by Lori Whyte
"I got her," Gabby said as she writhed against Jasmine's grip. "Just like I said. Now you live up to your end."
He tossed a plastic bag to the ground. "A lifetime's supply of Dragon's Tears, as we agreed."
God. This was just like her mother all those years ago, except this dragon wasn't interested in helping her the way Laughlin had.
"Now, give me my mate."
Jasmine shuddered at his possessive tone. "I'm not yours."
His fire surged brighter as anger streaked over his face. He stalked toward them. Jasmine struggled to keep Gabby as her shield, but Maryk grabbed the other woman and jerked her away.
"It's time to go home, mate."
Jasmine fought him. Screamed at him. Hit him. But it did nothing. He was undeterred by her efforts. He didn't even wince.
He hauled her through the tunnel without saying another word. When they stepped outside, the late afternoon sunlight blinded her for a moment. Before she could register what had happened, he had transformed and grabbed her around the waist. Her arms were pinned to her sides. She screamed as they left the earth.
His wings thumped through the air as they soared higher and higher. Farther down the valley, smoke spiraled up from the forest at the base of the ski hill. Dark figures soared through the black sooty air, dropping loads of water.
Were those Kylan and Dillon? Did they even know she was missing?
Nausea assaulted her.
Maryk had done this. He'd started those fires. Jasmine knew it as well as she knew her own name. He'd done it to get to her.
She prayed for her dragons, and for the safety of the village too. They couldn't lose both her and their home in the same day. She dragged her gaze away from the horror of the fire, and tried to track where Maryk was taking her. If she got the opportunity to use Gabby's phone, she needed to tell Trixy how to find her.
They flew over the mountains and didn't start to descend until the foothills came into view. They were somewhere southeast-ish of Montrose. Yeah. That was going to help a lot.
He flew toward a small ranch house and a dilapidated barn. Jasmine wasn't sure whether to be more or less frightened at the realization that they weren't going to the Kelvin clan settlement. After his feet touched the dirt, he set her down with surprising care. He transformed immediately and fixed her with eyes that glowed yellow. They were too like the ones from her nightmare for comfort. She shuddered.
"Welcome," he said with a bow.
"Why did you bring me here?"
"To mate you, of course," he said.
Eww. That was definitely not going to happen. She thought about pointing out that he was alone and dragons were supposed to mate in twos, but that would only borrow trouble.
"You are too late." She crossed her arms over her chest.
He laughed. "I am sorry for how things began between us, but there is no need to lie to me." He motioned toward the house. "Shall we?"
"God, no." She shook her head. "You are going to take me back to Montrose."
"Oh, my beautiful little mate, you will forget all about those Mannix dragons by the time I finish with you." He took a step closer to her. The opening in his shirt revealed that his dragon markings were surfacing on the skin of his chest. Oh lord, he really did believe she was his mate.
"I'm not lying." She held her hand up to stay her. "We mated, last night."
He grabbed her tightly by the shoulders and although she fought to free herself, he was too strong. "I will simply have to show you the error of your lies."
His mouth crushed hers. She bit his tongue when he forced it between her lips. He grunted and his blood splashed over her tongue. She gagged and tried to turn her head but he'd forced her head back so far with his need to dominate her that she couldn't move. She kicked and beat at him, but he didn't stop.
Oh, God.
Fear spiked through her and she struggled harder, clawing at his skin.
He ripped his mouth from hers and turned her around. He held her back tight against his chest. His hot, panting breath fell like acid over her shoulder, the heat soaking into the thin material of her dress.
"I knew when I saw you that you were meant to be mine." He locked his teeth on the flesh below her ear.
She stomped on his feet and kicked back with her heels, but he ignored her. His arms were clamped so tightly around her waist that her diaphragm was constricted. She gasped for breath.
Then she screamed.
"That's it, little mate," he said encouragingly. He licked the length of her neck. "Get it all out."
Tears welled in her eyes. She couldn't stop him. He was too strong. Too determined. Bile shot up the back of her throat.
If she kept fighting him, God only knew if she would survive the day. She needed to think. Hot tears streamed down her face as she stilled. She swallowed and leaned her head on his shoulder, as if in defeat and acceptance.
He moaned his approval. The satisfied sound vibrated through him and she felt it along her spine.
"If this is a trick…" He nipped on her earlobe. "God, you taste so good."
"No trick." Her voice shook.
"Then show me," he said. He loosened his grip and stepped away from her.
At the unexpected freedom, her legs threatened to collapse. Her knees shook— No, everything shook, right down to her toes.
She pivoted slowly and faced him. His puckered facial scar gleamed against his flushed flesh. His eyes tracked her every twitch and shudder. His lean muscular body appeared relaxed as he stood there waiting to see what she would do, but she knew better. He would pounce on her the moment she tried to run.
They'd said being mated would protect her. They'd been wrong.
Or had they?
She took a deep breath as she fingered the soft fabric of her dress. His gaze was riveted to her hands. He licked his lips. Please let this work.
She pulled her dress up and off. She stood before him in nothing but her underwear, revealing the strange marks her mates had given her the night before.
Maryk hissed and recoiled like Dracula seeing a cross in those old black-and-white movies. He didn't look closely enough to see the phone tucked in her bra.
"No!"
Then he spun away from her and transformed in the next moment. Without looking back, he took to the air and disappeared into the gathering clouds.
***
Smoke filled Kylan's nostrils, soot coated his wings, and exhaustion choked at his muscles. It had been a hell of a day, but at least the fires were contained. And now they had to go back and face Jasmine.
She'd been on his mind the whole day and he still didn't know what they were going to do to make this right. He spiraled to the village, comforted by the sight of his home standing on the side of the plaza. The blaze hadn't been close enough to take out any buildings, but it was still a relief nonetheless.
Dillon was ahead of him, along with the others who'd responded to the call. Everyone's wings beat with slow, conservative sweeps as they approached the landing square. One by one they dropped to the cobbled surface. He glanced at the house.
Laughlin came out with Trixy. Jasmine was MIA.
He'd hoped having a day to herself would take the edge off her anger. He'd been wrong. He shifted as soon as he landed and strode toward his father. No doubt he'd be full of reprimands about mating with Jasmine without her permission.
Dillon, now in human form too, glanced at him, but didn't say anything. His smoke blackened features were etched with guilt. They trudged up the steps together.
The anger and recrimination he'd been expecting from Laughlin weren't there. Trixy's eyes were puffy and red. She was wringing her hands.
Dread exploded over Kylan's chest.
"Where is Jasmine?" Kylan pushed past the two and charged into the house. Jasmine wasn't inside. He breathed in sharply. Her scent was faded and dull. She wouldn't have left without saying good-bye, would she? Her tendency to run away was getting old.
He spun toward Laughlin. "Where. Is. She?
"
Dillon raced toward the stairs.
"Stop." Laughlin shook his head. "She isn't up there. We haven't seen her all day."
The smoke from the fire must have damaged Kylan’s lungs because suddenly he couldn't seem to catch his breath. Whatever fatigue had plagued him moments ago was forgotten. "When did you see her last?"
"Last night," Trixy said on a sob. "She's gone. My girl is gone."
He locked gazes with Dillon for a moment, then turned to the door again. Her scent had been polluted as other people passed over it throughout the day, but it still lingered on the cold concrete.
"I've already looked…" Laughlin said. "She went as far as the park behind the Barclay house. Then she met with Gabby and they left together. That's where I lost their scent."
Dillon cursed beside him as they ran to the plaza. If Gabby was involved, it was likely that Maryk was too. It looked as though they were on their way to the Kelvin clan lands.
Those bastards better not have done anything to her or there would be hell to pay. She should have been safe after the mating. No other dragon would touch a woman with another dragon's markings on her, but Gabby probably didn't know that.
Last night Kylan had known Jasmine had tried to run away again without needing to talk to her… just as he knew now that she hadn't left them willingly. No, this time she'd been taken against her will. He'd heard heightened awareness happened to mates occasionally and he thanked God it had happened to them because it told him she was still alive.
But if Maryk still had her after all this time, what was he doing with her… to her?
Red shot over Kylan's vision as he shifted and launched himself into the air.
Chapter 21
Jasmine yanked out the phone she'd taken from Gabby. No service. Okay, calling wasn't happening right now, which meant she needed another plan. She shoved the phone back in her bra, then pulled on her dress.
She gingerly walked across the gravel toward the front porch of the house. Each jagged stone poked her bare feet. The boards creaked as she made her way to the door. Dirt, spider webs and rotting leaves from previous autumns clung to the corners of the covered porch. Old white paint peeled and puckered over every surface. At some time in its past, someone had loved this house, but that had been a long time ago. She tried the rusted doorknob. It turned and the door swung open on squeaky hinges. Under normal circumstances she'd knock or call out, but being kidnapped and abandoned by a rogue dragon wasn't exactly normal.
With its golden sofa and avocado paint, the living room appeared trapped in the seventies, but at least it was clean. A large bookshelf of worn paperbacks sat against one wall. She recognized a few recent releases among the titles. Who lived here? Was it Maryk? No, that couldn't be. As the chief's brother, he would live with the clan, wouldn't he? She scanned the room but didn't see a telephone. She tiptoed through the house until she found the kitchen.
Damn.
The spot on the wall where a phone would have hung was bare. Only an outline of paint, the yellowed phone jack and a small hook remained. Through the window, she spied the barn. Maybe someone had left an old car or something in there.
She could only hope.
As she exited the house, she peered at the sky. Not a dragon in sight. Good. She trudged over the weedy gravel driveway with her gaze pinned on the skies.
The barn door opened smoothly on new hinges. Lights flickered on as she stepped inside, as if on a motion sensor. She froze. When no one barged toward her, she inched forward, drawn by her curiosity now as much as anything else.
The interior had been transformed into a laboratory with pristine white walls, long stainless steel tables and strange looking scientific equipment. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead as she investigated the room. She was about halfway through the space when she realized there was a doorway at the back. Maybe it was an office… with a phone.
But the would-be office wasn't one. Instead, it held a plain bed, raised high off the ground like a surgeon's might be. Thin clear tubing was coiled on a moveable table beside the bed. A low moan shuddered through the room. Someone was here. Her heart thundered as she retreated to the lab.
What was this place? She shook her head. No, she knew what this was. Maryk was involved with making Dragon's Tears. That's how he could give Gabby a big bag of the stuff. It was already touch and go if Maryk would release her when he returned, but if he knew that she had found his—
"Oh, good," a man said behind her. "You are here already. How convenient."
She shivered as she turned toward the new arrival.
"Lord Ansyn," she said. "What an unexpected surprise."
"Likewise, my dear." The serpentine smile on his face sent chills over her flesh. He bowed to her, just like Maryk had done, but there was nothing genteel in the way he eyed her.
"Where is Maryk?" At this point, he seemed like a safer option than his brother.
An amused glint flashed through his eyes. "Soon after my brother came to me with his bit of news about your visiting our fine land, he—" he cleared his throat, "—became indisposed."
"What have you done to him?" Nope. She shouldn't have asked that.
He tsked. He steepled his hands together and grinned at her. "I'd heard you were a bit frigid around our kind, but between such a touching display of concern for my brother and a surprising rumor that you've mated yourself to two of us… Well, I begin to suspect my original information was incorrect."
"I am mated to Kylan and Dillon." She raised her chin. "Return me to them."
"Oh?" One eyebrow lifted.
She nodded slightly, making sure to maintain eye contact with the dragon in front of her. "I will explain this was Maryk's action, not yours. Kylan and Dillon will understand if I can speak with them."
His head dropped back as a burst of sharp, riotous laughter shook through him. "Oh, my dear, no wonder my brother was so taken with you."
Irritation bubbled through her. She tapped her foot. "This is hardly a humorous situation, sir."
This only seemed to bring out more laughter from him.
This was ridiculous. She was leaving whether he was taking her back or she had to find her way on her own. She strode toward the door. Ansyn moved in a blur of motion, too fast for her eyes to register. He grabbed her arm, just above her elbow.
"Not that way." He shook his head at her in a reprimand.
Then he steered her to the strange room with the bed. She dug in her heels, but just like when she'd fought Maryk earlier, his strength was too great. She reached out and grabbed anything she could from the closest table as he pulled her through the lab.
She glanced down. A metal pen. As far as weapons went, it wasn't the greatest. If she swung out at him now, he'd be able to block her too easily. No, she needed to wait for a better opportunity. She curled her fingers around the object and prayed that opportunity would come.
Ansyn thrust her toward the bed. "Get on it."
"No," she said defiantly. She wasn't about to make this—whatever this was—easy for him. "What are you going to do to me anyway?"
She glared at him, then scurried around the bed to the far side. Her foot hit something. Another moan shook through the air, louder this time. Oh, God. It was a woman in an animal cage. She pushed her fingers through the openings in the crate and reached for Jasmine.
"Please…" she begged.
"Do you really want me to assist you?" He ignored the girl as he adjusted the cuff on his buttoned up shirt. It was a simple little motion, but strangely menacing at the same time.
Maryk's aversion to her dragon markings had triggered a full body recoil. Maybe Ansyn would do that too…
She swallowed as she moved her hands to her dress and started to pull it up for the second time that day. Ansyn narrowed his eyes.
"Yes, it would be helpful if you removed your clothing."
Challenge accepted. She lifted it with her shaking hands.
"You know that your markings will have no ef
fect on me, don't you?"
When she cursed, he smirked.
"I'm not interested in your body for sex. I simply want your blood."
Her eyes bulged. "My blood?"
"Of course. What did you think?"
"I don't understand."
"I've never had a dragon mate in my lab before. I've already got a new name for the product we'll develop: Dragon's Heart. Do you like it?"
She gaped.
"I agree. It is a little kitschy, but so is the name Dragon's Tears and that stuff sells like—what do you humans say? Ah, yes—hot cakes." He patted the bed. "Hop up. This won't take long."
***
Adrenaline pumped through Dillon's veins as Kalmut, the Kelvin clan village, came into view. His war cry shot through the twilight skies. The clouds glowed with brushes of bright crimson as the sun dropped close to the mountains. By morning, the ground would be coated with red to match. A war would be started, but none of that mattered if Jasmine had been injured.
Fire poured from his mouth as he imagined Maryk's vulnerable throat beneath his teeth. He'd tried to help the other dragon, but he was done with that. Maryk had gone too far.
Beside him, Kylan issued his own call to battle. Their guard flanked them as they made their descent. No one could take the chief's mate without facing the wrath of the whole clan. Kelvin dragons were already gathering in the square below, but no one had taken to the air yet.
Dillon growled. If they wanted to start on the ground, he could do that. He tucked in his wings and dove. When the figures below came into focus, he didn't understand what he was seeing. Maryk was in the middle of them, holding his hands up to stay his troops.
His first impulse was to pluck the regent's brother from the group and take him away, but Kylan's sharp command stayed him. They landed hard. The earth shook beneath their feet.
Kylan and Dillon transformed immediately, but their soldiers stayed in dragon form.
"Where is she?" Kylan's question boomed over the crowd.
Maryk turned to them. His eyes blazed. "They told me you were protecting her."
Dillon hissed and stepped forward. "We know you have her."
"I didn't know you'd mated," Maryk said. "I—I thought she was meant for me."
