by Meg Ripley
Once off the boat and onto the wide dock, he stopped, looking around and listening. It was dark, so she could see little beyond the dock, illuminated by a single light near the boat, and she couldn’t hear anything but the waves gently lapping at the boat’s hull.
After a moment, he took a step away from her, and then another. She followed him. She wanted to tell him he didn’t have to do this, but the words stuck in her throat. He leaned in and kissed her, his lips light against her own. But quickly, the pressure increased, and he pulled her to him, the kiss growing more urgent by the second.
“Just…stay here, Claire,” he told her as he wrenched his mouth away. “No matter what, just stay here.”
She nodded while he took several steps back, not stopping until there was at least twenty feet of space between them. He closed his eyes, and then it happened; so quickly, she might have missed it if she’d blinked.
Nothing she’d ever seen came close to the magnificence in front of her. He was beautiful, powerful and utterly mesmerizing. She saw him more deeply like this, even without touching him. He was terror and goodness, strength and warmth. He was pure, blatant sexuality and deep-rooted wisdom.
She didn’t know when it happened, but she’d started forward, closing the large gap he’d created. There should be some semblance of fear as she approached the massive beast, but she felt none as she reached out to brush her hand along the scaled arm in front of her—the arm that had saved her life.
He took a mighty step back, and then another. A few more inches and he would have collided with his boat.
“Please, don’t. I want to…” She didn’t finish the sentence, but stepped toward him once again. Her fingers grazed along his face that was bowed down low to meet her.
“Thank you,” she whispered, for the trust he’d put in her, and for saving her. She leaned in and pressed her lips against the plated hardness of his cheek.
His massive body shook, and he sidestepped away quickly—five yards in a single step. And then another. And then she watched in the dim light as he changed back.
“Why did you…”
“I can’t control myself like that, Claire. I can barely maintain control like this.”
Rock hard, and his hands trembling, she understood what he meant, and a thrill shocked through her body to know she drove him wild like that.
She didn’t know whether he’d come to her, or she’d gone to him, but they were together there, alone on the dock, and sparks flew behind her eyes as he kissed her. She was naked in seconds and their hands roamed over each other’s bare flesh. He drew her down to the ground quickly, but as he moved over top of her, she struggled.
“Roll over, Noah,” she whispered against his ear.
This time, she would ride the dragon.
Chapter 7
Three weeks passed, and she tried to let it go, to forget the quest that had fueled her for the better part of a century. They hadn’t spoken of Damon since the morning after their first night together. He’d warned her that the man was a very determined individual, and if he felt she was a risk to their secret, he would be back to finish what he’d started.
Noah had urged her to stay; to remain under his protection. She’d objected at first. The newness of whatever it was between them had scared her, and she wasn’t entirely certain it was something she should be exploring further. Besides, it had been a long time since there was someone else around to look out for her. Uncle William had been gone for more than thirty years, and there hadn’t been anyone else before, or since. She’d managed on her own and figured it would come to that again, no doubt. Still, she’d relented quickly. He’d touched her, wrapped her in his arms and all reasonable thought had fled. And really, she didn’t want to leave him.
For the first time in her life, she didn’t loathe the curse. In fact, she’d come to welcome it in the times she was alone with Noah. That was often, lately. She’d extended her vacation to the United States easily. It wasn’t uncommon for an archaeologist’s research to keep them detained longer than expected, and she’d spent day and night with him ever since, much of that time intimately ensconced in his hotel suite, his mansion outside the city, and even on his yacht.
They kept their appearances in public to a minimum after their first venture out caught the attention of the media, and their second resulted in a media frenzy. The great Noah Hunter wasn’t well known for repeat appearances with the same woman on his arm. In fact, he was notorious for quite the opposite. That should bother her, but it didn’t. He’d long ago accepted his lot, one in which a person of any permanency in his life wasn’t possible. She knew exactly how he felt. What hindered them might have been different, but they were both hindered, nevertheless.
Still, she’d been waiting for him to get bored with her. After all, neither of them was accustomed to another person’s company. But the fire between them that she’d expected to fizzle had only grown hotter, at least it had for her. Wasn’t that unusual? Not that she had any experience with relationships, but she’d seen plenty of couples blaze hot in the beginning and quickly turn to cold embers.
Of course, this wasn’t the same as a typical relationship. Noah wasn’t spending his every waking—and sleeping—hour with her because he couldn’t bear to part company. He was worried that, left unattended, Damon would quickly find her.
But what was she supposed to do? Stay by Noah’s side indefinitely? What happened when he inevitably tired of her and sent her on her way? Or worse, what happened when he tired of her but kept her around out of a sense of responsibility for her?
No. She wasn’t going to let that happen. She needed answers and she needed a plan.
Even if Noah was right and the Creag Bruadar was not responsible for what had happened to her, it still held some sort of answers, she was sure of it. The odd glow that surrounded it, she was reasonably certain no one else could see it. The glow was like a haze, wasn’t it? Like the auras she saw surrounding people? If she could touch it, just for a few seconds, maybe she would be able to see deeper.
And tonight might be her only chance to find out. Noah had left her—reluctantly—less than an hour ago. He’d been searching for Damon all this time and finally found a lead. But since he couldn’t guarantee it wasn’t a trap, he’d left her in the hotel suite with strict instructions to stay safe. Well, if knowledge was the most powerful weapon, she’d be safer if she was armed with as much of it as she could, she reasoned. And really, she’d be in and out of that building in minutes.
So, she slipped out of the suite and hurried down to the elevator, reminding herself she didn’t need to tiptoe. In the lobby, she looked around, though she didn’t really expect to find Damon Cross there. He couldn’t possibly know she’d be sneaking out of the hotel at precisely that moment.
She’d nearly made it to the front entrance when a man stepped out in front of her, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, though more likely, she’d been paying so little attention to anything except her goal that she hadn’t noticed him there.
“Claire Thomas? I’m afraid I can’t let you leave the building at the moment,” he told her in a genial tone as he lightly took her by the crook of her elbow. “Why don’t you go back up to Noah’s suite?”
“Just who are you?” she asked, mustering up her most authoritative tone, though she knew the answer already. She’d seen the man standing next to Noah on the front page of an old newspaper.
“My name is Cade Stryker. I’m a friend of Noah’s.”
“And what exactly do you think you’re doing?” She could tell from the aura surrounding him that he wasn’t a menacing character, and more than that, she’d come to recognize in a short amount of time that dragons have a different type of aura than humans. And Cade Stryker was definitely not an ordinary human.
“Just doing a friend a favor.”
“By keeping me locked up here?”
“No, by making sure nothing gets in here.”
“Then you should have no issue with me leaving,” s
he said and attempted to extricate her arm from his grasp. Not that she really expected it to be that easy, but a girl could hope.
“I think if I consider the context of the favor, rather than the wording of the favor itself, I have a feeling Noah would be none too happy with me turning a blind eye,” he replied, tightening his grip just enough to let her know he wasn’t budging.
Alright, so this definitely wasn’t going to be as easy as she’d thought, but she wasn’t going to let it deter her. “Look, there are some…personal items I need from the pharmacy. Now, I was just going to take a cab there, but if it will make you happier, you’re welcome to take me there instead.”
There was a pharmacy not far from the nature preserve. All she had to do was walk in there, find a back door out and hightail it to the museum. She’d probably be back in the store before Cade Stryker even realized she’d left.
He stared down at her, seemingly trying to read her expression. “I have a feeling you’d get along great with my partner,” he sighed, releasing her arm and motioning toward the door.
She smiled triumphantly and took the lead, only slowing once they were outside, waiting for him to direct her toward his car. It turned out there was really no reason to wait, she realized as he directed her toward a car that looked a lot like Noah’s. Did all dragons have an obsession with cars like that?
Once inside, she told him where she needed to go—or rather, she told him about the pharmacy right next to the place she needed to go. They kept up a polite banter as he drove, but like with any potential discovery, her mind was preoccupied.
The moment he brought the car to a full stop in the pharmacy’s parking lot, she hopped out. “Thanks very much. I’ll be right back,” she said in a rush and hurried into the store, navigating the aisles to the back and slipping out an emergency exit door as surreptitiously as she could.
Hoping the whole time that Cade Stryker would be content to sit there waiting for her, she dashed across the hundred yards to the empty parking lot of the preserve.
“Claire!” Cade’s voice called out, his tone urgent.
She hadn’t even made it inside the building. She whipped her head around to see just how close he was.
Too close.
But as she turned back toward the preserve, an arm wrapped around her waist, holding her tight in a vicious grip.
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist. Eventually, you were going to come back,” Damon Cross whispered menacingly against her ear, the brush of his lips against her making violent chills shoot down her spine. It was like he had appeared out of nowhere, but really, she’d once again been so caught up in purpose, she hadn’t been paying attention. And now she was going to pay the ultimate price for her foolishness.
There wasn’t any doubt about what he intended to do, but he was even angrier now than he’d been the last time he had her trapped. He intended to take his time and make her suffer for his impatience.
He dragged her with him, his arm still firmly locked around her. If he’d been human, perhaps she might have been able to wrestle free, but she couldn’t compete with the dragon’s strength, even when he was in human form. Still, she flailed and dug her heels into the ground. She let out a scream that echoed through the preserve, but he clapped his hand over her mouth, nearly smothering her in his attempt to silence her.
They passed into the open stretch where she’d watched in terrified awe as Noah and Damon had battled it out weeks before. Where was he taking her? And then she saw it, and wished she hadn’t. Vicious teeth and razor-sharp claws appeared in her mind, but they didn’t belong to a dragon. She wished for a sword now; it would be a kinder end than what Damon had in mind.
Tigers, black bears, coyote, mountain lions…she knew these animals lived in various preserves throughout the state. Which ones were lurking here? Which ones would he toss her to like a bone to a dog?
A black shadow soared through the sky right in front of them just as she heard Cade calling out from behind. Moonlight glimmered off the iridescent plates on Noah’s body as he came fully into view and landed. Relief flooded her veins and she went slack in Damon’s arms as his head darted back and forth. She felt a sick satisfaction in knowing he hadn’t been expecting either of them, and for the first time it pleased her to feel the wave of fear that rippled through him. She focused on separating the feeling from herself; she wouldn’t allow it to become her own.
“You got this, Noah?” Cade shouted from behind her, and the black dragon nodded in reply.
“It doesn’t have to be this way,” Damon called out, turning his back to Cade as if he was no longer a threat. “She was getting too close to the truth, and now that she knows it—thanks to you, Brother—you know there’s no other way.”
Brother? No, it couldn’t be. She’d had no idea. Unwittingly, she had come between Noah and his brother. And now, the anger that radiated from Noah’s great body told her she’d done more than just come between them; he was now forced to choose between her life and Damon’s. He would have to protect her by killing his brother, or leave her to the end Damon intended for her.
The vice grip around her wrist loosened suddenly, and Damon was no longer holding her. In the next second, a blur of black and forest green surged forward, ready to ram the black giant in front of him.
But Noah was obviously prepared for it; he took one thunderous step to the side and reached out a long, powerful arm. He grabbed Damon by the long, plated neck and lifted him high in the air. Damon flailed, and just as his arrow-tipped tail began to slash at the air around him, Cade wrapped his arms around her and dragged her well out of harm’s way.
“Front row seats are great for the theater, not for a dragon fight,” he said, his tone far too light given the gravity of the scene before them.
The vicious tail whipped futilely, back and forth, but Noah dodged every attempted blow. But one more strike, and the sharp end of Damon’s tail caught him in the chest.
“Noah!” she cried as he lost his grip on Damon and the black and green giant fell to the ground. She couldn’t tell if either one of them was seriously injured. Noah staggered back, but he regained himself quickly.
“Cade, do something. Can’t you help him?” she implored, but Cade still appeared unperturbed.
“Even if Noah needed my help—which he doesn’t—he wouldn’t want me getting involved. Damon…he’s Noah’s brother, Claire. Just trust me…Noah is one hell of a fighter.”
Right then, Noah let out a roar that shook the ground beneath her and then he was moving forward, heading straight for his brother with his claws at the ready.
Damon had gotten to his feet, and Noah swiped at him high on his belly, making contact with the exposed, leathery flesh there. Damon roared and Noah swiped again, not giving him any time to recover. Once more, and it was Damon’s turn to stagger backwards. But then he was charging forward again. As he rammed into the massive, black body, Noah spread his wings to full span, and suddenly they were in the air, soaring so high, she lost sight of them quickly. She could feel him though, the unique color of him still bright in her mind.
Seconds passed; they ticked by so slowly she could have sworn time was approaching a near standstill.
“Cade, where is he?” she asked as calmly as she could.
Before he could respond, a dark blur fell to the ground, at least fifty yards away. Noah? Damon? It landed with a finality that was unmistakable, even from this distance. No haze, no aura surrounded the fallen form, and in her panic, she was having difficulty trusting the aura that still hovered somewhere high above her.
He came into sight and she breathed a choked sigh of relief, and then she was running toward him before he’d even touched down. She flung her arms out as she reached him, encompassing as much of his massive body as she could with her short, human span. He shifted right there against her, his smooth plates giving way to chiseled muscle, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.
Damon was dead, and Noah was safe
.
“Noah, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know…”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. Damon has been…what he was for a long time. He should have met his end sooner. God only knows how many lives he’s taken, Claire, and I couldn’t let you be one more, no matter the blood between us.”
She couldn’t help but wonder just how many lives Damon Cross had taken. So much hate; centuries of killing to keep his secret. Perhaps he would finally find his peace now.
“Claire, I have to take him home. He can’t be found like this.”
She nodded, figuring it was safe for her to take a cab back to Noah’s place now that there were no more dragons hunting her.
“Want to give me a hand?” he asked Cade, nodding in the direction of Damon’s body.
“Sure thing,” Cade replied as he grabbed onto the hem of his shirt and yanked it off over his head. He folded it up neatly and placed it on the ground before unzipping the fly of his pants.
She looked at him strangely, wondering what on Earth he was doing. Was this some sort of dragon ritual thing?
“Um…Cade?” she asked as he started to yank his pants down.
“What?” he replied with an innocent smile that wasn’t the least bit innocent. “Maybe Noah doesn’t mind showing up naked when we’re done here,” he nodded knowingly at her, “But Hope and Lexi are expecting me at dinner in an hour, and I hardly plan on arriving without clothes.”
“Always the pragmatist, aren’t you Cade?” Noah joked back.
He kissed her so thoroughly, her head started to spin and then turned to the task at hand. “I’ll see you back at the hotel soon. I promise,” he told her a split second before he changed, his muscled human body giving way to the obsidian-plated dragon.
A thrill shocked through her body, very much looking forward to his homecoming.
Chapter 8
She’d taken a cab back to Noah’s hotel suite and paced back and forth across the length of the spacious living room more times than she could count. She was anxious to see him again. It was foolish—of course Noah was alright. The threat was gone, but still, after so much turmoil and terror, she just wanted to see him home safe.
