Chapter Twenty
Abigail glanced at the wide gold band on her finger for the millionth time. She was married. According to Father Petrov, it was legal. The problem was, he couldn’t file papers, not with their real names on them. That could possibly lead any remaining members of Bruno’s network or other Knights of the Dragon to her and Vasili.
While they were almost certain there was no one else still alive who knew about them, they weren’t willing to take that chance. They’d risked much by spending a day in St. Petersburg, where they’d uncovered two more artifacts. Vasili had destroyed them all in a blaze of drakon fire before pocketing the sapphires. They were drakon tears and could not be left behind. She wondered who they’d belonged to and felt her heart break for the woman who’d owned them and the drakon who’d shed them.
“It won’t be long now.” He reached over and closed his hand around hers. He’d gotten them out of St. Petersburg and over the border into Finland, where he’d hired a private jet in Helsinki. She’d finally breathed a sigh of relief when the plane had left the ground. Now she was almost home.
“What are you feeling?” he asked.
It was only the two of them. The pilot and copilot were busy, and the one flight attendant was up front, giving them their space.
“Excited. Scared.” She’d only talked briefly to her sister and Nic. She hadn’t mentioned the fact she was married.
“I am beside you,” he reminded her.
“I know.” She had no idea why she was suddenly so nervous about seeing her sister again.
Vasili made a sound of frustration and lifted her out of her seat and into his lap. She gasped and looked toward the front, but the flight attendant had pulled a small privacy curtain across, separating them from the front part of the plane.
“Tell me what is bothering you?”
It was the uncertainty in his eyes that prompted her to speak. “I’m not the same woman who left America.” That was the crux of things for her. She was different. “I feel it inside.” She told him what she’d been thinking for the past day. “I think the tattoo, the mark has changed me.”
“How?” he demanded. He ran his hands over her arms and back. “You are not sick, are you?”
She shook her head. “Just the opposite. I don’t think I’ll need to drink your blood, at least not often, to stay young.”
He stilled and then slowly cupped her face. “How do you know this?”
“I don’t. That’s the thing. It’s nothing more than a gut feeling.” But one that had been growing with each passing hour.
A smile split his face. “That is wonderful, if it is indeed true.” Then he frowned. “Unless you are not happy about it.”
She placed her hand against his cheek, feeling the tautness of his jaw. “No, I’m happy if you are. I just wonder what Constance will think.”
Vasili snorted. “She will wonder why her drakon is so slow and has not already claimed her in this way.”
That made her laugh. Her drakon didn’t mind letting the others know he was superior to them.
“You will need tattoos as well,” he told her.
“I already have one,” she pointed out. The birthmark was wonderful, but she wasn’t sure she wanted or needed it to cover more of her body.
He shook his head and pulled down the neck of his shirt. “No, like mine. The Knights used magic on you before. We need to ensure they cannot do so again.”
She hadn’t thought of that, but obviously he had. “You’re right.” It was time to fully embrace her new life. “There are lots of tattoo artists in Vegas.” It wouldn’t be hard to find someone to ink the symbols onto her skin.
He scowled. “I will do them.”
“You? I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.” She wasn’t sure she wanted Vasili coming at her with a tattoo gun.
“It is an excellent idea. You will see,” he promised. Then he gave her a sly smile. “The ink needs to be infused with my blood or else it will not hold. If you ever need to drink my blood, it will ‘heal’ the tattoo.”
“Really?” That was fascinating.
“Yes. I learned that lesson early on when my tattoos kept disappearing within hours after being done.” He kissed her lips, drawing out the embrace until Abigail finally began to relax. “It will be fine. You will see.”
It was time to be more confident, more positive about the situation. After all, she was married to a drakon. “I’m still not sure about you doing the tattoos,” she felt compelled to add.
“I will kiss all your boo boos and make them better,” he promised.
Coming from her solemn drakon, that made her laugh. “You will, will you?”
“Absolutely.” He was about to kiss her again when the pilot came over the intercom. “Please fasten your seatbelts as we are approaching our destination.”
He lifted her back into her seat, and she buckled in. She took a deep breath and looked out the window, enjoying the view of the city while she tried to ignore the jitters in her stomach.
…
He’d made arrangements for a vehicle to be waiting for them at their airport. It was easier that way. The first meeting between them all shouldn’t be in a public space. Plus, he wanted his own transportation in case he needed to take Abigail away.
Vasili knew Abigail was worried. He wished he could ease her fears. He did not care what the others thought of him, but she obviously did. She was especially concerned about what her sister thought. It made him angry, and he had to force his dragon side back down. The creature was no more pleased than he was. They both wanted Abigail happy and safe.
“Everything will be fine,” he promised. He’d make it so.
“I know. I’m just being silly.” She walked beside him to the waiting vehicle.
Vasili stopped and caught her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “You are not being silly.” He hated that she was so stressed by the coming meeting. “Your sister loves you, does she not?”
She closed her eyes and huffed out a breath. “You’re right. That will never change.” She offered him a smile, but it still didn’t quite reach her eyes. He swore softly, leaned down, and kissed her.
Abigail came up on her toes and wrapped her arms around him. There was passion but also a hint of desperation in her kiss. He knew the only way to get past this was to get the meeting over with. He pulled away and ran his fingers over the curve of her cheek. “Come. Your family is waiting.”
Vasili climbed in on the driver’s side of the waiting vehicle and dumped his backpack on the floor at her feet. “Where are we going?”
That momentarily stunned her. “I have no idea.” Home didn’t exist anymore. They’d sold the house she and Constance had grown up in. She had no idea where Nic and her sister were currently staying.
All her things were in storage, but she had Vasili beside her. As long as they were together, she had a place to call home.
He pulled out his phone and handed it to her. She quickly punched in her sister’s number.
“Where are you?” Constance asked as soon as she answered.
Abigail couldn’t help but laugh. “That was my question. I suddenly realized I don’t know where you are.”
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry about that. We have a suite at the Bellagio.” She gave the room number. “How soon will you be here?”
Vasili had already put the address in the GPS and was headed that way. “Not long.” They hadn’t seen one another in months, and Abigail suddenly couldn’t wait. “We’re already here and on our way to the hotel.”
Constance squealed. “I can’t wait to see you.”
“Me, too.” She ended the call and swallowed heavily, tears filling her eyes.
“What is it?” Vasili asked, his voice filled with caring.
“It’s just so much. I haven’t seen her in a couple of months, and so much has happened since then. Not to mention everything that occurred before I left.” It had been an emotional rollercoaster for months. It was no wonder she was feeling a tad overwhelmed.
“I am beside you,” he reminded her.
“I know. And I’m so grateful.”
He growled, and the powerful sound vibrated through the seats. “I do not want your gratitude. You are my mate, my wife. This is where I want to be. Where I choose to be.”
Wow, she hadn’t expected him to take offense to her choice of words. “I’m grateful anyway,” she told him. “That you found me.” She reached over and placed her hand on his leg. The muscle tensed beneath her palm. She also noted the bulge in the front of his jeans. She started to slide her hand across, but he stopped her. Placing his hand on top of hers, he flattened her fingers against his leg.
“You move any closer, and we won’t be seeing your sister anytime soon,” he warned. “My instinct is to run away from here, take you somewhere safe. But I know that’s not what you need. I am struggling to do what is right.”
Caught up in her own emotional turmoil, it had never occurred to her that Vasili was dealing with his own. “I’m sorry.”
He gave a hard jerk of his head. “You do not apologize for what you feel.” He lifted her hand and brought it to his lips. The warmth of the tender kiss seeped up her arm and spread to the rest of her. “We will get through this. Together.”
“Together.” She liked the sound of that.
They drove the rest of the way in silence. Vasili was a confident driver. Not surprising since he’d probably been doing it since the invention of the first car. He parked the SUV, and they made their way into the hotel.
The elevator ride was nerve-wracking. She was so close to being reunited with her sister after all these long months apart. So much had changed for both of them.
Vasili had barely knocked on the door of the hotel suite they’d been directed to when it was pulled open. Abigail would have been knocked over if he hadn’t caught her. Her sister wrapped her arms around Abigail and hugged tightly. “I’ve missed you so much,” Constance told her.
“Let’s go inside.” Vasili gently eased them into the room and closed the door.
A large man was standing just behind Constance with his arms crossed over his chest and watching Vasili. Neither of them spoke, and the tension in the room grew. The women drew apart, Abigail came to his side, and he tucked her under his arm.
“Constance. Nic. This is Vasili Zima.” She put her hand on his chest as she introduced him, and her sister let out a short scream.
Vasili jerked her behind him to protect her. Nic did the same for Constance. Abigail poked him in the side and peeked around him. “What? What’s wrong?” she asked.
“You’re married.” Constance pointed toward her hand. The gold ring gleamed on her finger. She pinned Vasili with a glare. “You didn’t coerce my sister, did you? Because if you did, I don’t care if you’re a drakon, I’ll—”
“Constance, stop.” She interrupted before her sister said something she might come to regret. “I love him.” She hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that, but the situation seemed to call for it.
“You do?” Her sister studied her as they both stepped around their men.
Abigail nodded. “I didn’t want to wait. I figured we could celebrate later.”
“You’ll take care of my sister?” Constance demanded.
Vasili inclined his head. “My life is hers.”
Constance studied him for a long moment before finally smiling and holding out her arms. “Then welcome to the family.”
…
A week later, they were on a private island off the coast of Maine to meet the rest of Nic’s family. Abigail had been as shocked as Vasili to discover her new brother-in-law had three brothers, one of whom was Tarrant.
She was nervous. He could sense it. He wasn’t too thrilled himself. Being surrounded by four other drakons wouldn’t bother him if he was alone, but he had Abigail to protect. The only thing allowing him to override his protective instincts was the fact the other drakon had mates as well.
“Isn’t this cool?" Abigail exclaimed. "He has his own island.” They approached the house more slowly than Nic and Constance, who had already gone on ahead to meet his family. Everyone was here. They were the last to arrive.
“I have an island, but mine is in the Arctic. Not somewhere you would like.” A tropical island was his idea of hell.
She laughed. “I don’t need an island.”
No, she asked little of him. All she wanted was to spend some time with her sister. It was difficult to spoil a woman who was happy with whatever she had. But he’d done something he hoped would please her.
“Let’s go.” With his arm around her shoulders, they walked toward the house. The other couples were waiting outside. He eyed the men with suspicion and the women with curiosity, wanting to know what kind of woman would tie herself to a drakon. Obviously, none of them were as brave or wonderful as his Abigail, but they had to be courageous to have taken such a bold step.
Nic made the introductions. “This is Ezra and Sam, Tarrant and Valeriya, and Darius and Sarah.”
Vasili felt Abigail tremble, but outwardly she appeared calm. She’d come a long way from the woman who’d been having panic attacks when they first met.
“It’s nice to meet you all.” She stepped forward and offered her hand to Sarah, as she was the closest. Vasili eyed Darius, silently warning him not to do or say anything to upset her.
The men were reticent, but the women were not. Within minutes, they were all laughing and chatting and had led the way inside where they all congregated in the kitchen and dining area.
Darius was staring at Abigail. Vasili stirred beside his mate, not liking the other drakon’s interest. Then he noticed exactly where Darius was looking.
Abigail had removed her cardigan before taking a seat, and the short-sleeve shirt she wore exposed some of her tattoo. There was no mistaking the mark as anything but a drakon birthmark. And Darius wasn’t the only one who’d noticed. The other men had, too.
“Where did you get that?” Nic asked.
“Get what?” Abigail asked, turning away from a question her sister had asked her.
“The tattoo.”
The room went silent as every eye landed on her lower arm. She glanced at Vasili, and he knew she wouldn’t say anything without his consent. It made him love her all the more. He knew how difficult it had been for her not to tell her sister what had happened.
It wasn’t fair of him to put that kind of pressure on her. “I bonded with her,” he told them. He kissed her temple while he glared at the other drakons. “The mark covers her arm to her elbow and her back and chest to her waist.”
“It’s a smaller version of Vasili’s tattoo.” Abigail leaned against him, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“What does this mean?” Constance glanced at her husband, obviously worried about her sister.
“We don’t know,” Vasili honestly told them. “But she feels better. Stronger.”
“I do,” Abigail confirmed. “I can’t explain it. It’s like a small part of him is in me.” She smiled up at him. “I like it. A lot.”
“How did you know to do this thing?” Nic asked.
“I obtained an ancient scroll in my travels a very long time ago. It seemed to have been written by one of our sires, or someone who’d spoken at length with a dragon before they left our world. I can’t be sure. It had the information about mating, about a true joining.” He gripped Abigail a little tighter. “She is mine, and I’m never letting her go.”
The men nodded. “You will tell us more about this later.” Nic’s tone made him bristle.
He didn’t answer to anyone. Then Abigail put her hand on his thigh and squeezed. He gave a brusque nod. Only for her would he do this. The other men knew it, the bastards, but since they were likely in the same boat as him, he didn’t allow it to bother him overly much. They still didn’t know about the other tattoos he planned to ink on his mate.
He’d tell them in time, but first he’d let Abigail convince him. That would be quite a pleasurable exercise for both of them.
“You all have necklaces,” Abigail pointed out, not so subtly trying to change the subject. “Like Constance does. They’re drakon tears, aren’t they?”
“Yes.” Sarah ran her fingers over the gold chain around her neck set with a multitude of diamonds. “Every drakon tear is different depending on what kind of element he is associated with.”
The men shifted uncomfortably. He didn’t blame them. None of them would want to seem weak in front of the others. Thankfully, a drakon cried rarely, and only for love.
“What kind of drakon are you?” Nic asked. Oddly enough, no one had bothered to ask up until now.
“What kind of drakons are you?” He turned the question back on him.
Nic only smiled. “We’ve got one of each. I’m a fire drakon. Darius is earth, Tarrant is air, and Ezra is a water drakon. Now, which kind are you?”
He leaned back in his chair, his long legs stretched out, and his hands crossed over his stomach. “I am none of those. I’m special.” He ignored the growls and grumbles from the other drakons and the snorts of laughter from their women.
If it were just him, he’d have taunted the men longer. But Abigail looked worried, so he grudgingly gave them the truth. “I am an ice drakon.”
Nic turned his head to one side and studied him. “Never heard of them.”
“That’s because we are very, very rare.” And that was saying something considering drakons were scarcer than…well, anything really.
“You can manipulate ice?” Nic asked.
To demonstrate, he held up his hand and allowed ice crystals to form around his fingertips. Then he touched the cup in front of him and the ice crept over it until it was totally covered. “There is always moisture in the air, in the earth, and of course, there’s water. I use it all.” He closed his fingers, and the ice stopped growing from his fingertips. Then he breathed gently on the cup, thawing the ice.
Abigail turned to him. “If you’re an ice drakon, then what are your tears?”
He reached into his pocket, glad he’d asked Nic for the name of a reputable jeweler who would work fast. “I never shed a single one in my long life.”
“Oh.” Abigail looked embarrassed. Why wouldn’t she be? The other women seemed sad and distressed. They all had a tangible reminder of their men’s love and devotion. Abigail had nothing.
But she would. He ignored the others, pushed out of his chair, and dropped to his knees beside her. “What are you doing?” she asked, her cheeks growing pinker the longer he stared at her. She was so beautiful, inside and out, his Abigail. She was his heart. And it was time she understood that. He needed them all to understand that.
“I had never shed one until I met you.” He opened his hand to reveal the cuff-style bracelet he’d had made just for her. It was crafted out of silver, an echo of the one she’d found.
“But since then,” he continued, “I’ve shed one.” Only one single tear, but it was a testament to his true feelings for her.
The stone was bigger than the one on the original bracelet. It was much larger than any of the other drakon tears.
“Oh my God.” She reached out and touched the edge of the gem. “It’s the stone from your backpack.”
He frowned. “How do you know about the stone?” He certainly hadn’t shown it to her, and she’d been dead when he’d shed it.
“When we first arrived at your home.” She gave a quick glance toward the others, and he knew she didn’t want to discuss it now. “I was looking for a phone. What is it?” she gestured to the stone. “It feels like a diamond.”
He let it drop for now, but he’d get the full story later. “It is a rare blue diamond. As rare and precious as you,” he told her.
The design was simple. The band existed to hold and showcase the stone. He turned the band over so she could see the writing inside. “You had it inscribed?” She squinted, trying to read it.
“It is a protection spell.”
Some of the drakons began muttering at the mention of a spell, but he ignored them. “It will help keep you safe.”
“It’s like the one I found, only so much better.” The smile she gave him eclipsed the gemstone in both beauty and power. No other woman would ever wear his drakon tear. It belonged to Abigail, along with his heart.
“You like it?” He’d never given a gift to a woman. Oh, he’d given his lovers tokens over the years, but nothing this personal, nothing that had meant so much.
“No, I don’t like it. I love it. It’s perfect.” She held out her wrist, and he slipped it on. It had been designed on a hinge that opened and closed. He closed it now and locked it in place. To remove it, she’d have to find the hidden catch.
“The others have necklaces,” he pointed out. He caught her hand in his and raised it until the blue diamond caught the light. “I did not cry many tears for you. Only the one.” Did she think he loved her less since the others had necklaces full of tears?
She tugged her hand free and wrapped her arms around him. “This one tear is all I need. I love you, and I know you love me.”
“I do. Ya lyublya tebya. I love you.” He’d finally found his reason, his purpose in life. Abigail was his everything. She was perfect, his miracle.
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