by Abigail Owen
He snorted, though she wasn’t sure if the sound indicated a laugh or derision.
“Dragon.” His voice boomed, echoing inside her head, and Kasia slapped her hands over her ears in a futile attempt to make it stop.
“That’s right, you’re telepathic now,” she muttered more to herself. A handful of centuries learning dragon facts had not prepared her for the up close and personal encounter.
“Only when I’m in this form.”
She cringed as the sound of his voice sent splinters of pain through her head. “Yeah. I know. Turn down the volume, raptor boy.”
“Sorry. I’m used to communicating with much larger creatures this way.” His voice came over more softly, and, when no splitting headache followed, she dropped her hands. He nudged her gently, as if cuddling away the hurt he’d caused, or maybe apologizing, but was the Brand-half doing that, or the dragon-half?
She didn’t take him for the cuddly type.
Then she gave him a narrow-eyed stare. Her mother had said the dragons’ ability to talk with their minds was like a baby monitor, only going one way. But just in case…
“Can you hear my thoughts, too?” If he could, she was out of here. No creature was getting that kind of advantage over her.
“No. I can only project.”
Well, that was something at least. She definitely did not need him in her head. Put aside the plethora of secrets she’d locked inside, tucked away safe and sound, what if he heard her growing obsession with kissing him? Actually, strike that. Her fantasies had passed kissing months ago, and that was before the flesh and blood man had been available, so to speak.
Brand was planning to abandon her once his job was done, and she’d be in another dragon’s bed then. More importantly, she had to protect her sisters and determine her place with Ladon. If she decided to stay with dragons, then she needed to be mated, or she’d always be at risk of Pytheios getting to her.
Either way, getting attached to Brand was a horrible idea.
“So how is this supposed to work?” She waved a hand at his massive form.
“I was thinking you’d ride on my back,” came the dry retort.
Kasia gave him an uber-patient look. “I know that. How do you suggest I get up there, Godzilla?”
Those scales weren’t rough like tree bark. She’d be slipping and sliding all over the dang place. She hadn’t told him about the teleporting thing yet, so that was out as an option. She might trust him with her life, but her secrets were hers alone. Besides, with her lack of control, she might impale herself on a spike accidentally.
“Oh.” Brand lowered his body to the ground for easier access. “Climb up and hold on.”
“Right,” she muttered. “Easy as all that.”
The climbing up part wasn’t as difficult as she expected. The spikes helped, but the holding on part? She was practically doing the splits, his neck was so broad, and she was afraid she’d slip right off him. She glanced around, searching for a handhold of any sort. Maybe a place to wedge her feet.
“Hold on to what?” she asked.
“Scoot back and watch out.”
As soon as she did, a series of extra spikes rose from where they’d lain flat against the back of his neck and shoulders, the last ending where she sat between his shoulder blades. Kasia had to inch backward farther and duck to the side to avoid being skewered as he raised them. Then she settled herself between two protrusions and wrapped her arms around the one in front of her, which thankfully wasn’t razor sharp, except maybe the tip, which rose well above her head, out of her reach. No impaling today, please.
This would work.
“Ready?”
Not really. “Yup.” She tightened her grip as Brand rose to his feet, bumping her all around as his weight shifted from side to side. Then behind her he unfurled his wings, which spanned at least eighty feet, double his height, if she had to guess, and were beautiful in the sunlight that penetrated the thinner membranes at the tips and along the edges, giving him an iridescent glow.
“My knight in shining scales,” she quipped.
“I’m no knight any more than you’re a princess,” came the immediate denial.
Huh. Little do you know.
Kasia barely held in a squeal of terror as he brought his wings down, heaving them into the air. She tasted the metallic tang of blood as she bit down on her lower lip too hard.
Flying was really not her thing, and definitely not this violent takeoff.
Quickly, Brand gained altitude, tipped in such a way that she was grateful for the spike at her back which sort of held her on, though she also maintained a death grip on the one in front. Eventually he leveled off, and Kasia breathed a sigh of relief at the easier position for her, though she didn’t loosen her grasp. At least the spike partially protected her from the winds, though she could feel the skin of her face vibrating.
“Can you hear me?” she called.
“Dragons are equipped to hear in the wind. Our ears are formed to cut down on wind noise and hone in on any other noise we choose to monitor.”
That answered that. Wind rushed through Kasia’s hair, and she wished, not for the first time, that she’d brought extra hairbands with her, because her long strands would be a knotted mess by the time they got where they were going.
Plus, despite the early autumn months, the temperature could only be termed as frigid up this high. She may contain and release fire, but that fact hadn’t seemed to alter her comfort levels with the cold. Or lack thereof.
She’d had enough of the cold in that damned solitary cabin in Alaska this last year anyway—a thought that reminded her of Maul. She hoped he wasn’t looking for her. She’d told him to stay at the cabin and wait, but she didn’t control the hellhound. He had a mind of his own.
“Aren’t you worried about people seeing you from the ground?” she yelled over the rush of the wind around her, the words snatched from her mouth as they came out.
“We can camouflage. Though it’s not as foolproof in daylight.”
She knew about that in theory, though she’d been under the impression that some colors of dragon were better at it than others. Her mother had worried about it endlessly in terms of Pytheios coming for them. “How does it work?”
“Our scales along the bottom reflect whatever is above us.”
“Like a chameleon? That’s a handy trick.”
He didn’t comment one way or another, and Kasia clutched his spike, trying her best not to think about the drop. All that nothing followed by hard ground. At the moment, the view below reminded her of a patchwork quilt—the green earth dotted with trees, broken up by roads, rivers, ponds, hills, towns that appeared tiny, the vehicles like ants, the people indistinguishable. And just ahead, the blue-gray of ocean dotted with whitecaps.
“How high are we?” she asked.
“Around twelve thousand feet. You’ll need oxygen if we go much above that.”
Right. Oxygen. Because breathing was important. “What about you?”
“Dragons are built for flying. I can go as high as forty thousand without a problem, though I shouldn’t stay up there long.”
“What happens if I fall off?” The question popped out before she could stuff it back in and swallow it down. She grimaced, hating to show fear of any sort.
“Don’t fall off.”
“Anyone ever called you an ass to your face?” she muttered.
“Only you.”
Oh, he’d heard that? Damn. Laughter lurked in his smoky tones. Kasia pulled her gaze off the ground, trying not to think about it. Instead she returned to his comment about not being a knight.
“So, you have a thing against knights?”
“Pretty boys who run around slaying dragons to save the fair maiden?” He let the sarcasm dangle for a moment. “Nah. I’m just not one.”
/> “What are you, then?”
Silence greeted her question. His modus operandi, she was coming to learn.
Undeterred, Kasia set about wondering aloud. “I can’t see you doing everyday stuff like going to a day job and cooking dinner. Which means you’re into something more unusual. My guess is dangerous. Your PI gig was a total lie to get access to me, so that’s not it. Not exactly, at least.”
Shoulder muscles shifted below her, and she smiled, knowing she was getting close.
“Are you a warrior?”
Silence continued, thick and, unless she missed her guess, annoyed.
Kasia smiled to herself. Brand reminded her of her younger sister, Meira. When Meira didn’t want to reveal secrets, she simply said nothing. The funny thing was, saying nothing became her tell. Her silence meant she knew something, so Kasia and Skylar would pester her endlessly until Angelika would step in and shoo them away.
Kasia buried the silly, fond memory in the black hole that opened up inside her at the thought of the sisters she missed dearly. Would she ever have a chance to tease Meira like that again? Phoenixes were immortal. Maybe hope wasn’t a total waste of time.
“No.” She continued her solitary debate aloud. “I guess a warrior doesn’t make sense, because you work for Ladon. He’s a blue dragon, while you’re a gold dragon. His other warriors would never allow that, would they?”
Suddenly, Brand tipped his wings, banking hard. Unprepared for the move, Kasia didn’t manage to hold in her squeal of terror as she clung to his spike like a barnacle and tried not to fall to a gruesome and terrible death.
He leveled out.
After gathering her courage and her dignity, Kasia glared at the long spiked neck in front of her. She let go of him with one hand long enough to poke one shiny scale by her leg with her finger. Not that she expected him to even notice it, but it made her feel better.
“Hey,” he protested.
Huh. He did feel it. Interesting that his scales were that sensitive. “Warn me next time, you giant gecko. I’m not strapped in.”
“Sorry.” His tone said otherwise.
“Strike a nerve, did I?” She asked this sweetly, knowing that he’d catch the intended sarcasm.
Silence again.
Kasia adjusted her seat, in case he tried that crap again, and remained undeterred. She could be stubborn, too. “What were we discussing before your acrobatic maneuver?” She pretended to think about it. “Oh, that’s right. Your job.”
A low growl of frustration rumbled beneath her, and Kasia grinned, though she managed not to chuckle, which would undermine her goal. “You’re a gold dragon and work for a blue dragon… Are you a spy? I guess you could be part of some inter-clan exchange program? Or maybe you’re just his errand boy?”
“I get things for him.” Irritation laced his words.
Score! Progress from the silent peanut gallery. But what did getting things mean? Some kind of mercenary? That would account for the hard light in his eyes and the tendency toward grim silence.
“What kind of things?” she pressed.
Silence returned. Grrrr…
Kasia debated what a rough customer like Brand would get for a king. Not hard to imagine a multitude of things. “Money, maybe, though I understand most of the clans are relatively wealthy.”
“Some more than others.”
Implying Ladon’s wasn’t? Good to know. She tucked that little tidbit away for later use. “Weapons?”
A put-upon sigh reached her through that strange mental link.
“Secrets?”
He twitched beneath her. “I’m not trusted enough for secrets.”
Another score for her. “Why not?”
Silence.
Damn. That line of questioning could have proved interesting. Although, come to think of it, didn’t she count as a secret? Seemed like Brand had a bit of a chip on his shoulder. “What else? Resources, I guess? People? Not slaves, I hope. Female mates, perhaps?” She gave a little gasp as a thought struck. “Do you kill people?”
“I get him things he wants. Like a phoenix, so he can fuck her and bring peace to the clans.”
Kasia stiffened but then stopped herself as logic prevailed. Rather than take offense at the snapped-off remark, she considered what hitting that sore spot meant to him. Had he killed people for the king and regretted it? Or was it turning Kasia over to Ladon that had him so grumpy?
If she’d been brave enough to let go, she would’ve held up her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. You’re touchy. I can take a hint.”
Another snort and a wisp of smoke trailed back to her from his nostrils. “If you could take a hint, you would’ve stopped talking a while ago.”
“If you weren’t touchy, you would’ve answered my questions to begin with.” She deliberately injected a carefree insouciance into her tone. “Such a fuss. When I become Ladon’s queen, I’m going to find out anyway, you know.” She tossed the words down between them, curious to see how he’d react.
This time when he rumbled his annoyance, she let him hear her chuckle.
“We’re here.” Based on the relief in his voice, she’d guess he was offering up a silent thanks for that.
Kasia leaned over to try to spot the car, then jerked upright, immediately regretting the action. “Is it safe?”
“I don’t see anyone or smell anything that has me worried. We should be cautious, anyway.”
“Okay.”
“Hold on. I’m going to spiral down.”
He tipped his wings, and she gripped his spike with both arms and legs, fighting the pull of the forces that seemed to want to rip her off his back.
Hold on? Clearly the man had never ridden one of his kind.
…
Brand landed in a clearing not far from where he’d left the Hemi Cuda. Conscious of his passenger, he lowered his belly to the ground and waited for Kasia to climb off. He didn’t miss the slight tremble to her steps. Was that from holding on so tightly? Or fear? Or being close to him?
He didn’t think she was afraid of anything. Look at how she’d handled both the wolves and the vampires.
Once she stood well back, he shifted, completely aware of her wide-eyed gaze as she watched.
“What?” The question slipped out of him when she didn’t stop staring, even after he was done. That gaze affected him like a physical touch even from forty feet away.
She blinked, then seemed to shake herself out of her thoughts. With a shrug, she turned to walk through the brush. “Nothing. I just find the whole shifting thing interesting.”
“This way, princess.”
She paused, glanced at where he pointed, and dropped the branch she’d held out of her way before marching off in the right direction.
Brand stayed where he was, watching her walk away, and needing a moment to get his fucking act together. The mouth on that woman. She’d test the patience of a saint with all those probing questions and one-way conversation that somehow still managed to get him to share facts he’d rather not.
He’d been a total asshole to throw that mating thing at her, but she just wouldn’t shut up. Brand had no intention of opening up to Kasia about the life he’d been forced into at an age when he should’ve been safe and protected. He didn’t want her to know the things he’d done to survive, many of which still haunted him at night. Even though she shouldn’t, Kasia still looked at him with trust, and a weird kind of faith, in her eyes.
A part of him—a squishy part he’d had no idea even existed until now—didn’t want to give that up quite yet.
Though the comment about Ladon should’ve shut her down, it didn’t. She’d got her own back, though, shoving the fact that she’d be queen, mated to another man, down his throat, and fire had burned up his gullet at that thought.
A violent reaction had roiled i
nside him, the animal part of who he was wanting to rage against her words. For a couple of seconds, he’d had to struggle for control rather than let the beast completely take over and fly them far away from clans and kings.
The conflicting needs to give her away or to keep her clashed within him—a dual reaction to the woman that was baffling at best, a growing cancer to his well-laid plans at worst.
“This doesn’t seem like a great time to stop for a daydream, reptile boy.” Her voice drifted through the brush. “Which way?”
How many euphemisms for “dragon” could she come up with? Gritting his teeth while at the same time stuffing a reluctant laugh back down deep before it could get out, Brand joined her in the woods and took the lead. He was going to have to do something about that mouth of hers.
Unfortunately, with the uncharacteristic reactions she was pulling from him, Brand suspected his solution might not work in his favor given his intention to get her to another man.
Without a word, he got them back to the car, got in, and turned the key.
Click.
The car battery didn’t even make an effort to turn the engine over. Brand frowned and checked that he hadn’t left the headlights or interior lights on all night to burn the thing out. No. All lights were off. At the same time, his radar kicked into high gear, his senses on alert for any sign out of the norm.
But, as from the air, he could detect no other creatures. He tried the key again.
Click.
“Do you think my hot-wiring job shorted out?” Kasia asked.
Before he could stop her, she dropped to lie across the seat and look beneath the dash, her hand inconveniently on his thigh. Brand gritted his teeth and lifted an arm to give her room. Having no other place to put it, he held his damn hand in the air like he was being robbed. Meanwhile her head and her hand were way too close to a part of his anatomy that sat up and took notice.
Unaware of the growing bulge in his pants, Kasia’s muffled voice drifted up to him. “I don’t see any problem. It should work fine.”
She sat up. Did she pause as her eyes came level with his crotch? Yeah, she noticed, because she jerked the rest of the way up, trapping his free-floating hand between the small of her back and the leather seat of the car, her face inches from his.