“Whoa! Are you okay?”
“Oh shit,” Jada cussed, sounding strangely surprised, and he couldn't figure out what was wrong at first.
But then he heard a possessive growl, and soon realized it was his own.
Dalris was in Wrath at the sight of his eternal mate.
Two large, black horns now jutted from his temples, curling down toward his shoulders. His fangs were sharp, and he knew that beneath his clothing, his markings were glowing, all of it a sign that the dragon blood running through his veins was stirring in full recognition of his mate.
And it would continue to do so until he claimed her.
In fact, he was actually surprised by the strength of desire heating his blood, and it wasn't simply a craving for physical pleasure driving it. He also needed to get closer to her, much closer, his heart hammering at the thought that he'd finally located her. After all these centuries … she's here!
His emotions went haywire at the thought, eroding both his control and his rationality until Dalris knew only one thing; he had absolutely no intentions of wasting this opportunity to get much better acquainted with Jada Tavar.
And he was going to make sure she enjoyed it.
Seeing Dalris standing above her in Wrath, Jada knew only one thing; she was ready to bolt.
One moment, he was fine, and the next, two large horns were jutting from his temples with his fangs sharpening—an intimidating sight. I didn't think his horns would be so big.
Of course, she'd never actually seen a draconian in Wrath before, so she didn't know what to expect precisely. But regardless of what they looked like, she'd been warned a number of times that their kind were much more dangerous and harder to reason with in this state, which was enough to tell her that she needed to move before he did.
Sadly, he was faster than he looked, and when Jada made the attempt to scoot back across the floor, he leaned down and hooked an arm around her back, pulling her up with extremely little effort.
“Let go!” she demanded, only to find her body pressed against his with that same arm latched around her back, holding her in place.
But the movements were … gentle.
After hearing so much about a wrathful draconian's aggression, she was too surprised to know how to react, particularly when he reached up to gingerly brush a few strands of hair from her face.
Their eyes met in the process, his azure gaze filled with longing as he groaned the words, “You're beautiful.”
Jada stared, a shiver rushing over her body. Though his voice was now guttural, it was filled with awe, as if no other woman he'd ever met could compare—and her cheeks heated. He actually thinks I'm beautiful? I'd wondered if—no! Focus, Jada!
Shaking her head to snap out of her stupor, she decided against trying some tactic like stomping on his foot or punching his ribs to escape his grasp. Such a ploy would probably just piss him off, or make him even harder to reason with.
So she settled on pushing at his chest as hard as possible.
“Let go of me right now!”
Dalris growled, and she couldn't tell if it was due to reluctance, or if he was fighting whatever instinctive urges he had to do as she asked. But even if he showed enough control to follow through, she had no idea how well he'd be able to keep himself restrained, or for how long.
So escaping was definitely the best idea.
After all, the tome was just within arm's reach where it lay on the table near the door, and all she had to do was grab it, run, and use her portal stone to escape. Then, once she was back in the grotto, she could send Karina's talisman to Dalris so he wouldn't be in Wrath permanently.
Of course, he'd try to follow, but that was a risk Jada had to take. It was just a matter of putting enough distance between them to allow the portal stone to work before he caught up.
All I need is the chance to try …
Dalris had spent years honing his control, but finding his mate was testing his limits in ways he'd never thought possible.
Jada wanted him to let go, and he knew why. But possessive instincts were warring with his rationality, making it nearly impossible to think about anything but the way her body felt against his—and kissing her until she forgot about protesting.
Still, the apprehension in her beautiful violet eyes was stronger than his instinctive desires, and calming that anxiety by granting her request for space was much more appealing than taking what he wanted.
So he let his arms drop and backed away, parting his lips to tell her she had nothing to fear from him, and never would. He coveted her more fiercely than any number of priceless valuables, but his need to care for his mate and protect her was a hundred times stronger.
Still, it seemed Jada had other plans.
The moment he stepped back, the elf swiftly ducked away, wasting no time snatching the tome from the table next to the door before darting through it without looking back.
Seeing this, an angry snarl escaped his throat just as Robi exclaimed, “Holy shit, she did it again!”
“Call Victoria, Robi,” he directed on his way out. “Tell her I'll be in Ithelyon indefinitely because I've found my mate.”
“Sure thing!” she called back, and in trusting the gnome to do precisely as asked, Dalris put his full focus on chasing Jada down before she could use her portal stone—and he knew for certain that was her plan.
Typical transit stones took a few seconds to work, and the user had to remain still and focused while it teleported them. Portal stones worked much the same way, but took longer to open a mystical doorway between realms to the user's destination.
So Jada was trying to put distance between them for long enough to get through without him, and Dalris was glad when he briefly spied the elf rounding the corner at the end of the hallway ahead.
Yet he clearly recalled their chase from thirty years prior, and highly doubted she'd take the direct route to the front doors—too obvious. Instead, she'd likely use a clone to trick him the same way she'd evaded the guards so long ago.
So, as he rounded the corner into the entryway, and spied her moving in that direction, he stopped running to turn and look up at the winding staircase instead.
Surely enough, he spotted the real Jada just as she reached the top of the steps and looked back, probably hoping to see him following her doppelganger.
It was an assumption she proved correct by cussing when she noticed him standing there, then taking off down the upstairs hall—and Dalris was already on his way up before she disappeared.
Yet, as he reached the top of the steps, Jada was nowhere in sight, and the corridor possessed a number of doors she could've accessed to hide behind while using the stone.
This left him only a few seconds to find her, and he quickly followed her scent, which grew stronger at a guestroom.
Grasping the knob to go inside, Dalris suddenly stopped himself and spun around to face the opposing door leading into a broom closet. A low, magical hum had just sounded in that direction, so soft he probably wouldn't have detected it if he hadn't been in Wrath.
At nearly the same time, he saw a flash of light glint through the bottom crack in the door, cascading like a reflection of water, which could only mean one thing.
The portal stone was being activated.
In mere seconds, Jada would be somewhere in Ithelyon, leaving him with no clue over where to find her—just as she had thirty years prior.
The thought prompted Dalris to move quickly, making a silent promise on the way.
Not this time.
CHAPTER 10
Jada hated how swift Dalris was, particularly considering his large size. He also seemed to remember her ploy thirty years ago, and anticipated her attempt to misdirect him to the front doors when she'd actually decided to run upstairs.
But despite the difficulties, she managed to disappear from sight and open a portal without interference, quickly entering it to find herself in a cavern lit by moonlight filtering in through a crack in the
rock ceiling above.
Now in Ithelyon, she smiled brightly, storing Morwin's tome and the portal stone in her pouch before lifting both hands to dust them together and say all in a day's work—just as her body pitched forward with a large, pissed off draconian at her back.
Apparently, Dalris had located her just in time to access the closing portal. She would've cussed at the thought, but the blow of his weight knocked the wind from her lungs—and he wasn't content to stay there once they'd landed.
Instead, he sat back on his knees and pulled her up with two muscular arms locked around her sides in a grip that was impossible to break.
Jada considered sending her head back into his face, but his next declaration stopped her in her tracks.
“Stop struggling, Jada, I'm not going to hurt you! I couldn't!”
Despite his Wrath, he sounded rational, giving her pause. No matter what came next, she simply couldn't bring herself to take advantage of his pacifism, and did as he asked if only to learn just how serious he was by demanding, “Then let me go!”
“Why should I? So you can run again?” With an angry growl, he added, “Did you think to leave me in Wrath, searching for another thirty years to find you? Or even another eight hundred?”
Something about the way he'd asked that question made her shiver, but she refused to acknowledge why, countering, “No! I was going to get the talisman and bring it back to you!”
Dalris was silent following her comment, but Jada didn't want to risk turning her head to try gauging his expression.
So she waited patiently instead, and he finally responded by calling her bluff on that guttural voice.
“Were you really planning on bringing it to me yourself?”
She rolled her eyes, admitting, “Okay, no, but I was going to send it to you!”
He let another growl, obviously frustrated, and she almost tried to pull away again. But to her surprise, the draconian actually released her.
Jada quickly took advantage of her freedom, slipping several feet away before turning around to see him shaking his horned head.
“Why did you run, Jada? Are you afraid I've lost control?”
She pursed her lips. “Haven't you?”
“No,” he denied plainly. “Draconian's are more impulsive in Wrath, and yes, I want my mate more fiercely than I've wanted anything. But I'm not mindless, and my greatest desire is to provide whatever you need.”
She watched him carefully, hesitantly asking, “Really?”
He related in answer, “All I wanted to do at the estate was keep you as close as possible, learn more about you, and seduce you if I could. But you asked me to let you go, and giving you freedom felt even better than bowing to my instincts.”
Jada wanted to believe him, a number of contradicting emotions rolling through her as he spoke; from annoyance over this entire development, to curiosity about what his idea of seduction might be, and then frustration at her own intrigue, she had no idea what to think.
But it was easy to see that Dalris wasn't lying, which did ease her worries. Maybe he could control himself more readily than she'd first assumed, and she wouldn't have to worry about fending off too many impulsive advances until they reached the grotto.
So she finally stated her terms.
“Then we should get going, but I think it'd be best to keep some space between us until I can give you that talisman.”
He silently nodded in agreement, and Jada worked her way to her feet.
Briefly glancing left toward the cavern's exit in silence, she listened carefully for any strange sounds that might mean someone was nearby. But after several moments, all she heard was Dalris growling, and finally looked to see him still crouched on one knee, his head dipped forward and fists balled.
If she didn't know better, she'd think he was in pain, asking, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I'm just fighting with these instincts.” With that said, he finally stood and added, “After desiring a mate for so many centuries, keeping a distance won't be easy.”
Jada pursed her lips, honestly feeling badly for him. She could only imagine that he probably felt the same way she would to finally locate Rinora's temple just to learn she could never enter it, or all of her grandfather's research was entirely wrong.
The thought was extremely dismaying, and she didn't want Dalris feeling as if he'd somehow been cheated. Maybe I should offer something to make this easier.
It couldn't hurt anyway, and she considered what types of things he'd appreciate before suggesting, “Would it help if I promised to give you a kiss in thanks once you're wearing the talisman?”
Her heart skipped when his gaze darkened possessively, fists balling as if he'd just prevented himself from moving toward her to capitalize on her offer now.
But she didn't withdraw her deal, glad when he nodded. “It would. But … do you actually want to kiss me?”
Jada blinked, unsure how to respond—and as it turned out, she didn't have to.
“Don't answer that,” Dalris rushed out as if he'd only asked on impulse. “Just show me where we need to go.”
She nodded, supposing he'd rather not know her true desires while still in Wrath, particularly if she said yes.
Still, the question made her curious to figure out the answer for herself, and as they began their trek out of the cave, she had to admit, she felt no repulsion over the thought of laying one on him.
In fact, she didn't even feel remorse for her contentment with the idea. I could get into so much trouble with him if I'm not careful.
Thankfully, the notion prompted her to move on quickly, making sure to mention on the way, “Just keep your eyes open once we're outside the cave. I don't know if this place has been discovered yet, but there's always a chance.”
“Discovered by whom?”
“An elf named Menlor. He's a tracker who's been trying to locate our hideaway for several years now. We've continually switched the teleport spheres around to confuse him, but he's crafty, and he's been more aggressive in recent times.”
“I'll keep it in mind,” Dalris returned. “Where are we, anyway?”
“Right now? We're not far outside of Ralston.”
“Ralston? South of Novidos?”
“That's the place,” she confirmed.
Thirty years ago, when Dalris followed her through the portal in Antarctica, they'd arrived near Novidos, the seat of House Navat. Ralston, on the other hand, was an independent city several hundreds of miles south.
As a testament to their lowered latitude, Jada could feel a cold breeze rushing over her from the entrance of the cave ahead. Thankfully, there was enough light filtering in to make it easier to see, and she pointed out, “There's a chasm near the entrance, so stick to the ledge on the right wall and watch your steps.”
At his agreement, she looked back to see that Dalris was no more than two feet behind her, and wondered if he was trying to prevent them from getting separated, or if his instincts were simply driving him to close the gap between himself and his mate.
Jada sighed at the thought. Why did I have to be right about him? It wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't harbored a strange curiosity about the draconian for so many years despite her best efforts to convince herself she wasn't interested. Or hell, maybe Karina was right and she was actually infatuated.
But that was the last thing Jada wanted to think about in that precise moment, and she focused on the light that came into view up ahead, proving they were close to the exit.
“There it is,” she mentioned softly, and just as the words came out of her mouth, she heard several rocks tumbling down into the chasm below.
Quickly, she turned and pushed Dalris back against the wall, knowing he'd taken a bad step and could've slipped.
“Be careful,” she rasped quickly, barring an arm across his chest—and only then realized it didn't look as if he'd lost his balance at all.
In fact, he was gazing down at her now with those electric blue eyes g
linting in the moonlight, and half his lips curled into a smirk.
Jada had no idea why until he asked, “Worried?”
He sounded smugly satisfied, and her lips pursed. He likes the thought that I care what happens to him.
Groaning, she quickly masked her concern by rolling her eyes and turning away to proceed to the exit. “No, it's just a long drop, and I'd hate to waste time fishing you out.”
Following her again, he retorted, “But you would fish me out.”
“Sure, once I could get around to it. Probably in a few weeks. Maybe a month.”
She thought she heard him chuckling under his breath as if he knew better. But instead of returning fire, she opted to ignore his arrogance by listening to the forest surrounding the exit of the cave before stepping out.
With tall trees and thick foliage, the branches above swayed in the cool breeze, wood creaking and leaves swishing. But more than that, the sounds of animals and various insects could be detected, waylaying her worry that someone was laying in wait—otherwise the forest would've been completely still.
So Jada informed Dalris, “It's up the hill, come on.”
Turning right, she led the way, realizing as they walked that she almost felt naked without her cloak—but only because Dalris was right behind her. It was already next to impossible to forget his expression upon first seeing her true face, and she shuddered to think he was looking at her with such intensity now.
Jada had received longing looks on numerous occasions, but no one had ever made her feel as if she were the only thing in the world worth beholding. It was a thought that had her wishing for the umpteenth time that she could shake whatever hold Dalris had on her.
Of course, that hold would've faded in an instant if he'd been outraged that his mate was an elf, or simply mistreated her for the same reason. But he hadn't, even claimed to hold no personal bias, making her more curious about him than ever.
In fact, as she glanced back to make sure he was still with her, she realized his gaze was downcast, and did a double take.
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