Chapter Nine
Abigail opened her eyes but couldn’t see much of anything. It was dark and there was a rumbling sound. Strong arms were wrapped around her, keeping her warm and cushioned against the jolting movements.
“I’ve got you,” Vasili whispered.
Right, they were in an old truck heading out of Moscow to God only knew where, because she sure as heck didn’t.
“Where are we?” she asked. She really should move, but she was far too comfortable on his lap. Honestly, with all the craziness going on, she needed a few minutes of peace and quiet. If he was willing to provide it, she was more than willing to take it.
“Not sure.”
“Do you have any idea where we’re going?” Tension began to creep back in. Her interlude of forgetfulness was over.
“Nizhny Novgorod.”
She thought about the map she’d studied, trying to situate herself. “We’re heading deeper into Russia, not away from it.” That surprised her. She’d assumed they were making a run for the border.
“Yes. They’ll be expecting us to try to leave the country.”
That made sense, even if the thought of getting farther away from the border left her with a pit in the bottom of her stomach. She started to move off his lap, but he stopped her. “Stay.”
“I must be heavy.” She had no recollection of falling asleep but wasn’t surprised. Fear and tension took a toll on the body after so long. She was facing away from him with her legs stretched out over his, using him as her own private recliner. There was no mistaking the bulge pressing against the small of her back. Vasili was very aroused. She decided to ignore it as best she could. Now was not the time to be thinking about sex.
Okay, now she was thinking about it, wondering what it would feel like if they were both naked and weren’t in a moving truck where their enemies might discover them at any moment.
“You are as light as a feather,” he assured her.
She almost snorted. While she wasn’t overweight, and had lost weight these past few weeks, she certainly wasn’t as light as a feather, especially not after a few hours.
And speaking of that, “How long have we been on the road?”
“Eight hours or so. The truck is slow, and we made several stops.”
“That long.” She’d certainly slept heavily, which surprised her. She hadn’t even stirred. Since the kidnapping, she woke frequently, as though her subconscious was always on guard for the slightest change in her surroundings. This was probably the most uninterrupted rest she’d had since before she’d been taken.
He rubbed his chin over the top of her head. “I expect we’ll be stopping soon.”
A part of her wouldn’t mind staying in the back of this truck forever. It wasn’t exactly the Ritz with the smell of diesel permeating everything, along with a far earthier scent she couldn’t quite place, but at least they were safe.
“What kind of truck is this?” she asked.
“Why?” He ran his hands lightly over her arms. Even through the layers of her clothing she felt his touch.
“I can smell something I can’t place. Like dirt.”
“Ah.” He kissed her temple. “Produce. The boxes are filled with vegetables. The driver is often on the road at night, so the stores will have fresh product when they open in the morning.”
That made sense. “So there’s less chance of the authorities stopping him?”
“Yes. They will all know him and wave him through any checkpoints.”
The truck began to slow, and Vasili tensed before lifting her off his lap. She scrambled to her knees and made sure her bag was still slung around her shoulder in case she needed to run.
He sprang to his feet in spite of having sat in one position for hours. He was lithe as a cat for such a huge man. He made his way around the boxes to the end of the truck and moved the canvas covering aside so he could see. “We’re here.”
Abigail was a lot less graceful making her way to him. Her legs were stiff after being in such an unusual position for so long. It was also difficult to keep her footing while the truck was jostling around. She slammed into several boxes but finally made it. Vasili caught her and pulled her under his arm.
“When he stops, we have to get out quickly. We’ll be at the train station. I will purchase tickets. If the driver has timed it correctly, we’ll only have a couple of minutes until the early train leaves. Stay in sight at all times.”
Adrenaline began to pump through her veins. “You think the Knights will have someone waiting for us?”
“I don’t see how, but I won’t underestimate them. They’ll be looking for a woman alone, not for a man and a woman.”
“They’ll check my papers. My passport and travel visa.” You didn’t get anywhere these days without showing identification.
“Let me handle that,” he told her. “Get ready.”
The truck was slowing and finally rolled to a halt. The driver didn’t get out. Vasili jumped down, landing easily on his feet. She found it a little more difficult to scramble over the low tailgate, but Vasili helped steady her.
The truck rumbled away, blending with the early morning traffic. The driver would keep to his schedule so no one would ever suspect anything was out of the ordinary. She had to admit it was a smart plan.
“Let’s go.” Keeping one arm around her shoulder, Vasili guided her toward the station. He didn’t hurry, didn’t look around, but she had no doubt he was totally aware of his surroundings. She tried to follow his lead, but it wasn’t easy.
They stepped up to a ticket counter, and he purchased their tickets. He did it all in Russian, so she had no idea what he was saying to the man serving them. Vasili reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a roll of money. Who traveled with that kind of cash?
Of course, she couldn’t talk. She had that and a lot more tucked away in her jeans pocket, her coat pocket, and in her bag, not to mention the credit card in the secret pocket sewn into her sweater. Difference was, she was a tourist.
Vasili said he bought and sold artifacts for a living. It made sense he’d carry a decent amount of cash.
She had no idea what he said to the ticket agent, but he did show him identification. Then he gestured to her and shrugged. The agent laughed, and the transaction went smoothly, especially when Vasili slipped the man some extra cash. She assumed it was so she wouldn’t have to show any identification in order to purchase her ticket.
When it was done, he turned to her. “Do you need to go to the bathroom?”
Heat climbed up her cheeks. “Ah, yes.” As much as she wanted to deny it, she was dying to go.
He smiled at her, then. Really smiled. He went from downright deadly and dangerous to drop-dead gorgeous. Her heart pounded, and her palms began to sweat.
“This way.” He led her to a door and nodded. “I’ll wait right here. Yell if there is any trouble.”
“I don’t expect to have problems in the ladies’ room.”
“You never know.”
She couldn’t tell if he was serious or joking. Rather than respond, she pushed the door open and went inside. After she’d used the bathroom, she washed her hands and stared at herself in the mirror. She felt grungy and grimy, but there wasn’t much she could do about that right now without a change of clothing. Splashing water on her face helped to refresh her somewhat. She ran her fingers through her hair to tidy it but didn’t linger, assuming if she did, Vasili would come find her.
He wasn’t exactly the kind of man who would stay outside just because it was the ladies’ room.
He was right where she’d left him. He took her hand and led her out to the platform. The train was just arriving. “We need food.” Still clutching her hand, he pulled her along until he came to an old woman selling fresh bread and bottled water. He bought several bottles of the water and a dozen mini loaves about the size of his hand.
Abigail wished she understood Russian as the older woman laughed and smiled and put the bread in a bag for them. Once again, Vasili overpaid for their purchase. She was going to have to pay him back, but not until she was safe. Independence was one thing. Stupidity another. She wasn’t letting go of any of her cash until she was sure she wouldn’t need it. Cash was king in every country.
“This way.” He handed her the bottles of water and led the way to the train. She was glad to have him with her. She’d have been lost otherwise.
Come to think of it, without him, she’d already be in the clutches of the Knights of the Dragon. Not a fate she wanted to contemplate.
There were a lot of people getting on and off, so she stayed close. Once they boarded, Vasili led them to a first-class cabin with two single bunks that were across from one another. The space was tiny, especially for a man as big as Vasili, but at least it was private.
She flopped down on one of the bunks and set the bottles of water beside her. He shut the door to their cabin and took the seat across from her. After a while, she heard an announcement and then the train slowly began to pull away from the station.
“When the conductor comes, don’t say anything. I told them you’re my wife and you’re sick and have lost your identification. I have mine, and that is enough.”
It made her feel strange to hear him call her his wife. She liked it way too much. She did admire his ingenuity. The people looking for her wouldn’t be searching for a Russian couple. “All right.”
It wasn’t long before there was a knock on their door. Abigail threw herself down on the bunk and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. Vasili spoke to whoever was there, his deep voice flowing over her like a caress, the accented words rolling easily from his tongue. She shivered but remained where she was, practically holding her breath until he closed the door.
“We’re clear. I need to find a bathroom. Stay here.”
She tensed and sat up when he mentioned leaving but then forced herself to relax. If he was going to ditch her, he could have done it long before now. “Okay.”
He ran his fingers down the side of her face. She closed her eyes and sucked in a breath at the tender gesture. “Yell if you need me.”
With that final instruction, he was out the door, leaving her alone to contemplate everything.
…
Vasili didn’t want to be away from Abigail, but he stopped long enough to get hot water for tea. He knew she needed it. He was a drakon and could go long stretches without food or water if necessary.
Didn’t mean he enjoyed it, but it wouldn’t hurt him. Abigail was human and much more fragile. She needed food and rest. He was glad she’d slept most of the drive here, but now that she was awake, he knew she’d want answers.
So did he.
He made his way back to the cabin and breathed a sigh of relief when she was where he’d left her. He’d purposely waited until the train was moving to leave. He wasn’t completely convinced she wouldn’t try to get away from him. She had some misguided idea she needed to protect him.
He used his elbow to knock on the door. “It’s me.” She opened the metal panel a crack and peeked out. When she saw him with his hands full, she opened the door and then closed it tightly behind him.
“Hot water for tea,” he announced. Not that it was necessary. She could see what it was.
“Thank you.” Her heartfelt gratitude made his chest swell. “I could really use that.”
She made tea while he got out the bread and went to work tearing apart the dense loaves.
“Smells delicious.” She set the tea on the little pullout table.
“Check the bag.” He’d paid the vendor extra to give them some butter and jam.
Abigail rummaged around and gave a crow of delight when she found the stash. They ate in silence. He watched her while she looked everywhere but at him.
When he was done eating a half dozen loaves, enough to take the slightest edge off his hunger, he wiped his hands. “Tell me everything.”
She shook her head. “You probably already know too much. Besides, you never answer my questions.” She busied herself with cleaning up from their small meal.
Abigail was proving to be stubborn. Perversely enough, he liked that. “What do you want to know?” he asked, even though he knew darn well what question she would ask.
“Why? Why were you drawn to the bracelet?” She lowered her voice and leaned in. “Are you one of them?”
He had to admire her discretion, even though they were seemingly alone.
“Why would you think that?” he asked. He was curious to see how her mind worked and how much she actually knew about his kind.
Frustration flashed across her face, and she crossed her arms over her chest. “Fine. You want to be all mysterious, don’t tell me.”
“Answer my question, and I’ll answer yours.” Maybe he wouldn’t tell her everything, but he’d give her some kind of answer.
She gave him a look that told him she knew he was tricking her somehow but was willing to go along.
“That tattoos for one. I’ve seen similar ones.”
On her brother-in-law, most likely. “What else?”
“You’re big and strong, and there’s something about you.” She shook her head when he started to smile. “Yeah, you don’t need your ego stroked.”
But he did, at least by her. He leaned forward and propped his forearms on his thighs and linked his hands together. It pulled the material of his sweater up, exposing his tattoos. “Don’t stop now.”
Abigail huffed in pure frustration. “Then there’s the bracelet.” She slipped her sleeve back and stared at the silver band with the embedded drakon tear. The more he saw it, the less he liked her wearing the tear from another drakon.
Abigail was his treasure.
“You were attracted to the bracelet, not me. Admit that much.”
Vasili nodded. “I did sense the bracelet, but once I saw you, it no longer mattered.”
“Yeah, right.” She pulled her sleeve back down. “You wanted to know where it came from, how I got it, and if I was working for a certain group who shall remain nameless.”
“You’re right. I did want to know all of that and more.” Once he’d seen her, he’d wanted to know everything about her. That had concerned him at first, but now that he knew her better, he was coming to realize just how special she was.
“What I can’t figure out is, if the bracelet is a trap…” She looked to him for confirmation.
“It is,” he assured her. Even now, there was no denying the pulsing power coming from her wrist.
“Then why doesn’t it affect you?”
Vasili knew he was at a crossroad. He’d always had a sense about such things. This moment and what he said would affect the rest of his life. He knew if he didn’t share something with Abigail, she would leave him as soon as possible. If he couldn’t build some kind of trust between them, he would lose her.
His dragon roared inside him, and the skin on his forearms rippled. He desperately wanted to shift and barely managed to control himself.
Abigail gasped and sat back on the bunk. She glanced at the door of the cabin, but it was closed, giving them privacy. She wasn’t afraid of him. Not his Abigail. She was afraid for him.
That stung. He was a drakon, mighty and powerful. She should trust him to take care of her, should recognize his strength.
He knew he was being totally irrational. That, too, was out of character. What was it about Abigail that pulled at all of his senses?
There was a snippet of lore he’d read about dragons finding their mates and knowing instinctively they were the one. He knew nothing about drakons and mates. His sire had been a bastard who’d abandoned him as a young child of ten. He’d been a cold and watchful creature, rarely speaking. Truthfully, Vasili hadn’t missed him when he’d left. But he did curse him for not sharing the knowledge about what his blood could do before he’d departed for good. If he had, things would have been different.
He hadn’t been able to save his mother, but Abigail was right here in front of him. He was no longer a boy. He was a four-thousand-year-old drakon with knowledge and power, and he’d use all of it to protect her.
He felt the truth of it, as did the creature inside him. They were in total agreement. Abigail Owens, American tourist, was his mate.
He took off his leather jacket and tossed it aside. Her eyes widened and her throat rippled when she swallowed, but her gaze never left him as he grabbed the hem of his sweater and peeled it over his head, leaving his upper body bare.
“You have more tattoos.” She started to reach out but then pulled her hand back.
He caught it and brought it to his chest, desperate to feel the brush of her fingers against him. “Touch me.”
She ran her fingers over the various symbols etched onto his skin. He almost groaned aloud in pleasure. He loved the way she was watching him, the way she touched him.
“There are so many.” She continued a path over his arm to his wrist. The gemstone in the bracelet winked when a beam of sunlight streaming in through the window hit it just right. He knew better than to suggest she remove it. Probably safer that way. The last thing they needed to happen was for her to lose it. That didn’t mean he had to like it.
“My back as well.” Not all women liked tattoos, but Abigail didn’t seem the least bit put off by them. If anything, she seemed intrigued.
“Why? They have to have some meaning, or you wouldn’t have bothered.”
She already knew him well. “The Knights—” he began.
She snapped her head up when he said their name. “Don’t.”
He nodded, understanding her fear. They’d kidnapped her once. Hurt her. They were the monsters under her bed. What she needed to understand was that he was the monster that ate other monsters. The one they should all fear. And she was the one person on this planet he cared for.
If they tried to take her… He was unable to finish the thought.
“They,” he stressed the word, “use magic. There is only one way to counter that.”
Her eyes widened into blue pools of wonder. And when the hell had he gotten so poetic. Abigail inspired him in a way no other person or majestic sight ever had.
“They’re magic symbols.” There was awe in her voice.
“Protective symbols,” he corrected. “To ward against all kinds magic from every culture in human history.” He was a living, breathing talisman against magic.
“And they work?”
“So far.” He caught her hand and brought her fingers to his lips.
Her nostrils flared, and her pupils dilated. “We need to tell Nic.”
He felt his brows lower and a scowl cross his face. “Why?”
“Because he’s family,” she pointed out.
He didn’t want to share his knowledge with anyone. Let Nic find out on his own.
Once again, Abigail proved how well she understood him. “I know it’s hard to give away what you’ve taken such pains to learn, but I want to protect my family. If Nic can protect himself better, he can take better care of my sister.”
That he could understand. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t have done for his mother. “I’ll think about it.” It was the best he could do.
Abigail nodded and thankfully let it go, at least for now. “On another topic, where exactly are we going?”
It struck him that he hadn’t told her. She’d followed him strictly on faith and trust. That sent a blast of heat through him as arousal hit him hard.
“Omsk. We’re going to Omsk. It’s about a thirty-two-hour ride.”
“What’s in Omsk?”
“I have a home in the Ural Mountains not too far from there.” That wasn’t quite true. It was about an eighteen-hour hard drive from there, but it was the safest place he knew to take her. It was isolated and easily defended against intruders. Plus, it was well hidden from prying eyes.
“Okay.”
“Okay,” he echoed. He’d expected her to object.
She shrugged. “I’m not stupid enough to go running off on my own. I know I’m in over my head here.”
Her answer irritated him. He wanted her to stay because she wanted to be with him, not because she needed his help. Vasili rubbed his hands over his face. The woman was making him crazy.
“Vasili, are you all right?”
He shook his head. “No, but I will be.” He reached for her and pulled her into his arms. Then he kissed her.
…
Anton Bruno was tired, and he was not happy. He and his men had scoured Moscow. He’d had Abigail checked out of her hotel and her belongings brought to him, but there was nothing in her single knapsack to indicate where she might run. All that was there were a few changes of cheap clothing. She hadn’t gone through the airport or taken a train from the city. So where was she?
She had no friends that he knew of in Moscow. And he’d had people checking for hours.
His phone rang. “Tell me you know something.”
“We sent her picture out to all our people across the country. She got on a train in Nizhny Novgorod.”
How had she gotten out of the city and that far?
“And she’s not alone,” his contact continued.
So she did have help. That explained things. “Who?”
“Unknown, but they bought tickets to Omsk. Shall we apprehend?”
Anton thought about it. “No. Have people watch every stop to make sure they don’t leave the train early. I’m catching a flight to Omsk.” He ended the call and considered his options. He’d get there before them and be waiting when they arrived.
He was curious to see who the man was. Excitement rose within him. Was it possible his plan had worked? Had she attracted a dragon that was being compelled to help her?
He needed to move quickly. There were supplies to be gathered. He’d need a heavy dose of the drug used to subdue the creatures, as well as every artifact he owned that depleted a dragon’s power. He had several and planned to use them to full advantage.
He decided to hedge his bet even further and placed a call. As always, Evgeny didn’t answer, but Anton was prompted to leave a message. “I’m on my way to Omsk. You may want to join me. It’s possible our plan has worked. If you’re in Moscow, I’ll be flying out almost immediately. If you catch me in time, you can join me. If not, I’ll see you in Omsk.”
That should be more than enough to bring the mage running. The man wanted dragon blood as badly as he did. Anton tucked his phone away and left his office. He wanted to be out of here within the hour.
If the woman and the bracelet had attracted a dragon, he wanted them both completely under his control before word leaked out to other high-ranking members of the Knights. The last thing he wanted was to have to fight to keep what was his. He’d waited a long time for this plan to show any promise. He wasn’t about to lose now.