~ THREE ~

TOBIAS HAD LIVED HIS life on cruise control in the slow lane for longer than he could remember, letting life pass him by. Nothing excited him. Nothing awed him. Then, turning his world upside down, a human female hijacked his mind and worked her way right into his heart, into his soul. It was impossible. No one, mortal or immortal, could sneak beyond his barriers to access his mind at will.  No one. He was beyond powerful. He was power. And yet, he couldn’t deny that she’d done it easily, smoothly. If he hadn’t felt her sense of awe when she experienced his dragon’s flight through the storm clouds, she could’ve stayed hidden in his mind for any amount of time.

Let go of me. She actually sent a push along with her words, attempting to use a compulsion on him.

Don’t be afraid. I would never hurt you. Tell me your name. He needed her name. He needed to find her. He felt so much happiness. An odd emotion for such an old demon who’d long ago lost any reason to hope, to dream. Deep down he knew that she was his other half, his eternal mate. He refused to let go, to lose her. Needing to put her at ease, to cause her to feel the depth of their connection, he sent waves of warmth, of reassurance, of peacefulness to her.

Knock it off! I’m not an idiot. Warm fuzzy feelings aren’t going to fool me into sitting around and waiting to become your next meal. Let me go! Rather than help, his attempt to comfort her caused her to panic. He felt her heart racing far too fast. Pounding painfully. She was desperate to disconnect from him. She truly believed he was a monster. 

I’m not a monster. My name is Tobias Daniels. What is your name?

You’ve given it to me twice, but I never asked for your name. I don’t want to know it. I don’t want to know a damn thing about you. It was true. He knew she didn’t want to know it. She didn’t want to know anything about him. She wanted to forget his existence. She wanted to forget the entire experience. And you’re not getting my name.

You approached me. You merged with me.

That means nothing. It was an accident. An unfortunate and regrettable mistake.

Your name? He deepened his voice, attempting to use a compulsion on her.

He knew she was doing her best to resist him, to fight him. Connected so deeply with her, he knew her head hurt. At first it was more of a discomfort than actual pain, but the severity was steadily increasing. You said you wouldn’t hurt me. You're making my head feel as if it’s splitting in two.

He’d never known how utterly alone he was until she panicked and tried to break the connection. Out of sheer desperation, he was hurting her by forcing her to stay with him until he was certain he could find her. I don’t want to hurt you. I want to…I want to see you. Stop fighting me.

Let go.

I cannot. He needed the sound of her voice. He craved it. He would never forget the first moment he discovered her presence. She didn’t simply merge her mind with his. Her soul touched his, merged with his. Deeply. Completely. Her presence caused his heart to pound with excitement. He felt hope after having none for centuries. She was his perfect haven of joy, of peace. Total contentment. She belonged with him. A part of him. He belonged with her. He wasn’t about to let her get away.

A strong gust of wind slammed into him, a force resisting him, a powerful burst of psychic energy pushing him away. She was a fighter. Deep inside his dragon, he smiled, celebrating her strength, welcoming the challenge. He pushed harder. And that’s when he sensed danger and physical pain. She was wounded. The lower right side of her abdomen. And she was being pursued by a threat. Something was hunting her. Something supernatural.

Desperation unlike anything he’d ever felt crashed into him, causing him to panic. No words could ever describe his urgent need to find her. You’re in pain. Your lower right side.

The only pain I’m experiencing right now is a big sharp thorn in my ass.

He might’ve laughed if he hadn’t been so desperate and worried. You’re injured. You have a wound on your right side. I feel it. And I know you are being hunted. Lead me to you. Let me help you.

I am fine.

I know you’re injured. I feel it. It has been bothering me for hours. He pushed even harder, refusing to allow her to hide from him. Don’t fight me. Lead me to you. I can help you.

Like hell, I’ll make it easy for you to find me.

You can’t hide from me for forever. I will find you. He made sure she felt his power, his strength, and his resolve. He wanted her to understand it was not a threat. It was a promise. He made sure his voice sent comforting waves of warmth washing over her.

Go to hell, Tobias!

Knowing her anger was induced by fear, he set out to comfort her by sending more warm waves of tenderness. We will see each other soon. Very soon. Until then, since you obviously know how to reach me, let me know if the pain becomes unbearable or you find yourself in trouble.

Don’t hold your breath waiting to hear from me.

Why not?

You’re a dragon. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out you’re more than just a little dangerous.

***

Jessie looked up at the dark storm clouds gathering directly overhead. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed since she merged with Tobias. But she knew it was too much. The wind increased as the gathering storm clouds gave way to buckets of rain. While she’d expected thunderstorms, she knew Tobias had done something to stir the storm up. Lightning whipped across the sky along with the crackle and rumble of thunder rattling the storefront windows.

She sensed a powerful presence rushing up on her from behind. It wasn’t Tobias. She turned. Wes materialized out of thin air and walked toward her. She retrieved her keys from her pocket and, tossing her backpack over her shoulder and holding her side, she sprinted for her car across the street. He was too close. He had supernatural abilities that she couldn’t outrun or outdrive. She opened the trunk, removed her pistol, and stuffed it in her bag before Wes could see it. A bullet wouldn’t kill him, but one or two hitting him at the right time might slow him down and give her a chance to get away.

“If the sight of you running hadn’t made me laugh it would’ve been a complete waste of your time and energy.” He was, of course, much more than a supernatural bounty hunter. He was a complete asshole with no redeeming qualities and a twisted sense of humor.

She turned to face him and lifted her chin, forcing herself to meet his gaze. “I wish I could tell you how nice it is…oh, shit.” Shocking the hell out of her, his eyes, including the whites, were entirely black. Taking a step back, she stumbled, a sudden rush of adrenaline causing her heart to race painfully. It was a miracle she didn’t drop dead.  “What the hell is wrong with your eyes?”

“Oops.” He lifted his lip, his smile appeared more of a snarl, his eyes slowly returning to normal. “You weren’t supposed to see my demon eyes. Now, no matter how much you pester me and beg for your life, I’m going to have to kill you.”

“You’re possessed by evil spirits?” The idea certainly made sense.

“No. I am a demon.”

“Really?” She believed it. It actually made more sense than the notion of him being possessed by one or being a vampire. “That’s weird. Considering your ‘pretty rainbow sprinkles on top’ personality, I wouldn’t have guessed it.”

He rolled his shoulders in a slow, casual shrug. “I know, right?”

“Where’s your friend?”

“Who?”

“You know damn well what I’m talking about.” She glared at him. “The dragon working with you.”

A slow hiss of air escaped between his clenched teeth. He looked pissed. But he also looked nervous, searching the sky and surrounding area. “Come with me,” he ordered, using the larger size of his body to force her to walk across the street. “We need to get the hell out of here.”

“No.” She stopped. “I am not going anywhere with you.” Since he was obviously bothered by her mentioning the presence of a dragon, she considered reaching out to Tobias for help.

“I’m not playing with you. Get your ass moving.”

Her blood pressure skyrocketed; her mouth went dry. “What’s your hurry?”

“I’ve been searching for you for a very long time.”

“I know.” She nodded. “I’ve spent the same amount of time avoiding you.” She decided against asking Tobias for help. She knew it would end badly. She didn’t want to drag anyone into her mess. She didn’t want to cause anyone else to become targeted by Guss Eckhart. Even if that individual happened to be a dragon.

He grabbed her wrist and pried the keys from her fingers. “You don’t need these anymore.” Then, wrapping his arm around her shoulder he pulled her stiff, resisting body against his and led her away from the street.

She dug her heels in and tried to break free from his grip. “Where are you taking me?”

He stopped and grabbed her shoulders. “Close your eyes.”

She shook her head adamantly. “Fuckoff.”

“Do it.” His voice remained low, daring her to defy him. His darkening eyes turned as frigid as death.

“Go to hell.” She had to kink her neck back to look up at him. Her side hurt like hell, but to avoid alerting him to her weakness she resisted the urge to hold it. She struggled, attempting to push him away, but he didn’t budge an inch.

“Just do it.” She was tired of running. She was tired of waiting for him to find her. “Kill me.”

“You want to die.”

She gave him her most convincing smile. “I’m not afraid of death.”

He looked at her. “When you’re gone, you’re gone, right?”

She nodded. “That’s right.” Forcing herself to smile, she shrugged her shoulders. “When I’m gone, I’ll be gone. I won’t even know I’m missing life.”

“I hate to disappoint you, but I’m not going to allow you to take the easy way out. But, since I’m no longer able to play our game of hide-and-seek, I’m handing you off to another player. I’m sure you’ll have just as much fun with him.” His voice was deep and smooth. His tone had comforting, hypnotic attributes to it. It was too perfectly pitched to belong to anything other than a predator attempting to charm its prey. “Let’s go. He picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder.

A shocking burst of pain on her right side, stole her breath away. Everything started to spin, her vision darkened until it went entirely black.