Chapter Sixteen
Vasili almost ended the call. He didn’t like the way Nic spoke to Abigail or the way he made demands. No one made demands of him. The only reason he didn’t was because he knew Abigail needed to connect with her sister. She had tears in her eyes but was smiling. He banded one arm around her, anchoring her to him.
He understood the pull her family had on her, but he would not let her go. She belonged to him, and he needed her more than they did.
When she hesitated, he jumped in before she shared his secret with them. They hadn’t discussed how to handle the fact he was a drakon, how much to tell her family. Another oversight on his part. He blamed the drugs and magic. He was usually logical and focused when dealing with problems.
Or maybe it was Abigail who was affecting his concentration. In the meantime, he had to handle this situation delicately.
“There is much to tell, but we need information.” His use of “we” was deliberate. It was a not-so-subtle reminder that he was the only thing standing between Abigail and the Knights.
Nic swore. “What do you need to know?”
“Everything you have on Anton Bruno. He is most likely on his way here right now.”
“And where exactly is that?” Nic asked.
“Ural Mountains,” a third voice added. “I’ve got them.”
“Tarrant is there?” He hadn’t expected that.
“Video conference.”
Before Nic could continue, Constance broke in. “Abigail, sweetheart, are you sure you’re okay?”
Tears left silvery trails down her cheeks, but Abigail nodded. “I’m fine. Vasili saved my life. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be okay.” The love the two sisters shared was palpable. He had never had siblings and didn’t quite understand the connection, but there was no mistaking the love for anything other than what it was. The two of them were devoted to one another. He could not forget that Constance had risked her life to save Abigail.
“We saved one another,” he reminded her. He didn’t want Abigail’s gratitude. He wasn’t sure he’d have found the desire, the will to fly, if he hadn’t had her to protect.
“Here’s what I know about Anton Bruno and his organization,” Tarrant began. He laid out everything he knew, including Bruno’s headquarters in Moscow, the companies he owned or had a part in, and the likely number of men he had under his employ. “I’ve also checked satellite images in your area.”
“You can do that?” he asked. Tarrant was proving to be a very resourceful man.
“There’s nothing I can’t do,” he shot back.
Vasili almost laughed at his arrogance. He should have expected nothing less from a drakon. They were all watching their words. He knew they were drakons, but they didn’t know he knew. Nor did they know he was one.
“There’s a large convoy of men moving in your direction. I’d say you have an hour or two at most,” Tarrant told them.
Constance gave a cry of shock. Abigail was pale but calm.
If there was going to be trust, it would have to start with him. Abigail had already proven she would keep his secret and protect him with her life.
“Abigail will be safe,” he promised them.
“You’re just one man,” Nic pointed out.
“No, I’m not.”
Abigail swiveled in his lap and stared up at him. She shook her head. “Don’t,” she whispered.
“I have to,” he told her. “Your sister will worry otherwise.”
“You need to stay safe,” she protested. Even now, his Abigail was trying to do everything in her power to protect him.
“What’s going on?” Nic demanded. Again with the demands. Although Nic’s frustration was only natural given the situation. As a drakon, he would want to protect his woman at all costs, and the mantle of that protection also fell to her sister. “What did you mean when you said you’re not just one man? Do you have an army?”
He laughed in spite of the seriousness of the situation. “An army, no. A drakon, yes.”
There was total silence. “If you have a drakon in captivity, I’ll kill you.” Tarrant’s threat surprised him.
Abigail made a sound of distress, and he sighed, knowing he couldn’t continue to bait the man, no matter how much he wanted to. “No, I do not have a drakon in captivity. I am one. And I know you are as well. So shall we dispense with the posturing and get down to business?”
There was dead silence. He knew he’d surprised them.
“Of course.” It was Constance who spoke first. “Abigail was attracted to the bracelet, and that’s how you found her, how you ended up together. You said it was a trap for a drakon.”
“If it was a trap, how did you not fall into it?” Nic asked, suspicion in his voice.
He couldn’t resist denting the man’s ego. “Because I’m smarter than you. Stronger.”
Abigail groaned and buried her face in his neck. Okay, maybe he shouldn’t have said that, but it was obviously the truth.
Growls echoed over the line. “Enough,” Constance said. “You can all growl at each other later. Right now, we have bigger problems. The Knights are on their way to wherever you are now. You need to leave.”
He shook his head. “No, we fight and destroy them all.”
“While I normally subscribe to that train of thought,” Nic began, “you can’t risk Abigail.”
“She will be fine. I will protect her. She is mine.” He let his claim hang there in the air, knowing the men would understand it. Probably the sister, too, since she had a drakon for a mate.
There was dead silence, even from Abigail. Then she licked her lips. “What do you mean, I’m yours?”
He lost all patience. “What do you think I mean? I saved your life, gave you my blood, and brought you to my home. You are mine. My mate.” He couldn’t make things any clearer than that.
“Wow.” He heard Constance’s voice in the background but only had eyes for Abigail.
“You are mine.” It wasn’t a question, yet it was. He couldn’t keep her if she didn’t want to stay. “Don’t you want to be mine?” He’d never considered that.
Her cheeks were a fiery red, and she glanced at the phone before returning her gaze to him. “Of course, I do,” she whispered. He could have told her it made no matter, that the other drakons could hear her. But she already knew that.
It belatedly occurred to him that this was probably not the best time to be staking a claim. He probably should have left it until they were alone. But he’d needed the others to understand he would lay down his life for her.
“We will call you back once I destroy Bruno and his men.” He started to end the call.
“Wait. Please,” Nic added. Vasili bet it hurt him to be polite.
“Yes?”
“How did you avoid being trapped by the spell? And didn’t the Knights try to drug you?”
“Yes, they drugged me. And, yes, they tried to trap me with a spell. As I said, I’m smarter than they are.” Abigail frowned at him, and he relented, but only a little. Having a woman was obviously going to change things. “I’ve found a way around such things. I can’t talk now. I have to get outside and take care of the Knights.”
“You’ll come to America when it is done. Bring Abigail home.” It wasn’t a question. The only reason he didn’t snap was because it wasn’t the men asking. It was Constance.
He didn’t want to take Abigail home. Every cell in his body rebelled against taking her back to her family. What if she decided she’d rather be with them than him? What if the other drakons tried to take her from him?
“Please,” Constance pleaded. “I need to see her.”
He felt Abigail watching him, yet she asked for nothing. And he knew she wouldn’t. But if he didn’t take her home, eventually she’d leave him and find her own way there.
“I will bring her,” he promised, hoping he’d be able to make himself keep his word.
He ended the call and wrapped his arms around her. He would protect his treasure with his life. But the call had left him unsettled and in a killing mood. Thankfully, he knew just how to put that mood to good use.
…
Abigail was worried about Vasili. He made her operate the elevator this time, to ensure she knew how. All the while, he kept their hands linked together and their fingers entwined, but he was quiet on the return trip to his living quarters. Was he regretting having to share his secret with her family? He said he was hers and that she was his. What exactly did that mean? Did he want her for the rest of her human life or more? Nic wanted Constance for forever. They’d told her about their plan for her sister to drink his blood occasionally to remain young. At the time, she’d been appalled, even grossed out. Now she understood completely.
Drakon blood was incredibly powerful. It also tasted amazing, not that it really mattered. If it had been disgusting, Constance would drink it for the simple reason that it allowed her to stay with Nic. Abigail could now relate. She’d do anything to stay with Vasili.
“What’s wrong?” she finally asked when they walked into the kitchen.
He ignored her question and started giving orders. “You will stay inside while I face the Knights. I will not let them get past me.” He dragged his T-shirt over his head and tossed it aside. Her gaze was immediately drawn to his broad chest and the colorful ink spanning all of it and tailing down both his arms.
“What’s wrong?” she repeated.
He raked his fingers through his hair and gave a frustrated huff.
“Is it my family? I’m sorry you had to tell them you were a drakon.” She doubted he went around telling many people his secret.
He shook his head, caught her about the waist, and lifted her onto the island. It was higher than a regular counter, built for his greater height. He placed his hands on either side of her and leaned in close.
“You are mine.”
She wasn’t quite sure what he wanted from her. “Okay.”
He lowered his head and released another long breath. She knew she was missing something but had no idea what exactly it was.
When he raised his head, his eyes were glowing. There was no mistake this time. His eyes were pale, shimmering in the dim light of the room. His birthmark seemed more vibrant, almost alive.
“I will not let you go. Your family cannot have you back.”
Her stomach dropped. “You said you’d take me home.”
He growled, and his skin rippled, as though his dragon wanted out. “This is home. I am your home.”
She suddenly understood. Her drakon was insecure. He was afraid she was going to leave him if she went back to her family. She reached out and touched her fingers to his chest. He closed his eyes and gave a sound that was almost like a purr.
“You are my home,” she assured him. The fact that he seemed to need her so badly put their relationship on a more even keel. He was so powerful and intelligent, a practically immortal creature. And she was a human from Vegas who’d had a variety of jobs. An unlikely pair, yet they fit together as though it was destined.
He opened his eyes and stared before a slow smile tipped up the corners of his mouth.
“I’m yours for however long you want,” she assured him.
“Forever.” There was no hesitation. He leaned down and kissed her. It wasn’t gentle. It was hot and hard and very, very thorough. He took control. Holding the back of her head with one of his large hands, he tilted it so he could deepen the caress. She couldn’t breathe and didn’t care. She kissed him back, stroking his tongue, exploring the depths of his mouth.
A low buzzer sounded in the distance. Vasili yanked himself away from the kiss and swore. “I am sorry, little one, but our uninvited guests have crossed the outer perimeter. I have to go outside and meet them. Stay here.”
As much as she wanted to fight by his side, she knew she’d be nothing but a hindrance. It was a huge drawback, but one she was forced to accept. If she went outside, she’d distract him, make him vulnerable. For that reason, she’d swallow her pride and stay inside, although hiding while he fought did not sit well with her.
“You stay safe and come back to me.” The thought of him facing a veritable army on his own was scary. “Watch out for more of those drug darts. You can’t afford another hit.” What if they drugged him and she wasn’t there to remove the dart?
“If I don’t have to protect you, I can simply annihilate them all.”
Strangely enough, that calmed her somewhat. It also solidified her belief that the only reason he’d been hit with the dart before was because he’d been protecting her. “Go do what you need to do. I’ll be here waiting when you’re done.”
He dropped another quick kiss onto her mouth, took a step back, and pulled off his sweatpants. Naked, he strode toward the entrance and stepped onto the mining elevator that would take him up to the surface.
She scooted off the counter and padded over so she could watch him as the elevator rose. Then he was gone, and she was alone. There wasn’t even any kind of a security screen for her to watch so she could see what was going on.
Abigail began to pace. She hated this not knowing. Were the Knights here? What was Vasili doing?
How did people with spouses and loved ones in the armed forces handle the stress of not knowing? She’d always had respect for military families, but it just tripled. Knowing he was facing a squadron of men who all wanted to bring him down and capture him was making her crazy.
Maybe she should take the elevator up so she could have a peek, maybe watch his back. Although, she wasn’t quite sure how to get it to come back down now that he’d taken it to the top. While he’d shown her the lever for operating the elevator from the inside, there wasn’t any button that she could see on the outside to control it. But there had to be a way.
She took one step toward the elevator shaft before stopping herself. No, she’d promised him she’d stay inside. If she went up, he might know, and it could distract him at a crucial moment. She wasn’t about to do something stupid that would get him captured.
So she paced and glanced at her watch every few seconds. The minutes dragged on. She couldn’t hear anything down here. There was no sound of gunfire, no yells, no roars from her drakon. Nothing.
After what seemed like an eternity, she finally heard the metallic clunking of the elevator. Vasili was coming. It was over. The huge sense of relief that washed over her almost took her to her knees. In spite of his assurances, she’d been nervous. She knew firsthand just how devious and determined the Knights were. It wasn’t that she’d doubted Vasili, but she’d been through too much not to be worried.
She hurried over to the door, eager to throw herself into his arms, to reassure herself he was okay. But it wasn’t her drakon who stood in the elevator. It was the man from the clearing, the one who’d escaped before. It was Anton Bruno.
…
Bruno couldn’t believe his luck. While the dragon was busy fighting his men, he’d slipped in behind them. While he believed the creature had done away with the woman, he wanted to be sure.
After their last encounter, he hadn’t skimped with manpower or firepower. Yes, lives would be lost, but that was a price he was willing to pay—as long as the life in question wasn’t his. It was only a matter of time until the dragon belonged to him.
In the meantime, he wanted to see the dragon’s lair. There could be secrets hidden there, and knowledge was power. There was no telling what the creature was hoarding.
With the shouts of his men and the roar of gunfire echoing behind him, he entered the ramshackle cabin. He knew the dragon didn’t live here. It was too small and dilapidated. It was simply a front to hide his real home.
Bruno went straight to the back wall that pressed up against the mountain. If there was a secret entrance, this was the place to start. If his instincts were wrong, he’d keep looking.
The fighting seemed to be getting closer. He looked over his shoulder and out the front window, grunting with displeasure when he saw one of his men go up in flames. They had plenty of tranquilizer darts and should be able to easily bring down the dragon. If the unthinkable happened and they should fail, he had a bespelled statue in his pocket that should hold the creature at bay while he called for more reinforcements. He’d rather bring the dragon down outside using drugs and manpower and not have to rely on magic. He’d had a firsthand and very costly lesson that had taught him it wasn’t always reliable.
Getting back to work, he surveyed the small space. The stove was the only thing he could see that would be large enough to cover an opening. He ran his hands over the ancient metal contraption, pressing and pulling until he heard a click.
Feeling smug, he stepped into the opening. It was dark, so he reached into his pocket, drew out his phone, and used the flashlight app to light his way. The tunnel was shorter than he’d expected and ended in an old mining elevator.
Bruno stepped into the metal contraption and finally found the lever to operate it. He pocketed his phone and pulled out his gun. When he reached the bottom, he was surprised to be greeted by the American woman.
Her smile faded to shock.
He smiled. “Expecting someone else?” He exited the elevator and went toward her, keeping the weapon trained on her at all times. “We’ll wait and see if my men can subdue the beast. If not…” He let his words trail off.
“Ah, ah.” He shook his head when she started to move away. “Don’t make me shoot you.” He glanced at her wrist, but it was bare. “What happened to the bracelet?” Drakon tears were too rare to lose, and the magic that the piece contained couldn’t be easily replicated now that the mage was dead.
“Gone.” She stood her ground, seeming almost defiant. He didn’t mind. It would make breaking her later that much more pleasurable. It was too bad about the bracelet, but he still had the other pieces he’d distributed. The thought of having more than one dragon under his control was delicious.
In the meantime, he’d use the woman to help him get what he wanted. He wrapped his arm around her neck and pressed the barrel of the gun against her temple.
“Relax,” he told her, relishing her shiver of fear. “It will all be over soon.”
The dragon had saved her. That alone made her special. Would another drakon be drawn to her? Something to consider. With her as his hostage, there was no way he could lose. If the dragon made it past his men, he’d use the woman to control it.
Things were finally going his way.
…
Vasili dodged to one side in the air, barely avoiding a spray of the tranquilizer darts hurtling toward him. Most of them would have bounced off his armored body, but he didn’t want to risk one hitting the vulnerable area of his neck.
After having a large dose of the stuff not that long ago, he wasn’t keen on getting hit again. If he were alone, he could fly off and regroup. But with Abigail hidden in his fortress, he had no choice but to fight, to eliminate the threat.
He retaliated by swooping down and raining fire upon the men below. He might not be as powerful as a fire drakon, but all drakons had the ability to shoot deadly flames from their mouths. They’d dared to attack his woman. For that, there could be no mercy.
They wanted to shoot him down, capture him, all so they could drink his blood. They’d brought this war to him.
So be it. He had great reverence for life, but he was also half dragon and would protect himself at all costs.
He was going to end this war with Bruno here and now. There could be no survivors, no one who could point the finger toward him, but most of all, toward Abigail. A survivor could be used by another Knight.
Screams ripped through the night as men were incinerated on the spot or set aflame, depending on how close they were to the center of his fiery breath. He went for the trucks next. As he swooped down, he ignored the puny bullets that ricocheted off his heavy scales as though they were nothing but pebbles flung at him.
Using his acute vision, he spied a man with a rocket launcher on his shoulder. It was similar to the one Bruno had used to dart him. Vasili dropped just as the man fired. The darts flew harmlessly over him. Vasili, however, kept going and grabbed the man in one large, clawed hand. His attacker yelled and screamed for mercy, but he ignored the man’s pleas and flung him to the ground.
He turned sharply in the air to avoid another attack. Most humans were caught off guard by how fast he could move, expecting him to be slow and ponderous because of his great size. But he was swift, able to maneuver quickly through and around the trees. He’d lived here a long time and had cut wide paths through the surrounding forest hundreds of years ago, just so he could fly at night without being seen. He’d utilized them for pure pleasure, but they could also be used for defense.
He cornered sharply and took the path to his right, knowing it would bring him back around behind his attackers. Several of the smarter men were expecting that and shot at him. One even launched a grenade. He caught it in one hand, closing his claws around it as it exploded harmlessly. He dropped the remains of the explosive onto the ground.
He kept scanning the area for Bruno but couldn’t see him. It was likely the coward was hanging back, waiting to see what happened. He’d run before and would likely try to again.
It was time to end this. Abigail was inside waiting for him, and the men were closer to the cabin than he was comfortable with.
As he swept over the group, he breathed deep and let forth a flame that devoured everything in its path—men, machinery, forest. Even the rocks exploded and burned. He repeated the pattern again and again until there was nothing left but flames that danced in the air, lighting up the night.
Desperate, the men fired dart after dart of the debilitating drug, but Vasili weaved and ducked, using his knowledge of the terrain to avoid them all as he continued to rain fire down upon them until there were no more mercenaries left to fight.
Then he took another deep breath, drawing in the cool air, tasting the snow and ice that covered the surrounding mountains. He released the breath, dousing the flames, until there was nothing but scorched earth. He was sorry for harming the land, but there had been no other choice.
Immediate threat taken care of, he swept over the area, searching for another vehicle hidden somewhere, needing to find Bruno. Vasili hadn’t seen him, and he’d been searching. After several flyovers, he conceded there was nothing. He’d have to go hunting for his enemy. The coward had fled.
For now, he needed to get back to Abigail.
He flew quickly back to the clearing in front of the cabin and landed, shifting back to his human form. He inhaled deeply, and his heart skipped a beat. Someone had been here. Someone had slipped by him during the fierce fighting and made it to the cabin.
He rushed inside, fury and fear battling within him. The secret door behind the stove was wide open. Someone had taken the elevator down. He sniffed the air. Abigail hadn’t come up, but a man had gone down.
In his heart, he knew who it was. Bruno hadn’t run. He’d proved himself a very smart adversary and had gone after Vasili’s heart instead.
He walked to the elevator shaft and stepped into the void. The simple box elevator didn’t have a roof, so he landed at the bottom of the shaft, legs bent, hands open.
“Thank you for finally joining us.” Bruno was standing behind Abigail, using her as a shield. He had a gun in his hand, and it was pointed at her head. “Stay where you are or I’ll kill her.”
Vasili wasn’t a regular drakon. He’d always been different, had been weak as a child. But that so-called weakness had developed into titanium strength and a keen intellect. He wasn’t an earth drakon. Nor was he a fire or air one. He wasn’t even a water drakon, not really, although that was the closest he came to being normal for one of his kind.
No, he was an ice drakon, born high in the frigid Ural Mountains. Everything inside him froze. From beneath his bare feet, the floor began to crack. Ice formed and began to spread. It crept over the floor and around the walls. His breath was like a thick ice fog, filling the air around him.
Bruno seemed stunned, taking a step back as the ice crept closer to him. “What are you?”
He couldn’t look at Abigail. If he did, he feared he would lose his mind. Instead, he focused all his attention on his enemy and smiled. “Don’t you know? I’m an ice drakon.”