Evelyn stared at the surface of the water. Whitecaps heaved, then dipped. Waves whispered, rolling into the shoreline as she replayed the debacle inside her head. The reason she’d done it surfaced like a whale in ocean swells. She drew a shaky breath. All right, so she’d been in serious trouble. In a desperate scramble, trying to outrun Markov and the Russian mob. Somehow, though, the reasons no longer mattered. She’d done the unthinkable to save her own skin. No doubt a normal response to a life-threatening situation, but that didn’t make her feel any better. Or assuage her wounded pride.
Her behavior with Venom shamed her.
Now she didn’t know what to do. Thank him for coming to her rescue—again, for the second time in as many days? Or nail him for scaring the crap out of her? Serious questions. An even bigger debate. Arguments rose on both sides. She weighed the pros and cons and . . . yup. She could go either way. Shut down and shy away. Or wind up and let fly.
Using her lashes for cover, she looked Venom over again. Ridged dragon scales. Sharp canines in the shape of fangs. Jagged horns jutting from the top of his head. Shimmering ruby-red eyes. She released a fractured breath. Air rattled from her lungs. Self-preservation kicked in. She grimaced. Well, all right then. Maybe yelling at him wasn’t the best idea. Shutting down—staying quiet until she knew him better—seemed like a better option, the safe side of sane.
Too bad she didn’t want to be reasonable.
Or safe.
She wanted to throw caution to the wind instead. It would feel so good to hold him accountable. To relieve the pressure and make him pay. For what? Well, turning into a dragon for one thing. For being the hottest, most generous guy she’d ever met for another. Her heart panged. The pitiful throb echoed inside her head. God, it was unfair. Totally ridiculous. He’d asked her to dinner, made plans with her, demanding exclusivity.
At the time, she’d been thankful, so damned relieved she wouldn’t have to see other men to get what she needed to stay alive. Now she wasn’t so sure. Instinct whispered in her ear, plying her with suspicion. She frowned. What was his game? He must be running one. Venom wasn’t stupid. Far from it. Which meant he must’ve known. Must’ve guessed what would happen—that he wouldn’t be able to hide his scalier side from her forever.
Or maybe he’d simply planned on lying to her . . . ad infinitum.
The thought tugged at her temper. An odd reaction. Not at all warranted. She didn’t own the right to be pissed off at him. Anger didn’t belong in the equation. She’d planned to use him for money. He’d wanted her for sex. A simple exchange. No fuss. No muss. And yet, the idea of him being dishonest with her woke something primal. Something dangerous. Something that shoved her toward the truth. The thought of Venom lying to her more than bothered her. It infuriated her, violated her sense of . . . of . . . well, she didn’t know exactly. Right and wrong? Her sense of self-worth? A healthy dose of pride, maybe? No clue. But whatever the catalyst, it lit the fuse, setting moral indignation on fire, tipping the balance, making her throw caution to the wind.
Eyes narrowed, she scowled up at him. “Venom.”
“Almost there, mazleiha.”
“Where are we going?”
“Somewhere safe.”
“Will your dragon friends be there?”
Her clipped tone made him glance down. She glared at him. A wary light entered his eyes. “No. It’ll just be you and me for a while.”
“Good,” she said, hot sauce in her tone. “We need to talk.”
“You gonna take it easy on me?”
“No.”
He grimaced. “That’s what I thought.”
His leery expression warmed her insides. Her lips twitched. She shut her reaction to his wariness down. But it was hard not to find him charming. Big, bad Venom of the dark-green scales and vicious claws dreaded her reaction. Strange as it sounded, she could feel the unease in him. Could almost see his mind churning as he searched for a way to placate her. Not a bad plan, all things considered. He’d dropped a whopper on her tonight. Was even now flying her to some undisclosed location to—
Evelyn frowned. To do what exactly?
She stared at him harder. A buzz lit off in her veins. Warm sensation coasted down her spine, hooking her in to something vast. Connection sped through the cerebral space and intuition sparked, giving her a glimmer of his intent. Surprise battered her. Wow, that was weird. She could feel him now. Her heart paused mid-beat, then resumed pounding, keeping time with his, allowing her to read him. He was worried about something. Her reaction to his dragon half, sure, but something more than that too.
Her eyes widened as more of his concerns gained speed inside her head. The strange link flexed. The word Razorback whispered against her temples. Evelyn blinked. Holy crap. Hold everything. Put on the brakes. Back up the bus. What in God’s name was that? No way she should be mainlining his thoughts. Pressing her palms to the sides of her head, Evelyn fought to control the cerebral flow—the thought exchange . . . whatever. She didn’t care what it was called just as long as it stopped. The rush amplified, hammering her mental defenses, stealing more of her headspace.
Evelyn blew out a breath. “Uh, Venom?”
“Hold tight.”
Angling into another turn, Venom flew over a beach. A skim of snow covered the sand in spots. Brown intersected with white, then tumbled into rock. The roar of waves rose on cold air as the surf rolled in, painting each stone black. Wings spread wide, Venom slowed and set down on the stretch of lawn fronting a huge house with a long stretch of dark windows. His back paws crunched against frozen blades of grass. Evelyn tensed and got ready for—
The hair on her nape rose. One moment slid into the next and . . . presto change-o. Venom transformed. Green scales turned to golden skin. Huge talons became hands and feet. Horns and sharp spikes disappeared. Long blond hair took its place, falling to his shoulders, framing his gorgeous face.
Evelyn sucked in a quick breath.
With a murmur, Venom wrapped his arms around her and tucked her in close. Her bare feet touched the icy ground. Big hands settled against her back as he dipped his head. Day-old whiskers grazed her temple. Pleasure whispered and bliss arrived, awakening deprived nerve endings a second before her brain turned over. Evelyn flinched. She needed to move. Distance was a requirement right now. Otherwise, he’d suck her in and scramble her thoughts. Which would result in what? Her ability to think straight wavered. Not a great idea. She had questions. He held all the answers. So no . . . becoming distracted, losing herself in him wasn’t a smart move.
The second she gave in, it would be over. He’d win. She’d lose the high ground along with the opportunity to get what she needed—clarification on a large scale.
Reaching for courage, she squared her shoulders and went looking for her voice. She opened her mouth. Venom drew her closer. Her hands met the wall of his chest. He breathed her name, the whisper so full of sex her brain shut down. She blinked. Oh, no. Not good. She was losing the battle. He kept winning the war, screwing with her will to resist.
Evelyn shook her head. Crap. It was official. She was past pathetic and into needy. Which meant . . . she really needed to make up her mind—let him comfort her. Or pull a tilt-a-whirl spin out of her hat and break free. She couldn’t do both. But even as she berated herself for enjoying his nearness, she damned herself by snuggling in and acknowledged her weakness.
She didn’t want to fight with him right now.
Questions would be asked and answers would come. All would eventually be explained. For now, she bowed to a greater urge. She needed a hug. Wanted to be held by him—if only for a little while—and a chance to calm down. Topsy-turvy, total emotional upheaval, didn’t sit well with her. She liked even. Enjoyed steady, for everything to add up in neat rows and orderly columns. Tonight didn’t qualify as any of those things. So instead of shoving Venom away, she whispered his name�
��mind whirling, body pliant, protest nonexistent—when he kissed her temple, then raised his head, allowing her to take all the space beneath his chin. His heat rolled into her, and, just like that, it was over. She was done, field abandoned and battle lost.
“Sorry about all the hocus-pocus, Evie.” His mouth brushed the top of her head, bringing more warm comfort. Feeding on his body heat, unable to find the words for what she needed, Evelyn showed him instead. She pressed closer. Venom tightened his grip and, pushing his hands under the hem of her jacket, hugged her harder. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
The sound of his voice made her tremble.
“Shit,” he said, lifting his head. “It’s freezing out here. Let me get you inside.”
She cleared her throat, trying to make her voice work. “Do you live here?”
“First time I’ve been.” Gathering up her legs, he swung her into his arms.
“I can walk.”
“Do you want to?”
Her bare toes twitched in protest. “Not really.”
“Then be quiet and enjoy the ride,” he said, a teasing lilt in his voice as he walked across the lawn.
“You always this bossy?”
“Part of my charm.”
“You think?” she asked, loading the question with enough doubt to sink a ship.
He snorted. “You’re lippy.”
“Disappointed?”
Stepping onto a flagstone path, he glanced down at her. “Not even a little.”
The heat in his eyes scorched her, lighting her up from the inside out. Blatant need. Unquenchable want. Burning desire. All three darkened his odd-colored eyes, telling her plainer than words he still wanted her. That he had big plans, ones in which she played the centerfold in his sexual fantasies. Her breath caught. An answering pulse of desire streamed through her. Wow. Crazy. Beyond fascinating. It wasn’t about money anymore. Something had changed. Something monumental. He seemed more intent now. More focused on her . . . completely ravenous.
Awareness upped the ante, begging her to reciprocate. Her gaze strayed to his mouth. His lips parted in reaction, prompting memory, firebombing her imagination, igniting an internal flame. And she remembered . . . everything. The way he kissed. How he tasted. How much she wanted to see him without a stitch on. All that golden skin on display. All those hard muscles under her hands. All his sexual focus riveted on her. Her hands buried in his long hair. His hips between her thighs. Her tongue tangled with his.
Her mouth went dry.
Red eyes shimmering, Venom’s nostrils flared.
Dragging her attention from his mouth, she met his gaze. Hot lust shone in his eyes. Evelyn clenched her teeth. Back away. Back away! Her mind screamed the instruction, hammering reason home. She needed to remain even—and thinking. Putting the cart before the horse—or in this case, sex before the answers—would land her in serious trouble. More than she was already in, the kind a girl didn’t come back from. Turning her head, Evelyn broke eye contact in favor of keeping her mind. Lord knew she’d just gotten it back. She wouldn’t give it up again without a fight.
“Evie . . .”
She swallowed, working moisture back into her mouth. “Yeah?”
“You’re thinking naughty thoughts.”
“What?” Ah, frig. Busted. Guilty as charged. Her face heated. Prickles attacked her skin, warming her cheeks to a full blush. “No, I’m not.”
His mouth curved. “Any time you want, mazleiha. Say the word, and I’ll take you there. Make you come so hard, you scream my name.”
Her body tightened. Evelyn twitched against her will. Oh God. Why did he have to go and say things like that? “Bossy and cocky. You really should get a handle on that.”
He huffed in laughter.
She backpedaled into mental safety, grounding herself in the sound of his footfalls. The thump-thump echoed on the stone path, drifting on frigid air. Her heart picked up the beat. Blood rushing in her ears, Evelyn focused on her surroundings. The sound of waves rolled onto the beach behind her. A testament to architecture rose in front of her. Three stories high, the house boasted wide windows that looked out onto the Sound. Evelyn sighed in appreciation. Even with its boxy, modern shape, the place looked like it belonged. As though it had been planted centuries earlier, then left to grow out of the landscape.
A few things gave its true origins away. Wide cedar-plank siding on the upper levels for one. The complementing pattern of the uneven stone facade on the first floor for another. Evelyn’s mouth curved. She recognized new-age old when she saw it. Built to look ancient, but in actuality state-of-the-art new.
Pace steady, Venom skirted the round fountain in the middle of the path and, dipping his head, brushed past sculpted cedars to reach the stone patio. Low-lying shrubs surrounded the elevated stone terrace. Deep and wide, the deck stretched end to end, taking up the entire back side of the house. Without breaking stride, he jogged up three steps and headed for a bank of tall windows on the ground floor. Halfway across, a lock snicked and a set of double doors opened. She expected to see someone standing on the other side, feet planted inside the house, hand on the handle. She searched the darkness beyond the doors.
Nothing and nobody.
Her brows collided. She glanced at Venom from the corner of her eye. “Did you do that?”
“I’m Dragonkind, Evie,” he said as though that explained everything.
She blinked. Dragonkind. Weird, but all right. She bought that. Hard to argue the point after being flown here by Venom. “Which means—what, exactly? That you can move things with your mind?”
“Yes. Magic is part of my makeup. It’s written in my DNA.”
“Are you even human?”
“Half.” Reaching the house, he stepped over the threshold.
The doors shut with a thud behind him. Halogens flicked on, then dimmed, throwing shadows across the open-concept setup—living room, dining area, and kitchen all in one. Skirting a large end table, he stopped in front of a wide-backed armchair. Or well, what looked like one. Hidden beneath a white sheet, the lumpy form reminded her of a ghost. Spooky. Floating above the wooden floor. Lying in wait to broadside an unsuspecting victim in the dark.
Kind of like Venom had done to her on the hospital rooftop.
An image of him transforming flamed in her mind. Silence spun in the picture’s wake, rising hard between them. The quiet settled, whirling through the room, stripping her already-frayed nerves. Wariness spilled into the void, obliterating ease, silencing earlier banter, making her skin feel three sizes too small.
Discomfort spun its witchy web.
Shifting in his arms, Evelyn cleared her throat.
Hard muscle flexed around her. Venom exhaled and, with a gentle draw, slipped his forearm from beneath her knees. Her feet dropped to the floor. She leaned away from him. The shift wasn’t much. Barely there displacement, but Venom got the message. Honoring her tension, understanding her silent request for space, he took his hands from her waist and retreated. One step turned into more. Boot soles scraping over wood floors, he stopped opposite her, in front of the long couch six feet away.
Evelyn should’ve been grateful. He’d done what she asked, after all, and backed off. Somehow, though, the move didn’t make her happy. Loss cranked her tight instead, urging her to call him back. To bridge the distance. To ask to be held and for more comfort.
Something else that didn’t make sense. Yet, for all her confusion, the urge rang true.
Like it or not, having him close soothed her. Without him, reality set in, making her forget his gentleness in favor of remembering his fangs. Understandable. No doubt a normal reaction—that felt all wrong. Surprising as it seemed, she didn’t want to be afraid of him. Didn’t want to look him in the eye and see a threat. She wanted a friend, not a new enemy. Someone to help her navigate the strange new world she’
d landed in the middle of.
Dragonkind. Her throat went tight. Dear lord, it still sounded unreal.
“So half dragon, huh,” she said, forcing her voice out of hiatus.
Venom nodded. “My mother was human, my father, Dragonkind.”
“Oh, well . . .” Stood to reason. Made perfect sense in an imaginary world.
And yet, there he stood, looking positively lick worthy—like her favorite flavor of fantasy man, six and a half feet of wide-shouldered, hard-bodied perfection. She met his gaze. Her brain bottomed out, sinking into a cerebral muck hole. Beautiful man to vicious dragon—one and the same, part and parcel of the same pie. A switch-up that defied the natural order of things. She frowned. Didn’t it? She ran her gaze over him again and shook her head.
“We’re a different species, Evie, that’s all.”
“That’s all?” she echoed, incredulity making her voice rasp and the words wobble. Dear God, she sounded like a mental patient—half-confused, half-hysterical. “Doesn’t that seem like enough? I mean . . . God. How is that even possible? How is it no one knows about you? You’re flying around, blowing stuff up, starting fires and—”
“I didn’t start the fire in the hospital. Ivar did,” he said. “And we’ve stayed hidden from humankind to protect your race. Better for us. Safer for you.”
“Why? Afraid of our history as dragon slayers?”
His lips twitched. “Something like that.”
“Who’s Ivar?”
“My enemy.” His gaze went flat. Evelyn tensed, recognizing the violence in him. “A male who will imprison and hurt you if he finds you, Evie. A distinct possibility now that he’s seen you.”
Panic drilled deep, jabbing at her lungs, making it hard to breathe. “I don’t . . . why would he . . . that doesn’t make any sense. I’m nothing to him.”
“You’re a high-energy female,” he murmured, his regret unmistakable. “Tremendously valuable, a prize among my kind. Many would die to possess you.”
“You included?”
Fury of Obsession (Dragonfury Series Book 5) Page 27
