by Riley Storm
They backed down the path as fast as they could. Once their lights finally disappeared from sight, Asher sagged. That had been tiring.
But he had names. And a phone number. It was time to go hunting.
First though, he had to get Emma out of the vault. He walked inside, not bothering with a torch this time, his eyes more than sharp enough to see unaided.
Rounding the corner, he picked up the pace almost immediately as his ears picked up the very distinct sounds coming from inside the vault. Sounds of someone hammering on the other side of it.
Fearing that Emma was in trouble, he rushed to open the door as fast as he could.
Chapter Eleven
Emma
She stopped beating on the door, slumping to the ground instead.
Her fist ached, and her throat was raw from shouting.
“Where are you Asher?” she moaned to the empty, black room.
She couldn’t see anything. Only through touch had she even found the door after awakening to complete and utter silence. The instant she’d focused on that, Emma had known that he was gone, that somehow, he had left her. Alone.
“How could you leave me?” she shouted at the room, upset at him for doing this to her.
Are you really upset at him? Or are you upset at yourself for falling for his ridiculous lines. Treasure, hah! There probably never was any. This is just his secret vault where he takes people and they die.
Emma knew that the police wouldn’t come looking for her either. Why would they? She’d seen the way they just let him go, as if he was completely and totally untouchable. No, she was going to die out here, and nobody would ever find her body. It would just be as if she’d ceased to exist.
There was no way he’d made the room just for her, though. That was the one flaw in her thoughts. The pathway out here through the forest was not new at all. No fresh cut stumps, and the ones she’d seen were all overgrown. This place had been used for some time.
Maybe this is where all those who end up on the bad side of an Aterna are lured to die then.
That seemed far-fetched as well, but it wasn’t like she was lacking for time to think about things. She had somewhere around seventy-two hours before her body ran out of water and she died of dehydration.
Lots of time to think about useless things.
Reaching up, she pounded on the door some more, tears starting to fall from her face.
“Please someone let me out,” she cried. “I don’t want to die.”
Emma just wanted out. She wanted to go back in time. I wish I’d never heard of Asher Aterna.
She was slumping back down to the floor in a heap when the door clunked and swung open behind her.
Panicking, she backed away from it, pulling out the taser that she’d reloaded before going to bed.
“Emma? Emma what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Her finger was already tightening on the trigger, and she watched with horror as the leads sprung out and embedded them into Asher.
Again.
He looked down, wincing uncomfortably as electricity was dumped into his body, and then pulled them out, hurling them to the floor. Without saying another word, he darted forward, snatched the taser from her hand and smashed it on the floor.
“I should have just left the damn door closed,” he growled angrily, shaking his head.
Emma stared at him in shock for a handful of seconds.
“Where have you been?!” she howled, getting to her feet and throwing herself at him. “You left me here! In the dark. You left me. Asher you left me. I was alone when I woke up. You were gone. Gone. Nobody was there. The door was locked, Asher where were you? I just—”
Her rambling came to an abrupt end as Asher’s lips met hers.
Emma froze, her shock complete and total. At first, she thought to pull back and slap him, to ask how dare he do that to her after abandoning her? Or to presume that she wanted to kiss him in the first place. Which she most definitely did not!
That was about the point where her brain kicked in and reminded her that not only was she kissing him back now, but she was liking it. His fingers were sliding up her back from where he’d been hugging her, and her mouth parted easily for his tongue.
Her tears, fears and everything forgotten, Emma melted into the kiss almost mindlessly. It helped that Asher was a good kisser, though she wondered for a split second where he’d gotten all the practice up on the mountainside. Then his fingers scraped up the back of her neck and along the scalp, and she lost all train of thought.
Shivers blasted down her spine and Emma moaned into his mouth from it. She was liking this a lot. Maybe a little too much, she decided as warmth that was decidedly her own started to swirl and build between her legs.
She pulled back, their eyes opening, meeting one another.
“Um,” Asher said quietly, licking his lips, looking equally as stunned as she felt.
“Sorry,” she said quietly, then frowning. What was she sorry for?
“Is that how you normally apologize for tasing someone? Twice?”
The heat went from her crotch to her cheeks instantly and Emma tried to turn away as he reminded her of her actions.
Strong arms gripped her shoulders, holding her in place.
“Wait,” he said. “Emma, hold on. I’m not going to try to kiss you again. I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
“Yes, yes,” she said, not shrugging him off but still looking away. Anywhere but at his face. “Other than being terribly embarrassed about what just happened. Um. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said. “But you don’t need to be embarrassed. I didn’t hate it.”
“Oh great,” she said. “What a compliment.”
Why am I acting like I kissed him? This makes no sense.
Then again, nothing was making much sense to her lately. Her life had gone from organized and simple to complex and confusing the instant Asher had appeared in the hole in her wall.
“Why, did you hate it?” he asked, suddenly self-conscious.
“Um,” she said again, realizing she was saying that far too much lately. “I mean, I guess not? I don’t know, Asher.”
Emma couldn’t lie to herself though. She’d felt her body tingle, she could recall how hot his lips had felt against hers. It had been a long time since she’d been kissed, let alone kissed like that.
No, she hadn’t hated it at all. That was the problem. This was Asher Aterna, the man she was suing! She couldn’t be going around locking lips with him.
“No regrets, then,” Asher said with a shrug.
“Other than me having to remember it every time I look at you now,” she muttered.
“Are you planning on looking at me a lot?” Asher asked.
Emma shrugged. “Depends on if you pay me soon or not. I could be looking at you across a courtroom table a lot.” Then she blinked. “By the way, where did you go? How did you get out of there? You had a key this entire time? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Ah, it’s complicated,” he said, trying to divert her attention. “I’m going to pay you, I promise. I just-I can’t. Not yet. Not until I find my treasure.”
“This again…”
“My word is good,” he growled, clearly irritated at her dismissal of his claims. “If you would just trust me.”
“Right. Like you trusted me with knowledge of how to get out of the vault? Knowledge you kept to yourself for hours, when we could have been done and gone a long time ago if you’d trusted me.”
To her surprise, Asher didn’t put up much of a fight. She’d expected him to argue, to say he had a good reason, but then not say what it was. Truthfully, she couldn’t figure out why. Why imprison her, then let her go? He couldn’t be naïve enough to think that she would agree to drop the settlement because of some intimidation, could he?
Why kiss me if he was trying to intimidate me?
Emma was thoroughly confused. The only thing that seemed to make sense, was the
story Asher was saying. That he really had been robbed.
“My head hurts,” she said quietly. “It’s the middle of the night. I’m going home, Asher. You have forty-eight hours to pay me, or the lawsuit goes to court. For good.”
“I don’t think that’s quite how it works,” he said awkwardly, “but I understand your point.
She pushed past him and headed out of the vault, eager to be rid of the place forever. Getting in her car, she tossed her purse down and flopped back against the seat.
Her brain kept replaying the memory of their kiss for her on repeat, despite her actively trying to shut it off, to keep it out. When she tried to remember how terrified and desperate she’d been in the vault, her brain kicked back with the feeling of happiness and glee she’d felt upon seeing him. How he immediately made her safe, banishing her fear of the darkness and her situation.
“It’s not fair,” she said grumpily, turning on the car and beginning the long reverse-drive back to the road. “Why can’t I kiss a guy who is normal?”
Emma had a lot of thinking to do. Despite telling Asher she was going to bed, she wondered just how much she’d be able to sleep.
Chapter Twelve
Asher
By the time Asher returned to the Aterna clan house, the light was starting to dim out the stars on the horizon as the sun made its way back into the sky.
Leathery wings flapped and a pair of gleaming emerald-blue dragons dropped out of the air, landing in the wide-open concrete entryway designed for just that purpose.
Asher snarled silently to himself, walking past the two clansmen, ignoring them completely. The front gates slammed open with a thunderous boom. Something cracked in one of them, but he paid it no mind, happy to vent his fury on something. Besides, they could be easily repaired.
Lights were on everywhere in the house in front of him. Early morning dawn was when the dragons were most active, taking to the mountains, soaring through the air and letting their other half enjoy the feel of wind over their wings, before returning to their human forms to take on the day, out of sight of any humans.
“Well hello, brother,” a familiar voice said from nearby.
Asher just snarled louder and continued marching toward the house, heading for the stairs and his rooms on the second floor.
“Please don’t break anything, okay?” Logan called after him. “And I expect you to fix the door once you’re finished your tantrum, whatever it’s for.”
Asher shuddered with rage, nearly turning it on Logan. “Leave me alone, brother,” he spat.
“What the hell did I do to you?” Logan barked, never impressed at being talked to like that. “What is going on with you today?”
“What’s going on?” Asher snapped, whirling and marching back over to Logan, staring the head of Clan Aterna in the eyes. “What’s going on? I’ll tell you what’s going on. Someone stole my treasure, Logan. They took it, Logan. From me.”
Logan’s face exploded into shock. “What?”
“My treasure is gone, brother. All of it. Every single bit. Swiped from right out under my nose by some human asshole. When I find them,” he said, trembling with anger. “I am going to make them pay, brother. They will pay for what they did to me, mark my words.”
“Asher,” Logan said, grabbing him by the shoulders. “Asher. Who did this to you? Who stole your treasure?”
The other dragon was rightfully concerned. If humans had come poking around Five Peaks again, searching for hints of the families and their true nature, then he might not be the only one whose treasure had been stolen. Word would have to go out to all the clans, so that everyone could check on their vaults and take proper countermeasures.
And everyone will know what happened to me.
That would be embarrassing, but if he could prevent others from suffering by spreading his tale of theft, then Asher would do it. Family came first, even if they could sometimes be insufferable jerks.
“I don’t know yet,” he said, answering mostly truthfully. After all, he only had a couple of names and a phone number, but that all meant nothing to him so far. “I’ve got a couple of leads, but nothing to go on.”
Logan looked uncomfortable, like he wanted to know everything Asher did, but the leader of Clan Aterna was smart, he knew his people. And Logan knew his brother. Of the four of them, Asher was the most private, the most reserved.
Probably why I’m the only one unmated as well, but who’s counting?
“Is there anything you can tell me?” That was the clan head talking, not his brother.
“Not yet,” he replied, cooling off now that he was at least able to share his anger with someone else. If he told Logan what he did know, however, then he would have to explain how he got the information, and then it would come out that Asher was paying off Emma with his own personal treasure.
That was embarrassment that he could do without, given the amount of the payout. If the rest of his clan knew what he’d agreed to, Asher would be the laughingstock of them all.
“Very well. But remember, brother,” Logan said, squeezing his shoulder again, obviously concerned for his clan mate and blood brother. “If there is anything you need, you just let me know. We are here for you, okay? You aren’t alone in this.”
Asher looked up, comforted by the automatic support. Logan didn’t care who had robbed him or why. His only concern was that a dragon might be in need of help, and he would put all the resources of this branch of Clan Aterna behind the hunt if Asher asked him to.
Though the Five Peaks members of Clan Aterna might be the smallest of the three branches spread around the globe, their resources were still considerable. It was no small offer Logan was making.
“Thank you,” he said quietly. “I will let you know, but I should be able to track down a few humans on my own.”
“Where to start?”
“Five Peaks,” Logan said. “They’re local, I know that much.”
The hunters had been from nearby, and so he suspected that the man who had hired them was probably part of the small criminal element in Five Peaks as well. Whether the main player was local or not, he wasn’t sure yet.
But Asher intended to find out.
“It sure would be nice if the humans would also follow the Scarlet Accords, now wouldn’t it?” Logan remarked with a wry smile.
Asher snorted, the only laughter he felt capable of just then. “For them to agree not to steal our treasure, they’d have to know we exist. I think I’d rather keep it the way it is now. With the vast majority of them living in ignorance.”
The Scarlet Accords were an ancient dragon pact, formed before the clans had become more united, during the days of internecine warfare amongst them all. Treasuring stealing had become so rampant that in a rare act of unity, all the dragons had come together to agree not to steal one another’s treasure anymore, lest it leave them vulnerable to the humans.
“I suppose you have a point.” Logan was quiet, distant. “Much better that only a few of them know. Come, let’s go inside. At this time of night, the humans will still be asleep. You need to unwind, have a beer and some food before you go hunting. I’ll wrangle us up some food. You get the beers.”
Asher smiled and nodded, following in his brother’s wake. Logan could be a bit of a dick from time to time, but in the end, he was still his brother and not a terrible guy. Usually.
They entered the house together in comfortable silence, heading off to the left where the kitchen was located, its floor-to-ceiling windows giving a beautiful view down the mountainside. Asher was looking forward to sitting outside on the little patio and enjoying the landscape in peace.
“Brother…”
Frowning at the tone, Asher focused his attention back onto Logan, who was staring at him curiously.
“Yes?”
“Tell me again how you lost your treasure?” Logan said slowly.
“What do you mean?”
“Were you, perchance, duped by a woman?” Logan’
s eyes narrowed.
Asher shook his head. “What? Of course not. Why would you think something so outrageous?”
“I don’t know,” Logan said, a sly look crossing his face. “Could just be brotherly intuition. Or it could be the lipstick all over your mouth.”
Uh-oh.
“She didn’t steal the treasure from me,” he said, rolling his eyes. There was no point in denying that he’d been kissing a woman. If the lipstick was there, then it was there.
“Well, who is she?” Logan wanted to know.
“Nobody,” he said quickly. Too quickly.
Logan’s face lit up. “Little brother, are you being protective about a woman you’ve been with? That isn’t your style. Don’t tell me you’ve finally found someone you want to keep secret. Could it be?”
“Stow it,” Asher snarled, not wanting to go down this line of questioning. It would bring up questions that he wasn’t ready to answer.
“Have you finally found your mate?” Logan continued, ignoring Asher’s pleas to stop. “Is it time for you to become a man like the rest of your family?”
“Screw. Off,” he growled, pushing past Logan and heading for the kitchen. So much for eating and having a beer in peace. He wasn’t going to hear the end of this. “She’s not my mate,” he added. “She hates me.”
“Oh really? So why is she kissing you?” Logan called after him with a chuckle. “And you never said you didn’t like her.”
Asher put his head down and walked away, ignoring the taunting. His brother wasn’t going to get a reaction out of him. He just wasn’t. There was nothing going on between him and Emma. Nothing at all.
So, they had kissed, big deal. It’s not like he was looking forward to seeing her again.
Was he?
Asher frowned, opening the beverage fridge and pulling out a beer. He pondered everything for a moment, then snagged another and wandered out onto the patio, flopping down into a chair and staring out over the valley. Nestled way down near the bottom was Five Peaks, the sleepy human town just starting to come awake.