The Sapphire Dragon

by Tianna Xander

  “Why won’t you kiss me?”

  “Because I don’t wish to.” She spun around, stepping back when she realized just how close he’d gotten to her. “You don’t understand. I could hurt you. I could hurt someone else. I’m not like my sisters. My powers are more dangerous than the others. I know this and I refuse to endanger them or anyone else.”

  “I doubt that you could harm me, or any of your mated sisters, for that matter,” he said thickly.

  He looked upset, but she couldn’t help but think it was just a ruse to garner her sympathy.

  “Remember, we dragons and our mates are difficult to kill.”

  “Your kind aren’t so difficult to kill that a human couldn’t manage to do so at the restaurant the other night. But you already knew that. Didn’t you? How convenient for you that the one man knocked me out. You didn’t have to use any of your dragon tricks in front of me. It saved you a lot of explanations.”

  Daisy still couldn’t believe that he’d lied to her. Dragons held honor above all else. She glared at Jarrod and wondered what kind of dragon he was that he didn’t hold himself to that high standard.

  “You make it sound as though I wanted to hide what I am from you. Nothing could be farther from the truth.”

  “Oh, really?” She asked, keeping her tone sarcastic. Was she being unfair? Daisy bit her lip and gave herself a mental shake. She stared at his pained expression. He had no one to blame for his bruised ego but himself. She had made it no secret that she wanted nothing to do with dragons. “I have made it perfectly clear that I would not accept the advances of any dragon. And here you stand, admitting that you knew I didn’t want a dragon for a mate going in. Yet, you pursued me anyway. Why?”

  “Well.” He paused and ran his fingers through his hair. “I had hoped that you would fall in love with me before your prejudice clouded your judgment.”

  “I am not prejudiced! I don’t have a bigoted bone in my body.” She held her hand to her throat. How could he accuse her of such a thing?

  Jarrod threw his head back and laughed out loud. “From where I’m standing, you do. What you have done is no different than refusing to date me because of the color of my skin or my nationality.” He stopped laughing abruptly and stared down at her. “Do you think I had any kind of control over the circumstances of my birth?” He snorted. “If you do, you’re either disillusioned or you know a hell of a lot more about life than I do.”

  “You make it sound so…so bad. I’m not prejudiced. I just can’t bring myself to live this kind of life.”

  “To what kind of life are you referring, Daisy?” He moved closer, bent and stared deep into her eyes. “Do you refer to a life where you would live with a man who would put your happiness, your life, above his own? No human man could guarantee you that.”

  “No dragon can either.” She spun around, unable to take his scrutiny.

  “At least one dragon can.” He grasped her shoulder and turned her around. “I can. I can promise you that I will always put your wants and needs above my own.”

  Daisy shook her head. “No you can’t. The moment you think I’m in danger, you’ll lock me away like some sort of porcelain doll. All of my sisters’ husbands do that.”

  “Only because your sisters allow it. If being in danger is what would make them truly happy, there is no way their mates could ever deny that to them.”

  He gave her a look so intense, that Daisy had a difficult time not falling into his arms. She knew that was what he wanted. He wanted her to kiss him. She couldn’t allow that…ever.

  “Nice try, Romeo. But I’m out of here. Don’t let the front door hit you in the rear on your way out.” Turning, she stalked into the house and up the stairs.

  She couldn’t stay and listen to him any longer. His arguments wore on her resolve and she couldn’t afford that. She had to stay strong, or he would catch her in his trap.

  Three weeks later, Daisy watched Drake and his goons bring a human in for questioning. If she wasn’t mistaken, it was one of the men who had tried to kidnap her the night she went out with Jarrod.

  A shaft of pain shot through her when her thoughts turned to Jarrod. He had been around. She had no doubt that he was attempting to tease her. It was working. She felt him every time he walked through the door. He barely looked at her when he visited, which was worse than if he’d sought her out.

  It made her curious as to what the man was up to. Curiosity was a dangerous thing. She chewed on her thumbnail for a bit and then frowned. Why didn’t he try to talk to her? She shouldn’t care that he didn’t. It wasn’t as though she wanted him to talk to her. Conversations between them always turned toward why he wanted her and why she wouldn’t accept him. They’d beat that proverbial dead horse into the ground. It still didn’t stop her from wanting to see him.

  She pressed her hands to her chest. It hurt more and more every day and she couldn’t figure out why.

  The muffled sound of a cell phone ringing reached her ears. A moment later, the house exploded into a flurry of movement. The dragon males were excited. Something bad happened. Daisy could feel it.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked one of them as they hurried past. The dragon turned, gave her a dirty look and kept going. What the hell is going on?

  She needed to find one of her mated sisters. They would know. After that, she could go hole herself up in her room until the large group of males left. The last thing she wanted was to run into Jarrod. The man was impossible.

  “What’s going on?” she asked April as soon as she walked into the kitchen. “Everyone is going nuts out there.”

  “There’s a situation.”

  April was usually more forthcoming than that. Was she stalling so Jarrod could make his way into the room? Whatever happened, she needed to avoid the man at all costs. Every time she spoke to him, her resolve faltered. One of these days she’d allow him to kiss her and she’d be lost.

  “Look, I know what you’re doing. You give me a bit of information here and a bit there, until it gives Jarrod enough time to rush in here and chip away at my resolve. It’s not going to work. I’ll run out of this room if I even think he’s close.”

  “I don’t think you’re going to have to worry about that, today,” April said as she slammed the refrigerator door. “In fact, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about him contacting you ever again. He and two other males had a run in with the man in custody and his buddies. Since he had no prospects of a mate, he used himself as bait while the others captured that dragon-killing piece of crap. The other two bad guys dragged Jarrod off.”

  April crossed her arms and gave Daisy a tight smile. It was no secret that she didn’t approve of Daisy’s choice to remain dragon free. “Jarrod is finally out of your hair. You no longer have to worry about that annoying dragon. Drake doesn’t expect him to survive the night. None of them do. Wanna celebrate?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jarrod woke slowly. He lay on a hard slab, his hands bound at his sides, and his feet manacled with what must have been tempered steel. A band wrapped around his forehead, keeping him from moving his head even a fraction of an inch. He could do nothing but stare at the ceiling.

  He reached for his other half and attempted to change into his dragon. His dragon could break his bonds, but something kept him from doing so. Had they drugged him? Was there even a drug to stop the shift into his dragon form?

  Water dripped from somewhere just out of sight, the sound echoing through the cave. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, their sharp points aiming down to the floor. Strange swirls covered the smooth stone that someone had cleared of any stalagmites that might have formed.

  Closing his eyes, Jarrod took a deep breath and attempted to shift his consciousness into the ether. If he managed to let go of his corporeal form, he would be able to find his way out of here and alert the others as to his whereabouts.

  “He’s awake,” a deep male voice said behind him. “Go
get the boss and let him know he’s finally opened his eyes. I think he wants to question our guest.” The man didn’t bother to hide the humor in his voice.

  No doubt, they each found their employer’s type of questioning entertaining. Perhaps they intended to torture him. It wouldn’t matter. Jarrod took a deep breath, firming his resolve. They wouldn’t get whatever it was they sought. Not from him.

  The sound of footsteps echoed through the cave, growing closer until the sound stopped with his captors still out of sight.

  “Welcome to my home, Jarrod. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other.”

  Jarrod tested his bonds again, hoping to find a weakness. There was none.

  “It seems as though it will be longer, if you insist on staying out of sight.”

  The voice was familiar. Very familiar, but it couldn’t possibly be. “Durham Bently,” he said as three men finally stepped into view, wearing huge grins. “You were thought long dead.” For good reason. Drake’s father thought he’d killed him in a mate battle. Drake’s mother had been a mate to both the sorcerer, Durham, and Drake’s father, Zachariah.

  “Yes.” His smile faded. “But I fear you dragons no longer. Certainly you all had to know that it was only a matter of time before someone found your weaknesses.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” As a rule, dragons didn’t have weaknesses. Their strength was legendary. “We have no real weakness.” Well, they had their mates, but he wasn’t about to point that weapon at their females.

  “Yes. You do.” Durham grinned. “It will please me greatly to show you what it is. First, I think I’ll let you sit here a bit longer and stew about your situation. I’ve found that the longer a dragon stays helpless, the more delicious his awakening to his newfound frailty.”

  That definitely sounded as though they intended to torture him. He listened as the three men left the chamber and immediately attempted to leave his body once more. He had to figure out where he was and warn the others. If he could find a way to expose these men, his death wouldn’t be in vain. He had always hoped to die honorably. This was his chance. Perhaps, if they were lucky, they could stop this lunatic before he killed a dragon with an agreeable mate.

  For one moment, Jarrod pictured Daisy standing before him, her beautiful yellow-blonde hair framing her delicate features. If only he had been able to kiss her, just once. If he had, he could have died happy. Instead, he would die knowing that the woman he loved couldn’t stand the sight of him.

  Once again, Jarrod closed his eyes and reached for the ether.

  Chapter Seventeen

  For the first time since her parent’s death, Daisy closed her eyes and prayed. She needed to find Jarrod. As much as she didn’t want to be his mate, she didn’t want him dead either.

  It was time that she admitted to herself that she couldn’t help falling in love with the man. She’d seen him almost daily for the last few weeks. Each time, he had looked at her, but never said a word, and never once approached her.

  He’d been giving her what she wanted. A life without him. Now, she wasn’t so sure that she wanted a life without him in it.

  What had she done by refusing him? She never once thought that anything would happen to him, though, she supposed it made sense. Why wouldn’t he take chances? He knew that if she had her way, he wouldn’t have a mate. At least not for a long time. Mates were rare for dragon kin. She knew that and still she’d refused him. What a bitch she’d become in her quest to shun magic.

  Opening her eyes, she glanced at her dresser. As much as she hated the thought, she would have to use her magic. She didn’t want to hurt anyone with it, but she didn’t want Jarrod dying because of some childish fear of hers either.

  As impossible as it seemed, she’d fallen in love with Jarrod in her quest to keep herself from feeling anything for the man. She’d even avoided him. How could she fall in love with him by just seeing him every day? Did it have something to do with their mate bond? Did their bond insure that they would fall in love with one another? Is that why it always seemed to happen so quickly with dragons and their mates?

  Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. If only she had allowed him to kiss her. She would at least be partially bound to the man and have some semblance of control over her power.

  Instead, she’d refused him and now she’d be using her magic without the control that having a mate would have given her.

  Standing, she strode to her dresser and stared at the top drawer. Nervous, she wiped the palms of her hands on her legs before she reached out and pulled the drawer open. Reaching in behind her underwear, she pulled out the long, ebony case and stared at the polished wood.

  “Here goes nothing,” she whispered to herself as she opened the thin box. Terrified of what was to come, she pulled the wand from its case and shoved it up her sleeve.

  Whatever she did, she had to find a place to do it outside. She didn’t want to be responsible for destroying Drakes beautiful home.

  Normally, she would never touch her wand unless her sisters browbeat her into it, but this time she knew she had to use it. This time, her mate’s life could very well depend on it.

  All of the men were in some sort of meeting. They were most likely trying to figure out a way to save Jarrod. It wasn’t difficult to make her way through the house unseen. It was even easy to get outside without a guard. The dragons were too busy trying to figure out a way to save one of their own to worry about an unmated female sneaking out.

  Moving to a smooth patch of grass several yards from the house, Daisy pulled the wand from her sleeve, closed her eyes and lifted her hands to the sky. Keeping the tip of the wand pointed toward the night sky, she began her chant to draw down the power of the moon. She was going to need it.

  After several long moments, Daisy opened her eyes. Silvery light shone around her, the light glittering through the dark of the night. She was in Drake’s back yard, but she was also somewhere else.

  “I didn’t expect to find you here.”

  Daisy spun around at the smooth sound of Jarrod’s voice. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard his lovely English accent and her insides almost melted. She shook her head. She needed to stay on task, not think about how glad she was to see him.

  “Where are you?” Her voice broke. She couldn’t help the great feeling of relief that washed through her. He’s still alive!

  “Does it matter?” He looked around him. “Tell Drake that Durham lives. I am in his lair.”

  “You’ll tell him yourself.”

  “No, Daisy. I am going to die.” Moonlight glittered around him as he moved, almost making it appear as though he did everything in slow motion as the light left a trail in his wake. He reached toward her, his hand almost touching her cheek before he let it fall to his side. “Death is the only thing left for me now. I wish you nothing but happiness, love.”

  “Don’t give me that load of crap, Jarrod.” Daisy practically snarled. “You wanted to know what I was doing here. Well, I’m using my magic.” She glanced around her. “Strange that it’s not going haywire the way it usually does.” She lifted the corner of her mouth in a half smile. “Maybe it has something to do with that buss on the lips you gave me the last time we talked. Whatever the reason, I’ve got some semblance of control and you are coming home.”

  “I am not really here, love.” He held his arms out to his sides. “This is just a shadow of me. My soul is in the ether. I left my body to find Drake and inform him of our enemy. My body is laying on a cold slab in a cave, strapped down with steel. I cannot come to you as I would so love to do.”

  “You dragons,” Daisy said, then shook her head with a sigh. “You think so two dimensionally.” Drawing more power from the ether, Daisy visualized herself standing next to Jarrod’s caged body until somehow, she was there next to him.

  Just as he said, he lay on a slab of cold stone, his extremities strapped down with steel bands. A
strange sheet lay on his chest, shimmering with some sort of magic that she couldn’t name and feared to know. Was it keeping him too weak to escape?

  Power radiated off the strange, ice-blue sheet. A wave of her arm sent the sheet fluttering to the floor. Another wave released the bands holding Jarrod to the slab and still another lifted his weak form into the air.

  Lifting both of her arms, she held her hands close to her chest, palms out and pushed Jarrod through the ether. He moved through the cave walls, through time and space and, if she was lucky, now hung suspended in the air in Drake’s garden at his home in Yorkshire.

  Gathering the power around her, Daisy visualized the cave imploding at the same time she wished herself to Jarrod’s side.

  “That should keep that Durham busy for awhile,” she said as she appeared next to Jarrod just outside of Drake’s home. He still appeared unconscious, but he had seemed so much alive when she spoke to him in the ether. Why wasn’t he awake?

  “Help! Help me!” She cried for help as she crammed her wand in her back pocket and knelt in the grass to cup Jarrod’s face in her hands.

  “Wake up! Why won’t you wake up?” Staring down into his face, she leaned closer and pressed her lips to his. He had to open his eyes. She refused to think she’d gotten there too late to save him.

  After a few seconds, he reached up, cupped the back of her head and kissed her back. She opened her mouth and his tongue swept inside. His memories flooded into her mind.

  His hopes, his dreams and the sum of the man he was, rushed through her. It was a tidal wave of information all mixed with the feeling of his love for her.

  Slowly, he let her go and sat up. “Thank you for coming for me.” He turned to stare deep into her eyes. “But promise me that you’ll never risk yourself like that again.”

  “I promise, just so long as you never get yourself captured by a lunatic again.” She smiled at him as the others came running, no doubt drawn by her panicked screams.