Firestorm

by Donna Grant

  “I don’t see anything,” Tamir said, searching the horizon.

  “It’ll be here in a day or two.”

  Tamir gave him a doubtful look. “Gotcha. I didn’t realize you were a weatherman, as well.”

  “When you belong to a region, you feel the subtle changes in the air.”

  Dmitri walked to the edge of the cliff and climbed down, not bothering with the harness. When he reached the cave, a group of four workers was preparing to leave.

  He gave them a nod, noting that Faith wasn’t with them. Then he made his way to the back of the cavern. Just as he expected, she was right where she’d been the night before.

  This time, she had both earbuds in, humming a slow tune as she worked. He found a comfortable spot and sat. There was something mesmerizing about watching her tedious work and listening to her hum.

  Her hand moved slowly, surely over the area until, little by little, the bone was exposed. She never grew tired, or if she did, it didn’t show. Every so often, she would sit back and look at the work accomplished, smile to herself, and touch the skeleton.

  He found his gaze drawn to her shapely bum when she got to her knees and bent over to look at something. Desire stirred again, surprising him.

  Then her humming stopped—and she began to sing.

  He was transfixed by her melodic, ethereal voice. It was seductive, erotic, husky, and the most beautiful thing he’d ever heard. He didn’t know how many songs she sang or how long he sat, listening.

  Unable to help himself, he closed his eyes. He found himself relaxing, the worries about Dreagan, Ulrik, and the Dark easing away.

  He couldn’t explain it, but the entire scene felt … right. Her in the cave, singing. And him, listening.

  Then she stopped.

  His eyes snapped open to find her sherry gaze trained on him.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Faith hurriedly turned back to the bones. Finding Muscles in the cave once more was disconcerting, to say the least. She wasn’t sure why he was with her so much, but there was no reason for her to complain.

  Ever since Dmitri had arrived, Tamir hadn’t been bombarded with the crazies. She was going to owe Ronnie big time.

  She frowned, wondering how Ronnie knew Muscles. Faith had met Ronnie’s husband, Arran, once. A strapping Highlander with golden eyes and a love for Ronnie that made women everywhere swoon and sigh.

  Even her.

  She moved aside more dirt with the brush as she thought about Ronnie and Arran. Marriage wasn’t something Faith ever saw for herself. It had a lot to do with how she’d grown up. Her mother had been just fine without a man in her life, especially after her father ran off.

  Perhaps that was why Faith never chased after guys. She’d tried relationships a time or two, but the men just got in the way of, well, everything.

  She loved her independence and her job. Neither of which left time or room for love.

  A quick glance over her shoulder showed that Muscles was gone. She blew out a breath of relief. He set her teeth on edge. Every time he was near, the air around her seemed to vibrate with intensity.

  At least it did once she noticed him.

  She crossed her legs and scooted closer to the bones. All day, and she’d only uncovered about four more inches. It was a tedious process because she wanted to make sure that she didn’t accidentally destroy something.

  It was why she didn’t allow anyone to help unless she was present. Mixed in with the volunteers were students getting field experience, who were more than anxious to prove themselves.

  The only way for them to learn was to actually do the digging, but there were some parts she didn’t want them messing with. The neck was one.

  Actually, if she had her way, she would have only Tamir with her. But she didn’t get her way. There were rules she had to follow.

  If only she had the money to fund her own digs as Ronnie did now. Faith might not be jealous of her friend’s love life, but she was envious that Ronnie ran her own digs.

  “One day,” she whispered to herself.

  Uncovering what had been hidden for generations was a passion. But it was finding funding and getting approval to dig from countries and influential people that managed to take a lot of the joy out of it.

  Her job was a far cry from Indiana Jones.

  That made her smile because that’s what her mother had called her the moment Faith had decided she wanted to be an archeologist.

  She turned up her music to help drown out her memories while she worked. Soon, her mind was totally focused on the dragon skeleton and the secrets it had yet to share.

  She imagined what its life had been like living on Fair. With more and more of the neck bones exposed, she could envision the island as a home to dragons, much as it was to the birds now.

  She couldn’t wait to see just how big the dragon was. If its head were any indication, it was going to be huge. Excitement and impatience surged through her. She wanted the entire skeleton revealed now.

  Normally, she enjoyed the discovery phase. Each day exposing more and more of an artifact brought her such joy. Not this time, however.

  Then again, everything about this dig was unusual.

  Her hand stilled as she thought back to when she’d been standing on the beach. The numerous caves around Fair Isle were well known, with several extensively explored.

  She still didn’t know why this one had caught her attention. Or why she’d felt the overwhelming need to get inside of it immediately.

  When she finally did step into the cave, she’d known. Even before she found the skeleton, she’d known that something was there, waiting to be found.

  If she ever dared to tell Tamir any of this, he’d say it was some mystical being or force that had brought her to the dragon. When in reality, it was just luck.

  Someone tapped on her shoulder. Faith jumped and jerked out her earbuds, turning as she did.

  “Do you have any idea how late it is?” Tamir asked, a frown on his face.

  She glanced around to see if Muscles was with him. When she saw no sign of him, she looked up at Tamir. “I’m gathering by your tone that it’s really late.”

  “We’re the last ones. Well, us and Dmitri.”

  Muscles. She wondered where he was now. “I’m not ready to leave.”

  Tamir sighed. “I knew you were going to say that.”

  “Bad day?” she asked when she saw the weariness about her assistant’s eyes.

  He gave a half-hearted shrug. “Just long.”

  “Go on ahead.”

  “I’m not leaving you behind,” he said, plainly offended.

  She smiled at him. “You’ve left me plenty of times.”

  “Not this time. Not this dig.”

  Why? What was it about this one that seemed to be affecting everyone? “This is just like any other dig.”

  “You know it isn’t, so don’t try and pretend otherwise.” Tamir blew out a long breath. There were lines of strain around his mouth and eyes.

  She got to her feet and put a hand on his arm for comfort. “Ever since those two men showed up, the ones you said felt evil, you’ve been on edge.”

  “Yeah, I have.” He put his hands on his hips and shook his head, looking at the ground. “You’re immersed in the dig, so you don’t see everything.”

  “You usually tell me.”

  He threw out his arms. “You want me to tell you that some people are pissed? Fine. They’re really angry that you’re here and digging, Faith. So angry, I fear for your safety.”

  “I think you’re being dramatic.”

  “You didn’t encounter those men.”

  “And you’re sure they were after me?” she pressed. “Or the dragon.”

  He stared at her a long minute. “I don’t know. But what I do know is that they were the kind of men who wouldn’t think twice about hurting you.”

  “All right.” She swallowed, taking in Tamir’s visible distress and the worry she heard in his voice. />
  Standing straighter, he asked, “Does that mean you’re coming back with me?”

  “I’ll stay with her,” came a voice behind Tamir.

  A shiver went down her spine at the sound of Muscles’ deep, sexy brogue. She looked around Tamir to Dmitri. He stood casually, giving no indication of how long he’d been there.

  Her breath caught as she looked at him. He made her break into a sweat just looking at him. He was so damn gorgeous. And how she wished she hadn’t noticed because it was hard to stop thinking about him now.

  Tamir turned to Dmitri. “She’ll work all night.”

  “No one will get past me,” Dmitri promised.

  And Faith believed him.

  Apparently, so did Tamir, because he looked at Faith and asked, “Are you sure you want to keep working?”

  “Yes.” It came out as a croak, and she wasn’t sure why. Surely it had nothing to do with being alone with Muscles.

  Tamir’s lips twisted. “Then I guess I’ll see you both in the morning.”

  With Tamir’s departure, she became all too aware that she was well and truly alone with Muscles. Their gazes met, locked. Half of his face was hidden in the shadows, and she had the urge to shine one of the lights right at him to chase away the darkness—and perhaps see what he was really thinking.

  But it was never that easy. Nothing ever was, but it was particularly difficult when it came to Muscles. How she wished she knew why.

  She cleared her throat and tore her gaze away from him. It felt as if she were sinking into his azure eyes when she looked at him. “I won’t work too much longer.”

  “Work as long as you want. I plan on staying the night.”

  Unwittingly, her eyes returned to him. “All night.”

  A black brow lifted, a hint of humor softening his lips. “Aye. I will until the dig is finished.”

  “You’re not worried about people attacking you?”

  “They can certainly try.”

  His confidence made her want to smile. He completely believed what he’d just said. It made him infinitely dangerous, and reckless.

  Somehow, the combination worked.

  And well.

  “I’ll be making my rounds, checking on you from time to time,” he said before he pivoted and walked away.

  A smile now on her face, she turned and looked at the dragon. “That went much better than I expected. Who knew Muscles was so accommodating.”

  She put one of the earbuds back in place and nodded her head to the beat of the music. Without the distractions of people walking around her, asking her questions, or just talking, she was able to sink completely into her task once more.

  Every grain of sand, every particle of dirt that she gently moved away from the skeleton was part of the story regarding the beast.

  With each millimeter that was uncovered, more of the animal’s saga was revealed. It was like slowly opening that last present at Christmas.

  The joy she felt began to fade when she swept aside dirt with the brush and saw the missing piece from a neck bone. She hurriedly cleaned the area around it before sitting back to take it in.

  She felt his presence a heartbeat before Muscles squatted beside her. Faith set down her brush as a heavy weight of sadness descended over her.

  “It was a blade,” Dmitri said as he ran his finger along the jagged edge of the broken bone.

  “The attacker was beneath him.”

  “Aye, but I doona believe that is what killed him.”

  Her curiosity took over as she turned her head toward him. “How do you know so much?”

  “I’ve seen these kinds of injuries before.”

  “It still doesn’t explain how you know what you know.”

  “Experience.”

  Which could mean absolutely anything. She sighed, her eyes returning to the damaged bone. Her heart ached for the dragon. Who would want to kill such a magnificent creature? “You still don’t believe this is a dragon, do you?”

  “Have other dragon bones ever been found?”

  “No. It took thousands of years for dinosaurs to be discovered. New ones are being excavated all the time.” She mentally gave herself a high five.

  “A storm is closing in,” he abruptly said. “You shouldna allow anyone at the site tomorrow.”

  Her head swiveled to him. “We’re safe inside the cave, right?”

  “And outside? What about the people up top? Winds can get fierce here, lass.”

  “Nothing has been said about a storm,” she argued. Nothing could disrupt her dig. She had a growing fear that once she left the cave, she would never be back.

  Muscles got to his feet. “The wind is already picking up. Listen.”

  It was then she heard the howling. She put away her tools and stood. “It’ll be fine. It has to.”

  “Have you ever been in a storm on Fair?”

  She shook her head.

  “You doona know what you’re up against.”

  “Then tell me.” She didn’t know why she asked. Maybe it was just to hear his voice because she couldn’t seem to get enough. It was his eyes, his face, his voice. That body. And the way he seemed to see right through her.

  But she simply couldn’t get enough.

  He searched her face. “You willna believe me.”

  “Try me.”

  “Perhaps I should take you to the village.”

  “I’m staying,” she stated firmly.

  His lips flattened briefly. “I promised that no one would get to your skeleton. No one shall.”

  She looked at the dragon before turning her attention back to Dmitri. “I believe in science. I believe in facts and logic.”

  A small frown furrowed his brow. “And this has to do with the storm how?”

  “Nothing.” She swallowed, unsure why she was even discussing this with him. “Do you ever have unexplained feelings about something?”

  “Sometimes.”

  “I don’t. But I am now. I’m positive that if I leave this dragon, someone is going to destroy any evidence of it.”

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Dr. Reynolds was more intuitive than Dmitri had given her credit for. He didn’t know how she knew he would demolish the skeleton, but she did.

  “Nothing is going to harm you.”

  She cut him a hard look. “I was talking about the bones.”

  “Why is this so valuable?”

  “It’s a new find.”

  His gaze narrowed. “Is that all?”

  “It’s…” She paused, glancing at the dragon. “It’s important to me.”

  It wasn’t the first time he’d seen her eyes fix on the skeleton with such awareness and concern in their depths. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on in that mind of hers, which was why he hadn’t destroyed the bones.

  Desire swirled within him once more. And not just for her body, but her mind, as well. He yearned to know what went on inside her head.

  And he wouldn’t mind seeing if her lips were as soft as they looked.

  She lifted her chin. “Look, I don’t need you to understand. You’re being paid to protect this dig site. That includes whatever I find.”

  Without a doubt, he knew Faith wasn’t a Druid. There was no magic within her slender frame. Was it just instinct that had alerted her to his intentions where the skeleton was concerned?

  Mortals had that ability, but few listened to their subconscious. If her intuition was telling her that the bones were in danger, it was because she had a connection to them.

  And that troubled him greatly.

  What made her different? He’d felt it from their first meeting. It had taken him aback since mortals didn’t normally affect him in such a way.

  If it were some heightened awareness that had brought Dr. Reynolds not only to the cave but also to the bones, then that could spell trouble for her and the Dragon Kings.

  Her pale brown gaze grew hard in the silence. “You don’t even believe I’ve found a dragon. Why does it matter
what the skeleton is?”

  “It doesna make a difference what I think. It matters what the rest of them think. You’re allowing word to spread that you’ve discovered dragon bones, and it has stirred people up.”

  She gave a roll of her eyes. “Oh, please. As if it takes anything but the change in wind direction to rouse the crazies. And for your information, I didn’t let it leak about what I found. I didn’t want anyone to know until I’d fully excavated the entire body and run all the tests.”

  He believed her. Dmitri wished it otherwise, but the truth didn’t just hang on every syllable, it burned brightly in her gaze.

  Standing before him was a mortal with a backbone of steel and determination stamped on every feature as she prepared to protect and defend one of his Whites.

  It had a profound effect on him. One that left him temporarily speechless. Never had he imagined a human putting themselves between one of his Whites and an enemy. Except that he wasn’t the enemy.

  Though she couldn’t know that.

  His looked into her sherry eyes and wondered if she’d feel the same if the dragon were alive. There was a large part of him that suspected she would.

  Unable to help himself, his gaze dropped to her lips. Passion for her trade and her beliefs smoldered within her, and he had a desire to discover if that same passion blazed between the sheets.

  Even as his mind cautioned him on following the urgings of his body, his hands fisted to keep from reaching for her.

  All because she gave a fuck about one of his dragons.

  Dmitri wanted to dislike her and all she stood for. But he couldn’t find a shred of loathing to grab on to, no matter how much he searched.

  He shoved aside his desire when he saw her shiver. The temperatures were dropping rapidly in the damp cave. His head turned toward the entrance as his hearing picked up the distant thunder.

  It would be hours before it could be heard by a human, but it alerted him to just how quickly the storm was moving in. If he didn’t get Faith to the surface now, there might not be another chance.

  A gust of wind howled through the cave as the waves slammed with brutal force against the cliffs, the sound reverberating through the stone.

  She wrapped her arms around her middle. “I checked the weather. They didn’t say anything about this type of storm.”