Chapter Three
Less than an hour later, Cassandra pushed out the doors of the auction house and hurried down the sidewalk. Never had she experienced anything like the past forty minutes — minutes that were excruciatingly slow but rushed at the same time.
The important thing was, she’d given everyone the slip and taken care of the diamond. Now, all she had to do was speed away from the dragons she’d evaded and figure out what to do next.
She hurried down a side alley, listening to her own muted footsteps. She was still reeling from it all — her quick exit from the women’s room, followed by her visit to the auction director’s office, where she’d channeled indignant New Yorker.
“Well, I’m glad I won’t have to press charges against Westmore Brothers Auctioneers,” she’d snipped. “Especially now that I have my property back. And I expect no further indiscretions as to my identity.”
God, she sounded like a real bitch. But it had worked, right down to the snap of her fingers. The director had checked her ID and the court order then signed the diamond over to her.
“We take the privacy of our clients very seriously,” he assured her.
Boy, she hoped so. Someone like Drax probably had the power to buy off the entire staff, but maybe if they feared for their jobs, they’d keep their mouths shut.
“Good,” she’d sniffed. “I’m sure Westmore Brothers doesn’t want any bad press.”
She’d spotted Tessa with two men at the end of the private hall to the director’s office. In fact, she could sense them there — especially the man with dark hair and dark eyes. His presence was that powerful, calling to her in a way she couldn’t define. So much, she was tempted to give in and approach him — whoever he was. Tessa had mentioned a Kai and a Silas. But if Tessa was with Kai, that had to be the guy holding hands with the redhead. Which meant the dark-haired man was Silas.
Silas, she whispered his name in her mind.
Wait, Tessa had said. You need help.
Silas’s eyes said the same thing, and she knew he was right. But the second she remembered who he was, she froze. No way could she trust a dragon.
Silas, Tessa, and Kai had been held back by security guards who probably had no clue who they were dealing with. Then a passing waiter walked by, carrying a tray of empty champagne glasses. His foot caught in a fold in the carpet, and he tripped. With an ear-splitting sound, glasses shattered into thousands of shards, each reflecting the light. Just the distraction she needed.
Swift and stealthy as a black cat, she rushed down the stairs and out into one of those crisp fall nights in New York. It was ten o’clock on a Tuesday evening, and traffic was flowing freely. Her throat was so dry, it hurt to swallow her fear and carry on. A tiny twinge of pride helped, though. She’d done it — she’d eluded them all.
Her shoes clicked down the sidewalk as she turned several corners then paused at a mailbox. Opening it with a screech, she winced and looked over her shoulder. No dragons in hot pursuit — yet.
Her hand trembled as she pulled a small package from her purse. The auction director had offered her a jewelry box to transport the diamond, but she’d taken bubble wrap and a plain, pre-paid envelope instead. The result was a package so ordinary, it could have held anything. Yet if she concentrated, she could feel the faint throb from within. The Spirit Stone.
“Shh,” she whispered. “None of that.”
Eloise had mentioned something about Spirit Stones slumbering, but damn — she needed it to do more than just snooze.
“Keep quiet,” she ordered as if it were a person and not a jewel.
It was eerie, the way the Stone’s energy reached out and clawed at her, begging.
I’ve waited for so long.
“Well, you have to wait a little longer,” she hissed while she scribbled an address on the envelope from memory. The easiest address she could think of, one that was thousands of miles away. The dragons would never find the diamond there.
“I’ll come for you soon,” she promised, hoping it wouldn’t turn out to be a lie.
A couple walked past, giving her strange looks.
Cassandra shot them her best mind-your-own-business glare and dropped the package into the mailbox. The flap creaked twice as she checked that it had really gone in. Then, with a last look over her shoulder, she hurried on. The subway was at the end of the next block, but she headed for an alley rather than taking the too-obvious route. A second later, she stepped into the dark slot between buildings and race-walked on, throwing furtive looks over her shoulder every few steps.
Trash rustled in the shadows. A taxi beeped in the cross street that seemed miles behind. The man lying in a doorway ahead — a drunk? Homeless? — didn’t stir as she leaped over his outstretched legs. Two pigeons fluttered away, nearly giving her a heart attack.
“I love New York. I love New York,” she whispered through clenched teeth.
She was two-thirds of the way down to a large cross street at the end of the alley when a voice rang out.
“Wait! Please, wait.”
She halted in her tracks. Really, she ought to have bolted, but something about that voice reached deep into her soul.
“Please,” the man called again, asking rather than demanding. Begging, almost.
She whirled and immediately held her breath. It was him — the man who had so captivated her at the auction.
He’ll captivate you in a bad way if you don’t watch out, an inner voice warned. He’s a dragon, remember?
“Who are you? What do you want?” she demanded, jamming her hands on her hips.
“I’m Silas Llewellyn. And I just want a word,” he said. “Just a word. Please.”
She made a face. Why hadn’t Eloise warned her about polite, drop-dead gorgeous dragon shifters? Drax and Moira were easy to hate. This man, however, kept drawing her in.
She walked on and turned into another alley. He was beside her in a flash, though his movements were slow and graceful. She clenched her right hand into a fist and mentally reviewed a list of male soft spots she could knee, punch, or elbow in self-defense. The fingers of her left hand flexed as if trying to conjure up a spell against dragons.
She snorted inwardly. Yeah, that would be handy, all right.
“Look,” he said in a deep, sincere voice. “The diamond is yours. I respect that. But I’m not sure you understand what it really is.” His voice grew urgent, even anxious.
She stopped to study him. The man was so perfectly proportioned, she hadn’t realized how big he was until now. The fabric of his tailored suit swelled at his chest and shoulders and tapered at the waist.
Danger, her inner radar announced. A whole different kind of danger than she’d anticipated. The danger of letting her heart — or hormones — take over instead of her mind.
She started walking down the alley again, and he followed, taking one long stride to every two of hers. He was that tall, that quick — and quiet. Sneak-up-on-you-in-an-alley kind of quiet.
She hid a shiver, pretending it was the chilly night.
“Believe me, I know what the diamond is,” she said. But all she really knew were the basics Eloise had shared in that last rushed visit.
A powerful stone created generations ago by our ancestors. A jewel with incredible powers.
Just about the only thing Eloise had been specific about was the keep it out of the hands of greedy dragons part.
“So you know the danger you’re in now,” Silas murmured.
She scurried along. Oh, she knew, all right. The hairs on the back of her neck told her, as did the goose bumps on her arms.
“Right. Danger. So how about you leave me alone?”
“It’s not me you should fear. I would never hurt you.”
Really, she ought to have focused on the word fear. But all that echoed in her mind was never hurt you. The words had come out low, gritty, and sincere, as if he were taking a vow.
She pulled up the lapel on her coat — as if that would protect her. “Well, I don’t have it any more, so that’s that.”
He stared. “You…what?”
She shrugged. “I don’t have it any more.”
For a moment, she feared he might pick her up, shake her, and demand to know what she’d done with the Spirit Stone. But then his gaze softened, and he looked around the alley, running a hand through his hair. He turned back to her with an intense, protective look in his eyes.
“Good, but not so good. Drax will still be after you.”
She studied him carefully. Did that mean he — Silas — would leave her alone? For some strange reason, the thought unsettled her more than it gave her a sense of relief.
She picked up her pace. “Exactly why I’m getting out of here. So if you’ll excuse me…”
“Listen,” he said, touching her arm.
Not tugging, not forcing. All his gesture conveyed was concern. The second they made contact, a zing went through her body. Make that, a wave of something primal, instinctive. The urge to slide closer to him and let that sensation intensify.
For a moment, her eyes fluttered, and she very nearly gave in. But when her inner alarms went off again, she yanked away and backed up.
“Leave me alone!”
She whirled into the darkness of the alley, ready to escape him for good. But half a step later, she halted in her tracks at the sight of an imposing silhouette.
“You,” a gray-haired man hissed, stepping into the light at the end of the alley.
The outline of his body was broad and boxy, and his voice was harsh. “I should have known you would be here, Silas.”
“Drax,” Silas growled.
Cassandra whirled back and forth, fighting panic. She was trapped between two rival dragon shifters. What the hell could she do now?
“Give it to me,” Drax snarled at Cassandra, his voice low and dangerous. He smelled of old cigars — or was that the scent of dragon smoke?
“The hell I will,” she cried. And damn it, her voice trembled.
Silas stepped beside her, glaring at Drax. She looked back down the alley, ready to run. But for some reason, her body refused to leave Silas’s side.
“Leave her alone, Drax,” Silas snarled.
“Oh, I will, as soon as she gives me the diamond,” Drax rumbled. “And if you do so quickly, miss, I might even release you alive. If you don’t…”
His words hung in the air, evoking images of Eloise’s lifeless body after the attack. The blood. The slash marks. The startled expression on her face.
But Cassandra had never been one to back down from a blustery man, and she wasn’t about to start now.
“I don’t have it any more,” she said in a So there, asshole tone.
“What have you done with it?” Drax roared, stepping closer.
“It’s someplace safe,” she retorted. At least, it would be soon. “Someplace you will never track down.” She shook her fist in the air. No bluff this time. The moment that mailbox was emptied, the Spirit Stone would be on its way to the other side of the world. How safe that really was, only time would tell. She might not live to find out for herself. But there was a certain high to knowing that she’d foiled Drax, at least for now.
“You don’t seem to understand one fundamental point, miss,” Drax said. “I take what I want. I get what I want. Now tell me what you have done with the Windstone.”
A subway car hurtled by somewhere deep underground, sending air rushing through a vent. Dust flew, and a crumpled sheet of newspaper rustled through the alley. Drax stepped forward, raising his arms. His eyes glowed an evil, flickering red.
“You will give it to me,” he said, stretching to his full height.
Cassandra gaped as Drax stretched ever higher, until he wasn’t just a formidable six feet but closer to eight…nine…ten…
She leaned back in horror as the clothes ripped from Drax’s body, revealing a set of interlocked gray scales. When his arms rose farther, his jacket swept back like a cape.
“Jesus,” she muttered. That wasn’t Drax’s dinner jacket. His arms were turning into wings. Broad, leathery wings and talons that ended in long, pointy claws.
“I will never give it to you,” she yelled, shaking inside.
“Then you shall die,” Drax hissed.
His lips peeled back, and his mouth stretched forward into a long muzzle. She screamed as the mighty dragon inhaled and opened his mouth. A long, licking flame rushed toward her. Sparks flew from the leading edge, igniting the trash.
“You will give it to me,” Drax roared.
Cassandra stared in horror as the fire approached in a terrifyingly slow-motion way, illuminating the alley in a surreal reddish-orange glow. She stumbled backward and landed flat on her ass.
“No!” she screamed, throwing an arm over her face.
The motion wouldn’t stop her from burning alive, but at least she wouldn’t have to watch the flames rush at her like that. She could hear the greedy crackle, sense the change in air pressure as the fire sliced through the alley. She cringed, waiting for a blistering, burning sensation.
Then a second roar split the air. A furious, alpha roar accompanied by the crackling sound of fire. She stared, then ducked again. It was Silas, fighting fire with fire.
The flames raged closer, yet all she felt was heat. No agonizing pain, no blistering skin. She opened one eye and saw a strange orange glow.
“What the…” she murmured, peeking out between her fingers.
The inferno was still raging, but she was crouched behind a protective wall.
Not a wall, her overwhelmed mind realized. A wing. Silas was sheltering her with his wing.
Her breath caught. Whoa. Silas was protecting her?
Flames crackled and roared all around, and all she could do was duck as a dragon fight raged around her. Spits of fire erupted, one after another, each accompanied by piercing bellows.
Then came a deafening roar of pain that made her want to cry. Silas was hurt — all in the name of protecting her.
She slapped her hands over her ears, wishing she could tell Silas to stop. To tell him he barely knew her, and she wasn’t worth it. That she wasn’t sure she’d have the courage — or conviction — to do the same for him.
Yet Silas refused to fold back his wing or take flight. He stood his ground, protecting her. A tear slipped down Cassandra’s cheek. Silas was risking his life for her.
Then, in the brief silence between fiery volleys, a woman’s voice rang out.
“Idiots. What are you doing? Stop! Stop!”
There was power in that voice. Confidence. Cassandra popped up her head and peered back down the alley.
“Tessa?” she croaked, though no sound came out.
“Silas. Drax,” Tessa called urgently. “Not here, you idiots. Not now. We’re in the middle of the city, for goodness’ sake.”
Cassandra ducked as Drax belched more flame then backed away.
“Maybe not now,” Drax roared. “Maybe not here. But soon. I will find the Spirit Stone, and I will kill you all.”
Cassandra looked up, shocked to see him morphing back to human form. Only a silhouette at the end of the alley, but just as pompous and angry.
Moira appeared behind Drax, throwing a coat over his shoulders, and Cassandra nearly scoffed out loud. Did that woman always watch from a safe distance while the men around her warred? Or had Moira been lurking, looking for the right moment to pounce? Drax might have the firepower, but Moira was scarier in a way. Like a cobra that bided its time, waiting for exactly the right moment to spit her venom.
Their footsteps echoed down the alley as they disappeared from sight.
“Silas,” Tessa cried, running up from behind.
Cassandra scrambled to her shaky feet. Silas hunched before her, favoring his left side. He was back in human form, spitting words through clenched teeth.
“Fucking Drax.”
The curse was a little clunky, as if he were too refined to utter a word like that. But it was full of hate and pain, so Cassandra stepped closer.
“Oh!” Her hand flew to her mouth.
Silas was naked. Totally naked.
A man ran up, unbuttoning his jacket as he came. The minute he threw it over Silas’s shoulders, Silas groaned.
“Help him up, Kai. We have to get out of here.” Tessa bustled them along. “Quickly.”
Cassandra started following then hung back. Wait a second. Her whole goal had been to avoid dragons, right?
“You’re safer with us than without,” Kai said, seeing her hesitate. “So choose, and choose quickly. Come with us and live, or strike out on your own and die. Because Drax will be back. I guarantee you, Drax will be back.”
“Hurry,” Tessa said, waving her along.
Cassandra’s eyes locked on Silas’s. He hadn’t spoken a word, but his expression said the same thing. Come with me. Come with me and live. Please.
“Choose,” Kai thundered, taking two bristling steps toward the main street.
Tessa led the way out of the alley, and Kai guarded the rear. Silas only followed after a sharp glare in Drax’s direction, as if he were more inclined to stay behind and fight all over again.
To fight for her all over again? Cassandra gulped. Silas sure as hell hadn’t been protecting the diamond.
She looked left and right, weighing her choices. She could cower against the alley wall and watch them go or…
She reached for Silas’s unhurt arm and helped him along. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
The glance Silas shot at her was full of wonder, and a moment later, he nodded through a grimace of pain.
“Yes,” he murmured. “Let’s get out of here.”