by Denise Lynn
When she hesitated, he rested his forehead against hers and said, “I swear to you, we can argue and fight about it later. There’ll be plenty of time. For now, if you won’t feed for yourself, do it for our son. He needs you.”
Unable to withstand the lull of his voice and the heat of his mental touch, she relaxed in his embrace, accepting the return of his kiss and the strength he offered.
Sean knew this wouldn’t last for long. The Caitlin he remembered from their brief tryst would never have rested so pliantly in his arms, permitting him to have his way. Nor would she have surrendered so easily to his physical, or mental, touch. Doing so attested to her near starvation.
She wouldn’t have done this to herself. The thought that anyone would have starved her in this manner sent his blood boiling. And the thought that they’d probably done so because of the child added his beast’s rage to his own. They would pay—with their lives if the dragon had any say in the matter.
Her throaty moan tore him from the darkness of his thoughts. He frowned, realizing that this mental play, this stroking and touching, no matter how focused, wasn’t going to be enough to satisfy the hunger tearing at her.
Sean knew he couldn’t do this without his beast’s help. After all, that had to be where the magic originated, so he hoped the brute would behave himself. He gave control of this mind play to the dragon, trusting the beast wouldn’t harm his own mate.
While they physically stayed in the seat they shared, in his mind the dragon came to life. A mass of foggy mist swirled into the form of the beast before dissipating, only to return in the shape of a man. He glanced over his shoulder and for a split second, Sean saw the elongated emerald gaze of his dragon.
The power and lust in that brief glimpse sent a shiver down his spine. But the tremor evaporated, replaced with a heat so intense Sean wondered if they’d burn alive.
A woman appeared out of the lingering mist. Not any woman, but Caitlin. A timid smile crossed her lips, but her amber-hued eyes held a wariness that couldn’t be denied. She didn’t trust the beast—didn’t trust him to hold control.
He’d have to prove her fears baseless.
He reached for her and the plane lost altitude as if it would fall from the sky. It took a moment for Sean to realize the motion of the jet was real—it wasn’t some imagined feeling of bottomlessness.
The Fasten Seat Belt light blinked on. At the same time, the pilot’s voice filled the cabin. “Sorry about that. We’ve hit a pocket of turbulence. Should be out of it soon.”
It was all Sean could do not to growl in frustration. This was one of the many reasons he didn’t like flying in planes—the utter lack of control.
Caitlin scrambled back into her seat and fastened her seat belt. She was flush, shaking, and it didn’t take a genius to know it wasn’t from the plane’s sudden movement.
He leaned over and captured her lips beneath his. Their kiss was brief since that wasn’t his intent. When she parted her lips, he exhaled as much of his energy and power as he could, willing her to absorb what little he could offer in this manner.
She stroked the side of his face, rested her hand against his cheek and slowly inhaled. Her fingers against his skin trembled. When she started to pull away, he cupped the back of her head and held her steady. Regardless of what she thought, or feared, she couldn’t drain him. His beast would never permit such a thing to happen.
Once her heartbeat slowed, and her fingers stilled, he released her. “Will that hold for now?”
“Yes. Thank you.” She turned away to stare out the window.
The plane hit another patch of turbulence and she grasped his forearm. “Sean!”
He patted her hand. “It’ll be fine.”
“No. Look!”
He followed the line of her finger to the outside of the plane. The turbulence hadn’t been caused by any weather formation. The dark shape of a demon beast near the tip of the wing was the reason the plane’s flight pattern had been so erratic.
“What is that?”
Sean had the distinct impression that he somehow knew this demon, but how? “I think the question is who is that, not what.”
“Fine, then, who is it?”
“I would guess our son’s kidnapper.”
Caitlin gasped. “Do something.”
While reaching for his cell phone, Sean looked at her to ask, “What exactly do you want me to do?” He wasn’t about to slip into the demon’s mind to try forcing him away, and he wasn’t able to materialize on the outside of the plane. If that thing was Nathan the Learned, as he feared, he would be literally risking not just his own life, but those of Caitlin and their child, as well.
He hit speed dial on his phone. “Cam, we have a problem here.”
Not bothering to wait for an explanation, his brother rushed into his mind and pulled out just as quickly, leaving Sean reeling from the rush.
Within seconds, two dragons appeared behind the demon.
“Your brothers?” Caitlin asked.
He studied them briefly then shook his head. “No. Cam and his wife, Ariel.”
Surprised, she asked, “She’s a dragon changeling, too?”
“Only when she’s pregnant.” At her questioning look, he explained, “She takes on the abilities of the baby she carries.” Which obviously meant another Drake was on the way soon.
“How did they get here so quickly?”
Sean explained, “Just like Braeden, Cam is also able to materialize where he’s needed in an instant. Since he was most likely with Ariel, it’s a fair bet she demanded to come along.”
“But how did he know what was happening? Are they watching us?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes. This jet is Braeden’s pride and joy. He was probably keeping his awareness on it and knew when trouble threatened.”
The dragons double-teamed the demon with a diving-bombing aerial assault. They worked in perfect unison, and Sean could only imagine the exhilaration they felt at their spiraling maneuvers. The demon beast was no match for the two larger and faster dragons, and it quickly disappeared into the night sky.
Cam hung back long enough to peer in the window at Caitlin. She leaned away. “What does he want?”
“Thank you. Now go home.” Sean tapped a finger on the glass. “He’s just being nosy. He’d never admit it, but it’s a common ailment for him. Especially in beast form.”
“Sort of like a dog?”
The dragon reared back as if it had heard her comment, which he probably had, and spun away.
Sean snorted in amusement, but said in a more serious tone, “I’m not too sure that’s the way to talk to something who just rescued you.”
“I wasn’t thinking.” Caitlin sighed. “I’ll apologize later.”
The seat belt light blinked off.
His phone rang. Sean absently looked at the caller ID before responding to Caitlin. “You do that, but right now get some sleep. We’ll be at Mirabilus soon.”
She shook her head. “I can’t sleep.”
There were things he couldn’t do like his brothers could, but this wasn’t one of them. He placed his palm over her eyes and whispered, “Sleep, Caitlin, just go to sleep.”
Once certain she was resting comfortably, he rose and disappeared into the rear cabin to return Braeden’s call.
* * *
Someone touched her arm, startling her from her odd dreams of demons, dragons and wizards.
“Caitlin. We’re here.”
She blinked the sleep from her eyes and frowned before turning an accusing glare toward Sean. She’d been unable to fall asleep until he’d placed his hand over her eyes and ordered her to go to sleep. How many other powers did he have that would also prove unwelcome? “You knocked me out.”
He ignored her and moved away to the already open exit door. “Coming?”
She followed him down the steps onto the runway and into a waiting limo. “You have everything at your fingertips, don’t you?” She winced at the sn
ippiness of her tone.
“And you don’t?” Sean shook his head at her comment. “If it all disappeared tomorrow, I’d still know how to survive. Would you?”
Caitlin looked down at her lap. He’d basically been decent to her during the entire trip. He could have grilled her about what had happened in his bedroom with her mother, but instead he’d seemed to have declared an unspoken truce—at least for now. What was wrong with her? Why on earth was she picking the stupidest fight possible? “No, probably not.”
He reached over to cover her folded hands. “Is this really an argument you want to pursue?”
“No.” She slid her hands from beneath his. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
He chuckled softly and raised a hand to count off items on his fingers. “One, you were locked in a cell and nearly starved. Two, our son was taken from you by force. Three, you’re here with me when you seem to have a fiancée to deal with. Four, again, you’re here with me, your family’s enemy, at my family’s stronghold. Five, I don’t think you’ve taken in enough energy to have the strength to think rationally about much of anything. Need me to go on?”
“No.” He might have been right on all counts, but he didn’t have to sound so smug.
The limo drove beneath a huge set of gates, at which point Sean said, “Besides, there’ll be enough to fight about in a few minutes.”
His comment as they pulled up to the castle sounded more like a warning than anything else, and it confused her already drowning senses. “If you’re so certain we’ll end up arguing with our next breath, why were you so kind on the plane?”
“I don’t like to fly. Why would I willingly step into a tin can with wings, give up control to someone else, when I can move quicker and safer by myself?” He paused to shrug. “It seemed it might be easier to not spend the time aboard the craft fighting.”
“I could have flown alone.”
“Right. And who would you have called when trouble showed up at the wing?”
“Again, thank you.”
“Don’t thank me.” He waved toward the gathering near the doors. “Thank Cam and Ariel.”
The car came to a smooth stop, and Sean opened the door to exit. He stopped and then turned half around to face her. “By the way, Aunt Danielle is already planning our wedding.”
“Our what?”
Her expected shout would have been laughable had he not been so serious. Sean stepped out of the car and offered her his hand. She looked at the appendage as if she contemplated removing it from his arm.
“I warned you that we’d be arguing soon.”
She took his hand and slid across the backseat. “Arguing?” Caitlin swung her legs around. “There’s no sense arguing about something that will never happen.”
He pulled her from the car and against his chest to whisper into her ear. “We’re in agreement there, but arguing with Danielle Drake will only ensure it happens.”
“So we just agree with her instead?”
Sean sidestepped and rested his palm on the small of her back to escort her to the castle doors. “Don’t agree to anything. Hedge.”
He paused in front of Braeden. “You two have met.” His brother nodded.
Caitlin’s soft intake of breath let him know she’d noticed Cam. How could she not? Other than the color of their eyes, he and Braeden were identical.
Quickly filling her in on who was who, Sean slipped into her mind. “You obviously realize the twins are Braeden and Cameron. Braeden’s eyes are amethyst, Cam’s are sapphire. You might notice that Braeden has just a touch more silver streaks at the temples, but don’t mention it, he’ll only argue. The older woman with the long black hair is my aunt Danielle Drake—she’s not a changeling. The woman with the dark brown hair is Ariel, Cam’s wife, and she can only take dragon form when she’s pregnant. Braeden’s wife, Alexia, is probably upstairs with the children. You’ll recognize her by her red hair, and she’s not a changeling, either.”
Caitlin sighed, then responded in the same manner, asking, “And I’m supposed to remember all of that?”
“Sorry to intrude.” Ariel stepped forward. “You’ll figure us all out soon enough.” She extended her hand to Caitlin in welcome. “You should try to tell the twins apart when they’re wearing colored contacts.”
“I think I’ll pass on that.” Caitlin asked, “Were you one of our rescuers?”
Ariel waved off the question as if it was nothing more than a common, everyday occurrence. “Glad to help.”
“I do thank you.” Caitlin glanced to Cam. “And you, too.”
As talkative as his twin, Cam simply nodded.
And then to Sean’s complete surprise, his brother barked like a dog. Just once, but it was enough to make Caitlin flush with embarrassment. She managed to choke out, “I apologize,” before looking as if she wished she had the ability to disappear on whim.
Aunt Danielle’s eyebrows rose a fraction of an inch before she chastised Cam with a piercing look.
Braeden cleared his throat and motioned to the door. “Let’s move this inside.”
Once the heavy doors thudded closed behind them, Ariel and Cam wandered off arm in arm with nothing more than a wave over their shoulders. Aunt Danielle hung around until Braeden stared her down and she made her own exit up the curved staircase.
The moment Caitlin parted her lips, Braeden raised a hand. “I have nothing in the way of news. You’d already told us that Nathan holds the child in his castle ruins, but a quick flyby came up empty. I spoke with Baron St. George, and he had nothing new to impart. I have men searching the area but until they return in the morning, there’s not much else I can tell you.”
Sean felt her pain; it twisted in her gut like the sharp blade of a knife and slammed into her chest with the force of an unseen battering ram. He pulled her to his side, wishing there was a way to spare her the agony she suffered, asking Braeden, “Is my suite ready?”
“Yes.” His brother paused a split second then added, “And her bags were just delivered.”
“Let’s go upstairs.” Sean coaxed Caitlin to come with him, fully prepared to carry her if need be.
To his relief, she shook off the utter doom surrounding her long enough to bid Braeden good-night. Then she followed him to the rear of the Great Hall, where an elevator was concealed behind a large tapestry.
They’d made a great many updates to modernize the medieval keep over the last few years. Nearly all of them welcome improvements as far as Sean was concerned.
Caitlin’s eyes widened briefly as the elevator door slid open, prompting Sean to offer, “We could use the stairs if you like.”
“This is fine.” She entered the cab. “Have many improvements been done?”
He hit the button to close the doors. “You mean like running water and electricity? Yes.” Leaning against the wall he leveled his gaze on her. “But if you’re looking for a dungeon, it’s been turned into a gym.”
She grimaced, making him wonder why the mention of a dungeon would bother her.
Caitlin asked, “I take it the truce is officially over?”
“Apparently.” She had to have known they’d be back to this conversation eventually. There were still too many unanswered questions. Such as what exactly did she think she was going to do with their son—his son—when they got him back? And who was this Baron Derek?
When the elevator bounced to a stop, he led her through the open doors and down the hall to his suite, where he placed his index finger to a touch pad outside the door. After the barely perceptible sound of the lock tumbling into place reached his ears, he pushed the door open. Not having to carry keys, or keep track of a keycard, was just another modernization that made life easier.
He ushered her inside a suite that looked fairly identical to his apartment at Dragon’s Lair. Sean checked the bedroom to ensure her luggage had indeed arrived then came back out to the living room.
“Your luggage is in the bedroom. Are you hungry?”
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“No. But I’d like to take a shower and change my clothes.”
“Feel free.” He waved toward the bedroom. “Take your time.”
He watched her walk down the hallway and wished for a moment their truce was still in effect. Perhaps then she wouldn’t be taking a shower alone.
His wandering thoughts were cut short by the sound of items thumping and clattering onto the kitchen counter.
* * *
Sean stared at the items that had suddenly materialized on the kitchen counter. The jewel-encrusted, worn, leather-bound book was the family grimoire. Since it’d been locked away in Braeden’s office safe, obviously his brother had sent it to him.
Two dragon pendants, one emerald, the other one sapphire, appeared next to the book. Sean rolled his eyes. Those could only have come from his sisters-in-law, which meant Braeden hadn’t wasted a moment getting the rest of the family on board.
He flipped open the grimoire to glance at the first few pages. Sean knew, from his brothers’ experiences, that he’d likely see nothing that could help him without Caitlin being present, so he closed the book and then opened the fridge, looking for something to wash the dryness from his mouth. Not finding anything that looked remotely interesting, he closed the door, only to open it again, pull out a pitcher of orange juice and then pour a glass.
He glanced at the clock. Nearly an hour had gone by since they’d entered the suite. What was keeping Caitlin? He’d told her to take her time, but hadn’t expected her to avoid him this long.
She couldn’t have disappeared. He hadn’t detected that ability in her, and he was certain that if she could, she would have when the demon showed up outside the plane. No, she was still in the bedroom, intentionally avoiding him in all likelihood.
Sean placed the glass in the sink and then left the kitchen to stand before the open sliding doors that led out to the balcony. The ever-darkening forest beyond Mirabilus seemed oddly comforting. Lengthening shadows creeping slowly closer to the castle, along with the creaking and moaning of the pines as they swayed against the brisk sea breeze, served to calm his dragon.
Over the passing months Sean had discovered that his beast took comfort from things others considered dark or eerie. Instead of causing tension or putting him on edge, he found himself relaxing, easing peacefully into the crash of thunder, streaks of lightning and the approaching darkness of night.
