by Aliyah Burke
“You don’t understand.” She slid her arms around him and allowed him to be her anchor. This feeling he created in her was new and scary at the same time. What if she would be forced to leave the only place she’d considered a true home because what was in her was too evil?
“So explain it to me.”
“I can kill with nothing more than a touch. I can force my way into someone’s thoughts, with finesse, and get what I need, or brutally, like a rape, and take it without their consent. Once I’m there, I can also kill them if I want.”
“But you don’t.”
“I have.”
“So the first time you discovered you could do it, but have you done it since?”
“I could.”
He gripped her chin and forced her head up. “Do it. Enter my thoughts and discover what you see.”
She shook her head with vehemence. “No. I could hurt you.”
Luc stroked his thumb along her lips. “I trust you. You’ll poke around, see perhaps what I can’t recall, then leave.” He winked. “Just don’t take it wrong when you see all the dirty things I want to do to you.”
“I can’t risk hurting you.”
“You won’t. Dracen, you waded into a bunch of demons to save me. Granted, I think you get a kick out of fighting, but to me that’s sexy as fuck. You could have taken my thoughts by now but you’ve not done that. Stop thinking of yourself as this horrible person. We may have known each other only a short time, but I trust you.” He barely blinked as he held her gaze. “So get in there and do your thing. Learn you’re not this monster you think you are.”
“You’re not understanding. Some of these people are so sick, I can’t lose the memories after. They’re part of me, in here,” she said, tapping her chest before settling back into his warm body. “I can’t get rid of them, no matter what. All that ugliness is getting stronger.”
“You wouldn’t have been given any more than you can handle, babe. We’ve all got darkness in us.”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t think we do. I’ve seen some of the mates my Guardian brethren have come back with. Not everyone has the darkness in them.”
“You can’t have light without dark.” He cupped her face and brushed their lips together. “Now, come on. Check out what’s rattling around in my head. Pay close attention to the sex and we can act some of those out later on.”
While she appreciated him joking with her, she couldn’t ignore the trepidation that tap-danced on her spine. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” He returned to the bed and moved the tray with the remnants of their dinner on it to the chair beside the wall. Then he flopped back on the bed. “Come have your way with me, woman.”
She inched to his side and climbed on beside him. “I have no wish to hurt you.”
The humor left his gaze and he stared at her, allowing her to see the trust. “You won’t.”
Worrying her lower lip, she took a deep breath and reached out with her hand as she called upon her sign to lend its power to her.
The fog parted, allowing a three-man team to step into view. All were decked out in full military tactical gear, up to the paint on their faces. Luc was in the middle, running point. He advanced cautiously before holding up a closed fist. Without word, the other two froze, dropping to one knee and taking the side views.
His weapon up to his face, he scanned the area before dropping a hand to touch the shoulder of the man to his left. Then he progressed on. The one he touched did the same to the other guy and soon they vanished back into more fog.
Gunfire erupted, tiny blasts of light piercing the murkiness. When it cleared, Luc knelt by one of the men and field-dressed the hole in his chest. He bled himself but ignored his own injury and tended to his teammate.
She pushed further. The view changed.
“See you around, Luc.”
“You got it, Dwayne.” Luc waved and jogged down the steps, heading to a blue truck. He slid behind the wheel and cranked the engine before leaving the parking lot. He drove, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel and singing along, voice deep and clear.
Clouds poured in, dark and heavy, then opened their gates and dumped on everything. Luc turned on his wipers and continued on his way. He slowed to a stop and pulled into a small gas station. Climbing out, he froze and glanced around. His features morphed into ones of discontent and uncertainty.
In the low-hanging clouds, she saw the outline of a dragon. One second there, then the next gone, only to reappear at a different spot. Luc was completely walled in by the spinning clouds, as if he’d been plopped into the center of a tornado. His clothing was ripped from him, save his pants.
A large, gray, taloned hand reached out and grabbed him around the waist before vanishing into the swirling vortex. Her next sight was him being dumped, confused and disoriented, lakeside.
Zitkala Lake.
The demons arrived and he began fighting. Moments later, Dracen appeared on the scene. She was fuzzy and not totally clear.
She drew back, not needing to know more than that. Blinking, she waited for him to open his eyes and say something. He didn’t.
“Luc?” She scrambled off him. What if I’ve done something to him? I tried to be gentle but maybe I fucked up. What if he never wakes?
“Hmm?” He cracked one eye open. “Is that it?”
Her expression betrayed her concern. He lifted a hand, beckoning her to join him where he lay. After a moment of hesitation, she climbed up beside him. He tucked her close to him, accepting and highly aware this woman was a loner.
“Are you okay?”
“I told you, you wouldn’t hurt me. Did you learn anything?”
She splayed her hand over his chest beneath his shirt, fingers stroking idly along his skin. “Dragons mean anything to you?”
“Like your tattoo?”
“Other than that.”
He shrugged. “My unit, we were the Dragons.”
Her body stiffened and he curved his arm about her waist, nuzzling the top of her head.
“Dragons? You were the Dragons?”
She might have been stiff before, now she was rigid, cold.
“Is that a problem?” He adjusted the angle of his head and flicked his tongue along the whorl of her ear. The tremble going through her was slight, but its effect on him was incredibly potent.
Dracen made two attempts to sit up before he rolled over, pinning her beneath him. “Running doesn’t solve problems.”
Suspicion-laden, her eyes burned into his. He frowned.
“I suggest you get off me.”
“No.”
He experienced the same heated pulse he’d noticed during his healing. Red flames flickered in her stare but he didn’t move away, instead he pressed closer, grinding his length into her. Reminded her what was between them.
Her nostrils flared as a silver shimmer danced along her skin. “Are you playing me?” Her gaze narrowed and he swore crystals lined her lashes, adding another layer of chilliness to her obsidian glare.
“How am I playing you? How would I pull off such a feat? You were in my head. Why are you so pissed my unit was called the Dragons?”
“I’m suspicious.”
“Babe, Ray Charles would have been able to see that. Why, is my question?”
Indecision flashed in her eyes. He stretched her arms over her head, lacing their fingers. This woman was made to fit him.
“Tell me. I’m not hiding anything from you.”
“My sign is the dragon.”
He held his tongue—she’d told him that previously.
“I meet you and you mention my tattoo. Then you mention being in a unit that goes by the name Dragons. When I’m in your mind, I see a dragon by you before you’re deposited here where I just happen to be.”
He perked up, wanting to know more about what had brought him up here, especially without any recollection of how it happened. Luc had seen enough in the world on his tours to accept there were things
out there one couldn’t always explain. He swore he’d seen a dragon during some ops, typically when shit had almost hit the fan.
Steadying himself, he did his best to stay calm and let her answer his questions. But she’d fallen silent so he prodded. “So what’s the problem?”
“You said my tattoo had changed.”
He kissed her before reversing their positions. “Correct.”
“Problem.”
“Look, I was half delirious when I saw it. Maybe I thought it changed.” He was willing to make that concession.
“Doesn’t matter.”
Luc released her and smoothed a hand along her face, pushing some hair back. “Why not?”
“I don’t have a tattoo of a dragon on my back.” She moved like the wind, gaining her feet and striding the length of the room, where she rested fisted hands on the wood walls.
He blinked slowly, rising up on his elbows. No tattoo.
“Take your shirt off,” he said.
She angled her head at him, arching an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. Take off your shirt, let me see.”
Dracen advanced to where he reclined. She went to work on removing her jerkin. Once it was ready to slip off, she pivoted, giving him her back. Then she dropped the leather.
“Damn,” he said.
“Well?” She glanced at him.
“Babe, I’m looking at a tattoo.” He reached out to touch it and the black eye snapped to him, the icy flame flickering in it. “And it’s looking back at me.”
Her string of curses had his lips turning up despite the situation. She left her leather top by his leg and departed. He sat up, retrieved her shirt, and trailed after her. Dracen’s cursing increased and her gaze zeroed in on his when he leaned in the bathroom’s doorway.
It wasn’t the easiest task in the world for him to keep focused on the tattoo issue when her breasts were right there.
“I don’t see it.” Her words fell from her lips, low and curt.
He moved closer, body thrumming with need. Luc draped her shirt over his shoulder and peered past her. Plain as day, the tattoo existed.
“You see it, don’t you,” she muttered not even attempting to look.
“Yes. And it’s incredible.”
He didn’t lie—the artwork rivaled anything he’d ever seen.
Luc continued staring at the reflection as he proceeded close enough to touch her. He reached around her muscled arm only to back up and place his fingers on her shoulder.
Fuck me! The wings unfurled to extend out, the small claws at the tips curving over her shoulders.
“Do you feel that? It’s moving.”
“Feels no different to when my sign shifts within me.”
One talon touched him and more warmth coursed through him. Lust hammered at him and he licked his lips, remaining honed in on the tattoo. One thing at a time. It is moving. I wasn’t completely off my rocker.
“Look,” he commanded.
She turned her head, looking resigned. He watched in the mirror. Her eyes widened, amazement and shock pouring into them.
“I’ve never seen it before.” The awe in her voice amazed him. “It blends into my scars. It’s no longer ugly. I’m no longer ugly.”
He loved the silver on her skin, but her words yanked him from the mesmerizing dragon. Gripping her chin, he stared directly into her eyes. “You are not ugly, Dracen.” Steel lined each word.
It took a moment for him to realize those words hadn’t been for him to hear, much less respond to. He didn’t understand how she thought they, or she, were ugly.
The haze faded from her gaze and sharpness returned. She tried to move away but he refused to allow it.
“No. We’ll talk about the tattoo later. This needs to be cleared up.”
“Can I at least put on my shirt?”
“I happen to like you like this.” He dropped her article of clothing and shrugged out of his before handing it to her.
Her hungry gaze moved over him as she took his long-sleeved thermal from him. “Yours? Mine is right there.”
“I like the thought of you wearing my clothing. Plus, this one is a lot easier to get off you than yours.” He winked. “No snaps or laces.”
He allowed a smile as she tugged it on. He kissed her when her head popped free.
“Better than I could have imagined.”
“Ask your questions.”
He took her hand, leaving her leather jerkin there, and led the way to the living room. Joining her on the couch, he stretched out so his head rested in her lap. After he kissed the back of her hand, he disengaged their fingers and placed hers on his head.
She took the message and ran her fingers through his hair, rubbing along his scalp.
“How did you get your scars?”
“I was set on fire.”
Not in a fire, set on fire. Her words were so blasé, he wondered if he’d heard correctly. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I was ten and the foster place I was at, hmm, it sucked. One of the older boys set me on fire because he resented me.”
“Jesus.”
For the lack of variance in her tone, she just as easily could have been reading from an encyclopedia or phone book.
“After I was released from the hospital, I ran away and allowed the streets to claim me. I wasn’t as tough as I thought I was, made some dumb decisions, and ended up in court. It was there I first laid eyes on Tiarnán and Lian.”
Emotion drenched the two names and he recognized her love for them ran deep. “So you and Tiarnán went to stay with him then?”
“Nothing quite as simple. I was put in another home. I lasted a week before I went after their golden son.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “What did the bastard do?”
“Thought I would be easy to pick on. I used what I’d picked up on the streets and nearly blinded him. My next time in court, my state-appointed advocate was replaced by some big shot lawyer. Lian had returned and had come for me. And Tiarnán, who’d also gotten himself back before the judge. We went home with Lian that day.”
“How did that work out?”
“Lian had been bringing in troubled kids for decades, I wasn’t much of a challenge.” Her fingers slowed. “He insisted on respect, honesty and trust from both himself and us. Still, it was a learning process.”
“He sounds like an amazing man.”
“One of a kind,” she said instantly. “He never gave up on any of us. Taught us to respect ourselves and others. And for me and Tiarnán, he taught us how to fight. Told us about being Guardians. Once the other four arrived, they learned as well.”
He angled his head toward her, observing her face. “How do you train if there were other children there?”
“Lots of ways. There are many places not everyone knows about.”
He reached up. “You miss him.” Luc swiped his thumb along the seam of her lips.
She tipped her head so her black gaze was on him. “That’s one of the problems, I don’t.”
Emotion once again ripped from her, agony this time, torn from the depths of her soul. It resonated deep within him.
Luc left her lap and sat, reaching out to tuck her close to him. “Yes you do. The emotion in your voice and eyes when you speak of them tells me you do.”
She hugged herself. “I’m messed up.”
“Confused, perhaps, but far from messed up.” He pressed his lips to her temple. “I’m betting there’s a lot more strength in you than you know.”
“Lian used to say something similar.”
“There you go, then. It must be true. He’s smart. I’m a solider, Dray. I’ve been to war many times. Seen horrific shit. You’re having doubts, and while that’s fine, you are part of a unit. They deserve to know. Everything you’re bringing to the table. I know I’ve said this before, but it’s true.”
“There’s something else.” Her tone dropped to a near whisper. “Something I haven’t even told Lian.”
Luc stroked her arm, allowing her to continue at her own pace. Whatever this was, these memories capped her reasons for leaving as she had. “What’s that?”
Her entire body went rigid. “Demons.”
And me in nothing but pants.
Chapter Five
Dracen pushed free of Luc’s touch and blazed to the bathroom for her leather top. Within seconds she’d exchanged shirts.
“What can I do?”
“Stay out of the way and inside.”
They weren’t right on top of them but they were coming. She knew, she always knew.
Luc’s snort wasn’t all that unexpected, yet she still turned to gaze at him. “You asked.”
He’d drawn on the thermal he’d given to her and was moving to the bedroom to put on socks and boots. “I’m fighting with you.”
His words had her thinking long-term and she shook her head. Attachments weren’t on the list. She had her artifact to locate. Not to mention figuring out this mysterious dragon tattoo.
“I’m heading into the Boundary Waters to hunt these fuckers down.”
He stood tall and crossed his arms, eyebrows up in challenge. “Your point?”
“It’s freezing out. There won’t be a car.”
Luc stepped near enough to slide his arms around her waist. “Then we should make sure we’re bundled up.
Her skin hummed, partly in awareness of the demons, but mostly because of his touch. He did something to her. Something no else’s touch had done. Mostly, brought emotion back in her life.
“You should be resting.”
“Call me stubborn, then,” he retorted, moving away to pull on another layer.
“Do you have any idea what you’re getting into?”
“Kicking the bad guys’ asses. No more I need to know.”
“You have no weapons.” She should force him to stay here.
“So give me one.” He grabbed his coat, sliding into it easily. “Or two. I’m not letting you go off and fight demons without me.”
“I could leave you,” she stated, exiting the room. She mentally skimmed through her arsenal and called forth two kama for him.
“You won’t.”
“Why not?” Her sign shifted and she envisioned the large, tattooed wings stretching as he prepped for battle.