For now, though, he was going to hold her in his arms and dream about not having to be afraid. He pulled her closer and sighed. “I love you.”
Her lips brushed his cheekbone. “I love you, too.”
Chapter Thirteen
Kayla
The letter she had been working on for the past two hours sat incomplete, the little text line thingy blinking in a half-completed sentence. Kayla wasn’t certain how to proceed. She needed to finish and send out this letter, telling all the students that were slated to come for the second phase of the dig that it was being canceled. Even now, however, it felt like giving up.
She saved the draft and turned her attention to the one that she was writing to Esther. Or rather, the speech she was preparing to let her know what was going on. Esther had phoned four times already that morning, and Kayla hadn’t answered anytime. She just didn’t know how to tell her friend what had happened.
This is all my fault. If I hadn’t been so stupid—
The door to the camper was flung open and she jumped into the air and screamed. Visions of Gordon and his goons filled her mind but it was Bernie who came in. Not that the expression on her face was any less terrifying than a gun.
“Where is he?” Bernie snarled.
“He?” Kayla closed the document on the computer. “Who are you talking about?”
“Tyler!” Bernie’s hands clenched and she let out a growl that sounded so dragon-like Kayla was actually surprised when smoke didn’t curl from her nostrils. “We were supposed to meet up today. I waited for an hour and he hasn’t even texted me!”
Kayla could actually feel the blood drain from her face. She opened her mouth but closed it again. Shane had driven Tyler away that morning. It was his intention of putting his brother on a plane and making sure he got far away from this place. But what was she supposed to say to Bernie? She couldn’t tell her friend about the fights and the reason why Tyler wasn’t here.
Bernie caught her expression, though, and tensed. “What is it?”
Kayla looked away. What did she say now? “Shane… Shane sent Tyler away. He got into a fight, I think it was about a girl. Not you. Another girl.” Me and not the way you’re thinking right now. Kayla ducked her head, guilt rising in her chest. “Shane told him to get out of town before he got himself in deeper trouble. He took him to the airport this morning.”
Bernie started to shake her head, making Kayla feel even worse. She reached to embrace the other woman but Bernie pulled away.
“No. No, that’s not what happened. That can’t be what happened.” Bernie sat on the bed, her hands trembling. Her gaze became unfocused she stared straight ahead. “Tyler said that he had never met a girl who made him feel the way I did. He said that I was something special. He wouldn’t just let himself be bullied away. He wouldn’t.”
Kayla rested her head in her hands. She hadn’t realized that Bernie felt so strongly for Tyler. Now, though, it was obvious. Tears blurred her gaze and she shook her head. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
“Tyler would have at least told me goodbye.”
“It happened very suddenly. I can’t tell you everything but I’m sure it’s just that with the suddenness of it, Tyler just… forgot.” Kayla swallowed hard. “He was fighting with Shane about leaving but I don’t think that he’ll win that fight. I’m sure that he’ll call, Bernie.”
Bernie’s hands curled into fists. She rocked back and forth as tears started to seep from her eyes. She rubbed them away more roughly than necessary, and Kayla sat there, guilt clawing at her throat. What sort of awful, selfish person was she?
“I’m sure he’ll call,” she said again, her voice constricted.
Bernie hunched over, a sob ripping from her throat. Kayla hurried to sit next to her. She put an arm around her and Bernie leaned into her. She continued to sob, her whole body shaking as she did so. Kayla stared at the ceiling as her own eyes flooded with tears.
“It wasn’t his choice.”
“If he really wanted to stay, he would.” Bernie pulled away. She wiped her tears away and took a deep, shuddering breath. After a moment she released it and nodded once. “Well, then. That’s all there is to it. He’s gone and I’m not going to waste my time crying over him. I should have expected it. He was far too smooth a talker and why would a man who looked like him stay with a fat dumpling like me?”
Kayla shook her head. “No, you’re not a fat dumpling. You’re curvy but so am I. So is Esther. Dragons like curves on their women.”
“So it was my personality.”
Kayla shook her head but said nothing more. In her current state of grief, Bernie wouldn’t be able to hear anything, anyway. Her friend stood and brushed off her clothing, A hard look coming over her normally cheerful face.
“I have to get back to work.”
“Bernie—”
“I have to get back to work,” she repeated. “I have to keep busy so I don’t attack your dragon when he comes back to camp without mine.”
She left without another word. Kayla punched the pillow, understanding how Shane had felt all these weeks. On one hand, she wanted to tell Bernie everything. Let her know exactly what was happening and why Tyler had to leave so abruptly. On the other hand, would Bernie believe it? If she did, it would put her in danger. Gordon could go after her as well as Kayla. No, for her own safety she had to think that Shane had forced Tyler to leave without a thought to her.
Kayla glanced at the computer but the thought of trying to write more on that awful letter made her feel like she was going to vomit, so she grabbed a cardigan and left the camper. It was an unusually cool day, and the overcast sky warned of rain. She moved into the forest, walking along a familiar deer trail. The clouds started to drizzle soon enough. By the time she had gone as far as she could, it was pouring. When she got back to the camper, she saw Shane entering it.
She hurried to run in after him.
“Shane!” She jumped into his arms as soon as she was in the camper. “Did Tyler get off alright?”
“You’re soaking wet!”
Kayla buried herself in his arms. She felt warm and safe in them, so warm and safe that her eyes immediately started to drift shut. The previous night hadn’t offered much sleep, after all. “I went for a walk and got caught in the rain. But tell me. Is Tyler gone?”
Shane closed the camper door and pulled her deeper inside. He tugged her shirt off over her head. “Yes. I watched him get on the plane to make sure he left.”
“He didn’t say goodbye to Bernie. She was in here earlier… it really hurt her.” Kayla pulled off her pants as Shane rummaged through her drawers, finally pulling out a fluffy towel.
She hesitated as she began to dry herself off. Talking about this didn’t exactly seem sexy… even though she was naked and there was a part of her that burned to have him inside of her right at that moment, it didn’t feel like the right time to throw herself into Shane’s arms.
“When you talk to Tyler again, you’ll tell him to call her, right?” she added anxiously.
Shane shrugged. “I don’t know if he’ll ever talk to me. But right now we have other things to worry about. Getting Tyler out of here means that I don’t have to worry about Gordon going after him but you’re still in danger. I want you to get out of here—”
“But if I leave right now Gordon will know something is up.” Kayla sighed as she began to dress in dry clothes. “So what are we going to do about him?”
“I’m going to kill him.”
Kayla froze. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. That was the last thing she ever would have expected Shane, her gentle, loving Shane, to say. And yet there was no hesitation in his eyes. They burned with fury and desperation. Her heart started to pound in her chest and she shook her head rapidly.
“No!”
Shane gave her a surprised look.
“I don’t care about him. Yeah, maybe he deserves to die. But you can’t just kill him, Shane.”
“
It’s the only way to ensure that he can’t hurt you or anybody else ever again.” Shane took her hands in his. “I know it’s horrible to think about. I’m not taking this lightly. But if it’s the only way to ensure your freedom—”
“And what about you? You’d go to jail at best.” Kayla swallowed hard. She was only half-dressed but her clothing was completely forgotten. Gordon didn’t deserve any mercy but she was damned if her lover was going to end up a murderer for her sake. Dragons had a lot of prejudices to work against already, let alone if one of their most vocal activists was jailed for murder. She shook her head rapidly. “What clan is he from? Maybe they can help us.”
“Clan?”
Kayla nodded.
“What… you’re telling me that he’s a dragon?” Shane’s eyes widened until they were like saucers in his face.
“Yes.” Kayla shifted uncertainly. “I saw smoke curl from his nostrils when he first took me. Didn’t you know that? I thought you’d be able to smell it.”
“He surrounds himself with dragons. I thought that I was smelling his goons, not him.” Shane turned away. He ran a hand through his hair and barked out a laugh. “A dragon. That coward. That bloody coward! No wonder he’s targeted dragons. He’s so scrawny himself that he’d never be able to stand in a fight against one of us. It’s his way of feeling powerful. Exerting his dominance against us.”
Kayla would never have called him scrawny but she didn’t mention that. Come to think of it, in comparison to the other dragons she had met, Gordon was pretty small. He lacked the presence that dragons like Shane and Bryant had.
“He might not have a clan,” Shane mumbled, more to himself than Kayla. “It’s possible, though… even if he’s been ejected from a clan, he remains their responsibility by law. If we can contact them, then perhaps we’ve got a way to get him without more violence…” He turned back to Kayla and captured her in his arms. He squeezed tightly and gave her a dazzling smile. “It’s a hope, anyway. In the meantime, I want you to keep working on shutting down the dig. I want you away from here.”
Kayla nodded and kissed him hard. His heat seeped into her and her eyes fluttered shut. A moan echoed from her throat. Perhaps now they had hope after all… but if it ended up that Gordon Hunt had to die? She’d be right beside Shane’s side the whole time. She wasn’t leaving him alone. Not for anything.
Chapter Fourteen
Shane
The relief was sweet as Shane hung up the phone. For the first time in weeks, he was actually hopeful. There was an actual silver lining that he could see, something that might be able to save Kayla, and him, from Gordon Hunt. Yes, he was still going to have a PR fallout over this but people with actual authority over him were finally going to intervene.
Kayla sat on the bed, bouncing with anticipation. Her eyes were wide. “Well? What did they say?”
“They had no idea that he was doing any of this.” Shane sank onto the bed beside her. It had taken longer than he would have liked to find the clan that Gordon came from, and even longer than that to contact them. But it had been worth it in the end. “They’re going to send some people out to take him into custody and look into our allegations.”
“Allegations? All they have to do is pay for a subscription to his stupid website and—”
“And they still need evidence that it’s a real fight between real, coerced individuals.” He laid back on the bed, the release of so much tension and stress making him sleepy. “I need to call my lawyers, though. Let them know what’s going on so that they can start a… a defense or put together something for prosecution. I don’t know exactly. But I should tell them. And also call my PR team and—”
“And maybe take a moment to just be here with me,” Kayla interrupted. She cuddled in close beside him and stroked his face with her cool fingers. “You’re exhausted. So am I. I’ve put Bernie in charge of everything right now, you and I could just have a nice little rest.”
Shane put his arms around her. She fit so snugly against him that the residual tension in his body began to seep away. Part of him wanted to roll her over and take off her clothes but she was right. He was exhausted. And at that moment, just holding her was as good as making love to her.
Before he could relax to a state where he could actually sleep, however, there was a knock on the camper door. Kayla let out a frustrated groan that made Shane laugh. Even on her one day off, Kayla couldn’t have a day off. He kissed her forehead and swung out of the bed. Whatever emergency Bernie was facing, she could handle it. Unless it was a huge emergency but in that case, she would have come charging into the camper.
The smile slipped off his face when he opened the door and saw who it was. All the tension returned to his body and his fires burned hot.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Gordon smiled at him, as though they were old friends. “I came to discuss an important matter with you, of course.”
Shane’s fists lifted. “I don’t see your goons. You’d better clear out of here before I tear your head off. You have no right to come here and terrorize my mate and—”
“Your mate?” Gordon arched a brow. He tilted to look around Shane but Shane made himself bigger to block his view of Kayla. “Well, that is unexpected. I was certain that you weren’t mates when all this started. Do you have me to thank for finding your one true love?”
Shane growled again. “What makes you think that I won’t kill you right here and now?”
“Because you’re smarter than that. Now why don’t you let me in, Mr. Freeman? Unless you want everybody here to know our business?”
Shane’s nostrils flared. He didn’t glance around, not caring if anybody was seeing them. Kayla’s hand touched his back, however, and when he glanced back at her she nodded. Her face was very pale and she visibly shook. That alone was enough to make the dragon want to kick Gordon out but Kayla nodded again and Shane reluctantly stepped back.
Gordon stepped in, smiling, clearly pleased with himself. Shane kept himself between Gordon and Kayla, an arm wrapped protectively around her. She held onto him tightly, shoulders and back tense. Smoke leaked into the trailer as much as Shane fought to control it. Here in this small space, he smelled the smoke on Gordon, too. It smelled vaguely of cigarettes, and Shane wondered if he smoked them to hide the fact he was a dragon.
“You’re looking stunning, Miss Tucker.” Gordon gave her a toothy smile. “I’d love for you to come down to the club for another photo shoot. You’ve been very popular. Curvy girls are in, it seems.”
Shane reached for Gordon’s neck. “Get out or—”
“Did you know that your baby brother bought his way into the fights?”
Shane froze.
“I see not. He came to me late last night with a good sum of money, stating that he wants to be able to fight with you.” Gordon picked up Kayla’s laptop and turned it over. With a snort of disgust, he put it back. “Really, with as much money as you have, you can’t even buy your woman decent equipment? I thought you were digging up old trash piles, not dinosaurs.”
He chuckled as though it had been a funny joke.
Shane closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. His fires burned hot but he was able to keep his smoke in this time. So Tyler had done what he expressly wanted him to stay out of. Well, perhaps they could use that to their advantage. And after it was done? He was going to have words with his brother.
“I hope you realize that if my brother is harmed in any way, you’ll be ended.” He was surprised by how even his voice was. “I’ve had enough of your games.”
“You’re not in a position to make claims like that. I have your brother at a special training facility. He’s been watched over by my best men and let’s face it. He’s not much of a fighter. Especially not when they have guns specially designed to take down a dragon.”
Such guns were illegal. Shane kept his mouth closed. So Tyler was in danger, and he had put himself in danger trying to help his brother. If he wasn’t so terri
fied of what might happen to him, Shane might have actually been impressed. Tyler might be immature and young still but he was growing up. He knew what he wanted to do.
If only he would just listen to him for a little while longer…
“I’m setting up a special fight. Brother vs brother.” Gordon opened the minifridge. “What, no meat?”
“I’m vegan,” Kayla mumbled. “But if you want meat, there’s some in the kitchen for the student meals.”
Gordon snorted. “Tomorrow night. You and Tyler will have a good old-fashioned faceoff.”
Kayla suddenly pushed past Shane and poked Gordon in the chest, as though that was what made her angry enough to fight back. She tossed her hair back and even though she trembled, she still stood tall and straight. Shane reached for her but stopped. She wasn’t weak and he wasn’t going to act like she was.
That didn’t mean it wasn’t excruciating to see her toe-to-toe with a dragon like Gordon.
“I suppose that I’m going to be the prize for that as well? Going to get into porn too, are you?”
Gordon chuckled. “I thought about it but no. The prize for this special edition fight is that your mate and his brother will be permitted to fight side by side for your continued safety. Sounds fair, right?”
Shane snarled. “If you hurt my brother, I’ll—”
“If you kill me, then your mate dies. I’ve already got it all set up. My men know what to do.” Gordon yawned. “I expected this to be much more amusing. You don’t even have a nightstand for me to go through to see what sort of lube you use.”
Kayla made a strangled noise in her throat. Her fist swung and Shane was just able to grab her wrist. He spun her around, putting himself between Gordon and her. As much as he was feeling like he’d like to do the same thing, they couldn’t attack. At the moment Gordon held all the cards and they had to play this smart. And that meant not provoking him. If they could play it like they were on the ropes—
The Dragon's Secret Prize Page 8
