Nic had dragged Cassidy into the small room he’d been allotted in the visitors’ quarters to tell her he was leaving, and why.
Her jaw had unhinged. “You’re the dragon? But how?”
He shrugged.
“Sorry, stupid question. But—”
He slid a hand down her red braid. “I shouldn’t have stayed this long.”
Her mind had raced. Things were moving too fast. Just that morning, she’d walked with Nic in the green hills north of Shannon, and now he was leaving.
She gripped his shoulders. “Tell the alpha that it’s you. He’d never attack his own grandson.”
“Maybe not. But next the fae will come, and if they suspect I’m hiding at Shannon, your whole clan will be in danger.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Then take me with you.”
He cupped her face and wiped the tears away with his thumbs. “Ah, minha linda. My pretty one. Trust me, you don’t want to mate with a solitary. It’s a lonely life.”
She swallowed hard. She loved Nic, but he was right. She’d grown up surrounded by a large and loving clan. When her parents had died during an influenza-like epidemic which swept the base, her aunt and uncle and cousins had been there for her, as well as the rest of the clan.
“But why would we have to live alone?”
“Because this follows me wherever I go.” He waved a hand, encompassing the near hysteria that had swept over the clan at the news a sea dragon had entered their territory. And it wasn’t just the fada. The mayor of Shannon had confronted the alpha on a village street, demanding he do something about it.
“Can’t you keep the dragon hidden?”
Sorrow filled his eyes. Sorrow, and disappointment. She bit her lip, but let the question stand.
“Could you live your life without ever letting your dolphin out?”
Shame washed over her. “No,” she whispered. “I’m sorry.” She rose on her toes to kiss him.
The kiss turned into something hard and deep and heartbreaking—and then they were on the bed, tearing at each other’s clothes. They’d made love, sweet and wild.
Cassidy had murmured over and over how much she loved him. He’d thrust into her like a man who’d found home.
She’d believed he understood that she’d go with him anywhere.
Neither of them had thought of protection. Fada didn’t get sexual diseases, and pregnancy was rare, even for mated couples. And pups were welcomed with open arms, with plenty of hands willing to pitch in, so that a single mom had all the help she needed. By morning, Cassidy was carrying Rianna—and Nic was gone, along with a large piece of her heart.
Now he turned and strode to the bed. “What’s the matter?” His gray-green eyes searched hers. “Is it the fae?”
“No. Just thinking.”
“About what?”
She moved her shoulders in a tiny shrug. “About you and me, and why you left. You broke my heart.” She’d meant to state it calmly, but her voice cracked on the last word.
“Cassidy.” He crouched next to the bed. “I thought it was the only way. I—”
She held up a hand. “Hear me out. I just want you to know that I understand a bit better now. My aunt and uncle—they love Rianna like she was their own granddaughter. But when they found out she was a sea dragon, even they thought it might be best if we left.” She grimaced. “Uncle Fergus said no one would want her as a mate. That she had to learn to hide her dragon.”
“I’m sorry.” His big fist clenched on his thigh. “So sorry.”
“And the worst thing is, a part of me agreed.” She gave him a fierce look, but he just gazed back sorrowfully. “But I don’t anymore. She shouldn’t have to hide, damn it.”
“She wouldn’t have to if she lived here. Ben, Marlin, Joe—they don’t give a damn I’m a dragon. I thought I was doing them a favor letting them live in my caverns, but I’ve come to see I’m the lucky one.”
She nodded. “You are at that. They’re good men.”
Rianna stirred. “Mam?” She gave a big stretch. “Where’s Daddy?”
Nic stood up and reached for her. “How’s my menina?”
“Hungry.” She cuddled into him as if she’d known him all her life.
He chuckled. “Let’s find you something to eat.”
“And then I want to do some more ’splorin’!”
“Okay.” He met Cassidy’s eyes over Rianna’s dark curls. “After that, we’ll do some more exploring.”
Chapter 17
A couple of days passed with no sign of the fae, although no one thought they’d seen the end of them. Still, Nic enjoyed the chance to spend time with his mate and daughter, playing in the water and exploring the caverns. He made sure both of them knew a couple more places they could hide in an emergency.
Rianna had an uncanny ability to know exactly where she was at all times, even when they were deep in the tunnels. She was too young for her Gift to have manifested yet, but he suspected she’d grow up to be a hunter—rare for a woman, but with her dragon genes, it wouldn’t be a surprise. He’d challenged her to lead them back to the dining hall from a cave deep in the island’s center, and she’d skipped her way back through the twisting tunnels without missing a beat.
Each day at dusk, Marlin swam out to check in with Joe, but he confirmed there was no sign of the fae, as did Cassidy’s tracking Gift.
After dinner, they sat around the firepit and told stories to a rapt Rianna. Ben shared Navajo tales, and Marlin had a store of fairytales about a fish that turned into a handsome prince—or a world-famous surfer. Nic dredged up a couple of Portuguese folktales, and Cassidy kept them all on the edge of their seats with her retellings of Irish myths and legends, including the story of Fionn and the salmon of knowledge, a favorite with water fada clans everywhere.
It reminded Nic of his days as pup when he’d sat squeezed between his older brothers Dion and Joaquim while the clan elders told stories.
Each night, Nic bedded down in the outer room. He lay on the futon, head in the crook of his arm, listening to Cassidy and Rianna breathe in the next room.
On the third night, he felt a warning tingle in his spine: The fae were coming.
It wouldn’t be long now. His dragon swished its tail, eager to eliminate this threat to its mate and child.
But even though Nic put on a confident face for Cassidy, he knew it wouldn’t be easy. There was a hell of a lot that could go wrong.
In a straight fight, a fae was more powerful than a fada. But the fada were far from helpless—more than one fae had been eliminated by a fada assassin’s iron dagger. In fact, Nic suspected Joe had been one such assassin.
The sun fae—those fae who got life-energy from the sun—were some of the most powerful fae, but fortunately, they tended to live and let live. Besides, now that his brother Dion had mated with Queen Cleia, the sun fae were actively helping the Rock Run Clan. It was possible a rogue sun fae was after Rianna, but Nic doubted it.
That left the night fae and the ice fae. The night fae were creatures of the moon—tall and black-haired, with generally pale skin. They fed on negative emotions—anger, jealousy, despair. The only way to hide from them was to freeze, slowing your heart rate and breathing, so that they couldn’t track you.
The ice fae were the smallest, most secretive group of fae. He and his brothers had been trying for over a decade to discover if Sindre’s clan had something to do with the disappearance of their parents, and yet were no closer to finding out anything than when they’d started.
Ice fae fed on the energy of motion. An ice fae drew life-energy from the surrounding molecules, turning liquid water into ice or mud into a rock-hard wall. A powerful ice fae could suck the energy out of your body’s molecules, literally stopping you dead in your tracks.
Nic couldn’t even imagine how the two might combine in a woman like Blaer who was half ice fae, half night fae. He would just have to trust in his own abilities. His dragon hide would deflect fae magic, a
nd he could spew lava and short bursts of flame in return. The only way to kill a dragon was to stab an iron blade into the soft spot at the base of his throat. But Nic didn’t intend to let anyone get that close.
We can take them. Inside, his dragon curled up and went to sleep.
Nic blew out a breath. The dragon was right—there was no sense worrying about it. He’d have to trust that the fae would walk into his trap, and that together, he and his men could take them.
Because failure wasn’t an option.
He rolled on his side and drifted off to asleep, his head full of all the hot things he’d like to do to Cassidy, only to be jolted awake in the middle of the night at her moan.
“Nooo,” she said. “By the Goddess, spare her. Take me instead.”
Rianna whimpered, a tiny, hopeless sound.
In two seconds flat, Nic was off the futon in the outer room and in the bedroom.
Cassidy sat stick straight on the bed, staring into space. Next to her, Rianna curled into a tight ball.
He flicked his fingers at the fae lights, and they glowed on, a low, soothing green. He approached the bed. “Acalme-te, querida. Easy now, sweetheart.”
“No!” Cassidy’s screech raised every hair on his body. She flew off the bed, clawing at his face.
He caught her wrists. “Cassidy, love.” He gave her a shake. “Calm yourself. It’s me, Nic.”
“No.” She writhed in his grip, eyes frighteningly blank.
Rianna woke with a wail. “Mam, Mam.” She launched herself off the bed and wrapped her arms around Cassidy’s left leg. “I’m a-scared.”
Cassidy’s breath sucked in, and then to his relief, her eyes focused on him. Her brow furrowed. “Nic? What’s happening?”
“Everything’s okay.” He smoothed his hands up and down her arms. “You had a nightmare, that’s all.”
Her gaze jerked to her sobbing daughter. “Rianna.” She scooped the little girl into her arms. “Everything’s fine, baby. Don’t worry. Mama’s here.”
“You scared me,” Rianna said against her neck while Nic looked on helplessly.
“I know.” Cassidy patted her back. “But it’s okay now.”
Marlin and Ben appeared. His dreadlocked friend raised a blond brow. “Wassup, dude?”
Cassidy sank down on the bed with a weeping Rianna on her lap. She smoothed the little girl’s tousled curls back from her face.
“Just a bad dream,” she muttered without looking at the other two men. “Sorry to trouble you.”
Nic jerked his head in the direction of the door, silently telling his friends to leave.
Ben stepped back first. “Looks like you’ve got everything under control.”
“Yeah.”
“Give a shout if you need us,” Marlin added, and the pair melted back into the tunnel.
Nic sat next to where Cassidy was murmuring to Rianna.
“It’s all right.” He pressed his side against hers, offering the comfort of touch in the way of their animals. The hell with that promise not to touch her—she needed him. He stroked a soothing hand down Rianna’s small back. Gradually, the pup’s sobs subsided.
Cassidy released a tired sigh.
Nic plumped up the pillows. “Why don’t you two get under the covers, and I’ll get you both a cup of water.”
Cassidy obeyed in an apathetic way that worried him as much as her nightmare. Rianna settled herself on her mother’s lap, arms locked around Cassidy’s neck. He tucked a blanket around both of them and went into the bathroom for the water.
When he returned with two cups, Rianna’s eyes had closed, but she roused enough to take a few sips of water before slipping the rest of the way into sleep.
“Thank you.” Cassidy finished her own water and handed the cup back to Nic. “For everything.”
He set both cups on the nightstand and sat on the edge of the mattress, facing her. “You’re embarrassed. Don’t be.”
“Easy for you to say. You’re not the sniveling coward who wakes the whole den in the middle of the night.”
“Haven’t I told you how much we all admire you? You should be proud of yourself for getting both of you here safely.”
She nuzzled Rianna’s cheek. Even in sleep, the little girl clung to her. “It tears me up, seeing her so afraid.”
His heart twisted. “It’s not your fault. You did the best you could.”
“Yeah? Maybe I did exactly what they wanted. The pricks were herding us to you.”
“That’s their mistake, then.” His voice dripped with ice. “Because as far as I’m concerned, they’re dead men. I told you I’ll keep you safe, and I will.”
She glanced at Rianna. “It was the fae,” she whispered. “That’s what caused the nightmare. They’re coming.”
“Your Gift?”
She shuddered. “My nape feels like a snake slithered over it.”
“We’re ready for them.”
“Goddess, I hope so.” Her gaze went to his cheek. She sucked in a breath, horrified. “Did I do that?”
He touched the cheekbone. “It’s just a scratch. I didn’t even notice it.”
“I went for your eyes?” She scraped a hand over her cropped red hair. “I’m not to be trusted.”
“It’s nothing.” He got off the futon and waited while she lay down, then tucked the covers around her and Rianna. “Sleep. We can talk in the morning.” He stared down at the two of them, his chest aching with love, before turning to go.
“Nic?” Cassidy’s voice stopped him.
He swung back to her. “Yes?”
“Don’t go.”
He stilled. “You want me to sleep in your bed?”
“I do.” Her chin lifted. “Just to sleep, mind—like the other night.”
“Of course.” He slid under the covers.
Cassidy turned onto her side facing him, Rianna’s head on her shoulder.
Nic pressed a kiss to his daughter’s soft cheek. Her scent was sweet, innocent. It wrapped around his heart, and he felt himself fall even more in love with her.
“Sleep,” he told Cassidy. “I’ll keep you both safe.”
Cassidy’s swallow was audible in the quiet cavern. “I don’t think I can.”
“Would you like me to hold you?”
An infinitesimal dip of her chin. “I would.”
“Come here, then.”
She turned over and rearranged Rianna so the little girl was on Cassidy’s other side, Nic’s arm around them both. Nic slid closer so that her back was up against his front. His head swam with her scent, a tangy female spice that he’d never forgotten.
He was careful to keep a small space between them, but his cock twitched anyway. He couldn’t help it; the position tantalized him with possibilities. She was bare under the oversized T-shirt. He could push it up, shove off his shorts and slide into her from behind. Tease her with his fingers, bringing her to pleasure, and then make her come again while he stroked into her, slow and deep.
He clenched his teeth and reminded himself that his daughter was on the other side of Cassidy, just a couple of feet away. Not that it mattered—Cassidy had made it clear that sex was off the table.
For now, his dragon added with a brash swish of his tail.
Cassidy’s breath slowed. The tension in her shoulders eased.
The fae balls dimmed and went out, but Nic stared into the darkness for a long time. Wanting Cassidy, yes—a want that was an ache in his gut.
But he couldn’t help think that this was exactly what he’d feared if he ever mated—that his mate would be hounded by the fae.
He’d tried to save Cassidy from that fate. But it was too late. She and Rianna could never leave, even if he could’ve borne to let them go. They were marked as his—a dragon’s mate and daughter.
If they were to have any future, he’d have to guard them both.
He just hoped Cassidy didn’t hate him when she realized the truth.
Chapter 18
The next mo
rning, Cassidy awoke to find she’d turned in her sleep and was curled into Nic, her head on his shoulder and her leg flung over top of a hairy thigh. She inched closer, drinking in the closeness, until she noticed Rianna wasn’t in bed—or even in the room.
Heart pounding, she lifted her head and looked around, until she heard her daughter’s childish voice in the dining hall.
Relieved, she pushed away from Nic. Her knee brushed an impressive erection and his eyes opened. Green irises flecked with hot gold stared at her. Then he lowered his thick black lashes.
“Sorry,” he said with a matter-of-fact shrug. “I can’t help it when I’m this close to you.”
Her hand was on his waist. His skin was warm, the muscles taut. Some imp made her stroke her hand over his hip. She tilted a brow. “Is that so?”
A quick intake of breath. “Cassidy?”
Then Rianna pelted in the door, followed at a slower pace by Ben. Cassidy pulled away from him and sat up. Fortunately, Rianna didn’t notice anything odd, but Ben gave them a knowing grin that made Cassidy’s cheeks heat.
“Guess what, Mam?” Rianna scrambled up on the bed. “Mister Ben’s gonna take me to feed the goats!”
“What about breakfast?”
“I already ate.”
“It’s after nine o’clock,” Ben said.
“We let you sleep in,” Rianna said proudly.
Cassidy glanced up at the sun streaming through the ceiling slits. And was that coffee she smelled?
She blinked. “I never sleep in.” Hell, for the past few weeks, she’d barely slept at all. If Rianna simply murmured in her sleep, Cassidy jerked awake.
“Your body is still recovering,” Nic said.
Cassidy nodded. That was part of it, but she knew it was also because like Rianna, she’d finally felt safe enough to sleep deeply.
“Can I go feed the goats?” Rianna asked. “Please?”
Cassidy looked at Ben. “She won’t be in the way?”
He smiled down at Rianna. “It would be my pleasure. The goats like the company. She can help feed them.”
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