she made him feel.
“He’s done for.” Luther thought it was Tarrant who spoke but couldn’t be sure. Didn’t really care.
He wanted to toss her over his shoulder and take her somewhere safe. Somewhere safe. That got through to him like nothing else could have. They needed to leave this location immediately. It had been compromised.
He pulled his lips from hers. She blinked several times before shaking her head. “You need to come with a warning label.”
He tried not to puff out his chest. Really, he did. The other men laughed.
“We need to get going,” he told her. “We can talk more later.” And they had a lot to talk about, namely the future. Their future. Together.
He mentally kicked himself for taking the time to indulge when he should have been planning their strategic retreat. He turned to the other men. Oscar gave him a quizzical glance, but Nic and Tarrant both stiffened just before the perimeter alarm sounded.
“What is it?” Victoria demanded.
“They’re here,” he told her.
Chapter Twenty-One
Victoria had known their location had been compromised, but she honestly hadn’t expected Caine to be close enough or prepared to launch an attack. She’d underestimated the man.
Sergei bolted into the room with Katherine right behind him. “Is it Caine?”
Luther nodded. “Has to be.”
Katherine rubbed the back of her neck. Victoria noticed the bandage was gone and the skin was smooth. Sergei must have made her drink some of his blood as soon as they were alone. She’d expected it. He obviously loved his wife and wouldn’t have been able to bear to see her in any discomfort when he could prevent it.
“We need to get outside,” Luther told his father. “Oscar, you stay inside with the women. Caine will be expecting two drakons, not four.”
She looked at Nic and Tarrant, wondering if they’d fight. They had women of their own to worry about. She wouldn’t blame them if they decided to slip out the back door.
“We’ll go out back and around, try to flank them so we can squeeze them.” Tarrant looked to his brother, who nodded his agreement. Then they were gone, moving quickly and quietly for two big men.
“We’re out the front,” Luther told his father. “No survivors.”
Victoria’s heart clenched, but she didn’t object. She knew they really didn’t have any other choice. Caine would never leave them alone. And there was no way she wanted Sergei and Katherine back under his control. And the thought of Luther being caged made her sick. But also determined.
“I need a weapon,” Katherine stated. Sergei looked as though he was going to object but decided against it. Probably knew it wasn’t a good idea. Katherine was a very strong woman. She’d had to be. Of course she’d want to arm herself.
“I’ll take care of it,” Oscar stated.
Sergei went to Katherine and kissed her. Victoria looked at Luther. He was watching his parents. Then he turned to her.
“You stay safe,” he told her. He hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Promise me.” Tension filled him, and his eyes were so dark they were more gray than blue.
“I’ll do my best.” That was all she could promise.
He cursed and slammed his lips down on hers for a quick, almost brutal kiss. Then he was gone out the front door with his father behind him.
Victoria placed her fingers on her lips and tried to catch her breath. It wasn’t easy. Luther had stolen it along with her heart.
In the background, she heard Oscar and Katherine discussing her options for weapons. Victoria shook herself out of her sensual stupor. This was no time to moon over Luther. Plenty of time for that if they survived.
When they survived, because they would. They had to.
“Are you all right?”
Katherine had come up beside her and placed her hand on Victoria’s arm. She wondered what Luther’s mother thought about their relationship. “I’m good. You?” Katherine had been through a hell of a lot more than she had.
“I’m fine. Don’t you worry about me.”
But she was. How could she not be worried?
Katherine sighed and worry clouded her gaze. “I have to believe we’ll win. After all these years, we’re so close to freedom.”
Victoria wanted to comfort her but didn’t know how. “Luther and Sergei are both strong. And they’re not alone.”
“No, they’re not. Thank you for all you’ve done for us.”
Victoria nodded, uneasy with the praise. It wasn’t why she’d done it.
Katherine gave a sad laugh. “I’ll probably fall apart once I know this is over. I think I’m still too afraid to believe it’s real, that we’re finally free.”
“It will be over.” Victoria drew her gun and went to one of the windows.
“Don’t stand in front of it,” Oscar cautioned. “And get low and stay there. If I tell you to run, you hit the back door as fast as you can.”
Victoria crouched beside the window and watched as Katherine did the same on the other side of the room. There were no vehicles or men in sight, at least none she could see, but they were out there. And so were Luther and the others.
Her stomach was in knots. She forced herself to take deep, slow breaths to calm her nerves.
Oscar used the butt of his rifle to smash out one of the long narrow windows on the side of the door. Then he raised the weapon and held it steady.
Victoria wished she could get a glimpse of Luther, but she decided it was probably better she didn’t. Her nerves were pulled so tight it wouldn’t take much to snap them.
When this was over, she wanted to go somewhere peaceful and quiet. Maybe the beach. Somewhere warm where she could sip exotic drinks and lounge on the sand. Or maybe the mountains, a rustic cabin where she could watch the sunrise and sunset while enjoying the crisp, cool air.
She noticed Luther was beside her in all her fantasies. She didn’t want to leave him. She loved him.
And that was never going to change.
She knew Luther cared deeply for her. But was it love? Or was it proximity and their shared quest. They hadn’t really spent that much time together, and all of it had been fraught with danger.
Where is he?
She shifted position slightly, careful to keep her head out of view. How much longer was it going to be? How did men in war handle the tension of waiting? It was unbearable to know Luther was out there, that the others were out there, exposed and vulnerable to whatever Caine had planned.
All she could do was trust them. And wait.
…
The first thing Luther did when he was out of sight of the front windows was shuck the sweatpants he was wearing and tuck them under a dense shrub. His father was right beside him.
“How do you want to handle this?”
It was weird to have his father deferring to him, but Luth
er wouldn’t fail him. He couldn’t. The lives of Victoria and his mother depended on it.
“We need to split up. Nic and Tarrant will be flanking them. They know the land. We don’t.” And that was a huge oversight on his part. He’d been so focused on Victoria and sleeping with her, he hadn’t taken the necessary precautions like learning the surrounding terrain.
He could beat himself up over it later. Right now, he needed to make up for his oversight as best as he could. “There’s not much cover.” That was an understatement. A lot of rock and dirt. There were trees, but most of them were short and many were gangly.
Sergei studied the ground. “I’ll go to the right and dig in.”
That was a good plan. “I’ll take the left.” Luther pointed to an outcropping of rocks. “Go. We’re almost out of time.” The vehicles were getting closer. Luther had no idea if they would simply drive right up to the door or if they’d try to sneak up on foot.
Both men went in opposite directions. Luther sprinted across the open ground and hunkered down behind the rocks. He looked for his father but there was no sign. Sergei had always been a master of camouflage, but most of his experience was in the snow and mountains, not the desert.
He tried not to think about Victoria, but he could still taste her on his lips. He touched his fingers to his mouth and swallowed heavily. He could not lose her, not when he’d just found her.
Luther didn’t need his preternatural senses in order to hear the vehicles now. There were multiple ones, some of them heavy and large from the sound of it. There was no telling how many men Caine had brought with him, or the stories or lies he’d told them. Most of the Knights were dishonest, unless it served their purpose to tell the truth.
Some of the men would be here for the money. There were always the mercenary types. Some would think they were defending their country against a threat. Whatever their reasons, these men had made their decision, had brought the fight to them. Now it was up to the drakons to finish it.
Drakon Unchained Page 23
