by Kira Nyte
“I think I’ll help Syn in the kitchen before I tie your tongue into a bow.”
“I’d like to see you try.” Taryn threw his hands defensively in front of his face when Amelia lifted her arms. “Kidding.”
Amelia wagged her brows at Gabriella. “A lesson in training your dragon.”
Taryn growled.
Gabriella giggled. The spontaneous sound brought a smile to his face. She’d laughed only a few times today, but her smiles were becoming more common and more beautiful to him. The laughter was a bonus.
Amelia left the library. Gabriella stood up and stretched her arms over her head. Taryn tried to look away, and did, after he admired her lithe form. Still dressed in his button-down—the damn shirt was a tease to his common sense, she looked that hot in it—and a pair of leggings Briella and Syn picked up for her, she packed a sexy punch with an otherwise casual appearance. Her pale blond hair was pulled loosely back, yet many strands fell around her face and shoulders.
She was a breathtaking sight, one he could indulge in for hours without ever growing tired.
“So, you’ve really been stalking me,” she said, her voice light. She went to one of the shelves and replaced the book she’d been reading.
“I find the term to have a very negative connotation. I like to think I was overseeing your safety,” Taryn said.
“Good thing I never had that amulet out in the bathroom while I was showering.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. She knew how to make his blood simmer. “Even if you had, I’m not the type to watch. Unless, of course, I’m invited.”
Gabriella ran a finger over the spines of his books. “I’ve gotten that impression.”
Good.
“I’ve also gotten the impression that you would rather not watch, but be involved.”
“Goddess, really? You’re going to tease me now?” He groaned, keeping a smile plastered to his face while his cock throbbed at the thought of joining her in the shower. The things he could do to her. “Have you and Amelia met up at some point I’m unaware of and plotted out ways to torment me?”
His sweet angel shook her head, finally turning from the books to face him. She secured her hair again, the shorter waves escaping to fall over her cheeks. The pale rose along her cheekbones taunted him as badly as her words. And the V that lay open to the very hint of her cleavage.
He swallowed the lump in his throat.
Her head tipped to the side. “You’ve fire in your eyes.”
“I think I’ve fire in more places than my eyes, angel. I’m just trying to keep it all contained while you stoke the flames.”
Awareness touched her eyes. He felt it the moment it hit her. Wonder.
Slowly, she approached him until she stood in front of him. He kept his mouth shut as she perused him, the touch of her gaze unleashing lava inside him. He kept his eyes on her head, despite the temptation of that damn shirt. Her breaths were steady, but her could hear her heart pounding wildly.
“You’re giving me control,” she murmured.
“It’s not about control. It’s about respect. And I respect you far too much to force what I desperately crave until you’re ready, however long it takes.”
She responded by leaning over and pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. “Thank you.”
He took her hand and kissed her fingers. “No thanks necessary.”
“I do thank you. For everything you’ve done for me. For accepting me despite my mother, despite my past, despite the mental illnesses I battle. I thank you for seeing me when I couldn’t even see myself, for supporting me when most would have ran the other way. I don’t understand all of this Keeper and lifemate stuff. I don’t even know about my father. But you’ve shown me life can be beautiful with the right people in it.”
Her eyes glistened, though she held her smile, her sincerity. He understood how hard it was for her to speak those words. He felt the struggle she overcame to form each sentence. His pride in her moved up another notch.
His Gabriella. A true survivor.
“And I don’t mind your touch. I find comfort in it.”
He raised a brow.
“I’ve noticed you catching yourself when you reach for me. Your touch is soothing. I like it. It’s not what I’m used to.”
“Can I let a little bit of the dragon out right now?” Taryn asked. A delicate crease formed over her brows, but she nodded. “Good.”
He drew her close and guided her to sit on the arm of the chair. He cupped her face with one hand and wrapped his arm around her waist. “I won’t have any other man touch you, all you have to do is tell me you’ll stay with me.”
“I was expecting scales and smoke. Not a declaration of commitment.” She traced his brow with the tips of her fingers. He fought the urge to close his eyes under her gentle touch, and focused on her mouth.
“I’m unpredictable that way.”
Gabriella leaned over and again pressed her lips against his. Her breath hitched as his heated. His fingers tightened around her waist, sliding her closer. She slung her legs over his lap.
He didn’t move, counting each thump of his heartbeat. Waiting for her to pull away or continue kissing him while his body sang with hunger.
“Tell me what you want, angel.”
“Kiss me. Like you did the other night outside the club.”
Sweet Goddess almighty.
He slipped his fingers into her hair, angling her head. It broke the connection long enough for him to rasp, “How about I do a little better?”
Tension rode his shoulders as he refrained from plundering her with the kiss he desperately wanted to instead give her the slow, sensual kiss he knew she needed. He took his time, exploring her mouth, drinking in her taste, her warmth. Her shuddered breaths. Her shy hesitation before she fell in sync with each sweep of his tongue. He inhaled her soft moan, flexing his fingers against her head. What he’d give to fist her hair, just a little. Growl into their kiss. Ignite the feminine inferno he sensed bubbling closer and closer to the surface.
Her legs tightened around his and she pressed herself closer until her body was flush with his.
The growl escaped.
His fingers flexed in her hair as he pressed his kiss deeper.
She met his hunger with her own. Her arms snaked around his neck, her fingers tugging at the strands of hair at his nape.
Flames licked through his chest, scorched his cock, and coiled in his gut. He slipped his arm under her legs and lifted her so he could settle into the chair with her across his lap.
She held on, kissing him with the heated desire he’d heard burned between lifemates, and he was helpless to resist.
He barely stopped himself from slipping his hand beneath her shirt. To touch her belly. He fisted the clump of shirt he had gathered, trying to control the feral hunger quickly claiming him.
She dropped a hand over his and, with only a faint tremor of her fingers, splayed his palm against her hip and guided him beneath the hem of the shirt.
The dragon inside him roared as the familiar prickling of his scales slipped through his skin. He tore his mouth from Gabriella’s, touched his forehead to hers, and held her lust-laced gaze as he learned the curve of her waist, the planes of her stomach, the bumps of her spine.
No fear. No disgust. Nothing flashed in her eyes to warn him he was treading on undesirable ground. He could smell her arousal, feel her desire.
Potent and intoxicating.
Her nails scraped lightly over the scales on his forearm, his nerves hyper aware of the pleasure of her touch. It coiled and centered in his groin.
“Don’t do that, angel. You’ve no idea how nice that feels,” he warned, his voice thick and gravelly. The tips of his fingers traced the underwire of her bra. She sucked in a sharp breath as he slipped his hand along the side of her breast, brushing his thumb over her peaked nipple. “I think we need to stop.”
She touched her tongue to her kiss-swollen lower lip. “I never imagin
ed I’d want a man to touch me as badly as I want you to.”
“I’ll touch you all you want. Just not here in the library with the chance of people walking in.” He thumbed her nipple again, enjoying the small gasp of pleasure it elicited and the way her body arched into his hand. “I’m trying to behave, sweetheart. You’re making this difficult.”
He watched her temperature rise as he shared his vision with his dragon. The fever was ambrosia to the hungry beast.
Finally, she sighed and gave a small nod. “You’re right.” She sat up straight and cast her legs off the arm of the chair. Her feet landed between his as she arranged her shirt. “We should stop.”
He closed his eyes and dropped his forehead to her shoulder, fighting a torturous battle not to pick her up and carry her to his room. Her fingers ran through his hair, her short nails scraping along his scalp, making his scales tingle and his cock jerk.
“Are these the size of your scales?” she asked, tracing the curve of a single scale. He adjusted his head to look down at her hand hovering over his forearm, which was covered in burnished red and black-tipped scales. “The color is pretty.”
“I never thought I’d hear someone call my scales pretty.” He chuckled, the sound sexually laced, and lifted his head. “They’re badass.”
He extended a single talon and tapped the scale.
“Practically impenetrable, unless a blade or bullet gets between the scales. But that’s only happened to one or two dragons over the eons.” Taryn rolled his eyes. “You know, the stories of knights severing the heads of dragons for their princess loves and all. And no. These are only the very tips of the scales. Remember, my human form is not the size of my dragon.”
She caught his finger and ran her thumb over the curve of his talon. “I think I’m actually looking forward to seeing you as a dragon.”
“Sooner than later, angel.”
Shadows crossing the floor beyond the library gave warning just in time. Syn and Briella came into the room, Syn carrying a tray of snacks and Briella a tray of mugs. They joined Taryn and Gabriella on separate chairs, placing the trays on the two round tables between them.
Briella sighed as she fell into the chair, reaching to take Syn’s hand after he settled in his seat. “Amelia will be right in. She said something about hexing your fridge contents.”
“But of course she would,” Taryn said lightly. “Do you want to sit in this chair?”
Gabriella glanced back at him, then took his hand and held it around her waist. “I’m good as long as you are.”
“You’ll save me some embarrassment by not booting me from here.”
Her gaze dropped to his jeans and her cheeks flushed. Her fingers tightened in his.
He averted his attention and focused on Syn and Briella. Anything to distract him from her clean floral scent and light weight on his knee.
“I’m not sure we should chance trying to take out the Baroqueth who are in the city. We don’t know how many there are, and a hunt will only draw more attention to us when we really don’t need it,” Taryn said, continuing the conversation he and Syn had been involved in when his brother returned to the house.
“I think we should wait for Cade to join us and see what he says. If we can confirm there are only a few in the city, it might be easier to strike first rather than wait for them to launch another attack. There’s no confirmation of how many Baroqueth were lost in last month’s debacle, but I’m certain we took out a hefty number of those who were in New Orleans.”
“I don’t like it,” Briella said firmly. “I didn’t like it when you mentioned it earlier. I don’t like it now. And I won’t like it later when Cade comes.” She squeezed Syn’s hand. “I nearly lost you. I’m not willing to go through that again.”
Syn looked at his lifemate, a lazy half-grin on his mouth. “You saw our children.”
Briella growled. “That doesn’t mean you should be reckless. My visions follow a path currently set. You step off that path, the future changes and my vision of children can easily turn to one of mourning. So please, let’s leave the sorcerers to do their sorcery things and go back home, where my father might be able to talk some sense into you, since he’s still your Keeper.”
“Your parents live in The…Hollow?”
Briella nodded at Gabriella’s question. “Yeah. My mother got right back to her gardening and my father’s been teaming up with Alazar’s Keeper to try and figure out the possible numbers of Baroqueth slayers. It’s nice to know the odds. My parents settled in Upstate New York when they first came to this world. Speaking of.” She poked Syn’s arm. “Did you hear anything back from the real estate agent about that contract?”
“All taken care of. House is sold.”
“My parents will be thrilled to hear that.”
Taryn leaned forward and selected a mug of tea from the tray. He handed it to Gabriella. “Here, angel.”
“Thanks.” She lifted the mug to her lips. “Mmm. Smells great.”
“Infused with dried berries,” Amelia explained as she silently entered the library and joined them. Taking a seat, she helped herself to her own mug of tea. “One of my favorite blends. And I agree with Briella, Syn. Don’t be foolish. Trust me on this.”
“Well, guess my idea goes out the window if the seer sees something unpleasant,” Syn chuckled. He retrieved two mugs and handed one to Briella. “Do you have a suspected number of Baroqueth roaming the Big Easy?”
“No, but I’ve been able to detect at least four different energies, and one of them is discerning. She’s strong.”
Taryn stilled. “She.” He shared a concerned glance with Syn. They both knew the “she” Amelia was talking about. The woman almost killed Briella in a voodoo shop. “She’s still in the city, then.”
“She never left. Her energy is strong, but I can’t pin her down to an exact location. If I were to say, I think she might be the leader of the local Baroqueth. Or a very close second.” Amelia gazed into her mug. “I’ve been tempting fate, Taryn. I know it’s only a matter of time before my magic no longer shields you from her. I’m human. She’s not. Of that much I am certain. Honestly, I don’t know how I’ve been able to hold up the barriers this long against her power.”
Taryn narrowed his eyes. “Which puts you in danger.”
She waved away his concern. “That’s not what I was getting at. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“I think he has a right to worry about you,” Gabriella said. She started to dip her head, then caught herself and lifted her chin. Taryn rubbed her back in silent approval. He caught the pleased smile Amelia hid behind the rim of her mug.
“I agree with Gabby,” Briella said. “You’ve risked yourself more than any human would, and have done it for nothing in return. Taryn.” Briella leaned forward. “Do you think Cade would allow us to bring her to The Hollow?”
“I have my life here, Briella. Whatever my fate is, it’s here,” Amelia said. “Thank you, but I have no place in your world.”
“Uh, I think you do…”
Taryn stopped listening to Briella’s argument, compelled by the strange expression on Amelia’s face. An expression of feigned content. A peculiar flash in her violet eyes was the only giveaway she might be concerned, one that he thought everyone missed except him, because he knew what to look for.
“You’ve seen something. Something that has to do with you,” he finally said, silencing Briella and drawing everyone’s attention. His stomach flipped unnaturally. Sadness sifted through her usually optimistic eyes. “Amelia, why the hell didn’t you say anything?”
“As Briella said, it’s a path. Not set in stone.”
“And you’re fine with it?” He couldn’t soften his hardened tone. “You weren’t going to say a damn thing.”
“Taryn—”
“Don’t do it, Amelia. I don’t want to hear any rebuke.” Taryn braced his elbow on the arm of the chair and glowered at his beloved friend. Whatever she saw in his face, in h
is eyes, was enough to make her look away. “Did you really think for a moment that we would leave you to fend for yourself? That I would abandon you? Goddess, damn you.” He jabbed a finger in her direction. “When Gabe returns, you’re leaving. Ahead of us. You’re going to The Hollow and you’ll stay there until you have pretty visions of rainbows and flower fields, and maybe a man.”
That brought her head up in a snap. “You’ll force me to leave when I’ve said I’ll stay?”
“For once, I think I’m the one with the ancient logic and you’re taking after me.”
Syn snorted. “I hate to admit it, but he’s right. It’s not permanent, but if anything happens to you, Amelia, it will have a tremendous effect on him.”
“There. The logical one in the room speaks his opinion, and it meshes with mine.” Taryn rubbed a hand down his face. “And yes, to answer your earlier question. I’ll force you to leave if it means saving your life. A life you’re obviously quite quick to sacrifice for a vision. I think I need to hit you over the head with a dried bunch of herbs. Actually, I think I need a drink.”
“I can get one for you,” Gabriella offered. Taryn let out a sharp breath and propped his cheek on his fist to look up at her. Goddess, she was beautiful, and just looking at her did wonders towards cooling his temper.
“Alcohol has very little effect on us, angel. We drink for enjoyment and taste. It would take a bar of liquor to scrape the surface of our tolerance. I’m frustrated, that’s all.”
“Obviously.” Gabriella offered him an understanding grin. “Amelia, please. Would you go to The Hollow? It would be nice to have your company.”
Amelia let out a sigh. “Because you asked nicely, unlike the dragon.”
Taryn shrugged. “I’m a dragon. I protect my own. What can I say?”
He was a beast, after all.
Chapter Nineteen
Quiet steps woke her from her light sleep. She peeled open her eyes and watched the shadow move across the room to disappear into the bathroom. Her hazy mind fired up old fear. She’d been through this before. The shadows. The quiet steps.
Then hands. Hands taking liberties…
