Chapter Two
The woman’s voice shook while she spoke, but her eyes were fierce, making Kai’s inner dragon hum with pride. His whole body hummed, and he burned with the urge to step closer. To protect her. To touch her. To show her he cared.
But he didn’t dare. Not with the other men around. Not with her shooting daggers at him.
She is strong. She is fierce, his inner dragon purred in approval.
She’s human, he told his inner beast.
She is our mate, his dragon rumbled.
She couldn’t be. She couldn’t!
But damn it, even before he’d seen Tessa, he’d felt her presence, the way he had sensed all the important moments in his life half a second before they actually hit. It was as if destiny had tapped on his thick skull and said, Watch out, mister. Here comes a moment you will never forget.
He’d felt it the day his mother died, and the morning before he’d first been introduced to the men who would become brothers to him. The feeling didn’t strike often — only on the couple of really momentous occasions of his life. And the premonition had certainly never struck him around a woman.
Until now.
He stared at her. Well, continued to stare was more like it, because he’d been captivated by Tessa from the start. Even in the moonlight, he’d marveled at her thick red hair. He’d been entranced by her clear, bright voice, even when it was tinged with fear. Her green eyes cast a spell on him, but shit — they were darting around the room, searching for a way out instead of dancing over him as they had before.
His dragon groaned and lashed its tail. She trusted us at first. Now you’ve gone and frightened her.
It wasn’t his fault, damn it. Silas was the one looming over Tessa.
Then why is she staring at us like that? his dragon demanded.
“How do you know Ella?” Boone asked softly.
Kai tilted his head at the wolf, grateful for his calm, steady presence. Boone had been like that from the start — a lot like Hunter, the bear. They’d all joined separate branches of the military before chance — or destiny — threw the five of them together in an elite Special Forces unit. Their human commanders never suspected they were shifters, and they had been careful never to let on. Together, they had gone from ragtag group to hardened soldiers. Now, they were civilians again, trying to find their way in the world. Silas was the mastermind of their little gang. Kai had the sheer power, while Boone and Hunter were the glue that kept them together. Cruz was their heart, even if he liked to pretend he didn’t care.
Kai glanced at Silas, dipping his chin slightly to his older cousin. All they had was each other, even if that was hard to remember when their inner dragons clashed.
And damn, was his dragon edgy tonight. Usually, Silas was the unpredictable one. But ever since Kai had brought Tessa in, his inner dragon had raged and screamed, demanding the others stay away.
Tessa gulped and raised her chin, afraid yet defiant. “Ella lives in the apartment next to mine. She came just in time to rescue me—”
“Rescue? From whom?” Silas demanded.
Kai’s inner dragon roared at the thought of anyone threatening Tessa.
“Damien Morgan. A real estate tycoon from Phoenix, Arizona who…”
Silas’s eyes shot to Kai’s as Tessa trailed off at the sudden silence in the room.
Kai gave Silas a slight nod. Yep. Damien fucking Morgan. Kai itched to let his claws out.
“You know him?” Tessa asked. Then she frowned and murmured to herself. “Of course, you know him. He’s a dragon, too.”
Silas glared and barked without warning, making Tessa shrink back. “We are nothing like Damien. Nothing.”
A sentiment Kai wholly agreed with, though he shoved Silas back and shot a warning into his cousin’s mind. Quit scaring her.
You’re both scaring her, Boone pointed out. How about sitting down?
Kai looked at his shoes, then took a deep breath and sat down on the couch — not too far, not too near Tessa, spreading his arms so no one else would dare intrude on her space.
“How do you know Damien Morgan?”
Tessa looked so downcast, he wanted to cuddle up beside her and hug the feeling right out of her. But fat chance of that if she thought all dragons were like Damien.
“I’m a private chef,” she said, making Hunter’s ears flick. Typical bear, obsessed with food. “He contracted me to cook for him, and I went to his new estate yesterday.”
Kai huffed, picturing the place. He’d never been there, but he’d seen the pictures. They’d been on the cover of every architectural magazine because everything Damien did, he did big. That eagle’s nest of his — the latest in a series of exclusive properties Damien owned around the world — appeared to have been half carved into the cliffside of Camelback Mountain in Phoenix. All glass and stone, with a flowing infinity pool, it was the perfect dragon’s lair. According to the shifter grapevine, behind the mansion was a cave filled with unspeakable treasures. Treasures Damien had stolen from Kai’s family not too long ago.
Kai growled, and Silas did, too.
Tessa trailed off, so Kai prompted her gently. “You went to his estate, and…?”
“His housekeeper let me in, and I didn’t think I’d even meet him. But then he came in the kitchen, and he had this look on his face.” Tessa’s eyes grew wary and faraway. Her fingers fiddled with the pendant around her neck. “He came closer and closer, and then he sniffed me…” She trailed off, hunching her shoulders as if Damien were right there, trying to breathe her scent. “Then he backed me up and started saying all these crazy things. That I was his. That he had to have me. That—”
She stopped and shook her head, unwilling to share the rest. Kai didn’t want to hear more anyway. He wanted to leap into the air, fly all the way to the mainland, and burn that bastard to a crisp. His breath heated just at the thought of it.
Silas shot him a look, crumpling his nose at the slight whiff of sulfur that accompanied a dragon’s anger.
Sure, go ahead and breathe fire, Boone said. That will really help her relax.
Kai sucked in his lips and held his tongue.
Tessa took a deep breath and skipped something in her story. That much, Kai was sure of. “He started choking me, and I thought he was going to kill me…”
Not kill you, Kai almost said. Just bring you to the edge, and then bring you back. A sick form of foreplay some of his twisted brethren enjoyed before raping their victims. Some women were eventually released, so damaged they could scarcely recall what had happened. Others died before the “fun” ended, and their bodies were dumped somewhere far, far away.
He balled his fists, letting his nails dig into his palms. He and Silas never engaged in that cruel form of pleasure, but some individuals of their species did.
I’m killing Damien. I swear I will kill him, he told Silas.
Silas rolled his eyes. Get in line, man. Get in line.
“But then someone came to the door,” Tessa went on, hugging herself. “Damien locked me in a room while he went to meet whoever it was, and I couldn’t escape. But Ella came along and helped me out.”
Silas nodded, and Boone grinned. Good old Ella.
Kai made a mental note to thank Ella when he got the chance. But the shifter was a desert fox, which made her impossible to pin down. She’d served in the military beside Kai and the others in their secret, elite corps.
“How do you know Ella?” Silas asked. “And how do you know about shifters?”
Tessa made a face. “I didn’t until yesterday. But I was so freaked out after I saw Damien’s fangs, I made Ella explain.”
Cruz, the tiger, growled his thoughts into everyone’s mind. Coincidence that Ella was living next door to her? That Ella came along at exactly the right time to save this woman from Damien?
No coincidence, Silas agreed. Ella had to have been watching Tessa — or Damien. She hates him as much as we do.
But why would Morgan be after this woman? Why would he be interested in a human? Boone asked.
Kai bit back a growl. How could anyone not be interested in Tessa? Even before he saw her at the gate to the property, he’d felt her pull on him like a magnet. He’d rushed home early from town just to satisfy the instinct that something terribly important demanded his attention — immediately. And there she’d been, standing at the gate.
Told you, his dragon nodded. She’s ours. Destiny brought her here.
He didn’t want to believe it, but it sure as hell didn’t seem like the other guys were as entranced by her beauty, her scent, her…her everything.
“I wanted to go to the police, but Ella told me they’d never believe me. She said to come here. To ask you for help.” Tessa’s eyes shone, and she blinked back tears. Tears of sorrow? Fear?
Tears of pride, his dragon murmured. Our mate is strong.
“So I caught the first flight and—”
Silas threw his hands up. “You booked a flight? Using a credit card?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think he can trace me.”
“Damien Morgan can trace anyone anywhere.” Silas frowned.
Tessa shook her head again, and Kai’s heart swelled. Few people dared contradict Silas, but Tessa didn’t seem cowed. Not even by a dragon.
“I don’t think so. My clients know me as Thérèse Brûler.” She shrugged. “When I just started out in the business, it was hard to find work, and a friend suggested a catchier name.”
“Did it work?” Boone asked, flashing his wolf’s grin.
Tessa managed a little smile, and Kai wished it was him who’d done that to her.
Someday, we will, his dragon vowed. We will make her so happy, she’ll smile at us every day.
“It did.” Tessa lit up for a second before her face fell. “But look where that got me.”
“You didn’t know about Damien,” Kai said.
She’d been avoiding his eyes, but now she met his gaze again, a little less frightened than before. Did she understand that there were good dragons and bad dragons just as there were good and bad humans?
“I guess I didn’t.” She looked around the room and sucked in a deep breath. “I didn’t know about any kind of shifters.”
“Well, don’t let dragons give all of us a bad name,” Boone wisecracked. “Like I said, we don’t bite.”
“Not even wolves?” Tessa shot back.
Boone grinned. “Wolves are very civilized. But don’t get me started on tigers.”
In the corner of the room, Cruz let out a low, feline growl.
Tessa laughed. She actually laughed.
Either she’s the world’s toughest human, or she’s so exhausted she can’t see straight, Hunter observed in his low, grizzly voice.
Kai nudged the glass of water closer. Hunter was right. Tessa’s green eyes had dark circles beneath them, and her face looked pinched. And after what she’d been through…
Tessa slumped. “I didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t know where to go.”
“We’ll help you,” Kai said immediately. “You can stay here.”
Boone coughed. Silas elbowed him in the gut, and Cruz snarled, pushing his protest into his fellow shifter’s minds.
She can’t stay here. No humans. We agreed.
Kai whirled to glare at the tiger.
I thought you distrusted humans as much as I do, Cruz’s yellow-tinted tiger eyes met his.
Kai caught the words, I do, on his tongue.
His dragon shrugged. We do distrust humans. Just not this one.
Silas shot him a sidelong glance. Why are you so bent on protecting this human?
It didn’t seem prudent to blurt, Because I think she’s my mate, so he just growled. A dragon threatened her. It’s our duty to set this straight.
Silas considered and finally nodded to Tessa. “It’s late. We have a guesthouse where you can stay — for now.” He gave Kai a pointed stare then softened when he turned back to Tessa. “You’ll be safe here. I give you my word. You’ll be safe.”
Tessa clutched at the fabric of the couch, and her fingers played over her necklace as she wavered. The stone pendant was a deep, rich green, exactly the color of her eyes.
Kai looked at her, begging for her attention, and she finally glanced his way.
You’ll be safe here, he promised, communicating with his eyes. His body. His soul. I give you my word, you’ll be safe.
The longer he looked into those incredible green eyes, the more time seemed to slow down. The room blurred away, as did the other men, and all sound muted but for the beating of his heart.
Mate, his dragon whispered. This is our mate.
He wanted to will the words into her mind, but she was human. How could she possibly hear? How could she understand about the eternal bond that united two shifters?
“Tessa,” Silas hissed, and bang — Kai snapped back to the world. Tessa blinked as if she, too, had drifted away.
“Yes. I mean, thank you,” she said, suddenly flustered. “I mean…”
Silas nodded wearily. “Boone, show her the way.”
Kai almost leaped to block the wolf, but Silas threw an arm in his way. You stay here. We need to talk.
“Right this way,” Boone said, leading Tessa out into the night.
She balked, looking at Kai, whose soul cried. He wanted to be the one to show her the way, to keep her safe. But Silas’s grip on his shirt was tight, and the look on his face said he meant business, so Kai turned to Tessa and promised her all over again. He nearly drifted off into that hypnotized, can’t drag my eyes off hers state again, too.
“Kai.” Silas yanked on his sleeve.
“Come on, Tessa,” Boone said at exactly the same time.
She looked at him once more, then stepped out into the night and slipped into the shadows with Boone.
Kai’s dragon roared inside. Not Boone! He can’t have her! He—
Kai did his best to ignore the voice. Boone was a good man he’d trust with his life.
Do you trust him with our mate? his dragon cried.
Kai gritted his teeth and turned slowly back to Silas. Hunter and Cruz slunk into the night, too, leaving Kai and his cousin alone. To fight? To talk? Kai wondered which it would be.
Silas paced behind the bar and poured himself a brandy. He didn’t offer Kai any. He just lifted the glass and pointed an accusing finger.
“Let me repeat the question. Why are you so interested in this human?”
Kai gnashed his teeth. How could he answer when he wasn’t entirely sure himself? So he lied. “Like I said. Another dragon threatened her. It’s our duty to set this straight.”
Silas glared, but the anger, Kai knew, wasn’t aimed at him. “Goddamn Damien Morgan. And if he’s still working for Drax…”
Kai froze as a cold, icy feeling tiptoed down his back. “Drax?”
Silas nodded and said it louder as if to prove he wasn’t afraid of the name. “Drax.”
“Are you sure?”
“I can’t be sure of anything when it comes to those bastards.”
Silas’s eyes flared, and Kai wondered again what had happened in the past. Silas was only older by a few years, but he’d left home much earlier than Kai. He’d come home scarred and tight-lipped. A short time later, he’d joined the army. When Kai’s guardian died, Kai had followed Silas into the service, not knowing what else to do. That was a good ten years ago, and now… He shook his head at himself. Now he was scarred and tight-lipped, too.
He glanced in the direction Tessa had gone, wondering at all the feelings she’d stirred up. Things he hadn’t felt for a long, long time.
He thumped his fist on the counter, because letting out anger was more acceptable than showing anything that made him soft. “Fucking Damien Morgan.”
They’d only crossed paths twice, but it was enough to convince Kai what an arrogant, selfish ass Morgan was. Some shifters hid from the human world entirely. Others did their best to fit in and even to serve, like Kai, Silas, and their brothers-in-arms had. A few, however, used their unique shifter abilities to consolidate power and wealth. Shifters like Damien Morgan, the real estate tycoon, and even worse, Drax, the most powerful dragon of all.
“Real estate tycoon, my ass,” Kai muttered, thinking of the land Morgan had cheated his family out of when they were at their most vulnerable — two decades earlier, when the older generation died and the up-and-comers were too young to resist. He took the brandy from Silas and poured himself two fingers. “We should have taken him out a long time ago. Both of them — Morgan and Drax.”
Silas let out a bitter chuckle. “I tried. Believe me, I tried.” He rubbed his right arm, where his sleeve hid the scars.
Kai put the bottle down with a thump. “How much are we going to let them get away with?”
“We don’t know if they’re working together on this.”
“But if they are?”
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough. We have a day — maximum two — before Morgan figures out Tessa’s real name and tracks her down.”
Kai bristled, and his dragon nearly let out a puff of fire. No one touches my mate.
“Let him come,” Kai said. “Let him fight.”
Silas shook his head. “Morgan, we might be able to take on. But if Drax is involved… I want to take down Drax as much as anyone, but we’re not ready yet. You know that.”
“How much more ready can we be?”
“Drax has more men, a hell of a lot more money, and dozens of spies.”
“We have spies, too,” Kai noted.
Silas raised his glass in a salute. “Thank goodness for Ella.”
Kai raised his glass, too. “To Ella, then.”
“To Ella,” Silas agreed, toasting the night.
“And to taking down Damien Morgan,” Kai added. “The first chance we get.”