Chapter Eleven
Sam was falling into the turquoise depths of Ezra’s eyes. He believed what he was saying. But he hadn’t called himself a dragon, had he? No, he’d said something different. “A drakon? You mean a dragon?” Was he confused? Was the binding on the book indeed poisoned?
“No. I mean a drakon.”
Maybe it was best to humor him, keep him talking until she could figure out what to do. “Okay, what’s the difference?”
Ezra grabbed the baggie and tossed it back into the open floor safe. When he slammed the thick metal door shut, the floorboards automatically shifted back into place. As much as she wanted to keep reading it, to know what it contained, there was no denying the thing was incredibly dangerous. She’d felt something as she read the words on the page. Something that left a queasy sensation in her stomach and her palms sweating.
He prowled toward her, reminding her of a predator on the hunt. She should be scared to death but was more fascinated than anything. Worried, too, but not about herself.
“A dragon is a mythical creature that came through a portal from another dimension over four thousand years ago. They’re cold-blooded, cold-hearted, immensely powerful creatures.”
He took her hand and began to pull her from the room. “Where are we going?”
Ezra ignored her and kept on talking. “Using their great power, they were able to temporarily take the shape of men and mated with human females.” They reached the front door and he opened it. “They had sons.”
She was getting confused. “Who had sons? The dragons and the human women?” It felt crazy to be saying such things, like something out of a fantasy novel.
“Yes.”
The cold bit at her hands and face and breezed up the hem of the oversize flannel shirt she wore. Ezra didn’t even seem to notice the temperature.
“So what happened to the children?” She had to hurry to keep up with his long, powerful stride. She only had socks on her feet and walked gingerly along the path.
He stopped abruptly, and she almost plowed into his back before she managed to stop herself. He whirled around. “Not children. Sons.”
Intensity rolled off him in waves. She was getting very worried the book had done something to him. “Why don’t we go back inside and talk about it?” She kept her voice calm and low.
The look he gave her was incredulous. “I’m not out of my mind or poisoned.” He started back down the path to the dock. “The children were always sons. When they became teenagers, it was evident something wasn’t right with them. They weren’t human. But they weren’t dragon, either.”
Sam managed to yank her hand from his when they reached the first wooden plank of the dock, but only because Ezra released her. “What were they, then? Drakons?”
She didn’t know if she should humor him or make him face the truth. This entire situation was spiraling out of control. And why did Ezra believe he was such a creature?
“Dragons could hold a human form for a short time. But the base form of a drakon is that of a human.” Ezra yanked off his shirt and tossed it aside. Sam was immediately mesmerized by the breadth of his chest and the swirls of his tattoos.
What was he doing? “Please.” She held out her hand. “Let’s go inside.” She needed to get him out of the cold and away from the dock. The Atlantic Ocean was unforgiving in November. The water temperature was frigid and she was afraid he was going to jump in.
He unbuttoned his jeans and shoved them down his muscular thighs. He wasn’t wearing any underwear. He looked like an ancient god standing there on the dock totally naked, with the wind whipping his brown hair back and his turquoise eyes flashing like jewels.
“Drakons are cunning and strong, with the instincts of a dragon and the intellect and emotions of a human.” He raised his arms to the sky. “Look at me, Sam.”
She couldn’t look away if she wanted to. She took a step toward him, wanting to help him in whatever way she could. “Let’s go back inside. We can have some coffee or hot chocolate and discuss this.”
There was no boat around, no people, no one but her to help him.
Ezra smiled at her. “Watch me,” he whispered. Then he dove off the side of the dock.
“No!” She raced to the edge and peered into the water. Where was he? Where did he go? “Ezra!” She screamed his name. He was going to die of hypothermia if she didn’t get him out of there quickly.
She almost collapsed onto the dock when his head popped out of the water. “Come here. Please.”
“Watch me, Sam.”
“Ezra.” She fell to her knees and extended her arm over the water. “Take my hand. Please.”
The air around him seemed to shimmer. His tattoo began to pulse, turning the water around him a deep blue. His features began to blur. She blinked and yanked her hand back. His skin was no longer skin, but a series of shimmery blue scales, outlined in the same deep turquoise shade as his eyes. His head flattened on top and became wedge-shaped. His entire body seemed to explode, becoming something else entirely. Something massive.
Sam fell back on her ass. She’d obviously been poisoned somehow and was hallucinating. “Ezra,” she whispered. The creature whipped its head around and stared at her.
It rose up slightly, and she caught a glimpse of wings. Wings? Powerful ones that flapped once, sending a huge wave crashing over the dock before he disappeared beneath the water.
The salt spray soaked her to the skin, but she didn’t care. What had she just seen? “It’s not real,” she reminded herself. She scrambled back to the edge of the dock and peered into the depths.
He was still in there. She got to her feet and ran along the edge all the way to the end. She was about twenty feet from shore with the driving wind chilling her wet body. “Ezra,” she called again.
She caught a glimpse of something to her right and whirled around. The creature, the drakon, rose like a phantom from the inky depths and plummeted deep again. Sam was shaking so hard she couldn’t stand any longer. Her knees gave out and she fell to the hard planks.
Then determination settled in. If she was hallucinating, that meant the dragon-like creature was really Ezra, and he was really in the water. “Come on,” she muttered. When he surfaced again, she didn’t hesitate. She dove headfirst into the ocean. The frigid water closed over her, sucking the air from her lungs. God, she’d never been this cold in her life.
Ezra had been in the water even longer.
She struck out, swimming toward where she’d last seen him. After about a dozen strokes, it became harder to move her arms and legs in a coordinated manner. The flannel shirt and sweatpants she was wearing weighed her down and impeded her motions. She kicked her legs and arms, searching frantically for him. She lost track of time as she began to get weaker and colder.
She couldn’t find him. She had no idea how long he’d been in the water, but it was far too long for safety’s sake.
Water churned around her, and Ezra suddenly popped up in front of her. He was no longer a creature. Maybe the cold water had washed away whatever poison she’d been exposed to, or maybe the cold had shocked her.
“What the hell are you doing?” he demanded.
“Rescuing you.” Her teeth were chattering and thinking wasn’t easy. She reached out her hand, or at least tried to. “Get to shore.”
He yanked her against his surprisingly warm body and swam straight to the dock, reaching it quickly and easily. He surged out of the water, taking her with him. Why wasn’t he as exhausted as she was? He wasn’t acting at all like a man who’d been in the frigid water for an extended period.
He began to strip her wet clothes off her. She slapped at his hands, but there was no stopping him. The water on her skin seemed to turn to ice when the wind hit her bare flesh. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Talking was too much of an effort.
Ezra grabbed her and bolted toward the house, leaving their clothing behind. He was swearing a blue streak, but at least he was alive.
She was tired and let her eyes drift shut.
“Wake up, Sam.” She tried, but it was too much of a bother.
“Sleep.” She managed to slur the one word.
Then she was standing, leaning against Ezra. When she started to fall, he supported her, keeping her upright. Where were they?
Water began to beat at her flesh. She cried out. It hurt. “Burns.”
He kissed the top of her head but wouldn’t let her move away from the painful sensation. “It’s only warm water, but you’re so cold.”
But he wasn’t. He was toasty warm. She burrowed closer, trying to get away from the hot spray. They were in the shower. How had they gotten here? Oh yes, he’d carried her.
He’d jumped into the ocean.
She reared back, her heart pounding. “Are you okay?” She ran her hands over his muscular chest and abs.
“I’m fine. Why did you jump into the sea?”
She cocked her head to one side and stared at him. “You were there. You were hallucinating, and so was I.”
He sighed and reached around her to turn off the taps. The water stopped and the sudden quiet was deafening. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her before lifting her once again.
“It wasn’t a hallucination,” he informed her.
“Of course it was.” She was a scientist, one who studied the arcane and the mystical beliefs of cultures long gone, but a scientist nonetheless. She believed in what she could see and touch.
She also knew there were some things in life that couldn’t be explained, but that hadn’t stopped her from searching for an explanation.
He tossed aside the damp towel and bundled her into bed before he crawled in beside her. With the covers over her and Ezra’s body wrapped around her, Sam began to shiver.
…
Ezra had never been as scared in his life as he’d been when Sam had jumped into the ocean, not even when she was shot. He hadn’t known her as well then. Now, even though he’d known her an incredibly short time, she was a part of him. Whether she wanted it or not, whether she believed him or not, she owned a piece of his heart.
Maybe all of it.
Her skin was still icy, but she was shivering. That was a very good sign. He dragged her on top of him, ignoring the way his erection nestled against her stomach. He didn’t know if he wanted to shake her for daring to put her life at risk or fuck her senseless until she screamed his name. He did neither. He was shaking, but not because of the cold. He didn’t feel it the way she did.
“What did you think you were going to do?”
Sam yawned. “Rescue you.” She nuzzled her nose against his neck and kissed his chin.
“Rescue me?” He was a water drakon and she’d planned to rescue him.
“Uh-huh.” She ran her hand down his side all the way to his thigh.
It was getting more difficult to think with her touching him. “I’m a water drakon, sweetheart. I don’t need rescuing when I’m in the water.”
She heaved a deep sigh. “Hallucination.”
It both frustrated and amused him that she didn’t trust her own eyes even after seeing him. That damn book was giving her the perfect excuse. “I’ll just have to shift again once you’re well.” It was his fault for taking her down to the dock. He’d wanted her to see him in his natural environment. Figured it would be more dramatic that way.
It had been dramatic all right. She could have drowned. At the very least, she had mild hypothermia.
“Sleep. I’ll watch over you,” he promised.
“Okay.” Seconds later, her entire body went boneless, and he knew she was sleeping. There were so many other things he should be doing, including getting out to the site of the Integrity. His crew would be out there now, assessing the situation. He should contact Tarrant again and see if he’d discovered anything, and bring him up to date on the book.
But he made no effort to move. There was nothing as important as making sure Sam was safe and well. He’d done a piss poor job of it so far, but he’d learn from his mistakes and do better.
This was the second time he’d plucked her from the sea. He hoped it wasn’t going to become a regular occurrence.
The sun shifted, sinking low, and night arrived. He stayed where he was, content as he’d never been in his life. It was rare for both sides of his nature—man and beast—to be at peace. Sam gave him that.
When she finally stirred, he brushed her now dry and very curly hair away from her face. “Hey.”
She tilted back her head and peered at him, blinking several times before she smiled. “Hey. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. How about you?” He was starving, but nothing could make him leave her.
She yawned and sighed. “I’m good. My arm is throbbing again.”
He’d forgotten all about her injured arm, hadn’t bothered to change the wet bandage. “I should have a look at it, and you need to take more pain medication.”
“Good idea. I have to go to the bathroom first.” A rosy color bloomed on her cheeks. She was embarrassed.
Ezra managed not to grin until he’d eased away from her and was looking in the closet. He grabbed a pair of jeans and yanked them on. Then he selected a blue flannel shirt and carried it back to the bed. “Here you go.” He held it open.
Sam kept the sheet in front of her as she sat up, dropping it only at the last second and slipping her arms into the sleeves. “Thank you.” She wrapped it around her and scurried to the bathroom.
Ezra dragged the covers up on the bed and straightened them. The damp towel was still on the floor, so he grabbed it. “I’m heading down to the dock to retrieve our clothing.” If it was still there.
The bathroom door was jerked open. “You shouldn’t go down there by yourself.”
The fear on her face just about felled him. “I’m okay. I’m just going to get our clothes and come straight back.” He went to her and dropped a kissed on her sweet mouth. That seemed to momentarily startle her. Then she went up on her toes, threaded her fingers through his hair, and guided him down to her.
The kiss was volcanic. Heat rose from the depths of his soul like drakon fire, threatening to consume everything in its path. He pulled himself away from her when all he wanted to do was take her back to bed.
She needed medical care, food, and rest. It was time to put her welfare above his selfish needs. It was his need to have her see and accept him for what he was that had gotten them into this latest mess.
“I’ll be back,” he promised. He left, but it wasn’t easy to make himself leave her side. He went straight to the dock, letting the November breeze cool his heated skin. Darkness had fallen, but he didn’t need light in order to see. With his preternatural vision, the moonlight was more than enough. It took him a couple of minutes, but he found everything. His shirt had blown a ways down the shore, but everything else was where it had been tossed.
He hurried back, not wanting to be away from Sam for longer than necessary.
…
Sam was no longer cold by the time Ezra left her alone in the bedroom. His kiss had left her quite toasty. She shook her head and padded to his dresser, helping herself to a pair of thick wool socks. Further searching netted her yet another pair of sweatpants. She was glad he had such an extensive collection, but this was the last pair. She needed clothing of her own. She was tired of wearing oversize male attire.
Ezra returned empty handed. “Did you find our clothes?”
“It’s all in the laundry room.” He motioned to her to go into the bathroom. “I want to look at your arm.”
She wanted a look at it, too. There was always the possibility of infection, and she couldn’t exactly go to the local emergency room or clinic for treatment. She had no idea where Aaron Dexter was, or who the Knights had looking for her.
Sam tried not to look in the mirror as she passed. She was pale and her skin appeared bruised beneath her eyes, brought on from fatigue.
She slipped her arm out of the sleeve of the borrowed shirt while Ezra pulled out the first-aid kit. He removed the bandage and gently pressed the skin around the wound. “Doesn’t look swollen or infected.”
The skin around the wound was bruised and red, but considering her dip in the ocean, it looked pretty good.
He spread an antibiotic cream all around and bandaged it once again.
“Thank you.” She slid the shirt back on and buttoned it to the neck.
“You hungry?” As though that was the cue her stomach had been waiting for, it growled. Ezra grinned. “I take it that’s a yes.”
“I could eat.” They could both use the fuel after their unexpected ocean swim.
They started down the stairs, with Ezra keeping an eye on her the entire way down.
“You’re okay now, right?”
She nodded. “Yes. I’m still tired and I’m hungry, but I’m okay.” A few days rest would have her back to her normal self. But time was a factor. The Knights were not going to sit around waiting for her to recover. Aaron Dexter would be on the move, searching for her and the book.
“And I’m also okay.”
She paused at the base of the stairs, wondering where he was going with this.
“You agree that if there was any poison in the book, and I’m not sure there was, that it’s gone from our systems?”
“Yes.” She felt normal, just tired. And if she’d gotten any of the poison into her system, it would have been from Ezra, transferring from his skin to hers when he’d taken her hand and dragged her outside.
“Good.” He walked to the door and opened it.
“Not again,” she muttered. He heard her and chuckled.
“No water. I promise.” He stepped outside, leaving her in the open doorway. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. Ezra quickly shucked his jeans. He was very aroused, his shaft thick and full.
“What are you doing?” She’d had enough insanity for one day, especially coming on the heels of the day before.
“Showing you what I really am.”
Like before, the air around him began to shimmer. Power pulsed, and his body changed form, growing larger. Wings burst from his back. Thick plate-like armor slammed down on his skin. His head became wedge-shaped with an elongated jaw. He no longer had fingernails but wicked eight-inch claws.
Sam knew she was breathing way too fast. This couldn’t be true, but it was.
She shuffled forward, needing to touch him but half afraid to. The beast was massive. Around fifteen feet long, and that was not including thick tail that was as long as his body.
“Ezra?” The only thing she recognized was the eyes. They were the same.
“It’s me.” His voice was rough and so very deep.
She swallowed hard and pinched herself, not sure she wasn’t dreaming. But the pain in her arm and the chill of the wind were very real. She noted her hand was shaking as she touched one thick scale. It was warm to the touch, almost hot. Not in the least cold as she’d expected.
“What are you?”
He shook his massive head. “I told you. I’m a drakon.”
It was all true. What the Knights of the Dragon were doing was all too real. That meant that everything Gervais Rames had told her was true. There were people who would stop at nothing to capture Ezra and use him for their own gains.
“Change back.” She looked around, terrified someone might be watching through the darkness. “Shift, or whatever it is you do.”
The air shimmered, and in seconds, he was a man once again. He pulled on his jeans. His expression was grim. She ignored him and grabbed his arm. “Get inside. Are you crazy? You can’t let anyone see you do that.” She dragged him inside and slammed the door shut. She couldn’t stop herself from glancing out the window.
When she turned back around, Ezra was watching her, a quizzical expression on his face. “What?” she asked.
“You’re not afraid of me?”
Sam had to stop and think about it. Her heart was racing, and she was in awe of what she’d just seen. She was face-to-face with a creature from myth. A legend.
He was the find of a lifetime. His discovery would change the way mankind viewed the world and would guarantee her name in the history books alongside the greats in her field.
And she didn’t care. Because when she looked at him, all she saw was Ezra, the man who’d saved her life and stolen her heart. If that meant she was crazy, then she embraced it.
Being a member of the Dragon Guard took on a whole new meaning. Before it had just been the title of a group, one she’d never truly been a part of. She’d stayed on their fringes in order to get the information she needed to avenge her friend and mentor. Now she knew she’d protect Ezra with her life. Not because he was a drakon, but because he was hers.