Drakon's Tear

by N. J. Walters

  She touched her hand to his face. “I don’t want to do anything that might leave you more vulnerable to your enemies.”

  He pulled her down and hugged her close. “That’s the thing,” he whispered in her ear. The puff of air against her skin made her shiver. “According to the writing, it made each dragon stronger.”

  “But I’m not a dragon, and neither are you.” She wasn’t willing to risk it. Then there was the small concern that she had no idea what it would do to her, either.

  Vasili sat up in bed, managing to stay inside her. She moaned as the movement stimulated the sensitive nerve endings inside her. She’d already had two orgasms, a third might be the end of her.

  “I’ve felt my tattoos trying to merge with you.” He ran his hand over the birthmark on his arm.

  “What?” That didn’t sound good to her.

  He shook his head and made a sound of frustration. “That’s not quite right. It’s difficult to explain. It’s as though my birthmark wants to extend to you. There’s a possibility you could wear my mark, truly be mine.”

  A thrill went through her. If he wanted to share his birthmark with her, he had to love her. “Okay, say it’s even possible. What would that mean for you? For me?” She had to consider that. She was human.

  Vasili frowned. “I don’t think it would hurt you. Both sides of me—human and dragon—would die to protect you. I can’t see the mark harming you.”

  That made sense. “But it could change me.”

  He nodded. “That is the unknown.”

  “But you want to do this?”

  “With all my heart.”

  Abigail knew there was no choice. Not for her. She loved him, and he needed to do this. At worst, it wouldn’t work and nothing would change. At best, it would work and she’d have some tattoos and maybe a little something more. It was the more that had her concerned.

  But taking more time to ponder it, to think about the implications, wasn’t going to change her mind. She was committed to their relationship. Maybe it was crazy since they hadn’t known each other long, but nothing in their world was normal and never would be. The regular rules of human courtship didn’t apply. They’d been through so much together, had faced life and death and magic. No, she didn’t need more time. She knew what was in her heart, knew it would never change.

  She took a deep breath and nodded. “What do I have to do?

  …

  Vasili knew he’d found a treasure unparalleled by any other in the world or that would ever exist in the future. Abigail had no idea what might happen, but she was willing to do this, for him.

  “Are you sure?” He was an idiot. Of course she wasn’t sure. He wasn’t 100 percent certain, either, but he knew in his heart it wouldn’t hurt her. He’d stop before he’d let that happen.

  “Yes. Let’s do it. I’d rather not put it off and spend time worrying or thinking about it.”

  He ran his hands over her back and arms, trying to reassure her. “When we make love, I will make a conscious effort to send my energy into you. I expect you’ll have to ingest some of my blood, too.”

  Abigail nodded. “I can handle that.”

  “You can handle anything,” he told her. She’d proven that time and time again. He kissed her, wanting to ease some of her fears. Tension made her stiff, but she gradually began to soften against him.

  He liked this position with him sitting upright in bed with her on his lap. He leaned against the headboard and continued to kiss her. There was no rush, and he wanted her relaxed and feeling good before he attempted anything. She made a sound of pleasure when he covered her breasts with his hands, massaging the mounds and then flicking his thumbs over her tight nipples.

  His cock was full and hard, and she surrounded him in her wet warmth. Home. She was his home. Wherever she was, that was where he needed to be. But their joining was more than physical. It was emotional and mystical, touching something deep inside him. Nothing would ever keep them apart.

  He focused his attention inward, calling on the dragon part of him, something he’d never done while making love to a woman. But this was no woman, this was his mate. His dragon side surged to life, eager to share in the experience.

  The left side of his body began to tingle and grow warm.

  “Look.” There was awe and more than a hint of fear in her voice.

  A light seemed to surround his tattoos. It changed color rapidly, like a shimmering rainbow.

  He manifested a claw and drew it across his chest over his heart. “Drink.” He needed her to take him inside her. His blood, his energy, and his essence.

  There was no hesitation. She lowered her head and sipped his blood. His cock jerked inside her, and then he was coming. Abigail cried out, and her sheath rippled and flexed around him.

  At that moment, the energy surrounding his tattoos reached out and enveloped her in their multihued glow. She cried out again, not with pain, but with a passion that equaled his. He called out her name just as the world around them exploded with a brilliant flash of light. It quickly dissipated, and she fell against him.

  “Abigail.” He shook her lightly, fearing something had gone wrong, that he’d somehow harmed her.

  “What?” Her voice was slightly slurred. “Why do I feel drunk?”

  He eased her back and peered down at her beloved face. “I don’t know. I’m energized.” He was more alive, more powerful than he had been in his entire life, which was incredible considering what he was.

  “You’re okay?” she demanded. “Your tattoos are still there?”

  But it wasn’t his tattoos he was concerned with. Swirls of the palest blue outlined in the icy blue of his eyes ran down her left arm to her elbow and across the left side of her chest. It seemed to stop at her waist.

  “What is it?” she asked. Then she followed his gaze and gasped. “Oh my God. I have a tattoo.” She ran her fingertips over the swirls. “Is it just on my front?” She climbed off his lap, wringing a groan from him, as he was still semi-erect.

  She turned away and swiveled her head around. “Well?”

  Just like on the front, the drakon swirls covered the upper part of her left arm and continued down to her waist. “The mark bisects your back as well. It stops at your waist as it does in the front.” And it was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. She was marked as his.

  “Wow.” She sat back down and would have toppled over if he hadn’t caught her. She studied the markings on her upper arm and torso. “Did you know this would happen?”

  “Not for certain.” He belatedly realized she might not like them, might not want them. “Are you okay with them? I’m not sure they can be removed.” That was something he should have really considered before attempting this.

  “Hey.” She scooted up beside him, so close only inches separated their faces. “I’m fine with this as long as it hasn’t weakened you.”

  “I think it strengthened me.” And that was the honest truth. He was more somehow. More alive, more complete, more content. Just more.

  “I’m glad.”

  “And you don’t mind the tattoo?” It was important to him she was happy.

  Abigail laughed. “I’m a mini you. The tattoos don’t go as far, but they’re pretty cool.”

  “And you feel normal?”

  She shook her head. “Not normal. Seriously, though, I’m good. Like maybe I drank too many of those energy drinks or something.”

  “God, I love you.” He dragged her across his lap and buried his face in her hair, inhaling her scent. She even smelled different now. Oh, she was still sweet Abigail, but there was a slight layer of his scent just underneath. He liked that. She wore his mark and his scent. And it was permanent. He was no longer alone. He finally belonged to someone.

  “Wait. What?” She tugged on his hair until she could see his face. “You love me.” There was wonder in her voice.

  “How could you not know?” Exasperation tinged his words.

  “You never t
old me,” she pointed out. “I thought you did, I’d hoped you did, but now I know for sure.” Then she looked around the room. “Hey, I can see better. Almost like the lights are on in here.”

  “Really?” That was something he hadn’t anticipated.

  “Yeah. Cool.”

  “Any other changes?”

  She hesitated and then shook her head. “I think all my senses are a little sharper. Nothing over the top, just better.” She shrugged. “I can live with that.” She met his gaze, her face solemn. “We have to leave, don’t we?”

  “Yes.” He placed a kiss on her forehead. He wanted to spend the next week making love to her, tracing her tattoo with his tongue before expanding the exploration to the rest of her body, discovering any other changes the mark might have made. But there wasn’t time. “I don’t know if Bruno sent for more men. The alarm would have sounded if someone breached the perimeter.”

  “But we can’t take the chance, can we?”

  “No,” he told her. “I need to pack my belongings. I have a shipping container I can fill and then store deep in the mountain until I can retrieve it.”

  “I’m sorry you’re losing your home.”

  He could not bear the sadness in her eyes. “I am not losing my home,” he told her, his voice fierce with the love he had for her. “I finally found it. You,” he emphasized. “You are my home.” He brushed his lips over hers, tasting her love.

  He lifted her off his lap and stood. She stared at the tattered remains of her clothes scattered on the floor. “What am I going to wear?” she asked.

  Vasili laughed. “I’m sure we’ll find you something. But first, we need to shower.” He held out his hand, and a thrill shot through him when she took it.

  “My family? How could I have forgotten them? They’ll be worried sick until they hear from me.”

  “After,” he assured her. “As soon as we’re clean, we’ll contact them and let them know you’re safe.”

  “Ah, we probably shouldn’t tell them about the tattoo yet.”

  “You are ashamed?” He hadn’t considered that.

  “No.” She lightly punched his side. “How could you think such a thing? I love my tattoo, sharing a part of you. It’s just not something you say over the phone. Best to save it until we see them in person.”

  She was right. It was also a reminder that he had to take her back to her family, at least for a visit. It wasn’t a bad idea to get out of Russia for a while, either. But there was much work to do before that could happen, loose ends that needed to be tied up.

  But first, he wanted to clean his woman, his mate. He wanted to run his soapy hands over her tattoo and the rest of her. His cock flexed in agreement and, inside him, his dragon roared with pleasure.

  Chapter Nineteen

  They packed Vasili’s home up quickly with her helping as much as she could. The small shipping container they loaded up with his belongings was now stored deep in a dry mountain cavern. He assured her only another drakon could find it, and they would most likely leave it alone, not wanting to start a fight with another of their kind. He was more concerned about not leaving anything that might lead the Knights, or whoever might come sniffing around, back to him.

  Under cover of darkness, they flew back to Moscow. Seeing him shift to his dragon form without it being an emergency situation was a wondrous experience. The sheer majesty of him left her breathless.

  He flew low, under the radar. She worried about people seeing them, but he shrugged off her concerns, telling her that anyone who might see his shadow would never believe their eyes anyway.

  This time, she enjoyed the flight. It was glorious to soar quickly and silently above the world, secure in the knowledge she was totally safe in the grasp of her drakon’s claws. Vasili continually checked on her and blew warm air around her, keeping her nice and toasty on the journey. The only thing she carried was her bag and his knapsack with his identification, money, a change of clothes, and the two gemstones.

  He dropped the gold nugget from his pack into a crevice high atop the mountain before they left, explaining it had once been a statue made to harm a drakon. When she asked him why he didn’t vaporize it, he shrugged and told her it was unnecessary. Her drakon didn’t like to destroy things unless forced to.

  They covered a lot of ground quickly and reached a small community an hour outside the city before the sun rose. It was easy to hitch a ride to Moscow from there on a local bus.

  Abigail never thought she’d be back in Moscow again, yet here she was striding through the streets. She wasn’t too worried, not with Vasili beside her. There were likely still some of Bruno’s men out there, possibly even other Knights, but she had a drakon by her side, ready to protect her if need be. And she was more than ready to protect him if necessary. But she kept that little detail to herself, knowing it would make her man snarly if he thought for one second she’d put herself in danger for him.

  She was wearing new clothing he’d gotten her from a town not too far from his home. It was only jeans and a sweater, but it fit her. She had a new coat, too, and a warm hat and gloves. She still found it cold, but she didn’t mind the chill as much as she had. She wasn’t sure if she was acclimating or if it had something to do with her new drakon tattoo. Neither of them really knew what to expect from the mark, but he was keeping a close eye on her.

  Time was of the essence if they wanted to find and destroy the other drakon traps. Neither she nor Vasili could allow another drakon to fall victim to one. They might not be as lucky.

  They had to get to any of the cursed jewelry before word got out that Bruno was dead. “Do you feel anything?” Vasili asked.

  She glanced up at him, but he was busy scanning the street. “No.” They’d had breakfast but had been walking the entire morning. “Maybe there’s nothing to find.”

  Vasili did look down at her then. The intensity of his gaze made her blood warm. This man truly was hers. It was going to take her quite some time to come to grips with that.

  “There is more to find. At least a piece or two. Maybe more in St. Petersburg. Bruno had no reason to lie, and he was the type of man to hedge his bets.”

  She knew he was right, but she was getting tired of simply wandering around the streets. They had no idea how many members of Bruno’s private army might be searching for their boss, or for them.

  She was just about to suggest they break for lunch when her senses began to hum. Well, more than usual. Since she’d met Vasili, they were continually at a low-level buzz. Having the two gemstones with them was simply adding to the buzz.

  She stopped and circled slowly. “There.” She pointed toward a more upscale antique shop.

  “Let’s go.” With his arm around her, he guided her toward the shop. He pulled the door open and waited for her to walk in ahead of him. He quickly followed, hovering protectively behind her.

  She should be annoyed by his inability to leave her alone for one second, but honestly, after everything she’d been through, she more than welcomed his large presence. He made her feel safe. In spite of her nervousness, she was in total control and in no fear of having a panic attack. He kept them at bay.

  The proprietor was a middle-aged woman with light hair and a big smile. She greeted them in Russia. Abigail smiled and asked, “Do you speak English?”

  “Ah, yes. Welcome. You look for something special?” She glanced nervously at Vasili and turned her attention back to Abigail.

  She shook her head. “No. We saw your lovely shop and decided to come and browse.”

  The woman nodded. “Look, please. If you need help, let me know.” She hurried back behind the counter.

  “You look around,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m going to stay with her to make certain she doesn’t call anyone.”

  That was an excellent idea. She nodded and began to wander. The hum in her blood drew her to a dark corner in the back. She shoved several boxes aside and found a trunk. It wasn’t easy to ignore the beautiful vintage
fabrics piled on top, but she dug deep until she was able to wrap her fingers around a box.

  Exhaling slowly, she pulled it out. Not bothering to replace anything, she hurried to the counter. The shop keeper was watching Vasili intently. She was standing beside a phone but made no move to use it. Abigail wasn’t sure if that was because she wasn’t involved with Bruno or because she was too afraid of Vasili. She figured it was more the later. The problem would be keeping her from contacting Bruno’s minions.

  “Did you find something?” he asked.

  She nodded and brought the box closer to him. He straightened and glared at the box, obviously feeling the effects of whatever was inside. She opened it and stared down at another bracelet, identical to the first one she’d found.

  She closed the lid and turned to the woman. “How much?”

  Voice shaking, she named a price. Vasili reached into his pocket and drew out the right amount and set it on the counter.

  Abigail tucked the box into her bag. On impulse, she asked the woman, “Who sold you this piece?”

  The woman began to truly tremble. “I do no remember.” Her voice was shaky and her accent pronounced. She looked down at the floor. “It was some time ago.”

  “Anton Bruno is dead.” Vasili’s blunt statement made the woman jerk back. Something like hope began to shine in her eyes.

  “Truly?”

  Abigail nodded. “Yes.”

  The proprietor gripped the edge of the countertop and then straightened. “I call number he gave me.” She grabbed the phone and dialed, but there was no connection. Abigail assumed Bruno had had his phone with him when Vasili had taken care of him.

  The woman began babbling in Russian so fast that Abigail couldn’t understand any of it. Vasili listened and nodded occasionally before answering the woman. She seemed relieved when he turned to leave. “Let’s go,” he inclined his head toward the door.

  She managed to hold on to her questions until they were outside. “Well?” she demanded.

  “Apparently, Bruno brought the piece to her shop and told her to hide it. She was to say nothing to anyone and was to contact him as soon as someone purchased the piece. If she didn’t, her children and husband would be killed.”