Chapter 13
She should have known Deryk would take her to Pendragon Castle in Wales.
A medieval castle, which had once stood as bastion against English invaders.
Izzi wondered how it now felt about its Russian invader.
“This is beautiful.” She was in total awe of the rugged Welsh countryside and the mountain the castle stood on, set among a forest of trees. The valley below was a carpet of late-summer flowers, a small village visible in the distance.
She had wondered, after many hours of being carried by Deryk’s dragon as he flew quickly across the sky—a scary enough experience in itself—where they could possibly be going, as it was taking so long to get there. The novelty of being carried and flying with a dragon had worn off after a couple of hours, and she had even fallen asleep at one point.
The air was warmer when she woke, and she knew as soon as they stopped flying over water and began to dip lower and lower as Deryk flew purposefully toward this beautiful castle set on a craggy mountaintop, exactly where they were going.
“I don’t even have my passport with me!” She turned to look at the still and silent, and once again very human, Deryk. She sighed. “Are you ever going to talk to me again?”
“Maybe once I’ve ensured your backside is so sore, you can’t sit down.” He nodded, unsmiling.
Izzi blinked. “What?”
His mouth was set in grim lines. “Did you seriously think there would be no repercussions for your reckless behavior in going alone to the Petrovs’ apartment?”
Her eyes were wide. “You intend to spank me?”
“I intend to do whatever is necessary to ensure you do not put your life so recklessly in danger ever again.”
“By spanking me?”
“Yes.”
She gave a dismissive snort. “I don’t think so.”
“Thinking does not seem to be your greatest asset right now.”
It was indicative of how angry Deryk was that he was talking so precisely, with none of the modern idioms usually present in his speech.
Izzi gave a shake of her head. “Spanking is classed as abuse in the twenty-first century.”
He gave a grin that could only be classed as predatory. “Neither I nor my dragon belong to this century. Besides,” his voice became almost a purr, “you might find you enjoy it.”
“I don’t think so,” she stated firmly.
Deryk’s gaze swept over her possessively. “The thought of you lying naked over my thighs, with your bare bottom raised and anticipating the sting of my hand, certainly arouses me.”
Izzi’s cheeks blazed with hot color. “That’s probably because you’re a barbaric throwback to the fifth century!”
Some of his coldness left him as he chuckled softly. “Let’s go inside the castle.”
“Said the spider to the fly,” Izzi muttered, not budging by as much as an inch. “And I’m not going anywhere until you promise not to spank me.”
Even if she secretly wanted to go inside the medieval castle. Were Chloe and Nathaniel, the only mated pair to the Pendragon brothers, inside? Perhaps some of the other Pendragon brothers were as well. If so, would Izzi get to meet them, or did Deryk intend to take her to his bedroom and keep her there as a prisoner?
Deryk tilted his head to one side, looking very much like his dragon in that moment. “Have you made a decision regarding becoming my mate?”
It was a loaded question, and not one Izzi was prepared to answer right now. Even if the physical distance now between them had brought a return of that tingling arousal. “You told me not to do so hastily,” she reminded him.
“I changed my mind.”
She drew in a deep and ragged breath. “There are some things we still need to talk about before—well, before,” she said awkwardly.
His eyes narrowed. “What things?”
“You mentioned someone important in your life, said you would tell me about her another time,” she reminded.
“Him,” he corrected.
“Him?” she repeated uncertainly. Deryk had been alive a long time, so perhaps, sometime in the past, he’d had a male lov—
“Not a him in the way you’re now thinking,” he drawled. “I had another brother.”
She nodded. “You already told me about Rufus and Gideon.”
“Not them.” Deryk shook his head. “I also had a completely human brother.”
“Oh.”
He nodded. “Now will you come inside?”
“Not until you promise not to spank me,” she maintained stubbornly.
Deryk admired his mate’s spirit, and he never wanted to break that, but he also needed Izabella to know that when she put herself in danger, as she had at the Petrovs’ apartment, she endangered them both.
But perhaps spanking her wasn’t the way to do that.
“Very well.” He nodded. “No spanking.”
“Or any other physical chastisement.”
Deryk studied Izabella for several long seconds. Her eyes were feverish again now that they were no longer touching. There was a delicate sheen to her skin, indicating she was feeling overwarm despite the coolness of the late evening air. Her aroused nipples were visibly pressing against her sweater. Her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides.
Izabella was deeply aroused.
Not by the thought of his spanking her, admittedly, but she was certainly physically aroused.
And in need of relief.
His brow cleared. “Okay, no physical punishment.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “You’re being very…obliging, all of a sudden.”
He gave a shrug. “What can I say? I’m a reasonable man.”
“Hah,” she scorned. “You’re as arrogant as Vlad.”
Deryk sobered at the mention of the Russian dragon. “Did you notice his reaction to Tanya Petrov earlier?”
“What sort of reaction?”
“Never mind.” Deryk dismissed, deciding he really didn’t want to have a conversation about the Russian dragon right now. “Can we go inside now? I need to talk to Dylan.”
“And what am I supposed to do while you’re talking to your brother?”
“If Chloe’s about, I’ll introduce the two of you.”
Her gaze sharpened with interest. “You will?”
“Yes. Now let’s go inside.” He grabbed her arm and guided her over to the steps leading down into the castle. “A word of warning, though,” he added with a frown as a thought occurred to him. “Don’t believe everything Chloe has to say about me.”
Izabella eyed him curiously. “Why not?”
“Chloe and I have a love/hate relationship—”
“More like hate/hate,” a red-haired woman drawled as they stepped into the entrance of the castle. “Or mockery/mockery, maybe.”
Deryk closed his eyes briefly before turning to look at Chloe. She was six inches over five feet tall, with long red hair and mischievous blue eyes, and her almost six-month pregnancy was very noticeable on her slender form. “Izabella, this is Chloe, my brother Nathaniel’s mate. Chloe, meet Izabella Mikhailova. My mate,” he added proudly.
Chloe’s eyes widened. “Goddess, you found her.”
“Found who?” Izabella prompted.
“A woman who can put up with him.” Chloe’s grin widened. “I was so sure no woman would ever be able to stand his bloody-minded arrogance. Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” she teased Izabella
Izzi bit her top lip to stop from smiling at Deryk’s obvious irritation. “Not since the moment I met Deryk, no,” she answered truthfully.
Chloe stepped forward and linked her arm through Izzi’s. “Well I, for one, will be very pleased to have another woman living in the castle. Let’s go to the kitchen, and I’ll make some coffee.” She turned to Deryk. “Nathaniel will be back later today, but Dylan is in his laboratory.”
“Will you be okay for a few minutes?” Deryk looked intently at Izzi.
“Fine.” She nodded, liking Chloe already.
“I’ll come and find you once I’ve spoken to Dylan. After which, we’ll be leaving again. And you”—he glared at Chloe—“try not to fill her head with a lot of nonsense about me.”
“I’ll try,” she mocked, waiting until Deryk had strode off toward the back of the castle before speaking again. “Now I want to hear all the details about how the two of you met.”
“All of them?” Izzi repeated doubtfully.
“Every juicy detail,” Chloe confirmed with relish. “And don’t listen to Deryk. We love each other, really. It’s just so easy to tease him and get a reaction.”
The kitchen was warm and cozy after the long flight, the heat provided by a heavy range in one corner of the stone-walled room. Within minutes, Chloe had made them both a fresh pot of coffee and the two women were seated at the kitchen table, talking as if they had known each other for years.
“At least they found the people responsible for hurting Vaughn.” Chloe nodded. “And I’m so pleased Deryk found you in Russia too.” She lightly squeezed Izzi’s hand before releasing it again. “He’s a good man, and he was so close to turning. We’ve all been so worried about him.”
“Turning?”
Chloe nodded. “Without the balance of their mate, the unmated Pendragon brothers will eventually shift into dragons and stay that way. If that happens, they’ll become feral, and the other brothers will have no choice but to destroy them.”
Izzi’s heart ached at the thought of that. “And Deryk was close to doing that?”
“So close he spent several hours before coming to Russia locked in the dungeon in the castle basement, so that he couldn’t do himself or anyone else any harm.”
“He didn’t tell me…”
“He wouldn’t want to put any pressure on you,” Chloe acknowledged ruefully. “I told you, he’s a good man.”
Izzi studied the other woman. Chloe was glowing, whether from happiness or her obvious pregnancy, Izzi wasn’t sure. “You’re human, like me, but you seem very calm about your mating to a dragon.”
Chloe laughed. “I wasn’t to begin with, believe me. I fought it all the way.” She sobered. “But being mated to a dragon is… It’s the most incredible thing ever. Total love, devotion and fidelity, on a level no human man could ever give you. As for the sex…” She rolled her eyes. “It’s off-the-charts erotic.”
Izzi’s face was aflame with color. “We haven’t completed the mating yet.”
“But you want to.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Yes.” The last of Izzi’s doubts had disappeared with the knowledge Deryk hadn’t used the fact of his being so close to being only dragon and having to be destroyed by his brothers to sway her. He had and was still giving her the choice as to whether they mated or not. Without it, they would both die, of course, but Deryk was still leaving that choice to her.
“Don’t be afraid to return Deryk’s love, Izzi,” the other woman advised softly.
She slowly shook her head. “He hasn’t said anything about loving me.”
“He will. Dragons love their mates unconditionally. Love him back the same way, Izzi,” Chloe added seriously, “and I promise you’ll never regret it.”
“You don’t?”
“Not for a moment,” Chloe reassured instantly. “I’ve never known love like this. It’s incredible. All-encompassing.”
Izzi winced. “I’m partway through a law degree.”
“And I was a reporter.”
“Not now?”
The other woman shrugged. “It no longer fits in with my lifestyle.”
“So what do you find to do here all day?”
“Once this little one comes along, I’m going to have my hands full.” Chloe grinned. “In the meantime, I write erotic romance novels with dragon shifter heroes. Book number one in the series hit the bookshelves a few months ago and it’s selling really well, both here and in America. Now that Deryk has found you, I have the storyline for my second book in the series.”
Izzi gasped. “You’re going to write a book about the two of us?”
“With your permission, yes.”
“But we haven’t… The mating isn’t binding yet.”
“For Deryk, it is. The moment he smelled your unique scent, all his emotions and future became centered on you.”
“He was so angry with me about yesterday he actually threatened to spank me.”
Chloe burst out laughing. “Nathaniel did spank me.”
Izzi chewed on her bottom lip. “Did you like it?”
The other woman grinned. “I liked what came after more.”
Izzi’s cheeks were ablaze with color. “I have a feeling I might too.” Right now, she just needed Deryk’s touch, in whatever way he wanted to give it. “Did you write about the mating in your book?”
Chloe grinned. “It’s the best part! Which is why I’ll want to know all the delicious details of your mating.”
The heat in Izzi’s cheeks was becoming a permanent fixture. “How do you feel about the being immortal thing?” She changed the subject. “Or, at least, living as long as Nathaniel does.”
Chloe shrugged. “As long as I can be with Nathaniel, I don’t care how long I live.” She sat forward. “Izzi, you can still be a lawyer. In fact, I’m sure the brothers could occasionally do with having a qualified lawyer in the family. The way they solve some of the jobs their security firm takes on aren’t exactly legal.” She grimaced.
“So Deryk mentioned.”
She gave Izzi’s hand another squeeze. “The pluses of being a dragon’s mate far outweigh the minuses. For instance, the mating is binding for dragons, but Nathaniel wants us to have a human service in the local church too, again after this little one is born.” Chloe placed her hands protectively on the bulge of her pregnancy. “For me, not for him, because he knows what a human marriage means to me. You’ll see. Deryk will be—is, already as dedicated to your happiness.”
Izzi kept the other woman’s assurance close to her heart even after Deryk came to the kitchen and told her it was time for them to leave. She didn’t even ask where they were going because she had already guessed they were going to Scotland.
To Deryk’s cave.
She quickly discovered the Scottish Highlands were even more ruggedly beautiful than the Welsh mountains. The last of the sun rising gleamed on the towering mountains capped with snow, blankets of heather spread out in the valleys below, with deer roaming freely. Several rivers snaked their way through the valleys, and Izzi could see a couple of lochs in the distance as Deryk’s dragon landed lightly on a rocky outcrop on one of the remotest mountains.
“Like it?” Deryk prompted, once again in human form.
Izzi sensed the uncertainty behind Deryk’s question. “It’s beautiful,” she assured him.
The frown cleared from his brow. “Let’s go inside, and I’ll start preparing us some food.”
It had been hours since either of them had eaten. “I hope you don’t mean to kill and cook one of those beautiful deer down there?”
He held up one of the bags they had carried with them. “I brought some food with me from Wales. I believe the steaks came from a cow. Which isn’t to say,” he added dryly as Izabella finally preceded him into the opening and smoothed passageway down into his cave, “I won’t hunt for deer some time while we’re here. Venison is one of my own and my dragon’s favorite meats.”
Izzi was too transfixed by the beauty of the cave she stepped into to take exception to Deryk’s comment.
If she had expected it to be a rustic space, barely habitable, then she was completely wrong. Admittedly, it was definitely a cave, but Deryk had installed a generator which provided the lighting and power for the small refrigerator. There were also two comfortable-looking leather-covered armchairs, and a huge four-poster bed covered in what look like black-and-white silk bed linen. Shelves were carved into one of the rock walls containing dozens of hardback books. There were also several paintings hanging on the smooth walls. Another area was obviously for cooking with the gleaming copper pots and pans on a kindle-fired stove.
She turned to Deryk. “How on earth did you get that bed in here?” The passageway into the cave certainly wasn’t wide enough to accommodate such a huge bed.
“I built it,” he dismissed as he placed their bags down on the bed.
“You built it?”
“I built all the furniture in here.” He nodded. “You would be amazed at how many skills I’ve learned in fifteen hundred years,” he added at her obvious surprise.
Izzi’s attention returned to the paintings. She recognized one of them as the view of the rugged Scottish mountains she has seen from the rocky outcrop outside. “You painted those.” It was a statement not a question.
“Yes.”
She was seeing yet another side of Deryk, other than the predatory dragon. A sensitive and artistic side she doubted he shared with many. Chloe certainly hadn’t mentioned it—and the other woman had seemed to talk about everything else. Off-the-charts erotic sex being one of them.
Izzi’s physical arousal had returned with a vengeance the moment Deryk placed her on the rocky outcrop and stepped away to shift back to his human form.
She looked up at the painted canvas as a distraction from that uncomfortable tingling beneath her skin. The rugged mountains seemed almost lifelike, as were the deer grazing in the valley below. “You didn’t just meet Bernini and Michelangelo.”
“No,” he acknowledged ruefully, in the kitchen area lighting a fire. “I assisted Michelangelo when he painted the fresco in the Sistine Chapel.”
Izzi turned to look at Deryk. It could take a dragon lifetime, she realized, for him to tell her all the things he had done and seen in the last fifteen hundred years.
A lifetime that would include that off-the-charts erotic sex.
Something she was badly in need of right now.
Deryk seemed far more interested in cooking the steaks than sex. “Can you prepare the salad?” he prompted distractedly.
By the time they had eaten their lunch, Izzi felt so physically uncomfortable, so aroused, she could barely sit still. She ached. Needed. Desired.
And Deryk hadn’t mentioned completing the mating once since they left Russia.
Had he changed his mind?
Had he decided death was preferable, after all, to spending a lifetime with someone as young and naïve as her?