Chapter Seventeen
Ezra was stunned by what he was seeing. This was the last thing he’d expected to find. Now that the box was no longer covering it, the object felt different.
“Can you sense the difference,” he asked Sam.
She looked as dumbstruck as him by their discovery. “I can. The power coming from it, the energy isn’t the same as the book. I’m not sure I can describe it.” She held her hand about six inches from the stunning necklace. “It feels—”
“What? What does it feel like?” he demanded.
“It feels like you. Kind of, but not quite.”
“What is it?” Tarrant demanded. “What’s in the damn box?”
“A necklace,” Sam offered.
“Drakon tears,” Ezra told his brothers. “From a fire drakon.”
“What are drakon tears?” Sam asked.
“Fuck,” Tarrant swore. “Rubies?”
Sam was surprised that Tarrant knew what stones were in the necklace. Ezra knew he’d have to give her some answers once he was done talking with his brothers.
“Oh no.” He heard Valeriya gasp. Both Sarah and Valeriya knew what it meant as they had necklaces of their own.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Sam demanded. “Is it safe to touch? Should I close it up again? Talk to me.” Ezra took both her clenched hands in his and bowed his head. “Ezra, you’re scaring me.”
That was the last thing he wanted to do. “The only way the Knights could have that necklace was if they’d killed the person it belonged to or captured or killed the drakon who’d gifted her with it.”
…
Ezra’s explanation hit Sam like a ton of bricks. She’d made it her life’s work to study the past. She knew people killed for artifacts. There’d never been a time in history when people hadn’t killed one another and taken what they wanted, but somehow this brought it close to home.
“Was it someone you knew?” How much worse would that be? She might have studied history, but Ezra had lived it.
He shook his head. “I have no idea. Drakons keep to themselves, especially in the last three thousand years or so.”
Geez, he said that like most people might refer to decades. If she hadn’t already been sitting, she’d probably need to right about now. It was easy to forget he was as close to immortal as a person could get.
“Why? Why would they do that?”
A loud growl was emitted from the phone speaker. “Because it’s what the Knights do. They enslave us for our blood so they can prolong their puny lives and cure their diseases.”
Oh my God. Darius had said our blood. He was a drakon, too. She swiveled around to stare at Ezra. Everything Gervais Rames had told her was true. She felt all the blood draining from her face. “It’s true, isn’t it? It can prolong their lives.”
Before anyone could reply, she slammed the lid shut on the necklace. “We have to get rid of the book and the necklace. We can’t let the Knights have anything that might hurt you.”
Total silence. It might have something to do with the fact that she was acting like a crazy person, but that was fine with her. “How do we destroy the book?” she demanded. “Tarrant?” He seemed like he’d be the one to ask about such things.
“Is it written in drakon blood?”
The pasta in her stomach threatened to come racing back up. The Knights wrote their books in blood?
“I don’t think so,” Ezra replied. “I had a sense that it was just ink, but I could be wrong.”
She tossed the blanket over the box and shoved Ezra, or tried to.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“You need to stay as far away from these artifacts as possible.” Why did he not understand that?
“But you knew I was a drakon. Why the sudden concern?”
Sam dragged her fingers through her curls, cursing when they got tangled in the thick mass. “Because it’s real now. They want your blood.” She sent him a fierce glare. “They can’t have it.” She grabbed his shoulders and shook him. Okay, she tried to shake him. He moved maybe an inch. “Do you hear me?”
“Ah, I think everyone heard you.” He angled his head toward the phone.
His friends were still listening. Maybe she should be embarrassed, but she didn’t care what they thought of her. Not as long as Ezra was safe. “Tell him I’m right. Tell him to get away from the box. And that damn book in the floor safe.” She knew she was verging on hysterics, but the thought of someone trapping Ezra and keeping him locked up for his blood was unthinkable.
She couldn’t, wouldn’t let it happen. Not as long as there was breath in her body. “Tell him,” she ordered.
“You’ve got a treasure.” There was awe in Nic’s voice.
“It’s not treasure. It’s dangerous. Haven’t you been listening to anything I’ve been saying?” Honestly, the man was acting about as intelligent as a rock.
“I do indeed,” Ezra whispered.
“What?” Sam felt as though she’d missed something. “What are you talking about?”
Ezra dragged her into his arms. “You. You’re the real treasure.” Before she could reply, he kissed her.
She tried to resist, there were more important matters to deal with than kissing. But when his lips touched hers, she couldn’t quite remember what they were.
It was the sound of male laughter in the background that brought her back to her senses. She slapped her hands against his chest and pushed until she managed to get him to raise his head and stop kissing her. Even then, he kept her perched on his lap where he’d dragged her.
“There’s no time for kissing.” God, had she said that out loud? Totally mortified, she ignored the burning in her cheeks. “There are more important matters to attend to.”
“There is nothing more important than kissing,” Ezra solemnly informed her. The devil was enjoying her discomfort.
“I’m sure the others would disagree.” Surely Tarrant and the others would back her up.
“He’s right,” Darius replied.
“I can’t disagree,” Nic quipped.
Tarrant was her last hope. “Tarrant?”
He cleared his throat. “Lock the damn necklace away and call back later.” He gave a significant pause. “When you’re done kissing.” The bastard was laughing when he ended the call.
Ezra reached out one long arm and turned off his phone. Silence filled the space. He smiled down at her. “Now where were we?”
…
Ezra knew Sam was upset on his behalf. Maybe it was wrong, but it made him feel good inside. She obviously cared a great deal for him. Her reaction to the necklace hadn’t been one of avarice or of scholarly interest. All she’d cared about was protecting him.
He tried to kiss her again, but she scrambled off his lap before he could stop her. “We need to deal with the necklace. The book, too.” She began to pace around the room. Not even the artifacts lining the shelves in his office could distract her.
She really was upset.
Ezra pushed to his feet and gathered the necklace in his hand. The gold links ran through his fingers. There had to be more than a dozen perfect rubies set in the chain. At any time in history, it was worth a fortune.
“Put that down.” Sam stalked toward him. “Haven’t you been listening? That thing could be dangerous.”
“It doesn’t belong to the Knights. It belongs to the drakons.”
Sam tried to take it from him, but he held it away from her. Her scowl deepened. “What if they put some spell on it? Did you think about that?”
Ezra closed his eyes and concentrated on the exquisite piece of jewelry. Whatever drakon had created the stones was dead. Otherwise, the Knights would never have obtained it. He tried to get a sense of something, anything from the piece. The only thing he got was the hum of power that seemed to emanate from the rubies themselves.
“What are you doing?” Sam’s voice had lowered to a whisper.
“Trying to get a sense of the piece.” He opened his eyes, frustrated that he couldn’t get anything. “Maybe Sarah can find out more.”
“So you’ll let this Sarah person handle it, but not me.” She began pacing once again. “Great. That’s just great. If I’m so unnecessary and untrustworthy, I might as well pack my bags and leave. Wait a minute, I don’t have anything to pack. I might as well just leave.”
Wow, his Sam had a temper. Ezra had to say he liked this latest discovery. He might have known, given the fiery color of her hair. “Sarah has the gift of psychometry.” That got her attention. She stopped and placed both hands on her hips.
“Really?”
“Books are her specialty, but she can use it for other items, especially something as personal as this.” Knowing he had to do this, for Sam and for their relationship, he held the necklace out to her.
She put her hands behind her back. “Why?”
Sexy and smart. She wanted to know why his sudden change of heart. “These are drakon tears.” He ran the tip of his index finger over one of the rubies. The morning sun caught it and made it glow like fire.
“So you said, but what exactly are drakon tears?”
He ignored her question. “This was made by another drakon.”
She tilted her head to one side and studied him. “Yes.”
He knew she didn’t understand. It felt stupid to say it aloud, but there was no changing how he felt. “I didn’t want you touching something that was made by another drakon.” He said it fast and then shut up.
…
Sam’s mouth fell open. “You’re jealous?” That didn’t seem right. It was just a necklace.
“Possessive,” he corrected. He dragged his free hand through his hair. She was beginning to recognize it as something he did when he got frustrated.
“Of the necklace?” She was still missing something.
“Not the damn necklace. Of you. Okay? I didn’t want you touching something another drakon made.”
Okay. Wow, that wasn’t what she’d expected. And why did that warm her insides? She didn’t need some guy to go all Neanderthal on her, but darned if she didn’t like it.
She walked over to stand in front of him. He was wearing a pair of jeans and nothing else. The angle of the rising sun had him half in light and half in shadow. He was like a work of art with his broad shoulders, muscled biceps and chest, and carved abs. His face was too rugged to be pretty. No, Ezra was compelling, bold, and wholly masculine. The necklace, which was quite a substantial piece, appeared almost dainty dangling from his large hand.
The tattoo that bisected his body seemed more vibrant, almost as though it were alive. Was it glowing? She blinked, and the glow was gone. Must have been her imagination.
She reached out and ran her finger over the gold links. There was a definite pulse of energy coming from the piece.
Ezra swallowed and his grip on the necklace tightened. She made no comment and turned her attention to one of the rubies. It was multifaceted and almost seemed alive. She didn’t try to take the necklace, but she turned Ezra’s hand so it caught the light better.
The gemstone was better quality than anything she’d ever seen, and she’d seen treasure from many cultures, including the pharaohs of Egypt. These rubies were unrivaled. “I’ve never seen anything quite like it.” She knew she’d been unable to keep the awe from her voice when Ezra growled.
When she glanced up, his eyes were glowing turquoise. She immediately took a step back and held up her hands. “I don’t even like rubies, okay?”
He hung his head and huffed out a breath. “I know I’m acting like an ass.”
She patted his arm. “That’s okay. I forgive you.”
He gave a snort of laugher and then went to his knees. She wasn’t sure what he was doing until he pushed aside the blanket and the rug covering the floor. The safe.
“Do you think it’s okay to put the book and necklace together?” She didn’t like the idea.
Ezra paused. “I imagine they were together for years in someone’s collection.”
She twisted her hands together. “It just feels wrong to put something that belonged to a drakon next to a book that might have been used to hurt or enslave it.” There was no logical reason for her reaction, but that didn’t matter. All she knew was it felt wrong.
Ezra studied her face and then nodded. “What should we do with it?”
Sam was suddenly chilled. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms to try to warm herself. “Do you have another safe? It doesn’t have to be Fort Knox like that one.” She motioned to the floor safe.
He rose to his feet and nodded. “Come with me.” He held out his hand, and she took it. Something had changed between them, and she wasn’t sure what it was. There was an intensity about Ezra that hadn’t been there before, and God knows, the man had been intense from the very beginning.
They went up to the bedroom, and Ezra went straight to the closet. Now she was totally confused. “You’re going to store it with your shirts and jeans?”
“Watch.” He shoved aside the hangers and pressed a hidden lever in the back of the closet. An area of the wall slid back to reveal a door. Like the safe below, there was a digital lock on it, but no retinal scanner. Unless you were looking for it, you probably would never suspect it was there.
“Jeez, you’re like James Bond.” No, that wasn’t right. “More like Indiana Jones.” She could see Ezra running around some jungle in search for treasure. Come to think of it, he and his friends probably knew where most of the world’s treasures were located since they’d been around when it was buried.
He quickly input the code and the door opened. A light automatically came on, illuminating the small room. It was about six by six and filled with floor-to-ceiling shelves. Ezra had to duck to enter. There was barely enough room for the two of them to stand inside. Ezra took up a whole lot of what little floor space there was.
Sam was dumbstruck. Gold and silver coins from various civilizations filled chests on the floor. A vase from the Ming Dynasty sat beside a bronze sculpture and a gold bracelet. There was so much to see. Like his office downstairs, there was something curious and spectacular everywhere she looked.
“This is incredible.” She had a feeling this might only be the tip of the iceberg. Ezra was a man with many secrets.
He carefully set the necklace on the lone empty shelf at the back of the room. “You collected all this.”
“Yes.”
“It must have taken you years.” She couldn’t imagine how many places he’d been and what he’d seen. Then it occurred to her that Ezra was a water drakon. “Is all this from the ocean? From shipwrecks?”
He walked toward her until she was forced to back out of the room. She would have liked to have a better look at everything, but now was not the time. He closed the door, locking the walk-in safe.
“Most of it came from ships I discovered at the bottom of the ocean. Other items came from civilizations obliterated by natural disaster.”
And didn’t that just give her the willies. Ezra closed the closet door and crossed his arms over his chest. Biceps bulging, he studied her.
“What?”
“You’re not going to ask me if I sunk some of the ships myself so I could have the treasure?”
“Now you’re really being an ass.” Why would he even ask her such a thing?
He shrugged his massive shoulders. “I sank the Integrity.”
“You were trying to save me.” Wow, that was arrogant of her considering he hadn’t even known who she was at the time. “Or rather, you were protecting yourself from the Knights. And considering what they want to do to you, I can’t really fault you for that.”
Sam walked to the window and stared out at the sea. The sun was a glowing ball on the horizon. She liked that Ezra had such large windows in every room of his home. There was something calming about the sea.
“I guess you’ll be leaving soon, to check in with your crew on the Easton and see what the Knights are up to.” She hated the idea of him being out there on his own, but there was nothing she could do to help him. She’d just be in the way.
“Maybe you could drop me at a department store so I could pick up some clothes.” She chewed on her bottom lip as she tried to figure the logistics. “I need to get to Bangor. I’ve got a storage unit there with a new identity, money, and some clothes.”
She’d known when she’d taken the job with the Knights that she’d never be going home again, which was why she’d ditched her apartment months ago and now lived in a weekly rental. If she didn’t pay up by the end of the month, the landlord would simply get rid of her few belongings. Everything of value was already in a storage unit in Vermont under the same name as her new identity. She hoped she’d be able to claim it at some point down the road.
Ezra’s hands fell hard on her shoulders and he spun her around. “You’re not going anywhere.”
“Don’t you see,” she protested. “I’m a danger to you.”
“Are you sure that’s all it is? Or are you afraid of me?” He was positively glowering. His brows were lowered over his eyes, and he was emitting a low growl. She didn’t think he was aware he was even doing it.
She did the only thing she could think of to convince him. She slapped her hands on either side of his face and dragged him down so she could kiss him.