Ambra led the way up a short series of stairs to the front door…and to the delicious piece of eye candy that currently resided there, spreading his yumminess all over the place. “My brother, Ronan,” she said, before she pushed past him into the house.
Ronan’s intense amber gaze met mine as I approached him. Fire swirled within despite his casual stance.
“Hey. I’m Lyssa.” I licked my lips, finding myself sucked into his eyes, unable to look away. A tingle fluttered in my belly, and I felt my dragoness shiver with a thrill of excitement.
“Welcome to my home,” said Ronan simply. No smile or anything. Yet the warmth emanating from his body surrounded me, making me feel anything but cold.
Quite turned on, in fact. My treacherous nipples immediately pebbled, demanding that they be sucked and licked by this man.
Whoa.
“Thank you,” I managed to say, tearing my gaze away and forcing myself to move a few feet back so the rest of my dragons could approach.
Drake and Ronan eyed each other warily, and I took the opportunity to try to compose myself. What the hell was I doing? Here I was, surrounded by my mates, yet I was salivating over another guy?
We can’t do that anymore, I told my dragoness.
She said nothing, but I could still feel her inside, undulating with excitement.
Stop that! I demanded. Really, we can’t.
Then thankfully Drake and Ronan finally finished their stare-off, or whatever kind of macho man introduction they currently had going on. Trey gave a polite yet stoic nod, while Jackson shot Ronan a grin and stuck out his hand. “I’m Jackson. Nice to meet you.”
Ronan stared at Jackson’s outstretched hand for a second. Then he shook it, taking a moment to clap the green dragon on the shoulder. “You as well. And all of you. Please, come inside.”
We all traipsed inside behind Ronan to find ourselves in a sleek, simple home. Whitewashed stone walls. Modern gray furniture. Very bachelor pad. And a huge space for only one dragon.
“Ambra, please show the gentlemen their rooms,” said Ronan. “I will show Lyssa hers.”
Oh! No no no…
I didn’t want to be anywhere near a bedroom with this scrumptious dragon, especially since I already felt ridiculously guilty about the naughty thoughts that swirled in my head.
“Well, maybe Ambra can show me my room?” I suggested lightly. “And you can show the guys?”
Ronan gave me a strange look, his fiery gaze once again sending tingles down my spine. But Ambra was already leading the dragons up a staircase, with Jackson cracking jokes and no doubt trying to lighten the mood. Did no one else see the problem with this situation?
I started to follow them, but then Ronan shook his head. “No. This way,” he said, grabbing my suitcase and heading down a hallway. “Your room is over here, with its own private garden. Right next to my room.”
Ohhh goddess. Right next to his? I blew out a big breath and followed him, trying hard not to notice how his body moved. With confidence. Stealth. Power. Like a seasoned, lethal predator.
Okay. So, I noticed quite a bit. My gaze lingered on his lean hips and delectable, gorgeous man booty. My dragoness wriggled with happiness, and I rolled my eyes. My body and my dragoness—both betraying me!
“Here we are,” said Ronan, opening the door and gesturing for me to enter. I found myself in a spacious room, simply decorated in gray tones and minimal furniture, with a humongous bed. “The bed should be large enough for you and your mates, if they would like to join you in it.”
My cheeks flushed hot. “Um. Yes. Thank you,” I said, but instead of leaving me at the door as I’d hoped, he came inside.
He stepped closer, and I suddenly felt ridiculously small in comparison to him—not just his size, but also his presence. His eyes burned bright and fiery. Little shivers of excitement flitted across my skin.
“Do you need anything else?” he asked, his voice low, his spicy man scent circling me.
My breath caught in my chest and my heart started to pound a mile a minute.
The strong planes of his face. The rough stubble of his beard. Oh, what it would feel like to run my hands across…
No. Just stop it.
“I’m fine,” I said, dropping my gaze. “I don’t need anything else, thanks.”
To my dismay, my runes peeked out from under my sleeves. I tried to tug them over my hands, not really wanting to be reminded of them.
Ronan’s gaze followed mine, and he reached down to grasp my wrist. I gasped with surprise as he pushed my sleeve past my elbow, holding my arm firmly in his grip. I struggled slightly while he eyed the shimmering tattoos that covered my flesh, but he held tight—not quite hurting me, but not gentle, either.
“Let go, please,” I said, glaring at him, even though his touch sent shivers of pleasure rippling across my skin.
He didn’t let go. Instead, his burning gaze met mine.
“Where did you get these?” he demanded. “Runes of light magick. I haven’t seen these on many dragons.”
“Well, your mom gave them to me. And I said let go.”
I yanked my arm out of his grasp, and his eyes widened for a moment. My heart pumped wildly as I battled between kicking him out of my room and demanding that he manhandle me again. But then I just stood, my breath ragged in my chest, trying to figure out what the fuck was wrong with me.
“I see,” said Ronan, and suddenly, he came closer, his lips right up next to mine.
So close. His emotions surrounded me, and I could feel them all—lust and pain and loneliness and anger—and my mind went reeling with it.
He lifted my chin roughly and looked down into my face. I stood still, waiting for him to kiss me, waiting for him to do something.
Anything…
“You should rest now,” he said finally, releasing my chin. And then he was out the door, leaving me in a quaking, trembling mess.
24
Drake
Now who in the hell was this Ronan fellow? I studied him over the rim of my glass of fire water. A tiny poof of smoke escaped from my nostrils, flitting up into the air, disappearing into the reds and oranges of the sunset.
We all sat on the terraced back patio of the house—Ronan, Trey, and I at the table, while Lyssa and Jackson shared a recliner several feet away from us. Ambra stood at the railing, looking down onto the vineyard-covered hills.
Ronan leaned back on his patio lounge chair and easily met my gaze. I held it, taking a drink from my goblet and feeling the delicious red wine ignite a fire in my belly.
“This is very good,” I acknowledged, nodding toward my glass. And I meant it—I truly couldn’t remember the last time I’d had such wonderful fire water.
“Thank you,” said Ronan. “I make it here, in my winery.”
Oh! In his winery?
As if reading my mind, Ambra turned to face me. “We grow special grapes here. Perfect for making fire water.” She gestured toward a series of buildings that peeked out from behind the house. “We also have a tasting room down below, in the town.”
Hmm. I made a mental note to ask him more about this later, as I found wine-making quite fascinating. After we had healed the orestaia, of course.
“Salute,” I said, and I clinked my glass with Ronan’s, and then with Trey’s. Ambra raised her glass up into the air from where she stood, and we all took another drink.
I refocused my attention on Ronan and felt my eyes narrow as I took in his warrior’s physique. Obviously, he was a golden dragon. But who was he? And what was his mojo?
Disciplined. Battle-hardened. Built like a tank—although not as large as me, of course. Ha! My dragon secretly gloated about this fact, but I did my best to keep my smile to myself.
This man was clearly no stranger to battle, a quality I appreciated very much in men I commanded. And if the myth held true—that the dragon goddess had birthed him centuries ago—I had no doubt he’d fought in many of them.
A good man
to have on my team. But could I trust him?
Trusting people didn’t come easily to me.
Ethan, I trusted one hundred percent. And Jackson, most certainly, as he’d healed me completely from the snakebite.
Now Trey…that was something to still be determined. A Seeker dragon, to be sure, but…different than I’d expected a silver dragon to be. I glanced over at him, his face calm and unreadable, as usual. He nodded, never one for many words, and I took it as a show of camaraderie.
A friend? I didn’t quite know if I could call him that, or…could I?
And now Ronan. Ancient dragon, fighting machine, and wine-maker extraordinaire. Son of Issa, the dragon goddess.
“So, what’s our plan, then?” Trey asked. “We haven’t really discussed any strategy.”
“First we wait for Ethan to arrive with Amelie and the stone,” said Ronan.
“And then?” I prompted, anticipating that Ethan would be here soon. He had called Trey after he had landed in Split for the address and directions to the house.
“Then we go to Mount Hum,” Ambra said. “That’s all we know.”
“The highest mountain on Vis,” Ronan explained, “and a dormant volcano. It’s where the orestaia was forged centuries ago.”
Mount Hum. I had seen it, towering up above everything as we had driven here.
“Then what?” asked Trey. “Do we have any instructions or guidelines? How do we heal the stone?”
The twin golden dragons glanced at each other and both shook their heads.
“We don’t know,” said Ronan. “Our mother appeared to speak to us briefly. All she told us was the situation, and that you were arriving. She probably told you more than she told us.”
I shook my head and my dragon burbled with irritation. A stream of smoke poofed above my head. “She told us barely anything.”
Everyone sat in silence for a moment. I scowled over the rim of my glass. “So no one knows anything at all?”
Ronan shrugged and took another calm drink of his wine. Ambra said nothing, as well, and turned to look back over the railing at the sunset.
Oh, the blind leading the blind! I ran my hands through my hair in frustration. Well, when Ethan arrived, we would have to figure out a better strategy. I couldn’t stand the thought of going into battle—even hypothetically—unprepared.
Almost as if on cue, the sounds of a car’s motor rumbled from the front of the house.
Ethan, thank the gods. With Amelie and the stone.
25
Lyssa
“Amelie!” I cried out, hearing the car pull into the drive. I rushed into the house and reached the front door before anyone else did, and flung it open to find Ethan—Amelie in his arms—and Shay tagging along behind them with luggage. A large black case in my cousin’s grasp held what I assumed was the fertility stone.
Amelie’s pale, thin face peered at me. I gasped—she looked skeletal, and almost unrecognizable.
“Lyssa,” she said quietly and gave me a weak squeeze of my fingers. I glanced at Ethan in alarm.
Ethan’s mouth was set into a grim line. “The trip took a lot out of her. She needs to rest. Let’s get her into bed immediately.”
“Come, this way,” said Ambra, and quickly led the way up the stairs. I traipsed along, with Jackson right behind me.
Ambra opened the door into an empty guest room, and Ethan quickly tucked my sister into the bed, clothes and all. Jackson knelt beside her and placed his hand upon her brow.
“She’s very weak,” Jackson said. He sat there for a moment, massaging her temples, and I hoped with all my heart he could do something for her.
Fear for my sister sat like a heavy stone within my gut. She was sick before I left, but now…what was going to happen to her?
She’s not going to…die? I sent to Jackson, not wanting to say it out loud.
Jackson paused, his bright blue eyes meeting my own. I took a deep breath, suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling of suffocation.
No, he sent finally. Of course not. She’s just exhausted.
I nodded, and even as I stood there, a little bit of color came back into her face. Okay. Good. Jackson’s magick was already helping her.
“She’s going to be fine,” Jackson told everyone in the room. “She needs to eat and rest, and she’ll be better in no time.”
“Ethan, why don’t you follow me down to the kitchen?” Ambra asked. “You’ve missed dinner…let me put something together for you. And I can bring something up for Amelie also.”
Ethan nodded, and the two of them left, while I scooted even closer to my sister’s bed.
Amelie grabbed my hand and gave me a small smile. “Lyssa, I’m ready to heal the stone.”
I opened my mouth to answer when suddenly a flare of heat erupted between our hands. I pulled mine away to see the runes on my palm shimmering brightly with light. When I pushed my sleeve up, I could see all the golden tattoos on my arm awash in a glow.
My sister gazed at me in awe. “Did the goddess give you those?”
I nodded, but now my attention was focused not on my own body, but on Amelie’s. “Look!” I said, pointing at her pale flesh. The black symbols on her own skin were alight as well, hers with a whiter, icier glow. And her palms, too.
“Amelie, those runes…you didn’t have those before, did you?” She’d always had the Guardian protective symbols on her arms, but the ones on her palms…I’d never noticed those on her.
“No,” she whispered. “They’re new. They simply appeared the other day, after I held the grimoire the last time. I couldn’t help it…I needed to hold it. To feel the energy of the darkness again. A few moments of intense pain…and then they were there.”
I remembered what Shay had told me—she’d found Amelie with the dark magick spellbook, and with my sister in some sort of trance. But what did the new runes mean?
We stared at each other for a few moments, with Jackson completely silent next to us.
I blew out a big breath, watching the ancient symbols on both our bodies continue to flicker and glow. As if our touch had ignited something…powerful.
The energy zipped through me, shooting through my veins like molten lava. It felt good—so freaking good, actually—but I didn’t know if I could ever forgive the dragon goddess.
These symbols, this magick, was part of me now. Forced upon me against my will.
“The dragon goddess said she chose me for the light,” I said finally, then paused as a lump formed in my throat. “And you for the dark. I tried to ask her what that meant, and she faded away, and then—”
“It’s okay,” said Amelie gently. “Whatever is happening to me—has happened to me—I already accept it. I just want to do everything possible to save the future of the dragons.”
Did that mean my sister had truly moved over to the darkness? I tried to swallow, but the lump in my throat wouldn’t budge. She’d gone from strong Blackfire clan leader, to…this. Weak and frail, a shadow of her former self. Yes, it was still Amelie…but also not.
Whatever happened, I needed to figure out a way to heal her.
But the truth was, I didn’t know how to do that. Jackson’s healing magick had made her feel better, but I wasn’t sure he would be able to bring her back completely.
“Ethan told me that Dragonsbreath is here,” Amelie said quietly.
I nodded, not really wanting to think about the dagger or what it meant, or what Amelie’s nightmare had shown her. I wanted to push the thought away, sticking it into the pile of things that were dumb and not important, but then I remembered how much my dream in Sedona had helped me. Shown me what I needed to do.
I couldn’t ignore the power of dreams. Or nightmares.
Besides, Issa had told us that we needed Dragonsbreath, too. Straight out of the dragon goddess’s mouth—this was the part that worried me the most.
* * *
Ambra brought up dinner for Amelie, and I stayed with my sister for another half hour while
she picked at the food. Finally, Amelie slumped back into the pillows and Jackson took her plate away.
“She needs to sleep,” he said. “I’ll stay here with her tonight, on the sofa.” He nodded to the couch on the other side of the room.
I smiled at Jackson, feeling relief that he’d be watching over her. “Thank you.”
That’s when I realized I was exhausted, too. Tingles of energy still flowed within me, but my limbs felt heavy. I blinked a few times.
Yeah. I could use some sleep. Bad.
I kissed Jackson goodnight and gave my sister’s hand a squeeze before I left the room. I turned right down the darkened hallway to head toward the stairs.
And ran almost smack into Ronan.
“Oh my goddess!” I whispered loudly. “What the fuck are you doing? Trying to scare the bejeezus out of me?”
He arched an eyebrow, leaning against the wall like he did it all the time and it was no biggie. His amber eyes burned with intensity. Then he ignored my question completely and came up close, lightly brushing his hands down my arms.
Raw, primal power enveloped me. Sizzles of heat traveled across my skin.
“How is your sister?” he asked, roughness on the edge of his voice.
“Better,” I whispered, my pulse leaping. “Resting,” I added, this time louder and with my chin raised up high, determined not to let this man intimidate me. “And I’m going to go to bed now, too, so if you don’t mind moving—”
“Lyssa.” He pinned my arms against the wall, not with force, but hard enough to make me struggle. His gaze gleamed with molten desire. “Your mates…”
“Yes, I have four of them!” I said, my voice ringing with defiance. I wriggled under his grasp, knowing this man could break me if he wanted, and strangely, sort of wanting it at the same time. “And you…”
“Yes. It’s all I’ve been thinking about all day.”
“What is?” I said, knowing I shouldn’t ask, as more heat flared between us. I should push him away, get the hell out of there…
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