Wicked Dark Dragon (Dragon Heat) (7 page)

Cradling her close, Mad tucked her head into the protected alcove between his arm and chest. Sleepy, she let her eyelids drift together but didn’t succumb to the lull just yet. He brushed his lips along her temple. “Thank you.”

She snuggled in closer and smiled with sated happiness. “After that? I think I should be the one thanking you.”

“Are you all right? Was it too much?”

“I’m all right.” Stroking his chest, she replayed their bizarre evening and finally fit all the pieces together. “They want me to become a dragon like you. That’s why they’re trying to force us to mate.”

Mad threaded his fingers through her hair. “It doesn’t make sense, does it?” He sounded so unsure. “You would think they would want to keep you totally human so you could serve their cause and their side. They must believe you’ll be more useful to them as a dragon than as a human Knight.”

“Because I’ll have a deeper connection with your kind,” she guessed. “Think about the way I can get into your mind. I can make you see things, Mad. I can make you do anything I want. If I get stronger, if I get better, I might be able to do the same thing to any other dragon I can reach psychically. You told me that you can pick out the auras of your fellow Brothers like radar pings. If the same thing happens to me—”

“Jesus.” He dropped a kiss to the top of her head. “We can’t let that happen, Ivy. What we did tonight? We can’t cross this line again while we’re in captivity.”

“And when we’re free?”

He laughed softly. “When you’re ready? You’ll be lucky if I let you out of bed after a week.”

Nine Days Later

S
o what was it like being a dragon kid?” Ivy playfully pushed her foot against his while she slowly ate the cold tortilla that had been given to her by their guards. “Did you know you were a dragon?”

“I grew up in a tightly knit tribe, so there were no secrets between my parents and me.”

“Your father was the leader?”

He shook his head. “My grandfather was alive then. He was the leader of our family and our clan. My uncle—Griff’s father—eventually became the leader. Now that title rests with Griff.”

“Were the different dragon tribes connected to each other back then? Like, did you have secret meetings and get-togethers?”

“Not exactly.” He touched his bare toes to hers and enjoyed the electric jolt that traveled through him. Though they hadn’t played with fire since the night they had been drugged, he could still taste the sweetness of her soft, pink cunt under his tongue. Every time he looked at her, he fought the urge to shove her down, rip off her pants, and bury his face between her thighs for another taste.

Shaking off that tempting thought, he said, “Our numbers were much higher then and we had a lot of squabbling between tribes and even within our families.” He shrugged. “It was the Dark Ages, you know? People weren’t warm and fuzzy or cooperative like they are today. We were all fighting to survive.”

She blinked and seemed to be trying to wrap her head around it all. “I can’t even imagine all the things you’ve seen.”

The slightest bit of envy tinged her disbelieving tone. Fully aware that she found herself lacking, he rubbed his foot against hers. “It’s not a competition, Ivy. The things I’ve seen and the things I’ve done? They’ve all led to this moment.” He held her interested gaze. “To us.”

“Us.” She repeated the word with trepidation. “What happens when we get out of here? Do we…I mean…are we going to date? Do you just, like, throw me over your shoulder Viking style and steal me away to your lair?”

He snorted. “One, I’m not a Viking and I don’t have a lair. I’ve got a house near Houston. As to the first part of your question? That’s up to you.”

“To me? But you told me about mates and the way this whole thing works.”

“There aren’t any hard and fast rules here. My friend Stig and his mate Cora? They were friends for years, but it wasn’t until they were sharing a house during his last heat phase that the magic happened, so to speak. I’m not due for another two years. We have plenty of time to feel out this thing between us.” Smiling at her, he said, “When we’re away from here and you’ve healed up, we’ll go away to some place quiet. I’ll let you dig around in my memories all you want.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

She took another bite and winced. She rubbed at the bruises on her left wrist. They had removed the chains from her wrists and ankles four days earlier, but her skin was still raw and blotched with red and purple patches. She was making the most of her ability to move freely about the cell. Right now, she had chosen a spot on the floor that had been warmed by the slivers of sunlight that had been streaming through the high, thin window covered by bars.

The setting sun washed her pale skin in yellow and pink light. Every once in a while, she would close her eyes and turn her face toward the window, almost as if hoping to soak up the life-giving sun. He silently vowed that he was taking her to the beach when she was safe and healthy again so she could sunbathe to her heart’s content.

“So what did you do when you were a kid? Obviously, you weren’t playing T-ball or soccer on Saturday mornings.”

“Childhood was different then,” he said, pushing beans around his plate with a spoon. He wanted to share the plate of hot food sent into the cell for him, but any time he had tried to feed her something other than the bread and water allotted for her, the Seer found ways to torment her and cause her great pain. It hadn’t taken him long to catch on to the game these assholes were playing—or to make his plans for revenge. “We worked alongside our parents. There wasn’t any of this coddling that happens now. Life was hard. Even as dragons, we were susceptible to the diseases that killed and crippled the young.”

“Really?” She seemed genuinely surprised by that. “But you’re so strong.”

“Once we’re adults, yes,” he agreed. “Before we hit maturity and develop the ability to shift, we’re basically human. Going through the first heat phase is the real sign of adulthood. It awakens the full power of our inner beast.”

“How old were you the first time you went into heat?”

“I was seventeen or eighteen.”

“Was it scary?”

“It was terrifying,” he admitted. “It’s an all-consuming pain and discomfort that you cannot even imagine. It’s so much worse than the small doses of lust root they gave us the other night.”

She swallowed her bite and licked her lips. “I assume I won’t have to imagine it much longer.”

He didn’t meet her questioning gaze. “No, probably not. You’re getting to the right age for a full mating heat.”

Her lips parted but her reply never came. Instead, her gaze snapped to the door. Forehead furrowed, she pushed the last of her small meal into her mouth and chewed fast. “She’s awake. They’ll be coming soon.” Her eyes closed briefly and she shuddered. “They’re going to take me from the cell.”

“Like fucking hell,” he snarled. Anger surged through him. He was sick and fucking tired of the way that awful crone hurt Ivy. The Seer and her flunkies had been hauling Ivy from the cell all hours of the day and night to pry into her mind and mine her for information. Anytime he tried to intervene, they caused her such incredible pain with that damned collar. As weak as she was from the lack of food and the Seer’s constant mental torture, he didn’t dare risk their ire by attempting to intervene. No, he paced the cell like a caged lion while Ivy was out of his sight and desperately tried to think of a way to get them out of this mess.

When Ivy returned from the Seer’s torture chamber, she always smelled of death. It had terrified him that first time he had caught the gut-churning scent, but he had calmed when he’d realized it wasn’t coming from within Ivy. No, that stench belonged to the Seer.

He had hoped that being near Ivy would allow her to siphon more energy from him, but the lack of food was keeping her very weak. The Knights were trying to break her control over her mind, but she had an iron will that filled him with such pride. Though she seemed to be strengthened by his presence, he was worried, very worried.

Where the hell are you, Griff?

He finished shoveling his meal into his mouth, cast aside the plate, and swept Ivy into his arms. She had gotten used to his near-constant touch and seemed to crave his body heat. It was a damned good thing because he held her every chance he got.

Being cooped up in close quarters was doing crazy things to him. She wasn’t in any shape to play amorous games with him, but his body—and his inner beast—didn’t seem to care. Every time he caught her scent, lust flared within him. His heart raced, his palms grew sweaty, and his mouth watered for another taste of her.

Cradling her close, he sat down on the small pallet. It was far from comfortable, but it was better than the cold stone floor. Her stomach growled pitifully. Guilt gnawed at him. Not for the first time, he wondered if he had made a big mistake coming to her before making sure his messages had reached Griff or Ignatius.

He glanced at the wall and noticed the tick marks he had been making next to hers. While she had been counting the days since she had been taken, he was keeping track of his brothers. They were close enough now he could feel them. What had kept them from zeroing in on him? Ignatius was the oldest and most powerful of them all and had always shared a special link with the brothers. Niko was tied to Ivy through blood and kinship and ought to have felt her presence easily, but both men hadn’t located them yet.

A few nights earlier, Griffin had arrived south of the border. The familiar pulse deep in his chest had been impossible to miss. No doubt the moment his cousin’s heat phase had ended, he had taken off in search of him. Despite being mired in this awful mess with Ivy, he couldn’t help but wonder if Griff had been successful in his bid to impregnate the beautiful half-Indian shifter who had ensnared him that afternoon at their gym.

Find us, Griff.
His cousin was close. Though the Knights had probably deployed some sort of spell to dampen the beacon-like pulse of his dragon imprint, Griff would home in on them. He was one hell of a tracker and the type of man who never gave up, not even when the odds were against him. His cousin would see the situation as a dare—and he never backed down from one of those.

Mad’s sensitive ears perked to the sound of footsteps. Even before the guards opened the door at the end of the hallway, he knew trouble was coming. Big trouble. The kind that was probably going to end with him in a lot of pain and at least one of the guards dead or dying.

Rising to his feet, Mad carefully tucked Ivy behind him and boxed her into the corner of the cell. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and clenched his fists, readying his meaty hands for whatever hell he might need to unleash. To protect her, he would need to shift to his dragon form. She probably thought she knew what to expect after seeing such winged creatures in her dreams, but it would be a shock to see it in the flesh. He prayed she would hold it together.

“Mad?” Ivy placed a trembling hand to his lower back. “Be careful. There are more of them tonight. I can feel them.”

Her scared voice made his gut clench. Every fiber of his being screamed for him to shift, fight, and steal her away from here, but he knew the odds of making it out in good enough shape to fly away with her were very low. It was the reason he had allowed himself to be taken captive and thrown in this cell with her instead of waiting to make sure the Brotherhood had received his message.

There had been a dozen guards that night he had stormed the prison. It would have been futile to attempt to break her out on his own, but he hadn’t been able to walk away from her to wait for backup. His fear that she wouldn’t survive another night alone had forced his hand and gotten them into this mess.

“Stay back, little bit.” He reached behind himself and gave her hip a gentle pat. “Whatever happens, do not get involved.”

“But—”

He glanced over his shoulder and pinned her in place with a look. “No.”

She nodded meekly. “All right.”

Never wanting her to be afraid of him, he ran his palm along her arm. “I don’t mean to be curt with you. Never fear me, Ivy.”

She reached for his hand, but their fingers never touched. The door at the end of the hall opened with a noisy bang, and she jumped. He pushed her back and squared his shoulders. Stretching his neck, he embraced that primal power within him and initiated the shift.

Before the first scale appeared on his human skin, one of the Knights stepped into view and rapidly fired four tranquilizer darts. Without his dragon hide to protect him, Mad couldn’t simply shrug off the sharp, long needles. They stabbed deep into his muscles and spilled their poison into his blood.

It wasn’t the first time he had been subjected to their tranquilizers, but this was a new recipe. As he yanked them from his body, the drugs were already taking effect. He blinked rapidly and swallowed hard as his stomach churned and his throat tightened. Swaying on his feet, he tried to fight the darkness threatening to engulf him but he couldn’t. With Ivy’s shriek of terror ringing in his ears, Mad fell forward, bouncing hard when he hit the ground, and passed out cold.

Almost immediately, he was thrown into a swirling, hazy vat that threatened to drown him. It was a dream world he couldn’t control. Maybe it wasn’t a dream at all. Falling and falling, his stomach swooping and his heart racing, Mad realized he had entered that strange mind space he typically shared with Ivy. With her incredible gift and innate power, she constructed such beautifully vivid dreams. Without her there to guide him, he was totally lost and completely at the mercy of this wild and violent psychic space.

A burst of energy rocked him. While his physical body remained under the control of the sedatives and paralyzing agents, his dream body—and his dragon—were finally set free. He rolled his shoulders and embraced the painful spasms of the shift. His wings exploded from his back, the cartilage snapping and the heavy membranes stretched between them catching some lift.

His descent slowed, and he arced to the left while scanning the foggy, inky skyline. As if someone twisted a dimmer switch, the darkness surrounding him began to brighten. He flipped onto his back and watched with awe as a half-moon suddenly appeared. Thousands of brilliant, twinkling stars began to dot the night sky. He flapped his wings and shifted his weight until he was mostly upright. Buildings and rooftops came into view. In his long life, he had visited many cities but none of them looked like the one he was quickly approaching.
Where the hell am I?

Eyes narrowing, he recognized famous pieces of architecture from all around the world. It occurred to him that this was one of Ivy’s constructed worlds and not simply a snapshot from a memory. Flying between buildings, he swept down the empty streets in search of her.
Where are you?

Almost instantly, Ivy’s sweet voice pinged his thoughts.
Go to the library. Wait for me. Don’t try to leave.

Used to being the one giving orders, he nonetheless did as her ghostly voice bade. He found the library rather easily and somehow managed to fit his massive dragon form through the ornately carved wooden door. He stepped into a bibliophile’s dream world with stacks that stretched as far as the eye could see on four different floors. There were ladders, staircases, reading nooks, and comfy chairs. Unable to help himself, he breathed in the scent of paper, ink, and leather and marveled at Ivy’s ability to make everything so real.

The doors unexpectedly locked behind him. Whirling on them, he grasped the handles but not even his superhuman strength would make them budge. The windows began to disappear, and a sensation of claustrophobia gripped him. Outside the library, a wild storm kicked up, the wind and rain battering the masonry with such force that he worried the make-believe walls might fall in on him. Ivy had locked him inside this building she had created for a reason.
To protect me
.