I struggled against him, trying to push away. Drake didn’t budge an inch. Ariel’s smaller figure was no match for Drake’s towering, massive frame.
“It’s me, Ariel, you psycho,” I bit out. “Now, let me go!”
“No, you’re not.” Drake rebuffed coldly. “You are definitely not Ariel.” He stated, as if he knew this to be a fact, his eyes carefully scrutinizing my face.
His gaze swept over me, searching for something…a hint or a clue perhaps?
“Yes, I am,” I insisted, struggling against him, panic spiking through my body as I wondered how I was going to escape.
“Bullshit. Then tell me, what’s your mother’s maiden name?” Drake asked, and he got me there.
“I don’t need to stand here and answer any of your stupid questions,” I retorted, squirming in his grasp. “Now, I don’t know what your beef is, but you need to let me go! You don’t have any right to hold me here against my will!”
Drake seemed momentarily shocked by my outburst, before his eyes widened in disbelief. It almost seemed like he’d recognized me… No. Impossible. Or was it?
“Tell me who you are…” he breathed, his voice barely more than a rasp.
“I already told you, you doofus – ”
“The truth,” he interrupted, gripping my arm firmly, “…please.”
My resolve wavered for a second, but then I bit my bottom lip, forcing the denial out. I insisted I was Ariel again, but less confidently this time…
Drake was losing his patience, and I hoped he’d get sick and tired of this line of questioning soon and let me go.
“Look...it’s like I said,” I began, trying to give it one more shot. “I realy am Ar – ”
Before I could finish what I was saying, Drake pushed out an exasperated sigh and pressed his lips firmly onto mine.
Holy fuck.
Was Drake actually kissing me…? Did he have a thing for this Ariel guy?!
For a brief moment, I struggled beneath Drake’s grasp, but he held me still, wrapping a strong arm around my waist and pulling me firmly up against his body. His tongue plundered my mouth, intense and forceful.
Without intending to, I released a moan. But the delicious feeling of his soft lips and demanding kiss was short lived. Another person burst through the door, interrupting the moment.
“What the fuck!” A high-pitched female voice screeched. Drake immediately broke off our kiss and pulled away from me. Surprised at the interruption myself, I turned my head towards the door to see a beautiful young girl with bright, honey colored eyes, staring between me and Drake in complete and utter horror and confusion.
Slowly, her face contorted into something ugly. “Drake, you asshole! What are you doing kissing my precious Ariel!” she cried, rushing towards us.
Leaping in between us, she tried to separate us from one another, leaving me completely stunned at her actions.
“You know Ariel’s mine! H-he’s…he’s my future husband,” she sobbed. “So, why are you coming on to him like this?” she asked, wailing and stomping her feet.
“Valerie, this isn’t what it looks like,” Drake tried to explain, attempting to calm her down. Valerie wailed even harder, refusing to be comforted.
He let out a tired sigh, losing his patience. “Seriously…can you please just get out of here? I’ll explain everything to you later. But now’s not the right time,” Drake told her.
“No! I’m not going anywhere. How dare you try to send me away!” Valerie spat back. Tears streaked down her face as she huffed angrily at Drake, her hands balled tightly at her sides.
“For heaven’s sake Valerie…” Drake began.
Valerie only responded by jutting her jaw out stubbornly, and glaring scathingly at Drake. It didn’t look like she was going anywhere, anytime soon. As she opened her mouth to argue with Drake further, I realized this was a good opportunity for me to slip away.
Turning, I dashed towards the stairs, racing down the entire flight to get to the bottom as quickly as I could. I heard both Drake’s and Valerie’s voices – as he yelled, and she shrieked – after me to stop. My ears picked up on their kerfuffle behind me, but I concentrated on what was ahead…
Moments later, I burst through the emergency exit on the ground floor, and out into the cool, open night air. Panting from the exertion, I rested my hands on my knees, and bent over momentarily to catch my breath.
I hadn’t heard the sound of anyone following behind me, so I was fairly confident I was safe. For now, anyway.
Straightening up, I took a look around me, checking I was alone. Without a soul in sight, I quickly transformed back into my true form while I had the chance.
There…that feels a lot better… I rolled my shoulders, stretching out my familiar limbs, adjusting to the reversing shift.
I thought I was off scot-free, but just as I took a step forward, something long and thin sped through the air, making its way directly towards me. An arrow.
Before I could react, I heard someone else bursting through the door behind me, and in a flash, a heavy body was pushing me out of the way, safely out of the arrow’s range.
“Ughhh…” Drake’s voice cried out, as the arrow struck him in the shoulder, and he fell, collapsing straight onto the ground. Fearing the danger we were in, he didn’t pause to check on his injury, concentrating instead on sending a bolt of fire towards the rooftops, in the direction the arrow had come from.
There was a clattering noise and the sound of scrambling feet as the bolt landed and found its mark.
Pulling out three of my throwing knives, hidden at the waist of my jeans underneath my white top, I threw them in the direction of the sound, and heard a yelp of surprise. Soon after that, there was the sound of running footsteps, growing softer as the attacker fled the scene, heading away.
It seemed we had scared the person off. Whoever he or she was…
Drake released a groan, rolling in pain at my feet, his hand clutching his wounded left shoulder…it was bleeding out.
He’d saved me…Drake had put his own body in the line of fire, and saved me… I didn’t even begin to know what to think.
“Are you okay?” I asked, my voice sounding slightly panicked as I dropped to the ground to examine his injury.
Drake released a loud and shaky breath, slowly removing the hand he’d been pressing against his shoulder to staunch the bleeding from the wound.
I gasped. One, because there wasn’t an arrow lodged in his flesh…and two, because of the state of his injury. There was a deep hole, the width of a bottle cap, oozing blood where his hand had been. But there was no shaft sticking out of it. So, not an arrow as it initially seemed…
“What was that? Do you know what hit you?” I asked, fretting as I wondered what I should do. You need to take him to a hospital…
“…Magic…ice…bolt,” Drake rasped, gritting his teeth, trying to breathe through the pain. Then again, would a hospital even know how to deal with a magical wound?
I watched as Drake closed his eyes, his eyebrows knotting in effort, as sweat beaded his forehead.
“Are you able to heal yourself?” I asked, as I chewed my bottom lip, my eyes worriedly taking in the pallor of Drake’s face, feeling completely useless in this moment.
Most shifter’s possessed strong, self-healing powers, and I was hoping being a dragon-shifter, Drake would be the same.
“Yes…but not quickly or easily,” he breathed, “…magic’s too strong.”
Okay. At least there was some good news. Now, I needed to figure out a way to get Drake out of here and to somewhere safe…
I scoured the alley. Maybe if I got him to Ethan or one of his other brothers, they’d know what to do…
Drake must’ve known what I was thinking. “No…don’t bring me to my brothers…please,” he said, and groaned, clearly trying to hold back the pain. He looked like he was about to black out at any moment now.
“They can’t know about this…” he rasped, f
irmly grasping my arm to stop me.
“Why?” I blurted, not understanding his logic. He needed help: help that I couldn’t provide, but I was sure his brothers could give. Opening my mouth to protest, I stopped when I saw him lift up his hand and throw out a black ball of magic from his open palm.
A portal swirled, black and purple, in front of us.
Slumping weakly against me, Drake motioned towards the portal with a small movement of his head. “This will take us back home. You can fix me up there.”
I really wanted to disagree, but seeing Drake’s grimace and how much pain he was in, I didn’t have the heart to argue and make things more difficult for him.
Wrapping his arm securely over my neck and shoulders, I hoisted him up to stand on his feet. Then, adjusting him into a more comfortable position, I half-lifted and half-dragged his heavy body towards the portal.
“Are you sure about this?” I asked him, halting before the swirling black and purple mass, eying it uncertainly. I still wasn’t sure if I was doing the right thing by listening to Drake.
Drake grunted, nodding his head.
So, taking a deep breath, I took a moment to ready myself, then gripping his wounded body securely against my side, I put one foot inside the portal, and stepped right on through…and out to place on the other side.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Jasmine
After arriving home and letting Drake rest in his room for an hour, he seemed to be much better. The pain he’d felt previously had mostly abated, and he was able to now sit up.
Soaking the white cloth in my hand into a bowl of clean water, I wrung out the excess liquid before using it to wipe away the blood around Drake’s wound, as he sat on the edge of his bed. Beside him were strewn countless first aid items – bandages, surgical tape, pliers, needle and thread.
Drake let out a hiss, wincing as I accidentally applied too much pressure. “Sorry,” I apologized, quickly easing off, dabbing his skin more gently.
Drake grumbled something underneath his breath, but didn’t say anything more. I would’ve felt better if he had complained or scolded me instead.
I bit the bottom of my lip, feeling myself flood with guilt…Drake was in this mess because of me. He’d saved me, and let himself get injured instead. How am I ever going to repay him for this? I swallowed down the lump forming in my throat. I didn’t like making a habit of owing people. I’d figure something out…somehow.
“I think you should see a doctor…or better yet, tell your brothers,” I said, eyeing the reddish-black hole in his flesh with a grimace. “I’m worried it’s not going to heal properly, or worse, turn septic.”
“It’s fine,” Drake said quietly. “Just stitch it up. My body will take care of the rest.”
I gave him a sharp look. “You’re not a qualified medical professional. I don’t think you’re the right person to make this call,” I told him.
“And you are?” he asked, bemused. I rolled my eyes at him, applying antiseptic around his wound. I saw him grimace out of the corner of my eye, but he remained as still as an old oak tree...
“Who was that guy on the rooftop anyway?” I asked, recalling the dangerous situation we were in less than two hours ago.
“Probably an assassin…”
“What…?” I started, my eyes going wide. “Why would someone send an assassin after you?” I asked.
“My brothers and I have many enemies,” he replied dryly. “I don’t even know where I would begin...”
Great. More good news. This job was getting less and less attractive by the minute.
At that moment, another thought hit me. Did the attacker seeing me transforming from being Ariel back to my normal self? Hell…I hope not. If he had, I was in deep, deep shit…
“I told you not to go tonight,” Drake muttered with a glower on his face.
“Please…let’s not play ‘I told you so.’ I’m too tired for it tonight,” I said, as I started to stitch up his wound.
Drake grunted, not altogether pleased with my request, but he let me off the hook. “While we’re asking questions, do you want to tell me about your power to transform into other people? It wasn’t exactly listed on your set of skills in your resume…”
“Nope. Because I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I replied, trying to deflect.
“Seriously?” Drake said in disbelief, lifting up his brows. “I save you, and in return you lie to me?”
I pinched my lips, remaining silent.
Drake sighed. “Come on, I could smell your scent even if you looked disturbingly like a carbon copy of my second cousin.”
“Ariel’s your second cousin?” I blurted out, and Drake gave me a triumphant look. Dammit…I just proved his point. I swore at my fumble.
“Okay, so let’s say hypothetically, I do have the ability to morph myself to take on the appearance of someone else…even so, it wouldn’t be something I would use often…”
Drake frowned. “Why?” he asked, looking confused.
“Because, maybe I can’t hold the magic steady for long – and it takes a lot out of me.”
“Then why take the risk tonight?” Drake asked, trying to understand my motives.
“Because I had no other choice! You and the others wouldn’t allow me to join the meeting, and I needed to be there…I wanted to know what was going on.”
Drake gave me a look of exasperation. “Those are the rules, Jasmine…no one outside the Circle is allowed to be there.” He sighed, scouring a hand over his face. “So…was it worth it?”
I let out a dry laugh, surprised he wasn’t freaking out over how much I knew about him and his family now. “Oh, you have no idea...but really, you guys have been keeping a truck tonne of secrets from me…”
Drake pressed his lips into a thin line. “You were told as much as you needed to know…to have told you more would have just put you in further danger…”
I nodded, understanding where he was coming from…even though I didn’t completely agree with the decision, nor did I like it. “Perhaps, we should call a truce – you and I. You don’t go telling the others about how I can morph into the appearance of other people, and I won’t go revealing you got injured tonight.”
Drake stared at me for a long moment, and I hoped he was seriously considering my words. “That’s blackmail you know…”
I shrugged. “Call it what you will. A deal’s a deal. So, do we have one?”
He threw me a dirty look. “It doesn’t seem like I have much of a choice at this point… Fine; you have a deal.”
I flashed him a wide smile. “I knew you’d be able to see things from my perspective.” To which, Drake just shook his head, looking like he’d just been conned. Which perhaps, isn’t too far from the truth…
I finished stitching the wound, and bent my head down for a closer look, examining it to make sure it was nice and tight, and secure. Satisfied with it, I wrapped a bandage around the wound, and then pinned the end of it in place.
“There, all done,” I said, standing back to admire my handiwork. Wiping the perspiration off my forehead with back of my wrist, a small smile pulled at my lips.
I looked up, and found Drake gazing at me intently with his eyes. My heart skipped a beat, and suddenly I became very aware I was alone with Drake, in his bedroom, standing less than a foot away from him…and he was half-naked on his bed.
My stomach knotted, and the question I’d been longing to ask came out before I could stop myself. “Why did you save me? I asked quietly, my expression becoming serious. Holding in my breath, I waited with nervous anticipation to hear his answer…
“Why do you think…” Drake answered slowly, the yearning look in his eyes melting my insides.
My whole body stilled.
“Jasmine…” he murmured softly, lifting a hand up, and gently grazing his finger along face, making me shiver. Closing my eyes, I leaned into his touch, feeling butterflies fluttering inside my chest.
I heard
Drake suck in a sharp breath, and for the briefest second, I thought I felt his fingers trembling against my cheek…but the moment passed; so quickly I wasn’t sure if it had happened or whether I’d imagined it.
Slowly, as if he was worried about frightening me off, I felt Drake snaking his arm around my waist and pulling me to him, and I opened my eyes to give him a little smile of encouragement. To let him know: this was okay.
He stared up at me with a pair of dark, smoldering, green eyes. They glittered with a need that I couldn’t deny not to understand.
“Drake…” my voice came out thin and breathy.
I closed my eyes as he pulled me down towards him, his hand cupping the side of my face, slowly closing the gap between our lips…and in the next moment, we were kissing.
The salty, sweet taste of him hit me immediately, and I found myself drowning in his musky scent, as Drake’s touch, smell and taste began to dominate all my senses.
His lips were petal soft as they caressed my mouth gently, a stark difference to the forceful kisses we’d had so far.
My fingers found their way to the nape of his neck, entwining themselves through his thick, soft, locks of hair, and his throat rumbled in pleasure. Electricity shot through me as he began sucking and nibbling gently on my bottom lip, and my mind went blank with lust and desire as a moan escaped from my mouth.
Taking this as a cue, Drake’s kissing became more urgent, and he pulled me harder against him, as I continued to tangle my fingers through his hair, and started running my nails down his naked back.
The space between my legs was becoming heated, as the need to taste Drake – every, single part of him, surged through my body, making me wet. Lost in the frenzy of my lust, I accidentally pushed my hand against his bandaged wound and he groaned.
I quickly pulled away. “Are you alright?” I gasped, my hand going to my mouth, as I looked at him anxiously, feeling concerned. “I’m so sorry…” I frantically waved my hands about, checking the bandage to see if I’d accidentally loosened it.
Drake glanced down at his bandaged shoulder, then quickly grabbed both of my hands in his big palms. “Stop,” he said. “I’m okay.”
Dragon Lords Blood Contract Page 22
