Kiss of Destiny (7 page)

“If he’s dead, who struck the killing blow?” Ladon hissed. “If he’s dead, who’s singing his spell?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Thad replied. “What had to be done was done. You can believe me or not.”

He dismissed the old dragon then, turning his attention to Aura. He smiled down at her and tightened his grip on her hand. “Lead on,” he murmured, his gaze warm. The light of the firestorm burnished his features, making a wonderful glow between the two of them. He bent and stole a sweet hot kiss, one that made Aura more than ready to see him naked. “Will you bathe me, Aura?” he murmured.

Aura would have led him to the stream to do just that, but Ladon called out again. “They said the ones who attacked Cadmus were enchanted for their audacity and lost forever to the sands of time.”

Thad froze and Aura felt the tension in him.

Was it true?

Thad turned with care and faced Ladon again. “They were wrong. I’m back.”

“But Cadmus still sings.”

“He won’t do so forever,” Thad said, his voice hard.

Ladon laughed. “Why should I believe you?”

“Because I don’t lie.”

“Is he lying?” Aura murmured.

Thad shook his head and gave Aura an intent look.

Would he confide in her? She hoped so.

She led him away from Ladon and the serpent’s questions, although now she had a number of questions of her own.

Ladon had made her realize there was a lot she didn’t know about Thad, his alliances and any missions he might have. She knew he must be honorable and knew he would fulfill any promises or duties. She could see already that that was his nature. But what about fighting these vipers? Could he be compelled to leave her and any son they had, no matter what she did and what he chose?

That wasn’t a very encouraging possibility. Aura had to know more.

* * *

Ladon’s words were like a toxin. Thad felt their effect upon Aura and saw the new hesitation in her manner. His anger flared at that. How dare that dragon meddle in a firestorm? How dare he undermine everything of importance?

“Were you enchanted?” Aura asked softly, so softly that even Ladon wouldn’t be able to hear her.

“Yes, but I’m not anymore.”

“Are you cursed?”

“Not unless you consider my nature to be a curse. I don’t.” He smiled at her, hoping to reassure her, but Aura seemed to still be troubled.

“What about she-who-should-not-be-named?”

He eyed her in confusion. “Who?”

“Hades gave her the right to seek vengeance on your kind in the mortal realm.”

Thad frowned. “I don’t know anything about that.”

“But the viper?”

He turned to face her, knowing he had to reassure her. “It’s true. We hunted a viper and we thought we killed him.” Her eyes widened but he carried on. “It was Cadmus, who had turned against mankind.”

“And thus was violating your mission.” She squeezed his hands. “I like that you ensure the integrity of your own kind.”

“We have to. It’s part of our responsibility.”

“I still like it,” she admitted with a smile that encouraged Thad.

“He triumphed over us that first time, and we became dragon’s teeth. Each warrior was enchanted to be a tooth in his maw.” To Thad’s relief, this didn’t seem incredible to Aura, but then she was a nymph who heard regularly about enchantments.

“You each became a weapon to be used against others. That’s very unpleasant, if clever. What saved you?”

“He was ancient then and withered, and soon he became no more than a pale worm in the shadows. Over the centuries, his teeth fell out and were buried in the earth. We slumbered in that form, trapped.”

Her eyes were round. “Beguiled by his song?”

“Probably to some extent,” Thad admitted. “One day we were found. The collection of teeth sold and traded hands, until it came into the possession of a
Pyr
who knew what we were and how to break the spell.”

“How did he do it?”

“He sowed the teeth in the earth, like seeds, and we sprang forth from the soil, warriors once again.”

“Was Cadmus dead?”

“Faded but not dead. He still sang his poisonous song to beguile men, even without his teeth, even with his faded strength. Under the direction of our old commander, we gathered and hunted him anew, and the second time, we triumphed.”

Aura’s smile faded as quickly as it had appeared. “But you said centuries had passed.”

Thad nodded. He wasn’t sure how she would accept or believe what he told her, but he wouldn’t have any lies between them. “This happened almost twenty-five hundred years in the future.”

“Yet you are here now. Can you journey through time? Is this a magical power of your own, or of your kind?”

Thad shook his head. He was glad that she was asking questions, and even more glad to be able to answer them honestly. The firestorm lit the night to a golden glow around them, and they spoke quietly together even as they walked. It was intimate and romantic and honest, everything Thad had always wanted to experience with his mate.

The answering light in Aura’s eyes convinced him that the firestorm had chosen the perfect mate for him. He loved how she helped him in battle, and how they were already learning to use their powers together. He liked that they were both shifters, too.

They didn’t have to have any secrets from each other.

“There is a force known to the
Pyr
called darkfire,” he explained. “It’s a strange and unpredictable power, and centuries ago, it was trapped within three quartz crystals to keep it contained. One crystal was broken in that distant future and the darkfire was set free. The light in another crystal was awakened and it called to our leader. When he had it in his hand, it carried our company through time and space, gradually separating us from each other.”

“Which is why you are alone,” she said, her sympathy clear.

Thad smiled. “I’m not alone. The darkfire brought me to my firestorm.” He gripped her hands more tightly and the flames emanated from their linked hands. “It brought me to you, Aura.”

“You don’t miss your fellow warriors?”

He held her gaze with resolve. “I do, but I have faith that all will be as it should be. The darkfire brought me here for a reason, and I will see this firestorm a success if it is the last thing I do.”

Aura studied him, so serious that he waited for whatever she was building up the courage to say.

“Will you do something for me?” she asked finally, her tone hinting that it was a request Thad might prefer to decline.

He nodded immediately.

She smiled at that. “Without even knowing what it is?”

“Of course. I trust you and I want you to trust me.”

Aura reached beneath her flowing tunic and produced a golden apple. It was more than yellow in tone; it looked to be made of gold. It was perfectly formed, like a sculpture of an apple. “Take a bite, and tell me that everything you’ve said to me is true.”

Thad smiled then, his confidence unshaken. “So, one of the stories is true,” he murmured. He didn’t wait for her answer, but took the apple from her.

Their fingers brushed during the transaction and a flurry of sparks erupted from the point of contact. The brilliant orange light was reflected in the gleaming surface of the fruit and in the darkness of Aura’s eyes.

Thad bit into the apple, uncertain what to expect. It tasted as sweet as honey, and the flesh was firm. “It’s pretty good,” he said, surprised at the discovery, and Aura smiled. She might have laughed, but she was waiting. He sobered and looked into her eyes. “Every single thing I have told you, Aura, is the absolute truth.” He reached for her hand and laced their fingers together, savoring the heat that built between their palms. “Let me love you.”

“You don’t want me to take a bite, too?”

“I trust you.”

“And I trust you,” Aura replied with a smile. She leaned closer and bit into the apple, her gaze locked with his. Her smile broadened, then turned mischievous. “Let’s satisfy the firestorm,” she murmured and Thad’s heart leapt.

“I don’t see any reason to rush,” he whispered, then bent to kiss her cheek. Her skin was so soft and her perfume tempted him as none other could. He heard her catch her breath and yet again, his heart matched its pace to hers. The firestorm flared with a predictability that warmed his heart as well as everything else. He closed his eyes and kissed her earlobe, loving how her heart skipped in response. “How long do you think we can endure the firestorm’s burn?” he whispered.

“I don’t know,” she murmured in reply and Thad melted at the brush of her lips across his own cheek. “But I’m willing to find out.”

They were in perfect agreement about that.

* * *

The
Slayer
Jorge despised darkfire.

He had never been the kind of dragon who allowed others to control his choices, and having this incomprehensible force fling him through time and space did not suit Jorge’s agenda at all. He had tried to make the most of being cast into the ancient world, after being dragged into the depths of the earth by Pele during Brandon’s firestorm. That journey had ended badly for him at Delphi, with another sojourn in fathomless darkness before the darkfire had appeared again. He would have liked to have ignored the blue-green spark that beckoned him onward, but darkfire had gotten him into trouble and Jorge reasoned only darkfire could get him out of it.

He didn’t trust the garden. He didn’t trust it one increment more than he trusted the darkfire. There were no humans in the vicinity of the garden, which seemed to be hidden in a mountain pass, so he had no idea why he was there. There was no one to victimize or use for his own purposes, which made the garden a wasteland in Jorge’s view. He took the form of a salamander and sulked over the injustice of his situation in the shade of rock.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been there when he felt the spark of a firestorm. He brightened at that, because a firestorm meant there’d be at least one human within proximity. Since he blamed the
Pyr
for many of his woes, Jorge liked the idea of taking out his frustrations on an enamored dragon shifter. Assassinating the mate of a
Pyr
would be a perfect way to improve his mood.

He smiled when he smelled the
Pyr
. It was one of the Dragon’s Tooth Warriors, unless Jorge missed his guess. They had a distinctive scent about them, one that was evocative of the past yet not dusty or rotten. They were less readily distinguished from each other than their modern counterparts, but had firestorms all the same.

He couldn’t smell the mate, even when he saw the shadow of the
Pyr
in question descending into the garden in dragon form, the heat of the firestorm illuminating him brilliantly.

Jorge crept out from the shade of his rock, cautious but curious.

If a salamander’s eyes could widen in shock, those of the golden yellow salamander that was Jorge would have done so.

Because he suddenly caught a whiff of Viv Jason, the so-called ally of the
Slayer
Chen. She was here, and he could smell the heat of her fury.

Had the darkfire snared her, as well?

Surely, she couldn’t be this
Pyr
’s destined mate?

Jorge had to know for sure.

Chapter Three

The apple had shown Aura the truth. Thad believed there would be a son, that the firestorm must result in the conception of a son.

But the apple revealed to Aura that there was no son in her future.

Thad was wrong.

It wasn’t a crime to believe in the tales of his kind, and Aura actually counted his faith in his favor. He liked the story. He wanted it to be true.

She knew it wasn’t, so she could be with him.

And Thad had immediately rewarded her decision with his plan to take their time. Aura had been seduced by more than one man, but they all had a single thing in common: they were in a hurry to satisfy their pleasure. Thad’s intent to prolong the firestorm was wonderful and enticing to Aura.

It was a perfect evening in a perfect garden. The moon was rising and was full, its silver light almost as bright as sunlight in the garden. Aura led Thad to a sparkling fountain that was wide and deep. Stars were reflected in its surface and even better, there were no nymphs who claimed this water.

She would have her dragon all to herself.

Her blood was humming when she turned to face him. She removed her tunic, liking how he caught his breath at the sight of her nudity. She removed her sandals, feeling beautiful and provocative, simply as a result of the heat of his gaze. When she straightened, Thad has shed his strange clothing and was nude beside her. She flicked a glance over him and smiled.

He was everything she could hope a man—dragon shifter or not—could be.

“You undress quickly,” she teased. “Is that anticipation?”

“Training put to good use,” he replied. Aura didn’t understand his words and she guessed that it showed. “We have to undress quickly to hide our clothes when we shift shape.”