Once they were in the air and allowed to unbuckle their seat belts, Sami heard Hellfire unhook hers. Then, though his eyes were still closed, he knew she was once again staring at him. It felt like fire burning into him and it was all he could do to sit still.
“So, your girl, Goldy, you been with her long?” she asked and Sami’s eyes flew open. She was really asking this, now? He stared at her a moment.
“No, not really,” he said, wondering where the question was going.
“How long?” she asked.
Sami stifled a groan and shrugged. “A little while.”
“How long?” There was a hard edge to her voice.
“Ah …” What the hell, Hellfire had thrown him away so why was he trying to spare her feelings. “Since Thursday,” he said and watched as she did the mental math.
Sami leaned back and closed his eyes.
“I heard she’s pregnant,” Hellfire said.
Sami’s eyes snapped open and his heart started to thud. “Ah, ye-yeah, she is,” he said, feeling for some reason like he was walking on dangerous ground.
“Well congrats,” she bit out. “That was fast,” she said with a little smile that wasn’t really a smile. Sami stared at her. Warning bells were going off in his head. “Wasn’t it?” she asked, no longer smiling.
“Ah, well, it just—”
“Don’t you dare say it just happened,” Hellfire growled. Her eyes had begun to glow and he could see the anger in the set of her jaw.
“Hellfire—” he said, but she just stared at him. Sami swallowed deeply and fear filled him, though he didn’t know what exactly he feared. “Okay. Fine. Yes, it was and I won’t say it just happened.”
Hellfire stared at him, her jaw clamped tight, and the pulse in her neck beating rapidly. After a second, she said, “So you lied.”
“What? What are you talking about?” Though he’d known she was his soul mate and the only one for him, he didn’t think he’d said as much in words when they had been together. Or had he? He’d been out of his mind with rapture as their combined passion and magic enfolded them while he filled her up—against her bedroom wall. Still, he didn’t think he had said anything. Positive he hadn’t, Sami began to get angry. It didn’t matter.
“You’ve got some nerve,” he said quietly. “First you fuck me then you kick me in the balls, and tell me to get lost. Then you’re pissed when I find someone else?”
Hellfire blinked at him and Sami swore tears filled her eyes, but then she glanced at Brimstone who was watching them. The other passengers were pretending to ignore them.
Finally, she stood up. “I need to use the toilet.”
Shit. Sami bit his cheek as she slid past him, rubbing against him as she went. He wondered if she did it to tease him, purposely or not. Hellfire glanced down at his crotch then her gaze met his with a hurt and accusatory look as she grabbed her bag from above and went to the bathroom.
Sami met Brimstone’s angered gaze before the guy turned around in his seat. Even he was pissed at Sami. Great!
HELLFIRE QUICKLY SHUT and locked the door then flipped the lid on the toilet just in time to throw up. After getting rid of the little that was in her stomach, she spat once more and wondered when she last ate. She’d been offered breakfast, but felt too ill to eat anything.
I’m sure I ate yesterday …
With a sigh, she lowered the lid on the toilet and sat down as tears began to trickle down her face. Fuck, why did he have to affect her so deeply? He was right. She had fucked him then kicked him in the balls. She’d seen how hurt he’d been too. She had no right to be upset that he went and found someone else. In fact, she’d told him to do just that. But it was just so quick, and now he was having a baby with that perfect amazon. Hellfire shook her head.
I don’t want him. I really don’t …
She had made that perfectly clear to him and he had taken her advice, so why did it hurt so much?
Bloody hell, who was she fooling? She wanted him so badly it was all she could do not to climb into his lap, rip his shirt off, and lock lips with him right there in front of everyone. She chuckled at the thought and wondered if the other passengers would still try to ignore them. Oh, and she’d noticed that as hard as he tried to not want her, he still did.
Then she let out a sob. Why couldn’t things be different? Why couldn’t she be different? But she wasn’t, and now she’d blown it. She had only ever wanted a normal life, a husband to love her, a family…but that was not in the cards for her. Deacon and her own selfishness had made sure of that. Another sob tore from her throat, and she shook, wrapping her arms around her as the flood gates opened.
SAMI HATED THE TENUOUS link he shared with Hellfire. It had kept him from letting her die the night, however, now he could feel the effects. He didn’t want to care, but he found himself starting to worry when Hellfire didn’t come out of the bathroom for a good thirty minutes. In fact, he was ready to go knock on the door when it suddenly opened and she stepped out. He let out a breath of relief until she glanced his way.
Shock filled him. Her eyes were red as if she’d been crying. Fuck, he really hadn’t meant to hurt her. Hellfire averted her gaze as she slid her pack back into the overhead compartment and slid back into her seat, careful not to come into contact with him this time.
Sami suddenly realized that her tough exterior was all just a front, an act to keep others away. But why? Why did she try so hard to keep everyone at arm’s length? Even her brother had said she was independent and secretive, and that she kept to herself. Could it have something to do with the scars even her twin brother hadn’t known about? Just the thought of someone hurting her like that set Sami on edge and made him want blood.
Sami fought to control his emotions. It was going to be a long trip if she could wind him up like this. “Are you alright?” he finally asked when he could speak without growling.
Hellfire shrugged but he noticed that she trembled slightly. “Yeah, I’m fine, this infection is just kicking my ass,” she said without meeting his gaze.
“I’m sorry about earlier,” he said, not knowing what else to say to her.
Finally, she met his gaze but didn’t say anything. Sami swallowed hard. The need to apologize for sleeping with Goldy was on the tip of his tongue but he stopped himself. He wasn’t sorry and he wasn’t about to apologize for it either.
He had never meant to sleep with Goldy but she’d been going through her Awakening and it in turn, had triggered his. The Awakening for a Dracones is a very dangerous time—the pain can kill. Not everyone survives. Tierney and Jax found out that having sex holds the pain back and so that was what he and Goldy did to get through it. Together, they fought the pain, and in the process, they made new life.
At first, he had resisted. He really had. His heart was still yearning for his soul mate—Hellfire—but she’d rejected him, and then Goldy had needed him. It turned out he had needed her as well. When he realized what needed to be done for them both to survive, it wasn’t a hard decision to make. Added to that, the fact that Goldy had been nothing but sweet, kind, and truthful had made the decision a whole lot easier. She promised never to hurt him and he believed her. Now, by being here with Hellfire, he’d ended up hurting Goldy instead. Something else he’d never wanted to do. He really was an ass. Sami glanced at Hellfire and choked back his apology. He didn’t owe her any explanation.
Hellfire turned away and curled up so that she was staring out the window once again. Sami watched her for a couple of seconds. He wasn’t sure if she was still angry over Goldy, or something else now. No matter what she had done to him, he never wanted to hurt her and now he hated knowing that he’d unintentionally done so, again. It was sad, but even after she tore his heart from his chest and stomped on it, all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms. He wanted to tell her he was sorry and to swear never to hurt her again, then he’d hold her and never let her go.
Oh sure, and pigs are gonna sprout wings and start fly
ing too.
Turning away, he laid his head back and closed his eyes. He needed to remember that he had someone back home waiting for him. Someone sweet and wonderful who would never intentionally hurt him. Someone he trusted and who was pregnant with his child. With that thought, Sami steeled himself against Hellfire’s allure. He strengthened his shields against the minuscule amount of feelings that had been seeping into him. He had everything he needed. He just had to keep reminding himself.
Chapter Ten
Vision
SAMI AWOKE A COUPLE hours later to find Hellfire snuggled up beside him with her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest. She was sound asleep and he was hard as rock. Sami held still, not wanting to wake her. He ached to touch her but held back and tried to content himself with just studying her. The pink streak in her hair still surprised him, but even with it, she was just as captivating as when he first dreamed of her. Gently, he tucked a strand of black hair out of her face and refrained from brushing her cheek. His soul was singing and his dragon felt like it was purring. A few seconds later, Hellfire’s silver eyes flickered opened and met his. Sami’s dragon came alive at the feeling that she was looking into his soul.
Then she blinked and jerked away. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he whispered, but it wasn’t. He already felt bereft as Hellfire leaned back in her seat. Then she glanced up and studied him.
“So, what was going on with you last night?” she asked, referring to when he had cut himself in the bedroom.
Sami silently cursed. He’d hoped she’d think it was a dream or had forgotten about it. Obviously, she hadn’t.
“It was nothing, don’t worry about it,” he said with a shrug.
Hellfire stared at him incredulously, then turned away. “Yeah, whatever.”
Ten minutes later, the vision hit. It was similar to the one he’d had before. The Were-wolf pack was coming for Thaniel and Mark, the Were-wolf they had betrayed by selling him to the Ilyium. Only in the first vision, the wolves were searching for their pack member and the Were-leopard. This time, they were actually on the property hunting Thaniel and Mark.
“Sami?” He heard Hellfire call his name as if from a distance.
“No,” he cried out when the vision ended. His heart was racing and he was trembling.
Hellfire stared, eyes wide. “Are you okay?”
“No.” Trembling, Sami shook his head. He needed to get a hold of Jax or Tierney.
“You were shaking and your eyes rolled back in your head,” Hellfire whispered, and then she surprised him by reaching out and laying her hand on his bicep. A sense of peace and warmth radiated from her hand straight into him. Calm filled him.
“Thanks,” he swallowed, hating that she had such a profound effect on him. Then he wondered if he’d be able to reach Jax or Tierney in time.
Hellfire started to say something but he held a hand up. “Wait, I just need a moment.” He prayed his telepathy would reach over the miles. They had never tried to communicate telepathically from such a long distance before.
“Oh, sure,” Hellfire said and took her hand away.
All the warmth and calm vanished with it, and he fought against the worry inside. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled and laid his head back. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on contacting Tierney and Jax, and not Hellfire and how she affected him.
“Tierney, Jax,” he called out telepathically, but got nothing. He took a deep breath in, let it out, and tried again.
Finally, when he was starting to panic once more, Tierney answered him.
“Sami? What’s going on, what’s the matter?”
Thank all the universes. “Tierney, it’s the wolf pack, they are on the property looking for Thaniel and Mark.”
“Oh fuck, no,” Tierney swore and a shiver ran down Sami’s spine. Something was wrong.
“Where is Thaniel?” he asked, dreading the answer.
“He was upset and took off outside just a few minutes ago.”
Damn. Sami felt his heart skip a beat in fear. He was a million miles away and unable to help when they needed him. If something happened to Thaniel … The Were-leopard had grown on all of them, and had become kind of like a brother. But even so, if anything happened to Mark, or any of them, he’d never forgive himself.
“Sami, tell me what’s going on with you. Are you epileptic or something?” Hellfire asked, pulling him from his thoughts. “Maybe I should get some help,” she said, starting to get up from her seat.
Sami glanced around and noticed everyone but Brimstone was sleeping. “No. Please. Don’t. I-I just, I had a vision,” he whispered, his heart pounding with intense worry.
“A vision?” she repeated, surprised.
“Yeah, the Were-wolves are on our property hunting Thaniel and Mark,” he said.
“Thaniel? He’s the Were-leopard from the Were-wolves den?” she asked.
Sami frowned, wondering how she knew. He nodded. Maybe Brimstone had told her.
“And Mark is what?” she asked.
“Mark is a Were-wolf. The pack betrayed him, and sold him to the Ilyium. We found him at the Liberty Lake compound, the same day you were—” Sami couldn’t bring himself to say thrown into the fire. He didn’t even want to remember how devastated he’d been.
“Don’t you need to warn them?” she asked, breaking into his thoughts.
Sami shook his head. “I just did.”
Hellfire frowned at him suspiciously. “You did? And how did you do that? I don’t see a cell phone.”
Sami sighed and noticed Brimstone was staring back at them. “We can communicate telepathically,” he whispered knowing Brimstone would be able to hear him. Both of them stared at him with suspicion. Sami shrugged. “You don’t?”
They shook their head, then Brimstone smirked at Hellfire. “Damn sis, we were gypped.”
Hellfire glared at him and Sami snorted. “Well, I didn’t know if it would work this far away, but apparently it does.” Sami waited, feeling tense and impatient, to hear back on whether Thaniel and everyone was okay.
“You warned them, I’m sure they’ll be okay.” Hellfire surprised him again by trying to reassure him.
Sami nodded, praying she was right but it was still an hour before Tierney got back to him.
“Sami?”
“Yeah, are you all okay?” he asked.
“We’re good, thanks to your warning,” Tierney said.
“Thaniel is okay?” he asked. He needed to hear that the Were-leopard was all right.
“He’s pretty shaken up, but he’ll be fine. He does know that we are dragons now though,” Tierney told him.
“How’d he handle that?” Sami asked, worried.
“Not great, but like I said, he’ll be okay. What about you, how are you doing?” she asked.
Sami glanced at the locked sign on the bathroom across the way. Hellfire had been asking him about Thaniel, when she suddenly stopped talking. Then she pushed to her feet and hurried past him to the bathroom. That was about ten minutes ago. How sick was she? Sasha had warned him that it would take a while even though her wound had pretty much healed. Thinking about her wound had him remembering all her scars and he once again felt rage filling him. Who dared do that to her? And how could she have been so hurt that her siblings didn’t know about it?
“Sami?” Tierney said, bringing him back to their conversation.
“I’m fine.”
“I hope so, because if that bitch hurts you again, I will personally kick her ass.” Tierney’s words made Sami smile, until the bathroom door opened. An extremely pale Hellfire stepped out and wobbled a slight bit before finding her footing. He watched her as she made her way back to her seat.
“Are you alright?” he asked, concerned. Earlier, he had insisted she eat, but she had only moved the food around on the tray. She really hadn’t eaten much of anything.
Hellfire wouldn’t meet his eyes as she slid back into her seat. “I’m fine.”
By the time they arrived in Dublin, it was almost noon.
“You hired a car and driver?” Hellfire asked when she saw the man holding a sign with Sami’s name on it.
“I did. We can’t exactly fly away from the city in broad daylight, now can we?” he said.
“I guess not, but, okay.” Hellfire shrugged.
Sami spoke to the driver for a moment, making sure he knew they needed to go to the Burren in County Clare. Then, after Brimstone climbed into the front seat, he resigned himself to the back seat beside Hellfire once again. What the hell, two nights ago Brimstone accused Sami of trying to hurt his sister, now he seemed to be pushing Sami at her. Annoyed, Sami fought to get comfortable in the little car and keep his distance from the one who continued to hold his full attention. He just needed to help find their sister, and then get back home to Goldy. Once he was home, surely he’d forget this insane attraction to someone who hated his guts.
Remembering what Sasha said about Hellfire eating, Sami insisted they stop for some lunch. Consequently, it was evening by the time they made it to the Poulnabrone Dolmen on the Burren. By then, Hellfire was looking extra pale and visibly shaking as she hurried from the parking area where their driver had dropped them off. Sami had tried to get her to slow down but she wouldn’t have it.
“Nix is in trouble. I feel it, we can’t waste time,” she said before pulling away and continuing forward. Sami stared after her.
“She’s stubborn, if you haven’t figured that out yet,” Brimstone said.
“You’re not kidding,” Sami mumbled as he followed behind them.
“We should’ve waited and just flown here,” Brimstone complained as they stepped over the rope that was supposed to prevent tourists from getting too close.
“Just because you don’t see anyone, doesn’t mean no one’s around, dumb ass,” Hellfire told him, obviously feeling herself once again.
Brimstone rolled his eyes as they approached the ancient structure.
Dracones Boxset Books 1-5 Page 67
