Against his fierce hold, I managed to turn my body enough to see him. Our faces were only a hair’s breadth apart, but the building anger was a wall between us.
“I understand very well, Dark One, as I, too, do not wish to see what I saw ever again.”
The hand on my neck slipped to my throat, fingers gripping for a moment before releasing their tension and resting against my soft flesh.
“I thought you’d die,” he rumbled, the tension in his hand returning.
“As I knew you would if I did nothing.”
His eyes slammed shut as he tried to control his breathing. “Death is not an option for you, new girl. Not while I live.”
I leaned against his palm, allowing my forehead to press against his. “Nor is it an option for you while I still draw breath.”
For a moment, we remained as we were, staring one another down, both breathing fast and shallow. Then Oz’s hand flew to the back of my head and pulled my mouth to his. His kiss was fueled by anger and fear, and the ferocity in it was something I could only weather by meeting it with the same desperation—the same intensity—because I felt it just as he did. His near death had changed something inside me; something that even I, in all my evolution, could not identify. It was strong and consuming and fearsome, and it could not be contained.
With a roar that echoed through the room, he lifted me and slammed me down on my back, taking care not to crush my wings in the process. When I attempted to draw them in, he pulled away and growled.
“Leave them,” he said, staring down at me as the dim firelight danced in his eyes. “I want to see them.”
As I forced them to their greatest breadth, his erupted from his naked back and stretched until the tips nearly scraped the walls.
“What else do you want?” I dared to ask, knowing full well that I was fueling his dark fire. The careful shift of my body beneath his only furthered that result. His hand dragged down my chest, hesitating at the waist of my pants. Then the tip of his wing was suddenly there, slicing through the soft fabric of my shirt while he unbuttoned and peeled my leathers away, leaving me bare.
He pulled away to get a better view of all he wished to see. His hand drew a line across my abdomen where a red and raw scar should have been. Then it cupped my breast and held me still.
“I want all of you and nothing less.”
I took his free hand and placed it on my core as I lifted my head off the bed.
“And you will give me the same.” I released his hand and cupped him firmly.
A groan escaped his lips. “Be careful what you ask for, new girl.” His finger slipped inside me, and I stifled a moan. “There won’t be any turning back…”
“I will not need to.”
A menacing smile, tinged with the smug one I had grown to know, flashed across his face.
“That’s what you say now.”
Before I could respond, he shifted down so his mouth could replace his fingers and all reason fled, leaving little more than a writhing ball of need in its wake. A glow overtook the room, and I looked down to find bright white eyes staring back at me, consuming his face as he consumed me. And when I finally broke under his relentless assault, they flared so fiercely that I had to shield mine as my body took on a life all its own.
When the light faded, I opened my eyes to find him climbing up my body, his mission clearly not complete. I spread my legs to allow him in, and he slid into place without slowing his approach.
“All of you, remember?” he said as he pushed in further.
“And you in return,” I replied, grabbing his face to pull it to mine. “No turning back.”
“No turning back,” he murmured against my mouth. “Ever.”
We attacked each other with enough force to shake the very ground that surrounded the Dragon’s lair for what seemed like an eternity, until we both collapsed to the bed, sweat-covered and exhausted. With all the noise we had made, I wondered if everyone else would be equally tired.
As Oz drifted off, I slipped into the shower, then found something clean to wear that had not been shredded to bits by Oz’s wing. It took far more effort than it should have. Then my gaze fell upon the sheets beneath the sleeping Dark One, and I realized that they, too, would need to be replaced.
If we kept up our behavior, I wondered if the Dragon would cast us out for being such inconsiderate guests.
19
“The others told me what happened to Oz. How is he?” the Dragon asked as I stepped into the vast room. He sat alone on a settee by the fire and beckoned me to join him with a wave of his hand. “I promise I won’t bite—I know better than to try.”
His smile was warm and genuine and everything I had learned him to be. So I did as he had requested and perched beside him on the lush burgundy velvet, staring into the fire.
“He is resting.”
The Dragon’s smile widened and his brow quirked. “Sounded like he needs it.”
I ignored the subtext of his comment. “Tell me something, Dragon. Why did you let us stay here? Why did you offer us aid?”
His expression sobered in a second. “I do not know you well, Khara, but it is plain that your knowledge and understanding of worldly things is far different than others’, including mine. The fact that you ask me that question is further proof of that observation.”
“You did it to make amends with Casey.”
He nodded, then turned his gaze to the fire. “If such a thing is even possible.”
“You love him still.”
Silence. “I never stopped.”
I pondered his statement for a moment, turning the implications over and over in my mind. He still loved a being that had turned on him, justified or otherwise, and tried to kill him. Tortured him and sent him fleeing from Detroit. How the Dragon could still love my brother after such treatment befuddled me.
“What went wrong between you two? Because from what I know of Casey, he is, beyond a doubt, fiercely loyal. If he once felt for you as you do for him, then whatever you did must have been a betrayal.” I stared at his profile until he met my eyes. “And if it was, I wonder how I shall take this news.”
“I would share my side of the story,” the Dragon said, “for there are always two sides. But if Casey has not shared his, then I shall keep mine secret as well. It might be best for all parties involved.” He turned back to the fire, and quiet settled around us for longer than was comfortable.
“Then tell me how you came to love him instead, so that I may quash the anger growing inside me at the thought of you betraying him.”
He gave a faint nod, then took a deep breath. “When you have lived as long as we have, you come to know many kinds of beings—survive many situations. Your brother was notorious, even amongst the great and terrible PC. The spawn of Hecate—a son of the Underworld. He knew darkness—understood it. It tainted him so deeply that his irises turned black over time to better represent that darkness. I know this because I encountered him on occasion over the decades—had run-ins with the PC while my kind still reigned. I was young then, though. Young and naïve and smitten with this dark, beautiful creature I could not have—who would never want me. Until dire circumstances forced us together, both literally and figuratively.”
“What happened?” I asked, leaning closer.
“The king of my kind grew greedy. He left the mountains in search of humans to enslave and eat. The PC caught wind of his plan, and all hell broke loose, as they now say.”
“He started a war with my brothers?”
Another nod. “The battle was long and blood-filled, and few of my kind survived. I was young at the time—barely a man by human standards. When it became clear that we could not defeat the PC, some of the females began absconding with the young to ensure the survival of our species. I went with them to keep them safe. Just as we were about to emerge from a secret exit under the mountain, Casey stepped in front of us, covered in blood and scales. He took one look at us all and smiled as he wiped his
blades clean on his leathers. When I stepped forward, putting myself between our party and him, that smile fell and his eyes widened.
“I don’t know how long we battled. Long enough for the others to escape. Long enough for the feelings inside me to rip me apart. I thought that Casey would kill me—that I would fall at the hands of the one who haunted my every dream. My every thought.”
“But he did not kill you,” I said, forcing the Dragon to meet my gaze.
“No. He did not. We fought until my body grew weak and my fire was exhausted. When I could no longer remain in dragon form, I changed back, leaving me weaponless and vulnerable. Casey advanced on me and pushed me back into the rock wall of the cave, his blade only a hair’s breadth from my face, his dark gaze only inches from mine. Even though death was imminent, I could not look away from him. I wanted his black eyes to be the last thing I ever saw. But death never came. Instead, I felt the pressure of his blade relent. Then his lips were on mine, locking us in a frenzied kiss. When he broke free, his hardened expression had returned. He ordered me to go and never come back. I did as he said.”
A pang of sadness tugged at my heart. “Did you not see him again until Detroit?”
He shook his head. “From that moment on, we danced around what we were—what we wished to be—on those rare occasions when we came into contact, until fate landed me here, in this city that Casey calls home. That was when our love was fully realized. And then snuffed out.” His head hung heavy on his neck, his shoulders rounding. “How cruel life can be, even to beings like us…”
“The others did not know about your relationship,” I said; not a question, but a statement.
He let out a breath, the faintest hint of smoke escaping with it. “No, I guess they didn’t.”
“Casey is enigmatic.”
The Dragon looked at me. “He is amazing to those he lets close enough. I can see in your eyes that you agree, so it seems he has let you in, too.” His hand reached for me slowly, sweeping my long, wavy hair over my shoulder and smoothing it gently. “I’m glad of this,” he said, though the sorrow in his voice contradicted his words. “I’m glad he has someone who understands him, as I once thought I did.”
“He and I have much in common.”
He let loose a mirthless laugh. “Yes, I imagine you do.” His hand fell away and clasped the one resting in his lap. “Will you do something for me, Khara? For Casey?” When I did not respond, he accepted that as confirmation and continued. “Don’t let him turn inward—don’t let him turn his anger to bitterness and push you away with it. I fear it’s too late for me. I do not wish the same fate for you.”
A door crashed open behind us, followed by a menacing growl.
“Get away from her!” Casey’s voice rumbled toward us from the far side of the room. When neither of us moved, he stormed toward us, blades drawn.
“All is well, Brother,” I said, rising to meet his approach. “No need for concern.”
“What are you doing out here?” he asked, jerking his head toward the Dragon. “With him?”
“Talking, not that I need to explain myself. I asked the Dragon how you two came to be. He obliged me with the story. That is—”
Casey launched a blade at the Dragon, and it grazed his cheek before plunging into the wooden mantel over the fire.
“Stay away from her. I don’t want you poisoning her against me—”
“Casey—” the Dragon implored, only to be silenced again.
“NO! Enough of your lies.”
I rounded the settee to put myself between them. “He has said nothing, nor could he ever say anything in the future, that would change how I feel about you, Brother. If that is what you fear, you should not.” I stared into his fierce eyes, colored to hide the sadness lurking in their depths, and held my ground as the others emerged from their rooms, armed and ready for a battle they would not find. “I know that you feel pain—that the sight of him hurts you in a way few would ever guess—but this must end before it devours all that makes you you and leaves a shell of a being in its wake.”
“He is a liar,” Casey growled, leaning toward the Dragon. I pressed my palm to his chest to hold him back.
“And I am not,” I replied. He relented a bit, and I relaxed my hold on him. “So we will settle this matter now, one way or another.”
I glanced at Muses, whose delight in the impending drama was plain, and I held him in place with a pointed stare. Then Oz strolled out of our room, yawning as he stretched, his flawless tan skin glowing in the firelight, and I temporarily lost focus on the matter at hand.
“You never let me explain,” the Dragon said softly. “You did what you always do: jumped to conclusions, then reacted.”
“Because I didn’t need an explanation for what I saw. You all but told me your plan, then went behind my back to execute it when I told you I would never leave the PC.”
“Whoa,” Kierson said, headed our way, “what the fuck are you talking about? Why would you leave us? I mean, that’s not even possible, but if it were—”
“Tell them,” Casey said, folding his arms across his chest.
Oz continued toward me, his gait casual but his stare anything but. “What hornet’s nest did you kick while I was sleeping, new girl? I swear, I can’t leave you alone for five seconds.”
“I asked the Dragon about how he met Casey—how they came to be what they once were. This seems to have angered my brother.”
Oz stopped dead in his tracks. “Bad call, by the looks of it. Maybe we should just give them both a weapon and let them duel until it’s all sorted—or one of them dies.”
“Nobody will be dueling,” Drew said, sounding more like himself than ever.
“Well, that’s disappointing news,” Muses sighed. “I do so love the settling of a grudge…”
“We’ll see if you still feel that way once he admits what he did, Drew. You might be first in line to stab him in the throat.” Casey turned to pin dark eyes on our once-dead brother. “Or at least the old you would.”
Though it was subtle, I saw a bit of fight leave Drew’s eyes, his shoulders rounding at Casey’s words.
“You’re letting it happen,” the Dragon said to Casey. “You’re letting your anger eat at you and using it to lash out at anyone close to you.”
“Fucking tell them,” Casey replied. “Tell them and see how this ends for you.”
The Dragon took a deep breath. “I knew that Casey saw a life with me and a life with the PC as a choice he had to make—that he could not have both in any capacity. I offered a potential solution, and he turned it down right away.”
“What was the solution?” Pierson asked.
The Dragon’s jaw flexed, showing his unwillingness to say what he knew he must. “I suggested we go to a friend of mine, a witch skilled in glamour magic. I suggested she remake him—give him a new identity. One that the PC could never detect, as that is not an ability any one of you has.”
“And then what?” Kierson asked. “Just run off into the night without a word? Without any explanation?”
“Casey thought you would never accept this,” the Dragon said, his voice catching on the words. “Would never accept us, given the history between our kind—”
“Jesus, Casey,” Kierson said on an exhale, “what did you think we would do? Turn our backs on you? Ridicule you? I mean, for fuck’s sake, you’re a total dick sometimes, but you’re still our brother. We want you to be happy—as happy as this life will allow—”
“But that’s just it!” Casey shouted. “There is no happiness in this life. There is death and more death, and moments between those deaths, and that’s it. Nothing else.”
“There was when we were together,” the Dragon added softly.
“Yeah,” Casey scoffed, “and you sure did fuck that up, didn’t you?”
“I went to Madeline, that much is true, but not to have her change you behind your back.”
“Liar—”
“How can I pro
ve this to you?”
“I have an idea,” Muses said, stepping forward. “I can tell you anything you want to know, Casey.” His eyes lit at the prospect of rooting around the Dragon’s mind for tawdry details of his betrayal.
I looked to our dark brother and found a silent war waging inside him. He wanted answers—wanted the truth—but what would it do to him if he had been wrong? If the Dragon had not betrayed him as he had thought? If he had carved up and cast out the one he had loved above all others? There would be no way for him to forgive himself for such an act. He would only dive deeper into the darkness and hole himself up there for eternity.
Just as Muses reached the Dragon, I put myself between them. “This is not a game, Muses. Not a way to entertain yourself at the expense of others. So I will search his mind, for I will find no joy in the act or the results it brings.”
Muses’ delight soured in an instant. “If you insist, Sister. The task is a bit beneath my skill set, anyway.”
He backed away, and I turned to the Dragon. “Answer only what I ask you and nothing else.” He nodded, and I captured his face between my hands. “What did you say to Madeline the night you went to her—the night Casey thought you betrayed him?”
Without a hint of resistance or hesitation, the Dragon replied, “I went to her to call it all off. To stop the plan I had spoken to her about before I went to Casey with it.”
“You met with her before you brought this idea to him?”
“Yes, and I regret that. But I couldn’t lose him…”
I looked back to Casey, who had grown pale. “Do you wish to know anything else, Brother?”
He shook his head.
I released the Dragon’s face and stepped away.
“Well, that was thoroughly unsatisfying,” Muses said, heading for the door. “If there’s not going to be any bloodshed, I’m going back to Chicago—perhaps something there will prove more entertaining.”
“And the rest of us should go back to bed,” Pierson said, pushing his twin and Drew toward their respective rooms.
Unmade (Unborn Book 4) Page 13