Dragon's Lover, Part 2

by Carina Wilder

  The only question in his mind was what to do once he’d located the train. It wasn’t as though he could swoop down and tear its roof off to reveal the insides like a can of sardines. He’d have to be slightly more discreet than that, which meant a quickly-forged plan.

  Only a few minutes of flight had passed before he saw the train powering along below, a silver bullet shooting towards the city. No doubt it was filled with commuters expecting an uneventful ride to work. Well they’d get it, with only one minor interruption. And with any luck they’d forget it as quickly as it had occurred.

  Aegis accelerated, his wings beating the air around him hard as he overtook the train below. He knew that it would need some distance to slow down and stop safely, so he made sure that he was a good half mile ahead before shooting down towards the tracks. Please, let this work.

  It didn’t even occur to him to hope that Ashlyn was on the train; she had to be. He could feel her presence drawing him towards her.

  When his feet struck the ground, he pivoted his immense body to face the oncoming locomotive and huffed out a massive breath of flame in warning. It was a signal that the conductor couldn’t possibly miss, and within a second his ears picked up the screeching of steel braking against track.

  The train had halted just a few feet before him, so the Dragon wasted no time stepping towards the engine and shifting into his human form. The conductor froze as the very tall, broad-shouldered man walked up and knocked on the engine’s door. The stunned human opened it, letting Aegis in without a word.

  “Thank you,” the shifter said simply as he stepped inside. “Feel free to proceed on your way, and do forget what just happened, would you? There’s a good chap.”

  For a moment the other man looked frazzled as he stared at the controls, confused as to how to perform the simplest action. But as soon as Aegis had opened the entrance to the first cabin the conductor’s eyes focused ahead and he set the train in motion again, as though nothing had occurred. The past minute of his life had been erased from his memory, his only thought that he needed to get the train moving faster. Aegis breathed a sigh of relief to know that the Dragons’ magic still worked on humans.

  He slipped towards the back of the first passenger car and opened the door, his eyes scanning the next one as he entered it, trying to spot Ashlyn’s beautiful mane of blond hair or those exquisite bright eyes of hers. His nose sniffed the air, hunting for her scent as he advanced.

  It was only when he hit the fourth car that he picked it up. That heady, luscious aroma that he’d had all over his face the night before. Sexual, alluring and delicious. Just thinking about it made him hard. She’d tasted so good. So mouth-watering. So…perfect.

  And in a moment he would see her again.

  Reunion

  Ashlyn’s heart started to hammer a mile a minute when she felt the train grind to a halt. At first she told herself that it couldn’t really be happening. He couldn’t have come for her; why would he? The train must have stopped for another reason. A cow on the tracks, a delayed train up ahead.

  But the voice inside her told her not to question it; that she knew full well what had brought the world around her to a standstill. Even if she didn’t begin to understand how it was possible, she could feel the Dragon shifter’s presence.

  He’s here. He’s coming for us. The voice was insistent. But this time she didn’t argue or wish it away.

  Dread should have filled her at the thought of seeing Aegis. Or maybe she should have been angry with him for not leaving her alone, or something. Should have run away as fast as her legs would carry her, and avoided what was coming. But instead she sank down in her seat, welcoming the beautiful feeling of hope that darted through her veins, reinvigorating her and telling her that this was her fate. For the second time the Dragon shifter had followed her, and for the second time his presence was a welcome escape from pain.

  Ashlyn lifted herself off her butt and braced herself, eyes locked on the door at the front of the cabin as the train began to move again. She waited in silence, knowing that it would soon open to reveal the most gorgeous face she’d ever seen.

  Sure enough, after a minute or so gasps began to emerge from passengers’ open mouths as the door slid open. Every person who laid eyes on him was mesmerized by his presence though they had no idea what they were seeing, no idea that it was a powerful shifter with a Dragon inside him who’d graced them with his presence and temporarily put their lives on hold. A shifter, come to claim what was rightfully his.

  When Ashlyn’s eyes locked on the incredible face searching the sea of heads for her own, she wasn’t sure whether to hunch down and conceal herself or to stand up and summon him to her side. He answered the question for her, making his way aggressively and confidently towards the back of the carriage. His purpose was clear even as he left a trail of that incredible Dragon shifter’s scent in his wake.

  God, he was the sexiest thing.

  His scent danced through the air, confusing the train’s passengers beyond speech as it snaked above their heads in search of Ashlyn’s nose. Sure enough it found its destination, all its arousing glory hitting her like a beautiful shockwave.

  Then all of a sudden he was next to her.

  All the words in the world jammed their way into her mind, seeking to pour out excuses and explanations for her abrupt departure. “I’m sorry. I got scared. The truth is that I want you so much that it hurts. I understand that now. Please take me home with you and make love to me.” But she forced her mouth into submissive silence, too confused by her mountain range of emotions to speak.

  Aegis looked down, the deepening creases on his face telling her that she’d hurt him. But even worse than that, they told her that she’d disappointed him. She’d treated him poorly after he’d taken her in, running off like that as though their tryst had meant nothing. She’d behaved as though he was no more to her than a typical one-night stand with a stranger picked up in a bar.

  If only he knew the truth. If he’d known how she actually felt, he would have looked at her with sympathy, pity even.

  “Hello, Ashlyn Raleigh,” he said softly.

  “Hello, Aegis Dunkirk.”

  Well, things had just gotten pretty damned complicated.

  Ashlyn had wanted this moment so badly. Wanted him and everything that accompanied him; the Dragon, the kindness, the humour, the feeling of home and comfort. The eroticism of his touch, of his voice. The feeling that nothing and no one in the world mattered when he was near.

  Yet a part of her wanted to beg him to leave her alone, to let her suffer in solitary peace. To go back to his life, whatever that was, and desert the wreckage that was her heart. Hearts mended eventually, at least they were supposed to. But hers was already coated in the scar tissue that came with loss of her beloved parents. The poor organ might not be able to take another beating.

  “May I sit?” he asked quietly, his eyes taking possession of her own as though they were never going to release her from their gaze again.

  She nodded, hugging her satchel tight to her belly. Thankfully, the seat next to her had remained empty. Apparently no one had wanted to sit next to a woman who looked like she might be on the verge of ugly crying, and who could blame then?

  The Dragon shifter eased down next to her, so big that his upper arm had no choice but to brush up against hers. It felt so good, that touch of his, erotic and reassuring at once.

  She looked towards him, searching his profile for an alteration in his mood, but all she found was the hard, pained edge of his features.

  “I hate that you left like that,” he breathed, his stare now fixed straight ahead. So, he was going to be cold and distant. He wasn’t there for her; he’d only come to tell her he hated her, to reprimand her. “I hate that you didn’t say good-bye to me, even if you had no choice but to go.”

  “Me too.” She turned to look out the window, her eyes once again brimming with moisture. It hurt to have him deny her his gaze. He had no ide
a how much she’d hated leaving him behind. He didn’t know how her heart had ached since she’d stepped out of his house. Even so, how could he possibly think she’d discarded him?

  “The true reason you’re in England remains a mystery to me, Ashlyn,” he said. “I’m not sure that even you know why you’ve come. But whatever you need, I’m here to help you. I wouldn’t desert you, not for anything…not unless you wish it. It would be dishonourable of me to let you head to London on your own, after what happened last night, but if you command me to leave you alone forever, I will do it. Do you understand me?”

  Another nod, her eyes locked on the landscape outside. Large flakes of white were beginning to tumble down from the clouds. “Yes.”

  “So let me help. Let me in on whatever’s happening with you.”

  Ashlyn turned her head slowly, as did he. Their eyes met again and she stiffened under his stern expression. This wasn’t good. He’d be able to read the vulnerability and pain on her face. He’d know that he had the power in this situation; that she’d gone weak. There was no hiding the fear of closeness, of love, and what it might mean to care for him. She’d already lost everyone she loved, and had only just begun to learn to exist without the burdens or benefits of affection. She’d only just figured out how to shield her heart from the pain of her past losses. Now that she’d found Aegis and left him behind once, the idea of losing him again was a whole new sort of agony.

  “You’re killing me, Dragon,” she said softly. “You want to know what’s happening with me? I’ll tell you. I love that you’re here now, that you came looking for me. But I think you might destroy me.”

  “I see. Does that mean you want me to leave?” he asked, lifting himself from his seat. Shit, what was he going to do, shift into his Dragon and tear a hole in the train’s ceiling?

  She shook her head, putting a hand on his arm to stop him. “No, I want just the opposite. Don’t you see? When I got up this morning I was determined to leave. It was the right course of action; I was sure of it. But what I didn’t know then, what I didn’t fully understand, was that you’re inside me. I feel you wrapped around my heart. I don’t know how you got there, but you’ve taken me over. I probably sound like a crazy woman for saying that to you. Fuck, I have no idea what’s happening to me, or why I’m telling you any of this.”

  “Not crazy at all.” The faintest trace of a smile curled his lips. “You’re inside me, too. You’ve made me bigger, stronger, in only a day. You’ve made me feel alive, after many decades of mere living.”

  The words struck Ashlyn hard. Beautiful man, filling her from head to toe with affection. She looked away again, trying to resist the mounting sensation that she was falling, denying herself the pleasure of his face. “You’ve made me strong too, and it scares the hell out of me,” she said. “There’s even a part of me that wonders if it’s because of you that I was able to fight off that man last night.” Her voice was tightening, and it was only a matter of time before the tears began rolling down her face at last. “But the scariest thing is that when I left you this morning, I felt myself weaken, like my energy and strength had been torn away. I felt pain, Aegis. Even now I feel it. I know it’s because of you—because of us. Explain to me how that’s even possible.”

  “They say that’s how it feels to lose your mate,” he said, so softly that she wasn’t sure if she’d imagined it. “Mates strengthen one another. Their bonds are all but unbreakable. They stretch and give like elastic, but to sever one is a death. That’s how Dragons work. That’s how I work, though I’ve never felt that bond with anyone. Until now.”

  Ashlyn reached without looking and grabbed his hand, squeezing hard. With the other hand she wiped away the tears that had been slipping down her cheeks. “I may be no Dragon, but I want you so badly that it’s making my insides collapse. Some part of me wants to believe that you and I are meant to be together, but like I told you before, my life is complicated.”

  “Complicated,” he muttered, “is usually code for ‘I like you as a friend.’”

  Ashlyn let out a quiet, cynical laugh and shook her head. “That’s not at all what I’m saying.”

  “So tell me what you’re saying, even if it’s that you want me out of your life.”

  She turned to meet his eyes and held him in her gaze. “You know that’s the last thing I want,” she said. “Listen, there’s something I think I should tell you. I suppose it couldn’t hurt at this point, since we’re being so honest with one another.”

  “What is it?”

  Ashlyn let out a deep sigh. “A few years ago my parents gave me some items that were discovered alongside me when I was a baby.”

  “The Dragon bone blades, you mean.”

  “Yes. But there was something else too, tucked into the crib at my side. A note of sorts. I suppose it must have been written just after I was born.” She considered showing it to him, but something compelled her to keep the tube hidden in her bag. It was her treasure, and much as she wanted to share everything with this beautiful man, some small voice compelled her to keep it out of the reach of anyone else, even him.

  “Yes?” Aegis’s voice was calm, collected, but she could hear a hint of curiosity. He probably wanted as badly as she did to know what all of it meant.

  “My father kept it for years and only gave it to me recently. I suppose he thought it was time that I had it. But I didn’t open it until my parents were both gone. For some reason, it didn’t seem right to look into my family history while they were still with me.”

  “I understand. So what was in the note?”

  Ashlyn hesitated before replying. If she told him about it, there would be no going back. He’d be part of this strange hunt of hers, even if it seemed insane. “It’s sort of a riddle that says to come to London and look for something—a place, I think. I know that sounds weird, but that’s why I traveled here. I wanted to see where the words would lead me.”

  Aegis scratched the stubble on his chin as he contemplated what she’d said. “Do you think it might be the place you were born? Something that would give you answers about your birth parents?”

  “I thought so, at first,” she said. “But I’m not so sure anymore. The note said that the location had been consumed by fire and lightning and overgrown by vines. Unless it was predicting the future, it couldn’t have been about the house where I was born. It was written before the place even burned down.”

  “Ah, good point. Okay,” Aegis said. “So it might be another place. But what’s the purpose behind finding it?”

  “It’s a little hard to explain.”

  “I’m all ears.” He sounded sincere, but that wasn’t enough to entirely break down her hesitancy.

  “There’s something there for me,” she said, “something I’m supposed to look for. The only problem is that I have no idea what it is.”

  A flash of recognition and surprise came over Aegis’s features. “Something you’re supposed to find. That would make sense if you’re a…” he murmured, a smile working its way across his lips.

  “A what?”

  “A Seeker.” He grabbed her face with his hands and kissed her forehead. “It all makes sense. Jesus, how did I not see it before? You’re here in England to look for one of the Dragons’ stones.”

  “Why would you say that? I didn’t tell you anything about a stone.”

  “I’m clever that way.” Aegis’s smile stretched wide across his face, his eyes glimmering with renewed hope.

  “Stop it. Seriously, how could you know that?”

  “Because I suspect that it’s why I found you—I think it’s why we found each other. You may be a Seeker, which also explains why I was—am—so drawn to you.”

  “Pardon my ignorance, but what the hell is a Seeker?”

  “Are you ready for a bit of a long story?” Aegis asked. Ashlyn nodded, and the shifter began to speak, his voice going soft and low to keep their tale private. “Centuries ago, the Dragon shifters crafted four Relics o
f Power. Each is the shape of a quarter-circle, and each is made of stone. When all four are assembled, the completed Circle will give the Dragon Guild power that they’ve never known. The Relics have remained hidden for many years, and only recently, with the arrival of the Forsaken in London, have we begun searching for them. They’re meant to help us defeat the Forsaken and other enemies of our kind.”

  “Relics,” Ashlyn murmured. “The Forsaken in the alley said something about a Relic…”

  Aegis nodded. “I’m not surprised,” he said. “The Kindred like me—the Dragon shifters of the ancient line—need to find and assemble the Four before anyone else manages to do so. When a Kindred from one of the four bloodlines of power: Water, Earth, Fire, Water—finds his Seeker, the pair search together for their Relic. We’ve found two of them, but only because two of our kind have found their mates. Lumen found Neko, Lyre and Trix found one another. And they uncovered the Relics of Water and Air together. The only two Relics remaining are those of Fire and Earth.”

  “So you think…” Ashlyn began. “You think I’m supposed to…”

  “Find the next Relic. Yes, I think so. Except for one thing,” he added, a look of profound disappointment sweeping over his features as a realization struck. “I…I don’t belong to the bloodline of Fire or Earth. I’m simply Aegis Dunkirk. If you’re to find the next Relic, if you’re actually the Seeker…it means you can’t be my mate.”

  “Do you mean we’re not meant to find it together?” Ashlyn asked. “That I’m meant to be someone else’s mate?”

  “I don’t know. I can’t imagine it, but it’s possible. I just don’t yet understand…” Aegis went silent, thoughts churning in his mind.

  Ashlyn winced. Surely she wasn’t meant to be with another Dragon shifter. She couldn’t be, not now. Aegis had dug his talons into her in the most glorious way. She wanted him to stay there, holding her to his chest forever.

  “Can you tell me any more about the verse?” he asked. “Maybe I can help you get started, even if…even if you’re meant to conclude the hunt with another man.”