The Stone Warriors: Dragan

by D. B. Reynolds

  “Reports from townspeople on the scene. Most of them are superstitious as hell. So when some white guy comes to town and starts doing weird fucking stuff, they get on their phones and make calls.”

  “I still don’t see a sorcerous connection, much less Sotiris specifically. I can’t see him wandering around Mexico killing vampires, just for the hell of it.”

  “Power, Nico. It’s about power,” Dragan said intently. “I don’t know vampires or how they live, but I had a goddess riding my ass from the minute I was born, and I know power. Sotiris planned to use my goddess gift to enhance his strength. I don’t know how. That’s your specialty, not mine. But once he lost me, he started looking for a replacement and somehow came up with Mexican vampires.”

  “I’ve got images of the bodies,” Gabriel said, handing Nico an iPad. “And witness descriptions of the men who did that to them.” He added a single sheet of paper on top of the iPad, then passed copies to the others. “Two men, one white, one Latino. White guy was mid-forties, dark hair. He let the other one do the talking. That one was a vampire, spoke Mexican Spanish like a native.”

  “Why not do his hunting during the day,” Nico insisted, “when the vamps would be easier to kill?”

  Gabriel shrugged. “Don’t know. Maybe he needed the vampire’s help, or maybe it has something to do with the device he hooked them up to.”

  “Device? What the fuck, Gabriel? You might have mentioned that earlier. What’d it look like?”

  “Oddly, or maybe not, we don’t have a description of it. Either Sotiris fucked with their memories, or they decided not to remember that part. People in those towns cultivate forgetfulness as a survival tool.”

  “Why remember him at all, then?”

  “Come on, Nico. You’re not that naïve. Those towns exist because of drugs. They might not like their masters, but they depend on them.”

  “All right,” he conceded, then stared at the iPad as it was passed down the line.

  When it made its way to Dragan, he leaned in so Maeve could see it, too. Reaching over, she swiped right to the next picture, and the one after that, before giving up. Christ, who wanted to see that anyway? They looked like ancient mummies from a horror movie. The only thing missing was trailing bandages. Yuck.

  “We need to confirm whether this really is Sotiris.” Nico raised a hand when two of the others immediately argued that it obviously was the damn sorcerer.

  “It’s him,” Maeve said.

  “Why?” Nico asked intently.

  “He always came to the lake house alone, but when I interviewed to work for him, we met at an office in New York that I assumed was his. It could have been anybody’s, I guess. I never saw him anywhere but the house after that. But that’s not the point. When we finished, it was dark, and he had his driver drop me at the train station on the way to wherever they were going. The driver was a big Hispanic guy. He didn’t say much, but he definitely had an accent.”

  “There are a lot of big Hispanic guys in the world,” Nico commented mildly.

  “Come on, Nico,” Gabriel protested again. “It’s one more piece of evidence added to what’s already a big pile. Why don’t you want to believe this? Is it the Raphael connection?”

  “Hell, no. It’s just. . . . Fuck. We’ve fought this asshole three times in as many years, and he’s still out there. I want to kill him as much as the rest of you, but . . .” He sighed. “You’re right. Maybe I just want to enjoy this moment of victory, all of us back together at last, for a few more days, before we’re back at war again.” He rubbed his face. “Okay, let’s do it. Gabriel, any reason you need to be back in California right away?”

  “The opposite. Raphael wants these killings stopped, and whoever’s responsible found. I’m headed to Mexico with or without all of you.”

  “I think I’m insulted,” Damian quipped. “You need me, at least.”

  “Why you?” Kato drawled. “Anyone can handle a gun. What he needs is someone who knows magic.”

  “Oh, God. Someone get a ruler,” Grace said in mock disgust. “This could take a while.

  Maeve, meanwhile, was trying to decide whether she and Dragan really had a role to play in all this. After all, he’d done more than his time with Sotiris.

  When Gabriel’s cell pinged softly, he held up one finger in a “just a minute” pause, and started to read. “Update,” he said without looking up. “Vincent made the trip north to the affected villages and interviewed witnesses himself. No one says ‘no,’ when a vampire lord asks personally.”

  That last was a low mutter, but it was loud enough to have Nico rolling his eyes, in what seemed to pass for restraint from him when it came to vampire lords. From what Maeve had observed of Nico thus far, he was almost completely the opposite of Sotiris in personality and behavior. Nico’s irreverent attitude must have driven the other sorcerer to distraction. Especially with Nico routinely defeating him in battle, according to Dragan. Losing would have been bad enough, but losing to the beautiful boy-man Nico must have been would have been the worst kind of insult. She bit her cheek to keep from smiling at that image.

  “What are you thinking?” Dragan whispered in her ear, reminding her that he, at least, was no boy. He never had been. His instincts had been honed by centuries of torment spent learning how to deal with cruel people who saw him as nothing but a tool to be used for their own purposes. He was an abused child who’d learned how to survive, and those children were sometimes the best at reading the people around them.

  She stretched up, intending to kiss his cheek, but he turned, catching her mouth instead. “Later,” she murmured against his lips. She would have grabbed another kiss, but Gabriel had apparently finished reading his text. He typed a quick reply, then looked up.

  “Message was from Jared. Raphael’s lieutenant,” he added for anyone who didn’t know. “Vincent got several descriptions of the mystery box Sotiris used. They vary slightly, but the particulars are all the same. One of the witnesses even admitted he snagged a photo. Jared says the quality sucks, but he’s sending it anyway. Raphael believes the photo’s distortion is the result of whatever magic Sotiris is using, but it still shows enough detail that it might be useful.”

  “I doubt he phrased it that politely,” Nico commented in a dry voice.

  “Jared doesn’t say,” Gabriel replied blandly, but Damian snickered.

  “Send the file to Lili,” Nico said. “She’ll clean it up and send it back to us.”

  Gabriel nodded and tapped his phone a bit. Clearly, Nico was the one in charge, while the guys treated each other just like the brothers Dragan had claimed they were.

  Kato stood suddenly. “We’re out of here,” Grace announced as Kato pulled her to her feet. “There’s a beautiful tub for two waiting in our room, and it’s calling my name.”

  “TMI!” Damian’s mate, Casey, called playfully, but murmured a soft, “Don’t get too hot,” when she leaned in to exchange air kisses with Grace.

  “You have a hotel?” Nico asked, when she and Dragan stood with the others. “You can stay here. There’s plenty of room.”

  “You can stay with us,” Grace said. “Or, I mean, at our hotel. I’m sure there are rooms available, and it’s very nice. Oceanfront.”

  Maeve gave the other woman a grateful smile. She was sure Nico’s guest rooms were lovely. The house was beautiful and right on the water. But she was also sure he’d keep Dragan up for hours, wanting to catch up on their years apart. But it had been a long day and night. She needed time alone with Dragan to absorb everything that had happened, everything they’d learned, and discuss what might happen next. And what their role was, what her role was.

  “Let me call,” Grace offered, but Maeve waved away the offer.

  “No, no. I’ll do it. What’s the hotel?” she said, pulling out her cell pho
ne.

  “Marriott in Fort Lauderdale. It’s only about ten miles from here and right on the sand. Beautiful view, if you get the right room.”

  “Got it,” Maeve murmured when Grace came to stand next to her. “They have rooms. Let’s see. Any recommendations?”

  The other woman pointed. “That’s what we have. Big tub.”

  Maeve laughed, but tapped her phone screen a few times, then looked up with a smile. “And done. The magic of modern technology.”

  Grace laughed. “We can have breakfast together in the morning.”

  “It’s already morning,” Hana said with a yawn. “Dinner is more our speed.”

  “Yes, yes, we know,” Grace said, arching one brow. “Though I still don’t believe it takes hours for the two of you to get showered and ready.”

  “Says the pregnant lady,” Hana returned dryly.

  Maeve smiled at the interplay between the women. She liked what she’d seen of this group. The men had the easy comradery of old friends, and their mates seemed to have fallen into their circle despite their newer addition. If she and Dragan remained together—and though it hurt her heart to think it, she wasn’t sure they would—she’d love having these strong, smart women as friends.

  “Meeting for a meal sounds great,” she told Grace. “But don’t call us before lunch, okay?” she added, with a smile.

  “It was a manner of speech,” Grace complained. “I didn’t mean literally breakfast. More like brunch. Late lunch, even.”

  “Let’s go, amata,” Kato said, sliding his arm over Grace’s shoulders. “Before you have all of us worrying about our next meal.” She stuck out her tongue at him, but went along, the two of them doing a round of good-bye kisses before making their escape.

  “Dragan?” Nico said. “You sure you don’t want to stay here?”

  Dragan walked around the low table to shake Nico’s hand, the two of them pulling each other in for a strong embrace, which they held for a long time.

  “You’re back,” Maeve heard Nico whisper. “You’re back. And safe, damn it.” Tears glistened in his eyes when they moved apart, matching the ones in her own eyes. The bond these men shared was an amazing thing, like nothing she’d ever witnessed.

  Dragan stepped to her side, pulling her close and bending down to kiss the top of her head. “Ready, sweet?”

  “Absolutely. Nico, after all Dragan’s told me, it was great to meet you in person. And by the sounds of it, we’ll be intruding on you again tomorrow.”

  The beautiful man leaned in to kiss her cheek, smelling of expensive aftershave. “It’s no intrusion. My home is always open to you. In fact—”

  “Tomorrow,” Casey said, giving Maeve a gentle push in the direction of the door. “We’ll never get out of here, otherwise.”

  Grateful for the interruption, Maeve watched as Casey hugged Nico, then urged all of them toward the door with a sing-song “Let’s go.”

  “Gabriel and Hana?” Maeve asked Casey in a low voice.

  “They’ll stay here,” the other woman said quietly, as the house door closed behind them. “They need daylight security, and no one’s house is more secure than Nick’s.”

  “You call him ‘Nick,’ not ‘Nico?’”

  “Oh, yeah. Well, that’s his modern name. I worked for him for a few years before I found this gorgeous statue on a rooftop.” She elbowed Damian who grinned.

  “I saved her life that night. She always leaves that part out.”

  “Blah, blah, blah.” They both laughed.

  Another example of deep love, Maeve thought, and wondered what people saw when they looked at her and Dragan. She shook her head, hearing her grandmother’s chiding voice, “Too much deep thinking, girl.” She’d always said that to her when she’d been buried too long in her computer. She’d then order Maeve out into the sunshine, despite her burnable, pale skin, saying there was plenty of shade under the sprawling red oak tree in the front yard.

  She and Dragan were quiet when they walked hand-in-hand to her SUV, neither of them speaking until they were inside.

  “You good?” she asked, putting a hand on his arm.

  He turned to her with a smile, looking more . . . peaceful, than she’d seen him since all of this began. “I have my brothers back, and I have you,” he said quietly. “What more could I ask?”

  Maeve blushed, glad for the dim light spilling in from outside. “Same,” she replied, then winced. What a lame thing to say. “Not the brothers,” she amended. “Obviously.” And didn’t know what else to say. But Dragan didn’t mind, apparently, because he leaned over the console to give her a kiss that began easily, but quickly turned hot and urgent as his fingers closed over her nape, and her arm circled his neck.

  When they finally separated, they were both breathing too hard to do more than gasp out a chuckle. “You got us a big bed, right?” he asked, his eyes so close to hers that she could see the gold glinting deep inside. “No more of those queens?”

  “One giant king bed, and. . . .” She paused for effect. “A big tub.”

  “It would have to be a very big tub for what I have planned.”

  Maeve grunted. “I’m thinking more likely bed tonight, tub tomorrow.”

  “We’ll have time in the morning. Gabriel’s down for the day, I’m told.”

  “Right. I should probably start the engine now. It’ll get us there faster.” She kissed him one last time, then pushed the ignition button.

  DRAGAN HELD ONTO Maeve when they entered the elevator and started upward, draping an arm around her shoulders as they leaned against the brushed metal wall. There was something troubling his Mae, something that had to with him. He was a skilled warrior, trained on battlefields where he was one against many. Training like that gave a man the ability to see without seeming to watch, to observe without being noticed. And it meant he saw far more than she realized. She’d been studying the others all night, her gaze softly wistful when she watched them tease each other, when she watched them kiss.

  He’d seen her reaction. But he didn’t understand it. And he wasn’t a man who liked not knowing what was happening. Especially not with the woman he considered his.

  He stripped off his clothes in the smaller of the two bathrooms of their large room, while she washed up in the other. He didn’t understand why they needed two bathrooms, but he had to admit, it was convenient. Especially tonight. He didn’t want anything to delay his plans for confronting Mae about whatever was troubling her. Given the chance, she’d put him off for one reason or another. She was more accustomed to concealing her thoughts than sharing them, and she was entitled to her privacy. But not when it put such sadness in her eyes.

  Brushing his teeth quickly, he ran a wet cloth over his face, then picked up his clothes and walked naked into the bedroom. She was still in the other bath, so he tossed his clothes on a chair, and slid under the covers. She couldn’t take refuge in another bed tonight, hiding behind her computer. They had just the one.

  She slowed when she finally emerged from the bathroom, her face flushed pink and her hair curling wet around her face. Giving him a suspicious look, she hung her clothes neatly, then giving the chair where he’d piled his own a wry look, she shook her head. “Men,” she muttered softly.

  He put his arm out when she slid in next to him, fitting her silky body to his. She’d purchased some pretty little gowns on their first night in Orlando. He didn’t know why she’d done so, but he did love the sight of her in the skimpy things. He loved even more stripping them off, while she writhed beneath him, the scent of her arousal filling the air.

  With a wordless hum, he skimmed one hand up her firm thigh and over her hip. “You’ve no need to worry about any man but this one,” he growled, and took her mouth in a kiss so possessive that there could be no doubt as to his claim. She was his, and n
o other’s.

  His cock hardened when she moaned into his mouth, and he slid his hand around the curve of her body to cup her ass, pulling her even closer, so she could feel the weight of his erection.

  “Dragan,” she whispered, her arms lifting around his neck as she squirmed beneath him, trying to get closer.

  “Mae,” he murmured. “My Mae.”

  Her breath hitched. It was slight, barely there. But he heard it, felt it against his neck. And that was the final straw. Pulling the gown over her head and off, he tossed it to the floor. But rather than taking her as she expected—and as the damn goddess knew he wanted—he pulled her up, until she was stretched out on top of him, and cupped her face in both hands. “What is it, sweet? Why are you sad?”

  She blinked quickly, clearing eyes cloudy with passion. “Sad?”

  Most other men would have fallen for it, but Dragan knew better. He’d studied her as closely as he had everyone in his life, experience having taught him to doubt the motives of every person he met. He didn’t doubt her, not any longer. But he did know her every expression, could read every emotion in her beautiful eyes. And he knew when she was hiding those feelings from him.

  “Sad,” he repeated firmly. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  “It’s stupid,” she said, and tried to pull away. But he wouldn’t let her.

  “What is it?” A thought occurred to him, unbidden and unwanted. He was so confident, so sure of her affection. What if . . . by the goddess, he dreaded to think it. But what if she didn’t want him? What if now that she’d not only freed him, but delivered him to Nico, she wanted to get on with her life? Without him. “Damn it, Mae,” he said, taking her arms so he could slip out from under her sweet body. “If you want me gone, just—”

  “Gone?” she demanded, plastering herself against him to forestall his attempt to push her away. Her weight was so light that he could have lifted her bodily, if he’d been willing to bruise her. Which he wasn’t. “Gone?” She glared at him, more furious than he’d ever seen her. “Have you seen those other women? Grace and the others? Casey and Hana?” She was shouting now, her eyes shining with angry tears. “I’m waiting for the moment you realize you can have a woman like that. That you belong with someone like that. Sophisticated and smart and beautiful and—”